Rugby - New Year, New Coaches, New Laws

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Says it all, really, I suspect.

[Havak]

oops!

[LDiCesare]

New rules, new rules. They aren't passed yet, are they?

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Bugger! Should have been new laws! Cal can change it when he turns up to open the new thread.

The new laws are being trialled in S14 this coming season, LdiC, so they're in place somewhere in the rugby world.

[LDiCesare]

Whatever. When I collapse the maul this Friday evening, I expect to be penalised.
Unless the ref doesn't see me, of course.

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Yes, but I hear that you're famous for collapsing mauls, you're France's #1 maul-collapser, I'm told. The refs carry your photo in their pocket with their yellow and red cards. That aside, the opportunity to collapse a maul legally isn't one of the new laws being trialled. Thankfully!

How did rules get changed to laws in the thread title? Is there a rugby God with an internet connection?

I think I had a senior moment.

Poked your bonce into one too many scrums.

seven years ago he was a better player than Dayglo by some distance IMO. Unfortunately he was a nice bloke rather than a self promoter so he never could get past the nose properly.

I'll have to take your word that he was better than Nose seven years ago. Nose, despite being an arrogant, unpleasant prat, was very very good at his job. Unless Corry has slowed with age, I wouldn't have thought he'd had Nose's mobility.

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Someone tell me this prediction won't come true!

Will Greenwood has tipped centre Mike Tindall to take over the captaincy when England coach Brian Ashton names his squad for the Six Nations at 1200GMT.

Ashton will decide whether to retain Phil Vickery, who is under pressure for his starting spot, or look elsewhere.

"Mike is one of Brian's favourites, is back in form and represents trust and the old-fashioned values Brian holds dear," Greenwood told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"He's also someone who seems to be able to hold down his place in the team."

Not in any team of mine!

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Phew!

But M. Tindall is still in the squad. With not enough fresh blood. Glad to see T. Croft's name, but the back row candidates look to be the same old cattle. Pity about D. Hipkiss. He looked good at #12 - not sure what he was doing there - last time I saw him for Leicester. No T. Flood, no S. Geraghty (unless he's injured). Same old disconnect between backs and forwards.

So who are the #12s?

[LDiCesare]

Maybe the Gloucester Tongan? I'm waiting for Havak's usual comment about Pacific islanders playing for bigger Islands. Although I think he's a winger, so that must be someone else.

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Originally posted by LDiCesare
Maybe the Gloucester Tongan? I'm waiting for Havak's usual comment about Pacific islanders playing for bigger Islands. .

20/10 for that one!

Who knew hookers had senses of humour?

Though I s'pose sticking your head where a hooker sticks his head needs a sense of humour.

Anyway, I wonder whether J. Wilkinson slots into #12? Or maybe it's M. Tait. That aside, there seems to be a plethora of #13s.

[LDiCesare]

Who knew hookers had senses of humour?

Actually we don't have senses of humor, we just have one such, but we share it. So it just happened to be my turn.

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Jacques Tati lives on!

I note that the newly capped winger has been selected on the basis that he scored five tries on debut against the competition's cellar dwellers. Gee, on that basis, Havak must have been a candidate for P. Vickery's spot.

[Havak]

I must have missed the phone call from Brian on Tuesday!

Another squad and yet another missed opportunity by Ashton. I'll be honest with you guys in that I actually prefer the balance of the Saxons squad which looks a pretty decent outfit all told.

The good with the senior squad? Haskell, Croft and Cipriani. Oh and that islander who has chosen to be English looks quite promising - thanks LdiC.

The bad? Almost everything else sadly. In particular someone needs to rationalise to me how Noon and Worseley make the senior squad whilst Hipkiss and Crane are in the Saxons. And Charlie Hodgson back in the senior squad FFS!

An awful lot of the Saxons should be in the senior squad and vice versa IMO - I detect Rob Andrews hand of darkness behind this selection.

Geraghty is fit and in the Saxons Finbar - another good example of a wasted opportunity by Ashton.

Oh and Flood is both fit AND in the senior squad - perhaps you had you own senior moment?

The combination at 10-12-13 will be Wilko-Flood-Tindall I predict. Flood being the only true 12. I think I would have prefered Geraghty-Wilko-Hipkiss to be honest.

Here are both squads in all their glory:

England squad:
Backs: Balshaw (Gloucester), Cipriani (Wasps), Cueto (Sale Sharks), Flood (Newcastle), Gomarsall (Harlequins), Hodgson (Sale Sharks), Noon (Newcastle), Richards (London Irish), Sackey (Wasps), Strettle (Harlequins), Tait (Newcastle), Tindall (Gloucester), Wigglesworth (Sale), Wilkinson (Newcastle), Vainikolo (Gloucester).

Forwards: Borthwick (Bath), Croft (Leicester), Chuter (Leicester), L Deacon (Leicester), Easter (Harlequins), Haskell (Wasps), Kay (Leicester), Mears (Bath), Moody (Leicester), Payne (Wasps), Rees (Wasps), Regan (Bristol), Shaw (Wasps), Sheridan (Sale), Stevens (Bath), Vickery (Wasps, capt), Worsley (Wasps).


England Saxons squad for games against Ireland A and Italy A in February:

Backs: Abendanon (Bath), Allen (Gloucester), Armitage (London Irish), Arscott (Bristol), Ashton (Northampton), Brown (Harlequins), Care (Harlequins), Dickson (Newcastle), Geraghty (London Irish), Hipkiss (Leicester), Hodgson (London Irish), Lamb (Gloucester), Simpson-Daniel (Gloucester), O Smith (Leicester), Varndell (Leicester).

Forwards: A Brown (Gloucester), Blaze (Leicester), A Clarke (Bristol), Crane (Leicester), Dowson (Newcastle), Hartley (Northampton), Hobson (Bristol), Kennedy (London Irish), Lipman (Bath), Lund (Sale Sharks), Narraway (Gloucester), Paice (London Irish), Palmer (Wasps), Titterrell (Gloucester), Wilson (Newcastle), Wood (Gloucester), B Woods (Newcastle).

Oh and Corry lost pace after a knee injury about six years ago. You will have to trust me when I say at his best he was more than a match for the nose mobility wise.

[Andydog]

The reaction of the fans in SA to the appointment of Peter de Villiers as the new bok coach seems to be negative. Most wanted Meyer to take the helm.

Doesn't come as a surprise to me. It has been telegraphed for months that the SARU want to transform the racial base of their rugby.

Many saffa fans are saying that first choice players will no longer be selected. They seem to forget that very little international rugby in the last 3 years has been played between 2 teams made up of first choice players for a variety of reasons.

Is de Villiers the right man for the job? Depends on the criteria. If the main criteria is transformation then the answer is yes.

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The Bok bizo is no surprise at all. It's why Jake White opted out. The government has denied that selection will be racially based. We shall see.

How did I miss T. Flood? Still, I am entitled to the odd senior moment.