Napoleon Syndrome

Not sure if too many people have heard of this malady, we hadn't, but having read the latest post on another blog, we realised that there had to be a title for the suffering the author of the post is going through.
You see, it's ok to give advice to the populace but sometimes you have to heed your own!
As time passes, memories fade and generally, people move forward. But in this case, since he was sacked/resigned as FK of the Men's National Squad, he has taken every opportunity to remind those that read his blog, just how good he was and to basically undermine anybody appointed to the position. Why, we saw him in Arsta on Saturday wearing the old Swedish tracksuit trousers and coat, with the trousers especially, looking a bit like clownish, but his dress sense is a different matter. Well. here at TrueSwedenRugby, as a positive group of people we would like to help him, so here is some advice. You are not the FK, move on and if you really believe in supporting Swedish Rugby, offer positive support to all those in it.

RFU backs Sevens team GB

With the International Olympic Committee's decision on the inclusion of Rugby Sevens in the 2016 Olympic Games just over a week away, the Rugby Football Union has become the latest to support the idea of men's and women's Great Britain rugby teams, if the International Rugby Board's campaign is successful.

On Friday 9 October in the Danish capital Copenhagen, the IOC will decide whether Rugby Sevens will join the 2016 Games programme, just under two months since the IOC's Executive Board recommended Rugby Sevens and Golf for inclusion, from the seven sports in contention.

The IRB Sevens World Series continues to grow year on year, having celebrated its 10th anniversary last season by crowning a new champion in South Africa. In all, 10 sides reached the Cup semi final stage, including Samoa, Argentina and - for the first time - Kenya and USA.

The Series now visits eight countries, attracting hundreds of players and tens of thousands of fans with Hong Kong a three-day, 120,000 sell-out; a record 62,000 watching the London Sevens at Twickenham and the Wellington leg regularly selling out within minutes.

Great Britain united

Players from England, Scotland and RWC Sevens winners Wales came together recently under the banner of Help for Heroes at the hugely popular Middlesex Sevens at Twickenham, with the national coaches working in tandem and showcasing the unified desire to form a united Great Britain team to hopefully bid for Olympic gold in 2016.

"Sevens would be an invaluable addition to the Olympic Games. As proved in the Commonwealth Games, the IRB Sevens World Series and through its own Rugby World Cup, it is a thrilling spectacle that captivates the fans," said Rob Andrew, RFU Elite Rugby Director.

"The thought of joining with the other Home Unions to make a team GB is very exciting and, on behalf of the RFU and the Elite Rugby department, I wholeheartedly support the bid to include Sevens rugby for men and women at the 2016 Olympic Games."

Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009 in Dubai also attracted thousands last March with broadcast figures shattering all previous records - 28 broadcasters carried live coverage to 141 countries to a global audience of 760 million and for the first time a 16-team women's event was held alongside the men's competition and proved hugely competitive and successful with Australia being crowned the inaugural champions.

"The first joint Rugby World Cup Sevens proved a tremendous success and demonstrated how effectively the men's and women's games are developing around the world," said Nicky Ponsford MBE, the Rugby Football Union for Women's Head of Performance.

"Sevens has become an integral programme for the current elite England Women's squad. The RFUW are fully supportive of the inclusion of Rugby Sevens in the Olympic Games in what would be a hugely exciting opportunity to showcase to the world Rugby Sevens at its exciting, competitive format. The concept of a GB team is extremely motivating."

To the Wire

In the Men's semi-finals there was the predicted win for Enkoping over Pingvin in Trelleborg. No surprise there and it would appear that Enkoping will have another comfortable match at home on Saturday. Who will they meet in the final? Hammarby made Exiles fight all the way before conceeding defeat. Ill discipline by both teams did not help either of them,  unfortunately for Hammarby it probably cost them the game. In our view, they would be much better off concentrating on their own game, (which, when they get it moving has a polish about it) rather than carrying out the petty offences and moaning at the referee. Exiles, although behind for parts of the game, had a bit more composure and were able to steady the ship and persevere with their game plan. Obviously fresh legs helped and the players that came on made the required impact. We feel sure that the winner next Saturday will be the team that shows the greater discipline and for the sake of the game, let's hope the pathetic moaning to the referee is also curbed. If so, this game could go to the wire!

Still Up For Grabs

Some interesting results in the Ladies semi-finals on Saturday.
Goteborg beating Exiles by 19-0 was a surprise and according to onlookers, not really a true reflection of the game. However Goteborg managed to take their chances when they occurred and Exiles just could not score. Still all to play for although Goteborg must be confident of making the finals.
As predicted, the Enkoping versus Uppsala match proved to be a tight game, with Enkoping coming out on top. They have been steadily improving over the last few weeks, whilst Uppsala have slumped! Now, more than ever is when the Uppsala coach has to prove his worth, a man of reputation, reckoned to be the best in Sweden. Although an ex FK residing in the West, (why does he keep wearing Swedish Kit?) would probably dispute that. Anyway, from all accounts, Enkoping were the team that wanted it most and had the upper hand in defence, so can Uppsala make it. Well we think that they can, but we would not be surprised at all if Enkoping made it to the finals. Still all to play for.

Hard To Choose the Finalists

This Saturday should see some entertaining matches in the Women's semi-finals. With GRF making the long trek to Stockholm to face Exiles. Will they get the journey out of the legs before the game kicks off? Will Exiles have the mercurial Moa in the side? She has not been seen to play against GRF in the Elite series, were they holding her back? With the Swedish Captain on one side and Ygge, who is probably the best forward in the game on the other, this promises to be a very close encounter. Let's hope for an entertaining one.
Enkoping will be hosting Uppsala and this again will appear to be close. Enkoping seem to have thrown off the lethargy from earlier in the season and have been posting some good scores. The coach who is looking after the squad appears to be quite an aggresive type, (some comments he makes are not quite in the spirit of the game), but he certainly seems to have galvanised his charges. What of Uppsala? They were at one stage clear favourites for the gold, but their performances of late have not been up to scratch. With the experienced coach they have in charge, will he be able to help then up their game? If he can, then we would expect to see them reach the final, but without doubt it will be close.
So, possibly two very entertaining matches this weekend which hopefull supporters and spectators will enjoy to the full.

Much Ado About Nothing

Where do we start? I suppose that those that complain the loudest and moan about what they feel are unfair Laws/Rules, are generally those that have a grudge against everything in life. Well sad to say that not only is that reflected in life, but in sport too. In Swedish rugby, when things don't go the way of certain individuals or teams, critical reviews are made about the laws or the lawmakers in a destructive way. Surely, it would be more beneficial if constructive points were made? As the great bard succinctly put it "Me think thou doth protest too much" and we would have to agree with him. Let's all try to help the people governing this great game of ours, by offering positive and constructive views, rather that the bitter sniping that seems to come from certain quarters. This has been a entertaining season so far with improvments in the refereeing arrangements and with Spartacus achieving their aim, we feel that the complaints are unworthy and 'Much Ado About Nothing'.

A Pleasant Surprise

 We feel this is a bit of a scoop for this blog and reward for promoting the positives in the game!
Some really good news has just reached us regarding the Men's National Squad. Mike Hale has not been lost to the Swedish game, he has been appointed as an assistant coach. Mike assisted the squad earlier this year in Holland, when he acted as assistant coach and stepped in as Team Manager. Reports from that weekend were very complimentary and positive about his performance in both areas, and we feel sure the players will welcome this appointment, as should all fair minded supporters.
This is indeed a bonus for the game, for those of you not aware, Mike was one of the coaches who helped guide the Women's National Squad through to next years World Cup, the first time that a Swedish Rugby Team have qualified for this prestigious event. He was also the coach that took the GRF women to their first golds in both the 15's and 7's in 2008, his first season with them and he has also steered them into the Elite series this year. We know that he has experience of coaching men in the National Leagues in England and has a proven track of success in both formats of the game. From our discussions with him, he is a coach that gives the credit to the players for any success and  he believes in a strong squad system. This can only be good for the game and is truly a pleasant surprise

Bring It On

Yes, the time is fast approaching when the players competing for a place in the National Squad will be announced. Mike Tatu and his team have a hard job in front of them, but we feel sure they will select the right blend from all the talent out there. With a full season behind them, there should be no excuse regarding fitness, so we expect to see an improved performance in the forthcoming matches. Of course not everybody will be happy with the selections as we all see players with a slightly different view, but, and it is a big but, if you are serious about Swedish Rugby?, then you should be fully supportive of the players and coaching/management staff ! Which brings us on to the question, who are the members of the coaching team? Obviously Mike Tatu is the FK, but who else makes up the team, if you are in the know please let us know. Our message to the opposition, Bring It On!

Keep Up The Good Work

Thought we might publish a view in support of the much maligned DO, Chris Sigsworth. It is a difficult enough job that he has, but it is not made any easier by some of the malicious statements made about him. Well Chris, be assured that we are aware of the tremendous job you are doing. Of course like you, (we suspect), some things could be better and in hindsight that is sometimes true. Unfortunately we don't have that whilst making decisions etc, so we make what we consider are the right choices at the time. Rugby is a minority sport in this country and we know that you are working hard at implementing new ways of increasing participants, but there are only so many hours in a day. Your ideas will hopefully bear fruit in the future and put those few who believe otherwise, back in the cupboard. Whilst we don't agree that you are 'Swedish Rugby' we do accept that your efforts towards the growth and development of the sport within Sweden, should be applauded. So keep up the good work!

Battle of The Titans?

As others have done, we have decided to offer a view on the forthcoming semi-finals. Obviously we can only guess at this time as to who will play each other but we feel it is a pretty safe bet that Enkoping will face Pingvin and Stockholm Exiles will face Hammerby. That being the case we feel that over two matches the top two sides in the Elite will prevail and lead us to what could be an outstanding couple of matches to decide the winner.

Enkoping are currently top and playing a disciplined well thought out game, with some exceptional players in the side who provide the inspiration for this team. Well coached and a very talented squad. Probably favourites for the gold.

Stockholm Exiles play with a lot of flair in the backline and generally get enough good ball to allow this to happen as their scores suggest. Can be matched up front, but are capable of changing their game plan to accomodate this. They appear to to enjoy each others company, always a good sign.

Hammerby consider themselves the equal of the top two and on their day may well cause an upset, although to win two matches in succesion would be asking a lot from them. However they should not be underestimated. Need to maintain discipline throughout the squad if they are to achieve this, a good side that  at times play some scintillating rugby.

Pingvin alas this will not be their season. With  some youngsters now starting to show they could develop in the future as another strong side. But they will need to take stronger squads on their travels and probably recruit a few experienced players in the forwards.

Of the other two teams in the Elite:

Spartacus achieved their aim of making the Elite series and did so on the back of two fine wins against local rivals. It should be applauded that they faced up to the challenge and although were found wanting, they will learn from the experience and this could help them develop as a club. Do not be surprised to see them as the top team in the west next season.

Goteborg have been a disappointment this year. After last season where they almost made the final, they seemed to have taken a backwards step. We understand that there have been injuries, but all clubs suffer from this and learn to cope. From the games we have seen in the north, it appeared that there was a distinct lack of game plan and without their playmaker were lost. Next season does not look too good.

Superb Effort

It is one of the positives that there now appears to be a concentrated push to establish a Swedish Referees Society. Like all things that are done properly, it cannot be rushed and having noted the names of the people concerned, we feel sure that it will be a professional job. This is just the sort of thing that Swedish Rugby needs if it is to develop and progress. Referees and Touch Judges within Sweden will now be assessed, trained and helped towards their own development, with opportunities to officiate in other countries it should not take too long before the benefits are shown within our game. It should be remembered that these officials are voluntary and unlike soccer, respect should be afforded both referees and touch judges. There is no room in our game for anybody abusing them and whilst we accept that they may make mistakes, they do not make as many as the players on the pitch!
So, congratulations on those who are putting in a lot of unpaid work to get the Society up and running, a superb effort.

A Warm Welcome

We would like to welcome you to the new forum of reason within Swedish rugby. Many people throughout the world follow the game and perhaps some get to look at Sweden via the internet. It is important in our view that the game is represented in a positive way so we have decided to launch this blog, which will aim to let all fair minded people submit their opinions and views about the game and the way it is managed . Unlike others, we will not send in comments ourselves to provoke a response and we will publish all that we receive, (providing they are not too personal or abusive). Whilst there may be some controversial topics, please remember to try and be constructive.
If there are topics that you feel should be reviewed or discussed, then raise them and we will do our best to include as many as possible.
Obviously there is another blog produced in the west about Swedish rugby and we do not wish to detract from that, so we won't be showing photographs of ourselves! After all, why would anyone want to subject their readers to such torment? But we will make comments regarding their topics if it is in the best interest of this blog to do so.
You may notice that this blog will be in English which is a language that the majority of rugby playing countries use and we would like as many people as possible to read the blog.
Once again, a warm welcome to you from my colleagues and myself and enjoy the reading.