The News Review:
- Syrians take to rugby with fierce pride
- Rogge voices lympic rugby doubts
- Rugby chiefs may silence players
- Rugby: Robinson retires from all rugby
- … set appeal date – New Zealand’s source for sport rugby…
- Rugby’s future between the old and the new
Syrians take to rugby with fierce pride
International Herald Tribune – Oct 30, 2007
But he was one of the first Syrians to do so. Samer Tabbab joined a motley group of diplomats and other expatriates for his first game three years ago and promptly discovered his new passion. “It's a battle just without any weapons!” he said with glee just before a recent nighttime practice. Renowned for its exhausting nonstop play and rough often bloody full contact (players wear no pads or helmets) rugby tapped into a deep well of Syrian Arab pride.
Rogge voices lympic rugby doubts
BBC News – Oct 30, 2007
Rogge who played rugby for Belgium says the 15-a-side game has no chance of lympics status and sevens faces stiff competition from other sports. He also told BBC Sport rugby union’s bosses should act to improve the sport. "It was a good World Cup in terms of the public attention but I’m not happy about the quality of play" he said. "I am passionate about rugby but I think that the game has to evolve to keep its appeal.
Rugby chiefs may silence players
BBC News – Oct 30, 2007
The Rugby Football Union will discuss at a meeting on Wednesday imposing a post-tournament cooling-off period. Ashton has been criticised by Lawrence Dallaglio and Mike Catt for his management style during the World Cup despite England reaching the final. “I think it is absolutely disgraceful” said RFU chairman Martyn Thomas. “This has tarnished a great achievement.
Rugby: Robinson retires from all rugby
New Zealand Herald – Oct 30, 2007
Robinson 30 said his left knee simply could not sustain any more rugby campaigns. css-trouble {display:block;font:bold 1. 6em Arial sans-serif;line-height:2em;}.
… set appeal date – New Zealand’s source for sport rugby…
stuff.co.nz – Oct 30, 2007
The International Court of Appeal will decide on the case in Paris. McLaren appealed to the sport’s governing body after Williams driver Nico Rosberg and the BMW Sauber pairing of Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica were not punished under rules relating to fuel temperatures. Should the three drivers have their results from the race at Sao Paolo nullified McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton could win enough points to be crowned world champion instead of Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen. Raikkonen won the race to take the Formula ne crown by a single point from McLaren’s 22-year-old British driver Hamilton and his Spanish double world champion team mate Fernando Alonso.
Rugby’s future between the old and the new
stuff.co.nz – Oct 30, 2007
The main problem according to Fitzpatrick is in refereeing especially of scrums and the inexplicable penalising of dominant packs. But while Fitzpatrick may have a point here especially of those fresh faced referees who clearly have never been anywhere near a scrum as players many of his countrymen may still wonder whether the laws still need some tinkering. ver the past few years rugby has become an ugly spectacle with too many re-set scrums and confusion guess-work in the tackled ball area and a game dominated by the pick and go battering of forwards. This may not matter in the United Kingdom where large crowds always seem to be assured for Six Nations internationals no matter how much the games resemble trench-warfare. But in Australia and New Zealand rugby receives intense competition for spectators and television viewers from the Australian league competition. In the past two years or so in terms of skill competiveness and entertainment it has been the superior product. The signs are already there in dwindling attendances and viewing figures both in this year’s Air New Zealand Cup and internationals that rugby in this part of the world is beginning to lose appeal… ver the past few years rugby has become an ugly spectacle with too many re-set scrums and confusion guess-work in the tackled ball area and a game dominated by the pick and go battering of forwards. This may not matter in the United Kingdom where large crowds always seem to be assured for Six Nations internationals no matter how much the games resemble trench-warfare. But in Australia and New Zealand rugby receives intense competition for spectators and television viewers from the Australian league competition. In the past two years or so in terms of skill competiveness and entertainment it has been the superior product. The signs are already there in dwindling attendances and viewing figures both in this year’s Air New Zealand Cup and internationals that rugby in this part of the world is beginning to lose appeal. But while rugby could do with better laws plus better refereeing no one slightly aware of the game’s history can be too optimistic that these will happen. The commendable intention of any changes will soon be nullified by the compromises which will be pushed through by Northern Hemisphere influences as was the case when a whole range of laws was introduced largely at the behest of countries like New Zealand in 1992.