More Pre-Season Results

Reads Down Highlanders by 2 points, 17-15

On the Gold Coast the Highlanders suffered a defeat at the hands of the lowly Reds. The game was settled two tries a-piece, the difference being a penalty slotted by Clinton Schifkofske to get his side across the line. This will be a much needed shot in the arm for the Reds, maybe this year under Jones they will be able to fire and get some traction in the competition for the first time? I doubt it, however it would be good to see one of the traditionally strong Australian Rugby Union sides exert some influence in the game again.

Hurricanes and Brumbies all tied up, 28-28

Meanwhile in Canberra the Brumbies and the canes thrashed out 80 minutes of football only to be all tied up at the end of it. Each side crossed the line four times, an effort that the attacking coaches will be pleased with. Obviously there is some work for each team to do on defence. Too late now, it is kick off next week and one week cannot be the basis for turning everything around. Note that the Hurricanes were missing a lot of forwards that are part of the All Black RWC 2007 training squad.

Chiefs down the Blues, 24-21

In another shock for Blues fans, a fair chunk of the readership of this blog, they were downed by the traditionally lowly Chiefs (again, note that the Chiefs have now beaten the Blues 3 seasons in a row, although this pre-season clash does not really count, although it wont bode well for the rest of the season either) in Rotorua. The Chiefs scored the match winning try in the dying stages of injury time to take the game. This is shaping up to be a great contest during the regular season. Troy Flavell's return to the All Blacks for RWC 2006 will not be assisted by a mediocre performance by this franchise again this year.

Tahs beat the Crusaders, 17-12

The Tahs continued on their winning way, beating an understrength Crusaders side at Aussie Stadium. Being understrength is no excuse for the the Crusaders, the Warratahs were without sever key players. New boy Kurtley Beale gave away one try, but redeemed himself by setting up the final try to win the game for the Tahs. A strong showing from the young man already tipped to be a surprise inclusion in the Aussie RWC 2007 side. Of concern for the Crusaders was the 12-0 lead that they surrendered in losing the match. Normally stout defence is a hallmark of this side, and perhaps this year there might actually be a good game between the Crusaders and the Blues at Eden Park to kick off season 2007.

Force Thrash Samoa, 59-10

The Western Force continue to live up to the praise offered them by Robbie Deans. He said they could win the Super 14, and this thrashing of a not inconsiderable international side could be showing that he wasn't too far off with that praise. They seem to have coped well in the pre-season and it will be interesting to see how they go in their first real hit out of the season.


So, not long to go until kick off now. Check in to see how things are going via this blog, and remember that you can always leave comments about how you reckon your team will fare. Hopefully you have all taken a little time to join up with various tipping competition, be interesting to see how many of you really know your rugby!

And I Thought The All Blacks Were Being Rested...


The Warratahs have anounced that Phil Waugh and Rocky Elsom will be rested for Thursday night's pre-season hit out agains the Crusaders in Sydney. It has been reported that the two Wallabies have been sidelined as part of a restricted training agreement with the Australian Coach, knuckles. Well, so much for New Zealand arrogance and devaluing the Super 14 competition...it looks like everyone is doing it. Some are just a little more cunning than the NZRFU (not a difficult task to be sure) and don't come out and anounce what they are doing.

Elsewhere, and contributing to the above debate, 3 All Blacks will be on display as the Hurricanes take on the Brumbies in Canberra. Conrad Smith, Tialata and Nonu will all be playing in the last hit out of the pre-season warm up games..so much for resting the entire squad. The Brumbies are fielding a few of their Wallabies to take on the Canes and it should be a good warm up game for the season.

In a move that will bring smiles to the faces of the ladies who like Super 14, Paul Tito is rumoured to be heading off shore for the remainder of his career. It si rumoured the big orange roughy will be heading to Wales where he will fit right in. He has had a great career, and has contributed much to New Zealand rugby, and Maori rugby in particular. All joking aside, good luck to the big man.

So, all in all the last of the pre-season games will provide us with something to begin to gague the season on. They are traditionally very poor indicators of a team's real standing. It will be all on in a couple of weeks, and hopefully you all have had a few good couple of days warming up with the jibes, insults, and rivalry that this game can bring out in the best of us. I can't wait for kick off, the first game between the Blues and the Crusaders should be a cracker sans All Blacks as it is...the Blues might just have a chance!

A Few Changes for the Blog

I had some feedback from you all in the last couple of days and as you can see I have taken it on board and made a few changes to the blog. First up, there were some comments about the template that I was using, and suggestions that it wasn't that easy to read, so I changed that this evening. I hope that you all find this one a bit easier on the eye. It is a new year and everything, so why not ring in some changes I say. Thanks to all of you that took the time to give me the constructive criticism.

In addition, some of you had trouble locating the link to Virtual Super 14 mentioned in the last post I put on the blog. It should now be clearly visible over on the right hand side of this screen in the links list. However, if you still can't locate the link, simply click here.

With any luck the changes to the blog will make finding the links a bit easier, and you will see that I have reduced some of the clutter on the blog. This should make things a bit easier for reading as well. Now, remember you can leave comments about the rugby too, so don't hesitate! Not long until kick off now, and I will be increasing the posts as the season gets closer. Check back for more rugby updates soon!

Virtual Super 14 Is Back

Yes folks, that great game for those fans of Rugby in the Southern Hemisphere the virtual competition based in New Zealand is now operating and you can join by clicking the link over to your right in the links column.

This is a great game, it keeps the interest level up and it also lets you track your performance week in and week out against your mates, and all of the other so called rugby experts in New Zealand for sure, and you can even find a lot of people overseas prefer to use this format for their virtual rugby experience.

Well worth it, and you can even come back to this blog and brag about how great your picks were for a given weekend! Enjoy.

Chiefs Down Canes In Pre Season Clash

In their pre-season Super 14 match this week, the Hurricanes were defeated 17-33 by the Chiefs who have signalled that they may be looking to better the mid table form that they were able to produce last season. Neither side will be particularly impressed by the game, or read much into it. They both failed to get out of first gear on attack, in spite of the Chiefs knocking up 30 points, and the real difference between the two sides was the verocity of the Chiefs defence. The coach will be pleased with that effort, and the Canes will be happy that the new front row have stood up to the opening salvos of the season. Each side was clearly trying combinations, new tactics, and using the games well as testing options before putting together the final tactics for their first game of the season. Good stuff, not long to go now!

Robbie Deans has also dished out some praise for the new Western Force franchise, predicting that they could win the competition in this their second year. This praise came after the Crusaders came home late in the game to seal a win, 28-12 against the Force in Perth. By all reports Rugby League convert Ryan Cross went well in his first game in the new code, and even managed to score a well worked try changing the angle off a ball from Pelesasa. Keep your eyes on this guy, Rugby League converts seem to be the players that are keeping the code going in Australia.

The Crusaders were of course without 6 of their All Black players who are being rested in anticipation of the World Cup tournament later this year. The Force were also without captain Nathan Sharpe and Giteau, who are also being rested. Funny how there hasn't been any comment about that devaluing the competition, although it could be argured that they are only being rested for the pre-season. A lot of good that did for Latham. In any event, while the Force will go better in their second year, thanks in no small way to some great player acquisitions in the off season, it would be a brave person to suggest that they will win the competition. However, it is early days yet.

Elsewhere there is still much comment about the Wallaby pack. In essence, everyone recognises that at present they are very much below par. Michael Foley the assistant coach, has been talking about the heads of the forwards, and getting them into a place where they want to improve. Well, I would have thought that a backwards tour of the playing fields of Europe ought to have galvanised the tight five to assure a better performance in the coming games. However, has time run out? It would be a big ask to expect an improvement before RWC 2007...but they've improved before and are always a tough to beat side in World Cup games. Don't worry Wallabies fans, your team will be there come the finals.

David Nucifora's Blues triumphed over the Reds 38-9 in their pre-season clash at Whangarei in Northland, New Zealand. His team performed well, especially in the second half having on lead 10-6 at half time. He will be pleased by this win, however Reds coach Jones read nothing into his sides loss. Correctly he noted that at this point in the season you don't have to be ready to win a Super 14 game, and his team wasn't. But it isn't that far away and they will have to be ready to win, and win as many games as they can, down their starting fullback. The Reds have been inconsistant since the Super 14 started, their only consistant feature having been disappointing their fans by failing to deliver each season. Maybe Jones can turn things around.

Well folks, not long to go now. Kick off in just a few weeks time, and I can't wait. All of you that are looking to go the World Cup games later this year - I envy you! It will be a great tournament, and I would go if I could, but live on tv will have to do. Stay tuned for more coverage of the Super 14. Bring it on!

It's All On!

Well, it is all on in Aussie Rugby Union at the moment. The current and former coaches of the Wallabies are at each other's throats over the injury sustained by Chris Latham in training for the Queensland Reds. It is alleged that he was meant to be part of a non-contact trainign squad of Wallabies earmarked for the next World Cup when he injured his knee to the extent that he is said to have undergone a knee reconstruction last weekend.

In my opinion this isn't that big of a loss. He plays well, but he is a player that runs hot and cold. Probably the worst damage his injury will cause is further disharmony among the Wallabies World Cup Squad already reeling from a woeful Northern Hemisphere end of year tour, revelations that Lote Tuqiri wasn't fit enough to train with the squad and was sent packing, and the further talk of defection to the NRL which Lote tells everyone is his first and only love. Not the best preparation.

Across the ditch all has gone silent. Aside from the occaisional quip at the arrogance of New Zealand devaluing the Super 14 by withholding players, there isn't much news at all. With any luck this means that the All Blacks are getting through getting the job done - at least this is what every New Zealand fan will be hoping right now. The lads will be into their training phase now and the New Zealand public will be expecting them to be bigger, stronger, and faster half way through the Super 14. It remains to be seen if this will be delivered or not - there are a lot of sceptics out there who suggest that the All Blacks have peaked already and we will once again be seeing them fall at the last hurdle. This view is most commonly heard in New Zealand - outside of that green everyone else is supremely confident that the All Blacks will triumph...

I myself am looking forward to kick off at the beginning of February. While I did have rugby fatigue at the end of last season, right now I can't wait for it to come back. I love it, and thank goodness there isn't long to go now. Bring it on!

2007 Calendar

Hi all, I'm back from a brief, but good, holiday in the land where Rugby rates as the number one sport for the country by a long shot. It was good to be back, and I noticed that there were several massive advertisements in Auckland that were already counting down the days, hours, mintues, and even seconds to the Rugby World Cup. Definitely New Zealand is full of Rugby mad people that think of nothing else, or so it would seem.

While I New Zealand I thought that I would gague the confidence of the nation after the northern hemisphere rout the national team had delivered last year, hard on the heels of the successful Tri-Nations campaign. I conducted a highly dubious and unscientific question and answer poll of taxi drivers, publicans, people on the street, all of whom were self prclaimed experts on the game.

It is fair to say that even for New Zealand, these wary souls did not display any form of confidence at all, and to suggest that the New Zealand fan is arrogant is a long way from the mark. Ask anyone, and the kiwis will be the first to say that they have seen this before from their national team, and they fell at the last hurdle. When asked to name where the danger lies, most will point to South Africa, France, and Australia in that order. There is no over confidence among the public, and they are all hoping this keeps the team down to earth, and aware of the fact that there are many sides out there with the class and skills to best them on the day of the quarter, semi, and final!

Before I close this post which really serves as notice to all the fans out there that I am back in business, I must give you all this link put together by our friends at Rugby Heaven. While not in the league of some of the more attractive looking calendars I have seen for the coming year, this certainly has most of the stuff that you would want to know on it. Click here to see the calendar. See you all again soon.

Reflections

Don't worry readers, I wont be joining everyone else in writing a 2006 retrospective about the season just past. I think that there is more to be gained by looking forward at this point. Super 14 without the All Blacks, is about to start in a couple of months, for an extended season, bought forward due to the impending world cup tournament. I can't wait, I think it will be a very interesting competition this year, with loads of new talent on display, especially from the New Zealand sides.

This year, an understrength Crusaders side could struggle in the early rounds with none of their All Blacks available. Again I say that this is a good thing, and should even out the competition. It may be that by halfway their future has been decided, but if there is one thing that this franchise has shown, it is that they are competitive, even when they do not get the first choice for the players on the market. I mean look what they managed to do with the offcuts from the Blues!!!

Australia will continue to struggle, although they should be able to make some gains early on against the understrength sides if they can rise to the occaision. The biggest concern that Aussie has is not the Super 14, but preparing for the World Cup. In essence, they must hope that an entirely new front row emerges during the competition this season, or that they players they have persisted with come to form. Otherwise, they can kiss a fair chunk of their world cup campagin goodbye. They will always be a tough competitor at the cup, but it would be a real coup if they feature after the quarter finals.

Africa is a basket case. They have some great players, world beaters in some positions, but are lacking a certain sense of style when it comes to the Super 14. They again should be able to start the competition on very competitive terms and do well in the opening stanza. The second half may become tougher, however the away teams that are on tour in the first half of the competition and get some wins against understrength New Zealand sides could be there at the end this time. Hopefully they will take their opportunity and put a few points in the bank early on. It could make for an exciting finish, and the first African win in Super 14.

I do want to mention France. While they were humiliated in the first test against New Zealand, they did come back in the second. I think that come world cup time they will be strong contenders, they will push the New Zealand side, and anyone else, much more than they have shown so far. The All Blacks are capable of being beaten, we have seen this so many times in years gone by. One tour does not repair all of the problems that the team was having. The lineout could still turn ugly at a moments notice. The backline can be placed under pressure, and the concern with all props is that one season they are world beaters, the next just custard. It is a dangerous time for the All blacks when confidence is running high, and they will need to exercise caution, and keep their training up and minds focussed on the prize.

Phil Waugh to Captain 2007 Warratahs Super 14 Side

The tahs today anounced that their captain for 2007 will be the redoubtable Phil Waugh playing at number 7. Apparently he is the recipient of a 'lucrative' contract that will see him remain in Australian Rugby through 2009. Not a bad days work for Phil and his manager, both of whom will no doubt laughing all the way to the bank with some decent up front money from the ARU now that they are free of having to pay the exorbitant price they forked out to Matt Rogers.

Waugh is talking down speculation that he may also be in pole position to captain the Wallabies at the world cup. Waugh pointed to at least two people that would be in front of him on the grid, Gregan the incumbent, and of course Mortlock who stood in for Gregan for a fair chunk of the most recent tour was also mentioned by Waugh. He has his feet on the ground, he is one of the better players in Australia, but how on earth he keeps getting past George Smith in terms of selection, I have no idea.

With Matt Rogers release from the shackles of riding the rimu for the Wallabies, questions are now being asked about what to do with the midfield...especially in so far as it concerns Giteau. With Rogers out of the picture, there are concerns about depth heading into the World Cup...good luck knuckles, you are going to need it mate. No one is doing you any favours.

Nor is John O'Neill, former rugby maestro, now critic of the game. Make no mistake, I take no issue with what he said, he is spot on in his assessment of Rugby in Australia. He says right now it is ranking fourth in the list of domestic football codes in Australia. He rightly says that number one spot is held by the AFL. They are the NFL of Australia and clearly come first consistently in terms of domestic popularity. Rugby League is next. The NRL is alive and well, consistently exciting week in and week out for the enitre competition. Soccer ranks next, basking in the afterglow of the socceroos success at the World Cup. Rugby ranks a distant 4th, and the Wallabies appear to be in for some tough times ahead, a bare trophy cabinet and some rebuilding to be done. The adversity might be just what they need to do well in 2007...

Once again the Christmas period means a paucity of rugby coverage in New Zealand. It all goes quiet now, right up until the kick off of super 14. There is almost an enforced radio silence over the build up, so it is difficult to get information about what the teams are doing and what is going. Fear not, the super sleuth is on the case and I will report whatever I find out in the mean time.

Rogers Released, Tuqiri Targetted by Queensland

It's official, the long awaited, but never in doubt, anouncement came today that Matt Rogers will be release to play for the Gold Coast Titans in next year's National Rugby Leage competition. Citing personal reasons for the move, Rogers appears to be glad that all the fuss is over, and now he can simply get on with training back in his old game, with a new team. Goodbye and good luck Matt, no doubt we will be hearing more of you in the future, but not in the green and gold Wallaby jersey ever again. It is doubtful that Rogers would secure a place in the victorious Kangaroos national rugby league side, but you can't rule things like that out.

Today's main story was broken by Channel 9 news tonight, reporting that the Queensland Reds are having a crack at securing the services of Lote Tuqiri next season. If he heads back across the border he will of course be playing under his old Wallaby coach Eddie Jones of course. Apparently there is talk of Tuqiri being offered $1 million Austrailian dollars per season to remain in Rugby Union. That is some serious money, even by world standards and they seem to think that he is worth it. I tend to think that he may have been worth it, but I no longer think that he cuts the same dash that he used to, now he seems to easily tipped over into agressive unthinking play that earns him stints in the sin bin, and being told off by the Prime Minsiter of New Zealand (although I doubt that troubled him much - especially not when he gets paid a whole lot more than she does!).

The Wallaibes have anounced their training squad for the World Cup and there are a few players that have missed out. Among them is the luckless Scott Fava who tries hard, gets knocked into the middle of next year during the 7s tournament in Wellington last year, but continues to fail to crack it at the international level. Back to Perth and John Mitchell for you mate. Also missing out (of note) are Gene Fairbanks, Tai McIssac and Al Baxter. Knuckles was keen to point out that this is only a provisional squad, and that every player in Super 14 is in the frame. Knuckles, knuckles, knuckles...that is good talk my man, but if you can't name your squad for the World Cup now with any degree of certainty, I see troulbe coming down the line mate. Surely to goodness a little certainty wouldn't go astray right now. Sure, you might have to make one or two changes due to injury, but that should be about it. Watch out Wallabies fans, tough times are ahead...but there is one thing we know about Aussie sides, they always rally for the World Cup and put their best in everytime. This year will be no different, but you'd be a brave person to suggest they will win it.

Back to Super 14

Hi All, I thought that it was about time this blog got back to the basics, yep time to return to the Super 14 and next year's competition. The controversey over the resting of the All Blacks for next year's World Cup competition has pretty much blown over and seems to be settling down as everyone gets used to the idea. News Limited is of course still a bit put out, the usual broadsides are coming from Australia, but the NZRFU seems to have stuck to its guns and the rested players will sit out half of the season.

This poses some interesting questions, this resting and training tactic that has been so publicly anounced. The All Blacks performed well in the end of year tour, I mean it couldn't really have gone better. The players looked like they were in peak condition anyway, and yet we are being lead to believe that they are about to go on a training program that will improve their perfromance substantially. The likes of Collins, Hayman and McCaw performing at their peak - what more are they going to be able to do - better, faster, stronger? Sounds like they will be as good as Lee Majors!

I can recall, in the not too distant past, it was being suggested that some players were getting overly bulky from their training. Cashmore was the first player I had heard that description being used for, and it was mainly in relation to his condition in the early years of Super 12. It was said by the then All Black coach, John Hart, that Cashmore was too bulky and had lost some of his pace and agility. Doubtless the All Blacks will be aware of thise, but tinkering with top level performing players can have a downside and New Zealand supporters must hope that this has been taken into account, and the grand experiment being undertaken will work. So far the coaching staff, and the management of the team have done a great job, there is no reason to suppose that this is going to stop. The All Blacks must win the next world cup to end a 20 year losing streak, made all the worse by the fact that at various times the prize ought to have been taken.

So, New Zealand will be left with understrength fanchises during the first half of Super 14. The question then becomes, how will those teams fare against the Australian and South African sides. Traditionally New Zealand sides have outperformed these sides anyway, and it is comments like this that are labelled arrogant by Australia and South Africa. However, based on past history, the New Zealand franchises have performed well. I think that the Super 14 without the All Blacks will be an interesting spectacle, and I think that crowd sizes wont suffer too much. There will still be plenty of talent on show, and perhaps there will be more of a even playing field with the additional African and Aussie sides in the comp this year. Remains to be seen what John Mitchell will do with the Force and in particular the 'new' wallaby half back.

Interesting times ahead, check back soon for more updates.

Should I Stay or Should I Go Now? If I Go There Will Be Trouble, If Stay There Will be Double.

This must be what Matt Rogers is singing to himself at the moment as his career takes centre stage in the media this week with Eddie Jones declaring that Rogers has played his last game of Rugby Union. I hope, both for the sake of the game and for the sake of Rogers, that he has played his last game of Union, and that common sense prevails and he is released to go and play for the Titans NRL side next season.

I don't think that any precedent needs to be set by this, except for the precedent that players that aren't performing and whose heart is not in the game, wont be kept in it out of spite or some misguided sense that contracts must be honoured at all costs. Having Rogers in any union side now is likely to do nothing more than adversely affect the team. The Warratahs of course will have to ascertain if Rogers is going to assist their Super 14 campaign in 2007 with an attitude that clearly says he wants to leave the game.

Also, I've said this before and I'll say it again, Aussie rugby union has to stop poaching players from the NRL by opening up the chequebook for the latest flash in the pan player from that code. They are leaving themselves open for this kind of thing to happen when the player no longer wants to play the game. Look at what else has come out this week, Schifcofske and Ryan Cross are both reportedly in the frame for the Wallabies world cup bid in 2007. How does that happen? They've only had one game and a couple of training runs! Seems to me it easier to get into the Wallabies playing in the NRL than it is playing in Super 14!

Seriously, the Aussie Union must take a long hard look at player development. What sort of message does this send to players - no surprises that there are players heading for the fertile rugby playing grounds of New Zealand, in particular the domestic national cup competition. New Zealand rugby will be all the richer for the injection of players from these fair shores.

A high profile player switch of course has ramifications for the game, but how many fans do you think have been turned on to the Wallabies by the likes of Sailor, Tuqiri and Rogers? Make no mistake, these guys are not heartland rugby players in Australia, nor do they appeal to the rugby watching crowd. This is a key period for rugby in Australia and some good decision must be made to preserve the state of the game this close to RWC 2007.

Speculation on Future of Rogers and Tuqiri

Former NRL stars, and significant converts from Rugby League to Rugby Union, Mat Rogers and Lote Tuqiri, have reportedly been considering their futures in Super Rugby for some time. Both apparently disilliusioned with Rugby Union and are wishing to return to the game that was reportedly their first love. Undoubtedly the recent tour of the northern hemishpere, albeit a tour without any negatives according to the coach, will not have assisted in igniting their passions for playing in a Wallabies team that underperformed. At least on the expectations of fans in Australia.

Rogers in particular was scathing in press conferences when he returned from the tour to Australia recently. He criticised the lack of playing time that the new look backline, featuring his good self at first five eighth, got on tour and basically insisted that the combination needed more game time before it could be labelled a failed experiment. Unfortunately for Rogers, while he may be right on that point, this far out from Rugby World Cup 2007 is a bit too late to begin experimenting with a backline combination. This should have been done ages ago, and perhaps under Eddie Jones it would have. In the final analysis however, with a back player in that position of the calibre of Larkham, Robers has little chance of converting anyone to his point of view.

If this is the case then perhaps releasing Rogers prior to the World Cup would be a good move. It has been reported that there are rumours Rogers has been offered a contract to play with the Gold Coast Titans (whom he is joining in 2008 anyway) in 2007 and may be seeking a release from the Australian Rugby Union and The Warratahs (his Super 14 team) to enable him to make the change a season earlier. Everyone knows the damage that a player can do to a professional team when their heart is not in playing, and given the fact that Rogers has struggled to make the starting side the Wallabies might not end up missing him that much. Not enough to warrant the risk that he could cause further issues for the team now that he is leaving after the RWC in 2007 anyway.

Tuqiri is in a different position. He is in the starting side, whether he plays at centre or on the wing. Although from time to time he makes comments denigrating the game and the value that he places on it, most of these are rightly interpreted as claims being made to ensure that the bids made to secure him in either code are aimed at increasing his salary. After RWC 2007 Rugby Union is ulikely to have any further use for him, particularly if the RWC competition is given it rightful place amongst management as the most important goal for the Wallabies and the Australian Rugby Union. Lote, great players though he may be, will not be the best winger the Wallabies can field in 2011, or if he is the state of the game will be in complete disarray. Far better to bring in new players and get them ready for 2011 with plenty of time.

Tuqiri will be a key player in RWC 2007 for the Wallabies. His spear tackle on McCaw was one of the key moments in a tight struggle in Auckland during this year's Tri-Nations series. He took it to the opposition, regardless of the fact that it was illegal and made an impression. This is the stuff that the Wallabies need, as indeed does any team that wishes to best this All Blacks side. Tuqiri is a key player in terms of the physicality that the Wallabies want to take onto the field.

This sort of player loyalty speculation doesn't do the game of Rugby Union, or the Wallabies team, much good. At least as far as the game is concerned in Australia. In terms of mounting a challenge to RWC 2007 news of player dissatisfaction will be greeted by other national sides with a degree of cautiously optimistic joy. Anything to weaken the Wallabies is a good thing in terms of the challenges being made by other sides. Doubtless reports of shifting loyalties will spike some action from management, and direct contact with the players to sort out what is happening and their level of commitment next year. Rogers will probably feature more in this area than Tuqiri. Both, of course, will have to take pay cuts to switch from Union back to the NRL. These are interesting times for the Australian Rugby Union, perhaps they will consider building their own game more to develop talent among Rugby Union players, rather than plundering the resources of the NRL with massive monetary offers to attempt to buy loyalty to the game from players who don't consider it their first love.

All Blacks Yet to Peak

So says Reuben Thorne, a man who should know better than most what it feels like to be in a team that fails to grip the final prize. If indeed this is correct, it is a good sign for New Zealand supporters who will know all to well the downside of a confident New Zealand side ahead of a RWC tournament. All too often expectations among the public in New Zealand have been cruelly dashed at quarter, semi, and final time.

If indeed the feeling in the camp is that there is room to improve, then the favourite tag and all of the pitfalls that tag has had for the All Blacks in the past will be able to be managed by what seems to be an impressive management team for the All Blacks. The conditioning period will be an interesting time for the 22 named players that will sit out the first half of the Super 14 competition next year to assist in their preparation for the RWC tournament in 2007. Jerry Collins has reportedly suggested that even he is looking forward to some time off, and undoubtedly McCaw, Carter, and Hayman are also looking forward to some down time to allow the body to heal, and to get some serious training in after that to perform at what New Zealand fans will hope is their best yet. Good luck.

Australian coach knuckles Connolly has stunned the media by suggesting, well stating actually, that there were no negatives to be taken from this tour. Former Wallabies have suggested that this position is untenable, and clearly it is. Tinkering with the backline by introducing Matt Rogers at first five ahead of Larkham and trying it out for two test matches, where it failed, and then for the player to arrive back in the country criticising the lack of match time the combination was tried for is laughable. This is a problem, but as was said in the previous post, make no mistake, the Wallabies will be tough at RWC 2007 - they always are and they know how to lift for the big games. The All Blacks will be wary of this team if and when they play them during that tournament.

Check back soon for more on the tour and the elements of the team that are still to be worked on, and the areas where improvements were made. Next post in a couple of days.

Welsh Match Answers Questions

The All Blacks downed Wales by 45-10 in a good old fashioned hiding at millenium stadium. A few questions were answered by this victory, first and foremost it has been settled that the All Blacks are no more cheats than anyone else in world rugby. Two players were yellow carded and, according to the Welsh commentators that we were privileged to enjoy on the Foxtel feed in Aussie, the All Blacks were lucky that the entire team were not sent from the field. They did have to concede that the calls against McCaw in particular to get away from the ball faster were harsh, however moments earlier they had themselves been bleating away about how he was lying all over the ball and cheating. In fact what was obvious from this game is that the All Blacks are miles ahead of a welsh side that lived up to the label of the village idiots of world rugby. Only one penalty try had to be awarded during the game (not against the ABs) and it wasn't an All Black that punched the opposition skipper in the face nearly sparking an all in melee. In addition, the Welsh were only able to score a try once, and that was while the captain was off the field. Having struck back, they quickly conceded a converted try to undo all of their hard work.

If the commentating that I heard is what passes for analysis of rugby in that part of the world then they have a massive uphill battle ahead of them to get to grips with where they are falling behind, and what to do about it. Constantly I was forced to listen to two whinging welshmen, one of whom was convinced that the All Blacks were continually screwing the scrum, and then taking it down because "no scrum can twist like that without it being purposely done by the opposing team pulling back on one side of the scrum". Well, if that is what they think was wrong with their scrum during that game, then they wont improve any time soon. The fact is that they were being torn apart time and time again by a better scrummaging unit, and probably resorted to screwing the scrum themselves to try and get a penalty. Full marks for trying to do something about getting the squeeze put on, but like everything else they tried that day, it didn't work.

What is most interesting about all of this though, is that it just doesn't matter. 45-10 was the final score and Wales were comprehensively out gunned all over the park. Their much vaunted back line failed to fire, and all that the forwards could do in the end was resort to cheap shot pucnhes on McCaw, and pulling Luke McAlister's hair near the end of the match. When you're behind by 40 points that is about all you can do really and it sums up just how average this Welsh side is, and how full of hot air the northern hemisphere media has been about this Welsh side.

Wales also failed as hosts. The field was simply shocking, an embarrasment to the game. There were patches of grass, the rest was uneven mud. The state of millenium stadium is a searing indictment on human civilisation between the years 1000 to 2000. It was shocking, imagine expecting international teams to play on fields that would compare unfavourably with most school fields in the rest of the world?

Also, the Welsh did not allow the haka to be performed in the place that it has for the last 100 years. Full marks to the All Blacks for refusing to give in to this sort of bullying. It is a tradition, like it or not, and failing to respect the tradition is an insult to the touring side. If the Welsh are going to play games, they can't cry foul when the All Blacks wont buy into it. The crowd did not deserve to see the haka even though the chanting from the crowd of "haka, haka, haka..." indicated that most people at the game wanted to see it. Whatever happened to teams being judged by their hospitality? The Aussies played silly mind games in Brisbane against the All Blacks this year and it back fired, now the Welsh have felt it too. This tour is over, the All Blacks won well in every game, and the World Cup is now their focus. These petty things might warrant further consideration in the Northern Hemisphere but the AB's will be turning to the World Cup and winning that. Good for them.

Elsewhere the Wallabies managed to turn around a poor start against a fired up, but ultimately aimless, Scottish side. 44-15 was the final score, and it was an accurate reflection of the way the two teams played. Scotland had a lot of passion, but that was about it. It was good for 10-15 minutes, but they simply were outclassed by a Wallabies side that turned up to play this time. Putting players back into their preferred position really worked wonders in the back line and that was the difference between the two sides. The scrums were a bit better, and the tight five will get better with more game time. Come the world cup they will be as tough to beat as ever.

The rest of the games don't really rate a mention. England were beaten by a Springbok side that kicked a better game than England did. White will be pleased to head back with a victory under his belt and this may just save his bacon. The meeting will go a bit better for him, however the decision may have already been made about his future prospects. Good luck Jake.

Horses for Courses Selection Policy has More Depth

Apparently more than just the opposing team come into the calculations Graham Henry makes in selecting his team based on the horses for courses selection policy he has followed on this northern hemisphere tour. Henry has been up front is suggesting that he selects players on the basis of who will be playing against them, their own skill level vs the skills of the opposition player, and how they will go fronting up to the opposing player if selected. Now it also seems that the weather and the field also come into the equation.

Henry has suggested that the selection of Smith is not just about the skills that Smith has at centre, and how he shapes up against Welsh Captain Stephen Jones in that position, but has more to do with the expected wet weather at millenium stadium at the weekend. The player seems to relish wet conditions as they require a higher skill level from him, and doubtless he gets plenty of practise playing in atrocious conditions in his native Wellington. Nothing Wales could offer would be worse than the horizontal rain Wellington is famous for.

This sort of vision in selection is exactly what the All Blacks need heading into the World Cup. Doubtless if the campaign is unsuccessful the selection policy will be branded fool hardy, overly technical, and of course arrogant. However, if successful this kind of forward thinking selection policy taking into account as many factors as possible will become the standard across the game. This is a risk, this is an experiment, but so far the faith the fans have placed in Henry and his changes to the traditional All Blacks selection policies has been rewarded. It will be interesting to see how things go at the weekend, and on into next season.

Wales continue to talk themselves up for this weekend. Accrding to the talk, they will play an expansive and open game, their creativity in attack will try the All Black line, however there aren't many punters that would be backing them to win as much as they seem to be backing themselves. The selection of New Zealand born Sonny Parker at number 12 casts doubt on this as he is less of an attacking player than the brilliant but flaky Gavin Henson, and has more robust defence than Henson has shown at times. Be that as it may, if you are going to take on the All Blacks it has to start up front and the battle will be won in the forwards as usual. The backs getting good clean ball going forward will be crucial to the success of each back line against the other. Also, with the Welsh calling their lineouts in Welsh, it will be difficult for the All Blacks to figure out lineout calls. It should be a great clash this weekend.

Elsewhere Springbok coach Jake White has been 'invited' home after the second game against England this weekend and before the next game on tour against a world 15. This cannot be a good sign for White who was under pressure during the Tri-Nations and managed to squeak through with a win over the All Blacks and the Wallabies at the end of the series. He is fronting the president's council, and the discussion will focus on a vote of no confidence in him as coach by the Blue Bulls last week. Good luck Jake, your boys had better win this weekend or you will be outski.

The Wallabies take on a confident Scottish side looking for their first win over the Wallabies in 15 encoutners. Something tells me that the haggis brigade will be lucky to get away with a win, even with the Wallabies in such a state of disarray. The players that have been selected will want to press home their claims to positions the encumbents are clearly regarding as their own, no matter what they do. Knuckles would do well to bench some of the stars to get the hunger back to take the field, and win. This team is on a downward spiral and reports of conflict between coaching staff and captain (for this tour) do not paint a good picture 10 months out from the world cup. Knuckles may well be looking forward to the return of Gregan who will not be sorry that he sat out this disaster of a tour.

I've noticed that a lot of people are looking for the draw for the 2007 Super 14 season. Please click here to be taken to the draw for next season, and note that kick off is one week early this year to account for the RWC tournament. Click here for the draw. In addition, there will be a permanent link to this page on the left hand side of this blog so that you can come back and check it out whenever you want. Note that the relegation position of one team in South Africa has yet to be resolved in relation to this draw being posted.

Bring it on - this weekend is another cracker for international rugby! Final game of the tour for the ABs, and the end of most of the touring sides quality games. This site will focus on preseason news for super 14 and ongoing world rugby issues after the end of the tours. Enjoy and check back often.

Welsh Confidence Riding High

Wales are definitely riding high going into the match this weekend against the All Blacks. Keen to avoid being "afraid" of the All Blacks as the French were, according to the Welsh side, perhaps they are in danger of going into the match too pumped and too full of self belief? Unlikely however as Wales have always played their best rugby when confident and when attacking. Hopefully this will permeate their game plan and there will be a cracking rugby test this weekend.

Wales have been bolstered by the selection of captain Stephen Jones to return to the fray, and have named a strong team to take on the All Blacks. A sign of this strength, as was referred to yesterday, is the naming of the top 3 All Blacks in their respective positions, as well as the maintenance of the loose forward trio for this match. With the new guys in midfield, Smith and McAlister, the Welsh ought to attack here and make the most of the occaisional lapses in defence we have seen from this side. However these two newbies were impressive against France, and will need to play at the same level this weekend as Wales won't roll over.

The All Blacks should expect confrontation at the breakdown, a lot of physicality in that phase especially, the lineout will be targetted again, and the inexperienced midfield pairing should be run at frequently. While the team has performed well, it should be kept in mind that Wales were six nations champions two seasons ago and have a quality side that will have first hand knowledge of the coaching and playing strategy of two of the present All Black coaching staff. This is an advanatage, although it cuts both ways as Henry and Hansen will know the weaknesses of their former charges.

The usual cheating claims have been given another airing in the media by the Welsh players. This refers to the breakdown and the cynical penalties given by New Zealand, and how the players are street smart and know what they can get away with. I think this is fairly accurate, McCaw has come in for criticism even in his home country for some of his tactics at the breakdown - who can forget Ali Williams rucking McCaw so hard he was suspended for a ridiculously long period of time. Slowing down opposition ball at the breakdown is crucial, and all teams do it. I doubt any of these comments will cause any loss of sleep amongst the All Black players and management.

All that awaits us now is game day, and for the players to do their talking on the field. It is a difficult game to pick, the All Blacks should win, but given it is the last game of a successful season, confidence will be riding high, and the weariness will be at a maximum, Wales could surprise a few people this weekend. Check back soon for more on the upcoming match.

All Blacks Team Anounced Today

The number of surprises in the All Blacks team anounced today has been kept to a minimum wth six changes made to the team. Perhaps most surprisingly the selectors have kept the loose forward trio intact, started Daniel Carter again, restored the midfield pairing of McAlister and Smith, and inserted Rico Gear back into the mix on the wing. Hayman returns again in the front row, joined by Oliver and Tialata. Williams returns as the starting lock, this time partnered by Keith Robinson. Mils makes a positional change to start at fullback. Sivivatu also starts again, and this is a good break for him.

Most commentators are treating the changes as showing respect for the Welsh team, and indeed they are a sign of respect. Perish the thought, especially after the roation policy, but does this also show some limitations on the present depth of the All Black side? Certainly in one position this is the case, tighthead prop. Hayman really has no understudy at this level, Afoa is untried and Yoda (Sommerville) is injured. Tialata is getting a crack at loosehead, and as I understand it is not ready or keen to try to swap to tighthead. This is a key position as so much of the All Blacks game is based on a solid platform at scrum time. It is no coincidence that the All Blacks suffered during the Tri-Nations after the mountain man from the mainland was felled by a tackle made by Wyclef Palu in Auckland.

However, aside from this concern, and it is minor, the team is looking in good shape. There is plenty of cover in all positions, although of course there are players that command their position, and are the best in the world playing there. Carter, McCaw, and of course many of the back line. All things being equal, New Zealand supporters should be fairly confident with their team. This test match this weekend may push the All Blacks.

Welsh confidence is riding high. Also, both Henry and Hansen have been involved with the Welsh side in the past, and the tactics will be known to each side. This will have an effect, much as it has in the past, particualrly in the one point victory the All Blacks had against the Welsh in 2004. It should be a cracking game, and I am really looking forward to the confrontation up front, the Welsh rate themselves there.

The Wallabies on the other hand are at an all time low. There is much comment in the media about how this has happened to the team before, and that the last time it did they made it to the RWC final, just losing by a dropped goal to Johnny Wilkinson. What to say about the match against Ireland? Yes Knuckles, the weather was shocking, but it hardly rates as an excuse for the loss - 2 tries to none. Some serious soul searching must be done - and it seems management may have to take a harder line with some of the inflated self assessments the players have of themselves. Rogers is no first five. Give up on it. If Tuqiri wants the ball more, he should go looking for it more often (like O'Driscoll does) instead of playing out of position. The Wallabies cannot play well in the Northern Hemisphere at the moment, and just out from the World Cup in France, that is a problem. Back to the drawing board, and maybe, just maybe, it was a little too late to fire the coach who had some sort of plan to build toward the World Cup.

No mention of the Welsh side that will take the field yet - check back later to see the team that is named and comment on that.

That Was A Test Match

This weekend's game between France and the All Blacks was more like the test matches that we want to see. It was tough, willing, and this time the French came to play. From a New Zealand point of view, a lot more was learned from this game than was the case last week during the 47-3 hiding. The 23-11 scoreline reflected a much more competitive French effort, however the result of the match never seemed like it was in doubt. There was always the impression that the All Blacks could lift themselves, and if this was a final or semi-final during RWC 2007 they would.

Nevertheless, the All Blacks will have learned a lot from this game. They failed to dominate the breakdown as they had so completely the week before. The French turned up to play and compete in this area. The defence of the All Blacks was also outstanding, an uncharacteristic slip up in taking an up and under by McDonald was the only time that France were able to break the All Black line. Their kick and chase game had improved a lot from the week before.

However, the All Blacks continued to dominate at set piece, both scrum and lineout and it was a pretty strong performance all around. The All Blacks did not take all of their chances, and best of all from this win is the impression that there is room for the team to improve further which will assist them in combating the dreaded All Blacks favourtie tag that has undone them at so many competitions in the past.

Nonu scored a good try from a line breaking run set up well by Dan Carter. However, the jury will still be out on whether or not he has what it takes to be the front runner for this position. There was little in this game to resolve the question one way or the other, and now that Mauger is returning home from this tour due to injury, the position is again wide open. As was said last week, it is known what McAlister can bring to the position, however the Nonu question remains open. It would not be surprising to see him get another run.

The All Blacks are right to be wary of Wales. This team have been getting better after the draw against the Wallabies kicked off their season against the tourists. This test against New Zealand will rate very highly in terms of their goals for the season, whereas for the All Blacks the games against France were clearly the most important of this Northern Hemisphere tour. This will be a tough test match and it will be interesting to see what team is named tomorrow.

There are a vast number of combinations that could be employed by the selectors for this game, and given the obvious preferred method of rotation in terms of selection, it is anyone's guess as to how many changes will be made. It is the final game, and if this really is a tour that is building the team towards the world cup next year, then there should be a large number of changes to introduce the new comers to international rugby. Andy Ellis should get a go at fullback, and Nick Evans should get a crack at starting at first five. Masoe should get a start, as should Tialata. Afoa may be unlucky not to get a start as an untested tight head prop. Whatever the team is, they will take the field hungry to keep this winning record alive, and up against quality opposition that could surprise.

Check back tomorrow for comment on the All Blacks side when named. Note also that the Welsh have delayed naming their team until all injured players are able to be considered for playing this weekend, against an All Black side the Welsh are confident they can take on and beat. More comment tomorrow...

Nonu Selection Dominates Media Coverage

The seleciton of Nonu at second five eighth continues to dominate the media coverage of the impeding test match between the All Blacks and France this weekend in Paris. Mils has come out in support of the selection pointing out that Nonu can be devastating on attack. Not many would argue with the proposition that Nonu, with ball in hand, could be a devastating attacking weapon and a formidable sight for any opponent seeking to tackle him when he's got a decent run up. In any event, we will soon know exactly how formidable he is, and whether or not the French will struggle to tackle him.

Divining rods are being dusted off, crystal balls are whipped out and polished, and all of this activity has but one goal in mind - figuring out why this selection has been made. If you stand back and consider it, there are some obvious reasons to make this choice now. Mauger is a known quantity - we've seen him perform time and time again and there isn't anything to his game that isn't known at this stage. Nonu on the other hand is an unknown quantity, and clearly there is an effort being made to include him in this All Black side. He did not play well against the Irish in New Zealand, his provincial season was cut short by an injured thumb, and he hasn't played on the international stage at second five for any great length of time, but has played some rugby in the position and attracted the attention of the selectors when he played.

Nonu has been earmarked and groomed as a future All Black, almost ever since he burst onto the scene with a resurgent Wellington side and comparisons with the then All Black captain, Tana Umaga were difficult to resist. They want to try him out, and they want to see if he will fire for them in some role. If they were not to try him out now, then when would they do it if indeed he is to take a role in the upcoming RWC 2007? Mauger on the other hand has been around the traps and, if we're looking for faults in his game, it is known that he can be suspect in terms of his defence.

In addition, Nonu is a young man. He has time on his side, but equally he may not be content to sit on the sideline in Union at the highest level forever. If there is a player in the All Blacks made for rugby league, then it is Nonu. And I am sure that the All Blacks Selectors, NZRFU, Super 14 franchises, and Wellington are keen to keep this guy in the game in New Zealand. Mauger on the other hand is not going anywhere at this point in time in terms of his playing career, he wont be going to league.

The reality is that this is a good time to see how he will slot into a side that has performed well, and against opposition that while it went down 47-3 last week, could turn around and come back at the All Blacks this weekend. There are seven new players taking the field for France this week, and it is said that their preparation for the game has been largely focussed on the mental side of the game - something that clearly let them down in the hiding last week. They can bank on a more confrontational All Black style in the back line, with Nonu being charged with running the ball at the opposition at every turn - this could be the factor the All Blacks have been looking for in developing and sustaining pressure in the backs leading to tries, instead of the counter attack, which Mauger has mastered. It will be a very interesting game this weekend.

For anyone out there looking for what can only be described as "just watchable" video highlights footage of France vs All Blacks, Wallabies vs Italy, Ireland vs Springboks, and Grant Fox's analysis of the game, these treats can be downloaded here. Bring on the weekend - I can't wait!