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!
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