REIGNING CHAMPIONS LEINSTER ‘A’ have been drawn alongside Plymouth Albion, Jersey and the ‘Wales 3′ qualifier for the pool stages of the 2014/15 British & Irish Cup.
The second-tier competition has been restructured after Scottish Rugby withdrew its teams in order to avoid any clashes with their own BT Premiership.
The 2014/15 British & Irish Cup will feature 20 teams [12 from the English Championship, 4 Welsh Principality Premiership clubs and the four Irish provinces' 'A' sides] split into five pools of four.
Each side will play six pool games before the turn of the year, with the quarter-finals set for January, the semi-finals to take place in March and the final being played in April.
Girvan Dempsey’s Leinster team defended their title successfully last month by beating Leeds Carnegie in Donnybrook on a comprehensive 44-17 scoreline.
As they target a third consecutive trophy at this level, Dempsey’s men will face a Plymouth outfit that includes Irishmen Ruairi Cushion, Eoghan Grace, Declan Cusack and Ben Woods.
Munster ‘A’, who were knocked out by Leinster in the quarter-finals of the 2013/14 campaign, have been drawn in Pool 3 alongside Worcester Warriors – who were relegated from the Aviva Premiership last month – Moseley and Nottingham.
Joining Worcester for next season is former Ireland U18 international Charlie Mulchrone, and Dean Ryan’s side are likely to provide stiff opposition.
Connacht Eagles will face London Scottish, the ‘Wales 2′ qualifier and Bristol in Pool 1, intent on improving on their record of three wins in last season’s competition. Andy Robinson’s impressive Bristol squad means the western province will have to fight hard to top the pool.
Finally, the Ulster Ravens will clash with last season’s runners-up Leeds Carnegie, Rotherham Titans and the ‘Wales 4′ qualifier in Pool 2. Having failed to advance from the pool stages in the 2013/14 campaign, there is clear room for improvement for the Irish province.
There will be familiar faces in the Titans’ ranks with James McKinney and Adam Macklin joining Rotherham from Ulster this summer. Irishmen Sean Scanlon, Michael Keating and Willie Ryan are also on the books at the Championship club.
2014/15 British & Irish Cup pools:
Pool 1: London Scottish, Wales 2, Bristol, Connacht Eagles
Pool 2: Rotherham Titans, Leeds Carnegie, Ulster Ravens, Wales 4
Pool 3: Worcester Warriors, Nottingham, Moseley, Munster ‘A’
Pool 4: Wales 1, Cornish Pirates, Doncaster Knights, Bedford Blues
Pool 5: Leinster ‘A’, Plymouth Albion, Wales 3, Jersey
The preliminary fixture list is available here.
I can’t see many having sympathy given his past.
He shamed the country. I feel sorry for the other riders whose horses ran without drugs and didn’t cheat. And that’s saying nothing about the staged burglary to steal the B blood sample from the HQ of Show jumping Ireland in the dead of night. It made us look like a bunch of gombeens.
Here come the horsey set with their red thumbs in support of Cian, tally-ho suckers !
The brown envelope comes to mind with this decision .. Shafted ..
They did however win the Most Ironically Named Horse Award.
Why did the fella run out in front of him?
Shame Sepp Blatter wasn’t in charge. Could of made a deal.
Juicstice served?
I see a lot of people saying stuff like this.. what did he do I know nothing about the man?
He won gold. Horse later tested positive. B samples went missing after a suspicious break in. Something like that.
Sound mate
Good. He’s only a cheat anyway.
I feel sorry for a lot of irish jockeys lately . Bertram Allen and yesterday Richard Howley have both being wronged by the FEI on tiny, tiny infringements. Yet they ,themselves, don’t make a big call like this which is an infringement on the actual course .
They .the FEI
Was it not when that man was in the way that O’Connor did not follow procedure to point out the unexpected obstacle?
In saying that it is a pity.
Yes. The rules are that he had to pull the horse up during the round and lodge the complaint straight away. Cian didn’t….he finished the round. Had one fence down, which was the fence directly after the man running across him, but he completed the round. Only lodged a complaint and apply after he lost out on qualification by one place because of the four faults. An International showjumper at that level should know the rules. Even more so for Cian considering his past.
Exactly, in cases like this you must stop your round and ask the judges to let you re-start it. Had he done so I am sure the judges would have allowed him to re-start. However by carrying on he was looking for two bites at the cherry. Correct decision to reject his appeal.
How is Show Jumping in the Olympics anyway? It’s presence makes a mockery off all the competitors in the real sports. Shouldn’t really be allowed. Dressidge is another one. Who came up with that nonsense?
Why isn’t horse racing included like showjumping?
What a stupid comment to make… showjumping is one of Irelands most successful sports, people who partake in any equestrian sport train just as hard as anyother sport.. its takes a lot of time, commitment and work to get to the levels of these riders and animals and its not dressidge its dressage..if you dont know the sport dont comment on it
Janis, I hardly think people who partake in equestrian “sport” have to work hard. Show Jumping and Horsey Racing are pretty much spectator sports for the riders. Sit back, relax is what’s on the cards during a ride. The only time a rider would break sweat is if they’re hitting the horse really hard with the riding crop, or maybe kicking it with the spurs. Horsey people love being cruel to animals. They’re all involved in fox-hunting and badger-baiting and the like. Stuck-up idiots
I’m surprised O’Connor took the rap…
Clearly the gag went over people’s heads (the horse usually gets the rap).
Oconnor unfairly shafted again
The rules are the rules for everyone, maybe Cian might try learning them and then following them. He lost the appeal let that be the end of it.
Not surprised at all. The incident may have cost Ireland their place because O’Connor was more concerned about the guy running out in front of him than getting on with the job and setting his horse right for the next jump. Anyway, when the jockey’s arse is bigger than the horse’s arse, our expectations weren’t high.
I Connor plus drugs equals trouble for everyone around him. Shame on him as his behaviour deserved a lifetime ban since he threatened our most valuable industry horses and farming( both linked by their very nature). I hate when people clap him at the RDS as it is like Roy Keane in the World Cup. Yet they both did well from their disgusting behaviour. This guy should have been jailed but no in Ireland he gets rewarded, just like some of our politicians snd bankers.
Most likely your man was on the same drug as Waterford crystal