South Africa 42 England 6
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South Africa have hit form at the exactly right time as they humbled England 42-6.
South Africa led 20-6 at halftime and went on with it after the break running away with a 42-6 win against an English side with no answers.
The Springboks scored 6 tries to nil to complete the humiliation for England.
England 39 defeat Pacific Islanders 13
England under new coach Martin Johnston were too strong for the Pacific Islanders running out 39-13 victors in a five tries to one victory.
The new star of English Rugby Danny Cipriani was a star in only his second test with a try and 14 points off the boot for a personal tally of 19 points. His performance will go some way to reassuring England that life may still exist after Jonny Wilkinson.
The Pacific Islanders were no easy-beats and pushed the English on many occasions but the English side had too much firepower and match fitness in the end.
Northern Hemisphere ELVs to start this weekend in UK
The new Rugby ELVs will come into force this weekend with the kick-off to the Guinness Premiership and the Magners League in the United Kingdom. While the ELVs have been in place in the UK trials it is this weekend that we will see how the teams perform under the new ELVs.
The Northern Hemisphere have been very vocal in the forced implementation of the ELVs but eventually succumbed from pressure from the IRB. The ELVs have been in place since late 2007 in the Southern Hemisphere and were used throughout the Super 14 and the Rugby Tri-Nations series.
Eddie Jones, the former Wallabies coach has been the most recent high profile critic of the ELVs with his comments regarding the ELVs. Jones labelled the ELVs a disgrace and that it was like turning Rugby into Twenty 20 Cricket.
It is clear from the comments how divisive the issue of ELVs has become particularly in the Northern Hemisphere where the traditional forward oriented game is seemingly under attack from the administrators of the game.
In the next few weeks we will start getting a clearer idea of how successful the ELV trial will be and what long term impact this is likely to have on the game of Rugby. The biggest risk would be that if both the Southern and Northern Hemisphere’s split due to the ELVs. While this would be considered unlikely the game does hang on the result of the next few weeks in the UK.
What do you think of the ELVs? Are they good or bad for the game.
England hatch plan to develop local talent
England have developed a plan to maintain the ongoing development of local players at the expense of imported talent in a sign that the English administration are gravely concerned about the influx of foreign players.
Southern hemisphere players have started flocking into the Guinness Premiership, French Top 14 and Magners League with the 2008-09 season set to be the biggest yet. English Rugby are concerned that the increase in players from overseas could send the local competition heading in the same direction as Premier League Football.
To combat this the English adminstration will provide 16 million pounds of rewards and incentives to teams that limit the influx of foriegn players. Rob Andrew, the director of elite rugby in England, who unveiled the scheme indicated that the current mix was about 65% English to 35% foreign and that for the good of English Rugby it should stay this way.
Starting in the 2009-10 season the RFU will offer 210,000 pounds to each club that throughout the year maintains an average of least 14 of their 22 man squad as English players. The incentive increases towards 300,000 pounds depending upon the level that clubs exceed the minimum requirements.
Chris Latham joins Worcester Warriors
Chris Latham the former inspirational Australian Wallabies fullback has joined the Worcester Warriors for the Guinness Premiership.
Latham, 32, who ended his rugby career in Australia early due to a season ending injury hopes to take part in the first game on 7 September for the Warriors.
Chris Latham has arrived at an interesting time in the clubs history as the home ground Sixways has been undergoing major improvements to the surface of the stadium and surrounding amenities.
The experience Latham will bring to the Warriors on the field and his professionalism off will play a big part in determining the success of Worcester in the Guinness Premiership
ELVs Divide Hemisphere’s
The new Experimental Law Variations (ELVs) due to be incorporated in world rugby has experienced major changes even before introduced. The Northern Hemisphere heavyweights of England, Ireland and Wales have gone against the IRB rule changes to introduce the ELVs on a trial basis for one year by rejecting them totally. The three countries will continue to play under the existing rules which has ignited a heated war of words from Southern Hemisphere nations that have been playing under the ELVs through the Super 14 and the Tri-Nations series.
This is a potentially damaging move as it will also cause conflict unless resolved soon with the Six Nations tourament to be played early in 2009 as other nations such as Scotland, France and Italy have not shown any discourse towards the proposed IRB changes. In my opinion the introduction of the ELVs have been an outstanding success and have made a huge difference to the game with the Super 14 rewarding more aggressive play at the breakdown and team fitness. The days of slow drawn out matches dominated by kicking and penalties was a distant memory and for teams like England, Wales and Ireland refusing to move forward I fear they are voting with an outdated logic and one that is not about improving the game we love but stopping it’s natural progression.
Do you have an opinion on ELVs? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
IRB World Rankings - All Blacks No. 1
The IRB have updated the latest rankings for all Rugby nations. After the win by the All Blacks against the Springboks the All Blacks have stolen the top spot followed by South Africa. Australia have also replaced Argentina in third place after the recent poor performance of the Pumas against Scotland and the shock loss to Italy.
The top 10 teams are;
1. New Zealand
2. South Africa
3. Australia
4. Argentina
5. England
6. Wales
7. France
8. Ireland
9. Scotland
10. Italy
Click here to see a complete list of all rankings.
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England rebuild under Johnson
Martin Johnson has started his phase of rebuilding England by naming a 32 man Elite Player Squad. Johnson has alot of work ahead of him and has wasted little time in cleaning the decks, thirteen players that toured New Zealand have not been included in the squad.
No captain has been announced at this stage, see the article from Planet Rugby below for further information.
Planet Rugby - Flutey makes England’s Elite
The full squad is;
Forwards: Steve Borthwick (Saracens), George Chuter (Leicester Tigers), Jordan Crane (Leicester Tigers), Tom Croft (Leicester Tigers), Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints), James Haskell (London Wasps), Nick Kennedy (London Irish), Lee Mears (Bath), Lewis Moody (Leicester Tigers), Luke Narraway (Gloucester ), Tom Palmer (London Wasps), Tim Payne (London Wasps), Tom Rees (London Wasps), Simon Shaw (London Wasps), Andrew Sheridan (Sale Sharks), Matt Stevens (Bath), Phil Vickery (London Wasps).
Backs: Olly Barkley (Gloucester), Danny Care (Harlequins), Harry Ellis (Leicester Tigers), Toby Flood (Leicester Tigers), Riki Flutey (London Wasps), Shane Geraghty (London Irish), Dan Hipkiss (Leicester Tigers), Josh Lewsey (London Wasps), Jamie Noon (Newcastle Falcons), Pete Richards (London Irish), Paul Sackey (London Wasps), James Simpson-Daniel (Gloucester), Mathew Tait (Sale Sharks), Tom Varndell (Leicester Tigers), Jonny Wilkinson (Newcastle Falcons).
New Zealand vs England Preview
New Zealand will line up against a revamped English side tomorrow in Auckland in what should be an entertaining match. England will be desperate to show no weakness against the All Blacks and need to impress early in the contest to stand any chance of winning.
England made six changes, five of which were in the backline as coach Rob Andrew looks for answers following the lame performance from his backline last week in the 37-20 loss. The English forward pack who were touched up last week will be up against it again this week, especially without their star Andy Sheridan. I expect we will see a tough and combative match once again and the English backrow who were a shinning light in last week’s performance will do their level best at the breakdown to keep the English in the match.
New Zealand on the other hand have made several changes but not through form but more a rotational basis. The All Blacks were solid last week without being outstanding and will be looking for improvements around the field. The focus this week will be on ensuring a better lineout after the New Zealand team were ineffectual last week. The New Zealand team have far too much firepower and experience for the English to beat them at home. Nonu who delivered one of his best performances for the All Blacks last week can be expected to shine again as he is laying claim to one of the best players in the game. Carter has been in red hot form this year and if given any space will capitalise.
New Zealand by 12 in what will be a tougher and more spirited effort from England than last week. The teams are;
New Zealand
Leon MacDonald, Sitiveni Sivivatu, Richard Kahui, Ma’a Nonu, Rudi Wulf, Dan Carter, Andy Ellis, Rodney So’oialo, Richie McCaw, Adam Thomson, Ali Williams, Brad Thorn, Greg Somerville, Andrew Hore, Neemia Tialata.
Reserves: Kevin Mealamu, Tony Woodcock, Anthony Boric, Sione Lauaki, Jimmy Cowan, Stephen Donald, Mils Muliaina.
England
Mathew Tait, Topsy Ojo, Mike Tindall, Jamie Noon, Tom Varndell, Toby Flood, Danny Care, Luke Narraway, Tom Rees, James Haskell, Steve Borthwick, Tom Palmer, Matt Stevens, Lee Mears, Tim Payne.
Reserves: David Paice, Jason Hobson, Ben Kay, Joe Worsley, Pete Richards, Olly Barkley, David Strettle.