Were you as down in the dumps as the Ireland players or did the performance of your troops in The Irish Times Fantasy Rugby League provide some solace after what was a disappointing weekend?
We were hardly the only ones who predicted that Saturday’s encounter wouldn’t exactly be a high-scoring affair, even though it should be said that what it lacked in points, there was certainly no lack of effort and physicality and neither side barely gave an inch in what was a brutally aggressive spectacle at times.
Of the Irish players, only try-scorer Rob Kearney and the man who set him up, Jamie Heaslip, made any impression on the scoreboard with eight and six points respectively and it was similar enough story for the men in white jerseys, with Man of the Match Mike Brown featuring prominently with 11 points after he provided the final pass for scrum-half Danny Care, who managed eight points.
Unsurprisingly, it was the Welsh players who stood up to be counted as far as Fantasy Rugby was concerned after their fairly facile victory over a hugely disappointing French side. Leading the way were try-scorers George North and Sam Warburton with eight points apiece, man of the match Gethin Jenkins chipped in with six, while Leigh Halfpenny was the most prolific of all the kickers this weekend with six successful kicks in total.
The highest scorers from an individual perspective both featured during the very exciting clash between Scotland and Italy in Rome on Saturday. Man of the match Joshua Furno was streets ahead of the rest with 16 points after contributing a try and an assist, followed by Scotland’s Alex Dunbar after his brace of tries.
Fly-half Tommaso Allan managed eight points before you take into his account his successful kicks at goal, while Sergio Parisse also played his part with six points for an assist.
Jerry vs. Mal
The battle between former Ireland internationals and friends of the site Jerry Flannery and Malcolm O’Kelly is as tight as the Six Nations table itself and it’s Mal’s turn to hold the most slender of leads at the top after he managed a mere five points more than Jerry after the weekend’s action.
Mal’s Malitia had contributions from Jamie Heaslip, Sergio Parisse and Wales try-scorer George North for his 55-point haul, with Jerry’s Fla’s Fantastic Moist Makers relying on Parisse and Danny Care for 50 points to save him from what would have been a fairly mediocre weekend.
Mal will, or at least should, know that a lead like that is nothing to get carried away with and you can expect it to be as arse-clenchingly tight between the two lads over the final couple of weeks as it is at the moment.
The JOE League
Much like Rob Kearney when scoring his try under the posts on Saturday, Fergal Brickley’s Sam’s 15 have come from nowhere to take the lead at the top of the JOE League after Week Three after a very impressive 73-point haul, which owed much to the contributions of Kearney himself as well as Mike Brown, Jamie Heaslip and Danny Care amongst others.
That score was enough to elevate him above Colm Mulkerrin’s El putto madrey in second, with Colin McDonagh’s Colys XV a further two points back in third place. Two points also separate Colin’s charges from last week’s leaders, Barry Deasy’s, DC United in fourth, while there are currently four teams locked in a battle for fifth: Robert Gillan’s Horseboxes, James Deasy’s kiltishore, Patrick O’Kelly Lynch’s Paddington Bearzzz and Brendan Finan’s Fine Flyers.
The JOE League Top 5:
- Sam’s 15 – Fergal Brickley: 226 points
- El putto madrey – Colm Mulkerrin: 222 points
- ColysXV – Colin McDonagh: 220 points
- DC United – Barry Deasy: 218 points
- Horseboxes – Robert Gillan, kiltyshore – James Deasy, Paddington Bearzzz – Patrick O’Kelly Lynch, Fine Flyers – Brendan Finan: 211 points
Mal’s Malitia – Malcolm O’Kelly: 183 points
Fla’s Fantastic Moist Makers – Jerry Flannery: 180 points
