Wales 33 Argentina 16

Much more like it from Wales. It was hardly a flawless performance but it was snappy enough to expose Argentina for the plodding, one-dimensional side they are. And three tries - two from the rejuvenated Shane Williams - should put the home side in good heart as they prepare to face Australia next weekend in the last of their autumn shindigs.They will need to be a good deal more precise in their technical skills and decision-making, but, with Australia losing, Wales will fancy a repeat of last year's victory. And if two sides in world rugby can produce a decent spectacle it will surely be those two. This was no horror show, but it was no classic either in front of a rather disappointing crowd. Samoa on a Friday night attracted more. It took time to sparkle and yet again was marred by excessive kicking, especially in its early stages. At one stage in the first half there were nine on the trot. And it was rather ironic that Williams, last week an outspoken critic of the modern kicking way, should kick the ball the very first time he found any space. He more than made up for it later, though. But Wales were gaining the rub of the green and they were trying to play. They were getting ball and some of it quickly, but they were playing far too laterally. Mistakes were abundant, with an unforced drop from young centre Jonathan Davies's symptomatic. Sadly for Davies his attempted left-footed kick in the second half was blocked by Martin Rodriguez for Argentina's only try. Wales were mighty fortunate that Stephen Jones had such a calm hand on the tiller at fly-half in that first half. Skipper Ryan Jones also showed good leadership qualities. He certainly stood his ground - Dal Dy Dir, as Wales have emblazoned around their training centre. Wales's first try was a curious thing. A penalty had been awarded to them wide on the right. It was eminently kickable for Stephen Jones and all preparations were being made for such an attempt as there were some posturing between Martyn Williams and Roncero. Not for the first time in the match there appeared to be allegations of eye gouging. Argentina's players had gathered beneath their posts but no indication had been given that Jones was to kick for the posts. Jones spotted his chance, tapped and raced to their corner. Sharp-witted stuff from the fly-half, extreme doziness on the part of the school boyish visitors. But two questions. Should the try have been allowed with Wales's kicking coach, Neil Jenkins (in one of those putrid yellow jerseys Wales sometimes wear), already on the field with Jones's kicking tee? Surely play is dead then. In fact Jenkins was in front of Jones when he tapped. And secondly did Clancy ask captain Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe (who again put in a mountainous performance at No 8) to speak to Roncero about his behaviour? Another reason maybe for disallowing the score. Interesting. Wales led 13-3 at the break and put the match beyond Argentina immediately after. Within seconds, scrum-half Augustín Figuerola's clearance kick was charged down by Luke Charteris (he may have been off-side) and Shane Williams pounced, forsaking the easier, straight path to the line and darting inside and then inside again. Jones converted and soon Leigh Halfpenny struck a monster penalty from halfway (he kicked another similar effort later - some second kicker for any side to possess) to make it 23-9.
Davies' error allowed Rodriguez and his side some hope, but that was thoroughly extinguished when Shane Williams snatched his second, snaring Lobbe's half-hearted kick out of trouble and letting those dancing feet do the rest. And it should be noted that at last he had a surface on which to let them do so. The pitch had been re-laid after recent debacles and it was excellent. Well done, the Welsh Rugby Union, it's about time. And well done Wales, but there is still work to be done.

England 6 New Zealand 19

England produced their best performance of a troubled autumn campaign but it was still not enough to prevent New Zealand from landing their eighth successive victory over their old foe at Twickenham.

The defeat was England’s second of the November Test series and although there was much more commitment and aggression from Martin Johnson’s side, particularly in the first half, it was not enough to bridge the gulf in class between the two sides. 

The performance, while not lacking in courage or conviction, will no doubt lead to more questions being asked about England’s attacking prowess.

Just as in the defeat to Australia and unconvincing victory over Argentina, England looked bankrupt of ideas going forward and finished their autumn campaign having scored just one try.

That England were only able to muster two penalties by an out-of-sorts Jonny Wilkinson, and did not score again beyond the 25th minute was an indictment of their inability to cause the All Blacks any problems going forward.

The All Blacks, whose last defeat by England was the15-13 reverse in Wellington in 2003, were simply able to maintain their unbeaten record of their European tour but moving through the gears in the second half, with tries by Jimmy Cowan and two more penalties by Dan Carter, to go with his first-half brace, sealing victory.

Despite losing Joe Worsley as early as the second minute to an ankle injury, England's impressive start to the contest was based on the physicality and line-speed of their defence which managed to instill doubt and hesitation into the All Black play.

Wilkinson set the tone by immediately targeting Sitiveni Sivivatu, and Matt Banahan was able to make thumping tackles on Sivivatu and Conrad Smith.

The mood continued when England captain Steve Borthwick forced a turn-over with a heavy tackle on Jimmy Cowan after Carter had surprisingly squandered an early opportunity when he sliced a simple penalty chance.

England’s aggressive defending almost culminated in a try for Ugo Monye but referee Jonathan Kaplan adjudged that the England wing had knocked the ball on in his tackle on Smith just before he gathered and grounded the ball over the line.

Still, Wilkinson was able to slot a penalty in the 17th minute after Richie McCaw had been penalized for playing the ball on the floor.

Despite a mixed half by Carter, slick hands by the New Zealand fly-half almost created the opening try when he created space for New Zealand full-back Mils Muliaina, who ignored Sivivatu on his shoulder and surged for the line only for Ugo Monye to showed great strength in dragging him into touch.

The moment reinforced the view that while the All Blacks looked to carry the more attacking threat, England had some success in attempting to force the play.

England prop Tim Payne was fortunate to escape a yellow card when he was penalized for throwing two punches at a breakdown, but Carter punished the indiscretion by landing a 45-metre penalty in the 23rd minute to level the scores.

From the restart however New Zealand gifted England the opportunity to regain their lead when Borthwick turned over Muliaina and Jimmy Cowan was penalized, with Wilkinson restoring his side’s lead.

England’s defence continued to force unforced errors with Smith knocking on as Monye shot up but Carter was able to land his second penalty on the half hour mark after James Haskell was penalized for hands in a ruck.

The Stade Francais player quickly made amends by leading a number of charges and England received a let-off when Carter again missed from in front of the posts from a penalty after Duncan Bell had collapsed a scrum to leave the scores locked at the break.

New Zealand were able to seize the momentum after a couple of wayward line-out throws by Dylan Hartley however and Carter was able to nudge New Zealand in front for the first time in the match with a 47th minute penalty.

As Steve Thompson replaced Hartley, it took a great cover tackle by Wilkinson on Zac Guildford to snuff out a dangerous counter-attack by the All Blacks and England, for all their endeavour, continued to lack an attacking threat with ball in hand.

If it felt like England were hanging on, that sense was underscored when New Zealand opened up a 10-point lead with a well-carved out try by Jimmy Cowan in the 59th minute with the interchange with Sivivatu and McCaw carving open England on the narrow side. Carter added the conversion to leave England in danger of being cut adrift.

Yet England’s response inspired hope for the Twickenham crowd, as Wilkinson kicked a penalty to the corner and the pack twice rumbled at the line from the line-out. But crucially Wilkinson missed a drop-goal attempt from in front of the posts after another surge by Haskell when more patience could have been rewarded with a try.

After Muliaiana had cruised through a huge gap between Wilkinson and Shane Geraghty, it took another cover tackle by Paul Hodgson to prevent Smith extending the All Blacks’ lead but Carter turned the screw with his fourth penalty in the 67th minute.

If Tom Croft had been able to finish off a late surge to the line, England could have forced a dramatic finale, but the attacking platform was lost when New Zealand were able to disrupt their opponents’ five-metre scrum.

And although Geraghty at last brought some much-needed vim to England’s back play in the final minutes, New Zealand were able to close the game out.

Wales v Argentina

There was a time, earlier this year, when Welsh rugby would have scoffed at the suggestion that the autumnal challenge of Argentina would prove a set-piece hurdle too difficult to conquer.
With three British and Irish Lions in the front row and a fourth pushing from the rear, the Wales scrum appeared to be in particularly safe hands. Yet at the Millennium Stadium, with only one of that quartet missing through injury, the safe bet is that Wales will suffer the indignity of another physical beating.
With that in mind, Wales coach Warren Gatland has spent much of the week undermining the strength of the vaunted Argentine scrum and implying that the Pumas might not be as clinically efficient as others believe.
However, in the continuing absence of tighthead prop Adam Jones, who had shoulder surgery after the Lions tour, and on the evidence of the side's disappointing set-piece performance against Samoa, the reality is that the Welsh scrum is again vulnerable and under the spotlight.
Admittedly, the presence of Gethin Jenkins and Matthew Rees does at least provide some ballast in the front row, while Argentina's failed attempt to dominate England in that department seven days ago adds substance to Gatland's argument.
Unfortunately, switching the Ospreys loosehead, Paul James, to the opposite side of the scrum, albeit through necessity, has meant Wales are significantly weaker than they have been for some time.
The wounded Pumas have been licking their lips in anticipation of a British kill this week, hellbent on making Gatland eat his words. If there is a weakness at scrum time, Argentina will expose it and provide themselves with a secure platform from which to launch their limited, but often effective, kicking game from half-back. If not, Wales will win.
Mario Ledesma, the Argentina hooker, said: "We might not have the best scrum in the world, but we will try to disturb them in that area.
"It was disappointing to lose at Twickenham last week, but if we can beat Wales, it would be the perfect response."
Gatland, whose inflammatory comments came less than two weeks after his claim that the All Blacks had lost their aura, has reverted to all but one of the side that started against New Zealand two weeks ago. With Tom Shanklin ruled out after breaking his nose during the 17-13 victory over Samoa, Scarlets centre Jonathan Davies comes in to partner Jamie Roberts.
That pair could have a significant part to play if Wales can achieve parity, at least, at the set piece.

England v New Zealand

 Sitiveni Sivivatu is about as difficult to get hold of as his name is to say. Brad Thorn on the other hand has a very ordinary name. Unfortunately, he is also a lummox to bring down. Their names represent who they are as rugby players and highlight the issues England have to deal with this afternoon. New Zealand are comfortable with their image and their style, with who they are and who they're trying to be. They don't play an all-court game. There is no touch and pass for this lot. They don't try to set the world on fire by running everything. They just do simple things very well. They kick the leather off the ball in their own half, they defend extremely aggressively and they wait. Then they wait. And when it looks like they can't wait any more, you guessed it, they wait. Finally, after what seems like an age, when the moment suddenly presents itself, they are gone faster than you can say the eight syllables in Sitiveni Sivivatu's name.I have never seen an All Blacks team make as many mistakes as they have this season. Smashed by South African power in Bloemfontein in July, they were beset by line-out errors throughout the Tri-Nations. There was poor handling all over the shop; even the great Richie McCaw had the yips at one stage. In Durban in August the only thing you could write about the All Blacks was "so bad". Since then, Dan Carter has returned and steadied the ship. They won at the back end of August despite their bad handling and execution, but were again beaten at home by the Boks, when they couldn't win a line-out for love nor money.Even so, panic buttons have not been pushed and some new faces have bedded themselves into the side.Worryingly for England, the All Blacks are starting to roll. The front-on charge comes from a hugely influential former rugby league man known by his so-tough-it-must-be-fake moniker, Brad Thorn. At one stage he was a poor man's Bakkies Botha. No more; the improvement has been vast. He makes heavy carries, and puts in big tackles out in the wide channels.There are still questions about Thorn's ability to dominate a line-out but no doubting his ability to hit a ruck. He is ferocious. His role suit him. He is told to play the game as he sees it – hard, edgy, occasionally clumsy, but with the idea that he is a second row there to smash people, carry hard and make an impact.He is at the heart of the combative and effective close quarter work the All Blacks now have up their sleeve. Andrew Hore is feeling more comfortable in the No 2 jersey, while McCaw has added some weight to his teak tough frame. His legs may not be as fast now but his brain and his fire are sharper and fiercer than ever.He is also a better link man now and was the hands for Sivivatu's try in Tokyo, being involved three times. And yet for all his skills and his team-mates' muscle, there is only one All Black who is really frightning. That man is Sivivatu.There is no one better at attacking rugby in the world at the moment. He is a player you have to mark defensively even when you have the ball. He is a floater. He meanders around in the back field, a predator looking for the weak link, the half gap, the slow cover on the inside shoulder, the wounded player in the back line.Sivivatu can come straight through the middle as well because he is so powerfully built he brushes off tackles with ease unless they are perfect. He has no issue with being destructive around the ruck and can mix it with the big men.As part of a first phase move he is so dangerous. He will find half gaps if someone has run a decent decoy through the midfield. So often you see fly-halves and centres on the dive at his feet as he coasts off a Carter inside ball or plays off a Ma'a Nonu offload. He has seen you plant your feet or stick your bum in the wrong direction, and instinctively knows you're done for. Coupled to this is the pace of a genuine flier in the wide channels. He can skin you on the outside or do you with his clever footwork on the inside. In a poor season for New Zealand, Sivivatu has consistently hit the heights. England need to be very wary of turning ball over because he will find the weakness in any defensive scramble. When England have the ball, they must keep him in sight. Someone needs to be on him, talking and watching. Switch off for a second, lose him, and he will tie up your whole team, not just your tongue, in knots.

Early Retirement

We have just received the news that one of the outstanding players in the North has retired from playing.
Roger De Jager has decided to hang up his boots after 22 years of playing. This cannot have been an easy decision for him, especially when you consider his roots and his relatively young age. A modest man who made the most of his talent and worked hard on his fitness and game, he will be sorely missed by his club, Hammarby and of course the National Squad. Although retired from playing, we hope he will not be lost to the game.With a young family his life is sure to be busy and we wish them all the best for the future.

World Cup Pools Set.

The pools for the Women's Rugby World Cup 2010 have been set. The World Cup, which will be played from August 20 to September 5, will feature three pools of four teams with defending champions New Zealand, hosts and 2006 runners-up England and 2006 bronze medalists France all ranked top seeds in their pool.
Given that there are only 12 teams at the Women’s Rugby World Cup, it was inevitable that each pool would be extremely tough for the sides ranked outside the top three and so that has proved to be with even top seeds New Zealand facing potentially tricky games against Australia and Wales while second seeds England will have to overcome a recently resurgent USA and a battling Irish side.
The qualification process was completed recently when Kazakhstan defeated Japan 43-5 to claim a place in Pool B, while Sweden join Pool C in their first appearance on the Women's Rugby World Cup stage since 1998.
New Zealand, England, France, Canada, USA and South Africa all qualified directly, with Wales and Ireland qualifying through the Six Nations, Sweden and Scotland from the European qualifiers in May, Australia as the Oceania qualifier and Kazakhstan from Asia.
Further Women's Rugby World Cup 2010 announcements, including format and match schedule, broadcast and the legacy programme will be made at the official tournament launch on Monday, November 23.
Players from six of the participating nations will also attend the launch. England captain Catherine Spencer and her New Zealand counterpart Victoria Heighway will be joined by Canada's Mandy Marchuk, Non Evans of Wales, Ireland's Joy Neville and Sarah Gill of Scotland.
Pool A: New Zealand, Wales, Australia, South Africa
Pool B: England, USA, Ireland, Kazakhstan
Pool C: France, Canada, Scotland, Sweden

Who's who?

Once again it's time to feature one of the ladies. This time we have gone for somebody who was a major factor in Goteborg retaining the title this season. Michaela Petersson was one of the unsung players whose actions spoke louder than words.

How did you become involved with Rugby?

My younger brother suggested that I try the sport as i was getting sent off a lot in handball for foul play, haha.

When did you first start playing?

2004

What positions have you played?

Mainly I play back row and  have had half last season at nine.

What Club/s have you played for?

Malmö RC, Göteborg RF

Have you any International Caps?

Not yet!

What has been your best playing experience?

Winning SM gold 2008

Your worst playing experience?

Having  a try disallowed in sudden death at 2007 sevens SM because the F***ing  ref was F***ing blind.

What are your ambitions within the game?

To play for Sweden, to improve on every level and challenge myself at the highest levels of the game I can reach.

What encourages you about the game in Sweden?

That there are people in Swedish Rugby that really work hard to advance the sport here.

How do you see the future?

I see myself in this sport for many years to come so, the future looks bright for women's rugby in Sweden.

Your profession?

Assistant Nurse

Marital status?

In Relationship

Children?

Bonus kid    

Many thanks to Michaela for submitting her profile.