Diaries of a Rugby Mad Journalist

Gavin Henson

2006-01-12T13:33:00.000Z

One of the major talking points over the festive period was the ban handed out to Wales' centre Gavin Henson for his elbow on Leicester prop Alex Moreno. The ban, initially ten weeks and two days, has been reduced to seven weeks and two days.

Despite that lessening of the punishment I still take issue with the length of the ban. Firstly, John Smit, the South Africa captain, elbowed Jerome Thion, the French second row in the throat fracturing his larynx. Thion is still being fed through a straw and is unable to speak. Yet Smit's punishment was a mere six weeks. Henson's action while unacceptable, and we must remember he did break Moreno's nose, was not as serious as Smit's offence and yet his ban was initially four weeks longer.

Secondly, the failure of the authorities to punish Kevin Mealamu and Tana Umaga following their spear tackle on Brian O'Driscoll has left rugby's disciplinary system a mockery. Bans vary in length for the same offence and not neccessarily in order of the severity of the offence. It is about time that set bans are given for offences such as punching, elbowing or biting. Then controversy surrounding such incidents as Henson's elbow can be forgotten.

Just one final point. Why the two days? That two days now prevents Henson playing for Wales against Scotland on the 12th February as that is the last day of his ban. The two days seems uneccessary and maybe it is therefore also time that bans are measured in games not days as players can actually escape the effects of a ban if their team is during their off season. This is clearly not fair and needs to be addressed.

New Year

2006-01-12T13:31:00.000Z

As we welcome in the new year there is much to look forward to. Hopefully my passing of my Diploma course here in Cardiff and a job as a rugby journalist. Build up is already underway and with the Six Nations just round the corner it promises to be another memorable year.

Pete Clifton

2005-11-24T17:09:00.000Z

The latest guest speaker to take the stage at Cardiff University was Pete Clifton, Head of BBCi.

The man who lecturer Simon Williams described as an "online god" gave an entertaining and informative talk about issues affecting BBCi and some of the plans in the pipeline for its development.

Clifton expressed his belief that thanks to the regular income provided by license fees means that "We are a large way ahead of our rivals."

He also outlined the heavy workload at BBCi. There are over 30 million page impressions during a day. Clifton also explained that major improvements were made to the system after the website collapsed under the strain of people trying to find information as 9/11 took place. When it came to the London July bombings the system was able to cope admirably.

Pete also told the audience that he believed that user genereated content is becoming ever more important to web based journalism. In the aftermath of the seventh of July the BBC received 20,000 emails, 3,000 texts and over a thousand still photos from the public offering information and resources for use.

He also outlined plans to allow the reader to personalise what news they read by ticking boxes on what they want to know. There are also plans to set up a news ticker along the bottom that people can also use to personalise what appears. Thsi ticker would work independently of the site, as Clifton himself said, "I do not care whether they go into the site or not, as long as they are using our services."

So in short watch this space BBCi is going to have a lot of new developments over the next 12 months

Rugby World Cup Cop Out

2005-11-23T16:20:00.000Z

It has been a while since I made a post on this blog and reader there is a simple reason for this. It is nothing to do with Wales defeat to the Springboks nor England's valiant but bland efforts at stopping the All Black juggernaut on Saturday. It is to do with the cloud of rage that has hung over me since last Thursday's announcement that New Zealand will host the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Rugby, as a sport, has never been stronger. There are more bums on seats on a Saturday than ever before, more replica kits are being sold and television has never covered so many games before. Surely now was the time to increase the games global appeal, to do something new and exciting with it, to give some new nations the chance to take the game to its masses.

Quite clearly Japan should have been awarded the tournament. As they showed with their co-hosting of the 2002 Football World Cup the Japanese know how to organise a major sporting event. Hosting the tournament would have given the game a massive boost in Japan and the Far East where a massive player base is potentially available and major commercial opportunities would surely have followed.

Furthermore the reasons for the tournament being awarded to New Zealand are frankly pathetic. Syd Millar's statement that full crowds were guaranteed in New Zealand is nonsense, there were very few empty seats at any of the Football World Cup games in 2002. The excuse that the tournament will inspire a new generation of All Blacks is also absolute tripe. Rugby is the be all and end all in New Zealand there are not many kids who wake up and think "Nah, I don't fancy being an All Black."

It is just a sad fact that old friends vote for each other. The SANZAR nations obviously voted for their Tri Nations partners and it is obvious that many unions followed suit and stuck with a union that they know. It is a shame that the ballot was not open (as with IOC decisions) so that everyone could see the conspiracy that has been allowed to take place.

Rugby has set itself back at least ten years in terms of its global development and every single union who played a part in capturing the event for New Zealand should hang their heads in shame.

Kim Hollamby

2005-11-16T18:45:00.000Z

A bit late this post but nevermind.

Last Thursday Kim Hollamby Head of Electronic Media at IPC Media took the stage in our Birt Acres lecture theatre.

Hollamby's talk gave an interesting insight to how skills between print and online are likely to become increasingly transferable.

He also outlined the importance of magazines getting out there and strongly identifying just who their reader is. Hollamby gave the audience a graphic example when he gave us an example of how, while at International Boat Industry magazine.

He went on a five month sojourn around Britain on a boat. He wrote regular copy while he was on the boat but when he stopped in various ports he invited readers to come aboard and talk to him about the magazine. This therefore gave him a much clearer picture of the audience that he was writing for.

Hollamby also expressed his belief that "The reader of the future will want more than one medium through which to access their news." This is where the internet is key.

Statistics have shown that in the first half of 2005 more internet advertising space has been sold than there was in the whole of 2003.

Hollamby left us with some golden rules to use when maintaining or writing for websites.

Web content needs to be valuable to the reader.
Updates should be small but take place often.
Keyword rich content will lead to high search engine rankings putting your sit at the top of the list.
Content should be complementary to other mags.

All in all it was an enjoyable presentation and Hollamby was a very friendly and approachable man. I hope to see more of him in the future as IPC is the parent company of Rugby World magazine, my dream employer.

Autumn International Previews

2005-11-11T16:15:00.000Z

Wales v Fiji

Wales go into this fixture with the memory of last week's All Black mauling still in their minds. The home side will need to establish the solid set piece platform that they were so desperately lacking last weekend if they are to get the comfortable victory the Welsh nation expects.

Fiji have selected almost as strong a side as is available to them with Sireli Bobo sure to be a major threat on the wing, another player to watch being explosive number eight Sisa Koyamaibole.

For all the considerable individual quality within the Fijian squad expect a young but exciting Welsh side to come out on top by a comfortable margin. The dynamic back row of Dafydd Jones, Martyn Williams and skipper Michael Owen should ensure the quick ball Wales desire, while Sonny Parker and Matthew Watkins get a chance to stake a claim at centre for the next two internationals against South Africa and Australia.

Wales: Lee Byrne (Scarlets); Kevin Morgan (Dragons), Matthew Watkins (Scarlets), Sonny Parker (Ospreys), Shane Williams (Ospreys); Nick Robinson (Blues), Gareth Cooper (Dragons); John Yapp (Blues), Rhys Thomas (Blues), Chris Horsman (Worcester), Brent Cockbain (Ospreys), Luke Charteris (Dragons), Dafydd Jones (Scarlets), Martyn Williams (Blues), Michael Owen (Dragons, capt).Replacements: Huw Bennett (Ospreys), Adam Jones (Ospreys), Robert Sidoli (Blues), Alix Popham (Scarlets), Robin Sowden-Taylor (Blues), Mike Phillips (Blues), Ceri Sweeney (Dragons).

Fiji: Norman Ligairi; Mosese Luveitasau, Epeli Ruivadra, Julian Vulakoro, Sireli Bobo; Seremaia Bai, Mosese Rauluni (capt); Jo Bale, Sunia Kota, Apisai Nagi, Ifereimi Rawaqa, Isoa Domolailai, Alifereti Doviverata, Aca Ratuva, Sisa Koyamaibole.Replacements: Bill Gadolo, Tiko Matawalu, Kele Leawere, Kiniviliame Salabogi, Mosese Volavola, Aporosa Vata, Kameli Ratuvou.

Player to watch: Sireli Bobo.
One of the quickest wingers in world rugby. If Fiji stick to their trusted method of expansive rugby then expect this man to cause Wales some problems.

Prediction: Wales 48- 15 Fiji

England v Australia

Andy Robinson's charges will hope to maintain Australia's recent bad run by sending the Wallabies to a record seventh straight defeat. While England have lost four of their last six tests they will go into tomorrow's showdown as slight favourites.

Andy Sheridan gets a start after his promising performances on the Lions tour. Mark Cueto and Ben Cohen will provide strength and firepower out wide while the solid Danny Grewcock and Steve Borthwick should provide a steady stream of good lineout ball for Charlie Hodgson to move out wide.

With Mark van Gisbergen on the bench Hodgson will have to shoulder the kicking duties and will need to avoid the jitters he suffered in this fixture 12 months ago.

The Wallabies have stuck with under fire skipper George Gregan but have brought in the exciting, if erratic, Mat Rogers at fly half. Lote Tuqiri continues at centre while Drew Mitchell comes on to the wing.

Up front Hugh McMeniman gets an opportunity at second row and John Roe returns to a powerful back row including the ball winners Goerge Smith and Phil Waugh.

Whoever wins the back row battle might just come out on top in this one.

England: J Lewsey (Wasps); M Cueto (Sale), J Noon (Newcastle), M Tindall (Gloucester), B Cohen (Northampton); C Hodgson (Sale), M Dawson (Wasps); A Sheridan (Sale), S Thompson (Northampton), P Vickery (Gloucester); S Borthwick (Bath), D Grewcock (Bath); P Sanderson (Worcester), L Moody (Leicester), M Corry (Leicester, capt).
Replacements: L Mears (Bath), M Stevens (Bath), L Deacon (Leicester), C Jones (Sale), H Ellis (Leicester), O Barkley (Bath), M Van Gisbergen (Wasps).

Australia: C Latham (Queensland); M Gerrard (ACT), L Tuqiri (NSW), M Turinui (NSW), D Mitchell (Queensland; M Rogers (NSW), G Gregan (ACT, capt); M Dunning (NSW), B Cannon (WA), A Baxter (NSW), N Sharpe (WA), H McMeniman (Queensland), J Roe (Queensland), P Waugh (NSW), G Smith (ACT). Replacements: T Polata-Nau (NSW), G Holmes (Queensland), M Chisholm (ACT), S Fava (WA), C Whitaker (NSW), M Giteau (ACT), L Johannson (Queensland).

Player to watch: Drew Mitchell
Was a revelation in the Tri Nations and is an exciting counter attacking force who always beats the first tackler, if the Wallaby back row provide good ball his elusive running could cause England major problems.

Prediction: England 22- 16 Australia

Ireland v New Zealand

The All Blacks arrive in Dublin for the second leg of their Grand Slam bid full of confidence following their demolition of Wales last weekend. Graham Henry has had the luxury of changing all starting personal for the this fixture and the awesome stength in depth in New Zealand rugby can be clearly seen.

A back three including Leon McDonald, Doug Howlett and Sitiveni Sivivatu does not appear to be second string does it?

Richie McCaw returns to the back row and Keven Mealamu starts despite his role in Brian O'Dricoll's injury in the summer.

There are also two new caps in the shape of prop John Afoa and second row Jason Eaton, who has yet to start a Super 12 game.

For Ireland there are absentees in the shape of Paul O'Connell, Denis Hickie andof course O'Driscoll. Simon Easterby takes over the captaincy in the centre's absence.

Lions returnees Ronan O'Gara, Geordan Murphy, Diomacha O'Callaghan, John Hayes, Shane Byrne, Gordan D'Arcy and Shane Horgan all start.

Ireland will need a flawless performance to upset the New Zealand bandwagon but the number of changes in All Black ranks mean a bit of rustiness could play into Irish hands. However an away victory appears the only outcome.

Ireland: G Murphy, T Bowe, G D'Arcy, S Horgan, A Horgan, R O'Gara, P Stringer, M Horan, S Byrne, J Hayes, D O'Callaghan, M O'Kelly, S Easterby (capt), J O'Connor, D Leamy.Replacements: R Best, S Best, M McCullough, N Best, K Campbell, D Humphreys, G Dempsey.

New Zealand: L McDonald; D Howlett, M Nonu, A Mauger, S Sivivatu; N Evans, P Weepu; T Woodcock, K Mealamu, J Afoa; J Eaton, A Williams; S Lauaki, R McCaw (capt), M Tuiali'i.Replacements: A Hore, S Taumoepeau, C Hayman, C Jack, R So'oialo, J Cowan, M Muliaina.

Player to watch: Sione Lauaki
The powerful back rower is a dynamic runner with ball in end and is very good at doing the hard yards, expect a big performance tomorrow.

Prediction: Ireland 17- 38 New Zealand

Scotland v Argentina

New coach Frank Hadden has his first game in permanent charge after oversseing summer wins over the Barbarians and Romania. The former Edinburgh coach has stuck with much of the squad used by previous incumbent Matt Williams as he attempts to transfer good Celtic League form onto the international stage.

Jason White is made skipper while Mike Blair starts at scrum half ahead of Lions tourist Chris Cusiter. Marcus Di Rollo gets a deserved start at centre while hooker Dougie Hall and second row Craig Hamilton all get their first home starts.

The Pumas come into this game on the back of a very stron performance against South Africa in Buenos Aires where they led at half time only to lose 34-23.

Argentina have found some dangerous strike runners behind the scrum to go with their fearsome pack including Stade Francais's Juan Martin Hernandez and Edinburgh's Francesco Leonelli. Sale's Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe is a key figure up front.

Expcet a close game with the Pumas recording a famous victory.

Scotland: C Paterson, R Lamont, M Di Rollo, A Henderson, S Lamont, D Parks, M Blair, G Kerr, D Hall, B Douglas, C Hamilton, S Murray, J White (capt), S Taylor, A Hogg.Replacements: S Lawson, C Smith, A Jacobsen, A Kellock, K Brown, C Cusiter, H Southwell.

Argentina: J Hernandez, F Martin Aramburu, M Contepomi, F Contepomi, F Leonelli, F Todeschini, A Pichot (capt), R Roncero, M Ledesma, O Hasan, I Lobbe, P Bouza, M Durand, J Lobbe, M Schusterman. Replacements: M Scelzo, E Guinazu, M Carizza, J Leguizamon, N Fernandez-Miranda, L Borges, B Stortoni.

Player to watch: Chris Paterson
Had an excellent end to the Six Nations and has had a good start in the Celtic League with Edinburgh. Is a devastating runner in broken play.

Prediction: Scotland 22-27 Argentina

Pelous ban

2005-11-09T17:35:00.000Z

With so many internationals on this weekend I have decided to avoid putting all teams up on this site when they are announced, on Friday I will preview all the ome nations fixtures for the weekend.

The major news today is that France skipper Fabien Pelous has been banned for nine weeks following his elbowing of Brendan Cannon in the France v Australia fixture on Saturday. It is good to see that the IRB are actually able to hand out punishments appropriately. Pelous attack was a needless cheap shot and Cannon was off the field for 12 minutes while he was stitched back up.

However one has to question the consistency of the IRB when we equate this to other recent offences.

In the Tri-Nations encounter between South Africa and New Zealand Springbok lock Viktor Matfield hit Byron Kelleher with an illegal and extremely late tackle and yet no penalty was given and the incident was never reviewed when there was clearly a case to answer.

The most infamous recent incident is of course the Brian O'Driscoll spear tackle affair. One must question how a citing commissioner could come to the conclusion that what was done to O'Driscoll was not a red card offence meriting a lengthy ban.

So while banning the French captain is a fair punishment the IRB needs to look at being more consistent in its policies on foul play. Rugby is an ever growing sport it doesnt need its image tarnished by unpunished acts of thuggery.

England team to play Australia

2005-11-08T17:53:00.000Z

As seems customary with Andy Robinson his assertions of players being picked on form goes out the window the moment it comes to naming a team for a test match. How else do you explain some of the glaring omissions from Saturday's team to face Australia at Twickenham.

Stuart Abbot of Wasps does not make the 22 at the expense of Jamie Noon and Mike Tindall. When you consider that in a recent Powergen Cup game Tindall made five forward passes it does not bode well for English creativity in midfield.

Louis Deacon and Tom Palmer can consider themselves very unfortunate to be overlooked for the solid but uninspiring combination of Grewcock and Borthwick.

Matt Dawson is re-instated at scrum half despite the dynamism that Peter Richards has brought to Gloucester so far this season and Perry Freshwater's excellent form for Perpignan has been ignored as Mat Stevens claims the front row bench spot.

England will be looking to beat the Wallabies for the first time since the World Cup Final. The two teams met last autumn at Twickenham where the Australians emerged 21-19 victors.

The England team is as follows:
J Lewsey (Wasps); M Cueto (Sale), J Noon (Newcastle), M Tindall (Gloucester), B Cohen (Northampton); C Hodgson (Sale), M Dawson (Wasps); A Sheridan (Sale), S Thompson (Northampton), P Vickery (Gloucester), S Borthwick (Bath), D Grewcock (Bath), P Sanderson (Worcester), L Moody (Leicester), M Corry (Leicester, capt).
Replacements: L Mears (Bath), M Stevens (Bath), L Deacon (Leicester), C Jones (Sale), H Ellis (Leicester), O Barkley (Bath), M Van Gisbergen (Wasps).

New Zealand strength in depth

2005-11-08T17:40:00.000Z

I have just checked the BBC Sport website and have discovered that New Zealand have changed their entire starting line up for their encounter with Ireland at Lansdowne Road on Saturday. Yet despite all these changes the team selected is very strong.

Keven Mealamu starts at hooker despite his role in Brian O'Driscoll's removal from the first test of the Lions Series.

Dan Carter is rested and Otago's Nick Evans comes in at fly half. Despite the resting of Muliaina, Rockocoko and hat trick hero Rico Gear the New Zealand back three still contain the potent line up of Leon McDonald, Doug Howlett and Sitiveni Sivivatu.

It just goes to prove that there is no such thing as a weak New Zealand side.

I will post a preview on Friday.

The team in full is:

McDonald, Howlett, Nonu, Mauger, Sivivatu, Evans, Weepu, Woodcock, Mealamu, Afoa, Eaton, Williams, Lauaki, McCaw, Tuiali'i.Replacements: Hoare, Taumoepeau, Hayman, Jack, So'oialo, Cowan, Muliaina.

The Weekend's Results

2005-11-08T15:09:00.000Z

Well so much for a close game on Saturday.

New Zealand were utterly dominant and thoroughly deserved their crushing 41-3 victory. In Chris Jack and Dan Carter they had the two outstanding players on the field. Chris Masoe had an excellent debut, bossing the breakdown and along with Jerry Collins and Rodney So'oialo deprived Wales of the quick ball they craved.

Wales were very poor and struggled woefully in the set piece but Mike Ruddock can take comfort in the fact that it is going to take an outstanding performance from any side to beat this breed of All Blacks.

They were clinical in taking their five scores and it could have been worse had Byron Kelleher and James Ryan taken the right options when having broken the Welsh defensive line.

Wales were very rusty and suffered without the majority of their Lions. They have to regroup quickly if they are not to experience a similar result at the hands of the Springboks in just under two weeks.

Do not rule out Ruddock's men by any means. Their high octane style means that accuracy is vital to their success. That accuracy was lacking on Saturday but should it be rediscovered famous victories over both South Africa and Australia will not be out of the question.

It is hard to see anyone beating the All Blacks on this tour, at times on Saturday they were a privilege to watch.

Autumn International Previews and Predictions

2005-11-04T12:45:00.000Z

Wales v New Zealand:

Wales go into this game on the back of eight consectutive victories but that record will be severely tested by the current best side in the world. Wales are not helped by the loss of six of their Lions including Gavin Henson and RBS Six Nations player of the tournament Martyn Williams.

The All Blacks are only missing lock Ali Williams through injury although Richie McCaw is a late doubt to take his place on the bench.

If Wales are able to get enough ball to stay loyal to their exciting style of play expect this one to be close. However a near full strength New Zealand side could prove a bridge too far for Ruddock's men, in particular their great ability to attack off turnover ball through the back three of Muliaina, Gear and Rockocoko.

Whatever happens expect some Bonfire night fireworks and a very exciting game.

Teams:

Wales: G Thomas (Toulouse, capt); K Morgan (Dragons), M Taylor (Sale), C Sweeney (Dragons), S Williams (Ospreys); S Jones (Clermont-Auvergne), M Phillips (Blues); D Jones (Ospreys), M Davies (Gloucester), A Jones (Ospreys), B Cockbain (Ospreys), R Sidoli (Blues), J Thomas (Ospreys), C Charvis (Newcastle), M Owen (Dragons).Replacements: R Thomas (Blues), C Horsman (Worcester), L Charteris (Dragons), R Sowden-Taylor (Blues), G Cooper (Dragons), N Robinson (Blues), L Byrne (Scarlets).

New Zealand: M Muliaina (Auckland); R Gear (Nelsons Bay), C Smith (Wellington), T Umaga (Wellington, capt), J Rokocoko (Auckland); D Carter (Canterbury), B Kelleher (Waikato); N Tialata (Wellington), A Oliver (Otago), C Hayman (Otago), C Jack (Canterbury), J Ryan (Otago), J Collins (Wellington), C Masoe (Taranaki), R So'oialo (Wellington).Replacements: A Hore (Taranaki), T Woodcock (North Harbour), A Macdonald (Auckland), R McCaw (Canterbury), J Cowan (Southland), M Nonu (Wellington), L MacDonald (Canterbury).

Player to watch: Mike Phillips. The Blues scrum half has had an excellent season to date and will be expected to keep the All Blacks defence on their toes using his physicality to cause problems from the breakdown. His service to Stephen Jones is vital if Wales are to knock the Tri Nations champions off their perch.

Prediction: Wales 21-33 New Zealand

France v Australia

The Wallabies go into this game on the back of five defeats, their worst run since 1969. However those defeats were all against South Africa and New Zealand and the green and gold should never be written off.

The French meanwhile are looking to continue their build up to the 2007 world cup and after a Six Nations where they flattered to decieve they will be looking to start to perfrom more consistently and this game presents a great opportunity to implement that consistency. They welcome back Saracen's Thomas Castaignede after a two and a half year absence from the national set up with a place on the bench.

For the Wallabies George Gregan will take over from Jason Leonard as the most capped player of all time when he wins his 115th cap tomorrow night.

Expect the French to come out on top at home but for the Australians to make them work hard for it.

Teams:

France: Julien Laharrague (Perpignan); Aurelian Rougerie (Clermont), Florian Fritz (Toulouse), Yannick Jauzion (Toulouse), Cedric Heymans (Toulouse); Frederic Michalak (Toulouse), Jean-Baptiste Elissalde (Toulouse); Olivier Milloud (Bourgoin), Dimitri Szarzewski (Stade Francais), Pieter De Villiers (Stade Francais), Fabien Pelous (Toulouse, capt), Jerome Thion (Biarritz), Yannick Nyanga (Toulouse), Thomas Lievremont (Biarritz), Remy Martin (Stade Francais).Replacements: Sebastien Bruno (Sale/ENG), Sylvain Marconnet (Stade Francais), Lionel Nallet (Castres), Gregory Lamboley (Toulouse), Sebastien Chabal (Sale/ENG), Yann Delaigue (Castres), Thomas Castaignede (Saracens/ENG).

Australia: Chris Latham; Wendell Sailor, Lote Tuqiri, Morgan Turinui, Mat Rogers; Matt Giteau, George Gregan (captain);George Smith, Phil Waugh, Rocky Elsom, Nathan Sharpe, Mark Chisholm, Al Baxter, Brendan Cannon, Matt Dunning.Replacements: Stephen Moore, Greg Holmes, Hugh McMeniman, John Roe, Chris Whitaker, Lloyd Johansson, Drew Mitchell.

Player to watch: Dimitri Szarzewski, the hooker is a ball of energy and was a real stand out figure on France's patchy summer tour.

Prediction: France 27- 14 Australia

England 22

2005-11-03T15:23:00.000Z

Mark van Gisbergen has got a step closer to making his England debut against Australia on November 12th after being named in Andy Robinson's 22 man squad for the fixture. The London Wasps full back has suffered a drop in form in recent weeks but still makes the squad.

Robinson has named the squad early to allow him not to release the players back to their clubs for the weekend's Guiness Premiership fixtures.

Ben Cohen is also included in the 22 after his recent excellent form for Northampton while Lee Mears and the promising Leicester second row Louis Deacon are also in the squad thanks to their recent club form. Along with van Gisbergen they will win their first caps if selected.

However not all of Robinson's new blood have made the final squad with Peter Richards, James Forrester, Perry Freshwater and Tom Voyce all missing out.

Robinson was denied the services of Simon Shaw, Alex Brown and Joe Worsley through injury.

Robinson told BBC Sport: "The first XV has changed a bit but it has changed because of injuries," he said. "To lose Shaw, Brown and Worsley the balance of the pack has changed.

"But the pleasing thing is that the players who are coming in are in-form and playing really well."

The England coach also defended his decision not to release the 22 back to their clubs:

"I have no doubt about our preparations," he added. "The 22 should not be playing in a game this weekend.

"This is about elite performance. The training is a high intensity and it is right for players to have a week off. There will be no injuries so the first XV won't change."

The squad is as follows:

Backs: O Barkley (Bath), B Cohen (Northampton), M Cueto (Sale), M Dawson (Wasps), H Ellis (Leicester), C Hodgson (Sale), J Lewsey (Wasps), J Noon (Newcastle), M Tindall (Gloucester), M Van Gisbergen (Wasps).Forwards: S Borthwick (Bath), M Corry (Leicester, capt), L Deacon (Leicester), D Grewcock (Bath), C Jones (Sale), L Mears (Bath), L Moody (Leicester), P Sanderson (Worcester), A Sheridan (Sale), M Stevens (Bath), S Thompson (Northampton), P Vickery (Gloucester).

The squad is once again skippered by Leicester's Martin Corry.

Richard Burton at Cardiif Uni!

2005-11-03T13:33:00.000Z

Sadly it was not the ghost of the deceased Welsh actor, who incidentally shares a name with my grandfather, but the editor of Telegraph.co.uk who graced us with his presence in the latest instalment of the guest speakers section of online journalism.

Burton gave us a fascinating insight into situations he experiences in everyday life.

Having earned his spurs working on regional papers before moving onto Fleet Street, Burton moved into online journalism beacuse as he put it himself, "It was a job."

He explained that he finds online journalism a high pressure but exciting area in which to work and describes the internet as "a great toy."

For Burton the challenge lies in the fact that everything presented in online journalism must be of that moment. The story must give its audience what it needs to know in an instant. This is one of the reasons why The Telegraph has also began to send out SMS meesages to customers who wish to be right up to date with what is happening in the world.

He also outlined how the infinite archive space online means that a site visitor can be kept on the same sight by the use of related stories. For example, if the latest comments in the spat between Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger is the main story, links to previous disagreements can be placed as a link to allow the reader to trace the origins of the dispute if they wish. If this does not work then those stories can be changed very quickly.

Burton also expressed his belief that the internet can be a more useful tool than print, for example, if people want to read about a film the web allows them to view the trailer, see screenshots etc

However, a note of caution sounded by Burton was that, "Sometimes in the race to be first, accuracy does come second."

Despite this he also pointed out that a lot of self correcting is done after a story goes out and on occasions in online journalism a journalist can afford tobe specualtive as he/she can change his story immediately should a circumstance change. For example, early reports of the July bombings had the incident down as a power surge. Soon after stories could be changed to report the use of explosive devices.

All in all a very interesting and likeable man, and an excellent talk.

Wales and New Zealand name teams

2005-11-02T16:24:00.000Z

Ahead of one of the most anticipated games of the autumn both Wales and New Zealand have named their teams for Saturday's Millennium Stadium encounter.

The home side, who have been hit by injuries and withdrawls by no fewer than 6 of their Lions contingent, are looking to record their first win over the kiwis in 52 years.

Among the changes forced on coach Mike Ruddock are Duncan Jones retaining his place at looshead prop from the summer tour to North America and Colin Charvis taking the place of Martyn Williams at openside flanker as the Blues player recovers from the recent loss of his mother.

There is a first Millennium Stadium start for Blues scrum-half Mike Phillips while Ceri Sweeney and Mark Taylor fill the vacancies left by the injured Gavin Henson and Tom Shanklin.

The uncapped duo of Lee Byrne and Chrish Horsman are both on the bench and in line for their first caps.

Coach Mike Ruddock told the BBC website:“Mike was a vital member of our squad during the Six Nations last season, when Gareth Cooper was out injured, and he has earned a place in the starting line-up based on those performances and the form he has showed both in North America and for Cardiff Blues in recent matches.

“Ceri Sweeney and Mark Taylor acquitted themselves extremely well in North America and we are pleased to be able to bring some continuity from that tour into this campaign."

The All Blacks have no such problems and have named a strong XV. Of their household names only Richie McCaw miises out, replaced by Taranaki openside Chris Masoe who along with prop forward Neemia Tiatala will win their first caps on Saturday.

The side is once again captained by Tana Umaga with Dan Carter returning from a broken leg sustained in the Tri-Nations.

Coach Graham Henry also told BBC Sport: "Our objective is development. If the slam happens that'll be a bonus really.

"If we do things right and play one game at a time and try to develop players for the future, that's our objective.

"What we are trying to achieve is to develop some depth across the park so that we have got a couple of guys in each position who can play international rugby."

The teams are as follows:

Wales: G Thomas (Toulouse, capt); K Morgan (Dragons), M Taylor (Sale), C Sweeney (Dragons), S Williams (Ospreys); S Jones (Clermont-Auvergne), M Phillips (Blues); D Jones (Ospreys), M Davies (Gloucester), A Jones (Ospreys), B Cockbain (Ospreys), R Sidoli (Blues), J Thomas (Ospreys), C Charvis (Newcastle), M Owen (Dragons).Replacements: R Thomas (Blues), C Horsman (Worcester), L Charteris (Dragons), R Sowden-Taylor (Blues), G Cooper (Dragons), N Robinson (Blues), L Byrne (Scarlets).

New Zealand: M Muliaina (Auckland); R Gear (Nelsons Bay), C Smith (Wellington), T Umaga (Wellington, capt), J Rokocoko (Auckland); D Carter (Canterbury), B Kelleher (Waikato); N Tialata (Wellington), A Oliver (Otago), C Hayman (Otago), C Jack (Canterbury), J Ryan (Otago), J Collins (Wellington), C Masoe (Taranaki), R So'oialo (Wellington).Replacements: A Hore (Taranaki), T Woodcock (North Harbour), A Macdonald (Auckland), R McCaw (Canterbury), J Cowan (Southland), M Nonu (Wellington), L MacDonald (Canterbury).

Zinzan Brooke- another one eyed kiwi

2005-11-01T17:51:00.000Z

A cursory glance at the BBC brought my attention to ex All Black number eight Zinzan Brooke's column about New Zealand's upcoming Grand Slam tour. Naturally he thinks that a blackwash is almost inevitable it is his comments bout last year's South Africa side that really get the blood boiling.
Brooke points out that prior to South Africa's second game on their 2004 tour against Ireland, coach Jake White made some rather derogatory comments regarding the ability of players within the Ireland squad. Ireland of course secured a famous 17-12 victory and Brooke believes that White's comments were a great way "to motivate the opposition."
Fair point but isn't Zinzan forgetting something here. I seem to remember that in the first minute of a rather important test in the summer Irish rugby's golden boy was unceremoniously dumped on his neck in a dangerous, thuggish and illegal act by two All Black palyers. Neither were reprimanded and the recent airing of a video showing the incident from a new angle has only added to the sense of injustice.
So when the All Blacks pitch up at Lansdowne Road on the 12th November does Zinzan not think that the events of the summer will act as a great tool 'to motivate the opposition'?
Come on Zinzan open up your other eye.

Heineken Cup

2005-10-31T22:43:00.000Z

Another interesting week of Heineken Cup rugby draws to a close with only one Welsh side posting a win, and a narrow one at that.
Sadly due to the lack of Sky television, and large amount of work for my course, I was limited to watching only one game in my local on Saturday. It saw Biarritz defeat Ulster by 33 points to 19. Nothing remarkable there you might say but I though Ulster excelled in the circumstances in which they found themsleves.
Normally a rather dull and dour side in recent Celtic League seasons, coach Mark McCall seems to have tried to open up the way his side play the game and they are certainly all the better for it. After being 17-3 down after 14 minutes they looked to be in big trouble yet with ten minutes to go they were only 23-19 adrfit. They just run out of gas in the last few minutes.
They have some players who will certainly be worth looking out for in the autumn internationals. Flanker Neil Best was excellent and wingers Tommy Bowe and Andrew Trimble always looked dangerous. With David Humphreys at the helm its a strong team and on the back of their excellent start to the Celtic League season they may be worth a punt among betting men.
It will be tough for them to qualify from their pool but if they manage to beat Saracens home and away in the next round of Heineken Cup pool matches is December then who knows.
It was really refreshing to see an Irish side try to keep the ball in hand and move it around, particularly after watching Munster and Ireland rely on a good pack and Ronan O'Gara to grind sides down.
Long may Ulster continue in this vein.

RFU Shenanigans

2005-10-28T23:28:00.000Z

The seemingly endless row between the RFU and the English Rugby Premeriship continues to rumble on. Be it Lions money, international breaks or the number of England squad days permitted, these two sides will argue tooth and nail.
Following Francis Baron's statement that the row could harm England's World Cup defence in 2007 (which if you ask me is also under threat from inadequate coaching and poor selection) the RFU have now sent out a team of mediators, including England coach Andy Robinson to try and resolve the dispute.
There is a hope that new Long Form Agreement can be reached. This agreement would mean an agreed number of England training days, despite a figure of 16 being agreed which the RFU intitially had said would be the required amount for a World Cup defence.
Hopefully the despute can be resolved and the World Champions can get on with the task of building for the defence of their crown.
Based on recent form that will prove to be a tough enough task without internal bickering.

Phil Davies

2005-10-28T23:10:00.000Z

Yesterday Phil Davies announced his intention to hand over duties as Head Coach of Leeds Tykes to a new face after being in the job since 1996. Davies will take a Director of Rugby role once his successor is found.
The Tykes have had a dreadful start to the season, failing to win a game in any competition to date, and Davies has obviously decided now is the right time.
It has been disappointing to hear some Tykes fans views that he should depart the club completely. Maybe some of those fans should consider that when Davies took over Leeds were an average National League Three team. By 2001 they were in the Premiership, they made their Heineken Cup bow in 2003 and won the Powergen Cup with a 20-12 victory over Bath in April of this year.
That is quite a transformation and without Davies Leeds would not be where they are today.
Davies is already tipped to possibly join Mike Ruddock's Welsh set up should he leave the Tykes or take a role with one of the regions. Should that be the case there are many in Welsh rugby who will be glad to see the old warhorse back.

Gavin and his book

2005-10-27T23:03:00.000Z

This seems to be the most talked about topic in rugby at the moment so it would be rude for me not to tell you all what I think:

As a professional Henson is entitled to do whatever he wants regarded selling of books, DVDs etc The content is also all down to him, no-one has the right to tell him he cannot comment on the Lions or Wales, in particular as the Lions 100 day secrecy agreement has ended. In this sense he has not done anything wrong.

However the possible disharmony that some of his comments could lead to in both the Wales and Ospreys camps is a serious issue. Players such as Brent Cockbain and Sonny Parker, who have both given 100% when playing for Wales cannot be pleased at their clubmate suggesting they do not deserve to wear a red jersey.

At a time when Welsh rugby needs to make the next step from its Grand Slam success to take on the global powers they face this autumn the comments are potentially very harmful.

Further added to this are his allegations that Brian O'Driscoll attempted to gouge him during the Wales v Ireland fixture in March 2005 and various broadsides at unnamed Lion colleagues are likely to lead to reprisals at some stage, whether they be on or off the field of play.

Mike Ruddock and the WRU hierarchy have expressed some concern about the book and rightly so. Hopefully this incident will not damage Henson's future as a rugby player and he will get back to doing what he does best.

Wales squad named

2005-10-27T18:22:00.000Z

A couple of days ago Mike Ruddock named his Wales squad for the forthcoming autumn international series. The series begins with the November 5th clash with New Zealand at the Millennium Stadium. For a full list check out the WRU or BBC Sport websites.
One notable inclusion is Llanelli Scarlets full back Lee Byrne. Byrne was not in the Scarlets first XV before the season began and now he deservedly finds himself in the Wales squad barely two months later. He is a real up and coming talent and has scored four tries so far this season, including a great score against Munster where he made up a lot of ground to make the extra man to go over in the corner.
It does mean that Rhys Williams misses out, but it is good to see that despite recent success Ruddock is more than happy to pick the people in form.