Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2019 i Rugby World

THE Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation has voted to reinstate rugby as a sport in the Canadian province’s high schools. It is a reversal of the unpopular decision in May by the NSSAF – the governing body of Nova Scotia’s high school sports – to cancel rugby due to safety concerns. No 8 Callum Smyton, an Ulster U18 rep, was the standout player on Enniskillen RGS’s tour of South Africa. The Northern Irish school fielded U16 and U19 teams and lost only one of eight matches. “We encountered the extremes of physicality and speed. It was a steep learning curve for our boys,” says Mr Phil Beddard, who led the tour. Clifton College toured Chile and Argentina and won six of the eight matches, one defeat being the first XV’s…

“My faith in God is a massive part of my life and what I believe got me to where I am today. Everything fell into place with what I believed in.” “Everyone in the Samoa squad has a jokey side to them, but the clown of them all is Ray Niuia. He gets up to all sorts – getting the boys up for training, Samoan singalongs, having a laugh. He’s an energiser.” “I’m reading Tim Cahill’s book, Legacy. It’s the first sports autobiography I’ve read. It’s taken me a couple of years to get past the first chapter, but I’m enjoying finding out about his Samoan heritage.” “All Samoans love food. We cook in an umu – a pit of hot rocks that we cover with banana leaves and wet…

THERE’S A film out this autumn about Dan Carter that is sure to catch the eye of Tommaso Allan, the Italy fly-half who everyone but his mum knows as Tommy. Ask the standard question about who he’d invite to dinner and Allan comes up with Conor McGregor and comedian Kevin Hart, but there would be an extra sparkle in the cutlery placed before his third guest, Carter. The legendary All Black’s Test career got underway soon after Allan took his first steps in the game at Petrarca Padova and Henley Hawks, and as Carter’s reputation grew, so did Allan’s desire to make his own mark. “I’d want to talk to Dan Carter about how he looks so effortless, how he has so much time on his hands when he has…

“BUILD IT and they will come.” Coming from deep inside the cornfields, a baffled Kevin Costner heard that a few times during Field of Dreams, the 1989 Hollywood blockbuster about an Iowa farmer who builds a baseball diamond on his farm that the 1919 Chicago White Sox come to play on. He built it and they came. The growth of Uruguayan rugby can be tied to their own field of dreams, Estadio Charrúa, which has become the centre of their success story. A derelict stadium, all but abandoned by football, had been used in 1989 for a South American Rugby Championship. Having played in that tournament, Marcello Calandra held a meeting about using the stadium on his first day as Uruguayan Rugby Union (URU) chairman. The date was 1 February…

Q I’m a front-five forward and conditions can be brutal at this time of year. How do I recover from games in the heat? A You need up to 90g of carbs every hour in the first three hours to restore glycogen in the muscles, writes nutritionist James Morehen. For example, you’ll see Test forwards taking liquids on at full-time. First, get 90g of carbs in via a shake or drink. Second, get 90g in the changing room after a shower or with a meal (via pasta, rice or potatoes, etc). Third, get 90g back at the hotel, with a pre-bed recovery shake or a home-made protein bar like our recipe (to the right). Protein is also key for muscle repair so the big lads will have 30-40g of protein…

FEW PEOPLE get the chance to shoot for the stars in one sport. But before featuring in a Rugby World Cup for Russia, Siberian tighthead Kirill Gotovtsev had big dreams in two other explosive sporting disciplines. “I lived in a village in the north of Siberia,” the Krasny Yar prop tells Rugby World of his upbringing. “It was very cold in the winter, sometimes the temperature dropped to -50°C. When I was ten, I tried sports like volleyball, ski racing, track and field, and everywhere it ended after one training session. But then I went to freestyle wrestling. “I really liked wrestling. I dedicated my all to it until 25. I was born in another city but had to move to continue to work at a higher level. So I…

1. Which Englishman has made the most World Cup appearances – Martin Johnson, Jason Leonard or Mike Catt? 2. What links Tony Daly, David Pocock and Thierry Dusautoir? 3. Which 2009 film starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon is based on events surrounding RWC 1995? 4. Who was chosen to referee the opening game of the current World Cup in Japan? 5. Which of these venues has NOT staged a World Cup match – Cross Green (Otley), Rodney Parade (Newport), Netherdale (Gala) and Thomond Park (Limerick)? 6. Why did England centre Manu Tuilagi miss the 2015 World Cup? 7. And why did Romania wing Catalin Fercu miss the 2011 tournament? 8. Chester Williams did it in 1995, Bryan Habana did it in 2007 and Niki Goneva did it in 2011.…

8 Canada Former Canada international Julianne Zussman (above) is part of the match officials panel for this season’s Women’s World Sevens Series and will make her debut in the first leg in Colorado (5-6 October). 9 Wales Cardiff City Stadium (above) will host this season’s Guinness Pro14 final on 20 June 2020. Tickets are now available for the final, priced from £26 for adults and £64 for a family of four. Head to pro14rugby.org/final to buy. 10 Australia Wallabies prop Sekope Kepu (above), who has played more than 100 Tests for Australia, will retire from international rugby after this World Cup, when he will join Gallagher Premiership club London Irish.…

THERE ARE two big misconceptions about referees. The first is that we’re not fans and are just there to spoil people’s afternoons. Believe me, referees love rugby as much as anyone. We work tirelessly to train, improve, analyse performance and adapt to an ever-evolving global game in a highly competitive, highly scrutinised environment. Add to that a true love for the game and that’s what elevates you to the pinnacle of our sport – and a Rugby World Cup is as good as it gets. This is my fourth World Cup, and each of the past three have so many special memories for me. There was the haka in Cardiff in 2007, the rain and wind in Wellington in 2011, and walking to the stadium from my house in Twickenham…

Mike Did you see the USA’s pre-match breakdancing? Ed Pretty impressive. And slightly more intimidating than England’s Morris dancing rendition Glen Shame that second-row got injured doing the caterpillar Burt I know! Must be one of the strangest ways to get ruled out of a match Ed He should have got some tips from Scott Robertson. That guy has some moves! Glen To be honest, I’d rather scrap them all and just get straight into the rugby… Mike Really? I love it. The pre-match is sometimes better than the match Burt It’s inspired me to put money on Manu Tuilagi doing Strictly!…

DURING ANY World Cup, it is sad to wave goodbye to those teams who have failed to make the knockout stages. Most of them would have won hearts and minds by playing well against the odds, but as they disappear the whole thing blasts off onto another planet. The quarter-final stages are always packed full of fascination, drama, pure class or, occasionally, pure dross. With what are meant to be the best eight teams in the world involved, the quarters define the state of rugby and the current quality of play. Later this month there will be two quarter-finals in Oita and two more in Tokyo and those four matches will set the tone for the event on and off the field. As the action was just about to begin…

FUNNIEST “Bernard Foley (above). He’s just very quick-witted and is a prankster too. He comes for me regularly. He’s also very grubby so his nickname is ‘Pig’.” BEST DRESSED “Adam Ashley-Cooper. The worst dressed would be any Queenslander!” SMARTEST “Jack Maddocks. Or Tatafu Polota-Nau. It’s bewildering that he got a very good mark in Year 12, the last year of school! He’s very intelligent.” WORST DANCER “Taniela Tupou. The best is Kurtley Beale – he’s got a few moves.” TOUGHEST “That’s a good one, jeez. Rory Arnold or any of our second-rows.” BEST SINGER “Sekope Kepu (below) doesn’t sing that often so it has rarity and when he does it’s with this big baritone booming voice. You can hear him during the anthem! Nic White is the worst singer.”…

“In Ireland camp after training, all the wingers – Andrew Conway, Jordan Larmour and Keith Earls, for instance – will get together with the kicking coach, Richie Murphy, and put in chips against each other, as well as trying longer kicks and grubbers. You get that muscle memory and when I’m in a game I don’t think about it!” “The key thing to look for is the space. Be aware of the players around you. If their full-back isn’t in the backfield and the winger is up, there is space in behind. Don’t put a chip in if someone is standing in the space.” “You want an upright ball drop so it comes down and makes a clean connection with your foot. You want the ball to hit the top…

Email your letters to rugbyworldletters@ti-media.com or write to our editorial address What a welcome! I’m in Japan covering the World Cup as a photographer. I knew there was a good chance we would experience a typhoon, but I never expected it to be on the first night in the country! Nor did I expect the Tokyo high-rise hotel I was in – on the 33rd floor – to move as it did when the typhoon struck. I was woken at 2am by the rain smashing against the bedroom windows. What a noise, but what was far worse was the creaking and swaying; it sounded and felt what I imagine an old sailing ship would be like. It raged for hours. I’d gone to Tokyo a day earlier than the England…

THE PHONE rings. It’s Rugby World. They are keen for a feature. “What’s the subject?” “Beauden Barrett.” “How many words?” “1,600.” Now, normally I’d try to haggle the fee (undisclosed) up and the wordage down but this is ‘BB’. “Can’t we make it 2,000 words, please?” Ah well, 1,600 it is but the world’s greatest attacking rugby player is one of those sportsmen I could spend all day eulogising, reviewing matches, famous plays, stuff on YouTube; all in the line of duty, you understand. If the Martians are zooming in on events in Japan, Barrett is the boy that’ll catch their attention. That is, if they like it fast and exciting. If they like an injection of dare, of dash. Where to start. First capped for the All Blacks in…

15th Stu Baker and three friends will set off on a charity bike ride around all 12 Premiership clubs this Tuesday. They start at Sale and finish at Wasps on 20 October, and will go onto the Ricoh Arena pitch (below) at half-time. They aim to raise £10,000 for Mental Health UK and the RPA – sponsor them at uk.virgin moneygiving.com/ PedalthePrem and check out @pedal. the.premiership on Instagram. 23rd Legendary entertainer Max Boyce (right) is the star guest at a World Cup Gala Dinner at the Quay Hotel & Spa in Deganwy, North Wales. The dinner is raising money for Ty Gobaith Children’s Hospice – see theeventsroom.co.uk to book. 5th The Women’s World Sevens Series gets underway at Glendale in Colorado this weekend and teams will be looking to…

Last person you phoned My dad. We spoke because he’s moving Most important person in phone Probably my mom and dad Last picture taken A screenshot of a funny meme about aggressive dog breeds Favourite social media Instagram. For the memes and because it’s quick and easy Last song played Only Wanna Be With You, by Hootie & the Blowfish Last app downloaded The New York Times app. I’m getting more cultured Guilty pleasure app The Tetris app Favourite WhatsApp group Bevan’s Boys of Summer – the USA players’ group…

VERY FEW clubs or even countries have a record comparable to the All Blacks in international sport. People often suggest that referees are biased towards New Zealand, but is this reality or perception? Most All Blacks have an excellent knowledge of the way the laws of the game are written and applied. This allows them to exploit any grey areas of ambiguity to their advantage. Richie McCaw played 148 Tests for the All Blacks as an openside yet received only three yellow cards. Considering his reputation for side entry, this is an incredible statistic. How did this happen? He was just super smart. There is no doubting the aura of the All Blacks and this has a psychological effect on all but the most experienced referee. But All Blacks also…

1 HEATHER COWELL Age 23 (23 Jan 1996) Born Twickenham Club Harlequins Country England Position Wing What sports did you play growing up? I played all sports at school and mini rugby at London Scottish with my brothers for a while. I also did gymnastics, which got serious pretty quickly and they weren’t keen on me playing rugby as well. I started gymnastics at seven, did my first international competition at nine and my first World Championships at 11. I was a junior world champion in tumbling and competed at international level until my second year of uni at 20, but then I wanted a new challenge. That’s where rugby came in? Yes. One of my friends played and suggested I came down, so I started playing for the uni…

AT THE 1991 World Cup, a number of teams agreed to ITV camera crews being ‘embedded’ with them, writes Alastair Hignell. The only sticking point came on the last day of the tournament, when Dudley Wood, the secretary of the RFU, baulked at the idea of a cameraman inside Twickenham’s sacred changing room. No matter that Ian O’Donohue had been attached to the England team all tournament. No matter that in six weeks he had never abused his position and filmed anything that might cause offence to the RFU. No matter that the players liked him, trusted him and wanted him with them for their World Cup final against Australia. The RFU wanted to exclude him from the dressing room. He went anyway. The England bag man loaned him a…

CALLING TIME Leicester and Scotland back-row David Denton has retired from rugby due to concussion. He hasn’t played since incurring a head injury against Northampton Saints last October. WOMEN’S WAGE Saracens and Worcester will pay women’s players from this season while Quins will support their squad by covering accommodation costs. VARSITY BOOST James Horwill (right) has come out of retirement to play for Cambridge University in December’s Varsity Match against Oxford. The ex-Wallabies lock, 34, is doing a masters at the Cambridge business school. INCLUSIVE MOVE Rugby Australia have announced an alliance with four gay-inclusive clubs – Melbourne Chargers, Perth Rams, Sydney Convicts and Brisbane Hustlers – as well as International Gay Rugby in the UK. TECH KNOWLEDGE Sport Unlimitech, fronted by former France fly-half Frédéric Michalak, hosted a trade…

What’s your first World Cup memory? Ruaridh McConnochie: It would be 2003. I was 12 years old. I remember watching Jonny Wilkinson’s drop-goal over and over again in my head. I was at a friend’s house – we watched the final in the morning and then went to play a rugby game in the afternoon. Kyle Sinckler: I remember watching 2003. I watched to full-time in the final but then had to go to my maths tutor, so I missed the drop-goal. It was pretty annoying. I didn’t see it until watching it on the news later. Willi Heinz: For me, it’s the 1995 World Cup in South Africa. We’d be getting up in the middle of the night back in New Zealand to watch games and my old man…

LEVAN CHILACHAVA pulls back the resistance band like a catapult, then releases. It flies through the air and lands around the neck of Georgia team-mate Shalva Mamukashvili. It’s pure fluke, evidenced by the expression of surprise on Chilachava’s face. The prop could try the same trick with the giant rubber band more commonly used for stretching exercises another 100 times and it’s unlikely he would find the target so precisely. The prank raises a few smiles before Fatboy Slim’s Funk Soul Brother kicks in to mark the start of the Georgia forwards’ weights session, a moment of light-heartedness before the heavy lifting begins. A large whiteboard on the wall sets targets for different exercises. The strength and conditioning team break down the colour-coded targets: if the weight a player manages…

England played their final World Cup warm-up against Italy in Newcastle and I was lucky enough to be at St James’ Park to watch it. Admittedly, it wasn’t the most enthralling of games but there was a good atmosphere and it was great to be able to watch England play in the North. Going to Twickenham to watch Tests is extremely expensive. Not only is there the cost of the ticket but there’s also the journey south – be it train tickets or petrol to pay for – and, because of the sheer distance, one night’s accommodation if not two. So why don’t England play more meaningful games in the North? Having a Six Nations match or an autumn International in Newcastle or Manchester, say, would be brilliant. There’s a…

The Rugby World Cup is the pinnacle tournament for a rugby player. It provides a platform to test one’s physical ability, skill level, endurance and mental fitness to perform under pressure against the very best teams from across the globe. In honour of this spirit of facing your fears, reinventing yourself and doing whatever it takes to reach your goal, this special supplement celebrates players who are ‘Born to Dare’. According to official World Cup timekeeper TUDOR, those who are Born to Dare “are people with unconventional attitudes. People with ambition. People who are willing to pursue their passions – no matter where they take them.” For that reason, we take you through each World Cup pool, introducing you to one player whose story will inspire. Whether through breathtaking play,…

THERE WAS a reason why Massy was selected as the incongruous setting to announce the France squad for the 2019 Six Nations. At first glance it’s a nondescript suburb of Paris, lying ten miles south of the capital, and under the flightpath of the neighbouring Orly airport. However, as Serge Simon, the vice-president of the French federation (FFR), explained to the assembled media prior to coach Jacques Brunel disclosing the lists of names, Massy was chosen because “we want to focus on a club that has so generously fed the French team”. In recent years the club that flits between Fédérale One and ProD2 has been the alma mater of a clutch of French internationals, among whom are Yacouba Camara, Grégory Lamboley, Mathieu Bastareaud, Sekou Macalou and Judicaël Cancoriet. Add…

FIJI IS a land of rugby players. Spend any time on the islands and you’ll quickly see that it is the sport there. Kids run around villages, using whatever they can for a ball; teenagers play games of touch on the beach; club matches take place on pitches in picturesque settings; families crowd around television screens to watch overseas sevens tournaments. With such a foundation in the sport, it’s little wonder Fiji also produces some of the most talented rugby players on the planet – look around the world’s top Test teams and many have players of Fijian origin in their line-ups. Yet rugby wasn’t supposed to be on the agenda for Frank Lomani. Lomani grew up in the village of Nukubalavu on Fiji’s second largest island, Vanua Levu, with…