Innholdsfortegnelse for Oct-2018 i Rugby World

1 GUY GRAHAM Age 20 (29 August 1998) Born Stirling Club Newcastle Country Scotland Position Back-row When did you first play rugby? I started playing at Carlisle when I was six or seven, worked my way up through the colts and made the first team at 17. My dad and my brothers played, so I thought I may as well give it a go. Was it competitive in your family with three brothers? Definitely – everything’s a competition in this household. George is the oldest, then Gary and Greg. It was tough as the youngest but it helped me in the long run. Have you always played in the back row? No, I started as a hooker. It wasn’t until I was with the Carlisle first team that I moved…

“First and foremost, I’m here to play for Ulster. It’s a great club with a great history. But I do have international ambitions – as I’m sure every player does – and I qualify for Ireland through my grandad. At the moment, I’ve got to focus on performing in a different system to what I’m used to.” “My two best holidays were Sydney three years ago with a couple of lads, and Dubai with my girlfriend last summer.” “I’m a bit of an old man! I like to go out with the boys and for dog walks – we have a King Charles Cavalier called Ozzy. I play computer games like FIFA, but not often. That’s about it. I probably sound boring!” “I don’t cook at all. My girlfriend, Jade,…

Age 38 Position Centre/wing Teams Wasps, Leicester, Biarritz & England “WHEN I played for England in 2009 I felt incredibly lucky because I was 29 and thought I’d missed the boat. To find myself selected to start against the All Blacks was an incredible honour. “I’d always wanted to finish my career on my own terms, so after Biarritz I played second-tier rugby in France and started studying with Loughborough University for a degree and Masters in engineering and physics. It was hard work but very interesting. I pushed my body to the limit as a player and it’s nice to push my brain cells to the limit too. “I was made aware of a graduate engineer scheme at Defence Equipment and Support. DE&S is the Ministry of Defence’s procurement…

DISCUSSION POINTS It’s a case of more of the same for Exeter as Rob Baxter had minimal dealings in the transfer market, with Alex Cuthbert and Santiago Cordero, who arrived late last season, the only signings. They’ve lost experience in the pack but, even without Thomas ‘the Tank’ Waldrom, their driving maul should still steamroller certain opponents. Their ability to retain possession is becoming the stuff of legend, Exeter grinding down opponents with relentless carries. It’s no surprise they topped last season’s Premiership carries chart but to do so by a margin of more than 800 – 3,983 to Saracens’ 3,116 – is significant. Then there are the 17 bonus points that were so crucial in securing top spot, albeit that they fell short in the final. With success comes…

DISCUSSION POINTS Tigers got a taste of something different in 2017-18: not being involved in the play-offs for the first time. A poor Champions Cup campaign, winning just one game, compounded the disappointment. The revolving door at Welford Road has been sent spinning over the summer, although there has been no marquee signing. Still, bringing in Guy Thompson looks a smart piece of business – he will produce week in, week out. Focus falls, though, on those already in situ. Can Ben Youngs and George Ford find their groove at half-back having misfired for club and country at times recently? Will full-back Telusa Veainu get enough ball to weave the magic spells that saw him named RPA Player of the Year? Have they got enough grunt up front to regain…

DISCUSSION POINTS Sale flirted with the play-offs last term but ultimately finished eighth. Close-season, however, has seen some canny business that, on paper at least, gives Steve Diamond a stronger squad. They have a back three as exciting as any in the Premiership in Denny Solomona, Chris Ashton and Marland Yarde and in midfield the sizeable Rohan Janse van Rensburg has been added to give the back-line a focal point. After an excellent first season, scrum-half Faf de Klerk’s stock has risen exponentially after a box-office showing against England, while fit-again James O’Connor can add X-factor. The pack, too, has an abundance of fledgling talent, led by Ben and Tom Curry. Fused with the experience of captain Jono Ross, who made more tackles than any other player last term (336),…

DISCUSSION POINTS The Warriors finished 14 points clear of the drop zone last season – with seven wins, they were on a par with Harlequins – but, with the heavily-backed Bristol entering the fray, securing Premiership safety is priority number one. They’ve been shrewd in their recruitment over the summer, picking up Francois Venter, who made more clean breaks than any other centre in the Pro14 last term, from the Cheetahs and the gifted Ashley Beck from the Ospreys to duke it out with Ben Te’o. There is also underrated talent lurking elsewhere. Openside Sam Lewis is being looked at by Eddie Jones while Duncan Weir offers experience at fly-half, but they will miss the leadership Donncha O’Callaghan and go-forward Dave Denton gave them. DoR Alan Solomons has tasked new…

DISCUSSION POINTS The Cheetahs were by far the stronger of the two South African franchises to join the Pro14, fully meriting their place in the play-offs. They ranked fourth overall on the try-scoring charts with 75 – playing with élan and winning admirers – but also had the fourth leakiest defence, so that is a big work-on. Maintaining their home form – they lost only twice in Bloemfontein – will be integral to them reaching the play-offs again and they’ll have to do it without influential duo Uzair Cassiem and Francois Venter, who have moved to the Scarlets and Worcester respectively. The squad left, however, should be more than capable of going toe-to-toe with Munster, Glasgow and Ospreys in Conference A. They have kept Springbok prop Ox Nche and recruited…

DISCUSSION POINTS Returning to Murrayfield after failing to bed-in at Myreside, the nomads of Edinburgh are setting pulses racing under Richard Cockerill’s impressive coaching. If they can overcome playing in a ghostly stadium every other week, then they could be contenders. The injury to John Barclay was a cruel blow – his target remains a return in time for the Six Nations – but they have done good business elsewhere. Matt Scott returns and, with Mark Bennett fit again, that midfield looks interesting. Henry Pyrgos has moved over from Glasgow to become their main No 9. At his best, Pyrgos is a fine player who has good leadership qualities. With dangermen Blair Kinghorn and Duhan van der Merwe this Edinburgh back-line looks very potent. Their pack is formidable and has…

DISCUSSION POINTS  Johann van Graan stepped in to replace Rassie Erasmus part way through the last campaign and he continued the good work on the fundamentals – being in the top three in the league for tries scored while having the second stingiest defence is testament to that impressive march forward. There will be slight concerns that losses came to teams on the rise like Edinburgh and Cardiff Blues, but then there was also trademark Munster ‘fight’ shown, as we witnessed in the oh-so-tight play-off loss to rivals Leinster. What’s all the more encouraging, though, is the rise of some truly exciting talents. Centres Chris Farrell, Rory Scannell and Jaco Taute are all players who can excite, while Andrew Conway and Darren Sweetnam on the wings can flash past when…

DISCUSSION POINTS No matter the metric you decide to use, Southern Kings were atrocious in their debut Pro14 season. Collecting only one win all term long – against Dragons – they consistently shipped huge hauls of points. Much of the off-season chatter has been about the side finally luring a sponsor who can help lift financial burdens – a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow they have searched a long time for. There was also talk of a change to their name and logo, to distance themselves from the failures and financial woes of the past, though this has been shelved… for now. Due to the cash-flow issues in the past few months, there has not been an influx of exciting players for a large part of…

NEW SEASON, new signings, new coaches, new team names, new sponsors, even new TV channels… We have you covered in terms of all the changes for the 2018-19 campaign with our guides to all the teams in the Gallagher Premiership and Guinness Pro14 from page 55. This season will also see the build-up to the World Cup begin in earnest. Okay, it’s been bubbling away since the final whistle blew on RWC 2015, but now the next global showpiece is only a year away it will go up another gear. Usually I’m not one for hype but I’ve got to be honest, I’m really looking forward to seeing how this season unfolds in relation to Japan 2019. Which players are going to burst into contention for their national squads? Who…

WALES U18 overcame their English counterparts in the recent Aon International Series in South Africa, winning 26-20. Wales scored tries through Cameron Lewis, Sam Costelow (who got three conversions), Osian Knott and Teddy Williams. England’s George Barton scored a try and kicked ten points. Harvey Beaton also crossed. Coach Jim Mallinder said: “We went a few points down in the first half, Wales played well and put us under a lot of pressure. However, in the second half we showed real spirit. The finishers who came off the bench made a really good impact and on another day we’d have won the game.” The Crusaders made headlines after coaxing New Zealand-born fly-half Campbell Parata, 18, from Southport School on Australia’s Gold Coast to the Nelson branch of their academy. He…

GRAEME FORBES HEAD COACH OF JORDAN RUGBY  Yes. Lowering the tackle line hopefully reduces the chances of head-to-head or head-to-shoulder contact. Many argue there’s an increased risk of head to knee, hip or elbow by pushing the tackle down. This is true but statistically the risk is not significant enough to remove the validity of the trial. It’s important to understand that the trial could show us how to make the game safer for all, not just the pros. Most pros understand the risks and have the strength and physical presence to carry out modern, powerful tackle techniques safely and have the medical back-up to manage mistakes. It’s a sad fact that many amateur players don’t. For the “game’s going soft” mob, anyone worrying should look at the now infamous…

“Even with width, if everyone is flat the attack suffocates” A NEW SEASON is upon us and with most clubs limited to one or two nights’ training a week and time at a premium, I want to share ideas on how to get the biggest bang for your buck on the field. Firstly, be prepared. I’m a fan of keeping everything to less than 75 minutes – and you can get a lot done in that time. You need to keep the tempo high and combine skills with fitness. Even the warm-up should have key skills that are part of your attacking strategy. Skills for pass, catch, tackle and run should always be incorporated into that first part of training. Make sure you pick up on the finer points of…

THE KNOCKBACK never comes. Instead, sisters Hayley and Lauren happily welcome me aboard the Raw Spirit trailer to see the latest players’ venture to hit the Allianz Park concourse. It’s a cocktail business using coldpress fruit-and-veg juice and booze. A few ex-players already run drinks brands, with Chris Wyles and Alistair Hargreaves lubricating the masses with Wolfpack Lager, and Michael Rhodes slinging gin. This one is fronted by former Saracens Tim Streather and Mike Ellery – or at least it would be, had the pair not spent the weekend elsewhere, leaving Ellery’s girlfriend Hayley and her sister in charge of masterfully fending off buffoons like me with luridly-coloured drinks… A cheery wee welcome should be expected. Saracens is one of the more family-friendly clubs on the elite circuit. Most clubs…

IN CASE you live within striking distance of Salford and are contemplating the purchase of a Sale Sharks season ticket, here are three tingling prospects to tilt you in their direction – and our advice comes at no charge to the club. Chris Ashton is way more than one of the most controversial and highly-publicised players in the game. He’s become a brilliant finisher, all-round footballer and such a dispenser of glamour that his omission from the England team on any grounds at all had become ridiculous. Now he’s back playing in England, his passage to the national team should be a formality. And how exciting for Sale that he is back in the North. Then you have Tom Curry and Faf de Klerk, who were on opposite sides during…

DISCUSSION POINTS Last season wasn’t one of distinction for Bath. A 50-50 win-loss ratio and mid-table finish is hardly the payback owner Bruce Craig envisioned when bankrolling superstars of the ilk of Taulupe Faletau, Francois Louw and Anthony Watson. In truth, the club weren’t helped by injuries incurred on England’s watch, with Jonathan Joseph, Sam Underhill, Watson and Beno Obano all injured on national duty, with the latter two out until 2019, leaving Bath looking lightweight at full-back and loosehead. Yet it can’t hide all their ills. Their first-phase attack was blunt (Girvan Dempsey’s arrival as a coach may help) and home form patchy. There is no lack of ambition in Bath, but it’s down to an already patched-up squad to match it. KEY MAN Dave Attwood proved a huge…

DISCUSSION POINTS Last season looked like a big step in the right direction given head coach Johan Ackermann’s high-tempo style. However, Glaws did still fall away at the end of the season, like so many times before, with big losses to Exeter, Bath and Saracens in three of their last four outings harming their final standing in the table. Now they have doubled down on their adventurous approach. Fly-half Danny Cipriani comes in to sprinkle his magic over an ambitious side, while more South African beef has been imported, with flanker Jaco Kriel and lock Franco Mostert from Super Rugby runners-up the Lions, looking like the picks of the bunch. And perhaps the biggest coup is collecting cult hero Matt Banahan, who is no stranger to the try-line. KEY MAN…

DISCUSSION POINTS What a season they had last time out. The Falcons’ play-offs spot was a fine reward for some of their sustained excellence. Sure, they didn’t collect many bonus points throughout last season and they just crept past Leicester into fourth place in the end, but that’s what made the whole thing all the more special up north – they did the job with very little fanfare. How do they back that up? Well, while they still have electrifying, terrifying wingers in their line-up, they need more scores coming from everywhere else on the field. At least with their core of young, English grafters ably supported by some X-factor islanders, they will always fight to the bitter end, even if they don’t quite blow the other teams away. Director…

DISCUSSION POINTS They did it all over again, didn’t they? When the dust settled on last season, Saracens were – for the fourth time in their history – crowned champions of England. Like on so many occasions before they pulled through at the end, timing their title run to perfection. It wasn’t plain sailing all season, though. At one point, Saracens lost seven games on the spin in all competitions. When the international windows opened up, Saracens were not the same force and when Test players came back it took them some time to get over the hump. In fact, their talismanic fly-half Owen Farrell started only half of Sarries’ regular-season matches, all told. Although Saracens players were also mysteriously omitted from many end-of-season awards shortlists, they won’t care –…

DISCUSSION POINTS It was quite a turnaround for the team from Treviso last term. They more than doubled their win tally from five in 2016-17 to 11 in 2017-18 and won five successive league matches for the first time. They collected six try bonus points in contrast to a single one the year before and, significantly, tightened up their defence, conceding 55 tries rather than 92. They even beat eventual champions Leinster in Dublin – a confidence-boosting result even though it was a much-changed Irish side. Coach Kieran Crowley has maintained the team’s set-piece focus but encouraged more running rugby and the statistics show this is reaping dividends. There have also been marked improvements in fitness, no doubt linked to the Italian union bringing in a strength and conditioning programme…

DISCUSSION POINTS Another season, another coach. Kieran Keane’s reign lasted just one year and now Andy Friend is in charge at the Sportsground. Friend has vast experience as a coach, working with the likes of Harlequins, Brumbies and Wallabies, but in recent years his focus has been on the abbreviated game with Australia Sevens. The rigours, not to mention the tactics, of club rugby contrast sharply with the World Series and how quickly Friend adapts will determine the impact he is able to have. Connacht have slumped in the table since the heady heights of their title win in 2016 and Friend has spoken of “putting the belief back in that group”, but they must also up their attacking game. If they have aspirations of battling Glasgow and Munster at…

DISCUSSION POINTS How do they cope with life after Finn Russell? The ten’s departure to France strips the Warriors of one of their true marquee players and they haven’t replaced him. Dave Rennie will try Pete Horne and Adam Hastings in the position in the hope that can lessen the loss of the Scotstoun hero. There are other things to resolve. Glasgow’s form fell away badly after a blistering start to last term. When it came to the crunch, they had nothing left to give and bowed out of the competition pretty tamely in front of their own people. Rennie needs to re-energise this group. Former Wallaby Nick Frisby is the only relatively well-known recruit. Business has been slow at Glasgow. But they still have a fine squad when they’re…

DISCUSSION POINTS So long the flag-bearer for the Welsh regions, with four league titles, the Ospreys suffered an inglorious fall from grace last term that led to coach Steve Tandy’s departure at the turn of the year. Forwards coach Allen Clarke, a former Ireland hooker, did enough in the interim to secure the top job, and the management have backed him by signing A-list stars George North and Scott Williams, as well as Scarlets scrum-half Aled Davies, in the hope they can fill the void left by Ospreys mainstays Dan Biggar and Rhys Webb. Clarke will need to improve the Ospreys’ try-scoring statistics, which saw them register only 44 last season – just one more than bottom-ranked Dragons, but he’ll need a secure platform first, and that will be made…

DISCUSSION POINTS It was an uncharacteristically weak season for Ulster last time out, full of disruptions and distractions… and missing out on the play-offs altogether will have stung the success-starved province badly. The biggest on-field distraction was losing their director of rugby Les Kiss in January, before stand-in Jono Gibbes made it clear his intention was to leave at the end of the season too. They have gone through pre-season without a chief Best not always available, the big lock, who toured with the Lions last year, could be pushed even further forward as a leader this term. on the ground, with Scotland forwards coach Dan McFarland caught in a tug-of-war between the union and his soon-to-be Irish province. In short, it’s been one coaching issue after another. Despite this,…

Referees are crucial to rugby – after all, you can’t have a game without one – and here’s what the four home unions offer to help wannabe officials… The RFU has two courses for those wanting to referee. There’s a three-hour one for those interested in refereeing the U8 to U13 age groups (£15) and a two-day course for those wanting to referee at U14 level and above (£75). Find out more at englandrugby.com/my-rugby/referees/ In Ireland, the provinces run day-long courses for referee recruits for free, with the aim that those taking part can commit to at least 15 games a season. See irishrugby.ie/referees/becoming_a_referee.php for details of your local referee development officer to find out when the next courses are. Scottish Rugby runs three officiating…

Q A lot of modern rugby players look like ‘gym monkeys’ to me. Are there any actual transferable skills to be learnt in the gym? If so, what can you tell us? A Well, if you focus on function and movement rather than, say, doing a legs day, chest day, arms day etc, you can see greater benefit. Life and rugby consists of core movements: squat, bend, push, pull, twist and single leg. We group these movements together to perform skills on the pitch such as scrummaging (which is squat, bend and push), rucking (squat, bend, push, pull) and mauling (squat, single leg, push, pull). Practising good form in these patterns in the gym will allow the moves to become second nature. “You should take on fuel within an hour…

Pirates ahoy Whilst on holiday in Cornwall we took a ferry to the Isles of Scilly and while on board we met the guys from Cornish Pirates. They were superb and took time out to pose for photos (below) with myself and my son, even though I was wearing my Leinster shirt! Thank you to them and best of luck for the season. Brian Bolger, via email Super for islands A Pacific Islands Super Rugby team can only be good for the best sport in the world, plus me thinks that New Zealand would not as be as strong as they are. Look how strong island teams were in the Rugby League World Cup because island players decided to play for their home nations and not New Zealand. Robin Griffin,…

3rd A new season means the return of the BBC’s Rugby Union Weekly podcast every Monday. Find out what former England and Lions wing Ugo Monye (below) and host Chris Jones made of the first round of Gallagher Premiership and Guinness Pro14 action – and listen out for more chat about terrible room-mates with the weekly guests. 24th  Look out for big World Sevens Series news this week. Nineteen countries expressed an interest in hosting a series leg from 2019-20 and World Rugby is expected to announce the results of the tender process in late September. 1st  Keep your eyes on the WRU’s social media channels this Saturday for the launch of their ‘For The Jersey’ campaign. The likes of Alun Wyn Jones, Gareth Edwards, Leigh Halfpenny and Jasmine Joyce…

Last person you phoned My mate Louis Boston. He’s a golf pro Most important person in phone The wife Last person you texted Ross Batty, asking about pre-season. I’ve still got a lot of friends at Bath Last photo you took I filmed my friend working out in the gym for his personal training Favourite social network Instagram. I’m far more of a visual person Last app downloaded Dropbox. My friend’s in a band and sends me music before it’s released Favourite WhatsApp group Jersey Boys. It’s me and six mates from Jersey Guilty pleasure app I don’t have any games but I read the Daily Mail and Mirror on my phone…

“The best thing I ever did for my son was to take him to rugby” I WAS BROUGHT up as a Millwall FC supporter but went to a grammar school, London Nautical, where they only played rugby. That’s where my love of the sport began. I played all across the back-line at school and then, after leaving, didn’t play again until I was 30. This guy I met in the pub was the scrum-half at Eton Manor and invited me to training, so I played there, this time as a hooker. Then I played for London Welsh Occies, the vets’ side. I took my son, Tom, to minis and helped with coaching. I’ve got two (coaching) certificates, the first at London Welsh and the second at Whitstable. Tom’s 24 now…

WHEN Wales hooker Bobby Windsor was named in the 1974 Lions squad, a Newport nightclub put on a night in his honour. But the journey home with Charlie Faulkner and their friend, John ‘Paddy’ Burke, didn’t go smoothly… “We had a good party and left about six o’clock in the morning,” Windsor says. “Driving home, as we got near Charlie’s house in Malpas, Paddy turned the corner and clipped the tail of a car at the side of the road. We dropped Charlie off and drove away. “Somebody had seen it happen and called the police. We ended up in court on a charge of failing to stop after an accident, which meant we had to work out what we were going to say. “The story we agreed was that…

NEW ROLE Ex-Ireland and Lions captain Paul O’Connell is now forwards coach at Stade Français. FESTIVAL SPIRIT The tenth Robbie’s Rugby Festival (right) raised £20,000 for the Robbie Anderson Cancer Trust and Jake McCarthy Foundation. The tens tournament was won by the hosts, the Loughborough Grammar School Schweff team. CODE CROSSER Wales defence guru Shaun Edwards will take over as coach of Wigan Warriors after next year’s World Cup. LONG COMMITMENT Wallabies captain Michael Hooper has signed a five-year deal with Rugby Australia and the Waratahs. TOP HONOURS Stephen Larkham, Ronan O’Gara, Pierre Villepreux, Bryan Williams and Liza Burgess will all be inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame later this year. WORLD BIDS It’s a head-to-head between Australia and New Zealand to host the 2021 Women’s World Cup.…

Home Barnet. Owner Nigel Wray is delighted to be the only Premiership club with a London postal address. The club also has the freedom of the borough. Team colours Black. There are hints of grey and red in their nice new Nike kit and they like a white away top, but Saracens love being the Men in Black. Stadium Allianz Park is also home to Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers, but the rugby arm is keen to further develop this home. Greatest player Some current crackers but Brad Barritt sums up the club’s values.…

Chris Ashton  Within weeks of signing for Sale from Toulon, the wing/full-back was back in the England squad. He broke the Top 14 try-scoring record last season and will be looking for similar statistics now he’s part of the Sharks attack as he bids for a place in the World Cup squad. Lima Sopoaga  The fly-half’s move to Wasps raised eyebrows in New Zealand, where he was firmly in the All Blacks mix, even if behind first-choice ten Beauden Barrett. Still, the former Highlander has opted to bring his all-court game to the rugby pitches of England. Look out for his varied kicks and pinpoint distribution. Danny Cipriani  A cult figure in the top flight who has all the skills to razzle-dazzle. Life at his new club Gloucester began horrendously,…

DISCUSSION POINTS They are back in the big time after a romp through the Championship but they arrive with a new identity, having rebranded as the Bears. With no Championship play-offs to negotiate, they could do their transfer business nice and early once promotion was secured. There are All Blacks, Samoans and Wallabies now spackling Pat Lam’s squad – Charles Piutau, John Afoa and the mythic George Smith are just a few newcomers –and they will need all the nous and experience they can muster. You have to go back to 2008 for the last time Briz were able to hold onto a spot in the top flight. Survival for promoted sides often comes down to points collected at the tail-end of the season, but we have a blockbuster start…

DISCUSSION POINTS A change will do you good. That’s what Quins will be hoping this season. Having dispensed with the services of John Kingston at the end of last season and also lost Graham Rowntree, Nick Easter and Collin Osborne from their coaching roster, the pressure is on Paul Gustard to revive the flagging fortunes of the 2012 champions. They have been more shrewd in their recruitment, looking to plug holes caused by England call-ups during international periods rather than signing players who are also likely to be on Test duty, but it will take a significant overhaul to get a squad that has been far less than the sum of its parts in recent years competing for top honours. Marcus Smith should improve his game management on the back…

DISCUSSION POINTS Lordy, where do you start? It was a season of chastening lows for the venerable folk of Franklin’s Gardens. Most damning were four defeats by Saracens with an aggregate score of 237-64. By December, coach Jim Mallinder was shown the door after failing to halt an ignominious slide since they won the Premiership in 2014. On the field Saints were too cautious, too prosaic and lacking in game intelligence. Stand-in Alan Gaffney barely steadied the ship and at the end of the season a raft of players left. The appointment of the highly-rated Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd has seen optimism cautiously seeping back, while holes have been plugged in the squad. Ben Franks will add grit up front while James Haskell could prove an inspired signing. Out wide,…

DISCUSSION POINTS Le Roux, Wade, Daly… we all know what creative attacking talents Wasps possess and it’s little wonder they score so highly in those statistics from 2017-18. With 288, they made more clean breaks than any other team and were in the top two for passes, defenders beaten and tries. Yet there are two areas of concern going into this campaign. Firstly, can star signing Lima Sopoaga match Danny Cipriani’s ability to terrorise defences and help those around him to do the same while he gets to grips with northern hemisphere rugby? Secondly, can they be solid in defence? They conceded more than 500 points in the regular season – that’s an average of nearly 23 a game, way too high for a team with title aspirations. Their other…

DISCUSSION POINTS Cardiff Blues finished last season’s campaign at a canter by picking up their first silverware since 2010, lifting the Challenge Cup under departing coach Danny Wilson. The Blues have appointed John Mulvihill, a little-known Australian as their eighth coach in seven years. He will be expected to continue the Blues’ evolution and, despite the bombshell retirement of Sam Warburton, he’s inherited a squad with a talented young core. Tomos Williams, Seb Davies, Dillon Lewis, Jarrod Evans and Rhun Williams are all 23 or under and will mature alongside Gethin Jenkins, Nick Williams and Manu Samoa, who should add ballast in the back five. Their most important signing? It could prove to be Moldovan tighthead Dmitri Arhip. KEY MAN Ellis Jenkins’s leadership qualities have long been touted, but he’s…

DISCUSSION POINTS Last season Dragons managed to clock up only two wins in the league. However, everyone at the region believes that such turmoil was inevitable as boss Bernard Jackman began laying the foundations for massive changes. The Dragons have now cleared house, with a huge turnover of personnel in the off-season. Improvements are now a must. With two very well-known names coming in, as Ross Moriarty and Richard Hibbard swap Gloucester for Gwent, there is some hope that results can begin to solidify. There have been bodies shifting around Jackman’s coaching team too, but after years of being blown away, fans will now demand an end to excuses and for results to roll in. One of last season’s big positives was the number of youngsters blooded in the top…

DISCUSSION POINTS There were some significant departures last season, with Isa Nacewa hanging up his boots for a second time and Joey Carbery heading to Munster amongst others, but there has been only one new arrival in the shape of former Australia threequarter Joe Tomane. It just goes to show how strong the Leinster squad is. Even without Jamie Heaslip and Jordi Murphy, they can boast the likes of Sean O’Brien, Jack Conan, Josh van der Flier, Scott Fardy, Rhys Ruddock and Dan Leavy in the back row. And while Carbery has headed south in search of more game time at No 10, Johnny Sexton still has an impressive understudy in Ross Byrne. Exciting back Jordan Larmour has earned a senior contract and will be looking for decent ball from…

DISCUSSION POINTS They may not have lifted a trophy in May but the fact Scarlets made another league final appearance and reached the Champions Cup semis, particularly after losing the first two pool games, showed the region is still making progress. Progress for which Wayne Pivac has been rewarded with the Wales head coach job post-RWC 2019. Their sizzling attack ensures opponents feel the heat and there has been plenty of focus on counter-attack in pre-season, not only to improve their fitness but their awareness and positioning. Their defence impresses, too, with only Glasgow and Munster conceding fewer than Scarlets’ 43 tries in the regular season. Jonathan Davies will be itching to get back on the field after a long injury lay-off and he should form an effective partnership with…

DISCUSSION POINTS Appearances can be deceiving. Even though Zebre finished bottom of Conference A, they bagged seven wins last season – their best showing since their 2012 inception – and rustled up more points than Southern Kings and Dragons. This all came under the tutelage of ex-Connacht and Edinburgh coach Michael Bradley. This time out, aided by Azzurri legend Alessandro Troncon, they will look to better that win ratio with the help of the excellent Edoardo Padovani and powerful utility back Francois Brummer. Zebre’s tempo will again be set by gifted half-backs Marcello Violi and Carlo Canna, who can bring the likes of Giovanbattista Venditti and Matteo Minozzi into play. The pre-season message to fans from captain Tommaso Castello is Ti Aspettiamo, which translates as ‘we’re expecting you’. It is…

SARACENS HAVE never really had the plaudits they deserve. Their rugby has failed to capture the imagination of many. Not me. I can see exactly what Mark McCall and his charges have built their foundations on and it is to be applauded, not just for the cups they win but the simplicity, execution and sheer bloody-mindedness of it. They have powerful, explosive and athletic players. They have pace in the wider channels and a ten and 12 who pull the strings perfectly. But it is the force and guile of the forwards that allows them to prevail time and again. The English champions’ game is based around hard, short carries by the likes of the Vunipola brothers, Jamie George, Maro Itoje and Vincent Koch. The bludgeoning nature of them wears…

“We’d mainly use the latch when attacking in the 22. If the defence is set and there’s a brick wall against us, we’re likely to use it then and I’ll talk to the ball-carrier to say we should set for a latch. If defensively there are holes and it’s fragmented, it might be better for the ball-carrier to pass or look for a gap.” “In terms of body position, I generally try to stay behind the ball-carrier as much as I can so all the force is going one way. As well as being a bigger target for the opposition to tackle, it’s about having that force. If you’re by the side of them you can slide up too far and go in front of the ball-carrier, which is a…

It was interesting to read Saracens CEO Mitesh Velani’s views on rugby being a draw for bidders for the Premiership rights due to it still being seen as a “clean sport”. But who did he mention as possible successors to BT? Google, Amazon and Facebook. There’s barely a day goes by when at least one of them is not in the news for data breaches and questionable tax arrangements. Of course it’s desirable for our game to expand and be the best it can be, but at what cost? Plus, it would mean yet another subscription for those of us who choose not to do business with those companies. I wonder how long our clean sport will remain sporting. I can see a time fast approaching when I’ll turn my…