siberian husky white

Balls

I see the good old press corps are wringing every last drop of sanctimonious condemnation out of the latest ‘misfortune’ to befall the English rugby team, namely the failed attempt to switch balls for a conversion attempt against Romania last week.

On a scale of 1-10 it’s a misdemeanour that barely registers a 0.5 but, nevertheless, accusations of “blatant cheating” have rained down on England’s management, alongside calls for England to be fined/ docked points/ sent home/ all of the above.

All of which conveniently ignores the fact that England have dealt with the matter in-house to the satisfaction of the RWC organisers. In any event, aren’t we forgetting that England didn’t actually manage to switch the balls as the referee prevented them from doing so (i.e. he was doing his job) and who is to say whether other teams have been doing the same? The fact that no one else has been caught doesn’t mean it hasn’t been happening.

What England are actually guilty of is of being more than a little dim. Given how the press have seized with undisguised glee on the likes of Bungee-gate, Dwarf-gate and Blonde-gate, and given that referees are clearly watching England like hawks for signs of indiscipline on the pitch, might it not have been sensible for England’s coaches to play things by the book?

What this incident has done is to throw a few more morsels into the press pack feeding frenzy. I do wonder what the reaction would have been had it been, say, New Zealand involved? Would the press have had quite such a field day?

Of course not. It is becoming increasingly obvious to England rugby fans that the press, and the English press in particular, have a barely disguised agenda. England are not blameless, clearly, but I wish the press would just wind in their collective necks and let the team get on with it, instead of seeking every opportunity to undermine the campaign. It's as if they are so desperate to be able to turn round and tell the world "I told you so" that they'll almost do anything to ensure that England failing at this tournament becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

If I was in charge (oh, if only!) there would certainly now be a list of hacks I wouldn't allow anywhere near the England camp.

Here endeth the lesson. Ready for squeaky bum time against the Sweaties tomorrow.



PS - Incidentally, I agree with the consensus that the £5000 fine imposed on Alesana Tuilagi for wearing a branded mouthguard is ridiculously draconian, although comparing the sanction to England’s Ball-gate punishment, as many wise-arse commentators have attempted to do, isn’t particularly helpful. Had an England player been let off for a similar offence, or had Samoa been docked points for switching balls, then fair enough - but to use Tuilagi's misfortune as fodder for the argument that England are being let off lightly is yet another example of very lazy journalism.

Here endeth the lesson again. Really.

Inside the mind of James Haskell

I stumbled across this today : The Gun Show: Inside the mind of James Haskell.

Two words: Comedy Gold.

Sir, my cap is duly doffed.

Permutations be damned

There are websites out there on t’interweb which set out the various permutations governing which 2 of England, Scotland and Argentina will progress to the Rugby World Cup quarter finals.

This blog is not one of them.

Forget 8-point differentials, number of tries scored and losing bonus points, if England cannot beat Scotland on Saturday I’ll expect the resignations of Martin Johnson and his coaching staff on my desk first thing on Sunday morning.

47

For all the advances in modern medicine there’s still no known cure for the common birthday.

47 today, going on 19.

Such an auspicious occasion demands a blog post of insight and clarity. Unfortunately you’ll have to make do with this…

The media seem to be getting their collective knickers in a twist about this week’s comments by NZRU chief Steve Tew that the prospects of the All Blacks going to England for the 2015 Rugby World Cup are very slim under the current financial model . Apparently the NZRU lose "millions" in World Cup years owing to the tournament's strict sponsorship restrictions and loss of revenue from incoming tours.

My heart bleeds. If the likes of Namibia or Romania can find enough pennies down the back of the sofa, I dare say New Zealand can manage. Of course I haven’t seen the books, but I’m guessing that during the three years in between World Cups the NZRU’s peddling of the All Black brand around the world is fairly lucrative. That they can’t adequately manage their finances every fourth year (like everyone else has to) is their problem, no one else’s. It’s called budgeting.

It’d be interesting to see what would happen were the IRB to call their bluff.

Weekend observations

• England are improving. Only 13 penalties conceded against the mighty Romania. That’s one fewer than against the mighty Georgia, an improvement in anyone’s book.
• The All Blacks are in cruise control. Still no clue as to how they will react when (if) put under pressure.
• Richie McCaw. Congratulations. 100 caps and still, for me, the best 7 in world rugby. On-field presentation/speech etc, however, not a good idea.
• Scotland. Oh dear. Defeat from the jaws of victory. England can expect the kitchen sink on Saturday.
• Barring slip ups against Italy and Fiji respectively it’s looking like an Ireland v Wales quarter-final. Which, in turn, means one of Ireland or Wales in the semi-final of the World Cup. Strange days indeed.

Pants

A Wellington lingerie shop has been asked to change a sign which advertises "All Black lingerie 20 % off" because the NZRU says the use of the words "All Black" breaches its trademark.

The NZRU say, without a hint of a smirk, that customers could be lead to believe the shop is selling official All Blacks branded products.

You really couldn't make this stuff up.