Italy and Australia were 6-6 at half time.
Wait mate... in the second half, after they knew the Italian coach must have given some instructions to his players based on the game Australia played in the first half, Australia decided to play a different game, called... southern hemisphere rugby: you double the speed of your runs, passes, etc, you stop giving away penalties, and you score three tries before the Italians could even think of what did they want on their all dressed pizza tonight... Not much Italy could do when Australia decided to accelerate. Australia has been the first and only team to-date to demonstrate that they will be in the semi-finals.
PS: want a moment of calm between two rugby games...? try this video offered by Japan... not the rugby men...
http://www.videobash.com/video_show/incredible-japanese-synchronized-gymnastics-13411
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Rugby - Hemispheres, last 10 minutes, and... "engaged"!
HEMISPHERES
The countries of the southern hemisphere are in spring, in full rugby season. While the countries of the northern hemisphere (Europe) are... coming back from vacation, and at the very beginning of their season. Canada and USA are an exception to northern hemisphere.
The "smaller" countries of the southern hemisphere are also now almost all trained by New Zealand coaches or other very experimented coaches.
So... expect the difference of level between the "smaller" southern hemisphere countries(and Canada and USA) and the old European countries to be lesss obvious at the 2011 world cup...
Although the 2 or 3 weeks training camp done by most other countries can also pay off if done well and in the same conditions of temperature / humidity / etc as found this week in New Zealand...
LAST 10 MINUTES
France finally beat Japan: two interceptions at the beginning of the game to score two long run tries, and in the last 10 minutes two tries the French way.
Japan had lost their number 9 to a suspension for drugs a month ago, but the Japanese number 10 made up for it. He is from New Zealand and playing in Nottingham - England, and he concluded all the efforts of Japan to keep them in the game until the last 10 minutes (two tries and conversions and two penalties).
Can France play like the last 10 minutes from the beginning of the game when meeting New Zealand? Answer September 24.
England finally beat Argentina (southern hemisphere...) after a try in the last 10 minutes, but after too many penalties for off-side, not releasing the ball, etc... including a yellow card at the end of the first half for repeated infrigements by the team and warning by the referee. I forgot, after also 7 attempts to score between the posts missed by Jonny Wilkinson... never heard of before. If England has a replacement kicker, we should see him at the next game against Georgia, an easier game than against Argentinians (half of them play in France first division).
By the way, the Falkland islands were not the prize for the winner (although it would be an idea to replace the wars by a rugby game)... but some tackles by the English players looked more done to hurt than to stop the player... Dangerous tackles could prove costly against Georgia, Romania, Scotland and... presumably France or New Zealand in quarter final? that is if the referees are briefed about dangerous tackles...
ENGAGED
Some referees keep using the old scrum command, PAUUUUSE... ENGAGED! as both teams engage a split second before the referee gives the order!
The referees all make the effort to space the last two commands in the first half, but then in the second half... old habits die hard...
Mind you, for the game this afternoon between Beaconsfield and the Barbarians, I did not have to give a single free kick for early engagement when I used the newly specified well spaced scrum commands. If Quebec B division reserve can apply the new scrum commands easily, certainly the world cup teams could... if the referees wanted to...?
PS: want a moment of calm between two rugby games...? try this video offered by Japan...
http://www.videobash.com/video_show/incredible-japanese-synchronized-gymnastics-13411
The countries of the southern hemisphere are in spring, in full rugby season. While the countries of the northern hemisphere (Europe) are... coming back from vacation, and at the very beginning of their season. Canada and USA are an exception to northern hemisphere.
The "smaller" countries of the southern hemisphere are also now almost all trained by New Zealand coaches or other very experimented coaches.
So... expect the difference of level between the "smaller" southern hemisphere countries(and Canada and USA) and the old European countries to be lesss obvious at the 2011 world cup...
Although the 2 or 3 weeks training camp done by most other countries can also pay off if done well and in the same conditions of temperature / humidity / etc as found this week in New Zealand...
LAST 10 MINUTES
France finally beat Japan: two interceptions at the beginning of the game to score two long run tries, and in the last 10 minutes two tries the French way.
Japan had lost their number 9 to a suspension for drugs a month ago, but the Japanese number 10 made up for it. He is from New Zealand and playing in Nottingham - England, and he concluded all the efforts of Japan to keep them in the game until the last 10 minutes (two tries and conversions and two penalties).
Can France play like the last 10 minutes from the beginning of the game when meeting New Zealand? Answer September 24.
England finally beat Argentina (southern hemisphere...) after a try in the last 10 minutes, but after too many penalties for off-side, not releasing the ball, etc... including a yellow card at the end of the first half for repeated infrigements by the team and warning by the referee. I forgot, after also 7 attempts to score between the posts missed by Jonny Wilkinson... never heard of before. If England has a replacement kicker, we should see him at the next game against Georgia, an easier game than against Argentinians (half of them play in France first division).
By the way, the Falkland islands were not the prize for the winner (although it would be an idea to replace the wars by a rugby game)... but some tackles by the English players looked more done to hurt than to stop the player... Dangerous tackles could prove costly against Georgia, Romania, Scotland and... presumably France or New Zealand in quarter final? that is if the referees are briefed about dangerous tackles...
ENGAGED
Some referees keep using the old scrum command, PAUUUUSE... ENGAGED! as both teams engage a split second before the referee gives the order!
The referees all make the effort to space the last two commands in the first half, but then in the second half... old habits die hard...
Mind you, for the game this afternoon between Beaconsfield and the Barbarians, I did not have to give a single free kick for early engagement when I used the newly specified well spaced scrum commands. If Quebec B division reserve can apply the new scrum commands easily, certainly the world cup teams could... if the referees wanted to...?
PS: want a moment of calm between two rugby games...? try this video offered by Japan...
http://www.videobash.com/video_show/incredible-japanese-synchronized-gymnastics-13411
Friday, September 9, 2011
Rugby - Scotland - Romania
- Scotland got the scare of their life... they were leading at half time, but Romania changed 9 and 10 and came back even with less than 10 minutes to play... then Scotland scored two tries of anthology to finally win the game. Congratulations to Romania who could create a surprise in this pool... don't miss their next games.
- The referee had a nice tempo for his scrum commands, including a couple of seconds between PAUSE and ENGAGE respected by both scrums. The priority was again clearly on releasing the tackles, releasing the ball, releasing the tacklee, getting away for botht he tackler and the tacklee.
- At 5mn 59s of the first half, excellent demonstration by a Romanian player of rule 22.9.c for a defender in his own in-goal zone. He put one foot behind the goal line, the other in front of the goal line, and waited for the rolling ball... he caught the ball in front of the goal line to pick it up and touch in his goal zone. Because the ball was still rolling (not very fast...) when he picked it up, he got 22m drop out (or scrum where the ball was kicked). If the ball had stopped just before he picked it up, there would have been a 5m scrum for Scotland if he had touched the ball in his in-goal (stationary ball - rule 22.9.b), so in this case he would have been better off then not to touch down in his goal but to counter attack and eventually kick as far as he could, as he was kind of alone...
- The referee had a nice tempo for his scrum commands, including a couple of seconds between PAUSE and ENGAGE respected by both scrums. The priority was again clearly on releasing the tackles, releasing the ball, releasing the tacklee, getting away for botht he tackler and the tacklee.
- At 5mn 59s of the first half, excellent demonstration by a Romanian player of rule 22.9.c for a defender in his own in-goal zone. He put one foot behind the goal line, the other in front of the goal line, and waited for the rolling ball... he caught the ball in front of the goal line to pick it up and touch in his goal zone. Because the ball was still rolling (not very fast...) when he picked it up, he got 22m drop out (or scrum where the ball was kicked). If the ball had stopped just before he picked it up, there would have been a 5m scrum for Scotland if he had touched the ball in his in-goal (stationary ball - rule 22.9.b), so in this case he would have been better off then not to touch down in his goal but to counter attack and eventually kick as far as he could, as he was kind of alone...
Rugby - New Zealand - Tonga
Welcome to OVAL Village Blog, where your comments are welcome and published below each blog.
The opening ceremony in the city was a nice reminder that rugby spirit and rugby values should be in the heart of everyday's life. In my opinion rugby should be a mandatory discipline in all college and Universities, at least one year, to teach some basic values of life.
The first game brought some surprises...
- Clearly the decision of the IRB to select only a few referees and to brief them over many days before the start of the competition to insure a more consistent referring (between Northern and Southern hemispheres) has worked, at least for the first game. The referee applied strictly the IRB rules for the tackles and ensuing rucks: release the ball or the tacklee immediately (some cases were the fastest whistles I ever saw...) and stay on your feet when getting to a ruck. The games of the Southern hemisphere I saw recently (first half of the last Australia NZ...) were worrying me...
I also noticed that the scrum commands were more spaced, as required by the IRB, except...PAUSE and ENGAGE were still close to one word... PAUUUUUUUUUUUUSE... ENGAGE! Let's wait for next referee...
- New Zealand won with four tries "copy / paste"... attack by the backs on the left side, full back 15 came to help before the winger, one tackle missed by Tonga, and one try... Copy and paste 2 more times, and you have three tries after three missed tackles and three helps of the 15...
Just in case you thought the right winger of Tonga was the weak link, copy / paste on the right side... missed tackle, addition of the 15, and try...
Unless Tonga find a quick fix to this attack and ask their backs to stop playing touch-tackle, France, Japan and Canada know what to do...!
- New Zealand won but... they dropped the ball 6 times in the first period alone, and they were penalised many times for not releasing the ball or the tacklee... Unless they start practicing more seriously, France and England might have a chance...
In one sentence, a good training game for both teams, with some key areas to improve at practice for both.
The opening ceremony in the city was a nice reminder that rugby spirit and rugby values should be in the heart of everyday's life. In my opinion rugby should be a mandatory discipline in all college and Universities, at least one year, to teach some basic values of life.
The first game brought some surprises...
- Clearly the decision of the IRB to select only a few referees and to brief them over many days before the start of the competition to insure a more consistent referring (between Northern and Southern hemispheres) has worked, at least for the first game. The referee applied strictly the IRB rules for the tackles and ensuing rucks: release the ball or the tacklee immediately (some cases were the fastest whistles I ever saw...) and stay on your feet when getting to a ruck. The games of the Southern hemisphere I saw recently (first half of the last Australia NZ...) were worrying me...
I also noticed that the scrum commands were more spaced, as required by the IRB, except...PAUSE and ENGAGE were still close to one word... PAUUUUUUUUUUUUSE... ENGAGE! Let's wait for next referee...
- New Zealand won with four tries "copy / paste"... attack by the backs on the left side, full back 15 came to help before the winger, one tackle missed by Tonga, and one try... Copy and paste 2 more times, and you have three tries after three missed tackles and three helps of the 15...
Just in case you thought the right winger of Tonga was the weak link, copy / paste on the right side... missed tackle, addition of the 15, and try...
Unless Tonga find a quick fix to this attack and ask their backs to stop playing touch-tackle, France, Japan and Canada know what to do...!
- New Zealand won but... they dropped the ball 6 times in the first period alone, and they were penalised many times for not releasing the ball or the tacklee... Unless they start practicing more seriously, France and England might have a chance...
In one sentence, a good training game for both teams, with some key areas to improve at practice for both.
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