Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2022 i Rugby World

FOR ALL the turmoil off the pitch, there has been plenty to celebrate on it – and the action over the coming weeks in both hemispheres should do the same. We do discuss the game’s financial problems over the page, but I’m going to focus on the spectacles on the horizon within the white lines this month. The women’s World Cup is coming to a climax in New Zealand, with the intensity of England’s victory over France and the pure entertainment of Fiji-SA highlights of the pool stages. Then there is a feast of men’s action in Europe. The huge ties in the Autumn Nations Series will give us an idea of how teams are tracking a year out from RWC 2023. And we’ll find out who will complete the…

SATURDAY 29 OCTOBER Rugby World Cup (Northland Events Centre, Whangarei) Quarter-finals (4.30am & 7.30am) TV Both live on ITV/ITV4 Autumn Internationals Japan v New Zealand (National Stadium, Tokyo) Scotland v Australia (5.30pm, BT Murrayfield) TV Live on Amazon Prime Gallagher Premiership Harlequins v London Irish (3pm) TV Live on BT Sport Northampton v Bristol (3pm) United Rugby Championship Lions v Stormers (3pm) TV Live on Premier Sports Dragons v Zebre Parma (5.15pm) TV Live on Premier & S4C Munster v Ulster (5.15pm) TV Live on Premier & RTÉ Ospreys v Connacht (7.35pm) TV Live on Premier, RTÉ & S4C Top 14 Bayonne v Toulouse Brive v Racing 92 Castres v Clermont La Rochelle v Pau Montpellier v Stade Français Perpignan v Lyon Allianz Cup Harlequins v DMP Loughborough v Sale…

8 France Laure Sansus’s career came to a sad end when suffering an ACL injury against England at the World Cup. The France No 9 (above) planned to retire at the end of the tournament and said: “We never choose our exit.” 9 Australia Ryley Batt (above) scored 41 tries and provided eight assists as Australia beat the USA 58-55 to win the 2022 Wheelchair Rugby World Championship title in front of a sellout crowd in Vejle, Denmark. 10 USA Kathy Flores (above) will be posthumously inducted into World Rugby’s Hall of Fame this month. Joining the USA great in the ‘Class of 2022’ are Deb Griffin, Mary Forsyth, Sue Dorrington, Alice Cooper and Fiao’o Fa’amausili.…

THE JOVIAL videos that Rosie Galligan’s mum has on her phone from September 2019 bely the seriousness of the situation that the England lock was in. Galligan, who had made her Test debut eight months earlier, was being rushed to hospital with suspected meningitis (later confirmed) but the gas and air she’d been given meant “I was high as a kite in the ambulance – my mum was taking videos as I was on great form!” She wasn’t on such great form the night before. She felt so ill that she rang her dad in the middle of the night to ask him to collect her from Zoe Harrison’s house, where she was staying. “My body was so sore, achey and throbby, then I was vomiting,” she recalls. “I couldn’t…

THE MAIN thing that people don’t really know about him is he’s like a naughty little school kid,” says Gloucester captain Lewis Ludlow of Billy Twelvetrees. “He acts like he’s a father of four, a caring, doting father, which he is, don’t get me wrong, he is. But get him in a scenario of 40 blokes and he can be a nightmare! Absolute prankster. Constantly hiding shoes, hats, bags. He’s a naughty little boy at heart.” Naughty but nice, you might say, for Twelvetrees is adored at Gloucester, the club he joined from Leicester in 2012 and has represented more than 250 times. A father figure to the younger lads, a rallier and motivator, a conduit between coaches and players – Twelvetrees is all this and more and that’s before…

I WAS STUDYING business management at Edinburgh Napier and we did this module on business sustainability strategies. That genuinely changed everything for me, on how I thought about things and the balance of ‘people, planet, profit’. Sustainability for me is all from a business approach, considering what the future is going to look like. And I got really inspired by the idea: ‘If you want to create change and do something good and also make a profit, then you’ll get to keep doing it again and again and again’. At the moment businesses face these negative externalities in the environment, socially, and then we try to fix them. But if you solve problems from the start, you can make good change. I realised that the future of business is going…

WHEN SAM SKINNER bade farewell to Exeter Chiefs in the summer, he spoke with the passion and eloquence of a man who had the place very firmly in his heart. He talked of how he supported the club from their old County Ground days, before their move to Sandy Park; he said he got to meet his heroes along the way and walk in their footsteps; he recalled the domestic and European double he won in 2020 and said the Chiefs had made his dreams come true. If you only caught a fraction of what he said, you’d still have known that it was a wrench to leave. If you listen to him now, a tenant in Glasgow player Simon Berghan’s flat, you’d also know that he’s not wistful about…

THIS MONTH’S meeting of Australia and Wales will be the 25th time they have played each other since 2000, which is more times than they played in the previous 92 years (20 Tests from 1908-2000). Not only has the fixture become more frequent but those matches this century have also been extremely tight, with 11 Tests decided by five points or fewer. We’ve seen the first draw between the two nations too. Here we’ve selected five cracking matches the two teams have played over the past 20 years… WALES 29 | 28 AUSTRALIA Cardiff 2021 “An amazing Test,” is how former Wallaby fly-half Stephen Larkham described this incident-packed encounter last year. Australia played 65 minutes with 14 men (and a few with 13 due to a yellow card) after Rob…

WITH COMMUNITY numbers dwindling, flexibility is key to recruiting and retaining players. In West Yorkshire, Jess Bunyard is driving that agenda as head of women’s and girls’ rugby at Huddersfield RUFC. The section launched during lockdown and is gaining momentum. “We’ve got ten to 15 girls and 20 to 25 female adult players,” she says. “We’re very inclusive. We’ll have you for our training sessions even if we can only see you once every six months, and that’s really boosted the membership. “If someone wants to rock up and do social fitness, fine. If someone wants to do non-contact rugby, that’s fine too. Or someone can dip their toe in the water and try contact rugby. Players are more eager to work their way up to contact as they know…

WHEN ASKED to describe her personality, Alex Callender says: “On the field, very competitive, a bit brutal. Off the field, quite bubbly.” Brutal and bubbly. It’s quite a contrast, but Rugby World got to see both sides of the Wales back-row in New Zealand during the World Cup. In her team’s opening fixture against Scotland in Whangarei, when Wales snatched victory with a last-minute Keira Bevan penalty, Callender was a destructive presence across the pitch. She made a remarkable 24 tackles and was a nuisance at the breakdown too. Yet when we catch up with the 22-year-old in Auckland a few days later, there are plenty of smiles as she recounts how she has progressed from being a rugby novice at 17 to a World Cup starter just five years…

THE PAST few weeks have shone a stark spotlight on rugby’s financial problems. So what next? How does English rugby emerge from this crisis? A ten-team Premiership has been mooted, with RFU CEO Bill Sweeney telling Rugby World: “A tighter, more condensed league makes more sense.” But what of those clubs then not in the top flight? There has long been criticism of the gulf between the Premiership and Championship, so raising the standard of that second tier must be a priority. Can English rugby support, say, 20 pro teams across two divisions? Does there need to be more alignment between the two, like combined commercial deals? There are surely lessons that can be learnt from France on this given they have two very successful leagues, the Top 14 and…

PETE SAMU has been described as ‘The Everywhere Man’ after his all-action performances in this year’s Rugby Championship. Whether making hard yards up the middle and finding space out wide in attack, or putting in thumping tackles and contesting at the breakdown in defence, the 30-year-old Brumbies back-row has certainly enhanced his reputation in 2022. Part of a Wallabies squad on a five-Test tour of Europe, which kicked off against Scotland last month and includes Tests against France, Italy, Ireland and Wales, he arrived in Edinburgh looking to add to his 22 caps and cement his position in the side ahead of the World Cup. We caught up with Samu to find out what he’s like away from the pitch… What’s your long-haul flight essential? My headphones. They connect to…

DAVE WALDER “(FOR KICKS at goal) I would love to see the on-screen clock. Whether that is in the stadium I don’t know, but I think it should be there. With things like scrums, the watch should stop before the ball gets put into the scrums and I don’t think the referee should be saying ‘Time on’ and ‘Time off’. “We have been the same as everyone over the last two or three years; if you have a team winning and there is a scrum with two or three minutes to go, I guarantee a scrum would last at least a minute and a half. And I guarantee the referee will reset that scrum if there is a penalty at stake for one of the teams to win or lose…

AT SOME point we were all told that rugby refereeing could be consistent. We were told that 30 players in one stadium with four officials, and then 30 different players in another stadium with four officials, could expect to have their games refereed in exactly the same way. There are some things in rugby where it’s black and white; true or false. If a ball is touched down over the line, it’s a try and the referee doesn’t need to interpret that. Rugby has very few such laws, though. Take the forward pass, for example. It’s not the case that a forward pass is one where the ball moves forward; the ball has to go forward from the hands. That requires a judgement. Once you bring in a judgement you…

JUST AS players are looking to push their selection claims for the World Cup over the coming weeks, so too are the referees. A total of 23 match officials are taking charge of Tests in November, but not all of those will get to blow their whistle during France 2023. They will know they need to perform well during this period as there are limited opportunities between now and next year’s tournament. One man who looks in prime position to be heading to his fifth successive World Cup is Wayne Barnes. The Englishman will take charge of two matches this autumn – Wales v New Zealand and France v South Africa – and in doing so will set a new record for the most Tests refereed. Nigel Owens currently has…

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THE DREAM had slipped away. Against their Iberian rivals, the Portuguese team were outplayed. In front of an ecstatic Madrid crowd, Os Lobos (The Wolves) saw their ticket to Rugby World Cup 2023 in France ripped up before their very eyes. In the aftermath, head coach Patrice Lagisquet felt the need to apologise to his charges. With the ultimate prize on the line, the former France wing, known to many as the ‘Bayonne Express’, felt he hadn’t offered the right energy to his players in the build-up. A dear friend of his had passed away suddenly the week before and Lagisquet felt utterly battered by it. The one-time les Bleus assistant also had a head full of ‘what ifs’ and ‘if onlys’ about the other games Portugal played in the…

MALAKAI FEKITOA’S first experience of European Cup rugby left a lasting impression. He made his debut in the tournament when coming off the bench for Toulon against Munster at Thomond Park and while his team lost that hotly-contested quarter-final 20-19 four years ago, the atmosphere in Limerick led to Fekitoa keeping an eye on the province’s results. He then joined the team this summer. “It felt like a Test match, a big occasion, and since then I’ve been following the team,” explains the former All Black centre. “Munster are a massive club, you see the support, and they have a lot of history – I watched them play the All Blacks (in 2008) when I was younger. “I felt it was time for me to try out this competition and…

▸ Kick-off The Allianz Premier 15s gets underway this month, with the opening round on 19-20 November – a week after the World Cup final. Sale kick off the new campaign when they take on DMP Sharks at 2pm on the Saturday while Saracens start their title defence the following day at home against Loughborough Lightning. ▸ High five Ireland’s star winger Beibhinn Parsons (below) scored five tries on her Energia All-Ireland League debut, helping Blackrock College beat Galwegians 36-19. ▸ Talent spotting Australia’s Gold Coast hosted 20 female players from Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga for the Oceania Rugby Women’s Combine. Former internationals Daryl Gibson, Toutai Kefu and Seilala Mapusua were among those delivering coaching sessions, with the event aimed at accelerating players’ development.…

A South-West club by tradition, Quins have adjusted swiftly to R1 South Central, a London & SE League, created as part of the RFU’s restructuring. They achieved five straight wins and are thriving on all fronts. Their three men’s teams are competing in leagues, with a fourth XV in the offing. Quins are also fielding two women’s sides for the first time, have 400 mini-junior players and are planning to establish a girls’ section. Secretary Jack Pooler said: “We’re in the second year of a five-year plan and want to bring National League rugby to the city.” The recent appointment of ex-England wing Tom Varndell as head of community shows their intent, and they now provide coaching sessions for more than a dozen schools. Led by lock Allan Purchase, Quins…

1 Samoa Former All Blacks Steven Luatua and Jeff Toomaga-Allen are part of the Samoa squad for the Tests against Italy, Georgia and Romania. They are eligible after World Rugby’s birthright change. Ulster prop Toomaga-Allen (below), a one-cap All Black, is set to make his Samoa debut this month. However, a calf injury means Bristol back-row Luatua, who played 15 Tests for NZ, is likely to have to wait to make his bow. 2 New Zealand Super Rugby Aupiki, which features Blues, Chiefs Manawa, Hurricanes Poua and Matat? women’s sides, will return next year in a five-week format. NZ Rugby’s Chris Lendrum said: “We’re thrilled to have the competition extended. It will provide greater exposure for a number of talented players.” Crystal Kaua (Chiefs) and Victoria Grant (Hurricanes) will also…

IT’S HARD to imagine a worse period in the English game since the advent of professionalism in the mid-Nineties than the past few weeks. The very word governance tends to have a soporific effect on most people in general and sports fans in particular. Who wants to waste time discussing conflicts of interest when there is a game to chew over and debate? Yet recent events in our beloved sport mean we must – since it is partly governance, or the lack of it, that has led to the sorry plight of both Worcester and Wasps. The roots of the problem go back to the way Premiership Rugby was set up, primarily as a vehicle to hold the league’s commercial rights. This was a time when relations between the RFU…

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FIXTURES IN rugby don’t get much bigger than England v New Zealand at Twickenham. And star names in the sport don’t get much bigger than Maro Itoje and Ardie Savea (it’s little surprise that they’re both on Roc Nation’s books). So ahead of the match later this month, we spoke to the two men about progress, mental health and the World Cup, among other things. Both players made their Test debut in 2016 so have been delivering on the world stage for six years and have witnessed plenty of changes in that time. They also have wide-ranging interests outside the sport, fronting their own podcasts, for example. Both men have strong views on how rugby should market itself to new audiences too. When we sit down with England lock Itoje…

ACROSS 1 Is Exeter tighthead Marcus on the road to stardom? (6) 5 8 Across played his first one in 1988 against Australia at Murrayfield (4) 8 Legendary Scotland scrum-half who turned out for Stewart’s Melville 3rds at the age of 51 (4,9) 9 Us two hunt stealthily for Ospreys forward (3,6) 10 Head to the farm for - - - Athletic Club, an Australian-based international rugby outfit (3) 11 Nigel - - -, ex-Wales wing who’s now performance director of the WRU (6) 13 Box-office Leicester wing who will join NSW Waratahs ahead of their 2023 campaign (6) 16 Underhill or Whitelock (3) 17 Rugby undergarment – a Scotsman’s snare? (9) 19 Cork-born Munster back-row and former Ireland U20 captain whose role model is Peter O’Mahony (4,9) 20 Celestial…

▸ Anniversary party A dinner at Parc y Scarlets on Thursday 3 November will mark 50 years since Scarlets’ famous win over the All Blacks (9-3 in 1972 at Stradey Park). ▸ Milestone match The 1872 Cup match between Edinburgh and Glasgow at BT Murrayfield on 30 December will mark 150 years of the inter-city derby. Edinburgh (below) are also commemorating the anniversary with a history project, which has identified every player and match of the past century and a half. See edinburghrugby.org for details. ▸ New recruits Ulster signed Scotland and Lions prop Rory Sutherland on a short-term deal after his Worcester contract was terminated as part of the liquidation of the Premiership club. His Warriors team-mate Duhan van der Merwe has rejoined Edinburgh.…

QUITE FAMOUSLY, Maddison Levi and her sister Teagan left the Gold Coast Suns in Aussie Rules to conquer the world with Australia Sevens. But as you find out chatting to the 20-year-old phenomenon, there were other daydreams in place first, before oval balls started soaring through the air. “I grew up doing dancing, which is pretty opposite to what I’m doing now,” Levi tells Rugby World. “My dream then was travelling internationally with that, dancing in all styles. Dancing on cruise ships, that was my first goal. “Four years ago I started playing AFL and rugby at the same time, and AFL was really taking off. I played a season professionally and then decided to make the transition into sevens and was fortunate enough to get selected for the Olympics.…

A player-driven club, led by utility forward Nathan Brown, embodies Thirsk’s strategy of building from within. He played throughout the junior section and last season inspired them to their first league title, Yorkshire Four Premier, since joining the RFU league system two levels lower 22 seasons ago. DoR and former hooker Martin Sargent has been on the club’s exciting journey since 2000, the year they became members of Thirsk Athletic Club. They share their current home in the centre of the town’s racecourse with cricket, hockey, football, tennis, squash and the Harriers running club. Now in C3 Yorkshire, Thirsk savoured three wins and a draw in their first five games, along with the presence of 14 former juniors. Other key contributors include player and junior coach James Asquith, who runs…

1 Deadlift // 2 x 6 REPS Grasp the bar with hands just outside legs. Lift by driving hips forwards, keeping flat back. Lower the bar under control. 2 Bench // 2 x 6 REPS With hands just wider than shoulder-width, lower the bar to your chest, then push up as you breathe out. 3 Lunge // 2 x 6 REPS EACH LEG With heavy bag or bar on shoulders, chest up, take a big step, lowering until knees bent at 90°. Stand and step with other leg.…

THE RUGBY public might see an air of boring inevitability about maul tries. The odds of conceding a maul try if you concede a penalty that is kicked to the corner is about 85-90% – it’s not necessarily directly from the maul but can be within the ensuing phases. Teams are becoming much better at defending mauls but because they’ve thrown everything into it, it’s the few phases later they get caught short. While it might seem dull to some, what folk cannot know is just how much work goes into this part of the game. The amount of time the forwards spend on a Tuesday doing maul defence is horrendous! It’s possibly the worst part of being a professional in the pack. But you need to work on it,…