Rugby Union in the Noughties

How it changed for the better Standards at club level are almost unrecognisable. The Heineken Cup has gone from strength to strength, to the point where the knock-out stages are on a par with Test rugby. Sometimes we also forget to remind everyone why watching rugby in 2009 is much more fun than going to football: you can still take your family to a big game, sit with opposing fans and cheer for any team you want. Try doing that at Portsmouth...
How it changed for the worse The lawmakers have to get a grip. The death of rucking has led to a growing number of static pile-ups which make it simpler to kick for territory than pass or run from a team's own half. There is a subtle but important difference between a dynamic contact sport and a game consisting entirely of collisions. Fake blood, gouging and a rising casualty rate have also done self-inflicted damage to the sport's public image.
Decade's top five
1 England 2000-03 They lost the odd grand slam decider in the Woodward era but for a while the White Tornadoes were untouchable.
2 Canterbury Crusaders 2000-2008 Won seven Super 12/14 titles in the space of 11 seasons. Dan Carter and Richie McCaw were the decade's finest players.
3 Ireland 2009 A first Irish grand slam since 1948, built on strong Munster and Leinster foundations.
4 Wasps 2003-05 Three Premiership crowns and a European title. The ultimate big match specialists.
5 South Africa 2009 A Lions series win and a Tri-Nations title to add to their current world champion status constitutes a rare haul.
Match of the decade South Africa v British and Irish Lions, Pretoria, June 2009. The second Test at Loftus Versveld ranked among the best Lions matches in history. Ian McGeechan's touring team had to win to keep the series alive and came heart-breakingly close, undermined by injuries to their Welsh props Gethin Jenkins and Adam Jones. Schalk Burger and Ronan O'Gara would love to rewrite the script but Morne Steyn's huge penalty ultimately clinched a 28-25 home win.
Most memorable moment Sydney, 22 November 2003. Now what if Jonny had sliced that fateful drop-goal attempt..?
2020 vision Sevens - or a tweaked version of it - will grow in prominence as a result of its newly gained Olympic profile.

Festive Greetings.

We would like to wish everyone in Sweden and particularly Swedish Rugby,
                                 
              A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A PEACEFUL NEW YEAR !

Not The Only Gay in The Village.

Arwel Davies-Jones, the fearsome, burly Pontypotty captain and prop, yesterday broke down in a press conference and admitted that he was not gay.
Fighting back the tears, Davies-Jones said: "It's been such a strain; when all the boys josh in the afternoons, discussing fashion and background colour schemes, I used to join in and pretend that I liked rearranging furniture. But deep down, in my soul, I longed to be at the bar, drinking four gallons of Shane's bitter, running round a bar stool and staggering into a wall while singing Delilah."
He went on: "I didn't like going down Old Compton Street in Soho when we played our away games in London, but that was the done thing and although I get severe hay fever, I would make a point to be first on to Hampstead Heath for training runs before games." Continuing to explain, he said: "I knew I was living a lie and I hated it."
After years of turmoil the fearless and proud Valleys boy appears to have reached a point of no return. "In the end I just said 'To hell with it' and I thought if they don't like the fact that I whistle at women from the cab of my 4 x 4 Hummer, while blasting out gangsta rap; if they don't accept that I like Rocky movies and not Priscilla Queen of the Desert then so be it."

Team of the Year?

As we sit here looking out on the Thames and hoping for a drop of snow, (we get homesick sometimes) we thought that with 2009 drawing to a close,  we ought to give you a chance to give us your view. So this one's over to you.

If you send us in your XVs of 2009 over the next two weeks, we'll collate the votes,  and present you the benchmark performers you voted for just before New Years Eve.

Send us your justifications as well and we'll pick out the finest of the adjectives and the most robust of the sentences to justify the selections made when we publish.
So who have been the best players in Sweden this year? For a bit of festive fun, you can mix the sexes, so if you think that 'Ygge' has been the best No8 then put her in.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
God Jul och Gott Nytt Ar.

the IRB must enforce a zero-tolerance policy with eye-gougers

Gouging is a particularly cowardly act, dangerous too, as fingers are inserted and twisted on a defenceless opponent. And as for two players allegedly taking turns on Ferris, that really would be beyond the pale.
Ferris himself noted that if it had been a punch, then he would not have said a word, in line with rugby's macho code of omerta in such matters. But gouging is something else altogether: sly, nasty, craven and spineless. It seems to be on the increase, a truly bizarre state of affairs given that the game has never been cleaner.
Dupuy felt hard done by, given that he had taken a few knocks that went unpunished. And so maybe his sense of grievance grew. In a previous era, he might have been able to vent his frustration in a routine dust-up.
The authorities have to adopt a zero-tolerance policy on gouging, which has not been the case of late. Colomiers prop Richard Nones became a cause célèbre 10 years ago after summarily being given a two-year ban for gouging Pontypridd hooker Sven Cronk in European competition. The matter was done and dusted within two hours of the final whistle, much to the consternation of the French club. Hence the furore that followed.
There was a different sort of outcry in the wake of the 18-week ban handed down to Perpignan hooker Marius Tincu last season, again for gouging. In the absence of video footage, there are inevitably grey areas.
What are we to make of the fact that the alleged miscreants are French? There will be another Frenchman in the dock in the coming days, given that Brive hooker Guillaume Ribes was sent off for kicking out against London Irish, although it was lock Arnaud Mela who actually seemed to let fly with an uppercut that triggered the trouble. Have the French reverted to type, to be damned for their ill-discipline?
Dupuy seemed to be an idiot, as have been a host of Irish, English and Welsh gougers banned in recent times, from Northampton hooker Dylan Hartley to Munster flanker Alan Quinlan, who blew the trip of a lifetime with the Lions for his gouging of Leinster lock Leo Cullen.
Burger and Parisse (another Stade Français man) have also been in the dock. They escaped lightly. The next to be found guilty must not. That is the clear message to emerge from a troubling weekend.

Who's who?

Time for one of the men again. This time a man that is an outstanding performer and has played Premiership rugby in England.  He is currently helping Cambidge RFC to get into the Championship from National 1. Danny Legge is a player that most emerging countries would want and one who will no doubt help Sweden Rugby to progress.

When did you first start playing?
I first Started playing rugby for my school this was where my school rugby coach said I should give up football and play rugby
What positions do you play?
Backrow No8
What Club/s have you played for?
Saracens, Bracknell, Southend, and Cambridge.International Caps?
Have you any International caps?
England u18, Sweden, Sweden 7s
What has been your best playing experience?
Playing my first premiership game when I was 20 against WaspsWorst playing experience ?
Playing for Sweden against Denmark, getting injured and not being able to play for year!What are your ambitions within the game?
Just to enjoy playing.
What encourages you about the game in Sweden?
Just how the boys from Sweden give every thing for the game when playing for their country and how they want to improve there ability.
How do you see the future?
Just to keep enjoying playing and to play at the best I can, because you never know when injury is going to take it away from you.What is your profession?
Carpenter.
Your marital status?
I am not married.


Our thanks to Danny and we wish him and Cambridge, all the best for the rest of the season.

International Rugby Board ignoring evidence of a game in turmoil?

Just five years ago there was nothing much wrong with rugby but the latest International Rugby Board statistics point to a broken game with too much emphasis on kicking.

In 2004 the International Rugby Board reported that there were an average of 4.5 tries a game in the Six Nations Championship and 5.2 in the Tri-Nations. There were 4.6 and 6.0 penalty goals on average and the ball was in play 46 and 43 per cent of the time respectively. There were 291 passes per Six Nations game and 251 in the Tri-Nations, with 57 and 50 kicks.
There were no complaints and not much was wrong with rugby yet the IRB introduced 35 experimental law variations which it now says were only ever options, to be taken or left as wanted. Such 'blue-sky' thinking caused three years of argument and turmoil.

The 2009 autumn internationals were plagued by breakdown mayhem and aerial kick-tennis. Southern hemisphere fans say 'It's your own fault; you killed the ELVs.' Some blame lack of ambition, pointing to New Zealand's and Australia's final games as proof that the game works as it is.
They are wrong, of course. Poor play and the adopted ELV penalising the return of the ball into the 22 are contributors to the try drought. There is also a major problem at the breakdown. In combination these factors mean many teams, including the world and Tri-Nations champions South Africa, base their game on kicking.
This year's Six Nations/Tri-Nations statistics, which include the two teams held up as exemplars of ambition, show the problem is global: Tries 3.7/3.0; Penalty goals 4.9/7.7; Ball in play 49per cent/42per cent; Passes 273/222; Kicks 65/60.
The 2009 IRB review states that in the first Lions Test South Africa made only 49 passes and their hooker passed as many times as the fly-half. They won the Tri-Nations by making fewest breakdowns, least passes and having most kicks. In one game their 43 passes was the lowest by any team in either competition for seven years.
The IRB's only response has been to enshrine the controversial breakdown ruling as law, making it irreversible until after the 2011 World Cup. That is bad enough but what terrifies is that they intend to review the laws in 2011 with a Laws Consultation Group assessing global playing trends. As before, no specifics, just a wide spectrum to indulge fertile but misguided minds.
Sorry, the IRB have done something else – they agreed to waste money trialling Goalscan technology to see whether a kick at goal goes over. When has this been an issue?
What most fans do not know is that behind this obstinacy is a desperate attempt to avoid further public derision.
Following a survey which highlighted the breakdown retention rate of 95 per cent in the 2007 World Cup final (over that tournament as a whole it was 92 per cent) one leading IRB official called the figures "truly scary". The IRB and ill-informed commentators said it would lead to the game being for only one shape and size of player.
They then, wrongly, assumed that the high retention rate meant there could not be proper competition for the ball at the breakdown and ruled in favour of the defender, thereby overlooking the crucial fact that quality and speed of ball is determined by what competition does take place, even when the defence does not make a turnover. A high retention rate is not a problem provided there is the possibility of turnovers. Rugby league outlaws competition for the ball in the tackle, unless one on one, balancing this by allowing a maximum six possessions before the ball is turned over to the opponents.
If the retention rate almost guaranteed the attacking side would score there would be no problem, but is does not. The reverse is true; the more phases a team have to win, the fewer the chances of scoring. Most tries occur after three or fewer breakdowns.
The IRB also ignored evidence showing that in the 1970s matches averaged around 50 breakdowns, attracting six or seven attackers and five or six defenders. Today's games have between 150 and 190 breakdowns, attracting 3.3 attackers and just 1.2 defenders. This is why there is no space.
All the above have made kicking the most effective tactical option. It is facile to say all you need is a fly-half to play flat; what if you do not have a Dan Carter or Matt Giteau? And why were they not successful in this year's Tri-Nations?
Rather than admit causing this mess, the IRB blames teams for lacking ambition.
Identifying your most effective way of playing and winning is normally praised. Why should a team refuse this option in favour of entertaining when they know their opponents are not similarly compelled?
The greatest problem is making more space and this means committing more players to the breakdown. Why refuse to look at how this was done in the 1970s? I'll tell you why – it would mean reintroducing rucking; the love that dare not speak its name.
The study of history is important to avoid repeating mistakes – the IRB should go back to school.

Another weekend to put things right?

The women's squad are ensconced in a training camp this weekend.Hopefully they will be working on some of the aspects that saw them lose to a Welsh side by 56-7.
Obviously the squad were out of season and were missing some of the senior players, however we have heard that there was a negative feeling within the squad and they were expecting to be beaten. That is something we are sure that Jonas and his experienced team will address. We also understand that although the Welsh were preparing for the six nations, they included some debutantes within their side, so did not field their full team. Sweden, have to be able to have players that are good enough to replace the percieved 'stars' and that at the moment appears to be a problem, they don't have sufficient quality in depth and if 2 or 3 players are missing, they struggle. Is this a fault of the system, not enough emphasis on teaching technique at club level? we would suggest it is. Until that is rectified, the problem will remain. If you consider that the top 3/4 players are at a different level, probably because they have at sometime played for clubs abroad, it would suggest that the level of skill coaching in Sweden is not good enough. As a consequence the senior squads struggle.
Anyway, we hope that Jonas can go some way to rectifying this with his camps and that we see an improvement next time out.

Awesome Barbarians expose All Blacks

The Barbarians legend came alive with a superb showing as they downed a second-string All Black team 25-18 at Twickenham.
With their just-completed successful Northern Hemisphere tour a distant memory, New Zealand’s so-called sacred try-line developed the jitters as Springbok superstar Bryan Habana effortlessly took an unprecedented hat-trick of tries.
The all-star Barbarians line-up exploded out of the blocks at a ferocious pace that stung the All Blacks early on and put them on the back foot.
And when lineout kingpin Victor Matfield stole the very first throw, it was inevitable that New Zealand were in for a long afternoon. And they consequently and unusually lacked composure, big time.
Sure, this was a second XV despite the presence of the world’s best player Richie McCaw. However, even the All Blacks skipper would be the first to admit that it was a pitiful team performance.

The problem was, the Barbarians were all battle-hardened professionals. They were all experienced internationals - and what's more, they were all dangerous. You’ve got to take your hat off to the famous hoops, they were simply awesome.
As for the All Blacks, you could look at it two ways - an experimental line-up to create further depth within the New Zealand rugby ranks, or devaluing the jersey by throwing several inexperienced ‘amateurs’ to the lions - given the strength of the opposition.
Either way, this Barbarians outfit were not going to just roll over and with their collective caps far outweighing the All Blacks, probably deserved the 25-18 victory after they had sensed an element of complacency from the opposition.

Who's Who?

We thought that we should showcase the undoubted star of the Women's EM this year. Elisabeth Ygge was in the view of many observers the player of the tournament. Not available to play against Wales last weekend, she would have been sorely missed. In our view, this young lady could eventually become the best female player Sweden has ever seen.

How did you become involved with Rugby?
I got dragged to a training by some friends in "gymnasiet", and after that one training I was stuck..
When did you first start playing?
I started in the school team when I was 15, and in Exiles when I was 17 years old.
What positions have you played?
Love nr 8, but people put me on flanker, centre and other weird positions..?
What Club/s have you played for?
Stockholm Exiles RFC and Richmond RFC.
How many international caps have you been awarded?
A few.. Started in the national team 2007.
What has been you best playing experience?
I have had a few amazing experiences. Playing Dubai 7´s for Exiles was fantastic, starting for the Richmonds first team against the Saracens was quite a nice feeling and the games in the European Championship in may earlier this year were most probably the highlight of my rugby career, so far.
Worst playing experience?
When I broke my nose in the first few minutes against Scotland in the preparation for the European Championship earlier this year. A teammate trying to take my spot? Nobody wants to confess;)
What are your ambitions within the game?
I want to be a role model for younger girls. I want to get better and better and fitter and fitter for every year, I want to improve in all aspects of the game. And my goal at the moment is to be a regular starter for Sweden in the World Cup, I want to get as much playing time as possible. I want to show the other teams, and the whole world, that Swedish ladies can play bloody good rugby.
What encourages you about the game in Sweden?
All the fighters and all the people that gives everything for this fantastic game of rugby, both on and off the field.
How do you see the future?
I see myself playing many, many years. I want to play as long as I think it's fun and my body copes with it, and if I know myself, that will be a looong time..
What is your profession?
Studying Biomedicin at Karolinska Institutet at the moment and working part time as a personal assistant for a mentally and physically disabled girl.
Marital status?
Sambo with a South african.
Have you any children?
No.
 
Our thanks to Elisabeth and we wish her well for the future.

Guess who?

As we are enjoying a fine bottle of claret, and will no doubt open another one shortly, we thought that we better put up a post that may begin a regular feature in the future,
Guess who, is aimed at people that have made a significant impact on the game of rugby in Sweden.
First up? Well have a guess, see if you can identify him.
This player has a love of all things English, he adores those players and coaches that communicate in a language other than Swedish. Although he left Sweden to further his career and improve his game, he managed to achieve only one of those. He is respected by all the referees in Sweden as he appears to know the game far better than them. Constantly reminding them of what they are doing wrong, we understand that the new Referee's Association is considering inviting him to their first seminar, so that they may benefit from his knowledge.
Although shy and retiring this player is admired and respected by his team mates, who without a doubt, feel that whenever he is on the pitch, the scoreboard will always be turning over.
Last seen on a bench in Stockholm, cheering on the efforts of others, he is now believed to have removed the splinters and is heading back to Peshawar.
So who is it? There are no prizes fgor guessing correctly, just the self satisfaction of knowing you were right.