History will be kind to me because I intend to write it

WASPS HOPING NOT TO GET STUNG

London Wasps head to Castres next weekend hoping that Leinster, who they beat 19-12 at Twickenham on Saturday, slip up against Edinburgh, in order to qualify for the last eight of the Heineken Cup.

Though equal with Wasps on 16 points the Irish team will advance thanks to their 41-11 win over Wasps in October – but their losing bonus point could have been cancelled out had Wasps chosen to gamble for a try rather than let Dave Walder slot a penalty.

“There was a little bit of discussion – it’s one of those decisions,” said prop and captain Phil Vickery following the win in which Danny Cipriani also kicked 11 points and Serge Betsen crossed for a try. “Should you have gone for the corner or stuck it over, you could talk about it forever.

“You can go on about ifs and buts, but if we’d lost the ball we could easily have been talking about something different. I wouldn’t be surprised if Edinburgh beat Leinster. So we can’t worry about anyone else, it’s about what we do.”

Harlequins had their 100 per cent record halted by Ulster at Ravenhill. The Irish won 21-10, but Dean Richards’s team’s passage to the quarter-finals is assured.

Meanwhile, in the European Challenge Cup Saracens defeated Viadana 36-19 at Vicarage Road on Sunday to secure their advancement to the last eight. Similarly London Irish, for whom Peter Hewat scored five tries in a 75-5 win over Connacht, are also through.

Labels: Daniel Cipriani, Dean Richards, Edinburgh, Ian McGeechan, Leinster, London Harlequins, London Irish, London Wasps, Phil Vickery, Saracens, Serge Betsen

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 11:49 pm | Permalink | Comments

LIONS CAN DOMINATE SOUTH AFRICAN SCRUM

Ian McGeechan's British and Irish Lions can defeat South Africa in the summer by getting the upper hand in the scrum, according to Phil Keith-Roach, the man who made England’s set-piece the stuff of legend in the last decade and steered them to the World Cup in 2003.

Now in his 60s, the former Dulwich College economics teacher is delighted that Graham Rowntree – a player he worked closely with for years – has been appointed as specialist scrum coach for the Lions, in addition to his identical role with England, and is excited by the prospect of the Lions turning the screw on the Springboks at the set-piece. And central to that could be Phil Vickery, who Keith-Roach backs to be McGeechan’s captain on tour.

Though England’s scrum was below its imperious best in the autumn series, Keith-Roach knows that Martin Johnson’s pack will harden in the Six Nations and that 37-year-old Rowntree, who won 54 caps for his country and two Lions caps on the successful 1997 tour to South Africa, will have a great pool of players from which to select from come June.

“The Lions should have a formable scrum against South Africa – and I think it is an area where the Boks have a slight weakness that can be exploited,” says Keith-Roach, who read social anthropology and economics at Cambridge and won three blues. “But it is important that Graham gets those excellent component parts – especially the front row – working together in a short space of time.

“But, like in 1997, you never really know which combination will work in the front row until you get out there, so you have to take tried and tested players. Graham will be hoping to work with players who have had a good Six Nations and have an impressive international curriculum vitae.”

A bevy of players who have already tasted Lions action are expected to be jostling for the front-row positions. Vickery, Julian White, Matt Stevens and John Hayes, who all featured in the ill-fated New Zealand tour in 2005, will be vying for the berth at tighthead prop. In addition, Keith-Roach earmarks Northampton Saints’ Euan Murray, “who has being playing very well for Scotland for a couple of years,” to make the trip.

At loosehead former Lions Andrew Sheridan and Gethins Jenkins should travel, while Tim Payne, Marcus Horan and Duncan Jones are also in with a shout, says Keith-Roach. He notes that there will be a new Lions hooker, however, and while Munster’s Jerry Flannery is many people’s favourite for the Test shirt, he believes that any of the British hookers can get the nod if they have a good Six Nations.

“A consistently efficient, reliable and strong scrum is the foundation stone of any team,” continues Keith-Roach, “and the Lions can definitely attack the South African scrum. Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira should play loosehead for the Boks while on the tighthead side, which is the vital side of the scrum, South Africa have a number of different combinations. They can use Jannie Du Plessis, whose brother Bismarck could play at hooker as well as John Smit, or Brian Mujati – both are good, legal scrummagers.

“But that is not the case with CJ van der Linde. It is extraordinary that he has won so many caps (54). When he is under pressure on South African ball he regularly moves his right arm and collapses the scrum. Referees around the world have to wise up on what he is doing. The forwards coach Gary Gold will have to sort out that deficiency and make him bind properly, but I think that CJ has a lack of confidence – and the Lions can capitalise on that. They should target him as he is a liability. If selected loosehead Gurthro Steenkamp also has a questionable technique.

“Further back in the scrum the South Africans have huge, powerful men, but unless you get the props right then the scrum will be no good. The Lions will have the men who can cope with the physicality of the Boks, but, with the right technique and guidance – as provided by Graham Rowntree – they could more than match them in the scum and gain a great advantage.”

On the appointment of Rowntree, Keith-Roach continues: “I’m not at all surprised that Graham has been chosen by the Lions. He used to take charge of the scrum on match days for England and proved himself as an international player.

“He was tough, durable and unbelievably determined and a really decent bloke to boot. There is no doubt there are many people more determined than him. There might have been people who could run faster and do this or that, but he has got a remarkable resolve and has a great knack of getting on with people. He has got it all in the bank, all the knowledge is there and he gets on with people – what more do you need, frankly?”

And why, in Keith-Roach’s opinion, should Phil Vickery skipper the Lions? “He is a remarkable guy and a great leader who has done it all before,” he says of the Wasps prop, who turns 33 in March. “He is a wonderful player who performs time after time, very straight-talking, and he took England to the World Cup Final in 2007. It is always good to have a captain in the front-row. Indeed consider that South Africa won the World Cup with a hooker as captain.”

Labels: British Lions, Graham Rowntree, Ian McGeechan, London Wasps, South Africa

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 6:20 pm | Permalink | Comments

BURGER READY TO TAME LIONS

When Ian McGeechan's British and Irish Lions defeated South Africa 25-16 in the opening Test in Johannesburg 11 years ago, a young blond-haired boy was in the crowd cheering for the Springboks - and he has been dreaming of making amends for the loss ever since.

Schalk Burger was 14-years old on that day in Newlands when he watched, along with his Test-playing father of the same name, Matt Dawson and Alan Tait cross for the Martin Johnson-led tourists, while Neil Jenkins slotted five penalties.

A week later, at the Kings Park Stadium in Durban, Jeremy Guscott's late drop-goal secured a 18-15 win for McGeechan's team and clinched the Lions' first series glory in South Africa since Willie John McBride and his team-mates managed it in 1974.

Before then, one has to jump back to 1896 to find the Lions' previous series victory - that's how rare success is in South Africa for touring teams.

That the Boks lost the series in 1997 broke young Schalk's heart – and the flank forward, who has now represented his country 49 times, knows that the upcoming series will be the only chance he will have to put things right.

"I was a youngster but I was very aware of how big it was when the Lions came in 1997," says Burger, whose father played for the Boks as a lock in the 1980s. "I was at Newlands when we lost the first Test and I was pretty well informed about what happened that time.

"The Lions tour only comes to us about once every 12 years, so it is very special. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and something we all want to be a part of. I will never get a chance to be part of it again - we only get one shot at it and hopefully we can make it and avenge the result for the boys who lost in 1997.

"It is going to be a good Test series but it is going to be completely different to anything else we have done before. I'm expecting it to be a tough tour. I'm really looking forward to it and it has been something I have always dreamed about."

Burger turns 26 in April and is confident that the world champions can overpower McGeechan's team in the three-Test series in June and July - games that the Wasps director of rugby expects to have the same intensity as "a World Cup Final".

The man named the International Rugby Board's World Player of the Year in 2004 knows all about what that involves, however, having helped South Africa to defeat England 15-6 at the Stade de France to claim his country's second World Cup title back in October 2007.

And he believes that the Boks' whitewash of the Home Nations this autumn - a tour that included a record 42-6 defeat of Martin Johnson's England at Twickenham - bodes well for taming the Lions.

Port Elizabeth-born Burger, famed for his dynamic and indefatigable backrow play and his trademark flash of blond hair, stormed on to the international scene back in 2003 as a wide-eyed 20-year-old, after starring for the young Springbok side that won the U-21 World Cup in 2002.

The 6'4" Stormers and Western Province flanker made his full debut against Georgia in the World Cup in Australia and is now regarded as one of the most formidable figures in world rugby.

After South Africa's busy 2008 - a year that included three Tests against Wales and Italy and a punishing schedule in the Tri-Nations before the tour of the Northern Hemisphere which ended in November - Burger will spend Christmas "drinking white wine and beer, and eating crayfish on the beach".

In June the Boks' season kicked off with two wins over Wales [43-17 and 37-21] and one against Italy [26-0] on home soil. In July Peter de Villiers's team defeated the All Blacks 30-28 on New Zealand turf, and later thrashed Australia 53-8 - although they still ended bottom of the pile in the Tri-Nations table following four defeats.

When, after the seasonal break, he will fully relaxed and recharged, Burger will be raring to continue where the Boks left off in November - with that record defeat over England in London, and with a team spirit which was resembling that felt in France a year earlier.

Though he figures that Northern Hemisphere teams do not produce enough young stars because foreigners block their path, Burger concedes that he would like to play in the Guinness Premiership.

He continues: "I'll play in South Africa as long as I enjoy it, but you can never rule out moving overseas - it is part and parcel of rugby nowadays. I would love to one day go to England and play a few seasons and experience a different culture."

On last year Burger adds: "South Africa had a pretty good tour against the Northern Hemisphere teams. In fact all the Southern Hemisphere teams did pretty well on their autumn tours. Australia lost against to Wales in their final game but we did well to win the grand slam.

"At first we didn't play very well against Wales in Cardiff - we had a good first 40 but a poor second half. Against Scotland we really struggled. So in the final Test match, against England, all the boys were really up for it. We put in a very good performance so that was pleasing and we have good memories."

Burger views the Boks' captain and hooker, John Smit, as a key member of the changing room and admits that when he is available the team spirit is boosted. "John is a top guy, he is a special guy," said Burger when asked about his skipper. "I have known him for a long time and he really adds value to the team.

"The next time we play together as Boks will be against the best of the British teams, the Lions, and I can't wait. I think we can really build on the team spirit we had on tour at the end of the year. Whenever the team are playing well the team spirit is good.

"We went thorough a stage in the Tri-Nations when we struggled. But we pulled together for a week and we did really well against Australia - that was probably the closest feeling we had to the World Cup.

"Obviously there were different circumstances but we really cracked it and there was a special feeling in the team. And the last game against England we had that special feeling again. Let’s hope we can find that feeling again against the Lions. It should be fun."

Labels: British Lions, Ian McGeechan, Schalk Burger, South Africa

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 12:45 pm | Permalink | Comments

ROWNTREE NAMED AS LIONS SCRUM COACH

Graham Rowntree has been named as the final British Lions coach for their tour of South Africa and blasted critics who claim there is a gulf between southern and northern hemisphere teams.

The England scrummaging coach was involved in the recent record loss against the Springboks at Twickenham which followed heavy defeats against Australia and New Zealand.

But he has been selected by Ian McGeechan’s management team as a scrum specialist for the 10-match, two-Test Lions tour to South Africa.

Rowntree, who will coach alongside Warren Gatland (forwards), Shaun Edwards (defence) and Rob Howley (backs), said: "It is a tremendous honour to be asked to become involved with Geech’s coaching set-up.

"Having experienced both the highs and lows of Lions rugby as a player, I am determined to be part of a winning set-up in 2009 and relishing the opportunity to work with coaches that make that happen.

"Geech is someone that I have an enormous amount of respect for and cannot wait to play my part in contributing to a great environment."

When asked how he plans to close the gap between the top three Southern Hemisphere teams and the Northern Hemisphere countries he added: "I’m not prepared to talk about a gulf.

"There is still a lot of rugby to play between now and June when the Lions tour begins. In the Autumn Internationals we have learned a lot about a lot of players."

McGeechan, meanwhile, explained: "I am delighted to have Graham on board.

"He brings with him a direct approach and an understanding of not only what we are looking to achieve as a coaching group, but also an understanding of the Lions ethos.

"Graham is close to the modern game and more than just a scummaging coach. I’m a great admirer of him and am delighted he accepted the role offered to him.

"The scrum will be an intensely contested area in South Africa and we’ll need to be technically accurate at scrum-time from the moment we arrive.

"It is crucial to have a forward pack that are as good as they can be against a renowned set of South African forwards."

Labels: British Lions, Graham Rowntree, Ian McGeechan, South Africa

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 6:04 pm | Permalink | Comments

GEECH LAYS DOWN LIONS LAW

Ian McGeechan has laid down the law to his wannabe British Lions ahead of June's tour to South Africa saying there will be NO stepping out of line and NO repeat of England's summer shame in New Zealand.

The Wasps director of rugby, who is in charge of the 10-match, two-Test series, believes that each individual has a duty to honour the Lions jersey - and because of that there is no way his squad will act in an unruly manner.

During the summer, four England players were accused of being involved in the alleged rape of a teenager while on tour in New Zealand. Although charges were never brought, the quartet were disciplined internally for drinking and acting improperly.

McGeechan has now revealed there will be a strict code of conduct for all the Lions players in South Africa, but he hopes that it will not be needed.

The 62-year-old explained: "We have a code of conduct, but it comes back to what we want to look like as people.

"There is a huge responsibility on a Lions group simply because of the numbers that follow it. Now the Lions are probably the biggest product in world rugby.

"There are principles of behavour and what we would expect players to look like to people on the outside. If we are honest about that then you should not need a written code of conduct.

"It's like contracts - you only go to a contract when things are going wrong. It might be there in the background but the overriding ethos is what what we want to be.

"I want to see someone walking down the street proud to wear a Lions jersey because of what they are seeing, not because it's a Lions jersey with a Lions flag. It's because of what we look like in it.

"That is the ultimate thing about being a Lion - people want to put a jersey on when there is a game or a Test match coming up because of what we represent and what we are showing in it."

McGeechan led the Lions to success in South Africa last time they were on tour there, in 1997, and he knows how hard it will be to win against the World Cup winners next year.

He continued: "Playing a Lions Test series is as much pressure as playing a World Cup Final because to play and learn in that environment when your opponents see you as the biggest opposition you can play, and you are doing it in their country, is very pressured."

Labels: British Lions, Ian McGeechan, South Africa

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 6:02 pm | Permalink | Comments

CIPRIANI EXCITED AT RETURN AGAINST BATH

Danny Cipriani is itching to hear his name announced over the Adams’ Park Tannoy on Wednesday when, after an absence of four months, he will step out wearing London Wasps’ No10 shirt, as his team host Bath in the Guinness Premiership.

The 20-year-old wunderkind had been expected to be sidelined until November after horrifically dislocating and fracturing his right ankle in May’s semi-final against, ironically, this evening’s opponents.

He missed out on Wasps’ Guinness Premiership success against Leicester Tigers and England’s ill-fated tour to New Zealand, but has been working around the clock to return six weeks ahead of schedule – “quite incredible” according to Ian McGeechan, Wasps’ Director of Rugby.

“I was working from nine in the morning with Prav Mathema, the Wasps head physio, and then in the day with Margot Wells, a sprint coach, before more physio with specialist Kevin Lidlow at nine in the evening,” said Cipriani, who enjoyed an impressive full international debut against Ireland in March.

“I'm glad it is over now and I can't wait to get on the field again – it's going to be emotional. I will have to calm myself as I am just going to be so excited when my name is called before the game.”

The timing couldn’t be better for Wasps who, after registering their first win of the season last Friday against Leicester, sit tenth in the table. Skipper Raphael Ibanez and Tim Payne also return from injury in the front row for Wasps, as does lock Simon Shaw. But second-placed Bath will be most wary of the fly-half’s return – all three times the teams met last year, Wasps won and teetotaller Cipriani scored 36 points.

On playing Bath, he added: “It's a bit strange how coincidence throws these things up, but it'll be good just to get back. It doesn't feel in my head like I have had a major injury – I have
just had a bit of time away from the game.

"But I just want to get back to where I was last season and do so with a smile on my face."

Labels: Daniel Cipriani, Guinness Premiership, Ian McGeechan, Wasps

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 10:57 am | Permalink | Comments

McGEECHAN NAMED AS NEW LIONS COACH

The British and Irish Lions have appointed the "Sir Alex Ferguson of rugby" to lead next year's tour of South Africa.

London Wasps director of rugby Ian McGeechan, who takes charge of his fourth Lions tour, has been compared to the Manchester United manager by Lions chairman Andy Irvine because of his success in rugby.

And the Scot, who was also the Lions' head coach in 1989, 1993 and 1997 and was assistant coach in 2005, says he is thrilled to be back in the hot seat.

"The perennial bad penny just keeps turning up, doesn't he?" the 61-year-old joked. "I'm delighted - it is an honour and a privilege to be given this fantastic opportunity again.

"Having had a scent of it three years ago [as assistant] I realised how important it is to me. In 2005, a lot of Lions players were coming off their peak, but this time they are coming up to their peak.

"The Lions are special, they are unique - you can't compare them to anything else you ever do. Ten games in seven or eight weeks is a unique challenge. If I hadn't been coaching full time at Wasps I would not have considered it.

"The fact that South Africa are World Champions makes it a very special tour. It will be three World Cup finals, and I am looking forward to that challenge."

Irvine, a full-back who won 51 caps for Scotland in his playing days, thinks that McGeechan is the only man for the Lions coaching job, and will improve on the 2005 tour to New Zealand, when the Lions lost all three Tests under Sir Clive Woodward.

Irvine, a Lion in 1974, 1977 and 1980, said: "From day one Ian was very much in our thoughts. We wanted someone who could share the ethos and spirit of the Lions, and he fits the bill.

"If you look at Geech's record, it speaks for itself, and he is still actively coaching. The big question was 'did he still want it?'; 'was the hunger still there?'; 'was the desire still there?'. I'm pleased to say that he is possibly as fired up as he has ever been.

"There are similarities between Geech and Sir Alex Ferguson. Not just because they are both Scottish, but because their desire and hunger are insatiable. Ian is a fantastic, innovative thinker and one of the best coaches of all time.

"If you had a straw poll of all the players that would come into Lions contention and asked them who their dream coach would be I think Ian would get the majority of the vote - and that is very attractive.

"He's a very young 61-years old - he is as fit as a flea. He loves the Lions to bits and he can see the potential.

"He is already extremely excited about some of the young talent coming through and he is as enthusiastic now as I have ever seen him."

McGeechan also toured twice with the Lions as a player, in 1974 and 1977. Tour manager Gerald Davies added: "The statistics tell you all you need to know - I'm not sure his achievements can be matched again.

"When Ian first took over that role as Lions coach, I'm not sure he would have thought that 20 years down the line he would still be doing it and still be the best at his game. It is Ian McGeechan who sets the benchmark - you can't better him."

Labels: Ian McGeechan, Lions, rugby union

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 5:00 pm | Permalink | Comments