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Cipriani-inspired Gloucester thrash Tigers

By Liam Blackburn
Gloucester fly-half Danny Cipriani

Danny Cipriani marked his return from a three-game ban by inspiring Gloucester to a 36-13 home victory over Leicester Tigers.

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The fly-half had served a suspension for a high tackle against Munster but showed no sign of any rust as he played a pivotal role in three of their five tries.

Jason Woodward, Matt Banahan, former Leicester prop Fraser Balmain and Ollie Thorley all crossed in the opening 46 minutes.

Star man Cipriani was taken off before Thorley added a cherry on top with a glorious late try.

The Tigers were shorn of George Ford, who will captain England against Japan on Saturday, and their points came through Mike Williams’ converted try and a pair of Joe Ford penalties, with the Cherry and Whites going up to third in the Premiership table.

Cipriani’s one-handed flick to Mark Atkinson helped him break through Leicester’s line before he found Woodward for the opening score.

And it was Cipriani whose flat pass helped Banahan touch down in the corner for Gloucester’s second try.

Balmain bundled over from close range before half-time and Gloucester had a bonus point when Cipriani fed Thorley to break through and dot down early in the second period.

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A brilliant would-be Gloucester try – which featured a no-look pass from Cipriani in the build-up – was chalked off for a forward pass, but Thorley broke from deep in his own half with two minutes to go to score the pick of the bunch and cap a comprehensive Gloucester success.

In the evening’s other game, Harlequins beat Newcastle 20-7 to keep the Falcons bottom of the division.

Alex Dombrandt and Francis Saili went over either side of the interval for Quins and Andrew Davidson’s 67th-minute try proved to be only a consolation for the visitors.

In other news:

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Trevor 2 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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Bull Shark 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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