Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2017 i Rugby World

2nd If you fancy an afternoon on the sofa, BT Sport are showing this year’s Twickenham Double Header , with Saracens taking on Northampton at 2pm before promoted London Irish face Harlequins at 4.45pm. Or if you’re out and about, listen to both matches on 5live. It will be a good gauge of how the Exiles, with all their new signings, are likely to fare while the last time Sarries and Saints met, the European champs sneaked a 27-25 win – tight! 4th A new season means the return of the Rugby Union Weekly podcast. Every Monday, the BBC’s Chris Jones and former England wing Ugo Monye (below) discuss the game’s talking points – there is usually a big-name guest to weigh in too. Subscribe via iTunes or search bbc.co.uk…

Most important person Brodie Retallick or Sam Cane Last person you texted My builder. I’m getting my house renovated Favourite gaming app Clash of Clans Music app Spotify. I’ve just downloaded the latest Jay-Z album, 4.44 Social network Instagram. You get an instant hit and it’s good for travel News app The New Zealand Herald. I like to keep up with what’s going on at home Favourite WhatsApp group ‘The Cardiff boys’. Players based in Cardiff, so we can have the odd beer Last app downloaded One to accompany a new Canon camera I’ve bought, to help with editing Streaming app Netflix. I’m currently into the box-set Power with 50 Cent Travel app Trip Advisor is pretty useful when you’re heading somewhere Guilty pleasure app YouTube has good rugby clips…

1 MARCUS SMITH Age 18 (14 Feb 1999) Born Manila Club Harlequins Country England Position Fly-half You were born in the Philippines… I lived there for seven years, then we moved to Singapore, where I played for Centaurs rugby club. My dad got me into it – he used to play rugby – and as soon as I rocked up one Saturday morning I really enjoyed it. We moved back to England when I was 13. I played at Brighton College Prep School for a year and one of my coaches put me in contact with a Harlequins coach from Sussex. I had a trial at 14 and have been involved with them ever since. Have you always played fly-half? I started off at scrum-half because I was a bit…

I do like a bit of Lego on the quiet. I’m not quite at David Beckham’s level yet but, apart from that, I’m just a regular dad. I coasted my first 50 caps for Wales. I should have been fitter, I should have eaten better, but between 2008 and 2013 I was in my prime because I was being pushed. I have several gripes about the modern game, like at a driving maul when defensive players can latch on and not let go of the bind, allowing them to collapse it. I think you should be able to use rucking to get the interfering player out of the way too! People ask about my future but I just want to coach. I’ve never really dipped my hands into other businesses…

Age 35 Position Scrum-half Teams Scotland, Lions, Glasgow & Sale I DELIBERATED over retiring during my final season, until about Christmas. I kept myself open to the idea of doing a third season at Sale. Our daughter was born in Wythenshawe Hospital so we will always have a special connection to the area. Over the last few years I’d been looking for my next career. I ‘discovered’ whisky in 2012 in California – which is ridiculous considering I grew up in Aberdeen – and now have a retail business based in LA. Life is good. For some reason we decided to take on some of the most stressful life events in one fell swoop – baby, new career, moving house and country – which was a little bit mad. We…

RW: How long have you known Rob? Robbie ‘Tan Can’ Neill: I’ve been fishing with him for the last two years but I’ve known Rob much longer. We used to play rugby together. He was a little bit soft on his tackling back then, but you could tell he was a decent player. Tristan ‘The Guru’ Williams: I’ve never fished with Rob before and I think he’s got a lot to learn. Have you been following his rugby career closely? RN: Of course. He’s a good lad and a local boy. I go up to the Scarlets quite a lot and I watch him play for Wales. When he’s not playing, we’re always out. If we’re not sea-fishing, we’re out on the pond or up the rivers. TW: What I…

Ground address Kingsholm, Kingsholm Road, Gloucester GL1 3AX | Phone 0871 871 8781 | Website gloucesterrugby.co.uk DISCUSSION POINTS It’s yet another new dawn for Gloucester with Johan Ackermann coming in as head coach, fresh from a second Super Rugby final in a row with the Lions. He’s needed: DoR David Humphreys cut a forlorn figure last season and lost his second-in-command Laurie Fisher amidst a bizarre Twitter confessional. Jonny May has been let go – and though Ed Slater is a good man to bring in, a much-needed pack leader, May was someone who excited the crowd. It is also reported that they told hooker Darren Dawidiuk he was being released at the end-of-season awards dinner. Bad form. On the field, former Bok lock Ackermann’s nous will come in handy,…

Ground address Madejski Stadium, Junction 11, M4, Reading, RG2 0FL | Phone 01932 750100 | Website london-irish.com DISCUSSION POINTS London Irish romped through the Championship, finishing the regular season 16 points ahead of their nearest rival and only losing once (to Jersey), scoring a blaze of points along the way. Then they beat Doncaster 75-24 on aggregate in their semi-final and Yorkshire Carnegie 84-66 in the two-legged final. Now the Exiles are back in the Premiership with a skip in their step. They have recruited plenty of players too, bringing in some recognisable names and big characters, even if some are a little longer in the tooth or a little heavier on the scales. But it is Irish’s youth products who always impress. That should make for more excitement throughout…

Ground address AJ Bell Stadium, Stadium Way, Eccles, Salford M30 7WH | Phone 08444 994994 | Website salesharks.com DISCUSSION POINTS Inconsistent, unpredictable, promising… all three words could be used to describe Sale. Last season, for example, they inflicted a rare defeat on league leaders Wasps but also lost at home to Bristol, doomed for the drop early on. That inability to back up good results saw them finish tenth. Yet the potential is there. In the Curry twins, Ben and Tom, they have two teenage back-rows who toured with England. In Denny Solomona they have a top-class finisher. In Josh Beaumont and Bryn Evans they have quality lineout operators. They’ve brought in impressive talent too. Springbok scrum-half Faf de Klerk arrives to fill the position vacated by old heads Mike…

Ground address Sixways Stadium, Warriors Way, Worcester WR3 8ZE | Phone 01905 454183 | Website warriors.co.uk DISCUSSION POINTS It’s hard to keep up with Worcester. Since Dean Ryan left suddenly in June last year, they have tried three different rugby management structures and released a whole heap of players. Relegation was averted after firefighter specialist Gary Gold arrived in January, the South African introducing a simpler, percentage-based game plan that was good enough to defeat Saracens. Ryan Mills kicked eight penalties in that win and was one of four Warriors – Nick Schonert, Jack Singleton and Will Spencer the others – to make a wider England squad in May. Worcester players also pepper national age-grade squads and the club is right to have bolder aspirations than merely staying up. Omar…

Ground address The Sportsground, College Road, Galway H91 H340 Phone +353 9156 1568 Website connachtrugby.ie DISCUSSION POINTS Well, we’re in the time PPL (post Pat Lam). They reached dizzying heights with him, winning the whole shooting match in 2016, but now Kieran Keane is at the helm. The former All Black was looking after the Waikato Chiefs attack under Dave Rennie – and that creativity is needed. Connacht were thoroughly mid-table with their attack last year, scoring 47 tries – only nine more than Zebre or the Dragons, but 44 fewer than Leinster – and achieved just five try bonuses. With bodies shipping out but only a handful coming in, it’s about redirecting their squad rather than starting over. Culture was a big thing for Lam and his senior men.…

Ground address Scotstoun, 72 Danes Drive, Glasgow G14 9HD | Phone 0844 800 3490 | Website glasgowwarriors.org DISCUSSION POINTS New coaches, same Warriors. Well, they still want to attack. Dave Rennie is the new head coach, a man whose name has been thrown about as a potential All Blacks boss. He is joined by former Scotland assistants Jason O'Halloran, the architect of many fine Scottish tries in recent years, and Jonathan Humphreys, who is respected by the forwards he has worked with. There is a little continuity, too, with Kenny Murray staying on from the Gregor Townsend era. And remember, they still scored 72 tries in a season of struggles last term. Rennie already has some fine offensive weapons at his disposal, as well as newcomers Lelia Masaga, Adam Hastings…

Ground address Liberty Stadium, Swansea SA1 2FA | Phone 0871 222 3224 | Website ospreysrugby.com DISCUSSION POINTS Not much has shifted down Swansea way, and the Ospreys will want to maintain their superb attacking form of last term, which saw them accrue ten try bonus points, make the play-offs and get back into the Champions Cup after a year in the Challenge Cup. Rumours are circling about Dan Biggar’s future and it is expected that he will leave for Northampton next season. For now, though, he is still in harness alongside Rhys Webb and together they form one of the most effective half-back pairings in Europe. Cory Allen and James Hook will provide more options behind the scrum, with the latter likely to be particularly important during international windows as…

Ground address Stadio di Monigo, Via dei Campo Sportivi, Treviso | Phone +39 0422 324238 | Website benettonrugby.it DISCUSSION POINTS Points, or the lack thereof, are the discussion point. Treviso scored the fewest points (316) and tries (35) of any of the teams in the Pro12 last season. They may have finished above Zebre and Dragons to move out of the bottom two for the first time since 2013, but their inability to build scores and cross the line will be a huge concern for coach Kieran Crowley. The other area of concern is their away form. Overall in the Pro12, they have won 27% of their games – a disappointing statistic in itself. That rises to 42% at home but on the road their success rate is just 13%.…

“Develop a relationship with your hooker. First, stay on the floor to get used to catching above your head. Then build in the lift, staying straight-on with hands above head.” “It is important to get a good lift. The front lifter should be low, hand just above the knee, with the back lifter having their hands under your buttocks. They step in and squeeze you up – if you emphasise staying square, with a strong core and arms above your head and trust the lift, you are in a good place to catch.” “Work on your timing. At the front you can attack the ball, but if you are catching at the middle of the lineout, the later you leave it to go up the more chance you have of…

Defensively and kicking wise, Leigh Halfpenny is still up there with best in the world. If Jones and Pivac can get his attacking game back in shape, Scarlets will benefit hugely. Mark Jones Think it is now time to ditch the haka from pre-match events to matches, especially at IRB and RWC events. @BobPeaker £1m a season (for Charles Piutau at Bristol from 2018-19)? And he’s the highest paid player in the world? Wow, that really shows the wage gap between football and rugby. A bang-average football player will earn that much alone in a matter of weeks. It’s completely absurd. Harry Collins If it works (in the Pro14), what odds on all SA teams switching to European leagues? Where would that leave Super Rugby? @adeherb There are plenty of…

Some of the northern hemisphere’s brightest prospects headed down to Paarl in South Africa for a four-way U19 tournament, which featured teams representing England, Wales, France and their South African hosts. Wales had a hugely productive week where under coach Geraint Lewis, the former Wales blindside, they overturned South Africa 30-28 and then England 14-12, in a hard-fought encounter that featured Cai Evans, son of Ieuan. After Tomi Lewis scored Wales’ second try to put them 14-0 up, England nearly nicked a draw with two tries of their own in the last five minutes, only for (son of Bryan) Cameron Redpath’s conversion to go narrowly wide. Russell Earnshaw’s young side also featured Bath’s fly-half Tom de Glanville, son of Phil, in their party. England had previously beaten les Bleus 24-8,…

Ground address The Recreation Ground, Spring Gardens, Bath BA2 4DS | Phone 01225 325200 | Website bathrugby.com DISCUSSION POINTS Bath won eight of their first ten league games last season before slipping to fifth amid long-running speculation over George Ford’s future. The England fly-half has departed and much will depend on whether Freddie Burns can spark a talent-laden back division that has relied too heavily on Semesa Rokoduguni of late. Burns, a Bathonian who enjoyed training at his old school Beechen Cliff in pre-season, should lift the goalkicking averages and up front there is reason for optimism. James Phillips and new Test cap Sam Underhill have bolstered the back five, Charlie Ewels now has England starts under his belt, and at No 8 Lions hero Taulupe Faletau will be supported…

Ground address Twickenham Stoop, Langhorn Drive, Twickenham TW2 7SX | Phone 020 8410 6000 | Website quins.co.uk DISCUSSION POINTS Last season was average for Quins. Won 11, lost 11, 57 tries for, 59 against, a points different of six. They may have qualified for the Champions Cup, but fans were left underwhelmed by their inconsistent form. With little significant movement in the transfer market, the big change is Nick Evans moving from the playing to the coaching ranks. Arguably the Premiership’s best overseas signing, Evans should bring innovation to a Quins’ attack that has struggled to replicate the feats of their 2012 title-winning campaign. The ex-All Black is known for his creativity – the question is whether Tim Swiel, new signing Demetri Catrakilis or teenager Marcus Smith can deliver his…

Ground address Kingston Park, Brunton Road, Newcastle NE13 8AF | Phone 0191 214 5588 | Website newcastlefalcons.co.uk DISCUSSION POINTS Last season’s eighth place was Newcastle’s highest league position for 11 years and represented a sizeable leap forward after three years flirting with the drop. Quick ball from a rock-steady scrum was the starting point for some expansive rugby and a glance at the new arrivals suggests DoR Dean Richards isn’t resting on his laurels. Toby Flood’s return after nine years away is the most eye-catching signing, but the likes of Maxime Mermoz, Josh Matavesi and DTH van der Merwe will also add international-class options to the back division. Flood has already signalled his delight at linking up with ex-Tigers team-mate Vereniki Goneva, who he calls “as good as any winger…

Ground address Allianz Park, Greenlands Lane, London, NW4 1RL | Phone 01923 475222 | Website saracens.com DISCUSSION POINTS Saracens are a bit like the evil Borg in Star Trek: if you wound them, they will learn from it, assimilate the best of others and forge ahead. They missed the Premiership final last season after an inspired Exeter Chiefs came from behind to beat them in the closing exchanges of their semi-final, but they have added ballast and a few wild cards to their already impressive squad. That’s right, Will Skelton, roughly 140kg, and the abrasive Calum Clark join the Vunipolas, Itoje and Kruis in the pack, while Liam Williams will be supplied by Owen Farrell et al. Oh, and they still conceded only 28 tries last season. That is ridiculous…

Ground address Cardiff Arms Park, Westgate Street, Cardiff CF10 1JA | Phone 02920 302000 | Website cardiffblues.com DISCUSSION POINTS Middle of the road has been the order of the day for the Blues this decade, their form not helped by coaching changes. At least things are more settled from a back-room perspective – Danny Wilson is in his third season and Matt Sherratt has had time to bed in his attacking philosophy, while Wales defence coach Shaun Edwards has arrived on a consultancy basis. Attack is where the Blues need to up their game. A total of 59 tries scored and only three try bonus points is not enough to compete in the top half of the table. With the artificial turf at the Arms Park, they know they’ll have…

Ground address Rodney Parade, Rodney Road, Newport NP19 0UU | Phone 01633 670690 | Website dragonsrugby.wales DISCUSSION POINTS Apparently it was his demands for high standards and work-rate that saw Bernard Jackman ousted as Grenoble coach last season. But no worries, he’s in Newport now and aiming a boot at the Dragons' backsides – sent towards those rears by the WRU, who have now taken control of the region. They need a big shake-up defensively after conceding a whopping 72 tries last season. Mind you a solitary try bonus didn’t help their cause much either. Ruthlessness on both sides of the ball is a must. Losing Tom Prydie to the Scarlets won’t help in the try department, so a lot now falls to new arrivals Zane Kirchner and a certain…

Ground address RDS, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 | Phone +353 1269 3224 | Website leinsterrugby.ie DISCUSSION POINTS Leinster’s form last term – they scored a record 91 tries and picked up 12 bonus points during the regular season – earned the coaching team of Leo Cullen, Stuart Lancaster, John Fogarty and Girvan Dempsey contract extensions until 2019. Yet they ultimately fell short, losing to Scarlets in Dublin despite playing against 14 men for 42 minutes. That semi-final defeat, coupled with the loss to Wasps in the Champions Cup knockouts, will no doubt strengthen the resolve of players and coaches to win silverware this term. There has been little change in the playing ranks and those they have brought in come with strong reputations – workhorse Wallaby flanker Scott Fardy and exciting…

Ground address Parc y Scarlets, Pemberton Park, Llanelli SA14 9UZ | Phone 01554 783900 | Website scarlets.co.uk DISCUSSION POINTS Think of the Scarlets and you picture their free-flowing attacking game that came to the fore in last season’s knockout stages, proving too much for Leinster and Munster to deliver the region a first league title in 13 years. Yet it’s their defence that proved just as crucial in getting them to the top four in the first place. Their line was breached just 40 times in the regular season – only Munster conceded fewer tries –and Byron Hayward deserves as many plaudits for that defence as fellow coach Stephen Jones does for the risk-embracing attack. They lost one Lions full-back, Liam Williams, to Saracens but gained another in the shape…

Ground address Kingspan, 134 Mount Merrion Avenue, Belfast BT6 0FT | Phone 02890 493222 | Website ulsterrugby.com DISCUSSION POINTS Ulster make a fresh start under Jono Gibbes, who enjoyed success with Michael Cheika and Joe Schmidt at Leinster and arrives from Clermont for his first head coach role. The former All Black has much to do, with his chief priorities adding steel to the pack and helping Ulster adjust to life without scrum-half colossus Ruan Pienaar, whose reluctant departure has left a canyon-sized void at the Kingspan. Legal issues for Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding have been an unwelcome distraction for Ulster, who finished fifth last season, but they have Charles Piutau, Marcell Coetzee and Tommy Bowe back from injury and new South African muscle in prop Schalk van der…

EXETER’S HISTORIC march to their first Aviva Premiership title last term was achieved with an exciting mix of styles. The form of insatiable backs like Jack Nowell, Ollie Devoto and Henry Slade left other coaches green with envy. But when it came to the crunch in big matches, they bulldozed opponents in a relentless and physical ball-carrying onslaught. No match typified that more than the final itself. It may have gone to extra time but the Chiefs battered Wasps into submission, retaining 68% of overall possession and claiming the same amount of territory. The use of their big forwards to carry, along with the tireless fleet-of-foot interventions by their back three, forced Wasps into attempting 254 tackles compared to only 91 of their own. Their tactics meant Exeter won 197…

1 MOVE THE SWEAT, swearing and tears have all been worth it: pre-season leads into actual rugby. Finally! With this in mind, we asked our experts to help you transition from pre-season conditioning sessions. For the serious amateur, you will be tapering off high-volume, high-intensity gym sessions. At the start there was plenty of lifting mates and bags or wrestling on the pitch, plus brutal weights sessions with hypertrophy the goal – lots of reps with little rest, to encourage the breakdown and eventual addition of muscle mass. Now there’s lots of running and it’s about keeping on lean muscle while being explosive. Our mates at Performance Pro gym in London give you three exercises to try – dedicated amateurs may squeeze in three gym sessions a week. The focus…

YOU CAN feel it. The long nights are drawing in and there’s a crispness in the air. Lazy summer days are giving way to the hustle and bustle of a new season. Here at Rugby World, we’ve been toiling away in our pre-season to make your reading experience more fulfilling. We have a plethora of fresh features in the new-look magazine, which takes you closer to the players and we hope sates your every rugby need. We hoof it down to Exeter to sink a few jars with the locals, head to West Wales with Rob Evans and take a trip down memory lane with Toby Flood. We’ve also pondered what lies ahead for Munster, delved into the changing face of grass-roots rugby and profiled the three men shaping Scotland’s…

AS THE Guinness Pro14 enters the most exciting and groundbreaking season in our history, I am drawn to look back to our origins. When the old Celtic League was first conceived by the Irish, Scottish and Welsh unions, it had one main goal: to ensure players from those countries had a top-class club tournament to prepare them for Tests and the British & Irish Lions. Sixteen years later that core principle remains and we’re tremendously proud of the 21 Lions originally selected to tour New Zealand this summer. With close to 300 internationals appearing last season, the Pro14 provides an ideal battleground to test the best from Italy, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and, now, South Africa. Some ask “why change?” but our unions ask “why stand still?” Expansion is in this…

PRESTON Grasshoppers Strollers, the venerable team from a venerable club, were in the habit of touring to Flanders – for the superb beer and for good rugby, but not good enough to risk a real stuffing, writes RW reader Gregg Butler. As we got older, we began to take colts with us – just to help their development and to do the running on the field. And as they got older they brought their mates from the first team, which is how Michael Lough, antipodean and star first-team centre, happened to be on the 1997 trip. Sadly, he had a hamstring problem and couldn’t play, which left him a bundle of unused energy. One lunchtime, after a few amber nectars, he became wrongly convinced that he could do anything, and…

HOSTS TO BOAST World Rugby will announce who has won hosting rights for the 2023 World Cup on 15 November. South Africa, France, and Ireland present their bids this month. BAA-BAAS TOUR The Barbarians will play Tonga for the first time when facing them in Limerick on Friday 10 Nov. They also play Australia in Sydney (28 Oct) and New Zealand at Twickenham (4 Nov). PRIZE CAPTURE Bristol have made a big signing ahead of the 2018-19 season, with Charles Piutau joining from Ulster on a hefty two-year deal. WALLABY WOE ARU chief exec Bill Pulver is to step down. The move comes after the decision to axe the Western Force. GARCES CROCKED French referee Jérôme Garcès missed the Bledisloe Cup opener due to a calf strain. He will rest…

Ground address Sandy Park Stadium, Sandy Park Way, Exeter EX2 7NN | Phone 01392 890890 | Website exeterchiefs.co.uk DISCUSSION POINTS Champions Exeter are setting the benchmark for possession rugby, making the most carries and passes last term. No one matched their 15 try bonus points and they start this campaign on a 17-match unbeaten streak in the league. Top locks Geoff Parling and Damian Welch have left, putting pressure on younger models Toby Salmon and Wilhelm van der Sluys to fill the breach, while Nic White and Matt Kvesic are signings of note – the latter was shamefully ignored by his old club Gloucester. Success is bringing wider recognition, with Don Armand, Harry Williams and Jack Maunder earning their first England caps in June. National call-ups could put new demands…

Ground address Welford Road, Aylestone Road, Leicester LE2 7TR | Phone 0116 319 8888 | Website leicestertigers.com DISCUSSION POINTS It’s a season for familiar faces at the country's most successful club. After last season’s head honcho musical chairs, with Richard Cockerill, Aaron Mauger and then Matt O’Connor taking turns in charge of the side, O'Connor now gets a full season to work. They are the same hard-nosed, bludgeoning side and, even when they have disappointed, they’ve still made the play-offs – 13 years in a row they’ve been in the mix. Continuity comes in the form of assistant coach Geordan Murphy (who also looked after things between Mauger and O’Connor) and senior players Mathew Tait, Dan Cole and the Youngs brothers, Ben and Tom. Yet there are new faces too.…

Ground address Franklin’s Gardens, Northampton NN5 5BG | Phone 01604 751543 | Website northamptonsaints.co.uk DISCUSSION POINTS It’s hard to fathom that Northampton were champions just three years ago, such have been their middling and muddling performances more recently. They dispensed with the services of attack coach Alex King last October and sneaked into the Champions Cup with a one-point win over Stade Français in the play-off final. Given the talent at their disposal, Saints should have challenged higher up the table. Louis Picamoles’s decision to return to France is a huge blow. He was a commanding presence last term and gave Saints the go-forward they had been missing from No 8 since Samu Manoa’s departure. They’ve brought in Australia centre Rob Horne and newly-capped England back Piers Francis, but neither…

Ground address Ricoh Arena, Judds Lane, Longford, Coventry CV6 6GE | Phone 02476 786411 | Website wasps.co.uk DISCUSSION POINTS Wasps did everything bar win a trophy last season. They topped the table at the end of the regular season, scored the most points (693), notched the most tries (89), clocked the most metres (1,289), beat the most defenders (599) and made the most breaks (293). But they lost to Exeter in the final. Still, the style of play employed by Dai Young’s side wowed watchers. There was a willingness to attack from anywhere and they scored some breathtaking tries, Christian Wade finishing as the league’s top scorer with 17 – a record. Even though Kurtley Beale has returned to Australia, there is talent across the back-line with the likes of…

Ground address Free State Stadium, Att Horak Avenue, Bloemfontein | Phone +27 51407 1700 | Website fscheetahs.co.za DISCUSSION POINTS In recent years, the Cheetahs have underwhelmed in Super Rugby. They may not boast a gamut of Springboks, but three finishes in the lower reaches saw them close to extinction. Coach Franco Smith, a centre in his playing days who spent time at Newport, knows this league well, having spent six years in charge of Treviso and he will use all his nous gained there to unpick opponents. One obvious asset for the Cheetahs is their location. The Free State Stadium sits 1,400 metres above sea level, similar in elevation to European ski resorts, and the thin air on the Highveld could well tire sides unused to playing at altitude late…

Ground address Myreside, Myreside Road, Edinburgh EH10 5BZ | Phone 0131 346 5252 | Website edinburghrugby.org DISCUSSION POINTS Edinburgh would have made a natural home for Jekyll and Hyde last season, with the capital club blundering to a home defeat by Zebre one week, then sparkling against up-table Ulster the next. Alan Solomons stepped down after a poor start and Duncan Hodge now relinquishes his acting head coach role to Richard Cockerill, who is promising to find an “identity” through graft and attention to detail. Roddy Grant, who retired through injury in 2015, has joined his management team. Much will be expected of new centres Mark Bennett and Robbie Fruean, prop WP Nel is a welcome returnee after neck surgery, while Edinburgh will hope for more of the same from…

Grounds Thomond Park, Limerick & Irish Independent Park, Cork | Phone +353 21 432 3563 | Website munsterrugby.ie DISCUSSION POINTS Munster fans don’t know whether to laugh or cry. So well has Rassie Erasmus done as Munster’s director of rugby that he’s been lured back to South Africa, with the ex-Springbok to depart for a DoR role with SARU in December. Jacques Nienaber, who oversaw by far the Pro12’s meanest defence in 2016-17, is also off. Still, the province will look to build on a remarkable season in which Munster reached the Pro12 final, the Champions Cup semis and beat the Maori All Blacks. Underpinning it all was an emotional roller coaster caused by the death of head coach Anthony Foley at 42. That tragedy inspired the team to dig…

Ground address Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Prince Alfred Rd, Port Elizabeth | Phone +27 41408 8900 | Website skings.co.za DISCUSSION POINTS After a woeful 2016, where they registered only two wins in 15, the Kings surprised many observers this year by grinding out six wins. They skittled over the Waratahs, Jaguares and Bulls away and registered victories over the Sharks, Bulls and Rebels on home soil. They also pushed their new Pro14 counterparts, the Cheetahs, all the way in both sides’ final Super Rugby game, buckling late on to lose 21-20 in Port Elizabeth. Credit for their improved form must go to coach Deon Davids, an uncompromising lock in his playing days who had the Kings showing enterprise and resolve to finish 11th overall, despite lacking any perceived ‘big names’.…

Ground address Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Via San Leonardo 110/A, Parma | Phone +39 0521 221168 | Website zebrerugby.eu DISCUSSION POINTS Good luck Michael Bradley – you need it. Last season’s basement dwellers appear to be in an even deeper hole this time, after some international players jumped ship amid reports of unpaid wages. The Italian federation took ownership of the club this summer – and tried to prevent Italy full-back Edoardo Padovani’s move to Toulon, ruling it illegal – and so Zebre stagger on under new coach Bradley, who arrives in Parma after helping Georgia’s national side. Carlo Orlandi and Alessandro Troncon will provide experienced assistance. Zebre leaked more than 100 tries last season in losing all but three league games, but they did have a very decent set-piece. More’s…

SO ARE you going to be out there this season? Are you going to come out of retirement or restart a playing career that has fallen into disuse? Have you never played rugby but fancy a crack at it, just to see what all the fuss is about? It’s make-your-mind-up time. Why do we call rugby outside the professional ranks the grass-roots game? It sounds patronising. But Steve Grainger, the RFU’s rugby development director who is in charge of driving up participation numbers, has another term for the myriad amateur rugby clubs – the rugby core. I rather like that. The trumpet is sounding for them. “The clubs around England have always been our core,” he says. “We’re so lucky to have clubs with facilities, with great volunteers, and we…

1 Isn’t this just forwards ‘trucking’ the ball up? There is a level of brutality. But the depth and timing of the runs are important to hold defenders. The spacings between attackers force defenders to make decisions. The entry into contact should be preceded by good footwork, then strong leg drive. For the clear-out, support players should accelerate, then reduce their speed whilst sinking their hips to get underneath defenders with shoulders. Straight backs and chins off chest help their leg drive to dispatch threats. 2 Should certain players carry out this particular role? The tip-on pass requires a high level of skill – at pace and under pressure from a potential big hit. It’s imperative that the ball-carrier stays in motion. The play needs to look like the more…