Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2020 i Rugby World

8 Australia Marika Koroibete won the John Eales Medal – the Wallabies’ Players’ Player of the Year – at the Rugby Australia Awards. The wing finished 50 votes clear of centre Samu Kerevi to win the award for the first time. 9 South Africa World Cup winners Siya Kolisi and Rassie Erasmus picked up further gongs at the SA Sport Awards. Boks captain Kolisi was voted People’s Choice Sports Star of the Year and Erasmus was named Coach of the Year. 10 Canada Sonny Bill Williams, a two-time World Cup winner with the All Blacks, has switched back to rugby league and signed for the Toronto Wolfpack. The Canadian team play in the UK Super League.…

“Since its inception, the salary cap has not operated well” THE FURORE surrounding the decision to fine Saracens more than £5m and dock them 35 points (not to mention the legal fees) has tended to obscure the fact that, ever since its inception in 1999, the salary cap has not operated well. As an unashamed proponent of a range of equalisation policies, such as a collective bargaining agreement, a closed league and differential funding, as well as a flat salary cap linked to average club revenue, it gives me no pleasure to record that. Unless a salary cap is part of an integrated, multi-faceted, mutually reinforcing set of policies it will never be highly effective. I can barely remember a time when one or another of the Premiership clubs were…

Chuck Christmas is going to be a bloody nightmare, isn’t it? Elle I’ll be shocked if we have enough turkey to feed everyone, put it that way Bob We definitely can’t sit Shag and Warren together… Chuck Or Danny and Eddie! Glen Izzy’s going to want to say grace, too Elle He is 100% on the naughty list and is not welcome in my house Chuck Totally Elle. Agree with Marler calling him a helmet Bob Good old Joe – after the semi-circle confusion at the World Cup I’ll be surprised if he turns up at the right house!…

KYLE SINCKLER, tighthead prop. The position is arguably still the most important on the field, and we were reminded of that in Japan recently in the most painful fashion imaginable. You can also make another case. If it is the most important position then Sinckler is the most important player in England, and possibly in Britain and Ireland. No pressure then, Mr Sinckler. He is on a sporting switchback too. The World Cup final was barely three minutes old. Makazole Mapimpi, the South Africa wing, was in possession and Sinckler and Maro Itoje came in from different directions to tackle him. In the microseconds before impact, little did we know that their attempted tackle would turn the sport on its axis and, just conceivably, change the result of the biggest…

On the Beeb BBC Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are all showing highlights from the Pro14 this season after the broadcaster signed a two-year deal with the league. There is a one-hour highlights show on all three channels, while Scrum V have highlights on a Sunday night too. Signed and sealed Glasgow hooker Fraser Brown (above) has signed a contract extension to take him up to RWC 2023, which would herald ten years with the Warriors. Butler did it Connacht captain Jarrad Butler has also signed an extension, until 2022. He joins Tom Farrell, Sean O’Brien and Tiernan O’Halloran in agreeing new deals. Luke’s setback Ospreys wing Luke Morgan was stood down last month after “significant impact to his lower back”, an injury he later revealed was a fracture to…

French toast England won their recent Test series against France 2-0. They started with their first victory over the French in France since 2012 – 20-10 in Clermont – then a late Lydia Thompson try secured a 17-15 triumph in Exeter. Double bill Black Ferns full-back Selica Winiata (below) is juggling playing 15s with a burgeoning career as a referee. She has been appointed as match official for the Dubai and Cape Town legs of the World Sevens Series this month. Board games Ex-Wales captain Liza Burgess has become the first woman elected to the WRU board. WRU chairman Gareth Davies says: “This is a truly historic moment.” On the level Japan impressed on their tour of Europe last month as Seina Saito’s late try secured a 17-17 draw with…

JOLLY GOOD FELLOWS Havant were inspired by a pre-match visit from kit man Tommy Fellows ahead of a tense 11-10 home win over Medway in One South. He’s facing a long road back after a spinal operation and head coach Will Knight said: “It was an emotional day. Before the game Tommy came into the changing rooms to see the team. It was the first time he had been allowed out of hospital in five months. There weren’t many dry eyes in there.” KNIGHT SWEATS Wing Alex Parker was a hat-trick hero for Hove as they defeated Charlton Park 31-28 in Two South-East, but Charlie Knight was almost the villain. The scrum-half passed the ball into touch rather than kicking it with time up, so Hove had to survive an…

“The keys to carrying are footwork and power. At Gloucester we do an evasion drill, changes of direction, before most sessions. You don’t want to run straight into someone, you’d rather run at arms and spaces. And after you step and you’re in that space, you want the power to push off and accelerate through the gap.” “The main triggers for the offload are communication and carry success. If you hear a support player, you know an offload could be on regardless of what happens in the contact. If it’s a dominant ball carry, the offload is more on. But you’ve still got to weigh up whether to throw it; there’s nothing worse than losing the ball after making a good break. It’s a tough decision-making process.” “You want to…

Q We hear all about lineout jumpers working on their spring and then studying rivals, but what prep can hookers do? A With throwers, my goal is to push physical exertion as well as perfection in accuracy, writes former Canada hooker Ray Barkwill. I do so from sprinting or tempo runs into dummy tackling, up-downs or wrestling. Pushing the physical element is key so that it challenges their whole throwing process. I then vary live jumps within a variety of throwing distances but at a quick tempo. I always make it a competition with the throwers I work with. We love to play a throwing golf game – to score a birdie it has to be a ‘top peak’ throw. We play 18, loser serves dinner! 1 MOVE WHAT SETS…

ATA CRUCIAL POINT in this year’s World Cup quarter-final between Wales and France, Tomos Williams ripped the ball from the arms of Charles Ollivon, some five metres from the French line after a driving Welsh scrum. The ball popped up into the arms of Justin Tipuric, who gave it on to Ross Moriarty for the deciding score. Referee Jaco Peyper checked with the TMO that there was no knock-on and, correctly, they agreed the ball had been ripped back and not knocked on. This incident clearly divided opinion and as always in the case of doubt, one must turn to the law book for clarification. Law 11.5.b states: “The ball is not knocked on if a player rips or knocks the ball from an opponent and the ball goes forward…

1 WILL CAPON Age 20 (12 Oct 1999) Born Bristol Club Bristol Bears Country England Position Hooker Where did you first play rugby? For Winscombe RFC, aged seven to 16. I also played for Bristol Grammar (School) from 12 through to 18, and got picked up by Bristol Academy at 13. Along the way, I played England U16, U18, U20. Did you play other sports? I captained hockey at BGS at various points; until 15 I played rugby, hockey and cricket but then rugby became all-consuming. What positions have you played? Centre until age ten, then tighthead. At 17, Peter Walton, the ex-England 18s coach, saw that I might have potential at hooker. Bristol Academy put me in for the 18s league and I’ve played there the past three years.…

BEING GOOD at rugby isn’t yet enough for me in 1999, writes Sam Warburton. I don’t love it, not in the way I love football. At a Cardiff Schools trial, I’m so nervous that I’m crying in the car. Relax, Dad says, you’ll be fine. But I’m not. I don’t want this pressure. School matches are one thing but this is a step up. I play badly, and not by accident. I do it on purpose, so I won’t get picked. It works. I’m glad. Two weeks later, I’m playing for my school (Llanishen Fach Primary) against Willowbrook. No one’s watching, so I don’t have to sabotage myself. I score four tries. One of the Willowbrook fathers says to Dad: “I’m a selector for Cardiff Schools. Why couldn’t your boy…

END OF THE ROAD Conor O’Shea has resigned as Italy coach six months before his contract expired. CASH BOOST The Pro14 is set for an influx of around £120m after agreeing to sell a 27% stake in the league to CVC, the private equity group that already has a deal with the Premiership. NEW ROLE Sam Warburton (right) has joined the Wales set-up as technical adviser breakdown/ defence. Wales coach Wayne Pivac said: “Sam is one of the most experienced leaders in rugby.” NO MORE TESTS Springbok flanker Francois Louw, 34, has retired from international rugby. SCOTS’ SCHEDULE Scotland have confirmed their 2020 autumn opponents. Gregor Townsend’s team will play Tests with Argentina, Japan and New Zealand on consecutive weekends from 6 November. CHEIKA SUCCESSOR Dave Rennie will take charge…

THE CHALLENGE: pick a team of the world’s best players in 2019. It’s hardly an easy task with which to sign off the year, but it is undoubtedly an interesting one. We decided to focus on individuals and pick the best player in each position rather than ponder a team – as this is a fantasy scenario, we don’t have to worry about how combinations would actually work in a match. We took into account players’ form over the past year for club and country, and looked for skills that set them apart from other contenders. Our World XV is revealed over the following pages and, as ever, we want to know what you think. So please email your views and your own world XVs to rugbyworldletters@ti-media.com or get in…

MIDWAY THROUGH a World Cup cycle, we have seen a mix of youth and experience taking to the Test stage in the women’s game. Familiar teams still dominate the sport, though, so England, New Zealand and France provide the bulk – but not all – of the players in our World XV. We sought opinions from Scrumqueens.com editor Ali Donnelly and Wasps Ladies director of rugby Giselle Mather in pulling this together. Here’s who made the cut… 15 JESSY TRÉMOULIÈRE (FRANCE) “Trémoulière has been involved in absolutely everything.” So said the commentator during France’s win over New Zealand at the Super Series. The 2018 World Player of the Year scored 15 of France’s 25 points – and was involved in the other ten. She set up the opening try by…

BOSCH ROLE Burton are not yet the force that many anticipated in Midlands Premier this season. That’s despite the arrival of Champions Cup and Premiership winner Marcelo Bosch, the ex-Saracens and Argentina centre who has become player-coach for the club. Bosch has taken a job with a company owned by Burton DoR Mark Tweddle and is combining experience in the corporate world with his rugby role, having been recommended by ex-Pumas prop Marcos Ayerza. TIGHT MARGINS Ludlow discovered the fine line between victory and defeat during an encouraging run in One West. Last term’s Two West (North) champions drew 24-24 with Newbold-on-Avon and lost to Stoke-on-Trent, Stourbridge and Whitchurch by a combined total of only five points. Coach Mikey Jones said: “We are picking up valuable bonuses from every game…

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS Shropshire club Oswestry, of Lancashire-Cheshire Two, have set a world record for the total players involved in a rugby coaching session. They ran an hour-long stint in the town for 1,217 youngsters. It was organised jointly by the club and The Movement Centre, a charity based at the Orthopaedic Hospital in Gobowen. It supports children with movement disabilities to reach their full potential. The existing record was held by Tokai University in Japan with 602 participants. PREMATURE EXIT Mark Nelson, the Rossendale coach, took charge of his final match ahead of schedule when his team lost 19-17 at Morpeth and slipped to 11th in the North Premier table. They had won only two of seven games and were close to the relegation zone. Nelson was originally stepping…

FAF DE KLERK has been dubbed the ‘Giant Slayer’ by World Rugby after his performances at Japan 2019, particularly in defence. His fearless tackling and ball running bring added value to his teams and Steve Diamond will be licking his lips at the thought of having the diminutive scrum-half spearheading his Sale team’s challenge in the English Premiership and Europe this season. Perhaps the most endearing thing about de Klerk, however, is that he does all of this with a huge smile on his face. Will we ever forget the iconic photo of him with the Webb Ellis Cup dressed in his South African budgie smugglers? This cheeky persona comes through in his style of play but the consistent way in which he executes the basics – an absolute must…

An added incentive The thing that needs changing (at the World Cup) is the bronze play-off. What about the four third-place teams in the pools playing a semi-final then a final for a Plate, like in sevens? This year it would have been Scotland v Italy, Argentina v Fiji. And Georgia would have missed out on bonus points. Helluva incentive. Robbie Thomson, via Twitter Dedicated viewer I’m a rather ancient Welsh-Scottish rugby-loving grandmother, who has provided sustenance to thousands in Murrayfield’s car park for 40-odd years – hot meals and much good whisky. This autumn I took on an amazing challenge that has changed my life. My beloved died this summer and to cheer myself up I promised to watch every RWC 2019 game on TV – LIVE! That’s 45…

2020 JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER…

9th London’s Hurlingham Club is hosting a Christmas dinner with a difference this Monday. World Cup winners Mike Tindall, Lawrence Dallaglio and Jason Leonard are among the special guests at the event, which will raise money for the Atlas Foundation, Cure Parkinson’s Trust and Dallaglio RugbyWorks. Tickets are available from £210. For more info, see fireball.co.uk 27th A new BT Sport documentary, Stop the Tour, charts the anti-apartheid protests that disrupted the Springboks’ 1969 tour and led to the banning of South African sport internationally. The film looks at the personal battles involved, from those leading the protests (above) to those whose sporting careers were affected. It will premiere on 28 December at 7.30pm on BT Sport 2, so remember to set your record button the day before. 5th To…

FORMER GLOUCESTER and Yorkshire Carnegie lock Jonathan Pendlebury has left his role at Wasps Academy to become England U18 coach. He will also work with England team manager Richard Hill on talent ID. The RFU’s Nigel Melville said: “Jonathan’s knowledge of the academy space and relationship with academies and schools is going to be crucial in the recruitment and development of the next generation of England players.” The Brumbies have signed Australian Schools and U18 hooker Billy Pollard on a four-year deal. Brumbies coach Dan McKellar said: “Like any 18-year-old hooker, Billy is just getting started, but he has the necessary attributes to succeed.” S4C will air highlights of three schools games this month: Newport HS v Gwent College (3 Dec); Coleg y Cymoedd v Whitchurch HS (10 Dec); Cardiff…

“The best player at Gloucester for lifting the mood is Fraser Balmain. He’s witty, funny. He’s quick when people try to give him a bit of banter. He’s got the repartee.” “ Steve Black had a massive impact on me. I met him when I was 24. He helped my mindset, my education, my learning. No matter what’s going on in my life, good or bad, my performance has always been consistent.” “I’d like to meet (the late) Martin Luther King. To try to get to the depths of what it took him to make a stand. You don’t think you can change the world but it shows any feat is not too big.” “I train with Laird Hamilton every summer in Malibu. He’s a big-wave surfer, he’s 55 now.…

“I RETIRED at the end of the 2016-17 season with Doncaster after receiving a career-ending injury to my knee. “Immediately post-retirement I was a stay-at-home dad in Doncaster whilst my wife went back to full-time work. I was picking up some casual work at a bar on nights and the weekends as well. “After a few months we – my wife and two little kids – travelled around Europe for three months in a car, before flying back to Australia in December 2017. “Now I’m a business coach with ActionCOACH, the world’s leading business coaching company. My passion is leadership and culture coaching. With experience in high-performance teams, I’m able to transfer that knowledge onto leaders in the business world. “One thing I’d change in rugby is less reliance on…

“WHEN YOU sign up with the RPA, you don’t see the insurance policy included in your membership, you just sign up and don’t really know the ins and outs of that policy. “You hope you never have to retire through injury. When you do, you hope those little things are in place and work. But the reality is a lot of the time it doesn’t and players need to be aware of that. We need to be a bit more open about it all. “I didn’t get paid out. I’ve got a degenerative arthritic hip, which will get worse. They implied it would have always been an issue – but if I hadn’t played pro rugby for ten years I don’t think I’d have this. “There are lots of clauses…

Name John Cooney Age 29 (1 May 1990) Nickname Coons Province Ulster Describe your personality Outgoing and positive. I’m not a negative person Favourite TV show Breaking Bad Fave film In Bruges (2008 dark comedy) Last book read Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell Best holiday Thailand or Biarritz Dish you like to cook Sweet potato and chicken curry or nasi goreng Childhood hero It’s not a rugby one but Michael Owen Career highlight My first Ireland cap or winning the Pro14 with Connacht…

Name Siwan Lillicrap Age 32 (21 Sept 1987) Club Bristol Personality Outgoing, approachable, bubbly Last book read Ant Middleton’s First Man In. I’m on to his second one now. He speaks about leadership traits TV show First Dates – it’s light-hearted. I like I’m a Celebrity too Best holiday Thailand is the nicest country I’ve been to I like to cook A peanut butter chicken curry To switch off… I’ve got a Cocker Spaniel called Ralph. We go for walks along the beach around the Gower I’d like to meet… My great grandfather. He was the Mayor of Breconshire and I’m intrigued by what type of person he was…

PERK UP Back-five forward Liam Perkins gave Worthing Raiders a boost when returning after a year out with a fractured pelvis. Perkins wasn’t available immediately to play a full 80 minutes, but head coach Jody Levett said: “He offers leadership and National League experience that we’ve been lacking.” ON THE RISE Moseley are continuing to glean unexpected benefits from the decline of city rivals Birmingham & Solihull, whose withdrawal from the league structure triggered an exodus of seven players, who helped to take Mose into a top-three slot in National One. Adam Balding, Moseley’s DoR, has also profited from links with former club Worcester. He’s recruited wing Mason Tonks, scrum-half Jonny Arr and flanker Zac Xiourouppa and also signed Warriors youngsters Oli Morris, Luke Scully and Morgan Monks on dual…

FIELD MANOEUVRES After years of planning, work has begun on Tetbury’s new ground at Pike Field, an unused 12-acre site to the north-west of the town. The club with 600-plus members is moving from the Recreation Ground that has royal connections. Diana, the Princess of Wales, used to watch her sons Harry and William play mini rugby there. Founded in 1986, Tetbury figure in Gloucester & District Two. The project has three phases, starting with the construction of two full-size pitches together with a training and minis area, access roads and car parking. The first phase is likely to take two years. DEEP WATER It’s tough for Gloucester All Blues, who along with Tetbury were removed from Gloucester Two North last season because they were unable to fulfil enough fixtures.…

1 Arc de Triomphe To be more ‘Faf-like’ as a runner, you need to develop acceleration from the pick-up at the base. Practising an arced run using tackle tubes to run around, or simulating slow inside defenders, will give the sense of angle needed to get away. Do this with the ball in two hands and show it as if about to pass on the run. If those practice slow defenders hold a shield, it offers the chance to practise the fend after transferring the ball to the outside arm – something Faf did well for his RWC try v Japan. 2 Poetry in motion When box-kicking, de Klerk places his non-striking foot close to the ball and extends his kicking leg fully so he can crouch close…

The words were taken out of my mouth while reading the December edition, Where should RWC 2027 be held? I applaud the powers-that-be for taking the World Cup to Japan. Yes, it’s not a traditional rugby hotbed but it now certainly has the potential to be. World Rugby also need to make sure Japan get more regular Tests against Tier One nations; it’s good to see that England play two Tests there in 2020. The same goes for the Pacific nations. I can understand why France, from a commercial point of view, got the 2023 World Cup, but it wasn’t that long (2007) since they hosted a RWC, so for me that doesn’t seem as appealing. I believe that if not in 2027 then certainly in 2031, the World Cup…