Rugby - Hands Off Black!

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And Wendell has been sent home from the NSW tour of South Africa for, yet again, over-imbibing. He was caught up in the Matt Henjak Wallabies nightclub incident last year and copped a suspended sentence. This time, he flattened another patron and technicolour-yawned in the street outside. Goose. Just when he was starting to show something on the field. His first-up effort for NSW was excellent, tag-teaming with Lote Tuquiri at outside centre. He saw more ball than he saw in all his years with Queensland. Oh well, with Knuckles already having laid it on the line about discipline, Wendell might have done his dash.

Oh, and Saracens were absolutely amateurish on the weekend, particularly in the first half. How do you think Carlos ended up running through his full box of tricks - and some, including kicking the ball over his head - to win man of the match?

[Havak]

When I heard he had won man of the match I was well aware Saracens must have played like lemons.

He is a great player to watch when fully on the front foot.

Goose doesn't seem to do it for Sailor - rampant stupidity to get involved in an incident in RSA again.

And Wales problems continue apace - not only has the disruptive orange egotist been recalled to the squad but now their skipper has had a health scare. A severe migraine that he mistook for a heart attack! Produced shooting pains down his left side apparently. Sounds nasty - and has made his participation in Ireland doubtful.

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It's now coming out that Wendell had a history of this sort of behaviour in his L***** days with the Brisbane Broncos. Most of it hushed up.

Still, it's not all rubbish that springs from the Broncos. The Queensland Reds have a very very impressive, very young fly half by the name of Berrick Barnes. He came from the Broncos late last season. I think he's only 20, but I've seen both Reds' matches this season and his skills and maturity are astonishing for one so young. Barring disasters, he'll be in the frame come the World Cup. Interestingly, too, Sam Cordingly is back with the Reds at #9, and he has had two outstanding matches - aggressive, quick, excellent tactical work. He's a long-time protege of Knuckles'. So who knows?

[Havak]

Is it the year for the Reds to really make a mark then I wonder? Maybe the half backs will get the Wallaby berths - a new coach can mean a new broom.

Gareth Thomas actually proved to have damaged an artery in his neck and will be out for six months. That is a huge blow to Wales. Everything looks to be against them (not least that the Orange t***er has been recalled to the bench) so I have a sneaky feeling they might push Ireland closer than anyone is expecting.

Still Ireland to win I think. And hopefully Italy to pull off a shock victory (it is nicest visiting Stade de France when the French know they cannot win the tournament - it affects how hard they try to win remaining games).

And no I am not tipping Scotland to win either!

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The Reds will struggle because of (a) inexperience; and (b) Jeff Miller is a crap coach. They lost a lot of experience to the Western Force and elsewhere in the off-season. They were right in both matches this season - against NSW, and against the Crusaders. They were more competitive against the Crusaders for a very long time. Only in the last 10 or 15 minutes, when tiredness and inexperience hurt them, did the Crusaders steamroll them. Eddie will inherit some terrific young talent.

I think Wales will roll Ireland and the other matches will go as logic suggests they should.

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Something you didn't tell me! Bosworth Field is in your neck of the woods. Why do I have to watch documentaries on the History Channel to learn these things?

Have they built a car park on the site?

[Havak]

The honest answer to that is that it never occurs to a Leicestershire resident that someone would not know that.

The battlefied is mainly intact - I believe a road sliced a portion away however.

It might be worth your looking up the Storming of Leicester and the battle of Naseby as well - the county has a civil war history as the city stood for Parliament.

Indeed my own town has a hill named 'Ankle hill' where a civil war skirmish reputedly took place. Local legend is that is was named for the depth of horse and human blood at it's foot after the fight (charming eh?). I suspect this is bunkum but it is a nice tale to spin the tourists.

There is actually a lot of history to North East Leicestershire - you should visit it (if you can stomach the foot).

By the way I have a sneaky feeling you are right about Wales - everything is against them so they have to win don't they?

[Havak]

Lock Jaw has been trying to spend a whole 12 months away from rugby - but the RFU website of all places has posted an interview with him. It is no real surprise to see that he is as pragmatic and bottom line focused as ever.

Here are his comments for your perusal:

"I'm concerned about people putting the emphasis on style, you win the game by the best means available. If England need to use their forwards to create space for their backs, that's what they should do.

Playing wide is not necessarily right because people think it's attractive. It's all about winning games."

Johnson said he was "amazed" at some of the criticism England received after their 31-16 victory in Italy in the last round of Six Nations matches.

"I think people get carried away with the idea that if it looks great, it is great, if they'd won by 60 points and Italy hadn't been as competitive, would that have made the England performance any better? No.

Italy are a good physical team who defended very well for the majority of the game and did not give England chances to kick penalties and get away from them.

It was a good, tough game to watch and England probably got more out of that as a team than by winning by 60 points or more.

If England had spun the ball out to the wings and played some fantastic rugby and scored tries easily, as maybe we have in the past, people might say you're great.

But that doesn't win you tight Test matches, which you have to do to be successful in the biggest competitions."

Johnson believes England have a chance of getting beaten in any of their next three Six Nations matches against Scotland on Saturday, France on 12 March and Ireland on 18 March.

"But that's what the England team needs - top games against teams that can beat them," he added.

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Mmmm. The last line is the key one. Top teams? In the 6N? France ... and they're schizophrenic. How long since the 6N has been a genuine, bona fide test of more than two teams? Leaving aside flashes in the pan?

[Havak]

At least sixteen years. On paper that is perhaps unfair to Wales because they have won the championship twice in that time. That said the win in 94 was because England and France messed up elsewhere.

The 90s were a nightmare for Ireland, Scotland and to a lesser extent Wales. Ireland lost all ten five nations games with France in the 90s IIRC. Ireland also won more championship points in Cardiff in the 90s than they did at Landsdowne Road. Not sure why I am picking on Ireland - I guess just trying to show that from 1990 it has mainly been the England and France show.

[LDiCesare]

France beat Italy with difficulty. That's obviously the same French team as the previous matches. A rather poor first half, with only a few nice individual actions (Traille, Dominici, Ibanez) and then poor kicking and generally poor choices from the French, particularly the halves, but also the wingers and backs who wanted to counter attack when kicking was the only way out. A much better second half, though the referee helped the French a lot by awarding a harsh yellow card.

Oh, and the results of the Scotland-England match seem to prove the last comments are way off. Let's hope Havak didn't choke when looking at the match. I haven't seen it, but it's supposed to be aired at 2 am. I guess, knowing the result, I'll try to stay awake anyway.

[LDiCesare]

So I staid awake to see the match. The Scots fought and defended very valiantly, but it's astounding they managed to win almost on defense alone: They were badly beaten in lineouts and scrums, although they were strong in mauls. The English should really find some centres or imaginative backs who can get through a defense, as Di Rollo, Paterson and the others would always manage to tackle them even after they seemed to have crossed the gain line. The English gave back too many balls and lack efficient backs, probbaly mostly at the center.

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Again, I'll have to wait for tonight to watch the highlights package!

England lacking creativity in the centres? So what's new? I like the way Turnip says it's not a setback.

So, H, all up, not one of your finest weekends? Leicester sunk by an Australian boot, too.

[LDiCesare]

What's new? Well, the wingers didn't manage much either, and Lewsey wasn't in a good day either. Cohen made a big knock on when he had an almost guaranteed try, Lewsey fumbled a ball reception on his 22s... So the English gave nack too many balls to the Scots, who really needed these balls as they were unable to compete in the set pieces.

[ravagon]

Hmmm. Did I see somewhere that I'd been elected the resident Celt?
That'd be a Scottish Celt would it not?
Vive Scotland!

Aye'll feel a wee bit daft walkin ta work with ma bagpipes but it may be worth it eh laddies?

I see Msr Robinson isn't pushing the panic button yet?
Well, quite. Afterall that'd be the last thing he'd want to do wouldn't it?
Not that he has a reason for doing it anyway ...


Back in this hemisphere, it's rather sad to see the Blues struggling a bit at the moment. Barely managed to beat the Queenslanders last weekend, but I'm sure they'll come right in the end.

I'm not saying anything at all about the new WA entrant. Not a thing.