Reggie Corrigan, writing in The Times, has no time for glory-supporting "Lunsters".

"I’ll never forget the hype and the mania and the scramble for tickets before the Leinster v Munster semi-final in Lansdowne Road three years ago. There was talk back then that if only the GAA would open up Croke Park, we’d have had no trouble filling it. Well three years on, and it’s actually happened – and there still aren’t enough tickets.

"I’ve been scrounging around same as everybody else. It’s a pain, but it’s also wonderful. The rivalry between two great teams and two fantastic sets of supporters is at the heart of what has made Irish rugby great.

"There’s just one problem. Munster’s fantastic success in the past few years has spawned a mutant breed of rugby fan – the Lunsters. They are born, bred, living and working in Leinster but they have turned their back on their own province and decided to support the men in red.

"I can hear already hear their yelps of self-justification: Everyone is entitled to support the team of their choice. Yes, but only within reason. Of all the arguments I’ve had with these people over the years – and I’ve had plenty, believe me - I’ve never been convinced."

In The Independent, Peter Bills meets Cheeky Watson for a chat about the future of South African rugby.

"Some men, it seems, spend their lives fighting. Not necessarily in a physical sense, although violence and the threat of it is no stranger to Cheeky Watson.

"But in a mental sense, Watson has been battling against the odds, against the authorities for much of his 54 years. This man of South Africa has been at odds with differing ruling bodies within this country for so long. The Apartheid Government, the current South African Rugby Union, past Springbok coaches: doesn't Watson become weary at a never ending list of battles? After all, even Napoleon got fatigued by constant campaigns. So can he imagine a day when he won't have a battle to fight?

"He shifts his (not inconsiderable) frame in the chair and smiles. "I look forward to that day, I honestly do" he tells me. "Sometimes you get tired of fighting. There is a time when you want just to relax and reflect. Frankly, I would like to walk away from all the fighting and sit back. Has all this wearied or enhanced me ? It has wearied me, there is no doubt. But I have become very disappointed in the integrity and character of many people that are leading South African rugby. I won't name names but they know who they are."

The New Zealand Herald's Chris Rattue believes that Auckland rugby and the Blues need Dan Carter to rejuvenate their fortunes.

"But the whole Blues set-up would benefit from the introduction of a world-class playmaker schooled in the great Robbie Deans' regime. Hopefully, Carter would teach the Blues a thing or two, rather than the other way around. Watching their pathetic capitulation against the Reds at Albany, there must be serious questions over whether discipline in their camp is what it should be.

"There were a couple of strong performances - with Anthony Boric and Rudi Wulf catching the eye - but the overall effort was abysmal. They are a team without a mantra, who only have good days when the chips fall their way.

"Whether the Blues make the semifinals or not - and you would have to doubt that they will - their progress is not encouraging. Pat Lam needs a major rethink. If only that future could include Dan Carter. The trouble is, Carter may not regard trying to turn around an unruly side as the best way of preparing for the All Blacks, or enjoying his rugby. He may decide to stick with the devilishly good and stable franchise that he knows, rather than the Auckland devil that he doesn't."

Peter Bills, writing in The Independent, believes that the Lions will need a first-class attitude in South Africa, and that they could learn from South Africa's recent rugby history.

"The Lions tour starts on 30 May and ends on 4 July. Just 10 matches and then they are consigned to history. Yet history teaches us a very valuable lesson as to attitudes which can prevail, even against the most enormous odds. Back in 1995, the Springboks scrum half at that memorable World Cup in South Africa, was Joost van der Westhuizen, a fast, brilliant, competitive player.

"When those Springboks won that World Cup, it was an emotional moment for the newly unified country. But it was what van der Westhuizen said later that had a powerful resonance as regards future teams, whatever the sport.

"In a sense, it wasn't about winning the World Cup" he said, to some surprise. "It was about achieving our goal; that was what meant more to us."

"The South African was spot-on in his view. A trophy is ultimately a trophy, a piece of silverware and no more. Victories are wonderful and celebrated regally. But it is not the actual raising of some trophy that will thereafter disappear behind closely guarded doors for the next few years, which is the triumph."

Peter Jessop is not impressed by the latest Super 14 action - read his latest column in the New Zealand Herald.

"I tried to watch the Super 14 at the weekend - I really tried hard - but the lack of professionalism is a big turn-off.

"Never mind the confusion over the different varieties of rules and the different interpretations since the advent of the ELVs, the game would be vastly improved if the players managed the simple process of passing and catching the ball, holding on to it in the tackle and then setting it properly for quick recycling."

Leicester have put their European fate in the healing hands of the German doctor whose 'rooster-booster' treatment has cured a galaxy of global stars. writes Peter Jackson in the Daily Mail.

"The Tigers' prospects of surviving Sunday's exposure to six Welsh Lions at the Millennium Stadium and stopping Cardiff's unbeaten run to the Heineken Cup final will rest on whether Dr Hans Muller- Wolfhart has got Aaron Mauger up and running in time. Leicester will have their most valuable player back in training this morning after sending him to the renowned specialist's clinic in Munich, where patients have included Michael Owen and Paula Radcliffe.

"The All Black's presence in midfield will be crucial if Leicester are to reach their fourth European final and recapture the Guinness Premiership title which they lost to Wasps last season. Instead of collecting his club player of the year trophy last week, Mauger was in Germany hoping to find a swift cure to the back condition which has kept him out of action for a month. Muller-Wolfhart's treatment includes a substance taken from crushed pink cockerels' combs."

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Brian Moore re-states his belief that the Lions squad has been selected with confrontation in mind.

"When the Lions took a hammering in the first Test on their 1989 tour of Australia, McGeechan made plain the necessity of confrontation in the remaining Tests; both of which the Lions went on to win, securing a place in Lions history as the only side to win a series after losing the opening Test.

"When subsequent games turned rough, McGeechan refused to apologise in the usual mealy-mouthed British way. He and Clive Rowlands, the manager, deflected all criticism, which enraged the Australian press and delighted the Lions squad in equal measure. The fact is, McGeechan likes his players to play on the edge and is comfortable with the belligerent and cantankerous. However, this hidden familiarity with conflict has not always manifested itself sufficiently, as a study of McGeechan's extraordinary Lions coaching record attests."

Mike Blair and Chris Cusiter may have been handed a late chance to play their way on to the 2009 British and Irish Lions tour, writes David Ferguson in The Scotsman.

"It was widely believed that Cusiter was next in McGeechan's thinking, having impressed the coach as his midweek No 9 on the 2005 tour, while that tour's Test scrum-half Dwayne Peel is now fully recovered from injury and back in the frame. The problem for them now is game-time.

"With Cusiter having opted to leave France for Glasgow this summer, he has been relegated to the bench at Perpignan, and Peel came off the bench in what was Sale's final match of the season on Saturday, leaving McGeechan to state that he will take the next fortnight to make up his mind on a replacement."

Former Wales international Barry John questions the omission of current captain Ryan Jones from the Lions squad - read his thoughts in the Wales on Sunday.

"I can still remember the contribution and his leadership skills for Wales when we should have beaten South Africa in the second Test on last summer’s tour. Ryan, for me, showed what a world-class player he is on that occasion and that is what the Lions will miss this summer. I certainly thought the knowledge that he has led Wales to a Grand Slam would have swung selection for him.What will make it worse for Ryan is that his omission probably came at the inclusion of his Wales team-mate, Andy Powell."

Richard Loe fears that the rugby public in New Zealand do not quite understand the major dilemma facing the game in that part of the world, with the inability of the Sanzar partners to agree on a new Super 14 format. Read his thoughts in the New Zealand Herald.

"Whatever happens, the NZRU have to find a way to keep the South Africans. A competition involving island and/or Japanese teams doesn't do it for me and I don't think it will do it for fans either. If that's the case, you can only wonder how much TV will be prepared to pay for a competition of lesser interest.

"It's all very well for Steve Tew to say that rugby is the leading sport viewed on Sky. So it bloody should be. But the plain fact is that numbers watching on TV are shrinking - and you wonder what TV negotiator is going to pay more for a sport where fewer people are turning up to grounds and where audiences on the box are reducing."

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Paul Ackford believes Tuesday's Lions squad announcement was a two-fingered take-that reaction to the last Lions tour, orchestrated and led by Sir Clive Woodward.

"Woodward took injured players to New Zealand; anyone who had so much as an in-growing toenail wasn't considered this time. Woodward booked 45 players on to the plane; McGeechan opted for 37, and only increased to that number because a Heineken Cup final between Munster and Cardiff could take as many as 14 players out of the mix the weekend before the Lions' first match.

"Woodward had two separate and distinct coaching teams to look after the midweek and Saturday outfits; McGeechan is taking just two outside-halves to "give them a clear shot at controlling and developing the rugby we want to play". And to think McGeechan was a coach on Woodward's ill-fated expedition. Ouch."

Club champions of Europe can add to their legend by driving tourists towards glory in South Africa according to Stephen Jones in the Sunday Times.

"Munster had eight players in the original 2009 Lions squad, as many as all of England, four times as many as Scotland, and almost all of the eight were in key positions. With the sad loss of Tomás O’Leary, who broke his left ankle playing against the Scarlets on Friday, they are down to seven but remain the core. They have an overwhelmingly crucial role to play. If the Lions win the series, then we can add individual all-time greatness to the list of Munster qualities.

"They will have none of their usual advantages, they will be way, way out of their normal comfort zone. The collective will be different, they will be playing at stadiums that make even the gleaming new Thomond Park look rather reserved and quaint, they will be exposed to the full blast of a Lions Test match, something that renders the Heineken Cup just a cosy local tiff. And they will have to dominate, not simply exist. The mental edge they have over most opposition will be absent, too. Bakkies Botha and company will give not a fig for the reputation of Munster (or of Leinster, Cardiff or anyone).

By overlooking Tom Croft in favour of Alan Quinlan, the Lions have decided where to win the war according to Stuart Barnes in the Sunday Times.

"The Lions can lose the lineouts and win the series, but if the battle at the breakdown is lost so too is hope of a third series win in South Africa. Hence the much-maligned decision to sacrifice the towering potential of Tom Croft for the nefarious tricks of Alan Quinlan.

"More than any other selection, this one reveals the thinking behind the Lions’ strategy. Gerald Davies opened Tuesday’s press conference by saying they intended to play “smart rugby”. For smart rugby, read Munster rugby – and for Munster rugby, read brilliance at the breakdown."

Writing in the Scotland on Sunday, Iain Morrison offers his thoughts on Ian McGeechan's Lions squad.

"One commentator complained of the lack of "stardust" in the squad but the modern reality is that top-level matches are rarely won by moments of inspiration. Instead, the winning team usually relies upon the brutal application of relentless effort allied to correct decision-making.

"The omission of James "Stardust" Hook means that the remaining playmakers are primarily kickers and it is a little worrying that McGeechan has not given himself even the option of playing a more expansive, ball-in-hand game. However, he is experienced enough to know what he can achieve with a scratch team on a six-week tour. The answer is a lot less than he would like and, given the players he has selected, there will be precious few surprises in the way the Lions approach the Tests."

Limerick lad Jerry Flannery says Irish must forge tour spirit but Tomas O'Leary is an early casualty. Hugh Godwin writes in the Independent on Sunday.

"Munster teamwork was a major plank of McGeechan's planning when he revealed on Tuesday that eight of his 37 tourists would be from the European champions, and it was teamwork which smashed poor O'Leary out of the trip. On Wednesday in training at the University of Limerick, the Munster players had chaired the 21-year-old back Keith Earls on to the field and then jokingly ignored another of the more surprising choices to tour, Alan Quinlan. "When Quinny came out no one said anything," said Jerry Flannery, the hooker also among Munster's amazing eight. "Then eventually we all jumped on him and pulled his shorts off."

Munster deserve to have the largest contingent in the Lions squad but they might end up with only two players in the team according to Eddie Butler in the Observer.

"Is there any danger is placing so much faith in the ways of one corner of Ireland?

"...The other thing about these Irish and British Lions concerns the number of Munster players in the Test team. In the positions covering numbers 12-15, Munster have only Keith Earls. Impressive as the player has been in any position, from centre to full-back, it is unlikely that somebody who did not feature in the Six Nations is going to be in the starting team for the first Test in Durban on 20 June.

"In the forwards, O'Connell will obviously play. He is the line-out talisman of the party and, as such, must go head to head with the best second row in the world, Victor Matfield. O'Connell will not only set the cultural tone, but will also be the barometer of the pressure levels on the field. If he is going well there will be grounds to believe his team can go well."

Ireland's Brian O'Driscoll admits he coveted the Lions captaincy but will do everything to back his compatriot Paul O'Connell in South Africa. Read his thoughts in the Observer.

"I am honestly delighted for Paul O'Connell to be named as Lions captain, and it's a great endorsement for Irish rugby for the Lions to have another Irish leader. Ian McGeechan has made it very clear that he savours having a captain in the forwards. He has done it before, most notably with Martin Johnson in '97, and he felt the focal character needed to be there. Paul was the obvious choice.

"Even though it wasn't too much of a surprise to have Paul confirmed, it still stung a little bit. Of course I would love to have been captain and it hurts to feel like you have been overlooked, but it was natural for me to feel that kind of hunger and ambition as a previous captain still playing, and I would have been more worried if I hadn't felt disappointed."

If the Australian Rugby Union neglect and downgrade their domestic comps then the elite teams won't be so super, according to John Connolly in the Sydney Morning Herald.

"With Australian rugby standing at a fork in the road, there's one important issue that we can't afford to overlook: the value of developing a strong feeder competition to provide players for the future.

"...The O'Neill model features the Super 14 running from March to August, with the Tri Nations at the end, in direct competition with the AFL and NRL. A definite advantage is that it would fill that black hole for rugby in June, July and August when all attention is focused on league and AFL.

"But the problem it presents is that it would take 125 players out of club rugby for the entire season. That could have a detrimental effect on the quality and support of this level of the game, with some clubs already struggling with Super rugby taking just 25 players from their competition."

Gerry Thornley talks to former Munster centre Rob Henderson and Leinster prop Will Green about the 2006 Heineken Cup semi-final ahead of another all-Irish clash next weekend. Read their thoughts in the Irish Times.

"From the moment Malcolm O’Kelly knocked-on O’Gara’s kick-off, Munster were on the front foot. O’Gara knocked over a first-minute penalty, and after the Leinster lineout malfunctioned a Paul O’Connell take led to the Munster pack driving Denis Leamy over the line, O’Gara’s conversion to make it 10-0 inside eight minutes.

"Henderson watched the first 10 minutes unfold from the bench. “It was a great start and I think that came with experience. Even though when you looked at the teams theirs was as good as ours, we’d learned from previous matches it’s nothing to do with the hype or the build-up, it’s what you do on the field, and if you can get on the field with a cool head you’re already one step ahead of the game, especially when you’re playing against less experienced opposition in that kind of scenario."

Writing in The Scotsman, Alan Massie finds fault with Ian McGeechan's selection for this summer's Lions tour of South Africa.

"Natural disappointment at the tiny Scottish representation in the Lions squad is made all the sharper by the thought that it looks like the weakest Lions party since the 1960s. It's difficult to see them winning one Test, let alone the series. They will be overpowered and outpaced in the back row, and probably cleaned out at the line-out. Fifteen to 11 should be all right, but the half-backs look flakey.

"In 1955 the Lions selectors boldly decided to take nobody of 30 or over, even if this meant excluding the great Jackie Kyle. Eleven of Ian McGeechan's squad would have been omitted if the same criterion had been applied. Admittedly players last longer in the professional game – amateurs of 30 were usually well-advanced in their off-field career. It is also true that England won the World Cup with their 'Dad's Army'. Nevertheless, there are too many veterans past their best in this squad."

Writing in the New Zealand Herald, Wynne Gray believes that too many of the country's stadiums disappoint fans.

"In this era when we are bombarded by sport on our television screens and given tremendous views and replays of the action, it does not make optical, financial or time-consuming sense to regularly visit those dual-purpose venues to watch rugby.

"Of the grounds being used in 2011, those in Hamilton, New Plymouth, Invercargill and North Harbour will be the best suited to watching games of rugby. But it remains a great shame that this rugby-obsessed nation, one that pointed its nose at the 2011 World Cup and won the hosting rights, will still be without a stadium to stand alongside the All Blacks global rugby ranking."

Tens of thousands of pounds raised for Martin Johnson's testimonial season have been withheld from the England rugby union team manager amid fears that the heroes of the 2003 World Cup-winning team have been targeted by the taxman. Kevin Eason writes in The Times.

"Alistair Darling, the Chancellor, has been asked to explain whether the sport's stars are the subject of a crackdown while the fundraising committee that worked on Johnson's benefit year wait in limbo for a verdict from tax inspectors.

"There is growing concern that several members of the 2003 side have been singled out for examination of their benefit seasons. But Johnson's case, which has dragged on for four years, has now reached Parliament. Edward Garnier, the Shadow Justice Minister, has asked Darling to provide a list of the players investigated. He is also demanding that the Chancellor makes clear what the tax liabilities are for sportsmen in their testimonial years."

At 37, Tom Smith is the Premiership's oldest player. As the prop bows out, he tells Chris Hewett in The Independent about living with epilepsy, and how to win on Lions tours.

"Even now, a dozen years on from the famous Lions victories in Cape Town and Durban, no one quite knows how Tom Smith – all 5ft 10in and 16st of him – brought to heel a Springbok front row that unleashed such hounds of hell as Os du Randt and Adrian Garvey. But then, what does anyone know of Tom Smith? How is it that this most singular of Londoners became the cornerstone of the last truly successful Scotland pack? What is the nature of the inner strength that allowed him to play rugby at the highest level in grim defiance of his epilepsy? Above all, how in God's name has he kept going so long?

"That last one is easy to answer," he said this week at Franklin's Gardens, where, if things work out as planned, he will play one last home game for Northampton – against Saracens in the semi-final of the European Challenge Cup next Friday night – after eight years of unstinting service. "The core skills of the prop forward do not include pace, which is the first thing a sportsman loses as he grows older. Some would argue that they don't include mental forethought either, so there's another bonus. In my position, you need brute strength and a highly-developed survival instinct. Those are things that don't disappear with youth."

With one competitive match remaining in his career Josh Lewsey tells Robert Kitson that his journey still has a long way to go. Read his thoughts in the Guardian.

"In one sense it is not a huge deal. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Lewsey always fitted rugby around a raft of other interests, as opposed to the other way round. Next year, in company with one of his old army mates, he plans to conquer Everest by one of the less well-trodden routes. He is joining PricewaterhouseCoopers as a management consultant and has recently written his auto­biography without the assistance of a dead-hand ghostwriter. If any of the sherpas fall sick, there are no prizes for guessing who will take up the slack.

"Entering the final stretch of a career which took him from Amersham & ­Chiltern minis to the summit of world rugby, the 32-year-old cannot complain, either, at the hand fate has already dealt him: 55 England caps, 22 tries, selection for all three Lions Tests against New Zealand in 2005 and 10 domestic trophies, more than any other English back. Only a hamstring injury sustained in the 2007 semi-final stopped him featuring in two World Cup finals."

A severe bout of homesickness during the New Zealander’s first season in the Premiership with London Irish three years ago forced him to consider doing a U-turn of 12,000 miles with his wife Sarah. Peter Jackson writes in the Daily Mail.

"Had the Fluteys gone home, there would have been no Premiership Grand Final with Wasps, no Professional Players’ Association player of the year award, no England caps, no Lions tour. The history man had to settle for being the second Maori behind Henry Paul to play for England but the first to score a try."

Every year around this time, some bright spark in Sky's rugby department claims that it has been the best-ever season. Will Greenwood writes in the Daily Telegraph.

"Pretty much everything is up for grabs, not least a route into Europe. And if you want to see how important that is to the players, just go and ask the eight Munster men getting ready to head to South Africa with the Lions.

"There is only one dead rubber; Leicester are guaranteed a home semi-final no matter what the result against Bristol. You would expect Leicester to rest some players ahead of Heineken Cup semi-final against Cardiff next weekend, and head coach Richard Cockerill can enjoy a stress-free day."

After all the hype around the Lions announcement the former Welsh and Lions great, Gareth Edwards, offers some sobering advice for those selected and casts his eye over those who missed out in The Telegraph.

"This is a very dangerous period with huge matches ahead and minds can wander off down to South Africa. Injuries can happen any time but there is only one way to play rugby and that is flat out with 100 per cent commitment and you must have your head right when you play.

I remember before one of my Lions tours I played for Cardiff against the Barbarians on the Easter Saturday – a huge game for us in those days and a match for which I was very motivated. Then, after the festivities of the weekend I suddenly got asked on the Monday morning if I could help out for the Barbarians against Swansea that afternoon; Roger Pickering had gone down with an injury.

You don’t turn the Barbarians down but I wasn’t quite there mentally and nearly picked up a nasty injury when I stuck out an arm a bit half-heartedly as somebody broke on my inside and I was rewarded with a stinging pain in my shoulder. I narrowly avoided a dislocation and missing the tour. Definitely a bit of a wake-up call.blockquote>

April 22, 2009

Irish eyes smiling on their Lions

Posted by Jean Smyth on 04/22/2009

Ireland contributed 14 players to the 37-man Lions squad and as Gerry Thornley writes in The Irish Times - it's something that the Irish should be immensely proud of.

"SIMPLY AN astonishing day in the history of Irish rugby in what continues to be a dream season. As expected, Paul O’Connell was yesterday unveiled as the eighth post-war Irish captain of the Lions, and the 11th of 27 Lions tour skippers overall, but furthermore, he will lead a 37-man squad containing an unprecedented 14 Irishmen.

In equalling the record of one club, Leicester, Munster fans will no doubt quickly have deduced that their contingent compares more than favourably to the Tigers’ haul of four years ago in Clive Woodward’s 45-man squad, and yesterday their province equalled England’s tally of eight.

Included amongst their numbers is the 21-year-old Keith Earls, which crowns something of a stunning rookie season as, effectively, the tour’s bolter, and Alan Quinlan – not so much a bolter as a thunderbolt. Fittingly therefore, they and the rest of them will be led by their talisman O’Connell, the first Limerick man to captain the Lions.”

Questions over Lions selections

Posted by Jean Smyth on 04/22/2009

Peter Bills writing in The Independent feels that perhaps the achievements of Munster have influenced the selection decisions of the 2009 Lions to such an extent that it leaves just a few too many questions and not enough answers.

"Have the 2009 Lions been overly seduced by the achievements of a strong provincial team? Have they been too influenced by Munster’s exploits in the Heineken Cup? Will many of those Munstermen be exposed once they get to South Africa and slip on the famous jersey of the British & Irish Lions and confront the mighty Springboks?

These were some of the questions being asked in London last night after the announcement of the 37 man squad. Irishman Paul Wallace, who was the Lions tight head in the winning 1997 series against the Springboks, said “I wonder if the selectors have been too influenced by Munster’s successes.

“I think a few of the Irish boys might be fortunate to have been included. I certainly think a player like Tom Croft, the England back row man, is very unfortunate to have missed out.”

Lions lack 'stardust'

Posted by Jean Smyth on 04/22/2009

Stuart Barnes has told The Times that he thinks Ian McGeechan's Lions selection is too conservative and that the Springboks will now know exactly what to expect from his side.

"I am disappointed because I feel it is a much too defensive selection. The decision to leave Tom Croft out has left me absolutely stunned and I just feel the inclusion of Stephen Ferris, Alan Quinlan and Joe Worsley is too conservative.

I thought Ferris would go as the defender to Croft's attacking strength at 6. But the line-out balance looks very strange and with Worsley there and Quinlan this looks to me like a back row that is picked to defend. It looks a bit like the 1997 back row, where Tim Rodber and Lawrence Dallaglio went toe-to-toe with the Boks.

My major worry is that lightning doesn't strike twice and I hope we don't think we can just defend our way to a series win, because I don't think it will happen this time around."

Geech the gambler

Posted by Jean Smyth on 04/22/2009

There are eight Munstermen in the Lions squad travelling to South Africa this summer and Eddie Butler, writing in The Guardian, believes that Ian McGeechan has gambled with his selections.

"It seems that there is a seventh nation in the Six Nations, or an Ireland beyond Ireland. It's that old hotbed called Munster, and they have received a reward for patenting the tightest bonding agent in sport by having two players unused by Ireland in the championship selected for the Lions: Keith Earls and Alan Quinlan.

Munster's march towards another Heineken Cup title was always going to offer Ian McGeechan a supplementary selection zone. The Irish province's bedrock devotion to the collective effort was ideal compensation for Scotland's surprising flatness in the Six Nations and for the lack of togetherness in the Wales team, an international extension of the Ospreys' inability to gel.

Ryan Jones, captain of both country and region, carries the can and does not make the first plane to South Africa. His consolation may be that he did not make the starting squad last time either, but returned as one of the few successes from the 2005 tour to New Zealand."

April 21, 2009

All Blacks contenders and pretenders

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 04/21/2009

Six weeks out from decision time there must be an air of contentment among the travelling triumvirate that are the All Blacks selectors, according to Marc Hinton on Rugby Heaven.

"From what I can work out, sifting through the in-form and the infirm, the selectors are pretty well placed wherever they look, save for tighthead prop and possibly depth at No 10.

"The looming decision on Luke McAlister's eligibility - the selectors want him in the mix, the NZRU must decide whether to break their own rule - is potentially decisive, with the returning utility solving two problems at once with his ability to slot in at 10 or 12.

"But all things considered it ain't the worst position to be in for Father Ted and co. Especially given the serious exodus of talent that departed these shores after the last World Cup. That's a testament to the talent production line that is New Zealand rugby, and also to the work done since by the NZRU in retaining our best players."

Morgan wants ruthless streak from next Scotland boss

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 04/21/2009

Former Scotland coach Dougie Morgan has called for the next incumbent to the hot seat to be more "hard nosed and ruthless" as the search to replace Frank Hadden intensifies. Read his thoughts in The Scotsman.

"What Scotland need is someone who is a bit more hard-nosed and ruthless because we have just been kind of drifting through the last few years," said Morgan, 62.

"Frank spoke about development and having a young team. But players can only be young for so long and development means something happening. Nothing did happen. Selection was wrong at the start of this Six Nations and had an effect on Mike Blair who suffered through having too much onus on him as captain and scrum half.

"The back-line didn't go too well either as there is still a need for more of a cutting edge in terms of try-scoring. As for the forwards, it especially comes down to attitude and there are big boys there who should be able to do more."

Rugby must move on, just like Geraghty

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 04/21/2009

Much bad blood appears to have been spilled over the move of talented threequarter Shane Geraghty from London Irish to Northampton. Peter Bills writes in The Independent.

"London Irish coach Toby Booth made little attempt to hide his feelings. “I knew this was coming but it is still disappointing. We were not prepared to be held over a barrel in terms of financial demands. It's always disappointing when a home grown player decides to leave for non-playing reasons, given the resources the club has invested in developing him. It cannot be a purely rugby decision.”

"Now I'm not alone in rating Booth as one of the most promising coaches emerging in English rugby. He took over from Brian Smith when the Australian joined England and has made the transition seamlessly from No.2 to the guy in charge. He should go far in the game.

"But Booth misunderstands the game and most players in it if he really believes that loyalty, the word he hints at so strongly although never mentions, still has a part to play in professional rugby."

April 20, 2009

'Big Ted' in Lions limbo

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 04/20/2009

The Lions are wrestling with one of the biggest decisions over their squad for South Africa - whether to pick England prop Andrew Sheridan. Peter Jackson writes in the Daily Mail.

"His status among the supposed automatic selections in a party under Paul O'Connell's captaincy became the subject of increasing concern over the course of the Six Nations. The choice boils down to Sheridan or Munster's Marcus Horan, a permanent member of Ireland's Grand Slam pack.

"There is understood to be a view among some of the coaching coterie headed by Ian McGeechan questioning whether 'Big Ted' has done enough to get the nod. If the verdict goes against him, Sheridan, all 6ft 5in and almost 20 stone of him, will be literally the biggest casualty of the eightmonth selection process which ends tomorrow with the announcement of the 35 or 36 players."

'Team spirit' is vital component for Lions

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 04/20/2009

Manager Gerald Davies heralds Jason Leonard as a player who had what it took to bring much-needed unity to touring party. David Hands writes in The Times.

"If he says it once, he says it 20 times: “team spirit” is what Gerald Davies seeks in the 2009 Lions - the very quality that the past two tour parties so conspicuously failed to muster. Make no mistake, the 2001 Lions coached by Graham Henry in Australia and their successors, coached by Sir Clive Woodward in New Zealand four years later, wanted to win, but, for differing reasons, the coherence of the party was undermined.

"It sounds so simple. Surely any group of players can achieve that. But as the 2009 management group gather at lunchtime today in a Heathrow hotel to finalise the details of the playing party that will be named tomorrow to tour South Africa, they will be seeking those individuals who, by their attitude as well as their playing ability, will make a difference."

Lions chance inspires Edwards

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 04/20/2009

Shaun Edwards has been winning trophies and lifting silverware most of his sporting life - either as a rugby league player or a union coach - but happily admits he will be taking a quantum leap when he accompanies the Lions to South Africa next month as assistant coach. Brendan Gallagher writes in the Daily Telegraph.

"Edwards, 42, has been as busy as ever leading into Tuesday's squad announcement. He's just returned from a week's 'holiday' in Jamaica, organised rather optimistically as a chance to chill before the Lions show kicks off in earnest. In reality, after a testing period with Wasps and Wales, he spent more time diving into his emails and surfing the net for rugby updates than snorkelling and swimming in the Caribbean.

"I'm just rubbish at relaxing," Edwards admits. "There was a Lions squad to help pick, two more Wasps games to consider, phone calls to make, video clips to watch, the Springboks to think about. I tried to do a bit of swimming and stuff but it didn't really happen. To be honest I'm happier when I'm busy anyway. My hobby is my job. The truth is I would work for nothing – though don't broadcast that too much, the chairman might be reading."

Australia priced out of Cup bid until 2023

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 04/20/2009

Australia is unlikely to stage the Rugby World Cup for at least another 14 years according to Greg Growden in the Sydney Morning Herald.

"While Australia has shown some interest in bidding for the 2019 tournament, the International Rugby Board's demand that the host union pay all the costs plus a £96 million tournament guarantee fee is a major deterrent.

"Adding to the strain is the fact time is running out, as the IRB will announce the 2015 and 2019 host unions on July 28, six years before the first tournament and 10 years before the next. The 2015 World Cup is expected to be held in the northern hemisphere, with England the most likely host nation, while Japan and South Africa are among those favoured to stage the 2019 tournament."

Physique comes first in Ian McGeechan's Lions selections

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 04/20/2009

Ian McGeechan's choice will reflect the special challenge of playing South Africa on their home turf according to Rob Kitson in the Guardian.

"Character, teamship, temperament, resilience .... all are keynote requirements which must resonate and resurface whenever Lions teams take the field. From today onwards it ceases to be about individual nationality or patriot games and becomes a collective mission to imbue the red jersey with bottomless quantities of spirit, skill, passion and pride.

"Without a cute game plan, too, the 2009 vintage will be dead meat regardless of the individuals involved. It seems to have become a habit of the Lions to run into hosts in ominous shape: as Sir Clive Woodward admitted, even the best touring team in Christendom would have struggled to beat the All Blacks four years ago.

"South Africa, if they get it right under their somewhat mercurial coach, Peter de Villiers, have the capacity to be just as destructive. The Lions will require a bit of luck, quite apart from anything else."

April 19, 2009

The day Scott Gibbs felled Os du Randt

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 04/19/2009

Scott Gibbs provided the seminal image of the last Lions tour of South Africa more than a decade ago. He talks to Simon Roberts in the Wales on Sunday.

"The Welshman’s legendary charge at Os du Randt, the Springboks prop and inspirational totem in the second Test has become the stuff of legend, going down in rugby folklore, let alone Lions folklore.

"Gibbs, just back in union from a hugely successful stint in rugby league, almost single-handedly ended the ‘Boks’ hopes of a Test series victory there and then with that shuddering hit in Durban. The hosts – not to mention Du Randt, a symbol of South Africa’s macho culture – never recovered from Gibbs’ wrecking ball performance and the Lions recorded a 2-1 Test series victory."

Lions to leave out Borthwick, Jones and Cipriani

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 04/19/2009

Lions coach Ian McGeechan will rock three of this season’s Six Nations captains when his 35-man squad for the tour to South Africa next month is revealed on Tuesday, so writes Ian stafford in the Mail on Sunday.

	Ireland lock Paul O'Connell is set to lead the Lions to South Africa © Getty Images

"England skipper Steve Borthwick will learn that he is not considered Lions material, Wales’s leader Ryan Jones will almost certainly join him on the reject list — and Brian O’Driscoll, who led Ireland to their first Grand Slam for 61 years, will find himself passed over for the captaincy of McGeechan’s squad in favour of his Irish vice-captain, Paul O’Connell.

"...Troubled golden boy Danny Cipriani, ignored by England manager Martin Johnson for the entire Six Nations campaign, will find himself similarly snubbed by the British and Irish Lions despite the fact that his director of rugby and head coach at Wasps are McGeechan and Shaun Edwards, one of the four tour assistants."

Prepare for the most brutal test

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 04/19/2009

Lions players will have to be brave in the face of a ferocious Springboks side if they are to repeat the heroics of 1997 according to Lawrence Dallaglio in the Sunday Times.

"Talk is necessary in the changing room but it is also cheap. You can all agree to do it, be convinced you’re going to play the toughest, most aggressive Test you’ve ever played, but when you get out there, it’s another story. After we won the first Test in Cape Town 12 years ago, McGeechan pulled us aside and told us that a Springbok was one animal, a wounded Springbok another.

"We got our heads around what we would have to deal with in the second Test and prepared for the most brutal physical onslaught. Yet we were still surprised by their ferocity. For the first 20 minutes, we had one or two players who went into hiding, and only when we regained our composure and decided we all had to be up for the fight did we sort ourselves out.

"Billy Threadwell was the guy I felt sorry for when we played South Africa. He was the dentist in the England backroom team, the one responsible for stitching the wounded, and every time we played the Springboks, Billy would say two hands weren’t enough for a man in his business. Against the Boks, we weren’t doing our job if Billy had a quiet day."

O’Connell to lead Lions in South Africa

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 04/19/2009

Paul O'Connell, the giant lock from Limerick, has won the all-Ireland race to be captain of the 2009 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa according to Stephen Jones in the Sunday Times.

"The move is not without its dangers. O’Connell, remarkably, will be the sixth Irishman to lead a Lions tour in the post-war era and most of the tours have had a gory end. The only Irishman to lead the Lions to victory is Willie John McBride, in 1974. It must also be said that among others, O’Connell was disappointing in New Zealand in 2005, his first Lions tour.

"The announcement on Tuesday will almost certainly reveal that at least two, if not all of the three marquee British fly-halves, Danny Cipriani, James Hook and Jonny Wilkinson, will miss the tour. Cipriani, the Wasps maestro, needs the game of a life against Bristol today, though even that might not be enough. Another big name, Gavin Henson, will not be fit in time for consideration, although the Lions coaches admire him greatly and will install him in the reserve squad.

"The plight of Scottish rugby is such that their contingent could be minuscule, perhaps even as few as two. Uncertainties on recent form have also dictated that even this weekend, the Lions selectors were ranging far and wide, trying to place together the final pieces of the jigsaw."

McGeechan seeks something special in his Lions selection

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 04/19/2009

Successful teams are about character as much as talent.Lions head coach Ian McGeechan will require warriors, men who possess an edge which distinguishes them from their peers according to Paul Ackford in the Sunday Telegraph.

"For that reason Danny Cipriani should not be allowed anywhere near the aeroplane. Cipriani, for all this gifts, makes too many errors, and his limited exposure to Test rugby has not eradicated that profligacy. If McGeechan takes Cipriani, the Lions travel on a wing and a prayer. Simon Taylor and James Haskell, two back-row men, also fit into that category. Neither has the temperament to prosper on the highveld. Both are too highly strung, too high maintenance. Adam Jones, despite a strident Welsh chorus of approval behind him, is another who doesn't look or feel right. Some folk have Jones ahead of Euan Murray or Phil Vickery in their likely tour party. What utter nonsense.

"If the jackpot Lions cocktail is resilience, a proven track-record and a smidgen of stardust, who then to consider? The majority of the squad pick themselves. When the Lions coaches gather at noon tomorrow for their final deliberations in a Heathrow hotel, they do so in the knowledge that the bulk of the party of 35 or 36 (depending on whether they want to take an extra back-row forward) is sorted. Lee Byrne, Delon Armitage, Shane Williams, Tommy Bowe, Brian O'Driscoll, Riki Flutey, Stephen Jones, Ronan O'Gara, Mike Phillips and Mike Blair in the backs; and Andrew Sheridan, Gethin Jenkins, Euan Murray, Jerry Flannery, Lee Mears, Ross Ford, Paul O'Connell, Alun-Wyn Jones, Donncha O'Callaghan, Tom Croft, Stephen Ferris, Joe Worsley, David Wallace, Martyn Williams and Jamie Heaslip up front all make the grade."

How I made the Lions roar

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 04/19/2009

For many rugby fans, the abiding memory of Lions tours and Tests is the celluloid experience of Living With Lions. And, more specifically, of Jim Telfer's stirring soliloquies. Richard Bath talks to him in The Scotsman.

"The single most important quality, says Telfer, is to pick a squad of team players. "Being former Lions ourselves, we were looking for players with good communication skills off the field, guys who could put to one side the fact that they were English or Welsh or whatever and feel that being a Lion was greater than being captain of Wales or England," says Telfer.

"Telfer is candid about the fact that nationality affects selection decisions. The Irish, he says, are good tourists; the Welsh are not. That wasn't an issue in 1997, however, as most of the Welsh players in the squad were among the former rugby league players who were central to the success of the tour.

"There's no doubt that some countries produce people who don't tour well. The Welsh get very homesick, so we had to choose extrovert Welshmen like Ieuan Evans. It was helped by the fact that lots of the Welshmen we took had been in rugby league and had seen a bit more of professional sport."

Pace and power can help Lions reach giddy heights

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 04/19/2009

Paul O'Connell will lead the forward charge as Ian McGeechan's troops face ultimate test against Boks, so writes Hugh Godwin in the Independent on Sunday.

"The Lions will not sing an anthem in South Africa this summer – "The Power of Four", that excruciating mix of politburo and classical pop played before matches on the last trip four years ago, has been quietly ditched – but "Ireland's Call" would be an apt refrain. The captaincy is a choice between Paul O'Connell and Brian O'Driscoll, and if the head coach, Ian McGeechan, stands by his own words he will take the side of Munster's ginger monster. Either way, the Grand Slam champions should be well represented in the squad to be named at a Heathrow hotel on Tuesday.

"It is a big ask to take on the world champions on their own turf with two of the three Tests at altitude and only six provincial matches in which to prepare. We know what the Lions won't do: take 45 players and a bunch of dirt-tracker coaches, as Sir Clive Woodward did in 2005. And they won't take unfit players, which places a cloud over Gavin Henson, Mike Tindall and Jonny Wilkinson, though Lee Byrne's foot injury appears to have healed in the nick of time."

All eyes on the Lions catwalk

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 04/19/2009

The Lions coach, Ian McGeechan, has faced plenty of problems in picking his squad – on Tuesday he will reveal his solutions. Eddie Butler writes in The Observer.

"Has anything else changed since the Six Nations? Only that Julian White put his hand up – and not just to land a sweet right on Andrew Sheridan's jaw. I'm just thinking of the midweek team, the dirt-trackers who have to put up and shut up for large parts of the tour, deemed ever so important for overall morale, but left increasingly to their own devices as the Test series approaches.

"It's a tough old trek for them around South Africa and they'll need a few tough old birds of their own. I'd be tempted to stick White on the plane and not give him too many stern lectures about hitting people."

April 18, 2009

Forget finding perfection - just find a quality referee

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 04/18/2009

Rugby's flaws are too numerous to list, but far and away the most damning is the oppressive influence of referees according to Steve Deane in the New Zealand Herald.

	Is the game sufffering for a lack of top quality referees like Jonathan Kaplan? © Getty Images

"Rest easy. Rugby isn't in crisis at all. Forget about the inter-hemisphere squabble over the rules, spectators deserting the game in droves and unions going broke.

"According to Robbie Deans, a man widely regarded as possessing one of the game's better functioning swedes, rugby is, in fact, on the verge of becoming "perfect". All that is needed is one last tweak of the rules to tidy up the breakdown.

"...The ELVs issue will finally be put to bed next month. Let's hope some of the effort that has been expended fiddling with the rules is now invested in producing people who can implement them.

O'Driscoll gets my vote for captain this summer

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 04/18/2009

Brian O'Driscoll's list of fans grows with Peter Jackson adding his name to the list in the Daily Mail.

"Rarely have the Lions had to choose between two more impeccably qualified contenders. Each meets the basic criterion of being sure of his Test place, something which the Lions ignored to their cost for two New Zealand tours, each one resulting in a 4-0 Blackwash.

"...As head coach, Ian McGeechan will have the final say. Significantly, he was a central figure 12 years ago when the Lions management, faced with a choice between Johnson and the equally outstanding Ieuan Evans, decided they wanted to send a ‘big, ugly’ lock to knock on the Springbok door rather than their comparatively diminutive Welsh merlin on the wing."

Opportunity knocks for fringe players

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 04/18/2009

Ian McGeechan has some golden tickets left for one of the greatest shows on earth according to Will Greenwood in the Daily Telegraph.

"There aren't many going spare, but there would be, by my reckoning, about five or six places left up for grabs on the Lions tour of South Africa.

"The players on the fringes have one final weekend in which to push hard for their place on the tour. It's their chance of a lifetime, and missing out, being player 37, the first reserve, would not bear thinking about. When the announcement is made, McGeechan, Gerald Davies and the rest of the coaching panel will be standing in front of the media scrum, flanked by their captain. The top Lion will have been flown in under cover of darkness, presuming of course that he has had to fly."

Ryan faces uphill battle to wrest cup from Welsh

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 04/18/2009

Writing in the Independent, Chris Hewitt previews the Anglo-Welsh Cup Final between Gloucester and Cardiff Blues.

"There is something distinctly odd about one English club's desperation to win an Anglo-Welsh tournament that English clubs in general would rather did not exist, but when it comes to Gloucester nothing is entirely straightforward. Despite their Powergen Cup title in 2003, their European Challenge Cup victory in 2006 and three table-topping finishes in the Guinness Premiership in the space of half a dozen seasons, the West Countrymen still find themselves routinely dismissed as serial underachievers.

"As a result, they go into this afternoon's EDF Energy Cup final with Cardiff Blues under a whole heap of pressure. Their first objective – qualification for next season's Heineken Cup – is sorted: even if they lose today and fail to pick up another league point, they will be one of the chosen 24 in the elite competition. But Dean Ryan, their director of rugby, is expected to win things, not merely participate. Should Gloucester come up short against the form side in Wales and then miss out on a Premiership play-off place, the natives will grow very restless indeed."

April 17, 2009

Surprises galore

Posted by Jean Smyth on 04/17/2009

Wasps coach Shaun Edwards says in his column in The Guardian that Ian McGeechan will not pick anybody purely on reputation for the 2009 British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa.

"This is going down to the wire. I don't want to sound corny but there are four days left before the Lions squad is announced and places are still in the air. Games this weekend, particularly the Anglo-Welsh Cup final at Twickenham tomorrow, will be a big deal for some players.

"Lions selection is down to one man: Ian McGeechan. He has the final word but is obviously bouncing ideas off and taking advice from the coaches that are going to South Africa with him; and after our most recent three-hour huddle – in a hotel near Heathrow this week – it is obvious that Ian is sticking by his word: he will pick on form and not reputation. Some big players who have been there and done it before, won Six Nations or Heineken Cups, might be in for a shock next Tuesday.

"And then again there will, as there always seem to be in Lions selections, those whom the pundits – and wait for them to list their favourites over the next few days – will have overlooked. Some of those currently in the reckoning may not have made their national teams in the Six Nations which ended less than a month ago. Others may have caught the eye with performances in last weekend's Heineken quarter-finals."

April 16, 2009

Test match animals

Posted by Huw Baines on 04/16/2009

Stephen Jones' latest Rolling Maul blog for The Times takes a look at the personalities needed to win a Lions tour.

"What will be the shape of the Lions party? I have reported on six tours, and got to know coach McGeechan a little over that time. I would guess that when the party emerges, there will be very few flyers taken and very few people named for the experience, possibly none.

"McGeechan likes what he once called "Test match animals." In Australia in 1989, the two Lions hookers were Brian Moore, who was small and had no great pretensions as an all-round footballer, and Ireland's Steve Smith, who was around four stone heavier than Moore, could throw, carry the ball and had a turn of foot in the loose.

"Moore played in all three Tests. He set out his stall, trained hard, played fanatically and made up for any physical shortfall. "Test match animal," was McGeechan's summary.Expect the party to be as full as possible with players of a similar attitude, a harshness, and intensity. The party is out soon, but fresh it will not be."

April 15, 2009

Peel's the man

Posted by Huw Baines on 04/15/2009

Dean Richards continues his Lions picks for The Times, with Dwayne Peel getting the nod at scrum-half.

"Until you get an inkling of how Ian McGeechan and his coaches want to play on the tour to South Africa, it is hard to nominate the best choice at half back. To be frank, I think it is one of the weakest areas in the squad, particularly when you look at the combinations that were available to the most successful Lions sides.

"You think of Gareth Edwards and Barry John or Phil Bennett during the glory years of the 1970s, but, on the most recent trip to South Africa, in 1997, there was an unexpected pairing of Matt Dawson and Gregor Townsend and that didn't turn out too badly. Matt was the third-choice scrum half behind Rob Howley and Austin Healey, while Gregor had floated between fly half and centre for Scotland but was preferred at 10 to Neil Jenkins, who played full back.

"To my mind, Dwayne Peel is as good a scrum half as any, with the two Englishmen, Harry Ellis and Danny Care, behind him. He may not have been first choice for Wales this year, but Dwayne knows what a Lions tour is like and his skill set is greater than that of Mike Phillips, who may be first choice if the Lions want to play an intensely physical game."

April 14, 2009

A little bit of common sense

Posted by Huw Baines on 04/14/2009

Spiro Zavos, writing on rugbyheaven.com.au, believes that the Waratahs need a few lessons in common sense.

"On my way out of the Sydney Football Stadium after the Waratahs' lacklustre loss to the Bulls, I heard a couple talking about the game. "At least now," the husband said to his wife, "we won't have to worry about buying tickets for the semi-finals."

"The disappointing aspect of the Waratahs' play, which still rankled as I trudged home along with a stream of morose supporters, was the lack of nous and skill. Against a disciplined Bulls side that played a simple game of high balls, pressure and width on the turnover ball, the Waratahs made a number of careless, tactically clueless mistakes that indicated that they're not thinking clearly about their play.

"Players within their 22 were kicking downfield and giving the Bulls possession inside the Waratahs' half. The golden rule under the kicking sanction of the ELVs is that if you can kick out on the full, then do it. Yet time and time again, and this applies to some of the other teams (the disappointing Stormers are a case in point), players continue to kick the ball back to the opposition who then run it back at them with an intent to score tries."

April 13, 2009

Heineken Cup pressure can shred biggest reputations

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 04/13/2009

The endless fascination of sport comes from its sole objective criterion – winning. Brian Moore writes in the Daily Telegraph.

	Bath's Butch James had an off-day with the boot against Leicester © Getty Images

"Unke the arts, in sport each minute counts, it will never come again and there is never the chance to put it right. Add to this the pressure of live performance and its attendant anxieties and you have a psychological minefield.

"In the weekend's Heineken Cup quarter-finals, the effect of such pressure showed that even seasoned players, of proven ability at the highest level of a World Cup final, are not immune from its debilitating effects.

"Conversely, those about whom doubts lingered demonstrated their ability to clarify their thoughts at the acutest moments and then execute the necessary. You can go further: pressure can affect a whole team, reducing players of proven class to the ranks of the ordinary club players."

South Africa could be vulnerable in the scrum

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 04/13/2009

With two Lions tours to his name, Dean Richards knows what is required – he begins his squad selection with the forwards in The Times.

"Knowing Geech, I believe he will leave home with a good idea of his starting line-up but will keep an open mind. He will be very honest in his selection and if, as so often happens on a Lions tour, a player emerges from relative obscurity and demands a place, he will pick him — as he did Jeremy Guscott for the second match of the 1989 series in Australia.

"South Africa will field an outstanding pack in June but they lack world-class props. Victor Matfield will dictate the lineouts and their systems are so good that the only set-piece area where the Lions might find an advantage is the scrum. The tight five is where the Lions have three candidates who virtually pick themselves, the two props and the second row."

Melrose Sevens an oasis for parched Scottish eyes

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 04/13/2009

There was an unmistakable feeling in the sun-draped Greenyards of being at the centre of all that is good about Scottish rugby according to David Ferguson in The Scotsman.

"The national squad is struggling to convince that it deserves to remain among the top ten nations in world rugby; the professional teams of Edinburgh and Glasgow are claiming slightly more big wins against the European elite but still attracting no more supporters than was the case a decade ago.

"But, here at Melrose, where Johannesburg University ran out eventual winners, all the attractive qualities of rugby blossom, around which a huge social party swirls for seven hours. The rugby stopped by 7pm, but the partying continued well past midnight."

April 12, 2009

Stock-taking in New Zealand

Posted by Huw Baines on 04/12/2009

Richeard Loe, writing in The New Zealand Herald, believes that this season could be crucial for the All Blacks' long-term development.

"In what is a tough season for New Zealand Super 14 franchises because of the lack of depth in our rugby, 2009 is an important year for building up our stocks again.

"With so many top players missing, there has been an opportunity for those younger or less experienced to stand up - and quite a few have. The first who comes to mind is Crusaders' lock Isaac Ross, who had a few games for the Highlanders as a draft player. His mobility and ball skills are starting to stand out and, as he gets more experience, so he will work up the physical side of his game. One to watch, I reckon.

"If you're talking out-and-out rookies - guys who never played Super 14 rugby before - I'd mention Karl Lowe (Hurricanes), James McGougan (Chiefs), Colin Slade (Crusaders), Chris Lowrey (Blues) and Israel Dagg (Highlanders)."

Just an honest Joe

Posted by Huw Baines on 04/12/2009

Ian Gough, Wales' hard-hitting lock, talks to Eddie Butler in The Observer about the Ospreys chances at Thomond Park.

	Ian Gough and the Ospreys are unafraid of their Munster challenge © Getty Images

"Ian Gough is old enough at 32 to have survived several generations of management-speak. For years he has been going about his business, filling what he calls his "niche" in the second row, doing anything but tart up his game of rugby.

"Gough chases kicks hard, hits rucks harder, tackles opponents hardest. He is the boring front jumper to whom the ball is thrown when all fancier options have failed. He has won 59 caps for Wales as their honest Joe. But ask him about today's Heineken Cup quarter-final against Munster and the old boy cannot help reaching into the phrase book of the modern Ospreys. "This is all about re-integrating well, re-focusing, re-motivating and re-tasking," he says.

"He means it. He re-means it. Gough and a whole string of the region's players went through a pretty dramatic and ultimately unsuccessful Six Nations campaign with Wales, regathered as Ospreys and were derailed by Gloucester in the semi-final of the EDF Energy Cup. Now they face the defending champions at Thomond Park in Limerick. Perhaps the only place to hide is in jargon."

Perfect 10

Posted by Huw Baines on 04/12/2009

Stuart Barnes meets Harlequins fly-half Nick Evans to talk drop-goals, the Heineken Cup and the All Blacks in The Sunday Times.

"The Harlequins supporters owe Daniel Carter a sincere vote of thanks. The talents of the world’s best fly-half, more than the temptations of hard money, were the prime factor in convincing Nick Evans to change All Black for multicoloured. Had Evans stuck with black, Harlequins would almost certainly not have been at home this afternoon, in with a fantastic chance of making the Heineken Cup semi-finals. Evans produced the greatest four minutes of controlled rugby I have been privileged to see against Stade Français; four pulsating minutes in the wind and rain that opened the way to qualification and home advantage.

"Had he been the All Blacks’ regular fly-half there would be no Harlequins versus Leinster. “Why did I quit the All Blacks? I was probably not playing as much as I wanted to play for New Zealand through no fault of mine or anyone else’s. I just had a guy who was the best in the world in front of me. I asked myself if I would play more All Black rugby and the answer was, probably not. Did I want to stay in New Zealand and play Super 14 for five or six years or challenge myself by coming here, especially to a team where I was the only New Zealander?”

"The answer was a glorious affirmative. His and the club’s ambitions “just about lay on top of each other” when he discussed the prospect with Dean Richards. Ironically, had he stayed in New Zealand he would have had a clear run at the No 10 shirt for the rest of this calendar year with Carter injured. “Yes, Murphy’s Law, isn’t it? But the first thing I will say is I have no regrets at all. I did not make the decision lightly and knew it would pretty much end my involvement with the All Blacks for a while, which was tough, very tough.”

April 11, 2009

A little bit of history repeating

Posted by Huw Baines on 04/11/2009

Steve Deane, writing in The New Zealand Herald, sees similarities in the current ELV debate to those which spawned rugby league in 1895.

"We've seen it before, this fundamental philosophical divide over the future of rugby. We didn't see it first-hand last time, of course, because none of us were alive in 1895, when 22 northern English clubs took their balls home and went off to form what is now league.

"But rugby has certainly experienced the same geographically based, economically driven divide we are seeing today.In 1895, the dispute was over player payments and the formation of competitive leagues. Battle lines were drawn along a north-south divide and along class lines. Almost 114 years later, not a lot has changed.

"This time it is the south, in the form of the Southern Hemisphere, that is being driven by economic necessity to push for changes to the game; to back the adoption of the experimental law variations (ELVs). It may be the north that is resisting but, with the Northern Hemisphere lobby headquartered squarely in London, it's really just a recycled version of the 1895 southern toffs who are doing their damnedest to fend off change."

April 10, 2009

Shawn remembrance

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 04/10/2009

The magnitude of the accident that led to Shawn Mackay's death in a Durban hospital on Monday cannot be forgotten, according to Greg Growden in the Sydney Morning Herald.

	Tributes will be paid to the Brumbies' Shawn Mackay who died this week © Getty Images

"The strength and resolve of this still-young rugby organisation has been tested repeatedly. Its underbelly has rarely been more exposed than when the senior players were offside with their coach, David Nucifora, in 2004, yet somehow the players banded together to win the Super title. There have been other issues that have caused emotions to run high, particularly the Cape Town taxi scandal of nine years ago, when a number of senior players were accused of trashing a local cab.

"But nothing in the Brumbies' short, dramatic past can compare with the heartache and despair that they have suffered the past week following the death of popular squad member Shawn Mackay."

From Sedgley Park to kings of Europe?

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 04/10/2009

Nobody ought to be surprised if The Stoop is rocking to the sound of Bob Dylan’s The Mighty Quinn at the sight of their team flying higher in Europe than before, according to Peter Jackson in the Daily Mail.

"Harlequins have not done much in Europe since one of their more promising fly halves took to the skies over wartime France and shot down 22 German planes. Sir Douglas Bader, fighter pilot and Second World War hero, had been 'pencilled in' for an England cap against South Africa at Twickenham in January 1932.

"On the Monday after turning out for Quins in typically gung-ho fashion despite a broken nose from the previous week's skirmish with the Springboks, he crashed his plane in a low-flying stunt and lost both legs."

Melrose maestro won't forget Campese magic

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 04/10/2009

There are many contenders for the most entertaining player in Scotland's rugby sevens history, but high among them is Keith Robertson, a favourite son of its Melrose birthplace. David Ferguson writes in The Scotsman.

"The Melrose wing made his debut against New Zealand in a 1978 back-line featuring Andy Irvine, Jim Renwick and Ian McGeechan, and finished in 1989 alongside Scott and Gavin Hastings, Sean Lineen, Craig Chalmers and Gary Armstrong. And yet, many will argue that Robertson was best viewed in a sevens tournament, where his skills and daring to beat players lifted crowds to their tip-toes.

"He will be at the Greenyards tomorrow, on stewarding duties, but still vividly recalls the days of scorching the turf in opposition to David Campese, the Wallaby legend, England skipper Will Carling and French great Serge Blanco."

Richards hailed as the man behind Harlequins' revival

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 04/10/2009

Writing in the Guardian, Rob Kitson sings the praises of Quins boss Dean Richards as his side prepare for their Heineken Cup quarter-final clash with Leinster.

"Harlequins' presence in the Heineken Cup's last eight this season would have impressed one famous military strategist. "I don't measure a man's success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom," said General George Patton. Given that Quins had dropped into National League One when Dean Richards rode into town four years ago, Sunday's significant date with Leinster is almost worth a gallantry medal in itself.

"No wonder the club's chief executive, Mark Evans, hailed Richards this week for the "brilliant" job he has done. Quins are not merely a couple of big wins away from a European final. They also lie second in the Guinness Premiership with two games to go. No club in the league has conceded fewer tries and only London Irish have scored more. As well as amassing 94 tries in all competitive games this season, they have beaten Stade Français at home and away the latter result coming at a packed Stade de France. Mighty Quins indeed."

April 9, 2009

Lamenting lost art of rucking

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 04/09/2009

Put your boots near bodies now and you are inviting a date with the judiciary or at least a trip to the cooler, according to Wynne Gray in the New Zealand Herald.

"Former New Zealand whistler Paddy O'Brien has been with the International Rugby Board for the last four years managing referees, their workload, law changes and research into the game.

"He believes rucking would solve a number of issues if players learned those skills again. He laments the way players kill the ball because they know they will not be rucked. O'Brien is very clear, though, about the merits of rucking compared to maverick acts of stamping, stomping, kicking or tap-dancing. Law 16 was very precise."

Melrose Sevens put a spring in the step of Scottish rugby

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 04/09/2009

Melrose will launch the main sevens season in Scotland this year with Waisale Serevi, the undisputed king of world sevens, bringing down the curtain on his distinguished career at the Greenyards on Saturday. David Ferguson writes in The Scotsman.

"Serevi views it as a great honour to finish his career at the Greenyards, playing in the original sevens tournament for the first time, and taking to a stage graced by such illustrious world stars as David Campese, Serge Blanco, Will Carling, Percy Montgomery and Breyton Paulse.

"But does sevens rugby retain a special place in the affections of Scottish rugby? Is there still space in the calendar for the tournaments (which are key fundraisers for many clubs, notably in the Borders), but also a vibrant attraction to rugby for many generations over the course of the past 100 years?"

April 8, 2009

Escaping the moral maze

Posted by Huw Baines on 04/08/2009

Robert Kitson, in his blog for The Guardian, wonders whether there is a place for sportsmanship in the elite game.

"To succeed in top-level sport – or write about it – there is no escaping the moral maze. Just ask Lewis Hamilton. Perhaps the most thought-provoking assessment of the McLaren formula one team's ill-fated attempt to pull a fast one came from Mike Atherton, once England's butter-wouldn't-melt cricket captain. "The biggest crime of all is not losing, but not playing fair," wrote Atherton. Elite sport, for those who earn a living from it, is not a popularity contest.

"True, of course, but never has the hunt for victory at all costs been so intense or widespread. To play fair is to end up nowhere; only a loser gives an inch, particularly in rugby. Cynically killing the ball in front of your own posts to prevent a potentially crucial score is an integral part of the job. There is a chance the referee will fail to bin you, ergo it is a risk worth taking. Sure enough, when Leicester's Ben Kay dived in to halt Sale's late surge on Saturday, Wayne Barnes kept his cards in his pocket and the 14-man hosts duly won by six points. As the son of a distinguished late judge, the quick-witted Kay is better qualified than most to differentiate between a blatant sin and the more serious misdemeanour, namely getting caught.

"It was ever thus since the oldest pro of them all, WG Grace, insisted a sudden breeze, rather than the ball, had disturbed his bails. Gamesmanship or cheating? It depends where you draw your personal line. Take Neil Back's infamous 'Back-Hander' which helped the Tigers win a European Cup at Munster's expense. To a man, Munster's players suggested they would have done the same. Those of us who muttered aloud about sportsmanship and winning with honour were rewarded with the sort of incredulous looks normally reserved for tweedy country parsons at Stringfellows."

April 7, 2009

Double standards

Posted by Huw Baines on 04/07/2009

Peter Bills, writing in The Independent, believes that referees have a responsibility towards uniformity across different leagues.

"Whether Julian White wishes to flatten opponents with the pugilistic skills of Mike Tyson, is no real concern of yours or mine.

"The Leicester and England tight head prop has much ‘previous’ in this regard. His list of offences goes back many years, but no more than par for the course, his Leicester apologists would doubtless argue. Whether punching his fellow England prop Andrew Sheridan is likely to improve collective morale in Martin Johnson’s squad or incline the British & Irish Lions selectors to his inclusion in their June tour of South Africa, frankly seems doubtful.

"But the point at issue here concerns none of those things. What I find absolutely bewildering is that a punch thrown in one country of the rugby playing world is not the same as a punch thrown in another.

"White’s indiscretion earned him a red card at Welford Road against Sale last Saturday. Given that the last time he was up before the beak for a similar offence he copped a five-week suspension, it seems very likely that Leicester will have to pursue their hunt for honours in the Guinness Premiership and Heineken Cup without the redoubtable scrummager that White certainly is."

April 6, 2009

A ghoulish farce

Posted by Huw Baines on 04/06/2009

Brian Moore continues to rejoice at the demise of the ELVs in his column for The Daily Telegraph.

"All but two substantive law changes have been sent to the abyss. From conception to abortion, the law-change experiment has been a ghoulish farce which has harmed the image of rugby. That it caused mirth from other sports is not as important as the fact that it caused active hatred between genuine supporters of the game. This sort of destabilising and divisive exercise must never happen again.

"Any law variations attempted in the future should have strict criteria for their introduction, framing, trialling and evaluation.

"The International Rugby Board's internal group with the nebulous brief to "improve the game" should be disbanded or given stricter guidelines. At present, and similar to the Commission for Racial Equality, they have to find problems in order to exist; with the Experimental Law Variations they did just that."

April 5, 2009

Who can stop Munster?

Posted by Huw Baines on 04/05/2009

Eddie Butler believes that the 2009 Heineken Cup is Munster's to lose, in The Guardian.

"The Heineken Cup used to be a fairly simple business once the hectic stages of qualifications from the pools were over. Two questions presented themselves: who was going to win it and whose turn was it, perhaps while answering that first question, to beat Munster?

"Actually, Munster were also-rans for the first four years. But in 2000 they made it to the Twickenham final, where they lost to Northampton, and since then they have been fixtures in the last eight, losing only two quarter-finals, to Biarritz in 2005 and the Scarlets in 2007.

"They lost two semi-finals "away" in France (without being in the home ground of their opponents) by a single point, 16-15 to Stade Français in 2001, and 13-12 to Toulouse in 2003. The other semi they lost was at Lansdowne Road, perhaps the most dramatic game over 80 minutes in the history of the competition, 37-32 to Wasps.

"Another final was lost, to Leicester in the "hand of Back" game in Cardiff in 2002. Munster's trail of near-misses didn't quite stretch back into the monochrome depths of Ireland's 1948 grand slam, but every year fairly broke a few more hearts down in Limerick and Cork and all points in between."

Dear Shaun...

Posted by Huw Baines on 04/05/2009

Paul Ackford, writing in The Daily Telegraph, wonders how Shaun Edwards will respond to Wasps' poor season.

"Changing owner midseason didn't help either. People tell me the new boss, Steve Hayes, is one of the lads and has the club's best interests at heart. But he didn't handle the contract situation very well at all, issuing ultimatums to James Haskell, Tom Rees, Danny Cipriani and the rest, creating a media frenzy out of what should have been routine negotiations.

"As for that Cipriani? You have championed him all season but haven't you lumped too much on him, expecting him to control games and drag you out of a crisis when he is still very inexperienced and not fully recovered from that serious ankle injury? I suppose it wasn't great Martin Johnson rushed him into the England side in the autumn and then dumped him, but maybe you could have handled him a little better too.

"I don't want to appear too critical. You've had your misfortunes after all. Your two best tight heads, Phil Vickery and Pat Barnard, have been out of action for much of the campaign, and your young tyros are taking longer to come through than, no doubt, you expected. The injuries to Rees, Tom Palmer and Joe Worsley also knocked you off course a little, as did indifferent performances from Paul Sackey, one of your – what's the phrase agents use nowadays? – marquee players. But all clubs accommodate injuries and loss of form during a season, and you have done so unblinkingly in the past."

One last challenge

Posted by Huw Baines on 04/05/2009

Stephen Jones talks to a retiring Josh Lewsey about his ambitions to scale Everest in The Sunday Times.

"Josh Lewsey is retiring from all rugby. He has two games left for Wasps and a burning desire to tour with the Lions in South Africa. That will be that. When we met last week to discuss the retirement and his new projects he placed an A4 sheet in front of me. “There. That’s a guide in case I start waffling.”

"Lewsey may be one of the most fascinating and multifaceted people I have met but he is a man of such fierce focus that I never assumed for a second that waffle was on the menu. The impression was confirmed when he ordered breakfast with precision. It was the Grove Country Club’s full cooked spread, but accompanied, as he requested, by “mustard, tomato sauce and marmite”. The sheet had a row of arrows moving through a series of boxes, representing a career path, with each step explained under a small cloud logo bearing the word: “Why?” Box one said: “Wasps.” Box two says: “Lions?” The question mark indicated that selection is beyond his control. “I have never taken part in a winning Lions Test series. I would dearly love to go.”

"The next arrow pointed to the third box. “Everest”, it said. Not “put feet up”, then? Lewsey and Major Keith Reesby, a Lynx pilot in the Army air corps and a friend from Lewsey’s army years, are about to prepare for the ultimate challenge, an attempt on the summit of Everest, probably via the more difficult North Col route, in July next year. Those who do not know Lewsey will suspect that this is either lunacy or a publicity stunt. Those who do will expect him to make it."

April 4, 2009

Get well soon

Posted by Huw Baines on 04/04/2009

Writing in The Independent, Eddie Jones believes that the Lions need Gavin Henson in South Africa.

"I suspect there are as many contrasting views about this particular player as there are people to hold them but, to my mind, he is a high-class operator. Indeed, the Welshman is everything a coach wants in an inside centre – he is big and powerful, carries the ball well, has footwork, can kick miles and can tackle – and by way of extras, he can do a turn at full-back when required. The only thing you question is where his head is. If his attitude is good and he is in the right zone, Henson is a major asset.

"It appears he will be out of the game for six weeks and, unsurprisingly, he is pretty down about it. But the timing is not entirely hopeless. I know Ian McGeechan, the Lions head coach, is adamant that he will not take injured players on tour, but that is not quite the same as taking players who aren't match fit. If Henson is back on his feet and running well by the middle of next month, I'd go with him. The Lions have half a dozen matches before the opening Test against the Springboks, so he would have plenty of opportunity to recapture that crucial sharpness that comes with playing regular rugby. It would not be as if Ian had given a plane ticket to a bloke in the vague hope that he might come up trumps by the time the serious contests arrive.

"For a number of reasons, I hope things turn out well for Henson. I know he has this reputation as a "problem player", and I cannot pretend that his celebrity lifestyle doesn't raise the odd issue here and there. But I detect a lot of good in him: he likes to enjoy himself and frequently does so in the company of his colleagues, which suggests a degree of popularity. The trick is to find his positive side and channel it to the benefit of the team. Warren Gatland and Shaun Edwards did that successfully when Wales won the Grand Slam last year and, with their good cop-bad cop routine, could do so again with the Lions."

April 3, 2009

Slow on the uptake

Posted by Huw Baines on 04/03/2009

Wasps coach Shaun Edwards, writing in The Guardian, muses on the impact that the ELVs had on their disappointing season.

"This is a strange feeling. We are barely into April and Wasps have no silverware to play for. After six seasons of winning something, we handed back our Premiership title at Bath on Wednesday night. European qualification is still to play for but the probability is that it will be the Challenge Cup rather than the Heineken Cup for us next season.

"That means Toulon rather than Toulouse, Connacht rather than Munster or Leinster. For a side that has won the Heineken twice and started the season ranked among Europe's top six clubs, that hurts and over the next few weeks we'll try to work out what to do about it and why it happened.

"Why were we a better side results-wise when our internationals were away? Without them we averaged three points a game. Why did we score 60-plus tries last season and only 20-plus so far this?

"Closer analysis will no doubt throw up other issues but it has long been blindingly obvious that one of the major reasons for our discomfort is that we started the season poorly and were nowhere near the pace of the Baths and Harlequins when it came to the delights of the ELVs or rather the ways in which they would be refereed."

April 2, 2009

Ruck and maul

Posted by Huw Baines on 04/02/2009

Inga Tuigamala, writing in The New Zealand Herald, shows his disappointment at the re-introduction of the rolling maul into international rugby and suggests that rucking be reinstated to clear up the breakdown.

"Any rucking has to involve the player driving forward and removing players on the ground with a backward motion of the feet. It can't involve static players stamping directly down. Players would have to be told very clearly what rucking meant, and the penalties for not doing it correctly.

"A big point about the impact of rucking is that it discourages players from illegally slowing the ball down in the first place because they know the consequences of getting their bodies or hands in the wrong place.

"As for the rolling maul, I would hate to see it re-emerge. Teams that become very proficient at rolling mauls are almost unstoppable, but it is a boring sight and goes against the whole ethos of trying to make rugby an entertaining game.

"It's a tactic that England excel at and maybe the northern hemisphere's opposition to the experimental rules indicates it would feel disadvantaged by them compared to the southern hemisphere teams, where players such as Richie McCaw (left) have thrived under the new rules."

April 1, 2009

Beware - Matt Goddard returns

Posted by Jean Smyth on 04/01/2009

The Australian referee Matt Goddard controversially returns to the field in the Super 14 this weekend, Gavin Rich gives us his thoughts on Superrugby.com.

"I don’t like to criticise referees but I will own up to the fact that, with Dan away this past weekend, I made a greater contribution to the latest Super Wrap than I normally do. So the views about Matt Goddard’s “ludicrous” refereeing in the match between the Bulls and the Hurricanes are mine.

"When you have a game punctuated by the whistle as much as that one was, when you have as many penalties and free kicks as there were in Wellington, and when six separate cards are issued during the course of the game, then you do have a problem. Only an ostrich with its head buried deep in the desert sands could possibly miss it.

"But in some ways I did feel sorry for Goddard, for while he made a mess of the match, he did at least satisfy the one recurring demand of all players and coaches – he was consistent. If he felt that once he had sent the first player from the field, he was duty bound to do the same to the next, then surely he was only doing what should be expected if you want consistency within the match."