Men's National Squad

The squad has now been finalized for the match against Denmark on Saturday. There are some interesting selections made by the management with some surprising omissions. Presumably this is to see if some players are up to the rigours of International rugby and whether others are capable of playing in different positions. Strangely some players have been selected even though they did not attend the recent training camp, but the selectors must have a good reason for doing so. This is a match against a team from a lower division so apart from looking for a win, an imperative, in our opinion, it will allow the selectors to find out if these players can put pressure on the those who are perceived to be the first choice of the national squad. Let's hope they can produce the performances and produce the right result for Swedish rugby.
The squad as selected:-

1. Stefan Obradovic
2. Rickard Johansson
3. Peter Wiklund
4. Henrick Shengor
5. Rikard Örnberg
6. Mattias Björkebäck
7. Eirik Lundquist
8. Hannes Eriksson
9. Lee Sandberg
10. Tim Johansson
11. Tobias Borg
12. Sami Paulsson
13. Thomas Arvidsson
14. Daniel Nissila
15. Robin Fransson
16. Peter Blaha
17. Lars Tunestål
18. Ted Lunberg
19. Andreas Austa
20. Paul Mathews
21. Connor Murphy
22. Ian Gowland

Six Nations 2011

To England the spoils and the Six Nations trophy, but the real winners this year are Ireland. 

In truth, England didn't come anywhere near winning a Grand Slam, they were almost embarrassingly off the pace in Dublin and should have lost by 30 points or more.

That is the chief memory they will take out of the 2011 Championship.

No, the team that came nearest to winning the Grand Slam was actually third-placed Ireland and that's an Ireland that were only able to engage top gear in short bursts as they experiment with new players and systems ahead of the World Cup.

With Ireland you know for a fact that there is much more to come, with England you wonder.

Apart from the occasional mesmerising glimpse of French skill and early England dash against Italy, Ireland played most of the quality rugby in this year's tournament, albeit sporadically until on Saturday when they let England have both barrels for the full 80 minutes. If they start doing that with some regularity, look out.
eland outplayed France for large tracts of their game in Dublin and outscored them three tries to one. They only faltered at the Aviva because they got on the wrong side of the referee - as they did in Italy and Scoland - and Sean Cronin dropped the ball with both the line and a two-man overlap beckoning in the final minute. Ireland should have won in Wales but allowed themselves to become unnerved by one of the worst and most crass refereeing decisions in Six Nations history.
Even then they would have won if Paddy Wallace hadn't butchered a three-man overlap in the last minute when trying to score under the posts, rather than keeping it simple. He won't do that again, or if he does he will be out of the squad.
As you might have noticed there are a few 'ifs' and 'buts' there for which I make no apologies.The point is, however, that there were absolutely no 'ifs' and 'buts' about England.
On Saturday, in Dublin, they simply weren't good enough, not even close to the required standard to compete for the World Cup. There were no caveats whatsoever about the England performance, they were lightyears away from the rugby Ireland produced.
It is Ireland who have emerged with the most plusses. O'Brien has emerged as a massive backrow force, Paul O'Connell is back up to speed after serious injury, Donncha O'Callaghan has rediscovered his zest, Cian Healy increasingly looks the real deal at scrum-time and Mike Ross is so solid. Why have Ireland taken so long to recognise his worth?
Johnny Sexton has come through a dip in form and confidence, Ronan O'Gara is settling into his new, but important, role as second fiddle, Eoin Reddan looks sharp again, Keith Earls could be a major force at full-back, where he was one of the best underage players in Ireland history, Tommy Bowe has been majestic in his few games after injury and most of all their warrior chief, Brian O'Driscoll, has got the bit between his teeth again.
Don't think for one minute O'Driscoll will be travelling to New Zealand in the autumn just to make up the numbers.
The SANZAR teams watching the Six Nations - and they do like hawks - will have been most impressed and worried by new Ireland because they are clearly on a big upward curve again, yet still have a hard core of experience within the squad.
France are a perennial puzzle and worry them a little for that reason alone, but England's soft underbelly was cruelly exposed and don't think the southern hemisphere giants didn't notice.

Brendan Gallagher   Daily Telegraph 21st March 2011

England 22 Scotland 16

England placed one hand on the Six Nations trophy and teed up a shot at the Grand Slam after scrapping their way to an ugly victory over Scotland.

Martin Johnson's men head to Ireland next week knowing a victory will seal the first Red Rose clean sweep since the World Cup-winning year of 2003.

England's points difference is so great, courtesy of their thumping victory over Italy, that they should be crowned champions even if they lose in Dublin.

Scotland, who have not won at Twickenham since 1983, must beat Italy next weekend to avoid the wooden spoon.

England led 12-9 courtesy of four Toby Floo
Scotland were defiant to the last and teed up an exciting finale with a brilliant individual effort from the wing Max Evans but Jonny Wilkinson closed out England's victory with a late penalty.
England captain Mike Tindall, who was replaced at half-time because of an ankle injury, hobbled up the Twickenham steps to collect the Calcutta Cup from his future mother-in-law, HRH the Princess Royal.
England's success has been built on consistency of selection: only 16 players have been used in the starting line-up all tournament.
But it was their bench today that made the difference, with Croft scoring on his return to international action after recovering from the fractured shoulder suffered in the autumn.
And they needed his intervention to settle a ferocious but error-strewn game.
Neither side was able to exert control for a consistent period.
With the ball in hand, Scotland were the more creative side early on with Ruaridh Jackson threatening at fly-half and Evans a thorn in the English side.
Scotland struggled in the set-piece. They lost their first three lineouts and were penalised three times in the scrum, which gifted England all their first-half points.
What the Scotland forwards did do well was compete at the breakdown and the visitors defended with ferocity - Kelly Brown and Richie Gray were to the fore - and quick line-speed to keep England shackled.
Paterson kicked Scotland into an early lead and it could have been better still had Rory Lawson managed to hold onto an offload from Brown with an open field in front of him.
England's scrum shoved Scotland back on half-way to earn Flood a simple shot at goal but the England fly-half pulled it wide, only his second miss of the championship.
Flood slotted his second attempt when Scotland prop Moray Low was penalised for illegal binding but in the loose England's play was ragged and undermined by careless errors.
Scotland counter-attacked from a knock-on and went through 14 phases, with Brown and Evans to the fore, before referee Romain Poite penalised England for offside and Paterson landed the kick.
It was a scrappy game all round, with little fluid rugby on show although England began to find their stride when Ben Youngs was able to bring Chris Ashton and Mark Cueto into the game.
Shontayne Hape and James Haskell both carried strongly as England began to build momentum but when Flood made a half-break Tom Palmer was wrongly penalised for a knock-on.
Flood did edge England ahead after another immense shove from his scrum but Scotland finished the half on top after snatching another turnover and drew level at 9-9 with a 39-metre drop-goal from Jackson.
Tindall was replaced at the interval by Matt Banahan, who was straight into the action with a powerful run through Brown to spark the best attack of the game.
Nick Easter offloaded to Ashton, who carved through the first ranks of Scottish defence before passing off the ground to Flood. Palmer, Dylan Hartley and Tom Wood all drove for the line but Scotland's defence scrambled well.
Brown was stretchered out of the game but Scotland's defence remained strong as England came again, although they were helped by more Red Rose mistakes.
Foden slipped the offload to Ashton, who responded to a call from Cueto by trying to chip the ball in-field but he managed only to slice it into touch.
Scotland changed their half-back after 54 minutes with Dan Parks and Mike Blair sent on, while England replaced Youngs with Danny Care.
Banahan thundered through the middle again as England moved to within five metres of the line when Scotland flanker John Barclay was penalised for hands in the ruck and sin-binned.
Flood nudged England back into the lead before Scotland built up a head of steam, only for referee Poite to call a halt to the attack after injuring himself.
Scotland coach Andy Robinson was furious.
When play resumed, Parks scuffed a drop-goal effort and the pressure was released, with Haskell then galloping downfield.
Ashton sent Foden racing clear down the touchline. The Northampton full-back was arrowing in on the corner only for Paterson to produce a magnificent try-saving tackle.
England sent on a quartet of huge experience in Steve Thompson, Simon Shaw, Wilkinson and Croft and eventually worked the breakthrough in the final seconds of the Barclay sin-binning.
Wilkinson and Foden combined down the right before England moved play left and Cueto offloaded for Croft, who crashed over Parks' tackle to score.
Scotland responded valiantly. England repelled phase after phase, with Wilkinson leading the tackling effort, before Evans reclaimed his own chip to score and tee up a thrilling finish.
But Wilkinson sealed the victory with a penalty.
d penalties to three from Chris Paterson when Tom Croft came off the bench to score what appeared to be the decisive try.
 

Telegraph staff and agencies 13/03/2011

Wales 19 Ireland 13

It doesn’t get much better than this. There were errors. It was messy. But for sheer unadulterated tension this took the biscuit.  Ireland enraged by a mistake by the officials which allowed Wales to take the lead, were pounding away inside the final minute. It was rugby at its most visceral. Big men bashing into each other with no thought given to health or safety.

It seemed inconceivable that Wales would not crack. But they held on to record a victory which was a credit to their pack and their resolve as a side. Better sides than Wales have folded under that kind of onslaught. It might be the making of them.

Ireland can have no excuses. True, they were on the wrong end of a bad decision but this was a side hanging on in there. They did marvellously well to get back into the match but the old guard are fading and they lack the all-round edge and energy which the better sides can call on.

For years O’Connell has been the go-to man up front with Brian O’Driscoll providing the rallying point behind. O’Driscoll still has the magic. The way he finished off Ireland’s first try after Tommy Bowe, another astute footballer, had forced his way between Jamie Roberts and Alun Wyn Jones was exemplary: unfussy, accurate, clinical.
O’Connell now seems to be raging against the dying of the light. He is still a force. He is still able to nick the odd line-out but it was the bullocking runs of Bradley Davies, Roberts and Sam Warburton which were most damaging.
Ireland’s defence as Wales came at them with real intensity early on was to concede penalties. They’ve done this all championship and it is a sign of a side on the rack. Ireland coach Declan Kidney gave them a right old rollicking leading into the game on the matter of discipline but the match was only 27 minutes old when referee Jonathan Kaplan warned O’Driscoll that any more penalties would result in the sin bin.
Yet that is a mark of how clever Ireland were. Sean O’Brien gave away two penalties, others infringed but Ireland always stopped short of the infringement which would cost them dear. It was all rather tough on Wales because they played most of the rugby.
With their big forwards thundering forwards, they launched some exquisite attacks down Ireland’s left flank which, were it not for some outstanding defence by Bowe and Luke Fitzgerald, might have brought some reward for their advantage in territory and possession.
The game burst into controversy 10 minutes into the second half moments after Jonathan Sexton had replaced Ronan O’Gara. Sexton’s first act was to kick the ball out on the full and from a quickly taken line-out Mike Phillips sped down the touchline to score.
O’Connell was incandescent with fury, complaining to referee Kaplan that Wales had used a different ball from the one booted off the field by Sexton. Kaplan checked with his touch judge Peter Allan. “Was it the correct ball?” Kaplan asked. “Yes,” said Allan when it patently wasn’t.
Seconds later Fitzgerald appeared to score at the other end for Ireland only for Kaplan to pull Ireland back for a penalty in front of the posts which Sexton missed. It was a desperate couple of minutes for Sexton, Ireland and the match officials. Not for Wales, though. With James Hook’s belter of a conversion from the touchline a four-point deficit at half time had turned into a three-point advantage.
A deep sense of injustice fuelled Ireland for the rest of the match. Sean O’Brien, just as he had done towards the end of the first half, clattered into bodies and O’Driscoll drifted across the Welsh defensive line searching for an opening.
But Wales made their tackles and a Phillips run from the back of a line-out engineered the position for a penalty which Hook banged over. These are the moments when the Millennium Stadium proves itself one of the most evocative and emotional venues in sport.
Replacements flooded onto the pitch to disrupt the rhythm of both teams but the full-throated participation of the crowd was never less than total. It was relentless and intense in every aspect. It was magnificent.
Wales surfed the passion and held on. No doubt the debates will continue about the quality of officiating and how often major sporting occasions turn on a contentious decision. But Wales weren’t worrying about that last night. In a match which installed Warren Gatland as the longest-serving Welsh coach, their season was back on track.

Yet Ireland were 13-9 in front at half time and in some ways it was a surprise. There is no doubt they are not the force they were. One of the more intriguing aspects of the first period was the lack of yardage gained by Paul O‘Connell and Donncha O’Callaghan.

Paul Ackford  Daily Telegraph 12/03/2011

Italy 22 France 21

First, the plaudits. Italy's  victory in Rome against a French side determined to avenge their reversal at Twickenham was one of the great moments in Six Nation's history.

It was a reward for Nick Mallett, an informed and intelligent coach, who has had to work with the smallest squad in Europe, and a resounding pat on the back for his players.

Any old coach can pluck results from a huge well of talent but Mallett has done so without a pair of half backs, with a midfield that is held together by string and with a huge burden placed on his star players, Sergio Parisse and Martin Castrogiovanni.

There was no luck underpinning the victory here. This was not a scratchy moment. From the moment that Mirco Bergamasco rifled over the penalty to secure the one-point lead, Italy looked like the winners they weren’t against Ireland.

During that game they missed an upset when they failed to secure the restart after getting in front of Ireland in the final seconds.

Against France, there was no repeat error. As France tried in vain to set up a position for a Francois Trinh-Duc drop goal, it was Italy, controlled and orderly, who provided the resistance.
That’s the measure of their improvement. And all this, don’t forget, against the team that are still, for a weak at least, the current Grand Slam holders.
Italy have never had enjoyed this magnitude of success before. They’ve had their moments, against Wales and Scotland, but outside of those two nations they had never beaten the big three of Ireland, England and France in the Six Nations.
Scotch France from that list now and think of the two that remain. What price the scalps of England and Ireland over the next few years. Both have struggled in Rome.
And what of France? There’s no debate now. Italy’s victory has exposed French coach Marc Lievremont as a charlatan. If France stay with him for the World Cup, then God help them.
Lievremont has had too long to get his side sorted for this defeat to be a blip. Blessed with the best bunch of players by some distance – and that includes a resurgent England – Lievremont has chopped and changed and seen his team lose confidence and fall into decline.
There were those who thought that their performance in the opening game of this Six Nations against Scotland was proof that they had exorcised the demons which possessed them against Australia when a second half of catastrophic awfulness saw then concede a shed load of points.
I was at the Stade de France when Scotland were the visitors and thought that they had regrouped. It was born out of a love French rugby generally and a belief that all that talent has to be channelled into something special.
What a romantic fool I was. The truth, the brutal truth, is that Lievremont is betraying a great tradition.
How can a coach seriously, as he did this week, justify the inclusion of Sebastien Chabal to play Italy solely on the basis that he was not catastrophic against England.
That’s madness, as was Lievremont’s decision to rest prop Thomas Domingo and No 8 Imanol Harinordoquy for Wales, the so-called bigger game. International rugby is about the here and now, not next week or a tournament at the end of the year, even if that tournament is the World Cup.
Teams build confidence by winning and they win more often when they settle on a side and play them on a regular basis. That is England’s policy under Martin Johnson.
The England manager has resisted the clamour to change his midfield of Mike Tindall and Shontayne Hape because he knows what he gets with them, warts and all.
Lievremont lacks that clarity of thinking and France have suffered as a result. As the excitement grew in those closing minutes in Rome; as Mallett hopped and skipped down the stands towards pitch-side like an excited schoolgirls; as Italy finally nailed a result of real importance, thoughts also turned to the fact that France were unable to pursue a drop goal routine which might have nicked a win for them.
Lievremont has ripped the confidence and clarity from France just as Mallett has invested those qualities in his side.

Paul Ackford, Daily Telegraph  12/03/2011

Håckes Cup 2011

We thought that we might take a trip to picturesque Växjö to take in the spectacle of the indoor 7's competition for both men and women. Traveling incognito and trying not to stick out like sore thumbs, which we think we managed, we were hoping to be entertained by some classic running rugby. After all, we had been informed that there were people in attendance who were going to report back on those players that shone, we guess you could call them spotters?
This for many players was their first run out since the end of last season and for others it was presumably part of their pre-season warm up. While for a great many others, it was just a social event.
With 7's now being an Olympic sport, we were hoping to see an improvement on last years play, alas this was not the case and from the moment the first Ladies match kicked off, it was apparent that there was a dire need for some fitness, some dramatic weight loss and for some 7's coaching! We lost count of the number of basic errors. the amount of contact etc, and whilst the competitors may have enjoyed it, this was a very poor advert for the game. Still, we hoped that the men would be able to show us how the game is played, how wrong we were, if anything, they were worse than the women, although with one or two exceptions, they appeared fitter, note to the men, yes your bums do look big in those tights, at least that is what we heard from some of the women,sounds a bit like pot, kettle and black we think.  Mentioning fitness brings us nicely to the officials, most of whom appeared not to know the laws ( or amendments as per the competition ), there positioning was in the main very poor and that may also have something to do with their fitness. Still they can concentrate on getting fit and improving their knowledge over the next few weeks in time for the start of the season, Well we can but hope!
Back to the rugby, given there pedigree it was no surprise that Exiles were one of the few teams to attempt, albeit at times, to play the game as it should be. We were surprised to see Hannes Eriksson and Will Brown running out for Exiles, should we read anything into this? we know that Exiles are always keen to recruit talented players, from home and abroad.  Having spoken to a couple of the squad, they were here to have a run out and enjoy themselves. Well the grandfather certainly did that and the rest of the squad were not far behind him!
However after what was a really poor display of 7's rugby, we feel sure that the spotters will not have been troubled and we also have a plea. If the Union are serious about having teams that are able to compete in this form of the game, and more importantly, qualify for the Olympic games? Then some serious planning and organizing needs to take place and it needs to be done much sooner than later!! As the game appears to have gone backwards.
Håkes Cup was a lost opportunity for the Union, let's hope that they learn from this!
For the record, Exiles won both the Men's and Women's cup.

Men's National Team Training Camp.

After a period of inactivity, it is nice to see that a training camp has now been organized. This camp is being held on the 26/27th March 2011 at Täby IP in Stockholm.
There appears to be no players based in England selected for the camp and we can only surmise that is because of costs. Although to bring a new face from Ireland will be quite expensive. this at least proves that the management are scouring the world to bring fresh talent to the squad. Even more impressive are the number of new faces selected, from clubs struggling to make any impact in the leagues below the Elite. It is clear to see how Attila can get there players selected, but Vanersborg's numbers have also increased and that appears to smack of bias. A question that begs to be asked, in our view. Were the coaches of all the clubs asked for their views about their players? After all some of them have not been playing since the end of September and consequently may not have any fitness, could be injured or may not be interested.
Notwithstanding that question and views, we hope the camp is successful and that the players produce the goods.

Players selected:-

Thomas	Arvidsson	Fredriksberg,DK
Ivar	Bengtsson	Hammarby
Peter	Blaha	Attila
Tobias	Borg	Enköping
Alexander	Andersson	Pingvin
Alex	Eliasson	Spartacus
Hannes	Eriksson	Hammarby
Ian	Gowland	Exiles
Linus	Hector	Vänersborg
Jan-Olof	Johansson	Spartacus
Tim	Johansson	Enköping
Magnus	Karlsson	Hammarby
Eirik	Lundquist	Enköping
Bobby	Nave	Enköping
Daniel	Nissila	Attila
Ricky	Opku
Stefan	Obradovic´	Attila
Paul	Sullivan	Exiles
Rasmus	Tengner	Vänersborg
Mathias	Thorhard	Hammarby
Jim	Wetterström	Finland/ERK
Peter	Wiklund	Vänersborg
Matt	Youngman	Enköping
Rikard	Örnberg	Vänersborg
Henrik	Shengor	RK Speed,DK
Ted	Lunberg	Södertälje
Andreas	Austa	Södertälje
Rikard	Johansson	Hammarby
Connor	Murphy	Connacht, Eire
Robhin	Karlsson	Hammarby
Niklas	Ståhle	Hammarby
Mathias	Björkebäck	Hammarby
Ronnie	Zetterqvist	Trojan
Lars	Tunestål	Pingvin

Scotland 18 Ireland 21

A superb performance from veteran fly-half Ronan O'Gara inspired Ireland to a 21-18 win over Scotland in the Six Nations at Murrayfield on Sunday.

Recalled to win his 106th cap, the 33 year-old Munster player scored 11 points with a try and three conversions to go alongside first half tries from Jamie Heaslip and Eoin Reddan.

Only Irish generosity on the penalty count kept Scotland in the game with Chris Paterson sending over 15 points with the boot and Dan Parks adding a drop goal.

The win keeps Ireland's championship hopes alive while Scotland are now staring down the barrell of a likely Wooden Spoon showdown with Italy having lost three in a row.

Both sides opted for new half-back pairings in a bid to revive flagging campaigns with a stark contrast at fly-half where Ireland's O'Gara returned for his 106th cap whilst Ruaridh Jackson started for Scotland for the first time.
Veteran Paterson returned at full-back for the Scots, one of seven changes to the side that lost to Wales. Fit-again winger Tommy Bowe was one of three Irish changes, all among the backs.
Ireland applied the early pressure following a fine O'Gara cross-field kick over the head of Paterson and into the corner.
The Irish pack was held up short of the line, before Heaslip darted over on an offload from Rory Best to put the visitors 7-0 ahead after six minutes.
Scotland were struggling to make much headway down the middle, but a break by Nikki Walker down the right wing after 16 minutes took them into the Irish 22m.
The Irish forwards then went offside at a ruck, and Paterson stepped forward to nail a perfect kick from near the touchline.
Two minutes later, Ireland offended again at a ruck as Scotland drove down the middle and again Paterson made no mistake from 40 yards out with the penalty.
O'Gara narrowly missed with a penalty attempt for Ireland, but he pinned Scotland back again with another inch-perfect kick deep into the Scottish 22m.
Scotland made a hash of the ensuing line-out and were forced into conceding a five-metre scrum from which Heaslip's drive found scrum-half Reddan at his shoulder to scamper in under the posts.
O'Gara's conversion made it 14-6 for Ireland after 29 minutes with the visitors enjoying most of the possession and territorial advantage.
More Irish indiscipline two minutes later, however, allowed Paterson to cut the lead to six points with a 38-metre penalty.
A superb, multi-phased Irish drive died four metres out from the Scottish line after O'Gara was penalised for holding onto the ball in the tackle, before Sean Lamont's try-saving tackle on Irish winger Keith Earls brought the first half to an end.
Ireland continued to look the more potent attacking force as the second half opened and when Scotland prop Allan Jacobsen was sin-binned after 44 minutes, the Scots were struggling to hold on.
Ireland were comfortably finding the gaps in the Scottish line, with two charging runs from flanker Sean O'Brien to the fore, but were failing to turn their domination into points.
All that changed after 52 minutes when after another bout of intense Irish pressure, O'Gara jinked his way through the last line of defence for a try under the posts which he then converted for a 21-9 lead to Ireland.
Two more penalties from Paterson after 58 and 66 minutes put the Scots back in the game and a Parks drop made it 21-18 with 10 minutes to go.
Scotland were enjoying their best spell of the match as the Irish flagged, but despite an all-out onslaught in the closing minutes they could not come up with the break they needed to steal the win at the death.

Daily Telegraph 27/02/2011

Italy 16 Wales 24

Another win for Wales , but nothing to write home about. As at Murrayfield a fortnight ago there were moments here when the real Wales threatened to reveal itself, but there were far too many errors and poor decisions for this to be considered thoroughly satisfying. They remain merely a mid-ranking team.

They conceded two soft tries, as well as soft penalties (15 in total) and could never claim to have been in complete control as they paid for some silly over-ambition. Had Italy kicked their goals – they missed four attempts – and had a try not been denied by scanty television evidence, then this contest could have been much tighter than it was.

As it turned out, Wales were indebted to a workmanlike effort from a pack that can now consider itself a match for most, with their scrummage memorably holding up when Italy opted for that sort of engagement at a late penalty, and an excellent performance from James Hook at outside centre, his contributions proving vital in both Wales tries as he exploited space wide out. It looks like his best position, but given the hoopla surrounding his performance at fly-half against Scotland, it was possible to feel a little sympathy for his replacement Stephen Jones. He was under enormous pressure, and at times it looked as if he was trying to be a little more expansive than he really desired.

Full-back Lee Byrne also cut some deliciously devastating angles in a pleasing return to something near his best form. Shane Williams was lively, as was Morgan Stoddart on the other wing, and the back row of Sam Warburton, Ryan Jones and Dan Lydiate just about had the edge over their Italian counterparts.

As a game this flattered to deceive. The first half was often pacy and thrilling, but the second was dull. Seemingly Wales were playing to protect a lead, just as they had done against Scotland.For they had led 21-11 at the break with two tries that were slick. But not before they had gifted Italy an early score.
At their worst Wales have a habit of becoming horribly lateral in attack and, because they insist on passing remorselessly one way until the touchline is reached, of sometimes exposing lumbering forwards in wide open spaces when eventually play is switched.
This was such an example. Lock Bradley Davies suddenly found himself masquerading as an outside centre and his intended pass to Stoddart was awful, threatening the wing’s bootlaces rather than his midriff. He duly knocked on and Gonzalo Canale gobbled up the resultant loose ball. He kicked ahead and chased and Davies, in his frustration, attempted to make amends with some illegal blocking. He was fortunate that Canale made the touchdown because had he not, Davies may have been seeing yellow as well as a penalty try for the hosts.
But Wales soon responded. Hook, cavorting in the wide channel, made the initial thrust and set Byrne free with a delightful one-handed pass. The full-back linked with Stoddart on his opposite wing, who did well to roll over in the tackle and score – after considered evaluation from technology, of course. Few tries are complete without it these days.
Four minutes later Wales scored again. This time Williams was the instigator, running across field from a stray box kick and then feeding Byrne cutting a sharp angle. The full-back then found Hook on his outside, who drew the last defender for Sam Warburton to canter through.
At 15-8 down Italy desperately needed a score, and they thought they had one when Alessandro Zanni dived over the top of the ruck close to the Wales line. Stoddart, though, made a brave tackle and again the television match official was consulted. Pictures were inconclusive, so it was concluded that Stoddart had an arm underneath Zanni. No try.
Wales also had a try disallowed when Williams’s pass to the galloping Byrne was ruled forward, but Stephen Jones kept kicking his goals to ensure that ten-point interval cushion.
It wasn’t to last. Wales became a little too ambitious in midfield in their own half and spilt valuable ball that Italy kicked ahead. Williams appeared to avert the danger, but from the ruck the ball appeared on Italy’s side and with Parisse in space on the left. He magisterially held off fly-half Jones’s tackle and rolled over to make the score.
But, sadly, that was it for Italy and Hook’s late dropped goal kept them at arm’s length. Job done, but no glory.

Steve James  Daily Telegraph 26/02/2011

England 17 France 9

A highly significant victory for England, one which sets them up nicely for the rest of the championship and one which may prove important at the World Cup towards the end of the year.

Why? Because England were forced to work hard for their win, to re-jig plans and personnel in the face of a determined French onslaught.

It was made more impressive because it was palpably obvious that several of England key individuals struggled.

Chris Ashton butchered a decent opportunity near the end and both half-backs failed to exert the influence they have managed in previous matches. To win in those circumstances was a major achievement.

But it was England who refused to buckle and that sheer cussedness was enough to see off France.
It has to be said also that England had the major players up front. Thierry Dusautoir was magnificent for France but at times he was fighting a lone battle against an England pack in which both locks, Tom Palmer and Louis Deacon, were outstanding, Nick Easter was his usual rumbustious self and Dan Cole and Dylan Hartley got to areas of the pitch which front row forwards had no right to inhabit.
The other major plus for fans tuning in on TV or watching live was that this was a grade one Test match. It was rough, intense and thoroughly absorbing. And France played.
Those fears that they would go all limp and wobbly as they have on previous Twickenham occasions failed to materialise. There was bite to their tackles and every scrummage and breakdown was contested with real venom.
It was by far the best contest of this Six Nations, two sides straining to hold it together as each sought to gain an advantage.
At moments like these players find out about themselves and sometimes those lessons are difficult to stomach. Toby Flood and Ben Youngs, the architects of previous England triumphs, had poor first halves.
Both tried to force plays and both were undone by the fact that France threw bodies at the breakdown, choking off the supply of ball which has come so easily and freely against Wales and Italy.
France came to cut England off at source. Dusautoir thundered into every collision and Lionel Nallet hit rucks with real menace but France, like England, were working off slim margins.
Yannick Jauzion, normally the most assured of midfield operators, was caught offside allowing Flood a shot at goal and there were further mistakes by Thomas Domingo and Sebastien Chabal which contributed to England’s nine-point haul by half time.
Chabal, brought in to provide oomph, was well controlled by Easter and his back row colleagues, and he never quite caused the destruction all France desired. Worse than that. He was so ineffective that he was dragged off the pitch after 50 minutes.
Other stellar names stalled. Chris Ashton, the stand-out individual of the tournament, hardly got his hands on the ball in the first half.
For a man whose instincts are to get involved at every opportunity, his difficulties showed just how tough it was for anyone to claw their way out of the morass of defensive tackles.
The moment Ashton did break free, early in the second half after a clever exchange of passes between Flood and Youngs, his trademark scoring swallow dive was in vain as the try was ruled out when Flood’s pass to Youngs was ruled marginally forward.
France also were out of sorts. A year ago they demolished England’s scrum so conclusively that two of England’s front row were substituted embarrassingly early in the contest.
At Twickenham, Dan Cole, one of those unable to cope, was handing out an early lesson to Domingo. The first two scrum penalties went England’s way and it was only when Alex Corbisiero came on to replace an injured Andrew Sherdian that England’s scrum lost its edge.
The game turned England’s way in the second half when Foden scored immediately after the interval. France had forced their way back into the contest with three penalties from Yachvili to three from Flood when England struck.
Cueto broke free off a scrum and, when the play was switched left, Foden squeezed past Francis Trinh-Duc on the outside and through the tackle of Rougerie to touch down. If the try was a touch scratchy in its conception with wayward passes, the finish was clinically professional.
It was a try which changed the shape and nature of the game. From a tight set piece affair, players from both sides found more room. The errors were still there but fatigue and injuries, which resulted in both benches being emptied after 50 minutes, created the space which was lacking at the start of the match.
Ashton flattered to deceive and then Jonny Wilkinson, on for Flood, had the poise and sang froid to bang over a longish penalty with his first touch of the game.
The fact that it nudged him ahead of Dan Carter as international rugby’s top points accumulator with 1,188 points probably won’t have registered with Wilkinson, but it certainly resonated with Martin Johnson up in the stands because it put his side in front 17-9.
Wilkinson’s penalty was the last scoring act of the game but the excitement never let up.
Rougerie went close after Trinh-Duc threaded a neat kick in behind a rushing England defence, and down the other end of the pitch Ashton decided to throw a wild pass when he might have trusted himself to burn Vincent Clerc who was France’s last defender.
No point chastising either man too harshly, though. It was a game which was in the balance for a long, long while. That was what made England’s victory all the sweeter.

Paul Ackford  Daily Telegraph 26/02/2011

Ireland 22 France 25

Ireland have slumped to an all-too familiar defeat to France on their Six Nations debut at Aviva Stadium after failing with an heroic late fightback.

Tries from winger Fergus McFadden and scrum-half Tomas O'Leary helped them to a 15-12 half-time lead and the Grand Slam champions appeared ripe for the taking.

Winger Maxime Medard crossed to help France back into the driving seat until No 8 Jamie Heaslip crashed over in the right corner to set up a grandstand finish.

Ireland launched a late do-or-die assault but the visitors' defence, criticised in the build up to this match, was magnificent.

It was an agonising outcome to a gripping showdown but Ireland's struggle against their nemesis continues with today's defeat their ninth in their last 10 meetings dating back to 2003.

The result puts a large dent in their hopes of winning the Six Nations title, but they will take comfort from a brave and ambitious performance.
Had they made fewer mistakes when dominating possession, France would have fallen further behind and this encounter will be viewed as yet another chance missed against their rivals.
Blessed with attacking options, both teams looked to move the ball wide whenever possible and the new Lansdowne Road was treated to a nail-biting spectacle that ebbed and flowed throughout.
The tone was set from kick off, Ireland making an explosive start with Luke Fitzgerald crossing after two minutes, only for Gordon D'Arcy's final pass to be adjudged forward.
Two minutes later they breached the whitewash, capitalising when full-back Clement Poitrenaud dropped the ball as France launched a kamikaze attack from their own 22.
McFadden, playing his second Test, pounced on the loose ball and then reappeared a few phases later to burrow over from close range.
Jonathan Sexton converted and France's disastrous opening continued when they sent the restart straight into touch, though a mistake from O'Leary eased the pressure.
It was the champions' turn to attack and Ireland defended until straying offside and Morgan Parra landed the penalty.
Back on the offensive, Declan Kidney's team almost released McFadden into space but Sexton's pass was too weighted.
An almighty cheer sounded in the 16th minute when France's scrum, fresh from pulverising Scotland last week, collapsed.
It was a moral victory for the much-maligned Irish front row and Sexton kicked the ensuing penalty to rub salt into the wound, though Parra replied in kind soon after.
Ireland looked sensational at times but, as in Rome, they were making unforced handling errors at key moments, preventing them from building momentum.
Adding to their problems was the pinpoint kicking of Parra, who rifled over a third penalty.
O'Leary continued to suffer with the Munster half-back, who has been struggling with a back injury this week, sending an inexplicable chip straight into touch.
There was no let up from referee Dave Pearson, either, with Donncha O'Callaghan conceding another penalty and Parra booting France ahead for the first time.
Ireland struck next, the rejuvenated O'Leary charging through France's defence to start the move before later finishing it by breaking a tackle and forcing the ball over the whitewash.
Francois Trinh-Duc had a drop-goal attempt charged down by ubiquitous blindside flanker Sean O'Brien moments after France centre Damien Traille almost broke free down the left.
Ireland's scrum continued in the ascendancy, winning a free kick and then shoving the French pack backwards, but a fifth Parra penalty levelled the score.
A 20-metre scrum offered a great attacking platform for Ireland but an over-complicated backs move was easy for Les Bleus to contain.
France showed their opponents how it should be done from a similar position in the 55th minute, though they were helped by a weak tackle from D'Arcy.
Aurelien Rougerie ran straight at D'Arcy, sent the Leinster centre cannoning backwards, and dashed forward before drawing Fitzgerald and supplying Medard with the scoring pass.
Substitute scrum-half Dimitri Yachvili landed the conversion and at 22-15 ahead, France were in a strong position.
Yachvili slotted a penalty but Ireland refused to give up hope and were rewarded with a 68th minute try from Heaslip.
It took 26 phases close to the whitewash before France cracked, a poorly executed kick from substitute Ronan O'Gara falling into the arms of David Wallace who sent Heaslip in at the corner.
O'Gara's conversion struck the left post on its way over, setting up a nerve-shredding climax.
Heart rates soared with two minutes to go when Keith Earls chipped ahead and Ireland hunted in numbers, but France's scrambling defence was superb.
Last-ditch tackles held firm and when substitute hooker Sean Cronin knocked on, Les Bleus were able to breath a sigh of relief.

Telegraph Staff

Scotland 6 Wales 24

The mood can lighten. Wales have won a rugby match after eight failures to do so. It was hardly perfect, heavily reliant as it was on a slick opening quarter, but it was enough. It was no spectacle, especially a generally dire second half, but there was resilience and nous in only conceding three points when down to 13 men in the first half, and so Wales can at least build on this.

The truth is that they were not that bad against England last weekend. The reaction did not match the performance. It was simply because it was against England. To lose to the old enemy at home does such things.

And so they showed here that they possess the makings of a much better outfit than that.

Dan Lydiate was outstanding at flanker, alongside him Sam Warburton was no less impressive and, despite some wayward kicking out of hand, fly-half James Hook did decently, making a delightful break for Shane Williams' first try, setting Wales on their way and shocking Scotland.

Wales were also much more direct in attack, with centre Jamie Roberts more prominent and so incisive.
Scotland? They were awful. And they will continue to be so with Dan Parks at fly-half. He is just too conservative, as well as a liability in defence. All the talk was of their more enlightened approach against France, but it was never exhibited here. They started badly and never recovered.
The clamour had been for Hook to start at fly-half. It took him just eight minutes to justify those calls and his subsequent inclusion with a sublime break to create a try for Williams. Wales had snared possession by wheeling a Scotland scrum so violently that the ball spewed their way.
Scotland's scrambled defence did well initially but the carrying from Wales was forceful and the lines sharp so that, when the ball eventually came left, Hook was presented with prop Allan Jacobsen in front of him.
It was just too good an opportunity. He glided past him, with the help of a had-off, and then around the covering scrum-half, Rory Lawson. Richie Vernon did manage to make the tackle on Hook, but the pass to Williams was still made with ease. Williams slipped, but not enough to prevent his scoring. With Hook's conversion a formality, Wales were 7-0 ahead.
Scotland could not quite believe it, and behaved as such, proceeding to make a string of silly errors. Poor old full-back Hugo Southwell had a horror period, punting two kicks straight out, in golfing parlance one a slice and the other a hook.
He was then extremely fortunate not to receive a yellow card for a challenge in the air on opposite number. Pursuing Parks' kick he did not even have eyes on the ball as he clattered into Byrne. He left the field with a nasty-looking facial injury, not to return. In his stead Sean Lamont looked strong and menacing.
The first quarter was barely over and Hook had kicked three penalties to extend the lead to 16-0. Wales looked in complete control, but then, as is their wont, attempted some savage self-destruction.
Mike Phillips dropped a kick and Lamont went surging to the line. Bradley Davies considered kicking the ball from the ruck his only alternative, and was quite rightly dismissed temporarily for his foolishness.
Being down to 14 men is bad enough, but how about 13? Three minutes later Wales were. Byrne clearly did not intend any malice in his tackle on Max Evans, but it was mistimed and horribly high. On the advice of his touch-judge referee George Clancy had no option other than to brandish yellow too to Byrne.
Chances for a comeback do not come much more promising. But somehow Scotland could only score three points- a Parks penalty- while Wales were so inconvenienced.
They made some knock-ons and took some poor decisions, but one brilliant piece of defensive work by flanker Dan Lydiate, forcing Kelly Brown, to hold on in the tackle, was the outstanding moment in some brave Welsh resistance.
Parks slipped when taking another penalty just before the break, and so Wales deservedly led 16-3 at half-time.
The second half simply would not spark. Scotland had more possession and territory, but for all the excellence of Lamont could do little about it.
They clearly had a plan beforehand to target Williams with cross kicks and expose him to Nikki Walker's height. But Wales knew what was coming, and Williams coped admirably. Scotland had been pressing in Wales' 22 for some time and really should have made more of such a position, but Parks kicked to the opposite corner and Williams just collected with aplomb.
Penalties were exchanged between Parks and Hook, but Scotland were going nowhere, and Roberts really should have scored when clear from Alun Wyn Jones' pick up of a loose ball. Lamont did brilliantly to scurry back, but a second Wales try did eventually arrive, as Williams latched onto Jonathan Davies' chip ahead with not a defender to be seen.
Wales are back, even if with heavy qualification.

 Steve James  Daily Telegraph

England 59 Italy 13

Wow. Eight tries in total, a hat-trick inside the hour for Chris Ashton, who ended up with four, and another stellar contribution from Toby Flood - this was a very, very productive afternoon for England.

If the opening game against Wales was an exercise in coping with naked hostility, this was a lesson in how to bury a side with well over half the match still to unravel.

Italy were out of this game after 30 minutes when Mark Cueto blasted over for England’s third try. It was as comprehensive a Six Nations display as England have offered in many a year.

Almost the best thing about England’s effort was that the final score didn’t quite do justice to their excellence. England took their chances well, but they also failed to finish off one or two others. That was the scale of their superiority.

From the opening seconds when Flood, Ashton and co went wide to the final minutes when Jonny Wilkinson - who else? - risked life and limb to prevent a second Italy try, England exuded effort and class.
It was a performance in which every player contributed. Alex Corbisiero, in his first game, and up against the mighty Martin Castrogiovanni, was magnificent, England’s midfield had the measure of their Italian opponents, and James Haskell had the best half of his international career to date.
But the man who held it all together was Flood. From callow youth to Mr Indispensable, Flood is now the guy who thinks and plays this team into strong positions. Half of England’s tries came from sharp, smart Flood passes to support runners arriving on his inside and outside shoulders. Ashton was the main beneficiary, but every time Flood had his hands on the ball and was challenging Italian defenders, Italy wobbled badly.
If there were any dodgy areas for England to rectify they came in the shape of poor discipline early on, the fact that they allowed Italy a try from a lineout which hadn’t functioned all game, and a stodgy patch just after half time when it took England too long to get themselves hot and sweaty once more.
But to do more than mention those in passing is to veer towards the nit-picky. As with England’s annihilation of Australia in the autumn, this was a display which will reverberate around the world. France are next up for England at Twickenham in two weeks. They won’t enjoy the DVD of this game.
England’s transformation since they went to Paris for the final game of last season’s Six Nations has been remarkable. A year ago England played Italy in Rome, stumbling to a victory which Steve Borthwick, then captain, raved about but which anyone with half a rugby brain realised was anything but.
England that day were one-paced, predictable and utterly tedious. Fast forward 12 months and the side has been transformed by the arrival of Ashton, Ben Youngs and Ben Foden. But it is more than an injection of new personnel which is behind England’s revival. The really startling development is that England now look like a team that knows how to play rugby.
The way they varied the point of attack, the way they mixed up the tempo, the way forwards and backs hunted and hurt Italy was very impressive.
That doesn’t happen by accident, and it is pertinent now to acknowledge the contributions of an England coaching team marshalled and led by Johnson.
A while ago forwards coach John Wells was under the cosh for failing to generate quick ball. No such problems now. The ball came back pretty much exactly as England’s half backs wanted it. Similarly with England’s attack. Against Scotland at Murrayfield last year they couldn’t buy a try. Now there was nothing wrong with their attacking edge. Brian Smith has unlocked England to the point where they are comfortable attacking from anywhere.
Of course, any final reckoning of England has to take account of the opponents and Italy were desperately disappointing. But this is the Italy which ran Ireland close a week ago, the Italy who many thought were close to becoming genuinely competitive. That is the context against which to judge.
It is vastly to England’s credit that they demolished Italy’s lineout. That was an alarming weak point which hasn’t surfaced before, but other Italian difficulties were more predictable. Yet again Italy had little or no idea how or where to attack. There was one brief spell in the first half when Italy were able to string several phases and passes together but they ended up further behind the gain line than when they started. If anything showed up Italy’s lack of ideas and penetration, that did. The little ball they got was a liability for them.
The sadness was that some great players were caught up in the mess. Sergio Parisse and Martin Castrogiovanni are proud, fine rugby men, yet long before the end of the match they were both bickering with each other and the referee.
Castrogiovanni was sin-binned when he prevented England from taking a quick tap penalty and Parisse, normally the most focused of individuals, was more worried about perceived injustices than what was actually happening on the pitch. It was impossible not to feel for them. They deserved to be part of a better, more competitive team.
No such problems for England where the momentum is building nicely. Given the way they played, they would probably fancy France this Saturday rather than have a week’s rest as the Six Nations goes into limbo.

Paul Ackford   Daily Telegraph

Viking 7's

It is now official, there is to be a new 7's tournament this year.
The Viking Summer 7's will be held at Spartacus RK on the 4/5th June. With a number of teams visiting from Italy, Spain. Holland, England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland and France this will be an International event with what we are told some very good sides ready to challenge the Swedish clubs for the prize money on offer.
We are given to understand that there will be sponsors for both the Men's and Women's events. with 25,000Sek for the winners of the Men's and 15,000Sek for the Ladies Champions along with the normal trophies.
Without doubt, this is really good news for Swedish Rugby and will hopefully contribute towards the development of the game in Sweden. Now an Olympic Sport it could help showcase 7's and help to attract new participants to the game.

Our congratulations go to Spartacus for their initative in this and we wish them well in this endeavour.

Italy 11 Ireland 13

Beautiful weather, ugly rugby. A thrilling finale should not mask the dross that preceded it, as Ireland snatched victory through a drop goal three minutes from time by replacement Ronan O'Gara.

Two minutes earlier Italy, using their numerical advantage with Denis Leamy sent to the sin bin, had scored their first try, and a famous first win over the Irish in this competition had looked possible.

But they committed the cardinal sin: they dropped the ensuing kick off. Ireland, knew the drill. A couple of drives were made upfield and then the old head of O'Gara stepped back into the pocket in readiness.

So certain was he of his target that he was punching the air and running back towards halfway before the ball was anywhere near the posts.

Ireland were clearly the better side, dominating possession and territory, but it would not have been a huge injustice had Italy sneaked it, because Ireland made enough mistakes to last a whole campaign.
There really was no excuse for their profligacy. The conditions were near perfect, with the sun shining and the flat track.
Amid some thoroughly ordinary performances lock Donncha O'Callaghan had a huge match for Ireland and Sean O'Brien had his moments, but the day's outstanding individual was undoubtedly the Italian skipper and No. 8 Sergio Parisse, who enjoyed an extraordinarily good and influential second half. His power and work rate was quite phenomenal.
And when Leamy was off the field, given his orders for handling at a ruck, Italy's scrummage really put Ireland under the cosh.
Skipper Brian O'Driscoll was spoken to by referee Romain Poite as loose-head prop Cian Healy collapsed for a second time.
Tension was high and a try was almost inevitable and it duly came after a slick pass out of the tackle from replacement Gonzalo Garcia, putting full back Luke McLean, who had a lively game throughout, in at the corner.
Italy had actually led 6-3 at the break, with winger Mirco Bergamasco kicking his second penalty on the very stroke of the break.
It was a fine kick, from way out on the right, and it provoked a huge roar from the home crowd, but in truth this had been a half full more of groans.
Goodness, there were some mistakes. When you witness the great O'Driscoll hurling a pass off his left hand straight into touch you know for certain that error is the order of the moment.
A couple of minutes later he was dropping a pass after an ill-timed switch with Jonathan Sexton.
Then Gordon D'Arcy spilled a regulation pass as Ireland threatened in the Italian 22. He was to do the same again in the second half.
Other passes went straight to ground. Nothing clicked. Without solely blaming one person, it never helps when you have a scrum half like Tomas O'Leary whose strength clearly is not his pass.
His stiffness and an involuntary duck of the head at the moment of release suggest that it is not a natural movement. The all-enveloping Parisse caught him napping a couple of times at the base of rucks.
Ireland might have scored once after full back Luke Fitzgerald had put Sexton clear, but a wonderful scything tackle from Alberto Sgarbi put paid to that.
O'Driscoll also escaped down the left after a pass from Leamy. We will give the flanker the benefit of the doubt and call it a flick on, but Leamy may not have realised that was what he was doing. Anyway another superb tackle, this time from McLean, stopped O'Driscoll.
Yes, Italy were doing a lot of tackling and not much attacking- although Sgarbi was always running strongly- but, as ever, that defence was ferociously committed. And yes it was unsettling Ireland. The rhythm and snap simply would not come.
But pressure usually tells, and so does class. That O'Driscoll should drag his side form their languor just after the interval was a not a surprise.
Their try came from their best scrummage of the match, with tight-head prop Mike Ross at last anchoring his side and from a solid base Ireland could finally attack with composure.
Even then they looked as if they had taken a wrong option as Sexton was left isolate don the left, but the ball was recycled and O'Leary fed O'Driscoll going left and through a gap.
You expected the tries to flow from there. But maybe Ireland's injury count - 12 major players missing- was more of a factor than we thought. Confidence appeared low and rustiness high.
Even O'Driscoll made another mistake, throwing a poor pass to debutant winger Fergus McFadden who might have scored with a better service.
Italy refused to cow, and their response was rousing. It was just a shame that replacement lock Carlo del Fava fumbled at that re-start, and that another replacement- fly-half Luciano Orquera- should attempt his own dramatic drop-goal effort from such a long distance.
More patience and calm was required. Ireland just about had it, but will need to improve in spades.

Steve James, Daily Telegraph

France 34 Scotland 21

This game comes with a health warning. France, the Grand Slam champions, are back, all memories of the stuffing by Australia in the autumn banished on a surprisingly balmy February evening. France were confident, poised, controlled.

They had pockets of flair and if they lost concentration at various stages in what was an enthralling encounter, it was probably because they were saving themselves for the bigger games to come.

Twickenham towards the end of the month springs to mind. It should be lip-smackingly exciting.

It was not so much the scoreline at the end of the game which advertised France’s welcome return to form, more the fact that it came against a resurgent Scotland who actually played pretty well themselves.

That was the beauty of this encounter. It had everything. Seven tries, four from France, three by Scotland.
The physical beauty of big men running into each other with intent on their faces and murder in their souls. It had some elusive running — strangely, given their reputation — by Scotland’s midfield and back three. And it had a scrummaging performance of stunning eloquence by the portly-looking Thomas Domingo.
He was the significant difference between the sides in the first period. France had galloped away to a 10-0 lead after nine minutes with a Maxime Médard try when Nick De Luca was turned over in a dump of a tackle followed by a conversion from Morgan Parra and a dropped goal by François Trinh-Duc.
Yet Scotland had cantered back into it when Alastair Kellock drove low and hard through a pile of bodies after his second-row mate Richie Gray had been prominent in the build-up. The conversion by Dan Parks brought Scotland to within three points of France at 10-7.
If truth be told, France were a little better value for their points because there were a number of occasions when profligacy or a lack of care saw them cough up ball, but the game was nicely poised as it ticked into its second quarter.
Enter Domingo, hoping to profit from a strong scrummaging position deep inside Scotland’s 22 to the right of the posts.
Three times Domingo went down to pack against Euan Murray and three times Domingo’s superiority was so complete Murray had to slip and fall away to concede a penalty.
At the fourth scrum Domingo himself accidentally lost his footing, but on the fifth referee Wayne Barnes was so upset with Murray that he awarded France the penalty try.
Domingo, red-faced and breathing heavily, grinned all the way back to the halfway line accompanied by fawning team-mates. The entire sequence lasted four minutes and encapsulated why the game’s authorities are so keen to sort this mess out. Four minutes of collapses and resets.
Four minutes of 14 players and 80,000 spectators watching two packs of forwards trying to make the unintelligible comprehensible.
But the strange thing, too, was that Domingo was so self-evidently a supreme craftsman that it carried with it a macabre fascination.
Scotland struggled a little after that, never getting close enough to France to put the frighteners on them, which was a shame because they played with far more purpose and pace than usual.
Scotland opened up from the kick-off and for the rest of the match tried to send men down the wide channels outside the French blitz defence. When they managed to flood that space they were effective.
Hugo Southwell and both wings led sorties and there were some neat exchanges involving De Luca and Joe Ansbro. But, even at their most potent, there was always a sense that France were playing within themselves.
That’s the worrying aspect for the other teams yet to face France. They seem to have the urge back and that coupled with the talent they always possess makes them very formidable indeed.
This was the France of old, a team who pushed all the buttons. Although their scrummage was formidable, their line-out solid, France did not just play tight and mean. Aurélien Rougerie was very influential in the centre and both half backs mixed up tempo and strategy.
As ever, France set great store on winning the one-on-one collisions but there was far greater fluency and knowingness abut their rugby here. They looked as if they knew how to play again.
Scotland did well to stick as close to France as they did. Ten minutes into the second half when Imanol Harinordoquy made the most of another turnover, cantering over for a try after a diagonal run from 40 metres out, it appeared they would be on the end of a right old hiding.
And that impression wasn’t altered by the sight of Parra and Harinordoquy leaving the pitch to be replaced by Dimitri Yachvili and Sebastien Chabal. But Scotland scored themselves within five minutes through Kelly Brown, confirming the belief that sides built by Andy Robinson never give up easily.
It was tit for tat after that. Damien Traille pushed France further out in front before Sean Lamont had the last laugh with the final try of the contest. I say last laugh, but it was the French who had the smiles.
They knew they had laid down an important marker, knew, too, that this is a squad capable of taking on the best. France are bubbling again, and if you like your rugby, you should be mighty happy for them.

 Paul Ackford, Daily Telegraph.

Wales 19 England 26

Land of Hope and Glory ? Yes, why not? Delighted England fans certainly thought so as they streamed out of the Millennium Stadium on Friday night, victory over Wales already putting their side in the driving seat for Six Nations honours and suffusing dreams with thoughts of World Cup honours. This was a defining moment.

England have proved poor travellers in the Six Nations and this was a performance that silences any doubts about their ability to deliver under duress and on the road. They will carry that feel-good vibe with them to New Zealand in September. They have three championship games in a row at Twickenham now. Who could blame their supporters if they were already eyeing that final day showdown with Ireland?

This was England’s first win in Cardiff in eight years, their 2003 victory here prefacing something rather notable later that year. This side may lack the clout and consistency of that World Cup-winning team but they are a gathering force. There is an evident sense of togetherness, a hard-nosed desire to tough it out as they did in the final stages. They have a notable cutting edge, too, in Northampton wing, Chris Ashton who scored two trademark tries to take his tally to five in the last seven tests. Anything is possible when you have a finisher of that quality.

There is a growing maturity, too, in the play of fly-half Toby Flood, who directed his line well and who is proving every

As for Wales, where do they go now? A crisis is looming as their run without a win stretches to eight matches. That record is becoming a millstone. It could drag Wales back into the dark days. True, they were nuggety and zealous but they lacked penetration. Too often they ran across the field and not at England. Scrum-half Mike Phillips also had a wayward game. Wales travel to Murrayfield with desperation in their eyes. How they need a win.
Their discipline also let them down when it mattered, prop Craig Mitchell falling foul of referee, Alain Rolland, when diving over the top and ending up in the sin-bin. England scored ten points in his absence, Ashton nabbing his second just before his return in the 56th minute. That was effectively game over, 23-9 with just over twenty minutes to run. Wales could only manage three points when England lock, Louis Deacon was yellow carded just before half-time.
That ruthlessness, that ability to deliver when it matters, will stand England in good stead. There are flaws there still. The midfield play was clunky at times, Shontayne Hape looking out of sorts. Yet still they managed to contrive scores from scant opportunities.
Ashton’s first owed everything to his own finely-tuned radar but more especially to Flood’s eagled-eyed vision. The Leicester man had a fly-half’s dream set-up in front of him, two props in opposition. Flood didn’t waste it, scampering between the pair of them in 14th minute and finding Ashton, the poacher supreme on his inside shoulder. He knows where that try-line is does Ashton, rounding things off with a flamboyant dive.
England’s forward platform was telling, the lineout in particular earning its spurs. Stade Francais lock, Tom Palmer, continues to grow in stature. He made the initial dent from where Mark Cueto eventually threw the floated pass for Ashton’s second try. England barely noticed the absence of three front-line forward through injury.
England knew that they had to strip the match back to its basics: be direct, be accurate and silence that crowd. They did just that for long stretches, only allowing Wales a sniff in the final quarter.
The streets were thronged, the mood intoxicating and the clamour deafening. This was to be a test of character as much as of skill. Heart and soul still count for as much as muscle and bone.
There were errors in their game but Wales simply did not take advantage, James Hook and Stephen Jones missing two early penalties.
England would not have wished for the beating handed out before Christmas by South Africa but it was a salutary experience. It reminded them of the need to front-up first and foremost. It’s invariably a game of inches not yards, a battle for control of the gain line. Gradually, England asserted their might. Their pack laid firm foundations.
Wales eventually had to chance their arm, and they did. Mind you, poor England defence from Shontayne Hape helped as Jones’s beautifully weighted pass beat the England centre allowing Jonathan Davies to put Morgan Stoddart in for a try on the hour. Jones converted to reduce the gap to seven points.
It was nail-biting stuff. Wilkinson replaced Flood, James Hook moved to fly-half for Wales and slotted a goal when Hape offended. 23-19, and the tension soaring with ten minutes remaining.
Wilkinson, though, eased worries.
There is a growing maturity, too, in the play of fly-half Toby Flood, who directed his line well and who is proving every bit a reassuring presence as one Jonny Wilkinson did.

Flood didn’t fluff a kick, scoring 13 points, Wilkinson closing out proceedings four minutes from time with his only pot at goal, just the tonic as things got decidedly jittery. There was a terrific debut from Northampton flanker, Tom Wood, and the perfect riposte from hooker, Dylan Hartley, who had been singled out for criticism by Wales coach, Warren Gatland. Hartley didn’t miss a beat. It was a quality showing on his part.

There may not have been the sweep and majesty of the Australia game on view, little sustained fluency and carefree devil, but England managed to face down the hype and hoopla. That is no small achievement in a Six Nations context. They have character and a sense of defiance in their ranks. They didn’t attempt to play down the magnitude of the occasion, backing themselves to rise to the challenge. That’s a sure sign of a team in a good place, at ease with themselves and with each other.

By Mick Cleary.  Daily Telegraph

New 7's Tournament ?

Word has reached us that there is going to be new 7's tournament in June.
As far as we can ascertain it is the Viking Summer 7's and is being hosted by Spartacus on the weekend of June 4th and 5th.

The big news is that it will have prize money for both the Men and Women, supposedly.

We have only vague information regarding this, yet we believe it to be true and if this is the case, it is really good news for Swedish Rugby and the 7's game. Anything that can help promote 7's in the lead up to the Olympic games has to be a positive. So we are keeping our fingers crossed.

If we get anymore information on this we will post it immediately.

What's in Store for 2011?

As pre-season training begins or continues for some, we too have decided to come out of hibernation and carry on with the enjoyable task of writing and publishing this blog. Please do feel free to offer your own contributions, should you wish, and providing that they are relevant and acceptable, we will be more than happy to publish them. You can submit articles via 'trueswedenrugby@live.com' or just post your comments as and when you wish.

So what's going to happen in the Elite series this year? 

Are Stockholm Exiles going to recruit yet more players from abroad in an attempt to retain their title. or will they start to give their talented home grown players a chance?
Enkoping have been busy recruiting and we hear that two players from Göteborg have signed for them. Obviously disappointed with their season last year, there appears to be a deliberate policy to improve things, will it happen?
Hammarby will be looking to improve upon last season's outstanding success. Rumours are that they have also been recruiting and look for a surprise transfer into their ranks from another Swedish club.
What about the surprise package of last season, Spartacus? Will they be able to improve upon their standing of last year, or will they regress?
Göteborg have lost two important players to ERK, so what effect will that have on them? They will be hoping for an improvement on last season. Will they get it?
Newcomers Atilla will be hoping to take a few scalps and we hear that they have also been recruiting, will it work for them or will they struggle?