Ireland prepared for the last World Cup by sitting in the freezing cold in the Polish countryside, eating (8,000 calories per day!) and playing contentious friendlies – witness the anthem debate before the Italian game in Ravenhill and the Battle of Bayonne. Continue reading
The Tri Nations will be decided this weekend in Brisbane. Australia and New Zealand enter level on points after three games. New Zealand won the teams’ earlier encounter. Continue reading
There’s a Bennett, four Jones, three Williams and two Davies; yes, that Samoan team is full of familiar names. Ho ho ho – that’s funny! Continue reading
McFadden: "I thought this photo-shoot was with Kearney, not a carney."
Biggie #1: Isaac Boss
In the style of Sports Illustrated doyen Peter King, here’s an interesting nugget: Isaac Boss hasn’t started an international for Ireland in four years. He made his last start against Scotland on 11 August 2007, the first of the warm-up matches for the ill-fated RWC07.
No matter what way you look at it, that’s really pretty incredible. The Rotorua-born scrum-half has made two world cup panels under two different coaches four years apart, and hasn’t started once in between. There have been forty-one test matches since that game: twenty-nine under Declan Kidney, ten under Eddie O’Sullivan and two under Michael Bradley. He hasn’t been in the starting line-up once. Continue reading
Oh, don't mind me. I'll just hang around here in Montpellier being the obvious man for the job.
In the words of Montell Jordan, “This is how we do it“: the FFR have given their backing to coach Marc Lievremont as he prepares his French team for the world cup on the back of home and away wins against Ireland by telling him that he’s out of a job after the tournament, regardless of the result. Ooh-la-la-la-la-la-la. Ce n’est pas formidable, mes amis etc. Continue reading
Graham Henry has named his squad, and the most striking news is that neither Sitiveni Sivivatu nor Hosea Gear are in it. As mentioned in the match review of the recent SA vs NZ test from Port Elizabeth, New Zealand have an absolute rake of top-quality wingers who would find a place in the starting line-up of many other teams in the world cup – the two lads join ‘Walk Away’ Rene Ranger, Joe Rokocoko and Lelia Masaga at poolside, or possibly in one of those big Auckland bars like the one that’s in the start of Once Were Warriors. If Uncle Bully tries to do a runner again, he’s not going to get very far. Continue reading
Bloodbottler, Childchewer, Meatdripper, Maidmasher and Gizzardgulper Make Cut
Colour me shocked: Pieter de Villiers has gone and picked very close to the best South African squad available to him. There’s an argument for the inclusion of the crafty Adie Jacobs over the more athletic Juan de Jong, and maybe the untrammeled running ability and pace of Lwazi Mvovo over the experience of Odwa Ndungane, but they’re very close calls. Likewise Flip van der Merwe’s youth and aggression gave him a good shot, but de Villiers has opted instead for the lineout skills and leadership that Ulster’s Johann Muller brings to the cause.
Tri-Nations underperformers Ashley Johnson, Jean Deysel and Deon Stegmann are all axed from the backrow to make way for the return of Schalk, Heinrich Brussouw and somewhat surprisingly, Bath-bound Albert Louw. Juan Smith had to withdraw from selection last week due to his failure to sufficiently recover from injury, and while a player of his calibre would be a loss to any team in international rugby, it could mean that we see Schalk take on the South African No7 blindside jersey [they just had to be different] in a Brussouw/Burger/Spies backrow that looks very tasty. Then again, the wrecking-ball qualities of the Sharks’ Willem Alberts might well be employed on the blindside, or ironman Danie Russouw – who started all three of South Africa’s knockout wins in their successful RWC07 campaign at No8 – could be called into play, in what is an area of tremendous depth for the Boks. Continue reading
Traditionally, England’s biggest problem is a media driven, merry-go-round approach to selection. Until Geoff Cooke became manager in 1987, Fleet Street delighted in throwing up names for selection and shooting them down once the new blood failed to gel. Cooke introduced a cleft chinned Will Carling as his captain and built a team around a bunch of big coppers. Continue reading
George Clancy is no Alan Lewis. He lacks the silver barnet, the well-applied Egyptian Gold #4 spray tan, the sparkling conversation and the tasty batting average, but maybe we’ve been a bit hard on old George here in Demented Mole Towers. Like commentators, referees take some time to bed themselves into the good-books of the rugby public, but George went up in my estimation when he shook off the shackles of IRB protocol to call it like he saw it [hmmm … call it like he didn’t see it the first time around, perhaps] and disallow Jimmy Cowan’s try-that-never-was because of Israel Dagg’s forward pass.
He went outside the laws to make the right decision – like Charles Bronson in Deathwish.
This is what Andre Watson, the head of SA referees, had to say on the matter:
“What we want is the right decision. It was clear that the pass was forward and if the try had been allowed we [referees] would have looked a bunch of fools. Protocols are important and we should try to stick to them but they are essentially guidelines and I’d rather apologise for what happened than get the wrong answer.”
http://www.ruggaworld.com/2011/08/22/an … dy-obrien/
Bronson merely cut through red tape to see that justice was done. Viva Bronson Clancy.
Scotland. Looking at their squad, you nod your head and take a breath in and think to yourself: “Y’know, there are some pretty serious players there.” I do, anyway. Then you remember the last couple of times you saw them play, and just how abject they can be.
Andy Robinson has announced his captain as Alaistair Kellock, which to my mind immediately rules out the likelihood of them starting their best lock pairing, Nathan Hines and Richie Gray. Kellock is a fine player in his own right, a good captain and seems like a lovely chap in the Rob Wainwright mould, but Gray is already looking like he could be Victor Matfield’s successor as the best No5 in world rugby, and Nathan Hines is long-established as one of the top front jumpers and tighthead locks in the northern hemisphere. Hines has great hands, a mean-streak a mile wide and ridiculous stamina – he played in more games than any other Leinster player last year [when you include his Scottish internationals] in one of the toughest positions on the pitch. Playing him at blindside, as Andy Robinson did during the Six Nations, gets him on the pitch but doesn’t take best advantage of his unique capabilities. Gray is going to have a great world cup – he’s both a phenomenal athlete and a proper rugby player, making tackles all over the park, dominant at lineout time and an excellent runner in the open field with an eye for the offload. The sky is the limit for this lad, and I’ve no doubt he’ll be piling up Man of the Match awards and contract offers from French clubs. Continue reading
Digging Like a Demented Mole 
