Super Rugby
And now, from Auckland New Zealand — head quarters of the Rugby World Cup due to start on September 9 and end on the October 23 — here are the 10 essentials the International Rugby Board says teams must aim to get right if they want to lift the Webb Ellis Cup at the Rugby World Cup 2011.
Read this outstanding artile by Mark Reason. I found it in the Dominion post copied and pasted it verbatim. It is so good.
If New Zealand go out of a consecutive World Cup because of another dodgy refereeing decision, they will have no one to blame but themselves. The All Blacks no longer even bother to bend the laws. They set out to deliberately cheat.
For only one piffling syllable, CHEAT is an awfully big word. “Who are you calling a cheat?” demands the card-playing gunslinger, just before the mandatory murder and the five aces sliding from the sleeve.
The All Blacks cheat in spades. Half of their tries in the Tri- Nations have been set up by blatant cheating. Continue reading
It always intrigues me how partial and narrow-minded some of the New Zealand rugby commentators can be. The constant criticism of South Africa’s style of play and the ‘drooling’ over the New Zealand expansive game is something that irritates me immensely so as if there is only one way to play rugby and as if New Zealand has the perfect game.
All Blacks number eight Kieran Read will miss New Zealand’s Pool Games and fellow injured loose forward Adam Thomson looks set to miss the opening match against Tonga.
The Scotland Rugby World Cup squad with children from their Scottish clubs or schools. Head coach Andy Robinson has today named the 30-man Scotland squad for the IRB Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand.
Eagles Head Coach, Eddie O’Sullivan, has selected his squad of 30 players that will represent the United States at the 2011 Rugby World Cup (RWC) in New Zealand next month.
England Team Manager Martin Johnson has announced the 30-man squad that will travel to New Zealand for next month’s Rugby World Cup.
Lewis Moody will captain the side at the showpiece tournament where they face Argentina (September 10), Georgia (September 18), Romania (September 24) and Scotland (October 1) in Pool B.
All Blacks Coach Graham Henry and his Assistant Coaches Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith have today announced the squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
The All Blacks squad in position (with province and Test caps in brackets) is:
Eagles Head Coach, Eddie O’Sullivan, has selected his squad of 30 players that will represent the United States at the 2011 Rugby World Cup (RWC) in New Zealand next month.
The Eagles will compete in Pool C at the RWC, taking on Australia, Ireland, Italy and Russia in pool play. NBC Universal has released their broadcast schedule of the tournament, which begins with the opening ceremony on September 9 and concludes with the RWC final on October 23.
England Team Manager Martin Johnson has announced the 30-man squad that will travel to New Zealand for next month’s Rugby World Cup.
Lewis Moody will captain the side at the showpiece tournament where they face Argentina (September 10), Georgia (September 18), Romania (September 24) and Scotland (October 1) in Pool B.
When Manu Samoa swept aside Australia less than two months from the start of the World Cup they sent a clear message — to Wales in particular –they will be serious contenders come tournament time.
The Springboks are at risk of a white wash (losing all 4 Tri-nation tests matches) for the first time in tri-nations history. Desperate times indeed and that might explain some of the selections for this match.
Matt Giteau’s exit from the Wallabies squad has been like a slow, dripping tap that has taken more than two years to be turned off.
Ultimately, it came down to the Wallabies management – and not just coach Robbie Deans – having concerns that apart from opposing teams having ”worked Giteau out”, the Test midfielder had fallen short of the mark on several occasions when on-field pressure was applied.
Most of us here also blogged somewhere during the 2007 World Cup. Just like this year, in fact every time a Springbok team is picked, we the real experts pick our team too. Yes and every “selector” has his own favourites. In 2007 we disagreed with some of Jake White’s selections. Now let us see how many players back then were in YOUR team. Dont lie, some of us can remember your favorites, no cheating.
A major All Blacks sponsor on Thursday cancelled a campaign urging New Zealand sports fans give up sex to support their team during the World Cup, after a public backlash.
The New Zealand Rugby Union has supported a campaign encouraging All Black fans to abstain from sex in support of the All Blacks.
Argentina coach Santiago Phelan selected his strongest line-up on Tuesday for the World Cup warm-up match with Wales on Saturday.
Wales however, have made 9 changes to the side which beat England on the weekend.
Wallabies stalwart Matt Giteau has given every indication he has controversially missed Rugby World Cup selection.
Springbok captain John Smit has not yet been ruled out of the 2011 Rugby World Cup, a South African Rugby Union (Saru) spokesperson confirmed on Sunday.
International visitor numbers at this year’s World Cup in New Zealand look set to exceed expectations, despite the current global economic turmoil, according to tournament organisers.
England’s Joe Worsley and New Zealander Thomas Waldrom will miss the World Cup after being named as two of the five players dropped from Martin Johnson’s training squad for the tournament in New Zealand.
Barely one third of New Zealanders are enthusiastic about the Rugby World Cup, a mere five weeks out from the sport’s global showpiece, said a survey released on Tuesday.
Ireland’s star centre Brian O’Driscoll will miss at least the first two matches of Ireland’s Rugby World Cup warm up matches with a neck/shoulder injury which is restricting his ability to train.
The Rugby Football Union have unveiled the England Rugby team playing kits for the 2011-12 season which includes the Rugby World Cup.
England will play in an all white home kit and will be worn for the first time against Wales on Saturday then again on August 13 and Ireland on August 27.
It has been impressive to watch the All Blacks coaches in action this week as they set to work on the detail of an area that is increasingly deciding the outcomes of test-match rugby.
Two weeks ago Samoa used the counter-ruck to destroy Australia’s search for quick attacking ball, something South Africa failed to achieve with disastrous results in Sydney last weekend.
While every club side in New Zealand spends hours on the breakdown, they do not do it with the impressive accuracy and thought of the country’s top side.
England’s Rugby team will wear an All Black rugby kit when they start their 2011 Rugby World Cup campaign against Argentina in New Zealand on September the 10th.
Waratahs and Wallabies prop Benn Robinson has been ruled out of Rugby for the rest of the season ruling him out of the TriNations and the world cup.
While the news coming out of the Bok camp seem positive, you have to ask what prompted such drastic changes?
Chiefs first-five Stephen Donald appears to be out of the running for the place in the All Blacks Rugby World Cup squad after he was left out of an All Black camp.
Former Hurricanes and Crusaders No 8 Thomas Waldrom has made the first cut in his quest to help England win the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.Waldrom, nicknamed the ‘Tank Engine’ for his exploits in a standout Super Rugby career, has been making headlines since joining the Leicester Tigers in England’s Premiership.
All Blacks coach Graham Henry has said that his selectors face a tough job as they must ensure that New Zealand’s entire squad must get game time ahead of the world cup and still win Test matches.
Fiji Rugby Union Chief Executive Keni Dakuidreketi has resigned as without offering any explanation for his decisionafter 10 years in administrative roles.
Brumbies and Wallabies lock Mark Chisholm has been ruled out for the rest of the season including the Rugby World Cup with a knee injury he sustained in Super rugby.
Activists in New Zealand have threatened to disrupt this year’s Rugby World Cup with protests over government cutbacks, including possibly flour-bombing Auckland’s Eden Park stadium from the air.
The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff Wales has been confirmed as a venue for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.