Mrs Jonny’s Christmas message
And so my quest for sporting brilliance - or at least regular, athletic mediocrity - reaches the end of the year. The December blog-writing has been somewhat waylaid by a cocktail of Christmas drinks parties, excessive mince pie consumption and (unrelated, I’m sure) a rather nasty stomach bug. But you’ll be relieved to hear that my rugby playing goes from strength to strength. Using the word ‘strength’ in the loosest possible sense of course…
It’s been an interesting few weeks, and this new pastime is certainly not one I’d have predicted taking up six months ago. As I sit here in my pristine, new rugby training shirt, reluctantly purchased for me by my despairing Dad, I can’t decide if I’m discovering a brilliant secret or just submitting myself to the most pointless form of torture.
I appear to be in danger of making it past my first goal - Christmas - and on to the second challenge - the terror of a real-life match situation. Having been measured up for the new team kit (including some rather fetching, not-at-all-butch polyester post-match shirts) and with some friendlies coming up in the next few weeks, this is all too real a possibility. Bring it on? Come and have a go if you think you’re hard enough? Erm… please don’t mess up my dainty little face?!
We’ll all have to wait and see what happens in the next few months (can you contain your excitement?) but in the meantime, I have been pondering what I’ve learnt in these halcyon weeks…
Firstly, tackling is not necessarily as bad as it looks. Unless you upset a burly forward, in which case she will pick on you. Secondly, shouting for the ball is very important in team sports but not something that comes naturally to me. Mainly because I still find it very amusing to watch if the screamer then fails to catch said ball and fumbles for it in a girly manner. Thirdly, laughing at burly forwards who drop the ball (see points one and two above) is not recommended.
What else? Getting muddy is a lot of fun. Kicking does not feature heavily in beginners’ grassroots rugby training. The basic principal of “run forwards, pass backwards” is not as easy as it looks on telly, especially if you used to play hockey. Breaking a nail doesn’t count as an injury. And, not so much something I’ve learned, as something I’ve come to realise - rugby is full of mysterious calls, positions and set-plays, all of which are unfathomable.
But amongst all my tidbits of new knowledge, the thing that’s impressed me most about my new found hobby, and which has quietly featured throughout this experience, is the patience, enthusiasm and dedication of our coaches.
As the four of them train us, week in week out, in the freezing cold, I’m amazed by their unwavering commitment. I can understand the desire to coach a team of juniors - the promise of youth, the feeling that you’re nurturing a new generation of rugby enthusiasts and (just maybe) star players - but to trudge along voluntarily every week for a bunch of no-hoper, adult females is just astounding to someone as self-absorbed as me.
It must be the same across the country - a small army of unsung heroes making amateur sport tick throughout the UK. To me, it embodies the spirit of sport and is certainly something I’ve come not to take for granted. So on behalf of unfit, mildly enthusiastic band-wagon jumpers everywhere, I’d like to say thank you very much to everyone who helps out behind the scenes.
And for you budding players out there - just in case you’re an armchair rugby connoisseur, who’s pondering their new year get-fit schemes - I feel I should take this opportunity to spread the word and recommend you visit the RFU’s site - http://www.rfu.com/goplayrugby to find your nearest (English) club…
Merry Christmas and a happy new year from Mrs Jonny!
Happy Christmas from us all at The Rugby Blog
Merry Christmas from The Rugby Blog. Thanks for visiting the site in its first year - rest assured we’ll be back in the new year fitter, faster and stronger and we have plenty to be excited about.
There’s only 5 weeks to go until the Six Nations, so we’ll be looking forward to that in January, as well as all the action in the Heineken Cup and Guinness Premiership. Lots of people have joined our Six Nations Betting League so far, and if you haven’t done so, please support us and get involved - click here for details.
Happy New Year!
Controversy and the Cup - just another Heineken weekend
Round 4 of the Heineken Cup was marked with some sublime rugby and marred by a mindless moment from an RFU employee.
Wasps versus Clermont Auvergne was the game of the weekend, with Danny Cipriani’s first half performance earning him the label of a genius in the making. He pulled all the strings opposite his predecessor, Alex King, and his passing, kicking and remarkable pace gave Wasps complete control of the game.
The second half was spoiled by a brawl as Jamie Cudmore, Clermont’s flanker, landed a series of punches on Tim Payne’s head as he lay helpless on the ground - the scene was reminiscent of the Duncan McRae / Ronan O’Gara incident in 2001. Alan Black, an RFU manager, also waded in from the touchline flapping his programme somewhere near Martin Scelzo, the Clermont prop - he was removed from the ground and has since had to make an embarrassing apology.
Elsewhere in Europe, there was further success for English clubs, with six out of seven still fighting for a quarter-final place. Only Harlequins are out of the running having lost to Bristol.
Gloucester appear to be the best team in the competition after securing their fourth win out of four - the Cherry and Whites have usurped Stade Francais as tournament favourites as the men in pink suffered a second defeat, this time in Cardiff.
Round 4 Results
Biarritz 21-14 Glasgow
Ulster 8-16 Ospreys
Viadana 26-34 Saracens
Cardiff 31-21 Stade
Newport 22-24 Treviso
G’cester 51-27 Bourgoin
Perpignan 23-6 Irish
Edinburgh 29-10 Leinster
Wasps 25-24 Clermont
Munster 22-13 Scarlets
Bristol 20-7 Harlequins
Toulouse 22-11 Leicester
Hapless Henson’s mishaps fail to inspire sympathy
So the latest instalment in the career, no sorry, soap opera of Gavin Henson seems likely to see him hauled in front of the beak and asked to explain his drunken antics on Her Majesty’s transport system. Now I can tell you from first hand experience that he is not the first bloke to get a bit rowdy on a train on the way back from a rugby match. But it is a continuation of the pattern in his career where highs are undermined almost immediately by lows.
Henson had just made his way back into the Wales team after enduring frustration for much of last season and the devastation of missing the World Cup. He had just put the Ospreys into the last four of the EDF Energy Cup (for what that’s worth) by scoring all their points against Harlequins. On the announcement that he had suffered a broken hand and would be sidelined for 6 weeks, it was hard not to feel sympathy for a man who has had a tricky couple of years and looked like he was getting back to his best. Then came the news that he had got stuck into a few too many beers and indulged in some loud drinking games which involved him punching his mates in the face if they couldn’t hold their ale. This being Henson, the suspicion immediately emerged that he broke his hand in making sharp contact with a friend’s jaw.
This maybe unfair but Henson is not a man who inspires a great deal of sympathy. Maybe this is because his obvious attention to his own appearance and rather surly demeanour does not sit comfortably with many rugby fans. I feel somewhat hypocritical saying that because I get irritated when people criticise Kevin Petersen for the same thing. But he has backed up his peacocking by consistently turning in effective performances and is undoubtedly a world class player. Henson has only spasmodically fulfilled the huge potential he showed early in his career.
Let us not forget that this is a player who won the IRB Young Player of the Year Award in 2001. While this is no guarantee of greatness, it is an award that has been the almost exclusive preserve of the Tri-Nations who are traditionally stronger at junior level. But despite this, Henson stood out. He took some time to break into the senior ranks and he had to wait for 3 years from his 2001 debut to establish himself in the team as he struggled to adapt to the demands of professional rugby. This was the first example of the extraordinary ebb and flow in his career.
In Henson’s first and to date only full season in the Wales team, they won the Grand Slam. Henson was the poster boy of the team, in spite of the fact that while he may have hit the penalty to beat England and thrown Mathew Tait around like a rag doll, he was not as influential as Stephen Jones, Dwayne Peel, Tom Shanklin and Ryan Jones. All seemed well and he seemed poised for a berth in the Lions test team in New Zealand alongside Brian O’Driscoll. The stage seemed set for him to put his stamp firmly upon the rugby world.
It was not to be. Henson struggled for form and was poorly treated by the Lion’s management. This included the use of a photo by Alastair Campbell to make it seem as though he was perfectly happy with Clive Woodward’s decision to omit him from the matchday 22. He was reinstated for the 2nd Test but had little effect and got injured. This was all very sad but once again it was rather hard to feel sorry for him. His morose demeanour gave the impression that he was a poor tourist and would not be the first to buy into the team ethic so crucial to any successful tour.
These suspicions were confirmed by the publication of his book after the tour in which he roundly criticised many team mates. This included his fellow countrymen, leading to a humiliating apology to the Wales squad. It could be argued here that Henson must have received poor advice but anyone involved in a team sport (other than football) surely knows that there is ground upon which you do not tread. Public criticism of team mates is certainly fenced off.
Since his return from New Zealand, little has gone right for Henson on the pitch. As his profile off the pitch has continued to escalate thanks to his relationship with Charlotte Church, with whom he has a child, his rugby career has stagnated. A strong return to action against Leicester after his Lions injury was blighted when he was banned for injudicious use of the elbow. Since then he has barely strung together a run of matches, restricted by a raft of injuries and suspensions. His star in the Welsh rugby firmament has been dimmed as James Hook has usurped him in his club team, the national team, and in the affections of the Welsh rugby public.
Henson clearly needs someone to give him the kind of guidance which currently seems to be absent if he is to fulfil his potential. That the Ospreys released a statement in the wake of the train incident stating that they believe Henson was led astray by rowdy friends and his only error was not to extricate himself when things went too far does not bode well. Sure. Because professional rugby players are always the shy, retiring ones in a social group at the mercy of the bigger boys and their whims. One hopes this is merely the public face put on by Ospreys.
Henson is a man of significant talent and has all the skills and physical attributes required for a modern inside centre. He possesses all the raw materials of one of his successors as IRB Young Player of the Year, Luke McAlister, but the contrasting nature of their current careers speaks volumes. The Kiwi, while he may have turned his back on the All Blacks for now, lights up every pitch upon which he sets foot and possesses a work ethic matched by few. Henson would do well to look in this direction for an example of how to approach the game and to show him what he should be currently be achieving. And Henson should look closer to home at Hook who has dealt with the unique spotlight placed upon every young Welsh hope so much better than he has himself.
Six Nations Fixtures 2008
Many people seem to think that the world ends after Christmas, hence people saying, “We must meet up before Christmas” or “Can you get that done before Christmas?”
Fear not - here at The Rugby Blog, we are able to look beyond the festivities and we like what we see on the horizon. The 2008 Six Nations promises to be one of the best ever with plenty of new talent on show.
The fixtures are listed below, and you can even download a file that will put each match into your Outlook calendar - right click here, select ‘Save target as’ and save to your desktop, open the file and tick the box.
Feel free to forward this on to your friends, as it’s one of the most useful things ever!
Saturday, February 2
Ireland v Italy (2pm)
England v Wales (4.30pm)
Sunday, February 3
Scotland v France (3pm).
Saturday, February 9
Wales v Scotland (2pm)
France v Ireland (4pm)
Sunday, February 10
Italy v England (2.30pm).
Saturday, February 23
Wales v Italy (3pm)
Ireland v Scotland (5pm)
France v England (8pm).
Saturday, March 8
Ireland v Wales (1.15pm)
Scotland v England (3.15pm)
Sunday, March 9
France v Italy (3pm).
Saturday, March 15
Italy v Scotland (1pm)
England v Ireland (3pm)
Wales v France (5pm)
Nutrition for Rugby
As the festive season gets into full swing, it’s easy to over-indulge on mulled wine, mince pies, turkey and chocolate, but it’s vital to stay in shape for those big matches in the second half of the season.
Rugby fitness expert, Sam Tomkins, provides an overview of rugby-specific nutrition and a guide to ensuring your body gets everything it needs to succeed.
Everyone knows that good nutrition plays a vital role in all sports – none more so than the physical demands of rugby – but exactly what constitutes ‘good nutrition’ is a very vague and misunderstood subject.
Many myths include: Eat as much protein as possible to help build muscle! Stay away from fats! No Carbs after 8pm!
Exactly what you should be eating will depend on your metabolic type and what stage of the season you are in, and what you are doing on that particular day (gym, training, match, rest etc) but here is a rough guide.
As a simple rule our diets will consist of macronutrients (carbohydrate, protein and fat), and to a lesser yet still important degree, micronutrients (vitamins, minerals and trace elements).
As rugby players our bodies are under a tremendous amount of stress, with a huge demand on our energy system due to the nature of the sport. If our bodies don’t receive what is required energy-wise, then performance and training will suffer.
One of the many questions asked is, “What should I be eating prior to a game, or prior to training?” but just as important is what to eat throughout the day and immediately after training or a match. I’ll be drawing up some meal plans in the next couple of weeks which should help to solve these questions, but an understanding of the Glycaemic Index will give you a useful guideline to follow.
Click to enlarge, then zoom in
The Glycaemic Index compares the blood glucose response to certain foods and then ranks them against reference foods. The higher the GI rating of a food, the quicker glucose is released into our body and so the quicker it is available as an energy source.
Low GI foods provide a steady trickle of energy into your system and can sustain performance for longer, and this is what we should be trying to stick to as rugby players. Swapping high GI foods for low ones will keep your energy levels up and help to minimise fat gain. Try to make up meals using foods from the first two tables only.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates (CHO) will form the majority of your diet, as this is our body’s main source of energy. The best way of determining the different CHO content of foods is by using the Glycaemic Index (Have in a pop-up maybe).
Pre-activity - Eat between 500-600g of CHO daily > 4 hours before exercise.
During activity - CHO and electrolyte drinks help to delay the onset of fatigue, but you must ensure plenty of water is absorbed as dehydration can have a significant adverse effect on performance or training.
Post-activity – Eat 1g of CHO per kilogram of body mass every hour for up to 8 hours.
The generally agreed intake of CHO is between 60-70% of the total energy intake or 6-10g/kg of body mass per day.
Proteins
Proteins supply amino acids, which are the building blocks for all protein synthesised in the body, and for bodybuilders, it is essential. So is it important for rugby players?
Yes, protein is vital for everybody whether they be sports people or not. But especially for people who are looking to build strength and using weights. The reason for this is that protein aids in the process of rebuilding muscle once it has been broken down by weight training and has been shown to speed up recovery allowing you to visit the gym on a more regular basis.
However, there is a ceiling effect when it comes to protein intake and it is not a case of ‘more is best’. This is because there is only so much protein that your body can break down and utilise. The excess can be stored as fatty deposits and lead to an increase in body fat.
Complete proteins contain the eight essential amino acids in the right proportions, and are found in red meat, chicken, fish, dairy products and eggs. The problem is that some foods that are high in protein are also high in saturated fat (not good!) – for example lean beefsteak has approximately 22.4g of protein per 100g and 28.8g of fat.
With the exception of skinless turkey and chicken, the only unprocessed animal foods that provide a good proportion of protein without large amounts of accompanying fats are egg whites, shellfish and fish.
As rugby players we should be looking at a requirement of 2.0-2.5g/kg of protein per day - around 20-25% of our total energy intake.
Fats
Fats are just as important as the first two macronutrients, as our body needs essential fats, but we have to be very careful when it comes to the type of fat we are ingesting. The fats we should be looking to avoid are the saturated fats and the trans fatty acids. The two essential fats our body can’t produce naturally are linoleic acid (omega 6) and alpha-linoleic acid and these can be found in linseed, rapeseed, flax and olive oil as well as oily fish.
As a general rule of thumb try to avoid foods that have more than 20% of their calories coming from fat and those that do not show the fat content - that normally means it’s high. The daily intake of fat should not exceed 15% of total energy intake.
Keep the low GI foods in mind over the Christmas period and this will help to avoid wasting all that hard work done in pre-season, and allow you to pick up where you left off when the season resumes.
Proud England win Team of the Year award
England’s rugby heroes were awarded the Team of the Year prize at last night’s BBC Sports Personality ceremony.
Their dramatic march to the Rugby World Cup final characterised by pride, spirit and determination won them the award ahead of other worthy candidates.
Unsurprisingly, England’s footballers were not among the candidates in this category, nor in fact in any of the categories, adding fuel to the Campaign to make rugby the new national sport.
Join the campaign on Facebook which now has nearly 4,000 members.
Return of the Heineken Cup
Following the drab EDF Energy Cup fixtures last weekend, the Heineken Cup returns with a bang with 15 matches live on Sky Sports over the next two weekends. Round 3 has a distinct Anglo-French twist with four teams from each of the rival nations locking horns.
Unbeaten Gloucester face a tough trip to Bourgoin tonight, and with the return fixture next week, they could secure their place in the knockout stages. Leicester face Toulouse whilst London Irish are up against Perpignan, but the clash of the weekend will be Wasps against Clermont Auvergne.
The defending champions have two wins from two and wins over the big-spending French outfit will make them favourites to emerge from a difficult Pool that also includes Munster and Llanelli.
Here is the full list of this week’s fixtures:
We don’t have to take our clothes off to have a good time – Mrs Jonny’s Diary
Another fun night at training yesterday, although the motivation required to leave my cosy living room was pretty gargantuan, I can tell you. As one friend wryly observed, the honeymoon period is now well and truly over…
That said, changing room banter, even amongst the most strapping members of our squad, generally revolved around the utter crapness of having to be outdoors during these long, cold nights so I guess I’m not alone.
Once out in the chilly field, it seems bawdy humour and cheeky flirtation with the coaches are the main motivational tools. Whilst this is not quite my style, the constant flow of Les Dawson-esque double entendres certainly keeps me entertained.
Everyone’s so chirpy, especially amongst the backs, that it’s really quite baffling, especially for a grumpy old cynic like me. It’s good, old fashioned fun though – anyone wearing a white top is a prime target for tripping or mud throwing, any excuse to comment on the coaches’ physique is taken up with relish (they love it!) and although this will probably sound pretty tame to most of the blokes reading this blog, who have no doubt been doing this since they could stand, the freedom to look totally ridiculous, red-faced and charging towards a defender with one single purpose – to score a try – is so invigorating.
Two hours of running in and out of cones and throwing a ball around. Brilliant! However, it wasn’t all that straight forward…
Once we started practising set pieces I began to understand that the concentration required – along with everything else – is pretty formidable. I realised at one point, at the bottom of a ruck (again, dammit), that I actually have no idea what I am doing. I couldn’t even tell you what position I was in! Somewhere at the back…
Someone told me just to keep to the right of a certain girl and it was all I could do to remember this one simple thing and try and keep up.
Again, probably stating the obvious here, considering the average readership of this website, but it’s no wonder rugby is such an interesting game to watch (and play) – I have only begun to skim the surface of the tactics, secrets and methods employed to fool the opposition and already you can see how the strategy builds up. Presumably the brain power and mental agility required for all this split-second decision-making compensates for the frequent head knocks?
I have studiously read the BBC’s online guide to the rules and positions, but I’m guessing this is one of those things that requires – shock, horror! – regular practise. Not exactly my forte, but I will see what I can do.
I felt a bit bewildered by it all really, and ended the session not quite as elated as I’d hoped. I think I just prefer charging about for now, but it was still worth braving the wintry weather…
British Lions must hope Home Unions will sacrifice for the greater good
The instalment of Gerald Davies as Manager of the British and Irish Lions for the tour to South Africa in 2009 has brought this fantastic rugby institution back into the spotlight. Davies is synonymous with the golden era of the Lions in the early 1970s and his is a welcome appointment.
In light of this, the fact that we are approximately midway between tours, and that after the recent World Cup we have had a good chance to examine the contenders, it seemed an appropriate time to speculate who is currently in pole position to be pulling on the famous red shirt. I am not talking about an attempt to second guess who could be in the picture in 2009, but a team to play in a hypothetical test match next weekend.
The criteria was to be that players must be currently available to play international rugby, thus ruling out the likes of Martyn Williams and Mike Catt who have retired from the international game. I started doing this about a week ago. I have given up.
I am not an enormous fan of hypothetical 15s, but 20 months out, it would be interesting and instructive to identify those positions in which we possess talent and strength in depth and those in which the cupboard is rather more bare. For example, we have many good wingers and a lack of full backs; a decent array of scrum halves and a paucity at inside centre; several world class second rows and almost no hookers; and, most bizarrely, an abundance of blind side flankers and a serious shortage of world class open sides.
But at the present time, this is futile to a spectacular extent. International rugby has come to the end of its cycle and teams are looking to regroup and rebuild. Ireland and Wales had disastrous World Cups, Scotland met expectations which, let’s be honest, were really not very high. And England fought their way through to the final through blood and guts rather than through individually talented players. Who knows who will line up for the home nations in the 6 Nations in the new year, let alone who will make a mark and be there for the foreseeable future. If the past few years are anything to go by, the post-World Cup months of international rugby could be fairly forgettable. They shouldn’t be with the calibre of players coming through, but teams are ‘rebuilding’ (God help us).
And this is the problem which the Lions are coming up against – where do they fit into the modern rugby calendar? In England, the clubs and the RFU appear to have put away their broadswords for now and the recent IRB Forum has achieved a degree of consensus on the structure of global rugby over the coming decade but the Lions have been rather shoehorned in. The main issue is that the Lions may find themselves touring at times when players are crying out for a rest and also at a time when international teams have been in limbo. Certainly the two Six Nations championships following the 2003 World Cup lacked intensity and this was reflected in the unceremonious thumping the Lions received from the All Blacks. The concern therefore is that the Lions tour party will be populated by players who are either undercooked for the unique rigours of a Lions series, or are completely knackered.
The pride and adrenalin created by being part of a Lions tour should address these issues and the mark of a great, as opposed to good, player from these islands is often his performance in the red shirt. From Willie John Mcbride and Gareth Edwards, through to Jeremy Guscott, Martin Johnson and Brian O’Driscoll, what has defined the very finest players has been their Lions tours. But the most successful Lions teams have often forged their victories from an indomitable team spirit, founded upon the camaraderie which being on a long rugby tour can generate.
In 1997, the Lions beat the World Champions, South Africa, who were a better side in many departments but found themselves playing a team who would not countenance the idea of losing. Many of the players on that tour, including Johnson, name that trip as their best experience in rugby because of how enjoyable it was off the pitch as well as on. That formed the basis of their victory. England discovered something similar in the recent World Cup – their backs were to the wall but they found a little bit extra forged out of team spirit and the desire to do well for each other.
With the competing demands of club and international rugby, the Lions tour has been significantly abridged to an extent that one must fear that such team spirit is unlikely to emerge. In such a short space of time it is hard for players of any calibre to click and really establish understandings (notwithstanding Barbarians fixtures which are played under no pressure). Lawrence Dallaglio said in his autobiography that players like to be told what to do but it is an almost impossible task for the coaches to send out all the necessary messages in digestible form and for them to be translated to the letter on the pitch. In the past the Lions have been able to fall back on the absolute refusal to lose but in a 5 week tour, with so much focus on rugby and little else, will the necessary personal bonds be established between players?
It was seen in 2005 how wrong a tour can go in these conditions and the fear is that in the professional era, a relatively scratch team will struggle to compete against an established international 15, especially one wearing the crown of World Champions. There has been talk of moving Lions tours forward a year to the end of World Cup season but I fail to see how that would address the issue as that is the exact time when players most need to recharge.
The way for this to be overcome is for the Lions’ component nations to put aside self-interest in the months leading up to the tour. The concept of ‘building a squad’ and trying to time their run at the World Cup from 3 years out must be forgotten. Instead they must all commit to playing their absolute strongest teams in the preceding 6 Nations to ensure that the players are fully prepared for the challenge that lies ahead. Then moves must be made to allow the players the time to prepare for the tour as a squad. While international teams aim to peak every four years, the players aim to peak twice, targeting the World Cup and the Lions tour. Everything possible must be done to ensure that they are mentally and physically ready for the challenge.
Finally the tour must be allocated a long enough time frame for the necessary camaraderie, trust and understanding among a group of highly competitive individuals to develop. The Lions is one of the most marketable brands in world rugby and is one of the great remaining ties between the professional and amateur eras. They must be accorded sufficient time, resources and respect to make sure that success on the field follows. The entire preceding season should be built around the Lions tour.
By Stuart Peel
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