Feeling grim on New Year's Eve, so an impromptu blog as to what we can look forward to in the first part of 2012. All is irreverent as ever, though you never know...
Happy New Year to everyone. If you use Twitter, keep on eye on #rugbyunited which aims to keep supporters chatting and together, irrespective of which side they follow. A great initiative which gets my vote, not only for its concept but also for proving once more that rugby continues to go where football cannot.
January
The Heineken Cup stirs us from our post-Christmas and New Year revelries inspired slumber with yet more classic games. Edinburgh and Racing Metro follow-up their 48-47 classic with a 0-0 draw at La Garenne Colombes. Munster travel to Northampton for the re-match of their classic opening weekend game on the Saturday evening, with Munster securing a stunning comeback victory on Sunday afternoon, when Ronan O'Gara drops the winning goal to make the score 27-25 in the 1053rd minute of extra time, after Paul O'Connell's side recycle possession for the 4785th time. Truly unbelievable scenes. Finally for January, strange scenes as Ulster, Leicester and Clermont all finish joint top of their pool, and with no-one understanding how to separate them, Leicester claim the QF spot as they win a three-way 15-a-side boat race when referee Nigel Owens disqualifies the French side for using glasses of red wine.
February
6 Nations fever abounds as Wales, fresh from their stunning World Cup performance of 4 wins in 7 games, and France, fresh from their stunning World Cup (well the last 20 minutes thereof), brim with confidence at the start of the tournament. England entered the era of the House of Lancaster (or is the House of Stuart, so many historical choices) with a stunning performance in Edinburgh, where they managed to have a team night out without any photos/cctv footage appearing anywhere). On the field, Scotland manage to go three more games without a try, meaning their last International try was scored by Tony Stanger in 1991.
March
The denouement of the 6 Nations sees all 6 teams finish level on 5 points each, after the last weekend sees 3 drawn games. Theeggchaser's Annual Continental trip sees Rome for Italy vs Scotland, another successful weekend with much beer and wine, pasta and pizza, and not a Caribinieri problem in sight. At a hastily convened meeting to decide the tournament winners, Sergio Parisse defeats Thierry Dusautoir at tiddlywinks to claim Italy's first 6 Nations title. Much confusion surrounds the end though after Bernard Lapasset tries to go back on his decision to make tiddlywinks the choice, only to be sent off by Alain Rolland for being just a little too like Sepp Blatter for comfort.
April
As European focus returns to domestic competition after the fun and games of the International competition, April 1st saw Saracens host Harlequins at Wembley in an attempt to beat their record of December for the biggest crowd. 273,000 crammed into Wembley to watch as Harlequins gained revenge in spectacular style, though debate as to the validity of the trapeze artist's last minute try still goes on. The European Cup threw up a surprise too, as much fancied Munster and Leinster both slipped up, which was surprising as they were playing in the same semi final.
May
Nothing beats a Twickenham final in May (apart from maybe an Auckland final in October, or Joburg in December). This year we had two. To avoid playing twice in a week and to reduce the carbon footprint, Saracens and Leicester decided to make it a winner takes all encounter for both Heineken and Aviva titles. Saracens leaving with a smile on their faces.
June
The French season, which started in 1998, finally came to close on June 9th. Yawns all round as Toulouse won for the 43rd time in 41 seasons. Meanwhile, England went on tour to Australia (2 games vs Aussie Baabaas and 2 Tests) and New Zealand (1 game vs Maoris in Napier - not a foot was set in Queenstown). Much of the rest of the month was spent by Theeggchaser trawling round the North of England, advocating the "addition of 2 flankers to the Rugby League version of the game", while also suggesting that "when tackled, players should let go of the ball and that if the ball goes out of the field of play it should be thrown back in. While you're at it, scrap this 6 tackle rule and you're there". The jury is still out apparently. Chris Ashton finally signed a new deal to play for Biarritz; "I've always loved the Italian way of life" he said somewhat 'enigmatically'.
Saturday, 31 December 2011
Thursday, 29 December 2011
Happy Old Year
2011 has been quite a year, both for me and for rugby. I've waffled on at length here about my trip round the world, which was quite simply amazing, so I won't bore you with details of that as the year comes to an end. I'd rather look back on the year in rugby and see who really were the winners and losers as we enter 2012.
As the year started, the 4-yearly structure that is imposed on International rugby due to a World Cup, loomed. A 6 Nations tournament for the Northern Hemisphere in the European winter/spring; a curtailed Tri Nations tournament (the last one of that ilk) in the weeks preceding the tournament for the Southern Hemisphere sides. Argentina and the Pacific Islands, as is their wont every 4 years, were left twiddling their thumbs in inactivity with no winter tours to Europe to occupy their minds.
Of course, the true highlight of the year was the World Cup in New Zealand. 24 years on, the hosts were desperate to etch their name on the trophy for a second time. Graham Henry had had 8 years to build towards an October final, and with few rugby followers doubting their position as World Number 1, not many saw the likelihood of them not fulfilling that scenario.
As it was, as can be read in other postings on this blog, they strolled past all-comers before stuttering and stumbling over the finishing line and achieving their ultimate goal. 8-7 sounds like a dull final, but the tension of the occasion, allied with a spirited French second half performance, made it anything but. Surprise heroes appeared (Woodcock is anything but a frequent try scorer and Donald had been fishing three weeks earlier) and wounded soldiers gave everything (McCaw's ankle and its rattling pin the prime example). The French had heroes too, but once more in a rugby history littered with glorious World Cup failure, they fell at the final hurdle and failed to take their first crown. 4 more years, as the infamous jibe of George Gregan went, and in 4 more years, we in England have the onerous task of putting on a better show as we host the 2015 World Cup.
Aside from the finalists, much was made of the "stunning", "fantastic" performance of the Welsh. They came out of a group containing South Africa, who had beaten them by a single point, and Samoa, who had flattered to deceive when beating Australia in a warm-up game. their best performances came in the knock-out phase however, where a stunning win against an over-confident Ireland side, and a glorious 14 man defeat against the French, showed what they were capable of. I think the superlatives used to describe their World Cup were a little too much though. Yes they were the best of the Home Nations, but that isn't saying much. Their undoubted superior fitness and a better game plan, allied with the emergence of a dependable and forward thinking fly half (Hook and Jones being either/or not both) saw them flatter to ultimately deceive when Priestland was injured and Warburton, their inspiration, red-carded.
Australia had earlier won a rather meaningless Tri Nations tournament, which saw a combination of weakened sides and first fifteens as coaches tried to protect their stars and give their replacements game time.
England took the 6 Nations Championship and what would be the only silverware under Martin Johnson, back in March amid much misplaced optimism ahead of the World Cup. 4 wins out of 4 before a visit to Dublin, which quashed Grand Slam hopes but didn't dull the party (a party which continued into October unfortunately). The other highlight of the 6 Nations came in Rome, where France, who had strolled to a comfortable lead, were surprisingly and spectacularly pegged back by Italy for their first 6 Nations win against their neighbours. Italy are fast improving, and the loss didn't do France any lasting harm as a mere 7 months later they finished as silver medallist down under.
The European Cup continues to grow into the World's premier club tournament. Leinster's stunning comeback to take the title from Northampton's clutches was a remarkable end to another remarkable tournament, and 2011-12 has seen another incredible start, as can be read in November and December's postings. Long may the cup continue..... Though if it continues to grow and grow, a European League will surely become a possibility.
Finally, a few words relating to my Christmas trip to Rotherham to watch Rotherham Titans vs Nottingham. Looking round the shared rugby and cricket ground, it was hard to believe that this was a 2nd tier game in the English national championship. A sloping pitch, with one main stand, spartan facilities and such a lack of parking that the correctly parked team buses and half a dozen supporters cars were summoned to be moved by the local constabulary.
The rugby barely deserves comment if I am brutally honest. A windy day, sure. A sloping pitch, OK. World Cup stars were on show though and kicking options from people with the reputation of James Arlidge, were awful. For the record, Rotherham won 19-11 in what was a poor game (note the same score as between Harlequins and Saracens in front of 82,000 people at Twickenham. The score may have been the same but the standard of play, facilities and everything else were worlds apart. £14 it cost me for the privilege of watching said game.... For the record, the European Cup game between Racing Metro and London Irish cost a mere 10 Euros. I suppose it is better value than football (what isn't?) but I wonder what the future can hold for clubs like Rotherham and Nottingham if spartan attendances and over-priced entry fees continue to be the order of the day.
At least the warm pork sandwich was cracking value.
So the curtain comes down on a wonderful year for rugby. Harlequins and Saracens are gunning for the English title, with Leicester and Northampton gathering momentum. Munster and Leinster are in prime position for another European assault. Cardiff, Ospreys and Scarlets have continued the good work of Wales during the World Cup while Edinburgh and Glasgow are showing the green shoots of recovery that Scottish rugby so desperately needs.
Happy New Year to all my readers. 2012 promises much to many, and as the sporting focus of the UK shifts to London 2012 and the Olympic Games, the first major international event sees the 6 Nations Championship burst into life in February. Looking forward to it already...
As the year started, the 4-yearly structure that is imposed on International rugby due to a World Cup, loomed. A 6 Nations tournament for the Northern Hemisphere in the European winter/spring; a curtailed Tri Nations tournament (the last one of that ilk) in the weeks preceding the tournament for the Southern Hemisphere sides. Argentina and the Pacific Islands, as is their wont every 4 years, were left twiddling their thumbs in inactivity with no winter tours to Europe to occupy their minds.
Of course, the true highlight of the year was the World Cup in New Zealand. 24 years on, the hosts were desperate to etch their name on the trophy for a second time. Graham Henry had had 8 years to build towards an October final, and with few rugby followers doubting their position as World Number 1, not many saw the likelihood of them not fulfilling that scenario.
As it was, as can be read in other postings on this blog, they strolled past all-comers before stuttering and stumbling over the finishing line and achieving their ultimate goal. 8-7 sounds like a dull final, but the tension of the occasion, allied with a spirited French second half performance, made it anything but. Surprise heroes appeared (Woodcock is anything but a frequent try scorer and Donald had been fishing three weeks earlier) and wounded soldiers gave everything (McCaw's ankle and its rattling pin the prime example). The French had heroes too, but once more in a rugby history littered with glorious World Cup failure, they fell at the final hurdle and failed to take their first crown. 4 more years, as the infamous jibe of George Gregan went, and in 4 more years, we in England have the onerous task of putting on a better show as we host the 2015 World Cup.
Aside from the finalists, much was made of the "stunning", "fantastic" performance of the Welsh. They came out of a group containing South Africa, who had beaten them by a single point, and Samoa, who had flattered to deceive when beating Australia in a warm-up game. their best performances came in the knock-out phase however, where a stunning win against an over-confident Ireland side, and a glorious 14 man defeat against the French, showed what they were capable of. I think the superlatives used to describe their World Cup were a little too much though. Yes they were the best of the Home Nations, but that isn't saying much. Their undoubted superior fitness and a better game plan, allied with the emergence of a dependable and forward thinking fly half (Hook and Jones being either/or not both) saw them flatter to ultimately deceive when Priestland was injured and Warburton, their inspiration, red-carded.
Australia had earlier won a rather meaningless Tri Nations tournament, which saw a combination of weakened sides and first fifteens as coaches tried to protect their stars and give their replacements game time.
England took the 6 Nations Championship and what would be the only silverware under Martin Johnson, back in March amid much misplaced optimism ahead of the World Cup. 4 wins out of 4 before a visit to Dublin, which quashed Grand Slam hopes but didn't dull the party (a party which continued into October unfortunately). The other highlight of the 6 Nations came in Rome, where France, who had strolled to a comfortable lead, were surprisingly and spectacularly pegged back by Italy for their first 6 Nations win against their neighbours. Italy are fast improving, and the loss didn't do France any lasting harm as a mere 7 months later they finished as silver medallist down under.
The European Cup continues to grow into the World's premier club tournament. Leinster's stunning comeback to take the title from Northampton's clutches was a remarkable end to another remarkable tournament, and 2011-12 has seen another incredible start, as can be read in November and December's postings. Long may the cup continue..... Though if it continues to grow and grow, a European League will surely become a possibility.
Finally, a few words relating to my Christmas trip to Rotherham to watch Rotherham Titans vs Nottingham. Looking round the shared rugby and cricket ground, it was hard to believe that this was a 2nd tier game in the English national championship. A sloping pitch, with one main stand, spartan facilities and such a lack of parking that the correctly parked team buses and half a dozen supporters cars were summoned to be moved by the local constabulary.
The rugby barely deserves comment if I am brutally honest. A windy day, sure. A sloping pitch, OK. World Cup stars were on show though and kicking options from people with the reputation of James Arlidge, were awful. For the record, Rotherham won 19-11 in what was a poor game (note the same score as between Harlequins and Saracens in front of 82,000 people at Twickenham. The score may have been the same but the standard of play, facilities and everything else were worlds apart. £14 it cost me for the privilege of watching said game.... For the record, the European Cup game between Racing Metro and London Irish cost a mere 10 Euros. I suppose it is better value than football (what isn't?) but I wonder what the future can hold for clubs like Rotherham and Nottingham if spartan attendances and over-priced entry fees continue to be the order of the day.
At least the warm pork sandwich was cracking value.
So the curtain comes down on a wonderful year for rugby. Harlequins and Saracens are gunning for the English title, with Leicester and Northampton gathering momentum. Munster and Leinster are in prime position for another European assault. Cardiff, Ospreys and Scarlets have continued the good work of Wales during the World Cup while Edinburgh and Glasgow are showing the green shoots of recovery that Scottish rugby so desperately needs.
Happy New Year to all my readers. 2012 promises much to many, and as the sporting focus of the UK shifts to London 2012 and the Olympic Games, the first major international event sees the 6 Nations Championship burst into life in February. Looking forward to it already...
Monday, 19 December 2011
Every Dog Has Its Day
I've only been at this blog lark for a little over 4 months, and as I sit writing this on a Monday evening, this is the 10th country in which I have written something. After England, Scotland, Wales, France, Belgium, Holland, Spain, the USA and New Zealand, it is Germany's turn to host the now weekly mind dump of an increasingly avid rugby fanatic. Poland slipped through the net earlier this year, but will be almost certainly the 11th host nation in the New Year, and I am sure that Ireland will sneak in there in the New Year, as will Italy when I visit Rome for the last weekend of the 6 Nations.
The dog in question in the title is English rugby, as this weekend saw 5 wins out of 7, against tough opposition in the Heineken Cup. A combination of pedigree performances and no little gnawing away at dogged defences saw victories over last year's champions, one of this year's favourites and 3 other difficult sides to no doubt put a smile on interim coach Stuart Lancaster's face.
I didn't really do the 3rd round of Heineken Cup games justice last week, as I tried to squeeze a blog into a hectic schedule in France; Monday night in a dying German steel town sees the distractions a little easier to avoid though, so I can cover the head-to-head weekends in a little more detail and give you a quick thought as to where we are with 2 group rounds to go.
Weeks 3 and 4 of the Heineken Cup traditionally throw up engaging encounters, and stunning performances, and you would have to be mad to say it failed to do that this time around. Where do you look for the star performers? Toulouse started the ball rolling in Week 3 with a stunning victory at previously undefeated, in all competitions I might add, Harlequins. No mistaking the quality in the French champions as they strolled over the Quins at the Stoop. Saracens then finally brought home something to cheer about for the English, as they battered the Ospreys, who still gave as good as they got at Wembley, to show they mean business this year. Not to be outdone, Week 4 saw Leinster pummel Bath into submission with an outstanding attacking performance, running in 52 points against a somewhat hapless traveling English side. For me though, even that was outdone with Harlequins incredible winning performance away at Toulouse. It was a case of lose and go home for Quins, but they stunned the home side into silence with a quite magnificent performance to restore pride and put the wheels back on the track.
There was of course much much more than that to enjoy. London Irish and Racing Metro traded away wins. Biarritz lost in Treviso and almost messed up at home until a headbutt and a deserved red card saw them score 4 second half tries and haul themselves onto Saracens coat-tails. Munster have now won 4 out of 4, the only team to do so, with a total points difference of 14 points. Consecutive wins by 2, 3, 3 and 6 points see them scraping their way to a probable home semi final. Leicester and AS Clermont also took a win apiece in the tricky pool which sees Ulster currently hold the aces after a double over the somewhat lacking Aironi. Edinburgh and Cardiff also went the way of home advantage, and Glasgow failed to keep maximum pressure on Leinster as they conceded a draw in Montpellier.Special mention to Northampton, who walloped Castres 45-0 after losing the weekend before. 42 second half points was a phenomenal effort, and signs of a return to form, too late for the Heineken Cup, are there.
Concentrating on the 2 games I watched this weekend, both saw similar styles take on each other, and both saw fantastic games, which were only decided late on. Leicester did it the hard way against Clermont, 16-7 down at half-time thanks to the realism of Parra and Skrela who dropped and kicked their way to 11 points between them, while Sivivatu and Tuilagi cancelled each other out with tries. Flood struggled against the wind in the first half at a cold Welford Road, but a great second half performance saw the Tigers keep themselves in with a shout as they came through 23-19. Waldrom, Salvi, Castrogiavanni and Manu Tuilagi really showed and left Clermont shaking heads as they dropped to third in the Group of Death (and Aironi).
This all paled into insignificance though when Harlequins and Toulouse took centre stage. A brave first half performance on a pitch that looked more suite to a donkey derby than anything else, saw excellent tries from Brown and Gray, before Maestri pulled one back for the hosts to make it 15-10 at half time. The expected Toulouse fightback continued in the second half as Doussain went over unopposed in the corner to briefly give Toulouse the lead, but it says everything about the Harlequins side that Brown crossed for a second time, and with Nick Evans winning the goalkicking duel of the forgotten All Blacks with Luke McAlister, Quins eventually not only created the exploit of the season by winning on Toulousain territory, but very nearly took away Toulouse's losing bonus point too. A stunning performance from 1 to 15, but I though Nick Easter had one of his best games for many a long month, and in Brown, Quins have the form back in England - just a shame for him that he picked the same day to shine as Ben Foden did for Northampton.
A quick look at the country league table shows us that:
4. England P28, W14, L14, 0.500
5. France P24, W9, D2, L13, 0.417
6. Italy P8, W1, D1, L6, 0.188
You would get pretty good odds against the 6 Nations table ending up like that.....
If put on the spot, my current feeling for the 8 Quarter Finalists would be Munster, Leinster, Saracens and Cardiff as the 4 seeded home sides, with Leicester and Toulouse the other 2 Group Winners, and with 2 of Edinburgh, Clermont and Harlequins qualifying as runners-up. Though Toulouse have a tough trip to Gloucester to come which could see the Champions come unstuck. It will be fascinating to see.
I hope to do a more detailed take on Jonny Wilkinson's career next week, but for now I just wanted to make a few serious points about the rules and the way I see rugby going.
1. Rugby has always been famed for the respect shown between players and officials, and rightly so when compared with the appalling language dished out by footballers to referees and linesmen. It is disappointing to see increasing evidence of decisions being questioned, and appealing to referees for fouls, rather than just getting on with the game. Nigel Owens had to call captains to him to tell them to stop their men questioning his decisions this weekend. This needs stamping out now.
2. Similarly, the increasing trend of players and officials deliberately touching a ball that goes in to touch to prevent the quick play of a line-out has been getting more prevalent in recent months and seasons. It reached a peak in the Toulouse vs Harlequins game, when it happened twice and Skinner was sent off from the bench for doing it. 2 things need doing: firstly the number of non-involved people on the bench needs diminishing - the dug-out area looks like McDonalds on a Saturday lunch-time there are so many people milling around. Less people on the line, and confined to a technical area too. Secondly, the rule needs changing so that, if the same ball is used for the line-out, it is irrelevant how many people touched it for a quick line-out to be taken.
3. The free kick is an archaic concept that needs either altering or removing from the game completely. The side benefitting from a free kick rarely gets a sizeable advantage. They cannot kick to goal, can kick to touch but lose the throw-in and often end up taking another scrum as generally that is where they won the free kick in the first place. Personally I would redefine freekick offences as either penalties or scrums and be done with the bent arm sanction. Others may say it should stay, and if it does, a minor change need to take place: either allow the kick to touch with line-out to follow, or, if another scrum is taken, the scrum should be moved ten yards upfield so that at last some advantage accrues.
I would really appreciate hearing your thoughts on these three points, either here, by e-mail or on twitter, as these are ways I see of improving this great game even further.
The dog in question in the title is English rugby, as this weekend saw 5 wins out of 7, against tough opposition in the Heineken Cup. A combination of pedigree performances and no little gnawing away at dogged defences saw victories over last year's champions, one of this year's favourites and 3 other difficult sides to no doubt put a smile on interim coach Stuart Lancaster's face.
I didn't really do the 3rd round of Heineken Cup games justice last week, as I tried to squeeze a blog into a hectic schedule in France; Monday night in a dying German steel town sees the distractions a little easier to avoid though, so I can cover the head-to-head weekends in a little more detail and give you a quick thought as to where we are with 2 group rounds to go.
Weeks 3 and 4 of the Heineken Cup traditionally throw up engaging encounters, and stunning performances, and you would have to be mad to say it failed to do that this time around. Where do you look for the star performers? Toulouse started the ball rolling in Week 3 with a stunning victory at previously undefeated, in all competitions I might add, Harlequins. No mistaking the quality in the French champions as they strolled over the Quins at the Stoop. Saracens then finally brought home something to cheer about for the English, as they battered the Ospreys, who still gave as good as they got at Wembley, to show they mean business this year. Not to be outdone, Week 4 saw Leinster pummel Bath into submission with an outstanding attacking performance, running in 52 points against a somewhat hapless traveling English side. For me though, even that was outdone with Harlequins incredible winning performance away at Toulouse. It was a case of lose and go home for Quins, but they stunned the home side into silence with a quite magnificent performance to restore pride and put the wheels back on the track.
There was of course much much more than that to enjoy. London Irish and Racing Metro traded away wins. Biarritz lost in Treviso and almost messed up at home until a headbutt and a deserved red card saw them score 4 second half tries and haul themselves onto Saracens coat-tails. Munster have now won 4 out of 4, the only team to do so, with a total points difference of 14 points. Consecutive wins by 2, 3, 3 and 6 points see them scraping their way to a probable home semi final. Leicester and AS Clermont also took a win apiece in the tricky pool which sees Ulster currently hold the aces after a double over the somewhat lacking Aironi. Edinburgh and Cardiff also went the way of home advantage, and Glasgow failed to keep maximum pressure on Leinster as they conceded a draw in Montpellier.Special mention to Northampton, who walloped Castres 45-0 after losing the weekend before. 42 second half points was a phenomenal effort, and signs of a return to form, too late for the Heineken Cup, are there.
Concentrating on the 2 games I watched this weekend, both saw similar styles take on each other, and both saw fantastic games, which were only decided late on. Leicester did it the hard way against Clermont, 16-7 down at half-time thanks to the realism of Parra and Skrela who dropped and kicked their way to 11 points between them, while Sivivatu and Tuilagi cancelled each other out with tries. Flood struggled against the wind in the first half at a cold Welford Road, but a great second half performance saw the Tigers keep themselves in with a shout as they came through 23-19. Waldrom, Salvi, Castrogiavanni and Manu Tuilagi really showed and left Clermont shaking heads as they dropped to third in the Group of Death (and Aironi).
This all paled into insignificance though when Harlequins and Toulouse took centre stage. A brave first half performance on a pitch that looked more suite to a donkey derby than anything else, saw excellent tries from Brown and Gray, before Maestri pulled one back for the hosts to make it 15-10 at half time. The expected Toulouse fightback continued in the second half as Doussain went over unopposed in the corner to briefly give Toulouse the lead, but it says everything about the Harlequins side that Brown crossed for a second time, and with Nick Evans winning the goalkicking duel of the forgotten All Blacks with Luke McAlister, Quins eventually not only created the exploit of the season by winning on Toulousain territory, but very nearly took away Toulouse's losing bonus point too. A stunning performance from 1 to 15, but I though Nick Easter had one of his best games for many a long month, and in Brown, Quins have the form back in England - just a shame for him that he picked the same day to shine as Ben Foden did for Northampton.
A quick look at the country league table shows us that:
1. Scotland P8, W5, D1, L2, 0.688
2. Ireland P16, W10, D1, L5, 0.656
3. Wales P12, W6, D1, L5, 0.5424. England P28, W14, L14, 0.500
5. France P24, W9, D2, L13, 0.417
6. Italy P8, W1, D1, L6, 0.188
You would get pretty good odds against the 6 Nations table ending up like that.....
If put on the spot, my current feeling for the 8 Quarter Finalists would be Munster, Leinster, Saracens and Cardiff as the 4 seeded home sides, with Leicester and Toulouse the other 2 Group Winners, and with 2 of Edinburgh, Clermont and Harlequins qualifying as runners-up. Though Toulouse have a tough trip to Gloucester to come which could see the Champions come unstuck. It will be fascinating to see.
I hope to do a more detailed take on Jonny Wilkinson's career next week, but for now I just wanted to make a few serious points about the rules and the way I see rugby going.
1. Rugby has always been famed for the respect shown between players and officials, and rightly so when compared with the appalling language dished out by footballers to referees and linesmen. It is disappointing to see increasing evidence of decisions being questioned, and appealing to referees for fouls, rather than just getting on with the game. Nigel Owens had to call captains to him to tell them to stop their men questioning his decisions this weekend. This needs stamping out now.
2. Similarly, the increasing trend of players and officials deliberately touching a ball that goes in to touch to prevent the quick play of a line-out has been getting more prevalent in recent months and seasons. It reached a peak in the Toulouse vs Harlequins game, when it happened twice and Skinner was sent off from the bench for doing it. 2 things need doing: firstly the number of non-involved people on the bench needs diminishing - the dug-out area looks like McDonalds on a Saturday lunch-time there are so many people milling around. Less people on the line, and confined to a technical area too. Secondly, the rule needs changing so that, if the same ball is used for the line-out, it is irrelevant how many people touched it for a quick line-out to be taken.
3. The free kick is an archaic concept that needs either altering or removing from the game completely. The side benefitting from a free kick rarely gets a sizeable advantage. They cannot kick to goal, can kick to touch but lose the throw-in and often end up taking another scrum as generally that is where they won the free kick in the first place. Personally I would redefine freekick offences as either penalties or scrums and be done with the bent arm sanction. Others may say it should stay, and if it does, a minor change need to take place: either allow the kick to touch with line-out to follow, or, if another scrum is taken, the scrum should be moved ten yards upfield so that at last some advantage accrues.
I would really appreciate hearing your thoughts on these three points, either here, by e-mail or on twitter, as these are ways I see of improving this great game even further.
Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Thanks For Everything Jonny
I'm a little late with the blog this week, as I'm away with work. I'm currently doing a European Tour taking in 4 countries in 4 weeks, arriving back home on Christmas Eve. My ever expanding waistline, my increasingly grey-speckled hair and stubble and the timing of that trip may lead you to believe there could be reindeer involved in the transportation, but you're wrong, honest.
It has been difficult to keep up as usual with the goings on in the world of rugby, with England appointing their Temporary Interim Caretaker Fill-in Stop-gap Coach in Stuart Lancaster. He seems a level headed sort of bloke, who has done things with the Saxons which have gained respect. I hope he can take this into his new role and succeed, thereby giving the selection panel a headache. That panel must get this decision right, as failure to do so would be jumped upon by every newspaper journalist and blogger worth their salt, and many not worth it too.
Lancaster could have thought he would have been graced with a small period of time to get his feet under the table... How wrong he was. A courtesy call to Toulon to discuss things with Jonny Wilkinson was met with the bombshell (not unexpected though) that Jonny would be hanging up his England boots after a thoroughly successful stint (more of that later) while Lancaster was also called upon to give Danny Care a good talking to after he stepped out of line this weekend and was done by the Police for being drunk and disorderly.
What is it with the current crop of England Internationals and their seemingly incessant desire to be in the Newspapers for all the wrong reasons? Good luck Stuart, and if you want some advice from someone who has never been there, never done it and never worn the t-shirts (which would be a couple of sizes too small now too for what its worth), go for youth: Nothing to lose, no-one will blame you, success will give you a major chance of the permanent job, and the old ones need more than a little kick up the backside!
Before I move onto a spot of waxing lyrical about Jonny Wilkinson, let me briefly sum up the European weekend. Intense. That's one word. Sunday, with Bath and Leinster going hammer and tong for 80 minutes, and Clermont and Leicester having a great old arm-wrestle (punctuated by a high tackle from Tuilagi, a cheap shot from Chuter and yet more proof, were it needed, that Morgan Parra, while undoubtedly a star performer, is one of the snidest, lowest rugby players of all. His acts on the pitch frequently leave me speechless, and I am sure I witnessed an attempted bite of Chuter and there was a clear kick out while on the ground. Concentrate on the game, you're too good for the stupid stuff.
Friday and Saturday saw some more quality games, and I actually tootled along to la Garenne Colombes to watch the somewhat laughably mis-named Galacticos of Racing Metro 92 against London Irish, who I had shared a Eurostar with on Friday afternoon. Mike Catt was in cheerful mood as we briefly shared a few words on the platform (after he had worked out which way the carriage numbers were going). Toby Booth was equally ebullient, and confidence oozed from the pores of the whole squad, who were clearly dressed to travel in comfort in various combinations of training kit.
Racing settled well in the first half and only a late Irish try kept them close, though they did have what I thought was a perfectly good try ruled out earlier in the first half. 14-10 was the half-time score as we supped our Heineken from the comfort of our 10 Euro seats. Irish edged closer at the start of the second half, but the crowd were baying for one man, and the legend that is Chabal entered with 20 to play to a chorus of cheers. He was, frankly, slow, impactless, indecisive, behind the game and playing a season too many from my perspective. 21-0 to Irish while he was on the field. 34-14 the Final Score, an unexpected bonus point in the bag for the return journey home and a slim chance at progressing remains.
A great day out for 10 Euros plus beer money to be fair.
So to Jonny, who has been given legendary status in the various press reports I have read today. Those equating him with David Beckham do Wilkinson a disservice for me. He, more than anyone, is responsible for England's 2003 World Cup triumph, not only for his 100th minute drop goal in the final, but for his all-round excellence in both that tournament and the years building up to it, which were unequalled until Dan Carter started doing the same thing for New Zealand.
Wilkinson is an absolute legend. His metronomic goalkicking saw England through many a close encounter, his tackling was of such ferocity that it led to many an injury, of varying degrees of seriousness and pain, his exemplary attitude to training and the way he lived his life (virtually teetotal and dedicated to rugby and making the most of every last drop of his considerable talent), all lead me to believe with all sincerity that he is one of the outstanding sportspeople of his generation.
If Sir Geoff Hurst was knighted for what he did for English football, then Sir Jonny Wilkinson should not be too far away. He transformed the way the game was played, he brought the game's biggest prize back to our shores and he proved an inspiration to a whole nation of rugby players (many of whom let themselves down in this respect over the last 3 months).
Thanks for the memories Jonny. See out your career safely in Toulon, or come back to England for a final swansong in the Premiership. I wish you nothing but the best for whatever way you go from now on. You are a true legend.
It has been difficult to keep up as usual with the goings on in the world of rugby, with England appointing their Temporary Interim Caretaker Fill-in Stop-gap Coach in Stuart Lancaster. He seems a level headed sort of bloke, who has done things with the Saxons which have gained respect. I hope he can take this into his new role and succeed, thereby giving the selection panel a headache. That panel must get this decision right, as failure to do so would be jumped upon by every newspaper journalist and blogger worth their salt, and many not worth it too.
Lancaster could have thought he would have been graced with a small period of time to get his feet under the table... How wrong he was. A courtesy call to Toulon to discuss things with Jonny Wilkinson was met with the bombshell (not unexpected though) that Jonny would be hanging up his England boots after a thoroughly successful stint (more of that later) while Lancaster was also called upon to give Danny Care a good talking to after he stepped out of line this weekend and was done by the Police for being drunk and disorderly.
What is it with the current crop of England Internationals and their seemingly incessant desire to be in the Newspapers for all the wrong reasons? Good luck Stuart, and if you want some advice from someone who has never been there, never done it and never worn the t-shirts (which would be a couple of sizes too small now too for what its worth), go for youth: Nothing to lose, no-one will blame you, success will give you a major chance of the permanent job, and the old ones need more than a little kick up the backside!
Before I move onto a spot of waxing lyrical about Jonny Wilkinson, let me briefly sum up the European weekend. Intense. That's one word. Sunday, with Bath and Leinster going hammer and tong for 80 minutes, and Clermont and Leicester having a great old arm-wrestle (punctuated by a high tackle from Tuilagi, a cheap shot from Chuter and yet more proof, were it needed, that Morgan Parra, while undoubtedly a star performer, is one of the snidest, lowest rugby players of all. His acts on the pitch frequently leave me speechless, and I am sure I witnessed an attempted bite of Chuter and there was a clear kick out while on the ground. Concentrate on the game, you're too good for the stupid stuff.
Friday and Saturday saw some more quality games, and I actually tootled along to la Garenne Colombes to watch the somewhat laughably mis-named Galacticos of Racing Metro 92 against London Irish, who I had shared a Eurostar with on Friday afternoon. Mike Catt was in cheerful mood as we briefly shared a few words on the platform (after he had worked out which way the carriage numbers were going). Toby Booth was equally ebullient, and confidence oozed from the pores of the whole squad, who were clearly dressed to travel in comfort in various combinations of training kit.
Racing settled well in the first half and only a late Irish try kept them close, though they did have what I thought was a perfectly good try ruled out earlier in the first half. 14-10 was the half-time score as we supped our Heineken from the comfort of our 10 Euro seats. Irish edged closer at the start of the second half, but the crowd were baying for one man, and the legend that is Chabal entered with 20 to play to a chorus of cheers. He was, frankly, slow, impactless, indecisive, behind the game and playing a season too many from my perspective. 21-0 to Irish while he was on the field. 34-14 the Final Score, an unexpected bonus point in the bag for the return journey home and a slim chance at progressing remains.
A great day out for 10 Euros plus beer money to be fair.
So to Jonny, who has been given legendary status in the various press reports I have read today. Those equating him with David Beckham do Wilkinson a disservice for me. He, more than anyone, is responsible for England's 2003 World Cup triumph, not only for his 100th minute drop goal in the final, but for his all-round excellence in both that tournament and the years building up to it, which were unequalled until Dan Carter started doing the same thing for New Zealand.
Wilkinson is an absolute legend. His metronomic goalkicking saw England through many a close encounter, his tackling was of such ferocity that it led to many an injury, of varying degrees of seriousness and pain, his exemplary attitude to training and the way he lived his life (virtually teetotal and dedicated to rugby and making the most of every last drop of his considerable talent), all lead me to believe with all sincerity that he is one of the outstanding sportspeople of his generation.
If Sir Geoff Hurst was knighted for what he did for English football, then Sir Jonny Wilkinson should not be too far away. He transformed the way the game was played, he brought the game's biggest prize back to our shores and he proved an inspiration to a whole nation of rugby players (many of whom let themselves down in this respect over the last 3 months).
Thanks for the memories Jonny. See out your career safely in Toulon, or come back to England for a final swansong in the Premiership. I wish you nothing but the best for whatever way you go from now on. You are a true legend.
Saturday, 3 December 2011
The Rough And The Smooth
It would be fair to say that in the past couple of months, the RFU have not performed to the best of their ability. Coaches, players, clubs and fans have all been vocal in their criticism of the governing body in England, and rightly so. So this week, with the issuing of the results of the inquiry into the independent inquiry into the inquiry of where things went wrong at the World Cup, they apologised profusely to anyone and everyone, and promised to do better. Big deal.
It is somewhat difficult to believe that Rob Andrew has kept his job once more. He is as elusive in his current role as David Campese was when Andrew was playing. He has had the 20% of his job that he did "appallingly" (the responsibility for the senior England side) removed from his remit, along with one assumes a 20% paycut....
In other difficult to believe news, Mike Tindall had £10,000 removed from his fine and had his relegation from the England squad overturned (his contract ends in a month), and Martin Thomas has been replaced early by Stephen Brown as Acting CEO. Brown is in a no lose situation: he cannot do any worse than Thomas, and if he does a good job, he can slide into the role full-time. Good luck to him. If he does a good job, happy days should return to the RFU.
As the shambolic farce draws to a close, I half expect the major players to come to the front and take a bow. I can't even set you a competition as to what RFU stands for, as clearly the last two letters would be F'd Up. Ho hum, on to the smooth.
Relatively smooth is the announcement that has come that there will be a temporary coach of the England side for the upcoming 6 Nations. Lancaster and Rowntree are the current favourites for the leading partnership. A full-time appointment will be made before the summer tour to South Africa. The removal of Andrew's involvement, and the statement that the new coach will report directly to the CEO, added to the fact that the decision will be made late in Spring, or even early in the Summer, would lead to suggest that Nick Mallett (universally respected yet somewhat under-burdened by trophy success in recent years) is a shoe-in for the role. Don't bet on it though, as there will be twists and turns in the meantime, on that you can rely.
FInally to the good news. England's Women have beaten the reigning world champions New Zealand twice in 4 days, to take an unassailable lead in the 3 match series. In a week when the male set-up has been vilified once more, the women have showed them the way to go. It is somewhat ironic that this happens in the week that the BBC are criticised for the lack of women in the shortlist for Sports Personality Of The Year.
SPOTY, as it has become known, used to be the highlight of the Christmas period for me. A 2 hour look back on the best moments of sport from the year, with a competition usually coming out with the most deserving winner. There were funnies thrown in, and a charity game with Frank Bruno hitting a golf ball or something equally preposterous. This was at a time when the BBC were the envy of the world in terms of their sporting archive.... Now, we get 10 short films on the candidates, a little bit of footage (usually with courtesy of Sky Sports in the top corner), a whole lot of back-slapping and not a lot more. I don't even watch now.
I suppose the good news from the rugby perspective this week was the announcement that the BBC have kept the rights to the 6 Nations until 2017. The insufferable ITV coverage during the World Cup (or the first three weeks while I was still in the UK) illustrates that the BBC really is the only channel on terrestrial TV that can do it justice. Sky would knock the BBC's socks off of course, but that won't happen in the short term.
The Premiership is proving to be a little mad this year. Gloucester trekked up to Newcastle seeking confidence after a few tough weeks, and Newcastle needed something given their awful start. Newcastle edged it, much to the surprise of most.
Leicester have shown signs of waking recently, but so have Northampton who slaughtered Saracens last time out. Today's encounter was an epic. Rough and smooth is the title of this blog, and that describes the game perfectly. Roughness from Ashton, Tuilagi, Wood, Agulla and Murphy saw a messy brawl into which Manu Tuilagi, who wasn't even a sub, got drawn, and this after a mere quarter of an hour. Tuilagi and Wood saw red cards, Manu Tuilagi got sent to the stands for his troubles. Leicester reacted the better and stretched to a lead courtesy of an exceptional Matt Smith finish. A second half performance of quality though saw the Saints take a lead briefly, before Agulla, who should maybe have been sent off himself, romped in courtesy of Murphy's (I suspect he will also be cited for his punches) cynical block on Foden. 30-25 Leicester and one of the best Premiership matches in a long time.
Bath seem to be the most unpredictably predictable side and they saw a comfortable 10-0 lead disappear in a poor second half, as Mark Cueto's try helped Sale to a 16-13 win away from home. That a mere week after they themselves saw a big home half-time lead eroded by Exeter. Exeter, for their part, saw off Worcester in a tight game to move, somewhat unbelievably, to 3rd place in the League ahead of tomorrow's games.
Meanwhile, in Wales, Shane Williams signed off with a try, but Wales repeated their losing performance of the 3rd place game in New Zealand, succumbing 24-18 to Australia. Williams was a twinkle-toed winger who will not be forgotten quickly. He and Jason Robinson bucked the trend of battering ram giants on the wing, both having extraordinary success and hopefully showing the younger players of the world that, just because you don't conform to the standard size for a certain position, doesn't mean you can't be world class (see also Neil Back).
As I write this, the Help for Heroes game at Twickenham is drawing to a close. It's probably worthwhile lauding the efforts of players young and old who have put on a great spectacle even if these games are somewhat lacking in a certain je ne sais quoi.
Finally, a 7s rugby series victory for England in Dubai, against the surprising French in the Final. England had done it the hard way, beating New Zealand and Fiji on the way to the final, while the more traditional 7s Nations had an off weekend. The series seems to grow and grow each year, and with the undoubted carrot of gold medals in Brazil in 2016 (why wasn't it fast-tracked to 2012, the home of rugby?) the future is bright for the game of 7s.
Back to Europe next week and I will be in France for it. I can't wait!
It is somewhat difficult to believe that Rob Andrew has kept his job once more. He is as elusive in his current role as David Campese was when Andrew was playing. He has had the 20% of his job that he did "appallingly" (the responsibility for the senior England side) removed from his remit, along with one assumes a 20% paycut....
In other difficult to believe news, Mike Tindall had £10,000 removed from his fine and had his relegation from the England squad overturned (his contract ends in a month), and Martin Thomas has been replaced early by Stephen Brown as Acting CEO. Brown is in a no lose situation: he cannot do any worse than Thomas, and if he does a good job, he can slide into the role full-time. Good luck to him. If he does a good job, happy days should return to the RFU.
As the shambolic farce draws to a close, I half expect the major players to come to the front and take a bow. I can't even set you a competition as to what RFU stands for, as clearly the last two letters would be F'd Up. Ho hum, on to the smooth.
Relatively smooth is the announcement that has come that there will be a temporary coach of the England side for the upcoming 6 Nations. Lancaster and Rowntree are the current favourites for the leading partnership. A full-time appointment will be made before the summer tour to South Africa. The removal of Andrew's involvement, and the statement that the new coach will report directly to the CEO, added to the fact that the decision will be made late in Spring, or even early in the Summer, would lead to suggest that Nick Mallett (universally respected yet somewhat under-burdened by trophy success in recent years) is a shoe-in for the role. Don't bet on it though, as there will be twists and turns in the meantime, on that you can rely.
FInally to the good news. England's Women have beaten the reigning world champions New Zealand twice in 4 days, to take an unassailable lead in the 3 match series. In a week when the male set-up has been vilified once more, the women have showed them the way to go. It is somewhat ironic that this happens in the week that the BBC are criticised for the lack of women in the shortlist for Sports Personality Of The Year.
SPOTY, as it has become known, used to be the highlight of the Christmas period for me. A 2 hour look back on the best moments of sport from the year, with a competition usually coming out with the most deserving winner. There were funnies thrown in, and a charity game with Frank Bruno hitting a golf ball or something equally preposterous. This was at a time when the BBC were the envy of the world in terms of their sporting archive.... Now, we get 10 short films on the candidates, a little bit of footage (usually with courtesy of Sky Sports in the top corner), a whole lot of back-slapping and not a lot more. I don't even watch now.
I suppose the good news from the rugby perspective this week was the announcement that the BBC have kept the rights to the 6 Nations until 2017. The insufferable ITV coverage during the World Cup (or the first three weeks while I was still in the UK) illustrates that the BBC really is the only channel on terrestrial TV that can do it justice. Sky would knock the BBC's socks off of course, but that won't happen in the short term.
The Premiership is proving to be a little mad this year. Gloucester trekked up to Newcastle seeking confidence after a few tough weeks, and Newcastle needed something given their awful start. Newcastle edged it, much to the surprise of most.
Leicester have shown signs of waking recently, but so have Northampton who slaughtered Saracens last time out. Today's encounter was an epic. Rough and smooth is the title of this blog, and that describes the game perfectly. Roughness from Ashton, Tuilagi, Wood, Agulla and Murphy saw a messy brawl into which Manu Tuilagi, who wasn't even a sub, got drawn, and this after a mere quarter of an hour. Tuilagi and Wood saw red cards, Manu Tuilagi got sent to the stands for his troubles. Leicester reacted the better and stretched to a lead courtesy of an exceptional Matt Smith finish. A second half performance of quality though saw the Saints take a lead briefly, before Agulla, who should maybe have been sent off himself, romped in courtesy of Murphy's (I suspect he will also be cited for his punches) cynical block on Foden. 30-25 Leicester and one of the best Premiership matches in a long time.
Bath seem to be the most unpredictably predictable side and they saw a comfortable 10-0 lead disappear in a poor second half, as Mark Cueto's try helped Sale to a 16-13 win away from home. That a mere week after they themselves saw a big home half-time lead eroded by Exeter. Exeter, for their part, saw off Worcester in a tight game to move, somewhat unbelievably, to 3rd place in the League ahead of tomorrow's games.
Meanwhile, in Wales, Shane Williams signed off with a try, but Wales repeated their losing performance of the 3rd place game in New Zealand, succumbing 24-18 to Australia. Williams was a twinkle-toed winger who will not be forgotten quickly. He and Jason Robinson bucked the trend of battering ram giants on the wing, both having extraordinary success and hopefully showing the younger players of the world that, just because you don't conform to the standard size for a certain position, doesn't mean you can't be world class (see also Neil Back).
As I write this, the Help for Heroes game at Twickenham is drawing to a close. It's probably worthwhile lauding the efforts of players young and old who have put on a great spectacle even if these games are somewhat lacking in a certain je ne sais quoi.
Finally, a 7s rugby series victory for England in Dubai, against the surprising French in the Final. England had done it the hard way, beating New Zealand and Fiji on the way to the final, while the more traditional 7s Nations had an off weekend. The series seems to grow and grow each year, and with the undoubted carrot of gold medals in Brazil in 2016 (why wasn't it fast-tracked to 2012, the home of rugby?) the future is bright for the game of 7s.
Back to Europe next week and I will be in France for it. I can't wait!
Sunday, 27 November 2011
A Pause For Some Perspective
It would be churlish to write a blog centred around rugby this weekend. Churlish and lacking in both perspective and moral fibre given the tragic loss of a true sporting gentleman this weekend. The events of Saturday night and Sunday morning, where Gary Speed seemingly took his own life, have left ex colleagues, friends, teammates and watchers of all sports gobsmacked. It brings to the very forefront of our minds, or should do, a number of very serious questions.
Firstly, it is time for an anecdote. I am a sports fan, no make that a sports nut, as anyone who knows me will tell you. True, I have less and less time for football these days, but I still follow the game. It was 2003, the early days of the football season in the UK, and at the time I was living in Paris. During a week off, I was wandering through the streets near my apartment and stopped for a coffee. Gary Speed and his wife sat next to me and pulled out a map. I recognised him instantly of course. They were struggling to find an address, and I said, if they were struggling they should feel free to ask as I was British. 15 to 20 minutes later, he insisted on paying for my coffees (we'd all had two) for helping him, shook my hand, thanked me for my help and said how nice it was to have met me. I'm rarely, if ever, starstruck, but for the rest of that day I was. I mentioned it to my girlfriend at the time, who didn't have a clue who he was, but he was the very definition of approachable and I can clearly see why not a single person has had even a remotely bad word to say about him today. Hearing footballing hard nuts reduced to tears on radio and tv has truly brought home what a tragic set of events this is.
May his family come to terms with everything. May his wife and boys understand as well as they can what has happened. May the press, for once, deal with them with the dignity that has been requested.
RIP Gary Speed.
It brings to the fore the whole subject of depression in professional sportsmen. In the recent past there have been several high profile cases of sportsmen struggling to deal with their depression, occasionally but not always linked with the end of their careers. Paul Gascoigne, Stan Collymore, Marcus Trescothick and Michael Yardy are four that spring to mind immediately. The relatively public explosion of Gascoigne is the clearest example of this, but the case of Speed shows that, as with all of these things the tip of the iceberg may be the most public case, but under the surface, many more people suffer in silence, and these are the most dangerous cases. Everyone knows Gascoigne's difficulties and is alert to his situation, watching his every move and helping as and when required. Speed, the recently departed Peter Roebuck and doubtless many others, are examples of those that, while giving off an air of contentment, are suffering deep down.
I'm baffled as to why Speed felt the need to do this. A talented footballer and nice person, he was becoming a highly-rated Manager, turning round the fortunes of the Welsh National team with every game. The fortunes of the football and rugby teams in recent months, in stark contrast to their English neighbours, had given Wales a feelgood factor rarely felt in the past 2 decades. A lovely wife, 2 young kids growing up to be good footballers also, job security working for the country he so passionately played for. It's incredibly difficult to comprehend.
The lessons that should be learnt are the following: Stay close to your friends (whether you are depressed or see someone who may be). You should always have at least one person that you can confide in and seek the help of. Be aware of your friends as you can sometimes pick up signs and help before they come to you. Also, if you feel yourself spiralling downwards, talk to someone. Somebody can always help.
I've read books and watched documentaries by some leading lights in various fields on this subject (Stephen Fry and Marcus Trescothick are the two famous sufferers who spring to mind, and Trescothick's book is an absolute must for anyone to read).
No rugby related bumph this week out of respect for Gary Speed. Normal service resumed next week.
RIP Gary.
Firstly, it is time for an anecdote. I am a sports fan, no make that a sports nut, as anyone who knows me will tell you. True, I have less and less time for football these days, but I still follow the game. It was 2003, the early days of the football season in the UK, and at the time I was living in Paris. During a week off, I was wandering through the streets near my apartment and stopped for a coffee. Gary Speed and his wife sat next to me and pulled out a map. I recognised him instantly of course. They were struggling to find an address, and I said, if they were struggling they should feel free to ask as I was British. 15 to 20 minutes later, he insisted on paying for my coffees (we'd all had two) for helping him, shook my hand, thanked me for my help and said how nice it was to have met me. I'm rarely, if ever, starstruck, but for the rest of that day I was. I mentioned it to my girlfriend at the time, who didn't have a clue who he was, but he was the very definition of approachable and I can clearly see why not a single person has had even a remotely bad word to say about him today. Hearing footballing hard nuts reduced to tears on radio and tv has truly brought home what a tragic set of events this is.
May his family come to terms with everything. May his wife and boys understand as well as they can what has happened. May the press, for once, deal with them with the dignity that has been requested.
RIP Gary Speed.
It brings to the fore the whole subject of depression in professional sportsmen. In the recent past there have been several high profile cases of sportsmen struggling to deal with their depression, occasionally but not always linked with the end of their careers. Paul Gascoigne, Stan Collymore, Marcus Trescothick and Michael Yardy are four that spring to mind immediately. The relatively public explosion of Gascoigne is the clearest example of this, but the case of Speed shows that, as with all of these things the tip of the iceberg may be the most public case, but under the surface, many more people suffer in silence, and these are the most dangerous cases. Everyone knows Gascoigne's difficulties and is alert to his situation, watching his every move and helping as and when required. Speed, the recently departed Peter Roebuck and doubtless many others, are examples of those that, while giving off an air of contentment, are suffering deep down.
I'm baffled as to why Speed felt the need to do this. A talented footballer and nice person, he was becoming a highly-rated Manager, turning round the fortunes of the Welsh National team with every game. The fortunes of the football and rugby teams in recent months, in stark contrast to their English neighbours, had given Wales a feelgood factor rarely felt in the past 2 decades. A lovely wife, 2 young kids growing up to be good footballers also, job security working for the country he so passionately played for. It's incredibly difficult to comprehend.
I think it's fair to say I'm qualified to comment here. I've suffered in silence with depression in the past. I struggled to admit exactly what I was going through, but managed to fight my way out of it with the help of some good friends and my family. I am happy to say I never got into a situation like Gary Speed obviously did. While depressed, I never ever felt self-destructive, but I can understand how things can well up until the dam bursts.
I've read books and watched documentaries by some leading lights in various fields on this subject (Stephen Fry and Marcus Trescothick are the two famous sufferers who spring to mind, and Trescothick's book is an absolute must for anyone to read).
No rugby related bumph this week out of respect for Gary Speed. Normal service resumed next week.
RIP Gary.
Wednesday, 23 November 2011
The Hits Just Keep On Coming
Just when you think you can have a week off from updating your blog, when you think you can calm things and have a relatively low key week with "just" the Aviva Premier League to come at the weekend, along with an International game full of intrigue between the Aussies and the Barbarians, the Times somehow get hold of some documents and the brown stuff hits the ventilator in the International corridors once more.
If you've been living in a vacuum and have not picked up on this story yet, let me explain. Following the World Cup, a debrief took place, with players providing answers as to how they perceived things went. These are a frequent occurrence at the top level, and are the sporting equivalent of a "safe to say" meeting in a 'normal' business. An anonymous chance to be as critical as you are prepared to be. It would appear that someone, with no doubt an ulterior motive of some kind, has leaked some of the answers to the press, who have had a field day reporting on them today, justifying their belligerent badgering of the team in New Zealand while doing so.
It is all very disappointing. Every week another obstacle is placed in the path of progress. The RFU, who have rightly been criticised in the aftermath of the World Cup for their distance from Martin Johnson, their at times shambolic leadership and their lack of accountability relating to various decisions, have been trying to move forward in recent days, looking at new coaches and stopgap measures. For this leak to throw a proverbial spanner in the works is bad timing at best, machiavellian in all probability as someone within RFU Towers tries to create an opportunity for themselves.
People may say, well what about the criticism bandied about by the players? Personally, treated in context, and not taken in isolation, these comments, if treated with the seriousness with which they have been made, could be the real catalyst for change. The vast majority of players, if not all, who have had the incredible chance and honour to pull on a white jersey with a red rose adorning it, do so with the utmost pride, total dedication to the cause, oodles of self-belief and strength of personality. The comments they have made need to be taken seriously. They are the men who are on the field, literally, as they are being talked to by coaches and management alike. They are the ones who see the attitude of the men who are there to guide them to glory, or not as the case may be.
If these players say that a coach is not as good as 20 others in the Premier League, if they say that a coach changed his mind every five minutes and gave conflicting views of what he wanted, if they praise the loyalty of the manager while criticising those who saw this loyalty and used it to their own benefit, then I for one believe them and say that the RFU should do what to me has been patently obvious from Day 1.... (and I make no apologies for entering into metaphors here)
The slate needs wiping clean. The line in the sand needs drawing. The baby needs throwing out with the bathwater.
Step 1: Every member of the coaching staff needs to go now.
Step 2: An RFU Director of Rugby needs to be appointed. He should act as a guide to the full-time coach (if and when required)
Step 3: A new full-time coach needs appointing by the new Director of Rugby as soon as possible
Step 4: Said coach needs carte blanche (within a pre-determined budget) to appoint his team of coaching staff
Step 5: The coaching staff needs a contract that takes them through to the week after the 2015 World Cup Final, when everyone will have to reapply for their jobs if they want to stay
This is the only way I can see the mess being cleaned up.
In the past year we have seen farce after farce surround the upper echelons of the RFU: John Steele, Martyn Thomas, Rob Andrew, Martin Johnson, John Wells, Brian Smith, Dave Alred... big names with big salaries who have all either been called into question, sacked or resigned in the last 12 months for a catalogue of reasons.
It is time to sort things out RFU. The millions of rugby players and spectators who contribute week in and week out to the Union deserve better. Much better.
Angry? Me? You bet!
If you've been living in a vacuum and have not picked up on this story yet, let me explain. Following the World Cup, a debrief took place, with players providing answers as to how they perceived things went. These are a frequent occurrence at the top level, and are the sporting equivalent of a "safe to say" meeting in a 'normal' business. An anonymous chance to be as critical as you are prepared to be. It would appear that someone, with no doubt an ulterior motive of some kind, has leaked some of the answers to the press, who have had a field day reporting on them today, justifying their belligerent badgering of the team in New Zealand while doing so.
It is all very disappointing. Every week another obstacle is placed in the path of progress. The RFU, who have rightly been criticised in the aftermath of the World Cup for their distance from Martin Johnson, their at times shambolic leadership and their lack of accountability relating to various decisions, have been trying to move forward in recent days, looking at new coaches and stopgap measures. For this leak to throw a proverbial spanner in the works is bad timing at best, machiavellian in all probability as someone within RFU Towers tries to create an opportunity for themselves.
People may say, well what about the criticism bandied about by the players? Personally, treated in context, and not taken in isolation, these comments, if treated with the seriousness with which they have been made, could be the real catalyst for change. The vast majority of players, if not all, who have had the incredible chance and honour to pull on a white jersey with a red rose adorning it, do so with the utmost pride, total dedication to the cause, oodles of self-belief and strength of personality. The comments they have made need to be taken seriously. They are the men who are on the field, literally, as they are being talked to by coaches and management alike. They are the ones who see the attitude of the men who are there to guide them to glory, or not as the case may be.
If these players say that a coach is not as good as 20 others in the Premier League, if they say that a coach changed his mind every five minutes and gave conflicting views of what he wanted, if they praise the loyalty of the manager while criticising those who saw this loyalty and used it to their own benefit, then I for one believe them and say that the RFU should do what to me has been patently obvious from Day 1.... (and I make no apologies for entering into metaphors here)
The slate needs wiping clean. The line in the sand needs drawing. The baby needs throwing out with the bathwater.
Step 1: Every member of the coaching staff needs to go now.
Step 2: An RFU Director of Rugby needs to be appointed. He should act as a guide to the full-time coach (if and when required)
Step 3: A new full-time coach needs appointing by the new Director of Rugby as soon as possible
Step 4: Said coach needs carte blanche (within a pre-determined budget) to appoint his team of coaching staff
Step 5: The coaching staff needs a contract that takes them through to the week after the 2015 World Cup Final, when everyone will have to reapply for their jobs if they want to stay
This is the only way I can see the mess being cleaned up.
In the past year we have seen farce after farce surround the upper echelons of the RFU: John Steele, Martyn Thomas, Rob Andrew, Martin Johnson, John Wells, Brian Smith, Dave Alred... big names with big salaries who have all either been called into question, sacked or resigned in the last 12 months for a catalogue of reasons.
It is time to sort things out RFU. The millions of rugby players and spectators who contribute week in and week out to the Union deserve better. Much better.
Angry? Me? You bet!
Sunday, 20 November 2011
24 down, 55 to go
Sunday saw the end of Round 2 of games in the 2011/12 Heineken Cup. Reigning champions Leinster, fresh from a close thing in the South of France last week, hosted Glasgow, who had mugged Bath in stoppage time. Later, the two sides who felt aggrieved last weekend, would meet at the Rec in Bath, more of that to come.
So Leinster kicked off early in Dublin and Glasgow's side, like their touring fans, must have wished they'd stayed in bed. Hangovers accompany any European weekend in Dublin's fair city, be the game at the RDS or Lansdowne Road (note lack of sponsor name used). Leinster clearly had no cobwebs, and Nacewa very much to the fore, they ran in 4 unanswered tries after Duncan Weir had briefly given Glasgow the lead. This was Leinster at their best, forwards and backs combining seamlessly, O'Driscoll missing, but not missed, as a new kid on the block, O'Malley, stepped into the breach with 2 tries, slightly outperforming his more illustrious partner D'Arcy who managed the 4th synonymous with the bonus point.
Shellshocked, Glasgow shored up their perforated defence in the second half, and indeed managed a try to pull things back to 31-13 with just over ten minutes to go. Alas, that was as good as it got, and with yet another last second play (what is it with injury time scores this year?) a 5th Leinster try meant a 25 point margin (38-13), a bonus point win for Leinster and a marker laid down for everyone else in the competition. Heaslip won moustache of the match, sorry man of the match.
Rounding off the weekend, in a slightly misty South West, Bath were the hosts of the runners-up in the Top 14 last year, Montpellier. World cup stars were very much to the fore during the build-up, with Stephen Donald making his first start against his fellow replacement world cup final fly half, Francois Trinh-Duc. Both sides were looking to make up for disappointment in the first round of games, and it was Bath who got off to the better start.
Donald's move to the blind side, vision and stunning long pass setting up an early try, before his interception, 70 yard burst and clever offload allowed Bath to recycle, draw a penalty for slowing the ball down and then spread the ball wide where Flatman, in true prop forward style, was unstoppable from 1 yard. To be fair, he took a bad pass well and fleet-footedly dived over.... Trinh-Duc was yellow carded having been the man fingered by Mr Rolland for slowing down the ball under the posts.
Bath led 13-3 at this point, and looked like running away with the game, particularly as Montpellier had been reduced to 14 men. However, a second penalty would get them back to within a score, but another kickable chance went slightly left, meaning the half closed with a score of 13-3. An early Bath score should have settled nerves, and Donald hauled himself to his feet and slotted 3 more points despite a hand injury. Gorgodze had clearly had his half-time brew spiked with caffeine pills though, and his supercharged second half performance, allied with Trinh-Duc's accurate kicking, gradually brought Montpellier into the ascendancy. Indeed, they scored their first try when with half an hour to go, Bustos Moyano benefitted from a knock on and a forward pass to romp in in the corner, and add the conversion too, to make it 16-10.
Montpellier reached their first French final last year, having made a speciality of winning close games (Castres by 1 in the Quarter FInal, Racing Metro by 1 in the semi final which I attended in Marseille). They are clearly not side whose feathers ruffle easily, and Moyano slotted another penalty with 10 minutes to go, to bring back thoughts of last week once more. As Bath rang the changes, the Montpellier pack took the upper hand, pushing Bath off the ball with remarkable consistency. They pressed and pressed, but Bath's defence was up to the challenge time and again, and when Gorgodze let the ball slip in front of the Bath posts, as Montpellier sought the drop goal chance for Trinh-Duc, which would have given them the record of P2, D2 in Heineken Cup rugby, the game was up and Bath cleared their lines to a collective sigh of relief amongst West country folk.
So that was that. 24 games gone and I don't think even the staunchest fan of Rugby Union could have expected the thrills and spills we have seen so far. Favourites in freefall, very much unsung sides performing beyond expectations, last minute thrills and spills, ridiculous scenarios (overcoming a 24 point deficit in the last 17 minutes, 41 phases and an 84th minute drop goal, blocked drop goal turned into a try). Next up is the double header in December.... put a ring around the date on your advent calendar folks.
Country Table
1st Wales - 91.7% (5-1-0)
2nd Scotland - 75% (3-0-1)
3rd Ireland - 56.3% (4-1-3)
4th England - 42.9% (6-0-8)
5th France - 37.5% (4-1-7)
6th Italy - 12.5% (0-1-3)
The Welsh continue to ride the crest of the confidence wave, and the two Scottish sides, while living on the edge, have only lost one game, and that away to the reigning champions. The Irish too have been sitting a little close to the fire, but in Munster and Leinster have two sides capable of going all the way. The English and French, with the odd exception (Toulouse and Harlequins spring to mind) have disappointed, and the Italians are progressing, certainly at home, and have picked up a draw from their 4 games. The double header will certainly be interesting....
Stat Attack
Those who know me will know I love the statistics, so this section will come as no surprise. Just a few of the crazy numbers that have come out of the Pools so far:
15 - the number of games (out of 24) that have finished within 1 score. That shows the intensity of the battles so far this year, and is incredibly high versus previous years.
10 - the number of games that have finished after the last points were scored. Again, a ridiculously high proportion, showing the value of the losing bonus point system, making sides play till the end.
95 - points scored at Murrayfield in the highest scoring game. Normally a game with 95 points is one-sided, this as far as I can tell, is the highest scoring senior game with a single point margin (let me know if this is wrong)
0 - number of points scored in the first half between Biarritz and Saracens, but this belies the battle and interest in the first half
2 - Ronan O'Gara drop goals to win games in stoppage time. I'll be very surprised if this increases as the tournament goes on...
12 - the number of games I've correctly predicted. Out of 24, this is pitiful but can only get better.
19 - the number of Amlin games I've predicted correctly (Agen let me down in the 20th game)
Well as ever, let me know your thoughts. People do by e-mail at marktheeggchaser@googlemail.com or on twitter @theeggchaser, but I'd love to see comments here.
Speak next week when I may have something different for you (that's called a teaser)
So Leinster kicked off early in Dublin and Glasgow's side, like their touring fans, must have wished they'd stayed in bed. Hangovers accompany any European weekend in Dublin's fair city, be the game at the RDS or Lansdowne Road (note lack of sponsor name used). Leinster clearly had no cobwebs, and Nacewa very much to the fore, they ran in 4 unanswered tries after Duncan Weir had briefly given Glasgow the lead. This was Leinster at their best, forwards and backs combining seamlessly, O'Driscoll missing, but not missed, as a new kid on the block, O'Malley, stepped into the breach with 2 tries, slightly outperforming his more illustrious partner D'Arcy who managed the 4th synonymous with the bonus point.
Shellshocked, Glasgow shored up their perforated defence in the second half, and indeed managed a try to pull things back to 31-13 with just over ten minutes to go. Alas, that was as good as it got, and with yet another last second play (what is it with injury time scores this year?) a 5th Leinster try meant a 25 point margin (38-13), a bonus point win for Leinster and a marker laid down for everyone else in the competition. Heaslip won moustache of the match, sorry man of the match.
Rounding off the weekend, in a slightly misty South West, Bath were the hosts of the runners-up in the Top 14 last year, Montpellier. World cup stars were very much to the fore during the build-up, with Stephen Donald making his first start against his fellow replacement world cup final fly half, Francois Trinh-Duc. Both sides were looking to make up for disappointment in the first round of games, and it was Bath who got off to the better start.
Donald's move to the blind side, vision and stunning long pass setting up an early try, before his interception, 70 yard burst and clever offload allowed Bath to recycle, draw a penalty for slowing the ball down and then spread the ball wide where Flatman, in true prop forward style, was unstoppable from 1 yard. To be fair, he took a bad pass well and fleet-footedly dived over.... Trinh-Duc was yellow carded having been the man fingered by Mr Rolland for slowing down the ball under the posts.
Bath led 13-3 at this point, and looked like running away with the game, particularly as Montpellier had been reduced to 14 men. However, a second penalty would get them back to within a score, but another kickable chance went slightly left, meaning the half closed with a score of 13-3. An early Bath score should have settled nerves, and Donald hauled himself to his feet and slotted 3 more points despite a hand injury. Gorgodze had clearly had his half-time brew spiked with caffeine pills though, and his supercharged second half performance, allied with Trinh-Duc's accurate kicking, gradually brought Montpellier into the ascendancy. Indeed, they scored their first try when with half an hour to go, Bustos Moyano benefitted from a knock on and a forward pass to romp in in the corner, and add the conversion too, to make it 16-10.
Montpellier reached their first French final last year, having made a speciality of winning close games (Castres by 1 in the Quarter FInal, Racing Metro by 1 in the semi final which I attended in Marseille). They are clearly not side whose feathers ruffle easily, and Moyano slotted another penalty with 10 minutes to go, to bring back thoughts of last week once more. As Bath rang the changes, the Montpellier pack took the upper hand, pushing Bath off the ball with remarkable consistency. They pressed and pressed, but Bath's defence was up to the challenge time and again, and when Gorgodze let the ball slip in front of the Bath posts, as Montpellier sought the drop goal chance for Trinh-Duc, which would have given them the record of P2, D2 in Heineken Cup rugby, the game was up and Bath cleared their lines to a collective sigh of relief amongst West country folk.
So that was that. 24 games gone and I don't think even the staunchest fan of Rugby Union could have expected the thrills and spills we have seen so far. Favourites in freefall, very much unsung sides performing beyond expectations, last minute thrills and spills, ridiculous scenarios (overcoming a 24 point deficit in the last 17 minutes, 41 phases and an 84th minute drop goal, blocked drop goal turned into a try). Next up is the double header in December.... put a ring around the date on your advent calendar folks.
Country Table
1st Wales - 91.7% (5-1-0)
2nd Scotland - 75% (3-0-1)
3rd Ireland - 56.3% (4-1-3)
4th England - 42.9% (6-0-8)
5th France - 37.5% (4-1-7)
6th Italy - 12.5% (0-1-3)
The Welsh continue to ride the crest of the confidence wave, and the two Scottish sides, while living on the edge, have only lost one game, and that away to the reigning champions. The Irish too have been sitting a little close to the fire, but in Munster and Leinster have two sides capable of going all the way. The English and French, with the odd exception (Toulouse and Harlequins spring to mind) have disappointed, and the Italians are progressing, certainly at home, and have picked up a draw from their 4 games. The double header will certainly be interesting....
Stat Attack
Those who know me will know I love the statistics, so this section will come as no surprise. Just a few of the crazy numbers that have come out of the Pools so far:
15 - the number of games (out of 24) that have finished within 1 score. That shows the intensity of the battles so far this year, and is incredibly high versus previous years.
10 - the number of games that have finished after the last points were scored. Again, a ridiculously high proportion, showing the value of the losing bonus point system, making sides play till the end.
95 - points scored at Murrayfield in the highest scoring game. Normally a game with 95 points is one-sided, this as far as I can tell, is the highest scoring senior game with a single point margin (let me know if this is wrong)
0 - number of points scored in the first half between Biarritz and Saracens, but this belies the battle and interest in the first half
2 - Ronan O'Gara drop goals to win games in stoppage time. I'll be very surprised if this increases as the tournament goes on...
12 - the number of games I've correctly predicted. Out of 24, this is pitiful but can only get better.
19 - the number of Amlin games I've predicted correctly (Agen let me down in the 20th game)
Well as ever, let me know your thoughts. People do by e-mail at marktheeggchaser@googlemail.com or on twitter @theeggchaser, but I'd love to see comments here.
Speak next week when I may have something different for you (that's called a teaser)
Saturday, 19 November 2011
Heineken Cup: More Last Minute Shenanigans
Friday may have been almost as ridiculous as last weekend, but it left me with the sentiment that these close games just couldn't keep happening. Surely at some point there will be a series of games with little tension, a fair bit of one-way traffic and no last minute drama. Surely?
Biarritz and Saracens started the ball rolling in South West France, where the clubs' figureheads (Wray and Blanco) sat in adjoining seats. They weren't supposed to be doing, but Serge is a big boy.... Hard to believe whenever I see him that this was the guy who consistently illuminated European rugby during the amateur era. He is one player I would loved to have seen in the Heineken Cup, deprived as we were of him in the UK outside of International matches. After a 95 point thriller the night before, this took us to the other extreme, with no points in an attritional first half. Balanced on a knife edge at 5-3 to Biarritz after Harinordoquy's try (offside?), Farrell hit the post with a penalty, and Biarritz didn't look back. Peyrelongue injected direction and kicking ability (how Yachvili was missed for both those reasons) and they stretched to a 15-3 lead, before Saracens had the last say, scoring a converted try in the last minute (when else) to claim a vital bonus point in a tight group.
Why is it a tight group? Because the Ospreys spoiled the Welsh clubs' 100% record in Italy. Treviso, fresh from a heavy defeat against Saracens the week before, proved that at home they will not be pushovers. Indeed, only a strong late showing by the Ospreys allowed them to come back and take a point in a 26-26 draw. 2 weeks of the tournament and the second draw....
Next up the all English battle between Gloucester, so strong at home, and Harlequins, so strong everywhere. Having been beaten at home in the Premier League by Saracens, Gloucester had a point to prove to the Kingsholm faithful, but were sadly lacking a killer instinct despite periods of prolonged ppossession. They looked a shadow of the side that pushed Toulouse close last week in France. Harlequins kicked on from their sketchy performance against Connacht in the tournament opener and strolled to a 28-9 win, silencing the vociferous Shed along the way.
At the same time, in Toulouse, Castres were hosting former Champions Munster at their local rivals' ground due to a higher capacity. I must confess to not having seen the first hour of this, only turning over when the result had been decided in the Gloucester vs Quins game, but Castres started extremely well and took a deserved lead into the last quarter by all accounts. Munster, as unbiased Mr Wallace had told us at least twenty times in a sycophantic Sky build-up, never know when they're beaten, and they turned the heat on in the last 15, closing the gap to 24-24 as the clock ticked round. Deja-vu? I said to anyone who was listening that this was set up for an O'Gara last minute drop goal.... Guess what. 40m out, straight in front, O'Gara's trusty right boot sent the ball flying over. Consecutive get out of jail free cards used by Munster as the ridiculous nature of the tournament continued.
Last up, Connacht hosted Toulouse in their first home game. They could have asked for an easier baptism than to welcome the most successful side in European history, and they were soon 3-0 down as Beauxis's boot weighed heavy. They were never at the races really from that point on, and 3 Toulouse tries to 1 from the Irish, along with the boot of Beauxis, saw Toulouse to a straightforward 36-10 win.
At the same time, Leicester were hosting Ulster in a nervy affair, which saw the boots of Ian Humphries and Toby Flood cancel each other out from long distance in a first half which ended 9-9. Leicester, without a home win this season in the League and in Europe, were grateful to Ben Youngs for the impetus required to set them on their way. He returned from injury from the bench, to provide the spark that freed Flood, whose grubber kick was pounced on by Smith for the only try of the game. Flood added 2 penalties either side of that try and the final score of 20-9 slightly flattered Leicester.
So another great day of rugby. The champions just don't seem to know when they are beaten, and the bonus point system really does make otherwise dead games keep their intensity till the final whistle. With 2 more games to come this weekend (Leinster and Glasgow battle it out in Dublin and Bath receive Montpellier) I am sure there are more thrills to come, but for the moment, this European Cup is poised superbly.
Welsh and Scottish sides are rampant thus far, with big name sides (mainly English) struggling to live up to their reputations. Northampton are the biggest losers thus far, but Gloucester would have expected something from today's game, Munster are struggling but stumbling over the line and Leicester have a 100% record without really convincing. It all bodes well for the double headers which approach before Christmas, which include a mouth-watering Leicester vs Clermont, Toulouse vs Harlequins, Munster vs Scarlets, Saracens vs Ospreys, Leinster vs Bath and Cardiff vs Edinburgh. I will be in Paris for both of those weekends.... not much sightseeing will be done, of that I am certain.
Back tomorrow with a quick report on Sunday's double and a look at the stats.
Biarritz and Saracens started the ball rolling in South West France, where the clubs' figureheads (Wray and Blanco) sat in adjoining seats. They weren't supposed to be doing, but Serge is a big boy.... Hard to believe whenever I see him that this was the guy who consistently illuminated European rugby during the amateur era. He is one player I would loved to have seen in the Heineken Cup, deprived as we were of him in the UK outside of International matches. After a 95 point thriller the night before, this took us to the other extreme, with no points in an attritional first half. Balanced on a knife edge at 5-3 to Biarritz after Harinordoquy's try (offside?), Farrell hit the post with a penalty, and Biarritz didn't look back. Peyrelongue injected direction and kicking ability (how Yachvili was missed for both those reasons) and they stretched to a 15-3 lead, before Saracens had the last say, scoring a converted try in the last minute (when else) to claim a vital bonus point in a tight group.
Why is it a tight group? Because the Ospreys spoiled the Welsh clubs' 100% record in Italy. Treviso, fresh from a heavy defeat against Saracens the week before, proved that at home they will not be pushovers. Indeed, only a strong late showing by the Ospreys allowed them to come back and take a point in a 26-26 draw. 2 weeks of the tournament and the second draw....
Next up the all English battle between Gloucester, so strong at home, and Harlequins, so strong everywhere. Having been beaten at home in the Premier League by Saracens, Gloucester had a point to prove to the Kingsholm faithful, but were sadly lacking a killer instinct despite periods of prolonged ppossession. They looked a shadow of the side that pushed Toulouse close last week in France. Harlequins kicked on from their sketchy performance against Connacht in the tournament opener and strolled to a 28-9 win, silencing the vociferous Shed along the way.
At the same time, in Toulouse, Castres were hosting former Champions Munster at their local rivals' ground due to a higher capacity. I must confess to not having seen the first hour of this, only turning over when the result had been decided in the Gloucester vs Quins game, but Castres started extremely well and took a deserved lead into the last quarter by all accounts. Munster, as unbiased Mr Wallace had told us at least twenty times in a sycophantic Sky build-up, never know when they're beaten, and they turned the heat on in the last 15, closing the gap to 24-24 as the clock ticked round. Deja-vu? I said to anyone who was listening that this was set up for an O'Gara last minute drop goal.... Guess what. 40m out, straight in front, O'Gara's trusty right boot sent the ball flying over. Consecutive get out of jail free cards used by Munster as the ridiculous nature of the tournament continued.
Last up, Connacht hosted Toulouse in their first home game. They could have asked for an easier baptism than to welcome the most successful side in European history, and they were soon 3-0 down as Beauxis's boot weighed heavy. They were never at the races really from that point on, and 3 Toulouse tries to 1 from the Irish, along with the boot of Beauxis, saw Toulouse to a straightforward 36-10 win.
At the same time, Leicester were hosting Ulster in a nervy affair, which saw the boots of Ian Humphries and Toby Flood cancel each other out from long distance in a first half which ended 9-9. Leicester, without a home win this season in the League and in Europe, were grateful to Ben Youngs for the impetus required to set them on their way. He returned from injury from the bench, to provide the spark that freed Flood, whose grubber kick was pounced on by Smith for the only try of the game. Flood added 2 penalties either side of that try and the final score of 20-9 slightly flattered Leicester.
So another great day of rugby. The champions just don't seem to know when they are beaten, and the bonus point system really does make otherwise dead games keep their intensity till the final whistle. With 2 more games to come this weekend (Leinster and Glasgow battle it out in Dublin and Bath receive Montpellier) I am sure there are more thrills to come, but for the moment, this European Cup is poised superbly.
Welsh and Scottish sides are rampant thus far, with big name sides (mainly English) struggling to live up to their reputations. Northampton are the biggest losers thus far, but Gloucester would have expected something from today's game, Munster are struggling but stumbling over the line and Leicester have a 100% record without really convincing. It all bodes well for the double headers which approach before Christmas, which include a mouth-watering Leicester vs Clermont, Toulouse vs Harlequins, Munster vs Scarlets, Saracens vs Ospreys, Leinster vs Bath and Cardiff vs Edinburgh. I will be in Paris for both of those weekends.... not much sightseeing will be done, of that I am certain.
Back tomorrow with a quick report on Sunday's double and a look at the stats.
Another Boring (!) European Friday
A few posts this weekend as I get completely immersed in another incredible European Rugby weekend. Last weekend saw arguably the best round of Pool matches we have seen in the history of the tournament, and certainly the best opening weekend. Following on from the World Cup and the rapprochement in terms of level there, there are encouraging signs for the global game. Let us forget Southern Hemisphere for the moment though, as Europe is where it is ALL at at the moment.
Thursday night's low key Amlin Cup hors d'oeuvre, which saw the Dragons continue the Welsh regions' 100% record so far in Europe this season (P5, W5) against a below par (that's being polite, it should read disinterested) Perpignan and Bayonne beat Bordeaux-Begles (alliteration anyone?) set the mouth watering for another Friday/Saturday/Sunday of action and tension.
The remarkable nature of this year's tournament continued, with Northampton, much fancied across Europe, not just within England, for this year's tournament, hosting the Scarlets. Northampton just weren't at the races for much of the game, serial offenders in terms of handling and missed tackles, and before they woke up they were 28-9 down, with Scarlets taking a bonus point, but an attacking one rather than the losing one they may well have settled for if pushed before the game. 2 late tries meant Northampton escaped with a losing bonus point, but they now need to beat Castres twice, Munster at home and Scarlets in Llanelli to have a chance of qualifying (and therein breaking a hoodoo which has seen no side qualify after losing their 2 openers).
So 6 out of 6 for Wales in both competitions, and when London Irish were reduced to 14 after a dangerous spear tackle, it would surely be a comfortable 7 from 7. Well it was in the end, but Irish battled manfully, or maybe that should read 14-manfully, and came away with a bonus point they would not have expected. The Welsh confidence is high, in stark contrast to the English though, and a Welsh double, unexpected as it was, showed just where the game is in the two Nations at the moment.
Clermont needed a win against Aironi after last week's late capitulation against Ulster. They ran in a shedload of tries to come through 51-3 winners and put the train back on the rails. The first real and complete shellacking of this year's cup, and Clermont put themselves back in the shop window as potential winners, if they get out of one of the trickier groups (Leicester and Ulster play Saturday evening in the other game).
Finally, Racing Metro travelled to Edinburgh for a tough game to call. Many having it down as a penalty either way deciding the winner. Clearly nobody told Racing, as they ran in 5 tries and extended out to a lead of 24 points midway through the second half. Bonus point in the bag, job done. Foot off the pedal..... Oops! As proved last week, Edinburgh have bottle and they started to claw their way back, getting to within 6 points as the clock ran down. Visser, a late scorer the week before against London Irish, then went over to give Laidlaw a chance to convert from wide and take an incredible comeback victory, which he subsequently too, making the Scottish side the winner by the odd point in 95!
16 games in and I'm running out of superlatives for this year's tournament. Let's see what Saturday brings.
Thursday night's low key Amlin Cup hors d'oeuvre, which saw the Dragons continue the Welsh regions' 100% record so far in Europe this season (P5, W5) against a below par (that's being polite, it should read disinterested) Perpignan and Bayonne beat Bordeaux-Begles (alliteration anyone?) set the mouth watering for another Friday/Saturday/Sunday of action and tension.
The remarkable nature of this year's tournament continued, with Northampton, much fancied across Europe, not just within England, for this year's tournament, hosting the Scarlets. Northampton just weren't at the races for much of the game, serial offenders in terms of handling and missed tackles, and before they woke up they were 28-9 down, with Scarlets taking a bonus point, but an attacking one rather than the losing one they may well have settled for if pushed before the game. 2 late tries meant Northampton escaped with a losing bonus point, but they now need to beat Castres twice, Munster at home and Scarlets in Llanelli to have a chance of qualifying (and therein breaking a hoodoo which has seen no side qualify after losing their 2 openers).
So 6 out of 6 for Wales in both competitions, and when London Irish were reduced to 14 after a dangerous spear tackle, it would surely be a comfortable 7 from 7. Well it was in the end, but Irish battled manfully, or maybe that should read 14-manfully, and came away with a bonus point they would not have expected. The Welsh confidence is high, in stark contrast to the English though, and a Welsh double, unexpected as it was, showed just where the game is in the two Nations at the moment.
Clermont needed a win against Aironi after last week's late capitulation against Ulster. They ran in a shedload of tries to come through 51-3 winners and put the train back on the rails. The first real and complete shellacking of this year's cup, and Clermont put themselves back in the shop window as potential winners, if they get out of one of the trickier groups (Leicester and Ulster play Saturday evening in the other game).
Finally, Racing Metro travelled to Edinburgh for a tough game to call. Many having it down as a penalty either way deciding the winner. Clearly nobody told Racing, as they ran in 5 tries and extended out to a lead of 24 points midway through the second half. Bonus point in the bag, job done. Foot off the pedal..... Oops! As proved last week, Edinburgh have bottle and they started to claw their way back, getting to within 6 points as the clock ran down. Visser, a late scorer the week before against London Irish, then went over to give Laidlaw a chance to convert from wide and take an incredible comeback victory, which he subsequently too, making the Scottish side the winner by the odd point in 95!
16 games in and I'm running out of superlatives for this year's tournament. Let's see what Saturday brings.
Wednesday, 16 November 2011
A Hero Goes As Does My Respect For Another
I was intending, post World Cup, for this blog to become a once a week thing. Busy schedules and weekend rugby would allow that to be the case surely, but no, I can't leave today's events without a special blog of their own.
I may not look like it now, but I used to be a fly half. I used to admire the great number 10s of my youth. Grant Fox, Michael Lynagh, Ollie Campbell and John Rutherford all still hold a special place in my memory, both for their skills in the shirt and the way they conducted themselves.
You can probably tell the way this blog is going from those first two paragraphs.
The facts. Martin Johnson resigns as England Coach. Rob Andrew refuses to contemplate resigning.
Rob Andrew has disappeared from the list of people I admire. I still respect what he achieved as a player; let's not forget he was the original World Cup England vs Australia drop goal hero in 1995 amongst other things. His cowering, cowardly performance at today's press conference, his slimy insistence that he stays while everyone around him goes and his general holier than thou attitude today lost him a lot of friends and admirers, and I am one of them.
He appointed Johnson, or was certainly heavily involved in the appointment. He has been involved at the very highest level of English rugby for the last 7 years or so, and this has coincided with a relatively barren period for the National side. Not a great CV. Yet he sits there in judgement on everyone below him, who seemingly have an incredible degree of loyalty to him for some reason.
Since the World Cup debacle, I have tried to predict what the RFU will do at every turn. I am not alone in this. Some of the best rugby writers in the country have done likewise, as have countless other bloggers. Not many have managed to predict the moves correctly. It was the genuine belief of most experts that Johnson needed to stay. The duration of that stay, as well as the terms and conditions of what he would need to do to keep the job, varied from article to article, but almost to a man, Johnson stayed. Add to this the fact that Johnson has never shirked a challenge in his life and it adds to my confusion as to what really happened in the Twickenham corridors of power.
All this adds up to me thinking that Johnson has been pushed down a road he didn't want to travel. His resignation for me is the equivalent in the 2003 World Cup Final of him saying to Jonny in extra time, dont go for the drop, kick to touch and we'll take our chances in sudden death. It's just not in the make-up of the man.
Andrew has a lot to answer for here, and if as many seem to suggest, Johnson's position had been made untenable, Andrew's will surely become that in the next few weeks. Johnson is the all-time England hero. The man who transformed the Nation with the help of Clive Woodward from a team of nearly men, to the only Northern hemisphere side to win the World Cup. He has a lot of people on his side. Andrew has, in my opinion, picked the wrong man to attack.
As Brendan Gallagher suggested in the Telegraph earlier, surely Rob Andrew should fall on his sword if he has any decency. Well it is my belief that, were that to happen, someone else would die from the wounds. Andrew has proved as elusive today as he wasn't in his playing day. He has resorted to the tactics he employed as a successful England 10 stuck in his own 22. Hoof what he sees as problem ball into touch.
Not a happy bunny as you can tell......
Thanks Martin Johnson for responding to your country's call when you weren't really ready. Thanks for always giving everything you have. No-one could doubt your passion and will to win as player or coach. Seeing your interviews, watching you thump desks when decisions went wrong, you are an example to anyone of a winning mentality. I look forward to the chapters that will close your next autobiography, when the truth of what happened finally comes out.
I may not look like it now, but I used to be a fly half. I used to admire the great number 10s of my youth. Grant Fox, Michael Lynagh, Ollie Campbell and John Rutherford all still hold a special place in my memory, both for their skills in the shirt and the way they conducted themselves.
You can probably tell the way this blog is going from those first two paragraphs.
The facts. Martin Johnson resigns as England Coach. Rob Andrew refuses to contemplate resigning.
Rob Andrew has disappeared from the list of people I admire. I still respect what he achieved as a player; let's not forget he was the original World Cup England vs Australia drop goal hero in 1995 amongst other things. His cowering, cowardly performance at today's press conference, his slimy insistence that he stays while everyone around him goes and his general holier than thou attitude today lost him a lot of friends and admirers, and I am one of them.
He appointed Johnson, or was certainly heavily involved in the appointment. He has been involved at the very highest level of English rugby for the last 7 years or so, and this has coincided with a relatively barren period for the National side. Not a great CV. Yet he sits there in judgement on everyone below him, who seemingly have an incredible degree of loyalty to him for some reason.
Since the World Cup debacle, I have tried to predict what the RFU will do at every turn. I am not alone in this. Some of the best rugby writers in the country have done likewise, as have countless other bloggers. Not many have managed to predict the moves correctly. It was the genuine belief of most experts that Johnson needed to stay. The duration of that stay, as well as the terms and conditions of what he would need to do to keep the job, varied from article to article, but almost to a man, Johnson stayed. Add to this the fact that Johnson has never shirked a challenge in his life and it adds to my confusion as to what really happened in the Twickenham corridors of power.
All this adds up to me thinking that Johnson has been pushed down a road he didn't want to travel. His resignation for me is the equivalent in the 2003 World Cup Final of him saying to Jonny in extra time, dont go for the drop, kick to touch and we'll take our chances in sudden death. It's just not in the make-up of the man.
Andrew has a lot to answer for here, and if as many seem to suggest, Johnson's position had been made untenable, Andrew's will surely become that in the next few weeks. Johnson is the all-time England hero. The man who transformed the Nation with the help of Clive Woodward from a team of nearly men, to the only Northern hemisphere side to win the World Cup. He has a lot of people on his side. Andrew has, in my opinion, picked the wrong man to attack.
As Brendan Gallagher suggested in the Telegraph earlier, surely Rob Andrew should fall on his sword if he has any decency. Well it is my belief that, were that to happen, someone else would die from the wounds. Andrew has proved as elusive today as he wasn't in his playing day. He has resorted to the tactics he employed as a successful England 10 stuck in his own 22. Hoof what he sees as problem ball into touch.
Not a happy bunny as you can tell......
Thanks Martin Johnson for responding to your country's call when you weren't really ready. Thanks for always giving everything you have. No-one could doubt your passion and will to win as player or coach. Seeing your interviews, watching you thump desks when decisions went wrong, you are an example to anyone of a winning mentality. I look forward to the chapters that will close your next autobiography, when the truth of what happened finally comes out.
Monday, 14 November 2011
And breathe......
Firstly apologies for however this comes out. PC issues at home meant that this is being updated via my iPad, which useful though it is, seems to completely ignore any formatting I do when entering the blog. I blame the tension created by this weekend's remarkable set of games personally. Anyway, here goes...
And as I have just checked, apologies for the lack of paragraphs, which I will rectify as soon as possible.
After the big build-up I'd given it, I was hoping that Round 1 of the Heineken Cup (or the European Rugby Cup as it is known when stripped bare of sponsorship) would not let me down. As I settled in to the 'me' shaped hole on the sofa on Friday night for the opening salvos, I hoped for some quality matches. I couldn't have expected what was about to happen....
Friday night saw Connacht take a European bow at his-flying Harlequins. Fitting that the tournament started a mere 1 mile from where it will end (Twickenham) In May. Connacht were like the Duracell (other batteries are available) bunny, and kept coming and coming, but Harlequins had that little extra class and experience, which showed in the last 20. The last penalty which robbed the Irish of a well-deserved bonus point, was a little too much, Connacht lost the bonus point, but they really deserved it.
The HCup had started with a bang.
Meanwhile, at the Stade Colombes, Racing Metro were hosting the Cardiff Blues. Racing are the new Galacticos of French rugby, the shift in power in the Capital between Stade Francais and themselves having been rapid and total. Home advantage is such in these pools that the stakes are always high. If you lose at home, you have a mountain to climb, while if you win away first up, you can begin (prematurely) to smell the Quarter Finals.
Racing have that mountain to climb after a strangely flat performance. Definitely more Lambrini than Champagne, and Cardiff with a thoroughly professional display took a 6 point win back to the Principality. 2 great and tight games to start the weekend, but Saturday was the big day with 7 games on the horizon.
I couldn't watch them all, but Sky Go and Sky TV allowed me to watch 5 of them, and if the day started well and gradually got better, nothing could prepare for the crescendo of the last game of the day.
The early games saw Leicester take a 16 point victory in Italy against Airpni. That may sound a lot, but no attacking bonus point and a closer game than previous seasons had seen show that the Italians, mirroring their progress at International level, are moving forward at club level too.
Simultaneously, two crackers were going on. London Irish welcomed Edinburgh and strolled to a half time lead which should have seen them stretch and make a statement. However, the Scots had other thoughts, and kept in the game, before nibbling away at the lead themselves and eventually getting over the line and stealing a 20-19 win that puts Irish up against it.
The reigning champions Leinster were heading to debutants Montpellier to make their start to the defence of their title, a title which only the Leicester Tigers have ever successfully defended. Montpellier have been struggling in the Top 14, but welcoming back World Cup stars, they looked a good side, and took a deserved lead. Leinster are not champions for nothing though, and with Sexton back to his string pulling best, they kept in the game at 16-13, before a stoppage time penalty from Sexton, from out wide, earned them a draw.
A brief pause for breath and a bowl of soup and on we went. As Scarlets were seeing off Castres in an entertaining game which finished 31-23, the Ospreys hosted Biarritz and in a game which ebbed and flowed, the Welsh side did enough to hold on and take the game by 7 points, though Biarritz felt aggrieved when a try by Balshaw late in the day was ruled out for a forward pass. Still, they have a losing buns point to take back to the Basque country.
In Ireland meanwhile, Ulster were taking on many people's favourites for the tournament ASM Clermont Auvergne. I am sure the trophy engraver will be hoping they don't win, unless he is paid by the letter, but they started well and battered Ulster for long periods. Ulster have a proud record at Ravenhill though, and refused to give up. In this weekend of late drama, it was always going to be the case that there was a twist here, and Ulster it was who provided it, breaking away on the counter attack and diving in in the corner to take a 16-11 win against the odds and setting them up in a tough pool (Leicester also in this pool).
Lastly, but by no means least, Munster welcomed Northampton to the theatre that is Thomond Park. 1 defeat at home in Heineken Cup history but Northampton are another fancied side, with Internationals at every turn. Munster scored after a mere 2 minutes, but this was a proper game of rugby. Other sides would have wilted but Northampton don't do that (except in Finals against Leinster). The game ebbed one way and then another, the atmosphere in Limerick is always electric, with total silence and respect for kickers too. In short, this is the ideal place to play rugby, and the 46 players on show (who included John Hayes making a remarkable 100th Heineken Cup appearance) put on a show worthy of a Final, and one which may go down as one of the greatest group games ever. 20-18 Northampton lead with 2 minutes to go, and the ball is with Munster in their own half. Game over surely. Munster recycle, 10 phases but they are going nowhere. Ten more phases, with ground gained and then lost through remarkable and disciplined defence from the Saints. Yet more phases, with no forward momentum, but crucially no knock-ons. Over 30 phases and finally a little penetration sees the forwards approach the 22. O'Leary took the ball on 41st phase, fed O'Gara and the most prolific right boot in Irish history, and in the whole history of the Heineken Cup, slotted an 84th minute drop goal to break Northampton hearts. If it were a Hollywood film, this finish would have been slammed as being unrealistic. The Heineken Cup took on a whole new dimension with this game!
Sunday couldn't live up to that, could it?
Bath traveled to Glasgow and in a tight and largely uncreative encounter, looked like they had done enough to gain a vital away win, until a Weir drop goal was charged down in stoppage time, preventing a repeat of Munster's smash and grab of the day before. But wait. A propitious bounce over the otherwise excellent Abendanon and the lolloping Richie Gray collected and went over under the posts for an amazing score. Not as high quality as the Munster vs Northampton epic, but in film terms, a more unbelievable sequel.
Saracens hosted Treviso and put them to the sword with a 42-17 victory which saw the first and the only attacking bonus point of the weekend.
At the same time, Toulouse were hosting Gloucester In what was a cracking atmosphere. Gloucester put in a massive effort and at times looked capable of taking a shock win back to the South West, but Toulouse are doughty, and in Luke Burgess have a class scrum half. Tries by Sharples and Trinder almost gave the Gloucester fans an even more boozy night than they otherwise would have had, but Poitrenaud, no stranger to calamitous events late in Heineken Cup games, went in late on to round off an amazing weekend with a Toulouse win 21-17.
As the title of this blog says "And breathe!"
Country League Table
I will be producing this father each round to see who the winners and losers are. To make up for the variety of different clubs representing each one, I will use a percentage record.
1st Wales 100% 3/3
2nd Scotland 100% 2/2
3rd Ireland 62.5% 2.5/4
4th England 42% 3/7
5th France 25% 1.5/6
6th Italy 0% 0/2
A good weekend for the Celts, with the English and French massively disappointed.
Other News
Sad news all over the place this week with the murder of ex-Springbok Solly Tyibilika in a bar on the edge of Cape Town. Tragic events always bring home the fact that this is just a game. Equally tragic in its own way was the news that 16 year old Nathan Cubitt had broken his neck and suffered paralysis in a Colts game. At just 16 this must be a very difficult thing to deal with, and it has been reassuring to see the rugby community rallying round to offer messages of support and encouragement to him and his family.
It all puts into perspective the retirement of Joe Worsley, with a neck injury, after a long and successful career. Worsley was a member of England's World Cup winning squad and always responded to selection with a heavy tackling performance. Age catches up with us all though, and Worsley's tackling stints have clearly weighed heavily on his neck. Hope the future brings you wha you want Joe
Rugby predicting can be hit and miss, and in a weekend wit games as tight as we saw this weekend, that was always going to be the case. So 6 out of 12 in the Heineken Cup was not a good performance by me. 18th out of 22 in The Egg Haser pool, not a very auspicious start.
The Amlin Challenge Cup was a different matter for me. 10 out of 10 saw me flying high in all the Pools. I have pinned my colours to Worcester for this pool and will take the plaudits as they come. It takes a certain encyclopaedic knowledge to know whether a Romanian side will win a home to an Italian club, but for the moment.... I Know!
The RFU's political infighting has cost them this week. Face, in the reaction of all involved in the game to Mike Tindall's scapegoating for the disastrous New Zealand campaign, and talent, in the sense that Sean Edwards took one luck at what was going on with Messrs Andrew, Johnson, Tindall, Thomas (need I go on) and signed for another 4 years of Wales. A wise move on his behalf. Continues his loyal reputation, has a chance to solidify a blossoming reputation and will be able to name his price in 2015 when England come knocking, which they surely will.
That's all for this week. Back next week, hopefully with PC issues rectified. Please spread the word of this log and get as many rugby people as possible to read it. If you have any questions for me, feel free to et in touch and make sure you follow me on Twitter @theeggchaser.
And as I have just checked, apologies for the lack of paragraphs, which I will rectify as soon as possible.
After the big build-up I'd given it, I was hoping that Round 1 of the Heineken Cup (or the European Rugby Cup as it is known when stripped bare of sponsorship) would not let me down. As I settled in to the 'me' shaped hole on the sofa on Friday night for the opening salvos, I hoped for some quality matches. I couldn't have expected what was about to happen....
Friday night saw Connacht take a European bow at his-flying Harlequins. Fitting that the tournament started a mere 1 mile from where it will end (Twickenham) In May. Connacht were like the Duracell (other batteries are available) bunny, and kept coming and coming, but Harlequins had that little extra class and experience, which showed in the last 20. The last penalty which robbed the Irish of a well-deserved bonus point, was a little too much, Connacht lost the bonus point, but they really deserved it.
The HCup had started with a bang.
Meanwhile, at the Stade Colombes, Racing Metro were hosting the Cardiff Blues. Racing are the new Galacticos of French rugby, the shift in power in the Capital between Stade Francais and themselves having been rapid and total. Home advantage is such in these pools that the stakes are always high. If you lose at home, you have a mountain to climb, while if you win away first up, you can begin (prematurely) to smell the Quarter Finals.
Racing have that mountain to climb after a strangely flat performance. Definitely more Lambrini than Champagne, and Cardiff with a thoroughly professional display took a 6 point win back to the Principality. 2 great and tight games to start the weekend, but Saturday was the big day with 7 games on the horizon.
I couldn't watch them all, but Sky Go and Sky TV allowed me to watch 5 of them, and if the day started well and gradually got better, nothing could prepare for the crescendo of the last game of the day.
The early games saw Leicester take a 16 point victory in Italy against Airpni. That may sound a lot, but no attacking bonus point and a closer game than previous seasons had seen show that the Italians, mirroring their progress at International level, are moving forward at club level too.
Simultaneously, two crackers were going on. London Irish welcomed Edinburgh and strolled to a half time lead which should have seen them stretch and make a statement. However, the Scots had other thoughts, and kept in the game, before nibbling away at the lead themselves and eventually getting over the line and stealing a 20-19 win that puts Irish up against it.
The reigning champions Leinster were heading to debutants Montpellier to make their start to the defence of their title, a title which only the Leicester Tigers have ever successfully defended. Montpellier have been struggling in the Top 14, but welcoming back World Cup stars, they looked a good side, and took a deserved lead. Leinster are not champions for nothing though, and with Sexton back to his string pulling best, they kept in the game at 16-13, before a stoppage time penalty from Sexton, from out wide, earned them a draw.
A brief pause for breath and a bowl of soup and on we went. As Scarlets were seeing off Castres in an entertaining game which finished 31-23, the Ospreys hosted Biarritz and in a game which ebbed and flowed, the Welsh side did enough to hold on and take the game by 7 points, though Biarritz felt aggrieved when a try by Balshaw late in the day was ruled out for a forward pass. Still, they have a losing buns point to take back to the Basque country.
In Ireland meanwhile, Ulster were taking on many people's favourites for the tournament ASM Clermont Auvergne. I am sure the trophy engraver will be hoping they don't win, unless he is paid by the letter, but they started well and battered Ulster for long periods. Ulster have a proud record at Ravenhill though, and refused to give up. In this weekend of late drama, it was always going to be the case that there was a twist here, and Ulster it was who provided it, breaking away on the counter attack and diving in in the corner to take a 16-11 win against the odds and setting them up in a tough pool (Leicester also in this pool).
Lastly, but by no means least, Munster welcomed Northampton to the theatre that is Thomond Park. 1 defeat at home in Heineken Cup history but Northampton are another fancied side, with Internationals at every turn. Munster scored after a mere 2 minutes, but this was a proper game of rugby. Other sides would have wilted but Northampton don't do that (except in Finals against Leinster). The game ebbed one way and then another, the atmosphere in Limerick is always electric, with total silence and respect for kickers too. In short, this is the ideal place to play rugby, and the 46 players on show (who included John Hayes making a remarkable 100th Heineken Cup appearance) put on a show worthy of a Final, and one which may go down as one of the greatest group games ever. 20-18 Northampton lead with 2 minutes to go, and the ball is with Munster in their own half. Game over surely. Munster recycle, 10 phases but they are going nowhere. Ten more phases, with ground gained and then lost through remarkable and disciplined defence from the Saints. Yet more phases, with no forward momentum, but crucially no knock-ons. Over 30 phases and finally a little penetration sees the forwards approach the 22. O'Leary took the ball on 41st phase, fed O'Gara and the most prolific right boot in Irish history, and in the whole history of the Heineken Cup, slotted an 84th minute drop goal to break Northampton hearts. If it were a Hollywood film, this finish would have been slammed as being unrealistic. The Heineken Cup took on a whole new dimension with this game!
Sunday couldn't live up to that, could it?
Bath traveled to Glasgow and in a tight and largely uncreative encounter, looked like they had done enough to gain a vital away win, until a Weir drop goal was charged down in stoppage time, preventing a repeat of Munster's smash and grab of the day before. But wait. A propitious bounce over the otherwise excellent Abendanon and the lolloping Richie Gray collected and went over under the posts for an amazing score. Not as high quality as the Munster vs Northampton epic, but in film terms, a more unbelievable sequel.
Saracens hosted Treviso and put them to the sword with a 42-17 victory which saw the first and the only attacking bonus point of the weekend.
At the same time, Toulouse were hosting Gloucester In what was a cracking atmosphere. Gloucester put in a massive effort and at times looked capable of taking a shock win back to the South West, but Toulouse are doughty, and in Luke Burgess have a class scrum half. Tries by Sharples and Trinder almost gave the Gloucester fans an even more boozy night than they otherwise would have had, but Poitrenaud, no stranger to calamitous events late in Heineken Cup games, went in late on to round off an amazing weekend with a Toulouse win 21-17.
As the title of this blog says "And breathe!"
Country League Table
I will be producing this father each round to see who the winners and losers are. To make up for the variety of different clubs representing each one, I will use a percentage record.
1st Wales 100% 3/3
2nd Scotland 100% 2/2
3rd Ireland 62.5% 2.5/4
4th England 42% 3/7
5th France 25% 1.5/6
6th Italy 0% 0/2
A good weekend for the Celts, with the English and French massively disappointed.
Other News
Sad news all over the place this week with the murder of ex-Springbok Solly Tyibilika in a bar on the edge of Cape Town. Tragic events always bring home the fact that this is just a game. Equally tragic in its own way was the news that 16 year old Nathan Cubitt had broken his neck and suffered paralysis in a Colts game. At just 16 this must be a very difficult thing to deal with, and it has been reassuring to see the rugby community rallying round to offer messages of support and encouragement to him and his family.
It all puts into perspective the retirement of Joe Worsley, with a neck injury, after a long and successful career. Worsley was a member of England's World Cup winning squad and always responded to selection with a heavy tackling performance. Age catches up with us all though, and Worsley's tackling stints have clearly weighed heavily on his neck. Hope the future brings you wha you want Joe
Rugby predicting can be hit and miss, and in a weekend wit games as tight as we saw this weekend, that was always going to be the case. So 6 out of 12 in the Heineken Cup was not a good performance by me. 18th out of 22 in The Egg Haser pool, not a very auspicious start.
The Amlin Challenge Cup was a different matter for me. 10 out of 10 saw me flying high in all the Pools. I have pinned my colours to Worcester for this pool and will take the plaudits as they come. It takes a certain encyclopaedic knowledge to know whether a Romanian side will win a home to an Italian club, but for the moment.... I Know!
The RFU's political infighting has cost them this week. Face, in the reaction of all involved in the game to Mike Tindall's scapegoating for the disastrous New Zealand campaign, and talent, in the sense that Sean Edwards took one luck at what was going on with Messrs Andrew, Johnson, Tindall, Thomas (need I go on) and signed for another 4 years of Wales. A wise move on his behalf. Continues his loyal reputation, has a chance to solidify a blossoming reputation and will be able to name his price in 2015 when England come knocking, which they surely will.
That's all for this week. Back next week, hopefully with PC issues rectified. Please spread the word of this log and get as many rugby people as possible to read it. If you have any questions for me, feel free to et in touch and make sure you follow me on Twitter @theeggchaser.
Sunday, 6 November 2011
Mine's A Heineken
A Heineken Please
After 7 weeks of Rugby World Cup, for which Heineken was the Official Beer and the green advertising machine was in full force, particularly in New Zealand.... Every venue city had its Official Heineken Bar, its Official Heineken Matchday Bar and the Official Heineken Shed in the various FanZones. They stopped short of having the Official Heineken Pub Crawl, the Official Heineken After-pub Doner Kebab Shop and Official Heineken Taxis - but I fully expect these in 2015... "Many a true word said in jest"
Yes if anyone was ever in any doubt, Heineken is definitely the Official beer of World Rugby.
Stepping down from the world stage to European level, and the same can be said I guess. This coming weekend, and for 5 other weekends during the Group stages, 12 grounds will stage matches in what I consider to be the best club tournament in the World. 72 Pool games and 7 knock-out games will decide who are the best club side in Europe. Why is it the best tournament in the World? I'll do my best to explain as briefly as I can, though I could wax lyrical on this for hours given the chance.
Firstly, there is a genuine evenness of level across a lot of the sides from England, France, Ireland and Wales in particular, with the Scots occasionally pulling out a good season from one of their sides and with the Italian sides improving with each passing season. Home advantage also plays a huge role, with vociferous crowds behind the home heroes, and journeying adversaries really having to earn the away points. Rarely is a quarter asked or given in these games.
Staggered game 'days' mean a feast for rugby viewers, wherever you may be. Friday night, Saturday lunchtime, afternoon and evening as well as Sunday afternoon, means a rugby addict like myself can get his regular fix.
I love the way the tournament is split into 3 two week sections. A side must maintain their form across the duration of the Group (3 months) to proceed, and a team who starts badly can build through the season and come back strongly to still qualify. Weeks 3 and 4 see the ultimate: a double header against the same opposition. Home and away, no time for fostering rivalries to dissipate. When these games are between closely-matched sides, you can almost feel the tension from the first whistle.
Travelling to foreign cities to watch rugby is a magnificent experience, and with the chances to do so with an International side quite limited, the opportunity to go to France and Italy to watch your club side is a true adventure.
Generally, the 8 best sides progress to the Quarter Finals. Having at least 1 English and 1 French side in each Pool means each Pool is "Honest" and that for a side to progress they truly have to have performed. At least 4 wins are required to win a Pool, which means at least 1 away win. Bad sides don't win 4 games out of 6 as a general rule. The Quarter FInal weekend itself is one of the sporting highlights of the year for me. 4 games over 3 days, usually closely fought between quality international players. Big, noisy crowds, cheering their sides on in a do or die game that only knockout rugby can provide.
The Final weekend is as near to a festival of rugby as we have in Europe. Fans from all competing sides congregate in one of the Continent's great rugby cities. The Final itself is usually either compelling, tense or both, with close games being somewhat de rigueur, extra time not being unknown, comebacks sizeable (ask Northampton about last year) and sensational last minute tries also occasionally on the menu.
You can probably tell I can't wait. I will be giving the Heineken a miss (a self-imposed 1 month detox after 1 month of whatever the opposite of detox is) in the early weeks of the tournament. As for Predictions, well you have to look at the usual suspects and big budgets: Leinster and Munster from Ireland, Toulouse and ASM Clermont Auvergne (or whatever they are called this year) from France, Northampton and Leicester from England. A Twickenham Final beckons for the best two this year, so get ready Europe's finest.... London Calling.
To get involved, join my Prediction Game. Go to www.sportguru.co.uk and register, then go to the Heineken Cup game and Join the Pool "The Egg Chaser" If asked for a password, it is dopebile (automatically generated, though some would say appropriate). I will do the rest. These games are great fun as demonstrated by the World Cup one and the one I currently play for the Premier League.
The Usual
This weekend saw the last chance for the sides to prepare for Europe, and also saw some big games in the Premier League. The bottom three sides all drew, starting with the bottom two on Friday night, as Worcester threw away a seemingly impervious advantage against a more durable second half Newcastle performance. In the aftermath of this game I told a non-rugby friend there would be another draw this weekend. I don't know what it is about draws, but when there's one, another seems to be round the corner. I suspected it may come at Bath or Exeter, rather than at Leicester.....
But Leicester were the third of the bottom triumvirate to draw, and they too threw away an advantage, a big one at that, at home to London Irish. They still look a vastly improved side with their big names back, and with Geoff Parling standing tall in the second row, they should still be there or thereabouts come play-off time. Elsewhere on Saturday, Harlequins continued their exemplary start away at Bath and Gloucester won at Exeter at two emotionally charged games given the M5 crash on Friday evening in the South West.
Sunday saw Saracens continue to keep the pressure on Quins at the top with a comfortable home win against Sale. A tale of two Englishmen this one: the forgotten man, in David Strettle who set the Sarries on their way, and the future in the shape of Owen Farrell, whose kicking game is fast making him a near-certainty for Martin Johnson's next squad. Meanwhile, in Wycombe, Wasps entertained a Northampton side who would have been classed as the big World Cup losers were it not for Leicester's appalling start. 2 rampaging prop tries and mostly good kicking from Ryan Lamb saw the visitors stretch to a big lead, before Wasps pulled a try back from Filippo. Too little too late though, and Northampton pulled further away from the bottom as a result.
Twickers' Own Bar-room Brawl
The fall-out has begun at the RFU, with Martyn Thomas resigning as Deputy CEO, being replaced by Stephen Brown as Deputy Deputy CEO. Attention moves down the pyramid now to Rob Andrew and Martin Johnson. The "Independent" Cotton investigation has been pulled, which leaves us a little unsure as to what will happen. Rumblings have been coming since the early departure of the England side from the World Cup. The RFU never ever make things easy and while the departure of Thomas is a good opportunity to say, forget it, let's move on, I can't help feeling that there are too many people trying to make their voices heard. As such, it wouldn't surprise me if we're still discussing it at Christmas.
The Loud Bloke At The Bar
If the RFU weren't busy enough, they hit half a dozen players with disciplinary hearings after the last round of Premier League games. Delon Armitage has been greedy and has two for two separate incidents. Little surprise as to another name on the list. Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu, or @Eliota_Sapolu as he likes to be known and EFS as I will call him for the sake of my fingertips, keyboard, spellchecker and sanity, has been hauled up before yet another disciplinary board for his Twitter comments. I wasn't aware that there was an official Twitter Citing Commissioner (A vacancy? Are you reading RFU?) but whether he thinks it is just or not, you really have to question the wisdom of EFS's tweets. You don't continually poke a dangerous dog with a stick until he attacks you, yet the clearly intelligent EFS seems intent on doing just that with the rugby authorities. He is entertaining to follow on Twitter, but he seems to be intent on setting himself up as a scapegoat for the world rugby authorities, and after the IRB now it is the RFU. Maybe he's playing Citing Commissioner Scrabble? Whatever, he should concentrate on what he does best, which is play rugby. He was instrumental in Gloucester's win against Exeter yesterday and it would be a shame to see him banned or leave these shores.
Thanks for reading if you got this far. Comments welcome as ever, either here, via e-mail marktheeggchaser@googlemail.com, on Facebook (The Egg Chaser) or on Twitter @theeggchaser - make sure you click to follow me there, as there are permanent pearls of wisdom throughout the week.
Time Ladies and Gents please. Oh, and mine's a Heineken
After 7 weeks of Rugby World Cup, for which Heineken was the Official Beer and the green advertising machine was in full force, particularly in New Zealand.... Every venue city had its Official Heineken Bar, its Official Heineken Matchday Bar and the Official Heineken Shed in the various FanZones. They stopped short of having the Official Heineken Pub Crawl, the Official Heineken After-pub Doner Kebab Shop and Official Heineken Taxis - but I fully expect these in 2015... "Many a true word said in jest"
Yes if anyone was ever in any doubt, Heineken is definitely the Official beer of World Rugby.
Stepping down from the world stage to European level, and the same can be said I guess. This coming weekend, and for 5 other weekends during the Group stages, 12 grounds will stage matches in what I consider to be the best club tournament in the World. 72 Pool games and 7 knock-out games will decide who are the best club side in Europe. Why is it the best tournament in the World? I'll do my best to explain as briefly as I can, though I could wax lyrical on this for hours given the chance.
Firstly, there is a genuine evenness of level across a lot of the sides from England, France, Ireland and Wales in particular, with the Scots occasionally pulling out a good season from one of their sides and with the Italian sides improving with each passing season. Home advantage also plays a huge role, with vociferous crowds behind the home heroes, and journeying adversaries really having to earn the away points. Rarely is a quarter asked or given in these games.
Staggered game 'days' mean a feast for rugby viewers, wherever you may be. Friday night, Saturday lunchtime, afternoon and evening as well as Sunday afternoon, means a rugby addict like myself can get his regular fix.
I love the way the tournament is split into 3 two week sections. A side must maintain their form across the duration of the Group (3 months) to proceed, and a team who starts badly can build through the season and come back strongly to still qualify. Weeks 3 and 4 see the ultimate: a double header against the same opposition. Home and away, no time for fostering rivalries to dissipate. When these games are between closely-matched sides, you can almost feel the tension from the first whistle.
Travelling to foreign cities to watch rugby is a magnificent experience, and with the chances to do so with an International side quite limited, the opportunity to go to France and Italy to watch your club side is a true adventure.
Generally, the 8 best sides progress to the Quarter Finals. Having at least 1 English and 1 French side in each Pool means each Pool is "Honest" and that for a side to progress they truly have to have performed. At least 4 wins are required to win a Pool, which means at least 1 away win. Bad sides don't win 4 games out of 6 as a general rule. The Quarter FInal weekend itself is one of the sporting highlights of the year for me. 4 games over 3 days, usually closely fought between quality international players. Big, noisy crowds, cheering their sides on in a do or die game that only knockout rugby can provide.
The Final weekend is as near to a festival of rugby as we have in Europe. Fans from all competing sides congregate in one of the Continent's great rugby cities. The Final itself is usually either compelling, tense or both, with close games being somewhat de rigueur, extra time not being unknown, comebacks sizeable (ask Northampton about last year) and sensational last minute tries also occasionally on the menu.
You can probably tell I can't wait. I will be giving the Heineken a miss (a self-imposed 1 month detox after 1 month of whatever the opposite of detox is) in the early weeks of the tournament. As for Predictions, well you have to look at the usual suspects and big budgets: Leinster and Munster from Ireland, Toulouse and ASM Clermont Auvergne (or whatever they are called this year) from France, Northampton and Leicester from England. A Twickenham Final beckons for the best two this year, so get ready Europe's finest.... London Calling.
To get involved, join my Prediction Game. Go to www.sportguru.co.uk and register, then go to the Heineken Cup game and Join the Pool "The Egg Chaser" If asked for a password, it is dopebile (automatically generated, though some would say appropriate). I will do the rest. These games are great fun as demonstrated by the World Cup one and the one I currently play for the Premier League.
The Usual
This weekend saw the last chance for the sides to prepare for Europe, and also saw some big games in the Premier League. The bottom three sides all drew, starting with the bottom two on Friday night, as Worcester threw away a seemingly impervious advantage against a more durable second half Newcastle performance. In the aftermath of this game I told a non-rugby friend there would be another draw this weekend. I don't know what it is about draws, but when there's one, another seems to be round the corner. I suspected it may come at Bath or Exeter, rather than at Leicester.....
But Leicester were the third of the bottom triumvirate to draw, and they too threw away an advantage, a big one at that, at home to London Irish. They still look a vastly improved side with their big names back, and with Geoff Parling standing tall in the second row, they should still be there or thereabouts come play-off time. Elsewhere on Saturday, Harlequins continued their exemplary start away at Bath and Gloucester won at Exeter at two emotionally charged games given the M5 crash on Friday evening in the South West.
Sunday saw Saracens continue to keep the pressure on Quins at the top with a comfortable home win against Sale. A tale of two Englishmen this one: the forgotten man, in David Strettle who set the Sarries on their way, and the future in the shape of Owen Farrell, whose kicking game is fast making him a near-certainty for Martin Johnson's next squad. Meanwhile, in Wycombe, Wasps entertained a Northampton side who would have been classed as the big World Cup losers were it not for Leicester's appalling start. 2 rampaging prop tries and mostly good kicking from Ryan Lamb saw the visitors stretch to a big lead, before Wasps pulled a try back from Filippo. Too little too late though, and Northampton pulled further away from the bottom as a result.
Twickers' Own Bar-room Brawl
The fall-out has begun at the RFU, with Martyn Thomas resigning as Deputy CEO, being replaced by Stephen Brown as Deputy Deputy CEO. Attention moves down the pyramid now to Rob Andrew and Martin Johnson. The "Independent" Cotton investigation has been pulled, which leaves us a little unsure as to what will happen. Rumblings have been coming since the early departure of the England side from the World Cup. The RFU never ever make things easy and while the departure of Thomas is a good opportunity to say, forget it, let's move on, I can't help feeling that there are too many people trying to make their voices heard. As such, it wouldn't surprise me if we're still discussing it at Christmas.
The Loud Bloke At The Bar
If the RFU weren't busy enough, they hit half a dozen players with disciplinary hearings after the last round of Premier League games. Delon Armitage has been greedy and has two for two separate incidents. Little surprise as to another name on the list. Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu, or @Eliota_Sapolu as he likes to be known and EFS as I will call him for the sake of my fingertips, keyboard, spellchecker and sanity, has been hauled up before yet another disciplinary board for his Twitter comments. I wasn't aware that there was an official Twitter Citing Commissioner (A vacancy? Are you reading RFU?) but whether he thinks it is just or not, you really have to question the wisdom of EFS's tweets. You don't continually poke a dangerous dog with a stick until he attacks you, yet the clearly intelligent EFS seems intent on doing just that with the rugby authorities. He is entertaining to follow on Twitter, but he seems to be intent on setting himself up as a scapegoat for the world rugby authorities, and after the IRB now it is the RFU. Maybe he's playing Citing Commissioner Scrabble? Whatever, he should concentrate on what he does best, which is play rugby. He was instrumental in Gloucester's win against Exeter yesterday and it would be a shame to see him banned or leave these shores.
Thanks for reading if you got this far. Comments welcome as ever, either here, via e-mail marktheeggchaser@googlemail.com, on Facebook (The Egg Chaser) or on Twitter @theeggchaser - make sure you click to follow me there, as there are permanent pearls of wisdom throughout the week.
Time Ladies and Gents please. Oh, and mine's a Heineken
Sunday, 30 October 2011
Back To Life, Back To Reality
As I waved goodbye to a New Zealand in full celebration mode last Tuesday, having spent the last day looking for bargains (!) in the Rugby World Cup superstore - those two don't belong in the same sentence given the over-inflated cost of everything and anything in them... they didn't make you pay to wipe your feet on the doormat, but probably only because they hadn't thought of that, it was with a heavy heart, as I had loved my four weeks in the rugby mad country. They had given the rugby world a tournament to be proud of, with memorable games, wonderful organisation, friendly welcomes and a self-deprecating humour which will live long in the memory.
27 hours later, when the rain of Heathrow greeted the pristine 767 I flew in on, it was a case of hitting the ground with a bump (metaphorically if not literally). The prospect of work, holidays done for the year, didn't fill me with joy as you may expect, the thought of no rugby till the weekend didn't help either.
The good news was that, Friday saw me in front of ESPN watching Sale take on Leicester. World Cup stars back, I had Leicester to sneak this, but when they plummeted to a half-time deficit, that was way from the case. However, a 4 try burst in 3 second half minutes, and a competent kicking performance from Toby Flood, turned the game on its head and saw Leicester romp it 34-13.
Meanwhile, over on Sky courtesy of the iPad/Sky Go combination, I was attempting to get interested in Rugby League once more. I can't. Enough said.
Wasps edged past Worcester on Friday night as well, leaving 4 games for Saturday, the pick of which was the late kick-off between Gloucester and Saracens. In the afternoon, Harlequins continued their perfect start against Exeter and Northampton benefited from the returning stars of RWC2011 Ashton and Artemyev (2 tries each) to heap pain on Newcastle. Newcastle were the least affected of all the top sides in terms of World Cup player losses, yet still they find themselves cast adrift in the Premier League. A long season ahead for Falcons fans, who look destined for the Championship already. In the third game, Bath scraped past London Irish with a late Vesty penalty. Irish shot themselves in the foot, with this late penalty and a yellow card for Armitage, during which Bath took the lead, being crucial.
To Kingsholm then, where Sky offered coverage of a game between a side with 22 home games without defeat against a Saracens side who hadn't lost away in donkey's ages. Gloucester started much the better, and Morgans try was no more than they deserved, but a below par Saracens refused to give in, and thanks initially to Hodgson, and ultimately more convincingly Farrell, they stayed in the game, chipping away with penalties. A feisty game, saw yellow cards to Gill and Wood for fisticuffs, and the odd flashpoint around the ruck and maul, where Saracens effectively got away with murder, holding players in and out as they saw fit. One moment of class decided the game though, as a Farrell grubber, more often seen from his father in the 13 man game, was perfectly weighted for Barritt to pick up and go over. Lawson and he disputed possession, and a difficult decision ensued for the TMO, who eventually, somehow, opted for the try, which Farrell converted. Gloucester stuck with it, but could neither break through stubborn Sarries defence, or draw the penalty, and a knock-on in midfield eventually saw Saracens clear and hold on for a 19-17 victory.
Needle seemed to continue after the final whistle, both at the ground and on Twitter where Eliota-Sapolu has been at his entertaining and controversial best since. Ultimately though, Saracens showed why they are Champions, just doing enough to scrape home in the cauldron like atmosphere, even though they were not at their best.
I felt for Jim Hamilton, the Scottish second row, who, both during the World Cup and here, has been putting in immense performances, which somehow keep coming up short. Freddie Burns also showed well, even if he was ultimately outshone by the rapidly improving Farrell, who must surely be banging on the door for International honours already....
Whose door he is banging on is a big question. To summarise the situation, the RFU say they haven't given Martin Johnson an ultimatum; he hasn't made a decision; the Independent inquiry starts this week; Johnson is up first.... Is there an Omnibus edition on Sunday mornings? We could do with one for this soap opera.
I remain convinced, as I wrote here in the wake of England's disappointing exit from the World Cup, that Johnson should stay till the end of his contract. The 6 Nations will be do or die for him. Anything other than a Grand Slam will be curtains though I think. Sir Clive Woodward waits in the wings, and he along with a couple of proper English "coaches" should be the answer for 2015. I suspect a coaching line-up of Woodward, Catt (backs) and Edwards (defence) may not be far from the mark, but we will see whether that transpires and who he would get in for the forwards.
The Future For Europe
I've said I will comment on this for a few weeks now, and I guess now is the first chance I have had. European rugby is now at the biggest crossroads it has ever been at. 6 Nations compete annually for the honour of becoming unofficial European Champions. 6 Nations, which were until relatively recently 5, and were once 4. Italy and France having been invited to join the original 4 home nations. It may be a moot point, but French rugby may well not have developed to the point it has had they not joined the 5 Nations after the Second World War.
Looking at where we are now, it is generally accepted that Italy were let in to the 6 Nations 5 or 6 years too late. Argentina were left in the wilderness 4 or 5 years too long too, before they were allowed to join an extended Tri-Nations tournament in 2012. This World Cup, and the World Sevens Tour, have thrown up Romania, Russia and Georgia as European teams who need to be given regular opportunities against the bigger boys sooner rather than later. Once every four years is not enough, that is clear.
However, we are faced with a tricky situation, as traditionalists, and the money men, need to see the 6 Nations continue in its current form, as European Rugby earns a lot from the 5 international matches each winter, to say nothing of the additional spend around the games in the host cities. That said, if rugby is to grow, the door needs opening now. So what to do? It isn't an easy decision, and I suggest a certain amount of lateral thinking is required. How about this for a potential solution?
There are currently 2 blanks weeks in the 6 Nations tournament. Might I suggest that we make it a 7 Nation tournament, with the 7th Nation alternating between Romania, Georgia and Russia for the next 3 years? This would mean 6 Internationals in 7 weeks, 3 home and 3 away and is effectively one more game than the current tournament gives the players, and one less than they experience in a World Cup. It would appear to be a nice intermediary solution, which cocks a hat to the new boys, and gives the traditionalists what they want. It isn't perfect, but then little is in life, and I just feel this is the fairest way to extend a hand to the smaller nations and to continue with Europe's flagship tournament. I welcome any thoughts on this here, by e-mail to marktheeggchaser@googlemail.com or on twitter via @theeggchaser.
There we go, as Soul II Soul sang, Back To Life, Back To Reality. I'm sure I'll get used to being back... just don't rush me.
27 hours later, when the rain of Heathrow greeted the pristine 767 I flew in on, it was a case of hitting the ground with a bump (metaphorically if not literally). The prospect of work, holidays done for the year, didn't fill me with joy as you may expect, the thought of no rugby till the weekend didn't help either.
The good news was that, Friday saw me in front of ESPN watching Sale take on Leicester. World Cup stars back, I had Leicester to sneak this, but when they plummeted to a half-time deficit, that was way from the case. However, a 4 try burst in 3 second half minutes, and a competent kicking performance from Toby Flood, turned the game on its head and saw Leicester romp it 34-13.
Meanwhile, over on Sky courtesy of the iPad/Sky Go combination, I was attempting to get interested in Rugby League once more. I can't. Enough said.
Wasps edged past Worcester on Friday night as well, leaving 4 games for Saturday, the pick of which was the late kick-off between Gloucester and Saracens. In the afternoon, Harlequins continued their perfect start against Exeter and Northampton benefited from the returning stars of RWC2011 Ashton and Artemyev (2 tries each) to heap pain on Newcastle. Newcastle were the least affected of all the top sides in terms of World Cup player losses, yet still they find themselves cast adrift in the Premier League. A long season ahead for Falcons fans, who look destined for the Championship already. In the third game, Bath scraped past London Irish with a late Vesty penalty. Irish shot themselves in the foot, with this late penalty and a yellow card for Armitage, during which Bath took the lead, being crucial.
To Kingsholm then, where Sky offered coverage of a game between a side with 22 home games without defeat against a Saracens side who hadn't lost away in donkey's ages. Gloucester started much the better, and Morgans try was no more than they deserved, but a below par Saracens refused to give in, and thanks initially to Hodgson, and ultimately more convincingly Farrell, they stayed in the game, chipping away with penalties. A feisty game, saw yellow cards to Gill and Wood for fisticuffs, and the odd flashpoint around the ruck and maul, where Saracens effectively got away with murder, holding players in and out as they saw fit. One moment of class decided the game though, as a Farrell grubber, more often seen from his father in the 13 man game, was perfectly weighted for Barritt to pick up and go over. Lawson and he disputed possession, and a difficult decision ensued for the TMO, who eventually, somehow, opted for the try, which Farrell converted. Gloucester stuck with it, but could neither break through stubborn Sarries defence, or draw the penalty, and a knock-on in midfield eventually saw Saracens clear and hold on for a 19-17 victory.
Needle seemed to continue after the final whistle, both at the ground and on Twitter where Eliota-Sapolu has been at his entertaining and controversial best since. Ultimately though, Saracens showed why they are Champions, just doing enough to scrape home in the cauldron like atmosphere, even though they were not at their best.
I felt for Jim Hamilton, the Scottish second row, who, both during the World Cup and here, has been putting in immense performances, which somehow keep coming up short. Freddie Burns also showed well, even if he was ultimately outshone by the rapidly improving Farrell, who must surely be banging on the door for International honours already....
Whose door he is banging on is a big question. To summarise the situation, the RFU say they haven't given Martin Johnson an ultimatum; he hasn't made a decision; the Independent inquiry starts this week; Johnson is up first.... Is there an Omnibus edition on Sunday mornings? We could do with one for this soap opera.
I remain convinced, as I wrote here in the wake of England's disappointing exit from the World Cup, that Johnson should stay till the end of his contract. The 6 Nations will be do or die for him. Anything other than a Grand Slam will be curtains though I think. Sir Clive Woodward waits in the wings, and he along with a couple of proper English "coaches" should be the answer for 2015. I suspect a coaching line-up of Woodward, Catt (backs) and Edwards (defence) may not be far from the mark, but we will see whether that transpires and who he would get in for the forwards.
The Future For Europe
I've said I will comment on this for a few weeks now, and I guess now is the first chance I have had. European rugby is now at the biggest crossroads it has ever been at. 6 Nations compete annually for the honour of becoming unofficial European Champions. 6 Nations, which were until relatively recently 5, and were once 4. Italy and France having been invited to join the original 4 home nations. It may be a moot point, but French rugby may well not have developed to the point it has had they not joined the 5 Nations after the Second World War.
Looking at where we are now, it is generally accepted that Italy were let in to the 6 Nations 5 or 6 years too late. Argentina were left in the wilderness 4 or 5 years too long too, before they were allowed to join an extended Tri-Nations tournament in 2012. This World Cup, and the World Sevens Tour, have thrown up Romania, Russia and Georgia as European teams who need to be given regular opportunities against the bigger boys sooner rather than later. Once every four years is not enough, that is clear.
However, we are faced with a tricky situation, as traditionalists, and the money men, need to see the 6 Nations continue in its current form, as European Rugby earns a lot from the 5 international matches each winter, to say nothing of the additional spend around the games in the host cities. That said, if rugby is to grow, the door needs opening now. So what to do? It isn't an easy decision, and I suggest a certain amount of lateral thinking is required. How about this for a potential solution?
There are currently 2 blanks weeks in the 6 Nations tournament. Might I suggest that we make it a 7 Nation tournament, with the 7th Nation alternating between Romania, Georgia and Russia for the next 3 years? This would mean 6 Internationals in 7 weeks, 3 home and 3 away and is effectively one more game than the current tournament gives the players, and one less than they experience in a World Cup. It would appear to be a nice intermediary solution, which cocks a hat to the new boys, and gives the traditionalists what they want. It isn't perfect, but then little is in life, and I just feel this is the fairest way to extend a hand to the smaller nations and to continue with Europe's flagship tournament. I welcome any thoughts on this here, by e-mail to marktheeggchaser@googlemail.com or on twitter via @theeggchaser.
There we go, as Soul II Soul sang, Back To Life, Back To Reality. I'm sure I'll get used to being back... just don't rush me.
Monday, 24 October 2011
New Zealand Regain Crown Despite Brave French
Slightly delayed due to prolonged, in depth and heavy celebrating, but here are my Final thoughts.
The day dawned with heavy clouds and heavier expectations. Saturday had been spent at a combination of 2 friends' cousins, for a relaxing afternoon and then a BBQ where 7 of us ate a lamb, some cows and part of a pig, washed down with lashings of Pinot and Syrah. Not even remotely hungover, Sunday saw nerves on the Auckland streets. I was collected by friends and we headed up to their place for an outdoor brunch to settle the nerves and line the stomach. The fact that 4 beers were drunk before the brunch started is neither here nor there. A half hour stroll to the bar, and the usual good humour and confusion (well I was wearing England shirt, French hat and All Blacks tattoos) saw the time fly by and before we knew it it was time to head to the ground.
Absolute chockablock is the only way to describe it. Still we were in our seats, 12 rows back behind the posts where both tries would be scored and if you look hard enough, you could see me in white shirt between the sticks as France converted their try, in plenty of time for the build-up. Rarely have I heard hymns sung with such gusto. I bellowed out La Marseillaise with a thought for all my friends back in Paris, both of how they should be here, not me, and in fear of the battering they were about to receive. The Haka and its fantastic response from the French added to the occasion, and were it not for the ad break to dim burning fires, the game would have set off at a great lick. But, cars and insurance must be sold, and it was a little less intense come the start, but not much.
The All Blacks put on a show for half an hour, and Woodcock's try was no more than they deserved. In fact, had Weepu not been shaking like a wet lettuce over every kick, they would have been as out of sight as France themselves had been in their Quarter FInal win against England. Cruden became the latest 10 to limp off for the hosts, meaning the much vilified and lampooned Donald entered the fray in a shirt that looked 3 sizes too small (best muffin tops of RWC 2011). At half time, as I queued patiently for the rest room (!), I told all and sundry he would win the game for them, to much ridicule. 1 Aussie said I was a buffoon and he had no chance (he didn't like my "More chance than Quade" reply which tickled nervous All Blacks. How I wish I could have seen them all at the end of the game.
Donald it was who in the early moments of the second half sent New Zealand 2 scores clear at 8-0 with a penalty that eased inside the post. Weepu then completed his awful day at the office by handing the ball on a plate, and Rougerie, who had his best game in a French shirt, pounced and almost went over. Recycled ball went wide, where once more recycled it came back to Rougerie who timed his pass to Dusautoir to perfection, and in an echo of 2007, the French skipper romped over by the posts, to make the extras easy for Trinh-Duc, who had replaced Parra and had a good game himself. Many have said that McCaw's knee in Parra's face was deliberate. I don't see it that way. Yes, Mr Joubert missed a couple of McCaw offsides, but referees have been doing that for years for some reason.
France played the rugby they are capable of, and on the whole probably deserved to win, but the All Blacks were not to be denied, and a last 30 minutes of near exemplary defence (1 penalty which Trinh-Duc pulled aside) saw them hold on and send the country into a prolonged state of ecstasy that only 24 years of abstinence can produce. Dusautoir was rightly named Man of the Match, and you would be hard placed to put 1 All Black in the top 5, with Rougerie, Harinordoquy, Nallet and Pape all producing magnificent games. Donald's late impact with some astute kicking bore fruit and justified Henry's ultimate faith in his 4th choice fly half, but it was a largely unremarkable performance as individuals, with Kieran Read possibly being the best on the night after a barnstorming first 40.
Once France conceded a penalty, it was left for the ball to be belted into touch and seal a win which, on the whole of the tournament, you would be hard pushed not to say the All Blacks deserved. On the basis of 80 minutes on Sunday October 23rd, they were lucky though. Presentations followed, with the dignified French (so much better losers than winners) and the All Blacks receiving medals and the latter the trophy, immortalising Richie McCaw amid calls for his and Graham Henry's knighthood. McCaw already has half of the nation wanting to marry him (including the men) and his start will rise on the back of it. There are those who will retire (Muliaina, Thorn for two) and those who may seek pastures new and golden contracts in France and Japan, but the monkey on the back of the All Blacks, which had turned into a gorilla, has finally been removed before it turned into King Kong. To paraphrase that film, it wasn't beauty that killed the French, it was ugly rugby, but after 24 years of trying, the ABs finally learned how to win ugly.
On to the partying. The troup reunited in the excellent and welcoming New Bond Street bar, and hugs were exchanged while Frenchmen sporting soggy tear-stained Lievremont moustaches glared daggers amid facepaint which had run down cheeks. Indeed the French, who had been a joy to witness in my four weeks, completely went into themselves and were anonymous through the evening. Bar closed at 0230, burger consumed, we headed off into town to find further sustenance of a liquid variety, but everywhere was heaving. I've rarely witnessed such life in the streets at 0400 and 0430. Tales started to be told of a victory parade on Monday (a bank holiday) and the next day's activity was set. In fact, rather than the 100,000 expected, 250,000 lined the Auckland streets (that's 20% plus of the population) and crowds ten deep witnessed a parade of flat back trucks with 3 squad members each on, followed by a huge trailer with McCaw, Henry, Muliaina, Thorn and the trophy. The highlights were a car of Weepu, Nonu and Kaino who clearly had been on the energy drinks with the fist-pumping, and an Ali Williams who looked Andrew Flintoff-like as he danced his way along Queen Street.
A glorious end to a glorious tournament. The right winner all said and done, and praise to the organisers and IRB for putting on a show that made me proud to be a Rugby fan.
Team of the tournament:
1. Guthro Steenkamp (RSA)
2. William Servat (FRA)
3. Martin Castrogiavanni (ITA)
4. Lionel Nallet (FRA)
5. Dani Rossouw (RSA)
6. Thierry Dusautoir (FRA)
7. Sean O'Brien (IRE)
8. Imanol Harinordoquy (FRA)
9. Will Genia (AUS)
10. Stephen Donald (NZL)
11. Richard Kahui (NZL)
12. Ma'a Nonu (NZL)
13. Jamie Roberts (WAL)
14. Vincent Clerc (FRA)
15. Israel Dagg (NZL)
The French came with a strong run to get a few players in, with the 4 forwards meriting their places for keeping their side in the tournament and stepping up when it mattered. You may sneer at my selection at 10, but this is more an indictment of the amount of poor play seen at 10, and the fact that, with so many injuries (Carter, Slade, Cruden, Priestland) no-one made the shirt their own. Donald's calming influence and vital three points saw him be crucial in his 50 minutes, so I'll take the easy option and stick him in.
The plane back beckons later, and I have no doubt on my return I will give more detailed analysis. Until then, thanks for reading these blogs. If you have enjoyed them, please leave a comment here. I will be back at the weekend with some thoughts of the tournament, the weekend rugby and the future of the game (this time for definite I promise).
Friday, 21 October 2011
Wales Wails
Wales found a presence finally in Auckland yesterday. A combination of Welsh fans, who were out very late in the day compared to their Aussie brethren, and British Lions shorts, pulled from suitcases for the occasion, meant the reds were probably as numerous as the yellows inside Eden Park. The Yellows were concentrated in blocks, while the reds were dotted hither and thither. It was almost as if the Aussies expected to be there while for the Welsh this was a surprise (both pleasant in terms of pre-tournament expectations and unpleasant given the post Quarter Final boost).
With Warburton absent, Australia would have expected to win the breakdowns, but Wales actually excelled early on in that phase. Unfortunately, they didn't excel anywhere else. They chose the occasion of the bronze medal game to produce their worst performance of the tournament. Australia saw Beale and Cooper limp off in a bruising but uninspiring first half, but Barnes pulled the strings in midfield, showing coach Deans what an experienced head can do. Roberts was anonymous, and poor defending by the Welsh midfield saw the Aussies score the only try of the first half. Wales replied with a Hook penalty, but they were unimaginative in their handling and aimless with their kicking. "Are you England in disguise?" was my unkind, if not wholly inaccurate assessment.
The second half saw wasteful Wales continue to miss kicks. Hook and Halfpenny both being guilty, and when they did finally widen the play, Williams neat control of a poorly aimed pass, and another touch forward, saw him dive over for an unconverted try to see Wales briefly take the lead at 8-7. Dogged Wallabies emerged from the minor crisis though and 2 O'Connor penalties and a Barnes drop goal saw them regain and extend the lead at 16-8. Wales were at least showing now, though at 10 they clearly missed Priestland. Firstly Hook, a major disappointment these last 6 weeks, then Jones, a case of 2 years too far for me, showed indecision and inaccuracy in their kicking. Wales couldn't get within a score, even when Williams tried a drop goal which deserves little additional comment. When McAlman scored a second Aussie try, it was curtains for the Welsh. 21-8 and they couldn't come back.... but a Jones penalty gave them hope, and with time ticking by as in the semi final against France, they controlled ball after ball before slipping it wide to Halfpenny who scampered over for a converted consolation which brought the score to 21-18.
Frankly, it was the worst game I've seen so far. Neither team really wanted to be there, as is usually the case, and the stilted atmosphere showed the crowd's feelings. It was a good crowd for such a game though, with All Blacks, Aussies, Welsh and South Africans being the most in number, with patches of representation from every country involved too.
Wales have done themselves proud over the last 6 weeks, but ultimately, their fragility which had been exposed in the warm-up games surfaced when it really mattered. They leave New Zealand medal-less, having won 4 and lost 3. The record will show that they finished 4th and were "the team most likely to beat the All Blacks" in many peoples' eyes. For me though, they beat 1 Top 10 side in the tournament (Ireland) and when they needed to perform, they didn't quite have it. Still, consolation in being British best I am sure, and I'm sure they will be quick to harp on about it come the 6 Nations too.
On to the real deal tomorrow now. Excitement will build here over the next 36 hours or so as the All Blacks drone on about 24 years ago. I get the feeling if the miracle happens and France win, the whole of the North Island may sink into the sea never to be seen again, such is the emphasis being placed on this here.
We will see I guess.
Short but sweet today. Catch you Monday.
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