Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2015 i Rugby World

IT’S MY third World Cup, after France in 2007 and New Zealand in 2011, and this World Cup has far more in common with my first tournament. It’s just the scale here in the northern hemisphere. The venues are massive and the organisers have done a great job selling tickets. The attendances at games are incredible. Take our game against Fiji. We had nearly 70,000 people watching us at the Millennium Stadium when Wales weren’t even playing, which is pretty amazing. World Cups create a special atmosphere that you can’t replicate in any other tournament. The fans have bought into it from Wembley to Twickenham, from the Millennium to Kingsholm. You can see from the huge TV audiences that the profile of the game has never been higher. I love…

RIO IS a reality for Great Britain’s wheelchair rugby team after they qualified for next year’s Paralympics by winning the IWRF European Championship in Finland, writes RW’s Katie Field. The Paralympics takes place in Brazil from 7-18 September 2016 and GB will be aiming to win a medal for the first time, after finishing fourth in 2004 and 2008 and fifth at the London Paralympics in 2012. Britain topped their pool in the championship, beating Germany to progress to the final, before defeating defending champions Sweden 49-48 in a thrilling match. Ayaz Bhuta, 25, scored 13 of GB’s goals. Born with Roberts syndrome, which limits the growth of limbs, Bhuta is 3ft 7in and weighs around 6st 9lb (42kg). “It feels great to be the champions of Europe,” he says.…

DAN CROWLEY AGE 50 POSITION PROP NATIONALITY AUSTRALIAN WALLABY CAPS 38 I have a private investigation business called Verifact. Before I was a pro player I spent a number of years working as an undercover police officer in Queensland, targeting drug gangs, and when I retired I started Verifact. I’m an executive director with the business. We run an investigations division but have other divisions, with around 1,100 staff in Australia. The first half of my playing career was amateur. I was with Queensland and Australia and I had great fun. Then for the last five years I was a pro. It wasn’t as relaxed but we were paid very well to do what you previously did for free. I was fortunate to play in pretty dominant teams. Queensland and…

TWELVE YEARS on and England World Cup winner Mike Tindall says he is still reminded on a regular basis of the day Martin Johnson and his team made history in Sydney. Now retired, the 75-cap centre says the 2003 vintage stood out for myriad reasons. “We had the ability to win well or win ugly. It didn’t matter to us,” says the 36-year-old. “You had full confidence in whoever was lined up next to you that we’d find a way to come out on top. “The team barely changed between 2000 and 2003. We all got on well socially and loved hanging out together away from the training ground. Back in those days, social media wasn’t such an influence. You could go out for a few beers and no one…

FACT FILE Age 29 (27 Nov 1985) Born Limoges Club Clermont Position Back-row Height 6ft 4in Weight 17st 2lb France caps 33 (1T) Twitter @DamienChouly MY TOP 3s Favourite foods BBQ rib steak Foie gras Tiramasu Stadiums Eden Park Millennium Stadium Marcel Michelin Dinner guests Jay-Z Action Bronson Lionel Messi DESPITE WINNING his first cap on the 2007 summer tour to New Zealand as a 21-year-old, this is Damien Chouly’s first World Cup. Having begun his pro career at Brive, Chouly spent five seasons with Perpignan before joining Clermont, where he’s matured into a powerful and effective back-row. We caught up with Chouly to talk barbecues, back-rows and les Bleus… I won my first cap against New Zealand as a flanker and I’m back at six today. When I was…

Better facilities The RFU gave £10m over four years to help more than 500 clubs improve clubhouses and pitches More people Investment in more coaches, referees and volunteers All Schools project The target to introduce rugby to 400 schools was met last month Bring back players £500,000 was put into schemes encouraging players, especially aged 16 to 24, to return to the game. See returntorugby.com Touch rugby Numbers playing touch have nearly doubled in three years Other nations RFU constituent bodies have been twinned with 17 nations to support rugby’s development in Europe Cultural engagement More than 1m are expected to take part in the Festival of Rugby. Find a club at findrugby.com…

If committed to every tackle, you are valuable. Look for an early hit to lay down a marker but don’t chase it. Tackle low. I was small (90kg) when I started, which improved my defence no end because I had to hit legs to bring down much bigger guys. It’s just basic physics. Alternatively, if you can make a big tackle, then try to dislodge the ball, especially in wet weather – it may slip out. So practise timing. Always look up. As a young guy I had a tendency to look at the ruck, but then I’d be two phases behind. Learn from mistakes. Pros are analysed but the more you play, the more it becomes second nature.…

FLOOR PRESS 3 x 8 REPS Lie on your back and bring the dumb-bells down until your elbows touch the floor. Then extend the arms to a straight, locked position. LANDMINE JAMMER 4 x 6 REPS Put a bar in a landmine attachment, corner or weight. Quarter-squat into the press, then thrust the bar up. SINGLE-ARM MEDICINE BALL PASS 3 x 6 REPS EACH ARM In a split stance and with a medicine ball in one hand, throw it forward.…

FINAL PREP Tickets for this season’s Guinness Pro12 final, at BT Murrayfield on Saturday 28 May, are on sale from £20 for adults at scottishrugby.org DONNA HONOUR A women’s select team from Glasgow and Caledonia will compete with a side from Edinburgh and the Borders at BT Murrayfield on Sunday 11 October for the new Donna Kennedy Cup, named after Scotland’s most-capped international (left). U20 DATE The BT Sport Scottish Rugby Academy final between the U20 sides from Edinburgh and Glasgow will be played as a curtain-raiser to the Donna Kennedy Cup. RIGHT COURSE RugbyRight, a new online training course for coaches, teachers and referees, is available via scottishrugby.org…

MURPHY’S LAW Ex-Ireland A, Munster and Leicester player Johne Murphy (right) is the new player-coach at Naas. FLYING START Ulster Bank League 2A champions Old Wesley began their 1B campaign in style with two bonus-point wins. City of Derry and Wanderers made flying starts in 2B and 2C respectively, with two bonus-point wins. MUNSTER DOUBLE Munster won the U20 Inter-Provincial Championship with a 24-23 win over Connacht, and their U19 side also won their Inter-Provincial title. BIG DRAW Clubs can now register for the 2015 Your Club, Your Country Grand Draw, a fund-raising scheme that has handed more than €2.5m to clubs in four years.…

WINNER COACHES CAUGHT UP IN IT ALL Warren Gatland’s raw emotion after Wales beat England 28-25 was great and others have been at it too. Steve Hansen let the All Blacks enjoy a beer with Namibia and texted support to under-pressure Boks coach Heyneke Meyer. LOSER RAMPANT COMMERCIALISM It’s fantastic that money raised from this World Cup will go to lower-tier nations. But some fans have baulked at paying £10 per match programme, and players killing time on the pitch before games because of an ad break isn’t great. WINNER DECENT PROPOSAL After playing in front of a record crowd of 89,217 at Wembley, Romanian half-back Florin Surugiu dropped a knee and proposed to his girlfriend. Enough to melt your heart, that.…

FUNNIEST TEAM-MATE Dan Lydiate with Wales. Lyds (far right) is a different kind of funny – he puts a shy front on when doing press but with the boys he’s a laugh. PRE-MATCH TUNE The Devil is a Lie by Rick Ross. A bit of hip-hop to get me going. I’ve changed a bit – I’ve left rock behind and now it’s more hip-hop. FAVOURITE TV SHOW Suits. It’s brilliant. I love the storylines. It’s about a group of lawyers in New York and they’re always fighting cases. FAVOURITE FILM The Pursuit of Happyness. Hard work pays off is the message in that story – that is why I like it. FAVOURITE SPURS PLAYER At the moment it’s Harry Kane. Before that it was Moussa Dembélé. As a kid, it…

A FEW MONTHS before the World Cup in 2011 there was an earthquake in Christchurch and we lost the second-largest ground in the country. If nothing else, what that situation showed us is that you’ve got to be very committed to a contingency planning process for a World Cup. Ironically, the day the earthquake struck in February 2011 we were having a board meeting and things were looking good. Ticket sales were okay and the prep was in good shape. We were in Auckland and over lunch we started getting messages from our people (about the earthquake). We had disaster management systems in place and we had people in Christchurch. Obviously there was a tragic loss of life and a serious situation. I remember I used some swear words and…

Why limit it to the Islands? Have Japan not proven that ‘minnows’ can punch above their weight? Are Georgia not begging to go into next tier? Robbie Armstrong Lions v the Islands. First Test every four years before usual suspects. Chris Reynolds Not if you want to put them into debt. Petnzme Turangi All touring teams should be made to play Tier Two match. SH coming to Europe too. #GEO #ROM @redmanpe Maybe they should have a home-and-away tournament with southern hemisphere nations. Matthew Austin It’s all down to money. The islands don’t have any and the big unions will only tour where they can make MONEY. Alan Leach Yes, players wouldn’t feel compelled to play for other countries to get recognition. Brett Goodchild Tier One nations can afford a…

FACT FILE Age 24 (31 March 1991) Born Nausori, Fiji Franchise Brumbies Position Centre Height 6ft 4in Weight 16st Australia caps 26 (7T) Twitter @Tevitakuridrani MY TOP 3 SPORTSMEN Roger Federer “I like everything about him. He’s very humble.” Lionel Messi (below) “Like Federer, he’s a humble guy.” Ray Lewis “Look at all he’s achieved in the NFL.” PHILIPPIANS 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. Tevita Kuridrani often writes this Bible verse on his wrist before a match, faith an important part of the Wallaby centre’s life away from rugby and also something that can inspire him mid-match. “I have a routine,” he says. “Before I play a game I read the Bible and pray a little. Then right before the game I pray…

TONY WOODCOCK The prop, who scored New Zealand’s only try in their RWC 2011 final win, has a sheep and dairy farm in Kaukapakapa. He’s the fourth generation of his family to work the land. DAN LYDIATE The Lydiates have a sheep farm near Llandrindod Wells and the Wales flanker plans to farm full-time post-rugby. For now the workouts help his day job. He says: “A lot of farmers have natural strength.” JACQUES BURGER Saracens’ Namibia flanker bought a farm in Stampriet with his father-in-law, which has sheep and cattle. “My wife comes from a farming family but I don’t,” he says. “I’ve a lot of learning to do.” SEAN O’BRIEN Even during the World Cup build-up, the Ireland back-row was helping out with the silaging on the family’s cattle…

THE FACTS IZZY FOLAU Age 26 (3 April 1989) Born Minto, Queensland Position Full-back Franchise Waratahs Height 6ft 4in Weight 16st 3lb Twitter @IzzyFolau WITHIN 14 minutes of his first-ever Test match, Israel Folau had scored a try for the Wallabies. He was quick off the mark against the Lions that day, the former league and Aussie Rules star instantly lighting up the game, displaying all the raw power and natural dynamism that marks him out today as one of the game’s most exciting players. He is an athlete who has made the most of the opportunities put in front of him. It looks like he always will, with this World Cup being no exception. “It was difficult to know what to expect since it’s my first World Cup,” an…

WHO IS JONNY? The fly-half’s drop-goal won England the 2003 World Cup. He won 97 caps in all, including six for the Lions, and lifted two Heineken Cups and a Top 14 with Toulon before retiring in 2014. WHO IS HAMBO? The former Leicester prop broke his neck during England U21 training in 2005 and was left paralysed. He has gone on to set up a charity, the Matt Hampson Foundation. ENGLAND World Cup winner Jonny Wilkinson hung up his boots in 2014, bowing out as a Top 14 and Heineken Cup double winner with Toulon. Here he talks to Matt Hampson about the future… Matt Hampson: What are you up to at the moment? Jonny Wilkinson: I’ve got an ambassadorial role for the World Cup so have been getting…

GOLDEN GIRLS Australia (right) added the Commonwealth Youth Games title to the gold medals they won at the first-ever women’s sevens Youth Olympics event last year. They beat Canada 38-5 in the final. GO LARGE England have named a 51-player squad for the season to compete in two autumn Tests, the Sevens Series and the Six Nations. The squad includes the uncapped Zira Handley and Courtney Gill. HITTING FORM Hong Kong won their first Asia Rugby Sevens Series title, beating China 24-15 to finish the event undefeated. HALF-CENTURY Firwood Waterloo Ladies beat Loughborough 57-0 last month to achieve a club record 50th consecutive Championship North One league win.…

HEY, WE’RE all busy people with lives to be getting on with. Whether it’s a manic training day, a hefty stint in the office or a packed school morning, we all have to digest the fuel to see us through. If we want to make that next training session without fading away, we must eat something. And fast. That doesn’t mean skimping on essential food groups or nutrients. You can get what you need without cutting corners or spending loads on a bar or shake that claims to do it all for you in one gulp. Gulping can help, though. Need protein and worried about the added extras? Two glasses of semi-skimmed milk a day can help lower body fat and a 200ml glass contains 7.2g of protein. Regularly eating…

Former London Irish analyst Harry Fehily explains two ways to score tries from an attacking scrum… What’s the objective? To let the defence decide which way you will attack to score from an offensive scrum. How it works If the defence overload the blind side, you go open to utilise the overlap (Play A). If the opposition leaves only one man guarding the blind side, 8 and 9 attack that channel to put 14 away (Play B). Key points It’s all a question of numbers. Let the defence make the decision for you; then recognise the best attacking option and exploit it. Harry Fehily, 23, has played for Blackheath and worked as an analyst for London Irish. He’s now head coach at UCL and Civil Service PLAY A 10, 12…

Sit down! This is a message to all those saggy, middle-aged men who can’t attend a rugby match without six or seven trips to the bar, with follow-on toilet runs. While these overgrown schoolboys are giving their wives a break, the rest of the rugby-going public have to tolerate their shufflings and insincere apologies, as they wobble to and from their seats. How desperate must you be that you can’t last 80 minutes without a beaker of overpriced lager? Do us all a favour: stay at home or stay in the pub, and let people who want to watch rugby do so without interruption. Jon N Morgan Frome, Somerset RW says: A common bugbear for supporters! Ford v Farrell Reading about George Ford got me thinking about how he’s come…

89,267 The new record RWC crowd that watched Ireland v Romania at Wembley – beating the New Zealand v Argentina figure set the previous week 200,000 The National Grid saw a 500 megawatts surge at half-time for England-Fiji – equivalent to 200,000 kettles being turned on at once 91% Japan’s possession in the last ten minutes of their historical victory over South Africa 5 The number of father-and-son pairings to have played at a RWC – step forward the Farrells, Fitzgeralds, Moriartys, Vunipolas and Ormaecheas 17 The size of Luke Romano’s feet – the biggest in New Zealand rugby 27 Number of tackles made by Georgia captain Mamuka Gorgodze in their win over Tonga…

LATE SIGNINGS Aviva Premiership sides have snapped up former Test stars before their season begins. Newcastle signed ex-USA captain Todd Clever (right), Worcester captured Boks centre Wynand Olivier, and London Irish bagged Wales back-row Rob McCusker. HOST WITH THE MOST World Rugby have given their approval to a ‘revised roadmap’ for the delivery of the 2019 World Cup in Japan. The sport’s governing body had sought assurances over the event following the loss of the country’s proposed new National Stadium in July, but have now approved plans with Tokyo Stadium as a replacement venue. SUPER SCHEDULE The 2016 Super Rugby will comprise four conferences, three new teams and two new nations. It starts on 26 February and runs until late May, when there is a break for the June Tests,…

WORLD CUPS are special. That’s what they tell you. Months spent eating, sleeping and playing together mean you develop incredibly close bonds with certain players. Mutual respect and lifelong friendships can be forged in the cauldron of Test rugby. On the other hand, all that close proximity can bring out the worst in people, and there will be some who, by the end of the tournament, you fundamentally loathe and hope never to set your eyes on again. It is necessary to ignore this when looking to develop team culture and togetherness, but just because you play rugby with someone doesn’t ensure you’ll become bosom buddies. Or even that you will have the slightest thing in common with them. If anything, the weird little bubble of a World Cup camp…

WE’RE IN the midst of a World Cup but there will be even more rugby to feast on when the Aviva Premiership returns on Friday 16 October. Rugby World picks out five things to look out for this season... FREE TICKETS! If you’ve never been to a Premiership match before and fancy soaking up the atmosphere of an English club game, you can get your hands on free tickets with the Aviva First Timer scheme. Tickets are being given away to games involving all 12 top-flight clubs over the first seven rounds of the competition. So whether you want to watch champions Saracens or new boys Worcester in action, check out premiershiprugby.com/ avivafirsttimers for all the details. STAR SIGNINGS Don’t worry, we won’t be short of big-name players on English…

FACT FILE Age 26 (21 Nov 1988) Born Palmerston North Franchise Highlanders Position Scrum-half Height 5ft 7in Weight 13st 5lb NZ caps 42 (12T, 1C) Twitter @A_Smith09 MY TOP 3 SPORTING FRANCHISES Manchester United “I would really love to go to an EPL game.” San Francisco Giants “They’re my team.” San Francisco 49ers “Jarryd Hayne – the Hayne Plane – is already the man there.” ASK ANYONE who the best scrum-half in the world is and more often than not you’ll get the answer of Aaron Smith. For almost all fans, he is head and shoulders above the rest. However, that doesn’t mean his selection is straightforward. In fact, getting through training can often be hard enough for the Highlanders No 9. “With TJ Perenara, Tawera Kerr-Barlow and me, we…

FACT FILE Age 33 (7 August 1982) Born Buenos Aires Position Fly-half/centre Height 6ft 2in Weight 14st 9lb Argentina caps 55 (144 pts – 6T, 15C, 20P, 8DG) Twitter name @HERNANDEZJUANI MY TOP 3s Fly-halves Jonny Wilkinson Dan Carter Stephen Larkham Cities to live Buenos Aires Paris London Food Barbecue (asado) Breaded veal with fries & egg Fast food THE MAN they call ‘El Mago’ (The Magician) is returning home aftet the World Cup to help Argentina’s new Super Rugby franchise take off. Here Juan Martín Hernández, the star of RWC 2007, explains his hopes for the future… It was breathtaking to walk out at Wembley. I had never been there before playing New Zealand and going through the tunnel you get hit by this big bowl. Although during games…

RICHIE McCAW “For what he’s achieved in the game. His rugby CV is just incredible. I looked up to him as a kid and he’s still going strong.” DAVID POCOCK “He’s made an incredible comeback after injury. He’s almost impossible to move off the ball. An intelligent player and leader.” SAM WARBURTON “Sam is a fine leader and an excellent professional. When he gets over the ball he is extremely hard to displace. A top player.” MICHAEL HOOPER “There was a lot of pressure on him to fill David Pocock’s boots and he did it well. He’s not the biggest but is very powerful.” FRANCOIS LOUW “I’ve played against him a few times. He’s a very big guy but he can play a bit too, and get down low over…

THE ICONIC film Rollerballhas the distinction of being the most violent sporting film ever made. It tells the story of a point in time in the future where sport is played only by a tiny elite and the rest of the world become adoring fans rather than participants. The hero and greatest player is Jonathan E, played by James Caan. The teams are backed by massive but shadowy companies and the brutality of the sport becomes greater and greater, the grand final eventually taking place with no rules. It is understood amongst all the players that the winner will be the team which still has a man alive at the end. Never fear, I am not making parallels here with rugby. At least, only on the very periphery. This World…

BOWING OUT London Scottish prop Ben Prescott (right) has retired at 37. He failed to recover from a neck and shoulder injury. …STEPPING IN South African prop Kurt Schonert has joined Scottish after coming to England to develop his game on the advice of brother Nick, who’s at Worcester. BLUES CALL Nathan Vella, who played for Welsh in the Premiership last season, has joined Bedford Blues on a short-term deal. The Kiwi hooker fills the gap left when Sam James broke his ankle last month. TOP WORK Moseley won the BMW Club Development of the Year prize at the National Rugby Awards. Their new £3.6m conference and banqueting facility – built without incurring debt – impressed judges.…

In May’s Aviva Premiership final, Jacques Burger made 13 tackles as Saracens scrapped to victory. And last year he made an astonishing 28 tackles in 70 minutes v Clermont – team-mates call him ‘The Widow Maker’! 1 PUT YOUR HEART IN IT “I’ve always been wild and had to learn a lot. My attitude was: ‘If you run at me I’m going to smash you.’ It’s not always that simple – you have to nail timing, spacing, decisions on when to hit. You can learn but you must want to dominate the collision.” 2 COMMUNICATE “I tend to get quiet and just get on with my job, but talking is massively important. It’s something the English guys have helped me with. Defence is all about communication: nominate early on, so…

What’s needed One ball, four cones and three sets of different-coloured bibs. How to play Pick two sides of six, then put three extra players (in different-coloured bibs) on the attacking side. Give the attackers five ‘plays’ and see if they can score five tries. After five plays, the three bibbed players swap sides and the defenders become attackers, playing nine v six. Tactics The idea of this game is to practise exploiting overlaps. Encourage attackers to adopt deep alignment and to pass the ball down the line, fixing defenders to utilise their numerical advantage. They should talk to identify – and exploit – the space. Defenders need to communicate to try to shut out the opposition.…

1. Rugby Coach’s Eye App Use a smartphone camera to record videos of players’ skills. £3.99 (amateurs), £7.99 (pros) 2. Springbok home shirt An iconic Asics shirt, as worn by South Africa’s travelling army. rugbystore.co.uk, £59.99 3. Quintessential Beard products For an extra sheen – moustache wax £8 and beard balm £15.50, thequintessentialbeard.uk 4. Mizuno Morelia Neo 8 Stud SG rugby boots Luxury leather and suede wrap. lovellrugby.co.uk, £149.99 5. Dove Men+Care Hydrating Cream Protect your skin as the weather worsens.dove.co.uk/en, £8.99 6. Barbour Kingsholm Waxed Jacket Look the part in this robust number from Barbour’s Land Rover range. barbour.com, £299…

DURING AN U17 tour to Holland with my club Cleckheaton, we split into groups – two halves of the team each with half the dads – so we could explore Amsterdam, writes RW reader Joe Hammond. When we met back at the coach, two of the dads were missing and weren’t answering their phones. After waiting for an hour on the coach, we decided to set off around Amsterdam to see if we could spot them. On the way we saw a TV being thrown from the top of a tall building and narrowly missing a man on the street! Then, suddenly, one of the lads spotted the two dads in a bike-towed carriage with their feet up. As the coach stopped to see what was happening, the man tried…

JOHN’S BACK After ten years abroad, Geraint John is now the WRU’s elite coach development manager. He said: “I have a huge amount to give back to Welsh rugby.” JOY OF SIX Pontypridd wing Alex Webber (right) scored the first six-point try in the sixth minute of their opening Principality Premiership game. The new scoring system is being trialled at World Rugby’s request. SMALL CLAIMS Magor were runners-up at last month’s Smallest Rugby Club World Cup, hosted by London club Racal Decca. The tournament was for clubs who run just one team and don’t own their clubhouse. PLAY TIME The WRU has released a video entitled Let Us Play and featuring Sam Warburton to promote the values of rugby.…