The News Review:
- The buzz is back in SA rugby
- Appeal for paralysed rugby player
- SA Rugby red-faced after Watson debacle
- Larkham vows to shake up Scottish rugby
- An email conversation with Lawrence Dallaglio
- Rugby World Cup 2011 The Unofficial Rugby World cup website
The buzz is back in SA rugby
Independent nline – May 14, 2007
Heyneke Meyer the coach of the Bulls is on record as saying he thinks that the Springboks can win the World Cup in France. After having led his men to the final at the expense of the Crusaders at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday his captain Victor Matfield says there has been a mindshift in South African teams that will stand them in good stead through the tour by England the Tri-Nations and finally the World Cup. “But we and the other South African teams have learnt how to win away from home and I think that is much more important when looking ahead to later in the year.
Appeal for paralysed rugby player
BBC News – May 14, 2007
Bryan Davies 49 known as Yogi was captaining his last game as hooker for Bala rugby club in Gwynedd on 21 April when he suffered the injury. Club chairman and family friend Tony Parry said Mr Davies was still unable to feel anything from the neck down. The appeal will be passed to all Wales’ rugby clubs with contributions accepted at all HSBC bank branches. "Yogi at the moment cannot feel anything from the neck down" said Mr Parry.
SA Rugby red-faced after Watson debacle
Independent nline – May 14, 2007
regan Hoskins president of the South African Rugby Union (Saru) admitted to Talk Radio 702 on Monday that the decision to include Watson in the Bok World Cup training squad of 46 players came from him. “We put him in the squad. He deserves a chance he was after all the Super 14 player of the year in 2006″ said Hoskins. The decision by SARU’s executive to add Watson to the squad named on Saturday for a national training camp in Bloemfontein this week has left the selection committee extremely bitter.
Larkham vows to shake up Scottish rugby
Scrum.com – May 14, 2007
The 32-year-old stand-off who has represented Australia 95 times and is widely recognised as one of the most influential playmakers in world rugby will join Edinburgh in November. He was unveiled via video-link today and has agreed a two-year contract which will see him move from the CA Brumbies after this autumn’s IRB World Cup. Larkham said: “I think it’s very important to have ambitions. “At the Brumbies we have always strived to be the best team in the competition even if we don’t always have the best players in the competition so I think I am coming from a similar background.
An email conversation with Lawrence Dallaglio
Independent – May 14, 2007
Is the excitement as great as ever? Yes the juices are flowing just as they were in 2004. I hit the jackpot that season: England won the World Cup Wasps won both the Premiership and the Heineken. There was a lot of memorable rugby played in the space of a few weeks and I barely had time to breathe but I remember the three European knockout games – the quarter-final against Gloucester the semi-final against Munster and the final against Toulouse – as momentous occasions. They really stand out for me. All three games felt like finals and I count the last two among the hardest matches I’ve ever played. When we won the cup with that crafty last-minute try by Rob Howley it was one of the proudest moments of my life. As I keep saying to my players this is a special thing… As I keep saying to my players this is a special thing. Very few players have the good fortune to be part of a team capable of winning this title. As you’ve mentioned Toulouse how on earth did you manage to win that game? To most eyes the Frenchmen played 90 per cent of the rugby and Wasps made 90 per cent of the tackles. We were chasing shadows for the first 40 minutes then chased some more shadows for the next 39. At least that’s how it felt. Yet somehow we scored the points that mattered at times that were really important. Toulouse played some awesome rugby – they were a hell of a side that season – but if you look in the records you’ll see we outscored them by three tries to one.
Rugby World Cup 2011 The Unofficial Rugby World cup website
Worldcupweb.com – May 14, 2007
The change of ownership is a ground breaking arrangement in British sport with an educational institution taking over ownership of a professional sporting organisation. A new board of Directors will be appointed from July 1 to include Professor Simon Lee (Vice-Chancellor) Stephen Willis (Finance Director) both of Leeds Met and Gary Hetherington (Chief Executive) and Rob ates (Commercial Director) from Leeds Rugby Ltd with Paul Caddick stepping down as Chairman to be succeeded by Professor Simon Lee. The Caddick Group will provide support with a 10-year sponsorship deal and in 2007-08 Paul Caddick will match pound for pound all revenue generated from season ticket and corporate hospitality sales which will be allocated to the player squad cap budget. The day-to-day business of running the company will continue to be overseen by Hetherington ates and Director of Rugby Stuart Lancaster.