Have your say on the ELVs
There have been several threads about the ELVs on here recently, with some strong feelings among rugby supporters.
The RFU have obviously been reading the comments from Spike, Rob Watson et al and are inviting the rugby public to share their opinions on the proposed law changes.
The web address is below, and without wanting to sway you in your opinion, make sure you follow the link and tell the powers that be not to meddle with our brilliant game!
Feel free to post your arguments here as well, so that people can make an informed decision.
Ospreys win the EDF non-event
The final of the EDF Energy Cup took place on Saturday, with the Ospreys freezing the Leicester Tigers out of the game in a defensive bore.
The thrill-less final brought to an end the cup competition that has become almost meaningless, and the performances of both teams suggested that neither was really that bothered who won.
It has long been a bugbear of mine that the Anglo-Welsh cup has replaced the national cup competition. I’d like to see a return to the all-inclusive club competition, whereby teams in lower leagues can compete against those in the top-flight.
The Premiership teams could still use it as a development opportunity, and it would give the lesser teams valuable exposure on a big stage. I don’t really like looking to football for examples, but look at the ‘magic’ of the FA Cup.
What are your thoughts? Does the Anglo-Welsh format do it for you?
Fantasy Rugby - Sportsman XV
This time around the topic for the Fantasy XV is Sportsmen, people who have clearly wasted their god given talents by not playing rugby. To keep things interesting only one player per sport has been allowed, and I’ve counted Rugby League as too similar, although given Andy Farrell’s success in an England shirt I’m not too sure any would have made it anyway. (Jason Robinson is a freak for God’s sake!).
Marius Pudzianowski - monster tighthead
1. Geoff Capes - (Shot Put). Although a former World’s Strongest Man, I’ve sneaked him in at loose-head as a former shot-putter. Prodigious strength although he may be a little heavy handed if given the ball.
2. Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor – (Darts). An easy choice for hooker. Incredible throwing accuracy would mean the jumpers could only look at themselves if the line-out wasn’t successful. Good bulk for the scrum but likely to struggle to get around the park. Sociably excellent.
3. Marius Pudzianowski – (Strongman). World’s Strongest man on four occasions. Personal bests for weightlifting would make even Andrew Sheridan raise an eyebrow as they packed down for battle. An obvious choice for tight-head: Bench press - 628 pounds (285 kg); Squat - 826 pounds (375 kg); Deadlift - 925 pounds (420 kg).
4. Ian Thorpe – (Swimming). Massive hands make him a good target in the line-out. Obviously very comfortable on rainy days and wet pitches.
5. Michael Jordan – (Basketball). Quite simply would have been a colossus if he had been introduced to rugby, and not netball, at an early age. Could possibly have pioneered the no lifters required line-out and dominated re-starts. However, I believe cross-field kicks would have taken on a whole new dimension with Mr. Jordan on the receiving end.
6. Sir Steve Redgrave – (Rowing). The greatest Olympian of all time slots in nicely at blind-side flanker. His supreme fitness lending itself to the graft of this position and his height making him a useful extra option at the line-out.
7. Royce Gracie – (U.F.C./Jiu-Jitsu). Winner of the first four Ultimate Fighting Championships despite only being 6ft and 12 ½ stone. Royce’s technical excellence and grappling skills would make him an excellent open-side particularly in the dark worlds of rucking and mauling.
8. Andrew Flintoff – (Cricket) (c). Big man with great hands, ideal for No. 8. Tactical nous required for cricket captaincy should help him command the side but outstanding drinking credentials (see 2005 Ashes celebrations) would help foster good team spirit as well.
9. Frankie Dettori – (Horse Racing). Good scrum halves are little men with big personalities and Frankie fits the bill perfectly. Used to bossing around dumb animals, this is another pre-requisite for a man behind the pack. Jockeys are tough little b*ggers too.
10. Pele – (Football). I was slightly loathed to include a footballer, but the greatest soccer player of all time comes from an age where football was a more decent game. Obviously would favour a kicking game but could alternate with Federer to ensure good variety in the back-line tactics.
11. Chris Hoy – (Cycling). The Olympic Gold medallist over 1km, Hoy has massive explosive power. Thighs like tree trunks would make him a nightmare to tackle and it is easy to imagine him coming off his wing to cause some havoc.
12. Roger Federer – (Tennis). Superb hands and with plenty of deft touches Federer has the potential to light up a back-line. Defensively may be a bit lacking but loves grass surfaces.
13. Muhammed Ali – (Boxing). In positional terms, a contentious choice to include Ali at outside centre, but I believe his speed as well as size would make him pretty handy in the midfield. Should also be able to offer the opposition backs some choice comments during set pieces.
14. Michael Johnson – (200m/400m runner). I know there a more obvious candidates from 100m but they are, in the main, arrogant d*cks. And I also know his leaned back style is all wrong in terms of body positions for rugby but I just have a glorious image of Johnson gliding down the wing, ball tucked under one arm that I can’t get out of my head. He’s not exactly slow either.
15. Terrell Owens – (American Football). Although a Wide Receiver in Gridiron, Owens’ skills at plucking the ball out of the sky lend itself more to full-back in Rugby Union. Also, given his power, employing him as a strike runner through the midfield would also play to his strengths. Probably not got a great kicking game but with the talent in this team that’s nothing to worry about.
A strong team in my eyes although I can see potential weaknesses in terms of 10-12 defence and ballast in the second-row (although to my mind the front-row more than covers this). Any suggested improvements?
By Kemlo Longstaff
More Sevens Heaven…
Continuing our focus on the world of Rugby Sevens, and in the absence of any other interesting news, here is a cracking collection of highlights from the Wellington Sevens earlier this year.
One of my favourite moments is the blatant tackle without the ball that inevitably resulted in a penalty try - keep an eye out for it.
England stars do have some skills after all…
Have a look at this video that proves that Jamie Noon does actually have some silky skills as well as his monstrous tackling!
Here he is, along with Richard Wigglesworth and Mathew Tait having a kickabout and trying out the crossbar challenge.
And 4 hours later, they actually hit it.
For more clips, go to www.youtube.com/gillettetrickstars
Fantasy Rugby - Countries XV
Diplomacy has been put aside by Alex Cook for this XV. Packs don’t come much mightier than this, although finding a suitable language for line-out calls may prove difficult. Perhaps not the most politically correct XV but where’s the harm in a bit of stereotyping?
Countries XV
1. Russia - big, mean & cold
2. Holland - low centre of gravity & a hotbed of talented hookers
3. USA - super-sized, imposing powerhouse with a short fuse
4. Tibet - a dominant force in the lineout, composure and temperament to balance out 2nd row partner
5. North Korea - big guns & won’t take any shit
6. Kenya - wild & will run all day
7. Australia - a thieving nation by origin & will do anything to win
8. Brazil - large but skillful, good footwork
9. Germany - organised & efficient service, but don’t expect a smile
10. Cuba - the general, Latino flair and a master at deceiving and avoiding much larger opposition
11. France - adds a certain I don’t know what
12. China - ambitious, growing in strength with potential to conquer all before him
13. England - organised in defense, and good foil out wide for a powerful pack
14. Greece - a slippery customer
15. Afghanistan - resilient under attack & stealthy penetration behind the opposition line
Interesting that Wales and New Zealand both don’t make the cut…as ever, suggestions are welcome.
Wales: Long-term resurgence or yet another false dawn?
The big story of the Six Nations so far has clearly been the performance of Wales. It is also the big question. How on earth has the rabble who were run off the park by Fiji in the World Cup just a few short months ago suddenly turned into Six Nations table toppers? And is this a false position as they still have to play Ireland or France, or could they seriously win a second Grand Slam in four years?
It is precisely because it would be their second Grand Slam in four years that I remain slightly dubious as to whether this Welsh side are the real deal. In 2005, Wales scraped past England due to a late Gavin Henson penalty, produced a coruscating second half display in Paris playing gung-ho rugby, and suddenly there was no stopping them. Their tails were up, momentum was with them and they took full advantage. ‘Wales are back’, everybody cried, expressing with unanimity that this was excellent news all round for the game of rugby.
But then, nothing. Mike Ruddock was overthrown as coach and Wales spent two years chucking the ball around with gay abandon, often going backwards as they had no platform to build on. The result was 2 wins and 1 draw in the next two years. The removal of Mike Ruddock was troubling as he was a fine coach and by all accounts a ruddy good bloke (sorry). When players can pick and choose the coach then you are in trouble and from a distance it certainly looked as though this talented group of players had got somewhat above themselves. The suspicion was that they felt they had made it, the hard work stopped and the fun started.
In 2008, Wales narrowly won their first game and history (or at least the first bit) could be about to repeat itself. They were outplayed for 50 minutes by England and took merry advantage when their opponents imploded. Since then they have look sharp, witty, inventive and ruthless. However this was against Italy and Scotland, both of whom admitted to having played pretty poorly. We will know far more in a couple of weeks’ time when Wales will have travelled to Croke Park and hosted the schizophrenic French. And we will know a lot more in a year’s time as it will be clear whether Wales have simply found good form or whether they are the genuine article.
But what has made the difference thus far? I am not convinced that Gatland and Edwards can really have worked their magic in such a short period. Their record at Wasps speaks for itself and it is unlikely they will let the team slump as they did after their last successful championship, but they are not miracle-workers. Their influence may be that the motivation to impress a new, hard-nosed, unknown coaching team has put a rocket up the players. This is a talented generation of Welsh players who have let themselves down in the recent past. We are now seeing how they can perform and it is an impressive sight.
The worry is that the second bit of history could repeat itself as well. The key job of the new coaching team will be to harness the undoubted talent on a long-term basis. The raw material is there but has not utilised its potential. Surely they can’t make the same mistakes again but it does give the right for the outsider to reserve judgement at least for a while. The circumspect reaction of the Welsh public to their 3 wins thus far suggests that they have their doubts.
So what do people think? Wales for the Grand Slam? Are this current crop of Welsh players thoroughbreds or show ponies? Is this finally the resurgence of Welsh rugby or just the umpteenth false dawn in the past 25 years?
by Stuart Peel
Two home wins and England beat France in Paris…again
England beat the French 24-13 at the Stade de France last night, amid scenes reminiscent of the semi-final triumph in October.
I was reminded of that old cliche about which French team will turn up, but last night no team turned up at all. England dominated throughout, with the front five looking much more effective and generating quick ball for the backs.
Let’s not get too excited though - England still aren’t that great, and if Balshaw is picked against Scotland, I might start following a different sport. I’ve seen tighthead props more comfortable under the high ball.
The result means that Wales are the only team still chasing a Grand Slam after their impressive performance against Wales, whilst Ireland scored 5 tries to beat Scotland 34-13.
We’ll feature some analysis of the games on here during the week, but let us know your thoughts. Are England back on track? Will Wales win the Grand Slam? Should Scotland be relegated to a competition where they might win a game - like the U13B National Trophy?!
Six Nations Betting League - Round 1 standings
There are three clear leaders after round one of The Rugby Blog Betting League, with ‘kelvinlittle’ streaking ahead into triple figures.
The England defeat at Fortress Twickenham obviously caught a few people by surprise, although there are 9 people with an account balance of £10 - they obviously thought the first round was too hard to call!
Don’t forget to place your bets for Round 2, which sees France take on Ireland, Wales versus Scotland and Italy host England in Rome - there is still a long way to go!
Account balances are shown to the nearest pound. Click on the table to see leaderboard in full.
The Fly Half Debate – Wilkinson vs Cipriani
It’s been simmering for some weeks but the debate over the future of Jonny Wilkinson and the emergence of the young pretender, Danny Cipriani has burst forth with renewed vigour in the wake of England’s startling collapse against Wales. Wilkinson has been made a scapegoat for the defeat with people citing his extravagant and wildly inaccurate pass inside his own 22, ironically to Cipriani himself, as evidence of his decline. Cipriani didn’t get the chance to show what he could do, brought on out of position through necessity, clambering aboard a ship which was already sinking beyond retrieval.
This attention on Wilkinson in the wake of Saturday is unfair. Fly half is the most exposed position on the pitch. He is the player who looks fantastic when all around him is going well and awful when they are going a little pear-shaped. Saturday was a case in point. Wilkinson played a controlled first half, prompting and probing from a much flatter alignment than we have seen from him for a while. James Hook meanwhile was largely anonymous as the machine around him spluttered and misfired badly.
In the second half, Wilkinson suddenly found himself receiving poor ball with a dearth of options at his disposal. The unbalancing of the back row and the loss of Tindall had much to do with this. He was criticised for kicking too much but having re-watched the second half, it is clear that he really did not have many other options. He is not a breaking fly half and therefore there was little else he could do. He was not blameless for the collapse, but it was hardly all is fault. Hook meanwhile was assuming the controls and playing a very effective role but he did no more than a test fly half should in the circumstances. That he received the man of the match award demonstrates amply the ‘all-or-nothing’ nature of the number 10 shirt.
As Jake White correctly observed after the game, a seemingly flaky fly half is often a symptom of a team falling apart, not a cause. The same goes for a successful team. The 10 will be the one pulling the strings but for every game where he is the standout player, there will be several in which he is having an armchair ride as all around him excel, often doing unseen work clearing a ruck to create quick ball, or running a dummy line to hold a defender.
This brings me on to Cipriani. He undoubtedly has electric talent and his raw materials in attack constitute a more impressive package than Wilkinson. He is quicker and plays flatter meaning that defences cannot take their eye off him but he is just a capable of fizzing a pass out to put a man through a gap. His support play is also impressive. But before he is handed the task of replacing England rugby’s favourite son, let’s look at the evidence objectively.
Cipriani has played 10 at Wasps for half a season and has put in a string of excellent performances. But as said before, the fly half’s display can be as much a symptom as a cause of the team’s performance. Cipriani’s stellar efforts have come in matches where James Haskell, Eoin Reddan, Riki Flutey and Fraser Waters have similarly excelled and should be seen in that context. This is not to take anything away from Cipriani. He is hugely talented, tremendous to watch and plays the game with a refreshing ambition. But let’s not get too carried away too quickly. He was outstanding for half a game against Clermont when his team were on the front foot, exposed in the second when his team struggled. Neither was entirely down to him.
Many of the key attributes of a fly half are not so obvious but are just as crucial considerations. These include ‘game management’ and the influence the player has on a team. These are immeasurable and often only become clear when that player is absent. The effect Wilkinson has on those around him was shown in the World Cup. While there were many other factors at work, his belated presence galvanised his team. It is to senior players such as him that the team will now turn.
Yet it is in this part of the game that Wilkinson did let himself down on Saturday. The team was crying out for leadership, for someone to (pardon the footballism) put his foot on the ball and inject some calm into the proceedings. Wilkinson did not provide this leadership. Granted neither did anyone else but his influence on the team is such that he was more culpable than most. This is the area in which he weakened his cause.
In light of this, would the team be galvanised by the introduction of the young tyro? Would his boyish enthusiasm and refreshing confidence inject new life into the team? Possibly, but now is not the time. Firstly, there were promising signs on Saturday and evidence that England’s game was taking shape – it was the mental side where they were found wanting. Secondly, you should not overhaul your team after one game. I called for a Cipriani-Wilkinson 10-12 combination before the tournament. But having picked Wilkinson and Toby Flood, Ashton must stick with them and give them a chance to shape the team.
On form alone, Cipriani is the more compelling contender. He will win many, many caps and could be something special. But to take Wilkinson out of the team would destabilise it even further. Drop Wilkinson after one game in which he made only one glaring error, and the players will see that nobody is safe. This would send out all the wrong messages to the players and fear would creep into their performances. This would be disastrous. Beyond that, Wilkinson has earned his place indisputably over time. He is not in the team because of who he is, but because of what he has achieved and what he is still capable of. Let us not forget that 3 months ago, Wilkinson was a hero, perceived as having rescued England’s World Cup. Are we really that fickle?
By Stuart Peel
The England team to face Italy will be announced at lunchtime today - will Cipriani be picked? Have your say this morning and check The Rugby Blog later for the full team line-up.
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