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Edinburgh Eagles vs Blackwood Bulldogs Carnegie Challenge Cup 2nd Round Content Management Powered by CuteNews |
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Eagles fall at 2nd Hurdle
Edinburgh Eagles 16 Blackwood Bulldogs 28 Edinburgh Eagles fell at the 2nd Round hurdle in the Carnegie Challenge Cup for the 2nd year running, as Blackwood Bulldogs made it a victorious weekend for Wales over both codes. Eagles put on quite a show with the Challenge Cup on display at the impressive Meggetland Sports Complex, but came up short against a very impressive Bulldogs side. It started so well for Eagles when prop John Cox bundled over after 11 minutes, with Andy Grodynski converting. Blackwood then took control of the game with the impressive full back David James scoring after 14 minutes, Gareth Price adding the extras to level the scores. Gareth Dare then added back to back tries for Bulldogs, giving them a 14-6 lead with 10 minutes of the half remaining. Eagles finished the half stronger however, and Jonny Smith made a break with some impressive footwork, before putting in winger Cieran Watson for the score, Grodynski converting again to leave Bulldogs with a 2 point lead heading in at half time. Eagles were caught sleeping at the start of the 2nd half, when a short restart kick was recovered and subsequently scored from by Bulldogs. They extended their lead when David James went over again, but Price failed with the conversion. Man of the match James then completed his hat trick after 54 minutes with another break away try, Price converting this one to give the Bulldogs a 24-12 lead. Dare completed his hat trick to see the Bulldogs home and dry, although a late Barry Earl try and some late pressure from Eagles gave the home fans, Bulldogs managed to hold on to their lead and finish the game 28-16 winners and progress to the 3rd round. Eagles head coach was disappointed but conceded the Blackwood side were worthy winners; "We had a lot of possession within their 20m, but couldn't convert chances into points, whereas they scored some great long range tries and finished really well and thoroughly deserved to progress in the competition. Our lads were full of effort and put in some massive hits, and now we have to pick ourselves up to win the Scottish Conference again, as this is the platform we deserve to play on." Giles Lomax, Eagles club captain, was full of praise for his teammates and urged them to make sure Challenge Cup rugby becomes a feature event for Edinburgh; "The boys gave absolutely everything, and it just wasn't our day, some things just didn't click into place for us. This is where we all want to be playing, the back room staff have worked so hard to organise a really good day, and we are just disappointed we couldn't progress for the crowd that came down. Credit to Blackwood however, they were very worthy winners and we wish them the best of luck in the next round." Bulldogs now go into the draw for the 3rd round which takes place on Tuesday 16th February, and will be hoping for a big draw against a Championship or Championship 1 side which could prove to be a money spinning tie. Edinburgh Eagles 1. Nick Broere 2. Callum Anderson 3. Richard Knight 4. Jonny Smith 5. Cieran Watson 6. Seb Trotter 7. Andy Grodynski 8. Ash Carroll 9. Giles Lomax 10. John Cox 11. Richard Johnston 12. Barry Earl 13. Mike Wallace 14. Roddy McKenzie 15. Olly Foster 16. Niall Parkinson 17. David Anderson Blackwood Bulldogs 1. David James 2. Trevor James 3. Luke Knight 4. Gareth Price 5. Gareth Dare 6. Kristian Perry 7. Jeremy Lloyd 8. Christopher Williams 9. Byron Williams 10. Adam Coupe 11. Gareth Davies 12. Stuart Vokes 13. Mathew McCovern 14. Gareth Hutchinson 15. Clarke Morgan 16. Aaron Elliot 17. Andrew Coupe GAMESTAR: Bulldogs fullback David James always looked a major threat and was rewarded with 3 well taken tries. GAMEBREAKER: Eagles looked threatening throughout the game and a comeback looked possible until Gareth Dare's final try took the Bulldogs too far ahead with little time on the clock. Eagles Receive Support from their Rugby League Flock
Edinburgh Eagles have received support
from their international 'flock' of fans as messages of
support have been flooding in ahead of the Carnegie Challenge Cup 2nd
Round tie against Blackwood Bulldogs, the Welsh Conference Champions,
this Sunday.
Ahead of the match scheduled for a 12.30pm kick off on Valentines Day at Boroughmuir RFC, Edinburgh Napier University stepping in as match sponsor to assist them in funding the fixture after their normal Union Park home not meeting tournament minimum standards and prompting a change. The Eagles have received messages of support from Scotland stars at Sheffield and Manly Sea-Eagles. "From all of us at the Eagles here in manly, congrats on getting through to the 2nd round of the Challenge Cup. Play hard and put Scottish Rugby League on the map. Look forward to hearing about your win." said Australian NRL Superstar Michael Robertson, the first man in 11 years to score a hat-trick in the NRL Grand Final when he achieved this in 2008. Robertson was joined in his support by Sheffield Eagles and Scotland half-back Brendon Linday who also sent a message wishing the team luck, "Congrats on making the second round of the cup and we wish you all the best in your home tie. Look forward to seeing you in the third round all the best. From the Eagles in Sheffield." Challenge Cup Date Gets Closer for Eagles
CARNEGIE Challenge Cup rugby comes to Scotland for the first time as
Edinburgh Eagles take on Blackwood Bulldogs at Meggetland Stadium on
Sunday 14th February .
With Magic Weekend at Murrayfield coming up in May, the tie offers a mouth-watering taster for Rugby League fans as the Eagles bid to make history by becoming the first Scottish club to reach the third round of the competition. Having equalled their best performance in Rugby league's most prestigious competition with a hard fought first round victory away at Gloucestershire University, the Eagles will be hoping to go a step further after the second round draw granted them a maiden home tie. Chairman Ashley Carroll, who also stars for the side, believes history is there to be made: "This is probably the biggest match in our history. We got to the second round last year but having a home draw is a massive bonus. Hopefully we can get a decent crowd down to Meggetland, and if our preparation is good and we believe in our ability and talent then I think we can win." Victory over the Welsh champions, themselves in the second round for the first time, would take the Eagles closer to a potential dream fourth round tie with one of the Engage Super League sides who are set to light up Murrayfield on the 1st and 2nd of May. This clash between the respective champions of Scotland and Wales has been marked out as the tie of the round, with the BBC confirming it as their featured match. Scotland Rugby League and the Rugby Football League (RFL) were delighted to announce that The Challenge Cup itself will be making its way north of the border to the Eagles' for the match. The Eagles' have confirmed that the Carnegie Challenge cup will be on display at the 3 sisters for the Scotland vs. Wales 6 nations rugby union match on Saturday 13th February and also at their principal sponsor Edinburgh Napier University on the Friday afternoon. It serves further notice of the continued emergence of Rugby league in Scotland after the resounding success of the 2009 Magic Weekend at Murrayfield, and with the ever improving Eagles flying the flag for Scotland, top level Rugby League might just be finding its way north of the border on a more regular basis. FULL MATCH AND TICKET DETAILS Meggetland Sports Complex - Boroughmuir RFC Sunday 14th FEBRUARY 2010 12:30 Kick Off Adults £3 Students £1 Kids Free (Under 16) Challange Cup Venue Confirmed
Edinburgh Eagles are pleased to announce that the Carnegie Challenge Cup 2nd round tie against the Blackwood Bulldogs will take place on Sunday 14th February with a 12.30pm kick of at Meggatland Stadium, Edinburgh.
Meggetland is the home ground of Boroughmuir Rugby Union Football Club, but has hosted plenty rugby league in the past, including Scotland 'A' v France 'A' before the Murrayfield Magic weekend only last year. Meggetland is also the home venue for th Edinburgh Napier University side. Eagles are currently preparing a day of festivities for their game against the Welsh Champions, who qualified with a very convincing scoreline against students Edgehill. Keep checking for more information. Carnegie Challenge Cup 2nd Round Edinburgh Eagles vs Blackwood Bulldogs Meggetland Sports Complex (Eh14 1AS) Sunday 14th February 2010 12.30pm Kick Off Challenge Cup comes to Edinburgh
Edinburgh Eagles have been drawn at home in the Carnegie Challenge Cup for the first time ever.
The Eagles will host the Blackwood Bulldogs on Sunday 14th February at a venue yet to be confirmed. Check back later for more information. Round 2 Again as Eagles Soar in Face of Adversity
Edinburgh Eagles qualified for the second round of the Carnegie Challenge Cup for the second consecutive year with back to back tries in the last 10 minutes. Hat-trick hero Mike Wallace and half back Andy Grodynski will steal all the headlines, but it was an extremely determined team performance which sent the Eagles through. Eagles started the better side and Wallace opened the scoring after 6 minutes with Grodynski converting, but were pegged back almost immediately by It was tit-for-tat try scoring throughout the first half with Wallace and debutant Rory McLeod scoring for the Eagles, Grodynski converting both to send Eagles in ahead 18-16 at half time. It was Gloucester who started the second half better however, and Webster put them ahead 4 minutes in only for Scotland A captain John Cox to peg them back, Grodynski restoring Eagles lead with the kick. Eagles then seemed to switch off, and Stalwart Ash Carroll pulled one back before Wallace completed his hat-trick with 4 minutes remaining, Grodynski finishing with a 100% conversion record. Eagles managed to keep control and discipline in the last 4 minutes to see it through to Tuesdays draw. Man of the match Wallace a former Edinburgh Napier University Sports Union President was clearly delighted. "Over the moon with that result, I felt we showed great character in the last 20 minutes, which hopefully we can continue with in the next round. I must say it was a fantastic game and Head Coach Angus McNab praised his players but believes it's about what happens next. "It was a big ask and a great effort from the boys to take time away from family and work commitments to travel such a long way and get a result. We are delighted with the win and will re-group at training tonight to set about progressing in the competition, as the third round is somewhere we have never been before. Considering we haven't played since September it really was a fantastic result." We would finally like to thank our sponsors The Three Sisters and Tries: Wallace 3 McLeod 1 Carroll 1 Cox 1 Conversions: Grodynski 6 Eagles Announce Squad for Challenge Cup First Round Tie
Edinburgh Eagles have announced their squad for their Carnegie Challenge Cup first round tie against the University of Gloucestershie. The squad sees no fewer than 5 players being called up to make their Eagles debuts.
Team Napier rugby league players Rory Mcleod, Niall Parkinson, Rich Johnston and Morgan Martin are all rewarded for their good form at student level this season to make the step up to amateur. Roddy MacKenzie is the other debutant who has been called in from Boroughmuir Rugby Union. The squad boasts 8 Scotland 'A' 2009 internationalists, including a return for Scotland 'A' captain John Cox, who missed out on Eagles Grand Final win last year which presented the opportunity to once again compete in the Challenge Cup. Recently appointed Eagles captain Giles Lomax says the team are looking forward to the game and travel down in confidence; "I'm pretty confidence going into th game and believe we can come out with a well deserved win. The team has a good mixture of experience lads with Ash Carroll and John Cox, and also exciting young players coming through in the shape of Rory Mcleod. Gloucester Uni arre a good side who regularly compete in the highest compititions, but if we play to our full capability we can show why we have been Scottish Champions 3 years running." A lot has been made of the monstorous journey the Eagles squad have to make, and they have decided to travel down on the Saturday evening to split the journey into two. Eagles Head Coach Angus Mcnab believes this could be a factor, but will not accept it as an excuse; "We're really looking forward to the game. Last year it was great to progress in the compitition and we would love to do the same again. I agree with their coach that the journey will be a factor, but hopefully the Rugby League experience we have will see us through and we can get to round 2." Eagles Squad to face University of Gloucestershire 1. Nick Broere 2. Rory Mcleod 3. Richard Knight 4. Jonny Smith 5. Cieran Watson 6. Seb Trotter 7. Andy Grodynski 8. Ash Carroll 9. Giles Lomax (C) 10. John Cox 11. Niall Parkinson 12. Rich Johnston 13. Mike Wallace 14. Jon Steele 15. Chris Graham 16. Roddy MacKenzie 17. Morgan Martin Head Coach : Angus Mcnab Trainer: Stuart Henderson Team Manager: Ollie Cruickshank Eagles Head South for Challenge Cup First Round
Current
Scottish RLC Champions Edinburgh Eagles will head down to face
Gloucestershire University in the 1st round of the Challenge Cup on
Sunday 24th January 2010. The Eagles were lucky enough to escape the
preliminary round playoff but will face a 7 hour journey down to their
opponents for the 1st round where they hope to build on last year’s
success, where they became the first Scottish team in history to
progress through to the 2nd round of the cup beating the Royal Air
Force in Wolverhampton in a thrilling 18 - 16 encounter.
The Edinburgh side have been at the top of the Scottish game for the last three years and won the domestic competition a record breaking third year running this year after a last minute score in extra time in the Scottish Grand Final saw them defeat Carluke Tigers who themselves defeated the Eagles earlier in the year. Carluke Tigers President and chair of the West of Scotland Rugby League Service Morgan Martin Area wished Edinburgh well:
"Best of luck to Edinburgh - away to Gloucestershire Uni will no doubt be a hard task but the Eagles have a strong squad and I'm sure they will represent Scotland Rugby League well and get the job done." Edinburgh Eagles President Ash Carroll was asked his thoughts on the draw: "I'm really happy with the draw, knowing the standard of student rugby league, this will be a tough game but one I'm sure we will all be up for. It's a long trek down there but after our run in the challenge cup last year we enjoy a bus trip! A few of the lads have been training together so now's the time to up the intensity ready for the 24th." "We put up a brave fight against Leeds Met Carnegie last year in round two of the cup and only came away with a 20-6 loss which shows that we can compete with the Universities' in this competition. We are aspiring to round 2 and that is what we are hoping to achieve to push the game forward in Scotland one round at a time." Edinburgh Eagles head coach Angus McNab also commented on the upcoming challenge cup fixture stating: The draw was as follows: Preliminary Round – to be played on 2 and 3 January Pool A Pool B 1st Round Draw – to be played on 23 and 24 January.
Pool B
Pool A consisted of 46 teams - 38 National Conference League clubs, the five regional winners, the Lancashire and Yorkshire Cup winners and Broughton Red Rose. Ten matches were drawn with 26 sides receiving a bye to the First Round. Pool B contained 16 teams – the British Police, eight University teams, Scottish champions, Welsh champions and five Rugby League conference teams. Three matches were drawn with 10 clubs receiving a bye to the first round where they were joined by three service teams. The
first round of the draw again saw sides split into two pools – 18
matches were drawn from Pool A and eight matches from Pool B. Edinburgh Eagles announce AGM
The Edinburgh Eagles ARLFC Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday 2nd December at Edinburgh Napier University's Merchiston Campus in the Tower board room at 07:00pm.
All are welcome to attend if you are interested in playing, volunteering or helping out with the club you are more than welcome to attend and find out about the changes for for the club in the 2010 season. Eagles Pre-Season Training
Edinburgh Eagles will return to training on Monday 23rd November in preparation for the Challenge Cup in 2010.
The Edinburgh Napier University Knights have kindly offered Eagles players to join their Monday night sessions to improve fitness and sharpness in order to peak come Challenge Cup time. Training begins at 6.15pm on the back astroturf pitches at George Watsons College. |
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