Many of the England squad, the favourites to lift the Women’s Rugby World Cup trophy at the end of August, will return from the tournament, win or lose, to find themselves unemployed.

England rugby bosses have informed the squad that their current professional contracts will not be renewed when they expire on 31 August.

Now I’m no expert on psychology and squad preparation at the highest level of elite rugby, but I would have thought that informing your national side that they will get the boot straight after the biggest tournament of their lives, is probably not a good thing in terms of morale and motivation.

Fifty players are currently employed on either a full or part-time basis, but as from September only seventeen full-time sevens contracts will be offered.

The reason given for this incredibly ill-timed decision is that England’s focus will be switching to the World Cup Sevens, to be held in San Francisco next year, and the Olympic games event in Tokyo in 2020.

Privately I have been informed that morale in the squad has been affected, as you would expect in any walk of life when you face the sack when there are mortgages and bills to pay, although I guarantee that every loyal England player will not admit it publicly.

So when they should be focussing on rugby, these poor souls are having to fit in job hunting and CV preparations around their rugby world cup preparations.

Some of the squad will be offered sevens contracts but relatively few.

It will be interesting to see how England start the tournament, on August 9th, when they face Spain in the opening match in Dublin.

 

 

On July 13, 2017 AN Post, Ireland’s postal service issued a stamp to commemorate the 2017 Women’s Rugby World Cup.

Ireland have always been keen to celebrate rugby via the postal system, particularly Rugby World Cup tournaments.

The wonderful 1995 tournament in South Africa was celebrated by many dogs in Ireland as the stamps issued, shown below, landed on the doormat to be chewed to pieces by hungry Labrador’s all across the Emerald Isle.

Not many gingers have had their “boat race” splashed over a 55c philatelic special, but in 2007 the great Paul O’Connell received the special treatment, to commemorate the World Cup in France.

The canine population of Eire celebrated equally vociferously dancing on the doormats of Dublin with a quadrupedal Riverdance.

Now, in 2017 the eighth Women’s Rugby Cup takes place in  Ireland.

Matches are planned from August 9 to August 26 in University College Dublin, Queens University, Belfast and in Kingspan Stadium, home of Ulster Rugby, in Belfast.

The pool stages take place in University College Dublin from August 9 to August 17, with the semi-finals and play-offs in Upper Malone, Queens University, Belfast from August 22 to August 26. The final will be played at the Kingspan Stadium which is one of the shortlisted venues for Ireland’s 2023 Rugby World Cup bid.

The postal services have come up trumps once again with a 1 Euro stamp featuring Niamh Briggs, captain of Ireland and Limerick Garda officer.

The stamp you see here was designed by Zinc Design Consultants, and shows the Irish captain in the thick of the action on the field.

So the Labrador’s wolfhounds and Irish setters will be rubbing their paws with glee as a new Irish rugby face is about to greet them through the letterbox.

In Ancient Rome the colour red symbolised blood and courage, whilst in China, it is regarded as a vibrant optimistic colour symbolising success, happiness and warmth, along with good luck and wealth.

On a rain lashed night in Wellington, the Westpac stadium was a sea of red, every tour party member wearing their customised red waterproofs ,the large collected droplets of rain cascading from the dark night skies reflecting on the jackets  like a sea of mirrors in the floodlit arena.

For the All  Blacks, the colour red came to symbolise the lost opportunity of sealing a series  win in which they are overwhelming favourites

With twenty four minutes on the clock, Sonny Bill Williams’ shoulder made contact with Anthony Watson’s head, referee Jerome Garces  pulled a card from his pocket, the colour ? Red.

The men in the red shirts were not going to let the chance of a lifetime slip through their fingers and end up with red faces, they levelled the series with a 24-21 victory.

The decider in Auckland next Saturday will be a noisy vibrant colourful affair and maybe, just maybe the colour red, will be the one in which the Lions and their amazing followers paint the town.

It has been a strange week, whilst Jonsey, Slotty, Barnesy, Moose and almost every other rugby writer was experiencing the Endless Winter in New Zealand, I found myself walking my lovely little boy around the lake, daily, at 6am, when the temperatures were already in the mid twenties, and yes I am in Britain, or at least my body is.

My mind and soul are 11,400 miles away in Auckland, by the way my lovely boy is a seven month old black Labrador, who is most perturbed that we couldnt play rugby in the garden this week due to temperatures reaching the mid thirties.

Social media brought everything instantly to my iPad, even whilst I was in a perspiring puddle at 2am and unable to sleep I was getting updates from the boys down under.

It is strange to think that forty-six years ago,in 1971, I was in a similarly sleepless, albeit cooler state, as my radio battled to bring me commentary on the first test between The All Blacks and the Lions.

Yesterday I didn’t have to conjure  up images from Wilson Whineray’s excited radio commentary, as I did all those years ago, these days it’s razor-sharp pictures preceded by hours of analysis and predictions, and that’s just me sorting out my breakfast.

When a man called Moses is chosen to sing the NZ national anthem before kick off you know the writing’s on the wall,  and the commandment thou shalt not lose at Eden park is unlikely to be broken.

As night fell in Auckland it was ironic that a man called Daly crossed the All Blacks line within two minutes of the start, had he managed to ground the ball who knows what might have been.

The All Blacks were leading 13-3 when the score, that from this day forward will be known as “That Try” , swept ninety metres in twenty one seconds.

Touched down by O’Brien it was started ten metres from his own line  by O’my  goodness (Liam Williams) and on reaching  half way his pass started the O’key cokey between Jon Davies and Eliot Daly who took the ball to the All Blacks five metre line with an in out in out exchange before Sean O’Brien,with Knees bent arms stretched,dived over for a try that sent almost every Lions fan airborne with 35:23 on the clock.

For a while I dared to dream, but the All Blacks  are pretty good at delivering reality checks and they didn’t need their sponsors DHL to get a signature for this one.

The weather has now cooled by the way as has my optimism, but the series is not over yet, and Wellington next Saturday could yet be the start of a glorious sunny spell for the Lions.

Almost every photograph of the Lions management, on the current tour appears to include an erected hood or an umbrella and in some cases both.

So is it just a myth that it always rains in the land of the long white cloud ?

The locals in Queenstown whilst sipping a cold steinlager will tell you
“If  you can see mount cook its going to rain, and if you can’t see it, then it’s already raining “.

Whilst being interviewed during the 1977 Lions tour to New Zealand Peter Wheeler the English hooker commented “It only rained twice this week, once for four days and once for three days”.

A Welsh player on that very same tour when asked if his hamstring twinge was improving replied “The hamstring is fine but its been so wet I’m now struggling with trench foot“.

Milford Sound has the dubious honour of being wettest inhabitited place in New Zealand, and one the wettest in the world.

It has a mean annual rainfall of 6,412 mm (252 inches) each year, a high level even for the West Coast, and rainfall can reach 250 mm (10 inches) during a spell of 24 hours.

 All Blacks followers know that when the rain does eventually stop there will be a Sonny spell just around the corner as Mr Bill Williams lets his talents shine through, let’s just hope on the day of the first test  Auckland receives Milford Sound weather or at the very least a big dollop of cloud.

The irony that the young man nicknamed “Pence” by his team mates has been earning 55,000 euros a month whilst playing for Toulon is not lost on those back home in his native Gorseinon

His contract with the French club has come to an end, and the shaningans regarding an extension have reached soap opera proportions on both sides of the channel.

With Mourad Boujallel involved perhaps pantomime would be a more accurate description of events.

The president of the Rugby Club Toulon, confided in the columns of “Var Matin” that he has made an offer to Halfpenny and will not make a second one, and the ball is now firmly in the Lions full backs court

“Leigh Halfpenny had a proposal a dozen days ago”

“Either it accepts it, or he does not sign it”

“There will be no other, knowing that he will not be there for six months next year”

“For my part, I am convinced that we lost the Top 14 final because of his absence”. 

That last quote really hits the nail on the head, underlining Boujallels fury that his star full back missed the Top 14 final due to a clause in his contract that allowed him full release for British and Irish Lions duty in New Zealand.

Days before the crucial semi final against La Rochelle in Marseille Boujallel was rattling his gums on television radio and written media announcing that he was going to offer a vastly reduced contract to Halfpenny, not ideal preparation for big game you would think.

But Leigh, a shy modest character with a work ethic second to none, managed to keep his focus, and his immaculate goal kicking at the Orange Velodrome played a huge part in taking Toulon to the final in Paris. 

An offer from Cardiff Blues under a national dual contract with the Welsh Rugby Union was turned down by Halfpenny due to the length of contract offered rather than the drastically reduced monthly income it would produce.

His partner Jess is understandably keen to stay in this beautiful region of France where they have both settled and embraced the way of life.

Possible moves to Bath or another Top 14 club are on the cards should the Toulon deal not be agreed, one thing is for sure a decision will have to be reached very soon.

It has been a right Royal month for one of the world’s top referees Alhambra Nievas.

She refereed the Copa del Rey Final (The Kings Cup) in front of  a passionate 21,000 crowd in Vallodolid, where UE Santaboian beat Silver storm El Salavador 16-6 in a match where the rain in Spain fell not mainly on the plain, but mainly and by the bucket load on Estadio Jose Zorrilla.

There was virtually no mention of Alhambra’s refereeing performance in any of the newspaper reports of the match, which is just the way she likes it.

“No news good news” she often tells me, meaning if she does not get a mention in match reports, then done her job has gone well, and as an ex international player she knows  that the players are the main protagonists in our great game.

Media coverage inevitably focuses on the fact that she is a woman, and we both share a  common and fervent hope that the day will soon come day when referee announcements will no longer require a gender prefix.

After the kings cup, the only thing could top that experience was to have lunch with the King of Spain himself, which Alhambra duly did.

It seemed entirely appropriate that our own queen of hearts was invited to the royal palace, I just hope she didn’t shout out a crouch, bind, set instruction to His Majesty  when it was time to eat.

Alhambra’s schedule is non stop and with airports awaiting and rugby matters to attend to, after a brief period of family time, she will be off to Canada and France to referee in the final two legs of the womens world series sevens.

Then it’s back home prepare for this summers big event, the Womens rugby world cup taking place in Ireland throughout August.

There will be world cup warm up games to officiate, followed by a month in Ireland for the tournament itself, where she has promised to buy me a guinness somwhere along the way.

This humble friendly and personable young woman will go about her business in her usual modest and charming manner, leaving the limelight to others whilst spreading the gospel of our great game and its values.

“No news good news” ?  When Alhambra is refereeing your match it is definately good news.

Now where’s that Guinness ?

 

 

 

 

 

As the rugby world focused on Edinburgh this weekend, the 16th arondissment that leafy Parisian suburb around Porte de Saint Cloud, played host to the penultimate leg of the HSBC World Sevens Series.

Paris needs no excuse to party, and at the home of European challenge cup winners Stade Francais, Stade Jean Bouin witnessed two days of music, food,drink and top class rugby that ticked all the boxes of a great sporting and social weekend.

The thumping kenyan drum band just came out on top against my rather feeble paracetamol intake, but the headaches were worthwhile.

What the opposing French band lacked in volume they more than made up for in tempo their dubious choice of music underlined as a Gary Glitter hit rocked the stadium at various intervals.

Of course sevens is about more than rugby, and in the capital of fashion the fancy dress, that is now part and parcel of the sevens circuit,  if not exactly Christian Dior was certainly worthy of Christian Califano.

When told that my 70s costume was brilliant it was somewhat embarrassing to state that I hadn’t in fact come in fancy dress, and that I worked for the media Zut Alors !

A largely partisan French crowd came to life when les Bleus took the field, and if their team did not really gel at the weekend one sumptuous offload from Vakatawa was worth the admission fee alone.

The photo in Sunday’s L’equipe does not do justice to the beauty of that one act, it would need a painting by one of the French impressionists to truly convey the sheer uplifting joy of the pass, which Vakatawa followed up himself to score a try that created such a roar causing  the coffee cups to rattle as far away as the Gare du Nord.

My Monday roar was almost hijacked by a lovely bottle of Merlot last night but ever the proffesional I managed to assume some self control  just in the nick of time.

The nuts and bolts of this tournament are that South Africa won it and won the trophy, but the cold statistics are somewhat secondary.

Having  been a bit sniffy about sevens, I will never forget the sheer joy  and comraderery of the fans ,the smiles On the children’s faces as they clutched their freebies from the sponsors,  the rugby themed games in the tournament village and the  local coaches playing with the kids, and showing how much fun can be had in this great game.

It was more like a recruitment and open day for the sport of rugby, and I promise I will sniff no more, because the joy on show was genuine and overwhelming and I left that leafy Parisian suburb uplifted and desperately wanting to go for a kick about in the parc.

I was in sevens heaven

On 4 October 1989 France faced the British Lions at Parc des Princes in a match to celebrate the bicentennial of the French Revolution.

The great and the good, and evens yours truly descended on the 16th arrondissement, filling the cafes and bars ,the aroma of “steak frites” filling the balmy night air, and not a guillotine in sight.

28,881 people turned up at various stages of the evening to watch, well you can’t rush a Parisian dinner after all.

Kick off time was scheduled for 8.30pm, but with all the pomp and ceremony it was nearer 9pm before the match actually got underway.

The Lions had won the series in Australia the previous summer, and eleven members of the victorious series winners played in the match.

The Lions scored a try in the opening minutes after a classic Guscott break found Rob Andrew inside, and he ran under the posts untouched, Gavin Hastings converted.

Two further Hastings penalties gave the Lions an early 12-0 lead, before France replied with a Camberabero penalty, and a Serge Blanco try which Camberabero converted, making it 12-9 to the Lions.

A try from Gavin Hastings made gave the Lions a 16-9 lead at half time.

  

At an hour when most Parisians were heading to their  beds, the second half got underway, with Gavin Hastings landing a penalty, and scoring a try created once again by Guscott, 23-9 to the men in red.

Phillipe Benetton making his France debut pulled a try back for Les Blues, converted by Camberabero (23-15)

A typical Rob Andrew drop goal increased the Lions lead to 26-15, as the match see sawed back and forth.

Camberabero kickked two penalties bringing France right back into the game (26-21), before Gavin Hastings gave the Lions a bit of breathing space with a penalty taking the Lions lead to 29-21

In the final minutes France pounded the Lions try line, before Camberabero went over for a try which he duly convereted.

With the score at 27-29 the Lions were relieved to hear referee Brian Anderson blow his whistle for full time.

A defeat for the hosts, but no heads would roll on this occassion thankfully.

France 27 (9)   British Lions 29 (16)

France Scorers

Blanco Benetton Camberabero Tries

Camberabero 3 Pens 3 Conv

 

Lions Scorers

Andrew, G.Hastings (2) Tries

Andrew (DG)

G.Hastings 4 pens 1 Conv

 

 

New Zealand sports minister Jonathan Coleman, and other government ministers, were rubbing their hands with glee recently, when they announced that they are expecting significant economic gains from the visit of the 2017 Lions.

One NZ journalist told me “The Lions just defecate cash, it’s like Santa arriving with a bag of money which virtually trebles the income of the governing body overnight”

20,000 Lions supporters travelled to the land of the long white cloud in 2005, which resulted in 431,000 international visitor bed nights, of the 360,000 match tickets available on tour, 355,000 were sold.

35,000 lions supporters are expected to arrive in 2017, and everyone is attempting to cash in.

Virtually all accommodation at every venue is sold out, although some basic accommodation is available for £670 a night, in Wellington, on the night of the second test, and they have even thrown Lenny Henry out of the Premier Inn to make a few more dollars more.

in 2005 the NZ national economy benefited by 115 million dollars in foreign exchange gains, and 250 million dollars in tourism receipts.

Whilst some these figures are open to interpretation, what cannot be argued is the fact that New Zealand rugby banked 20.4 million dollars from the 2005 Lions tour.

Last week New Zealand rugby published its annual report for 2016, which showed a loss of six million dollars.

It seems that a visiting Lions tour is the only way to ensure that NZ rugby achieves a  profit.

New Zealand is not the only country to benefit, after the last Lions tour in 2013, the Australian rugby Union made £40m enabling them to wipe out their £12.2m debt.

So it makes it even more galling when the Lions are handicapped by a ridiculous schedule and a total lack of preparation time.

In a five-week period the tour includes matches against all five Kiwi Super Rugby franchises, as well as the New Zealand Maori, and a three Test series against the All Blacks.

The Home Unions committee agreement, drawn up to cover Lions tours from 2001 to 2017, was detrimental to the touring side from the outset, and subsequent coaches have advocated strongly that no tour should depart after 2017 without all the players having at least two weeks preparation time together.

The leverage the Lions financial clout gives them should also have been a major factor in negotiations with New Zealand Rugby this time around.

Many players will leave for New Zealand only 48-hours after playing in the Premiership and Pro12 finals, to face the most brutal schedule the host nation has been able to put together, this should never have been agreed

But it is not just New Zealand that are responsible, lack of cooperation closer to home, in fact at home, has added insult to injury.

A Lions request that the tour should start a week later, to enable the squad to have seven days of preparation before the opening match against a Provincial Union XV, and so that the final test could be played on July 15 rather than July 8, was refused by Premiership Rugby.

Premier rugby said that the decision to oppose any changes to the tour dates was taken in the interests of player welfare, and that the end of the tour would be too close to the start of the new season.

The same body that now propose an eleven month domestic season in England, and support a condensed six nations tournament.

Strange days indeed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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