The World In Union - The Rugby Forum

I think we've just found something you and I can agree on.

ACT leading Otago 13-8 near the one hour mark.

Still waiting on the SANZAAR to announce what changes they have made to the Super Rugby competition.

One of the many problems facing Australian rugby is the lack of investment at the grass roots level. Australian Rugby is entirely reliant on just 8 PBS. A look at the U20's gives some idea as to the problems. The U20's team has three part time coaches compared to England's 5 full time coaches. The part time coaches themselves only work with the team in the weeks leading up to major competitions. Furthermore there is no talent identification program, no junior pathways at club level etc etc etc.

The ARU say they have no money to invest in grass roots rugby as nearly all of their money goes to the national team and super rugby. But the health of rugby starts not at the top but at the grass roots level. If this isnt rectified soon rugby will end up as very much a minor sport in NSW and QLD whilst remaining invisible throughout the rest of the country. As it is crowds at super rugby matches are already at record low levels, as are tv ratings.

Well Australia's top domestic team played host to NZ's bottom domestic team and the kiwis won. Says all you need to know about the strength of Australian rugby.

Canterbury looking really strong again.

Shocking home performances by Queensland and NSW.

And so the player drain continues with 24 yr old Wallabies lock Will Skelton signing a two-season deal with English club Saracens.

Impressive win for the Sunwolves as they stunned the Bulls 21-20

Another pathetic effort by the Reds, this time against the ACT.

Spare a thought for former Harlequins and England hooker Brian Moore who suffered a heart attack on Friday and is now recovering in hospital.

Moore, 55, played 65 times for England and toured with the Lions twice. He played in the 1991 world cup final and won three Grand Slams with England.

He was called "England's Pitbull" by the French after the so-called "Battle of Paris" in the RWC Quarter Final between England and the French in 1991 for his performance where he savaged the entire French front row for the entire game, a performance which most say won the game for England.

He is a lawyer by profession, though on one occasion of arriving in court to represent a client on the Monday after a hard 5 Nations match against the Scots where he received a number of prominent head and facial wounds and didn't exactly look a pretty sight, the judge mistook him for the accused..!!

On another occasion he was overheard by a BBC mic telling a team mate. "I came off the pitch with a bloody ear. I've got no idea whose it was."

But beneath the gruff, imposing exterior, he is a gentleman and a very warm person. I met him at the Stoop some years ago. I was a teenager at the time and we chatted for a while in the East Stand bar there.

Get well soon, Brian. You're too much of a hard man to let a little thing like a heart attack to lay you low for long.

There's life in the old pitbull yet.

So it's goodbye to either the Western Force (stupid name) or Melbourne. Either way lawyers are going to be making a lot of money out of the legal challenges.

Warren Gatland has announced he 41 man squad for this Summer's Lions Tour to New Zealand.

There are a number of eye openers in the squad, not least the number of Welsh players and the paucity of Scots. But bearing in mind Gatland's long association with Welsh rugby, some are saying it's not so surprising, really.

No place for the likes of Dylan Hartley, Danny Care, Chris Robshaw, Mike Brown, Greig Laidlaw or either of the Gray brothers. Perhaps Robshaw's exclusion is understandable if he hasn't fully recovered from injury, but fan opinion leaking out from the Stoop is that Robshaw was happy with his progress and wanted to tour.

Sam Warburton has been made Captain, again, this looks suspiciously like Welsh favouritism when Rory Best was widely tipped by fans and pundits alike to be made skipper. Warburton did not have a good 6N and some are even questioning his place in the tour party at all, let alone as Captain.

Rhys Webb and Liam Williams are surprise inclusions but apart from those the squad is pretty much as expected.



Tour Party

Just 13,000 people bothered to turn out for Australia's first test match of the year. It is a decent reflection of the general lack of interest and support for union.

Those who did bother to turn up saw a pretty rusty hit out by the Wallabies against a Fijian team that never gave up. Australia still looked very vulnerable to close running around the ruck and the defensive line lost it's shape in general too many times. On the plus side there were more passes going in front of team mates whilst the experiment of Hunt at 12 was a qualified success. Ned Hanigan also did ok on debut.

There will need to be a notable improvement for next week against the Scots.

Really sad to hear of the death of 25 year old Warringah player Lachlan Ward. Lachie died during a match against Gordons after being involved in an onfield collision.