NZ Rugby World October - November 2017

SOMETIMES YOU JUST GET A VIBE. There’s a sense of something extraordinary in the air. That’s the feeling that’s been building with the All Blacks this year. On the face of it they have appeared to be struggling a little bit – going backwards not forwards. Regressing rather progressing. That’s true to some extent. They struggled against the British & Irish Lions. Probably should have put them away, but suffered a red card in the second test and clammed up. Even reduced to 14 men, they gave themselves a chance to win the test and the series, but ultimately they lacked the tactical vision, confidence and ability to nail what they needed under pressure. It was the same in the third test. They played enough rugby to have the game won by half-time, but…

CONVENTION IS GOING TO BE BROKEN IN CHOOSING WHO SHOULD HOST THE 2023 RUGBY WORLD CUP, WITH AN INDEPENDENT EVALUATION PROCESS HAVING BEEN ASSIGNED THE TASK OF RECOMMENDING A PREFERRED BIDDER. The three countries bidding – France, Ireland and South Africa – have all submitted their final bids, been to New Zealand and other countries to directly present their case, and their fate will be determined by a World Rugby Council vote in November. Except, unlike in previous years, World Rugby has asked two independent bodies – an accountancy firm and a sports marketing group – to evaluate the three bids and then recommend which one they see as the strongest. The criteria by which they will determine ‘strongest’ are: ▪ Venues and infrastructure commensurate with a top-tier major event ▪ Comprehensive and enforceable public…

EVER! THE AWARD FOR MOST RIDICULOUS REASON ever for missing a game of rugby goes to Scott Baldwin, a hooker at the Ospreys club in Wales. Baldwin missed the Ospreys Pro14 game against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein because he had been...bitten by a lion. Dead set true, Baldwin, who is also captain of the team, stuck his hand somewhere he shouldn’t have and had it bitten. Ospreys head coach Steve Tandy confirmed what had happened after his side had lost 44-25. “It was pretty stupid on Scott’s behalf,” Tandy said of the injury, which required stitches. “The team doctor treated a laceration and, subsequently, he was admitted to a local hospital in Bloemfontein on Thursday evening for further treatment to prevent infection. “He will be released on Saturday morning to travel home with the rest of the…

PARIS WILL BE the final destination for both men and women at next year’s World Sevens Series. The French capital will host the final round of the men’s and women’s series on June 8-10 in 2018. And while both competitions will end at the same time at the same venue, they will also start at the same time and same venue with the women joining the men in Dubai on November 30 this year. Sydney will host the second round from January 26-28, with all men’s and women’s games being played in the Allianz Stadium, before the series returns to the Mikuni World Stadium in Kitakyushu, Japan, April 21-22 for the third round, a week after the Commonwealth Games on Australia’s Gold Coast. The 12 teams will then travel to the Westhills Stadium…

▪ There was a fair bit of angst around the All Blacks through the early part of the Rugby Championship because they kept winning. ▪ People became worried that the All Blacks were regressing, not the same team as they had been. ▪ All this worry appeared to be based on the fact Australia had a superb game in Dunedin and pushed the All Blacks really close. ▪ Australia didn’t win. ▪ New Zealand did, but you see there were plenty of reasons still to worry because it was really hard work. ▪ That there was cast-iron proof that the All Blacks were in disarray. ▪ When they scored six tries against the Pumas becoming the last team since... the All Blacks to score six tries against them, the nation nearly had a meltdown. ▪ Things had…

Joseph will combine the role with his current post as head coach of the Japanese national team. He’ll be taking over from Filo Tiatia who struggled to have much impact with the side in 2017. The Sunwolves failed to impress under Tiatia’s guidance, however, and they finished the 2017 season at the bottom of the Africa One Conference table with just two wins from 15 matches played. The decision to make the change was also about giving Joseph greater influence and control over Japan’s best players and to effectively manage them 12 months of the year. It’s a similar system to the one used by the Jaguares and Pumas – where it is largely one team playing under two different names. The Sunwolves finished 17th last year and other than a famous win…