4th and Long

Firstly, forgive my absence over the past few weeks. Outside commitments have made it difficult for me to post as often as I'd like. Rest assured, I will be writing a full overview on the Rugby World Cup 2007, and will certainly focus a spotlight on where I felt it went wrong for the Irish team.

But for now, we will focus on the Final itself. England and South Africa. The Pommies and the Springboks. Dammit. How the bloody hell did this happen? England back in a final, THE final? How?

The English play the worst brand of rugby imaginable. For all the media gusto surrounding the team, they play 10-man rugby. Shirts with 11-15 on them are defensive bodies, and are certainly not in the gameplan. The much vaunted Jason Robinson is a counter-attacker. Nothing more. Cueto, Catt, Tait and Sackey are there to tackle. Sackey might be fortunate enough to see an occasional cross-field kick, but there is no intent to move the ball outside from an English perspective. This is deja-vu gone horribly, horribly wrong.

Clive Woodward was smiling on Sky News this morning. The Legacy he has left England - that of being the most horribly, boring, uninspired, one dimensional team in World Rugby - has yielded a second trip to the game's showpiece. How? What way has the tournament conspired to rob us of the great free-flowing teams of the game? I cannot believe I am about to write this, but where are the All Blacks to save us from this fate?

Sadly, England will do what England do best, the 10 man game. For the rugby novices among you, this school of thought is often employed by coaches whose teams are big, have a kicker, but generally suck when it comes to stringing two passes together between rucks. For the record, other teams who used it at this tournament include Namibia, Japan and Romania. Hell, even Georgia were willing to throw the ball wide on occasion. England won't. In Wilkinson, they have an out-half with a monster boot and a mind hell-bent on using it.

Add to the mix a forward pack that, granted, is the envy of many rugby teams, and you have a pretty potent weapon. Note I say weapon and not arsenal. Which is a word that can be aptly used to describe the South Africans. They're a backline built of speed and width. Give these guys turnover ball and they are absolutley lethal, as Argentina found out to their cost. They have a scrum half who reads the game better anyone right now and two wingers with speed to burn. Where they fall short is at out half. Butch James is a weak link in this Springbok team. If the English back row can get to him - and given the relative strength of the packs, you would have to say it is a distinct possibility - and unsettle him early, you could easily find yourself watching a one-score game with 20 minutes to play.

In such a scenario, you would have to back England to win it. I, for one, cannot stand the thought of 4 more years of hearing every BBC commentator talk about World Champions for 5 weeks in February, or everytime Joe Worsley touches the ball during a Heineken Cup match. In an open game, the Boks will win comfortably. In a tight match, England by less than a penalty. I'm hoping South Africa do not underestimate this English side on the basis of the group match. Now England have an out half, they are a very different beast. But I do expect the Boks to take the same game plan and spread the ball wide. If they do that early and often, I think they can win.

Yeah, Fantasy Football has not been kind to me these opening two weeks. I'll admit there was improvement the second week, but sadly this time I faced all my opponents and came out 1-2. I can't for the life of me understand Tom Brady. The Patriots went out and got him a great offensive arsenal of receivers, yet he only focusses on one, Moss. And as for Steven Jackson, the less said the better. Anyways, my three teams, their weeks reviewed and potential changes for week 3.

Mud Dogs (L 89-117; 1-1)

So that abysmally low total in Week 1 wasn't a once off, but it is improving. I was deeply hampered by the last minute decision to sacrifice my Eagles Defence in favour of the Cincinnati Bengals. Honestly, who among you out there saw the Browns scoring 51 points on Offense? Anyways, that switch got quickly reversed. I also traded away Kicker Olindo Mare (NO), managing to land Shane Graham (Cin) as his replacement. The Saints struggling offense has severely surtailed the usefulness of Mare, while the Bengals Offense has been potent enough, even if it's Defense hasn't. Drew Brees (NO) continues to disappoint me at QB, but Matt Schaub (Hou) was recently released to the waiver wire. If I can land him, he could be a good start this weekend.

Legion (L 80-122; 0-2)

Yeah, this was the team I thought I had gotten so right. Turns out I got it so wrong. Orlando Pace's (StL)  season ending injury has hurt me two-fold. Marc Bulger (StL) was sacked 5 times on Sunday, while his RB, Steven Jackson posted just 70 yards. I've decided to cut my losses here, and Bulger is now being touted for a trade. With Jeff Garcia (TB) and Jason Campbell (Was) on Free Agency, there is a good chance of getting a decent back-up QB while I start Philip Rivers (SD). If I can land a decent wideout in return for Bulger, it would certainly help - Stallworth (NE) and Lee Evans (Buf) have between them posted just 4 fantasy points this year. Fortunately, I did get some production from Edgerrin James (Ari) and my Denver Defense. Adam Vinatieri (Ind) somehow showed up on the waiver wire during week 2, and I managed to add him in time to benefit from his 3 field goal game against Tennessee. Derrick Ward will get a start in week 3, after two solid weeks filling in at RB for the Giants. Fingers crossed for this one, above all else, I need to salvage some pride. And fast.

Dragons (W 111-104; 2-0)

Ok, so this team was an after-thought, but thank Jaysus for it! Steve Smith (Car) and Andre Johnson (Hou) between them accounted for over half my weekly score. Aptly boosted by Willis MacGahee's (Bal) 90 yard, 1 TD performance, I was onto a winner long before Donovan McNabb (Phi) posted 255 all purpose yards on Monday night. The worrying factor remains LaDanian Tomlinson (SD) and his 2.9 yards per carry statistic. Granted, opening games against such run adverse Defenses as Chicago and New England dont help matters, but I expected more from the shoe-in No. 1 pick in all drafts. LaMont Jordan (Oak) posted 159 rushing yards against Denver, which, considering he's facing a soft Browns defense this Sunday will probably see him start. I'm reluctant to tamper with this side too much, a winning record is a winning record and I'm facing the worst team in the league this time around. Still, it's good to have a 2-0 team.

Eddie O'Sullivan's receding hairline may well be a natural phenomenon, but it can't have been helped when Georgia came within the depth of Denis Leamy's chest of scalping his Irish side. It was a performance that had the entire nation pulling their hair out, and one that had me take a full 3 days to write about. And in truth, I still don't know what to write about it. So I won't. Let's leave it at a "fair play to Georgia, and our boys never do anything the easy way" and move on.

And so I will, at least as far as the cull. Yesterday, O'Sullivan turned to Eoin Reddan to fix the problems. The cull, in fact never came about. Eddie made three changes, two of which were enforced through injury. Rory Best's injured hand has seen him ruled out for three weeks, so Flannery comes into the spot that most (myself included) feel is rightfully his. Denis Hickie bruised his left knee in the victory and is also ruled out, Andrew Trimble replacing him.

So what we have left is that Peter Stringer is the sole victim of Eddie's scythe. Now, to put all the blame on Stringer for two atrocious performances is more than a little unfair. It is not the Munsterman's fault that the wingers can't catch a pass, or that the front row lost possession everytime they took it into contact. But the common perception is that the last two games have been the worst of Stringer's international career. And from where I was sitting, that perception is spot on. Where I applaud O'Sullivan is that he has reached for Eoin Reddan over Isaac Boss. Boss is a sniping scrum half, but I don't think he can pass well enough at this level. With Reddan, we don't know yet because there isn't sufficient evidence. But based on his Heineken Cup and Zurich Premiership performances, he falls somewhere between Boss and Stringer in that he is both a Sniper and a Passer, but has a better balanced game because he doesn't excel at one at the expense of the other.

Looking elsewhere, there was ample opportunity to make changes in the back row - the one position where Ireland have a wealth of depth. Leamy probably just about deserves his spot. But Easterby has been completely anonymous so far. And Wallace has been only marginally better. Neil Best, Stephen Ferris and Alan Quinlan must wonder what has to happen for them to get into the team. The second row is also in need of a re-think. O'Connell on his day is peerless in World Rugby. That day must be this Friday. His selection is a given, but not one based on form. Donnacha O'Callaghan does not bring to the table what Big Paul can, and has not excelled against the lesser lights. It is, therfore, time to call on Malcolm O'Kelly. O'Kelly has always delivered when the chips are down, and this Firday is do or die for Ireland.

It is hard to see where changes could be made elsewhere on the field. Trimble would have started regardless of Hickie's fitness, but Eddie knows the difference in class between the likes of Horgan, D'Arcy et al and Gavin Duffy. His hand is forced in regards to selection at 10, 12, 13 and 14. The toss up between Dempsey and Murphy at Full Back was decided last Spring when Murphy missed a soft tackle on Ibanez for the first Try in Croke Park. There are no selection issues at prop because there are no props to come in.

So, with all that negativity in mind, what can we expect this Friday? Well, firstly, France are on a mission. They made this very clear in their 87-10 drubbing of Namibia. Imagine the reaction to France not getting out of the Pool. In any World Cup, it would be a lynchable offence in Toulouse, but in the World Cup that France are hosting? Laporte would be exiled, Fabian Pelous put to work in a soup kitchen, Raphael Ibanez forced to pick up discarded beer cans and recycle them for his livelihood. Defeat to Ireland on Friday means elimination from the World Cup.

From a French point of view, it is difficult to see that happen. From an Irish point of view, it is even harder to see where an upset is going to come from. As I have repeatedly said, this Irish team is out of form at the minute. It will take something extraordinary to rescue it. I don't see it happening. Therefore, by simple extrapilation, Ireland will effectively be out of this competition.

The failure to secure a bonus point against the Georgians has massive implications for us and its a blow I don't think we will recover from. Put simply, we must beat France to advance. Failure to do so will leave too great a task fro this team to accomplish, and we will be left to pack away the Tricolours and stare enviously at the rest of the Pools in this World Cup. Look at the English.

Brian Ashton is so confident of qualification for the Quarter-Finals that he refuses to play with an Out-Half. I watched their game against the 'Boks on Friday and was shocked at just how bad a team they have become. When Juan Smith crossed for a sixth minute Try, England's gameplan went out the window - the 0-0 draw was off the cards. Ashton's failure to call up a Fly-Half in the wake of Olly Barkley's injury is baffling, and for World Champions, a sackable offence. Ashton's problem though is that English rugby is suffering greatly from Clive Woodward Syndrome - the rugby equivalent of the Jack Charlton Effect.

When Martin Johnson lifted the Webb Ellis Trophy 4 years ago, he had achieved it by virtue of playing the most boring, ugly brand of rugby imaginable. They had mauled and kicked their way to victory. Nothing wrong with that, you might say, but there was no flair, no free flowing aspect to their game. Quick hands were abandoned for slow yards. What the new generation of English players learned was that that is how you win rugby matches. Back play was abandoned in favour of brawn up front. All you needed was an Out Half. Well, last Friday, England came unstuck because they had no Out Half. Not just that, they did not have a pack to establish forward dominance. They had one option left - back play. And there was the problem. In spite of having a Centre at 10, England could not create an opening because they have forgotten how to play rugby the way it should be played.

Is Ashton worried? No, he is talking about a must-win game against the mighty Samoa. He doesn't have to worry about Argentina breathing down his neck, or France holding the key to his qualification.

No, this time around, Eddie has been dealt a short hand. But in just two weeks, talk has turned from being possible finalists to catching the early flight home. Everyone was aware of the difficulties involved in this Group, but O'Sullivan hasn't helped his cause. He's kidding himself if he thinks France and Argentina will.

Something struck me on Wednesday night. Something odd, and kind of disturbing. I can't get access to the Rugby World Cup. This is the worst covered sporting event the planet has ever seen. And for the life of me, I can't fathom why. Rugby is a major sport in this part of the world, and with the greatest tournament currently in progress 2 hours flying time away, I am unable to view a match.

Is this because the Television channels don't want to cover it? Or because the IRB has screwed up Royally in it's distribution rights? Ok, ok, IF I had cable and paid for Setanta Sports, I could watch every game live. But I don't want to sign up for a 12 month contract to watch 1 month's worth of Sporting action. In the last 2 days, 4 games have been played. Not one has been covered by terrestrial TV. Compare this with the Soccer World Cup 15 months ago. You literally could not turn on a television without seeing something soccer related. It didn't matter who was playing, it was physically impossible to not find any game live on TV. Terrestrial TV.

Yesterday, Fiji and Japan served up a 7 try thriller, which went the way of the Fijians 35-31. By all accounts, it was an enthralling, action packed encounter. TV coverage? TV3 showed 4 of the tries in their abbreviated sports bulletin at 10:30pm. I'm not sure what UTV did, but I certainly would have noticed even an extended highlights package. God knows I spent long enough looking for one. But don't think its just the "Tier Two" nations that are being ignored. Oh, no. Wales versus Canada was dismissed as not fit for live viewing. We, the televisual community, are being robbed of some great Rugby! And let's not forget what has become of the George Hook and Brent Pope analysis. Twinkle Toes Costello and Trevor Brennan do not even come close to being adequate replacements.

Personally, I find it appalling that the IRB have decided to go down this road. The modern emergence of Rugby as a fashionable sport is due solely to increased television coverage. The RFU in England spent 2 years broadcasting their domestic league games through a satellite provider and noticed the drops in attendance. They could not wait to get back to the BBC and get thir product back in to people's living rooms.

What is most galling about this is that we are being deprived of the joy of watching the best of the best play the game. TV3 have only got rights to Ireland's matches. We are not being given the choice of sitting in and watching New Zealand or Australia. Imagine a soccer World Cup where Brazil are not being shown. Rugby needs the exposure. Children will not be inspired to play the game if they do not see the best that there is. By selling out to the Pay Per View channels, the IRB are doing all that they can to nullify whatever benefits they might have gained from this tournament. They might get the money now, but it is the fans that will suffer. And in the long run, so will the IRB.

Okay, week one was not a great introduction to this for me. 3 leagues, and a 2-1 record might seem ok, but the reality is, I'd have got my ass handed to me in a second match if my opponent had have had a legal roster. More worryingly, a number of who I believed to be Key Players under-performed.

My Mud-Dogs (I watched The Waterboy the night before I entered the team) team won by default, thankfully, but was badly hit by 2 factors - general poorness of New Orleans and me not knowing what I was doing. The lesson was learned when I checked my replacements - Adrian Peterson (Min) and Plaxico Burress (NYG) combined for more points than my starting line-up combined. The lesson is learned. Peterson's match-up with Detroit pushes him into the line-up ahead of Cedric Benson (Chi) who I will wait and see if he can handle the starting role. In fairness, I think he will, and judging him against San Diego's defence is probably wrong. I have concerns about starting Burress, but feel I have little choice with Donte Stallworth (NE) up against a mean San Diego defense. In Stallworth's favour is the fact that Brady will still spread the ball about and I may reverse this call depending on the fitness of the Giants' QB, Eli Manning, who injured his shoulder on Sunday. I'll also need a big showing from the Saints' Brees and Colston against Tampa Bay to boost numbers.

The Legion team I entered in my football team's (and therfore, most important) League badly underperformed. Or rather, Steven Jackson did. On the wrong end of a 96-69 score, I think it needs a lot of work. Fortunately, I've already started down said road. I've added Patrick Crayton (Dal) at receiver, and LaMont Jordan (Oak) to cover the flex spot. Jordan is a wait and see project, 170 all purpose yards and a TD looks good on paper, but against Detroit it can be no indication of whats to come. Speaking of Detroit, I had reached for Troy Williamson (Min) in the second last round of the Draft and he comes up against the Lions in Week 2. I'm starting him this week in the hope that he can exploit the passing lanes that the Vikings running game will open. Brandon Jackson (GB) gets the nod as well, as I hope the Giants' banged up offense won't get the job done (with the exception of Burress, see above) and leave the Packers with the lion's share of possession.

My final team, the Dragons side I entered for a laugh one bored lunchtime, surprised me and performed the best of all, and came up with a 2 point win, 84-82. Of course, I had the top pick in the Draft, and with it, LaDanian Tomlinson (SD). He didn't get the job done on the ground too well, but still managed to throw a TD against the Bears. My WRs saved the day, in fairness, Steve Smith (Car) and Andre Johnson (Hou) put up enough scores to make up for shortfalls elsewhere. Willis McGahee's 111 all purpose yards came in very useful and i'm hoping he can put up good numbers again versus the Jets, with LT playing New England, I'll need it! I left 24 points behind me when I Started the Minnesota Defense over the Broncos. The Vikings were impressive in attacking the Falcons' QB on Sunday, amassing 6 sacks, 2 INTs and 2 TDs. I'm resisting the urge to switch the two - Denver face Oakland while Minnesota face Detroit, and I think of the two, Denver face the weaker attack.

So, what have I learnt from my first proper week of fantasy football? A few lessons, no doubt. The experts don't really know what they're doing all the time. Of my three first round draft picks, only Frank Gore lived up to expectations. And sometimes, picking the key components of last year's leading Offense isn't necessarily a good thing. In short, you can do all the research you want, but the lucky git who got lumped with Arnaz Battle because his draft was stuck on AutoPick will still be happier than you, who thought all your Christmasses had come at once when Stephen Jackson slipped to third overall pick.

Above all, though, Fantasy Football only really serves to improve the experience of game day for fans, increasing awareness of the league as a whole. I managed to catch 3 quarters of the Raiders loss to Detroit in Week 1, a game I wanted to watch anyways. But for the first time, i found myself checking up on how St Louis were doing, or checking out the Eagles Defensive stats. But how NFL.com can justify paying people to write Fantasy Columns is beyond me*. Now, don't get me wrong, it's a nice addition to fandom, but in reality is akin to that packet of peanuts you order with a round of drinks.

*yes, I am fully aware of the irony of me complaining about Fantasy Writers in a Fantasy Column.

Where to start? Well, I suppose the obvious place to start is the start! France and Argentina was an opening game of epic proportions. As a display of the finer skills of the game, it was somewhat lacking but as a contest it was an enthralling, bruising affair, not for the faint of heart. No doubt, Argentina won the mind games - France got suckered into playing a physical forwards-oriented game. Few are the teams that beat Argentina up front. When Laporte selected Heymans at Full-Back, he dared Argentina to put the ball in the air and chase. And that they did - Hernandez gave a masterclass in the art of Garryowen.

France, for their part were part of a worrying trend for Northern Hemisphere Rugby. Of the 6 Championship sides in action, only Scotland could stand up and say "Mission Achieved", racking up 58 points against the Portuguese. France succumbed to Argentina in Paris and Italy were demolished by the All Black Juggernaut. Wales were given a major scare when trailing Canada with 25 minutes to go in their match. Stephen Jones' introduction being the turning point, when Wales finally rememberred who were the Professionals and turned up the heat, Canada got out of the kitchen.

England's failure to gain a bonus point against the USA was, temporarily at least, highly amusing for those of us on this side of the Irish sea. When placed in the context of what was going on elsewhere at the weekend, it becomes a touch more sobering. Ireland closed out the weekend with the performance of tournament also-rans, as if Friday's result had revealed to them the enormity of the task they face to get out of the group. This is rapidly getting out of control. We struggled to beat Namibia, and will soon be asked to answer to a powerhouse Argentine pack, and a wounded French side. Fifth in the world will mean nothing if we are only third in the Pool at the end of the month.

But in World terms, what does this signal for Rugby? A lot of the money earned during the 2003 RWC was used to develop the game in the smaller nations. the performances of Canada, Namibia and the USA Eagles surely show that this is working. That it is becoming a truly global game. Argentina have upset the apple cart so badly that the IRB cannot now continue to ignore their pleas for regular competitive Rugby. It's only a matter of time before each Pool becomes as hazardous as Pool D is at this World Cup.

Only, it isn't. Yes, Argentina deserve a spot in the Tri-Nations or 6 Nations, and yes, the standards of the Tier Two Nations have improved in the last 4 years. But let's not forget about Samoa. The Pacific Islands have a habit of turning out good rugby sides and Samoa are currently ranked tenth in the world. On Sunday, they were decimated by the Springboks, and Japan (a better team than Namibia according to the IRB) shipped 91 points to Australia. Italy, who arrived at this competition with genuine aspirations of a Quarter Final Berth, lost by more than 60 points to New Zealand. That cannot be good for the competition.

What we have been shown this past weekend is that European Rugby is standing still, and by virtue of the advancement of everyone else, falling backwards. One performance could be written off as a bad day at the office, two as a coincidence. Five is a trend. Where our Southern Hamisphere rivals have clinically put the sword to whoever opposed them, the Northern Hemisphere has been alarmingly short on answers. France were reluctant to move the ball wide when 7 phases of pounding the Argentine line failed to produce a score. France! The quintessential exponents of expansive, quick-hands rugby were afraid to pass the ball.

We are facing the very real possibility that not one Northern Hemisphere side will reach the Semi Finals of this competition. After one weekend's play, the four strongest nations in the tournament are New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Argentina. For this to change, there will have to be a major upset in the coming weeks, but where is it going to come from? There is no evidence that such a feat is even capable of being achieved right now.

These are worrying times for 6 Nations Rugby, and dare I say it, the worst is yet to come.

Ok, now, I've never been one for the whole Fantasy Football lark, but here's how that changed - the NFL started, and my league is out of season. So, what better way to add a bit of spice to it than to mastermind victory over my team-mates and fellow football fans, right?

Yeah, anyways, the big problem is that I don't know what I'm doing and am basically feigning my way through this. I have 3 teams in 3 leagues (1 serious, 1 as a casual introduction with other soccer fans who don't know anything about this and 1 for shits and giggles), and am hoping I don't finish last in all of them. Of course, Drew Brees last night scuttled the ship in the soccer fans' league.

Anyways, this section of the blog, is basically for a laugh as well. Monday rants about underperforming stars and Thursday hopes for the coming weekend. Enjoy.

I don't know where this is coming from, or why the idea has stuck in my head. But I have only two words to describe this September's tournament in France: Lens Revisited.

Now, bear with me on this, ok. They're drastic words, I know. Lens has taken on a Voldemortian air in IRFU circles, and there are few who willingly bring it up in conversation. But I think we must air it out. It is a ghost that has loomed over Irish rugby for 8 long years, and one that Alan Quinlan's heroics could not dispell in Australia. It hangs on the horizon, threatening to deliver a potentially more fatal blow to Irish Rugby in Paris on 30 September than that of 1999.

Now, don't get me wrong, there's a lot of positives to hold on to going into the tournament. We have seldom had a better Championship, the record demolition of England was a night to savour, and the free flowing rugby we displayed against Italy was a joy to behold. We have also got the most talented International Side Ireland have ever put forth and on our day are almost impossible to live with. In O'Driscoll, we have probably the best centre in the World, and O'Gara is metronomic with the boot, and the best wet-weather out-half in the modern game (Wilkinson and Carter included). There is a lot of cause for optimism, and I will readily acknowledge that we do have a viable shot at winning the whole bloody thing.

But here is why we won't. We face the most difficult group in Rugby World Cup history. You don't believe me? France are ranked third in the world, and Argentina sixth. By comparison, the second rated team in Pools A, B and C are ranked 7th, 8th and 11th respectively. Pool D has 3 realistic semi-final contenders. Add in the fact that one is the host nation and it makes it even more difficult. Now I know to be the best, you have to beat the best, but there are limits to how far you can stretch that mantra. Argentina - Ireland games are always closely contested affairs, and usually come down to just the one score. We have been lucky enough to get the breaks on these in recent years, but it is only a matter of time, before the ball bounces the other way.

Our warm up form has been indifferent - to put it kindly. The tour to Argentina at the end of the 2006/07 season showed up one thing - we have one string of top class players and a huge gulf to our replacements. John Hayes, Marcus Horan and Ronan O'Gara are irreplaceable. Absolutely irreplaceable. The lack of depth at prop forward is a real worry - the Bull himself will admit he does not have long left at international level. And while I was no great fan of David Humphries, I at least felt he was good enough to step in and do a job for us. Sadly, neither Brian Young nor Paddy Wallace will cut it against the best of the best, should the need arise.

So, while the back-ups don't look impressive, our first choice is good enough to get us out of the Pool, right? Well, yes. And no. Remember, its been 6 months since we beat Italy in the 6 Nations, and in that time, the wheels have fallen off the wagon that is Irish Rugby. Munster surrenderred their European crown quite tamely in the Quarter-Finals, and Leinster didn't go any further than their southern rivals. And when we finally do see the first team in action again, there is a very borderline television decision given to land a home win over Italy. All the signs point to a 4 game tournament.

Now, like everyone else, I will happily don my new dark green jersey and cheer on the lads. But I have this nagging doubt in my head. I've prepared myself for an unfortunate failure. How well have the IRFU prepared for this potential calamity?