World Cup
The United States are discussing a bid to stage the 2023 rugby World Cup which could involve Canada co-hosting, according to USA Rugby CEO Nigel Melville.
THE FIRST glint of a fresh start for English rugby may have emerged at Twickenham yesterday as new acting chief executive Stephen Brown apologised for their team’s behaviour and performances at the World Cup and promised a new approach at every level.
There is no denying the amount of young talent that was on show at Rugby World Cup 2011. And while we can no doubt look forward to the likes of David Pocock and Toby Faletau playing even better in 2015, there are many stars of the global Game who have seemingly taken part in their last Rugby World Cup match.
Here are some of the top players who will almost certainly find the tournament in England might be a step too far for them.
With fewer set pieces, a substantial reduction in kicks from hand and many more passes, Rugby World Cup 2011 saw a renewed emphasis on running Rugby.
As a follow up to yesterday’s post, here are some of the comments given by the players questioned in the report, and boy, did they have a lot to say.
Read this on News 24, think it is hysterical!!!!!
Wellington – New Zealand rugby referee Bryce Lawrence on Wednesday said he won’t officiate in South Africa if he fears for his safety after his performance at last month’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final between the Springboks and Australia.
Lawrence’s control of the October 9 quarter-final, won 11-9 by Australia to end South Africa’ reign as world champion, was strongly criticized by Springboks players, coaching staff and fans.
Breaking news on the BBC is that England coach, Martin Johnson, has resigned.
The RFU put money behind the bar for England players on their controversial Rugby World Cup night out in Queenstown, New Zealand.
England Vice Captain Mike Tindall has been fined 25 000 Pounds and removed from the England elite player squad for his conduct during the Rugby World Cup.
The Crusaders and Melbourne Rebels will play a pre-season Super Rugby match in Singapore in order to take advantage of the growing Asian market.
All Blacks captain Richie McCaw has been nominated for a royal honour, and possibly a knighthood, just days after leading the team to victory in the Rugby World Cup.
French No.8 Imanol Harinordoquy of Biarritz said that the French coach Marc Lièvremont was lost at the World Cup in New Zealand and that the players had taken over the running of the team, ignoring their coach.
Respected sport scientist and long standing friend of RuggaWorld, Dr. Ross Tucker, offers his views on the Rugby World Cup and specifically referees and how their performance is damaging the game’s credibility.
Article originally published on The Science of Sport website
Thanks Morne & RuggaWorld. Some of the responses will be brought over to appear under the comments. I found this article to be one of the very best I have ever read. Warning it is long, take your time and read the comments too.
New Zealand’s Rugby World Cup winning coach Graham Henry has indicated that he would be interested in working with the RFU in England in the future.
Samoan captain Mahroni Schwalger has blamed his team’s World Cup failure on a lack of professionalism and a culture of alcohol abuse in the team management.
New Zealand media have accused a French player of head-butting and eye gouging All Black captain Richie McCaw in the Rugby World Cup final.
All Blacks manager Darren Shand says the French rugby team should not have been fined for confronting New Zealand’s Maori haka or ceremonial challenge in the tense moments before kick-off in Sunday’s Rugby World Cup final.
Hundreds of thousands of jubilant New Zealanders packed central Auckland for the All Blacks victory parade on Monday, celebrating their “ultimate achievement” in winning the Rugby World Cup.
It may be New Zealand’s moment in the limelight, but the Springbok victories in 1995 and 2007 will be honoured as the captains and coaches of World Cup winning teams are inducted into the International Rugby Board’s Hall of Fame tonight.
International Rugby Board chairman Bernard Lapasset says that Wales cannot be certain of hosting Rugby World Cup matches when the tournament moves to England in 2015.
The concept of the X-factor actually comes from racehorses, specifically from a horse called Eclipse. An extremely large heart is a trait that occasionally occurs in Thoroughbreds, linked to a genetic condition passed down via the dam line, known as the “x-factor”.
Eclipse, the horse, was necropsied after his death in 1789. Because Eclipse’s heart appeared to be much larger than other horses, it was weighed, and found to be 14 pounds (6.4 kg), almost twice the normal weight. Eclipse is believed to have passed the trait on via his daughters, and pedigree research verified that arguably the best racehorse ever, namely Secretariat can trace in his dam line to a daughter of Eclipse.
In the 20th century, the heart of Phar Lap was weighed and also documented to be 6.35 kilograms (14.0 lb), or essentially the same size as that of Eclipse.
Now you might ask what this has got to do with the All Blacks and the Rugby World Cup final.
Wallabies (7) 21 / Wales (3) 18 (Final Score)
The Australian Wallabies and Wales did battle at Eden Park, Auckland at 09:30 SA Time (20:30 NZ Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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The Wallabies take the spoils and the Rugby World Cup 2011 Bronze medal in a match which promised so much at the start and then deteriorated into a scrappy affair.
The best passage of play in the match was probably the last 28-phase possession play by Wales, leading to Leigh Halfpenny’s try after full time was well over.
New Zealand coach Graham Henry on Friday named his team to play New Zealand in their Rugby World Cup 2011 Final against France at Eden Park, Auckland on Sunday 23 October at 10:00 SA Time, 21:00 NZ Time.
I still just can’t get over that quarter final loss.
The more I think about it the more I feel we were robbed. Yes, the referee was bad and wrong and yes we contributed to our demise with how we approached the game and by the appointment of a puppet as Springbok coach 4 years ago. However, all of that (poor referee, game plan, coach selection) and the Pool construction process at this year’s Rugby World Cup is part of an insidious virus, in my opinion, which is destroying Rugby Union as we know it. It is this virus which orchestrated our demise in the Rugby World Cup quarter final match against Australia.
Former All Black coach Laurie Mains has not been happy with the standard of refereeing at the Rugby World Cup.
“I’ve been appalled by the refereeing, especially how they have decided games with scrum penalties,” Mains said.
“Games have been won and lost from scrum penalties when the wrong decision was made. You should not have a situation in rugby where games are won and lost by the referee’s guess,” he said. Continue reading
While Australia and Wales arrived at the Rugby World Cup with different goals but have ended up with the same intention: To go home with something tangible to show.
Wayne Gray wrote an interesting article (Prelude of things to come in World Cup) in the New Zealand Herald about the Bulls victory over the Hurricanes. Here are some extracts:
Fast forward to October. The All Blacks want to play a fast-paced, ball-in-hand style of rugby at the World Cup.
The Springboks will favour muscular confrontation and an aerial bombardment if they adhere to recent comments from coach Peter de Villiers, who wondered why his side should vary much from the attritional, combative style the Springboks had used with success in annexing two World Cups. Continue reading
Luckily for SANZAR the IRB CEO and Chairman, chose to watch the Bulls play the Lions rather than any other game on the weekend. Otherwise, they’d probably think SUPERRUGBY was decidedly underwhelming, and that the criticism of the Northern Hemisphere club rugby is completely misplaced. What a steaming heap of peanut infested uh…well, you know what I mean.
Courtesy News 24
Brenden Nel – SuperSport
Johannesburg – Vodacom Bulls captain Derick Kuün believes there is a “big excitement” in his team at the moment ahead of their first hit-out of the season against the Southern Kings in Port Elizabeth on Saturday night. Continue reading
It took South Africa years of humiliation to become a title contenders in Super Rugby.
During those dark days, New Zealanders and Australians even suggested South African teams should be kicked out of the Super 12 because its teams couldn’t cut it at that level.
So the EP Kings won the Super 15, no wait, they won the Currie Cup, no wait…wait…they won the Vodacom Cup…darn it, wrong again, what the hell did they win again? Oh yes, promotion to the Premier Division… damn, another mistake from my side… fact is they haven’t won didly squat.
Continue reading
New Lions hooker Bandise Maku is looking forward to being a part of what the Johannesburg-based outfit is building but knows ‘nothing is guaranteed’, insisting he is ready to work for his spot and prove himself. Continue reading
We have read a lot and discussed a lot that our players are overplayed. The Tim Noakes’ and the Neels Liebel’s and other scientists all have their opinions and we have recently learned that the ideal is for a player to play no more than 1400 to 1600 minutes of Rugby per year.
I am of the view that these minutes are dependant on whether you are a backline, looseforward or tight forward player and also on your age and your proneness to injury. Guys like Bismarck get injured often, and its probably a challenge to even get him up to the 1600 minute mark! Continue reading
The South African Player’s Association has called on the SANZAR partners to stop their threats of dissolving the partnership. Continue reading
Reds and Wallaby scrumhalf Will Genia has won his first prestigious Pilecki Medal as “the players’ player” of the Reds’ 2010 season and was also voted the fans’ favourite.