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JG believes it so it must be trueOur undercover man’s musings on Rugby World Cup happenings, featuring: a defence of Wayne Barnes, the performance of so-called minnows and short recovery periods between games.
An English PerspectiveEngland will move on with relief to the next challenge after a match which left everyone here underwhelmed but we have seen mediocrity before from this team. They look over processed in my mind and it took some class from Youngs to show a few people that good skills cant be replicated on a sheet of paper or from a Leicester coaching manual.
JG's World Cup MusingsOur undercover man’s musings on Rugby World Cup happenings, featuring: All Blacks penalty count and handling errors, South Africa v Wales, the youth versus experience debate, sibling rivalry, and notable quotes.
Learning from World Cup mistakesRichie’s thoughts on how New Zealand can learn from the mistakes of the previous two World Cups.
Richie McCaw: Tackle Techniques TrailerTo celebrate the start of the World Cup, we are releasing Richie McCaw’s latest video on Tackle Technique.Get some inside tips from the All Blacks captain on how to improve your tackle technique and tackle attitude.
Are NZ rotating or spinning?What a curious team Father Ted, aka Graham Henry, has picked for the opening match against Tonga. It all makes some sort of sense until you get to the name at number ten. Daniel Carter is a car crash waiting to happen. The Tongans will come after him in a way that no other team in New Zealand’s pool is capable of matching.
Springboks - Welcome to WellingtonA couple of snippets from the official welcome and capping of one of the serious contenders of The Rugby World Cup. After watching their first open training session they looked composed and settled. A team that know that winning the World Cup is about a beautiful result and not necessarily about a beautiful game.
DefenceAn insight into different defensive patterns – what works for the All Blacks may not be the answer for junior clubs.
JG's Round-UpOur undercover man’s weekly round up of news from around the rugby world, this week featuring: Growing back row injuries, Manu’s scintillating try in Dublin, the Wallabies “One Team” slogan, Tri Nations questions, Maka’s and Samo’s bouffant hairstyles, Eddie’s Eagles and Rugby World Cup arrivals…
The HakaIn a week or so I am to be instructed in the ways of the haka. In the event that this proves to be an Orwellian experience, in case I am rendered a Terpsichorean fool slathering and slobbering over the beauty of Maori dance culture, let me state now that I believe the haka to be a daft way to preview a sporting contest.
Wayne Smith: Decision Making on Attack TrailerA sneak peak of Wayne Smith’s latest video to be released on Friday. Wayne demonstrates a simple model to assist in guiding your players to attack the space provided by the opposition defence.
Reason's Round-UpOur resident journo’s weekly round up of news from around the rugby world, this week featuring: A very odd week indeed; de Vlliers sounding almost sane, strange happenings on planet Wallaby, Lievremont’s mad decision, match officials making up new laws and Flutey’s omission.
FitnessIt took me a couple of days to recover after our win over Australia at Eden Park. It was a hard physical test match – what you would literally call a bruising encounter – and without a high fitness level it would have taken me much longer to recover from the knocks…
JG's Round-UpOur undercover man’s weekly round up of news from around the rugby world, this week featuring: Springboks Captain Fantastic, England’s set piece dominance, Japans progress, a lack of yellow cards, the growing Rugby World Cup injury count and the launch of Matt Hampson’s book…
Reason's Round-UpOur resident journo’s weekly round up of news from around the rugby world, this week featuring: Johnson’s decisions, Welsh fitness levels, Scotland’s lead-up, Dwyer on the Wallabies performance and the All Blacks jersey debate…
Pitch Size MattersCan someone please tell me why there is a maximum pitch size but no minimum size. In recent years both the Osprey and Wasps have played blitz defences on small pitches and reduced rugby to a hit-athon…
Reason’s Round-UpOur resident journo’s weekly round up of news from around the rugby world, this week featuring: Shane William’s believes, England’s midfield tactics, injury fears in lead up to World Cup and how many players can a coach rest before it becomes a scandal?…
The Four BasicsIn this short video by All Black Captain Richie McCaw he describes the four simple things he thinks he needs to do well to be a good rugby player…
The Best in the WorldIt’s always interesting to select a World XV heading into a World Cup and then see how much it might have changed by the end of the competition. The players who often come through are from the smaller nations. We simply haven’t seen them play enough rugby at the top level to know how good they are…
Reason’s Round-UpOur resident journo’s weekly round up of news from around the rugby world, this week featuring: USA looses key World Cup player, the return of Stephen Ferris, South Africa’s loss to the Wallabies, the All Blacks starting line-up and Rugby World Cup ticket pricing…
What's bugging Wayne Smith?Laws that promote negative play make a lot of coaches want to throw rugby’s rulemakers under the deck of a scrummage machine. I am not talking about the laws that stop good, aggressive defence or the laws that hold attackers back from having an unfair advantage. I am talking about those laws that strangle an opportunity to attack before it has even started…
AlignmentLanguage changes over time and one of the new buzz words in the All Blacks coaching set-up is ‘alignment’. Once upon a time if you had talked about alignment in rugby Dan Carter might have asked if you wanted him to stand flat or drop into the pocket. But in 2011 ‘alignment’ is about making sure the coaches, captain, leadership group and players are all headed in the same direction…
The Red Rose in Black?You have probably heard that the RFU have announced that England’s ‘away strip’ for the Rugby World Cup will be ‘all black’ in colour, consisting of jet black shirt/jersey and shorts. We’d be interested to know what your ‘take’ is on this decision…
LeadershipThere is no point in trying to be a captain if you are not worth your place in the side. Maybe once a century, someone in some sport defies the convention. England once had a cricket captain called Mike Brearley who was not the world’s greatest opening bat but who had a mind like Plato. He was a successful leader..
Where did the All Blacks go so horribly wrong?24 years and counting – that is how long it is since the world’s greatest rugby side has won the World Cup. Surely they can’t stuff it up this time? Not at home. Not with only one teeny, last minute defeat in the whole of 2010. Not with the four-time IRB coach of the year, the three-time player of the year and the greatest fly-half in history. They couldn’t drop another World Cup could they?…
The Perfect TensI have played against some pretty good 10’s over the years. Half of them even seem to go to my old school, Boys High in Christchurch. But there are a couple who really stand out. The big two in my time as a player have been Jonny Wilkinson and Stephen Larkham…
on Attack
Welcome Victor & BismarckWe are pleased to announce that Victor Matfield and Bismarck du Plessis have joined The Rugby Site team.?Victor and Bismarck are looking forward to bringing you their coaching videos in the coming months. Stay tuned for further details…
SevenI break down playing seven into four key components: tackling, clearing rucks, putting pressure on ball carriers and carrying the ball yourself
The Art of TenPeople out there think that I have one of the lowest heartbeats in rugby. I often get asked how I have so much time on the pitch.
on Attack
Catching the MomentAsk the people down your local club what they think the most important skill for a fly-half or midfield back is. I reckon speed and passing might feature at the top of a lot of lists, but I am not sure how many would identify ‘catching’ as the number one priority. It seems, well, it seems so ordinary. Anyone can catch a rugby ball, right? Or nearly everyone…
