Dollie a Brumbie?!

Discarded Western Province and Boland flyhalf Isma-eel Dollie has indicated that he will be going to trials with Super 14 franchise the Brumbies for the 2009.

For those who don't know Dollie is an interesting character in SA rugby - blessed with enormous talent, he has been successful at Under 21 level and even cracked a mention by Bok coach Peter Devilliers as a potential international contender down the line.

Unfortunately size has counted against him and he couldn't get a spot in the Western Province training squad or at the weaker Boland franchise.

Without being scornful of an obviously talented rugby player - how does he expect to break into Super 14 rugby when his home provinces won't give him a crack?

Potentially competing against the likes of Matt Giteau - I'm just not sure he has the firepower to crack it at this level.

Having said that - I suppose we should remember a certain Clyde Rathbone who also shone at U21 level, couldn't crack it in SA and went on to star for the Wallabies at senior level.

Either way - best of luck to him. Having said that, I did enjoy this quote from one of the other rugby sites:

"hahaha - Rassie is worried about the Brumbies- and instead of strenghtening his own side - he thought it smart to weaken the opposition.

Rassie you tactician you…."

SA triumphs in Sevens

The Springbok Sevens side beat England 19-12 to win the first leg of the series in Dubai.

Tries from Robert Ebersohn, Mpho Mbioyozo and then Gio Aplon made a silly pass once he was inside the English goal area to give a try to Ryno Benjamin...

What was he thinking?!

Well done to the SA side though - not a great day for England in general...

England and New Zealand name their lineups

England has named their side to take on the All Blacks and there are a couple of changes to the side that got smashed by the Springboks.

Cipriani (Or Capriati as Peter De Villiers is rumoured to have called him in a press interview) has been dropped to the bench but amazingly Sackey (who was a real liability in the Bok game) managed to keep his place....

England
15 Delon Armitage, 14 Paul Sackey, 13 Jamie Noon, 12 Riki Flutey, 11 Ugo Monye, 10 Toby Flood, 9 Danny Care, 8 Nick Easter, 7 Michael Lipman, 6 James Haskell, 5 Nick Kennedy, 4 Steve Borthwick (c), 3 Phil Vickery, 2 Lee Mears, 1 Tim Payne.

Subs: 16 Dylan Hartley, 17 Matt Stevens, 18 Tom Croft, 19 Tom Rees, 20 Harry Ellis, 21 Danny Cipriani, 22 Danny Hipkiss.


New Zealand have named a side that looks like it could run riot over England if they're given half a chance....

15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma’a Nonu, 11 Sitiveni Sivivatu; 10 Dan Carter, 9 Jimmy Cowan; 8 Rodney So’oialo, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Jerome Kaino; 5 Ali Williams, 4 Brad Thorn; 3 Neemia Tialata, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tony Woodcock.

Subs: 16 Hikawera Elliot, 17 John Afoa, 18 Anthony Boric, 19 Kieran Read, 20 Piri Weepu, 21 Stephen Donald, 22 Isaia Toeava.

2008 SA Rugby awards

SA rugby honoured its players of 2008, at a function in Midrand last night.

Jean De villiers scooped the big awards and I don't think you can argue with Ricky Januarie picking up the try of the year!

The full list of award winners is listed below:



SA Rugby Player of the Year
Winner: Jean de Villiers (Western Province)

Young Player of the Year
Winner: Robert Ebersohn (Free State Cheetahs)

Players’ Player of the Year
Winner: Jean de Villiers (Western Province)

Team of the Year
Winner: Sharks (Vodacom Super 14 team)
Also nominated: Leopards, Sharks (Absa Currie Cup team), Blue Bulls, Stormers.

Coach of the Year
Winner: John Plumtree (Sharks, Absa Currie Cup)

Super 14 Player of the Year
Winner: Ryan Kankowski (Sharks)

Absa Currie Cup Premier Division Player of the Year
Winner: Jean Deysel (Sharks)
Absa Currie Cup First Division Player of the Year
Winner: Kennedy Tsimba (Griffons).

Vodacom Cup Player of the Year
Winner: Burton Francis (Blue Bulls)

SuperSport Try of the Year
Winner: Ricky Januarie (SA v New Zealand, Dunedin)

Sevens Player of the Year
Renfred Deysel

SA Under-20 Player of the Year
Robert Ebersohn (Free State Cheetahs)

Women’s Player of the Year
Lorinda Brown (Eastern Province)

National Club Champs Player of the Tournament
Lola Waka (Pukke)

Refereeing Achievement of the Year
Mark Lawrence

Craven Week Player of the Tournament
Sampie Mastriet (Boland)

Ricky Januarie

With the 'end' of the 2008 rugby season, a lot of rugby pundits have looked back and pointed out that Adrian Jacobs has been the star 'find' of the season and a testament to the coachs' faith in the player.

Somebody who I don't think has received enough credit is Ricky Januarie.

If I look back on 2008, the only try I can remember is his chip and chase effort which sealed the first ever Bok win in the "House of Pain" in New Zealand.

Over the weekend, he was good against the English.

Ricky plays an interesting role in the Springbok side in that he has to play second fiddle to Fourie Du Preez. But to have a backup scrummie of his quality is great.

He is a nuggety player who loves to get stuck in and I reckon he gave Ricki Flutey something of a hard time over the weekend whenever the English scrumhalf tried to get some momentum.

His 'bombers' onto the hapless Paul Sackey were brilliant as well.

Ricky Januarie - Definately the underrated player of the season for me...

Boks trounce England

I don't particularly feel like doing the usual blogger piece rating the South African players but I would like to make some comments on this end of year tour and what the Boks took out of it.

The Springboks comfortably trounced a very average English side 42-6 yesterday at Twickenham yesterday.

Despite the scoreline - I doubt it will ever be remembered as a great Bok result, largely because it was a performance big on heart but hardly a structured game.

I think the highlight of the tour will be the image of lock Bakkies Botha ranging up from the midfield on a flying England fullback (Armitage) and half tackling him when a try looked like a certainty. For a big lock to cover that much ground, you have to appreciate the commitment.

While quite a few guys got to have a bit of a run for 10 - 20 minutes at the end of the tour, I'm not totally sure what we learnt. Here's what I think we take away:

- Jacques Fourie is dangerous from the moment he comes on to the field (Somewhere a space needs to be found)

- Adi Jacobs and Jean DeVilliers are brilliant in midfield

- John Smit can play tighthead

- "The Beast" has an enormous work rate and coud easily be the best number 1 in the game at the moment

But still some issues abound

- Why did Jannie Du Plessis get called up from SA (and start the English test match) when John Smit - the tighthead prop who can also play hooker - ,Brian Mujati and Chilliboy Rallepele were
the first choice players to tour.

- Why - when Earl Rose was identified as the tour number 2 flyhalf (and assuming Butch James is at the end of his career) - did Rose not get any game time?

- Not rotation - starting lineup wise - between Spies and Kankowski?

It was great to see Chilliboy get some game time in the last test match - it is important for SA rugby, but there still seems to be some issues about what exactly the tour achieved for SA rugby beyond running some tired, battered and bruised players through an 'experimental' touring side and then not experiement?

Lions Rugby Tour to SA - dates and venues

The tickets for the Lions rugby tour to SA are now on sale for the 2009 tour.

Below, please find the dates and venues:

May 30 v Highveld XV (Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace, Rustenburg)
June 3 v Golden Lions (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)
June 6 v Cheetahs (Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein)
June 10 v Sharks (King’s Park, Durban)
June 13 v Western Province (Newlands, Cape Town)
June 16 v Coastal XV (Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth)
June 20 v South Africa (1st Test, King’s Park, Durban)
June 23 v Emerging Springboks (Newlands, Cape Town)
June 27 v South Africa (2nd test, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria)
July 4 v South Africa (3rd test, Ellis Park, Johannesburg)

A Lions tour has something special about it. Are you planning to watch the SA teams thump the tourists?

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WP referees recognise their achievers

he Western Province Rugby Referees’ Society recognised their super achievers for the 2008 season with Provincial Touch Judge Marc van Zyl walking away with the ultimate prize – the Referees’ Referee of the Year trophy, at the annual Awards Dinner on Thursday 30 October.

A representative from the Windmeul Rugby Football Club was on hand to receive the prestigious Referees’ Shield for Sportsmanship. This annual award is made to the club with the best disciplinary track record and Windmeul managed to play the entire season incurring only one yellow card infraction!

Other winners on the night were:

Regional awards
Bellville: Ivan Soloman
Paarl: Johnathan Oosthuizen
Stellenbosch: Francois van Wyk
Langa: Sinethemba Mrulwa
Wynberg: Francois Venter
Helderberg: Nathan Swartz

Most matches: Nathan Swartz

Highest bleep: Riaan Tolken – 13.6

Highest exam mark: Joey Salmans – 85%

League awards
Grade 4: Thembani Mkuku
Grade 3: Riaan Tolken
Grade 2: Nathan Swartz
Grade 1: Daniel Fortuin

Referee of the year: Joey Salmans

Most promising referee: Quinton Immelman

Most improved referee: Francois Groenewald

Referee Merit Award: Nathan Swartz

Referees are the unsung heroes in rugby – without their impartial service the game could not take place. If you’re interested in becoming the man in the middle why not give Ben Theron a call and find out more – go on, give it a try! 021 659 4502

Press release from Blue Bulls

The Blue Bulls Company (Pty) Ltd is willing to negotiate with the Leicester Tigers regarding the future of the Vodacom Blue Bulls' and Vodacom Bulls' defence coach John McFarland.

The Blue Bulls Company (Pty) Ltd confirms that McFarland handed in his resignation on 7 November but he is contracted till the end of 2010. His contract with the Bulls was renewed, on his request, for a further three years in 2007.

The Bulls do not want to lose one of the world's finest defence coaches and they will uphold the validity of the contract if necessary.

With this in mind the Bulls are willing to negotiate with Leicester Tigers, with whom they have a very good business relationship, on the condition that they receive a formal request for McFarland's services.

Until such a request is received McFarland is considered as being employed by the Bulls.

Mthunzi Mabeta

The Vodacom Blue Bulls' young lock Mthunzi "Fudge" Mabeta has been tested positive for the use of cannabis.

He tested positive on 11 October at Loftus Versveld after the under 21 semi-final against the Lions and will know his fate early in December.

Mabeta's legal representative Gerrie Swart said the case is sub judice and they are still negotiating with other parties whether Mabeta's second monster must also be tested.

If Mabeta's second monster is also positive he will have to appear before a disciplinary committee, but fortunately cannabis is not a performance enhancing drug and this will count heavily in the players' favour.

In the past rugby players who have been found guilty for the same offence were banned for three months.

Rugby Factory

The Rugby Factory is a 12 month practical course in the Rugby Industry developed by the Golden Lions and the University of Johannesburg. The course is designed especially for school leavers, students doing a gap year or anybody else serious about making rugby or sport a career.

The talented rugby player will be able to not only improve his physical condition but also his skill level as a result of specialized training sessions presented by well-known, high profile coaches and get a taste of life as a rugby professional.

Students will also acquire several other skills, such as rugby coaching, match officiating, sport event management, game analysis and even first aid or medical assistance. Although several similar programmes are available in South Africa and other countries we have confidence that our product is of a very high standard and very reasonably priced.

For further information visit: http://www.rugbyfactory.co.za/

Golden Lions Rugby coaches 2009

The Golden Lions Rugby Union has announced the appointment of the following coaches for 2009:

Super 14 Coaches:
Eugene Eloff Head Coach
Leon Boshoff Forwards Coach
Timmy Goodwin Coach in Training
Muhammed Moosa Manager

Vodacom Cup Coaches:
Wimpie Vermeulen Head Coach
Kaya Molatana Backline Coach
Marius Hurter Forwards Coach
Egmont Scheepers Manager

Under 21 Coaches:
Timmy Goodwin Head Coach
Kaya Molatana Backline Coach
Marius Hurter Forwards Coach
Egmont Scheepers Manager

Under 19 Coaches:
Hans Coetzee Head Coach
Bafana Mkhelo Backline Coach
Ian Macdonald Forwards Coach

Pretorius leaves the Lions for the Bulls

The Lions Rugby franchise has not been particularly good at talent retention in the last few years and I believe they have made a mistake selling Jaco Pretorius to the Blue Bulls.

(Most recently they sold off Ricky Janaurie and Conrad Jantjes two years back and bought Earl and Jody Rose into their squad).

In Louis Ludik and Jaco Pretorius, the Lions possessed two of the best utility backs in the country - two players that have regularly stood out despite indifferent performances from the rest of their squad.

To lose a player of Pretorius' calibre is going to be a big blow for the franchise in my opinion

Losing patience

I hate to say it but South African rugby fans are losing patience with the performances of the Bok side.

Before anyone starts on the race card - shut it - I'm a PDV fan, but something needs to change in the way the Boks are approaching this tour. Forget blaming the referees - this tour had the hallmark of a disinterested squad from before they left the SA shores.


You make controversial selections like Rose and Ralepele and you bring an exciting prospect like Nokwe through but don't utilise them against the tours weakest opposition?

Makes no sense to me.

I don't need to be told that Ruan Pienaar is a good rugby player - I've seen him play the game at the top level for the last three years and do so well. I DO however need to know that we have a 2nd or 3rd choice flyhalf (depending on what happens with Butch James) - whether it is Peter Grant, Frans Steyn or Earl Rose.

I DO need to know that Chilliboy is going to be the number two hooker and that Pierre Spies is the better choice number 8 than Ryan Kankowski.




Whether the players are interested or not after a long season of rugby is up for debate - especially when you look at the injuries being clocked up. Guthro Steenkamp, Fourie Du Preez and Bismarck Du Plessis are now all carrying knocks.

The players all have long hard Super 14 and Tri-Nations campaigns ahead of them, and if they (players and management) are going to approach this tour in what appears to be a disinterested frame of mind, then maybe the tour wasn't worth doing in the first place?

SA Rugby fans - are you planning a trip to the UK to watch the third and final test at Twickenham?

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Weekend international rugby

Supplied by the Sports Trader blog

It's a rugby filled weekend and while I think the results will probably be pretty predictable it might be interesting to take a look at some of the more exotic bets:

(Odds as supplied by Black Pearl Sports Betting)

England vs Australia (Australia to win)
1st scoring play
- Australia try (4/1)
- England try (9/2)

An Aussie try looks attractive

France vs. the Pacific Islanders
We've got France down to win comfortably and no exotics are offered here, pity we might have gone with a Pacific Islanders to score first though...

Ireland vs New Zealand (All Blacks to win)
First try scorers (Top 3)
Sitiveni Sivivatu - 12/1
Joe Rokocko - 12/1
Brian O'Driscoll - 12/1

Our preference is for All Black centre Conrad Smith quoted at 16/1

First scoring play we're going with a New Zealand try at 22/10

Italy vs. Argentina
I suspect Argentina will carry too much firepower for the Nick Mallett coached Italy, but the Italian side have been on the up since the South African took charge so watch their progress with interest.

The BIG game of the weekend is South Africa vs. Scotland.

Despite the Scots being at home, I can't see any way that the Boks will lose. Scotland are simply going to be outclassed on all fronts.

So I've turned my attention to a first try scorer and quoted some odds below:

Bryan Habana - 12/1
Jean De Villiers - 12/1
Adrian Jacobs - 18/1
Ruan Pienaar - 20/1
Ricky Januarie - 20/1
Pierre Spies - 22/1
Schalk Burger - 25/1
Juan Smith - 25/1
Bismarck du Plessis - 33/1
Beast Mtawarira - 40/1

Despite all the chatter about the backs running the Scots ragged, I'm favouring a try from a set piece / scrum. I think Ricky Januarie at 20/1 is attractive, but my gut is headed for Juan Smith or Beast Mtawarira

South Africans - Planning your rugby viewing for the European Tours, Super 14 and Tri-Nations?

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Planning?

I know that Keo has already touched on the subject so I don't want to replicate too many of their arguments, but I sometimes have to query the lack of planning that goes into the management and selection of players for the year end tour.

This year end tour has pitted the South African team against 5-Nations champions Wales, a very weak Scotland and then a so-so English side.

The 'A' team played against Wales and achieved a battling 20-15 win - the narrowness of which I think has spooked SA coach Pieter Devilliers not to experiment in the Scotland game this weekend.

That means that guys like Earl Rose, Jongi Nokwe and Chilliboy Ralelepele have basically gone on the tour as baggage boys. Yeah they might learn a bit on the tour, but they are not going to get game time, which the tour was actually supposed to provide them with.

Ralepele in particular needs to run on at least once.

Nokwe - we know he is a classy winger and he certainly wouldn't weaken the Bok side in a match up against a relatively weak Scotland.

Rose - well if he was picked as such a controversial selection - then why is he not going to get the game time after being thrust into the spotlight?

Unconvincing performance from the Springboks

The Springboks were less than convincing in putting away the Welsh side 20-15 yesterday afternoon.

A win is a win I guess, especially we were experimenting around our flyhalf, but I would have expected them to be somewhat more clinical in putting the Welsh away, especially after achieving such a big lead....

Gonna have to up our game if we're planning to put England away in the coming weeks...

English squad announced

Martin Johnson has announced the names for his English team that will be taking on the Southern Hemisphere sides later this year.

They are:

Forwards - S Borthwick (Saracens), T Croft (Leicester), N Easter (Harlequins), D Hartley (Northampton), J Haskell (Wasps), N Kennedy (London Irish), M Lipman (Bath), L Mears (Bath), T Palmer (Wasps), T Rees (Wasps), S Shaw (Wasps), A Sheridan (Sale Sharks), M Stevens (Wasps), P Vickery (Wasps).

Backs - N Abendanon (Bath), D Armitage (London Irish), D Care (Harlequins), D Cipriani (Wasps), H Ellis (Leicester), T Flood (Leicester), R Flutey (Wasps), U Monye (Harlequins), J Noon (Newcastle), P Sackey (Wasps).

New Zealand squad

New Zealand have announced their squad for the end of season match ups against England, Wales, Ireland and scotland.

New Zealand squad:

John Afoa, Anthony Boric, Daniel Carter, Jimmy Cowan, Stephen Donald, Jason Eaton, Andy Ellis, Ross Filipo, Corey Flynn, Ben Franks*, Hosea Gear*, Andrew Hore, Cory Jane*, Richard Kahui, Jerome Kaino, Richie McCaw, Jamie Mackintosh*, Keven Mealamu, Liam Messam*, Malili "Mils" Muliaina, Ma'a Nonu, Kieran Read*, Josevata "Joe" Rokocoko, Sitiveni Sivivatu, Conrad Smith, Rodney So'oialo, Adam Thomson, Brad Thorn, Neemia Tialata, Isaia Toeava, Anthony Tuitavake, Piri Weepu, Scott Waldrom*, Ali Williams, Tony Woodcock.

*Denotes new cap

Rugby expo

I read this post about the Rugby Expo they're having in London over the 17 - 18th of November and have been wondering whether something like this would ever take off in South Africa?

We've got a pretty popular soccer expo - but I suspect this is being fuelled by the money being shoveled at the 2010.

Do you think something like this would take off in SA?

Let me know...

Flyhalf dilemma

While I appreciate it is something of an experimental squad, the selections for flyhalf for the Bok UK tour are baffling.

The logic of picking a scrumhalf (Ruan Pienaar) who has said he doesn't want to play flyhalf as your first choice and a guy who battles to make the first choice for the Lions (Earl Rose) as his backup his curious to say the least.

I appreciate that Eddie Jones and Jake White both believe that Pienaar has what it takes to be a world class flyhalf and we have a lack of any real depth in the position but if you want him as a flyhalf, the player and his province have to buy into it.

Peter Grant and Morne Steyn might not be the next Dan Carter but they're the kind of players who COULD fit the mould of a make shift Bok flyhalf. Steyn in particular has played his part helping the Bulls to the finals. Maybe he should have been rewarded for his efforts.

Well I guess we'll have to see what the team produces on tour....

The squad is as below:
Bakkies Botha, Fourie du Preez, Bryan Habana, Chiliboy Ralepele, Danie Rossouw, Pierre Spies, Gurthro Steenkamp, Jongi Nokwe, Juan Smith, Andries Bekker, Schalk Burger, Jean de Villiers, Conrad Jantjes, Ricky Januarie, Brian Mujati, Heinrich Brussow, Jaque Fourie, Earl Rose, Victor Matfield, John Smit (c), Odwa Ndungane, JP Pietersen, Adrian Jacobs, Bismark du Plessis, Frans Steyn, Ruan Pienaar, Tendai Mtwarira, Ryan Kankowski.

Currie Cup final from Sports Trader

The Currie Cup final prediction from the Sports Trader blog

With half an hour to go before the kick off to the Currie Cup final, I'll admit I'm still not sure which way I think it's going to go. Being a WP supporter I'm a bit ambivalent seeing as the 'big name' teams already finished their season a few weeks back.

;-)

In all seriousness though, I'm leaning toward the Sharks purely based on the home ground advantage. I think both sides are both very evenly matched, both sides have quality players and either side has a handful of players who could turn the game on it's head without a second thought.

Black Pearl Betting has the Sharks at 6/10 while the Bulls are at 13/10 - not much in it either way.

Black Pearl however have two very interesting plays that might make it interesting:

First up they have a competition for the first try scorer and I think JP Pietersen at 12/1 has to look good.

The second option they've got going is the "STEYN ALIVE" which pits Morne Steyn against Francois Steyn around drop goals and total points scored. A leaning toward Francois to deliver a drop goal is quoted at 11/10. A few bucks either way here might be a bit of fun....

Sponsors folding

I blogged about it a while back, but the financial crisis is creating a serious problem in terms of sponsorship for professional sports across the globe.

Unfortunately companies are being forced to cut back on their spending or simply disappear leaving sports teams without much needed sponsorship to see them survive from month to month.

Sports is big business and sponsorship is the lifeblood of this business - if sponsors fold then all those nice fancy dinners and big money salaries become a little tougher to offer.

But most unfortunately, the areas that are likely to suffer are going to be the grassroots infrastructures offered by club setups.

The top end of the spectrum might go on about 'cost cutting' and might see a few personnel let go, but the bottom end of the budget (The guys who ask for R100 000 as opposed to R100m) are likely to feel it that much harder.

I know for a fact that our small amateur hockey setup had been counting on R20k in sponsorship which never materialised this year. These kind of problems are likely to increase and I guess a word of warning to sports administrators banking on money from sponsors - IT IS ONLY SPONSORSHIP WHEN THE BUCKS ARE IN THE BANK

Some tough times ahead and I guess for those sports administrators it is going to make their lives quite challenging at times.

Read an article today, highlighting some of the problems that the financial crisis is having on sport already and thought I would highlight some of them:

- Manchester United football clubs primary sponsor - AIG - has just been bailed out by the US government who will be looking to cut costs so that they can get their multi-billion dollar loan repaid

- David Triesman, the chairman of the English FA, has said that English soccer was collectively 3 billion pounds ($5.23 billion) in debt and that he could not rule out a top club collapsing

- West Ham and Newcastle are under huge pressure with sponsors folding

- Even a glamour sport like motor racing has had its seen administrators come out and suggest that teams forfeit their technical advantages and use standard engines in 2010 to try and help team survive this period...

Tough times ahead...

Why did Earl Rose not play flyhalf?

The worst thing about being a top level coach is that when your selection decisions don’t come off you have journalists, bloggers and sports commentators spending the next day telling you what you did wrong.

But I guess that that is part and parcel of the job, as unfair as it may be.

One decision I did find quite curious this weekend was Eugene (Loffie) Eloff’s decision not to play Earl Rose at flyhalf in the Currie Cup semi-final match against the Sharks.

Now just to clarify – I don’t rate Earl Rose particularly highly and have blogged on that topic before.

But Rose has been mentioned as a potential for the Springbok touring side at the end of the year and he is currently the leading points scorer in the Currie Cup. Most importantly, he has been the first choice flyhalf for the Lions for the majority of this season.

Eloff himself has said that he believes Rose will be a Bok flyhalf but he shouldn’t be rushed.

Despite this Eloff decided for the crunch semi-final he would instead shift Rose to Fullback and field Louis Strydom at flyhalf. (Bear in mind that the last time these two sides met two weeks earlier, Strydom came on as a late replacement and covered himself in glory by throwing the intercept pass that sealed the game for the Sharks.)

My ‘arm-chair’ concern is that Eloff sent out the message that he does not trust Rose in the big games because he may be targeted.

What does the rest of the team take out of the decision?

Does that not pass on a message to the rest of the team that Eloff does not believe the system they have employed for the rest of the season will be sufficient to carry them through?

Hindsight is obviously 20/20 and if Strydom had had a blinder or Rose had scalped them from the fullback position, I probably wouldn’t be writing this. It just doesn’t seem to make much sense to me that you would publicly talk about all the faith you hold in a player and then shift them around when the crunch came….

Currie Cup rugby picks

From the Sports Trader blog.

As most of you know, I have been covertly backing the Lions from around 7-1. While I never admit in public that the bet exists, I think they are going to be the surprise package this weekend.

They have a problem at flyhalf and I think even they acknowledge it. The decision to move Rose to fullback (in my opinion) is a vote of no confidence.

I think a lot is going to revolve around Jaque Fourie amongst the backline.

Don’t write the Lions side off, they have a sneaky ability to pull a rabbit out of the hat.

In terms of the Bulls - I suspect they simply have way too much firepower for the Cheetahs this year…

The irony of South African sport

Sport remains a hugely political tool in South Africa and I think many ordinary people find it frustrating when government officials who haven’t seen a sports field (let alone run on one) start making bold predictions about how they are going to ‘fix’ things.

Upfront, I completely acknowledge that sport was largely divided along racial lines in the past so I don’t deny that there is some merit in the racial arguments.

However the landscape is changing. No side in South African cricket or rugby enjoys the backing of the likes of billionaire Patrice Motsepe. The South African football side is not subjected to selection criteria of local, black coaches or quotas. In fact if one adds up how much the national football side has spent on foreign coaches or advisors over the last decade, it must be a massive figure.

This week has been a case in point about government administrators getting on their high horse and focusing on the wrong aspects of South African sport.

Every few years, sports administrators (typically those with political ties), will get together to hold a sports indaba of sorts where the ‘future strategic direction’ of sport will be covered. Ironically senior figures in cricket, rugby and soccer are normally not invited to give their input.

A hot topic this week has been the future of the Springbok emblem worn by the national rugby team. The politicos it should go because they believe it divides South Africa along racial lines.

The ‘logical decision’ is that it must go to unite South African sport.

Please note that senior rugby administrators and players were not invited to comment at this congress / indaba / conference or whatever they want to call it.

(Bear in mind – nobody actually knows if these guys have any legal backing to the ‘decisions’ that are taken here nor do they enjoy backing of the ruling government party, even if it is convened by some of its more militant members).

Now let’s remember that South African rugby has won 2 World Cups, a Tri-Nations, has a good black coach that is there on merit and has been able to attract an increasingly mixed racial audience to its grounds.

Soccer on the other hand is plumbing new lows. Millions have been spent on foreign coaches, the players themselves are reluctant to play and pick and choose the games they want. The national side is barely competitive with the minnows on the African continent that have budgets probably one fiftieth of what Bafana Bafana enjoys.

The national Olympics team managed a single medal at the 2008 Olympics campaign. We took along more non participating members in our squad than actually athletes, sponsors were disappointed or more interested in sponsoring the Paralympics squad and despite this, the athletes were poorly managed.

Throw in the fact that we have local government departments trying to sell off the land on which grass roots sports clubs operate to make sure that their books balance at the end of the year and the minor issue of a global financial crisis that is robbing all sports disciplines of sponsorship money and we have a pretty grim sports scene.

But no – the priority is to make sure we get rid of a brand that is highly successful, generates a lot of revenue for grass roots sports development.

I think we all agree that sport in South Africa is not perfect, but the meddling of sports officials is somewhat ironic. They talk about wanting to improve sport, but the idea of actually focusing on the problems is something that escapes some people’s agendas.

Jaque Fourie – a rugby machine

When you try and define the term ‘class’ in a professional sports person, it is extremely difficult. It’s that special something that simply puts them head and shoulders above the rest of the team or competition. This weekend, there was a class performance that I believe may define the 2008 Currie Cup – it was the performance of Jaque Fourie for the Lions against Western Province on Sunday.

The requirements were simple for Western Province:

- Beat the Lions by 19 points with the support of your home crowd behind you

- Score 4 tries

- Don’t let the Lions score enough points to give them a bonus point

Let’s be honest – on paper, the Lions should have been blown away. There should have been no way they could go head to head with that Western Province side.

Instead Western Province couldn’t catch a cold let alone a rugby ball and they could only manage a 14-6 win.

You can say what you like about where the game was won, but I will tell you that it was won by Jaques Fourie in the Lions backline.

Fourie was charged with marking backline danger-man Sireli Naqelevuki the Fijian wrecking ball. If Naqelevuki had gotten going in the backline, then the Lions would have been toast. There is no stopping a guy who weighs 100kgs plus and can take 2 or 3 men with him in the tackle…. Unless of course you are Jaques Fourie.

Fourie never backed down and he charged the big man down every time he got the ball. Even when Naqelevuki got going Fourie was there to break down his momentum.

The spirit displayed by Fourie seemed to inject confidence into the rest of the backline and the others fed off him and tightened their lines. When a free running side like Province can’t make the gaps – then their game plan goes out the window.

And ultimately I think that is what happened on Saturday – Western Province wanted to run and Jaques Fourie wouldn’t let them. End result – game and campaign over for Western Province.

At the end of the day Jaques Fourie is a machine on the rugby field. A good combination of brains and brawn and Springbok rugby will be relieved to see him fit and flourishing….

Earl Rose

I’ve been reading a lot of commentary about Earl Rose in recent weeks. Specifically about how he has the ability to combine the sublime with the ridiculous and how his ball skills have made him a shoe-in for the end of season Springbok touring side.

At present, Rose is currently the top points-scorer and he has been part of a Lions squad that seems to have rejuvenated itself since the start of the season. The question is – how much has Rose contributed to this revolution and how much has he cost the Lions this season… and ultimately is he good enough to be the Springbok flyhalf?

Upfront I’m going to make it clear – I didn’t like Rose when he was at Western Province / Stormers and I personally believe that Rose cost the Lions in the Super 14. Do I think he cost the Lions yesterday against the Sharks in the Currie Cup? ABSOLUTELY…

That try for the Sharks where Rose aimlessly kicked it into the charging Sharks backline should be enough to confirm why he should not be selected to play for the Springbok side.

Of course mistakes happen and players make the wrong choices – but with Rose they seem to happen too often in the big games. The choices to run from behind his own goal line or attempts to try and outmuscle some of the worlds’ best flankers or kick into some of the worlds best backline players are mistakes he makes on a regular basis – composure is everything for a flyhalf.

One also has to look at the way Rose plays when considering whether he would be suitable for a Springbok place. I know that Pieter Devilliers is a bit of a fan of his, but ‘Div’ also needs to consider whether or not Rose will actually get a backline firing or not.

Whoever ends up being the Bok flyhalf will be fortunate to have two of Jacques Fourie, Jean Devilliers, AD Jacobs and Frans Steyn outside them – muscular, game breaking centres…

They don’t need a flyhalf who is going to try and be a picture of creative flair. This is why Butch James and Peter Grant fit so well into this system. Both are solid defenders and can take the contact and both (in theory) try and do the basics right.

At the end of the day, as a coach, you have to use what you have. If you don’t have a Dan Carter in your backline to get it firing but you have some super creative centres – then this is where your backline play can come from. There is no point trying to make a player fit a game plan that isn’t there.

Experimenting is great but rather experiment with what you have rather than move away from the game plan that plays to your strengths.

The drop goal

Yesterday afternoon Francois Steyn drop kicked a monster of a drop kick (some 55m) that I believe changed the entire tempo and momentum of the Sharks vs. Free State game yesterday. This kick proved what a vital weapon a good drop kicker can be in your side.

Both sides were pretty evenly matched and each had a try to their credit.

In fact I thought Free State were playing like men on a mission. But there is nothing you can do when you kick the ball to a guy sitting in the other half of the field and he looks up and kicks it straight between the posts with nobody around to do anything about it.

It knocks the wind out of the sails of the opposition simply because they can't find a way to defend against it and you find yourself behind on the back of a sheer piece of brilliance.

Johnny Wilkinson, Jannie De Beer and Joel Stransky are just a couple of names of players who have drop kicked their side through tough games.

Defensive strategies
Every defensive strategy in the world is designed to help you counter a running game from the 1st or 2nd receiver.

"Chip and chase" from set pieces you can also defend against with any half decent back 3 reading the game well.

But the drop kick (especially if it can be kicked from anywhere on the park) is a killer blow. Not just because it lands 3 points, but because it also gives the opposition side - "Go forward" momentum and makes the opposition feel like it doesn't matter how their defensive structures lineup, you are going to be taking a crack at them.

That psychological advantage is something that you can carry with you toward a win....

The benefits of explosive strength training for rugby football

By: Bruce Ross

Unlike other forms of football, rugby can be usefully viewed as a succession of prolonged physical engagements, either between individual players or between groups of players. Each of these engagements demands the exercise of substantial physical strength. While basic strength training should form the foundation for such engagements, there should also be a focus on developing explosive strength appropriate to the particular activity.

During the extended periods when players are physically contesting with their opposing counterparts they are continually subjected to loading substantially greater than their own body weight. And, because that added resistance is live, there is often the problem of overcoming not only inertia but also counter force triggered by an initiating movement

In modern rugby considerable attention is given to fitness and aerobic conditioning as well as basic weight training, but there is very limited focus on the development of activity-specific explosive strength. This is despite the fact that an ability to very rapidly generate force can yield a competitive advantage in each of the areas of physical engagement in rugby:

Scrum and maul In the scrum or maul situation it is very difficult to shunt the opposing pack backward unless there is synchronised explosive activity. If a pack begins to move forward slowly or if just one or a couple of players attempt to initiate a shove, they are unlikely to be able to overcome the inertia of the opposing pack's body mass. In addition, the attempted drive forward will almost certainly trigger an almost immediate counter-shove. On the other hand if a pack suddenly and explosively begins to drive forward as a synchronised, coordinated unit, they are likely to be able to generate momentum and place their opponents on the back foot.

The key elements are that each of the forwards possess basic strength and a capacity to rapidly generate force. However, it is essential that their movements be synchronized. If any of these elements of strength, explosiveness and synchronicity are lacking the attempt is likely to prove futile or even counterproductive.

Tackle In a tackle situation there is great advantage in forcing the opponent, whether ball-carrier or tackler, back from the line of engagement. In order to do this effectively, the action has to be both powerful and virtually instantaneous.

In addition, ball-carriers with explosive leg drive are often able to brush past attempted tackles, while tacklers with similar attributes can forcefully secure the ball-carrier and take him to ground.

Ruck At the breakdown of play following a tackle the ability to push back or "clean out" opposing players from the ruck offers opportunities to win the contest for the ball or at least put the opposing team in a disadvantageous situation. The only effective way to win the breakdown contest is to apply very considerable force in an explosive manner.

Lineout The outcome of the lineout contest is largely dependent on how high the jumper can ascend, but also on how rapidly he can reach that point. This requires not only a very good vertical leap by the jumper, but also the ability of his support players to forcefully elevate him. Both jumping and lifting require specific forms of explosive strength.

When forward packs are evenly matched in strength and technique, and defensive techniques are well-coordinated, a game of rugby can often become a war of attrition, with teams attempting to wear one another down over the course of the game. It is very difficult to maintain concentration and alertness throughout an 80-minute game, and a capacity for explosive action allows the exploitation of fatigue and inattention. It provides surprise and unpredictability, while limiting the possibility of appropriate reaction.

Strength training for rugby should always be grounded on a solid foundation of basic strength; but coaches who are seeking to gain a sustainable competitive edge would do well to incorporate a comprehensive program of activity-specific training for explosive strength.

Article Directory: http://www.articlecube.com


Bruce Ross is CEO of MyoQuip, manufacturers of variable-resistance strength machines including the rugby-specific ScrumTruk and JumpTruk, and the LegDriver and HipneeFlex
MyoQuip - strength-increasing equipment
MyoQuip Blog - strength equipment, rugby football

Will Boks bounce back?

Obvious question has to be whether or not the Boks can bounce back after the recent loss to the All Blacks at Newlands.

It is obviously a big ask after having the stuffing kicked out of you in front of the home ground and even more difficult when you've been whipped in areas you thought you should be strong.

Lets try and make an assessment:

- Both kickers couldn't hit target and the third New Zealand try was a gift and wouldn't normally have been on offer anyway
- Habana skimmed the line when he danced over for the disallowed Bok try
- Passes that went to hand for the All Blacks didn't stick for us...

Shit happens and we were poor at that last pass.

That doesn't mean we were not competitive.

We had a couple of nice line breaks and we had them working hard to defend. But the openness of the game plan played right into their hands.

Devilliers needs to stay cool, calm and collected now. Wholesale changes are going to create uncertainty.

Instead he needs to keep the nucleus of his squad together and he has to impress on Butch James that he needs to dictate the pace of the next game.

If James gets hard and clever and he can get the backline moving then we've got a game on.

I think the PACE of the next game is going to be important. We can't play at the pace the opposition want us to compete at. Instead we need to define when we attack and when we defend - if we keep hurtling around at a mad tempo and playing end to end kind of rugby, we move away from our strengths.

Don't despair Bok fans, I reckon we're bouncing back.

Statistics and Dan Carter

Statistics are an interesting thing to look at when trying to understand how a team played and how a particular individual is doing in a position.

Today an interesting statistic popped up relating to Dan Carter's performance against the Springboks.

Basically the All Blacks were leading South Africa 5-0 about 58 minutes into the game and it could still have gone either way.

Carters statistics at the time read:

Balls Passed - 10
Balls Kicked - 14
Tackles made - 2
Defenders beaten - 0

Statistics tell you 2 things - the Boks weren't prepared to run at the Carter channel and Carter wasn't going to mix it up with the Bok defenders by trying to take them on.

Instead he was quite happy to mix it up by spreading it wide and kicking tactically into the corners. (Which he did like a machine).

The first time Carter beat a defender was when he straightened the line and scored the second All Black try.

Instead of trying to take the defenders on, Carter was quite happy to let the line do the work while he marshalled the troops and controlled the pace. I agree completely that Butch James is a type of flyhalf but the problem is that where Carter seems to be able to decide the game he is planning to play, James seems to be one dimensional in what he is going to work. When it comes off, it looks great, but when it doesn't he can't seem to get his backline going forward.

I don't believe its an issue that James can't play a dynamic game, I just don't think he is being given the responsibility of dictating the pace in the backline.

Its almost like the backline kicking game for the Boks comes from whoever is playing scrum half and the creativity is expected to come from Jean De Villiers as the outside centre.

That means positions 9 and 13 are dictating how the game is going to be played... Doesn't sound right.

Will be interesting to see how the Bok coach responds over the next 2 fixtures against the Australians...

Thugby

Headline story of a major South Africa news site this morning is that a 16 year boy is in a coma after spectators and players in a school rugby game became embroiled in a punch up. I looked to the box that said “Related stories” and the number of such incidences in the last few years is downright stupid.

It really just baffles me that parents are so keen to get into punch ups in front of (or with) their kids, just to support a school rugby match.

But then maybe its not that baffling – I’ve been to a couple of games for kids in the 12 – 16 year old age groups and you listen to how the parents egg their kids on to get physical and tackle or ruck harder and you just wonder what the hell goes through their heads?

What happens when its your kid lying on the wrong side of the ruck through no real fault of his own or when you kid suddenly finds himself playing against a 16 year old whose on muscle enhancers and weighs in at around 100kgs?

If parents can’t control themselves, then maybe they need to be ejected from games BEFORE things get stupid.

I’m all for a little argy bargy, chirp chirp, push shove to give a little bit of an edge to a game. I don’t think there is anything wrong with it in cricket, rugby or hockey and it is part of winning and losing games.

But that’s between players, NOT coaches or parents or supporters.

If parents aren’t going to behave at sports games then they mustn’t be involved. I don’t see how, in any civilized society, parents should be trading punches with kids in rugby games and why 16 year old kids should be losing teeth and being put into comas after going out to play a game of school rugby.

The Captains Table

The Captain's Table was conceptualised to raise funds for club rugby, to bring the legends of the game back to their roots and to remind the rugby world that club rugby still is the very heartbeat of the sport.

There is a firm belief that SA Rugby has suffered immeasurably and taken a few steps backwards because we have overlooked the clubs in the bigger picture of the game.

Certainly, the great traditions of the club game have somehow been lost in the modern game and these stories of the bygone era have to be told to the new generations.

For more information click here.

Snappy service - Scrumhalf

Yesterday when the Springboks took on Argentina, the value of snappy service from Scrumhalf to Flyhalf was proven.

Ricky Januarie started the game at Scrumhalf with Butch James at flyhalf. Now Butch James isn't the smallest guy around and the defence around the fringes / flyhalf for the Argentinians is probably not as intimidating as say they All Blacks or the Australians.

Yet South Africa battled to break this first channel repeatedly and the first try (that came through this gap) was a fluffed pass from Januarie that Jean Devilliers recovered and went through.

The problem was the slow service from Januarie meant that James was taking it static and the flyhalf was then being swamped or play was "crabbing" sideways across the field.

When Fourie Du Preez came on, the game changed. James was getting snappy service before the Argentinians had recovered, he and the centres could then pick their gaps and hit them at speed.
Coach your scrumhalves to understand why they should be snapping the ball out as quickly as possible. Show them the value of hitting the opposition before the backline has fanned out and the half gaps in the first channels are still open while players either commit to the ruck or fall back.

It will make the world of difference to their game play.

Size

Size is always going to be an issue in rugby coaching and selection circles.

South Africa is currently seeing it again in one of their young flyhalves - Isma-eel Dollie - who has recently left Western Province in a state because he can't make the match squad. Rugby pundits have looked at him and all agree that he simply does not have the physical presence to be a commanding world class flyhalf irrespective of his ball skills.

The very simple reality of the flyhalf channel is that you need to dominate and control it. Who would you rather have bearing down on you - Butch James or a 80kg Dollie? Especially when you are trying to control large openside flankers and 8th men coming through the channel.

Its not a contest.

While there are exceptions to the size rule - most notably Breyton Paulse, Luke Watson and Brent Russel - the demands of modern rugby require large players. Its a tough fact but coaches who persist with under-sized players are likely to find themselves under pressure in the higher leagues.

NZ coaches out-coached

New Zealand assistant coach Wayne Smith has admitted that Robbie Deans was tactically better than his All Blacks counterparts on Saturday.

Read the full article here on Keo.co.za

www.rugby-jobs.com is named Online Recruitment Partner to Rugby Canada!

Rugby Canada, the governing body for rugby union in Canada, has also today advertised 2 key specialist job roles for a Skills Coach and an U19 Head Coach on the website at www.rugby-jobs.com.

Rugby Canada also now uses www.rugby-jobs.com to power a live job feed on the home page of their website at www.rugbycanada.ca. The live scrolling feed of jobs covers any global job vacancies in rugby and jobs automatically feed off the live rugby-jobs.com database as they are posted by Rugby Canada, other governing bodies and clubs. The IRB and USA Rugby also use this live feed for their websites’ job pages. Rugby-jobs.com has also worked with other governing bodies including the ARU, IRFU and SRU in union and the RFL in league.

Rugby-jobs.com, launched in 2006, has quickly established itself as a credible and effective online recruitment resource to the game of rugby around the globe. The site has been used by a variety of rugby’s governing bodies, elite and local clubs in addition to businesses connected to rugby, to advertise any job vacancies linked to rugby union and rugby league.

From amateur to professional players, first team coaches to director of rugby, community coaches to fitness coaches & physios, commercial roles to admin, sales & marketing and even chief executive roles, rugby-jobs.com has proven it can help advertise any job role, at any level and to a global audience of professionals.

Efrem Leigh from rugby-jobs.com, says “we are really pleased to be working with Rugby Canada to help advertise these ‘key’ roles and we look forward to working with them in the long term and giving them access to our global database of talent which grows daily!

We can get any jobs linked to rugby in front of a global pool of talent within minutes of the job vacancy arising, thanks to our recruitment technology! We have even helped companies and suppliers linked to rugby to advertise their head office jobs so we are not just a platform for the clubs to use. “

Efrem continues “our mission when we launched in 2006 was to work closely with all rugby union and rugby league governing bodies around the world and to offer them access to the very latest recruitment technology to help promote job opportunities in the game in their respective countries. Today’s agreement with Rugby Canada underlines our ongoing commitment to achieve this and we look forward to working with other governing bodies, clubs and companies linked to the game to offer the same solutions!”

http://www.rugby-jobs.com

Source: SanePR

Rhino Rugby sponsors www.rugby-jobs.com

Rhino Rugby was subject to a management buy in led by recently appointed England Manager Martin Johnson in late 2006 and are the World's leading Rugby equipment specialists, established over 25 years ago. They are Official Suppliers of scrummaging machines, contact and other training equipment to the British & Irish Lions 2009 tour to South Africa, England, Wales, Bath, Cardiff Blues and London Wasps.
Rugby-jobs.com has worked closely with Rhino Rugby to advertise and fill various head office job vacancies since Rhino relocated to West London from Devon.

Reg Clark, Chief Executive of Rhino comments ‘I first heard about Rugby-Jobs.com after seeing their advertising board on the pitch at Twickenham during the 2006 Autumn internationals and contacted them as I was in the process of relocating my factory and office to London and needed new staff.

Rugby-jobs.com has since delivered a variety of personnel to us through our online adverts with them and we recently took on new Sales Agents in both France and Italy thanks to advertising on www.rugby-jobs.com.

Rhino Rugby is a global brand and so is rugby-jobs.com so we see the sponsorship of their website as a natural step to working closer with them as they promote jobs in the game around the globe and as we roll out our products around the globe - it’s a natural relationship.’

Efrem Leigh, from Rugby-Jobs.com sees the cementing of ties with Rhino as a key step in the recruitment website’s growth in the game and underlines the success rugby-jobs.com has had in not only filling coaching or playing roles but those commercial, admin and office roles off the pitch as well!

Rugby-jobs.com offers a unique platform for clubs and businesses in the game of rugby union and rugby league to advertise any vacancy at any level.

We can get any jobs linked to rugby in front of a global pool of talent within minutes of the job vacancy arising, thanks to our recruitment technology!“

http://www.rugby-jobs.com
Source: SanePR

Age groups participation in sport

The subject of age groups in schools sports came up again this week and it stimulated some really healthy debate on the subject of “fast tracking” school kids into 1st teams early.

There are no black and white answers here and coaches seem to be split right down the middle. On one hand you have coaches who would prefer to see the best young talent advanced into senior sides as soon as they are technically competent. Consider Theo Walcott at Arsenal. He was elevated to the 1st team and then the English national team at the age of 17. This is a pretty big jump when you consider that the rest of his mates are only just finishing up school.

The other side of the fence sees coaches who are adamant that their kids must move progressively through the age ranks. If the child is a great 16 year old then he should be allowed to dominate and learn his game at the 16 year old level. When he becomes 21 he will be able to learn and control the game at a 21 year old level and then once he has mastered the game at these levels he can go on to dominate at full senior level.

South African rugby has seen it many times with differing results. The late Francois Swart was picked from schoolboy stardom to join an international training side – his game suffered from there despite having plenty of talent. Did the sudden elevation negatively impact his game unnecessarily? On the other side of that you have Francois Steyn – perhaps the most exciting talent in the history of South African rugby. By the age of 21 he had played in (and been a key contributor) to winning the biggest prize on offer.

It will be a debate that will never have a definitive answer. If you captained a cricketer like Darryl Cullinan or Graeme Smith at school and at the age of 15 you knew he was simply heads and shoulders above kids 2 – 4 years older than him – would you have the guts not to elevate him? If you didn’t – would your coaching reputation be negatively impacted? Would you be able to resist the temptation not to pick them on the grounds that they must first excel at their own level?

It is an enormously tricky debate and one that will never have an answer. The best piece of advice that coaches have been able to give is to identify your selection policy and criteria and stick to it. Explain it to the parents and to the kids and hopefully they will see the logic in your thinking.

Rugby Strategist

Welcome to the Rugby Strategist blog.

Rugby is becoming an increasingly global sport and the demand for skilled specialist coaches is apparent.

This blog aims to cover news and developments relating to coaching of rugby players in different age groups and provide a meeting place where amateur and professional coaches can exchange ideas.

Different rugby cultures have different thinkings about rugby at different levels. South Africa for instance has a huge emphasis on youth (Under 18 and younger) development and specialist training programmes whereas Australia for instance focuses more on specialist training at the Under 21 and senior level.

Players respond differently to different styles of coaching. Some are naturally able to absorb themselves in the game at the highest level, while there are other players who simply fall apart when pushed too fast.

The idea behind this blog is to help coaches discuss the best (and safest ways) of helping coaches make the transition from different positions and different age groups / levels of the sport.