Planet Rugby: Ireland has a proud tradition of providing players who distinguished themselves in the annual Varsity Match at Twickenham. The 124th instalment takes place tomorrow as Oxford look to retain the MMC Trophy against a lively Cambridge side. The latter have won just one of the last six ties, though they did win the previous five.
There are two men playing tomorrow who share more than the fact they are Dubliners. Seán Brophy, who lines out at prop for Oxford, and David O'Brien, named at openside flanker for Cambridge, were both educated at Belvedere; it'll be a proud day for the Great Denmark Street school.
The 25-year-old Brophy is reading for an MSc in Nature, Society & Environmental Policy (St Cats), his first year since joining from Trinity College Dublin, where he took a BA Hons in Business and Economics.
The 6ft 2ins, 19st 7lbs prop has represented Leinster at under-19 and under-21 and Ireland at under-21.
According to the profile notes, "In his spare time Broph enjoys organising events for OURFC's infamous underworld members 'The Kyoto 5' as well as arranging dates for his team-mates, which he usually insists on attending.
"This enormous Irishman has settled immediately into the Oxford squad with some outstanding performances both on and off the field during the Japan Tour, which was hardly surprising as he suggests that, 'get busy living or get busy dying' is his favourite outlook on life."
O'Brien (22), an Economics graduate of UCD now reading Economics at Hughes Hall, played for Ireland Schools and was a member of the team beaten by New Zealand in the final of the Under-21 World Cup in Glasgow two years ago. He is also winning his first Blue.
Cambridge lead the head-to-head, 57 wins to 52. There have been 14 draws.
Wallabies return
The Australian Schools team arrive in Ireland this month to play three matches, against Ireland Under-19, Ireland
Under-19 A and Munster Under-19. The previous anomaly about age profiles in these clashes no longer occurs thanks to the IRFU's decision to bring age grades into line with the rest of the world.
In the past Irish Schools sides that toured Australia in summer were about six months older than their hosts, while the Australians enjoyed a similar advantage when they toured here in December. This time the combatants will be of an age.
The Aussies warmed up for the Irish leg of their European tour with a comprehensive 24-12 victory over an England under-19 team at Kingsholm. The match was played out, before 3,057 spectators, in deplorable conditions, the pitch a morass. Having beaten a Regional Academies side, the Australians quickly established their superiority and led 17-0 at the interval.
Bourgoin in form
Leinster's opponents in the Heineken European Cup at the RDS next Saturday, Bourgoin, managed at 22-11 victory over their neighbours Clermont at Stade Pierre Rajon on Saturday. Fullback Alexandre Peclier was Bourgoin's star performer, chipping in with a try and two conversions in a match his side dominated for long spells.
Elsewhere in the French Championship Toulouse suffered a surprise 10-9 defeat away to Brive but there were wins for Perpignan (25-12 v Toulon), Biarritz (21-18 v Montpellier), Stade Français (32-9 v Pau), Narbonne (27-26 v Agen) and Castres (34-11 v Bayonne).
In the Powergen Cup the Dragons, to whom Munster will travel next Saturday in the European Cup, had a facile victory at home to the Worcester Warriors (33-10).
Shane Jennings grabbed one of the tries in the Leicester Tigers' 29-16 win over the Northampton Saints, a game in which Geordan Murphy was named man of the match, while Leeds Tykes drew with Newcastle Falcons 18-18 and Bath beat Gloucester 21-12.
Moody to a fault
It seems England and Leicester flanker Lewis Moody is no closer to controlling his temper now than he was as a youngster.
In a club reserve game earlier this season he was sent off and received a six-week ban for punching an opponent.
In the recent Test match between England and Samoa he received a red card for laying into his Leicester team-mate Alesana Tuilagi, playing on the wing for Samoa. Moody threw several punches and was given a nine-week ban.
Leinster supporters will recall him trampling on the head of Brian O'Driscoll in a European Cup match, for which, amazingly, he escaped punishment. No stranger to the red mist, Moody was remarkably frank in his recently published book, Year of the Tiger, about the demons that descend when he crosses the whitewash.
He wrote: "One young lad from Northampton takes me out as I'm about to play the ball and I absolutely leather him before an almighty fight breaks out and I'm sent to the sinbin. I manage to calm down a little and realise I've been a bit crazed.
"I've just been going around trying to hurt people. I've not been playing any rugby at all, just hitting people. Outside rugby I'm a fairly placid guy, but once I'm on the pitch I go hell for leather. I become almost psychotic. I actually dream about hurting people on the pitch."
He'll now have plenty of time to reflect on his latest misdemeanour.
That missing euro
This column has had several inquiries about a shortfall in the refunds from the Leinster Branch of North Terrace tickets for the recent November tests. Those who attended all three would have paid €64 but when collecting refunds would have received only €€61. The Leinster Branch charge €1 per ticket for administration costs and have confirmed to this column that this will not be refunded.
