Thursday 31 October 2013

Rugby League World Cup 2013: USA"s inspiring win in Bristol


The


USA’s World Cup win over the Cook Islands


in Bristol was one of the most uplifting and heartening nights I’ve had covering rugby league in years.


A vocal, passionate crowd largely unfamiliar with the sport, enjoyed a wet and windy moment of league history in a union stranglehold. It gave an often battered game another shot in the arm.


As excited as I have been about this competition, this fixture was the one that always worried me, both on and off the pitch. Would there be enough, or any appetite for the game from curious Bristolians? And would two teams without a single World Cup win between them be able to put on any kind of show for those who did brave the horrendous conditions to give it a go?


My confidence was not hugely lifted when I saw the USA’s coach driver rushing into the dressing rooms to change into the Tom the Eagle mascot costume either. Yet it worked. All of it.


USA mascot


More than 7,000 fans watched a compelling contest and a moment of history as the 1,000-1 outsiders beat the tournament’s smallest competing nation, and the locals loved it. Most supported the Cook Islands, “oohing” and “aahing” at every big hit, although the chant of “there’s only one Cook Islands” did have to be corrected to 15.


David Fairleigh’s team, who competed in 2000 but didn’t win a game, had enjoyed 10 days in Bristol to prepare. “We have enjoyed our time here,” he told me in the tunnel before kick-off. “The people have been great with us, and the interaction with schools and communities has been fantastic.”


When the


World Cup schedule


was drawn up and venues announced, I understand this was the one single fixture that most concerned organisers in terms of sales and interest. Tickets were sold for £10 and it paid off.


Group D fixtures




3 November:


Wales v United States, Wrexham


10 November:


Wales v Cook Islands, Neath


Inter-group matches


5 November:


Tonga v Cook Islands, Leigh


7 November:


Scotland v United States, Salford



Full World Cup schedule and results



The USA coach Terry Matterson – himself a very late appointment and late arrival ahead of the tournament, echoed Fairleigh’s positivity. “The boys have been blown away by Bristol and its history,” he told me. “I’ve never been here, the players had 50 hours in the air to come together before our warm-up game against France and now here we are.”


The Tomahawks stunned the French to win that game, and now they’ll fancy shocking a few more teams to reach the knock-out stages. Matterson admitted he was “pleasantly surprised” by that performance, but he doesn’t do emotion.


The former Castleford coach once only noticed he’d lost a finger when he looked down and realised his wedding ring was missing after a training session. The ring was still attached to his finger, on top of a steel fence over which he had climbed to retrieve a lost ball.


Yet last night I saw real emotion in the Australian, who has been working as an assistant coach back home. Speaking before the game he told me he would only know how good his players were after the match. He had hardly seen this collection of NRL professionals, Aussie lower league players and self-funded Americans play together.


“Some of our guys have had to finance this trip themselves and put other jobs on hold and you can see what it means to them to play for their country,” he said after the game, with a shell-shocked air of unexpected pride.


Cook Islands Haka


There have been plenty of Haka’s performed at the World Cup so far


Players raced off the bench, draped in the stars and stripes on the full-time hooter to celebrate as though they had won the final. It was a moment of vindication for a team which had ignored claims of many domestic players to compose a squad of the best available talent, which caused controversy and severed friendships.


Moreover, this was a fantastic result for world rugby league.


This is the furthest US rugby league has come in 60 years of trying, and the biggest indication yet that the sport can work in the south west of England. Only a few years ago one of my old schoolmates was playing for the local league team, the Bristol Sonics, a team founded 11 years ago.


Andy is a lovely bloke, and one of my best mates, but he’ll readily admit his sporting prowess was perhaps not hugely deserving of a place on the wing. Fast forward six years and the Sonics are a strong two-tiered club who have done some terrific work in spreading the league word through a traditionally union heartland.


To see Bristol take to rugby league was inspiring. To see full-time professionals competing for nothing other than a love of and debt to rugby league, proves romance is alive and well in sport too.


Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/24456254


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Rugby League World Cup 2013: USA"s inspiring win in Bristol

Jonny Gray"s joy at joining brother Richie in Scotland rugby squad

Rugby rising star Jonny Gray admits teaming up with brother Richie in the Scotland squad is a dream come true.


The 19-year-old, from Stewartfield, was called into the senior team’s 41-man training squad for the Autumn Test series by interim Scotland head coach, Scott Johnson, last week.


And as well as linking up with his elder brother, Jonny is on the brink of creating Scottish rugby history.


Should

he feature in any of the November matches against Japan, South Africa and Australia at Murrayfield , he will become the first teenage forward to pull on a dark blue jersey since Hamish Inglis in 1951.


But

the Glasgow Warriors youngster is not getting carried away and is still

coming to terms with the fact he is training alongside his heroes.


Jonny told the News: “This is a massive moment for me and it’s a real honour to be called-up for my country.


“It was a surprise to be included in the squad, but I’m very proud to be here and I’m going to enjoy every moment of it.


“Making

history is not something I’ve really thought about, I’ve got a lot of hard work to do before I can think about actually playing.


“Just

being here as part of the squad is very surreal. When I’ve gone out to train I look around and I’m working with guys I watched play when I was kid and wanted to be like, so it’s hard to take it all in.


“Being

in the squad with Richie is like a dream and it’s been great to catch up with him because I’ve not seen in him in a good few months.


“He’s been away with the (British and Irish) Lions and playing club rugby in France, but he’s very happy for me.


“Richie’s

been telling me some stories from his time with the Lions and what I can expect because he’s been through all this before. It’s great to have

his support.


“There are some fantastic players in the squad and I’m very grateful to have this opportunity.”


Second

row star Jonny has impressed in recent months with his performances for

the Warriors in both the Heineken Cup and in the Rabo Direct Pro 12 league.


Earlier this season,

he also captained his country in the Under-20 Six Nations, leading his team to victory against Italy and Ireland.


And

Jonny, who has a full-time three-year contract with Warriors, believes that experience can stand him in good stead for a senior debut.


“The Heineken Cup and the Rabo games have been a great experience and a real honour to play in,” he said.


“I’ve

got good mentors at the Warriors like Al Kellock, who is also in the Scotland squad, and he’s been giving me loads of tips and advice. He’s a

great guy to learn from.


“There’s

some massive games coming up and to be a part of it would be incredible. Some great players will be on show, but I know it will take a

lot of work and hard graft to get a chance.”


Jonny’s Stewartfield-based family will be keeping their fingers crossed that both their boys will play alongside each other.


For mum Lorraine, dad Douglas, sister Megan and step-dad Gordon, it will be a very proud moment.


But Jonny admits his gran, Jean Walker, is one of his biggest fans.


“My

gran’s amazing,” he said. She’s been the one who has always told me if you want to make something of yourself, you have to work really hard for

it.


“She’s been a huge influence on me and Richie growing up, so she’s delighted for us.


“The whole family are really proud and it’s been a great week for all of us.”


Scotland

play Japan on November 9, followed by matches with South Africa on November 17 and Australia on November 23. Tickets are on sale via the SRU website www.scottishrugby.org/autumntests.


Article source: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/rugby-scotlands-injured-cross-miss-rest-south-africa-190721921.html


Jonny Gray"s joy at joining brother Richie in Scotland rugby squad

Wales rugby star Matthew J Watkins speaks of his cancer for first time

Former Wales centre Matthew J Watkins has spoken for the first time about being diagnosed with a rare type of cancer which he admitted he may have to live with for the rest of his life.


The former Dragons player, who is only 35, was told in May that cancer has developed in his right pelvis.


Watkins, who won 19 caps for Wales, told WalesOnline how he had originally put the soreness in his back down to the hip injury which had led to his retirement from the game in 2011.


He said: “I had a bad back for about a year-and-a-half after I retired so I thought it was all related to the hip.”


He was referred to a specialist at Newport’s Royal Gwent Hospital for an MRI scan which picked up the cancer and a formal diagnosis was made in May.


Watkins said: “From February I knew something was wrong. At the time they didn’t know if it was cancer or a non-cancerous tumour. I was in limbo for two months really.


“I was a bit frustrated at times because we didn’t really know what was happening. But it was harder for my family than for me.”


Watkins, who receives his treatment through Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff, was told he was unable to have surgery as the tumour is connected to the bone and has instead been taking the drug sunitinib in tablet form – a new type of treatment that targets the cause of the cancer and is said to not have such debilitating side effects.


Watkins, who has two sons aged six and two, said: “I don’t think of myself as having cancer. I take the tablets and get on with it. That’s the way I have always been. It’s something I’ve probably got to live with for the rest of my life.


“I see it as taking the tablets and seeing what happens. At the moment it’s part of my life and I’m trying to beat it. It’s still early days, I don’t think I’ll get rid of it. It’s about living with it unless someone tells me something different.”


Matthew Watkins is tackled by Mirco Bergamasco during the Six Nations in 2006
Matthew Watkins is tackled by Mirco Bergamasco during the Six Nations in 2006


 


He said he had a scan early on which saw a “little bit of a decrease” in the size of the tumour and is now waiting on the results of another scan from Monday.


After retiring from rugby, Mr Watkins had pursued an interest in coaching but has decided to take some time out from rugby and is currently working for Abacus Recruitment.


He said: “I still want to get back into some sort of rugby but I have decided to have a year out, to enjoy myself and spend some time with my family.


“It’s nice to be part of rugby as it’s been a part of my life for so long. It’s all I have really known. But it’s nice to do something different.”


Watkins said he has received many messages of support from family, friends and ex-colleagues but said there had been “no support from the WRU and WRPA”.


He added: “There’s not enough support for players after they retire. The next ones are in and you’re on the scrap heap really. I’m looking at starting something up for rugby players after they finish their career.


“Rugby does take up a large amount of your time and finishes really quickly. Players need to understand there is life after their career.”


The father-of-two added: “The transition between finishing your career and what to do next is really hard and I found it really difficult.


“I don’t think the structure for players is there and I think the powers that be could do a lot more.”


Watkins, from Blackwood near Caerphilly, said he is feeling well and is now busy training in preparation for a 515km bike ride from Boston to New York next year in aid of Velindre.


He said: “They’ve been brilliant. I see the doctor every six weeks and we have a chat about how things are going. The work they do is amazing.”


He said: “The West Coast trip last year looked brilliant and it’s a great cause. This is just a way of raising money for Velindre, which is close to my heart, and having a great time.”


There are still places available for the second bike ride which Matthew, Sian Lloyd and Jamie Baulch will be part of.


The WRPA, which represents professional rugby players in Wales, said it offers a “comprehensive range of support services” to its members including confidential helplines and education and career support. It said this can be accessed via its website and through directly contacting the association.


A spokesperson said: “As a player association we listen to the comments of our members, past and present. Following comments from Matthew we realised that our communication with former players could be improved and we are in the process of developing this area.


“We remind players at every opportunity to contact us should they require any of the support services but we would not intrude into a player’s private life. It is the player’s choice whether to contact us or not.


“Player engagement is an issue for all player associations and is an area that we continually work to improve


“The WRPA offer our full support to Matthew and if he requires any support or advice from us, we would encourage him get in touch.”


The Welsh Rugby Charitable Trust was set up in 1972 to support players and their families who have been severely injured whilst playing rugby in Wales.


* For more information, see www.velindrefundraising.com and to sponsor Matthew J Watkins, see www.justgiving.com/Matthew-J-Watkins


Article source: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/rugby-scotlands-injured-cross-miss-rest-south-africa-190721921.html


Wales rugby star Matthew J Watkins speaks of his cancer for first time

Lee Dickson to start for England rugby team against Australia at Twickenham

England have picked the Northampton scrum-half Lee Dickson to start against Australia in place of Ben Youngs. Dickson will win his 10th cap alongside Owen Farrell for the first game in England’s three-match autumn international series.


Dickson has been in good form for Northampton this season, and featured for England during their summer tour of Argentina, but the 33-times capped Youngs, started the second Test for the Lions in Australia and would have expected to keep his place.


The wing Marland Yarde, the centre Joel Tomkins and the No8 Billy Vunipola will also make their first starts for England at Twickenham on Saturday in Stuart Lancaster‘s new-look 22-man squad.


The Northampton lock Courtney Lawes will lead the England lineout alongside Joe Launchbury against the Wallabies after Geoff Parling suffered mild concussion earlier this week.


“I’m delighted for Joel,” said England’s head coach, Stuart Lancaster. “He has had a great week’s training and is ready for his chance. He has played in many high-profile games in his career so far and has a great temperament for the big occasion.


“Billy Vunipola and Marland Yarde made a big impression in Argentina and it’s going to be a special occasion for them to run out at Twickenham in front of 82,000 passionate supporters for the first time.


“We are looking forward to the challenge of playing Australia – they have made great strides under Ewen McKenzie and their new coaching team and they are formidable opponents.”






Link to video: Rugby union autumn internationals: ‘a great springboard for England’



England team v Australia


M Brown (Harlequins); C Ashton (Saracens), J Tomkins (Saracens), B Twelvetrees (Gloucester), M Yarde (London Irish); O Farrell (Saracens), L Dickson (Northampton), M Vunipola (Saracens), T Youngs (Leicester), D Cole (Leicester), J Launchbury (Wasps), C Lawes (Northampton), T Wood (Northampton), C Robshaw (Harlequins, capt), B Vunipola (Saracens).



Replacements: D Hartley (Northampton), J Marler (Harlequins), D Wilson (Bath), D Attwood (Bath), B Morgan (Gloucester), B Youngs (Leicester), T Flood (Leicester), B Foden (Northampton)


QBE International, Saturday, 2.30pm, Twickenham, live on Sky Sports 2


Article source: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/rugby-scotlands-injured-cross-miss-rest-south-africa-190721921.html


Lee Dickson to start for England rugby team against Australia at Twickenham

QBE Internationals: Joel Tomkins makes England debut against Australia


Stuart Lancaster Lee Dickson’s form makes him the obvious choice


Joel Tomkins will make his England debut against Australia at Twickenham on Saturday just two years after switching codes from rugby league.


The outside centre has been given the chance to impress by head coach Stuart Lancaster, with Gloucester’s Billy Twelvetrees set to partner him at inside centre.



Live on Sky Sports




  • Live International Rugby Union



  • England v Australia

  • November 2, 2013 1:30pm

  • Sky Sports 2 HD



Tomkins’ Saracens team-mate Billy Vunipola and London Irish wing Marland Yarde will make their Twickenham debuts after winning their first international caps in Argentina earlier this year.


Lee Dickson, who started both Tests against the Pumas, beats off competition from Ben Youngs and Danny Care to win his 10th cap at scrum-half, with Owen Farrell confirmed as his half-back colleague.


Dan Cole, Ben Youngs and his brother Tom also return to the matchday squad for the opening QBE autumn international.


Lancaster declared himself thrilled to be able to blood some exciting new players against the Wallabies and backed Tomkins to impress.


Grasp his chance


“I’m delighted for Joel. He has had a great week’s training and is ready for his chance,” said Lancaster.




“He has played in many high-profile games in his career so far and has a great temperament for the big occasion.”

Lancaster on Tomkins

<!–Quotes of the week–>


“He has played in many high-profile games in his career so far and has a great temperament for the big occasion. Joel’s big-game temperament will shine through on the weekend.”


Lancaster said opting to start Dixon instead of the more experienced Youngs was based purely on current form.


“Form has always been the over-riding factor for me, but Lee also has a lot of credit in the bank,” Lancaster added.


“At the start of the season in a competitive position he’s the one who’s really shined. It’s a competitive position but on form alone he deserves it.


“To be picked for this England team you have to be playing well and that’s reflected in the selection.”


Lawes chance

Lancaster urged Courtney Lawes to take the initiative at the line-out after Geoff Parling was ruled out of the autumn opener.




Joel Tomkins is relishing the chance to earn his first cap against Australia


“You lose a lot of experience with Geoff and I’m disappointed that he’s injured,” he said. “But it’s time for Courtney to come in and show his leadership in the line out


“Dave Attwood is match fit and adds ballast and size to our bench.


“Billy Vunipola and Maland Yarde made a big impression in Argentina and it’s going to be a special occasion for them to run out at Twickenham in front of 82,000 passionate supporters for the first time.


“It’s eight months since we played at our home (in the Six Nations against Italy) and we are looking forward to getting back there for the QBE Internationals and what is a very important series for us two years out from the World Cup.”


England: Brown, Ashton, Tomkins, Twelvetrees, Yarde, Farrell, Dickson; M Vunipola, T Youngs, Cole, Launchbury, Lawes, Wood, Robshaw (capt), B Vunipola


Replacements: Hartley, Marler, Wilson, Morgan, B Youngs, Flood, Foden


Watch England take on Australia this Saturday. Coverage starts on Sky 3D and Sky Sports 2 HD from 1:30pm.



Article source: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/rugby-scotlands-injured-cross-miss-rest-south-africa-190721921.html


QBE Internationals: Joel Tomkins makes England debut against Australia

RUGBY UNION: Brodley out to take Scotland chance

RUGBY UNION: Brodley out to take Scotland chance




By Ed Mezzetti, Sports reporter specialising in Rugby, Cricket and Athletics. Call me on 01865 425456



Jordan Brodley in action for Marlow



JORDAN Brodley wants to make his mark with Scotland Under 20s after being called up to their training squad.



The 20-year-old, from Nuneham Courtney, near Oxford, attended a three-day camp earlier this month in Edinburgh, which was the first stage in Scotland’s selection process.



Scotland’s coaches told Brodley to switch from the back row to hooker to make it at international level – a move the ambitious youngster was happy to accept.



“The recent camp that I attended went well,” said the son of former Chinnor, Oxfordshire and now Marlow coach John Brodley.



“I am still waiting on feedback, but the initial feeling is that I seemed to impress.



“Off the back of this, if everything went well, I will be invited back to attend a second camp later this year.”



Former Magdalen College School pupil Brodley was previously involved with the Oxford Rugby set-up before joining his father at Marlow.



He also played junior cricket for Oxfordshire and is now studying at Bristol University.



Brodley was able to switch allegiance from the English Lambs under 18 side to Scotland as his mother was born there.



He earned a spot at the Edinburgh session after impressing at a Scottish Exiles training camp in August.



“My long-term ambitions are clear – to play at the top level,” said Brodley, who is also playing for Bristol University.



“I hope to find a club here in Bristol to develop my awareness and physicality in men’s rugby, but the ultimate goal is to be playing international rugby.”



He added: “I will hopefully be invited back to the next Scotland camp where I will have another opportunity to impress and develop at the top level.



“I will however continue to have my own individual ‘work-ons’ to help my transition from back row to hooker.”



Should Brodley make it into Scotland’s Under 20 Six Nations squad, he could face former Oxfordshire junior teammate Henry Purdy, who is in the England ranks.



The main aim this season for players like Brodley and Purdy is to appear in next summer’s IRB Junior World Championship in New Zealand.



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Article source: http://www.scotsman.com/news/scotland/top-stories/former-scotland-rugby-international-on-rape-charge-1-3150028


RUGBY UNION: Brodley out to take Scotland chance

England hit by Geoff Parling injury ahead of Australia clash

Head coach Stuart Lancaster will promote Dave Attwood to the match-day squad in place of Lions lock Parling, below, and can now be expected to pair Courtney Lawes and Joe Launchbury in the starting second row.


Full-back Ben Foden, like Attwood among those sent back to play for their clubs last weekend, was another retained among the 23 who will form the match squad – in Foden’s case at the expense of Henry Trinder.


Lancaster’s decision is likely to mean a first cap at outside-centre for rugby league convert Joel Tomkins, whose brother Sam is playing in the league World Cup on the same day.


Article source: http://www.scotsman.com/news/scotland/top-stories/former-scotland-rugby-international-on-rape-charge-1-3150028


England hit by Geoff Parling injury ahead of Australia clash

Rugby League - Quartet set for Hall of Fame honour

They will be formally inducted at a Rugby League World Cup celebration dinner at Huddersfield on Friday night when they will be welcomed by current Hall of Fame members Billy Boston and Neil Fox.


The quartet, chosen by a selection panel of journalists, broadcasters and administrators, take the number of legends in the Hall of Fame to 21 and they become the first to join the British game’s pantheon since 2005.


RFL chief executive Nigel Wood said: “It is my privilege and pleasure to welcome these four living legends of the game into the Rugby League Hall of Fame.


“Lewis, Martin, Garry and Mick are recognised as four of the greatest British sportsmen of the last century and it is right and proper that their considerable talents should be recognised in this way.”


Membership of the Hall of Fame is restricted to players who had a record of outstanding achievement at the highest level of the game and who have made a lasting contribution.


They are also deemed to have a reputation that transcends the era in which they played.


Jones was tagged the ‘golden boy’ when he moved from Llanelli to Leeds as a record £6,000 signing in 1952 and in a 12-year British playing career of more than 400 games, he amassed 3,445 points, including 496 from 48 appearances in the 1956-57 season.


He was in the Leeds team that won the 1957 Challenge Cup and four years later captained them to a first Championship triumph. He also went on the 1954 Lions tour and played in the 1957 World Cup.


Sullivan and Schofield jointly hold the record for most Great Britain caps with 46.


Sullivan scored 41 tries and played in a record 36 consecutive Tests after making his debut at centre in the World Cup defeat of Australia at Lyon in 1954.


He went on to feature in the next two World Cups, as well as the Ashes-winning series of 1956, 1958, 1959 and 1962.


He moved from Huddersfield to Wigan for a then record £9,500 fee in 1957 before joining St Helens for £11,000 four years later.


Schofield enjoyed an outstanding club career with Hull and Leeds that brought him 328 tries from close to 500 games and was named Man of Steel in 1991.


The free-scoring stand-off, who also had successful spells in Australia with Balmain and Western Suburbs, went on four Lions tours and captained his country 13 times, including in the 1992 World Cup final against Australia at Wembley.


Hackney-born Offiah became the highest try-scoring Englishman of all-time in a remarkable career with Widnes, Wigan, London Broncos and Salford.


When his career came to a halt with Salford in 2001, the former Rosslyn Park winger was behind only Australian Brian Bevan and Welshman Billy Boston on rugby league’s all-time try-scoring chart with 501, including 20 in stints with Australian clubs Eastern Suburbs and St George between 1989 and 1993.


Offiah, who became the game’s costliest player when moving from Widnes to Wigan for £440,000 in 1992, was Man of Steel in his first season in 1987 and twice won the Lance Todd Trophy as man of the match in Challenge Cup finals at Wembley.



Article source: http://www.scotsman.com/news/scotland/top-stories/former-scotland-rugby-international-on-rape-charge-1-3150028


Rugby League - Quartet set for Hall of Fame honour

Rugby League World Cup: RFL delighted with event"s impact

Rugby League World Cup



  • Dates: 26 October to 30 November


Coverage: Watch England’s group matches, plus one quarter-final, one semi-final and the final live on BBC TV, online, mobiles and Connected TVs. Listen to every match live on BBC Radio 5 or 5 live sports extra


Brian Barwick, chairman of the Rugby Football League, says he is delighted with how the World Cup has captured the imagination of the British public.


Early attendances have been impressive, while many of the first seven group games have been close contests.


“You’ve got to get off to a flying start,” he told


BBC Radio Merseyside.


“If you do that, you’ve got a real chance. I’m so pleased for the people who’ve worked so hard to bring it here and to make it work.”



More than 45,000 people watched the opening-day double-header


involving co-hosts England and Wales, pre-event favourites Australia and World Cup debutants Italy in Cardiff.


Games staged at


Warrington


and


Rochdale


were played in front of capacity crowds, while Workington’s Derwent Park attracted its biggest attendance for almost two decades as it played host to


Scotland’s opening group fixture against Tonga.


And on Wednesday 7,247 watched


USA beat Cook Islands


in Bristol – a city not traditionally associated with rugby league.


USA v Cook Islands at Bristol


A crowd of 7,247 watched USA beat Cook Islands at Bristol’s Memorial Stadium on Wednesday


“I think the Olympics [in London] last year changed people’s perceptions of big occasions,” continued Barwick. “It felt like it had come to them.


“I think the same will happen with the Commonwealth Games [in Glasgow] next year as well. People feel they can drop into a tournament or an event without having had 50 years of fellowship with it.


“What we want to get out of this as a sport is not just a fantastic tournament, but also some people coming to the sport that wouldn’t have come before.”


Barwick, a former chief executive of the Football Association, is also happy with the amount of media coverage that the World Cup is receiving, adding: “Newspapers that we’ve struggled to make an impact in, we’re in with lots of column inches, stories, photographs and previews. Because it got off to a flier, the media are rolling with it.”


England’s second group game, against Ireland at Huddersfield’s John Smith’s Stadium on Saturday, is already sold out.


Article source: http://www.scotsman.com/news/scotland/top-stories/former-scotland-rugby-international-on-rape-charge-1-3150028


Rugby League World Cup: RFL delighted with event"s impact

Wednesday 30 October 2013

Jamie Heaslip: we"re predicting when rugby players will get injured



Flickr/M MD



Ireland rugby captain Jamie Heaslip says his team has

been harnessing data to protect players from injury, and of course

to help them train to win. The idea is, if we can have a picture of

a player’s health and what’s normal for them, we can measure when

they are most rundown, or vulnerable to injury, and adjust training

or games tactics to prevent this from happening.


“We’ve been wearing GPS packs when we play since

2009, and they track endless amounts of data,” the Lions players

said. “Like any sport the game takes its toll on players, so we

take all this data and put it into an algorithm and are able to

essentially predict when a player is likely to get injured,

depending on that GPS data.”


The GPS

data
tells us how fast and far a player has been running,

measuring the pressure being placed on the body itself. All types

of other data can be fed in to build up a full picture of health.

“First thing in the morning we undergo a range of motion tests and

everything is logged in the computer. You ask basic things like how

did you sleep last night, how are you feeling. It creates a profile

for the person and the more you do it, the more it learns. Then it

can signal to you the players’ health — green for good, amber

means keep an eye on them and red, there’s a chance of

injury.” 


“You can set the threshold for how sensitive it can

be — so you might get some false positives depending on where you

set the thresholds.”


In this space, there are obviously plenty of other

applications, but for now it’s at the high end of markets that can

afford it. “People are already wearing all these different

trackers, the trick is how to use them. One day they could flag up

if you might get a cold, and then flag that up to your GP. We’re at

the tip of the iceberg, and have no idea where it will

go.” 


For Heaslip though, it’s not only changing how

players are treated, but how they play. By mapping the field using

GPS data, they can create different speed zones that dictate where

the game sped up and slowed down, so they can prepare when playing

the same team again.


“When you go from playing club games, to national and

international, instead of coming away thinking that was very fast

and felt like a tough game, you have something measurable now. You

can work out the pace per metre, and know that’s how fast the game

will be. You can train to get used to that pace of the game so you

don’t get caught out.” Heaslip says it has totally transformed how

the team trains, and as such totally changed the players’ bodies as

things like body fat continue to be measured. 


Beyond the field though, Heaslip sees the marketing

potential in this burgeoning area in utilising social interactions

to help the viewer feel more connected to the game.




“Imagine if you have a big kick at the end of the

game, and while you’re at home you can see his heart rate — how it

drops down right before he kicks or peaks. In American football you

could measure force in the tackles — a big rugby tackle is like a

small car crash, imagine if you see massive hit and get that

G-force. It gives people a bit more realism and gets them closer to

the game. I think that will be an interesting aspect over the next

few years.”



Jamie Heaslip: we"re predicting when rugby players will get injured

Durham student rugby club played game "encouraging rape culture"


“Any other ending of this sentence encourages rape culture which is, in my

opinion, the nasty side of lad culture.”



The president of the rugby club has since apologised for the game, she said.



Samuel Cuthbert, 21, is said to have written in an email to Miss Perry: “‘It’s

not rape if…’ is neither funny, nor is it permissible, and it is for this

reason that I wholeheartedly apologise.”



He also offered to assist the DUFemSoc in its “cause”, saying: “I would very

much like to initiate a relationship between our two societies, not only to

demonstrate our belief in the importance of the work you do but to help you

do it, too.”



Mr Cuthbert, from Leicester, declined to comment last night.



Professor Elizabeth Archibald, Principal of St Cuthbert’s Society, said: “We

are aware of the alleged incident in t Cuthbert’s and we will be speaking to

the students concerned.



“The college has a diverse and international student body and students are

well aware of the need to act appropriately and respectfully towards others.”



Last November the same rugby club was banned from playing for the rest of the

term after members dressed up as Jimmy Savile, his victims and police for a

“bad taste fancy dress night.”



The university said at the time it was taking disciplinary action.


Durham student rugby club played game "encouraging rape culture"

Tim Visser: Scotland and Edinburgh wing out until 2014

Scotland and Edinburgh wing Tim Visser will be out of action for up to four months because of a fractured fibula.


A scan confirmed the news after Visser, 26, was taken off during


Edinburgh’s win against Treviso


on Friday.


“This is really disappointing news for Tim,” head coach Alan Solomons told the Edinburgh Rugby website.


“We’re very sorry he’ll miss Scotland’s autumn Tests. He’s an asset for Edinburgh Rugby and Scotland. We all wish him a speedy recovery.”


Visser, who has won 12 caps, had already been


ruled out of Scotland’s three-day training camp


ahead of next month’s Test series against Japan, South Africa and Australia.


And the expected length of Visser’s absence could place his Six Nations participation in doubt.


A 41-man Scotland squad gathered for training in Glasgow on Monday but Saracens back Duncan Taylor, who suffered an injury in his side’s


Premiership loss to Northampton Saints on Saturday,


was also absent.


Taylor, 24, suffered abdomen and shoulder damage and is being treated by Saracens’ medical team.


Interim Scotland head coach Scott Johnson


has named five uncapped players


in his squad for next month’s matches.


Scotland play Japan on 9 November and then South Africa on 17 November before meeting Australia on 23 November, with all three matches taking place at Murrayfield.


Tim Visser: Scotland and Edinburgh wing out until 2014

Tries: Fisi"iahi, Manu (2), Seluini, W Manu

Matty Russell scored a late try as Scotland snatched a dramatic World Cup win over Tonga, who looked to have pulled off a stunning comeback.


Glen Fisi’iahi scored an early try for Tonga but Scotland dominated the opening half, touching down three times to lead 20-4 at the break.


The Tongans responded with four unanswered tries after the restart as they moved into a 24-20 lead.


But Russell powered his way over for a try that Danny Brough converted.


It was a thrilling end to a physical and engrossing encounter that Scotland looked to have under control at the break before their opponents stole the momentum with some blistering attacking rugby.


Tonga scored five tries to Scotland’s four but the trusty boot of Huddersfield Giants’ Man of Steel Brough ultimately proved decisive.


The Bravehearts half-back converted all four tries and kicked a penalty, while Tonga’s Samsoni Langi managed only two conversions.


Chilly and at times soggy conditions at Derwent Park failed to dampen the spirits of the crowd of 7,630 or the two teams in a thrilling match.


It took just nine minutes for Fisi’iahi to give Tonga the lead, crashing through a gap left by Kane Linnett, but Scotland responded brilliantly.


Scotland’s last World Cup win




Victory against Tonga followed up a famous first World Cup victory against Fiji at the 2008 tournament.


Danny Brough was the hero that night, converting an Oliver Wilkes score to make history for the Bravehearts, who won 18-16.


Scotland coincidentally went onto lose to Tonga in the seventh placed play-off.



Inspired by half-backs Brough and Peter Wallace, Steve McCormack’s side went ahead when Russell scored the first of his two tries, stepping and powering his way through Tongan tacklers.


Brough clipped his penalty through the posts to extend the lead, then Ben Fisher made the most of Fisi’iahi’s inability to gather a grubber kick to touchdown.


It got better for Scotland when Brett Carter slipped in unopposed on the right to score on his home ground, but it owed much to an offload from Danny Addy.


The Pacific Islanders headed for the sheds looking pretty shellshocked, but whatever was said seemed to spur them on as they ripped into the Scots after the break.


Sika Manu set the ball rolling, capitalising on a Scotland error to ground the ball, and video referee Ashley Klein awarded the try in the first of a series of calls sent his way from match official Shayne Hayne.


Indiscipline from Scotland gave Tonga a penalty and, from the resulting set, Nafe Seluini forced his way in on the back of brutal attack from Fuifui Moimoi. After two no-try calls from Klein, Sika Manu’s faintest of dab downs was awarded.


Willie Manu joined his namesake on the scoresheet when he was put in by Daniel Tupou as Tonga took the lead, before Russell set up a thrilling finale with his try, converted by Brough with eight minutes to go.


Tonga poured forward and could have levelled if they had kicked a late penalty, but Scotland held out and begin their campaign with success.


Scotland are next in action on Sunday when they take on Group C leaders Italy, while Tonga play Cook Islands on 5 November.


Scotland coach Steve McCormack:


“Many people didn’t give us a chance looking at that Tonga team, who showed glimpses, but we found a way to win.


“That is up there with the best Scotland have ever had.


“We earned everything we got. Tonga were brilliant for 30 minutes, but we found a way to win.


“In the last 10 we held firm. My heart was in my mouth and I was not sitting comfortably, but we found a way to win. I am very proud to be associated with that.”


Tonga coach Charlie Tonga:


“This is a bit of a wake-up call.


“We now have to regroup and ask the boys to go out and do their best for the rest of the tournament.”


Tonga:


Fisi’iahi, Tupou, Hurrell, Taufua, Feki, Langi, Foster, Kite, Havili, Moimoi, Taumalolo, S. Manu, W. Manu, Murdoch-Masila.


Replacements:


Seluini for Havili (23), Murdoch-Masila for Moimoi (19), Ta’ai for W. Manu (36), Paea for Murdoch-Masila (20).


Scotland:


Russell, Hurst, Hellewell, Linnett, Carter, Brough, Wallace, Walker, I. Henderson, Douglas, Addy, Ferguson, Wilkes.


Replacements:


Stringer for Walker (26), B. Phillips for I. Henderson (67), Fisher for Douglas (32), Kavanagh for Wilkes (19).


Att:


7,630


Ref:


Shayne Haynes (Australia).


Rugby League World Cup



  • Dates: 26 October to 30 November


Coverage: Watch England’s group matches plus one quarter-final, one semi-final and the final live on BBC TV, online, mobiles and Connected TVs. Listen to every match live on BBC Radio 5 or 5 live sports extra


Tries: Fisi"iahi, Manu (2), Seluini, W Manu

Former Scotland rugby centre Joe McPartlin dies

FORMER Scotland and Harlequins centre Joe ‘JJ’ McPartlin has died at the age of 75 after a long illness.



McPartlin, who captained the Oxford University XV in 1962 whilst attending St Edmund Hall college, won six caps for Scotland between 1960 and 1962, making his debut against France at Murrayfield, and appearing in the Five Nations.


Born in West Hartlepool to Glaswegian parents in June 1938, McPartlin attended Wimbledon College, undertaking National Service in the army before reading geography at Oxford.


He won three Blues whilst at Oxford in 1960, 1961 and as captain in 1962, and also played rugby for Oxford, Oxfordshire, Surrey, the Army and the Barbarians.


He turned his hand to refereeing on his retirement as a player, and took on a variety of roles in the Oxford University RFC committee from 1975, as well as teaching at St Edward’s School in Oxford.


Writing in The Scotsman, Norman Mair described McPartlin as ‘the complete centre-three-quarter; master of the half-break and the perfectly timed pass.’


McPartlin himself gained a reputation for being able to coin a phrase, once describing a conversion from Wales international John Taylor as ‘the finest since that of St Paul.’


Former Scotland rugby centre Joe McPartlin dies

Phillips turns attention to Wales

The 31-year-old released a statement on Monday night saying he intends to issue legal proceedings against the Top 14 side, who are yet to officially confirm his dismissal for allegedly turning up drunk to a video analysis session on October 11.


Despite his troubles at club level, Wales coach Warren Gatland has kept faith with the scrum-half for the upcoming autumn internationals and Phillips is determined to do all he can to gain a place in the starting XV.


The two-time British and Irish Lions tourist said: “I wish to thank my team-mates and the many friends I have made in the Basque country for their help and kindness over the past two seasons.


“I will now wholeheartedly concentrate all my energy and efforts on training with Wales and try to earn a place in the match day squad to help Wales have a successful autumn campaign against South Africa, Australia, Argentina and Tonga.”


Phillips was accused of being intoxicated when the squad met on October 11, the morning after Grenoble had been defeated 37-6 in the Amlin Challenge Cup.


Team-mates Dwayne Haare and Stephen Brett also faced the Top 14 side’s board last Tuesday to answer for their involvement in the same incident.


Phillips sat out Friday’s 24-19 victory over Montpellier, but Brett started the match while Haare was included on the bench.


The Wales international claims he learned of his dismissal from an interview in a French newspaper on Monday morning and was now in talks with his legal team over possible action.


In an interview with Sud Ouest on Monday, Bayonne chairman Alain Afflelou described Phillips’ alleged behaviour as “treason”.


Phillips said: “I am extremely disappointed and frustrated by the decision taken by Aviron Bayonnais Rugby Club to terminate my employment.


“I was also disappointed by the fact that I officially heard about my dismissal through an interview given in a French newspaper this morning.


“As a result of discussions with my legal team in France I have now instructed them to issue proceedings against Aviron Bayonnais Rugby Club through the French judicial system.”


Afflelou claimed if the club had not got rid of Phillips he himself would have stepped down.


He told Sud Ouest: “It was him or me. I could not have stayed in a club with such disagreement.


“He is a repeat offender and has been laid off for misconduct.


“From the moment he let us down, his friends, coaches and fans, it was not possible to keep him.


“However, I had great respect and affection for the boy, very respectful, and the player. I had already kept him on a year ago against everyone’s advice.


“This summer, I even invited him to my house to offer him a contract extension of two years.


“I trusted him. This is treason.”


Phillips was fined and suspended for 10 days by relegation-threatened Bayonne for an off-field incident last year and was briefly banned from the Wales squad in 2011 following a confrontation with a doorman in Cardiff.


Wales coach Warren Gatland does not believe that Phillips’ situation at Bayonne will affect his form for the autumn Tests.


“He’s got a couple of issues that he needs to address and sort out, but he’s not the only one in sport that has things that need to be addressed, and we will continue to support him as much as we can,” Gatland told BBC Radio Wales.


“I think he is professional enough to come in and want to prove what a good player he is, what a competitor he is, how important he is to the Welsh team.


“It will be interesting to see how he’ll perform in the next month, because knowing him as an individual and how competitive he is he will come out there and I am sure he will play exceptionally well.


“Let’s not hide away from the fact there’s been issues in the past, and he’s aware of that, and I think he is working hard to try and address some of those things and I am confident that he will be great for us in this campaign.”


Wales kick off their autumn campaign against South Africa on November 9, when Phillips is expected to wear the number nine shirt.



Phillips turns attention to Wales

Wales rugby stars support 2013 Poppy Appeal

The Royal British Legion has launched this year’s Poppy Appeal in Wales, with help from some of the country’s top rugby players.


The charity hopes to raise £37m pounds to help veterans, serving soldiers and their families.


Members of the Wales rugby squad showed their support for the appeal, as well as families who have lost loved ones on the frontline.


Carwyn Jones reports.


Concert kicks off £37m Poppy Appeal


Wales rugby stars support 2013 Poppy Appeal

Autumn internationals: Sam Warburton looking for Welsh wins

Sam Warburton: Believes the Lions


Sam Warburton: Believes the Lions’ experience will help Wales


Sam Warburton believes the successful British Irish Lions tour can boost Wales as they look to win three out of four Autumn internationals at least.


Warren Gatland’s side take on South Africa, Argentina, Tonga and Australia at the Millennium Stadium next month.


Skipper Warburton believes the Lions win over Australia this summer will give the Welsh confidence to claim victories in at least three of those games.


He told Sky Sports News: “I think, going into this autumn, we’re probably as confident as we’ve ever been.




Lions and Wales captain Sam Warburton feels the Home Nation sides will be full of confidence heading into the Autumn Internationals.


“The last home game we played for Wales was when we played England, the last game of the Six Nations which we all have great memories of that as Welshmen (with Wales winning 30-3 to claim the Six Nations).


“And going away in the summer to the Lions and the success we had down there against Australia, the group of Welsh players who have come back now are obviously full of confidence and really looking forward to the Autumn campaign.


“I think for Wales, we’ve underachieved in the Autumn campaigns in the last few years.


“We’ve set the bar very high this Autumn campaign and hopefully get at least three wins out of four.”


Australia Test


Wales and Australia are in the same pool in the 2015 World Cup and asked if playing them in the final international will help preparations, Warburton replied: “To be honest, the World Cup hasn’t been spoken about.




“We’ve set the bar very high this Autumn campaign and hopefully get at least three wins out of four.”

Sam Warburton

<!–Quotes of the week–>


“From a player’s point of view, it’s still a really long way away but I guess every journalist and pundit will analyse every Wales, England and Australia game under the microscope ready for that World Cup.


“It’s obviously an awesome group to be involved in and as players you’d love to be part of that World Cup 2015 and from a Welsh perspective it’s the closest we’re going to get to a home World Cup.


“But I guess people will read into what happens on Saturday with England- Australia and with Wales quite a lot when it comes to form going into the World Cup.


“But two years is a really long time away and a lot could happen then. For Wales, we know that in particular. (The last) two years has been a pretty crazy two years for Wales from a rugby perspective with the British Lions and successive Championships we’ve had.


“So a lot could happen from now and the World Cup so it’s difficult to take too much attention to really what happens on the weekends this Autumn.”






Autumn internationals: Sam Warburton looking for Welsh wins

Lewis Moody backs Chris Robshaw as England captain

“He’s like Richard Hill in many ways – you wouldn’t say he was the best in the world at any one thing, but he was the complete package and his all-round skills completed the team. Players like him and Chris make everyone else look good because they have done the hard yards.”


Robshaw may not have the fetching skills of the current greats, two of whom he will come up against this autumn – Michael Hooper, man of the match when Australia won at Twickenham last time, and the incomparable Richie McCaw of New Zealand. But no matter, argues Moody.


“Apart from Neil Back, England have not had a specialist openside in years,” he said. “Matt Kvesic is the closest we have to one now and he is putting pressure on Robshaw in terms of selection.


“But it’s the way we play the game. It’s like France, or South Africa – they use left and right rather than blind and open and it’s worked for them well enough.


“Take Australia’s David Pocock. He is one of the best over the ball, but what about around the rest of the park? With Chris, or South Africa’s Francois Louw, you get ability with the ball in hand, multi-taskers who can benefit a team even more. It has to be what works as a nation.


“There is pressure on Chris’s position, but his performances have always answered his critics. And I am sure that he will use the disappointment of missing out on the Lions to spur himself on.”


And with Robshaw in Moody’s team as a flanker, he would have no hesitation in naming him captain, having witnessed his growth alongside coach Stuart Lancaster, who gave him the job along with his second cap in his first game in charge.


“The captain has to be one of the best players on the pitch and he has to have the respect of his players, which Chris has,” said Moody.


“As a captain your first job is to perform. It’s very easy to forget that – but Chris has not. He has led by example, just like Martin Johnson used to.


“You learn the rest on the job – handling referees, decision-making. You learn constantly.”



Lewis Moody backs Chris Robshaw as England captain

Rugby League World Cup 2013: Sam Burgess is no thug – England coach

The England coach, Steve McNamara, has dismissed suggestions that Sam Burgess is a “thug” and should have been banned for more than one match after his high tackle in the World Cup opener against Australia, saying it was the result of a mistimed challenge and without malice.


Burgess will miss England’s second match of the tournament on Saturday, against Ireland in Huddersfield, after deciding not to appeal the suspension after a tackle on Sam Thaiday that left the Brisbane Broncos player concussed.


The 24-year-old was put on report after catching Thaiday in the head with a swinging arm and did not train with the squad at Loughborough on Tuesday, instead taking time out of his schedule to visit the Prince of Wales at Clarence House along with representatives of each nation competing at the World Cup.


Sections of the Australian press have labelled Burgess a “thug” after the Kangaroos’ 28-20 victory at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday but McNamara said the criticism was over the top. He added that Sean O’Loughlin was in contention to replace Burgess against Ireland. “Sam’s going to pay the price for his clumsy tackle and he’ll do so by missing this game,” he said. “We’ve got to take that one on the chin. It was out of our hands.”


Of the suggestions that Burgess is a dirty player McNamara added: “That’s completely wrong. Everyone who knows Sam understands he’s not that type of player. He got his timing wrong.


“If you watch the tackle closely, Sam didn’t go to maim anybody but he got his timing wrong and, if that happens and you hit someone, you’ve got to pay the price. Sam Thaiday’s OK, there’s nothing too major done there. The Aussie press need to look at their own a bit more.”


Asked if O’Loughlin could replace Burgess on Saturday, McNamara said: “He’s got a really strong chance. He’s trained extremely hard with the medical staff and conditioning staff. He’s put himself in a position where he’ll continue that this week and train with the team fully. We’ll see where he is in the next day or two.”


England go into the match knowing that a win is vital if they are to progress from Group A. Ireland were beaten 32-14 by Fiji on Monday and McNamara is confident that his team can avoid complacency, having learned their lessons in the warm-up defeat by Italy. “The players are fully aware of what is in front of them,” he said. “They will be playing in front of a full house of 20,000 at Huddersfield and probably two-to-three million people watching on TV, with a place in the World Cup at stake. There’s a hell of a lot on this game.”


Rugby League World Cup 2013: Sam Burgess is no thug – England coach

England are not the only ones to weep over 2003 Rugby World Cup glory

It was the Australian delegate who said the words. Everyone knows where they were when “that” drop goal went over in 2003. He said it under the opulent arches and chandeliers of London’s Australia House in front of an audience of Australian rugby players of a certain age. They nodded and murmured and just about stopped short of weeping. So, it is not only the English.


You are likely to hear more of this over the course of the next month because it was 10 years ago, on 22 November, that England won the Rugby World Cup in Sydney with that last-minute-of-extra-time swing of a boot by Jonny Wilkinson that needs no introduction.


To mark the occasion, a team of Australia Legends will take on a team of England Legends at the Stoop on Thursday night, a couple of days before the latest instalment of the England-Australia saga is played out across the road at Twickenham. The roll call of luminaries in attendance from that fabled night in Sydney is extensive.


One of them will be Stirling Mortlock, Australia’s outside-centre in the final. “If you’re going to lose,” he says with a smile, “that was the way to do it. We knew we’d given everything. It went to overtime and a field goal by a freak off his wrong foot was the difference. The legend around that kick is phenomenal. That was a fantastic team, built over a long time and a year or so before that World Cup they were easily the best in the world.”


There was a fair bit of faded glory at the reception held by the Australian High Commission for Thursday’s match, most of it walking round swigging the Ambassador’s fine lagers. But one man who actually looks younger than he did in 2003 is Al Baxter, Australia’s tighthead then, who has lost 10kg since his playing days – “people double-take when they see me”, mostly from his neck and shoulders.


“I remember where I was when that kick went over,” he says. “Almost directly under it. We could just see it happening. One of the big things we’d talked about beforehand was keeping Jonny out of range but, with a minute to go, we knew the English forwards were setting up for it. Although Jonny’s name is forever attached to the kick, it was the forward pack who won that match.”


Surreal is a word that was mentioned more than once as Englishmen and Australian reminisced about that swirling, rainy night 10 years ago but what marks it out as so extraordinary, perhaps even more than its elevation to where-were-you-when legend, is how “happy” the Aussies seem to be to yield that one to the Poms, as if Martin Johnson’s team were above the usual needle that characterises the rivalry between the two nations. Contrast, for example, England’s surprise win in the World Cup quarter-final four years later and the thunderous looks and curses the memory elicits from Baxter and Mortlock. “Far more devastating,” says Baxter. “We had a shocker.”


Not that it was all sweetness and light. Richard Hill, England’s flanker, remembers a fraught week, unlike any other, in the buildup to the game, when Australians made it their business to take up residence outside England’s hotel in Manly. One woman parked her jeep under England’s team room, opened the boot and “played Waltzing Matilda and songs about kangaroos all day long”.


“She was dancing round,” he remembers, “and you’ve got nothing else to do – training had pretty much stopped by then – so you just watch her from the balcony. I suppose it helped to kill the time. It’s the nerves I remember most clearly. Nerves are an important part of preparation and sleeping is always hard the night before a game but on the Monday before?


“We knew there was a lot of support for us when we watched the Australia-New Zealand semi-final in the team room the previous weekend and heard the fans singing, Swing Low. That’s not even our game! And an indication of how big it was back home was the messages on my phone the morning after. These people would have gone into the pub at 10 on Saturday morning and by the time they left the message it would have been two or three in the morning UK time, so they’d been out about 17 hours. To this day, I don’t know who some of them were. They didn’t make sense.”


Nor did, to many, the sharp decline of so mighty a team. Johnson retired soon afterwards and Wilkinson was lost to the first of many injuries but otherwise the side was more or less intact for the Six Nations that followed.


“One difference we had: for every other team that won a World Cup it was the end of their season. They could get it out of their system. The blow-out, the celebration, the recovery, then the buildup into a pre-season. We flew back on the Tuesday or Wednesday morning. I was given two days off, trained on the Friday, then played on the Sunday. Against Rotherham. Saracens were 11th at the time, Rotherham were 12th and they wanted daylight. You do what you do and you get on with it.”


Ten years on, Hill sees parallels between Stuart Lancaster’s England and the side Sir Clive Woodward built, albeit, you sense, where the latter were circa 1999, when they could not buy a grand slam. “Quite clearly there’s been a shift in culture. Only 12 months ago, we saw one of the most complete performances by an England team. New Zealand clearly had issues in the buildup but that was England at their best. There were thoughts of what could happen in the next Six Nations and Wales was a bit of a wake-up call but sometimes you need that. If England can look back in two years’ time and see that as a catalyst, then brilliant.”


Either way, a special time is assured in 2015, when it is England’s turn to host the World Cup. If Australia could not spoil England’s party in 2003, they can vouch for how exhilarating it was to host, especially after the wildly successful Olympics they had staged three years earlier. Where Sydney went at the start of the millennium, London is to follow. “It’s similar,” says Mortlock. “You guys are coming off a massive Games, where the nation performed amazingly. Our country enjoyed a sort of sling-shot effect after the 2000 Olympics. By the time of the World Cup in ’03, it was just a phenomenal thing to be a part of.”


We are guaranteed at least one more World Cup encounter between England and Australia in 2015 but, even if it is won by a last-minute intervention from a Quade Cooper or an Owen Farrell, we are unlikely to be reminiscing over it in 2025. Wherever you were on 22 November 2003, however clearly or not, you remember The Kick, whatever your allegiance, it retains a special place in rugby lore, heightened and out of time.


Tickets for England Legends v Australia Legends, sponsored by Heathrow Express, are available here. Kick-off 7.45pm on Thursday 31 October at the Twickenham Stoop


England are not the only ones to weep over 2003 Rugby World Cup glory

Ulster Rugby duo Andrew Trimble and Roger Wilson get Ireland recalls


Andrew Trimble is part of the Ireland squad that will face Samoa, Australia and New Zealand

– 29 October 2013



Ulster‘s Andrew Trimble and Roger Wilson have been called up to Joe Schmidt‘s Ireland squad for the November Guinness Series of internationals against Samoa, Australia and New Zealand.


The Ulster pair – and Munster‘s Donncha O’Callaghan – reported for duty at the Irish training camp at Carton House in Co Kildare as cover amid injury concers within the squad.


But for Trimble especially, it provides an opportunity to kick start his international career. The omission of 50 times-capped Trimble from the original 34-strong squad named by new coach Schmidt raised eyebrows in Ulster rugby circles at the time, so most will view this as a case of justice being done, albeit belatedly.


And Wilson be will delighted, for when he rejoined Ulster from Northampton Saints in the summer of 2012, one of the reasons he gave was that he hoped it would boost his prospects of adding to his one international cap.


The inclusion of Trimble and Wilson raises Ulster’s representation at the Ireland camp to 10, though their call-up will leave the province’s head coach Mark Anscombe’s squad even more thinly stretched for Saturday’s PRO12 date with Scarlets in Llanelli.


Skipper Johann Muller suffered a calf muscle tear in Friday night’s 39-21 bonus point win over Cardiff Blues, which means the big lock forward will out for four to six weeks.


As well as this weekend’s trip to Parc y Scarlets, Muller will miss Ulster’s home game against Edinburgh on November 22 and quite probably the game against Zebre in Parma on November 30 as well.


Worst case scenario, he could be an absentee when Ulster host Benetton Treviso in the first of two back-to-back Heineken Cup dates on December 7.


Rob Herring, who deputised for Ireland hooker Rory Best on Friday, suffered a dead leg against Cardiff, but although he was unable to train yesterday Ulster expect him to do so today.



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Ulster Rugby duo Andrew Trimble and Roger Wilson get Ireland recalls

Tough draw pairs Ireland with New Zealand in Women"s Rugby World Cup


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Tough draw pairs Ireland with New Zealand in Women"s Rugby World Cup

Simon Hick column: Joe Schmidt can launch Irish rugby towards new heights

Schmidt has big plans for Ireland.




After securing two medals at this year’s World Champs and seven in the last two Olympic Games, Billy Walsh is now the most successful coach this country has known.


The Irish boxing team is the equivalent of Uruguayan football or Finnish javelin throwing – a tiny population of brilliant technicians who consistently challenge the bigger nations. Walsh is far more than a head coach, however. He has changed the way Irish boxing is run and, most importantly, changed the way Irish boxing thinks about itself.


Before the success came, Walsh wasn’t afraid to think big. Its difficult to imagine success before it arrives, and even harder to convince those around you that it will come. Now that the trophies have been won, however, he hasn’t stopped imploring all around him to give more, to keep raising standards to get the structures right.




These are anxious times in Irish rugby, but exciting times too. Joe Schmidt, a smart man with a steely resolve, is now in charge of our national team. There is a sense of a fresh dawn among the provinces too.


We have two brand new coaches in Matt O’Connor and Pat Lam, and two who are only in the job a year in Mark Anscombe and Rob Penney. There is a great opportunity for the national team, under Schmidt, to play with a distinct identity, with a flourish and an ambition.


Declan Kidney’s era delivered a Grand Slam, but by the end it felt like a regression. No one could explain with any conviction what our style of play was for those five years. Too often we played not to lose, rather than to go out and win. When Eddie O’Sullivan’s team were at their peak, there was real creativity, but the four provinces were playing four completely different styles.


image


Schmidt should benefit from a more uniform playing style in the provinces. ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan.


As cliched and repetitive a notion as it became, the truth was Leinster produced almost all of the back-line in that era and Munster produced the rugged forwards, with Connacht and Ulster occasionally chipping in. There will always be different interpretations on a theme, but at the moment our national coach and all four provincial coaches at least aspire to play progressive rugby, with skills at the core of everything.


Ireland is the only major country that doesn’t have its own rugby identity. We are also the only major country not to have made a World Cup semi-final. Under Joe Schmidt we have a real shot at being perceived as the world leaders in attack play, and the provinces are currently producing players who will suit that style.


The only reason Australia have two World Cups and we don’t is ambition and innovation. If we do become an exciting team to watch, it won’t take long for collective goodwill to take hold – just ask Leinster.




With the Heineken Cup money under threat, 10-year ticket sales going badly and every player squeezing them for bigger contracts, the IRFU have never been under as much financial pressure, but the coaches have to put a distance between themselves and the balance sheet.


It’s assumed Joe Schmidt will be the same as Kidney and Eddie and Gatland – they all said their job was to prepare the Ireland team, that a national strategy was beyond their remit, but Alex Ferguson and Michael Chieka and Billy Walsh didn’t think like that.


A head coach, if he’s smart enough and ambitious enough, can become a touchstone for something bigger, something more sustainable. Joe Schmidt could be the man to get things rolling.


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Ireland Women to face New Zealand in 2014 World Cup pool











Simon Hick column: Joe Schmidt can launch Irish rugby towards new heights

Rugby League World Cup 2013: Why does it matter?

Rugby League World Cup



  • Dates: 26 October to 30 November


Coverage: Live BBC TV, radio and online coverage of all England’s group matches and Wales v Italy, plus one quarter-final, one semi-final and the final


Bang. That is how you are supposed to start month-long sports competitions.


Grab the public’s attention and take them on an incident-packed journey to a climactic contest for the big prize.


The organisers of the 2000 Rugby League World Cup must have missed that memo.


They opted for a double-header in Paris and Ireland versus Samoa in rugby league hotbed Belfast, before finally getting to England against Australia at a half-empty Twickenham. Stretched across 27 venues in six countries, the 12th Rugby League World Cup was a textbook case of how not to do it.


The most ambitious tournament in the sport’s history – and the last Rugby World Cup to be held in the northern hemisphere – lost nearly £700,000.


“We don’t want to dwell too much on 2000. We have put it behind us,” says RFL chief executive Nigel Wood.


“There is a different team of executives now and we think there’s a groundswell of optimism coming into the competition.”


Rugby league’s 13 World Cups: New formats, same results





  • 1954,


    hosted by France: 4 teams entered,
    GB


    champions after 16-12 win over France in final

  • 1957,


    Australia: 4 teams,
    Australia


    win league format

  • 1960,


    UK: 4 teams,
    GB


    top table

  • 1968


    , Australia/NZ: 4 teams,
    Australia


    20-2 France in final

  • 1970,


    UK: 4 teams,
    Australia


    12-7 GB

  • 1972,


    France: 4 teams, GB 10-10 Australia,
    GB


    win on group results

  • 1975,


    worldwide: 5 teams,
    Australia


    25-0 England

  • 1977,


    Australia/NZ: 4 teams,
    Australia


    13-12 GB

  • 1985-88,


    worldwide: 5 teams,
    Australia


    25-12 NZ

  • 1989-92,


    worldwide: 5 teams,
    Australia


    10-6 GB

  • 1995,


    UK: 10 teams,
    Australia


    16-8 England

  • 2000,


    France/Ireland/UK: 16 teams,
    Australia


    40-12 NZ

  • 2008,


    Australia: 10 teams,
    NZ


    34-20 Australia



To be fair, the 2013 edition, which starts in Cardiff on Saturday, looks very different: fewer teams and venues, a proper organising committee, a host-city bidding process, an innovative format and what promises to be


a decent England team.


But more important than the tweaks, and the possibility of


a first British win since 1972,


is the sense that this World Cup might be the first to work out what it is for.



Having started in France in 1954


– 33 years before those conservative, rugby union types got their acts together – rugby league’s big show had already been through about half a dozen changes by the time it got to its 11th instalment in 1995.


Having doubled the number of teams to 10, the organisers otherwise played it safe by mainly keeping to northern England. The tournament is fondly remembered as a fitting party for rugby league’s 100th birthday.


But did it grow the game? Did anybody who was not already a committed fan notice? How did it compare to


union’s upstart competition?  


Does it matter that only three teams ever look like winning the thing?


Rugby league’s bosses thought they knew the answers, and they did not like them. The message was clear for 2000, it seemed, standing still is dying. The result was Frankenstein’s monster: an unloved competition of improbable dimensions and no sense of its own identity.


OK, the organisers could not help the rain, or that the


Hatfield rail crash


just before the tournament made north-south travel in England very tricky. Neither could they do much about Australia being so good they should have been made to play with 12 men.


But there can be no mitigation for staging New Zealand versus Lebanon (a team made up of Australians of Lebanese descent) in the rugby union stronghold of Gloucester, or Scotland against


Aotearoa Maori  


(a New Zealand second team) at a football ground in Glasgow. The total attendance of those two games was 4,504.


England


England captain Andy Farrell trudges off after losing to Australia on the opening day of the 2000 World Cup – a lack of atmosphere at a half-empty and soggy Twickenham did not help


Crowds, or the lack of them, were an issue throughout, which is not surprising when you consider how many games were played in football grounds, and how few were contests – only eight of the 31 matches finished with winning margins of 10 points or fewer; there were 12 games with margins of more than 40 points.


It was expansion for expansion’s sake, and floating fans floated away.


“There are clearly lessons to be learned,” was


the understated assessment


of former Rugby Football League (RFL) chairman Sir Rodney Walker, speaking after Australia’s ninth World Cup victory.


“It would be fair to say that there was not much proper planning done,” recalls


Leeds Rhinos chief executive Gary Hetherington. 


“A lot of assumptions were made and in hindsight it was a disappointment.”


It was also a major setback for the game’s hopes of replicating rugby union’s more global canvas. The Rugby League International Federation, the global governing body, works like a charity with just one big fundraiser every four years. One year of feast, three or four years of development cheques to the sport’s minnows.


The experience in 2000 was so bruising the World Cup did not come back until 2008 in Australia. It was a success.


New Zealand upset the hosts in a memorable final,


the tournament made a profit and international rugby league was back.


Continue reading the main story




“Rugby league needs to escape the working-class bubble it has lived and blossomed in”



Jon Wilkin
St Helens


But most significantly, the competition had rediscovered its purpose: a celebration for its loyal fans, and an


advertisement to potential fans.


“We’ve got a solid business at Leeds – 15,000 fans who come week in, week out,” explains Hetherington.


“If the World Cup disappoints that won’t change. But if it goes well, there are potential spin-offs for everybody.


“We’re bringing the world’s best players to our neck of the woods and I’m sure some of them will end up in


Super League  


next season.


“We can also see from the ticket sales for our two games (New Zealand-Papua New Guinea and a quarter-final) that a lot of people will be coming to their first rugby league game.”


Hetherington says 60% of the first 4,000 tickets sold at Headingley went to people not on the Rhinos’ computer system. That might be because their fans were more focused on the Super League play-offs, but it tallies with a figure of one in four tickets across all 21 venues going to new fans.


“It’s fantastic that so many tickets have been sold to people outside the heartland,” says


Leeds and England captain Kevin Sinfield.


“I would say to people who are new to the sport ‘come with an open mind and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what you see’. The athletes on show, the ferocity, the skill level – people will be bowled away by it.”


The organisers have set themselves a target of 500,000 tickets across the 28 games – double the amount sold in 2000. Whether they get there or not will depend on how Sinfield’s men fare, and the


tournament’s new structure.


The game’s best eight teams are divided between two groups, with three quarter-final slots available in each group. The remaining two places in the last eight will go to the winners of groups C and D, six emerging nations who have fought through pre-qualifying to be here.


Rugby League World Cup 2013: Who, what, when, where





  • Starts on
    26 October


    with a double-header at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium featuring England v Australia and Wales v Italy

  • Final at Old Trafford on
    30 November


  • 14 teams taking part: England, Australia, Fiji, Ireland, New Zealand, France, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Scotland, Tonga, Italy, Wales, Cook Islands, United States

  • There are 28 games in total, taking place in England, Wales, Ireland and France



The idea is to avoid the blow-outs that have marred other World Cups –


in both codes


– and to give every team a chance of scoring tries, and hopefully winning a game. Could this be the next league brainwave to crop up in union at some point?


The mix of venues is smarter than 2000′s, too. It starts big with a double-header at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium – rugby league’s trump card, England against Australia, followed by Wales versus Italy – and then heads to the heartlands of Hull and Warrington on Sunday for Papua New Guinea v France and New Zealand-Samoa.


“That’s a seductive offering in anybody’s language,” says Wood. “We’ll have a good idea of where we are after that.”


England’s next group game against Ireland in Huddersfield is the first sell-out, with the final at Old Trafford not far behind, and tickets going fast for the two games in the south of France, a traditional league stronghold.


In fact, the only real departures from the tried-and-tested list are


Bristol  


and Limerick, but both came through a bidding process, which means the local authorities want this to work and are sharing the marketing load.


The semi-finals are a double-header at Wembley, but even with fans getting a two-for-the-price-of-one deal the overall numbers should at least double the crowds at 2000′s semi-finals. Barely 25,000 went to those.


And then there is the television audience.


“This is the best national team for 25 years and they’re going to be


on the BBC every weekend


for five, hopefully six, weeks. That will elevate the team’s profile, the players and the sport,” says Hetherington.


That assessment of England came a few days before the shock defeat by Italy in a warm-up game on Saturday.


Everybody associated with rugby league, even the most ardent Australia fan, will be hoping that was an aberration. Having only three genuine contenders for a contest purporting to be a “World” anything is fine (how many teams can really win football’s World Cup next year?), but losing one would hurt, particularly if it is the home team. World Cups of any variety need a bit of parochialism.


It will be exactly the same when union’s World Cup is staged in England in 2015, but a run to the final for Stuart Lancaster’s men would see the other code enjoy blanket media coverage. Can that be said of England in this World Cup?


Jonny Wilkinson at England


An estimated 750,000 people lined central London’s streets to see England hero Jonny Wilkinson and celebrate the rugby union team’s landmark victory at the 2003 World Cup in Australia


“There’s not a lot of mileage in peering over the garden fence and looking at somebody else’s vegetable patch,” counters Wood.


“We know we’ve got a good patch of our own.


“Of course, we’d like greater exposure and revenues, but we are confident that this will be the best World Cup our sport has ever put on.”


It is a sentiment shared by a man who narrowly missed out on selection for England’s 24-man squad, Jon Wilkin. But the St Helens star’s ambitions for the tournament are two-fold.


“From a playing side, it’s simple: win the tournament. But for the wider game, there’s a huge opportunity to take the sport on to a national level, give the papers and news programmes a reason to mention rugby league,” says Wilkin.




New Zealand celebrating with Rugby League trophy


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Rugby League World Cup: New Zealand shock Australia in 2008




“But we’ve got to be ready to deal with the increased interest that would come with success. So that would be the real success, creating awareness and then dealing with it.”


So rugby league wants its own


Jonny Wilkinson moment,


but must be ready to adapt when it comes?


“I think we need to let go a bit,” explains Wilkin.


“Rugby league needs to escape the working-class bubble it has lived and blossomed in. And I mean that in the nicest way.


“If you look at the history of our game, factory-owners in the north used to pay people to play for their factory teams.


“We’re still a community-based sport. Essentially the rugby clubs have become the factories, the chairmen are the owners, the players are the workforce and the fans are the customers. So we’ve not got away from that model.


“That’s great because we still have a fantastic community game, but I’m a big believer in breaking down those social barriers to let our game grow, and I think part of that is our passionate support relinquishing a bit of control.”


So there you have it. The Rugby League World Cup aims to be a long and enjoyable party and like all the best parties it’s about letting go and making new friends. Enjoy.


Rugby League World Cup 2013: Why does it matter?