Is there a BOD?

I don't recall how I felt when BOD was dropped for the final test. All I remember is how great it was when we won by so much, making a mockery of a team that was rich in talent but poor in unity. However, having watched the below video, there is a part of me that thinks what more did the centers we eventually went for offer than this man?

Watch and ask yourself the same question.

Lions Raw - Tonight Sky Sports 2 - 10pm

         

Just watch. If these two trailers are anything to go by, wow.

Canterbury Cuffs

Those who remember from a while back I got quite excited about the prospect of Canterbury taking over the design and production of the new England rugby kit. They did a decent job, but their latest attempt has frankly left me baffled. 

There isn't much you can do with the color, I understand that. However, effectively keeping it the same and adding a black cuff to a short sleeve shirt makes my head hurt. Someone has reliably informed me that it is indeed dark blue but it looks black and with colours I believe its all about what it looks like rather than what marketing types tell me. 'My polo shirt is burnt terracotta'. No its not, its orange so shut the hell up and go buy yourself another skinny chai latte....

The training kit looks swish but you expect that from Canterbury. I'm hoping the disappointment of the new kit is just a ploy and a lead up to all the players ripping off their sleeves in a 'beserker' type rage before kick-off and going sleeveless 'Chuck Norris' on the un-prepared opposition.

Canterbury - Must.Do. Better.

Aviva Premiership 13/14 Top 4: All Change or Stay as You Were?

I though it might be good idea to see who the movers and shakers are after round 5 of the Aviva Premiership. It has been a fantastic few weeks, throwing up some great running rugby and some shock results to boot. 

Sitting pretty at the top of the pile are Saracens. A team this year, who seem determined to rip off those shackles and play the running rugby we so desperately asked of them.  With a backline boasting some of the most lethal finishers in the country it was about time they lived up to their billing. Throw into the mix a much beefier pack with additions Billy Vunipola and James Johnston and you start to see a side who have a well rounded edge and little in the way of weaknesses. The first 3 games optimised this and bonus point wins over London Irish, Gloucester and Bath showed a mixture of ‘forwards’ grunt and ‘backs’ prowess. Combine this with two gritty wins over Harlequins and Wasps and you see that Saracens haven’t lost their ‘wolfpack’ mentality.

They have also been lucky with injuries and with Will Fraser and Neil De Kock back to full fitness they have an abundance of talent to choose from.  Saracens are so good, that they can even bring players back from the brink of extinction......Jacques Burger. A one man wrecking ball, who is back and better than ever. Even a stamp to the face leading to 9 stitches on his eye lid can’t stop him having two man of the match performances.  We still haven’t seen the likes of Tim Streather, Championship Player of the season last year and with great strength in depth in all positions you can see Saracens pushing for honours across Europe this year. 

Northampton sit comfortably in second place and personally I feel they pose a real threat to take the top prize this year. After agonisingly missing out for a few seasons, could this be their year? From what I’ve seen, they look physical from 1 to 15. They too have made some excellent acquisitions in Kahn Fotuali’i and Lions superstars Alex Corbisiero and Geroge North and was it not for some horrific refereeing decisions against Gloucester they would be even hotter on the heels of Saracens. 

After the loss of Mujati and Tongahuia it was debated whether or not they would cope this season. Alex Corbisiero has done a great job since arriving and Tom Mercey for me, would be ‘work in progress.’ It’s the power from the second row and back row where Northampton look so strong. Samu Manoa and Courtney Lawes provide a shuddering amount of grunt and with a back row of Dowson, Wood and Van Velze, they are never short of any ‘go forward.’ The backs also look incredibly strong. The Pisi brothers have made a name for themselves in the midfield and add to that George North and Luther Burrell and you have a set of battering rams ready to get you over the gain line. 

Northampton definitely missed a trick on Saturday when they let Leicester back into the game at Welford Road. That would have been a real statement of intent and possibly highlights their one area of weakness.....their mentality.  I think back to the Premiership semi-final against Saracens at Franklins Gardens when Myler bottled the attempt at a drop goal. It is these moments that define winners and losers and I had a sense they still lack that killer instinct. If they can adopt that, then they really are in contention for some silverware this season.

Leicester complete the top three and with their coach having to sit and watch from a porter cabin, you would say they have done well. To me they are not the force of old but their never say die attitude and knowledge of how win still sees them competing in the top 4. The team looks like it is going through a rebuilding process. The loss of players such as Geordan Murphy and George Chuter means that the number of on field generals is reduced and players such as Toby Flood, Louis Deacon and Dan Cole now need to really step up and be counted. Their forwads still seem a very stable force and this was demonstrated on Saturday with the dismantling of Northampton’s scrum. Salvi is still one of the best number  7’s in the country and Jordan Crane is getting back to his best with his lung bursting runs and solid defence.

It is in the backs where I feel there is cause for concern.  Injury to Tuilagi has meant that Goneva has been moved from wing to centre. He did well against Exeter but was really found out against a much stronger backline in Northampton.  His Fijian style tackling technique means he often flies up for the big hit. More often than not against Northampton he missed, leaving the midfield exposed. When Scully was forced off they brought Dan Bowden onto the field as a make shift winger. To me it highlighted a lack of strength in depth outside of the fly half and could be Leicester’s undoing this season.

Bath are the final team currently sitting in the play off positions. Is it shock? Probably not, considering the squad they have assembled for this season.  The biggest plus for Bath, the two fingers they have given to all their doubters over the form of George Ford.  Touted as one of the worst moves to make (from Leicester to Bath) he has played with aplomb so farm, orchestrating 3 wins out of 5. To start with, they have an excellent coaching set up in Gary Gold, Mike Ford and Toby Booth. Add to this a whopping pack with new additions Alafoti Fa'osiliva, Leroy Houston and Matt Garvey and a backline with international class and you see that Bath could be starting to fulfil their potential.

Their backs look electric and could pose the meanest of defences a problem. New acquisitions Jonathon Joseph and Anthony Watson join a back division which boasts Matt Banahan, Tom Biggs and the ever impressive Semesa Rokoduguni. Add to this two international fly halves in George Ford and Tom Heathcote and you have the makings of a very potent back line. There is even everyone’s favourite Gavin Henson. I still stand by what I said when he joined Saracens. If he can get back to the form he had when he burst on to the scene then Bath have made a very astute signing. If he doesn’t find that form then Bath will look equally as stupid as Saracens, Toulon and Cardiff Blues and Henson’s career will head further down the pan!

The one area of definite weakness is their squad strength! I know Francois Louw is still to return and this is fantastic news, but against Saracens they really lacked a cutting edge. The first few weeks they had been unstoppable, defeating Leicester at the Rec was a definite highlight. Against a rampaging Saracens at Allianz Park they decided to rest/bench their top players and it proved to be their undoing in a 31-17 drubbing. They shipped 31 points in the first half and was it not for these rested players coming on in the second half, it could have been even worse. 

Will the top 4 stay this way? We will have to see. I can’t see Saracens or Northampton being dislodged but 3^rd and 4^th are definitely up for grabs. I will assess the merits of the teams further down the table in my next article and asses whether or not we have the potential for a shift of power in the Aviva Premiership. 

Sky Sports BTen by New Sports Coverage

Firstly I would like to apologise for the lack of material over the past few months. I would love to state that I have a pregnant wife of that I have had a promotion although I would be lying. The lure of many weeks away on holiday got the better of me. Teachers really don’t get enough holidays, so when they do it is best to take full advantage.

Anyway.....back to the grind.

After moving in to a new house, the all important question was who is going to provide my internet and TV service. Cue BT’s £152 million rugby deal which firmly tied my hands behind my back. A few phone calls later and the s

uccessful installation of my Home Hub and You View box and I was ready to go.

The concern of many people was the coverage and the cost. Sky and Virgin seemed to play a very childish game initially, refusing to stream the channel on their platform. Luckily for their customers, Sky backed down and were reluctantly followed by Virgin. BT can be added for £12 a month and for many this addition came at the expense of ESPN which was being charged at £10 a month. The big question: Would it be worth it?

The other big question on many people’s minds was who were BT going to employ to present the rugby. Sky Sports had created a strong band of ex professional pundits whose popularity had started to wane with the emergence of ESPN’s coverage. The boisterous chemistry between, Mark Durden Smith, Austin Healey and Ben Kay often had me in stitches and provided a welcome relief from the often stagnant thoughts of Dewi Morris and Stuart Barnes. The one shining light for Sky was Will Greenwood who really provided an excellent insight into the game and offered a passion which could get the mellowest of people really enthused.

BT were clever in their approach, gradually unveiling their new look team.  Jake Humphreys who had been extremely popular on his F1 show was swiftly followed by every woman’s favourite Irish presenter, Craig Doyle. He had been excellent on his ITV4 rugby highlights show and even managed to drag his compatriot Martin Bayfield along as well. Throw into the mix Lawrence Dallaglio, Matt Dawson, Ben Kay and Austin Healey, and you have yourself four men who were all part of a World Cup Winning Team.  Alongside this knowledgeable group, BT have also managed to snare some very popular guests including Shaun Edwards, who used their studio pitch to demonstrate blitz and drift defences.

It was a shame that Will Greenwood didn’t make the move, or wasn’t offered to move but his work with Rugby Club and School of Hard Knocks alongside Craig Quinnell was clearly a priority. ESPN’s dominance in viewing figures clearly paved the way for contracts for Ben Kay and Austin Healey. I will say it now! I like Austin Healey. I apologise if I have offended any people reading this and would urge you to read to the end. I enjoy his relationship with his co-presenters and the element of fun he provides on match days. He is also very insightful when it comes to talking about backs (something I really have no idea about). Having played nearly every position in the back line, as well as representing his country and the British Lions, we really cannot afford to ignore his insights.  Alongisde the’ forward’ thinking Ben Kay (see what I did there) they give the viewer a clear picture of how teams play, and what they are hoping to achieve.

The promise of 69 live Aviva Premiership matches brought mixed emotions in my house. On the one hand the thought of a Friday night, Saturday and Sunday game brought tears of joy (to me) although the other half seemed decidedly put out at the thought of spending weekends alone. If it wasn’t for my generous donation of the TV on a Sunday night for Downton Abbey then I may very well have been newly single. 

Four weeks later, 12 games down and I can safely say that BT Sport has been a very welcome addition in my household.  It was a brave call to broadcast Newcastle vs Bath first. In terrible conditions Bath claimed a 21-0 victory in a game which never really took off and didn’t fully show the capabilities of the new TV service. It was the double header the next day which offered more to the viewer. Pitch side insight and on field interviews during the warm up gave you a feel of the intensity within the squads and provided you with a feeling of being there even though you were sat at home on your sofa with a beer!

The games which have been broadcast have also been crackers.  From a biased view as a Saracens fan it has been excellent watching the first 4 games on TV, and I find myself quite put out that they have been shunned this week.  The game of the season so far for me was Gloucester vs Northampton. It had everything. Excellent rugby from superstars of the game.  Tightly contested scrums, contender for try of the season and some horrific refereeing decisions, this game had it all. All this in only the third week of the season. It also saw everyone’s comedy villain presenter Austin Healey losing the plot on the side lines about the abysmal refereeing decisions of Martin Fox.    

I’m looking forward to another three games this weekend, although as Saracens aren’t playing I have promised the northern other half I will sacrifice a game to head to the pub and watch her beloved Wigan in the Grand Final in rugby league.  It’s a thumbs up from me for the new BT coverage and I would be intrigued to see what others think about the coverage too.  A full season should serve the test of time, but it’s looking very promising so far.

South Africa vs Argentina - yup about exciting as it sounds

Where exactly are all the fans? That's right, they must have realised this game was about as fun as stepping on an upward facing plug. 

Todd Stupid to Clever in one movement

Skip to the slowed-down version at 2:21 on the slider. You can see Todd Clever's realisation that he is about to do something amazingly illegal then recover to 'safely' land the muppet who decided to start on one of the hardest US players outside of Samu Manoa.

I know I haven't updated in a loooooong time. Please forgive me, between newly pregnant missus and promotions at work, blogging has recently played third fiddle. However, thankyou for those 30 or so readers who keep logging on and checking daily. I look forward to repaying your loyalty over the coming weeks!

Ross

Premiership Final Day - Toby Flood can hardly contain himself

Why can't it always be like this?

I feel exhausted just watching. I am definitely going for a run tomorrow.

Oh sweet sanity!

Pretty soon I can stop referring to them as 'Wycombe Wasps'. If this comes off I will be the happiest man in North London, and have three premiership teams within an hours travel.

http://www.espnscrum.com/premiership-2012-13/rugby/story/179241.html

'Don't get me wrong, the Welsh would have won anyway'

This is phrase that has been winding me up the past week.

Most commentators/columnists/armchair generals (a group I am clearly part of) have been saying it. 'Dont get me wrong, Wales would have won anyway, but that (insert expletive here) Walsh couldn't ref a scrum to save his life, and he clearly hates the English!'.

My annoyance is twofold. The statement of the title is, at its basis, true. Regardless of who was reffing thaty day, (deep swallowing of pride) Wales were simply awesome. The front-row on a good reffing day would have probably torn the South African scrum apart and their backs man for man (maybe with the exception of Farrell and Biggar) were, and simply are, better than us. Their back-row was electric. I have not seen balance to a back-row like that since Hill/Back/Dallaglio. And here it goes, I think they might actually be better. The old England trio used to just dog it, there was no where they would not put their head in the effort to get a turnover or slow opposition ball down. The Welsh boys do that, with the added bonus of them all being 'footballers'. With Lydiate still to return, this could well be the best back-row of modern times.

So this is my first point, Wales ARE the better team. That should be the first and last thing out of any commentators mouth. So why is it always used as a caviat to the main complaint about Walsh?

This leads me to my second point. The scrums have been a mess for about 4-5 seasons now. I was there in Swansea last year when Saracens played the Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium in the H-Cup. This was the infamous game that sarries DoR Mark McCall announced:

"The scrums were carnage tonight. In the old days you used to practice scrum moves but coaches have stopped doing that as there is a free-kick or penalty at every scrum so there is no need for those moves."

You could argue things have got marginally better. You could but you'd be an idiot. Thanks to being able to hear the refs calls nowadays, you could clearly hear Walsh putting a pregnant pause in between the 'touch-set' phase of the scrum call, precisely what the new calls were brought in to get rid of!

So my second point, why are we surprised this area was poorly managed? The character that is Steve Walsh aside, refs have not got a bleedin clue how to manage a scrum, and haven't had for some time. The reason as to why it has become an issue again is because England lost. The same England that two seasons ago would have bitten your hand off it offered a second place finish (something they went on to achieve) whilst being in this transition phase. An England team that despite the result last weekend, I'm still very excited about.

Rant over. Wales are better. That is all that matters in the short term and its great for the British Lions. Yes the Welsh game was a lesson for England, but let it be exactly that. As in education, when a lesson is delivered you take the positives you can from the experience and look to see what areas you can improve on. You don't wail and bitch about the teacher regardless of how poor they were as compensation for your own shortcomings.

Woodward criticises Lancaster/Media relationship. Blogger laughs very hard indeed.

 

This from the man who employed Alistair Campbell to 'manage' media relations during the Lions series to NZ  in 2005, also announcing at a press conference he believed the Lions had the edge over the Kiwis because 'winning teams play in red'. The 2003 World Cup win has never felt so long ago.

http://www.espnscrum.com/england/rugby/story/179118.html

Rugby Simulator 2013

Reality TV usually means fake boobs, limited intelligence and 'real life' situations. We are meant to be jealous of these people. I personally just don't care. Admittedly I do have a cheeky watch of  Made in Chelsea though. Binky, big fan.

The above I could definitely watch for a hour every Tuesday, with adverts. No fake tan, no 'created reality', just sheer trench-view. Whilst the speed and power is impressive, being this close to the action lets us see that speed aside, the technical skills are the same throughout the sport. Hats off to FOX for getting us that bit closer to action and making a perpetual cripple feel like part of the match!

Thanks to my good pal Chris Aukett for making me aware of this. His hair is glorious.

Super Rugby, how you've been missed

Super Rugby is well and truly back with last year's whipping boys the Auckland Blues playing some incredible rugby and new boys Southern Kings giving the bookies a headache through some very impressive opening performances, not looking like the walkover everyone assumed them to be.

The tie of the matches so far was the one below. Chiefs vs Highlanders in round two. What a game. Check out the wheels on number 13, Tim Nanai Williams. He appears to accelerate whilst breaking stride, either an optical illusion or just bloody amazing. People were concerned about the Sonny Bill Williams shaped hole in the centre at the beginning of the season.
Suffice to say, not anymore.

Then four come along at once...

Below is the fruit of my shameless approach to having pictures with as many current and historically significant players as humanly possible. This was at the St Columba's College annual Sportsman's Dinner, always a good bash and an excellent fundraiser put together by Jimmy Lewis, our Old Boys 'Organiser-in-Chief'.  Rick O'Shea PA'd the event really well and I will be skimming down the Sky channels to catch him on Scrum V and RaboDirect commentary much more than I already do. He was a very funny man. 

First up, my rugby hero, Schalk Brits. Players like him and Keith Wood give a two fingers up to those effeminate backs and cynical pundits who believe a front row's role is to bend over and push, occasionally scrape back a ball in a scrum and throw the odd lineout. He is the rugby equivalent of Gareth Bale, and that is no exaggeration. 

Former Scotland international and British Lion Scott Hastings, what a bloke. Spoke to him about the local rugby scene as well as his role as an analyst for RTE. Gave a good account of his depth of rugby knowledge when being cross examined by the somewhat inebriated Old Boy crowd.

Former England Prop Victor Ubogu next. Hilarious man, especially when he dropped a clanger about some professional rugby coaches being 'too teacher like' not realising there were about 30 teachers in the room at the time.

Finally former Scotland international, Grand Slam winner and British Lion, Craig Chalmers. I love his articles in Rugby World, and he liked it when I referred to his pieces as containing 'brutal honesty'. He does some punditry for Sky Sports 7s coverage and he has just taken over as Head Coach at Chinnor RFC in Oxfordshire, who currently reside in National 2 South. Could not have been friendlier.

Credit to the game this lot. They didn't sit in the corner looking like they wanted to be anywhere else other than the Hilton on the A41 near Bushey, getting involved and working the crowd well into the late hours. In the future if you see me out and making a beeline for a professional player, iPhone at the ready, please intercept me. I am very wary of gaining a reputation as being the rugby equivalent of a screaming teenage girl at a One Direction concert.

Depression...big boys do cry

This is without doubt one of the most powerful things I have ever seen on youtube (apart from the one with that cat sticking its hands in the air).

John Kirwan was a feared rugby player to say the least and has turned himself into a very capable coach too. How humbling to see his warts and all insight into his struggle with depression, something that affects signifcantly more people than those diagnosed. As with Gareth Thomas coming out, it takes men who don't fit a stereotype to make people realise that stereotypes are in fact a load of s**t.

Its thirteen minutes long but please take the time to watch it. You won't regret it.

BUNDLE!

This video has gone viral amongst the rugby community in the last few days. Here is the original video and a 'fans eye' view of the unfolding pugilism. Apparently Georgian and Top 14 superstar Gorgodze is in there somewhere but you try telling him apart from the other units gracing the field. Love the fact that if this went down in Watford town centre arrests and charges would probably have been dished out but as this is an organised sporting event its ok!

Jebus this boy is quick

I know this has been around for a while now but its worth a second look. This is kid is rapid. Watch, observe and be in awe. Further proof that rugby can be picked up and played at any age. Of course it helps if you have pace that closely resembles faeces departing from a digging device.

Apologies for lack of blogs recently, start of the new term has been mental to say the least. Knee update coming soon I 'swear down' as the kids say.