Rugby World Cup 2007 - Twiddling Our Thumbs!

[Havak]

... fiddle fiddle fiddle ... Rome burns ...

This is the most worrying think the man has said so far in his tenure. I will be charitable and assume he was caught off guard yesterday whilst he had to defend some of the more bizarre things he said after Saturdays test about squad selections.
Anyone who saw either Nick Easter in Africa, Jordan Crane for the Saxons or even Cozza (before the Euro final) would not spend a second thinking of recalling the Nose.
I treated myself to a week off so I could watch the bizarre mismatches of the summer tour without feeling that I had to comment on them toute suite.

I like the look of M. Tait. Can't imagine why the coach has p*ssed around with the M. Tindalls of the world for so long

An accident of timing for Mathew – he got his first cap in that three month period where Henson was actually a good rugby player. Tait suffered a torrid time against Wales in 2005 and it was 18 months before his confidence seemed to recover. Now he is getting better and better all the time.

On the flip side of that Henson had a bit of a nightmare in the second test (along with his 21 countrymen) – I think he has blown his chance of becoming an enduring Welsh hero by letting his relationship take precedence over his sport. It’s in his hands to cure that by refocusing on rugby – bit I doubt he will do so.

Whilst I take on board jka’s earlier comments that Hook is being over hyped I do think he is growing all the time and could end up being very good indeed. Whilst very much on the back foot on Saturday he did keep trying to get Wales moving forward and pin the Aussies back. It’s not his fault that some of his kicks to the Aussie back line were then run straight through the Welsh defence to score tries.

England? Well after two fifty point drubbings it seems strange to say it but I’m not despondent about it. I think the tertiary boys did about as well as they could have. The plus side now is that Jake White has sky high confidence ahead of Sept whilst we can pin a lot of hope on the fact he will face a much stronger side and will do so in France rather than in South Africa. I actually think we will turn them over – they always seem most vulnerable to me when at their most confident.

That is not to say I take them lightly – I certainly don’t. Great backline, formidable pack so I guess we have to target midfield (Butch James in particular). Old Butch still doesn’t naturally use his arms in the tackle does he?

A few players have stuck their hands up – Wilko, Tait and Easter for me – but most will be on club duty again come the RWC.

Isn't it a bit early to be throwing in the towel? Of course, that hasn't stopped Havak...

I’m a patriot – but also a realist. The squad that went to South Africa never had a chance and I knew it.

Ditto the French squad as lamented by our French compatriot.

Nice to see a Tiger score two tries for NZ though.

You might be interested to know that the IRB has cancelled the summer tours for all the NH major nations in 2011 having finally realised they are a demand too far in World Cup years. Mr Henry will therefore have no cause to criticise the NH sides for sending under strength sides on those tours.

Whilst Graham had a point it was a little churlish of him to air it. I suspect he knew these tests were IRB follies but I’m sure criticising the NH sides plays well at home?

And as you know I like to find a few positives so here is today’s – the England Saxons beat the Maori on Saturday to win the Churchill Cup.

Some of the boys certainly stuck their hands up – Cipriani looks like a star of the future (shame he is a Wasp). The locks Evans and Blaze were outstanding, Will Skinner is showing Tigers how wrong we were to let him go, our new boy Erinle showed he can run great lines (now all he needs to do is keep hold of the ball when he does so!) and the Tigers young guns of Crane and Croft were outstanding – some of the counter rucking of the former was quite awesome.

And one for Finbar if you can track it down on Sky – the winning try was scored by Tom Croft. A 50 metre run in on the wing, he skinned the Maori outside centre and scrum half on the run in. It’s worth seeing as for all intents and purposes those Maori players had him well covered until he kicked his heels. You were right about the boy from the off Finbar – amazing speed for such a big man.

[finbar]

I might find a replay somewhere on the 'net. Sounds exactly like what he did the first time I ever saw him in that U 21s match. He's going to be an utter star. He should have gone to South Africa and played in at least one Test. They were going to get beaten anyway but the experience would have done him good. It wouldn't have hurt him. Now, lacking any serious experience, he's another 12 months away.

The thing I like about N. Easter is his mobility for such a lump of a chap. Look at the two Bok #8s. Big men, and amazingly mobile. Their #8 in the second Test is their back-up! The problem with M. Corry these days is his lack of speed.

England did all they could under the circumstances. They tried hard. Frankly, even if they'd taken a full squad - fielding a team on a par with the 6 Nations outfit - I think they would still have been thumped. I didn't see anything in the 6 Nations team that would have threatened this Bok mob.

The difference between the Boks and the ABs is, I think, that the Boks can and will beat themselves. As you say, confidence is their enemy. I think that was their problem in the first half on the weekend. All too easy. Sign of a good team, though, that they came out in the second half and turned it around. Politics, too, could still undermine them. The SARU president adding a player to the squad that the coach didn't want?

J. Hook is a talent. He's still got a bit of the poser about him, but experience, hopefully, will knock that out of him.

[Havak]

The lad Croft has just turned 21 Finbar – I think he is ready. But realistically he will get an extended run in the Tigers first XV during the RWC that should allow him to stake a good claim for the 2008 6N.

The problem with M. Corry these days is his lack of speed.

Once again allowing me to lament the fact that Dayglo kept the Corry of his prime out of the side. He was quick as a youngster. I watched him score his own 50M run in against Saints when he was a mere 28 or so. Okay so he slapped off the fullback rather than avoiding him with pace the way Crofty seemingly can – but it was nice never the less.

But then I’ve been lucky at Welford road – amongst many examples I’ve also seen the spectacle of a determined Jonno take the ball at pace 10 metres from the oppo line and seen players facing him who hearts were simply not in the tackle.

My point – if there is such – is that TV is okay but there is nothing like a live atmosphere.

The full strength England probably would not have won in South Africa – but I think they would have conceded less tries. Some of the defensive errors in the second test were shockingly bad.

What amazes me most is that Wilko came through two full tests without any part of him breaking. Dare we hope he can stay fit for the RWC?

I wish Zinny well – though I would love to know how exactly he hit his head falling out of a taxi?

Fingers crossed the Boks push the old self destruct button too.

[finbar]

Methinks Zinny + jungle juice = oops!

Wilkinson was impressive. Still too brave for his own good. But coming through that tackling ordeal bodes well. No bits fell off.

Unless they get too cocky, the Boks should smash the Wallabies on June 16.

[Havak]

I've fallen in various ways after jungle juice myself - but never out of a taxi as yet.

Yes the Boks should beat the Wallabies I suppose - but it is far from certain for me. The Boks aren't perfect - Butch James is hardly the perfect ten and the centres are far from impressive. They didn't look comfortable with England's blitz defence in the first half last Saturday.

If Knuckles can get big Stirling running at their midfield and perhaps select both Smithy and Pitbull with the latter tasked with getting to the fly half then who knows? They aren't going to match the Boks loosies for power anyway so why not pick both the lads with guile in spades instead?

I'm also assuming that Tuquiri will have been forgiven by the time of the tri-nations. I believe the public reason for sitting him in the stands was he was being 'rested'?

What worries me with the Wallabies is that old favourite the front row - it amazes me that they keep managing to hide this weakness in tests as no combination I have seen them try since the Argentinian left the scene has seemed up to international rugby standard. But if there is any team that can expose such weakness it is the Boks of course.

And then of course the Aussie locks need to face Matfield and Botha who must be as good a unit as any in World rugby right now?

Shame Latham is crocked though - old master versus the young flame Steyn would have been fascinating.

[finbar]

Barring accidents, the days of Smith and Waugh together seem to have gone. Knuckles doesn't like it. He wants one or the other, paired with a bigger lump on the other side. For line out purposes, too, which is one of the handicaps of playing the two terriers together. Rocky Elsom on the other side is a better player than he showed against the Welsh.

Yes, Lote is back this week against Fiji and will be around for the Boks. I think the break actually was physical more than disciplinary. And if not, he needed it anyway. He had an ordinary S14. Lost his sting.

The front row will crumple. Again, the backs will get any ball from scrums under pressure.

The Boks are still missing their best centre - Jaques Fourie.

V. Matfield is a fascinating player. Classic line out specialist. Giant, but not strong. You rarely see him bullocking. Nice hands, though. I saw him set up countless tries in S14 running in the backline.

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by finbar
Politics, too, could still undermine them. The SARU president adding a player to the squad that the coach didn't want?

The SARU have been under increasing pressure from ANC bureaucrats to move forward with "transformation" - meaning the fielding of nonwhite players just for the sake of having more nonwhites. Do you have a link to the story? Without having read it, I'll predict that the player in question is nonwhite.

[finbar]

Quite the opposite. He's Luke Watson, white, the son of Cheeky Watson, one of the 1970s Springboks who turned their backs on the national team and went and played rugby in the black townships as a protest against apartheid. Jake White, Bok coach, maintains he's too small to play flanker in Test rugby.

http://www.moneyweb.co.za/mw/view/mw/en/page84?oid=91906&sn=Detail

[Caligastia]

Hmmm...excuse me while I lunch on my words...

The new legislation referenced in the article sounds ominous. I wouldn't bet on SA Rugby going anywhere if totalitarian bureaucrats are the ones in control.

As for Watson, good for him, as it sounds like he deserved to get in, but I fear his success will be used to justify further political appointments to Springbok positions.

[finbar]

I saw quite a bit of him in S14. He's a good player, but not in the class of, for example, Schalk Burgur. And Burgur's his opposition for the position.

A good S14 player - even an outstanding S14 player - doesn't always make a Test player. There's a player in Australia called Peter Hewatt. Waratahs full back/winger and goal kicker. His stats are outstanding. Eddie Jones ignored him and now Knuckles is ignoring him, too. Because he's a one-dimensional player with suspect defence. On his stats, you'd wonder why he's not in the Wallaby team. You only have to watch him to know. When he didn't make the Wallaby training squad - the first one, 59 players - he threw a hissy fit and said he wanted to quit his ARU and Waratahs contracts and go overseas. The ARU nancys gave him a gig with the Australia A team to placate him. (See re J. O'Neill below)

Luke Watson has friends and relatives with influence. It's ridiculous that an administrator can overrule a coach. But that, unfortunately, is Bok rugby. It's the sort of thing that will stop them winning a World Cup.

On a more positive note, John O'Neill is returning to run the ARU. About time! He might be a pr*ck, but his first and only priority will be Australian rugby. It has sunk to some terrible depths - on-field and off-field - in his absence.

[Caligastia]

Interesting points. From what you are saying it sounds like there is a good chance that Watson won't be able to cut it in the national team, which should hopefully undermine any future appointments of this kind - although I'm not particularly confident of that.

[finbar]

The coach has him in the squad. Doesn't mean he will play him. And he won't. Barring a host of injuries. Unless, of course, the administration somehow tries to force his hand. In which case, I'm sure, the coach will quit.

[finbar]

Good to know that England's failure in the recent cricket World Cup was entirely due to a Lancastrian lump getting p*ssed and falling out of a pedalo.

What is it with English sport and the limitless capacity for self-delusion?

(Guess who won't be on the Lancastrian lump's Chrissy card list this year?)

[Havak]

It is just the way our media spin it. What Vaughan actually said was the incident put everyone on tenterhooks, made them nervous to go anywhere or do anything and thereby made it hard to build up a team spirit. Cure the media reporting that as “Flintoff cost us the World Cup”.

You get used to it after a while.

Well the UK has packed up for this season – the lads get a whole two weeks off before the RWC training squad gets together. France now fly the NH flag in their doomed effort to steal a test off the AB Bulldozer.

I’m more intrigued to see if Fiji and Samoa fare better than Wales and England respectively.

Will the Wallabies play the new winger again – a man subject to one of the most ludicrous pieces of hyperbole in recent years as Scott Johnson said he could get past most people in a Phone Booth.

[finbar]

Ah. So its' only English rugby that wallows in self-delusion. Coaches, anyway.

Lote is taking Twinkle Toes' spot.