Contrasting Rugby With American Football

I found this column from an American writer,  Jack Bechta,  who wrote an article on "Rugby vs The NFL". (Pics above from USA-Italy at the Rugby World Cup in Nelson, including USA captain Todd Clever)I thought some of the things each sport can learn from the other made some interesting reading:
http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Rugby-vs-The-NFL.html

The article also had video of a nice try Clever scored while playing sevens for the USA.

Bechta takes the IRB to task compared to how the NFL is managed. Rugby and the rugby culture are unique, but that does not mean that the two entities cannot learn from each other. The statistic that should make the NFL red-faced is the number of rugby players pursuing post graduate degrees.

Rugby fans have to be happy with the recent World Cup, but the long and short of it is, the sport can do better.

Rugby World Cup Final: Redemption at Eden Park

There have been so many story lines at this 2011 Rugby World Cup: Injuries to key players, referee controversies, inspired play by Samoa and Wales, increased offense, the biggest upset in Rugby World Cup history and the hopes of a nation of 4.5 million souls hoping to lift the Webb Ellis Trophy. I was lucky enough to have been in New Zealand for almost two weeks, and was able to see three games with my wife.(USA-Australia, USA-Italy and Scotland-Argentina) As I went from Wellington to Palmerston North, to the wine country of Martinborough, to Nelson, to Abel Tasman and Picton, I saw an entire nation behind it's national rugby team...

I think the word redemption is an appropriate one after the All Blacks ground out an 8-7 win over a gutty French side. France was in need of some serious redemption in they eyes of many rugby fans-this writer included. I have given them a lot of stick for their unimaginative play, their lack of leadership from their coach, losing to Tonga 19-14 in the preliminary rounds, and to being somewhat lucky to have defeated an inspired Welsh side playing 3/4 of the game a man down.

In an epic story, every hero has to have a nemesis. France, for whatever reason, almost always seem to come up big against the All Blacks in Rugby World Cup play. In most matches, if you can hold a side to 8 points, you should win the game most of the time. France simply played inspired rugby. They hit everything wearing a black jersey with all of their might. Dusautoir(just named IRB Player of the Year) was a tackling machine, just like he was in 2007's upset win Cardiff. Like the win in Wales, he also scored a try on Sunday, but it was not enough. François Trinh-Duc, in Lievremont's dog house this World Cup, had to come on for an injured Morgan Parra at Eden Park, and he played his best match of the tournament. France may have lost-but nobody will question their heart after almost breaking Kiwi hearts at Eden Park.

Stephen Donald was not even supposed to be on this All Black side on Sunday. Yet with All Black #10's being chewed up and spit out with injuries during the World Cup, Donald found himself replacing an injured Aaron Cruden in the World Cup final. The collective sense of dread at Eden Park had to be palpable as he trotted on the field. With Weepu misfiring his kicks at goal, Stephen Donald ended up with a battle-field promotion and hit the penalty in the 45th minute, which would end up being the difference in the game.

The All Blacks, by any yardstick, have been the best team in the World for the past 7 years in terms of winning percentage, Tri Nations trophies-but the NZRU headquarters in Wellington have been waiting for the return of the Webb Ellis Trophy. The All Blacks found redemption after coming up short in 1999,2003 and 2007. They were the best team of the tournament, and I think deserved their victory.

It was just a wonderful tournament. I am happy for New Zealand, the All Blacks and their fans. It's been a miserable year in the land of the Long White Cloud. Let the celebrations begin...

PS-I wonder if there are going to be a bunch of World Cup babies being born 9 months from now?

Final Cheap Shot Before New Zealand-France

While we were in New Zealand, I grew to become a big fan of the "Yeah Right" add campaign that the New Zealand Brewer Tui Beer came up with. I must confess to enjoying a few cold Tui's( as well as Speights and Mac's) during my time in New Zealand.

Our hostess in Lower Hutt, Annette, alerted me to this latest of the Tui "Yeah Right" campaign. I loved it because it not only speaks about the somewhat star-crossed relationship New Zealand has had with France on the Rugby pitch, and also the political arena, for those who remember the French bombing of the Rainbow Warrior in Auckland Harbor.

A little bit of fun before the All Blacks take on France for the Rugby World Cup title in about 7 hours.

Who says that Kiwis don't have a sense of humor.

Last Wallaby Standing....

Well, the third place game at the Rugby World Cup between Wales and Australia was an entertaining affair, in my opinion.

The 21-18 victory by the Wallabies gives them a Bronze medal from this Rugby World Cup. Wales, once again will rue the number of missed kicks at post. It cost them against France, and it cost them again against Robbie Deans' men in gold.

It really was a battered Australian side that survived. They had to get through this game without Kurtley Beale, who re-injured his hamstring, and the Wallaby-Kiwis-Love-to Hate, Quade Cooper blew out his knee in the first half. Berrick Barnes was the man of the match for the Wallabies, he scored a drop goal, a try, and after Cooper had to leave the game, he was a calming influence in the Wallaby back line. James O'Connor had a very solid game at the wing, and Wales would love to have somebody who could be as dependable of a kicker as O'Connor has become for the Wallabies.

You knew that the Welsh were going to be up against it in this match. Wales just does not have a ton of depth, and it was clear they missed their captain, Warburton in this match. As a fan you had to admire Shane Williams being able to score a try in what will almost certainly be his last Rugby World Cup match. At the end of the game, it was evident that there was no way that Wales could win, but yet at the end of the game, the Welsh pushed hard for the try, they put over 30 phases of ball together before Leigh Halfpenny was able salvage some Welsh pride in what has been a very, very surprising World Cup for Warren Gatland's men in red. Wales may have lost this match, but they gained a lot of fans in this tournament. I also think that they have to be really looking forward to the Six Nations in February.

Australia had to take some serious stick in this tournament for losing to Ireland in the preliminary round and the antipathy of Kiwi fans against Quade Cooper. The Wallabies also have a bright future, I think. A Bronze medal from the Wallabies-including a win over the defending champion Springboks-is a bit of a salve for any wounds left over from the semi-final loss to the All Blacks.

This match was a bit of an appetizer for Sunday's final between France and New Zealand. I know my appetite is very keen after this.

The IRB Got One Right: Craig Joubert to Ref the Final

The IRB can be the whipping post for rugby fans the world over for a variety of perceived offenses. When the word came out that the South African whistle-blower will ref this Sunday's Rugby World Cup final between France and New Zealand, I cannot think of too many people who can complain about his body of work in this RWC.  I thought he showed a steady hand in the All Blacks-Wallabies semi-final, and I also felt that his work in preliminary round games was quite good.

International rugby is very different from almost any other sport that I can think of. First of all, rugby is a very, very difficult came to officiate: You have 30 players on the field, there is all kinds of activity going on at the breakdown and mauls, you have to keep track of who is onside and offisde-which is very fluid during the game, you have to be conscious of player safety in tackles( Alain Rolland got roasted over the coals over the game-changing red card he showed Welsh Captain Warburton) and in scrums. You have a very physical game played by players who are increasingly bigger, faster and stronger than what they were even compared players from the 1999 Rugby World Cup.(Don't believe me? Take a look at video from 1999, and compare it to what you see now)

The other thing that makes international rugby different is that the match officials are known by name, face and reputation even to the most casual fan. I don't think you see that in any other sport. One thing about the Rugby World Cup is that the IRB does not try to be politically correct and have referees from lesser rugby nations referee top-flight matches at the World Cup-unlike what you see at the FIFA World Cup.(How somebody from Mali or Uzbekistan not refereeing in a top league is given the right to call a World Cup game escapes me.) At least the referees picked for the RWC ply their trade in a Super 15, Top 14, Magner's League or Guinness Premiership Rugby competition.

I have refereed high school soccer and wrestling, so I have more than a little familiarity with the second-guessing that goes on the minute you go out to midfield/the middle of a mat and place a whistle around your neck. Like any tough job, I can appreciate when somebody does the job well. I was afraid that the IRB would balk at having Joubert referee two games in a row involving the All Blacks, but I think they got this one right.(Joubert becomes the second South African to referee a RWC Final. André Watson officiated two finals)

For those who are curious about such things, here is how the rest of the line-up looks for this weekend's Bronze Medal and Championship matches at this Rugby World Cup 2011:

Wales-Australia
Wayne Barnes-Head Official
Touch Judges: Romain Poite and George Clancy

New Zealand-France
Criag Joubert-Head Offical
Touch Judges-Alain Rolland(Also the alternate official should Joubert be incapacitated) and Nigel Owens.

Television Match Official-Guilio de Santis

Let's hope that on Monday morning, rugby fans will be talking about the play of the All Blacks or the French, and not about the competence of the referee.

51

Settling into the routine here in Delaware, where I will be working for the next 3 months. Just me, the Missus and Buddha the Bulldog.

The Calendar says that I am 51 today.  I keep asking myself when I will start acting like an adult? When I look in the mirror and see the increasing amount of grey on my head, I should feel older-but I don't. I cannot help but think back that 30 years ago today, I turned 21 in Montpellier, France, where I was spending my Junior year abroad. That year in France was a watershed moment in my life. It's also where I saw my first ever rugby game on TV: France playing Wales at the old Cardiff Arms Park. It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen. It planted a seed in the back of my mind that would not come to fruition until many years later, but getting involved with rugby and the rugby blogosphere back in 2006 has been just a blessing.

I do know this: I have a wonderful wife, two great kids, an amazing grandson, a fantastic daughter-in-law, and fantastic people I have been able to meet thanks to rugby and the blogosphere.  Being able to meet Slugso and Scotty in NZ(along with Slugso's very fun wife, Fiona) was just a wonderful thing. I could not have imagined it when I started my original nursedude blog site back in 2006.

I just got done with a fantastic trip to Australia and New Zealand-a real adventure for me and the Red-Head. I have now been to two Rugby World Cups-I took the entire family to France back in 2007- and I am planning on making it to England for 2015. 

One of the downers for this past year has been that doing my travel nurse gig has made it hard for me to play rugby. I am glad I was able to get a run in for the Metropolis Old Boys against the Old Laurentians from Rugby, England back in April.

At any rate, I am thankful to still be vertical and in good health, and look forward to blogging another year.

All Black and Blue

At the time I took this picture of a French painter working on an All Black mural in Wellington,  most people were thinking that New Zealand would make the final of this 2011 Rugby World Cup. Not many people would have fancied the painter's compatriots making it to the final against the hosts, given their dodgy form in the preliminary round. Well, in sport, just as in life, truth can be stranger than fiction; given that Les Bleus will play the All Blacks, in a re-play of the 1987 final. (Australia will play Wales for 3rd place, just like in 1987, as well)

As for Sunday's semi-final between the Wallabies and All Blacks, the game started with Quade Cooper putting the opening kick-off straight into touch, giving the All Black pack a chance to send a message to the sometimes maligned Wallaby scrum.  The All Blacks opened the game with a physicality and focus that was amazing. They put the Wallabies on their back foot for the first 20 minutes-the game was played almost entirely in the Wallaby defensive zone.

All Black Fullback Israel Dagg and wing Cory Jane were fantastic. They were flawless in fielding anything that Quade Cooper and his mates kicked at them. Australia is a place where they have a reputation of being great at fielding balls in the air, but I have to say that in watching Dagg and Jane operate, they looked almost like Aussie rules football players with the way they were able to take the high ball.

Dagg was also a blistering runner. It was actually a run by Dagg down the right tryline and deft dish to Ma'a Nonu that gave the All Blacks the only try of the game.

Piri Weepu had a good game in the field at scrum-half for the Kiwis-but his gun sites were off as he missed some penalties that could have had the game all but buried in the first half. Aaron Cruden, the young fly half added a drop goal and did what the All Blacks needed-they did not need Cruden to create magic like Dan Carter, but all they needed for him was to NOT make any mistakes-and he fit the bill perfectly, making his tackles stick and making the good strategic kicks when he had to.

For me, the most dangerous Wallaby was Digby Ioane. The Queensland wing ran hard, and on more than one occasion, was able to penetrate deep with some physical runs.

This was a game that was not for the faint of heart. The hitting and physicality of this semi-final was formidable, to say the least. South African referee Joubert(Who I felt did a great job-I hope the IRB assigns him to ref the final) was sending people off the pitch to the blood bin with great regularity. The close-ups of the banged up, bloodied players made them look almost like Mixed Martial Arts fighters.

In the end, a 20-6 win for New Zealand was probably more relief than joy for the players and nerve-wracked Kiwis at Eden Park and watching on their TV's, but the All Blacks are THIS close to accomplishing what they set out to do. It has to be a tough thing to carry the expectations, hopes and desires of your countrymen, but Graham Henry's players seem more than up to the task

Rendez-vous with Les Bleus next Sunday at Eden Park in Auckland. Let the build-up begin. It now becomes a battle of nerves between the All Blacks and France. The All Blacks looking to get a gorilla sized monkey off their back. France looking to see if the 3rd time will be the charm for a team searching to lift their first-ever Webb Ellis trophy.