“We were rubbish…”

 

Football managers, mindful of the brittle sensibilities of their charges and the fickle temperaments of their bosses, tend to blame referees when they get beaten. Conor O’Shea’s response to the Quins defeat at Exeter was refreshingly honest. Lucky not to get beaten by more, he said.

Coaches and managers need to talk sense if teams are to improve. If all reverses are due to other people’s incompetence or some malevolent Fate, then athletes will not learn the lessons they need to learn to avoid it happening next time.

With the Heineken campaign just a few days away, this weekend’s Aviva matches are a pretty good illustration of why the powers that be are crying foul over the qualification criteria. As O’Shea noted, none of the top sides can take results for granted. There are just too many good players around. As well as the mighty Quins being given a warm West Country hospitality, the supposedly struggling London Irish side blew the Saints away. Over the border, unfancied Glasgow went to the Arms Park and gave the Blues a lesson in how to scrummage.

Some of these results may well be down to players and coaches having an eye on the European ball. Some of these results reflect some teams learning some harsh lessons. But all of these matches show what all rugby players know, that the mentality goes hand in hand with the physicality in any given game. Get that wrong, and you’re rubbish.

The Stoop to conquer ?

 

Leicester 9 - 22 Harlequins

 

On close examination, this match represents more than two strong sides in a high tempo, high energy encounter at Welford Road. Leicester have made a habit of confounding critics for some time now, but it is tempting to say that the ascendancy of the Quins in the Tigers' den may well give us a glimpse of England's rugby future.

IF they choose to go down that road...which is a big IF...

English rugby has been so risk averse for so long that it is etched into the red rose DNA. When coaches blithely talk about their charges playing "heads up rugby", they mean "Kick it as high and as hard as you can". The secret to the Quins system of recycling is that they don't even look for the supporting ball player. They just hear a call from behind them, then off load the ball into the hole for the next attacker to surge forward. When it works, they flood (sorry Toby...) the opposition midfield, throwing numbers at a weak point, punching holes. All in all, very difficult to defend against. Tacklers are chasing back, not surging forward into the hit. Defence is no longer King.

And that, for English rugby, is a sea change.

It is also great to watch, because Quins play it all at a high tempo.

Stuart Lancaster was at Welford Rd to see it all. He must be wondering how he could replicate the standard of this terrific game at international level. For too long now, English sides have been inferior to the club sides that feed them.

I used to be paranoid, but they’ve stopped following me…

So was the English/French inability to perform at Heineken level a massive conspiracy after all ? Was it just setting us all up for this endgame ?

The story from France and around the Premiership grounds is that they’re hard done by. Since they are the best teams around, playing the best rugby around, there has to be a REASON why they don’t routinely win the Heineken Cup.

And the REASON is devastatingly simple. The Irish have their teams kept out of harm’s way, playing the odd light warm up match against local knitting circles. The PRO 12, the story goes, is a thinly veiled attempt by the Celts to cheat the exceptionally rich French clubs out of much needed euros. In an attempt to keep the wolves from the door, the English Premiership clubs have just signed a deal with BT (honest…) that will guarantee that they accumulate cash at the same rate as their friends across the channel. But like Master Twist, they want some more. And part of the deal has guaranteed rights to Heineken matches, which is a bit like a market trader flogging you stuff off someone else’s stall on the basis that you’ve just bought your spuds from his…

Two (related) thoughts on all this.

1.       How much is this to do with what’s fair, and how much is this to do with suits acting like football executives? . No one is asking the bigger question here – what about the players in all this ? The more the suits rake in the cash, the more the game sells its soul.

2.       The likes of Leinster are not the best because the players are spending all their time on the chez longue, being fed freshly peeled grapes by dusky maidens. It is undeniably true that the Pro12  isn’t as gruelling as the French or English competitions, but much of that is to do with the attritional nature of the Premiership and Top 14 games. To assume that the English and French clubs would beat Leinster on their version of a level playing field (!)  is to deny a fact that is as plain as that ugly scab on the end of Steve Borthwick’s schnozzle – that O’Driscoll’s boys are a gifted outfit, brilliantly coached.

Party over...

With the Closing Ceremony finally over – and without sounding too churlish, can anyone explain why George Michael wasn’t quietly told that one song was quite enough, thanks – the rugby world can look forward to cheering our own Olympians next time round. Rio will have a sevens tournament, as well as a golf championship.

I feel torn on this, and must confess to a feeling of some relief when Chelsea’s Daniel Sturridge missed his penalty, having feared that the national obsession with football would overshadow the genuine Olympian feats that we have witnessed during the past fortnight. The sight of those ridiculously wealthy young men alongside people who have struggled to get any funding at all would have made me gag. I have sympathy for Sturridge in having to live with his miss – but only up to a point. He gets more money in a month than our entire swim team would get in a year. The highly paid pros going out against either completely amateur, or lowly paid part time professionals can be distinctly unedifying. The US “Dream Team” may be great for the sponsors back in the States, but it’s a bit like Tiger Woods sweeping the monthly medals at your local golf club.

Similarly, I was delighted to see Andy Murray produce the goods. (It would have been brilliant to hear a piper knock out “Flower of Scotland” there too. How long before we ditch that dreadful dirge of a “National Anthem” ?) But does the highly professional, highly televised world of tennis need Olympic status ? Do we NEED another golfing tournament ?  

Sevens rugby will, as ever, be great fun, but let’s produce a GB team of our existing sevens players, rather than trying to put together our own “Dream Team”.  And even as a Welshman – can we not sing “Jerusalem” at the medal ceremony ???????

Gavin still hunting for Stacey?

Cynics might say it was inevitable that Gavin Henson should sign up for a team based in the big bad city. After all, they might say, he’s more interested in being in the limelight than he is being under floodlights. London Welsh, they would say, are the latest in a long line of suitors who are destined to have their hearts broken.

But let’s just look at things from our Gav’s point of view.

On a personal level, he gets to work and live near his kids. As they grow, he’ll be more and more aware of the need to build those relationships, and this could represent a major opportunity for Henson to put down some roots. Lyn Jones, his old mentor from the early Ospreys days, knows him well, and will play the role of the wise owl.

In playing terms, the quest to rediscover the Henson who played such a critical role in the Mike Ruddock Grand Slam team may be unrealistic anyway. Henson is now on the wrong side of 30, and his lack of exposure to the fast moving demands of the game in the meantime will make his selection a gamble. On a basic level, the fact that these lost years have been largely self inflicted mean that there remain huge question marks over his desire to play the game.

And the Premiership is no place for someone who wants to play a bit of touch rugby before going home to read bedtime stories to the kids. Henson will feel more wanted at London Welsh, with all his experience, and will not be playing second or third fiddle to the likes of Jamie Roberts, but he will have to be completely committed to battle it out if he is to persuade those around him that this move is the one…

Moving on ?

A glance through these names will be enough to send the average Welsh rugby fan back to chapel on Sunday to start praying. This may be the biggest raid on the reserves of rugbying talent since the dark days when rugby league teams brandished cheques the way Gordon Ramsey wields his chopper.

The glass half full fraternity may just offer the opinion that these movements may allow younger, hungrier players to come through. To which I say - they better ! In the words of the Scottish Sage of BBC punditry, you don't win anything with kids. Young rugby players need experienced players around them to develop. Sam Warburton needed Martyn Williams, Priestland needed Stephen Jones etc etc. If those older players are off (and who can blame them ?), then that precious process simply does not take place.

In national terms, this need not affect the development of what is a pretty young, ambitious set of players. But at club level, I can't see any of our teams managing to challenge for honours in the Heineken Cup. There again...what's really changing ????

And the winner of x factor is...?

Genia, Pocock, Barnes, Higginbotham...or Joubert(again) Not Priestland, who looked laboured at 10, or Adam Jones, whose lack of mobility was constantly targeted by the Aussie half backs. Or Sam Warburton, who came second to David Pocock before his early departure in today's final Test. With only eleven points to separate the two sides after 240 minutes of high intensity rugby, the Welsh have some cause for satisfaction when reflecting on how far they have come under Gatland. This team will challenge the best, even away from the Millenium cauldron. But the overall feeling will be one of a missed opportunity. They let the Australians bite back in the final moments in the decisive second test, and Gatland's team will rue the lack of the killer instinct that did for the French so magnificently in the Grand Slam match. The coaching team will study the videos, perhaps reconfiguring the kick and chase game (do we need someone to do the kind of job Habanna does for the Boks, a fast hustler who may not actually make the tackle on the gathering player, but who stops him scanning all the options?) More than anything, Gatland's team will be thinking about how best to keep this team of players hungry. That, above all else, will be the decisive x factor come 2015.

Hot Tipuric for the top ?

 

I feel a little bit like Martin Luther hammering the 95 Theses to a church door, or perhaps the first Tory to suggest that Maggie may have lost it back at the end of the 1980's, but I'll go ahead and say it anyway. Should Justin Tipuric be starting at 7 for Wales ?

It is a measure of Capt. Sam's impact on the world rugby scene that such an opinion might be considered blasphemy, but the Ospreys flanker with the Croatian name is, quite simply, one of the best open sides around. Warburton's medical travails may just present Tipiric with a lorry load of caps anyway, but the multi-skilled flanker just keeps performing at such high levels that the Welsh selectors will have to consider this brave move if David Pocock manages to burgle as much ball as he did in the 1st Test. 

The pressure is on the Home Nations this weekend. Can Ireland prevent the series against the All blacks becoming a rout ? Can England offer an alternative to the "in yer face" approach they adopted last Saturday ? Can Capt. Sam's Wales turn the tables on Pocock and Co. ?

Ho hum. Another busy Saturday on the couch...

Casting a Long Shadow

When Shane Williams was picked to go to the World Cup in 2003, it was on the basis that he’d played a bit at scrum half, so he might be useful to have on the bench. Too small to be an out and out contender, they said. Too many tricks in his box, too likely to land his team mates in trouble in a rugbying world where risk was a dirty word. Where coaches put teams through hours of retention drills on the assumption that sooner or later the oppo would flop over the ball and give your version of Jonny his chance to have a pot at goal. Then jog back to halfway and do it all again. What you don’t want in a team with that game plan is some fly boy with happy feet. Someone who will expose you to turnovers.

Shane duly went to the World Cup, where Wales shocked the living daylights out of the All Blacks and the eventual champions, England.  The fly boy with happy feet became the idol of every vertically challenged rugby player in the world, and for a while even prop forwards stopped practising their drop goals at training to try to imitate that jagging side step.  In Wales he became one of the new breed of rugby celebs.  His talent to entertain meant that soon the media came calling, and they found that his easy style on the pitch was replicated in front of the cameras.

His ability to unlock defences made him a key member of successive Welsh sides. Usually, wingers are the great finishers, the boys with the wheels who are able to round moves off in the corner.  Shane could certainly do that, but it was his appetite for work that made him so difficult to defend against. Look at his two “last” tries. Against the Wallabies in the Autumn, and again last night against Leinster, he drifted off his wing, and scanned the defence in front of him. Then there was a call, a swerve, and he skipped past despairing dives.

But don’t let this easy charm fool you. Shane is no enthusiastic amateur who just made it because he was an outrageous talent. He is also one of the great professionals, a player who knew he had to work hard in order to make it at the highest level, who had to learn to be more than the fly boy with the happy feet. That makes him a great role model for all those who play the game. He reminds the coach of the dangers of restricted thinking, he reminds players young and old that there is always something you can do to be a better player. Most of all, he reminds the spectator of why they love this stupid, rule ridden game in the first place – to see talented players do things you could only dream of doing…

Just too good

Thoroughbreds from the RDS canter on.

Having patched up O’Driscoll and beaten Clermont in one of the most impressive Heineken matches of another great year, there was no earthly way that Leinster would get beaten. Having said that, the rugged Ulstermen had managed to negotiate this year’s “Group of Death” – which is usually the one without an Italian side in it – murdering Leicester 47-0 in the process, then went and won at Thomond Park in the quarter finals. 

The very idea that it could be Ulster’s year was kicked into touch early on, courtesy of that man O’Driscoll, who executed one of his trademark offloads. The muscular certainties that Sean O’Brien brings to a rugby field did the rest. I still have question marks over young Sean as a 7 – O’Driscoll and D’Arcy’s excellence at the breakdown mask his shortcomings when quick thoughts and deeds are needed in the tackle area – but he is one hell of a ball carrier. And I would never, ever, pick a fight with him. Just ask the redoubtable Ulster back row, who tried to subdue the Leinsterman all afternoon, but left the field of play exhausted. Ferris, one of the players of the tournament,  came off second best here.

The vital cog in the Ulster machine, Ruan Pienaar, had an average game. He lacked authority, perhaps finding too much on his shoulders with the 20yr old Paddy Jackson at 10. When Pienaar did try to utilise his kicking game, he was just setting Kearney up for another virtuoso high catch. Even when the Ulstermen managed to breach the blue wall, the clock was ticking on, and they had nothing left.

So it’s 3 out of 4 for Leinster. And that ain’t bad…

Peerless Pienaar kicks Ulster all the way to Twickenham

The neutral may well be rooting for Brian and the Leinster boys come Heineken final day, if the semi final displays give us any clues as to the likely entertainment factor. Despite the fact that Ulster will be travelling across the Irish Sea as underdogs, the average rugby fan will probably feel that Heaslip, Sexton, and  O’Driscoll  offer rather more pazzazz than an Ulster side built around Wannenburg, Muller and Pienaar. As in 1999, when they won this competition, they have a grinding, remorseless pack of forwards allied to a strong kicking game. Like Saracens, they have chosen to import some hard nosed Boks into the set up to play the physical, territorial game that wins the tight matches. All this has been a carefully considered strategy. Not many internationals here to distract the focus, just some key personnel with the experience to handle the big occasions – Best, Wallace from “home”, and the key acquisition of Pienaar to direct the forwards, set the tempo for the backs, and kick goals from just about anywhere. And a look at the Celtic league standings will show that this is a team built for the sharp end of the Heineken Cup.

In short, they are a tough, uncompromising outfit, a nightmare to play against. Brian and the boys will be hoping this wet spell of weather is out of the way to give them a dry track at HQ. But they would be foolish to think that a meeting with Pienaar and his pals will be a warm hearted Irish craic of a day.

Big Phil to fill the Blues gap ?

Cash rich French teams continue to circle over the corpse that is the Cardiff Blues squad, determined to take the opportunity to strip the Grand Old Dame of Welsh club rugby of its juicy morsels. Alex Cuthbert gave a gloriously non committal reply to the inevitable question after his man of the match winning performance against Edinburgh, so we can assume he’s on his velo, too. Bon voyage, and Welsh fans will truly wish him all the best. In such an uncertain world, playing a game that is made up of potentially career ending collisions, we can hardly blame him. But will he get enough game time at a place like Toulon to learn his trade ? Hardly a concern for an old stager like Gethin Jenkins – indeed, careful management of game time is just what a 30+ prop needs – but a young player like Cuthbert needs game time He needs time reading games, needs time (in his case particularly) under the high ball, chasing back, covering kicks.

News that Big Phil Davies, one of the most highly regarded coaches either side of Offa’s Dyke, is in the frame for the vacant Blues job has to be good news for Welsh rugby. Although I don’t share the sense of doom and gloom that accompanies the big money signings, it has to be acknowledged that the National set up needs a strong Regional scene. The success of Gatland and Edwards has to a large extent hinged on the Regions being able to expose young players to a good playing environment.  Big Phil’s reputation may do a great deal to keep the Blues squad looking forward.

With “foreign” stars moving on, the Blues are looking closer home for replacements – Jason Tovey from the Dragons is a sensible piece of business, for example. Money is clearly tight. The move to the Arms Park – yet to be confirmed, but obviously on the cards – would also make sense. The players can’t be happy playing in front of vast empty stands as they are at the City Stadium. They can always return there when the big Heineken games demand it.

The job now is to ensure that the Blues – and the other Welsh regions – get to play those big games often enough.

What will life be like with these Lions ?

Good question, Mr Gatland. I expect you know the core of your side already. Most would expect it to be formed of your own Welsh players, so no surprises...perhaps.

Gatland is no rosey eyed loyalist. The strong foundations he has built in this Welsh squad have been based on a lack of such emotion. Players who failed to perform heard it in no uncertain terms. Ryan Jones, one of the players of the 2012 6 Nations, had to bounce back from being stripped of the captaincy, then seeing that young buck Faletau emerge from relative obscurity to become Wales' bolt on starting No 8. The canny Kiwi coach will also remember some of the Lions lessons of the past. Most painfully, Woodward learned that attempting to reassemble the 2003 WC winners in Lion skins was doomed to failure.

The starting Welsh XV may well form the core of the Gatland Lions pride, but some of those big names will need to look over their shoulders. Can any coach afford to leave such players as Heaslip, Ferris, Best, O'Brien, Sexton and Kearney of Ireland on the touchlines ? Foden, Tuilagi and Croft ?

For what it's worth, at this ridiculously early stage, here goes my Lions starting XV - Jenkins, Best, Jones, Gray, Charteris, Lydiate, Warburton (c), Heaslip, Phillips, Sexton, Roberts, Tuilagi, North, Halfpenny, Kearney.

Croft for Gray, O'Brien for Lydiate, Foden for Kearney, Healy for Jenkins after 60 mins.

The Rise and Rise of the House of Lancaster

So have the blazers got it right at last ? In essence, they were on to a hiding to nothing. England’s woeful WC performances were all but forgotten after the 6 Nations Championship. There was such palpable relief in the Twickers crowd that a resurgent Welsh team didn’t beat them senseless that they hardly objected to the Strettle try being turned down. After a lacklustre Irish team was turned over on the last weekend, the ink was as good as dry on Stuart Lancaster’s contract. To look beyond the caretaker coach would have been seen as illogical (nothing new there) and unpatriotic (ouch).

Players such as Lee Dickson waded in with their support - but then again, he would, wouldn't he ? The previous regime didn't have our Lee anywhere near the top of the scrum half pecking order.

Like several others, I remain unconvinced.

Lancaster is addicted to sports psycho-babble on a scale not seen at Twickenham since the dying days of the Andy Robinson regime. People will indulge you when they think you know what you mean, even if they don’t. But if your team starts playing like they don’t know what you mean…do you know what I mean ? My suspicion is that the “new dawn” for English rugby is still some distance away. Doubts remain over the side’s ability to create. When Charlie Hodgson’s charge downs, and penalty tries gained against an Irish scrum locked into reverse gear, are the only points gathered beyond Farrell’s trusty right boot, then those doubts will remain. Lancaster’s side will go to South Africa determined to “lay bodies on the line”, and to be “difficult to beat”. Against a Springbok side that is busy rebuilding after several years under a coach who seemed to distrust the turf within a stone’s throw of either touchline, I can’t help but feel that attrition will be the order of the day. As Captain Blackadder once noted, there will be a lot of casualties in a desperate attempt to move the HQ drinks trolley 50 yards closer to Berlin.

Meanwhile, north of the border, Robinson keeps his job. No new dawn there for our Scottish friends. Or for the players, who profess to believe in the old Bath flanker’s methods, but who looked entirely unconvinced in the final match against Castrogiavanni and his assorted legions. Cue more psycho-babble, if only to cover the plain fact that the Scottish are too mean/broke to pay Andy off…

Dan's the Man

The Dragons flanker Dan Lydiate turned in another man of the match performance as Wales closed out St Andre's stilted French side at the Millenium. The French coach had succeeded in bringing some rain down on Gatland's parade, but his controversial insistence on leaving the roof off was ultimately just another expression of his limited thinking at work here.
 In the second half, with the French forwards at last gaining a foothold in Welsh territory, Beauxis chose to go for a drop goal. He scuffed it wide - his dreadful game in a microcosm - and we knew the game was won. The final few minutes, with only a converted try between the sides, should have been hushed, with fingernails gnawed to a bloodied pulp. Instead, such was the superiority of the Welsh side, each man confident in possession, and sure of their technique, that a rendition of ”Hymns and Arias” grew and grew, the sound tumbling down from the terraces high up then rolling out over the grass. The players sucked it in, and we all realised that St Andre had done the whole of Cardiff a favour, because with the roof off the sound was able to spill out onto St Mary's Street, away across the Taff, out over Bute Park, and they could all stop worrying. The old Max Boyce classic only gets a proper airing when the boys in red are winning. When the final whistle blew, the stadium camera picked out Gerald Davies as he wiped away a tear. Perhaps for his old mate The Swerve. How he'd have loved that game. And the new Welsh legends can reflect on the fact that colleagues like Chopper Lydiate wouldn't have been out of place in that team of the 1970's.
And that, for any Welsh rugby fan, is what this Grand Slam is all about. Now this team can stop looking back over its shoulder, and head towards its own future.

Leg of Lamb on the menu after starters in Dublin and London.

England strettle for second best…(sorry...)

Whisper it, think it, but don’t say it out loud. It rhymes with “leg of lamb”, and Wales could be grabbing it at Cardiff on the 17th of this month. The players and coaching staff refuse to mention the magic words, but things are getting feverish on St Mary’s St. If it all comes together, it’s going to be one heck of a party. And after the gut wrenching disappointment of the WC semi final, few rugby fans would be churlish enough to say that this Welsh side don’t deserve it. The display at Twickenham was, by common consent, pretty ordinary, apart from that explosive (but point free) opening, the awesome discipline displayed when they went down to 14 men, and the boyish fearlessness of Scotty Williams’ try.

England played pretty well, particularly in defence. They exchanged some huge hits with the Welsh pack, and the midfield trio of Farrell, Tuilagi and Barrit refused to allow the Welsh three quarters to get up a head of steam. There were also glimpses of the English attacking threat, so sadly lacking against Scotland and Italy. Tuilagi made all the difference here.

Having said that, the overwhelming feeling at Twickers was one of relief – that the home side had put up a fight, that they were competitive. As a Welsh fan who lived through the dark days of the early 90’s, I can but sympathise…

England’s Three Steps to Rugby Heaven ?

      1.       They must kick their goals, so Owen Farrell must play, and at 10.  Sorry, Mr Flood, but that cop out moment at the death against the Sarries has put you back in the queue. 

      2.       Tuilagi must play. England are so bereft of go forward that they are depending on charge downs to score tries. They’ll need more than that against the Welsh, who on current form WILL cross the whitewash. So another apology – this time to Brad Barritt. The Sarries hard man has shown that he is no soft centre, but in attack this England back line look about as likely to score as Nick Clegg at a party at your local Student Union.

3.       Win the battle in the air – catch and return the kicks with interest, Mr Foden, and mess up the Welsh line out, Mr Croft, and your boys may stand a chance. If you’re still in the game at the hour mark, Farrell’s boot may see you exploiting home advantage.

“With ice, sir ?”

Champagne Charlie leaves Italians hung over

The snow covered pitch in Rome made viewing difficult this weekend, but spare a thought for the 70,000 who braved the elements to watch a rather turgid game. Home fans were left feeling distinctly “What if…?” by the whole affair. In the early part of the second half, the Italians were (metaphorically) basking in the warm glow of a clear lead, courtesy of the efforts of their grizzled forwards  and a couple of well rubbed greens. The English looked as clueless as a Greek Finance Minister who had just been handed a calculator. Just like last weekend, in fact.

 And,  just like last weekend, the God of Chargedowns intervened. The game changed at that moment. From that point on, the home side looked shell shocked. It may have been advanced hypothermia, but the English deserve credit for capitalising on the added space afforded to them. They picked up the pace, and the Italians began to concede penalties and ship points. Burton was replaced by Botes, and let’s just say that there was little chance of the banjo and the cow’s arse coming into any contact at any point, so the game slipped away. Lancaster will be a relieved man, but he has to move this side on from a point where they regard the cross kick and the charge down as their “go to” scoring moves.

With the Stade de France occupied by an army of brass monkeys wielding welding rods, it was left to the match at the Millenium to warm us up, and, boy, did it deliver.  Three-all at half time hardly begins to tell the story. Without Warburton at the breakdown, Rennie was a real thistle in the side of the Welsh, and the Scots played with the sort of gay abandon normally reserved for Mardi Gras. Again, there was a turning point. An innocuous fumble by Cusiter from the kick off, and the Welsh had field position. They pounced, and the direction of the game was decided. There was a snowstorm of yellow cards as the Scots buckled under the focussed Welsh onslaught that followed. For all Robinson’s pounding of the wall, it has to be said that the ref was given little choice by the offences committed by De Luca and Lamont.

Three strikes and the Scots were out. Robinson will hate the tag of plucky losers, and will point to the yellow cards as the difference in the game, but in truth that’s exactly where he is. There is more than a glimmer of hope, however. When they get it right, someone is going to get a right royal Scottish larruping from this side. Ditto the Welsh, who are still to play at anything near their World Cup best. The champagne is still on ice.

Parks - a Life.

Jim White’s piece in today’s Times on Dan Parks is interesting in that it is a rarity to see anyone defending the Aussie born fly half. Rare outside fellow players, that is. Former colleagues within the Scotland set up, as well as Blues and Glasgow team mates, have always valued his ability to kick the corners and keep the scoreboard ticking over. Dai Young bought him to Cardiff for exactly these reasons – the Blues’ tendency to dominate games that they went on to lose, particularly in the Magners, was a real area of concern. Frustratingly, the acquisition of Parks has not solved this problem.


But there have always been doubts about the adopted Scot's ability to get a backline running – the same sort of doubts that have afflicted Jonny Wilkinson, in fact. Folk prefer their fly halves to be more Dandy Dan than the Desperate Dan we saw last weekend at Murrayfield. The pundits’ choice of top World Cup 10’s would have been the other Dan (before he was crocked) and Rhys Priestland – both primarily running, passing fly halves that would keep a defensive coach on the edge of his seat. The latter does share Park’s tendency to kick low – great in windy conditions, but convenient for the opposition charge down merchants. So Priestland keeps fans on the edge of seats for the wrong reasons, too.

So how will Scotland fare in life after Parks ? To ask Laidlaw to step into the position after such a brief spell in the 10 jersey is either testament to Robinson’s faith in the young man’s ability, or simply an admission that the cupboard is pretty bare. He looked lively against England, however, and came within a haggis skin of scoring. I suspect, however, that it is the absence of tighthead Murray that will cost Scotland dear. Although his replacement Geoff Cross is a handful in the loose, he doesn’t have Murray’s ability to dominate at scrumtime, and the Welsh backline will be difficult to subdue off the back of stable scrum ball. In historical terms, expect a whiff of Bannockburn for a period, then the closing stages of Flodden.

Wayne’s World of Woe

The reaction to Wales’ stunning win at the Aviva has unfortunately focused on the performance of referee Wayne Barnes. His decision (indecision ?) to pull out the yellow rather than the red card for Bradley Davies’ X Rated tip tackle has been/will be the game’s major talking point. More generally, he bottled the decision on what looked to be a try early in the game for the excellent Ryan Jones, and even called for the TMO for a George North try that even my mother in law would have given the thumbs up to.

The Welsh back line looked full of intent. Priestland, despite having an off day with the boot, was again the catalyst for some razor sharp handling. When that level of skill and athleticism is allied to the serious bulk of players such as Roberts, Davies and Phillips, you can appreciate that the Scottish midfield won’t sleep easily during the week. And “Gorgeous George” North ? His demolition of the Irish line, followed by the deft pass out of the back of the hand to Jon Davies is the Sports Editor’s dream, a super slow mo to be shown for ever more. Got to love North Walians...

Never mind the weather...the 6 Nations will warm us up !

Robert Kitson's article in the Guardian is a pretty neat summary of my feelings on the battles to come. Injuries have already cut Wales and England to the bone. Domestic progress by Scottish and Italian sides won't be enough to raise the bar at international level. So it's down to Ireland and France. If the trio of O'Brien, Ferris and Heaslip come through tomorrow's revenge mission against what's left of Sam's WC semi finalists, you have to fancy their chances. Overall, however, the French under an intelligent, respected coach such as St Andre are bound to be a force. For too long they have tinkered with selection, paricularly at half back. Now the players have a chance of knowing where they stand, secure in the knowledge that the guy making all the big decisions from the stand has some sort of clue as to what he's doing. With such a powerful player base, and a rich vein of talent on the rise, Les Bleues will be a tough proposition for anyone. Next week's game against O'Connell's buoys will be the key match of this year's 6 Nations, and I have a ticket for what I hope will be the best game - Wales at home to the French on the last weekend. Allez les Rouges !

I'm thinking it, so I'll say it...

Is playing well for the Quins a bit like playing well as a Middlesex cricketer ???

We'll see - on a frosty Murrayfield afternoon, England's bright young (ish) skipper can be assured of a warm reception from the Scottish back row.

LV= ???

Almost felt sorry for the sponsors, really.

The sharp end of the competition, and barely a flicker of interest. A sparse crowd at Parc Y Scarlets, although the youthful home side’s gritty win against the Premiership big boys from London Irish was, arguably, just as significant a performance as the win at Franklin’s Gardens in the autumn. All eyes on the training paddocks (or freezing “recovery” chambers somewhere  in Poland) as the 6 Nations tournament approaches.

Bath finally perform.  Against a scratch Saints side who faded badly as the match went on. The LV Cup may be their only hope of Heineken rugby next year. But if they’re in this form, would it just be kinder to let them concentrate on the Premiership, and start to build a side ? The critics are whispering the Big Question -  Is Sir Ian’s magic finally running out ?

Time to get your crystal balls out...

Harold Camping, preacher, prophet of Doom, said we were all going up in a fireball in 2011. So allowing for the fact that we're bound to get odd little things wrong from time to time, what does the quarter final draw tell us, fellow fans ?


Munster v Ulster
Leinster v Cardiff Blues
Edinburgh v Toulouse

Saracens v Clermont Auvergne


Munster as top dogs and top seeds have had an exhilarating ride thus far, pinching wins with last minute drop goals, and managing to bring through new talent to freshen up an ageing team. A quarter final at Thomond Park should see them through to the semis, perhaps even to the final, but are they quite the force of yore ?
It is great to see Edinburgh playing with such freedom, and they have the considerable advantage of a home tie, but it is hard to see them overturning Toulouse. The Sarries, however, should be able to make home advantage count against Clermont. It would be nice to see England's Brave-New-World-all-attacking-high -tempo midfield of Hodgson, Farrell and Barritt cutting loose, but don't hold your breath. The club is South African to the core, and see anyone with a double digit number on his back as a tackling, kicking robot, if the latter Heineken games are any indication of the way forward.
The Blues will hit the brick wall that is Leinster at the moment. Even without O'Driscoll, they look to have the air of champions. Everything they do says "Winners". Superbly coached, and having highly skilled players who have the nous to adapt a game plan, they look to be a good bet for the Cup again. The game will at least allow us a sneak preview of a Lions backrow - O'Brien, Warburton, Heaslip anyone ?

If the cap fits...

"You haven't got the money to have the depth of the squad. That's not a criticism of anybody - that's the fact of it."

Richard Cockerill was his usual blunt self at the conclusion of the Tigers Heineken campaign, and there can be no doubt that the Midlanders suffered as key personnel went down with a succession of injuries as they attempted to battle their way out of the group stage. Unusually, their European involvement is over in January, and they can but cast envious looks down the M1 towards Watford.
 
But is he right to blame the salary cap ?
Yes, it is undoubtedly true that the French sides have more spending power - particularly Toulouse, who year on year make marquee signings, and invariably progress towards the final stages of the Heineken. But there are plenty of cash rich clubs (Toulon, for instance) who spend, spend, spend, without making an impact. And there are clubs such as Ulster who progress without breaking the bank.
 
On the French side, there can be little doubt that the Top 14 calls the selectorial shots - some teams are clearly prioritising the domestic league above the European competition. In the Land of the Celts, the Heineken is seen as the ultimate test, and the squads are built up to meet that test. In the Premiership, the sponsors are all powerful. Leicester have plenty of cash, but the emphasis on the crash bang wallop in each and every game may allow a player to think he's playing in the best league in the world, but it will leave him with precious little in the tank when the Heineken games come around, and different, more searching questions are asked.

If we can't see the Wood, will we be able to see the Twelvetrees ?

So no toe in the water for Lancaster in the 6 Nations - with the current injury list, it looks like total immersion for the new coach. Tom Wood, the Saints backrower, will be missing the first two fixtures. At least. His fractured toe is encased in one of those really flattering medical boots, and he will struggle to make the Wales game at the half way point of the tournament.
And he will be missed. He is an abrasive ball carrier, with excellent skills in and around the contact area.



The Scots will fancy their chances of sending them homeward, tae think again...

The Cup that cheers

Addicts of the round ball game tell me that the club scene, particularly in the form of the Champions league, has some claim to be better than the international matches. A full strength Barca side would always beat an international team, they say. Laying to one side the obvious point that the Spanish national side is pretty much Barcelona’s, it is worth drawing some comparisons with rugby. Would we find that, say, Toulouse would beat England ? Northampton v Wales anyone?


On balance, I suspect that the club sides would struggle to match the front line national sides. Top soccer sides can go shopping for the very best players. Even in these sobering economic times, the Premier League, La Liga et al can still afford to pay out eye watering amounts of cash. Some subs benches are groaning under the weight of the money stuffed into the back pockets of their occupants. Although a club such as Toulouse are “rich” in rugby terms, they would struggle to compete in the Championship in our Football League. Rugby teams simply demand such a reservoir of specialist talent that at this stage of the season even the big squads are under strain. Look at Leicester - one of the biggest, richest clubs in Europe, but they looked forlorn this weekend against a rather more tigerish Ulster. Too many injuries to cover. Sir Alex Ferguson would simply whistle up some multi millionaire junior pro on loan at Accrington Stanley, and problem solved.

But the Heineken continues to be compulsive viewing. Cardiff struggled to put Irish away - doubts remain over the power of their front row. They’ll be in it as long as Gethin stays fit.

In a similar vein, The Scarlets were always going to find the going tough against the Saints. Once Mallinder’s boys decided to stick the ball up their tight fitting jerseys, the flying West Walians were grounded.

The most disappointing match of the weekend was the Sarries v Biarritz face off, which proved to be a pretty dour affair. When will this talented French outfit face the plain fact that their negative approach keeps costing them matches? Both sides were crammed full of talent in the backs, but the game was dominated by slow, slow “rucks”, where robotic forwards formed an orderly queue and heeled the ball back as slowly and as carefully as if it were made of crystal glass. The idea, of course, is to give the scrum half as much distance between the ball and the opposition, but as a tactic it is as dull as very murky ditch water.

 If rugby is to refresh the people that other games cannot reach, it needs to sort this out.

Big LOLs from Big Lol.

The big Wasp's been sticking his oar in again ahead of the 6 Nations campaign. Always described as "World cup winner Dallaglio" by the journos, his views carry considerable weight.
But his recent contributions don't necessarily hold water.
Firstly, he claims that Tom Wood would be the obvious choice as the next England leader because back rowers make good captains. Well, he would, wouldn't he ? In the same breath he dismissed Robshaw's claim on the basis that he lacked experience. That word again. Think about all the benefit England derived from Tindall's "experience" this last summer...
On the same tack, he felt that Farrell and Morgan were too inexperienced. How could they be expected to cope with the rampaging Scots up at Murrayfield, he asks. England need results, so Hodgson should be at 10. In terms of flawed thinking, it's right up there with the Titanic's crew's feeling that that "it's just scratched the paint, Skip".
Dallaglio was part of a winning side in 2003 because, quite simply, they had more nous, more muscle and infinitely more game winning experience than any other side. They had the balance of all the elements required to win a rugby match.
But all those elements came together over time. England's mistake over the past few years has been to stick with experience as these stars have faded, which has led to tough selectorial decisions not being made. All this may happen again as the home RWC of 2015 leads to those in power at Twickers prioritising a narrow win at Murrayfield over the development of such talents as Farrell and Morgan.

Pruning the Red Rose

Challenges aplenty for interim coach Stuart Lancaster as he and his newly formed team tip toe through the selectorial minefield. Should they pick a young, fresh faced legion of twenty somethings to get hijacked by the Scots at Murrayfield ? Or do they play it safe to get the new regime moving forward with some wins, then evolve over time? Go back to a thirtysomething in Charlie Hodgson at 10, or take a punt on Owen Farrell ?

Injuries may force their hand - with no Wilkinson or Tindall ("retired from active duty"), Tuilagi or Flood (crocked), the midfield has to be reshaped anyway. Farrell has to worth a look. He is calm under pressure, and has the ability to see and create space in a crowded midfield. England badly need a controlling force to work in tandem with Flood - when he recovers. The question will remain - which of the two is a 10, and which is a 12 ? Same old, same old. The point is that Lancaster and the rest of us will never know the answer to that question until Farrell gets his exposure at the highest level. After all, a year ago, who would have imagined that Rhys Priestland would be one of the top 10's in international rugby ?

Foden Frenzy?

Saints' comfortable 32-14 away at Newcastle threw  some of the current season's talking point into some relief.

First of all, it should have consigned one recently touted view to the selectorial dustbin - the idea that England should sideline their most important attacking force, Ben Foden. Journos, players agents, coaches, Uncle Tom Cobbly et al have been pushing the claims of (in no particular order) Delon Armitage, Mike Brown and Nick Abendanon as alternative England full backs, with the Saints player somehow providing an answer to the vexed question of who provides a spark at centre. Quite simply, to move Foden would be asking a great deal of a player who, as a scrum half, had to relearn the game from 15. To ask him to do so again because England have someone almost as good to replace him is, in effect, to avoid the initial problem.

The Saints win also underlined the importance of the man mountain that is Soane Tonga'uiha. He is MASSIVE, and that Saints pack never looks remotely as threatening when he is off the park.

Lastly, sadly, the win showed a Newcastle side that is gradually dropping off the pack. Like a busted cyclist half way up the climb to Alpe D'Huez, they will keep pumping the legs, but now there is no one in their rear view mirror, and little prospect of there being one for about nine months. Old boy Tom May's try to seal the Saints win must have been a bitter pill indeed.