Rugby - New Year, New Coaches, New Laws

[LDiCesare]

An interesting suote of Faure, the French prop who plays at Sale, when asked about the penalties in the scrum:

Je ne veux pas mettre la faute sur qui que ce soit, mais Sheridan, mon collègue à Sale, il a une certaine technique pour mettre la main au sol. Vous pourrez regarder, et s'il y a un minimum de logique dans les analyses du match, vous verrez bien que ses épaules sont plus basses que ce bassin, et dans ce cas il doit être pénalisé.

This means, roughly:
(I don't want to speak bad but I will) but Sheridan, my colleague at Sale, has a certain technique to put the hand on the soil. You can watch, and if there's a minimum of logic in the analyses of the match, you'll see his shoulders are below his basin, and in this case he must be penalised.

IFrom a fellow club player. If that's true, Sheridan was clever to do that since the ref immediately whistled against France when he could.

[finbar]

Bassin = pelvis, so the claim is that his shoulders are lower than his hips.

Yes, I forgot to comment on the Welsh lock's two shoulder charges. The first one should have been a yellow card - late, deliberate, and an obvious shoulder charge - so the second one should have been red. The guy's an idiot.

Enough said about the Noon tackle. The ball flew out like a bullet.

The new Italian full back seems to have some quality about him but I'm not sure how strong he is.

[Havak]

In addition to the French Props go at Sheridan the French coach also had some verbals for Regan post match. Called him a “Grotesque Clown” I believe. And he is probably right. What he missed is that Regan is delighted with the insult – he considers it his job to get under the oppositions skin.

Ashton has many faults - but he loses with more grace than the new French lad. Then again he has had more practice.

Can’t say I noticed Sheridan planting his left arm? I did notice the French tight head apparently trying to bore in all the time – but that looked to be because he couldn’t handle the power Sheridan was bringing to the engagement.

I’m sure Phillipe Saint-Andre will be delighted one of his props has openly criticised another however – and flagged something for Premiership refs to look for.

There is a delicious irony in the idea Steve Walsh was pro-England. How many times have the IRB suspended Walsh for entering into a fracas with English coaches?

According to the BBC commentary team that young Welsh lock has worked hard on a notorious short fuse. More work to do I think?

Tigers messed up at home – and by trying to play expansive rugby when the ball should have disappeared up the jumper at the death. They are blowing hot and cold – I do worry Loffreda won’t be given the time he needs with the squad to bring them through and make them more consistent.

[LDiCesare]

Can’t say I noticed Sheridan planting his left arm?

I can't say I noticed that either. I just quoted Faure, who was on the other side of the scrum and was probably too busy with his own prop to watch Sheridan on the other side anyway. I would have voted Sheridan man of the match anyway, since he either tricked his opponents or just manage to get them enter badly and this made the difference in my opinion.

As for Regan, it's Lièvremont who called him a clown. But indeed, such provocations should be expected of hookers, particularly from a country which produced Brian Moore.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
In addition to the French Props go at Sheridan the French coach also had some verbals for Regan post match. Called him a “Grotesque Clown” I believe. And he is probably right. What he missed is that Regan is delighted with the insult – he considers it his job to get under the oppositions skin.

As long as he continues to give away stupid penalties - like that pathetic fist flailing - and throw as badly as he did on Saturday, oppo coaches will be happy for him to get under their players' skins. In normal times, Regan, who had a poor game, would have played himself out of the team. But these aren't normal times in English rugby.

Ashton has many faults - but he loses with more grace than the new French lad.

Far from it, I thought. He praised England. More than they deserved. He's right about Regan.

There is a delicious irony in the idea Steve Walsh was pro-England. How many times have the IRB suspended Walsh for entering into a fracas with English coaches?

I'd just call Saturday a continuation of his dubious judgement.

According to the BBC commentary team that young Welsh lock has worked hard on a notorious short fuse. More work to do I think?

There's short fuse, and there's what went on on Saturday. That was deliberate foul play.

Tigers messed up at home – and by trying to play expansive rugby when the ball should have disappeared up the jumper at the death. They are blowing hot and cold – I do worry Loffreda won’t be given the time he needs with the squad to bring them through and make them more consistent.

But hasn't inconsistency been their problem for the last two or three years? I remember the last year or so of the former coach's reign produced terribly mixed results. I suspect they're missing J****'s leadership and direction as much as England is.

[Havak]

Anyone would miss that - it's true the club has not replaced him. Tigers were however far more consistent last season under Howard than they are this time out.

The French coach praised England at the end of the interview where he also layed into Regan. A mixed reaction you might say.

And as you are aware I don't think Regan (or Mears) should be anywhere near England honours.

[finbar]

Oh, I'd forgotten about Pat Howard! Who, by the way, is getting out of administration with the ARU, going back to his family and business. Anyway, I meant the coach before him. I recall his last year produced some very up and down efforts.

[Havak]

Oh you mean John Wells? Whose 15 months in charge culminated in our actually topping the table in 2005 but losing to those annoying burglars Wasps in the Play off final.

He is now the England forwards coach - he was the one sat next to Ashton as Brian finally showed some emotion for Wigglesworths try.

[Havak]

Two Italians cited - and zero welsh players.

Bergamasco accused of gouging after the final whistle? Nasty business.

And the lock Del Fava accused of a nasty tackle on Stephen Jones?

Del Fava's alleged attack on Jones was replayed on television and brought howls of protest from the home crowd as they viewed the incident on the Millennium Stadium's giant screens.

The same crowd that howled at this robustly cheered their own young lock as he tried to decaptitate various Italians.

[finbar]

Bizarre, isn't it? One rule for some, another for others.

[LDiCesare]

Two Italians cited - and zero welsh players.

Ludicrous.

[Havak]

The citing official was Scottish.

Not that I am suggesting Celtic solidarity played a part.

[finbar]

Speaking of Jacobites, I was watching (again) Simon Schama's terrific History of Great Britain last night. Pity, I think, that the Jacobites turned back at Derby. England rugby could now be as all-conquering as Scotland's. Some amongst the Jacobites thought the French wouldn't turn up to support them once they hit London. Of course the French would have turned up. Probably with a 19 year old starting his first battle orchestrating things.

[finbar]

And Plank is off to Bath! Presumably filling the hole left by Borthwick. But only for a year. Presumably that'll be it for his overseas stay. Pity he wasted his time at Ulster all that time.

[Havak]

The French wouldn't have turned up in London - the first time they ate after landing on the Kent coast they would have complained about the beer and food, set fire to all the local livestock, and then disappeared back across the channel.

Plank to Bath eh? His choice of clubs continues not to impress.