The Observer du lieu suivant : London, Greater London, England • 43

SPORT 7 The Observer 21 December 1997 RUGBY UNION Italy embarrass the men in green while Pau's challenge is repelled and Leicester beat the odds OmmI. IT 0 71 Tl fa left ta Miters Eddie Punch in Bologna ItaJy. Tries: Dommguez, Pilat, Stoica. Conversions: Dominguez (2). Penalties: Doniguez (6).

Ireland 22 Try: CMahony. Conversion: Bwood. Penalties: Humphreys (4), Etwood. Irish prop forward Is hauled down by the Italian centre, Manuel Dalian. Photograph by Vincenzo Pinto Reuters Clohessy on the charge: The Gutsy Catt takes Bath to Eddie Butler at the Recreation Ground Bath .20 Pau 14 ter, during which Triep-Capdeville was shown the yellow card for stamping, but apart from one other incident when De Glanvilie was tumbledried out of a ruck it was a game well policed by the players and well controlled by the referee.

Anyway, a match without De Glanvilie having stitches would be an anomaly. If the tie never reached great heights it was hard-fought throughout Among the forwards Lyle, the American, had yet another outstanding afternoon; he has the best pair of hands in English rugby. Redman was also, for one of the game's smaller second-rows, immense at the line-out and in the tackle. And Victor Ubogn had his moments, too. With the score 3-3, thanks to a penalty apiece by Aucagne and Callard, he scored the first try of the game.

Bath went left from a clean line-out win, and Thomas from the back row was on hand to set up the ruck. They switched to the right, where a posse of forwards was lurking out wide. De Glanvilie, who sometimes hesitated before delivery, had enough faith in Lyle to give him a pass. His No 8 did not let tiie centre down, for he drew the defence into the tackle and slipped a pass to Ubogu, who scored in the same corner where he killed off Cardiff's hopes in the quarter-final. The remaining 10 minutes of the first half contained only three more penalties: two by Aucagne, to leave Pau only two points adrift at the interval.

The second half saw an increase in the frenzy of the forward exchanges. At the ruck Pau started to kill the ball, and gave away the two penalties which allowed Callard to extend Bath's lead to eight points. But then Ubogu had another moment. He suffered a nick to his head and was standing having treatment while his coach, Andy Robinson, screamed at him to rejoin the action. Pau took advantage of his absence to drive from a line-out, release the back, and send Bernat-Salles over in the corner.

Ubogu, duly bandaged, rejoined the action to make a tackle, but too late. With three points in it the stage seemed set for an electric last quarter. But Pau continued to infringe as the Bath grip tightened up front. Another Callard penalty made it Quins forget script Robert Kitson at Welland Road Leicester 27 Harlequins 3 THE. UNWRITTEN rule of this fixture is that if Daren O'Leary scores a try at Welford Road, as in three of the last four seasons, Harlequins saunter back to London triumphant.

When the winger outpaced the cover to crossed the line in the first half, the statisticians nudged one another; sadly for Quins, the referee's whistle had gone and their favoured script disappeared into the murky Midlands air. O'Leary was forced to depart injured after half an hour and Leicester never looked back. Committed up front and well-organised the Tigers loped away impressively in the second half to move into third place in the table with one match in hand on leaders Saracens, whom they meet at Vicarage Road on Boxing Day. Against a side who stuck a half-century on Wasps last weekend, Leicester demonstrated what a snakes-and-ladders league season this has become. Two of their three tries came from their England men, Greenwood and Back, and the London contenders would be unwise to write them off.

Earlier this month, Bob Dwyer was boasting to All Black captain Sean Fitz-patrick that only two members of the England A side who faced New Zealand on this ground would have made it into Leicester's team, albeit before their current injury crisis which has removed Stransky until the New Year. As replacements go, Waisale Serevi is hardly the worst and the Fijian almost lit up the afternoon single-handed midway through the first half. A beetling break by Garforth provided the unlikely link and, given a harder surface, the fly-half spectacular attempted scoop off the turf from his own chip ahead might have paid off. Apart -from a goodmiove mvolving Joiner and Greenwood and a penalty apiece from Horak and Lacroix, the first 40 minutes otherwise produced disappointingly little, until Leicester were awarded a penalty try just before the break. Healey believed he should have been awarded the try and kicked the ball angrily at referee Pearson as the latter trotted behind the posts.

Healey's composure had already looked frayed in a couple of earlier off-the-ball incidents, but it scarcely required a genius to work out that a conversion in front of the posts was preferable to modest individual plaudits in the corner. The more charitable excuse is that he is keen to avoid a repeat of last season, when penalty tries emerged as Leicester's top scorer in the league. After Serevi had increased the lead with an easy penalty, it was the Fijian's long cutout pass in midfieid which gave Greenwood the chance to accelerate irresistibly through an enormous gap. At 20-3, Quins, forced to draft the semi-retired Mullins into the front-row at the eleventh hour, were beaten and Back's late score, converted by Horak, proved as much. Lelcesteri Leeds; Joiner, Greenwood (Overend.

74), Potter, Lloyd; Serevi, Healey; Rowntree, Cockerill, Garforth, Johnson (capt), Van Heerden, Moody (Gustard 58), Back, Corry (West 80). Trias: Greenwood, Back. Penalty try. Conversions: Serevi (2), Horak. Penalties: Horak, Serevi.

Harlequins: Williams; O'Leary (Llley 30), Keyter, Ngauamo, Belligoi; Lacroix, Walshe (Harries 45); Leonard, Billups, Mullins, Llewellyn (Cabqnnes 58), Strudwick, Jenkins, Davison (capt), Leach. Penalty! Lacroix. Referee: Pearson (Durham). they were already 70-9 behind. Unsurprisingly they had no one to match Cardiff's powerful no.

8, Lewis, nor the pace of their backs. Morgan scored the first try after three minutes, by half time Cardiff led 27-3, and nine Cardiff second-half tries illustrated fully the fitness gap. Cardiff: Thomas (Ross 65); Morgan, Hall, Thomas (Jarvls 70), Walker; Williams, Howley (Hewlett 64); John, Humphreys (capt), Mustoe (Booth 60), Rees, Tait (Young 52), Williams (Jones h-t), Ringer, Lewis. Tries: Humphreys (2), Ringer (2). Thomas (2), Morgan, Hall, Lewis, Walker, Thomas, Ross, Williams.

Hewlett. Conversions: Thomas (3). Hall (2), Ross. Abercarn: Thomas (capt); A Sage. Parfitt (Gethin Paterson 49), Barnes, Royal; Cheshire, Gareth Paterson; Hoskins (Urwin 34), Butcher, Graves, Top (Williams 39), James (Hunt 46).

Chick. Sage (Brain 55), Maund. Try: A Sage. Penalties: Cheshire (3). Rafereei Rees (WRU).

THERE REMAINS something endearingly old-fashioned about Bath. Having gone through the ordeal of exposure by television in their documentary series, having let it be known that if they do not move from this ground they will go bust, and having conceded 50 points in the domestic league last week, they regrouped according to ancient ways and drew on their family spirit to see off the French challenge and make it to the European Cup final. It was all very traditional, and probably makes them underdogs for the big clash on 31 January in Bordeaux, where they will meet the winners of today's second semifinal, between Toulouse and Brive. Digging deep into the reserves is a Bath speciality. Another trick is to unleash Mike Catt at club level.

Whatever his vacillations on the international stage, in this patch of the West Country he can do little wrong. HERE'S WISHING Brian Ash-ton and Pat Whelan and their fellow selector Donal Lenihan a good Christmas. After this debacle at the Stadio Ball' Ara yesterday, their sole consolation will be a few days of relaxation at home with their families. Meanwhile, the dismal story of Irish international rugby continues apace. A new-look Ireland side only three players of the fifteen were involved when Italy won by 37-29 in Dublin last January singularly failed to do the business.

The try-count was three to one in Italy's favour, and that pretty well tells it like it was. like last January, Ireland had to rely on their goal-kickers, and though first Humphreys and then Elwood, who replaced him for the final quarter, landed sis kicks between them, it was nothing like enough to keep the determined Italians at bay. Only five of yesterday's team Nowlan, Hickie, Corrigan, Elwood and Clohessy are Irish-based, playing for local clubs but the players who are well paid to compete for English clubs are affluent professionals, and the conventional wisdom would have.you believe that they are thereby improving their talents. Not so. On this showing they are earning money under false pretences.

These players, supposedly honing their skills in a competition said to be far better than anything which goes on at home in Ireland, let the side down, and that is putting in mildly. The same mistakes were there in evidence, and indeed, in abundance. Like losing the ball when going forward, like dropped passes, forward passes, tactical unawareness anu the determination and the will to win. Truly, the prospect of the cut and thrust of the Five Nations' Championship is not so much a dream as a nightmare. Ireland seldom looked like scoring a try.

The one try they did manage was the result of a slick reverse pass from Elwood which sent left wing Humphreys: Four penalties l3a 37 O'Mahony in between the sticks without a hand being laid on him. But it was forgive the cliche too little, too late. And it was fitting that Italy's brilliant architect-in-chief, Dominguez, had the final say, with his sixth penalty. He orchestrated matters with the finesse of a sporting Michelangelo. And runners like Pilt, Marcello Cuttita and Stoica were well able to respond to his promptings, making the best of the good possession laid on by an agile and mobile pack.

If Dominguez played with the skills of a master, the approach of the Irish was more akin to that of Attila the Hun. But the would-be destroyers were denied if the Italians were waiting for the Barbarians they had done their homework and had no problems in keeping the visitors at bay. The first half scarcely ranked among the sporting epics. Still, there was a feeling of inevitability; this was one that you felt the Irish were never going to win. A score of 9-9 was, perhaps, encouraging.

It was also unspeakably boring, and Dominguez and Humphreys landed three penalty goals apiece. They repeated the exercise inside the 53rd minute, to leave it 12-12. But that was to be the end of any realistic hopes of an Irish revival. Dominguez kicked penalty No 5 in the 58th minute. Then he scorched in for a well-worked try, unconverted, as if to show that even a maestro can make mistakes.

Elwood's penalty goal, in the 27th minute, merely raised false hopes. Italy scored two excellent tries, courtesy of full-back Pilat and centre Stoica, both converted by Dominguez and the Irish were in tatters. O'Mahony's late try and Elwood's conversion made no real difference as Dominguez slotted his sixth penalty goal in injury time for a personal tally of 27 points. Last January, he scored 22, and 17 in Italy's first win over Ireland, at Treviso in 1995. A class act.

Maybe the aforementioned selectors should do some genealogical research, and find him some Celtic forebears. Just as they have done with several of the English players in yesterday's team whose Irish connections are tenuous. On this display, Ireland's resurgence as a major rugby nation is in the far distant future. fTALYi Pilat (Benetton); Vacctri (Ply Flof), Stoica (Narbonne). Dalian (Benetton), Harcflo Cuttitta (Milan); Domtaguaz (Steele Francals), Troncon (Benetton); Massimo Cuttitta (Harlequins), OnaMD (Milan), CastalanJ (L'Aquiia), Crocl (Milan; Scanavaeca, Ferni Rovigo 74), ChaoeMnate (Benetton), OlovanaUl (Narbonne, capt; Aranclo, Toulon 21-24), Sgorlon (Benetton), Oaninar (Benetton; Arando 27-30).

IRELAND! Nowlan (St Mary's College): Hlekle (St Mary's College), Maggs (Bristol), HeCall (London Irish), O'Mahony (Moseley); Humphrey (London Irish; Bwood, Gaiwegians 60), Hogan (London Irish); Corrigan (Greystones), Wood (Harlequins, capt; Clark Northampton 70), Clohessy (Young Munster), John (Saracens), OTCsty (London Irish). trakbM (Sate; CoataDo, St Mary's College 75). Ofkrady (Sale). MBar (Leicester). Rtar Mene (France).

'When we didn't get a win there it meant an away semifinal and it's always difficult to win in France. Bates reckons Newcastle's enforced lay-off from League action for five weeks because of England's pre-Christmas international programme cost his side dear. That break did us no good at all today. We just didn't start well but in the last 20 minutes we looked to be imposing ourselves on the game and they were tiring. They were very good in the tackle, and we have to learn how to break down big physical Newcastle played with the strong wind in the first-half and there was no doubt it was a good toss for Agen to have won.

Mazas kicked an early penalty but Newcastle came Calami: 'Peer pressure was kef final 20-14. Thereafter Bath remained in control, but there was one incident which might have turned things the other way. As Bernat-Salles chased a kick ahead Adebayo tugged on his shirt, an affront that went not only unpunished but was compounded a minute later when Bath's wing felled the same Bernat-Salles with a clumsy late tackle which also went unpunished. My, how the French moaned. But in reality they did not deserve to win, Whatever their faults in domestic rugby, whatever the parlous state of their long-term finances, Bath remain a mighty force in the land They still know what to do when it comes to the really big games.

Yesterday they gave themselves the opportunity to test themselves on the biggest club stage of them all. Bathi Callard; Evans, De Glanvilie, Perry, Adebayo; Catt, Nicol (capt); Yates, Regan, Ubogu. Lianas. Redman, Thomas, Webster. Lyle (Peters 80).

Tryi Obogu. PanaKlsat Callard (5). Paui Brusque; Bernat-Salles, Dantlacq, Lelolr, Mareln; Aucagne, Torrossian; Trlep-Capdevllle (Bria 61), Rey (capt), Gonzales, Lagouarde (Mentleres 61), Cleda, Keith, Baque, Rplles (Vignolo 55). Tryi Bernat-Salles. Panattiaai Aucagne (3).

Refer) 0 Sevan (Wales). a work of prodiguous scholarship by author Tony Money. Coincidentally, a history of Scottish Rugby, The Thistle (Mainstream, 15.99) by Derek Douglas offers a finely detailed account of the game's beginnings in both Scotland and England, including a correction of the 'myth' that the game of rugby football was invented by William Webb Ellis at Rugby School. Following their astonishing demolition of Leicester in midweek, Richmond today seek the scalp of Northampton, and are sustained by the ambition of becoming London's top club. 'This side are almost all international players and they set high team and personal says coach John Kingston.

'Settling for consolidation and mid-table security is not in the players The crowd was thin, the afternoon, though bright, even triinner, and the referee remained implacably unsympathetic to Abercarn even as the score rose to heights that Cardiff's overall performance did not really merit. The cup-holders have clearly. been affected by the injury to their colleague, and they will have to improve greatly on their play over the past few weeks if they are to retain the trophy. Yet, in fairness, they did score 14 tries against opponents who are unbeaten at the top of their East Division 6A, and who never stopped trying. They buzzed but carried no sting, except when Andrew Sage dropped over for a 70th minute try when Yesterday he returned from a three-week spell on the sidelines because of concussion and pnt in a highly controlled, imaginative and brave display from his preferred position at outside-half.

Catt tackled magnificently, especially in the last quarter. He ran on to the ball to take it flat from scrum-half Nicol, and when Pan rushed up to greet this daring offensive strategy he Kicked behind them and gave them something else to think about The French team arrived rated third among the qualifiers for the last four. They have a ridiculously bad record when it comes to playing away from home and never seem to have that sparkle behind the scrum that makes the very best French sides capable of ripping any opposition to pieces on the counter-attack. Pau were immensely solid up front, determined from first minute to last, but they never threatened to cut loose. They also arrived with a reputation for being ill-disciplined.

But Torrossian generally kept his head, where on other occasions he has let it nod on to the nose of opponents. There was a certain tension in the final quar League defeat by Saracens last Sunday. 'There was a lot of peer pressure from within for this said Callard. Nicol added: "We needed to be pulling in the right direction and Monday's meeting was about setting down certain criteria for which all the Bath players are expected to Pau had no complaints about their defeat, which served as confirmation of their abysmal away form in Europe over the past two seasons, with five defeats and only one away win. 'In the first half we were deprived of possession and you cannot win matches at any level, let alone a European semi-final, if that said their fullback, Brusque.

'In the rucks and mauls Bath have a lot more presence, so maybe our tactics weren't quite right for this their day. In the 51st minute, Mazas levelled the scores with his second penalty and Newcastle hung on under the cosh until 10 minutes from time when a huge kick from 50 metres from Mazas put Agen in front and sent the crowd into hysterics. In the closing minutes, Newcastle ran every piece of possession and Tait and Underwood both went close. Agani Thomas; Heymans, Campari, (C Loubere 80), Cistacq (S Prosper 77), Mazas; Bouic, Sudre; Rodriguez, Fabre (A Terle 73), Placentini, Mekkaoui, Porcu, Benetton, Troader (L Bourdeilhan 63), A Benazzi (capt). Panattiasi Mazas (3).

Drop goal: Bouic. Newcastle: Legg; Bentley, A Tait, Tuigamala, Underwood; Andrew, Armstrong; Graham, Nesdale, Van-Zandvliet. Archer, Weir (rep Metcalfe 52 mins), Lam, Arnold (rep Walton 49 mins), Ryan (capt). PanaKiaw Andrew (3) Rf-M Smith (Ireland). Never ask a question, say barristers, to which you don't know the answer.

Still, one asked at Bath seemed innocent enough, as Sky's man-on-the-pitch, Mark Robson, asked man-of-the-match Nigel rtedman: 'I suppose you'll be watching this on Sky Replied Redman: 'I will be if you put in a Sky dish; Otherwise it'll be good old BBCL' Actually it won 't be, Ollie. The BBC don't have any rights to Heineken Cup rugby. While last weekend's accident in Cardiff tells us that rugby will always be a dangerous game, a new book reminds us just how far the game has come. Manly and Muscular Diversions (Duckworth, 18.95) is about the big sporting revolution in the last century, focused in the public schools, and it includes this Rugby Review Norman Harris BATH THINK they need a significant improvement if they are to be crowned European club champions in Bordeaux on 31 January, when they will play depending on the result of today's other semifinal one of two previous Heineken Cup winners, Toulouse or Brive. 'We're operating only at 50 per cent' said full-back and assistant-coach Jon Callard.

"We're improving, but clearly we need to build steadily towards the Callard and captain Andy Nicol both referred to the catalytic effect of a straight-talking players' meeting following the record 50-23 gruesome account of something called a 'grovel': 'The ball might be held up within a measurable distance of the opponents' goal-line; and if the squash could be then forced over the line the next procededing was to engage in a "grovel" on the ground. 'To the outsider a grovel must have' have presented a most grotesque spectacle, formed as it was of wriggling, writhing figures, with interlacing legs and arms, for all the world like a mass of mammoth worms, who struggled to prevent, or secure, a try, and who only dropped off one by one as they lost touch of the ball. These grovels lasted sometimes as long as 10 This particular passage, relating to Marlborough, is one of over 100 drawn from individual college histories in reserved for sorry Bridgend even before referee Peter Rees dismissed the Abercarn no. 8, Maund, in the 26th minute with the score already 17-3. He had given a general warning to the visitors for persistently killing the ball, and the unfortunate Maund was the next infringer.

Poor Maund: the match programme even misspelt his name. It had already been a subdued affair. The Arms Park club this past week has been a sad and reflective place after the horrific accident last Saturday to Gwyn Jones, with the latest reports suggesting that he may have to spend nine months in hospital recovering from his spinal compression. Claws out as Agen wing the Falcons Cardiff with comfort, not conviction back to lead 6-3 with two Andrew penalties. The match threatened to boil over in the 18th minute when Benazzi and Agen prop Rodriguez plus Newcastle's Scottish international forwards Graham and Weir were all shown the yellow card after Graham and Rodriguez had swapped punches in front of the stand Just on half-time, Newcastle flanker Arnold and Agen lock Porcu were also yellow-carded for another scrap off the ball, and from the resulting penalty, Andrew made it 9-3.

That lead never looked enough with Agen's wind advantage in the second half and when Bouic scrambled a drop goal on the turn after three minutes, Newcastle possibly realised it wasn't to be Duncan Gardiner at the Arms Park Cardiff Abercarn .82 .14 WHAT LOOKS like a pre-Christmas romp for Cardiff was in fact a muted, almost unhappy, occasion, even if 11 different players did run in tries as they overwhelmed little Abercarn in the fourth round of the Swalec Cup. As the visitors took the pitch in their green and black jerseys, memories inevitably went back to 1992 when, in similar colours, the minnows from St Peters staggered the Welsh rugby scene by winning on this ground. There was to be no such upset this time that was Simon James atStadePhlpeSeBa Agen Newcastle. .12 9 FRANCE'S DOMINATION of the European Conference is set to continue after Agen edged out Newcastle in a tense semi-final, scraping through thanks to a somewhat wobbly drop goal from fly-half Bouic and a huge penalty from Mazas 10 minutes from the end of normal time Irish referee Bertie Smith dished out six yellow cards in a very physical game but it was more a question of players reacting to big hits rather than thuggery. The real damage was done in said Falcons' coach Steve Bates..