ELVs to be trialled next season
The IRB has inflicted these ‘essential’ changes on Northern Hemisphere rugby, from club level through to international. The changes below have been copied from the BBC, since I thought people might have a few things to say about them.
Changes to be trialled worldwide include:
- Players can defend a maul by pulling it down.
- Introduction of an offside line five metres behind the hindmost feet of the scrum.
- No restriction on the number of players who can participate in the lineout from either side (minimum of two).
- The receiver in a lineout must stand two metres back from the lineout.
- Flags are no longer considered to be in touch in-goal except when a ball is grounded against the post.
Further ELVs to be trialled in an elite northern hemisphere competition, expected to be the European Challenge Cup, include:
- For all offences other than offside, not entering through the gate, and Law 10 - Foul Play, the sanction is a free kick.
- If the ball is unplayable at the breakdown, the side that did not take the ball into contact will receive a free kick.
- If a maul becomes unplayable, the team not in possession at the start of the maul receives a free kick.
Johnson takes the reins as RFU finally makes a decision
Martin Johnson was finally handed overall control of the England rugby team today after several weeks of speculation. It is a huge relief that a conclusion has finally been reached and the RFU can hopefully stop embarrassing themselves and the whole English game. In truth the appointment has been on the cards for a while but I for one refused to believe it until it was officially announced, as I rather suspected that the RFU would find some spectacular and original way of messing it up.
And so we welcome back the hero and live in hope that the big man can cure all the ills and right all the wrongs which have bedevilled the England team these 5 years. It remains to be seen whether Johnson, with no management experience, can wave a magic wand and transform the England team overnight. What is certain though he that he will be cut a lot more slack than his two predecessors were by the English rugby public.
I found myself slightly shocked at the amount of vitriol directed at Ashton when he never seemed to me to be the root of the problem. His big error was accepting the watered down terms offered by the RFU in the first place. Once he had done that, his hands were tied rather, although that does not excuse some of the more bizarre selection decisions of the 21st Century.
The best news is that Johnson appears not to have stood for any of the RFU’s pussy-footing. He has demanded full control of his coaching team and the selection of the players, and quite right too. He must stand and fall by that and he knows it. This is best for all concerned as there is no room for doubt regarding accountability and, knowing this, Johnson will leave no stone unturned when it comes to getting precisely what he wants. Hopefully he will act as a rocket up the proverbials of the establishment, a la Woodward a decade ago.
The most interesting part of the next few months, barring who is appointed to take the side to New Zealand, will be how Johnson deals with Rob Andrew. There is an ever-growing suspicion that he is not equipped to take the big decisions and that nobody really knows what it is he is supposed to be doing. Johnson has no use for deadwood and will not be averse to making his point in this respect. Andrew’s big job appears to have been to appoint the England Head Coach but he has messed it up twice and on the third occasion the RFU overrode him, told him who they wanted and did not leave him alone until he had got him. If this is the only way to make things work then what is he doing there in the first place? He is in danger of becoming something of a victim being used by the RFU to shield them from accountability.
The RFU must learn from the whole sorry episode. If Johnson is successful, and there is little reason why he shouldn’t be, there is the danger that they will say ‘Well we got there in the end and the end justifies the means’. It doesn’t. Not by a long way. The whole thing has been a disgrace and you strongly suspect that the grandees, were they to find themselves in a brewery with a load of booze, some guests in fancy dress and a set of party-organising instructions, would hold a series of meetings over several months to figure out what on earth they were supposed to be doing. On the day that those responsible for messing up the launch of Heathrow Terminal 5 were handed their P45s, the RFU should remind themselves that in any other field of business, several people would have been fired immediately for such mishandling.
The treatment of Brian Ashton has been beyond the pale. Had they just sacked him after the 6 Nations then that would have been fine, regardless of whether you agreed with the decision. At least it would have been clean and decisive. By leaving him in limbo for so long as they desperately tried to fudge a way to avoid getting rid of him altogether, they exacerbated the damage. Whatever you think of him as a coach, Ashton has been treated appallingly and it is of huge credit to him that he has retained his dignity throughout. He is just about the only person to come out of this with any credit.
So the future has finally arrived, it is ruthless, grizzled, nasty, no-nonsense and a blessed relief. Johnson is a winner, first and foremost. And for the first time in 4 years, England have the right structure in place, albeit that some have had to be dragged there kicking and screaming. I’m excited about it. Are you?
by Stuart Peel
Guinness Premiership Report - 15th April 2008
All the playoff hopefuls maintained their charge for the top with victories over the weekend, which keeps the race very interesting. Only Leicester, who lost to the Ospreys in the EDF Cup final on Saturday, look to be wobbling a little bit now that the end is in sight.
On Tuesday, Sale completed the first match of their busy week with an away win over Bristol. Foden, White and Jones scored in the second half to defeat the West Country men 24-17. Sale, Wasps and Leicester all have to play on Tuesday night having played at the weekend to catch up with the rest of the league so it will be interesting to see which teams have the squads equipped to cope with such a tight turnaround and which struggle for strength in depth.
On Saturday Ryan Lamb stole the show for Gloucester with an impressive performance in their thrashing of Saracens, 39 – 15. Saracens were unable to push on from their Heineken Cup quarter-final victory and looked completely bereft of defensive strategy at times as Lamb looped passes over the onrushing defence to the Gloucester wide players who couldn’t believe their luck. A brace for Lamb (including one sublime sidestep on a solo run from the 10m line) and tries for Simpson-Daniel, Qera, Vainikolo and Lawson saw off the Londoners with ease.
On the same day, Wasps secured a bonus point victory at home to Worcester making full use of their talented squad by resting, among others, Vickery, Shaw, Waters, Haskell and Rees in order for them to be fresh for their clash against Sale on Tuesday.
Wasps’ play-off fate is very much in their own hands – bonus point victories in their games in hand would see them on equal points with Gloucester, who currently top the table.
On Sunday, another bonus point victory for Harlequins against Leeds saw them rise to second in the table. Danny Care was again at the forefront of Harlequins’ quick, expansive play and got himself on the score sheet too. Dean Richards said after the match that he expects Care to be on the plane to New Zealand this summer and few would disagree. This defeat effectively condemns Leeds to National One next season. They will take heart from the performance of Northampton Saints and target an immediate return to Premiership rugby next season.
London Irish, with one eye firmly on the Heineken Cup, managed to defeat Newcastle 13 – 8 away at Kingston Park. Newcastle have now lost their last six matches on the trot in the Premiership and must be hoping for a European Challenge Cup win to salvage something from their season.
With only a handful of fixtures remaining for each club in the Premiership, the race is really hotting up. I’ll put my neck on the line and predict a top four of Bath, Wasps, Gloucester and Quins in that order.
Argentina find temporary home in the Churchill Cup
After the unanimous decision by the rugby world that Argentina should be welcomed into a major international competition, they will feature this summer in the Churchill Cup.
Despite wide recognition that they must be accommodated somewhere, the SANZAR nations were reluctant to share Tri-Nations revenue with the Pumas, whilst a number of logistical issues have impeded the formation of a Seven Nations competition in Europe.
The team that finished 3rd in the 2007 Rugby World Cup, ranked 3rd in the world, will compete against Canada, USA, England Saxons, Ireland A and Scotland A in June.
A fairly large part of me feels that this isn’t quite satisfactory, but at least it is something. There is an argument to say that the World Cup squad was an unusually talented bunch and that their lofty status in the IRB rankings cannot be sustained. There is an equally persuasive argument that says they will only become a consistent challenger if they play competitive rugby consistently.
Regular participation in the Churchill Cup may prove to the world that they can perform regularly and should be accommodated in one of the top tier competitions, but only time will tell.
What does everyone think? Does this go far enough to show Argentina that they are welcome on the international rugby scene?
New Zealand claim victory in Hong Kong Sevens
New Zealand won their fifth sevens title in a row by beating South Africa by 26-12 - it is the first time they have won the Hong Kong event in 6 years.
The Kiwis were convincing throughout, and always looked like winning the tournament after their 34-0 victory over Fiji in the semis.
England lost in the quarter finals to Samoa, the same team they had beaten on the first day in the group stages, but the Pacific Islanders were narrowly beaten 12-10 by the Springboks.
Have a look at this video for some post-tournament reaction.
Hong Kong Sevens Day 1 results and reaction
As Day 2 gets underway, here are the results from Day 1 and clips of players’ reactions.
Day 1 results:
Match 1: Australia 24 Hong Kong 12
Match 2: Kenya 47 China 0
Match 3: Fiji 42 Korea 7
Match 4: South Africa 40 Japan 7
Match 5: Samoa 35 Sri Lanka 7
Match 6: New Zealand 50 Chinese Taipei 5
Match 7: Tonga 7 France 21
Match 8: Scotland 26 Portugal 10
Match 9: Wales 34 Zimbabwe 0
Match 10: Argentina 33 Russia 0
Match 11: England 24 Canada 12
Match 12: USA 26 Tunisia 21
Hong Kong Sevens gets underway
Today, the 34th running of the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens is upon us. The tournament is the jewel in the crown of the world sevens series because of its lively reputation and the history of top players who have graced its stage in the past.
Conceived as a promotional event for a tobacco company, the tournament has grown in stature since its inception in 1976 and is now held at the 40,000-seater Hong Kong Stadium.
Fiji have classically been the darlings of the tournament with 11 wins, 5 of which came in the ‘90s when a man by the name of Waisale Serevi dominated the competition.
Other stars to have graced the event include Jonah Lomu, Christian Cullen, George Gregan, Brent Russell and Mathew Tait.
England have the best record at the event in recent times, with all four of their tournament wins occurring since 2002.
Unfortunately for England, their form this season has been poor – they are seventh in this year’s standings with no tournament wins. Form dictates that New Zealand should walk it, as they have done for the first four tournaments of the eight-tournament series.
However Hong Kong’s atmosphere can do strange things to galvanise a team. With all the party-goers roaring in their fancy dress in the south stand a team can lose concentration and find themselves down a try or two in a minute.
Coverage of the sevens on prime time media is criminally lacking but however you manage to catch the matches, you will be treated to one of the greatest spectacles in world rugby.
Here on The Rugby Blog, we’ll bring you some clips of the action over the weekend, and for now, here is a preview video with some behind the scenes footage of the England side preparing for their first game.
Enough compromise, Johnson must be offered complete control of the England squad
The news that Rob Andrew has approached Martin Johnson to offer him a role as manager of the England rugby team should be greeted with a healthy degree of circumspection. Andrew’s record of taking decisive and forthright action in his current role is not exactly impressive and I for one will be reserving judgement until the exact terms of the offer are made public.
Until now, Andrew appears to have utterly failed to grasp the key point of management in top level sport. This is that one man must be put in sole charge, must pick his own lieutenants, have full licence to select his own team and must have the first and last word in all matters relating to the squad. Clive Woodward has often stated that he would have rejected the England job had these terms not been granted to him. Eddie O’Sullivan, Warren Gatland, Graham Henry and almost all other successful international coaches have been all-powerful in their domains.
Whether through pressure from the RFU, or through his own reluctance to put his head on the block, Andrew has thus far produced only fudge and compromise. It was very clear during Andy Robinson’s tenure that the problem lay as much in the structure of the coaching set-up as his own individual limitations. When Woodward jumped ship, the RFU did not seek a replacement but grafted the role of manager on to one of the coaches. This represented a failure to realise the truths that lay at the heart of England’s 2003 World Cup success – that one man was in complete charge and built a coherent team with a clear chain of accountability, with all members buying into and sharing his vision. The move was akin to removing the Chief Executive of a large business and not replacing him.
Andrew has had multiple opportunities to right this wrong and has taken none of them. When Robinson’s position became untenable, he was replaced by another individual who was pulled from the ranks and given a ‘compromise’ role. Another coach who’s strengths lay on the training field was asked to deal with the management side as well. The fact that it was presented as a short-term solution to get through to the World Cup yielded the hope that Andrew knew what needed to be done but judged, correctly, that now was not the time to do it. His actions after the World Cup have blasted those hopes out of the water in no uncertain terms.
This time, there must be no compromise. If Martin Johnson, or anyone else for that matter, is to be offered the job, it must be on their terms and they must be given licence to do whatever they see fit. The positive is that Johnson, unlike Ashton and Robinson, will not accept the job unless his demands are granted. The negative is that the noises coming from Andrew, and indeed Ashton, are not all that encouraging.
Ashton has requested the installation of a manager, but with the caveat that they have no say in rugby affairs. This shows that he does not appreciate the root of the predicament in which he, and England rugby finds himself. It also betrays the fact that he merely wants someone else to face up to the questions of a frustrated media.
The concern is that Andrew will accede to his demands. First of all, the introduction of a nominal manager would further cloud the accountability at the top of England rugby, already muddied by the lack of an overall team supremo and the presence of Andrew in his apparent non-entity of a job. Secondly, no decent, ambitious, top-level manager - Johnson, White, Gatland etc - would even consider agreeing to such a role as they are fully aware that it is unworkable.
There is no room for sentiment or compromise this time. Andrew and the RFU cannot hide behind bare and overly-flattering statistics for they are deceptive. In years to come a casual observer may look back at the 2007-08 season, see that England finished second in the World Cup and the Six Nations and assume that it had been a fairly successful period. Those of us who sat through the debacles against South Africa, Wales and Scotland and the stuttering win over Italy will remember otherwise. In 20 years of watching England, the only other time I have watched 4 such grisly performances in quick succession was on the Tour to Hell in 1998. Yet that was the 3rd/4th team being thrown to the lions on an ill-advised and ultimately meaningless tour. On this occasion it has been the 1st team, with all possible resources at their disposal, playing at the sharp end of international rugby and producing a quite staggering level of inconsistency. That inconsistency is symptomatic of a squad receiving mixed messages and who are unclear on what is being demanded of them on any given day.
Reports suggest that we need not worry that the status quo will prevail as certain members of the RFU have informed Andrew that the retention of the coaching team in its present form is not an option. This puts even larger question marks over Andrew’s role. He has been asked to make a recommendation to the Board but has been told that certain options are unacceptable. That the RFU feel the need to tell him this does not reflect a huge amount of confidence that their man will come up with the right answer. If they think they know the solution, and are not convinced Andrew will find it, why not cut out the middle man?
For all his lack of experience in managing rugby teams at any sort of level, Martin Johnson knows what it takes to succeed in elite sport. He was a central figure in one of the most successful and innovative elite sporting organisations of modern times and will bring that experience with him. It remains for us to hope that Andrew and his men are brave enough to dispense with sentimentality and compromise and realise what it takes to achieve success. If they really believe Johnson is their man, then they must give him undiluted power; not just a job on the estate, but the keys to the mansion. Evolution has failed, revolution and a full clear-out is required. It is not just one of many options, it is the only way forward
by Stuart Peel
Glory, redemption and pride on the agenda as 6 Nations draws to a conclusion
The 2008 6 Nations draws to a conclusion this weekend and it’s been a strange old affair. Rebuilding was the name of the game after the World Cup with some targeting a fresh start, others aiming for redemption. In the main this has resulted in an awful lot of caginess, some serious stodge, flashes of brilliance but all in all no real narrative running through the tournament.
It is therefore hard to know what to make of this 6 Nations as a whole. Indeed it could easily have been a contest where the victors were merely the least incompetent, the team who deserved to lose least, rather than the team who deserved to win most. Prior to round 4, there was talk of one of the most closely fought and exciting championships in years. And then the whole thing fell flat on its face with 3 seriously poor games.
So thank god for Wales. Without them the competition so far would have been bereft of excitement and have become one long, rather tedious chore. But they have been a revelation. It is a testament to them that the Irish, despite having rediscovered some form, felt that the only way to beat them was to make the game as slow and tedious as possible. That the tournament will be won by the one team who has been prepared to set a solid platform and utilise it with ambition and pace should be a cause of celebration and a lesson which others will hopefully heed.
The three games in the final week of the tournament all have very different subplots. Wales and France are battling it out for glory, England and Ireland for redemption, Scotland and Italy for pride. These factors will have a profound effect on the ways in which these games are played. If you want to see exuberant, care-free, running rugby this weekend, I suggest you go and find a local league game and steer clear of BBC1, at least until 5pm when Wales play France.
Many players are playing for their international futures and 3 of the coaches are fighting to save their jobs. We saw in the latter stages of the World Cup what pressure can do to a team and how it can restrict the game as a spectacle. But while the matches may be hard work at times, they will never be anything less than compelling as the mental and physical battles unfold.
Italy v Scotland – 1pm
Italy and Scotland’s World Cup encounter was mind-numbing and there is little to suggest this game will be any different. On that occasion the carrot was a place in a World Cup quarter final; this time it is to avoid obtaining an extra wooden implement to add to their already-overflowing cutlery drawers. In its own way, this is just as motivating.
It is a crucial game for Frank Hadden. After the progress of his early days in which made Scotland competitive again, he has proved unable to push on and graft new dimensions on to his team. A championship with only a single victory, albeit over England, could spell the end of him.
Nick Mallett is coming to terms with having to do much with little and, while he is under no pressure himself, a first winless championship for Italy since 2005 would be a big step back for the Azzuri. They will fancy themselves against Scotland who, while on a high after last Saturday, are almost defined by their inconsistency.
England v Ireland – 3pm
At Twickenham, I would love to see Brian Ashton release the shackles and allow his team to run free. Sadly, confidence and morale is so low that it would be extraordinary for this to happen. This must surely be Ashton’s last game – many were saying that getting to the World Cup final would be the worst thing to happen to England and so it proved as spineless decision makers at the RFU took the easy decision and retained the status quo. Even if England win on Saturday, they will surely not make the same mistake again.
Ireland become more of an enigma by the game and they produced one of the most bizarre tactical displays I have ever seen in Dublin. Despite the performance of their backs against Scotland, O’Sullivan decided that the only chance Ireland had was to beat Wales exclusively up front. Except that Wales’ pack is vastly improved and Ireland’s is not really that good.
This is a clash of two teams at a very low ebb and if one of them can get into the lead then the other may struggle to come back. The exciting sub-plot is Cipriani against O’Gara, a contrast in style, attitude and experience.
Wales v France – 5pm
Wales against France is the undoubted highlight of the weekend. Wales have ability, confidence and momentum and are playing a balanced yet attractive brand of rugby. Marc Lievremont appears to have had an epiphany, at least in the short term, with the realisation that you need a pack and a platform in order to play the all-court game he is pursuing. This could well be a very different France team to that which we have seen so far and will possess the hardness they have lacked.
Wales have demonstrated what can be done with a talented pool of players allied to firm hands at the helm. Gatland and Edwards have driven their men forward with dynamism and assurance, qualities ostensibly lacking in the likes of Ashton, Hadden and O’Sullivan.
If the occasion doesn’t get to everyone, it could be a classic being as it is a clash of two teams who are at their best when they put as much pace on the game as possible. However Wales at home for the Grand Slam will be very hard to beat.
So what do we think?
Will everyone be cheering for Wales for the Grand Slam or cowering at the prospect of the close harmony singing which will be drifting over the border? Will Ashton or O’Sullivan save themselves? And who will be left holding the wooden spoon? What are your thoughts?
by Stuart Peel
Wilkinson pays the price as Cipriani picked for his second first start
Brian Ashton has made just one - yes one - change to the England team for their game against Ireland this weekend. But what a change. Jonny Wilkinson has been dropped from the side for the first time in 9 years and is to be replaced by Danny Cipriani at fly half.
Now nobody can argue that Wilkinson played up to international standard on Saturday but the entire team was utterly useless. To pin the blame entirely on Wilkinson smacks of scapegoating and tokenism and Vainikolo, Balshaw, Vickery and several others can consider themselves extremely fortunate.
Still, let’s look forward to Cipriani taking his bow (assuming he makes it to the starting post this time). He can now claim to be England’s first choice at both fly half and full back – not bad for a 20 year old. Let’s see what he can do.
England: I Balshaw (Gloucester); P Sackey (Wasps), J Noon (Newcastle), T Flood (Newcastle), L Vainikolo (Gloucester); D Cipriani (Wasps), R Wigglesworth (Sale Sharks); A Sheridan (Sale Sharks), L Mears (Bath), P Vickery (Wasps. capt), S Shaw (Wasps), S Borthwick (Bath), T Croft (Leicester), M Lipman (Bath), N Easter (Harlequins).
Replacements: G Chuter (Leicester), M Stevens (Bath), B Kay (Leicester), J Haskell (Wasps), P Hodgson (London Irish), J Wilkinson (Newcastle), M Tait (Newcastle).
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