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A preview of some of the key battles ahead of Saturdays PRO12 semi-final between Connacht and Glasgow Warriors, live on Sky Spor

in Länder 16.01.2018 04:34
von jokergreen0220 • 1.793 Beiträge

A preview of some of the key battles ahead of Saturdays PRO12 semi-final between Connacht and Glasgow Warriors, live on Sky Sports. Seth Griffith Jersey . Defending champions Glasgow are aiming to become only the second side ever to retain the PRO12 title and are appearing in the play-offs for a fifth successive season.Connacht are moving into uncharted territory having never reached this point in the competition before. Pat Lams side have the confidence of a recent 14-7 victory over their opponents but know that knockout rugby is a whole different ball game. Ahead of this highly anticipated match we look at some of the key battles that could decide this semi-final.John Muldoon v Josh Strauss Connacht captain John Muldoon will play his 274th game for the province this weekend Both No 8s will be key to their sides attempts to build momentum. Strauss has grown over the course of the PRO12 season, he never takes a backward step and almost always breaks the gain line.The ever-present Muldoon provides Connacht with momentum and leadership. Connacht are in new territory, they must embrace the challenge ahead of them and it will be up to their captain to lead the way.Both Muldoon and Strauss should be quick to introduce themselves to their opponents fly-halves, set their stall out early with gain line breaks and provide the benchmark when it comes to work rate.Ultan Dillane v Leone Nakarawa Leone Nakarawa is aiming for the perfect final season at Glasgow Warriors Dillane and Nakarawa will look to disrupt their opponents set-piece and this both should add plenty around the park.Its Dillanes athleticism and physicality make him standout and hes one of a number of players that Joe Schmidt will be keeping a close eye on this weekend.Nakarawa does things on a rugby field that others can only dream of and makes it all look effortless. So far the Fijian has made 48 offloads, 14 more than any other player, and provides solid set piece proficiency alongside his attacking spark.Nakarawa has magic in his locker than few in world rugby can unlock so Connachts 22-year-old will need to play to his own strengths and step up on the semi-final stage.Bundee Aki v Peter Horne Connachts Bundee Aki will be looking to add to the 6 tries hes scored so far this season Both centre pairings will be instrumental in this Guinness PRO12 semi-final in order to ignite their respective back lines and ensure that opportunities are created and taken.Aki has been at the very heart of Connachts rise and has beaten more defenders (83) and made more carries (251) than any other player in the competition. Its his ability to read the game, his flair and his distribution that drives the province.Peter Horne will be making his 100th appearance for the Warriors and needs to be ready to use every ounce of that experience. In attack Horne will need to fire and then defensively he needs to be as robust as can be to limit Akis impact on the game. Connacht earned a home Guinness PRO12 semi-final courtesy of a 14-7 win over Glasgow Warriors at a rain-soaked Sportsground Watch Connacht v Glasgow live on Sky Sports 1 HD on Saturday from 6.00pm. Catch the match for £6.99 with a NOW TV day pass. Also See: PRO12 semi-finals on Sky PRO12 home Fixtures and results Rugby Union on Sky Jacob Josefson Jersey .Y. - Through three quarters, the Brooklyn Nets could not shake the NBAs worst team. Ryan Miller Jersey . The league announced Thursday that Tom Higgins is leaving that post effective immediately. http://www.officialsabreshockeyauthentic.com/matt-moulson-jersey/ .Dawson also birdied two of the last four holes to reach 12-under 132 on TPC San Antonios AT&T Canyons Course. He won his only title in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event in 2002 in the Web.com Tours LaSalle Bank Open.Im not going to lose any sleep, believe me, Dawson said. I used to be a perfectionist, but my attitude now is to play like Im in the pro-am.TORONTO - When Greivis Vasquez was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies, selected with the 28th overall pick in 2010, he joined an emerging Western Conference power. At the time of the selection, the Grizzlies were coming off a promising campaign, the first for frontcourt duo Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph together in Memphis. Helmed by now former coach Lionel Hollins, the 2010-11 Grizzlies were one of the most improved teams in the league, building a defensive foundation that sticks with them to this day while finishing 10 games over .500, defeating the Spurs in the first round of the playoffs and taking the Thunder to seven games in the Conference Semifinals. Vasquez, a 24-year-old, Venezuelan-born rookie from the University of Maryland, was along for the ride. He played in 70 regular season games, backing up Mike Conley and helping the Grizzlies snap a four-year playoff draught - appearing in 13 postseason contests - before being traded to New Orleans ahead of the following, lockout shortened campaign. Memphis has not missed the postseason since. "Ive got respect for them because they gave me an opportunity to be in this league," said the fourth-year point guard, poised to make his second postseason appearance with the Raptors next month. "Thats a tough team to beat," he continued following his new teams impressive 99-86 win over the one that drafted him. "We beat a playoff team and that was a good win for us at home." Aside from new coach Dave Joerger - a former assistant under Hollins - and last years trade of Rudy Gay, the Grizzlies havent changed much. Theyre still a defensive juggernaut - ranked third in opponent points per game, just ahead of the Raptors - and they still feature the daunting interior pair of Gasol and Randolph. They still embody physical, hard-nosed, playoff-calibre basketball and the Raptors - looking ahead to their own postseason birth - took it right to them. It was another valuable test for Dwane Caseys team, not unlike the one they failed in Brooklyn earlier this week, but this time they passed with flying colours. "I dont mean this in a bad way with Memphis because I love the style of defence they play," Casey said, "but the only way you can challenge a bully is if you hit them first." "I dont think we did that in the first quarter," Casey said in reference to Torontos timid start. "We did in the second quarter and they responded. Youve got to have a physical mentality against a team like that and I thought our guys did that after the first quarter." Vasquez had a lot to do with that turnaround. He may not be the fastest, the quickest or the strongest but there are few who play the game harder. His energy was infectious, as it tends to be, when he entered the game late in the first quarter and it carried over into the second, where the Raptors ended the half on a 19-6 run. About 30 minutes later he changed the game again, this time for good. With the score knotted up at 80, midway through the fourth, Vasquez knocked down a 27-foot pull-up three. As the Grizzlies came up the floor, he picked off a pass and went coast-to-coast for layup. It was the biggest sequence oof the night, ironically initiating a second 19-6 run to close out the victory. Danny Gare Jersey. "Obviously physicality is going to be the big factor [in the playoffs]," said Vasquez, who finished with 17 points, five rebounds and six assists Friday. "We play physical, we punch teams and we let them know that its not going to be easy for any team to come to our house and beat us like that and thats what we did tonight." Usually relegated to 17-22 minutes per night, mostly playing in the understudy role to starter Kyle Lowry, Vasquez logged 28. With the Grizzlies playing small in the backcourt, Casey was able to pair Vasquez and Lowry for over eight minutes in both the second and fourth quarters. With the two point guards sharing the court for 19 minutes, the Raptors scored 23 points more than they allowed. Playing alongside the other, both Vasquez and Lowry were at their best on this night. Lowry - who totalled 22 points, seven rebounds and 12 assists - was able to play off the ball and spot up for jumpers, while Vasquez could get in the lane and facilitate with more space. For Vasquez - as he realizes - the obvious benefit to spending more time on the floor with Lowry is spending more time on the floor, period. "I think we should do it more often if you ask me but Im not the head coach," Vasquez said. "[Coach is] doing a great job leading us to win games. Obviously Coach Casey is an outstanding coach and today he gave me a chance to come off the bench and play with a rhythm and I got the job done." Vasquez, a starter in New Orleans last season, has seen sporadic playing time since arriving in the trade from Sacramento. Generally, when he has played more he has played well but the opportunity for playing time at the position is scarce. It is what it is, as Casey would say. Lowry is playing at an extremely high level and pairing them together is something that can only work in long stretches if the matchup permits it. "When I play regular minutes it allows me to have a presence in the game," he said. "A lot of times its really, really hard coming off the bench and just being effective or having a presence in the game real quick." For the most part, the Raptors have had success playing Lowry and Vasquez together this season, keeping in mind its only been done in favourable situations. In 346 minutes with the two point guards on the floor, the Raptors have outscored their opponents by 102 total points, per NBA.com/stats. With Casey looking to manufacture some rest for Lowry over the final five weeks of the season, playing him off the ball more often could be the solution. "Its easier for me," said Lowry, asked about playing alongside Vasquez, "because weve got a guy who is going to look for me and who can make the play. He gives me a chance to rest and hang out and shoot open threes. When hes playing like that, were a pretty good team." Vasquez and Jonas Valanciunas - who scored a season-high 23 points - both came up big for Torontos offence with Memphis elite perimeter defence locked into DeMar DeRozan and Terrence Ross. The Raptors two wing players shot a combined 6-for-16 Friday. 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