Anyone with a Times account able to publish the Mike McCarthy interview from Sunday Times, or find the Irish Daily Mail one..???

Brilliant!

from the erc website, read last line off the article

Former England prop Phil Vickery hopes Gloucester will experience a truly magical feeling in Europe this season.

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The Cherry and Whites legend tasted Heineken Cup glory with London Wasps at Twickenham back in 2007 and is now hoping Gloucester will be celebrating continental success at the same venue next May.

Vickery can boast a World Cup winners' medal, two Lions tours and a Premiership crown from a stellar career that lasted 15 years but Wasps' Heineken Cup Final victory over Leicester four years ago will always hold a special place in his heart.

And with Gloucester back among the big boys following a season-long absence, Vickery believes Bryan Redpath's men have the potential to challenge for the ultimate club honour.
"Winning the Heineken Cup is a magical feeling," said Vickery, who played a total of 60 games in Europe, with 41 of those coming in the game's premier club competition.

"To win silverware with guys who you work with week in, week out is a very, very special feeling.

"The Heineken Cup is always difficult but the Gloucester squad is looking reasonably strong. They haven't been blown away by anyone in the league this season.

"They've got Toulouse away in the first game which is never an easy place to go. But being back in the Heineken Cup is great for the Club.

"If you look at the Gloucester squad, they've got a lot of really exciting players and when they play to their potential they're a match for anyone, as they proved last year. They've lost a few players and they've had a few cut backs but it's up to those guys who were learning last year to step up and prove their worth."

Gloucester begin their Pool 6 campaign against four-times champions Toulouse on Sunday before hosting Harlequins the following Saturday.

Heineken Cup winners Connacht are the other side in the group and Gloucester face the Irish outfit in a December double header, starting in Galway on December 10.

Oh absolutely, but just think it's strange that they keep making that point when it's neither feasible or accurate.

I guess it's to make the fringe talent push harder, but it's mixed signals

“I hope not,” admits Muldoon. “But Eric has made it clear we’re not going to target games. Every game is going to be treated on merit. If there’s a lad carrying an injury, then we’ll look at it, but otherwise our strongest 15 is going to play every week for 13 weeks."

I saw Eric has said the same thing in interviews. Not really true, though.

Well it's not really possible. I think Eric realises that from the way our season tapered out at the end of last season

“I hope not,” admits Muldoon. “But Eric has made it clear we’re not going to target games. Every game is going to be treated on merit. If there’s a lad carrying an injury, then we’ll look at it, but otherwise our strongest 15 is going to play every week for 13 weeks."

I saw Eric has said the same thing in interviews. Not really true, though.

Loyalty has its own rewards

NTERVIEW: JOHN MULDOON He’s turned down offers from other provinces to stay loyal to his native Connacht and now John Muldoon and his men have the chance to tackle the aristocrats of Europe, writes GERRY THORNLEY

NEXT SATURDAY week, Connacht will host their first ever match in the Heineken Cup at the Sportsground. Guy Noves will bring his aristocratic multi-decorated, four-time European champions from Toulouse, complete with five World Cup finalists, to town. It’s hard to credit, but that game also happens to be Connacht’s 100th match in Europe.
Previously, as ever presents in 14 seasons of the Amlin Challenge Cup, Connacht have played 98 games in that competition, and over the last seven seasons, John Muldoon has played in 38 of them. So he’s trawled through a fair few far-flung venues on their Discover Europe travels, and while there have been some great days, notably semi-finals at the Sportsground, he accepts there is still a stigma attached to continually being excluded from the Challenge Cup’s big brother.

“Of course. It’s seen upon as a lesser competition. Yes, we’ve had success there and some great days there, but it is a second tier competition. We’re dining at the top table now. Whether we belong there, we’ll find out pretty quickly.

“We’ve got to make sure we’re competitive, and our home games are vitally important to us. We know it’s not going to be easy for us. But we’ve got this door open for us and we’ve got to keep it open and that come next January it’s shut behind us and never opens again.”

He cites both new supporters and sponsors coming on board, the newly formed Connacht PBG (Professional Game Board) and, of course, Eric Elwood, a local legend and infectiously enthusiastic and positive voice.

“We’ve got a local man who’s passionate about rugby. You can see it in Eric. He’s nervous, and that means he’s excited. Eric wears his heart on his sleeve. Now we’ve got to make sure that, from a players’ point of view, we all give that extra bit.”

Before the marquee encounter with Toulouse, there is the far from minor matter of a trek to Ravenhill today (where Connacht haven’t won since 1960). There’s also a visit to Harlequins to kick off this season’s Heineken Cup away to Conor O’Shea’s unbeaten Premiership leaders on Friday. But bring it on, for this is where they want to be.

Loyalty can be a curse, but it can be rewarded too. Muldoon had an opportunity to join one of Connacht’s provincial rivals, but, being a true man of the west, opted to stay. His rationale was simple; Connacht having been on the outside looking in for so long, it would have been too much to bear if he was then looking in from the outside when they finally reached their Holy Grail.

“It would have been very frustrating for me having jumped ship and then be on the periphery looking in from somewhere else. It’s probably my GAA background that kept me loyal to a place and kept me thinking you can dare to dream that you’ll get there someday.

“But we’re here now, and there’s going to be a great buzz over the next couple of weeks. In fact, it started three months ago. You’d meet people on the street and they’d be saying, ‘when’s the season starting’? There are people coming to games that probably never came to games before.”

He’s been telling friends for weeks not to bother asking him for tickets. But for all the interest, Muldoon maintains the supporters are realistic.

“They’re not expecting us to win the league or to qualify for the quarter-finals, but on the big day they want to see us go out there and mix it, show that we can put

it up to Toulouse. And do I think we can cause an upset in the Heineken Cup? Damn right I do.”

Alas, not everyone has been as loyal as Muldoon, and in a World Cup year, Leinster and Munster came calling for a quartet of their key men over the last few seasons.

“I’d be very naïve to sit here and say we’re not going to miss the lads. I was saying to Eric on the way up in the car ‘wouldn’t it be great to be coming up here with the four lads still on board?’ And I firmly believe that if we had the four lads we’d be close to the top of the table . . .”

Indeed, last season Connacht had the highest number of losing bonus points in the league, and this season, despite a run of three successive defeats every one of Connacht’s seven games have been one-score affairs save for the 30-20 defeat the RDS and were only denied a bonus point with the last kick of the game.

But Muldoon bears no grudges to his ex-team-mates. “Rugby is a short career. They decided they needed to move on for whatever reasons and we’ve got to deal with it and do the best we can. Connacht rugby needs this.

“We need to move forward and the Rabo Direct/Magners League was only getting us so far. We’ve been wanting to build the facilities in Connacht for the last few years, and there’s been talk about it. But the minute we’re in the Heineken Cup, the builders moved in. We’ve needed this launchpad.”

Along the way in his 161 games for Connacht, the lowest point was also against Cardiff when losing 58-0 there three seasons ago. “I thought ‘oh God, this is us done.’ I did actually say to myself in the dressing-room afterwards ‘I need to get out of here’. Even though it’s your home province I asked myself ‘do I really want to do this?’ There have been low points, and a lot of high points too, but I’d be lying if I’d say it’s not frustrating.”

“What really frustrates me the most is looking at players wasting themselves. I’ve always said that I’ve never been the most talented player in the world but I work bloody hard for what I have and it frustrates me to see more talented people not working at it; to settle for being third or fourth choice and play four or five games in the Rabo Direct and then back down to the AIL for ten weeks, and then when the Six Nations comes around again, do exactly the same thing.”

“Because for one, they’re not thinking of the bigger picture, and two, we could make Connacht and Irish rugby more competitive. Individually they could get more out of it, Connacht rugby could get more out of it and Irish rugby could get more out of it. That frustrates me a lot really.”

Now, he maintains, that while competing in the Heineken Cup will “put us on the map”, in order to recruit players this cannot be a one-off. “We’ve been trying to sign a marquee player for a couple of years. Playing in the Heineken Cup could open that door for us.”

But that will become more difficult with each year, he believes, citing the rapid advances made by the Italian teams.

Connacht have maintained their focus on the league until now and last week, a team-mate said to Muldoon and others in the gym ‘it’s hard to believe the Heineken Cup is next week’. Yet the meetings with Ulster could, conceivably, go some way toward determining which of them obtains the third automatic qualifying so in all of this, there must be a fear that today’s game could be overshadowed by what’s to follow.

“I hope not,” admits Muldoon. “But Eric has made it clear we’re not going to target games. Every game is going to be treated on merit. If there’s a lad carrying an injury, then we’ll look at it, but otherwise our strongest 15 is going to play every week for 13 weeks.”

It’s time for Connacht to put their best foot forward, this week and every week.

JOHN MULDOON

Date of birth – November 30th, 1982 (28).

Place of birth – Ballinasloe, Co Galway.

Height – 1.91 m (6ft 3 in).Weight – 106kg.

Honours – Ireland Youths, Under-19, Under-21, A, Connacht (161 games), Ireland (3 caps).

Other honours: Played hurling with Portumna GAA club and won an All-Ireland minor medal in 2000 playing for Galway against Cork.

Well done cows. Would not off seen them if you didnt post this. The examinerrrrrr is the only paperrrr in cork like. Took me 5shops to get the indo

From my normal research, the Independent gives us the most inches. Hugh Farrelly seems to have a soft spot for us. Get a few write-ups off of him. He broke the Benson Stanley story I think too

Just saw that. Excellent work. Just saw the stories, and thought people would enjoy the read.
Shockingly The Irish Examiner only seems to have stories about Munster on their site

Well done cows. Would not off seen them if you didnt post this. The examinerrrrrr is the only paperrrr in cork like. Took me 5shops to get the indo

Great idea Cows. I've added it to the homepage in a more compact form

Just saw that. Excellent work. Just saw the stories, and thought people would enjoy the read.
Shockingly The Irish Examiner only seems to have stories about Munster on their site

Great idea Cows. I've added it to the homepage in a more compact form

We're getting a few columns in the broadsheets today, thought people might like to see them here

Independent wrote: Original

[size=14pt]Connacht vow to lay marker in Europe[/size]

WHILE there is undeniably a touch of 'after the Lord Mayor's show' with the focus switching to domestic club duty post-World Cup, there is plenty to stir blood also as Irish rugby looks to kick on from the disappointment of a quarter-final exit.

As the next four-year cycle gets under way, young players are scrutinised with extra intensity to judge if they have the capacity to bolster Ireland's next World Cup challenge for England 2015. And, although it is hard to banish Ronan O'Gara's observation in Queenstown last month that the Heineken Cup is "limited compensation" after World Cup failure, there is still much to be enthusiastic about, with regards to the impending European campaign.

Not least the fact that Connacht are making their long-awaited debut in the competition and to top it off, are facing European aristocrats Toulouse in their first home match in a few weeks' time.

Even the eternally shabby Sportsground is being tarted up (with a much-needed media upgrade ready to impress visiting scribes) and though there are two Pro12 matches to negotiate before European action gets under way with a trip to Harlequins, anticipation is building out west.

"Is there a tingle thinking about Toulouse? Yeah, of course there is," admits forwards coach Dan McFarland.

"People will write us off saying we have a 'happy to be here' vibe in the Heineken Cup -- you can get rid of that straight away. We want to demonstrate the kind of club we are and what we have to offer.

"We fully understand that it is an extremely difficult prospect, we would be silly not to recognise that, but we relish that. If anything is worth doing, it's got to be hard, it can't be easy. Stuff that's easy isn't worth anything to anybody.

"We'll stand in front of that challenge and rise up to it. We want to perform, we want to show people what we can do and if that means winning games, terrific, that's what we'll be going for."

However, for all the excitement ahead of their European challenge, McFarland stresses the need to focus on their league duties in the build-up and the desire to build on a solid start to the season that has yielded three wins out of six.

While Connacht have won both their home fixtures, their performances on the road (beating Treviso and pushing Edinburgh, Ospreys and Leinster close) have been especially encouraging given their historical difficulties away from Galway.

Cardiff are next up at the Sportsground on Saturday and then comes the vital trip to Belfast to face Ulster, and Connacht are seeking two victories to springboard their European assault.

"Anticipation is definitely building for Toulouse but we have meat and drink as well," said McFarland. "We have got 13 games in a row, like all the teams in the RaboDirect, and what we keep saying is that they are all very important. We will approach every game with that focus.

"That's not to say that there isn't an extra buzz surrounding the Heineken Cup -- our first Heineken Cup match against Harlequins will be massive and there will be a massive buzz around the province when Toulouse come to town -- but Cardiff at home this weekend is a huge fixture, as is Ulster away the following weekend, and that is the way we have to approach every game.

"It has been a decent start to the season. We've played some nice rugby, right up to the last 40 minutes against Leinster when we played very poorly and let a good opportunity slip.

"If we had played with a little more composure in the second half we could have been four (wins) and two (losses) and in the top four of the league, which would have looked much rosier."

The fallout from the World Cup has once more raised the issue of Ireland producing their best performances when written off -- something Connacht can readily identify with -- but McFarland does not believe the underdog mentality applies to the national side and says it is something Eric Elwood and the rest of coaching staff are seeking to eradicate at the Sportsground.

"I don't think there is an underdog mentality in Irish rugby," he said. "I know it is something we have drawn on down here for a while but we are trying to move beyond that.

"Munster drew on it when they were starting out in Europe, but they certainly don't draw on it any more; Leinster don't draw on it in any shape or form and Munster and Leinster make up the majority of the Irish side so it should not be a factor. They should be confident in their own ability -- they are very good players.

"For Connacht, it is something we can still use. When we play Toulouse in the Heineken Cup, we will be underdogs and to say anything else would be ridiculous. However, we will relish the opportunity to play against one of the greats in Europe, which is fantastic.

"The way we see it down here is that we have a very, very important role in Irish rugby.

"We represent one in four of the provinces and a good section of support down here. We provide a geographical area of rugby that is very important to the nation and an area that is very passionate about their rugby.

"In terms of supporting the Irish team, we would like to think we have got a good track record here in terms of producing representative rugby players. Players coming down here are getting exposure and will be playing in the Heineken Cup this year.

"We like to think that we fill an important role within Irish rugby, fully supported by the IRFU."

Independent wrote: Original

[size=14pt]BEST OF THE WEST[/size]


Henry Fa'afili

Hugely powerful inside-centre who has played a lead role so far this season, mixes brawn with the ability to find and exploit gaps.

George Naoupu

Superb start to his second stint with Connacht was spoiled by a knee injury but expected to return to full fitness over the next couple of weeks. An inspirational figure at No 8.

Rodney Ah You

Still a baby in propping terms but a player with massive, destructive potential -- as he showed when helping to dismantle the Ireland scrum in August.

Domestic

John Muldoon

The captaincy has passed to Gavin Duffy, but Muldoon remains a leading personality in the Connacht back-row. After years trying to get there, the Portumna man will relish the opportunity to perform on the Heineken Cup stage.

Brett Wilkinson

Irish-qualified South African whose scrummaging power could propel him up the international ladder this season.

Mike McCarthy

Super form last season earned McCarthy his first Ireland cap in August and he has made a good start to the new campaign -- key provider of possession out of touch.

IrishTimes wrote: Original

[size=14pt]Elwood hopes to have big three back in action[/size]

RUGBY: CONNACHT COACH Eric Elwood is hoping to have Miah Nikora, George Naoupu and Fetu’u Vainikolo for Saturday’s RaboDirect Pro 12 League game against Cardiff Blues at the Sportsground.

Nikora has yet to play this season after suffering a stress fracture to a leg but he came through an A interprovincial against Munster last Friday.

Number eight Naoupu has recovered from a knee injury sustained against Edinburgh and is expected to be in contention for selection. Connacht’s only representative at the recent Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, Tongan wing Vainikolo, is expected to make his competitive bow.

He made his debut for Tonga during the summer, scoring a try in his second Test against Fiji and then in the World Cup played in the 25-20 defeat to Canada before crossing for his country’s third try in the victory over Japan. Vainikolo, who was born in Tonga but moved to Auckland when he was 12, has a reputation as an exhilarating broken-field runner.

The Irish province will name an extended squad for the game today before confirming the team tomorrow lunchtime. Connacht have called on their supporters to get behind the team ahead of the province’s first home Heineken Cup match against Toulouse on November 19th.

They are encouraging supporters to upload picture, video or messages at www.Facebook.com/connachtrugby . The top 100 images of support will be used to form part of Connacht Rugby’s “The Green Mile”.

Elsewhere, Ulster coach Brian McLaughlin will be hoping the returning six international players – Springboks Johann Muller and Ruan Pienaar, Scotland’s Simon Danielli and Irish trio Tom Court, Andrew Trimble and Paddy Wallace – can help arrest a run of three successive defeats.

Muller in particular is looking forward to a return to competitive action after playing just 38 minutes in the recent World Cup before succumbing to a hamstring injury.

Ulster’s affairs were never far from his mind as he explained: “I was on the phone every Friday night, or Saturday, whenever the guys played. I obviously didn’t bother the big man (coach, Brian McLaughlin) but David Humphreys kept me up to date with the score every 10 minutes. Ruan (Pienaar) and I were really interested in what was happening over here.

“I think everybody is happy to be back and to be part of it again. None of us have played for Ulster this season so it’s a new start for us as well and we’re all really looking forward to it. Obviously the one that’s going to be hurting us is the home loss (to Benetton Treviso) so I think the break came at a really good time.

“All the boys had a week away to clear their minds a bit and get their bodies nice and fresh again. The last two weeks of training has been really, really good and everybody is excited.”

Ulster travel to Parc y Scarlets where likely to be included in the home ranks is former Wales captain Matthew Rees. The 30-year-old hooker was due to lead his country at the tournament in New Zealand before being forced to undergo surgery for a persistent neck problem in August.

Rees was replaced as skipper by Blues flanker Sam Warburton, and it remains to be seen whether he will regain the captaincy for Wales’ next match against Australia on December 3rd at the Millennium Stadium.

Fellow hooker and club-mate Ken Owens, who didn’t start a match in New Zealand, scrumhalf Tavis Knoyle and centre Scott Williams are all expected to play a part at the weekend. Scarlets’ coach Nigel Davies confirmed: “Matthew (Rees) will play a part, whether he starts or comes off the bench. He is fit and ready to go.

“He has been a big influence and it is great to have someone of his rugby ability but also his influence back. We weren’t quite sure when he went for the operation how long the recovery would be, but it has been good news, we are delighted. He is happy and pain free as well, it is great news for us.

“We are hoping that Ken, Tavis and Scott will be available to play some part this week. They won’t come back into training until today but the great thing is the boys who have played in their position have played really well so it gives us a great level of competition.”

Davies confirmed Scarlets’ remaining Welsh Test players would return to training ahead of the Ospreys match next week. The exception is outhalf Rhys Priestland, who is not expected to return from the shoulder injury that sidelined him – he suffered the damage in the win over Ireland – for Wales’ last two matches in the World Cup for another fortnight: given his outstanding form in the tournament, he was sorely missed.

Davies admitted: “He could be another two weeks away from being fully fit. We will just monitor the situation, he is having intensive treatment at the moment and we will see how it goes.”

The Scarlets are in Munster’s Heineken Cup pool but do not meet for the first of back-to-back fixtures until round three in December.