Cal's NZ Lionz make a killing Rugby

The Irish Times/Wolf Blass fantasy competition:It's in the genes, the bloodline of rugby knowledge that allowed Robert Roughan to prevail in The Irish Times/Wolf Blass fantasy rugby competition, which ran during the recent World Cup.

Roughan, known as Cal to his friends, could trace his rugby education back to his days at Blackrock College, the high point of which was being chosen at number eight on the Junior Cup team. He kept no less than Victor Costello on the bench.

Further rugby honours included an underage "Colours" at UCD before the world of investment banking took over. The 37-year-old enjoyed stints in London, where he met his New Zealand-born wife, Maija, and New Zealand (eight years) before returning to Ireland.

"We tossed a coin to see where we'd live and she won so we went to New Zealand. We returned two years ago on the same flight as the Lions team."

It explains the name of his team, NZ Lionz (680 points), and also betrays the reason for his success.

"My wife, who is still in mourning for the All Blacks, enjoyed a strong influence and it was decided we would try to have two Kiwi wings in all the pool matches and either Dan Carter or Nathan Evans to kick the extra points. I suppose it's fair to say our squad rotation policy worked a little better than Graham Henry's."

Roughan, who works with Barclays Capital Investment Bank, wins a holiday to Australia, including a trip to the Wolf Blass winery in the Barossa Valley near Adelaide.

The competition, which ran on the website ireland.com, attracted an entry of 10,175.

The winners of the weekly awards were Pat Byrne, Clonsilla, Dublin; Jonathan Butler, Cambridge, England; David Barry, Clontarf, Dublin; Declan Faller, Donnybrook, Dublin; Frank Fennell, Blackrock, Dublin; Paudie Gavin, Clondalkin, Dublin.