Rugby a 'sport for freaks' Cape Town - A prominent UK surgeon is worried about the increasing number of injuries and fears rugby has become "a sport for freaks". Two recent horrific injuries in the November international Test window saw Italy centre Luca Morisi have his spleen removed after suffering internal injuries against Fiji, while England hooker Dylan Hartley required treatment for a bruised lung after their clash against the All Blacks. Professor John Fairclough, an orthopaedic specialist who was president of the British Sports Trauma Association, told The Rugby Paper that rugby needs to somehow look at altering its rules, especially at rucks and mauls. Fairclough said the game is not what it used to be and the way players clean each other at the ruck - especially when they're not braced for impact - is where serious injuries occur. He said there are now so many big men playing behind the scrum that at the highest level it's become a game for those who are physically above the norm.
Understanding Bismarck and Jannie | Front Row Grunt. Farming, brokering, doctoring and scrummaging: An extract from a brilliant piece on Bismarck and Jannie du Plessis, written by David Walsh, published in The Times earlier this month. We are in the living room of Jannie du Plessis’ home in Durban. Jannie sits on one sofa, his brother Bismarck on the other. Bismarck has Jannie’s little girl, six-month-old Rosalie, in his arms and though this is three days before the Currie Cup final that will save the season for their Sharks team, they are talking of something more important.
The family farm. Cows. Sheep. A family farm is more than a business. “Our father had built the dairy with his own labour,” says Bismarck, “and it was hard for him and my mum when we switched from milk to sheep. If his only achievement was to be the best hooker in world rugby, he wouldn’t be as interesting. Jannie is a surgeon and on his days off from rugby, he’ll be in the operating theatre. They think nothing of this.
“But we’re putting a few blocks together. The Importance of Motivation by Murray Kinsella | The Rugby Site. Beyond the unparalleled skill levels and sheer athleticism, one of the most impressive things about the All Blacks is the fact that they are 100% mentally tuned in every game. They always ‘turn up,’ focused and motivated, meaning that those skills can be put to best use. Even in wet weather against Argentina in the Rugby Championship, Steve Hansen’s men were focused on doing their jobs. Is that down to Hansen? The obvious answer would be yes, that he is the man in charge of motivating the players, but if we look beyond that, it is clear that a whole range of factors go into achieving the focus and mental readiness that sets the All Blacks apart.
Do you need more than 1 subscription for your school or club? At professional level, self-motivation is naturally crucial. First off, it’s important to look at what being motivated actually involves. For many players, rage and pure adrenalin are the best driving forces. Listen to Richie McCaw on why it is important to keep challenging yourself. What do we want from our number 7? by Mark Reason | The Rugby Site. The ever changing laws of rugby football mean that the role of the seven is also always on the move.
Over 45 years ago the new laws requiring that the backs stand ten yards from the lineout and delaying the back row’s scrum detachment limited the pressure the flanker could put on the opposition half-backs. The ‘fliers’ were no longer so effective. In recent years, ‘the McCaw era’ if you like, the laws have changed continually around the breakdown and sometimes that has been just from match to match. In last season’s Grand Slam decider the Welsh forwards deliberately gave up trying to contest for possession at the ruck and maul because Steve Walsh was not allowing it. Watch Richie McCaw’s video coaching modules now. This all comes down to the flanker’s greatest asset.
It is not speed or strength or stamina. It helps Cane’s cause to have Richie McCaw acting as a water carrier. Perhaps it is no coincidence that so many flankers are turning into captains these days. A few points on the new scrum laws by Mark Reason | The Rugby Site. Already the moaning has started. The scrums are going down too often. They are ruining the spectacle. Let the scrum-halves just throw the ball into the second row like they do in league. It is all predictably negative and misses the point entirely. To us former scrum-halves, the solution seems rather obvious.
This codicil prevents the scrum-half from feeding the scrum until the ref says so. Watch Mike Cron’s Scrum Modules Now Secondly many refs are hopping around near the tunnel to see if all is well and thoroughly getting in the scrum-half’s way. Thirdly scrum-halves tend to be much better judges than refs – ex scrum-halves like Alain Rolland excepted – of when to put the ball in. Fourthly – just what was Jutge thinking? The scrum is one of rugby’s mighty monuments.
Those who want the scrum-halves to feed the second row might also remember that what distinguishes union from league is the contest for possession. There is so much that is good about the new scrummage law. The 'chop tackle' as perfected by Dan Lydiate by Murray Kinsella | The Rugby Site. The bubble of hype that grew around Racing Metro after their summer of ambitious recruitment has burst due to several laboured performances in the opening rounds of the Top 14.
Much of the individual focus has been on how Ireland and Lions outhalf Jonny Sexton is settling into a new league, but the struggles of Dan Lydiate have gone largely unmentioned. Of course the fact that Lydiate is not yet standing out has much to do with the inevitable settling in time at a new club in a foreign country. However, it is also clear that the flanker is not yet comfortable with the role he is being asked to play on the pitch and that his teammates have not grown accustomed to his particular skills. With Wales, Lydiate is almost exclusively a defender. What exactly makes Lydiate such a good defender? The chop tackle involves the vital element of surprise. For the Lions tour of Australia, Lydiate was coming off a long injury spell and was not at his best. The idea is obvious enough. Draw and pass Part 2 with video analysis by 'RR' | The Rugby Site. Part 2 As part 1 of the article argued, committing defenders with the draw and pass is a low-risk, high-reward play compared to more elaborate attacking strategies.
It makes me wonder, therefore, why it is less prevalent in today’s game. Perhaps it is the simple banality which makes it easily eschewed for more ornate strategies. Complex moves and game-plans have their place in rugby, but too often teams aim for the clouds before they master the fundamentals. The art of an effective draw and pass has become so scarce in top level rugby in recent years that I often find myself applauding a player or team just for executing it correctly. Surveying the multitude of rugby that has graced us in 2013, it is quite surprising the amount of teams, many considered world class, that don’t execute the draw and pass consistently or effectively.
Exhibit A: Australia in the 2nd test vs the Lions Australia’s attacking play has become clueless in recent years. Ferguson’s Formula. Photography: Sean Pollack Some call him the greatest coach in history. Before retiring in May 2013, Sir Alex Ferguson spent 26 seasons as the manager of Manchester United, the English football (soccer) club that ranks among the most successful and valuable franchises in sports. During that time the club won 13 English league titles along with 25 other domestic and international trophies—giving him an overall haul nearly double that of the next-most-successful English club manager.
And Ferguson was far more than a coach. He played a central role in the United organization, managing not just the first team but the entire club. “Steve Jobs was Apple; Sir Alex Ferguson is Manchester United,” says the club’s former chief executive David Gill. In 2012 Harvard Business School professor Anita Elberse had a unique opportunity to examine Ferguson’s management approach and developed an HBS case study around it. 1. When I arrived, only one player on the first team was under 24. Premier League: Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson reveals blueprint. Sir Alex Ferguson has unveiled his managerial blueprint - whilst admitting the conditions that allowed him to be so successful at Manchester United are unlikely ever to be replicated.
Last Updated: 11/09/13 at 19:15 Post Comment Man Utd Specials. Click here to bet. Sir Alex Ferguson: Former Manchester United boss has revealed secrets behind suc Over a series of interviews with Harvard Business School professor Anita Elberse in 2012, Ferguson went into detail about what he believed to be the key elements of his job. This is an edited version of his theories, which appear in full in the October edition of the Harvard Business Review. 1. "From the moment I got to Manchester United, I thought of only one thing: building a football club. 2.
"We identified three levels of players: 30 and older, 23 to 30, and the younger ones. 3. "I expected even more from the star players. 4. 5. "No one likes to be criticised. 6. "Winning is in my nature. 7. 8. Is Total Rugby a Dream or an Achievable Goal? by Murray Kinsella | The Rugby Site. Watching the first four rounds of the Top 14 in France, I have been continually frustrated by the number of try-scoring opportunities wasted through poor basic draw and pass skills. 5-on-3s and 4-on-2s are being squandered by forwards (and sometimes backs) smashing into contact and teams are repeatedly failing to exploit space.
Elsewhere, it is apparent that slow ball is often due to backs’ (and sometimes forwards’) inability to effectively clear rucks. Am I expecting too much? Is it realistic to expect rugby players to do everything well? The Dutch side of the 1970s is one of the most famous football teams in history. Playing a beautiful brand of total football, the Dutch excited and delighted fans at the 1974 World Cup. Rugby is clearly very different to football, and what worked for the Dutch does not necessarily apply to our game. Every player on Holland’s total football team understood how to look for space and how to create space. Are All Blacks breakdown cheats? | SA Rugby mag. All Blacks flank Richie McCaw at a ruck In his first fortnightly column for SARugbymag.co.za, former All Blacks, Force and Lions coach JOHN MITCHELL analyses New Zealand's breakdown play.
Since the start of the Rugby Championship and the return of the mercurial Richie McCaw, Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie has been talking about the All Blacks getting away with things, or even cheating, at the breakdown, especially in their own 22. A good example is Aaron Smith not releasing Christian Leali'ifano in Wellington when the Wallabies centre looked set to score a try. Should he have been yellow-carded for not releasing? Was it intentional offending under law 10.2? (If it was, we would have no one left on the field!) McKenzie's views are shared by his captain, James Horwill, who asked referee Jaco Peyper about that incident and reminded him about the All Blacks' repeated offences the week before in Sydney.
How did the All Blacks get to the Wallabies' ball? Was this down to attitude? Rugby is a game of basic skills by Murray Kinsella | The Rugby Site. Rugby is a game of basic skills. Even at the highest levels, our beloved sport is about doing simple things well. While the mental and physical sides of rugby are hugely important, even international games are made up of players performing the basic skills with competence. As players and coaches, we tend to place too much importance on the physical side of the game, overlooking the need to work on improving our basic skills. One such ability that is getting less and less attention is perhaps the most fundamental of them all: passing. As supporters of rugby, we revel in line breaks, big tackles, touchline conversions and powerful scrums. But how often does a pass thrill us? One of the most exhilarating games of the 2013 Lions tour was against the Reds, when Quade Cooper’s range of passing lit up the first half.
Every game of rugby is partly about exploiting space on the pitch. Being a good passer is not just about firing out the spectacular long ones to your outside backs. New laws for Currie Cup | Front Row Grunt. A new set of experimental Laws, including the “Crouch, Bind, Set” scrum engagement sequence, will be implemented in all local competitions from Friday. The Laws have been developed by the IRB and are expected to result in more continuity in matches and reduce the risk of serious injuries. Key features are a new scrum engagement sequence, stricter policing of the scrum feed, adjustments to judicial sanctions and strengthening of concussion protocols. The Laws were only due to be implemented in the southern hemisphere in rugby competitions starting after August 1.
However, SARU took the decision to fast track the implementation to assist the Springboks in preparing for the end-of-year tour and for franchises preparing for the 2014 Super Rugby season. They will get their first use in the Currie Cup First Division, which kicks off on Friday. The new Laws will not apply to the Rugby Championship, or the remainder of the current Super Rugby season. Be Sociable, Share! Author: Tank. Jim Thompson Comments on Referee’s Death >> Jim Thompson Comments on Referee’s Death >> Honoring the Game Would Have Saved a Life by Jim Thompson, PCA Founder and CEO PCA’s deepest sympathies go out to Ricardo Portillo’s family and friends.
Ricardo Portillo, a youth soccer referee in Utah, died last weekend after being struck by a player who was upset about a call Portillo made. That senseless tragedy -- a family losing its father because of someone’s anger over a soccer game – is indicative of a win-at-all-cost mentality in sports that PCA is working to change. You can help. As a coach, sports parent, student-athlete, or school or youth sports organization leader, you can help make Honoring the Game the expected behavior in high school and youth sports. . • Rules—Don’t bend the rules to win even if you can get away with it • Opponents—A gift that pushes you to get better • Officials—Show respect even when they make a mistake • Teammates—Never embarrass them on or off the field • Self—This is the foundation.
A self-control routine. Craven Week 2013: Golden Lions team & Academy Week team | SchoolBoyRugby. Why late is on time by Graham Henry | The Rugby Site. There are no rules about your centres. Every coach selects their best players and dovetails them. Rene Ranger has been a wing for much of his professional career, but he has shown this season that he has the ability to play centre. See the Graham Henry coaching collection here He is very, very quick over a short distance and can reach top speed in 3 metres.
Put that together with a good step, a good fend and a low centre of gravity and you have an attacking force. But Ranger also has a low body position and a big workrate, making him very effective over the ball in defence. There are works-on, as there are with any top player. But any midfield is a work in progress. That describes the Nonu/Smith combination, although Nonu became a good passer off either hand with the ability to keep it alive in contact. Conrad was a subtler player, who had good touch with both hands and feet. When you have your combination, it is sometimes best not to overcomplicate things. Looking for a perfect 9 by Eddie Jones | The Rugby Site. This is why I LOVE rugby | Front Row Grunt.
No hit does NOT mean no scrum | Front Row Grunt. Focus on quick ball, scrum and space | Front Row Grunt. Rugby Coaching Connection. New scrum engagement trial from SARugby.com. New scrum laws for schools and club rugby in SA | 15.co.za | Rugby Union News, Live Scores, Results, Fixtures & Stats. Scrum hit takes a hit | Front Row Grunt. New scrum laws for schools, club rugby. Test referee talks about new school scrumming laws | SchoolBoyRugby. Law Discussion: scrum put-in. Welcome to the IRB Rugby Science Network. Rugby365. RugbyCoachingDrills.com. Articles and Resources for Rugby Union Coaches. International Rugby Board - Home.