Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2017 i Rugby World

IN MY other job as coach of Hitchin U10s, I’m witnessing from the bottom up the development of young rugby players. The English game is booming – we have more than 60 kids registered – buoyed by the exploits of Eddie Jones’s squad. These are formative years, and as important as coaching the ruck and maul or practising two-on-ones is, the overriding priority is shaping these young minds in life’s wider aspects: showing respect to the referee, lending a hand to an injured opponent and sharing a hot dog (not beer… yet) in the clubhouse. These are values that should underpin their moral compass for a lifetime. All of the above outline why I love this game that creates such worthy initiatives as the Le Tre Rose project that helps…

Rugby’s gone soft Over the last 20 years, so much has been taken out of our game – rucking, various forms of tackling, touching a player in the air. No doubt the game is safer but is it rugby? The way it’s going it’ll be touch rugby in ten years. I know we want more people to play the game, but surely the whole ethos of rugby should be quality over quantity! Those who can, play rugby; those who can’t, play lesser games. DG Wheeler, Neath More women’s news! I found it impossible to track the live scores for women’s International matches that were played last month. I was fortunate in the 1990s to play in a match for a Royal Marines team against a women’s British Army team. The…

£291,187 The average house price near a UK rugby ground – £72k above the national average, according to a survey by online estate agent Hatched 5 Only five of Elliot Daly’s 92 Premiership starts for Wasps have been on the wing 3 Ireland are the third team to score 40 points against the All Blacks, after France and South Africa 50 Number of Tests that Ross Ford has played at Murrayfield – only Chris Paterson (57) has also reached the half-century at Scotland’s citadel 0 The runs that Mike Atherton made in a 1985 county second XI match before being removed by bowler Rob Andrew – Sussex’s new chief executive 13 Number of games it took New Zealand to score 100 tries against Italy – their fastest ton against…

FITTING VENUE The pool draw for the 2019 World Cup in Japan will take place on 10 May 2017 in Kyoto’s State Guest House. FRESH VOICES World Rugby welcomed Georgia, Romania and USA onto its expanded Council last month, as part of the body’s new governance model. And further Council applications will be considered next May. BREAKING NEW GROUND St David’s College (below) from Llandudno, North Wales, will become the first UK school to go on a rugby tour to Georgia. They travel next spring for a week. CLASH AGREED Munster’s Champions Cup match at Racing 92 has been rescheduled for Saturday 7 January. It was postponed because of the passing of Anthony Foley. BOARD GAMES The Brumbies have named Michael Thompson as their new CEO. Last year former CEO…

FUNNIEST TEAM-MATE There are a lot who think they’re really funny. It’s probably Claire Allan. She’s a great character and there’s a lot of humour involved in her Snapchat videos. BEST RUGBY MOMENT Qualifying for the Olympics – knowing Great Britain had made the Olympics was pretty good! Also winning the Premiership with Richmond (above) – we worked pretty hard to get there. FAVOURITE STADIUM Hong Kong. There’s just an incredible atmosphere. The people are having such a great time. It’s a brilliant setting and I can’t put into words how incredible it is to play there. CHILDHOOD HERO I didn’t have a childhood one but my rugby inspiration was Jo Yapp. She was at the first club, Worcester, I went to and she gave me belief. More than that,…

“Our style is not a rigid philosophy, it’s happened more organically” ISTILL can’t believe I’ve been at Wasps for ten years. I grew up in Ealing, so the Wasps training ground was always my second home before moving to Leamington Spa, where I’m attempting to do up my flat. People used to joke that we picked up the waifs and strays. Shaun Edwards used to bring in players of wildly varying ability; some were shockers while others were inspired. Wasps always had a policy of rejuvenating players at the end of their career, like Craig Dowd, Serge Betsen and Raphaël Ibañez. Last season we had George Smith, who made such an incredible impression. I spoke to Lawrence (Dallaglio) at a lunch recently and we reminisced about the old days. There…

“RUGBY IS ABOUT PLAYING WHAT YOU SEE AND HAVING FUN” FACT FILE Age 25 (31 Oct 1991) Born Auckland, NZ Province Ulster Position Full-back Height 6ft Weight 14st 6lb NZ caps 17 (5T) Twitter @CPiutau MY TOP 3 RUGBY HEROES Siale Piutau “I’ve got a lot of inspiration and advice from my brother.” Keven Mealamu “His personality on and off the field meant he was a great role model for me.” Jonah Lomu “Unbelievable natural ability and great to watch.” THERE WILL be a house full of Piutaus in Belfast this Christmas, although not quite as full as usual. Charles Piutau’s parents have already arrived in the city from New Zealand to visit the youngest of their ten children, while one of his brothers (plus his family) and a sister…

CIAN HEALY (Ireland) Slowly regaining his competitive edge after long-running injury issues, he has huge strength and mobility in the loose JACK McGRATH (Ireland) In Healy’s absence, he’s matured into one of the best looseheads in Europe, with a high tackle count and rock-solid set-piece GETHIN JENKINS (Wales) Already 36, Jenkins can become the oldest Test Lion. His nous and ability at the breakdown could be vital JOE MARLER (England) He has endured a controversy-strewn 2016, but his tenacity and larger-than-life character could edge him into the squad ALASDAIR DICKINSON (Scotland) Vern Cotter’s first-choice No 1, Dickinson is mobile and his experience may see him ranked above the explosive Ellis Genge…

YOU HAVE TO BE SELECTIVE WITH CARBOHYDRATES AS WE head into the Christmas period, you may be worried about putting on unnecessary flab at a time of indulgence – it is unavoidable! Don’t worry, because high-performance rugby nutritionist James Morehen has some tips for you. First up, he suggests reducing your carbohydrate intake at meal times and when snacking, especially if you know the next day will be one of few exertions. It’s a time of year when there will be less competition for the grass-roots athlete. It’s also a good idea to consume protein every three hours. This will help reduce muscle loss at this time. Not that you completely cut out carbs, you just have to be selective. Stick to lower-GI carbs, like substituting white potatoes with healthier…

This game is an excellent way for young players to improve their kicking skills as it tests their ability at different kicks. Finish with a crossbar challenge for fun – they love the competitive element. Conversions Players takes three kicks from a set (or different) distance and score a point for each successful attempt. Repeat for drop-goals. Punt Accuracy Like golf, create a ‘green’ with cones, which kickers have to land the ball in. Repeat for a grubber kick, except that the ball must come to rest on the green. Punt Distance Simple! See who can kick the ball furthest downfield. Award three points to the winner, two points to the runner-up and one to third. Touch Kick Players kick the ball into touch as far downfield as possible, from…

KIDS’ BODY ARMOUR A. Gilbert Blitz For juniors, this has strategic EVA foam padding. £39.99, gilbertrugby.com B. Optimum Inferno For minis, with padding on biceps, sternum and neck. £34.99, optimumsport.com C. Canterbury Vapodri Raze This has four pockets for foam padding. £28, canterbury.com D. Kooga IPS Advantage Moulded pads in seven zones for protection. £30, kooga-rugby.com for stockists 1. GoPro Hero-5 camera Hi-tech piece of kit that features built-in WiFi, is waterproof and shoots video in 4K. Get one for £349.99 at ellis-brigham.co.uk 2. UA Storm Coalition backpack Water resistant and with a laptop and tablet sleeve, it’s £80 from underarmour.co.uk 3. Optimum 2nd Street gloves These should help you keep hold of the ball in winter weather. £12.99 at morrant.com 4. Lions pro jersey Remastered with an embossed lion…

 AT BOGNOR RFC we have a lovely character whose nickname, unfairly, is Desperate because he always challenges the status quo, writes president Phil Mead. IN THE MORNING MY ROOM LOOKED LIKE A JUMBLE SALE When he got engaged, Desperate organised a stag weekend in Jersey, with lots of fun activities and a game of rugby to raise money for charity. There were specific rules. Each tour member had to grow a full beard; those who couldn’t had to put £50 in the charity fund. Also, breakfast must never be missed – if that happened, another fine of £50 was enforced. As president, I had my own room. One night I was continually woken by tour members bringing others’ clothes into my bed chamber and in the morning my room looked…

WINNER IRELAND PROVIDE HOPE The 40-29 win by Joe Schmidt’s team over the previously all-conquering All Blacks not only gave the men in green an adrenalin shot, it gave the rest of the world a clear message: New Zealand are beatable. LOSER FIJI SHORT-CHANGED The World Rugby awards in London saw the likes of Beauden Barrett, Steve Hansen and Maro Itoje honoured – but what about Ben Ryan and Olympic champions Fiji? They didn’t deserve to leave empty-handed. WINNER BOOMING ATTENDANCES Even during a Test weekend, 25,000-plus fans packed out Welford Road for a club game. It just shows that live rugby remains an attractive proposition for many families – the Aviva Premiership is in rude health indeed.…

“I describe the Lions as a creed” DURING THE 1971 Lions tour, each player was adopted by a school in New Zealand. Mine was Auckland Grammar and at the end of the tour I was given three big scrapbooks full of newspaper cuttings by two pupils. They are brilliant and in one there is a photo of me after doing 40 scrums in the second row with Willie John McBride. In the week leading up to the first Test, Delme Thomas was injured and couldn’t scrummage, so Carwyn James wanted the tallest back to help out in training. Most of the guys suddenly had physio so I was called over for practice scrums against the reserve pack. John Pullin and Mighty Mouse (Ian McLauchlan) were moving their hips to try…

“Pros jump at the chance to get blotto” WE RUGGER players do love a drink. Often enjoyed – popular folklore pretty much has it bang on here – from unusual vessels, such as a standard issue boat shoe. And conspicuous consumption is not just limited to the grass-roots game. The majority of professionals, even the properly athletic, talented ones rather than those who somehow ended up being paid for being outsized and good at lifting heavy things, jump at any chance to get blotto. This is a great surprise to the civilians you encounter on a night out as the sight of their hero puking in a nightclub toilet somehow doesn’t tally with the day job of modern-day gladiator, risking life and gym-honed limb for a beer-fuelled audience’s amusement. The…

“I’LL BE IN PAIN BUT IT’S A MENTAL CHALLENGE AS WELL AS A PHYSICAL ONE” LEWIS MOODY has decided to escape the Christmas crush and head to Asia this month – but he’s taken on a greater challenge than battling the crowds looking for last-minute gifts and stockpiling food, writes RW’s Sarah Mockford. The former England captain and RWC 2003 winner may get to top up his tan, but he is doing so while cycling 1,000km through Vietnam and Cambodia. It’s hardly a relaxing getaway but it is for a good cause. The Headeast challenge aims to raise £75,000 for the Lewis Moody Foundation, with that money for the Brain Tumour Charity’s HeadSmart campaign, which seeks to reduce diagnosis times for brain tumours in children and young people. “Brain tumours…

“THERE ARE TIMES WHEN GAMES ARE GOING SO WELL YOU DON’T WANT IT TO END” FACT FILE Age 27 (22 Dec 1988) Born Swansea Club Toulon Position Full-back Height 5ft 10in Weight 12st 10lb Lions caps 3 (49 pts) Wales caps 65 (540) Twitter handle @LeighHalfpenny1 MY TOP 3 TUNES Thunderstruck (AC/DC) “I love the guitar at the start of the song.” Bubbles (Biffy Clyro) “It’s a song I have listened to with Jess.” Where the streets have no name (U2) “It reminds me of the family and why I play – my dad’s a big fan.” HAVING SPENT a long time out with injuries, some players would shake like a dog passing razor blades at the very thought of returning to top-end rugby. For others, they can barely wait.…

“BEING A PROP IS AN ONGOING PROCESS — YOU NEVER CRACK IT” FACT FILE Age 20 (19 Jan 1996) Born Perth Club Glasgow Position Prop Height 6ft 2in Weight 20st 2lb Scotland caps Three Twitter handle @ZanderFagerson MY TOP 3s Toughest opponents Denis Buckley Rob Evans Scott Sio TV shows Banshee Sons of Anarchy Billions Cheat meals Krispy Kreme Dominos Milkshake TRAINING WITH Scotland at 18, making his Test debut at 20 and starting successive Internationals two months before turning 21 – it’s been a swift rise for Zander Fagerson, who ably filled the No 3 shirt in the absence of the injured WP Nel in November. This month back-to-back games against Racing 92 are on the agenda as Glasgow bid to reach the last eight of the European Champions…

TELL CJ STANDER that he has a revenge match coming up – Munster v Leicester in the Champions Cup at Thomond Park – and it takes a moment for the details to register, for him to rewind through the 12 months since the Tigers were last in Limerick. This is hardly surprising given he’s been through a year of unbelievable highs and such heartbreaking lows. Since February he’s become an Ireland regular and featured in the first Ireland team to defeat the All Blacks – not bad for someone who grew up on a farm near George, in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, and who barely spoke a word of English before arriving in Munster in 2012. The quality of his performances is such that his name must feature in Warren…

CLUB CLASS 1 Who scored the first Aviva Premiership try of this season? 2 Why was Scottish referee Lloyd Linton red-faced after a Welsh derby? 3 Which ex-Championship player felt like a “prize winner” after joining Sale? 4 And what mishap befell seven Sale players on the day of their game at Bath? 5 The ‘dab’ came to rugby with a vengeance. What is it? 6 Saracens became the fifth team to win a domestic league and European Cup double. Name two of the other four clubs that preceded them. (2) 7 How did ex-Bath Chronicle sports writer Clare Daniels make history? 8 Which Scarlets player played every minute of his club’s 2015-16 Pro12 campaign? 9 Why did Exeter Chiefs have cause to thank Morgan Parra? GETTING THE PICTURE 1…

IT WAS when I went to college that I first began to understand. My friends and I had played club rugby in our late teens across South Wales but the true glory of the genre became obvious when we started student life. I went to dear old Oxford Polytechnic, and that era still leaves behind a blizzard of memories. I once caused a sensation in a lecture in my first year – by attending it! The college team played on Wednesdays and we joined a local club called Oxford Marathons. The Maras were later to merge with the Oxford club and Oxford Old Boys, and when that original amalgamation happened I found it an incredibly depressing comment on the decline of numbers because three fervent old clubs had to become…

Crabbie’s Team of the Month Thetford  HOOTING OWLS and frisky deer belie the dangers of Thetford Forest, where one form of wildlife is running amok – the Thetford RUFC back-line. “Half-a-dozen lads have all the attacking ability you could wish for,” says Nigel Brown, coach of the side that hit the top of Eastern Counties One after a flawless October. The back three of player-coach Will Martin, Josh Clark and Ryan Gardiner, half-backs Rob Duchesne and captain Chris Thomas, and openside Zak Pizzey are the fulcrum of a team that has stepped up a gear after a new approach to training. Brown, who joined this season from Cambridge University, has beefed up the defence and worked on basics, while tackle bags are now used mainly as markers instead of a…

David Pocock is known as one of rugby’s best jacklers but Scotland coach Richie Gray, owner of Global Sports Innovation, says every player has a role to fill at the breakdown… 1 MAKE IT IMPORTANT “The breakdown is not an add-on for your defence or attack coach. If you do it properly it can be that 1% that makes the difference – you do it 160 times a game. Treat it like another set-piece and set certain targets for each player.” 2 FORENSIC DETAIL “Break it down into key stages. You need to look at different aspects of both attack and defence: what you do when you fall, looking at your ball presentation, how you fight on the ground, hand placement, how you recoil, how you get up off the…

RUGBY IS not a prominent sport in Venezuela, writes Stefano Pozzebon. The national team is ranked 62nd in the world and the game is mostly played in wealthy areas of the big cities, with baseball or football more popular elsewhere. Yet rugby is part of a programme in the country’s prisons and last month Venezuela’s first inter-jail sevens tournament took place. The event, organised by rum distillery Santa Teresa, was the culmination of a two-year project in which inmates from six prisons play the game as part of their rehabilitation process. Three jails were amongst those competing at the tournament and the title went to Fenix, who beat Rodeo II 24-5 in the final. “Thanks to rugby I have learnt values like camaraderie, team spirit, discipline and humility,” says Romeo…

Think they will live to regret it. Wayne Dance Given the resources and money poured into Bristol to get them into the top flight and repeatedly failing, I’m surprised he lasted this long! Matt Crowther Too soon? Too late! The guy has been void of ideas since last season. Tactically inept. @L_Hancock6 Trouble is if they go down it will be his fault and if they stay up his good work will not be acknowledged. @pj_middleton People who think this is sudden haven’t followed the club’s performances for past 2 years. Alan Sharp Sometimes the heads of sheds expect too much of the club right away. It’s a hard league. Paul Davies Kicked out too soon but you have to look at it in context – with the money spent…

“EDDIE WANTS ME TO PUT PACE ON THE BALL AND BE FREE TO ROAM” FACT FILE Age 26 (1 April 1990) Born Swindon Club Gloucester Position Wing Height 6ft 2in Weight 14st 6lb England caps 20 Points 35 (7T) MY TOP 3s Holidays Barbados Florida Cornwall Box-sets Suits Breaking Bad Entourage Sportsmen Usain Bolt LeBron James Conor McGregor AFTER A long lay-off with a serious knee injury picked up at the end of last year, Jonny May took just 11 minutes to announce his return to the international stage with a blistering try against the Springboks last month. Rugby World caught up with the Gloucester wing at England’s training base in Surrey, as he talked at length about rehab, Eddie Jones’s motivational powers and taking his pooch, Gnarler, out for…

PENNYHILL PARK is a hive of activity in Test week. Players mill about freely and as a wood fire crackles in the background, George Ford and Ben Youngs exchange pleasantries in the corridor. Around them, the England machine rumbles along with RFU staff busying themselves as journalists scoff bacon butties and chat shop. RWare here to see Mako Vunipola and as he’s shepherded into a chair the first thing you notice are his cauliflower ears and hulking frame. In person, he’s quite shy, certainly the less gregarious of the Vunipola brothers, but he’s still an attentive interviewee and polite to a fault, speaking in hushed tones. Since the season commenced, the stream of journalists beating a path to the 25-year-old Saracens loosehead’s door has been unrelenting for one reason: he’s…

STUART HOGG “He is pretty erratic. If I’m back in the Borders or playing while with Scotland it will usually be with Hoggy.” BEN MORGAN “He’s a big golfer. I like playing with him at Gloucester – he’s similar to Hoggy in that he can be good or really SEAN MAITLAND “He’s another one I’ve played with. We have played some really nice courses. I’ll play just about anywhere really.”…

FRI 23 DEC ULSTER v CONNACHT Ulster will be looking for an early Christmas present having lost 30-25 at Connacht’s Sportsground in October and been beaten at home by Munster in another provincial derby. SAT 24 DEC EXETER v LEICESTER The Chiefs, with a few former Tigers in their ranks, will want to get their Aviva Premiership play-off bid back on track with a win over Leicester, who’ve made the last four for 12 straight years. MON 26 DEC EDINBURGH v GLASGOW The first leg of the 1872 Cup is on Boxing Day and the second Scottish derby the last game of the season in May. Who will get an early advantage? TUE 27 DEC HARLEQUINS v GLOUCESTER Big Game 9 is a replay of Big Game 8 and if…

RICHIE GRAY COLLISION COACH • Understand defence and attack coaches and work with conditioners. You need players to have the right movement principles and remain dynamic for the breakdown. Everyone can be quicker – but you must coach the technique first. • Have detailed plans for each of your players. • You must do it every day. Some do a lot in pre-season then lose it later. Keep at it. • Try this drill: set up a triangle of cones – white, red and blue – a few paces apart. Put a tackle bag in the middle, a ball beside it and a player holding a shield. After a down-and-up, a second player runs to a cone – call out a colour – and gets over the ball to rip…

Former England and Lions wing ‘Bentos’ is the business development manager at Leeds Rugby, but coached his beloved Cleckheaton for ten years – and is a big fan of this dummy switch move… What’s the objective? To beat the defensive guard at a ruck by running a clever dummy switch. How it works 10 attacks the short side, faking a switch pass to 11. As the guards are sucked in by them, 15 makes a late run and 10 hits him with a shielded pop pass on his inside. Key points Must be done at pace. 10 must interest defence. Receiver must come on a really sharp line. CUT OUT. TAKE TO TRAINING. TAKE TO THE PARK. KEEP.…