Looking Back in Anger ?

Seems odd to me that the folk who cheered Jonno as English rugby's Great Redeemer seem to be frustrated by the team he is moulding. To appoint the gnarly Tiger, then expect a team shaped by him to be a free running force of rugbying bread from heaven is a bit like voting Labour and then complaining that we've got a big sweaty Scot as a PM.

England simply didn't seem to know what to do with the ball against the Irish. It was hatched from the back of the rucks so slowly, and Care needed an age to clear away legs and arms before delivering to Wilko, who sat so deep he might as well have been occupying one of those green seats. In contrast, when the Irish gor delivery of the ball in attack, they knew exactly what they were doing, their three tries born of rapid decision making and confident players.

Byrne, baby, Byrne...

The indiscretions of the Ospreys coaching team may cost Wales dear. Those responsible for fielding the Ospreys full back as part of a 16 man attempt to shut out the Tigers had best stay clear of Messrs Gatland and Edwards. They will miss his big left boot and dominant skill under the high ball for sure. Expect the English to pepper James Hook with aerial bombs - judging from the Saxons against Ireland A at the Bath Rec earlier today, the coaching team has clearly figured that the cross kick/box kick/hail mary is going to be their contribution to the tournament's excitement quotient. Perhaps they're hoping for a richochet off the roof to fox the Welsh back three.

Heineken failing to reach the English parts...

Post-war Welsh Rugby Union
So the Saints go marching on...alone.
The coaches have been quick to point the finger at the attritional nature of life in the Premership. More pertinently, the fact that super rich clubs such as the Ospreys and Toulouse are not salary capped is also a crucial factor. To survive the heavy casualty rate of a modern rugby season, you have to have covering players of real quality.
The Irish and Welsh teams play in the Magners League, which has a more sympathetic fixture list. It is also less attritional - but that does not make it a lesser competition - if it was, the Munsters of this world would find it impossible to step up the intensity. There is another factor at play here, too. The Irish and Welsh (and, of late, the Scots, too) seem to be able to develop their young talent in the Magners in a way that the results driven Premiership clubs find difficult. Hence - more quality cover that's been tested in game situations, and an eye on developing talent rather than buying in another "name" player.

Autumn Leaves Us Feeling…?

A bit unsettled, really.
After the 6 Nations, it looked as though teams had worked Wales out. Witness the England match, where they programmed Joe Worley to crash time and time again into the midfield, and – it nearly worked !
Today at the Millenium the Wallabies looked pretty comfortable in defence, but their lines of running, superbly marshalled by Matt Giteau, looked a class above anything Stephen Jones and his Unhappy Band could muster. Perhaps fielding two big lads like Roberts and Davies was telegraphing our intentions a tad ? How about following the Ospreys by trying the Hook at No 12 experiment ?

New Season, New Coach, Same old Ospreys...

The fans were leaving long before the end of the latest Magners League match against Heineken Cup winners Leinster. The visitors were efficient enough in defence to allow the pressure to grow on the Ospreys, and Sexton's boot did the rest. The fundementals of the Ospreys game seem solid enough, although perhaps they could be accused of lacking some depth in attack, but overall the error count suggests that the team still lacks a collective will. Perhaps the wounds of last year's Heineken exit will take some time to heal, and new boy Scott Johnson's methods likewise need some time to bed down. Unfortunately, in the professional world, this star studded squad has to deliver. Time may be the only thing they can't buy.

Justice ???

In a display of breath taking arrogance, the Springboks took the field with “Justice 4” written on some make shift armbands, a mark of their sense that the hitman second row Bakkies Botha had been unfairly cited, and therefore unable to play at Ellis Park. Some might say that those who live by the sword…
Thankfully, those armbands looked as ragged as the Springboks by the end of another full blooded encounter, and this time there was no escape for the home side. The Lions were good value for the win, faithfully sticking to their exhausting brand of multiphase rugby. Ultimately, however, they may reflect on the fact that they were exposed by the Springboks off first phase moves at Durban and Pretoria, and they themselves ran out of gas last week.
Their sheer will to win was tangible yesterday, and they can travel home with heads held high. The press began to circle the still breathing corpse of Lions rugby last weekend, again predicting the end of what is called “the brand”. It is clear that the players don’t care a hoot for the economic judgements. They still regard playing in a Lions test as the ultimate career high.
Jusifiably…

Do they have the number of The Beast ?

The sight of poor Phil Vickery trudging off the park last weekend was enough to make this Welshman cry into his beer. Vickery is a proud player, and may have seen this tour as his swan song. But the lasting memory of this test match, and perhaps of Vickery, is the sad, confused shake of the head.
Any front row forward under pressure is an excruciating sight for the armchair fan, but the pincer movement performed on Vickery's spinal column by The Beast and the giant hooker DuPlessis was gruesome indeed. Crucially, he was afforded no protection by the ref, who blamed him time and again for the collapse of the front row. Not once were the Boks even spoken to in this regard. If we get nothing else right this weekend, it would be great to see us spinning some solid scrum ball, because those centres could do some damage...