tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71016947395277066142024-03-06T05:32:43.976+00:00TOTAL FLANKER...a rugby blog(The blunt edge of rugby on the web)TotalFlankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624839368553218464noreply@blogger.comBlogger2613125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7101694739527706614.post-24406021161404980572022-05-09T07:59:00.014+01:002022-05-09T07:59:00.162+01:00So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu...<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdk2aMVh7U_FLAfkRaEYUz3O4K4pHBS0P7blh9DTG07FZa5wJ_g8Npie_-oDbnfARw2ZUvhybNFxhIzRexdhQtvfclGbj36iQaWPwYkZuD0tMrHq5O4kVid-SlvNTN96-F3UYYg6aishJgJH3yLigFI5D1YqJOMrXQitcu25l4-BB6LZSszsUDhOJGQ/s732/Screenshot%202020-02-19%20at%2017.07.40.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="514" data-original-width="732" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdk2aMVh7U_FLAfkRaEYUz3O4K4pHBS0P7blh9DTG07FZa5wJ_g8Npie_-oDbnfARw2ZUvhybNFxhIzRexdhQtvfclGbj36iQaWPwYkZuD0tMrHq5O4kVid-SlvNTN96-F3UYYg6aishJgJH3yLigFI5D1YqJOMrXQitcu25l4-BB6LZSszsUDhOJGQ/s320/Screenshot%202020-02-19%20at%2017.07.40.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />I started this blog on 9th May 2007 - exactly fifteen years ago.<p></p><p>Back then I was taking tentative steps to re-start my rugby journey by coming out of retirement aged 42, a comeback which may only have lasted a few short seasons but which rekindled my enthusiasm for the game and which stimulated my creative juices in the form of this blog, a vessel in which I have been posting mostly rubbish ever since.</p><p>It has all been great fun but, over 2,600 posts later, I have to say that I am finding increasingly that I have very little original left to say and, over the past few months, have considered on a number of occasions knocking things on the head.</p><p>With the rise of social media and podcasting platforms I think it's safe to say that the days of the humble little blog are becoming numbered and, rather then soldiering on with increasingly uninteresting content, the time is probably now right to call it a day.</p><p>I'm not saying it will disappear completely - not yet at least - but I do think that it is time for something of a hiatus, maybe temporary, maybe permanent. Not an easy decision by any means, but the right one.</p><p>So, a big, big thank you to all who have continued to read my drivel over the years and to those who have been kind enough to contribute and comment. It's been a blast but all good things do come to an end at some point.</p><p>So long...</p>TotalFlankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624839368553218464noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7101694739527706614.post-68162555857454857592022-05-03T10:35:00.000+01:002022-05-03T10:35:27.527+01:00Whither England (Women)?<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUOarstDpCdWttsfmH9Yb4SSvFspqRf7u8Z4_KWFTkCtQiY7I3-M90AGUlvCN1EtvCna3JuiwdeoZ_yi17Nyneo2iWap1tc5Shm4BarY47V4OM_N_g9V_3bYdT4mrIsKnzNTD1RCpwc5I3uKGWXjacAOC8IUUxiBrsSF3weQd8KiRrHmLSIHcUtn4Ug/s746/Screenshot%202022-05-03%20at%2010.06.50.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="746" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUOarstDpCdWttsfmH9Yb4SSvFspqRf7u8Z4_KWFTkCtQiY7I3-M90AGUlvCN1EtvCna3JuiwdeoZ_yi17Nyneo2iWap1tc5Shm4BarY47V4OM_N_g9V_3bYdT4mrIsKnzNTD1RCpwc5I3uKGWXjacAOC8IUUxiBrsSF3weQd8KiRrHmLSIHcUtn4Ug/s320/Screenshot%202022-05-03%20at%2010.06.50.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />England Women's 24-12 win over France at the weekend, which secured a <span style="caret-color: rgb(18, 18, 18); color: #121212;">Grand Slam, their 23rd victory in a row and </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(18, 18, 18); color: #121212;">a fourth successive Women's Six Nations title, means that they are red hot favourites for the World Cup later this year.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="caret-color: rgb(18, 18, 18); color: #121212;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Red Roses do look in great shape, but there is no room whatsoever for complacency.</span></span></p><p><span style="caret-color: rgb(18, 18, 18); color: #121212; font-family: inherit;">The pack does look pretty awesome, dominant at scrum time and with a scarily efficient driving </span><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">line out. But behind the scrum the backs have </span>sometimes<span style="font-family: inherit;"> lacked a little fluency - especially </span>against<span style="font-family: inherit;"> France - and, like their male counterparts, could do with someone to provide a bit more midfield thrust at times.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: inherit;">There have also been periods in games where the English team appear to switch off and go flat - understandable, perhaps, when racking up big points totals, but not a great habit to get into.</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: inherit;">One thing is for sure, England will not have it all their own way at the World Cup.</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: inherit;">Current champions and hosts, New Zealand, for instance, will have a lot to say about who wins the trophy - the Black Ferns having revamped their coaching set up to include, amongst others, former All Blacks coaches Wayne Smith, Graham Henry and Mike Cron.</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And France, as they showed at the weekend, can be very dangerous opponents - with a little bit more composure they could and should have pushed England closer than the scoreline suggests. With time to prepare for the </span>World<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Cup who knows how good they could be?</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Still, the Red Roses are </span>favourites<span style="font-family: inherit;"> and rightly so. After all, they sit on 23 straight victories - one short of setting a new record. I certainly wouldn't bet against them.</span></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>TotalFlankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624839368553218464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7101694739527706614.post-55399928092276239362022-05-03T10:00:00.001+01:002022-05-03T10:00:05.643+01:00Big win for Ireland<div class="ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i86" data-component="text-block" style="border: 0px; caret-color: rgb(20, 20, 20); color: #141414; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 1rem 0px; max-width: 36.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1" style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00" style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="ssrcss-hmf8ql-BoldText e5tfeyi3" style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvyhyBF2zZHWAXvon_0B1NuZEd1Mfi5HgBbisytvmdLSHS1Q6vT03A7gK_6YjwTKZVgNThE0_Lzv-Vb0fvITGCA4nQgnBNqImLswPZdo2j3UxAA-wnwDhjO-TRoP00OfTSRm9h7H4WoD7-yd2Sg5zvzs3frfEkQ5S0eJkMV4KaBtTIbZ2q3RkzavKHg/s1424/Screenshot%202022-05-03%20at%2009.58.09.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="1424" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvyhyBF2zZHWAXvon_0B1NuZEd1Mfi5HgBbisytvmdLSHS1Q6vT03A7gK_6YjwTKZVgNThE0_Lzv-Vb0fvITGCA4nQgnBNqImLswPZdo2j3UxAA-wnwDhjO-TRoP00OfTSRm9h7H4WoD7-yd2Sg5zvzs3frfEkQ5S0eJkMV4KaBtTIbZ2q3RkzavKHg/w400-h121/Screenshot%202022-05-03%20at%2009.58.09.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Many congrats to Heaton Moor RUFC's Mike Ireland, who played his final game for the club this weekend at the age of 56, captaining the club's 3rd XV alongside his SEVEN sons in the Heaton Moor pack.</span><p></p><p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00" style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="ssrcss-hmf8ql-BoldText e5tfeyi3" style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00" style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="ssrcss-hmf8ql-BoldText e5tfeyi3" style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">To play in the same team as one son is impressive enough (not something I've managed, unless you count Touch) but seven? Amazing.</span></span></p><p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00" style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="ssrcss-hmf8ql-BoldText e5tfeyi3" style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00" style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="ssrcss-hmf8ql-BoldText e5tfeyi3" style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Perhaps even more impressive is that there are also eight daughters - that's a complete mixed XV!</span></span></p><p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00" style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="ssrcss-hmf8ql-BoldText e5tfeyi3" style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00" style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mike, who only started playing aged 41, held retirement at bay until his youngest son, Joel, turned 18<span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;"> so that the boys could all play in the same team.</span></span></p></div></div><div class="ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i86" data-component="text-block" style="border: 0px; caret-color: rgb(20, 20, 20); color: #141414; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 1rem 0px; max-width: 36.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1" style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00" style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And a 65-7 victory over Wythenshawe on Saturday was the icing on the cake.</span></p><p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00" style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00" style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Enjoy your retirement Mike.</span></p></div></div><div class="ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i86" data-component="text-block" style="border: 0px; caret-color: rgb(20, 20, 20); color: #141414; font-family: ReithSans, Helvetica, Arial, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 1rem 0px; max-width: 36.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></p></div></div>TotalFlankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624839368553218464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7101694739527706614.post-51122276486567821472022-05-01T08:49:00.000+01:002022-05-01T08:49:07.953+01:00Chris Ashton: Record Breaker<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjci8YA4CRXMuGm-MRZZh_lHr6pwXZrZszuxatD77W5PNH-ym83E4DExXyemFp4rPTxgBgkTFZCr5Oe8nfiuU4feKniSDWDB-oFzZxWPPh022Jl9dv8YZOVTz9kr0PTlyQF4OnDWQOHzKjuSfPt2_jYNdxElSAau-QNjM98eERCATn4JwEIhgMzkVZGog/s712/Screenshot%202022-02-10%20at%2011.37.19.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="712" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjci8YA4CRXMuGm-MRZZh_lHr6pwXZrZszuxatD77W5PNH-ym83E4DExXyemFp4rPTxgBgkTFZCr5Oe8nfiuU4feKniSDWDB-oFzZxWPPh022Jl9dv8YZOVTz9kr0PTlyQF4OnDWQOHzKjuSfPt2_jYNdxElSAau-QNjM98eERCATn4JwEIhgMzkVZGog/s320/Screenshot%202022-02-10%20at%2011.37.19.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Huge congrats to Leicester's <span style="caret-color: rgb(18, 18, 18); color: #121212;">Chris Ashton who yesterday became the Premiership's all-time top try-scorer.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="caret-color: rgb(18, 18, 18); color: #121212;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ashton's 20-minute first-half hat-trick against Bristol at Welford Road took his Premiership try tally to 95, finally eclipsing Tom Varndell's 92-try total which has stood since 2017.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(18, 18, 18); color: #121212;">Say what you like about Ashton (and he certainly divides</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(18, 18, 18); color: #121212;"> opinion), no one can deny his almost supernatural </span><span style="color: #121212;">ability to cross the whitewash. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: inherit;">It may have taken playing for seven different clubs in order for him to achieve the record, but it is nevertheless a remarkable achievement.</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: inherit;">What will be interesting is whether, at 35, he extends his time with Leicester. If he does so he could feasibly put the record beyond the reach of anyone else for years <span style="caret-color: rgb(18, 18, 18);">to come.</span></span></p>TotalFlankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624839368553218464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7101694739527706614.post-47159490221350221922022-04-28T14:56:00.002+01:002022-04-28T14:56:14.034+01:00Pain in Spain - again!<p style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyY7-H4mcILzseESPmecPSpBR3pks8yF0L7Si6-pggUBzUkX_lmDFO70nR2A1FSH3Y4yY_mCxloL-v-ulFFkLpPG1n8meNPWvGrJMeHIshiiRmGBrfGt8JCHcymbF2N4CWYWrMcmzK7ucpcBzA234cUi5XHQRkVHtjNKGoCTRt5O1FPsj4Uw3xhCgCmQ/s2008/1200px-Spain_Rugby_logo.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2008" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyY7-H4mcILzseESPmecPSpBR3pks8yF0L7Si6-pggUBzUkX_lmDFO70nR2A1FSH3Y4yY_mCxloL-v-ulFFkLpPG1n8meNPWvGrJMeHIshiiRmGBrfGt8JCHcymbF2N4CWYWrMcmzK7ucpcBzA234cUi5XHQRkVHtjNKGoCTRt5O1FPsj4Uw3xhCgCmQ/s320/1200px-Spain_Rugby_logo.svg.png" width="191" /></a></div><br />It would appear that Spain, <a href="https://www.totalflanker.co.uk/2018/05/rugby-world-cup-2019-qualification.html?q=spain" target="_blank">for the second Rugby World Cup running</a>, have been kicked out of the competition, having been found guilty of breaching player eligibility laws by selecting South African prop Gavin van den Berg in two Rugby Europe Championship matches against the Netherlands.<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"> </span><p></p><p style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 15pt;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Consequently the 10 points earned from Spain’s victories over the Netherlands have been removed from the Rugby Europe Championship table and Romania will now take Spain’s place at Rugby World Cup 2023.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It turns out that van den Berg was not eligible to play for Spain, having not completed the requirements of three years consecutive residency and, although cleared to play by both the Spanish national federation (FER) and World Rugby, it seems that such clearances were made based on false documentation provided by the player and his club Alcobendas. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Which, as effectively the victims of fraud, all seems a little bit harsh on the Spanish, doesn’t it?</span><span style="font-family: Droid Sans, serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>TotalFlankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624839368553218464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7101694739527706614.post-44526069543475174392022-04-28T10:30:00.003+01:002022-04-28T10:30:57.661+01:00Good luck Tom Youngs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZjDXH93Ggqvl19UdtSP7l_D8Zk4i7R-gLoZ_wdwP8La2JVZ1EsXZG8cNUa-h3OLVCgXr90SQmOo0bnLTZnkgfUissZT2ZrKTq3cg_z6bXI3Do8Wzc60M6WRzqav3zDwrIbWqadpgkRvBRzZ5Cnw3VWVrgdAGF3omXncReUqBKMoy5QiVJyzAo4zFwQ/s334/Screenshot%202022-04-28%20at%2010.22.51.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="334" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZjDXH93Ggqvl19UdtSP7l_D8Zk4i7R-gLoZ_wdwP8La2JVZ1EsXZG8cNUa-h3OLVCgXr90SQmOo0bnLTZnkgfUissZT2ZrKTq3cg_z6bXI3Do8Wzc60M6WRzqav3zDwrIbWqadpgkRvBRzZ5Cnw3VWVrgdAGF3omXncReUqBKMoy5QiVJyzAo4zFwQ/s320/Screenshot%202022-04-28%20at%2010.22.51.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Huge kudos to Leicester and former England and Lions hooker Tom Youngs, who this week announced that he was hanging up his boots<span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(20, 20, 20); font-size: 16px;"> </span><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(20, 20, 20); font-size: 16px;">with immediate effect at the age of 35.</span></p><p><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(20, 20, 20); font-size: 16px;">Youngs has been on </span><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(20, 20, 20); font-size: 16px;">indefinite leave from Leicester Tigers since October 2021 so that he could care for his wife who suffers from Hodgkin Lymphoma.</span></p><p><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(20, 20, 20); font-size: 16px;">As a player Youngs achieved a huge amount, having switched positions from centre to hooker in 2009, going on to play for Leicester Tigers 215 times (98 as captain) and </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(20, 20, 20); font-size: 16px;">win 28 England caps and 3 Lions caps.</span></p><p><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><span style="caret-color: rgb(20, 20, 20);">As a family man, however he has arguably achieved more. Some things are way more important than rugby.</span></span></p><p><br /></p>TotalFlankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624839368553218464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7101694739527706614.post-90061170113619615222022-04-27T17:40:00.002+01:002022-04-27T17:42:34.363+01:00England Women go in search of another Slam<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioXVeOfEC6RU6wvMbSQRvCX-prdTa3ve-TelCBvuNRa54EAD1uLSLiN_7QHv30zdnxNlfy0AwcyrLdod2YXjIoYqjI23GkDlc9wHhP6MfmwDIHZKm3IQHQmy4IuiIbGSYTdQx9eL1FQfHlyfbalogVrUsfp6mMjqwsuT01aavbOAqgXA3x_M40OkKUDg/s1246/Screenshot%202022-04-27%20at%2017.37.18.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="484" data-original-width="1246" height="124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioXVeOfEC6RU6wvMbSQRvCX-prdTa3ve-TelCBvuNRa54EAD1uLSLiN_7QHv30zdnxNlfy0AwcyrLdod2YXjIoYqjI23GkDlc9wHhP6MfmwDIHZKm3IQHQmy4IuiIbGSYTdQx9eL1FQfHlyfbalogVrUsfp6mMjqwsuT01aavbOAqgXA3x_M40OkKUDg/s320/Screenshot%202022-04-27%20at%2017.37.18.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>England's women may well be on the brink of another Six Nations Grand Slam as they head to France this weekend.<p></p><p>Their record so far - four wins from four games, having scored 42 tries and conceded only twice - is pretty damned spectacular.</p><p>Yes, people rightly point to the fact that they have had the advantage of being a fully professional outfit and that the playing field is hardly level, but England can only beat what is put in front of them and the disparity in resources is really an issue for the wider women's game rather than something the England team should be losing sleep over.</p><p>Despite the one-sided nature of England's matches thus far, I think this has, nevertheless, been a successful Six Nations all round with sell-out crowds and extensive terrestrial TV coverage which I, for one, have been pleased to take advantage of. Having its own calendar slot, separate from the men's tournament, has been a roaring success.</p><p>If England are going to claim the Grand Slam this year, however, they're clearly going to have to do it the hard way. France, as we all know, will be no pushovers. Four from four themselves, and having only conceded three tries, they will undoubtedly be a tough nut to crack and any English complacency, or any sloppiness (and it's fair to say that the England team has been a little sloppy from time to time thus far) could cost them dear.</p><p>It should be a cracking encounter in front of another sell-out 10,600 crowd <span style="font-family: inherit;">at <span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(18, 18, 18);">Bayonne's Stade Jean Dauger. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(18, 18, 18); font-family: inherit;">Good luck England.</span></p><p><br /></p>TotalFlankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624839368553218464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7101694739527706614.post-74795942163893699022022-04-27T09:32:00.000+01:002022-04-27T09:32:00.170+01:00Patrick Crabtree RIP<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc2Sj9DvRHVr_AFIlDS518chLsKHQHBFQNlCN8LiCm3P7NucYPupiqE3DjUTfVlEPEsfDW-z2Jr5hCfXJtxc6kHvy95w0rOFKLI2QXYjMyq-78TAB7t_T4eGh7-4OQo0fShBZG4QB3LlDP6XhH2cVKdfft0Go4cfXxFwEPiPuUVmO-Xntkb2nvfBAPlA/s480/img-res.pitchero.com-5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="480" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc2Sj9DvRHVr_AFIlDS518chLsKHQHBFQNlCN8LiCm3P7NucYPupiqE3DjUTfVlEPEsfDW-z2Jr5hCfXJtxc6kHvy95w0rOFKLI2QXYjMyq-78TAB7t_T4eGh7-4OQo0fShBZG4QB3LlDP6XhH2cVKdfft0Go4cfXxFwEPiPuUVmO-Xntkb2nvfBAPlA/w200-h200/img-res.pitchero.com-5.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><br />More gloomy news I'm afraid, as I discovered recently that former Barnes Rugby Club stalwart, Patrick Crabtree, had died on Easter Monday, after a year long battle with cancer. <div><br /></div><div>I can't pretend to have been bosom buddies with Patrick and it's a long time since I last spoke to him, but I do remember him as the nicest of men - and so very welcoming when I turned up at Barnes at the tail end of the 1989-90 season for my first game for the club in the 2nd XV of which he was captain. </div><div><br /></div><div>It was nice to learn that he managed a pint at the club watching the Barnes 1st XV on the Saturday before his passing.</div><div><br /></div><div>Great club man, great family man and the loveliest of blokes - my thoughts are very much with his family, friends and former team mates at Barnes. </div><div><br /></div><div>RIP Patrick.</div>TotalFlankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624839368553218464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7101694739527706614.post-73430534376452843112022-04-26T10:31:00.000+01:002022-04-26T10:31:35.710+01:00Ealing dream remains on hold<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixaHkNF79LwRDdqidcIJm05Q_NS5CU-J5J31jzwVis0WLwXk-iR4oEj-NGJRQuITsJN2UNJVubr1VCUQGq7AMUvWmFu3Tu5yfzW-PrDkNNk9T5gpDlH7toNEd0xIXRVn_ZTGdNfrGy3Jc5siAA0O2KkB8OeZFQ2x_ouN0UBuBQTaxAibnpLXiwmksGBg/s1200/ealing.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixaHkNF79LwRDdqidcIJm05Q_NS5CU-J5J31jzwVis0WLwXk-iR4oEj-NGJRQuITsJN2UNJVubr1VCUQGq7AMUvWmFu3Tu5yfzW-PrDkNNk9T5gpDlH7toNEd0xIXRVn_ZTGdNfrGy3Jc5siAA0O2KkB8OeZFQ2x_ouN0UBuBQTaxAibnpLXiwmksGBg/s320/ealing.jpeg" width="256" /></a></div><br />Sadly I still can't claim to have ever played for a Premiership club following the news last week that Ealing Trailfinders have chosen not to pursue their appeal against the decision to deny them entry to the Premiership next season owing to a failure to meet minimum ground requirements.<p></p><p>My own personal disappointment aside (!), it must also be a blow to Ealing's players, members and supporters who must, at the beginning of the season, have had expectations of promotion to the Premiership if they won the Championship.</p><p>The club may well have decided that, on reflection, they were not ready for the step up - but it does seem to me that the goalposts have been shifted fairly late in the day and certainly there may be players who committed to Ealing on the basis that they would be playing Premiership rugby next season and who may be having second thoughts about committing to another gruelling season in the Championship with no guarantee of just reward.</p><p>It's also not a great look for the Premiership to be denying entry to a club who have been consistently excellent at Championship level for a few years now.</p><p><br /></p>TotalFlankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624839368553218464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7101694739527706614.post-22381006354636246742022-04-26T10:18:00.003+01:002022-04-26T10:18:24.994+01:00Out of order?<p><span style="background-color: white;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgyeVZf5yNf1-ceqvIr1v87gF9QqxBcC5Fzwgh1HmmcJV2_mjjXVng_UFq4XdLICsFS0C9JRsyG6JawYNbsb3KAYq_cYzMIZuevULprHtIBIKpdXUI_ve1VLf5fMT5vgNSTyNY7TJ5jK0pZnXvzF0fhr7370z9dFeRD9UYY-8k77X_pzhyqxHvgVJI5g/s352/Screenshot%202022-04-26%20at%2010.16.57.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="352" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgyeVZf5yNf1-ceqvIr1v87gF9QqxBcC5Fzwgh1HmmcJV2_mjjXVng_UFq4XdLICsFS0C9JRsyG6JawYNbsb3KAYq_cYzMIZuevULprHtIBIKpdXUI_ve1VLf5fMT5vgNSTyNY7TJ5jK0pZnXvzF0fhr7370z9dFeRD9UYY-8k77X_pzhyqxHvgVJI5g/w200-h193/Screenshot%202022-04-26%20at%2010.16.57.png" width="200" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">Interesting minor spat between Leicester and England prop Ellis Genge and former England hooker Brian Moore.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333;">Moore had commented on the fact that, d</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">uring Leicester Tigers loss to Harlequins at the weekend (great game, btw), Genge and fellow Tigers prop Dan Cole - both replacements at the time - appeared to have been trying to make points about the scrum to the assistant referee.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Moore's point was that such actions were not appropriate as it looked as if they were trying to undermine the </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">officials to which Genge, in typically amusing fashion, responded:</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #333333;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhKf_AaeGujbHrgBSmZTkNkJoNWrR-P0Xtvq-NcEKFBDousZMtsJBW6vVFN2Dup5wI49mCy8H4UTBw4Qnm8mNYHLEHs8Q4kXfLv7dg5LU3WWApJwr2gNmMB7da9T6uhy-aFTsdOdPpVaYPzmb32PCLURujxoTGjh8cPp8sHLsyhYJEKxKiViNilM0r9Q/s1060/Screenshot%202022-04-26%20at%2010.01.59.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="1060" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhKf_AaeGujbHrgBSmZTkNkJoNWrR-P0Xtvq-NcEKFBDousZMtsJBW6vVFN2Dup5wI49mCy8H4UTBw4Qnm8mNYHLEHs8Q4kXfLv7dg5LU3WWApJwr2gNmMB7da9T6uhy-aFTsdOdPpVaYPzmb32PCLURujxoTGjh8cPp8sHLsyhYJEKxKiViNilM0r9Q/w400-h149/Screenshot%202022-04-26%20at%2010.01.59.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Funny as that is, Moore's point remains <span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">valid. Whatever their intentions, replacements simply should not be engaging with the match officials at all. </span></span></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Of course, the perennial problem of gangs of replacements warming up in the in-goal area does not help - a subject, possibly, for a future rant.</span></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span></span></p>TotalFlankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624839368553218464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7101694739527706614.post-58756715614151246832022-04-07T15:56:00.001+01:002022-04-07T15:56:11.272+01:00More sad news<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjESq-BxTX9Hey_WDsG4p22D0S6Kwm79Uo3iXJwyf4n1EWAbg09LF3wWHPkqf7p1_yAKDXD2frEM-kvdt-ox4BlE6daVrqUYce87z4xDS5DPLZtFkWR1KY_O4QYZkMJL0jhzGERJkyFeOQQJMUAgM_yiJjyy9pWaKnadrknT0ZEfikXiAopJ3vGaz3jWw/s635/FPj76C6XIAA-ked.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="635" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjESq-BxTX9Hey_WDsG4p22D0S6Kwm79Uo3iXJwyf4n1EWAbg09LF3wWHPkqf7p1_yAKDXD2frEM-kvdt-ox4BlE6daVrqUYce87z4xDS5DPLZtFkWR1KY_O4QYZkMJL0jhzGERJkyFeOQQJMUAgM_yiJjyy9pWaKnadrknT0ZEfikXiAopJ3vGaz3jWw/s320/FPj76C6XIAA-ked.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Another really sad piece of news, as it has been reported this week that Oleski Tsibko, former captain of Ukraine's national rugby team and former president of the <span style="caret-color: rgb(20, 20, 20);">Ukrainian Rugby Federation</span>, has been killed by Russian troops whilst defending his country from invasion near the town of Bucha.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">It is too easy for us to distance ourselves from events in Ukraine and Tsibko's death is, of course, just one of thousands in this war. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Another sad statistic of war, therefore, but the fact that this was a 55 year old former rugby player, somehow brings it all much closer to home...</span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="caret-color: rgb(20, 20, 20); color: #141414; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>TotalFlankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624839368553218464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7101694739527706614.post-39912490019260294212022-04-07T12:11:00.003+01:002022-04-07T12:47:46.295+01:00Tom Smith RIP<p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #121212; font-family: inherit;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(18, 18, 18);"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiirve2ELNkVef5Za_gQrb0Dvp4_KO8RulmfehgdLtNkirJc_n7nw6sYV-HNZhSY2GWWU-bR5zHOZEqsRUHiC68Llnq515XCeqrOczp4lBaYiinFv0MfhlMN0RbyrSAruxmbTNAgCzXjSckCspW265TU5doJTucS78bRWNlQ29kG2Fps5CX1I7ZP-NZ8A/s538/Screenshot%202022-04-07%20at%2012.46.02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="390" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiirve2ELNkVef5Za_gQrb0Dvp4_KO8RulmfehgdLtNkirJc_n7nw6sYV-HNZhSY2GWWU-bR5zHOZEqsRUHiC68Llnq515XCeqrOczp4lBaYiinFv0MfhlMN0RbyrSAruxmbTNAgCzXjSckCspW265TU5doJTucS78bRWNlQ29kG2Fps5CX1I7ZP-NZ8A/s320/Screenshot%202022-04-07%20at%2012.46.02.png" width="232" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #121212; font-family: inherit;"><br />Terribly sad news that Tom Smith, former Scotland and Lions prop, has passed away, aged just 50, after a battle with colon cancer, having been diagnosed in 2019.</span><p></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(18, 18, 18);">Smith was a </span>phenomenal player and a true legend (a word used too often but wholly appropriately in his case) of the game.</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: inherit;">Thoughts are very much with his family. RIP.</span></p><p><span face="ReithSans, Arial, Helvetica, freesans, sans-serif" style="color: #121212;"><br /></span></p>TotalFlankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624839368553218464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7101694739527706614.post-86628613790940357032022-04-05T17:41:00.000+01:002022-04-05T17:41:35.026+01:00Eddie is at it again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3VQEIohKMBTIWrVP0ukMlcTqKCHuFpBRc9O8Nc1ehFcEIysebe_vx0FrRq6289OYPlhsS_cC3FpnUUUstb2Jb0LE-SNlLdobW-qtCLrRl2sF2TSATIOS0U6Yq7LQDTzi5iqZf8sg97vroQhFQyjOp_a_Zs3Zmqld9GcrzFiM0TsQ5EvrkURHb43z1_g/s380/EddieJones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="271" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3VQEIohKMBTIWrVP0ukMlcTqKCHuFpBRc9O8Nc1ehFcEIysebe_vx0FrRq6289OYPlhsS_cC3FpnUUUstb2Jb0LE-SNlLdobW-qtCLrRl2sF2TSATIOS0U6Yq7LQDTzi5iqZf8sg97vroQhFQyjOp_a_Zs3Zmqld9GcrzFiM0TsQ5EvrkURHb43z1_g/w143-h200/EddieJones.jpg" width="143" /></a></div><br />Weeks after another awful England Six Nations campaign, it turns out that Eddie Jones is back in Japan, reprising <a href="https://www.totalflanker.co.uk/2021/04/rfu-needs-to-grow-pair.html" target="_blank">his consultancy role with Japanese club Suntory Sungoliath</a>.<div><br /></div><div>The RFU is said to be "comfortable" with the situation - and undoubtedly Jones's contract allows for it. Who knows, it may also be a useful way for Jones to unwind and recharge his batteries.</div><div><br /></div><div>But it remains a terrible look for both Jones the RFU. </div><div><br /></div><div>For Jones it just looks as if he doesn't give a monkeys about what anyone thinks - and there may be more than a grain of truth in that.</div><div><br /></div><div>Whilst for the RFU it just makes it look as if the tail is very much wagging the dog here, with the dog simply lacking the bollocks to do anything about it.</div><div><br /></div><div>It doesn't matter how much we hate it, or how much we whinge, we are stuck with it - but I can't help feeling that the RFU's inability to hold their employee to account has become a massive problem. </div>TotalFlankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624839368553218464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7101694739527706614.post-59884458890463817542022-04-04T11:17:00.003+01:002022-04-04T12:36:52.128+01:00Victorious Ealing now in limbo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUrluEC29Ve3bz07kIbptfJOkSTMTBZBoGaCqtHjg0mBh0P4_M2NxYORM9W7AWVsy_xuSW7Lksj6OkPafpn8bs-ZnayHQkdak_CH6bSwdAcDpZuMlWdw2fQOSnHMFH1tFIRLIKZNbYfIDV2wTrpWpClgOuBE-ttSKMiyTwvoIR0zuciVlz4TR7_qBGA/s1200/ealing.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUrluEC29Ve3bz07kIbptfJOkSTMTBZBoGaCqtHjg0mBh0P4_M2NxYORM9W7AWVsy_xuSW7Lksj6OkPafpn8bs-ZnayHQkdak_CH6bSwdAcDpZuMlWdw2fQOSnHMFH1tFIRLIKZNbYfIDV2wTrpWpClgOuBE-ttSKMiyTwvoIR0zuciVlz4TR7_qBGA/s320/ealing.jpeg" width="256" /></a></div><br />Well done to Ealing Trailfinders who, by virtue of their 60-10 victory over Richmond at the weekend, sealed the 2021-22 RFU Championship title. <div><br /></div><div>The story should have had the perfect ending with promotion to the Premiership, but Ealing’s fate remains in limbo, with promotion resting on the club’s appeal of a decision not to allow their admission to the Premiership on minimum criteria grounds. </div><div><br /></div><div>The situation is an unholy mess. A moratorium on relegation from the Premiership having been introduced last season, the plan was always for this season’s Championship winners to be promoted into a 14-team Premiership - only for the RFU deny Ealing promotion using largely discredited criteria. </div><div><br /></div><div>That Ealing’s appeal is unlikely to be ruled on until the end of April (at the earliest) also means that planning for next season is virtually impossible – hardly ideal if promotion is eventually granted. </div><div><br /></div><div>That said, I do hope that Ealing are promoted – if only so that I can claim that I once played for a Premiership club! 😉</div>TotalFlankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624839368553218464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7101694739527706614.post-91031962863287261252022-04-04T10:30:00.002+01:002022-04-04T10:30:14.690+01:00Things that make me feel old #7<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEamn2YbrIo2ASFZxaykAcEJiEHUWOqU2-Wyo4QFNAhoSP-Baqnj33y3PqQQCfa-UeC0IN5NnX6GcHNGAOCZdEFszzU_8E7pToeExfYW_Gd32j-WGIRHlawJITMu1nF1_659ZXuhzIPgFu7LiwpGF3yZ0dOG6Sj7_lb6_ghQeAqfZ4qzP-vvmpOn9e8w/s966/Screenshot%202022-04-04%20at%2010.18.55.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="896" data-original-width="966" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEamn2YbrIo2ASFZxaykAcEJiEHUWOqU2-Wyo4QFNAhoSP-Baqnj33y3PqQQCfa-UeC0IN5NnX6GcHNGAOCZdEFszzU_8E7pToeExfYW_Gd32j-WGIRHlawJITMu1nF1_659ZXuhzIPgFu7LiwpGF3yZ0dOG6Sj7_lb6_ghQeAqfZ4qzP-vvmpOn9e8w/s320/Screenshot%202022-04-04%20at%2010.18.55.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />Remember Kyran Bracken - that young fella that used to play for England between 1993 and 2004? Yes? Well his son, Charlie, made his first team debut for Saracens against Wasps last week.<p></p><p>Yep. I'm that old.</p>TotalFlankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624839368553218464noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7101694739527706614.post-50852260478253438042022-04-01T10:47:00.004+01:002022-04-01T10:51:57.652+01:00US investment a "Game Changer"<p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #212529; font-weight: normal;"></span></strong></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #212529; font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5duqBI6dsKJiHM8lcz1AG72LP7Hr5Vhm3UPBiwmAoBcg-7amlVipriHncVli6H6RDG15TGrqE1H-yL_IR6lMKMcq8dzutG-VBkcykSYLgK25-mW9K1a0YIsTUG6f00ZcG1yN3yNYVi7QqhT9ulAz2NnL65nKiHl-wNdbEMXwmdzzM7OX2dmfW4eC95w/s668/Screenshot%202016-11-14%2010.52.29.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="162" data-original-width="668" height="78" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5duqBI6dsKJiHM8lcz1AG72LP7Hr5Vhm3UPBiwmAoBcg-7amlVipriHncVli6H6RDG15TGrqE1H-yL_IR6lMKMcq8dzutG-VBkcykSYLgK25-mW9K1a0YIsTUG6f00ZcG1yN3yNYVi7QqhT9ulAz2NnL65nKiHl-wNdbEMXwmdzzM7OX2dmfW4eC95w/s320/Screenshot%202016-11-14%2010.52.29.png" width="320" /></a></span></strong></span></div><span><strong><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #212529; font-weight: normal;"><br /><br /></span></strong></span>
I was intrigued to read this morning that the proposed $200 million investment in New Zealand Rugby by global finance company Silver Lake - which has been agreed by NZR and currently awaits ratification by the provincial unions and Maori Rugby Board – may, in fact, just be the tip of the iceberg. <div><br /></div><div>Further US investment in international professional rugby – via New Zealand – is likely to follow, with an as yet un-named US investment group planning a whopping $2.5 billion investment which, it is reported, will come with a series of conditions, including radical changes to the game to make rugby more TV friendly to a US audience such as: </div><div><br /></div><div> · Dividing the game into 4 quarters of 20 minutes each </div><div><br /></div><div> · Half time “Super Bowl” style entertainment </div><div><br /></div><div> · Continuous rolling substitutions </div><div><br /></div><div> · Overtime until a result is confirmed during which a player on each side is removed from the field of play every 10 minutes </div><div><br /></div><div> · Allowing forward passes (already in operation in Super Rugby)</div><div><br /></div><div>The proposed investment is therefore rightly being described as a “quite literally a game changer” by sources within New Zealand, with initial indications that the proposal is likely to be supported by the vast majority of international unions, with the only exception being the RFU who, it is reported, remain convinced that the current matchday experience at Twickenham is second to none.</div>TotalFlankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624839368553218464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7101694739527706614.post-38565646344933676592022-03-31T11:21:00.002+01:002022-03-31T13:50:41.132+01:00Why is the World Cup the be all and end all?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv4e2_PLwSVchQLSYW160zE7vtTKKuj7OureA0PKYwmnXv6TbYodPFNev8_8ldj5bi0tt-6ZcsAGFi6rN0FFVx5Dsh7eAJhPdjJuNymXlFIjfwCwqCdurux6ZTX7TNMaUXuKr2YoCkpx-rmm3CdYE0MIL0_7bqwSyv6A5E_8YALWs5KSigVwqAWOqueg/s746/pngfind.com-ipl-trophy-png-6714277.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="746" data-original-width="541" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv4e2_PLwSVchQLSYW160zE7vtTKKuj7OureA0PKYwmnXv6TbYodPFNev8_8ldj5bi0tt-6ZcsAGFi6rN0FFVx5Dsh7eAJhPdjJuNymXlFIjfwCwqCdurux6ZTX7TNMaUXuKr2YoCkpx-rmm3CdYE0MIL0_7bqwSyv6A5E_8YALWs5KSigVwqAWOqueg/s320/pngfind.com-ipl-trophy-png-6714277.png" width="232" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />I read comments today by Newcastle Falcons head coach Dean Richards that, should England win the 2023 World Cup, then the RFU may want Eddie Jones to stay on as England's head coach.<p></p><p>Quite how this fits with the RFU's "Project Everest" is one thing, but the suggestion that England winning the World Cup (however unlikely that may seem at the moment) would somehow erase the team's abject performances in the 2021 and 2022 Six Nations, is a little alarming.</p><p>This is, of course, the narrative being promoted by Jones - that England are on the right track, heading in the right direction, that we should all forget how poorly the team is currently playing, that all will be ok come the World Cup. </p><p>But should this be the case? Should we be satisfied with abject mediocrity year on year based on the promise of "jam tomorrow"?</p><p>Only one team can win the World Cup in 2023. Could it be England? Well, I suppose it is possible. A favourable draw means that anything less than a semi-final place would be a disappointment. But, even if Jones can get England to peak in 2023, winning the trophy will be fiendishly difficult. The only time England have previously won the trophy they were the world's number one ranked team and tournament favourites and it was still a mighty close thing. </p><p>And what if England were to claim the Webb Ellis Cup next year? Well, of course I would celebrate as much as the next Englishman, but would it mean that successive lowly finishes in the Six Nations were worth it? I get that there is a four year World Cup cycle, but the Six Nations is not, or at least it should not be, treated as a development tournament. Winning a Grand Slam - as England did in 2016 - is, or should be, regarded as a huge achievement. England almost did it again in 2017 but, let's be honest, have not really come close since.</p><p>As far as I can see there are two possibilities. Either:</p><p>- England are just a bit of a mess currently and Eddie is using the promise of "it'll be all right on the night" as a means to deflect from the team's current malaise; or</p><p>- Eddie genuinely has a plan that will see England lift the World Cup in Paris next year and that he sees sacrificing Six Nations titles as an acceptable means to an end.</p><p>Deep down I suspect the former, but what is concerning is that the RFU (and to some extent the English rugby public) appear to have bought into the latter hypothesis.</p><p>I don't think this is going to end well.</p>TotalFlankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624839368553218464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7101694739527706614.post-25249290781793984922022-03-29T15:46:00.002+01:002022-03-30T11:38:41.893+01:00Serious flaws in England's "Project Everest"<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfgtQqjDoQUtIxVYmH9vBNE37BOQP-z3E0zpeLsNdU4rYx46tD10WkSyt4N6BI2TJRVyVtru1PfWtVUVd2S_je4M1HR3inMDLhAMYqAHDLmw_kM5aTSkbKJML_jrDxhEQkK6nDuGXDWN3Ygu-L3G5R_E6sFbxU_wo4RtMbj6mRvEjFB9X__eg9v3JE7Q/s1468/bronze-sculpture-by-gerald-laing-twickenham-stadium-twickenham.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1468" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfgtQqjDoQUtIxVYmH9vBNE37BOQP-z3E0zpeLsNdU4rYx46tD10WkSyt4N6BI2TJRVyVtru1PfWtVUVd2S_je4M1HR3inMDLhAMYqAHDLmw_kM5aTSkbKJML_jrDxhEQkK6nDuGXDWN3Ygu-L3G5R_E6sFbxU_wo4RtMbj6mRvEjFB9X__eg9v3JE7Q/s320/bronze-sculpture-by-gerald-laing-twickenham-stadium-twickenham.jpg" width="218" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">It appears, from comments made by the RFU’s CEO Bill Sweeney, that the RFU want to appoint an Englishman as the next England Head Coach and, moreover, want to have the appointment in place prior to the 2023 World Cup to ensure a smooth handover from Eddie Jones.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #121212;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #121212;">This process is, apparently well under way and even has a name – ‘Project Everest” and a “war room” – whatever that is.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-family: inherit;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-family: inherit;">The problem is, of course, that such a plan already places unnecessary limitations on any prospective appointment.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-family: inherit;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-family: inherit;">Firstly, it more or less confirms that Eddie Jones will be going nowhere until his contract ends after the World Cup as it is hardly feasible that any of the supposed leading candidates would be available to take over in the short term (unless, perhaps, it was one of Jones’s assistants such as Richard Cockerill).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-family: inherit;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-family: inherit;">Then you have to consider the likelihood of any candidate being available prior to the next Worlds Cup. Such a requirement would almost certainly rule out the likes of Andy Farrell and Shaun Edwards, for instance, who will be committed to that tournament with Ireland and France respectively.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-family: inherit;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-family: inherit;">Effectively, therefore, if Farrell and Edwards are ruled out, we will be looking at coaches currently in club roles – the likes of Stuart Lancaster at Leinster, Rob Baxter at Exeter and Steve Borthwick at Leicester, none of which would be problem-free appointments.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-family: inherit;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-family: inherit;">All are, as far as I know, under contract. Lancaster, of course, has already been there, done that, got the t-shirt and I would be surprised if he wanted another crack at the role, despite the fact that he made a pretty decent fist of it until getting it all badly wrong at the 2015 World Cup. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-family: inherit;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-family: inherit;">Baxter, meanwhile, has shown little appetite to date for working outside of the confines of Exeter. He is a fantastic day-to-day coach at club level but whether he is suited to or even interested in the very different demands of international rugby remains to be seen.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-family: inherit;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-family: inherit;">And then there is Borthwick, who has transformed the fortunes of Leicester Tigers and, of course, who has had international coaching experience with both Japan and England. The problem is that, as yet, Leicester have yet to win anything and I am sure Borthwick would not really want to walk away from the Tigers role with the job seemingly unfinished.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-family: inherit;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-family: inherit;">So, laudable as the RFU intentions are, their plans are hardly without issues. Unless the plan is to promote from within – and of the assistant coaches only Cockerill is remotely qualified to be head coach – then problems abound. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-family: inherit;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #121212;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My view is quite simple. Find and decide on the best man for the job. If he is English, great. If he is available to accept a seamless handover from Eddie Jones, even better. But please don’t hamstring yourselves by setting criteria which severely limit your choices.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p style="font-size: 13pt;"></o:p></span></span></p>TotalFlankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624839368553218464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7101694739527706614.post-14356375776240514972022-03-29T12:47:00.001+01:002022-03-29T12:47:35.938+01:00RIP Maddy Lawrence<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhckq3hFXEPRVensKRss8NpQtVQjE6qQThflOOxZ9QjFVyF84mQc1mx4BvQUQvWJNDzN4SMZr5xxQaOWO8eN-kYT05iCYXkpz3H_Arm0tUgv1QQRB5BtXJRnAmoKcBp4hc7cCjRDTJdipb10bB2uVtqGmGKnA36gvq3M0mtPB82dQ6NtM5mWtRtxLnJbQ/s976/_123936090_whatsappimage2022-03-29at11.33.10am.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="976" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhckq3hFXEPRVensKRss8NpQtVQjE6qQThflOOxZ9QjFVyF84mQc1mx4BvQUQvWJNDzN4SMZr5xxQaOWO8eN-kYT05iCYXkpz3H_Arm0tUgv1QQRB5BtXJRnAmoKcBp4hc7cCjRDTJdipb10bB2uVtqGmGKnA36gvq3M0mtPB82dQ6NtM5mWtRtxLnJbQ/s320/_123936090_whatsappimage2022-03-29at11.33.10am.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />My condolences and sympathies go out to the family and friends of Maddy Lawrence, a 20 year old student at the the University of West England, who has tragically passed away following an injury sustained playing rugby a few weeks ago.<p></p><p>Maddy, a first year student who only started playing rugby last year, played on the left wing and was hurt in a tackle while playing for her university's 2nd team against the University of Bristol on 7th March. </p><p>No one could have expected this outcome and and her family, friends and team mates must be absolutely devastated.</p><p>RIP Maddy.</p><p><br /></p>TotalFlankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624839368553218464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7101694739527706614.post-1626394432677685212022-03-28T10:19:00.002+01:002022-03-28T11:01:23.702+01:00Women's Six Nations 2022 - a predictable start?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWbb32eOQwNAQK_E9aW5XTty0oSbMcaZsxxr990L_nHXlpyXRCB7qhwm2FLEYFIXuirklHainqDFNg32zZKU3GzymANVq1kPAr3szP4VJxUZpKmDOyucq_AHdMp4Mf_R8ggDqBqqOv-RkQ544a0p3yfYlgDoomIow8uTy2h2LRXs8cSNousFZs_y29Mg/s1010/TikTokW6NLogoSB2000-1010x568.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="1010" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWbb32eOQwNAQK_E9aW5XTty0oSbMcaZsxxr990L_nHXlpyXRCB7qhwm2FLEYFIXuirklHainqDFNg32zZKU3GzymANVq1kPAr3szP4VJxUZpKmDOyucq_AHdMp4Mf_R8ggDqBqqOv-RkQ544a0p3yfYlgDoomIow8uTy2h2LRXs8cSNousFZs_y29Mg/s320/TikTokW6NLogoSB2000-1010x568.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>This weekend saw the first round of matches in this year's women's Six Nations and the results were, for the most part, quite predictable.<p></p><p>Big wins for England and France - over Scotland and Italy respectively - were as expected. I have seen some criticism online - about England in particular - that they are somehow cheating by being a fully professional outfit - an argument that is, of course, utterly ridiculous. The RFU and the English clubs are to be applauded for professionalising the women's game to help drive up standards - and it is very much up to World Rugby and the other unions to find ways of ensuring that women's rugby in general is properly funded.</p><p>That England and France (whose team, although not fully professional, is very well funded) won very comfortably is therefore no surprise. The 27-19 victory by Wales over Ireland in Dublin was, however, less expected. Wales were spanked 45-0 in the corresponding fixture last season so the turnaround is quite spectacular and it is surely no coincidence that Wales now have several professional players in their ranks.</p><p>From what I saw of the weekend's action (I watched much of the Scotland vs England encounter and all of Ireland vs Wales), standards are definitely on an upward trajectory. Even Scotland, in their heavy defeat to England, were very competitive and made life difficult for the English women. </p><p>Admittedly it is already looking likely that a France vs England showdown for the title is inevitable, but I would not necessarily rule out Welsh chances just yet.</p>TotalFlankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624839368553218464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7101694739527706614.post-68507227443344745732022-03-22T11:46:00.002+00:002022-03-24T17:16:29.616+00:00Head in the sand for "dishonest" RFU? <p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1mMy8mMDSF6crpSR3C9HwgftRpng1yxcOithCvdPTo439qWweiEdif2R9v51FDhOi_aoXTES6HaSEME8nAhWPeIBfNJ2sfNhnR_4enRnVAjzeY5QZyYmtcgLUgLwMcPqrzjTV-uipGaVAyHW2M374UtzYohRyCNT-vOA54kdM0S9_urBAP_T7-IgGFA/s320/rfu.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="320" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1mMy8mMDSF6crpSR3C9HwgftRpng1yxcOithCvdPTo439qWweiEdif2R9v51FDhOi_aoXTES6HaSEME8nAhWPeIBfNJ2sfNhnR_4enRnVAjzeY5QZyYmtcgLUgLwMcPqrzjTV-uipGaVAyHW2M374UtzYohRyCNT-vOA54kdM0S9_urBAP_T7-IgGFA/s1600/rfu.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Whether or not Eddie Jones is replaced as England's head coach - and I fear that we are, for better or for worse, stuck with him until after the World Cup next year - the RFU statement issued on Sunday that it was "</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.1599999964237213px;">encouraged by England's solid progress" </span></span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.1599999964237213px;">during</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.1599999964237213px;"> the Six Nations was, frankly, one of the most absurd comments that I have ever read.</span></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: -0.1599999964237213px;">Perhaps whoever was </span></span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.1599999964237213px;">responsible for the statement (which was attributable only to an "RFU spokesperson") was taking a leaf out of the UK Government's playbook in this thinly veiled attempt to mislead or 'gaslight' the English rugby public. </span></p><p><span style="letter-spacing: -0.1599999964237213px;">As pretty much any English rugby fan will know, however, two meagre victories </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.1599999964237213px;">this Six Nations </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.1599999964237213px;">- over last-placed Italy and a poor Welsh team - constitutes no kind of progress whatsoever from last season's pathetic fifth place finish.</span></p><p><span style="letter-spacing: -0.1599999964237213px;">Ugo Monye called it absolutely correctly by labelling the RFU statement as "dishonest" while former Welsh skipper Sam Warburton got it spot on by simply calling the statement "a lie".</span></p><p><span style="letter-spacing: -0.1599999964237213px;">No doubt England's Six Nations performance will, once again, be subject to another "brutally honest" internal review by person or persons unknown at the RFU which will achieve absolutely nothing. "Carry on Eddie" will undoubtedly be the outcome - but the fact that the outcome has already been pre-empted by the RFU's ludicrous statement on Sunday should be a cause for concern. </span></p><p><span style="letter-spacing: -0.1599999964237213px;">It's about time that someone was accountable for this mess - aside from the odd dropped player or jettisoned assistant coach here or there. </span></p><p><span style="letter-spacing: -0.1599999964237213px;">The debate needs to be had - but I won't be holding my breath.</span></p>TotalFlankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624839368553218464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7101694739527706614.post-14952624057337314872022-03-21T14:07:00.001+00:002022-03-22T11:19:36.874+00:00England Watch - is it time for Eddie to go?<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-C4urfYuF-V3smhstZBbUl2UpVhhPQ2rcxB6kEVjfrynP1Z_m2fE_VNIYHzsTwybqD_vYSayYEVGzkEF56hSppYv8PkJ9D0Y-CsWtLavqlJwwZZL-PFRLnjA53ROvHE9HCVJgVroQCs4CMmgw9fy91tYndUVxs4GtQ9D_2NOrJ_dJtSv1XX5s9dbN1w/s868/Screenshot%202019-11-07%20at%2011.15.28.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="868" data-original-width="666" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-C4urfYuF-V3smhstZBbUl2UpVhhPQ2rcxB6kEVjfrynP1Z_m2fE_VNIYHzsTwybqD_vYSayYEVGzkEF56hSppYv8PkJ9D0Y-CsWtLavqlJwwZZL-PFRLnjA53ROvHE9HCVJgVroQCs4CMmgw9fy91tYndUVxs4GtQ9D_2NOrJ_dJtSv1XX5s9dbN1w/s320/Screenshot%202019-11-07%20at%2011.15.28.png" width="246" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />So, England finished in third place in the 2022 Six Nations behind France and Ireland, two excellent teams.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">No disgrace in that, you might think, but only two victories out of five in the Six Nations for the second year running tells a different story.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes, England fought hard when reduced to 14 men against Ireland. Yes, they put up a bit of resistance against France - but surely that's the bare minimum you would expect from a team that only 2 years ago was (somewhat ludicrously) challenged by Jones to become the best team to have ever played the game?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">England, according to Eddie Jones, are heading in the "right direction" and, he says, are only 3% off where they need to be to become successful.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">WTF does that mean? </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">As far as I can see there is very little sign of progress in any direction and no discernible plan as to what the team is trying to achieve. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes, Jones has introduced some new players into the England squad and, inevitably, a bunch of new coaches, but to what end?</span></p><p>England have been both badly selected and badly coached during this Six Nations, and that is down to Jones. <span style="font-family: inherit;">This "New England" was supposed to be a team that played quick rugby, ball-in-hand, and a new half back pairing of Harry Randall and Marcus Smith was selected to facilitate this - and yet Jones's preference for utility players over strike runners outside of Smith, his aversion to s</span>electing<span style="font-family: inherit;"> pace on the wings and his reluctance to </span>focus<span style="font-family: inherit;"> on players with breakdown nous in the back row resulted in an att</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">ack that was predictable and way too easy to defend against, leading eventually to a return to a kicking strategy as part of a damage limitation exercise against Ireland which was then carried into the finale in Paris as Plans A, B and C all rolled into one.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">And I am sick to death of hearing that this is all part of some grand master plan and that we will be all right come the World Cup when there is so little evidence to suggest that might be the case. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Eddie has said that we should not be making judgements now - even drawing attention to the fact that, 14 months prior to the last World Cup, South Africa's results had been poor and yet they went on to lift the trophy in 2019. True enough, but what was not mentioned was that it was the sacking of </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Allister Coetzee as the Springboks head coach in 2018, replacing him </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">with Rassie Erasmus, that paved the way for the team to become successful.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(18, 18, 18);">And that is where England are now. To stick or to twist. The RFU have already come out in support of Jones so we are, I guess, where we are. But the bottom line for me is that Eddie Jones has </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(18, 18, 18);">not been doing a good job for some time now. Two years have been negligently wasted and, as things look right now, his attempts to evolve the team and the way it plays 18 months or so out from a World Cup appear doomed to failure. </span></span></p>TotalFlankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624839368553218464noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7101694739527706614.post-36152688755133179332022-03-21T12:00:00.000+00:002022-03-21T12:00:30.750+00:00Six Nations 2022 - Champs & Chumps<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3I79VGoPP3Q_Hxp_POxBgjWnWWOIgqfEJgnTMKdttHbM9bO2fjb5TffQrh7cxggSJm3CSo8-4g8zFRtsfvOnF-wadRQJ7TbL37C9GrvyV_Gv3fKZ346pNpuEwrHWX9XbsXwqvfbhBKqKGSP1Mqj5x47lU30kyDf4whbVpXbql0Z9xNDo9zjvoSlCjBw/s1200/Screenshot%202022-03-21%20at%2011.55.56.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1148" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3I79VGoPP3Q_Hxp_POxBgjWnWWOIgqfEJgnTMKdttHbM9bO2fjb5TffQrh7cxggSJm3CSo8-4g8zFRtsfvOnF-wadRQJ7TbL37C9GrvyV_Gv3fKZ346pNpuEwrHWX9XbsXwqvfbhBKqKGSP1Mqj5x47lU30kyDf4whbVpXbql0Z9xNDo9zjvoSlCjBw/w191-h200/Screenshot%202022-03-21%20at%2011.55.56.png" width="191" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Not everyone will agree, but here it is, the TF team of the tournament aka the Six Nations 2022 CHAMPS:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-align: justify;">15. </span>Ange Capuozzo<span style="background-color: #fafafa; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-align: justify;"> - a superstar is born. What an impact. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">14. </span></span>Josh Adams - his gesture in handing his POM award <span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">to Capuozzo on Saturday was sheer class.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">13. Jonathan Danty - rock solid in the French midfield.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">12. Gael Fickou - ditto, with knobs on.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">11. Darcy Graham - always a danger ball in hand.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">10. Marcus Smith - hardly his fault that he was handed an unloaded gun.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">9. Antoine Dupont - a class above.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; text-align: justify;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1. Cyril Baille - superb, closely pushed by Fischetti and Genge.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2. Dan Sheehan - hugely impressive contribution to Ireland's cause.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; text-align: justify;">3. Uini Atonio - immovable bedrock of the French </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">scrum.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">4. Cameron Woki - apparently he's an even better 6.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">5. Maro Itoje - back to his best.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">6. Rory Darge - hugely impressive start to international rugby.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">7. Josh van der Flier - brilliant, covered every blade of grass.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">8. Gregory Alldritt - both Faletau and Dombrandt were close, but Alldritt's workrate was off the scale.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">And now to the CHUMPS:</span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In no particular order:</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Eddie Jones - is it time to go? More later...</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Wayne Pivac - erratic selections hardly helped the Welsh cause.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Luke Cowan-Dickie - slapping ball into touch vs Scotland not the cleverest thing he's ever done.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hame Faiva - early red card vs Ireland condemned Italy to playing with 13 men for an hour.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Charlie Ewels - even earlier red card vs Ireland saw England play 78 minutes with 14.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; text-align: justify;">Stuart Hogg, Finn Russell et al - breach of team protocols by so-called leaders after Italy game utterly </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">unprofessional.</span></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>TotalFlankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624839368553218464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7101694739527706614.post-68997644696522410302022-03-21T10:49:00.000+00:002022-03-21T10:49:20.547+00:00Six Nations 2022 - Verdict<p>And so another Six Nations reaches its conclusion. Plenty of positives for some teams, plenty of negatives for others. Super Saturday delivered up a surprise in Cardiff but was otherwise fairly predictable. Here is what I made of the championship as a whole this year:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZwGr4JPJmIR3dhjn5GPMJUoKTqfMbXTv24635rcinrf7AW30DzPGVy4aAFYIwZSucXNGRbQXNy4vbcAFwV0dsLlJZRT2U09qIh0oYDZbzHhMiCLSmXFqaLdynw3zgBsk4_Yypicz3J-z2XOq_gA6Woto7lNemAXpG4_DMcW9fMY6DrXuIF5Xm-LsFcQ/s778/Screenshot%202022-03-21%20at%2010.39.54.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="588" data-original-width="778" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZwGr4JPJmIR3dhjn5GPMJUoKTqfMbXTv24635rcinrf7AW30DzPGVy4aAFYIwZSucXNGRbQXNy4vbcAFwV0dsLlJZRT2U09qIh0oYDZbzHhMiCLSmXFqaLdynw3zgBsk4_Yypicz3J-z2XOq_gA6Woto7lNemAXpG4_DMcW9fMY6DrXuIF5Xm-LsFcQ/w320-h242/Screenshot%202022-03-21%20at%2010.39.54.png" title="© INPHO/Dave Winter" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: start;">© </span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; text-align: start;">INPHO/Dave Winter</span></span></p></div><p><b style="font-size: 14.666666984558105px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">FRANCE</span></b></p><p>Currently the best team in the world and reasonably comfortably so. Excellent set-piece, great at the breakdown, rock solid and aggressive defence and an embarrassment of strike runners to choose from. They were occasionally stretched by England on Saturday but, as with each game they've played this tournament, at no stage looked like losing. Worthy champions and World Cup favourites, the scary thing is that there is probably still room for improvement. </p><p><b>IRELAND</b></p><p>Another team with plenty of credit in the bank. Andy Farrell has fashioned a team very comfortable in its own skin. A few question marks around the scrum aside, Ireland's cohesive ball-in-hand style of play was more than enough to dispose of all opposition other than the French. Whether the team can get any better, however, remains to be seen and their reliance on an ageing Johnny Sexton has to be a concern. Well worthy of their second place, however.</p><p><b>ENGLAND</b></p><p>More on England later (inevitably) but this was another hugely disappointing Six Nations campaign. Eddie may insist that his team are heading in the right direction, but there is little evidence of what that direction might be. A third place behind two very good teams is no disgrace, but 2 wins out of 5 for the second year running certainly is.</p><p><b>SCOTLAND</b></p><p>Shambolic. How can a team so assured in the opening game against England end up on the final day being dismantled by Ireland, after having to discipline 6 players, including skipper Stuart Hogg and fly half Finn Russell, for breaching team protocols by going for an unsanctioned night out in Edinburgh the previous week. Scotland's talented squad is being undermined by a lack of professionalism amongst its ranks which is being reflected in its on-field performances. </p><p><b>WALES</b></p><p>Fifth in 2020, Champions in 2021 and fifth again in 2022. I've read plenty of comments suggesting that the malaise in Welsh rugby runs deep, but there's enough ability and nous in the national team to expect a better outcome than this. I always had a feeling that the team selection for the Italy game was complacent and overly-sentimental and so it proved. Dan Biggar suggested after the game that it might have been the last chance for some players, but Wayne Pivac's performance as head coach should also come under scrutiny.</p><p><b>ITALY</b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">FORZA ITALIA!! Another Wooden Spoon, perhaps, but finally there is light at the end of the tunnel. The Azzurri's victory in Cardiff was a deserved reward for a campaign that, right from the very beginning against France, was characterised by grit and determination, to which some magic - in the form of the dancing feet of <a class="tf-normal team-link" href="https://www.sixnationsrugby.com/player/?PlayGuid=AC249727&TeamId=130" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b221b; text-decoration: none;" title="Ange Capuozzo">Ange Capuozzo</a> - has now been added. With the Italian Under 20s also going well this year the future looks brighter for Italy and talk of relegation can probably be put on hold for a while yet.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Team of the tournament to follow later, but here's my team of Round 5:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">15. <a class="tf-normal team-link" href="https://www.sixnationsrugby.com/player/?PlayGuid=AC249727&TeamId=130" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b221b; text-decoration: none;" title="Ange Capuozzo">Ange Capuozzo</a> 14. <a class="tf-normal team-link" href="https://www.sixnationsrugby.com/player/?PlayGuid=EP413386&TeamId=130" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b221b; text-decoration: none;" title="Edoardo Padovani">Edoardo Padovani</a> 13. Jonathan Danty 12. Gael Fickou 11. <a class="tf-normal team-link" href="https://www.sixnationsrugby.com/player/?PlayGuid=MI848101&TeamId=130" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b221b; text-decoration: none;" title="Monty Ioane">Monty Ioane</a> 10. Johnny Sexton 9. Antione Dupont 1. <a class="tf-normal team-link" href="https://www.sixnationsrugby.com/player/?PlayGuid=DF470268&TeamId=130" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b221b; text-decoration: none;" title="Danilo Fischetti">Danilo Fischetti</a> 2. Dan Sheehan 3. Uini Atonio 4. Cameron Woki 5. Paul Willemse 6. <a class="tf-normal team-link" href="https://www.sixnationsrugby.com/player/?PlayGuid=ML280219&TeamId=130" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b221b; text-decoration: none;" title="Michele Lamaro">Michele Lamaro</a> 7. Josh van der Flier 8. Gregory Alldritt</span></p><p><br /></p>TotalFlankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624839368553218464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7101694739527706614.post-1655590558124175192022-03-18T12:06:00.002+00:002022-03-22T12:19:53.441+00:00Six Nations 2022 - Super Saturday predictions<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ALL6fTLtiC9byPvkR4RSggHaSwWVMR7q2eQwwCIAl4D91Omb6OzkLjXVivSfoIaQiTuNOLff7P5uPXYi14_Q_w3KiXrsxNzq8R76d44vPbLcgSjMp9EGB0kzEIxEAzyXCTapRAsLg5C-kgG44vCx4VVxMQFEKTs77DhJjTZOWgjJjMqyRYrHR_MkAA/s814/Screenshot%202022-03-22%20at%2012.18.45.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="622" data-original-width="814" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ALL6fTLtiC9byPvkR4RSggHaSwWVMR7q2eQwwCIAl4D91Omb6OzkLjXVivSfoIaQiTuNOLff7P5uPXYi14_Q_w3KiXrsxNzq8R76d44vPbLcgSjMp9EGB0kzEIxEAzyXCTapRAsLg5C-kgG44vCx4VVxMQFEKTs77DhJjTZOWgjJjMqyRYrHR_MkAA/s320/Screenshot%202022-03-22%20at%2012.18.45.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Here we go then, the final Saturday of the 2022 Six Nations - here is what I anticipate might happen:<p></p><p>First up - <b>Wales vs Italy </b>in Cardiff. Easy Welsh win, you might think, but Italy went well last time out against the Scots and I sniff an air of complacency about the Welsh selection for Saturday's game. Surely Italy can't win their first Six Nations game since 2015? Well, no, I don't think so but it could be close. Wales by less than 10.</p><p>Next we have <b>Ireland v Scotland</b> in Dublin. The Scots have had a poor campaign, despite wins over England and Italy, while it is difficult to judge Ireland's play as it is a while since they have played against 15! Dropping Finn Russell is a major statement from Gregor Townsend but I doubt it will affect the outcome, with Ireland's forwards shading the battle upfront. Ireland by 9.</p><p>And finally the big game in Paris - <b>France vs England</b> - where France will chase their first Grand Slam since 2010 (unbelievably). I'm sure the English forwards will be as defiant and belligerent as ever but I honestly can't see any result other than a French victory and it could get quite messy. France by 15-20, maybe more.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>TotalFlankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624839368553218464noreply@blogger.com0