Actual Rugby ７’ｓ

So yesterday I titled the post rugby 7's, without actually providing any news of my sevens exploits.  This was an oversight on my behalf, as I simply didn't have enough time to finish writing it.

The university academic year started yesterday, so I was busy filling in profiles and figuring out passwords, attempting to kickstart my Masters.  It appears that everything takes longer by correspondence (duh) so I'll have to wait a while longer, before I can start writing things.

On the flip side, this allows me enough time to continue writing about the world cup, and my own endeavours on the pitch.

To begin with the ego massaging portion, I participated in a small sevens tournament between five teams local to the Mito area.  I had tweaked my left ass-muscle a couple of days before (an injury that is still causing discomfort) so was only operating at 80%-85%.  It also hurt a fair bit, and I had to be dragged off in the third match after a big fat lump tackled me exactly where it hurt.  Bastard.

I iced the hell out of it and went back to play in the final match, but was particularly useless.

In total I scored around seven or eight tries, and kicked all of them bar two.  To underline the friendly, non-competitive nature of this event, everyone who scored was expected to kick their own goals.  This took me by surprise at first, and I completely fluffed the attempt.

From then on, even from a decent angle, I was deadly accurate.  This surprised me somewhat as I'm not the best place-kicker; but drop-kicking is something that I mess around with on occasion.  Everyone has their own routine when place-kicking, Wilkos' is infamous of course, but everyone has their style and preparation.  I was quick to formulate one, designed to give me breathing and recovery time, and let my team meander back at their own pace.  The routine was quite simple.  Check with the ref where it was to be taken from.  Go back a reasonable distance.  Tuck the gumshield behind my right ear (always my right ear for some reason).  Ask the ref if it was okay to take the kick.  Take a couple of breaths, bounce the ball on the floor a couple of times.  Take the kick.  In all, this little routine took about thirty seconds, but was pretty effective.  A 75% success rate is not world class, but it will do at this level!

I'll certainly be interested to see if that holds up in the next competition, in two weeks time (another 7's tournament, somewhat closer to home this time.)

The actual games were very much like sevens, and were extremely fun.  Japanese players are uniquely suited to playing 7's, as they're pretty quick, and quick witted.  Being tiny doesn't matter in 7's which is perfect.

The play was frenetic, and my favoured drift outside the defender and quickly step back inside worked wonders every time.  Our teams conversion from possession to points was almost 100% in all bar one of the games (which we lost to the subsequent winners, a university team no less).  When I did get caught, it was often by the bootlaces, allowing me to pass the ball on.  A couple more of those, and I would be back up on my feet and ready to help out.  Again, I wasn't at 100% but it was fun, and encouraging.  I will get onto some more fitness this week and next, and be in top shape.

There was an MVP award, which (deservedly) went to an oldboy who was the playmaker for another team.  He looked about sixty, but I suspect he has spent much of his life in the sun.  Fair play, he even scored one against us.

Of the internationals:  I'll start with England.

The last time I checked, this was a world cup.  I might be wrong, but it is my belief that the world cup is the biggest prize in international rugby.  Nervy and disjointed performances are expected in football world cups (often cited as one of the factors contributing to terrible English performances past) so why can't a team put in a performance that isn't great without being slammed by everyone.  We still beat the scotch.  Something France failed to replicate, I might add.

We are still playing the French in the quarters.  We are in the game.

If you didn't follow the 2007 world cup I suspect this may be shocking news to you, but we were godawful for large parts of that tournament too.  For the vast majority of pitch-time in fact.

What will actually happen when we play the French is a massive unknown.  The French are notorious for blowing hot and cold, and are a team where past form means nothing.  England also fulfil this expectation to some extent, especially during the world cup.  England and France are big game teams, and the games don't come much bigger than those on Saturday.

Whether this expectation of improved performance is realised - well.  That is another kettle of fish.  The ability of both teams to perform well with no prior form is well established.  Whether we'll see it.  Who knows.

Another team who have discredited form books the world over are Ireland.  How they pulled out a victory over Australia is impossible for me to understand.  The aussies weren't there for large parts of the match, and I'm torn as to whether it was because of the Irish, or because they simply didn't get off the bus.

What this now means however, is Ireland are one of the favourite northern hemisphere nations.  I believe my above stated rule of form meaning nothing is also applicable in reverse however, so I'm backing Wales to pull out a win over the Irish.  The guiness army had one big game in them, I doubt they have two.

An awful number of column inches have been dedicated to one man.  This man was prominent before, but now he is infamous.  Dan Carter (pronounced  Dein kya da) is/was the kiwis Jonny Wilkinson.  He kicked the goals, put the team in the right areas of the park, and let loose the likes of Nonu and Umaga, more recently Sonny Bill 'I love talking about myself' Williams and Israel Dagg.  Now he has torn a ligament I never conceived existed, he is out of the tournament for good.

Currently, Wilko is not on top form.  We do, however, have a replacement that can play well on his day (in Toby Flood).  The problem with Flood is that he can't tackle.  His defence is not good enough, and every team we play target him.  The other problem is that he isn't consistent.  He will play some games so well, he immediately warrants inclusion in the next.  He will subsequently have a shocker and exit stage right, with Wilko emerging from the left.  This situation of having two players for one position is fantastic, and a direct result of Wilko being injured for long stretches.  This necessitated a replacement, and having been through a few, Flood emerged as the next best.  He's not world class, but he's good enough that those around him, should they play well, will keep England in the competition (at least until the final, assuming we make it that far.)

Dan Carter has never been injured.  He was made of rocks, stones and metal.  According to the kiwi press, he is actually an artificially created human being, based upon the Wilko android - but upgraded to version 2.0.

This has led their second fly-half, a man named Colin Slade to have zero game-time in an all-blacks shirt.  The world was watching when he played in his first world cup rugby match, and he was found wanting.  He is the kiwi equivalent of Charlie Hodgson.  They might just forego the embarassment and put their second scrum half in at fly.  He has experience there, and he has the skills to pay the bills in that regard.

This is great news for the rest of the world, as he is pivotal in the all-blacks plans.  I still think the only chance for opposing teams is a typical all-black choke in the semis or quarters.  If they reach the final it's theirs; home crowd advantage, previous track record against the northern hemisphere teams, climate, the bizarre un-kickable balls they use down there.  All things point to them being unbeatable in the final.

#Edit#

I was unfortuante to read an article by this idiot.  It's unfortunate for two reasons.  No wait, make that three.

Firstly, he does nothing to counter the pernicious treatment of sportsmen within England, by the british press.  It's okay when the Welsh lose control and go drinking, stealing golf carts and the like; in fact it's all a bit of a laugh.  When a kiwi gets pissed off at three England players, it's almost the end of the world.  It's certainly the end of chivalry, they should all be hung, drawn and quartered.  By their testicles.

Grow up.

Secondly, it's disappointing because he takes himself, and his profession, far too seriously.  He is not a white knight, here to save us from morally unacceptable behaviour.

Grow up.

Thirdly, it's disappointing because; well read it for yourself:

I was upset by news that Kim Jong Il spends £120,000 a year on dog food while most of his countrymen starve. Given that the North Korean loony presumably defrays much of the expense by eventually eating those same pets, the reports were surely misleading.


No.  You weren't.  You weren't saddened, tearful or moved.  You didn't care, and you don't care.  You are sitting in your home office, with a cup of coffee, thinking of the next drivel leak onto the page.  At best, you were reticent.  At worst, you were callous.  Using the death and suffering of the North Korean people to evoke an emotional response from the audience, to further your own career and ambitions.


And why is it okay to stereotype North Koreans as dog-eating savages, whereas their South Korean brethren  are off-limits for such banter.  Oh wait, banter is between two equals. 　In his own terms, he is a bully (read the article).


It's nice to see some good, old fashioned blind hypocrisy.


#And Another Thing#


The referee for the England France matchup is a known Anglophobe, who even served a ban for arguing with an England coach (who was later cleared of charges).  The rugby committee in charge of organising this tournament have proved to be quite inept in the planning stages, with the smallest nations having three and four days break between matches, while the biggest nations take full six and seven day rests.  The reason isn't conspiracy, it's purely marketing.  Most people pay the most money to watch the big teams, and they can't do that at work.  Hence the Saturday and Sunday matches for the big nations.


They have monumentally fucked up here, however.  kiwis aren't ones to let things go at the best of times, and this moron has proved in prior encounters that he is as stubborn and bent as any of his antipodean brethren.  His track record is one of hilarious ineptitude, having been kicked out of the kiwi refereeing group for three offences, serious enough for bans, he joined the aussies and is somehow officiating top level rugby again.


Either way, England are screwed.


Thanks kiwis, at least you fear us enough to dishonourably eliminate us from the competition, without playing us.