The News Review:
- England rugby at a crossroads as Europe flexes its financial clout
- Rugby union 2008: The very good the bad and the ugly
- MARC Stcherbina’s rugby future remains uncertain.
- Old guard give young turks rugby lesson
- Rugby league mourns Karalius
- Rugby: Brighton pitch in for win
- Local rugby round-up
England rugby at a crossroads as Europe flexes its financial clout
Telegraph.co.uk United Kingdom
Wallaby fly-half Matt Giteau was offered several million euro to throw in his lot with Bayonne while aspiring Racing Club 92 Metro well-placed for promotion into the Top 14 Championnat have been flashing the cash. Sebastien Chabal is on their radar although the bearded one from Sale is more than likely to end up at new-age Montpellier for a reputed €40000 a month. The upside of professional rugby looks buoyant. A full house of 77000 at the Stade de France last weekend Harlequins set fair for a 50000 capacity crowd at Twickenham for their Dec 27 league game against Leicester and sold out signs at various Premiership grounds. Rugby to be the new soccer? I doubt it. Scratch that shiny surface and things are not so wholesome. True the big-hitters such as Perpignan Stade Francais or Leicester and coming up on the rails Quins have either got high-rollers bankrolling them or have solid foundations.
Rugby union 2008: The very good the bad and the ugly
guardian.co.uk UK
Twelve months ago we thought ELVs were Santa’s little helpers and Martin Johnson was still on the corporate-hospitality circuit which just goes to show how swiftly things can change. Thank you all for your comments and constructive suggestions since January ? here is a list of personal awards to enliven the Christmas period:International team of the year: New Zealand. No one who saw their opening Test of 2008 against Ireland in a wet and wintry Wellington would have put their mortgage on the All Blacks winning the Tri-Nations and completing a grand-slam tour of Europe. Given the raft of players who disappeared offshore it was a fine achievement.
MARC Stcherbina’s rugby future remains uncertain.
The Australian Australia
The injured Australian centre recovered from a serious neck injury to meet Newport Gwent Dragons team-mates at the weekend. A spokeswoman for the Welsh club said Stcherbina made an emotional address to fellow players in their home change rooms ahead of a 26-13 loss to Toulouse in the Heineken Cup on Saturday. “It’s not something that has been referred to by management or Marc” the spokeswoman said of the 32-year-old’s career prospects. “He was just here to inspire the boys. ” Stcherbina underwent surgery in Toulouse after he was hurt during a head-on tackle in the Dragons’ previous match against the French side a week earlier.
Related from Pvandv: Marc Gordon Podcast
Old guard give young turks rugby lesson
Daily Nation Kenya
But the matches were not friendly at all and every side had a grudge. The youthful players were bubbling with energy and vowed to show the old guard that rugby was a flashy sport with all the goose steps and flair. Also the old guard were keen to show that rugby was all about basics. For the purposes of drawing a line between the two any player older than 25 years was automatically old. It is rare that you get some of the former players to don the rugby shirt for a tumble onto the pitch. Where could you get a chance to run against that coach who has been barking instructions to you during the season? Also where could you get even with that club official who takes major decisions on your behalf however unfavourable?Familiar positionFormer Kenya winger Gabriel Ouko national seven-a-side coach Felix Ochieng and seven-a-side players Sidney ?Blackrose? Obonyo Charles Cardovillis Enos Otieno Allan and Patrick Onyango all lined-up for the Kenya Harlequin FC Wazees on Saturday.
Rugby league mourns Karalius
AFP
Karalius who appeared 12 times for Great Britain made his name as a player with the Saints in the 1950s scoring 42 tries in 252 appearances in a career spanning more than ten years primarily as a loose forward. He was renowned as one of the toughest tacklers of his era. Nigel Wood the chief executive of England’s Rugby Football League said in a statement: “Everybody at the RFL is tremendously saddened to hear of the death of Vince Karalius. “Vince enjoyed a highly successful career at international level and domestically with the St Helens and Widnes clubs.
Rugby: Brighton pitch in for win
The Argus.co.uk UK
?It was good fun a perfect playing surface. ?It?s the closest thing to the Twickenham pitch you will see. ?If we get to the final at least we will have had some good preparation!? Rugby on an artificial surface might sound like a punishing experience to anyone who remembers the astroturf pitches of old. Not so these days said McGovern who played in Saturday?s tie. ?It?s a very quick surface although unfortunately it was raining and windy so not the best for running rugby. ?I suppose you can get a bit of a burn sometimes but no worse than you get on a hard pitch at the start or the end of the season. ?I?d rather play on the artificial surface than on a rock solid grass pitch.
Local rugby round-up
Reading Evening Post UK
But their win was marred by a nasty rib injury to player-coach Glenn Hunt midway through the second half. Dorking 21 Reading 13Reading crashed out of the EDF Energy Intermediate Cup after conceding a late try in their third-round tie at a wet and windy Brockham on Saturday. The visitors were up against the slope and wind in the first half and found themselves 14-0 down. They were trailing from the 40th second when Dorking scored a try converted by Jamie O?Brien.