Rugby World Cup: My Team of the Tournament.

Picking a “Team of the Tournament” will always throw up controversy as people always have differing opinions on players, tactics, form, favourites and bias. That’s part of the fun though. Here is my Team of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. I know people will disagree with some of the selections. Please add your comments on who you would have picked instead.

First XV

Props – Tony Woodcock (NZ) and Nicolas Mas (Fra).

Hooker – Bismark du Plessis (SA)

Second Row – Brad Thorn (NZ) and Dannie Rossouw (SA)

Blind Side – Jerome Kaino (NZ)

Number 8 – Nick Easter (ONLY JOKING!!) Imanol Harinordoquy (Fra)

Open Side – David Pocock (Aus)

Scrum Half – Mike Philips (Wal)

Fly Half – Rhys Priestland (Wal)

Inside Centre – Jamie Roberts (Wal)

Outside Centre – Aurelien Rougerie (Fra)

Wingers – Richard Kahui (NZ) and George North (Wal)

Fullback – Israel Dagg (NZ)

Yes, I imagine your first observation will be there are a lot of New Zealand players in the team. I have chosen this side based on who I felt played the best rugby of the tournament consistently. It is therefore more a collection of individuals rather than a cohesive side based on combinations, philosophy and tactics. Were I to consider that then there would be changes here and there (and possibly the subject of a future blog post).

I could have also picked out a 2^nd XV. Having watched nearly every match of the Tournament ( even at 1am) there are a large number of players worthy of a mention. Other players I considered were Adam Jones, Kevin Mealamu, Luke Charteris, Ritchie McCaw, the entire Tongan front row, Thierry Dusautoir, Sam Warburton, Cory Jane, George Stowers and Sonny Bill Williams. There are of course many others whose performances have significantly added to my overall enjoyment of the last 6 weeks of rugby.

The next 12 months will bring some interesting international rugby. I expect the Welsh to be going into the 2012 6 Nations as favourites and with the emergence of a number of talented young players  that tag is fully deserved. Will any of the numerous question marks hanging over the RFU be answered? At the last count there were 5 separate reviews going on into varying aspects of the running of the game from HQ.

2012 will also see Argentina’s introduction to the Tri-Nations. It is great to see the IRB helping to develop the sport for countries that don’t get to play a great deal of international rugby. I hope that this ethos continues and the Tier 2 nations such as Georgia, Japan, Russia and Romania who put in some cracking and enjoyable performances in this years tournament can benefit.

Will the Lasting Memory of David Haye be his Broken Toe?

Article first published as David Haye - Too Early to Retire? on Technorati.

 David Haye has announced his retirement from Boxing. He has followed through with his assertion that he would retire on his 31st Birthday. Being a keen boxing fan and having followed Haye’s career I am not overly surprised although I am slightly disappointed. I can fully understand the argument that boxers shouldn’t fight on too long. The increased risks to health are well documented. However in Haye’s case, and given he has an ego the size of a tower block, I would have thought he wouldn’t want his last ever professional fight to be dominated by broken toe jokes.

I have always considered Haye to be an intelligent sportsman, no mean feat in a sport not renowned for its thinkers. I particularly appreciate the way he and his team prepare for his fights. In analysing his build up to the defining fights of his career there is clearly a great deal thought that goes into the specificity of his training.

For his fight against Enzo Maccarinelli in March 2008 the fight was one of his first for an American audience and was screened by Setanta Sports at 3am British time. Haye changed his entire training routine and sleeping pattern so that he would be in the best possible condition. I am unaware if his opponent went to such lengths but as Haye destroyed him within the first few seconds of the second round that tells its own story. Especially as the fighters came into the bout with strong reputations and good records.

Haye’s training in preparation for his fight against Nikolai Valuev in November 2009 was much more publicised but no less ingenious. When sparring he got his partners to wear specially constructed boots in order to simulate him throwing punches at a 7’2” tall opponent. This provided much amusement to the press but it allowed Haye to develop a strategy based on throwing effective punches at an opponent the size of which he had never faced.

He is of course well known for his “trash talk” which appears to be a large part of big-time boxing these days. I agree that Haye sometimes takes this too far however the tactic of winding up your opponent so much that they aren’t concentrating on their game is well employed in most sports, professional and otherwise. It certainly worked for him as he inflicted only the second defeat of Valuev’s 52-fight career.

Haye’s preparation for his unification fight with Klitschko was clearly hampered by the broken toe, however there will always be those who considered the Ukrainian to be the better fighter and suggested he would have dispatched a fully fit Haye regardless. I wonder if this lingering question will remain with Haye. “Could it have been different if I were fully fit?”

I wonder if he will be tempted out of retirement like so many heavyweights before him. One last big payday etc etc. In a way I hope he doesn’t. He has made more than enough money and has exited the sport having at least reached the top. Heavyweight Champion isn’t a title many have held and he will be exiting with his health intact. At 31years old and with millions in the bank he has many directions in which he can take his future. I have enjoyed watching him box, however, would another bout be TOE-tally unexpected??

Rated and Slated - England Player Review for RWC 2011

It is an inescapable fact that we weren’t good enough. The question that should be asked id why did we fall so short when analysis of the playing squad suggests we aren’t short of good players.  However, we are lacking in a few key areas and there are a number of players who have returned from then World Cup with reputations severely dented. And I’m not talking about throwing dwarves, branded gum-shields, dodgy blondes in bars and diving off ferries.

Its time for the post-mortem to begin. Here are my tour ratings for the England World Cup. Its time for some players to go, some to step up and fulfil their potential and others to justify the hype. Some of these guys should make the 6 Nations squad for 2012. Some definitely shouldn’t!

Dan Cole -  Failed to justify his reputation as a fierce scrummager. Will need to work hard to justify ongoing selection. Did he grow the beard to hide his blushes?

Alex Corbisiero – One of the few to return with his reputation intact. I do not understand why he was not used more following Sheridan’s injury. The scrum instantly looked more solid each time he came on.

Andrew Sheridan – I suggested it was a risk to take him in light of recent injuries. I fear this is the last we will see of him in an England jersey..in fact any jersey.

Matt Stevens – Found out in the scrum far too often for my liking and gave away too many penalties. Another with a reputation to repair.

David Wilson – Did what he was taken to the World Cup for...bring on the half-time oranges.

Dylan Hartley – Didn’t do enough to claim the first team selection ahead of Thompson. With Thompson likely to retire there must be a number of young hookers in the Guinness Premiership looking to take the spot.

Lee Mears – As Wilson, he was there to make up the numbers. Time for new blood in this position for the 6 Nations.

Steve Thompson – One of the few who can return from the tournament with his head held high. Worked as hard as anyone. Johnson should be grateful he returned that £500,000 insurance payment.

Louis Deacon – Did the donkey work expected of him but he was average. The pack often looked better when he was replaced.

Courtney Lawes – I felt he was unfairly treated by the Citing Committee for his “knee” incident. England missed his physicality although he disappeared against the French (along with nearly everyone else in a white shirt). Hard lessons to be learned but will be better for them.

Tom Palmer – Under-rated by Johnson and put in some strong displays. Was unlucky to be left out of some of the matches. Should be an ongoing pairing with Lawes for the 6 Nations .

Simon Shaw – There is some sentiment in this as I am a big Simon Shaw fan, but what’s the point in having a blog if you can’t be biased every now and then. The guy may be 38 but he plays like someone 15 years younger. I hope Lawes watched and learned!

Tom Croft – Slightly inconsistent at times but definitely one of the stand-out forwards. Future Captain perhaps?

Nick Easter – I said that I would have taken a different number 8 and Easter proved me right. Slow with the ball, slow without the ball. Haskell must be fuming at being left out of the starting XV for the France game. Time to retire!

Lewis Moody – Another who confirmed my apprehension in his selection. A World Cup too far. Lacked the application on the pitch and showed little of any leadership quality. Open-side is an area in which England need to discover a new gem.

Tom Wood – An excellent showing the 2011 Six Nations should have seen Wood get much more game time. A bright future for the England back-row but should have been given a proper chance to shine.

Delon Armitage – Looked dangerous on the rare occasions England put the ball in their wingers hands. Solid defensively but a silly shoulder charge on Chris Patterson ended his tournament early. The long-term successor to Cueto, however I would still play him in the centres.

Ben Foden – As with all of England’s best attacking runners he was rarely given the ball in space. Took his tries well but my lasting memory of his World Cup is likely to be the shocking missed tackle against the French. 

Chris Ashton – Went into the France game as the leading try scorer in the tournament. Surprising given the lack of invention coming from the English back line. Why didn’t we give him the ball?!

Mark Cueto – Did nothing badly but did nothing spectacular either. Yes he did bag a hat-trick, but against a weakened team of a Tier 2 nation. Am I being harsh?

Matt Banahan – No impact on the occasions he came off the bench...but that’s not a surprise.

Shontayne Hape – The emergence of Tuilagi restricted his opportunities. Not likely to feature much in an England shirt again unless Tuilagi decides to take up swimming.

Mike Tindall – Led by example....if it was a stag do.

Manu Tuilagi – In danger of his cracking displays on the field being overshadowed by his stupidity off it. Hopefully the fact he will return from NZ about £9000 poorer will get him to focus on his game, the future of which is very bright indeed.

Toby Flood – An indifferent tournament. Perhaps unlucky that he suffered an injury, given that he had a strong Six Nations Championship. I don’t think he is the long-term answer at 10, or 12.

Jonny Wilkinson – Before the tournament I described him as world class. That should have read formerly world class. Defence is still immense, but too many question marks over his kicking and ability to control and run a game.

Joe Simpson – No chance to show what he could do. I think the 9 shirt for the 2012 Six Nations is up for grabs, however Danny Care is returning to fitness.

Richard Wigglesworth – Solid and reliable but didn’t capitalise on his chances given the indifferent form of Youngs.

Ben Youngs – Can someone please, please, please tell him to stop taking three paces and then passing. Opposition defences must have been licking their lips. With predatory open-sides like Pocock and McCaw about we are likely to lose a lot of ball at the breakdown. If Warburton and O’Brien continue their current form into next year the 6N will be hard work.

Martin Johnson the Man to Take England Forward? Im Not Asking the Sheep!

Article first published as Martin Johnson the Man to take England Forward? I'm Not Asking the Sheep! on Technorati.

Well that’s me and Sonny Wool feeling a bit sheepish about our predictions! At least only one of us claims to be psychic though.

Martin Johnson made all the right noises in the pre-match press conferences. Words like “Potential”,  phrases like “moving in the right direction” and “showing improvement”. However the England team blew all of my cautious optimism out of the window with a pitiful display against the French. We had made a positive start in not having given a penalty away within the first 7 minutes and having an attacking lineout on the French 5 metre line. Thompson missed his jumper and things spiralled downhill from there.

                                             

So the post-mortem begins. Rob Andrew stated that there will be a review. Quite who is left at the RFU to complete such a review was a question left unanswered. The main point of debate will be if Johnson the man to carry England forward or if it time for him to go. The general consensus is that he should be replaced, however comparisons are being made to the Clive Woodward team of the 1999 World Cup and their exit at the hands of South Africa. We all know what happened at the next tournament.

My knee-jerk reaction was to for Johnson to go. I had mixed feelings about him getting the job in the first place having had absolutely no coaching experience at any level. However, I think he should be given chance to build on his experience. We should accept that he is probably the most inexperienced coach in world rugby and give him the opportunity to develop the team from what he has learned. Its not as if we are lacking in talent. We have players who certainly have the potential to be world class. I know, there is that word again...potential. I would give Johnson another two years. This should give him two Six Nations Championships and a handful of November internationals. Ample to time to show improvement. If we haven’t then there is time to find a suitable replacement for the next World Cup.

I would like to see the immediate retirement of the “old guard”. Thompson, Easter, Cueto, Tindall, Moody, Deacon and dare I say it...Wilkinson need to go. We need to identify young and exciting replacements and to develop a game plan that allows them to play without restriction. My suggestions? Hartley for hooker in the absence of any other viable replacement at present. Haskell to play as a dedicated 8 and not be bounced around the back-row because of his versatility. I’d have Sharples in for Cueto, a centre combination of Delon Armitage and Tuilagi and I would be looking for someone to challenge a second-row partnership of Lawes and Palmer. I don’t see Flood as the answer at 10 (or 12) and I expect to see Owen Farrell appearing in an elite squad in the near future. The choice of a specialist open-side flanker is more difficult. I’m a big fan of Tom Wood and Tom Croft but I’m not sure playing one of them out-of position is the answer.

We also need to identify a captain. The lack of clear leadership was a recurring theme during this World Cup. I would be tempted to follow the Welsh example of picking a young leader. Sam Warburton is only 23 but has had a huge impact of his squad and looks like developing into an immense player. The level of respect he is commanding from players and fans at such a young age can only be positive for Wales’ future.

                                    

I am hugely disappointed that England are out of the World Cup, however if we had managed to snatch the game from France it would have been tantamount to daylight robbery. I can sit back and enjoy the rugby on offer in the semi-finals and onwards. I wonder if Sonny Wool has made his predications yet....?

Dwarf Throwing and a Psychic Sheep.

I was wary of the Argentineans and we ground them down (eventually). I was slightly wary of the Scots (they have spoiled the English party more than once in the past) and we ground them down too. But for a handful of missed kicks from the normally metronomic  Jonny Wilkinson neither result would have been in doubt. You do have to question what the reason is for his poor form. The guy has a kick conversion rate of less than 50% in this competition. And he is one of the best kickers in the world. However, so is Morne Steyn the South African, and he is in the high 80%’s.

I think we will be victorious against the French (and not because Sonny Wool the psychic sheep has predicted an England win) however I think it will be a similar game to that against the Scots. I know the French appear to be in meltdown at the moment but everybody raises their game to play the English and they will be no exception.

The other quarter-finals should also produce some exciting rugby. I’m tipping the Irish to have a little too much for the Welsh, The South Africa-Australia game is too difficult to call as I haven’t seen much of the Wallabies, and The All Blacks will cruise past Argentina even without Dan Carter.

I hope that after the next round of matches England will make the headlines for their rugby instead of their off-field indiscretions....although the dwarf-throwing jokes were quite amusing. Despite all this I have been impressed with Johnson’s handling of the media in these situations. I am willing to bet he has handed out a few gale-force bollockings over the last couple of weeks. The on-field disciplinary stuff has been a bit suspect in my point of view. The citing of Armitage and Lawes for foul play is one thing but to fine Tuilagi nearly £5000 for wearing a branded gum-shield?! This is rugby...not football.

I still have concerns about some of Johnson’s team selections, particularly at centre, second row and back row but overall we seem to be moving in the right direction. Replication of some of the running lines shown against Romania (yes I know it was a weakened team of a Tier 2 Nation) and some continued dynamism from the pack and we should have the French going backwards.

I have been fortunate enough to watch the majority of the pool games and its is very encouraging to see the gap between the “smaller” rugby playing nations and the big boys reducing. Teams like Samoa, Tonga, Georgia, Japan and Canada have been putting in some cracking performances and some really enjoyable rugby. I sincerely hope the IRB has plans to support the developing nations. The inclusion of a Plate competition to run alongside the latter stages of the World Cup is gathering a number of supporters in the press and I would love to see this take place. In addition I would like to see a second division of the Six Nations Championship with promotion and relegation. I know they would be seen as the whipping boys but looking back, the French did not win a 5 Nations game for a number of years and the same for Italy in the 6 Nations. Developing the game globally cannot be a bad thing. It is the “World in Union” after all.

Incidentally Sonny Wool predicted wins for Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa.