Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2017 i Rugby World

We’ve all seen the recent spate of penalties and yellow and red cards issued for players being ‘played’ in the air – some justified, others maybe not. I suspect many agree that whether a player lands on his neck, shoulder or feet cannot be the deciding factor as to whether the sanction is a red card, a yellow or a penalty. A simple solution would be to outlaw players being able to jump in an attempt to win the ball. This would immediately take away the risk that a player could be tipped on his head by an opponent. Granted, I don’t think any of us really want to see the end of two players challenging for a ball in mid-air, which has become one of the great spectacles of…

So Kurtley, who are the jokers at Wasps? There are a few. Christian Wade – he’s always playing practical jokes. And James Haskell. Those two guys play jokes on me. There’s always good energy around the group; we’re always having a laugh and a giggle with the whole squad. How have you settled in? I’m trying to embrace English culture. I like a nice Sunday roast and we’re trying to make it a ritual. I’m trying to embrace the weather as well, but that’s a hard one to crack! I’m really enjoying tea and scones at the moment too. I might treat myself once a week, otherwise I’ll find myself in the front row! Do you have a nickname? Just my initials – KB. What’s the funniest thing you’ve…

IAN STEVENSON holds the little red model airplane up, explaining how such an aircraft, in life size, can be manoeuvred on the ground using pedals. Rather than just talking at the room, the flight instructor goes for an interactive approach, using an easy icebreaker. “Can you drive?” Stevenson asks, hoping to use any answer to build up to another technical explanation. “Yeah, but I’m banned at the moment…” Danny Cipriani replies with a slow-spreading smile, any lingering ice having been blasted to a fine powder. We are at the South Warwickshire Flying School to send one of rugby’s most naturally gifted game busters into the skies for a lesson in a Cessna 172 Skyhawk, a four-seater plane. Beforehand, there are understandably some silent jitters. Having soared through the bright blue…

THEY BREED ‘em tough in the Amman Valley. Tom Davies, loosehead prop for Amman United, ran an 11-mile mountain race on the morning of a win at Llangadog, while there’s a 40-year-old running rings round opponents half his age. Shane Williams is his name. “Shane always said he wanted one season with Amman to finish,” says coach Tony Williams. “His brother Dean plays on the wing and brother-in-law Gavin Lewis is at full-back. He’s only played a few games because of his media work, but it’s massive for the players to have him involved. He lives 400 metres from the field and sometimes takes training sessions.” Shane’s sprinkling of gold dust helped Amman towards a potential treble as April approached, with 22 unbeaten games. Leading lights for the Division Three…

“WITH GB THEY WANTED US SCANNING THE FIELD” BY HIS own admission his game was a bit fast and loose – that’s what first caught the eye. Luke Treharne had always been a little rough around the edges, but it was that style of sevens that made thingshappen. Rugby World had asked England captain Tom Mitchell which player on the circuit could still surprise him and the Welsh playmaker popped up instantly. “I think someone like Tom would call me a ‘maverick’, maybe because a lot of the time for Wales we were playing off the cuff,” the half-back explains. “I think before I was creating things naturally, there wasn’t much thought process.” There is a significance to this. Treharne is a fifth-year medical student with the Peninsula Medical School,…

CZECH MATES Camp Hill, of Two West (North), will play Czech Republic U20 on their tour to Prague on 15 April. They’re taking part in a curtain-raiser before the national side’s European Conference One North match against Latvia. The visit extends North Midlands’ links with the Czech Republic that were forged with two years of exchange trips as part of the RFU’s Unity Project. The initiative saw constituent bodies twinned with emerging European nations. Staffordshire and North Midlands were paired with the Czech Republic and a series of visits took place before the project ended last year. BEN STRIKES After 12 years with Two East (North) club Matlock, centre Ben Neville was delighted to crown his 200th appearance with his first try of the season in the 74-0 win over…

CAPTAIN’S TALK Hartlepool Rovers, of Durham-Northumberland One, have recruited Martin Johnson, England’s World Cup-winning captain, for a dinner and talk at their clubhouse on 19 May. The event has been organised to raise funds for Rovers’ junior section that encompasses both boys and girls. The dinner is topically entitled ‘Pride of Lions’, linked to Johnson’s status as the only man to have captained the British & Irish Lions on two separate tours. RECORD STORE The Liverpool St Helens Heritage Project has been launched to preserve the history of the world’s oldest open rugby union club. Its illustrious past includes the formation of Liverpool in 1857, the founding of St Helens in 1919 and their merger in 1986. An 18-month project is being backed with a £75,000 grant from the Heritage…

Age 28 (1 Aug 1988) Birthplace Leicester Club Leicester Country England Position Second-row A FOOTBALL NUT as a kid, Ed Slater came to rugby late and might have ended up as a Wallaby after shining Down Under. The Tigers lock tells us about a life less ordinary… I grew up in Milton Keynes with two older brothers. Mum (Jo) worked at the hospital on the breast cancer unit, Dad (Colin) worked in software. They split up when I was young. I didn’t play rugby until I was 16. I was football obsessed. My uncle, who lived in Blackheath, took me to a Charlton game when I was eight. Going through the stand, seeing the big green pitch, was mesmerizing. We played Bolton and it finished 4-4! I went to a…

“EVERYONE GETS ON WELL. HOPEFULLY THAT IS REFLECTED ON THE FIELD” ENGLAND SAT atop all three Six Nations Championship tables – men’s, women’s and U20 – but will they enjoy more success in 2017? Here’s a look at the challenges that lie ahead for the three teams… THE PUMAS’ LAIR England were prevented from winning back-to-back Grand Slams by Ireland but they still lifted the title and matched New Zealand’s 18 Test wins in a row, a Tier One record. As Eddie Jones told us earlier this year: “Sometimes you have to have a loss to move forward.” There will be no element of complacency when they head to Argentina for two Tests in June. Ireland highlighted a few flaws in their game while they will be without a significant…

Muiris Breathnach David Campese. The man just did his own thing, which was usually the right thing… @GarethTheHop Depends what you class as maverick. Breaks, huge skill, can go alone & win? Still Gareth Edwards @NathannnThomas Gavin Henson gotta be up there on his day @ramboliwa George Gregan a standout for me Sean Cochrane Our very own Jason Robinson. I’m sure he didn’t even know where he was stepping next half the time… @rugbai Carlos Spencer (left) and Serge Blanco @Alywray Campo for sure, still is! jonathandweeks Serevi for 7s or William Ryder. Spencer for the 15-a-side game alan.sco Finn Russell will be there soon! Nick Carey Wow. A lot of people not understanding the word maverick! The other JPR for me, Jean-Pierre Rives @gavinhenson82 David Campese @Chick_Chalmers Carlos Spencer…

NICK ISIEKWE SARACENS AGE 18 COUNTRY ENGLAND POSITION LOCK When did you start playing rugby? When I was nine. One Saturday evening I was lazing around and my mum wanted me to do something, so the next day I went down to the local rugby club, Old Verulamians. I really enjoyed it. I liked the atmosphere – and the free food afterwards! Have you always been a lock? Originally I was a crash-ball centre, at 13 I changed to prop, then I grew a bit more and went to second-row. Do you enjoy playing second-row? I love it. You can physically impose yourself on a game and there’s the lineout, which is technical. There are a lot of physical demands but I enjoy the challenge and it suits me. When…

SOME OF the greatest rugby players of all time have walked a different path; they have played in an exciting and unconventional manner. These are the dreamers who think outside the box. They’ve been era-defining athletes, too. We’ve selected what we believe are the seven greatest mavericks of all time. These are players who not only broke the mould but also represent the fun side of the game we adore. In this issue we also feature electric stars of today’s game like Quade Cooper, Danny Cipriani, Kurtley Beale and Beauden Barrett. Yet these seven players stand out in the pantheon of greats, not only because of their unquestionable skills and drive but because of their free spirits. SERGE BLANCO FRANCE (1980-91) The Eighties were the halcyon of French rugby, where…

SPINNING OUT of tackles is the latest trick Simon Zebo has added to his armoury, his footwork, pace and offloading already notable attacking attributes, but what really makes the Munster and Ireland winger stand out is his joie de vivre. The French expression is fitting given Zebo’s heritage – his father was born in Martinique and he has family in France – and the pure joy on the 27-year-old’s face when he’s on the rugby field is obvious and infectious; you can’t help but smile watching him play. He likes to take a risk but his creative streak has become part of a more rounded game since Joe Schmidt took charge of the national team in 2013; his defence and ability under the high ball are two aspects that have…

TO MARK ten years of officiating in the Six Nations, Nigel Owens – the world’s best-known referee – relives his ten special moments… 1 My first Six Nations game was England v Italy at Twickenham in 2007. My dad left Wales for the first time in 71 years and I remember seeing him during the anthems sitting above the tunnel, a few rows down from Prince Harry. I knew Dad wouldn’t know who he was and he confirmed it afterwards, saying he thought Prince Harry was Rob Andrew’s son because they were sitting together. A classic moment. 2 England v France in 2015 was one of the most enjoyable games I’ve ever refereed. It finished 55-35 and England were still in with a shout of lifting the title until late…

JOHN MITCHELL believes he is a very different coach from the man whose career appeared to peak incredibly early, with the former back-row forward taking charge of New Zealand at the 2003 World Cup. He was just 37 years old when handed the biggest job in rugby in 2001 and, looking back, he is justly proud of the All Blacks’ Test record under his command, which shows just four defeats. Yet he recognises mistakes were made on both sides. The NZRU cited difficulties the head coach had with the media and sponsors, rather than the team’s playing record, when dumping him after two years in charge following a third-place finish at RWC 2003. Ironically, that would be a better showing than the All Blacks managed under Graham Henry four years…

“IT’S NOT JUST GETTING A CHANCE BUT TAKING IT” WHEN JOE SCHMIDT rang Adam Byrne to tell him he would be making his Leinster debut aged 18 back in 2012, the winger thought it was one of his mates putting on a New Zealand accent and pulling a prank. Yet the call was from Schmidt and Byrne came off the bench against Connacht, becoming the youngest player to represent the province. “At the time it was just surreal,” he says. “I only had a few minutes off the bench but it was at the RDS and I heard the crowd the couple of times I had the ball. It left me thinking that I wanted to do it week in, week out.” Unfortunately for Byrne, he had to wait more…

WELCOME BACK Ian Dartnell, the Westcliff lock, is delighted “to be back among the players” at the National Three London club after two years out injured. “I had a cruciate reconstruction last May which has healed well,” he said. “I feel in better shape than before.” His side lost 59-12 to Westcombe Park in his first game back before beating Guildford 25-11. MAKE OR JAKE Winchester captain and centre Jake Hiscock said he always had faith during a last-gasp 19-18 win over KCS Old Boys in Two South-West. He said: “Not once did we panic. I never thought we’d lose. It showed our mental toughness.” BARE BONES Andover’s battle against the drop in Two South-West has been crippled by injuries. They travelled to a 35-8 defeat at Old Tonbridgians with…

THERE IS much more to the most exciting locks than simply jumping in a lineout or shoving in the scrum. Sometimes we come across those hybrid players who chew up the ground like hungry diggers, or throw out clever offloads. This isn’t the only way to thrive at lock, but when you’ve got one of the big fellas marauding around like an auxiliary link-player, it can add an extra dimension to your side’s play. Take big Leone Nakarawa. His Racing 92 side have been off the boil this season, but he still has the ability to crack a game open. You too can burst through contact to get your hands free and spring in the lineout if you use these three exercises to the left – provided by our friends…

MARK RING AGE 54 POSITION FLY-HALF/CENTRE HONOURS 32 WALES CAPS My 11-year-old son, Luca, is a fly-half. He played at the Rosslyn Park Sevens for Whitchurch last month. I have five kids, including four-year-old twins. Since retiring I’ve coached. I had a few years with West Hartlepool in the Premiership, Penzance & Newlyn and Cross Keys, who I took to the British & Irish Cup final in 2012. I never thought I’d go viral on YouTube. I did a skills series from my home using kitchen utensils. People seemed to like it. I went to Cardiff Blues as a skills coach but it didn’t work out. It’s a shame as I want to help. I’m an All Blacks fanatic. They coach kids the right way in New Zealand and move…

DEFENCES ARE DOMINANT. ARE THERE TOO MANY PLAYERS ON THE FIELD? WHAT HAPPENED to the game of rugby union? Not only is it a series of massive hits by huge players, but the nature of the game has been changed by law modifications. I liked the game much more when I played it. So what should change? Stamina and fitness used to matter. All 15 players in a team had to play 80 minutes – substitutions were only allowed for injuries. These days, with 23 players on a team, only half have to play for 80. Defences have also become dominant. Seeing a player swerving or sidestepping through a gap is increasingly rare. Are there now too many players on the field? Why not reduce the number on a team…

SOMETIMES YOU feel yourself being drawn home by a force bigger than you. Much like the tide. You can go out, sure, but there is that imperceptible need to go back. And no one felt that more keenly than Quade Cooper as he watched his beloved Queensland Reds fumble through Super Rugby matches last year, like buttered hands operating a Zippo. Something needed to be done. “Last year’s tournament was rock bottom,” he says of the Reds’ 2016 campaign, when they won three of 15 games. “It was hard to sit and watch from France. It was so tough not being able to do anything about it.” Last season, Cooper was in Toulon. He was sold a dream of fantastical play by mercurial club owner Mourad Boudjellal, who on initial…

SHOULD A think tank ever be asked to create the perfect sports spectacle, they should save themselves the bother and adjourn to the pub. It’s unlikely they could improve on the Babcock Trophy. Each April, the British Army and Royal Navy throw a shindig at Twickenham that reverberates around the globe and its military hotspots. More than 80,000 people, mostly current or former servicemen and women, sing the national anthem loud and proud before watching their respective teams go full throttle in the climax to the Inter-Services Championship. “It has grown into this huge beast,” says Andy Sanger, the Army’s head coach. “It’s not just big for the Forces, professional rugby sees it as a showpiece event in the rugby calendar.” And this month’s match on 29 April is the…

MAKING GOOD clubs great: it’s one of the most aspirational elements of modern grass-roots rugby in this country. To become the best club you can is something that inspires communities and drives playing standards. Is your club making the most of what they have? Connor Fleming, vice-captain of Stewarts and Lloyds RFC in Corby, considers this. They’ve had a good season so far in Midland Three East (South), but what has caught the eye is the extent of the club’s work. “We have a good system from U6 to colts and have two senior sides and a vets team out every week,” the club’s scrum-half explains. “It is all pushed by the work of volunteers – they are the beating heart of this club and we really are part of…

ENGLAND RUGBY’S decision to create a new top-flight domestic league has not been met with universal delight, but next season’s competition is a hugely exciting development for women’s rugby. In September, ten clubs (see panel right) will become history makers as they begin life as Super Rugby sides. The RFU are set to invest millions in helping to turn the competition into the world’s best women’s domestic league, with the aim of building ten high-performance club set-ups capable of providing the best possible players for England. First to the controversy. Applications for a place in Super Rugby were based around minimum criteria in areas including coaching, sports science, medical support, training and playing environments, player pools and financial streams – the latter particularly important. Lichfield are the only existing Women’s…

MOVING ON Old Albanian head coach James Shanahan will take up a similar role with National One club Blackheath in July. A talented fly-half, he played more than 500 games in 21 seasons for Exeter, Bedford, Cornish Pirates and Cambridge, where he began his coaching career. Shanahan has headed the England Counties coaching team for two years, a role he will continue alongside his work at Blackheath and Cambridge University. PRESIDENTIAL DATE Wharfedale are holding ‘An Evening With the President’ to celebrate John Spencer’s life in rugby. Spencer, manager of the British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, will become the RFU president next season and on 25 August a black-tie dinner-and-dance will take place at the Two North club’s ground. It will feature Q&As hosted by the BBC’s…

KITCHEN COOKING Lock-turned-prop Gary Kitchen, 44, celebrated his 750th appearance for Imperial, of Bristol, and quipped: “I haven’t too many seasons left in me, so I don’t think I’ll get to 1,000!” He first played senior rugby at 16 and, almost 29 years on, he has averaged 27 matches a season. His landmark game for the Somerset One club’s second team was against Nailsea & Backwell 2nds. Only two Imperial players had achieved the ‘750 feat’ previously. Kitchen said: “My wife has never watched me play – but she has never moaned either.” DAN’S DAY Bridgwater & Albion lock Dan Kemmish, 40, played his 350th first-team game in a 40-22 One West win at Teignmouth. He appeared for Albion in their National Two era and has rarely missed a match…

DISILLUSIONED by the incompetence of national selectors, Bev Risman only won eight England caps before switching codes in 1961. He was to enjoy great success in league, captaining Great Britain and later doing much for the development of the sport in the South of England as a coach and administrator. But the fly-half who was famed for his sidestep touched the heights in union too, his greatest moment being his brilliant winning last-Test try for the 1959 Lions in New Zealand (above). On the same tour he had a kick at goal chalked off after a policeman came on the pitch to alert the referee to a touchjudge’s raised flag prior to the kick! Risman’s autobiography could do with a proper edit and some of the league content is dreary.…