Heineken Cup Disaster
By Zippy
January 17 2005
An honest assessment of the Welsh teams efforts in this years Heineken European Cup. For details read on, it might not make happy reading.
For the first time in the Cup's 10-year history, no Welsh team has qualified for the quarter-final stage, the head of the Welsh Rugby Union David Moffet is a nervous man, people are starting to look at what Regional Rugby has delivered and they are not happy.
But Moffett said: "We're not happy obviously, but give us time. We said it was going to be a four year plan and we are one and a half years into it.
"Overall I think we are going in the right direction."
"If the Scarlets, Ospreys and Dragons would have won those home games in the first two weeks, we'd be sitting here having a totally different conversion,"
IF David Moffet IF, history is not kind to those who try to excuse there way out of failure.
His plan lies in ruins a look at how the Welsh sides have done
Llanelli Scarlets:
The standard bearers for so many years have not benefited from the Celtic League structure, the side have gone from one of the tournament favourites to also rans in just a few years.
Northampton struggling in the Zurich Premiership should have been put to the sword home and away, Toulouse don't travel and should have been done away with at home, instead all the Scarlets have to show is a couple of wins against Glasgow, nice one.
| Heineken Cup Pool 3 January 16, 2005 | ||||||||
 |
|
P | W | D | L | BP | PTS | |
| 1 | Toulouse | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 24 | |
| 2 | Northampton | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 21 | |
| 3 | Llanelli Scarlets | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 13 | |
| 4 | Glasgow | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | |
Cardiff Blues
Finalists in the first year of the competition, Cardiff continued their decline and just managed to avoid a whitewash, the Celtic League certainly is not helping the capital side in Europe.
| Heineken Cup Pool 6 January 16, 2005 | ||||||||
|
|
P | W | D | L | BP | PTS | |
| 1 | Stade Francais | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 23 | |
| 2 | Gloucester | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 14 | |
| 3 | Ulster | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 13 | |
| 4 | Cardiff Blues | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 7 | |
Neath Swansea Ospreys
This side packed with the best Welsh young talent was unable to beat Munster at home and this cost them, one feels many of the young stars will seek there fortune abroad.
| Heineken Cup Pool 4 January 16, 2005 | ||||||||
|
|
P | W | D | L | BP | PTS | |
| 1 | Munster | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 22 | |
| 2 | Castres | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 16 | |
| 3 | Neath- Sw'sea Ospreys | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 14 | |
| 4 | Harlequins | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 3 | |
Newport Dragons
Not the most difficult group, all games bar the trip to France should have been in easy reach for Newport, instead they got done by Newcastle, new to European competition, home and away. How long will Anderson want to stick around?
| Heineken Cup Pool 5 January 16, 2005 | ||||||||
|
|
P | W | D | L | BP | PTS | |
| 1 | Newcastle | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 21 | |
| 2 | Perpignan | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 15 | |
| 3 | Newport- Gwent D'gons | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 15 | |
| 4 | Edinburgh | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 7 | |
Asked today on IC Wales Welsh fans gave their verdict on what Regional Rugby has done for Welsh rugby, and there is a majority vote.
What do you think of Wales having no team in the Heineken Cup quarterfinal? | |
|
Regional rugby isn't working |
 65.40% | |
|
Wales still lag behind |
 22.75% | |
|
It's just one of those things |
 7.82% | |
|
Don't care |
 4.03% | |
Its time for change, somebody please save Welsh Rugby.