The News Review:
- Rugby: England captain Phil Vickery banned two matches
- Last splash for rugby’s minnows?
- nline limits for Rugby World Cup relaxed
- The 5-minute Interview: Martin Johnson Former England rugby captain
Rugby: England captain Phil Vickery banned two matches
International Herald Tribune – Sep 11, 2007
The 31-year-old prop will miss the match Friday against South Africa at Stade de France and the Sept. 22 game against Samoa in Nantes. He can return for the Sept. 28 game against Tonga at the Parc des Princes.
Last splash for rugby’s minnows?
BBC News – Sep 11, 2007
The concept got a definite thumbs-up from both Portugal and Namibia with both unions seeing it as a means of providing a vital stepping stone on the road to a World Cup. Professionalism has profoundly altered rugby with the established – and financially powerful – Test teams able to employ small armies of video analysts physios masseurs specialist coaches and so on. It all helps put fitter stronger and more skilful players on the pitch. New Zealand pulled their top players out of part of the Super 14 competition for an intensive conditioning programme while England enjoyed several weeks of warm-weather training ironically in Portugal. In contrast Namibia’s pre-World Cup preparations have had to fit around work schedules with sessions frequently undermined by missing players. In 2003 the Namibia coach arrived in Australia a week after his players… Portugal and Namibia may be travelling to France more in hope than expectation but does that mean they do not deserve a place at the top table?”Qualifying for the World Cup is the biggest thing that has ever happened to Portuguese rugby – it’s a dream come true for us” said Alvarez. “I absolutely disagree with anybody who says Portugal should not be at the World Cup. The tournament has rules for qualification and we followed them – who has the right to say we shouldn’t be there?”In the long term this will be great for rugby in Portugal. We have already noticed an increase in the number of young people coming to the clubs and in the attendances at matches and all our matches now are live on TV. “The real achievement for us was in qualifying for the World Cup. f course we will give everything but the only team we have a chance against is Romania. The prospect of Portugal’s lawyers teachers and students taking on some of the fittest strongest and most powerful athletes on the planet inevitably raises the unhappy worry of injuries but Alvarez says his players will not dwell on the disparity in physical conditioning.
nline limits for Rugby World Cup relaxed
guardian.co.uk – Sep 11, 2007
uk Tuesday 11 September 2007 17. 39 BST The restrictions on the online use of Rugby World Cup footage have been loosened following successful negotiations with the tournament’s organisers. After talks between the International Rugby Board and a coalition of media organisations concluded late yesterday a three-minute per day limit for using audio-visual material online has been scrapped. The media coalition has negotiated a compromise that will allow reporters from news agencies to file an unlimited number of news stories each day with audio-visual footage but with a limit of five minutes of footage from any single event. This deal covers footage from non-matchday press conferences training sessions and events only – not official press conferences or matches. “This voluntary agreement came after a meeting in Paris today and will enable full news coverage of Rugby World Cup 2007 according to normal editorial judgment” said a joint statement from the media coalition and Rugby World Cup Limited.
The 5-minute Interview: Martin Johnson Former England rugby captain
Independent – Sep 11, 2007
He retired from international rugby in January 2004 but played for Leicester until 2005. He retired from international rugby in January 2004 but played for Leicester until 2005.