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

JACKSON FOR ENGLAND – JONES

Martin Johnson should name Glen Jackson, the Saracens fly-half, in his England squad for the Six Nations on Wednesday. That’s the view of Jackson’s head coach, Eddie Jones, who witnessed his New Zealand-born No10 kick 15 points in his side’s 37-13 Guinness Premiership bonus-point triumph over bottom-club Bristol.

Australian Jones believes that the 33-year-old, who became the first man this season to reach 150 points yesterday (SUN), would act as the perfect mentor for tyros Danny Cipriani and Toby Flood.

“England should really consider having him in the squad,” the former Wallabies coach said. “His goalkicking was good, and his out-of-hand kicking is just wonderful.

“If they are going to have (Danny) Cipriani and (Toby) Flood as their major stand-offs maybe they should have someone like Jackson, who understands the game exceedingly well, in the squad to teach these younger guys how to play because I think they need a mentor.”

Italian prop Matias Aguero and centre Brad Barritt scored for Saracens to take the score to 23-7 at the interval. Ben Skirving and England captain Steve Borthwich ensured the result with second-half scores.

Jones praised lock and club captain Borthwick, who signed from Bath in the summer, adding: “He's been good for us from the first day he walked in the door and we're a much better side when he's playing.

“He gives us the lineout leadership, he's tough around the ruck and he scored the try. He doesn't even score tries in training so he's pretty chuffed about that one.”

The victory meant that Saracens leap-frogged Harlequins in to sixth, though their London rivals’ game with Worcester Warriors at the Stoop was postponed due to the frozen pitch. Similarly, Wasps’ match at Bath’s Memorial Ground was called off.

Labels: Bristol Rugby, Eddie Jones, England, Glen Jackson, London Wasps, Martin Johnson, Saracens, Six Nations, Steve Borthwick

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 12:06 am | Permalink | Comments

PALMER HOPING WASPS CAN STING QUINS

Tom Palmer knows that January could be the make or break month for London Wasps' season - both domestically and in Europe. In their first game of the New Year Wasps host capital rivals Harlequins who, thanks again to the boot of Kiwi fly-half Nick Evans, drew 26-26 with Leicester Tigers last Saturday at Twickenham and remain sixth in the Guinness Premiership, 10 points ahead of Wasps, the reigning champions.

The England prop was one of eight internationals forced to be rested by Shaun Edwards in the 31-3 Boxing Day defeat to Sale Sharks - a loss that brought an end to Wasps' winning run of four games and, in Edwards's view, caused them to lose all momentum.

Though Edwards deemed the Elite Performance Squad stipulation of forcibly dropping England players as "bullshit", Palmer was more diplomatic. Further, he sees no reason why Wasps cannot pick up their game and - as they did last year - go on a devastating, all-conquering run.

The 29-year-old, who started England's ill-fated autumn international against South Africa, said of the EPS regulations: "It is difficult situation as they are the rules. It doesn't help teams like Wasps who have so many internationals. But that is why we need a strong squad.

"It was a real shame to lose against Sale because we were getting a nice run going. After two wins in the league and two in the Heineken Cup we were beginning to play some good stuff again and now we are back to square one, which is disappointing. Now it is very important to beat Harlequins.

"We have not given up on the Guinness Premiership at all. We have got to do as well as we can in both the league and the Heineken Cup. You can lose a game on the bounce of a ball so we are focused on every game we play.

"We know that if we lose a game in Europe, at the stage we are at, we will be out. So we cannot afford to concentrate on one or the other. In the league we have to work hard and keep aiming for the play-offs.

"In the Guinness Premiership I think we are a point better off this year than we were last, before we had that brilliant run. So don't write us off just yet this year!"

Palmer, who moved from Leeds Tykes in 2006 and has won 13 caps for his country, believes that to overcome Harlequins in Round 11 on Sunday they need to close down their half-backs - Evans and scrum-half Danny Care.

He continued: "Harlequins have two outstanding half-backs in Nick and Danny, so I think we have really got to put pressure them. As soon as they get the ball there has to be a defender straight on them so that they are not comfortable. We have got to make life difficult for them - if we give them an easy ride we know they will be incredibly dangerous."

Following the Quins game Wasps travel to league table-toppers Bath and then play their final Heineken Cup group games against Leinster at home and Castres away. A tough period, but one that Wasps will relish, says Palmer.

"January could be a defining month for us this season - we have four really tough games and each one is a big challenge," he said. "But that is what we play for at Wasps - we like testing ourselves against the best sides - and we are all really looking forward to it.

"A really good month for me should see me back in the England square for the Six Nations, so that is a reason for me to focus. Fingers-crossed I will be involved again, but I know I have to put in some big performances."

Palmer and a number of team-mates enjoyed New Year's Eve at hooker Joe Ward's house, where "a few interesting board games" were played. And the front-rower has revealed a rugby resolution for 2009. "I had a chat with England's nutritional expert, and I am going to do a couple of things to keep my bodyweight the same, while decreasing my fat and bulking my muscle mass up," added Palmer.

"I will start a new six-week programme in the New Year that focusses on me getting the right oils and vitamins. In the England training camp in the autumn Mark did some blood screening tests on all of us and it was revealing. The results of that caused a new nutritional plan to be put in to place - and it has really helped and I'm feeling much better.

"I had long-term issues with my back before but now that I am having more fish oils, omega oils, which I was low on, and it is great. I am low in something else too, and that means that I need a glass of red wine and a couple of squares of dark chocolate every night, which is not too bad! Now that my body has adapted to that diet we are changing it again."

Labels: Guinness Premiership, London Harlequins, London Wasps, Tom Palmer

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 2:37 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

HODGSON STARS AS SHARKS GO SECOND

Sale Sharks ascended to second in the Guinness Premiership and all but ended London Wasps’ hopes of retaining their title with a bonus-point victory in Stockport. In the only game on Boxing Day, at a full-house Edgeley Park, home fly-half Charlie Hodgson and full-back Mark Cueto, the forgotten men of English rugby, gave Martin Johnson a timely reminder of what they can do as their side cruised to a 31-3 win.

Against a weakened Wasps side, who were forced to drop nine of their international players due to the Elite Performance Squad rulings, Hodgson scored 16 points, while Cueto ran in his team’s second try and looked a threat all afternoon.

After a poor start to their league campaign Wasps had begun to build up a head of steam, having won their previous four games in all competitions. But Ian McGeechan’s side were out-muscled and out-spirited by a Sale Sharks team determined to give their departing coach Philippe Saint-André a Christmas bonus.

Sale skipper Juan Fernandez Lobbe opened the scoring after 10 minutes when Hodgson found Nial Briggs on the right. The flank forward, standing in for Luke Abrahams after the club suspended him for a headbutt in last weekend’s defeat to Bath, shipped on to Argentine Lobbe, who gleefully dived over in the corner. Hodgson, 28, kicked the extra two points and was asked to do the same only three minutes later.

Cueto, in an attempt to clear his lines, booted from just outside his 22-yard-line, and the ball bounced inside the touch line and back in to play, wrong-footing Wasps winger Chris Bishay. His on-rushing opposite man, Daniel Doherty, collected and slipped to the supporting Cueto, who raced under the uprights.

Though Wasps’ fly-half, Dave Walder, pulled back a penalty after 19 minutes, there was only one No10 shining on Friday – and Hodgson, capped 31 times for England, put the score beyond the visitors after converting his own try on 24 minutes.

When visiting flanker Joe Worsley trotted back from an offside position and found himself in the way of No9 Richard Wigglesworth’s pass, Hodgson was the quickest to react and pounced on the loose ball to take Sale to 21-3 at the interval.

Hodgson ensured his perfect kicking game with a penalty in the 50th minute, and, with three minutes remaining, he converted Lobbe’s second try of the game, a bullocking run from close range that forced a defeated and weary Wasps defence to cave in.

Labels: Charlie Hodgson, Guinness Premiership, London Wasps, Sale Sharks

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 4:47 pm | Permalink | Comments

HEINEKEN CUP ROUND-UP

London Wasps head coach, Shaun Edwards, has warned his team that they need to lift their game against Leinster next month if they are to stand a chance of progressing to the last eight of the Heineken Cup.

Following their scrappy 19-11 victory over Edinburgh at Adams’ Park on Sunday – a game in which fly-half Dave Walder scored all of the home team’s points – the Guinness Premiership champions are three points behind Pool Two leaders Leinster, who slipped up at Castres on Saturday.

Leinster coach Michael Cheika has called January 17’s Twickenham showdown against Wasps “a final”, and Edwards hopes that his side treat it with such importance. “When the big games come I would like to think we can up our performance levels,” said the 42-year-old.

“At the start of the season we were losing close games and now we are starting to get the right side of these narrow margins now. But we need to up our form for Leinster.”

On Saturday Harlequins’ last-gasp win over Stade Français put them in pole position in Pool Four. Following 29 phases Quins’ All Black No10 Nick Evans managed to squeeze over his drop goal to take Dean Richards’s team to 19-17 and retain their 100 per cent record.

"That was probably the ugliest drop-goal I have hit in my life, but it doesn't matter how they go over – they all count," smiled the 28-year-old who kicked 14 points in all, while centre Jordan Turner-Hall crossed for a try in the first half.

Richards believes that his team can further improve, however. “I thought the whole team showed a huge amount of patience,” said the 45-year-old. “To not give away a penalty or turn over the ball in that final move shows how they have matured.

“It was a fantastic win but there were times when we didn't play as we said we wanted to play and nearly threw away a couple of opportunities. We will take everything from it we can because we have still got to learn from it.”

Labels: Dave Walder, Harlequins Rugby League, London Wasps, Nick Evans, Shaun Edwards

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 9:27 pm | Permalink | Comments

QUINS WARY OF EMOTIONALLY-CHARGED STADE

Andy Gomarsall has warned his Harlequins team-mates to expect a backlash from French giants Stade Francais in the Heineken Cup on Saturday following the London’s club’s 15-10 victory in Paris last weekend.

The 34-year-old scrum-half, capped 35 times for England, said: “Of course we fancy our chances of doing the double but it will be an emotional game for Stade.

“They were gutted to lose in front of 80,000 of their fans in Paris. And they will be looking for a big one. We just have to concentrate on ourselves and if we do that we should be OK.”

On Sunday London Wasps host Edinburgh and flanker Tom Rees knows that if they don’t gain a win their hopes of European success will be over.

Following their 25-16 victory at Murrayfield last Friday, the England star who scored the winning try said: “It was good to pick up the result and keep our Heineken Cup hopes alive and we will be looking to do the same this week. It is still a case of knowing that if we lose then we are out of the tournament.

“I’d imagine they would be quite happy to rain on our parade so we’ll have to be pretty sharp to win.”

Labels: Andy Gomarsall, Heineken Cup, London Harlequins, London Wasps

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 6:05 pm | Permalink | Comments

QUINS USE SPORTS PSYCHOLOGIST TO WARD OFF CAN-CAN DISTRACTION

Harlequins captain Will Skinner has revealed the secret behind his side’s magnificent Heineken Cup victory over Stade Français in Paris: sports psychology. The 15-10 win, which retained Quins’ 100 per cent record in Pool 4 and hands them a great chance of reaching the last eight for the first time in a decade, was labelled the club’s best in its 142-year history.

But Quins, who last won in France 11 years ago, had to block out an intimidating circus atmosphere, which included Moulin Rouge Can-Can girls, in front of a capacity 76,000 crowd. Tries from Jordan Turner-Hall and Tom Williams, and five kicked points from Nick Evans proved enough for Dean Richards’s team against the two-time runners-up.

“We used a sports psychiatrist who helped us recognise what distractions there would be at the game,” said Skinner, 24. “We didn’t want to get too amazing by everything – though it was hard when we were warming up!

“Without a shadow of a doubt that win was the pinnacle of my career so far. It was the biggest crowd I have ever played against and the biggest game I have ever played in.

“We really believe that we can go much further in the competition. And if anything is going to give us confidence, it was that win. But we have got to keep our feet on the ground. We have to win all our home games and we have got Stade coming back this weekend – and they will be looking for revenge.”

In Pool 2 London Wasps kept alive their hopes of advancing to the quarter-finals with a hard-fought win over Edinburgh at Murrayfield. With all nine internationals back in the fold, fly-half Danny Cipriani kicked 20 points and Tom Rees scored a try in the 25-16 victory. Wasps are now second with eight points – six behind Leinster.

Labels: Heineken Cup, London Harlequins, London Wasps, Will Skinner

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 6:26 pm | Permalink | Comments

REES WARY OF EDINBURGH RAINING ON WASPS’ PARADE

Tom Rees scored a try with three minutes remaining at Murrayfield last Friday to seal London Wasps’ second win in the Heineken Cup this campaign, but the England flank forward knows that his team will have to improve their performance in the return fixture at Adams’s Park this Sunday if they stand any chance of progressing to the last eight of the competition – with three Pool 2 games to play they are six points behind leaders Leinster, who have 14.

The 24-year-old’s late score, which ensured a scrappy 25-16 win, vanquished the horror of three years ago when Simon Webster’s injury-time try helped Edinburgh to win 32-31 – but Rees knows Andy Robinson’s team will be gunning for revenge in England against the Guinness Premiership champions.

“It was important to get the result up in Edinburgh,” said Rees, whose team are yet to win three games in a row this term. “We have not had many happy memories going up there in the past. It was good to pick up the result and keep our Heineken Cup hopes alive and we will be looking to do the same this week. It is still a case of knowing that if we lose then we are out of the Heineken Cup.

“Hopefully it will be a bit more comfortable this week with it being at home. We also have slightly longer to prepare this week so we should be sharper and better prepared. Also I hope the rugby is a little bit better, because while it was a great result last Friday it was not a great game for us. Hopefully that win will help our confidence build and we will start to play some better rugby as well as winning.

“There is a hell of a lot of pressure on us at the moment, and we have put some of that on ourselves through not performing and not winning. But the more wins we get, the more pressure we take off ourselves. The tendency is to try and be more conservative and grind results out. When you are winning and flying high things seem to come more easily. In our current state of mind we are perhaps more wary of trying things.

“One of the problems that we got ourselves in to at the beginning of the season was that when things did start to go wrong everyone was constantly looking for ways out of it. We were effectively trying too hard; the more important thing would have been to relax. But that is counter intuitive when things are going badly. It is important for us to stay relaxed and confident but at the same time our focus has got to be sky high. When these wins do hopefully start to mount up – at the moment we are still only talking about two – we can play with a bit more confidence.”

On Sunday’s opponents Rees added: “Edinburgh will not be too happy about losing at Murrayfield. They are a very well drilled side, as you would expect from a team who are managed by Andy Robinson. He selected me for my first game for England, so I have a lot of respect for him.

“They have got a very good back row, and it was a very interesting one to go up against last week. They have got a few young players, too, so these are exiting times for them if they can grow in confidence themselves and move forward. My concern is this week they are going to come down smarting for having lost at home.

“I’d imagine they would be quite happy to rain on our parade in terms of making sure we don’t progress in the Heineken Cup. So we’ll have to be pretty sharp to win. They game went right to the death up in Scotland and we will have to work very hard to make sure that is not the case on Sunday.”

Labels: Edinburgh, Heineken Cup, London Wasps, Tom Rees

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 6:24 pm | Permalink | Comments

EDINBURGH NO LAUGHING MATTER FOR WASPS, SAYS BIRKETT

Richard Birkett and his London Wasps team-mates welcomed back their nine internationals on Sunday with a trip to a comedy club in Battersea. But, ahead of Friday's crucial Heineken Cup third round game in Edinburgh, they know their current situation is no laughing matter.

The lock, who made his Wasps debut nine years ago and has played over 200 times for the club, admits that Wasps need to pull out all the stops immediately if they are to salvage anything from their season.

Last Friday the reigning Guinness Premiership champions narrowly defeated Newcastle Falcons 23-17 to record only their second win of the campaign after eight rounds – they are now ninth in the table.

Similarly in the Heineken Cup, a trophy they won in 2007, things have not started well – which places extra importance on the game at Murrayfield. In October a 25-11 home win over French club Castres was followed by a 41-11 drubbing away to Leinster, leaving Wasps six points off the Irish side in Pool 2 and equal on four points with Edinburgh. Birkett knows that Wasps stand a mathematical chance of advancing to the latter stages, but his team must record bonus-point victories.

“It has got to the point now where every single game is a must-win, if we want to do anything at all this year,” says 29-year-old Birkett, who represented England Under-18s while a Millfield schoolboy. “These are desperate times and it was good to win against Newcastle Falcons last week. We needed to get a win at all costs – it was not pretty but it didn’t matter.

“We should have scored a lot more points but we are still making plenty of little errors which are costing us. That is because our confidence is low. We know we can perform, as we are doing it on the training pitch, but we can’t do it on the pitch because we have not been winning games and closing them out. It has caused people to play a bit nervously.

“Winning will bring that confidence back – we know that when we are at the top of our game we can beat anyone, and that is what we need to get back to.”

Birkett was part of the Wasps pack who last played against Edinburgh at Murrayfield in a competitive fixture, three years ago, and recalls the disappointment of Scottish back, Simon Webster’s injury-time score which handed Edinburgh a 32-31 in the opening round of that Heineken Cup competition.

“I remember it was incredibly wet and horrible,” grimaces Birkett. “It was one of those days when nothing went for us at all – they definitely had the bounce of the ball. And it was gutting to see Webster cross for the late try.

“We went up there in pre-season in August and lost again [22-15]. It was a disappointing loss but not crucial. It’s more important now – there is much more at stake. We know they are a strong, physical side and they will defend well.

“We are under no illusions as to how hard a task it will be, as Edinburgh are playing very well this year. It is a tough ask and a big, big game for us. We get them back at ours a week on Sunday, so it will be fun –we should know them pretty well by then.

“It is a question of us being accurate and clinical. If we play the game we know, the win should not be an issue. It is just the accuracy that we have been lacking.”

Birkett admits it is a major boost to have his second-row partner Simon Shaw and Wasps’ other internationals back at the Twyford training ground, adding: “It’s good to have the internationals back – now we have more strength and depth and we get to use absolutely everybody. We had a bit of a team outing on Sunday night so the squad could get back together. We had a beer, chilled out and watched some comedy at a club in Battersea, which was great considering we had not seen them for about a month.

“We are targeting five-point wins in the Heineken Cup from now on. However we do it, it has to happen. It is absolute desperation. Hopefully we can pull it out of the bag. There have been times when we have really needed the win and got it. We need that kind of mentality now.”

Labels: Edinburgh, Heineken Cup, London Wasps, Richard Birkett

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 1:01 pm | Permalink | Comments