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.

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.

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.

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!

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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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