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They say that the most vicious knife is the one that stabs you in the back.
Graham Henry is under incredible pressure here and it is remarkable how much
of it comes from those who once inhabited that utterly false high ground
from which they could shout that the All Blacks were unbeatable, would win
the World Cup (in 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007), that every Kiwi player
was the best in the world (including Reuben Thorne and Jerry Collins), that
the haka was supremely relevant to anything and that Henry, the New Zealand
coach, was a sorcerer - a coaching magician.
The worms are turning at express rate. The fans are becoming foes, among them
some professional observers whose grasp of world rugby has been gained only
from a New Zealand television set. Some here are savaging Henry and the more
ridiculous are demanding that because of his supposed uselessness and
because they feel he should have been sacked after the World Cup, that Kiwi
rugby fans support any team that the All Blacks are playing.
Those denigrating the coach are therefore uneasy bedfellows with the
anti-Henry brigade, among which are those that followed the 2001 Lions tour
of Australia when the tourists, led by Henry, crumpled into a heap and lost
a series they should have won 3-0. The fact that the Lions persuaded that
Wallaby side that they were any good cost Australia the 2003 World Cup
because they failed to rebuild quickly enough.
A few important points are raised here. Firstly, in this era when Chelsea can
sack a coach who came as close to a fantastic double as one win and a
penalty, we should beware of becoming football. Secondly, the Lions lost in
2001 before they left Heathrow Airport . They were on their knees long
before the end of the tour and exhaustion, not the Wallabies, beat them. In
the first two thirds of that tour they played magnificent rugby and for
that, Henry deserves credit.
Henry, for me, is not some kind of discredited old goat. In fact, he is one of
the great coaches of the era and can stand alongside Ian McGeechan, Jake
White, Shaun Edwards, Warren Gatland, Marcelo Loffreda and Robbie Deans
(provided Deans has success in a real rugby event).
With Wales, the Lions and New Zealand , I have always been massively impressed
by his teams, his nous, his sharpness and steel. When he was planning the
2007 World Cup campaign with what may just have been the most likely group
of players, I feel he let himself be dragged off course, away from things he
knew would work, in favour of the reinvention of the wheel. He drifted off
in terms of preparation and leadership, in allowing there to be too many
bosses, and in failing to curb Kiwi arrogance. His failure was to forget
what he had always known.
Win or lose on Saturday in Auckland, I am convinced that New Zealand has the
correct man in charge. Graham Henry is still one of the world's great
coaches. This is something for his attackers to mull over as they cheer for
England.
Captain's jump
It is Career Day for England's captain on Saturday. Steve Borthwick admits
that the lineout is of overwhelming importance at Eden Park and admits that
he and Tom Palmer and their supporting casts of lifters and throwers have to
counter the clever, slick and fast New Zealand lineout.
But is more than a technical bridge towards glory. I have always been anxious
about Borthwick's lack of physical bulk, his inability to make much impact
as a ball-carrier, a mauler or as a defender on the defensive line. That he
is personable, inspiring to his now former Bath colleagues, a lineout leader
and vastly dedicated, is not in doubt.
However, he has to prove against a wonderfully physical team and a superb
lineout, that he is good enough as an all-round powerhouse lock to make the
same impact as, say, Ali Williams for New Zealand or Danny Grewcock, his own
former colleague, and also that he can upset a really top-class lineout
operation. A dominant game could see him retain the leadership into the
Johnson era; something less leaves him prey to bigger and more powerful
English locks. It is Career Day, and Borthwick is engaging enough to have us
wish him well.
Small blessing in bar from the bar
One bar in the harbour area of Auckland has, so my pals told me, banned both
me and Wayne Barnes from entry. There is a sign upon the wall barring the
both of us - in Barnes's case, they clearly have an aversion to brilliant
referees. On Thursday we decided to check the place out, to see how good
they were at enforcing their own rules.
The mission lasted about six seconds. No, there was no move to throw us out.
It was just that the place was such an horrendous, dingy, slobbish barn of
no distinction, that the only possible reason for staying any longer was to
urge them to make it a life ban.
What do you think? E-mail Stephen at rollingmaul@thetimes.co.uk
with your opinion and he'll reply to the best of the letters next week.
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>>>>>LIST OF THE WEEK<<<<<
The top five most fraudulent "reasons" to love rugby
1. Because the ball is in play - rubbish. It is in play in the
horrible, run-down-the-clock pick-and-drive, but who cares? Let's have
shorter and better play.
2. Loads of tries - a try should always be hard to score. Too many
tries devalue the whole art-form of scoring.
3. Australians love it - beware. The end is nigh.
4. The All Blacks are sinking - no they aren't and in any case, what on
earth would we do without them?
5. It's just like rugby league - God help us. Turn out the lights and
buy tickets for Papua New Guinea's next "World Cup" match.
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The Stephen Jones Debate
I do believe there is a future for the Baa-baas in the modern game. The only
problem for them is that fixture congestion has made obtaining decent
players difficult. I'm a precocious lad of 17 and truly became interested in
rugby when I discovered a video of the 1973 All Blacks v Barbarians game and
that try. These memories give rugby a sense of mysticism and awe in a time
when men played rugby for the love of the game. If the Barbarians are
allowed to go silently into the night then it would be a travesty not just
for the fans but for rugby as a whole. Guy
SJ: There have been many letters and comments in the same vein, Guy, and
the club has been a focal point for all kinds of grand traditions, but I
still feel the next steps have to be very, very careful.
I agree, the Barbarians should be kept for one-off celebratory fixtures. Let's
pull the plug before the old club's dignity is completely shot to pieces.
There is simply too much rugby and Baa-baas games are bound to be the first
to suffer. But will these games be axed? I doubt it. While sponsors remain
prepared to support such games, while Sky will pay for the rights and its
advertisers will buy air-time, the show will go on. Tom Innes
SJ: That is a bizarre thought, Tom, but you are almost certainly right.
It's not so much the glory, tradition and style of rugby that keeps them
going, but the commercial imperatives of the time. Odd but true.
An incentive for total rugby is needed like Toulouse or the All Blacks at
their best, but the ELVs are not it. Also, Lawrence Dallaglio was obviously
an England great, but I am utterly amazed how the press has turned a blind
eye to the fact he disgraced the England captaincy. As for the argument
about great No 8s, the multi-skilled Zinzan Brooke would be a better bet as
the best ever. Jerry Collins is obviously not a modern day comparison,
Richie McCaw is much more apt - he and Schalk Burger are certainly as good.
Hopefully Pierre Spies will fulfil his potential and put them all in the
shade. The Baa-baas is a problem without an easy answer - perhaps we need a
world dream team. Mike Franklin, St Andrews Uni RFC
SJ: Pierre Spies most certainly has it in him to become one of the great
post-war No 8s, Mike, but as Lawrence proved, it is how long you can last,
how many trophies you win and how you cope with adversity that is the key,
not just youthful promise.
The Baa-baas have changed and not for the better. The game of the 70s you
referred to was a cracker. I had the pleasure of discussing this game with
Gareth Edwards who said the team, mostly Welsh, had come together with no
real game-plan. I asked Gareth what he was thinking as he took the final
pass and he said: "Well boyo, you know I had been having trouble with
my hamstrings and all I thought about was 'please god don't let them go now'."
The point is that what we saw against England was not a group of senior
players who were out for some fun. This needs nurturing back. James A
Burgess
SJ: It would have been slightly disappointing if Gareth had pulled up lame
five yards from the New Zealand line. Thank god he held up.
I have several thoughts on the Barbarians. Firstly, let us not forget last
December's heroics against South Africa. Lose the Baa-baas and you lose part
of rugby's soul. What would be next? The Lions? Two other unrelated points:
the most invigorating moment of a fairly shabby S14 final was the sight of
the Crusaders' forwards mauling the ball from near the 10-metre line deep
into the Waratahs 22. And no mention of that Gareth Edwards try should be
allowed without commenting on the blatant forward pass that got him the
ball! Christopher Croft
SJ: I once asked Georges Domercq, the referee, if he thought the pass had
been forward. He shrugged. He said that maybe it was, but who was he to
stand in the way of history. Bless him.
Your reference to bawling commentators at rugby matches was welcome by me at
least. I attended the Guinness Premiership final and the 150-plus decibel
commentating during the match was dreadful. Why do these clowns have to tell
us who scored and what the score is. I found the noise in the Millennium
stadium even worse. Jeff Higham
SJ: Jeff, I bet the crowd were really glad that the announcer put out an
appeal with about 15 minutes to go and the match at stake for the supporters
to get behind their teams. They'd never have thought of that if he hadn't
mentioned it.
I'm a new fan of rugby and have fallen in love with the sport. I'm an American
in the Middle East and there was either soccer or rugby to watch. I chose
the better and manlier of the two sports. I have engulfed myself into
learning about the Barbarians and have read many great stories of their
stylish play. What I noticed in the Ireland and England matches with the
Baa-baas was the lack of any real team speed, any kind of game-plan and
their lineouts were bad. I understand that the Barbarians are known for
their open style of play and I believe they can again be a force to be
feared and a pleasure to watch. David Cantu, Thumrait, Oman
SJ: David, one of their great tenets is that they don't do much training.
Even their own song says: "For the rugby game we do not train." So
there will be the odd game when the basics break down, I fear.
For a long time now I have been disillusioned with the lack of quality in
Baa-baas games. I feel it has become a pay-day for old foreign players with
no end-of-season tour. However, last Sunday's game against England had
nothing going for it. England fielded a weakened side, Dai Young went for
pragmatism over entertainment and George Clancy's shrill whistle dominated
the game much like it does in the Magners League. Paul Buttress
SJ: I agree, Paul, and I think that this is the reason why the debate on
the Barbarians has suddenly become rather more urgent.
Stephen, if the inspirational Gareth Edwards try in 1973 is no longer in your
top five, what is in your list? The only try in comparison is the French one "from
the end of the world" which secured their series win in NZ. Still, that
one remains in second place. Both were against the best national team in the
world and both under great pressure. The Edwards try had the greatest
beginning and end with sublime handling skills in the middle. I simply would
like to know how you measure against that. The interesting fact now is that
in today's laws the move would have been halted with the high tackle on JPR
Williams. The other interesting note is that the then Baa-baas were
all-British rather than the international side of today. If they returned
selection to all-British then the end might not be nigh. Paul Jenkins
SJ: Paul the try "from the end of the world" was in the last
minute of a true Test match, it was away in New Zealand, it came at a time
when defences were so much better and, frankly, look where it started. It
began with Philippe Saint-Andre miles behind his own team, and the first
thing he had to do was take the ball up so that he was at least among
friends. Let's move on, the Barbarians try was a dream but it has frequently
been surpassed since.
Is it just me who is disgusted by the Tigers' behaviour over their coach,
Marcelo Loffreda? I've been going to watch Leicester for the last 25 years
but I'm seriously thinking about not renewing my membership. We have had a
disappointing season, but to lay the blame solely at Loffreda's door is
totally unfair. Leicester's actions remind me of a certain large Spanish
football club who think that they've got a god-given right to win every
piece of silverware going. Nathaniel Wilde
SJ: Good point, Nathaniel, it did seem fairly brutal. Only the insiders at
Tigers know if they rather cruelly lost patience or if there was some kind
of deep fault-line. But I found it very, very harsh.
Am I the only one that thinks Josh Lewsey must have said or done something, or
committed some other rugby faux pas, following the World Cup semi-final?
This surely is the only explanation for his continued absence from the
England squad despite his club form and the dire performances of some of the
incumbents. Simon Lascelles
SJ: Simon, for definite there is you, me and Josh. I am sure there will be
thousands of others. For me, it was the worst England selection call of the
last five years, bar none.
You say opposition to the ELVs is total and yet a lot of the feedback you
receive is for them. The main reason opposition is strong in the UK is due
to parochialism and fear. The ELVs do have a great deal of support among
thinking rugby supporters, even those in the UK. Regarding the rolling maul,
if collapsing them is really so dangerous, why aren't people being sent off
and where are all the injuries? And finally, on the weekend I did see a
player injure his neck in a maul - a maul which had not been collapsed -
does this mean we should ban mauls all together? Nick
SJ: Next time a child is mangled under a collapsed maul no doubt you and
the IRB will send them a "get well soon" card to stick to their
wheelchairs. There's a great deal of support amongst thinking rugby
supporters? They must be in the Outer Hebrides.
I was wondering after reading your latest post why an experienced rugby
commentator such as you doesn't find an England tour to New Zealand a particularly
exciting concept? Perhaps New Zealand and England need some kind of trophy
to contest each time we meet, just to spice things up a little. It can't be
put down to distance or England's relative lack of success in the Shaky
Isles, as similar reasons haven't stopped the Ashes rivalry developing one
bit. Then I deduced that it must be because of No 2 in your ten reasons to
love the dear old Kiwis. Principally that we are actually quite a nice bunch
and that getting wound up about such a silly game with such a lovely group
of people just isn't as much fun as getting wound up about the Welsh, French
or Aussies! Richard Campbell
SJ: None of those Richard. It's about the greatest rock star in history at
the greatest stadium. Full stop.
The weekend Tests were highly significant for two reasons. Firstly, the NZ v
Ireland match revealed that the ELVs aren't needed to improve the in-game
contest. What is needed is appropriate refereeing, specifically in the
scrum. It is unfathomable that referees refuse to rule on angled put-ins. If
the scrum was refereed correctly then there would be no need to have a
5-metre bulwark. Secondly, the South Africa v Wales game reiterated that
fast and powerful back row forwards are fast becoming the most significant
players on the pitch. Hence the All Blacks v Ireland game was close because
both teams have comparatively powerful athletes and the South Africa v Wales
game was not because Wales have under-powered forwards. Ryan Jones is
clearly a very good player but more in the mould of a quicker Dean Richards.
The athleticism of players such as Juan Smith, Pierre Spies, James Haskell,
Tom Rees, Tom Croft, Richie McCaw, Jerome Kaino, David Wallace, Jamie
Heaslip and many other also negate the need for the introduction of the ELVs.
Ben Saunders, Beckenham.
SJ: Absolutely top post, Ben, I cannot disagree with any part of it and the
IRB now agree in part as they have insisted that the breakdown area is
refereed properly for once. I also think the game for all shapes and sizes
is out of the window, too, which is a bad thing - your list of running
monsters proves it.
Can you suggest to the authorities a game between the winners of the Super-14
and the winners of the Guinness Premiership? It may serve to even out the
feelings of Northern Hemisphere v Southern Hemisphere rugby. What about the
winners of the Tri-Nations v winners of the Six Nations? John Wilson
SJ: Both ideas are very strong, John. The problem is that the team
travelling would be at a disadvantage. To squeeze them into a nonsensical
season is also hard - you would have to start cutting existing fixtures
first. You could play in Hong Kong or Dubai, but that would exclude the real
fans.
I can't help but think that Rob Andrew's focus on the 2011 RWC is off the mark
and counter productive to the health of English rugby. A better attitude,
surely, is that each game matters and losing should be a personal and team
disaster. That used to be the Kiwi approach and it worked very well for them
until they appointed Graham Henry who wanted to impose more structure and
planning to win a RWC. The way to enjoy every season and have a greater
chance of winning the RWC is to get used to winning and hate losing and bet
the house on each and every game. Copy Wasps' mentality if you like. Brian
Browne
SJ: A man after my own heart. Treat every defeat as a disaster and soon you
won't be suffering so many defeats.
It was the worst Barbarians match I have seen for many years. I don't know how
Martin Johnson is going to sort the team out. England's main problem was
summed up in two words "slow ball". The Southern Hemisphere
element of the Baa-baas were clearly tasked with a bit of pre-Test
knobbling. Some of the incidents, including several that occurred right in
front of the referee, were nothing short of butchery and possibly infringed
the Geneva Convention! Andy L, St Helens, Lancs
SJ: It seems the Barbarians are no longer above the odd cynical tactic,
Andy. Dire game, you are correct.
This area of the e-mail is reserved for your views and boos. E-mail Stephen
at rollingmaul@thetimes.co.uk
and he'll either agree, add some insight or come back firing...
-------------------------
>>>>>HERO OF THE WEEK<<<<<
Marcelo Loffreda
Dignity. There is never enough of it in sport. Marcelo Loffreda is not only
good enough as a coach to weld the disparate elements of the Argentina
squad, drawn from so many different countries and playing cultures, into
what I feel at the end of last year was amongst the top two teams in the
world, at worst. He did the job with dignity, approached his new role at
Leicester with dignity and has departed, after a short time working under
impossible conditions, with dignity. He is a great man and he continues to
do himself, and his nation, proud.
------------------------
Things you need to know about rugby: No 17
PUMAS CAUGHT IN A CAT FLAP
How odd. The Pumas are currently engaged in a Test series against Scotland at
home, a brilliant chance for them to parade themselves before their adoring
new followers and their first homecoming after their World Cup heroics.
So why, oh why are they not fielding their best players for this great
opportunity? In particular, why are there no French-based Pumas? After all,
Regulation 9 of the IRB allows them primacy for their players over French
clubs.
Answer: the French clubs have retained their Pumas for the final rounds of the
Top-14, blackmailing the Pumas by saying that if they do not kick up a fuss
then they will "release" their players for a one-off Test in South
Africa in August (when all European-based players are meant to be resting).
So the Puma heroes are being used and battered and remain at the back of the
queue. That's what comes of thrashing France twice in the World Cup!
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