Barack Obama in at 10 and John McCain is picked as a hooker

With the US presidential election looming large I thought it prudent to assess each of the candidates for their potential position on the rugby pitch (vital analysis I know).

There have been a few world leaders over the years who have had significant ties to the rugby pitch (I even think the present US president played a little).

So down to business knowing the skills and physique needed for each position and having covered many of the physiques! I feel that I am well qualified to comment. Here we go…

Starting with the current poll favourite Barak Obama:

If Barack Obama was a rugby player then he would surely be an outside half full of silky skill commanding and orchestrating the players around him. Making the match run at his pace and on his terms.

And onto his challenger John McCain:

John McCain would have to be the dogged hooker who you just could shake off, always scrapping never giving up. You will find him packing into every scrum and hitting every ruck and maul at pace. His commitment finally wearing down the most worthy of challengers.

Who would the crowd love more? Usually in rugby the outside half gets all the plaudits… well I suppose we will soon find out whether this rings true in US Politics also.

6 Nations switch

This weekend sees the Bledisloe cup clash between Australia and New Zealand being played in Hong Kong in what is a superb piece of marketing by both Unions.

The natural progression as I see things would be for a Six Nations match to be played in a country where there is a strong Rugby flavour much like Hong Kong my choice of venue for a match such as England v Ireland would be Dubai.

Dubai has the Stadia, it has the high quality hotels required. It has world class airlines flying there. It affords a weekend away which is well within the pockets of most rugby fans and it has a bundle of expats from the 6 Nations countries.

In my humble opinion this would work and work very very well.

Make a Difference: Invest in Rugby 2008 USRFF Annual Campaign

Hardly a day passes that we don’t hear from a kid who wants to start playing rugby or from a parent looking for a rugby team so they can sign their kids up. Together, we can make sure that they’ll always find a team to play for.

It’s great to see more kids wanting to play the sport that has meant so much to so many of us for years. After all, rugby offers physical fitness, teamwork, discipline and commitment, invaluable lessons that will help shape a child’s life.

With all of us working together as a team, more and more kids will be playing the game in 2009.

In order for this to happen, the Rugby Foundation needs help from you by donating today to our Annual Campaign (See www.usrugbyfoundation.org)

We have set a goal of raising $50,000 by midnight, December 31, 2008 to kick start our programs for 2009.

Your  contribution today will enable the USRFF to continue to provide:

*
Ball Grants – to help introduce the game to thousands of children through rugby clubs, physical education programs and community initiatives.
*
Start-Up Kits – for high school and U19 programs.
*
Development Grants – to up and coming US high school or Age Grade players allowing them to participate in overseas clinics.
*
Kevin Higgins College Scholarships – to graduating high school seniors who continue to play rugby at the collegiate level.
*
High Performance Grants – to promising US collegiate or Age Grade players who have the potential to represent the US in international competition.
*
Educational Grants – assists referees and coaches to advance their knowledge through USA Rugby sanctioned referee and coaching courses.
*
The Dennis Storer Coaching Award and Alan Kitchener Referee’s Award – two new grants in 2008 named after two long serving stalwarts of U.S. Rugby. Recipients of these two grants will take part in coaching and refereeing clinics offered abroad.

And as always, the Rugby Foundation will continue to look for other ways we can assist in the growth of the game in the U.S.

We ask you to support the sport that has played such a major role in your life by giving to the USRFF Annual Campaign Fund. The Foundation relies on the financial contributions from members of the rugby community like you to fund these important programs.

Please make your tax-deductible contribution today and help the Foundation do its part in seeing that the growth of rugby in our country continues to flourish.

Your contribution, whatever the amount, will make a difference in the sport.

Thank you for your support.

Yours in Rugby,

Brian Vizard
Executive Director
USRFF
www.usrugbyfoundation.org

If you prefer to mail in your donation, please make check payable to the USRFF and send to:
USRFF
2131 Pan American Plaza
San Diego, CA 92101

BATTLE ROYALE FOR SUPREMACY IN TRANS TASMAN RUGBY

The past few weeks on TV and on the web all the Rugby talk has been about the upcoming match between The wallabies and All blacks in Hong Kong.

However, during this timeframe the junior teams for both countries have been doing battle as have the ladies teams.

The current status reads as follows:

1. All Blacks lead the Bledisloe series 2 – 1
2. The New Zealand Black Ferns have defeated the Wallaroos 2 – 0
3. The Australian schoolboys gained their first ever win over their New Zealand counterparts in the land of the long white cloud.

What can we draw from this? Simply that the gap between the two nations across all levels of rugby is closing and fast. Just as it should be.

Welsh rugby needs to grow up

Just when you think Welsh Rugby is maturing after a couple of grand slamd in the last 5 years you get this and then this.

For the love of god it is like watching two five year old children squabling in a kindergarten playground.

Grow up all of you ! behave like the multi million pound enterprises that you are.

Wales have a number of tough matches in the next two months, perhaps concentrating on those is the way forward.

New QR Reds signing Braid keen to lead by example

QR Reds recruit Daniel Braid is keen to lead the youthful Queensland squad by example – which is one of the reasons Coach Phil Mooney wanted to sign the All Black flanker for 2009.

Mooney said the character of his players is as important to the squad as their football ability and Braid earned high marks on both counts from his former Auckland Blues coach David Nucifora, now Australian Rugby’s High Performance General Manager.

“Football skill is important but the quality of the person and what they can offer to our program is vital as well. David spoke very highly of Daniel in terms of his leadership qualities and with a young group it was important that we sign a player with those qualities.”

Braid said he “definitely” wanted to help with the leadership of the team, which he said is on the way up, with an exciting batch of talented young players.

“I’ve just finished a season with a very young Auckland side and I’ve got experience of how to motivate and relate to young guys and how to impart the knowledge that I’ve got onto them,” Braid told a Ballymore news conference today.

Braid is the first “marquee” player to be recruited by an Australian Super 14 team since the ARU relaxed its rules on foreign player eligibility and Mooney said it was a policy change well worth making.

“The benefit that we derive from it is the fact that we’ve got a guy who’s played internationally for another country (and) played very successfully in provincial programs. So what Daniel offers us with approaches to the game, his different experiences on and off the field, I think will be beneficial not just to the Reds but to the younger guys in the Academy who play in that position,” Mooney said.

Braid was recruited to the Reds following veteran flanker David Croft’s surprise decision to retire from the professional game and Braid acknowledges they will be big shoes to fill.

“When you’re playing against the Reds, he’s (Croft) always the guy that you target first, you’ve got to take out. He put his body on the line every single game. I saw him after the game when the Blues played the Reds and he threw everything into that. His arm was in a sling, there was all ice there, his face was bashed up, had stitches. That’s just the sort of guy he is,” Braid said.

Braid has signed a one year deal with the QR Reds with an option for a second season.

He has played with the Auckland-based Blues since 2001 and earned 59 Super Rugby caps for the Blues in a total of 78 appearances for his province.

He is a member of the rare father and son All Black club and earned his fourth Test cap for New Zealand playing against Australia in Sydney this year.

Braid has captained New Zealand Secondary Schools and played for New Zealand under-19s, Colts and under-21s, making his Test debut in 2002 against Wales before playing his first Super Rugby match (v Waratahs 2003).

Lets hope Channel 9 & Foxtel have learn’t from Channel 7

The last couple of Rugby World Cups have been very frustrating from this spectators view point. The incumbent broadcaster in Australia chose not to show too any of the developing nations matches. A source of great frustration.

Hopefully with this announcement the new broadcasters will do the right thing and between them cover every match.

England Rugby Under20s to be based in Worcester

In what seems a strange spot to be based Sixways stadium has been chosen to host all England Rugby Under 20’s matches this season.

When you dive a little deeper you can begin to undersatnd why, the good work being done in Worcester is really starting to bear fruit.

ENGLAND UNDER 20s MAKE SIXWAYS HOME

England’s Under 20 team will defend their RBS Six Nations title at the home of Worcester Warriors this season.

Sixways will stage all three of England’s home internationals on Friday nights, kicking off with an opening game against Italy on February 6 at 8pm.

France are the opponents on March 13 with the tournament completed by the visit of Scotland on March 20 and both these games will be shown live on SkySports.

England Under 20 coach Mark Mapletoft said: “We’re delighted to be playing our home games at Worcester this season and we hope rugby fans will turn out in force to watch us.

“The recent developments at Sixways make it a magnificent stadium to visit where the crowd generates a fantastic atmosphere to play in.

“Worcester fans will know that Miles Benjamin and Matt Cox were two of the players who helped England make such an impact at this level last season and now the challenge is for the next group of young international players to follow in their footsteps.

“It’s an exciting time to be working with young players of the quality we have in England and I’m sure spectators at our games will enjoy the athletic and attractive brand of rugby we aspire to play.”

England completed a clean sweep of Six Nations victories in 2008 before reaching the final of the IRB Junior World Championship in June. In all they won nine out of 10 games and scored 41 tries in the process.

Worcester Warriors General Manager Charlie Little said: “It is a great honour and privilege for Worcester Warriors to be hosting England this season as the team looks to successfully defend its RBS Under 20 Six Nations crown.

“We believe our club is a perfect place for young talent to develop. We have one of the largest mini/junior sections in our amateur club as well as the thriving Academy section which has produced players like Miles Benjamin, Matt Cox, Jonny Arr and Greg King who have all represented England at this level.

“Hosting these games underlines the work we are undertaking with the next generation of rugby stars and this season we are delighted that Graham Kitchener is in the England Under 20 set-up and wish him all the best on home soil playing for his country.

“This is also recognition for the recent development of Sixways Stadium and our facilities. With the new Slick Systems Stand our capacity is now over 12,000 and we would encourage fans to support all three games and the England squad.”

Kitchener, 19, made his England Under 20 debut as a replacement against Scotland last season and started the 41-13 Grand Slam clinching victory against Ireland. He made his first team debut for the Warriors against Bath last month.

England’s other RBS Under 20 Six Nations fixtures see them travel to face Wales in Bridgend on February 13 before taking on Ireland in Athlone on February 27.

The Six Nations is followed by the IRB Junior World Championship in Japan next June.

England Under 20 fixtures

February 6: England U20 v Italy U20 (Worcester, 8pm)
February 13: Wales U20 v England U20 (Bridgend)
February 27: Ireland U20 v England U20 (Athlone)
March 13: England U20 v France U20 (Worcester, 8pm) Live on SkySports
March 20: England U20 v Scotland (Worcester, 8pm) Live on SkySports

South Africa Rugby Coach Keen to Continue Gulf Association

More good news for Arabian Gulf Rugby:

Visiting South African Sevens Coach Paul Treu is hopeful that his most recent visit to the Gulf will become part of a regular development program for rugby and in particular sevens in the region. The world class coach and sevens supremo was in Dubai recently along with his support staff to lead a three day training camp for the AGRFU Global Process Systems Men’s Sevens Squad as they prepare for action in next months Dubai Sevens and March ’09 World Cup.

Treu and his team of experts where invited guests at last Thursdays ‘Long Lunch’ event featuring guest speakers Peter Fitzsimmons and David Duckham before putting the local Sevens reps through their paces in intense sessions held on Thursday evening, Friday morning/evening and Saturday afternoon. Fitness testing and skills based training were covered in the three day visit with Treu’s video analyst filming the sessions for later review by players and Gulf coaching staff.

A two hour coaching workshop rounded off Treu’s visit with club, rep and schools coaches getting to learn more about the South African Sevens program via a classroom session hosted at English College.

The AGRFU Men’s Sevens Squad, courtesy of major sponsor Global Process Systems are due to attend a week long training camp in Stellenbosch, South Africa alongside the South African Sevens team later in the year.

Real progress in Pakistan Rugby

Great to see real progress in Pakistan Rugby. Rugby Union is strong in the Pakistani Army and with time could start to rival hockey and cricket in the country.

Have a read of the following article from www.heavensgame.com:

DESERT CAMELS RECEIVE WELCOME IN ENGLAND

Rugby boys from Bahawalnagar overwhelmed by kind reception from hosts

Phone interview with Team Manager Salman Wain
By : Jawad Haroon  (PRU )

LAHORE, 8 October 2008: The “Desert Camels Rugby Club,” a group of ten boys from the deserts of Southern Punjab in Pakistan, arrived in London yesterday and met with a warm welcome at the airport by the host students and families, said Team Manager Sulman Wain, speaking to the Pakistan Rugby Union (PRU) on the phone from Surrey.

The team has arrived to participate in the Touraid Tullow U13 Cup 2008, in which the British charity Touraid, with the help of sponsors, has facilitated the participation of teams from Tanzania, Namibia, Madagascar, South Africa, Uganda, Trinidad and Tobago, Ghana, India and Côte d’Ivoire (The Ivory Coast).

The Pakistani boys are being hosted by the Hawthorn School located in Bletchingley, in the heart of Surrey England. Wain said the boys are “simply overwhelmed by the hospitality of the hosts. These families have not only welcomed them into their homes, they also bought them warm clothes because it is quite a climate change for these boys from the desert.” The families are taking wonderful care of them, he added.

Wain, or Pasha as he’s better known in rugby circles, a Pakistan national team player and former captain, told PRU that “today the students had the privilege of attending classes at the Hawthorn School. The classes they attended included tailored instruction in how to use the computer, the internet and email. They were also provided special classes in the English language.”

PRU also spoke to a few of the boys on the phone. They mirrored Pasha’s words, expressing bedazzlement and a sense of being overwhelmed by the hospitality, the exposure and “how clean everything is!” One boy commented: “this is like a dream land.”

Each rugby player has been assigned a ‘friend’ who will take care of them throughout the tour, and the Team manager said some of them already seemed like they were good friends. “It’s rewarding to see how much acceptance there is at this age. They’re all just boys, growing up and seeing the world, and on the other end, hearing about rugby and life in a remote desert corner of it.”

Tomorrow the boys will attend their first rugby practice in England. The dream in rugby terms for this group is also immense. Back home, most started playing three years ago when the Punjab Rugby Development program was launched. In 2008 they picked up the Coca Cola Interschool U14 championship trophy. They do take their rugby seriously.

“Tomorrow they will see a level they haven’t imagined before, I think,” said Muzammil Khan Waziri, coach of the Desert Camels and the young man who has spread rugby in the villages of Southern Punjab after becoming addicted to the sport courtesy accidentally running into the Lahore Rugby Football Club (LRFC).

Pasha told PRU that the training session will be conducted by Mr. Andy White, an International Rugby Board (IRB) First division rugby coach, and a key force behind the Touraid organization.

In his closing remarks, Pasha said, “they will be changed rugby players, and changed boys by the time they get back home. The tour will change completely shift their horizons, and in a way, Pakistan rugby’s.”