RugbyIQ Players Blog

Round 6 of the Heineken Cup is now done and dusted and the Quarter final draw has taken place. Munster take on Northampton in what will be a re-match of round 6,Biarritz take on the Ospreys,the 2 French giants, Toulouse and Stade Fracais, meet and Leinster take on Cleremont Auvergne. Once again the big names in Europe are prominent and it sure makes for some high quality rugby. For me Munster, Biarritz and Leinster are favourites, however it would be a fool who writes any of these teams off.

Northampton have been playing some fantastic rugby and are developing into a serious threat in Europe and the premiership. I feel however that this year may be one year to soon for them. Biarritz are one of the French sides that struggle to be consistent but when they hit form they are devastating.They are a different team without the likes of Dimitri Yachvilli so will be desperate for him to be fit in the later stages of this tournament. Cleremont Auvergne are another team who pose a threat despite not having a great track record in Europe. Having topped their pool against the likes of Leicester and the Ospreys, must surely give them a chance. They are also top of the French Championship and have huge depth in their squad ,don’t discount them.  The game to watch would have to be the game between the 2 French top dogs. A quarter final between Stade and Toulouse is guaranteed to fill any stadium and these 2 teams are fiercely competitive and know each other well. I am tipping this to be the game of the next stage.

Gloucester managed to finish as the 4th best pool Runner Up  and therefore secured a place in the Amlin Cup Quarter finals against London wasps. The Amlin Challenge Cup is like the second tier of the European cup and the 3rd, 4th and 5th placed runners up in the main competition all get a spot in the Amlin Challenge cup. You only need to look at the fixtures below to see that this competition is also by no means an easy one to win.

The quarter-final matches, to be played 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 April, 2010, will be:

1 Connacht Rugby (ACC 1) v Bourgoin 8 (ACC 5)
2 Toulon (ACC 2) v Scarlets 7 (Heineken Cup 3)
3 London Wasps (ACC 3) v Gloucester Rugby 6 (Heineken Cup 2)
4 Newcastle Falcons (ACC 4) v Cardiff Blues 5 (Heineken Cup 1)

Gloucester’s result today, beating the Newport Gwent Dragons, is hopefully proof of what we can do when we play to our potential. After a slow start we managed to dominate the second half and came away with a great win. Its very frustrating for the squad that we have lacked consistency but what makes a team stronger is belief . It is difficult to keep the faith when things are tough but it has been great to see the boys picking themselves up week in and week out . We continue to work at a high intensity and everyone is prepared to do what it takes to move forward. Sometimes winning is not always a measure of going forward as a squad.However when rugby is a business the only measure of success is results and that’s what makes the environment so tough and challenging for the players. Its why we play the game…

Well, for any South African the sight of a flurry of snow is a bit of fun.

Having experienced the inconvenience that comes with it, made the initial excitement short lived. Whilst kids were out on sleds and enjoying themselves not having to go to school, Premiership clubs were rushing around trying to find indoor facilities to train on. Although most fixtures were cancelled early in the week it is still important to try and keep the training program going.

It is evident that countries in Europe that are not used to dealing with snow are easily caught out by such conditions. The only game to go ahead this weekend was the game between Wasps and Leicester. The final score reflects exactly how accurate Leicester were on the day. The cold weather may have lead to a slow start with the two teams being almost level at half-time.

What was very evident on the day was just how dominant a Leicester tigers pack can still be. With London Wasps being a little under-powered in the forwards due to a few injuries, some may say it was an unfair contest. However, if you went through the pack as a Wasps supporter you would be insulted to hear people make such judgements. The Tigers front row made a mockery of Wasps in the scrum and Dan Cole did himself some huge favours with his all-round performance.

Seeing my old friend Mefin Davies still ploughing away is quite remarkable, really. He was a player who, just a few years ago, was struggling to find a club. Huge respect to him, a true unsung hero.

The French Top 14 which has proved unpredictable, with a few of the bigger teams struggling for consistency this season, none more so than Stade Francais. They managed to see off Biarritz at the Stade de France by 25 points to 15.

Lionel Beauxis led the way kicking 20 of the 25 points. Mathieu Bastareaud scored the only try of the match after running through the tackles of a hand full of players.  Stade would have been hoping to end highter up the table than six this season but are now really pushing for a top-six finish to make the play offs.

Another surprise result this weekend was Montpellier beating leaders  Castres 15 -0. Montpellier beat Stade just 10 days earlier and seem to be building some momentum. As we know, French rugby can be the most unpredictable in the world and once again the results prove this.

Let’s hope that the weather is a little better for us this week so that we can get the next round of fixtures in the Heineken cup underway.

This week’s games will be a case of do or dies for many teams and will give people an indication of who will be progressing in this tournament.

This weekend signaled the half way mark in the premiership for most teams and it also threw up one or two interesting results. It is a tough time of year for a rugby player as we get very little time off over Christmas and New Year.

It is difficult as all our friends and families gather to celebrate and we work through. It is, on the other hand, a great time for the spectators to get down to support their local teams.

The game between London Irish and Saracens was probably the eye catcher this week as many people wanted to see Saracens lose just to keep things a little more interesting at the top .Irish ,as I mentioned previously, are the team of the moment. They are quietly working themselves to the top of the table. Securing the services of their two top servants, the Armitage brothers,  seemed to be a big talking point and Irish are now in a position to challenge for the top spot.

Twickenham, the home of English rugby, played host to another great London Derby, Harlequins against London Wasps in front of 76000 fans.

The game saw the return of Danny Cipriani  after a leg fracture. He had a pretty average day and was eventually replaced by Dave Walder. Dave is one of those guys who is really an unsung hero in English rugby. He has been great servant for both Wasps and Newcastle and he proved his value by coming on and outshining Cipriani. Wasps will be happy to come away with a result against Quins who have been playing some good rugby.

At Gloucester we never managed to get the result we wanted down at The Rec against our local West Country rivals. The boys were hugely disappointed with our performance and we have put ourselves under a fair deal of pressure for the Derby this week against Worcester. As I say so often, rugby is cruel and this season has really highlighted that to everyone in the squad. You have to turn up with the same formula every week to win every week. At the moment we cant seem to find that magic formula despite our efforts. This week is a true test for us and I am sure the boys will respond with a huge performance. Worcester are no easy pickings and the team that wants the win more will get it this weekend. It promises to be a huge encounter.

Bath will take on Leeds who are currently bottom of the table in another very important game. Leeds seem to have had a few better weeks and are certainly not lying down.

With Neil Back at the helm I don’t think you would expect them to just throw in the towel. The bottom of the table is never a nice place to be and when you find yourself down the bottom it generally shows the true colours of the players.

Till next week,
J

This weekend the Heineken Cup reached the halfway point of the pool stages.

Although it is still to early to make any predictions about who will win their groups, one or two teams are now starting to stamp their authority with some good performances.

Biarritz, who are in our group are the only team who have clearly cemented themselves to the top of the pool table.

Anybody who knows anything about Biarritz will know that when the likes of Dimitri Yachvilli and  Takudzwa Ngwenya, the flying winger, start to find form then this team become a real threat and difficult to beat. The two names mentioned are only two of a string of players who consistently shine for Biarritz.

We still have the mammoth task of taking them on at Kingsholm and hopefully it will be the game that decides our fate in this pool. We are now relying on things to go our way but we are not defeated yet.

Another team that oozes with class and have an immense amount of experience in this competition is Munster. They came away with a great result against Perpignan who are never an easy task. They will be thrilled with a 1 point win. For me the most surprising result of the weekend must be Ulsters 23-13 win against the Mighty Stade Francais. Stade, a finalsist in 2005, would have expected a win against the Irishmen and the return encounter in Brussles may decide who tops Pool 4 at the end of the stage.

Stade’s England international, James Haskell has vowed that the boys from Paris will do their homework and come back all guns blazing for the rematch. Bath managed to come away with a win against Edinburgh at the Rec in the same group with Luke Watson being awarded the man of the match. Speaking after the match he said he felt this may be a turning point in Bath’s season. It was also good to see a guy like Luke who has played a bit of rugby in the Super 14 to come out and say that the Heineken Cup is a tough Physical competition. I remember when I first cam over to the UK , a number of my South African mates used to tell me they felt the standard in the Northern hemisphere was average. Its great to see that as all these guys now find themselves playing here , they echo my sentiment that Northern Hemisphere rugby, although different, is certainly  not a walk in the park.

London Irish continued to build on their momentum of previous weeks and had a convincing win over Brive in Brive. I have been very impressed at the manor in which Irish have just got on with their business and are really looking like the team to beat . Their form in this competition as well as the league is beginning to turn a few heads. Watch out for them…

This week we go into round 4 of 6 and it is usually this round that begins to narrow the groups down.

Gloucester are on the knife-edge in our pool and we are doing everything possible to get things right to get a result this weekend.

I have always said rugby is a cruel game especially when things are going against you and at this stage of the competition it is all or nothing for us at Gloucester. The boys are hurting after the weekend and we all know the importance of this game.

Enjoy

This weekend will see Europe’s top sides clashing once again as we continue the pool stages of this wonderful tournament. It has to be one of the most difficult tournaments to prepare for. The teams that take part in the European Cup are the “cream of the crop” and the various different playing styles from all over Europe make it especially difficult to prepare each week. Not only do we travel great distances to play but we also need to take extra time to analyse our opposition. This is what makes it so hard to predict a winner in The European Cup, as it is sometimes difficult to go on a teams form in their own domestic league.

Gloucester travel away to Glasgow this week which is a huge challenge for us.We have had a bit of a struggle so far this season but we are still in with as good a chance as anyone in Europe. The truth of the matter is that this weekends result is of huge importance to us at Gloucester. We need to make sure we put in a good performance this weekend to set ourselves up for the home tie against the same opposition next week at Kingsholm. We really need to win this game against a very tough team. Glasgow are top of the Magners league which speaks volumes about them as a team. We will be playing on a small pitch which can often even things out a fair amount, but make no mistake we will be doing our absolute best to get the result we need this weekend.

Another game that I am looking forward to is the game between Leinster and Newport Gwent Dragons. Both of these proud teams are coming in to the game  having lost the previous week. Leinster are defending champions and we all know that when you carry that tag, teams are out to get you. All the teams in the competition know that the results over the next 2 weeks will begin to shape the tournament going forward.

Another game that promises to be a cracker is the game between Toulouse and Cardiff Blues.Cardiff are a team very much on the up and they will welcome back the likes of  Jamie Roberts and Andy Powell, who both played a part in the Barbarians famous win over the All Blacks. Toulouse come with a wealthe of experience in this competition and as I always say, a French team is a dangerous animal.

Another feast of rugby …Enjoy

The Autumn internationals seem to have left a mixed bag of feeling over  in the U.K. I think it has been a difficult series  for most teams due to injury. I also think that many of the teams on display have used this as a great opportunity to start blooding new talent, in order to see what is on offer for them in the next World Cup.

Australia, who came into these games on the back foot seem to have salvaged a bit of pride with a great finish against Wales. Once again Matt Giteau was an inspiration against Wales as was David Pocock. George Smith also needs to get special mention as he was outstanding off the bench. Robbie Deans has been under a lot of pressure, however he is convinced that the win against Wales was the start of something special and he believes a few players have put their hands up for a place in the world cup.

England and Wales will be especially disappointed with their performances as both teams made no real forward steps as they had hoped to. Its certainly not doom and gloom but these 2 teams have a lot of work to do before the 6 nations. Scotland did what they do so well and caused a huge upset in beating the Australians but were unable to back it up with a win against Argentina. I think and hope that Andy Robinson has the ability to get the Scots to compete despite not always having the huge pool of talent that some of the other home nations have.

Ireland  ended their campaign with a third successive win over our beloved Boks and in so doing, found themselves a very special talent in Jonathon Sexton. Sexton was the find of the campaign and may be just what Ronan O’Gara needs to keep him on his toes until the next world cup. Brian O’Driscoll also continued to show his good form.

In terms of the home nations I suppose Ireland will come out of these matches with the most confidence. Although, by no means at their best, they seem to be the most settled of the teams and always have one or two young players coming through the ranks.

The other huge talking point of these internationals is that of the LAWS. Once again the press is full of negative reporting on how the new laws have changed the game.

I can’t help but agree that this is in fact true. As a loose forward I am finding that the tackle area has become a complete lottery and what you may get away with this week will cost you 3 points next week. The fierce competition on the ground and the instinctive nature of openside flankers has led to carnage in this area. The fine line to being on your feet or off your feet is leaving to much to referees, in games that have a lot at stake.

Something needs to be done and I will leave it to the brainstrust to make the call. I did hear one report suggesting an alternative method for playing the ball on the ground, which would make things much clearer for referees. It suggests that players would have to straddle themselves with one leg over the ball in order to be able to play it. This would be very beneficial to knee surgeons as the number of medial ligaments popping would keep them smiling…

From a player’s point of view… I am not convinced but they say rugby is a man’s game… !!!

Till next time

After coming so close for the past few weeks, Friday evening felt like winning a grand final. When a team have worked hard for a number of weeks without getting the reward of a win, it is difficult to keep the boys motivated and working with the same intensity as we have been  over the past few weeks. We have certainly not tried to run away from the work and the team have worked with purpose for  a number of weeks without getting the results.

This week we played a smarter game in terms of where we tried to play our rugby from and we got the result off the back of that.It was by no means a walk over , as the 12-9 score reflects and it was a nail biter until the end. We still missed a few opportunities to score from open play. It was also a bit of a disappointment that we never scored after a lengthly period camped on the Leicester line in the second half. This is a long awaited win and one that will hopefully be the catalyst to a good run…

On the international front it was great to see the Scots making a bit of history and securing a great win against Australia. This once again shows what belief and hard work can do. As the score shows it was by no means a thriller but trust me for every rugby fan in Scotland it was a cracker. Andy Robinson, the Scottish coach has been in the game for many years and his philosophy is based very much on hard work. I really hope his influence can change Scottish rugby and make them more competitive on the international stage.I am fortunate enough to play with guys like Scott Lawson, Rory Lawson and Alasdair Strokosch and trust me, these boys have as much hunger for success as any. The next test for them will be as tough as any in the form of  Argentina.

The Boks managed a 32-10 win over Italy which would have been a sigh of relief for the nation. Having played this game for many years I am cautious to voice exactly how I feel about the result of our boys. You see there is often a perception in South Africa that the rugby in the premiership is not of the same standard as that of our super 14. Having played for Western Province which was a lifelong dream for me, I would say that rather than the standard being different, the style is different. Their are to many factors to cover in a blog but it is true to say that the premiership is a tough league and any team ,international or not, would be foolish to take a premiership clubs lightly. Hopefully the boys will get back on track this weekend.

The Bok performance,  in my opinion, once again, poses the question, are the boys tired from to much rugby…?

Every rugby fan in the British Isles licks their lips at the prospect of seeing their team in action against the best from all around the world. It is the time of the year that rugby fans dream of ,from Samoa to Argentina to South Africa and New Zealand, the world finest rugby nations are on display for all to see. I can’t really comment on the other nations but in England, sadly, the bigger talking point than the actual game seems to be the injury crisis.I personally have never seen anything like it. The biggest competition at the moment seems to be who will sustain the most injuries this season. People are talking about the rugby being of the lowest standard in a long time.

Over the past 13 years of my involvement  with pro rugby,  I have seen this topic brushed under the carpet more than any other topic. Without having exact statistics to hand and all the facts I may be out of line to comment.I can however comment on what I hear from within. It is no secret that players think there are just to many games. Its also true that squads are getting smaller as budgets get smaller. Smaller squads mean more games per player and surely that must lead to a drop in the standard of the game. If you have a small squad you loose the element of competition as there is not always someone pushing you for your position. Ultimately the whole thing becomes a viscous circle. Its a catch 22 ,players get well payed and therefore they are expected to play. We respect that we are payed well and therefore we don’t want to tell our employers that we are playing to much. We understand that we are part of a business which generates an income through playing matches.We know  that there are several factors that all play a part in this topic but surely somewhere along the line something must break. Surely this injury crisis is not just a coincidence . Surely the time has come for all parties involved to sit down and map out a path going forward . This problem does not only exist in England but globally and  I really must question why it is always swept under the carpet. Anyone who has been fortunate enough to make a career out of Rugby,as a player, will understand that this is a real issue and that it is a real concern of the players.

My comments on this topic have only really touched the tip of the ice berg and possibly this blog is one sided but I wanted to bring it up as a point of conversation to see what others may think. The truth is every year new players will come through and people will always love the game but  will standards drop and will players sustain many more career ending injuries …….or maybe its a conversation best swept under the carpet…..

Surely this year’s Currie Cup must go down as one of the best for many years. Maybe this is a biased opinion because I am a Province supporter but I felt it had a bit of bite to it. I thought some of the rugby was at the top-end of the scale and it seemed that for the first time in a few years we had better support for our teams, not just two men and a dog. I am making these statements based on what I have seen but I would be interested to hear other opinions on this.

I remember at the start of the campaign thinking, no way will Free Sate or the Blue Bulls be in the final this year.

Both teams got off to slow starts and really looked to be struggling in the early part of the season. Province began to set the world on fire and guys like De Jongh really made themselves known to the rugby world.  How wrong I was. Once the Bulls got their boks back and the Cheeetahs began to build some momentum , both teams became tough to beat and eventually they both made it to the final knocking out the two teams that I would have predicted to be in the final, Province and the Sharks.

I was fortunate enough to be in the Sky studio with Shaun Edwards to do the build up and match analysis. After 15 minutes we were all really concerned it was going to be a one horse race but yet again the Cheetahs proved why they have been this years come back kings. Had they managed to keep the ball, for longer,  in the second half, I think we would have had a even closer score at the end. I think it would be fair to say the Bulls always seemed to be in control although funnily enough the possession and territory stats never showed it like that. Non the less the Bulls have managed the double this year and the trophy goes up North. Next up Super 14.

In the premiership this week once again we had a few surprises.  The biggest surprise of the season so far must surely be Leeds’ victory over Wasps at wasps.  This is a result that no one would have expected and once again shows how unpredictable rugby can be. Wasps have been in great  form and Leeds have been struggling but never underestimate the underdog. Unfortunately, Gloucester went down to Sale Sharks despite our great spirit with just 14 men. We outscored Sale by 3 tries to 1 which still was not good enough. I suppose the only thing that doesn’t really come as a surprise is Saracens winning again . They continue unbeaten and are flying high. Everybody will be wanting to take that unbeaten run off of them…

Gloucester are taking on Australia tomorrow night in a game which everyone is looking really forward to. For any player at club level to get this sort of opportunity is something most would dream of.

We are still a bit thin on numbers but I think its a matter of time before we turn the tide.  A few good results over the next few weeks will really help us going forward. Personally, I am hoping to be involved and can’t wait for kick-off.

Till next week

The last 7 days have been proof of exactly how much a pro sports person misses pro sport.It has been a breath of fresh air to be back in the environment that I love. I have said so many times that rugby is a game which lives in you if you have played it for so many years and to return after a break feels great .

Make no mistake it has been tough to get back into the system as it is for anyone who comes into a new team but the fact that I know a lot of the boys here at Gloucester has made the task that much easier.I still find myself asking the question ,”Is this really happening”, but I am having a great time. The biggest challenge for me has been to manage myself as,although I have kept fit, the intensity has been a bit higher than the intensity that I have been training at. It may seem strange but I am enjoying that feeling of the burning lungs as I  run around the pitch during conditioning sessions . I have a few more lung busters this week and then I hope to be ready for some action on the field.

We are going through a bit of a down cycle as a team at the moment but  the mood in the camp is good . Good team are teams that react positively when their backs are up a against the wall.As a team we have had a tough few weeks and the results have been hard to swallow but in this game you soon learn that feeling sorry for yourself won’t make you a better player. The difference between winning and loosing is very small and a handful of errors can often make a bad score a lot worse.

Everyone has shifted focus to the task at hand this weekend . This week we take on Sale Sharks and the boys are keen to get back out on the pitch and try to put things right.No one can wave a magic wand but if the work ethic can continue the rewards have to eventually come.

Elsewhere in the premiership last weekend, we saw London Irish continuing their great from to beat Leicester tigers .It was a kicking affair with Ryan Lamb contributing all 18 point for Irish to seal the win. Saracens also continued their winning ways to stay top.I know a number of people have been critical of the way Saracens have been playing ,saying its a bit boring . Rather than comment on the way other teams play , I prefer to compliment teams who win.I understand that people who pay to watch the game want to see the ball being moved to the wings and the game to be end to end but ultimately we play sport to win.

The skill in sport is being able to take away opportunities from the opposition. If you can manipulate your opponents such that they cant play their game you will have a better chance of beating them  and clearly no one in the premiership, yet, has been able to do that to Saracens. The question is, how long will they continue….

Till next week-

Jake.