England World Cup Squad

Who should be in and who should not? Who has the form, and who has just reputation?
Is Ashton going to pick a side purley to compete in this World Cup, or will he pick a side that he thinks will be competitive, but will gain valuable experience to challenge and hopefully win in four years time??
My personal view is that he should go for the latter. There has been too much uphieval in selection in the last three years for England to be in a position to win this World Cup, and there has been too much fighting between the clubs and the RFU for the squad to have had a realistic chance of success. Not excuses, just facts.
Younger players have also been over looked for too long, as World Cup winners were givne chance after chance after chance to show that they still had it!
So let's look forward, let's be brave and plan for four and a half years time.
With that in mind, it leads to some very interesting selection choices;
Balshaw?? Forget it. He was, and I underline was, a very talented attacking player, some years ago. Not anymore, and his body and maybe even his heart has given up the ghost.
Simpson-Daniel? As above sadly. Talented but far far too injury prone.
Full Back should still be Josh Lewsey. Ashton has said he will only consider him as a wing, which basically just leaves him Morgan as full back. Well I believe Lewsey is much better than him.
On the Wings I would go with Robinson, Strettle, Cueto and Sackey.
Centres would be Tait, Tindall (as I belive he will be fit!!), Catt and Barkley.
No 10 - Wilkinson, Flood, Geraghty ( and I do think Hodgson will be fit also)
Scrum half has to be Gommersall, Richards and not Perry!
Tight Head prop - **** knows !!! But I am told Stevens and Sheridan
Loose head prop - as above with Vickery and White
Hookers - Chuter, Regan and Mears
Locks - Palmer, Corry, Shaw and Borthwick. I thinkk Shaw is a great player, and has been for a while.
Number 6 - Worsley and Moody
Number 7 - Rees and Lund
Number 8 - Now here is a selection!!! Dallaglio, Haskell, Ward-Smith and Easter?? Youth and pace, or experience and guile?? Can Lawrence really do it and International level anymore? And if so for how long in a game because it will not be a full one? Will Ward-Smith be fit??
I watched Spies run, and was so grateful that I was just watching!! The power and pace around in the NZ, Boks and French back row is awesome. Lawrence does not have that anymore. BUT, and it is a big BUT, he has belief, he has experience and could be vital to a squad, as long as there is a strong enough captain to tell him to wind his neck in when necessary and to focus him on the team and not the Lwarence Dallaglio story.
So all that said I would change my back row and go for;
Number 6 - Worlsey and Haskell
Number 7 - Rees and Lund
Number 8 - Ward-Smith and Dallaglio

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WEBSITE

Hopefully some of you will notice the massive change to the website and the ability it now has as a networking site.
There are plenty more changes on the way, such as a video wall and crucial bits of information coming your way.
It should be great and I am very hopeful that it will become the place to find old rugby team mates, as well as the place to stay in touch with existing ones.
Please pass the word out to as many mates as you can / you have!!
Obvioulsy in my case that is bugger all, hence my plea to you lot!!!
Let me know your thoughts on the site, and as it developes over the next few weeks, I would love to hear ideas of what we should include.
By the way, to the Kiwi contingent, I saw Zinny today and he was looking good and in great form (apart from the 50 0dd stitches in his head!) I told him about my great blog on poaching players and he hit me, ******* hard!! Thought you would like that !!!

NZ whingeing !!!!

Graham Henry has launched an attack on the poaching of his players by Northern Hemisphere clubs!! Shocking !!!
It's bad for NZ, bad for player development and I could not be bothered to read his other whinges!!!
Strange that NZ did not complain, and have never complained as they systematically poached the best players from Tonga, Fiji and Samoa, for years and years and years and years!!!
That of course was perfectly acceptable to the NZ RFU !!!
So now the tables have been turned on them, I suggest they shut up and get over themselves!!! Bunch of ******* whingers !!!!

Jerry Guscott

Big debate as to whether Tait is big enough, strong enough, powerful enough to play centre at International level. I personally thought he did a great job in SA, and believe with the right balance of players around him, that he could be very effective. It got me thinking whether Jerry Guscott would be strong enough to play and be effective in todays game?? I think the honest answer is that he has only recently developed anough bulk to make the grade !!!

SA Lessons learnt

I see Jake White has already come out and claimed the psychological high ground after the Test series that the Boks have just easily won. I find that quite interesting, as well as being absolute bollocks!
Firstly why bother going on about the psychological edge so quickly after the series has finished, unless you are worried about it??! Reverse psychology and all that.
If the Boks believe they have now dealt a mortal blow to England, and now have supreme confidence regarding the World Cup, why bother saying anything? Certainly such a long way out from the crucial game?
Bizarely I think old Jake is just a little shook up!!! i know that might sound crazy, but I honestly think the second Test shocked the Boks. I know that at the end that ran away with it and scored 7 tries etc etc, but it was the nature of the fifty minutes that England competed in that shocked them.
Come the World Cup in France there will be no altitude, no virus ( I hope) and a pool of an extra forty odd players to pick from. That worries old Jake, I can tell!
The crucial bit for me was that England's defence in the second Test looked highly effective for those fifty minutes. They had worked out the Boks attack channels, and they had closed them down fairly comfortably, with the fourth team!
There is no getting away from the score line, and I am not trying to, but sometimes you have to look far deeper than that, and in this instance i do think England will take more out of this test series than Jakie boy!
They got to play against the Boks World Cup side for starters, the coaches got to see their patterns, got to see their behaviour, the metal and their weaknesses. The Boks, and old Jake got to look and experience England's third / fourth team. They got no insight into the England pack and their line out drills, their scrum strength, or their defensive alignments and re-organisation. They got to look and experience none of that, but at the same time they had to declare their own hand in all those areas.
That is needling our Jake!
Because when all is said and done, his Boks did not look hugely inventive, subtle or intelligent. Being brutally honest they relied on England running out of energy, and they relied on just battering them!
I do not believe that will be a winning formula against England's first team, and little old Jake knows that!
Don't get me wrong, the Boks will improve massively over the Tri-Nations, and I do think they are a good bet for the World Cup. But at this moment in time it has amused me that Jake is blowing his psychological trumpet so early!! Someone should have told him only worried men blow too soon!!!

Zulu or England V South Africa!!??

I have just noticed, that you can either watch Zulu, on Sky movies classic, or England V South Africa on Sky sports!!!
Think I might just flick between the two !!!

The task facing England

Rourke's Drift !!??
Not sure if it entirely appropriate, but it will be fairly close!!
A few problems though, firstly it was a Welsh regiment!! And secondly this will be against South Africa, not the Zulus!! But apart from that!!!
I would think the feeling within the England changing room will be fairly similar!! Wave after wave of first choice, fresh, fit, virus free Boks coming at them for eighty minutes!! Heaven !!!
Let's see who fronts up. The prize will be a World Cup spot, and I think Tait, Easter, Wilkinson and even Gomersall might have bagged one each. Today they need to do the same, and Flood, Lund and Alex Brown could do the same.
It should be interesting if uncomfortable viewing.
I do remember (and sadly yes this is one of those, back in my day stories!!) playing against the Boks at Loftus. We had been having a shocking tour, we had lost our three Saturday matches, had received the most arrogant and condescending 'bad luck' speech from Francois Pienaar in our own changing room the week before, and we the Loftus crowd were expecting us to be massacred!!
Mandella was there, it was awesome to meet him, my greatest rugby memory, and we then went to stuff them, with Tim Rodber having an incredible game. One of the most vivid memories is watching the stands emptying twenty minutes before the end, and the stunned silence in the ground.
Oh to hear that again today!!

England's Tour

England's tour hotel must be more like this hospital ward than anything else!
I have to admire Ashton, who remains positive, cheereful and honest despite the task he has been handed. I also hear that Francis Baron is in South Africa! he must be a popular visitor to the team ward!! Amazing that he has not been struck down by the bug?? But then again he must be eating in slightly different restaurants to the team!!
Anyway enough of that jeuvenille whingeing!!
What sort of team can we cobble together for Saturday?? Is it important?
Saturday is all about playing for the pride in wearing the shirt people keep telling me. Easy to say from up here, and usually from a comfortable chair!
Who bloody put the shirt on this tour? Who bloody allowed the shirt, and caps for that matter, to be given to guys who were two teams down from the Test team??
I do not decry the effort put in by these guys, and in some cases I am full of admiration. But the Englan shirt, and an England cap should be the pinacle of your rugby aspiration as an Englishman. And as such, those who run the game should always ensure that when it is worn and given, it is only done so to the best available players. Not as in this case, to only those who were left.
It is tragic when the pinacle of your sporting life is devalued. And I am not blaming the players who have held their hands up and worn the shirt on this tour and been awarded the caps. It is not their fault.
But I am bloody livid with the idiots who have put them out there, and in the process devalued a shirt that the likes of Beaumont, Cotton, Duckham, Andrew, teague, Winterbottom, Richards, Guscott, Halliday, Johnson, Back, Hill, Greenwood etc gave everything to build up.

International matches

Is the International game as appealing, as special as eagerly anticipated now as it was ten years ago, or has the increased number of Test matches diluted the hunger?
I am not just talking about the summer tours, which in all honestly are a complete balls up in every aspect. The teams are hugely weakened, the crowds are heavily down and the benefits to either side are hard to imagine.Not great.
But even the November Test matches in the UK are losing their appeal. We are seeing the sides too often. Playing one Test against the Boks, one against the Aussies and then maybe one against Argentina gets a little pointless after a few years.
My solution would be the following.
New Zealand, South Africa and Australia only play England every three years. That is that each side comes up and plays a series of three Tests, every three years. So the tests themselevs have relevance, one could be played in the North each year to attract a new audience, and the touring team could then play mid week matches at the top three club sides as an incentive to them.
It would mean that we only see the All Blacks every three years, and the same with the other sides. That I think would bring back the interest, as would a three test series, so that there is genuine relevance, and edge to the games.
Just a thought in the modern age, where we just seem to be pilling games on games and none of them are very appealing and few of them even feature full sides.

Zinny

I know Chris has mentioned it, and yes Zinny has had a bad accident out in Spain.
He has had an operation to relieve the blood around his brain last night, and the doctors are delighted with his progress. His wife is with him, and he has come around this afternoon and apparently he is joking and all his bits and pieces are working.
So fingers crossed for a full and speedy recovery and thanks for the thoughts, I shall definitely pass them on.

SA Verdict

I know when you look at the score line it produces a sharp intake of breath, BUT , there were a number of positives for England, and I think that is all Ashton honestly expected. I believe his view of this tour would have been, if I can find two or three players who either show up or confirm their class and steel to me, then I will be happy.
I think in Tait and Easter he had two who fronted up and Tait in particular seems to be confirming all the hype I have heard about him. To show the pace, awareness and vision that he did against a side as powerful and physical is some effort, especially at 6000 feet behind a beaten pack and at the end of a long season. Very impressive stuff, and not just the running, his defence, his physical impact at contact were also excellent.
Easter showed maturity aswell as guts on Saturday, and again I was very impressed with his attitude and ability to fight until the end.
I do not want to make excuses, or look for get out clauses for England, but at the same time I think it is only right that we put the game in context.
The last thing Ashton, or the players needed was a tour at the end of this season with the World Cup starting in September, because the effect is that basically the guys will not have a break until May 2008. Eighteen months of solid rugby. Bloody stupid. Also the last thing Ashton needed was this tour with over thirty players unavailable. Suicide.
And then just to have a real laugh, a significant number of his already massively depleated squad come down with a virus!! Unbelievable!
Despite all this, Reagn, Tait, Easter, Flood and Brown managed to concentrate and take to the pitch in the right frame of mind, and left the pitch with their pride intact. That I find very impressive.
There is no getting away from the score line however, and the last 13 minutes were poor. Players were shattered, and as a result the tackling was weak, the cover non existent, and some of the players even looked as though they were being ill on the pitch.
Not the end of a game that you want to see as an England supporter.
A massive test awaits this squad on Saturday, both mentall and physical. Hopefully a number of players will be fit after their virus to boost the ranks. Balshaw, or Balsawood as he has been termed has again broken down, but that is no great surprise. Wilkinson should be fit, but if not Flood is on a huge learning curve and one that he is handling very well.
As long as our forwards take the field in the right frame of mind, and we maintain our pride and unity, hopefully we will be able to close the scoreline slightly.
It could go either way, but I hope the guys who fronted up this time, maintain their form, and I hope the likes of Farrell, Strettle and Richards are strong enough to stand with them.
Not sure if I will go for a prediction again, seeing as I have my finger so firmly on the pulse!!!

SA Game

So Strettle has a dodgy stomach !
I have a bloody dodgy stomach and I am not even playing. Thinking about it, I did go to a South African restaurant last night, and they did have a strange waitress working there!
Only joking if any Yarpies read this. Sorry, if this is read to any of you!!!
Anyway back to Strettle. Shame as I think the guy has nerve and he loves to have a go.
It will be fascinating to see if the old boys in the England pack can produce any ball and any fight. I am sure the challenge will appeal to Regan, he will love the physical intensity, but rest assured any mental issues will certainly pass him by as he is not the sharpest!!
he first played right at the end of my captaincy!! That long ago, and I remember needing a whole afternoon to explain why the boys had decided to call him Ronnie, when he kept explaining to me that his name was really Mark!! Not sure if he understand it even to this day!!
It certainly is a chance for a few faces to push for World Cup inclusion,the likes of the two Browns, Easter and Richards must all be grateful for the chance. It will be a time to show that you can front up, as the pressure will definitely be on and England are likely to play most of the game on the back foot. But Ashton will be watching to see who will dig in, who will take responsibility and encourage, applaud, help and care for his team mates. We will need strong characters that is for sure.
People keep asking for a prediction; will we get stuffed etc.
it is very hard when you are not close to the camp and when you are not hearing any of the news and being able to get a feel for the attitude and state of mind of the team.
However, I am an optimist as I keep saying, and an England fan so that colours my judgement, but I will say that we will do better than many think. I hope we cause them problems, and we will if our forwards win any ball and compete at every breakdown. Shame as I said that Strettle will not be there as I think he could have proved to be a handful.
So I am going to say we will lose, but only by 13-15. Brave or what !!

Heineken Cup Final result!

There you go!
I have my finger on the pulse, as always!!!
Waffle on, pretending to be intelligent about the crucial confrontations.......!! Copy a few ideas from other pundits, and then make the big prediction!!!
Leicester will win a close game!!!
Brilliant!!!!
I tell you, I have always been able to read rugby, like the back of my hand!!!!!

Heineken Cup Final

Two great mates !!!
No love lost here at all!! And the battle between these two should be great to watch.
The two back rows are very very good, and whoever can find an edge here will be able to dictate the match. As always back rows depend on their front fives, and I think the battle will be pretty even. Shaw has a point to prove, as does Vickery who will want to remind everyone that he deserves his England place and the Captaincy.
So a lot of pressure on Murphy at 9 for Leicester, filling in for the form scrum half in the country. Will he handle it or bottle it?? Personally I do not know him well enough to make the call.
I see Wasps have gone for King at 10, not the young kid Cipriani. Interesting! They have stuck him back at 15 instead??! I am sure they hope King can run the game, command field position and calmly deal with the hype. I would not be surprised to see Lewsey move into the 10 channel in defence though to cover Tuilagi.
Stopping him would go a huge way to curbing Leicester's chances, as I suspect after the weekend they might fall into the trap of believing if they get the ball to him it is game over. The All Blacks made the same mistake in the World Cup Final in 1995,and once the Springbok stopped Jona they all looked completely shocked.
It should be a great game, a very physical game and I expect Wasps will cause Leicester all sorts of problems. However, I think Leicester look strong, mentally as well as physically and they seem to have peaked at exactly the right time. So i will go with them to complete an historic hat trick.

England's New Kit

I know I am old fashioned, but this new kit is shite!
What is it meant to be? a symbolic nose bleed swirling around the shirt!!??

It looks more like someone has tipped paint all down one side, and could not be bothered to do anything else, finish it off, or even think about it!!

The socks are now also white, with a little red, so gone are the traditional dark blue and white socks. There are certain things that are important to me, and the basic colours of our kit are one of them. I hate to keep using them as an example, but you don't see the All Blacks messing around with their shirts do you?! They don't even have some crap logo stuck all over the front. The shirt is almost still 'pure', and as a result of that I think it retains a huge amount of its magic and mystery.
England on the other hand are throwing it all out the window. And I for one am sad that we seem to be surrendering the essence of the very shirt in the hunt for money. Some things are more important than the shilling, and in my old fashioned book, the shirt is certainly top of the list.
A sad day

Harry Ellis

I feel for Harry Ellis, I must say, missing the World Cup when he has been playing so well. When he first made the England side I was not keen, I thought he was too hot headed, too aggressive at all the wrong times and with the wrong outcome! He has calmed down massively, matured immensely without losing his competitive instincts.
Very sad for him, a huge blow for England and Brian Ashton. he was one of the few players that Ashton could look at and think he was an ink in on the team sheet. He also protected the young number 10's that appeared in an England shirt at the end of the Six Nations brilliantly. Now he is gone.
The replacements start to look very thin on the ground. Richards must be favourite, but Perry has fallen away so badly it is shocking. He was the big hope 18 months ago, and sadly since his taste of International rugby his confidence seems to be shot. I hope it is not that he thought he had made it, he had worn the shirt and that was enough. Because that is just the start.
So Ellis is going to be very hard to replace, and at this moment in time, it does not look too encouraging. Maybe the tour to SA will throw up some serious contenders, because it will be one of the hottest possible cauldrons from which to appear! If one of them is successful down there, then fair play to them because I suspect they will be operating behind a retreating pack!!

Super 14 !!

Off the rails, car crash or just a blip???
Not sure what I think yet about the All Blacks and the whole debate about their conditioning and the impact it has had!
Safe to say that the South Africans confidence heading into the World Cup has just gone through the roof! And whatever public face Graham Henry puts on it, he must be far more uneasy now than he was four months ago.
The most worrying factor for me was that both the Crusaders and Blues packs were obliterated. If the Boks manage to do that to the AB's, then goodnight to yet another World Cup.
I am an AB fan, and I just hope that this has come at just the right time on two counts. One a bloody good kick up the arse to all their players and a reminder how hard they will have to work and play to win in France, and secondly time to look at the issues and correct them in time.
Certainly a few sphincters that have been very relaxed for months will be twitching somewhat after the semi finals!! Nice thought that isn't it!!!!!!!!

Gloucester Defence!!

To be fair it is not often that you can say this, but Gloucester's defence was pathetic, spineless, embarrassing. Yes there were a few big boys running at them, but this is rugby, so what a bloody surprise!! I had heard that Lamb was special, well I hope he is finding it hard to look himself in the mirror today. It will be a real test of him. Does he cower away, sulk and blame everyone and everything but himself?? Or does he have a hard summer training and thinking, and finding some steel, some edge, and come back next season and blow us all away!!
I hope the latter.

Today !!!

Gloucester V Leicester! West Country six toers versus the midland mutes!! Makes you wish that you could take them both on at a crossword competition!!
As usual I am being very brave behind a screen, and miles away from the players!!
All crap jokes aside, I think it should be fascinating;
How will Leicester deal with losing Ellis? How will Gloucester try to negate the Leicester pack?
Will Lamb bring control as well as unpredictability to his game, and will his partnership with Allen allow Gloucester to open the Leicester defence. Will the Six Toers miss Tindall? Will Blashaw receive a few high balls and a serious kicking early on?? It is exactly what I would do to him!
Will Jennings dominate the breakdown or can Hazell actually make an impression on the game??
Looking forward to it, and then to watch the Super 14 semis.
Lots of debate in NZ, (not sure they call it that because its a long word) about the benefits or not of the AB's conditioning programme! It certainly seems to have lessened the impact of their teams in the competition. Lots of worried talk coming out from the Silver cloud. Are the guys going to hit their peak at the World Cup, or has it put them all out of form and confidence?
Will be great to watch the Blues take on the Sharks, but especially to watch the Crusaders take on the Bulls at Loftus. How will the Bulls take out McCaw?! Is Carter at his best? Can the Crusaders pack win enough ball in the right field positions for their backs??
Should be gut wrenching stuff, which is always the best. And underlying it all will be the thoughts of the World Cup! Can the NZ boys deal with the hostile environment, and can the Boks thrive on it?? Loftus is one great place to silence them!!!

Having read Peter Winterbottom's greatest XV, I am thinking mine through. I know Zinzan and Ieuan are too! I will have mine up in a week or two, but I am just deciding who would be good enough to play alongside me!!!!

So Leicester to beat Gloucester, Blues to beat Sharks but Crusaders to fall against the Bulls!
Lets see how crap my predictions are...............!!!!

Greatest Team Ever !!!

This featured in the Sunday Times this weekend;
Peter Winterbottom's Greatest Team!!
Spot the obvious mistake!!

Full-back: Serge Blanco (France) Had something special and could make things happen. Unpredictable, fast and played with real panache.

Right-wing: John Kirwan (New Zealand) A great try-scorer. Big, athletic and aggressive, with all-round skills.

Outside-centre: Danie Gerber (South Africa) I played with him for the Barbarians and against him for England, and he was a different class. Very abrasive, with explosive pace and power.

Inside-centre: Will Carling (England) Never played a bad game for England – tough and a good defender.

Left-wing: Rory Underwood (England) A great finisher who would score where others would not.

Fly-half: Jonathan Davies (Wales) I could never catch the little sod. Electric pace, phenomenal sidestep, great kicking game and always had time on the ball. Complete package.

Scrum-half: Nick Farr-Jones (Australia) An outstanding character and competitor, who made the basics look easy and was always a threat on the break.

Loosehead prop: Jason Leonard (England) The rock of ages, a reliable, incredibly durable prop, who missed only a handful of tackles in his whole career.

Hooker: Sean Fitzpatrick (New Zealand) Played on the edge and had a mental toughness that others could not match. His lineout throwing and scrummaging were second-to-none and he was a strong ball-carrier.

Tighthead prop: Graham Price (Wales) Unbending, and even on the 1983 Lions whitewash in New Zealand never went backwards. An early prototype of the mobile prop.

Lock: Martin Johnson (England) A brooding giant who punched his weight. Outstanding all-rounder, great scrummager, good lineout technician and a fine tackler.

Lock: John Eales (Australia) Stole an early lineout off Wade Dooley in Sydney in 1991 and proceeded to win every lineout in the match as well as two World Cup winners’ medals.

Blindside flanker: Mike Teague (England) “Iron Mike” was player of the series on the 1989 Lions tour of Australia. Fearless.

No 8: Dean Richards (England) A freak of nature in two respects: incredible anticipation and phenomenal grappling strength.

Openside flanker: Michael Jones (New Zealand) An incredible athlete who was so fast to the breakdown, as well as being a brilliant support player.

Peter Winterbottom played openside flanker for England and the British & Irish Lions

Bank Holiday Waffle

I see that Justin Marshall will not be playing in the last few crucial matches for the Ospreys, because he wants to go and play in Japan for the 'Classic All Blacks' !!
Run that one by me again!!
Ospreys sign a player, who makes the decision that his International future is over, but they agree to a clause that he will be released to play in any game that he is invited that is 'close to International standard'!!
Crazy! the club has a chance to win the Magners title, but he heads off to Japan to play in some mickey mouse money making exercise and no doubt receive a nice payment!!
I am sure his club mates will think highly of him next season!!

Word is seeping out that the South Africans are beginning to fancy their chances of winning the World Cup! It might sound crazy, but they are my dark horses for the competition I have to admit.
They have a huge powerful pack, that can cause problems to any line out, they have a competitive and physical back row who will challenge at every breakdown, and a blitz defence with a very abbrasive midfield, with an astute kicking number 10. In my book, exactly hwat you need to beat the All Blacks.
The only other side who have the squad to beat the AB's are the French, but who the hell knows if they will turn up or not, I certainly don't and I suspect that they don't either!

I don't want to harp on about him, because I do think he was unfairly singled out for criticism (by me also) after the Irish game, but Andy Farrell was rather cruely exposed by Gloucester at the weekend. A firm fast pitch, and what did Gloucester do, they went wide at every opportunity and exposed the Saracens defence. It does make me wonder what will happen on the fast hard grounds in SA this summer.

The Heineken Cup has been saves, apparently!! Let's all wait to see how it will be portrayed in the press, as I for one can not see how it can have been saved without one side backing down, and how can that be covered up with spin at a good press conference??!! Neither side will want to be portrayed as the loser, so it should be fun to read !!!

Rugby Does not Build character, it reveals it!!

"Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence: in other words it is war minus the shooting." - George Orwell



Without being too heavy, I have always thought that the hardest, most physical games were the best. When the **** hits the fan, thats when you find out about yourself and your team mates. And when you come through it, face it and beat it, that is the best feeling!
I think we can safely say that all the touring sides this summer will need to spill a little blood, and it will be fascinating to see which of the young players is still fronting up at the end!!

Summer Tours

Having seen the Irish touring side, heard the thinking on the English touring squad, seen the Welsh leave behind 18 but take Henson (good for his tan), and just not caring about what the Scots are doing!!, I am amazed any of these tours are going ahead!
The use to the coaches is................what??!
Unearthing new exciting talent??
Giving youth a chance???
Gaining valuable experience????
Bollocks!!
They have all been arranged for money, by Unions that are still completely out of touch with the needs of players, but obsessed with the desire for money.
And heading that list, at the top of the pile, coming in first, lengths ahead of any other union in the incompetency stake handicap, is..... ENGLAND !!!!
Well Done the RFU !!!

Saints

I know there are Tigers, Saracens and Quins fans out there, and of course Leinster!!
But any Saints fans??
I wonder if Carlos Spencer will stay? I wonder if he has ever really wanted to be there? I hear all sorts of rumours, and I should be the last person to listen to those!! But some are from very good guys, and there have obvioulsy been some serious problems within the team. How much of it is a Kiwi rift is hard to tell, but I think Carlos has been as much a blessing as a curse!
Ben Cohen. What has happened to him as a player since the World Cup?? Will he stay? Who would be running to sign him at the moment??! Sadly I can not remember the last time he had me off my seat in excitement (actually to be fair I am not sure my wife can remember the last time I got off my chair in excitement!!!) He has become predictable, one paced and apparently uninterested. Very sad.
So Saints to bounce back straight away, but my guess would be not with a large Kiwi contingent!!

How to market World Cups!!!

I do not know about you guys, but I have just not managed to get into the Cricket World Cup at all. I know we have not done too well ,but it is more than that, the format is all wrong, too drawn out and there just did not seem to be any atmosphere at the grounds.
Now call me old fashioned, but of we were watching this, I think we might just have been a little keener!!!!

Jutge to ref England-Boks at RWC

BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | Jutge to ref England-Boks at RWC: "French referee Joel Jutge will take charge of England's crucial World Cup pool clash against South Africa in Paris on 14 September.
Jutge is the only French official named among a 12-man list of referees to officiate at the tournament. "

So in our crunch game of the World Cup, we get a French ref!!!!
What am I trying to say???!!! I mean surely after all these years the French and ourselves are now good neighbours!!!!
WE need all the help we can get in this match, and I am not convinced we will get it from one of our little war heroes from across the water!!!!!!!!!!

SA Tour

So no players from Leicester, Wasps or Bath for the first Test, and possibly the second! No problem.......... because of course that leaves..............!!!!!!!!!
Who on earth are we going to play in the forwards??? Or the backs for that matter!!!
Titteral?? Lund?? Easter?? Well that will have the Boks filling their shorts!!
I must say with all those players unavailable, it is just the tour you would want to hold your hand up for!! Pick me, pick me!! ( have any of you seen Shrek??!!)
On the face of it, a ****ing disaster!! Ashton must be furious, just what he needs before the World Cup, two tests and probably 100 points conceded!!!
But being the eternal optimist, at least we will find out who has balls and a spine and who doesn't in the young guns that he takes!!!
I know there are some rugby geniuses amongst you!! So come on, let me know your squad........!! Should make for some interesting reading!!!

Heineken Cup Final

So Boys, Wasps V Leicester !!
Leinsterfan - you are about as good as me with predictions!!
Chris, Confident are we??!!
Peter, what the **** are you on about??!!!

I must admit I was impressed by Leicester's passion / committment/ intensity. Goode even looked pumped up, and not by pies!!!
I still stick to my analysis of them however, and that applies to England, once the pack can not dominate, they falter as they just do not have the pace/ inventiveness/ creativity to play a fast ball game.
It should be a great final, especially as it pits two great mates against each other again!!
Corry V Dallaglio!!!
Just a little bit of edge here, and now especially as big Lawrence has been out of the spotlight for so long!! he will be desperate to put one over, put one on, give a bloody good kicking to his old 'mate'!!!
The clash of the backrows will not only be fasciniating, but it will be crucial. Wasps will need to play a fast, fluid, attacking game, whilst Leicester will once again want to control possession, the pace and territory to slowly strangle the life out of Wasps. And the breakdown is going to be crucial to that, absolutely crucial.
I will also be fascinited to see if McGeechan has the balls to stick with Cipriani, or whether he will fall back on the experience of King???!!
Whatever, it is not going to be a game for the weak!!!!

Leicester !

If you are watching the Semi-Final, hopefully you are seeing the same as me. It is a microcosm of exactly why England struggle at International level. The difference in how the two sides play is staggering. How many times do you see Ellis waiting over the ball at the breakdown, the eventual ball is agonisingly slow. The Scarlets on the other hand are whipping the ball away from the tackle area as quickly as possible, keeping pace in their game and giving themselves a regular chance of breaking a rapidly re-organising defence.
Leicester might well go onto win, partly due to the Scarlets lack of precision, but also the dominance that their pack has. But you can clearly see that the model might well work at club level, but as soon as a side can compete with the forwards as they do at International level , Leicester, and read here England, produce such slow ball that the backs have no chance.
If England are to climb back up on the International ladder, then they need to understand that you have to be able to recycle quick ball to give yourself the chance to attack defences, not just rely on the superiority of your forwards.
I am biased and I hope Leicester win, but it has been fascinating to see a side who contain so many of our International forwards highlighting so obviously why we struggle at the top level.

Something for the Weekend !!!!

Gets the blood pumping!!!

Paragraph of the week

I have to say that the following paragraph from Peter had me crying with laughter!!
It has to be the paragraph of the month so far, brilliant, so i had to put it up in case anyone had missed it in the comments on 'Ongoing Playground Fight';

Both have argued with so irrationally and in such a childish way that I'm just sick of the sight of Keith Barwell shooting his bloody gob off and gloating about how much money he's gonna make out of this and Francis Baron trying to pretend that he has a clue about this strange "rugby thing" while being as rude and condescending as possible.

Peter, keep it up!! I know you feel strongly on this one, as I think we all do, but I just had to say that I loved those few lines!!!

Heineken Weekend

Predictions??
What a surprise that Leinsterfan goes for the Welsh club!!!! You are so predictable!!
Having said that, I have a horrible feeling that you just might be right, although I am well aware that yours was not a cold hearted business decision, more of a desperate hope that an English side would lose!!!
It might just be too much for Leicester, fighting on three fronts as Chris rightly points out. I also think that the Scarlets have a good balance, and if they can gain some parity with the Leicester pack ( an ageing, tired Leicester pack), then I think they can pose to many attacking questions for the Leicester backs. Being completely biased, I obviously hope that is not the case, but I am just a little concerned!!

Peter,

That must have been a very old photo!! I have always been partial to wearing a Fez hat, especially when I just want to blend in around Earls Court!!!!

I am going to write a piece on Brian Moore and Eddy Butler in the next day or two, because their constant bickering really gets on my tits!!! Anyone else agree???

Chris and Disco Stu !!!!

Disco Stu,

great name by the way!! Do you still wear the white suit, open neck shirt with stick on hairy chest??? ( I do !!!)
Anyway enough of that shite.
Lawrence Dallaglio. I have not seen what he said,but if he has hinted that the players might have to strike, my honest reaction is how sad that the players are having to sort it out. It is rather like children having to organise their parents through a divorce, not quite what anyone would want, and a sad insight into how childish the RFU and the Clubs have become. It must be unbelievably frustrating for the players, who want to create not only great clubs, great success and a great following, but are having to do this against a back drop of continual bickering by the very men who are meant to be guiding the development and growth of the game. It must be very sad for fans to watch, read, listen to this bollocks, and I am sure many can not believe that grown men could behave so pathetically. Sadly I had almost nine years of dealing with the RFU as captain, so I am well versed in the tedium and mind numbing attitude of some of them, and it does leave you stunned!!!
Maybe a players strike would bring the whole thing to a head? Or maybe just a few more gins would be swilled and cigars puffed just a little harder!!

Chris,

Hipkiss. I have not seen him play, but I hear that some people rate him very highly.
I would certainly think he is worth taking on tour, and then we can see how he deals with the step up. That is always the big question. There are so many players who look good at club level, even at Heineken Cup level, but the International arena is just very special and so many just can not deal with the speed, intensity, pressure, emotion etc. And you just never know until the face it.
That said, I agree with you, if he is fronting up, taking on players and showing that he will stick his head above the parapit, then that is exactly what we need. Guys who are willing to put themselves on the line and play, make decisions, try to create, and bloody hit people in defence. That is what we need. Some guys with an edge, some steel, some mongrel. That's what I like, and we need to find some.
So hopefully Ashton will give him a go this summer, and I tell you it will be one hell of a teat against the Boks in Bloomfontein. Such a nice place!!!!

Ongoing Playground Fight

I see the PRA are trying to don the Ref's shirt and adjudicate in the fight between the RFU and the clubs, as an unbiased third party!
Interesting! sadly they can not be anywhere near unbiased, as for a start they are in business with the RFU on the Hospitality side! They are also highly beholdant to the RFU for that Hospitality deal, as without going into too much detail, they did not manage to deliver their part of the deal, and the RFU covered them for it!!!
So you can not call them unbiased!!!
So the saga continues, and what disapoints me the most is that there is no one with the stature, or balls, to stand up and sort this pathetic mess out.
As I said in my piece on Club V Country, it is not a highly complicated deal that needs to be done, and there is no doubt that there are idiots on both sides that do not want to sort it out, but surely, surely, there is someone who has the desire and character to smack some heads together and sort it out!
I was hoping that Rob Andrew might be the man. I am still hoping, although with slightly less conviction as the sordid episode is allowed to run and run.
Mabe on the lighter side, we could have another intelligent outburst from a front row forward to look forward to!!!!

Kicking Game

OK, I completed the game in 38.9 seconds! You only have to complete level 7, so come on Mike P, and others!!

Kicking Game

Can anyone get past level 7???!!!
Leinsterfan, come on..... how far can you get??!!

Club V Country

v




On the prompting of Chris, and Syd Millar, here are my views on the Club V Country debate!
Firstly I thought it was incredibly inappropriate for the head of the IRB to make such an outburst, especially considering it's content! How one sided, how ill informed, how amateur!
Maybe a balanced opinion, outlining both sides of the argument and the ensuing offer of a hand in conciliation? maybe that would have been a little more appropriate, respectable and impressive?
I think what Syd Millar did was only emphasise the problem, and accentuate for the viewing public the rift that still lies between the amateur game and the new professional era! In his own foolish way, and contrary to his intent I think it highlighted the issue brilliantly, but from completely the other side of the fence!!
My view is that the RFU have still not come to terms with the professional concept. On or off the pitch.
They resent players making money, they resent the clubs making money and having any power or control in the game, and their belief is still that they should have complete control and ultimately players should still play for honour.
I still believe players can play with and for honour and be paid, just look at Martin Johnson.
The RFU were told to sign their top 40 players when the game went professional. By me !!! They refused, and the rest is history.
The clubs are far from perfect, and a few of their owners make you feel very uneasy, especially if you were in business with them, but nonetheless they have poured huge amounts of money into the development of the English game and players, and it is only right that they should be acknowledged.
I still believe that the dream of every rugby player is to play for his country. I know it was mine, and I know because of my father being in the army that I had no great allegiance to any town, but even so I still believe the ultimate for any boy growing up in Leicester of Bath is still to play for England. It is the ultimate and is still the shop window that primarily drives revenue, fan base, and media coverage.
It has to be nurtured, developed and placed as the primary objective of every Union.
BUT
Since the game has gone professional the clubs have played an increasing role in all those elements, and rightly deserve a corresponding say in how the game on the professional stage is run, managed and developed. They also own the players! Quite a key ingredient!
I might be naive, but i believe the issue can easily be sorted out. The RFU needs to offer the clubs a proper financial package for the loan of their players for chunks of the season. A package that would enable the clubs to recruit an understudy, who the RFU could even insist is English? That would then enable the clubs to carry on during the Six Nations, November period etc, instead of being penalised for having English players in their squad.
I honestly think it is a simple business deal and not a highly complicated one at that, as some would have us believe, which is why I am staggered that it has taken this long. It makes me strongly suspect that certain personnel within the RFU are determined that it will never happen. Why? Who the hell knows, but I am sure ego is a major player!!! As always!!!

Kicking Game

I know this is sad, but probably quite appropriate for me then!! But I have got to level 7 !!!! Real pressure that!!!
Anyone care to try??
Let me know if you beat me and I will get practising!!!

Mehrtens shows great attitude !!!!

I know I have had a bit of a run on Mehrts of late, but this just cracked me up!!!
What a boy!!!
I bet the South Africans must have loved him!!!
Brilliant !!!!!

Rob Andrew

I might be out of touch with the intricacies and the finer points in the argument, or should I say arguments, between the RFU and the clubs, but surely there is one man ideally placed to fix it ASAP.
Rob Andrew.
He spent ten years in charge of Newcastle RFC, and in those years he had his fair share of run ins with the RFU! He fought the clubs corner as hard of not harder than anyone. He has been critical of all sorts of aspects of the RFU, from the behaviour of Sir Clive to the treatment of his beloved Falcon players!
So he knows all the arguments, all the grievances, all the mistrust that the clubs hold against the RFU.
And now he is the top man at the RFU. The top man. In charge of all on field aspects of the game. In charge! Sole charge. No one to answer to, he is THE man.
He has had five months plus to get his feet under the table, to work out the politics, to hear the RFU side, to get a balanced view.
so it's perfect isn't it??????
Here is an ex club man, a highly experienced club man, highly versed in the art of fighting the RFU, and as a result highly trusted by the other club men!
He is now up to date with the RFU take on the situation, and as an ex Cambridge graduate, so bright !!!, quite capable of resolving this situation within a few weeks.
Which leaves me confused. Aren't you? Rob is in charge, isn't he? So if he is, why has he not stood up, called the clubs together, his old colleagues, and sorted the whole pathetic mess out for all of us. Why not???
Is he not in charge? If he isn't, who is, and why are we continually led to believe that he is?? is it Francis Baron? And if it is, why has Rob not informed us of such, and why is Francis not holding public press briefings and being quoted on a regular basis?? He was quick enough to blame Robinson and keep his back safe wasn't he?? Quick enough to be public then!!!
But if it is not Baron, who else??? Martyn Thomas??? Surely not!!!! I know the RFU have their problems but surely that would be just too much!!!! The man is embarrassing! Enough said.
So it comes back to Rob. Good guy. A mate. But..........!
He has taken on the job. It is now time to stand up and be counted. Time to stand up, tell all the blundering idiots to shut up, grow up and bloody stay out of it. Time to stick his neck on the line and make the call. Time to earn his money, use his experience and put an end to this embarrassing public fight between gin soaked old men who have completely lost track of what is important and have made that fatal and pathetic mistake of thinking that they are!!!
It is time for him to be the number one man. To be the Boss. And I just hope like hell that he has the balls to do it.

Europe!

Well you go away for a holiday and come back to find that the Irish and French are no longer in Europe!!! Happy Days !!! -- Only joking Leinsterfan!

So Munster crash out and Wasps pulverise Leinster! Not something that a rugby genius such as myself would have predicted! But then who would have said that the little garlic munching surrender monkeys from Biaritz would have lost to Northampton or that Leicester would have beaten Stade Francais at the death? ......................Not a lot of us I am sure!

From an English point of view I was euphoric and then just as rapidly the rug is pulled from under your feet by the threat, and a genuine one it seems, that the English and French clubs will pull out of the Cup next season.

What the hell is going on??!!!

Even Dean Richards is dumbfounded.

I have to say that I look at Martyn Thomas (who is he anyway and where did he come from) and Francis Baron, and wonder how on earth did those two become the most powerful men in English rugby??

I am definitely not saying that you have to be an ex International player to be in a position of responsibility at the RFU, that would be crazy, but it would be nice to think that they might have a track record of success somewhere??!! Business , sport, anything!!!!

What a tragedy that a great rugby competition is being held hostage by old men with egos, intent on their own feuds rather than what might be in the best interests of rugby. Oh how that rings true of so many decisions surrounding rugby.

I sincerely hope that maybe the Celts can gang up on the RFU and force them to change their minds!

Don't the English just really piss you off !!!!

Off on Holiday

Off on holiday, but a few things I have been thinking about!

Summer Tours;

Rob Andrew has hinted strongly that England might well not be taking many of the key players to South Africa, and Ieuan believes the Welsh will do the same. The thinking is that the guys need a rest and a chance to get fit!
Does that not beg the question, what the hell is the point of the tour then? So the Springboks get to whack some of our younger guys??!! Always good for their future development!!! Or is it meant to be good for the character? Stiff upper lip and all that??!!
As I said on the Podcast, the best thing that England did before the 2003 World Cup was go and beat New Zealand and Australia on their own patch. Massive psychological advantage to England!
I think what we are really saying here, and it seems the Welsh are too, is that we are not good enough to beat you down there, so we won't try. We will hide up here and try to beat you with a bit of luck in a few months time!
I know I am old fashioned, but I would prefer us to go. For two reasons;
Firstly experience! These young England players need as much experience as possible, and playing in SA at Bloomfontein and Pretoria is right up there!
Secondly I think we will get beaten. That will hurt! And I believe that hurt, that experience, that desire for revenge is our best chance when we face them in the World Cup.
Otherwise I believe our guys will lose in the World Cup, due to inexperience as much as anything, and only after they lose will they realise that they were good enough to win! Crazy logic I know, but it does work!!!
I know Zinny disagrees, but what does he know!!!
In all seriousness, he said that the guys do not need more rugby in order to win at the World Cup, it is all in the head. You win when you turn up mentally. (ask the Irish) And I think our best chance is to be hurt into turning up.

Can anyone tell me what has happened to the likes of Abbott, Smith and Allen?
At the beginning of the season I thought we had a few interesting centres, and now apart from Tait, the cupboard is looking very bare! Who has raided it??

I will leave that one with you as I head off to enjoy the beach for a week or so!

Six Nations as seen on TV Part 2 !!

How about a few more;

Songs of Praise - Croke Park (deserves as much praise as possible)

Only Fools and Horses - the Scottish backline!

Antique Roadshow - England team 2004 - 2006 !

Six Nations review as seen on TV!

Match the TV programme with your memories of this year's SIX NATIONS !!

Home and Away:Rob Andrew discusses Englands inconsistent form

Lost:The England pack in Ireland

The Royale Family:Mike Tindall at home with his in Laws
>
> Absolutely Fabulous: A re-run of the England win over France..
>
> Last of the Summer Whine; Ieuan complains about referees.
>
> Casualty: Starring Jonny Wilkinson, Jonny Wilkinson and Jonny Wilkinson

The Weakest Link: In-depth profile of coach Hadden.
>
> Comic Relief: A look back at the Scotland games.
>
> Drop the Dead Donkey: Ashton contemplates the future of Grewcock..
>
> Bottom: A review of Scotland's campaign.
>
> The Office: Fly-on-the-wall documentary set in the RFU HQ. This week:
> Shall we order new blazers for the WC campaign?
>
> Are You Being Served?: Twickenham fans struggle to get a half-time pint.
>
> Red Dwarf: A profile of Wales player Shane Williams.
>
> Prime Suspect: Ronan O'Gara's strangler - watch out for the Murrayfield grass, it's a killer!!
>
> The Old Grey Whistle Test; Wales ask if they've time for a line-out.
>
> The Gentle Touch: The Murrayfield grass around O'Gara's neck!!!.
>
> Men Behaving Badly: Flintoff on a pedallo.
>
> One Foot In The Grave: An interview with Mike Catt.
>
> Give Us A Clue: Ashton is asked why he dropped Lewsey..
>
> I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here: Farrell talks about his switch to
> Union.


Let me have your ideas!! I know they will be far funnier than these!!! I blame Mike and Tony !!!

An Insight into All Black preparation!!!

This is absolutely brilliant. Mehrts at his very best. This was before the All Blacks game in November, so it gave all our guests a rare insight into the mind of an All Black legend!!! ENJOY!!!!!

6 Nations wrap up Podcast

Dear All,

we are doing the final 6 Nations podcast tomorrow, so please send me some of your funny views / comments / moments of the Championship, and I shall make sure we use them!
Any other good comments / chants / nicknames for players etc will also get a good mention!
Look forward to them!!!!!

Elvis and others !

Who would have thought Elvis would score the winning try in the Six Nations??!! Unreal !!
Call me crazy, but I have just been to the bookies and taken out a bet on Shergar hitting the winning runs in the cricket World Cup and Lord Lucan winning the Masters!
And I tell you, the odds are great !!!

Weekend wrap up

So the Welsh beat the English, and they deserved to. The first fifteen minutes they played at a pace and with an ability that I think we all knew they had, they have just managed to suppress it for the whole of the Championship so far!
The English certainly helped, when you don't compete at set piece, or the tackle area, it does always encourage a team and allow them to play at their pace, in your half and run where they like!! Rather like un-opposed training!
Then the English produced two moments of personal magic and they were back in the game. However, their forwards still did not get it, and carried on allowing the Welsh to do what they wanted, when they wanted to!
Credit to the Welsh pack though, they have been diabolical so far in the Championship, and then yesterday they produced a fine performance. They dominated, physically and mentally and they deserve the praise that will come their way.
Casting an eye over England; the positives are that they blooded a very young back row and midfield, the average age must have been 21. A hell of a cauldron to play in, a hell of an experience, and a lesson in what it takes to win in Cardiff against a proud and passionate nation.
Let's be honest, we are not going to win the World Cup, but I hope we can be competitive, and blood players that will be in a position to win in 4 1/2 years time. Maybe that is what Ashton is doing now, maybe he has realised that there is no point in trying to patch it up, we might as well just put in the talent and hope that it will be strong enough to survive a torrid year or so, and then the experience and maturity will percolate to the top and we will be back to winning?
Or am I being overly optimistic?
I know a few of you have commented about lack of physical presence. Point taken, although I would say that physical presence without pace and power is useless. I think we need pace ahead of physical presence. The likes of Haskell, Easter, Lund and Rees are as big as the All Blacks, what they do not have is the pace or skill. They can work on the skill, and maybe as their experience grows they will get to the crucial breakdowns quicker and with more impact.
It is players who make an impact that we need. Players who can break defences. Players who can create scoring opportunities.
That can be through either pace, vision, power or skill. We are too low in those areas at the moment, and Ashton's big challenge is not selection, but persuading Rob Andrew that he has to get the club V RFU issue resolved, and quickly. That might allow players the environment in which to develop their skills, their pace and power. At the moment they are on a treadmill of mediocre games, and they are not being given the time or the coaching to enable them to improve.
England need to move away from the gym, and get players back to understanding the game, to understanding space, how you create it, and how you exploit it. Change our training methods, change the focus of fitness away from ticking off bench presses, leg power and get the guys back out with the ball in their hands and players in front of them so that they can understand the dynamics again.
Let players make decisions, play what they see, not what has been planned.

Wow, what a rant!!

One more thing!!!!!

I think it is great that Italy have done so well. I hope that they can develop from here, so that the game does get a real foot hold in the country and they become a genuine force in the Championship. It is great for rugby, but of far more importance, Rome is just a great place to go for the weekend!!!!

Match predictions !

ROME !

Princess O'Gara, fresh from the failed assassination attempt by the Scottish strangler, will be put under the closest of Italian scrutinies!! I am not sure if there are any Sardinians in the Italian side, but I am sure they would like to see little Ronan swimming with the fishes by the end of the game!!!

The Irish class will prevail, however, I am sure, in D'Arcy and O'Driscoll they have the match winners, ably assisted by Horgan Dempsey and Hickie. So the good news is that Princess O'Gara will survive to dance again with her fourteen butch consorts!!!!

PARIS !

Paterson has been widely quoted as saying that he has had a funny feeling all week. It is called brown adrenaline, running down your leg Chris !!!

The French should be on fire, literally!! I am sure Professor Laporte has wanted to torch a few of them!! The Scots however passionate, however full of adrenaline, just do not have the pace, creativity or skill to win that game.

So the Frogs to enjoy champagne whilst the thistle wilts in the corner.

CARDIFF !

The return of Tait!!! Sadly the cast is missing it's other lead character as the waxed, orange one has hurt his knee!!

The wooden spoon casts quite a shadow over the best rugby stadium, but the loss of Jones and the inclusion of Thomas does improve the Welsh chances quite considerably!! Hook has talent! But do the Welsh forwards have the balls??

If the English eight can produce the intensity of Sunday, and Flood is in full flow, the Welsh will be washed away!

PS. Who do we all think the Scottish strangler might be (apart from bollocks!!!)

Ideas on the comments page please...............

Lions team on current Form!

A few guys are asking for my view on a current Lions team, namely Leinsterfan and Munster Legend!!! I wonder why??!!!

Well here goes;

15 Lewsey

14 Strettle

13 Tait

12 Catt

11 Robinson

10 Flood

9 Ellis

8 Ward-Smith !!!!

7 Rees

6 Lund

5 O'Connell !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

4 Palmer

3 **** knows

2 **** knows

1 Who cares !!!!!

OK OK !!! Not funny!!!

Seriously ......................;

15 Dempsey

14 Horgan

13 O'Driscoll

12 D'Arcy

11 Strettle

10 Hook

9 Ellis

8 Leamy

7 Wallace

6 Easterby

5 O'Connell

4 Murray

3 E. Murray

2 Best

1 Jenkins

Not sure if those two props can play together, but who cares!!!

Williams loses out at 7 due to too many missed tackles.

O'Gara misses out at 10 because he is O'Gara !!

Peel and Stringer miss out at 9 because neither is on top form and I think Ellis has improved massively.

The Irish back row are so well balanced, but a few good games from Rees and he could be in because good as Wallace is, he is not an out and out 7.

Can't think there are many other areas of contention, but I am sure you will find plenty!! As long as at the end of it, you realise that I am right and you are wrong!!!!

Jason Robinson strikes!!!

Will he do this again on Saturday???!!!!!

Lazarus O'Gara

So there was an attempted strangling of Ronan on Saturday, or so Eddie would have us believe!!
Mmmmmmmmmm! call me cynical, but why???
Why on two counts....;
OK the Scots might have wanted to target O'Gara, and who can blame them (gobby little shite!!), and I know the Scots are not firing on all cylinders at the moment, but even they would not wait until the final minute surely!!!!???
Get him and get him early!!!
The other issue I have with this, is , why is the blame purely focused on the Scots??
What about his own forwards????
He was having a crap game......... and maybe one of them had just had enough...!! Maybe??
Sadly for all conspiracy theorists, I think it is good old Eddie just trying to stir something up. The Irish were brilliant against England, truly awesome, but against Scotland they were shite! Without putting too finer point on it, and so Eddie, God bless him, would prefer to talk about the Scottish strangler !!!than his sides own awful performance.
There is also the scandalous notion that O'Gara might have been concussed, and this is just a smoke screen!!!
Surely not ????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Harsh on Frogs!

Thought I would share this photo with you, seeing as a mate sent it through!! Quite an insight into my kind of mates I suppose!! But I found it mildly amusing and bits of it were of interest!!!
I thought the sentiment was a little harsh, but certainly going in the right direction!!!!

Young Guns

What can you say?? Apart from what a surprise!! And a great surprise at that!!
England played. They played with pace, with direction, with conviction and with courage, which was just brilliant to see.
Flood had so much pressure on him, he had to control and run the game, kick the goals and all the while he had the ghost of Jonny hanging over him (something that Charlie Hodgson has never been able to shake off). Well I have to say, the ghost was told to **** off in no uncertain terms. And if that was not enough when Geraghty came on he literally walked all over the ashes!!
Flood was very impressive, in his invention, his reading of the game and his execution. He is a natural player, he plays against what he sees in front of him, not what he has rehearsed in his head for the days building up to a game.
I would hazard a guess that he is great to play outside, and Geraghty was in the same mould. Fearless, skillful, pace and flair and a revelation to a fat old bastard like myself!!
I know Jonny has been important to England, his recall seemed to be the only option, but after yesterday, and I know it was only one game, but the young talent I witnessed out there, and the composure those two had should give Ashton quite a lot to think about!!
And then Rees added a new dimension to England's ability to play at pace, Corry had the best game I can remember and Streetle makes me laugh whenever he gets near the ball. He has such a **** off attitude about everything he does, from the way he looks, the way he stands, the way he runs and attacks people, and I love it!!!
So a great day for English rugby fans, and players and I hope they all drank heavily.
The challenge for the young guns is to realise that it will all count for nothing if it is not backed up with a win this weekend.
So let's hope they clean out their barrels and are ready to fire again!!!

Team Talk !

An Old man rambling on, but I hope some of these emotions are swirling around the England team hotel this evening!!!.........................

Tomorrow we will pull on the England shirt.
Tomorrow we will be the lucky ones. Out of all the players who have tried to earn it, out of all the people who dream of wearing it, we will be the ones who have the honour of pulling it on.
And tomorrow we must look each other in the eye and know that together we will start to rebuild the honour, the dignity, the esteem that this shirt demands.
I think of the great players, the great men that have worn this shirt, that have given whilst wearing this shirt, that through their actions have created the myth and love that surrounds this shirt. The great names, from the likes of Beaumont, Cotton, Neary, to Winterbottom, Teague, Richards, Dooley, Underwood and Guscott up to the likes of Johnson, Leonard, Back, Dawson and Dallaglio.
These guys strove to give this shirt honour and success every time they wore it.
We have a duty, a debt, to make sure that our team honours their memory, honours the memory of every player who has worn this shirt, and every supporter who has loved this shirt, and we must take on that debt, that responsibility and ensure with every ounce of our being we will do the same.
So look at me now, so that I can see in your eyes that come tomorrow we will all do our job, we will all give our bodies, our minds and our hearts to guarantee that we will instill the pride and dignity that the shirt deserves.
And I want to be able to look at all of you as you peel that shirt back off your body and smile, proud that we have done just that, that you have done just that, and in so doing we have set a new start a new standard, and we can be proud again.
Proud of ourselves, proud of each other and proud that we honoured the shirt as it should be and that we have just laid down a new chapter in it's great history.
So look at me now, look at each other, and understand what we have to do, and understand and trust that when tomorrow comes, we will do it.

How we will beat the French !!!!!!!!!!!

Firstly, and maybe bizarely to some of you, I do think we can beat the French on Sunday! But to do it, we need to be very focused and play at an intensity that we have not seen for a good few years.
Our front five must be aggressive in the set piece, precise, accurate but aggressive, so that our scrum is solid, and our line out provides the crucial flow of ball.
If they do that job, it will enable our back row to use the pace they now have. I think Rees could be crucial, inexperienced as he is, he has enough pace to enable him to dominate the arrival at each and every tackle situation. That would allow Easter and Worsely to concentrate on winning the ball, and here Worsley has to stand up and deliver on the fifty caps that he has accumulated.
As an eight we need to challenge every breakdown, physically, mentally, hit every player hard, hit any player we can late, and stamp on any available limbs without being seen, and whilst being subtle!! We need to create an edge to every second of the game, and remain in control at the same time.
We need to make every second uncomfortable for the French, we need to hurt them as often as possible, and we need to keep them under intense pressure for thewhole game, not 79 minutes, not 75 minutes, it has to be for the whole game.
Ellis will have to show his maturity in pressurising Yachvili, hounding him, without descending into a red mist and just punching him! This is where we need to have an icy control in our heads, and yet a boiling rage in our bodies.
Ellis also needs to take pressure off young Flood, take on board as much of the tactical kicking as he can, and ensure that with some tactical running he attracts the interest of the French backrow so that they can not just focus in on Flood.
Catt will certainly provide the vision and distribution at number 12, and if he can deliver the right passes at the right times, the running skills and pace of our back three can definitely cause the French real problems.
Our tactical kicking and chase need to be perfect, and preferably down the channels as this will not allow the French any counter-attack opportunities.
In attack we need to play a relatively fast paced game, to use Rees to his full advantage. We need to deliver our running forwards, Easter and Worlsey into space by running them off 12 and 13 as well as just 10.
Exploit Dominici, and put runners off the shoulders of Flood as I think Skrela is not only slow on his feet, but not the bravest!! I think we can manufacture holes around Skrela, especially if we encourage Betsen to fly at Flood. The down side is that Flood will be pretty uncomfortable on Monday, but then again who really cares!!
Play with pace, take the risks, run at both wings hard, tie them up in the tackle and the run wide again from the next phase ( and whilst doing that give the wings a good kicking whilst they are in there!!!)
So passion with brains, steel and poise and the first hits and contact on our terms and we might even rouse the crowd into support!!
Ever the optimist!!!!