Rugby Rules
England in a spin as All Blacks lead the revolution
Two dominant images emerged out of New Zealand's 47-3 annihilation of France in Lyon last week. The first was of the French forwards catching line-out ball and then driving through the middle of the All Black pack, blitzing defenders as they rattled up 20 or 30 metres of gain. The other was of All Blacks ferociously foraging for the ball at breakdowns which were impossibly chaotic with players spearing in from all angles and heights. Three years ago, two years maybe, the first image would have signposted the way to victory. Possession led to points and points led to prizes. It was how England won the World Cup. That is not the case any more. The old rugby rules are no longer relevant as Graham Henry's New Zealand re-define what is now necessary to win big Test matches. It is a lesson England are struggling to come to terms with.
An important tip for all golfers: Beware of rugby players
As a longtime sports writer, I'm pretty well versed in all athletic endeavors from around the globe. Take rugby, for example. Rugby is a sport that I've studied, long and hard, for the several minutes since I came up with the idea for this blog. While the game looks complicated, that's due to the fact that it's played mostly by Australians and New Zealanders, who make everything look more difficult than it really is. In truth, however, Rugby is a thrilling game, based on simple rules. Rugby Rules & Facts 1. Up to 14 teams and 428 players can compete on the field at the same time during a rugby match. 2. Every team scores on every play. 3. Play is only stopped when a player is found to be dead, but then only if he happened to die on top of the ball.
Cheat-bleat too boring for words
If Richie McCaw had a dollar for every time he has been labelled a ball thief he'd own half the Hakataramea Valley by now. England coach Andy Robinson, ex-Wales and British Lions captain Ieuan Evans and French coaches Bernard Laporte and Jacques Brunel got stuck into McCaw or the All Blacks last week for bending rugby's rules. Robinson's rant about "streetwise" All Blacks slowing England's ball can be dismissed as the bleating of a beaten coach. Sour grapes, anyone? Robinson Riesling? Fact: The English elevated ball-killing at the breakdown to an art form. Slap a bit of paint around the edges of an English ruck and frame it and it could be hung at the Tate Modern. The likes of Lawrence Dallaglio, Martin Johnson and Neil Back made careers out of killing pill.
August 20th, 2008 03:45 AM
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Rugby Dinner (Jersey Insight)
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Word class rugby players are in the island today. Ex-England rugby captain Martin Corry is holding a fundraising dinner at the Hotel de France as part of his testimonial year. Hell be joined by stars like England Coach Martin Johnson and Irish international Jordan Murphy.
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August 20th, 2008 03:45 AM
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Rugby Training (Jersey Insight)
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Youngsters in Jersey are getting rugby tips from top coaches this week. Around 150 schoolchildren are taking part in a training course run by the Leicester Tigers. Its the third year its been run and is open to boys and girls who want to improve their skills.
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