WALES RUGBY LEAGUE

Rugby Championships And World-Wide Competitions

2010-08-30T21:19:00.001-07:00

Rugby is intense, fast-paced, and stimulating game. Though football is the most-watched sport in history, rugby has an international base of fans that is growing all the time. Unlike cricket, rugby tickets have been popularized in more than just former British colonies, it's accepted all over Europe and South America, as well as Australia, South Africa, the US, etc.

But what makes a successful rugby tournament? Sure, rugby itself is an exciting sport, it moves rapidly, there are many ways to score points, and the fans are almost as intense as the players themselves. But not all rugby tournaments are created equal.

Played every four years, the winner of the Rugby World Cup becomes the reigning world champion of rugby the utmost honour in rugby. The current champions are South Africa, claiming the cup from England, the 2003 World Cup champions, in the 2007 Rugby World Cup. In the Rugby World Cup tournament, twenty countries compete in a host nation for around one month getting rugby tickets for this can be very difficult. Four groups of five teams compete against each other, narrowing the opposition to four teams, then two teams, then a champion. The bonus points system is utilized in the Rugby World Cup, making matches exhilarating and often resulting in unexpected wins.

Another of the greatest Rugby tournaments in the world, the Six Nations tournament, began in 1883, when England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland competed in what was called the Home International Championship. Then, in 1910, France joined the competition, which was rechristened Five Nations. When Italy joined in the year 2000, the tournament became known as the Six Nations Championship, the title we know it by today. There are many things that make the Six Nations Championship such a thriving rugby tournament, and Six Nations tickets such desirable items.

Another very successful Rugby touring team that many purchase international rugby tickets for is the British Lions, or the British and Irish Lions. The British Lions has terrific players from England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, and is a touring team that plays Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand every four years.

One thing that most of the greatest international rugby tours use to make tournaments more fun to watch is the bonus point system. This system encourages the kind of play that fans prefer that really sells rugby tickets. Rugby players are encouraged to attack throughout the match in order to obtain bonus points. This gives even losing teams a bonus for trying, they obtain points for small losses and number of tries. Like with normal point systems, teams get one point for a draw and two points for a win.

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Rugby Union

2010-08-30T21:18:00.000-07:00

Rugby is an exciting and fast moving contact sport played in many countries around the world. The main countries being England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales France and Italy in the Northern hemisphere with quite few more countries also playing rugby.

In the Southern hemisphere the main countries are South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentine. As in the northern hemisphere there are quite a few other countries playing rugby.

Some counties like Fiji excel in seven aside rugby as do Samoa but that is not to say they do not give a good account of themselves in the fifteen aside game.

The game of rugby started about 1846 when William Webb Ellis was supposed to have picked up the ball during a game of football and ran with it. Since then the game has evolved into various formats and the rules have changed to where they are today.

Playing, training and coaching methods have also changed. Rugby is not only played by men today but also played and followed by women. Ladies rugby is going from strength to strength.

Rugby union is played with fifteen players per team and seven substitutes who can only be brought on to the field of play for injuries or to bring a player off. The game is played with an oval ball lasts for eighty minutes, played in two halves of forty minutes with a ten minute break between each half.

There are various rugby tournaments in the world the most important being the rugby world cup which is called the Webb Ellis trophy. In the North ther is the Six Nation Rugby Union tournament, the Magners League and the Top 14 in France.

The tournaments in the are Tri-nations, the Currie Cup, Bledisloe Cup and Air New Zealand Cup. A very seven aside rugby competition played in various venues around the world, the most famous and well known being the Hong Kong sevens. For any one who wants their rugby fast and furious the sevens competition is for them, the games last for fourteen minutes each half being seven minutes long.

The women have their own competitions but the rules are the same as in the mens game.

Rugby split in about 1896 with a break away professional league being formed as certain thought the game was to slow. League rugby is played with thirteen players in the side with five substitutes which can rotated at any time during the game.

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Mickey Rourke to Play Gay Rugby Star in New Movie

2010-08-30T21:17:00.002-07:00

After a rollercoaster career and over a decade out of the limelight, Mickey Rourke has in recent years made an unprecedented comeback landing award winning roles in action packed blockbusters. However his next ambition is far departed from his usual characters as he aims to play Gareth Thomas, the world's only openly gay rugby star and male athlete, in a film about his life.

The actor got in touch with the rugby star after reading about his story, as a big rugby fan he has been interested in making a rugby film for many years and contacted Thomas via a mutual friend in the Rugby League. He invited him to the audience of the Jonathan Ross show on which he was a guest and invited him to meet over dinner afterwards.

Although more of a Hollywood heavyweight, he is no stranger to physical sports after his training for his Bafta and a Golden Globe award winning role in 'The Wrestler'. He is also a trained boxer and fought professionally during his break from acting in the 1990's.

Thomas is said to be delighted and flattered by Rourke's interest in his life. His career started at a local club at youth level, after a series of transfers he ended up at his home club Bridgend. He played for the Welsh capital Cardiff for three years before returning to captain his hometown to the Welsh Premier Division title in 2003. Debut for Wales in 1995 against Japan and set a record four tries against Italy in 1999. He retains the record for the most appearances for his country at 100.

In 2006, the rugby international suffered a health scare after a neck injury during a game manifested with what appeared to be a stroke at an interview later that day, he was rushed to hospital and it emerged he had ruptured an artery in his neck. It was feared that this could lead to his retirement but he resumed playing at the start of the 2006-07 season.

In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail he publically 'came out' but insisted he didn't want to be known as a 'gay rugby player' as he was a rugby player first, and foremost a man. He has publically talked about how he hopes his decision helps younger athletes feel comfortable with their sexuality and that it will not put off any potential players from what is considered one of the most masculine sports in the world.

But don't go thinking Rourke will don his rugby boots and rugby training shirts just yet as many have pointed out he is more than 20 years older than the rugby star.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tom_Doerr

Ospreys Rugby Shirts - In Demand Shirts in the UK and Ireland

2010-08-30T21:17:00.001-07:00

The Ospreys is a Welsh Rugby Union team that was formerly known as the Neath-Swansea Ospreys. The Ospreys Rugby shirts are mainly black (which represents the color of the Neath RFC) and white (which represents the Swansea RFC color) with a visible red Celtic knot. The alternate uniform of this team from Wales is mainly white with black stripes and the quintessential red knot. The main games where this club participates in include the EDF Energy Cup, Celtic League, and Heineken Cup/European Challenge Cup. Even if the company that owns this team is still known as the Neath-Swansea Ospreys, the club has maintained the Ospreys and dropped the words Neath and Swansea at the beginning of the 2005-2006 Rugby Union season.

The club, which is one of the original five member clubs of the Welsh Regional Rugby Era, came about in 2003 when the Welsh Rugby Union decided to trim down from nine to just five teams to represent the five regions of Wales. This is an attempt to copy the successful formats in South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Ireland. Thus, the Ospreys started to represent the whole of the Neath and Swansea areas. Because of this, Osprey Rugby shirts are extremely popular in the area and the club enjoys a huge following. Some of the notable former members of the Osprey team are Justin Marshall, Barry Williams, Leigh Davies, Gareth Llewellyn, Adrian Cashmore, Mefin Davies and Scott Gibbs.

During the first two seasons in the sport, the Ospreys actually considered St Helens in Swansea and The Gnoll in Neath as the club's home grounds. With the establishment of the Liberty Stadium in 2005 to 2006, however, the Ospreys finally got a home ground of its own. Nowadays, fans wearing the Osprey Rugby shirts will not be disappointed because they can all fit in the Liberty Stadium, which can hold as many as 20,000 watchers. However, it is important to note that this stadium is also a home ground to Swansea City FC.

The supporters of the team is fondly called as Ospreylians, which come from the word Ospreylia or the term that is used to refer to the geographical space that covered the region that the Ospreys represents. Currently, Munster may be the most coveted jersey in England. However, sales figures show that the Ospreys Rugby shirts are the next most sought-after shirts in the whole of Ireland and the United Kingdom.

There's more information on the best places to buy Ospreys rugby shirts at Rugby Union Shirt.

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True Rugby Legend - Tim Horan

2010-08-30T21:16:00.002-07:00

Former Australia and Queensland Reds centre Tim Horan has to be one of the modern greats of Rugby Union, and certainly one of the first legends of the professional era. Horan was a complete player in the centre, both in attack and defence, which always made him a formidable opponent for his opposite number knowing that it was going to be difficult to get past him and difficult to stop him. As an attacking threat Horan had nimble feet and could change direction in an instant but he was equally as good at being a playmaker and creating space for others to make a break.

Where Did It All Begin?

He was born Timothy James Horan on 18 May 1970 in Darlinghurst, Sydney, New South Wales although was raised in Toowoomba, Queensland. Would you believe that initially Tim began his rugby career playing rugby league for his local club in Toowoomba and wasn't introduced to the Rugby Union code until he went to Downlands Grammar school aged 12. Horan played an important role as a member of a successful Downlands Grammar 1st XV team that went unbeaten in 1987 and who were coached by former England coach John Elders. He also represented Australia at schoolboy level before winning his first cap in 1989 against the All Blacks aged just 19 without having ever played senior representative rugby for Queensland.

International Record

A young Tim Horan along with Jason Little and John Eales went on to win the Rugby World Cup in 1991 defeating England in the final at Twickenham. These were the only three surviving members from the 1991 squad that went on the lift the trophy again in 1999 as Australia defeated France at the Millennium Stadium in Wales and in doing so became the first ever nation to win the competition twice. Eales captained the side throughout the 1999 Rugby World Cup and Horan was named player of the tournament. Horan finished his international career with Australia in 2000 with his 80th test cap against Argentina and in total scored 30 international tries.

Away from the International Arena

You cannot forget the contribution Horan made to Queensland, in total earning 285 caps, many of which were in the Super 12 competition (now Super 14 and soon to be Super 15!). Horan's points tally for the Queensland was 285.

Following Horan's international retirement in 2000 he headed almost immediately for England where he spent three seasons with London club Saracens lighting up the English Premiership. Last year Tim Horan accepted the invitation from the Australian Rugby Union to serve as a Classic Wallabies Statesman. Each year the ARU invites 7 Classic Wallabies who have made indelible impressions on Australian Rugby to serve. In the same year Horan was also made a Member of the Order of Australia, which is a great accolade for any Australian to achieve and shows that his country recognises him for the great contributions he has made both to Rugby and to Australia.
Watching Tim Horan when I was a young rugby player, I do not think I will ever forget seeing him beat the opposition in midfield and has to be up there with the all time greats of the game, a true rugby legend.

David is a massive fan of all things Rugby and watches as many games as he possibly can from all of the worlds major competitions. He used to play scrum half for his local team but since retiring due to injury spends his leisure time helping out at his club and recording Rugby Union video blog reviews.

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The Oldest International Stadium in Football - The Racecourse Ground

2010-08-30T21:16:00.001-07:00

The Racecourse Ground: Wrexham

The Racecourse ground situated in Wrexham, North East Wales is the oldest International Football Stadium in the World and has been the venue for some of British Football's most historic memories. The following article details the fascinating history of the stadium.

The Racecourse Ground ("Y Cae Ras" in Welsh language) is the long term home of Wrexham Football Club who currently ply their trade in the Blue Square Premier league, the Racecourse is the largest stadium in this league with a capacity of 15,000, however this is currently reduced to 10,500 due to the kop stand being closed awaiting renovation to take the ground to being an all seater venue. In early 2010 Super League (Rugby League) side The Crusaders relocated to Wrexham and now use The Racecourse Ground as their home base.

In the 1800's the Ground was owned by Wrexham Cricket Club and was a venue for Cricket and Horse Racing (hence the grounds name). In 1872 Wrexham Football Club was born and thus the ground became a football stadium. In those days however it was less of a "stadium" due to the lack of facilities. The first stand to be built was the kop terracing in the 1950's whch is the oldest remaining part of the gound. The current away supporters stand (Eric Roberts Builders Stand) was built in 1978 following Wrexham's most successful period on the pitch. By this time floodlights had already long been installed. In 1999 the ground was brought to it's current standards with the completion of a 3500 capacity, modern designed stand including restaurant and bar facilities. The current capacity of 15000 is dwarfed by the record recorded attendance of amlost 35,000 people to witness an FA Cup tie against Manchester United in the 1950's

The Racecourse Ground's most distinguishing fact is that it is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as being the oldest International Football Stadium in current use. Over the years it has hosted many Wales International matches meaning the roll call of world greats to have graced the Racecourse changing rooms is long and distinguished. The Raceourse ground was the venue when Wales beat England 4-1 in the then Home Nations Tournament, a game still oft refered to and featured on television programmes. Similarly the Racecourse ground is featured annually on the weekend of the FA Cup third round having been the venue for the greatest FA Cup giant killing of all time when Wrexham beat current league champions Arsenal 2-1 in 1990.

The ground is no stranger to club level European football either, Wrexham enjoyed many ventures in the European Cup Winners cup and in recent years Welsh sides Bangor City and Total Network Solutions have used the venue for their European ties.

The Racecourse ground is also a favourite rugby venture. Currently the home of Rugby league team "The Crusaders" it has also been used by Rugby Union region "The Scarlets" as well as playing host to World Cup Rugby League and International Rugby Union matches.

The future of the Racecourse ground is that Wrexham Football Clubs owners plan to redevelop land behind the top end of the ground into student accomodation whilst rebuilding the kop stand into a multi purpose stand. The future may be different from the past but it is certain that the history and memories of the ground will live forever.

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Mayan 6th Night Exposing Unethical Behavior of the Melbourne Storm and the Changes of 2012

2010-08-30T21:15:00.001-07:00

According to one of the leading 2012 researchers, Dr Carl Johan Calleman, we are now in what he calls the Mayan 6th Night, which is a lead up to the Great Shift of 2011/2012. The 6th Night began last November (2009) and we will move into the Mayan 7th Day about November 8th, 2010. This 6th Night, that we are now almost half way through, is a time when secret unethical and illegal actions are more likely to be exposed. This is in preparation for the beautiful new era of higher consciousness that is close at hand.

It is true, that unethical/illegal exposures have been happening in a lot of ways to varying degrees for some years now. Just one example is corruption on Wall Street that led to the 2008 financial crisis. However, even deeper secrets are being exposed at this time of the 6th Night. Such as the secret emails coming to light demonstrating that the Wall Street investment giant Goldman Sachs made millions out of the crash by investing against their own recommendations to their clients. And these emails appeared only weeks after the US Securities and Exchange Commission announced it was laying charges against the company for "defrauding investors by misstating and omitting key facts".

Although minor in comparison to Wall Street; nevertheless, being the big sporting nation that Australia is, one of the biggest scandals to hit our Australian news media occurred last week. And yes, the scandal was sports related. Now whether you're a sports fan or not, the lesson is still a major one for this important time of the Mayan 6th night.

Background

In Australia we have two major codes of football - and that's football with an oval ball, not soccer with a round ball. Originally the states of Queensland and New South Wales played Rugby League. And basically the rest of the country followed Australian Rules football. About 20 years ago, Australian Rules went national. And about 13 years ago Rugby League invaded Melbourne, which is the birthplace and home of Australian Rules. So with only one Rugby League team in Melbourne - the Melbourne Storm - it was essential that they do well so that they could attract some of the die-hard fans away from Aussie Rules.

To even-up the play, all the teams have a salary cap. So they are not allowed to spend any more than $4.1 million per year (in 2010) on players' salaries. This way a team with a big financial backing can't buy all of the top players and so win all the games just because they have a lot of money.

The Scandal

Well for the past 5 years the Melbourne Storm executives have been getting all the top players by officially paying them within the salary cap, but secretly keeping a second set of accounting books so they can secretly pay the top players the extra money to keep them playing for the club. And that extra money is well outside of the salary cap. During the 5 years that they were fraudulently keeping the two sets of books they won 2 grand finals - called premierships - and were runners-up (minor premierships) three times. Shows what owning the top players can do for a team.

Middle of the Mayan 6th Night

Now here we are in the middle of the 6th night when secret unethical and illegal dealings will be exposed. And it is in the middle of this 6th Night that after 5 years the story of the Melbourne Storm football club cheating the system finally comes out. Another coincidence? Or might the Mayan 6th Night be on track for the 2012 shift?

The Penalty

Apart from the public humiliation, the Storm's official penalty has been extremely severe - and rightly so.

They have been stripped of their 3 minor (runners-up) premierships;
stripped of their 2 Grand Final wins, and
the players have had to return their Grand Final rings and medals.
They have had to return $1.1 million in prize money.
Fined another $500,000, and
they have to play this entire season without wining any points. So no matter how many games they win this season, which ends in September, they still end the season with zero points.
In addition, their three major sponsors have now dumped them and there is a criminal investigation over the fraudulent activity of the two sets of books, and it looks like the architects of the scheme could well go to jail. All because the ego-centric club executives wanted to be the biggest, the best, the strongest, the most powerful, the most revered and were prepared to cheat the system to to get there.

Most Important Lesson regarding Ethical Behavior

The most important thing to come out of all of this is the very first thing that I always taught all of my MBA students about ethics. Sometimes, in the short-term, it can be tough acting ethically and there don't seem to be any benefits at all. But when you act ethically, you'll always win out in the long-term. However, there are normally always benefits in acting UNethically in the short-term. But I can guarantee that in the long-term, unethical actions are never sustainable. Eventually, you'll always have to pay the piper, in some form.

What's worse is that normally the unethical/illegal actions will result in terrible consequences for innocent people, as in the case of ENRON and the Wall Street scandals. And so it is in this Melbourne Storm case. The major innocent victims here are the fans, and the innocent players. I have to question the innocence of all of the players. But that is still under investigation.

What are You Noticing?

The Great 2012 Shift into a New World Era is primarily about a major shift in global consciousness. The old ways of corruption, and unethical behavior must and will become a thing of the past. This is why the collective unconscious is bringing these scandals to light so we can all learn by example what is no longer acceptable. I invite you to become consciously aware of the exposure of any unethical scandals - large or small - at this time. And you might like to share them with us all in the comment box below as they come to hand - which they will. Meanwhile, it's important to be open to finding out as much as possible about this special time of great change.

And so I'd like to invite you to claim your FREE instant access to audios and a 55 page report, "2012: The Evidence that changed me from an open-minded skeptic to a true believer" PLUS invitations to my free teleseminars exploring different perspectives on 2012 - the stories and how to prepare.

From Kashonia Carnegie PhD - preparing you for The SHIFT in consciousness
(c) 2010 - All Rights Reserved

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Toshacks Talents - The Future of Welsh Football

2010-08-30T21:13:00.002-07:00

Long starved of any relative success at International Football Welsh fans have not seen actions at major finals since a John Charles inspired Wales shocked many at the 1958 World cup. Play off heart break, missed penalties and contentious "hand ball" decisions later and the wait continues. However, after some more than creditable wins at under 21 level does the current crop of youngsters mean there is finally some signs of hope on the horizon? We have a look at five great hopes of Welsh Football.

1) - Aaron Ramsey
Aaron Ramsey is a midfield player who is also comfortable in a second striker role or operating on either flank. Having turned down a career in professional rugby union to join the Cardiff City academy, Aaron progressed quickly through the ranks to become Cardiff's youngest ever player at 16 years and 124 days, an FA Cup Final appearance later and Aaron was off to Arsenal where he has scored 3 goals in 27 appearances and is closely pressing Cesc Fabregas for a regular starting spot. Precocious skills, deft passing and an eye for goal have meant Aaron has stood out as a player of real international potential in his 11 welsh caps and is hotly tipped to be the nations finest player since Ryan Giggs.

2) - Gareth Bale
Despite being born in the Welsh Capital, Gareth began his football schooling at Southampton where he was a youth team mate of Arsenal and England forward Theo Walcott. The Spurs player is at home in the left back or left wing positions and has performed with excellence in both roles in the Premier League netting some notable goals along the way, particularly the latter part of the 2009/10 season as he helped Spurs qualify for the Champions League. Internationally speaking Gareth is Wales' youngest ever international (16 years 315 days) also it's youngest ever goal scorer. In 2009 Gareth was rumoured to be subject to a £10million bid from Italian giants Juventus that was turned down. Pace, skill, crossing and a free kick specialist make Gareth a real player to watch for years to come.

3) - Wayne Hennessey
Born on the isle of Angelsey in North Wales, Wayne began life at Manchester City before transferring to Wolverhampton Wanderers to sign professional forms. When sent on loan for first team experience to Stockport County, Wayne made his professional debut and opened his account with six consecutive clean sheets, rightfully earning him the League Two player of the month award. The young stoppers debut for his parent club was very much a case of "into the fire" as he starred in a Championship play off Semi Final. Soon after he established himself as the Wolves number one and progressed quickly to become his country's top stopper. His performances in 24 caps earning comparisons to Welsh legend Neville Southall is due to his excellent shot stopping and his authoritative communication with his defence.

4) - Jack Collison
Born in Watford, England; Jack qualifies for Wales through his Welsh grandfather who played International Rugby for Wales. Jack was recommended to the Wales coaching set up by his then Welsh West ham colleagues Craig Bellamy and Danny Gabbidon. At that time Jack was a reserve team player who slotted straight into a prosperous Wales under 21 team. Jack's career has progressed some what since then as he has made a permanent step up to Premiership (45 appearances, 5 goals) and International football (7 appearances). Jack prefers to use his mobility, vision and range of passing from a central position but his dominant left foot mean he is oft utilised on that wing.

5) - Adam Matthews
Very much a wild choice in this list as Adam is yet to play International football for Wales and is in just his first professional season with Cardiff City. Adam transferred from the Swansea City youth set up having previously been a prominent member of the Ospreys Rugby Union academy. The 18 year old right back shot to fame with a goal from his own half early in the 2009/10 and has featured 32 times in the first team. Adam's abilities on the pitch have led to highly flamed rumours that he is a target of Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool, he is also very firmly in the sights of Wales manager John Toshack having been included in the squad to face Scotland at just 17 years old.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adrian_Bryan

Will the Italian Rugby Clubs Joining the Magners League Be a Benefit?

2010-08-30T21:13:00.001-07:00

The Italian Rugby Federation has decided that Italian rugby would benefit from joining the Magners League (previously known as the Celtic League) and is tendering a bid to the Irish, Scottish and Welsh rugby unions, the three countries that make up the Magners League, to have a number of teams take part in the league.

The number of teams is yet to be determined, with either two or four the most likely. If two then the Italians would be looking at creating 'super clubs' or regions in the same manner as the Welsh and Irish sides do now. If four then they would take the top four Italian rugby club sides of the moment.

But what benefit would adding extra fixtures to an already congested season bring the current rugby sides playing in the Magners league? There are a number of benefits to be gained.

Increased number of spectators. With new games added more fans will be turning up to see the games, bringing in more money to the clubs and regions.
More exposure for sponsors. Sponsors will have the additional benefits of more games to gain exposure in and a new market to have their brand in.
More sponsorship. With more exposure for sponsors, and a brand new market of companies that will want exposure, rugby clubs and regions will be able to charge more, and to more companies, for sponsorship.
A wider audience. These days rugby clubs and regions are a brand themselves, and with the Italians on board they give themselves a wider audience to spread their brand and new potential fans to win over.
All in all there is considerable financial benefit to the rugby sides competing in the Magners League for allowing the Italian clubs entry to this top level cross border rugby league.

For more information on this, and all other rugby news, get yourself over to the Wales Rugby's best blog. It has everything you need from a rugby site... providing you only want funny and interesting opinion based articles!

So check out the best blog to do with Rugby news in Wales today.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_J_Jones

Wales rugby league | Rugby Kits Go Catwalk

2009-04-22T02:11:00.000-07:00

Well the new Stade Francais's rugby kit is causing a stir! Made by Adidas, it is covered in repeat block colour images of Blanche de Castille, France's thirteenth century ruler, complete with crown. The design is clearly reminiscent of Andy Warhol's Marilyn Monroe prints.
Personally I quite like it, not sure it'll look quite the same filled with a large French rugby player, but as a garment it works. The colours and design are strong and eye-catching. The contrast darker sleeves and side panels help to counteract the bright colour blocks and slim the figure and tone down the overall appearance of the garment so that it isn't quite so garish. It certainly opens up a whole new area of sportswear design for those of us who have had the task of trying to come up with a new way of introducing team colours in various panels, piping and trims.
Whereas before garments have been limited by where seams can be put for comfort, strength and cost, the placement of colours was also limited to these areas as fabrics are still generally supplied in single colours.
The application of images and multi-coloured prints to sports clothing could completely change the way we do things. The advancement of sports fabrics has played a big part, new fabrics can be coloured and printed in ways which wouldn't have worked so well in the past. This means that as new cheaper methods of printing are developed that allow for smaller runs of fabric, the way we think about sportswear design has also changed. More items are using printed fabrics within their design to try to give their product the edge. Gilbert for example use camouflage prints on their rugby protective gear. It still isn't as financially viable for most team-wear as printed fabrics will still be more expensive and minimum quantities will be higher to make print runs worthwhile. But the concept is out-there now and more is sure to follow.
I like that the designer thought outside the box and I really like that Stade Francais were brave enough to go with it. It is so automatic to keep trying to come up with a variation on a theme, thinking in a completely new direction is rare. Although the design itself is reminiscent of earlier designs by Warhol, the use of that style of pattern in this context is radical and it has started debates on various websites. The fact that people are discussing the design of a new rugby kit is a great thing. Normally a kit would be launched and accepted without much notice being taken. Some fans will automatically buy a new kit whenever it is launched, others will buy them less frequently. This new kit will certainly test the loyalty of the team's following!
Will they sell many to supporters? I don't know, quite possibly the typical rugby crowd won't be keen on having a bright pink queen (quite literally) on their front. Then again the design may appeal to a whole new audience. Certainly some might be more keen to wear this one as it certainly makes a statement, not only about which team you support but about the kind of personality you are - bold, outgoing, flamboyant.
Stade Francais often seem to get noticed for their kits, their pink one started an influx of other pink rugby and sports clothing. Brands such as Kooga have used pink for their polo shirts and rugby match shirts. So will this new design have us all following the trend? I can't wait to find out. Will I be rushing out to buy one? No, I'm British! But if they make us one with our Queen on it instead or the faces of the England squad then, yes I'd wear one - would you join me?

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Wales rugby league | Are the Ospreys Under Achieving?

2009-04-21T04:05:00.000-07:00

The Ospreys are an odd region. There is a strong feeling that they are under achieving as a side, that they are not hitting the heights or winning the trophies that their talented squad should.
Yet they are also the most successful of the Welsh rugby regions. They have twice won the Magners League (or Celtic league as it was) and once won the EDF Cup, beating Leicester in the final, as well as losing in the final - again to Leicester - on another occasion.
So it's not just the success they have enjoyed, but whether this success is enough. There is a feeling in the Swansea based region that they should be competing more strongly in Europe, in the Heineken cup, Europe's premier rugby competition.
Whilst they have now made it through the group stages for the last two years running they should be aiming for more. Both times now have been as 'best 2nd place qualifier' rather than winning the group. This has lead to major problems in qualification. Last year losing to Saracens (who they had beaten in the EDF semi final 2 weeks before) and this year they are away to Munster, last years champions. Not an easy trip.
When you look at who is in the ospreys squad, Adam Jones, Alun-Wyn Jones, Ryan Jones (welsh captain), Mike Phillips, James Hook, Gavin Henson, Lee Byrne and Shane Williams (word player of the year) - all word class players, not just club class - you see why people feel they should do better.
They have lost games they should have won. They rarely dominate and they have trouble scoring tries, despite having some of the most creative players in the world.
There is hope that the incoming head coach, Australian Scott Johnson, can help sort it out. But one thing is for certain, there are problems at the Ospreys that need addressing.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_J_Jones

Wales rugby league | The Perfect Storm - Rugby World Cup 2011

2009-04-20T08:35:00.000-07:00

The 2007 Rugby World Cup in France proved just how big rugby is. Spectator figures for the live championship bashed though the 2 million barrier in true rugby form for the first time in the tournament's history according to the sport's ruling body, the International Rugby Board (IRB). An estimated 4.2 billion television viewers were glued to their T.V. screens during the 2007 Rugby World Cup. Television coverage doubled throughout the world in countries such as Spain, Italy, Portugal and across Asia. There wasn't any doubt that television viewers in South Africa and the entire southern hemisphere would be responsible for a giant megawatt spike during the championship, but there was surprise that the broadcast viewings shot up dramatically in Russia, India, Canada, and the USA, proving that rugby is hitting global market in a major way.
And no wonder. Both the pool stages and the knock-out rounds at the 2007 Rugby World Cup were of an exceptionally high standard, gripping fans with megawatt levels of intensity. The fight and skill played out on the pitch was relentless. Rugby is a game with a complex psychology that requires the tactics to match and of course the "will to kill" studded with great punch ups, stomping and eye gouging etc. that make it like no other game on earth.
If 2007 was anything to go by the world can expect the perfect rugby storm to hit down in New Zealand in 2011.
After months of speculation whether the number of participating teams would be reduced to 16, the IRB announced on Friday 30th November 2007 that the 2011 Rugby World Cup tournament would again feature 20 teams. Twelve teams have already qualified as a result of finishing in the top 3 in each pool in the 2007 tournament, leaving 8 qualifying berths up for grabs. Argentina, Australia, england, Fiji, France, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, Tonga, and Wales have qualified thus far.
There are sure to be many twists and turns between now and 2011. Three long years stand between us and championship - plenty of time for heavy arsenals to be built. The 2011 World Cup is set to be an all-out war.
Before the existence of the inaugural Rugby World Cup hosted by Australia and New Zealand in May and June of 1987, there were only regional international rugby union competitions. Although the Rugby World Cup is a relatively recent event, the raw, complex and beautiful game of rugby has been around for time. The legendary "Six Nations Championship" began in 1883 as the "Home Nations" championship between England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. In 1910 the "Home Nations" became the "Five Nations" with France stepping across the Channel to join the tournament. From 1931 to 1939 France did not participate and the championship again became the "Home Nations". In 2000 Italy joined to make it the "Six Nations".
The Tri-Nations is the oldest rugby series held in the southern hemisphere with the first match played between Australia and New Zealand in 1903. South Africa first toured both nations in 1921.
Rugby union was played at the Summer Olympics for the first time at the 1900 Paris games where France won the first gold medal. The London 1908 Olympics saw the rugby union again with the gold going to Australasia. At the Antwerp games in 1920 and the 1924 Paris games both golds went to the United States. However rugby union was soon removed from the Summer Olympic program.
In the 1950s the idea of a Rugby World Cup was thrown back and forth but met with opposition from most of the unions in the IRFB. In the 1980s the notion was in the air again when the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) and the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) wrote independently to the IRFB in hopes of staging the first Rugby World Cup tournament. In 1985 it was clear that Australia, New Zealand and France were in favour of a world cup. Even the South African delegates voted in favour with the knowledge that the international sports boycott for their apartheid regime would prevent their participation in a world cup. The English and Welsh delegates switched sides and with 10 votes to 6 the IRFB approved the inaugural cup.
Preparations for the 2011 Rugby World Cup are running like clockwork. As of February 19, 2008, New Zealand's progress in preparing and implementing plans for the event received an A+ rating from the International Rugby Board's chairman and chief executive.
The 2011 rugby World Cup is expected to cost about NZ$310.0 million to run and will generate NZ$280 million in ticket sales. The 2011 Rugby World Cup will be the largest sporting event ever held in New Zealand, eclipsing the 1987 Rugby World Cup, 1990 Commonwealth Games, 2003 America's Cup and 2005 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand. Around 70,000 visitors from overseas are expected to travel to New Zealand as a result of the 2011 Rugby world Cup.
Accommodation solutions for the 2011 Rugby World Cup will have to be creative in order to house the expected 70,000 visitors. Auckland may use cruise ships and campervan sites to help ease any potential accommodation shortage. Many rugby fans can look forward to sleeping on plush cruise ships in the stunning Auckland Harbour.
Visit the official site of Tourism New Zealand to plan your holiday and find out what's on.
Ticket prices for the 2011 Rugby world Cup are expected to be based on international prices and will reflect the kind of the charges for semi-final and final tickets for the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France. The average price for a 2007 Rugby world Cup semi-final ticket was about $500 and the average price for the final was around $750.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jess_Parker

Wales rugby league | Rugby Coaching - Giving an Effective Demonstration

2009-04-18T19:29:00.000-07:00

The purpose of a demonstration is to increase the players' understanding of the skill by providing an accurate model from which to learn. For players to make appropriate decisions on how to execute skills, coaches need to provide an explanation and a demonstration so that players can learn and practise. An effective skill demonstration requires careful planning by the coach. Consider the following:
Why is the skill important
Understanding the importance of the skill in the context of the sport and competition will assist both the coach and player in teaching and learning the skill.
How will the skill be demonstrated
Select an appropriate method of teaching the skill, taking into account the type of skill and the experience and ability of the players. Generally, it is recommended that the whole skill should be demonstrated first to show the players what the skill would look like when performed correctly. Then the skill is broken down into various skill components (whole-part-whole). Remember players need to be able to observe the demonstration at different angles. Show both left and right-handed ways to execute the skill. Make a note in your session plan of 2-3 teaching points and some key words or phrases used to emphasise important parts of the skill. Keep the instructions simple and avoid the use of jargon where possible. Athletes should be asked to concentrate on only one or two aspects of the skill at any one time.
What equipment will be reguired
Coaches need to determine what equipment will be required to give an effective demonstration and ensure that appropriate equipment is available and ready to use when the time comes. For example if you are using a video have everything set up ready to press 'play' before you start the session.
Where will the skills be demonstrated
When planning your demonstration, take into account any possible distractions for your players such as the position of the sun or bright lights. Depending on how many players there are, decide on an appropriate formation, which enables them all to see and hear the demonstration clearly. One of the most common and effective formations is a semi-circle with the coach or demonstrator standing in front.
Where will the demonstration take place
The most obvious time to give a demonstration is when the players are learning a new skill, this should take place early in the training session while the players' minds and bodies are relatively 'fresh'. Demonstrations can also be used when giving feedback, or to remind players of a previously learned skill. It can also be useful to repeat the demonstration at the end of training so players can be reminded of what to work on.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Simon_B_Smith

Wales rugby league | Is Rugby Taking a Backseat to World Soccer?

2009-04-09T03:51:00.000-07:00

Watching a rugby match is exhilarating and the action is so fast paced if you flinch, you'll miss something. It's hard enough to watch it on TV, going to an actual match makes it even harder to see it all. Lately, soccer has been giving rugby quite a run for its money. Plus there have been problems at many of the games. For instance, there was a recent shooting where several fans were hit. Also there was a recent player who bit off another player's ear in the heat of battle, yes, like Hockey it gets a tad bit competitive indeed.

The South African teams want the rules standardized so when they play elsewhere they have the same rules, unfortunately, over the years, the rules in various nations have changed and this is making global competition tougher. In soccer the rules have been standardized. Many believe that soccer is loved by fans more, because anyone can play the game, where as in rugby, if you are not one tough SOB, you may not make it out alive, as they say.

And if you think the players are tough and sometimes out of control, being ejected from games and being penalized or banned from one or more future games, you ought to see some of these unruly fans. This year a man axed his wife to death over an argument stemming from a rugby game, apparently he could not control his temper, of course, now he lives in a gated community for the rest of his life, but it just goes to show you how nuts some of the rugby fans have gotten lately.

It's hard to say if rugby will ever lose its flair, it is a great game, much harder than American Football or Soccer and it has a loyal following, not nearly as many as soccer, but plenty enough to survive, as the sport continues to grow.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow

Wales rugby league | Rugby Fotball - The Game History

2009-04-09T03:48:00.000-07:00

The most significant event however that triggered the game to its current level of fame was occasioned in 1823 when William Webb Ellis, while playing a football game, held the ball by the hands and ran forward with the ball towards the opposition's goal. That feat was unprecedented in football and marked the beginning of present-day rugby football.

There are a number of versions of the game. Chief among these is the fact that the ball is prolate-spheroid or oval. It can be kicked in any direction or passed from one player to the next only by throwing it backwards. That essentially means that to gain ground, a player has to kick the ball forward or run some distance before passing it backward to a teammate who then does the same. On the other hand, rugby is game that is exclusively played on open outdoor grass fields. Depending on the nature of the competition or agreement, it is possible to have teams comprising 7, 13 or15 members.

The physical nature of the sport requires players to be strong and fit. Indeed speed, wit, and brut strength are the hallmarks of this game. It is amazing what it takes to play the men's game at the international level. It is common to find players who weigh over 100 kilograms, are able to run 100 meters in under 11 seconds, and who are at least 5 feet 10 inches tall.

With the global drive for women to also actively participate in sports, a women's version of Rugby was introduced in the 1980s. Women's Rugby is now played in several countries and there are women's tournaments that run concurrently with the men's competitions such as the World Cup and the Six Nations Ruby Live competition. Of course the women's versions of the game, especially at the international level, lacks the power and speed that is central to the men's game, but that is made up for in wit and polished passing displays.

But rugby is not just about adrenaline, speed, wits and guts. An analysis of the flip side of the sport reveals an exciting culture and lifestyle. Depending on the region in focus, it could be a sport associated with the upper and middle classes, or with private schools, industrial workers, and sometimes with elitist groups. On the other hand, rugby fans are known the world over not to be average drinkers. A distinctive characteristic of celebrations marking victories or events leading to rugby competitions is the free-flowing beer. Quite undeniably, most of the players themselves love beer.

Be that as it may, Rugby continues to attract global media attention and an ever-increasing fan base. The professional nature of the game's management most certainly endears itself to many sports lovers.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peri_Witny

Wales rugby league | Brian o' Driscoll the David Beckham of Irish Rugby

2009-04-09T03:42:00.000-07:00

The announcement of Brian O' Driscoll as IRB player of the year underlined the importance of style over substance. O' Driscoll in truth wasn't even Ireland's best player in the six nations, never mind player of the tournament. That award was won by a country mile by the excellent Gordon Darcy. It sadly raises the issue of profile in modern day sport. The higher the profile the better the chance of recognition, when the gongs are being handed out. In fairness to Brian, he looked every bit as surprised as the rest of the rugby fraternity. Awards are at the best of times, just an excuse for marketing the cream within your crop. Like David Beckham before him, O' Driscoll is incredibly media friendly,a marketing agency's dream. In modern day sport a status is difficult to aquire, and even more difficult to lose.

After bursting on the scene with his try fest in the Paris, Brian's legend gathered apace for the next couple of years. Like Becks who stole the lime light at Old Trafford, the golden boy of Irish Rugby could do no wrong. One try scoring pass or a great tackle a game was by now enough, to elevate the 'Bod' to the top of the page. A flick pass here and a feint there, and commentators were drolling into their Microphones. Objectivity flew out the window, as the by now Teflon coated centre; could do no wrong. Except of course if you recall his no show in Cardiff as Golden boots Gavin Henson and the fiery dragons of Wales, fed our super hero a large cache of Kryptonite. Brian's no show was blamed on the lack of quality service, a suitable refuge for all sporting kop- outs. The endorsements kept rolling in as well as the scarcely deserved plaudits. Rugby purists were noting that teams by now had little difficulty, snuffing out the life of Brian.

Another no show against Munster in the all Irish Heineken Cup semi-final,confirmed that our Messiah was human after all. The electric pace and lightning change of body shape, don't look quite so threatening now. The edge appears to have gone off O'Driscoll's game. The fire in the belly, that light the touch paper to the legend; is flickering out. Our hero already appears to be eyeing the Tunnel. Luckily Eddie O' Sullivan wont be kicking any boots in his direction; aka Alex Ferguson. The only Hair dryer treatment the 'Bod' will be receiving will be on his own wavy locks. O'Driscoll's place in the pantheon of Irish rugby is already assured. Ireland is the home of myth and Legend, the myth that Brian O' Driscoll is a true great of the oval ball game is already assured.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eddie_Ryan

Rugby wales league | Rugby Information - Protect Your Head During Games With Rugby Headgears

2009-04-09T03:37:00.001-07:00

Rugby is a contact and live action sport where in players often collide with one another or are thrown into the ground. Given the very physical nature of this sport, it is to no wonder that players are required to wear protective items. These include shoes with cleats to minimize slipping and shoulder pads for upper body protection. The most important protective items worn by players, however, are rugby headgears.

Importance of wearing headgears

Rugby players wear headgears primarily to protect their head from injuries. Rugby headgears are lightweight and have contoured designs which decrease the player's risk of sustaining injuries to their heads while playing. Several studies, however, have found that these headgears do not provide sufficient protection against concussions because of their thin and soft nature and the lack of face guards. According to international standards, headgears used for rugby must not be more than one centimeter thick, which is recommended so as not to hamper the players performance. Nevertheless, headgears do provide protection and comfort to rugby players, which makes these products important parts of the players' uniforms.

Types of headgears

Depending on his experience level, a player has choice between senior or junior rugby headgears. Senior headgears are for the more advanced, usually professional level rugby players. These headgears contour perfectly to a player's head to provide him with maximum protection and comfort. Most products in this category are made with impact resistant foam with Velcro chin straps, ear pieces, and expandable closure systems.

Junior headgears, on the other hand, are for younger and inexperienced players. These headgears are usually used by rugby players competing in junior leagues and by people who play rugby as a way to pass the time and not as a professional sport. Nonetheless, most junior head gears are made with the same materials as the professional variety, although they are usually softer and thinner.

Important information

Complete information on rugby headgears is available at PickyGuide, the authority in free consumer advice. Access top-ranked, best-reviewed, and most competitively priced rugby headgears in PickyGuide's recommended products section.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ilse_Hagen

Rugby wales league | Master the Basic Skills of Rugby in Eight Weeks!

2009-04-09T03:33:00.000-07:00

Rugby Union is a very demanding game, placing very rigorous demands on players physical and mental attributes. Most amateur players however perform very poorly in respect of rugby-specific fitness tests, due predominantly to poor training habits and lack of correct skills training by coaches. It's stop-start nature demands that players have high levels of speed and explosive power, as well as having the ability to recover quickly between sprints.

Rugby is such a simple game - score more tries than your opponents. To achieve this, your team must win possession of the ball by dominating lineouts, scrums, rucks and mauls, and every other facet of the game where the ball is contested. For YOU to dominate a game, you need to be competent in the skills of evasive running, kicking, passing, catching and tackling.
Strength is an obvious requirement to play the game, however it is not the only goal for a player. Exposive power is equally as important to develop speed and acceleration and to develop the fitness demands for tackling and jumping.

To excel nowadays, players must master the basic skills AND improve speed, strength and power. Fitness, strength, power and mastery of the basic skills is what makes one player stand out from the rest of his team-mates.

As a player, it is your responsibility to put in the time and effort needed to master the basic skills and be in best physical condition. As in life and other pursuits, absolute commitment is required if you want to be the best you can.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Frederick_Beazley

Rugby wales league | Rugby World Cup 2007, France

2009-04-09T03:30:00.000-07:00

The International Rugby Board (IRB) has announced the kick-off times for the 48 matches of Rugby World Cup 2007 to be played in France in September and October.
Host nation France will kick-off the sixth Rugby World Cup Tournament against Argentina at the Stade de France Stadium in Paris at 9pm local time on Friday, September 7, while England will begin its defence of the Webb Ellis Cup against the USA in Lens the following day with the match kicking-off at 6pm local time.

The next Rugby World Cup will be hosted in France from 7 September to 20 October 2007.
The games will be held at several venues in France (Lens, Montpellier, St-Etienne, Montpellier, St-Denis, Nantes, Lyon, Bordeaux, Paris, Toulouse and Marseilles). Some of the key pool matches will be played in Cardiff (Wales) and in Edinburgh (Scotland).

Toulouse, in the Aude, Languedoc, is one of rugby’s major epicentres. The Stade Toulousain team, which has provided a good many international players down the years, has been champion of France 17 times and went down in the history of the sport by becoming the first European clubs champion in 1996, a title that it won again in 2003.

Students began playing rugby locally in 1890 and it was in 1907 that Stade Toulousain was established. It won the first French championship title two years later, in 1909.

Have a look at the French team.

Colours: Blue, white and red?Nicknames: Les Bleus, Les Tricolores?Honours: Six Nations Grand Slam (2004, 2002), Five Nations Grand Slam (1968, 1977, 1981, 1987, 1997, 1998), World Cup runners-up (1987, 1999).

Coach: Studious Bernard Laporte has endured a see-saw existence since taken the reigns prior to the 1999 Rugby World Cup. World Cup finalists to fifth in the Six Nations, Grand Slam champions to losing a Test series to Argentina. Laporte has brought discipline and organisation to a traditionally volatile and flamboyant side, but has had trouble trying to mix the perfect cocktail time after time.
Captain: Back in the captaincy saddle after the retirement of Fabien Galthié, Toulouse star Fabien Pelous is no stranger to leadership. A star performer in the second row or the back of the scrum, his presence in the French side is sometimes taken for granted.

Player(s) to watch: Toulouse centre Florian Fritz won both 2005 Player of the Year and 2005 Newcomer of the Year awards at the French 'Night of Rugby' in December 2005, and was first choice to partner Yannick Jauzion in both of November 2005's high-profile Tests against Australia and South Africa. He is also Jauzion's partner in the Toulouse centres as well, and Toulouse's back-line creativity needs little embellishment.

Have a look at the current French Squad: ( Jan 2007)

Backs: Jean-Baptiste Elissalde (Toulouse), Pierre Mignoni (Clermont), Dimitri Yachvili (Biarritz), Benjamin Boyet (Bourgoin), David Skrela (Stade Français), Damien Traille (Biarritz), Romain Cabannes (Biarritz), Florian Fritz (Toulouse), Yannick Jauzion (Toulouse), David Marty (Perpignan), Vincent Clerc (Toulouse), Christophe Dominici (Stade Français), Cédric Heymans (Toulouse), Aurélien Rougerie (Clermont), Thomas Castaignède (Saracens/ENG), Anthony Floch (Clermont), Clément Poitrenaud (Toulouse)?

?Forwards: Pieter de Villiers (Stade Français), Laurent Emmanuelli (Clermont), Sylvain Marconnet (Stade Français), Nicolas Mas (Perpignan), Olivier Milloud (Bourgoin), Jean-Baptiste Poux (Toulouse), Benoît August (Biarritz), Sébastien Bruno (Sale/ENG), Raphaël Ibañez (Wasps/ENG), Dimitri Szarzewski (Stade Français), Grégory Lamboley (Toulouse), Lionel Nallet (Castres), Pascal Papé (Castres), Fabien Pelous (Toulouse), Jerome Thion (Biarritz), Serge Betsen (Biarritz), Julien Bonnaire (Bourgoin), Sébastien Chabal (Sale/ENG), Thierry Dusautoir (Toulouse), Imanol Harinordoquy (Biarritz), Rémy Martin (Stade Français), Yannick Nyanga (Toulouse), Elvis Vermeulen (Clermont)

The south of France features very strongly- with well over half coming the region, and the majority of those coming from the Languedoc.

France is looking very strong to win in the RWC in 2007.

Tickets can be bought ahead of the match- mostly from Carrefour as well as many good web sites.

A very keen rugby supporter, the author moved from London after 15 years to live in the Languedoc, France region - the centre of rugby.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Bowditch

Rugby wales league | Rugby - US Finally Taking Notice

2009-04-09T03:22:00.000-07:00

Rugby is a very British sport. In US, however, this high impact game has a long way to go to work its way into the hearts of the public.

The basics of the sport are the same as those of American football: with some variations, players tackle, run, pass, and make touchdowns through goal posts. The field is slightly larger, and the ball slightly fatter.

But a big difference between rugby and football is protective gear... rugby players don't wear any, which has heavily contributed to the sports reputation for being rough.

However, rugby is far more than just rough and tumble. Unlike many other team sports where players sometimes stand on the field idly, rugby is a fast-moving game with few pauses, and every one of a team's 15 players are on the field.

Rugby's growing popularity comes in part from more exposure in the media and from its appeal to younger Americans, many of whom start playing in junior high. Its enhanced image is all to the good. There's not a very big forum for publicizing the sport, and it has a somewhat negative stigma from people who don't know the game. If there's anything I'd like to do it's to put it in a better light with the general public.

Fortunately, Americans have ample opportunity to learn more about rugby, both by watching and playing the game. For newcomers to rugby in the US, watch it on cable TV, view DVDs and reading. Then if you're still interested, search for local clubs and get involved in some training sessions.

For more information on rugby, visit Rugby Union Shirt - the complete rugby community.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Thomas_Baugh

Wales rugby league | Watch Rugby Online On Your Computer

2009-03-25T23:44:00.000-07:00

Are you a die hard rugby fan like I am? If so, then you know how difficult it can be to catch a game on television, especially if you live outside of Europe or Australia. So as an American rugby fan, this led me to wonder if I could watch rugby online somehow. Not just watch it online, but get an entire game in real time without commercial breaks or bad reception. I mean American football and hockey are great sports, but I need to see something more physically demanding of players. I needed to see a truly great sport.

After searching through numerous websites looking for one that would allow anyone to watch rugby on your computer, I found one called Satellite TV for PC. This is a service that gives you unlimited access to any Rugby League or Rugby Union match televised anywhere in the world. You can even watch the entire Rugby World Cup online if you really wanted to. The great thing about this program is the price. It is a one time only start up fee that costs less than one month of cable or satellite television. I couldn't believe it either at first. How could I possibly watch rugby online all that I wanted for a small price? I then saw that there was a Union match between New Zealand and Australia that I had to watch and I suddenly didn't care how it worked as long as I could watch my favorite sport anytime that I wanted to.

Here are some more details on how you can watch rugby on your computer: You pay the small start up fee, and then you download the program (which only takes a few minutes). After that, you are able to watch any rugby match that you want, being played anywhere in the world. You can do this from the comfort of your own home, your office, or even at a coffee shop. As long as you have an internet connection, you will be able to catch a game. The games are shown just as they would be on a television station so you know that you are getting the best quality picture and content. Not only that, but every game is shown in real time, meaning that you see the game as it is being played. There is no tape delay or prerecorded and edited content. Doesn't that sound great?

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mikee_Dunn

Wales rugby league | How Global Financial Crisis is Affecting Rugby Football in Europe

2009-03-25T23:41:00.001-07:00

While every rugby team aims to crown their season with some sort of silverware to mark their success, more and more teams are becoming wary when it comes to signing new players. This is due to the high transfer fees demanded for players.

Continental Glory
As a result of this, club coaches are making do with what they have, even at the expense of continental glory. Rugby clubs in Europe seem to be more concerned with maintaining their top flight status in their domestic rugby leagues and less concerned with concurring the continent. And can you blame them? To win a continental trophy like the Heineken Cup requires a team to have depth in the squad. To attain this depth, a team needs to have a few big name signings on their team sheet.

Euro 700 000 Spending
To have such players a club has to splash out about Euro 700 000. But with the cash crunch starting to bite hard on the sport in Europe, few clubs if any are willing to spend such an amount on one player.

Negative BalanceSheet
The situation is the same across the board. Big clubs are also crying out for cash injection; with many barely been able to remain liquid. Many have reported negative results in their end year results.

Financial Plea
In the UK, Wasps reported a 2.8 million loss; while Bath and Newcastle were lucky that their benefactors were willing to dip into their pockets to assist them. Others like Bristol are finding it difficult to even meet their players wage demands and have resulted to making public plea for funding.

Salary Caps
If will be interesting to see what will happen at the start of the next season if the current situation prevails. According to the games Chief Executive in the UK - Mark McCafferty, there are two ways of dealing with the crisis. One is to drop from the top flight rugby. This will leave a total of 10 teams which will share the revenues generated. The revenues are set to grow in 2010 when the new broadcasting deal commences. Should this happen, then there will be no need of reducing the salary cap.

Conversely, however, the salary cap is not likely to be raised as that would not reflect a true picture. In addition raising the cap would only do more harm to clubs with less liquidity. News that Italians will be bidding to have 4 teams representing them in the Magners League during the 2010/11 season is no doubt good news to the Celts. The three nations Scotland, Ireland and Wales seem to have little option but to let the Italians in given the size of the Italian market and the revenue potential it holds. France clubs will be faced with an interesting challenge given the fact are less restricted when it comes to spending. Clubs like Toulouse and Stade Francais, however, will definitely be shy to splash their money during the new season.

More sports news news can be found online or at ScoresPro.com rugby news section.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peri_Witny

Wales rugby league | Manly Sea Eagles

2009-03-25T23:32:00.000-07:00

The Mighty Manly Sea Eagles. Well, where can I start? Being a huge manly fan I was thrilled to see them beat the Storm in the Grand Final. I can remember sitting on the hallowed hill at Brookvale Oval with a 5000 strong crowd of die hard manly supporters cheering on the "Silver tails". This happened week and week out with the club barely being able to get a decent size crowd in and we were doing it very tough.

Now how different is it? With state-of-the-art training centres at Narrabeen, lucrative sponsership deals and loads of media attention you could be forgiven by thinking that Manly has lost it's spirit. The truth is the opposite. Since we won the grand final this year and came runner-up last year the Northern Beaches has been in "Manly fever''.

How good is it for a club which was in ruins after separating from the North Sydney Bears and re-entering the NRL in 2003 to make it to two back-to-back grand final appearances. In the newspapers we have seen well-known Manly haters support Manly in the Grand final and if we can turn someone like Tommy Raudonikas into a fan our support base is growing rapidly.

This idea of "Manly Spirit" can be seen in none other than Steve Menzies. Steve has only ever played at one and only club - Manly. Through thick and thin "Beaver" has hung around. Perhaps one of the most under-rated players in rugby-league history, Beaver has scored 180 tries for the maroon and white and has also captained Manly. I have been lucky enough to meet Steve on occasions and the way he conducts himself both on and off the field is remarkable. beaver breaks the stereotype that all league players are "thugs". Beaver always has time for everyone and never lets a kid go home without and autograph.

I would like to give my absolute congratulations to each and every player both past and present for making the club what it is today, and also best wishes to Steven Bell and Steve Menzies for their future lives.

Stay tuned for my blog which will hopefully be up soon.

H.J.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Hugh_J

Wales rugby league | The Six Nations Battle it Out

2009-03-25T23:24:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again - the 2009 Six Nations Championship is underway in Europe until the end of March, pitting national teams against each other for victory. Each year, rugby teams from England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy and Wales compete against each other in each of the six countries.

Historically, the Six Nations is the successor to previous international tournaments, such as the Five Nations and Home Nations Champions. The tournament is now considered the premier international rugby union tournament - with the winner of the Six Nations being considered the European champions.

The tournament became known as the Six Nations when Italy joined the competition in 2000. Scotland was the last team to win the Five Nations championship before Italy joined. Following that, England won the first tournament as the Six Nations tournament.

Across all versions of the tournament, including Home Nations and Five Nations, England has accumulated the most tournament victories, with Wales coming in second.

In 2008, Wales took home the trophy for the top prize as they beat all other teams in the series of matches. Ireland is the only country who has yet to win the title prize.

The format of the tournament is simple, and the tournament lasts over two months through February and March of each year. Each team plays every other team once in each of the six nations. A series of points are awarded based on wins, losses and ties. Two points are given for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss. The team who ends with the most points is awarded the Championship Trophy.

Another distinguished award that each team can win during the tournament is the Grand Slam, which is awarded when one nation beats every other team.

In addition to these other awards, there are smaller competitions during the event, including the Calcutta Cup, which is contested each year between England and Scotland. The Millennium Cup is awarded to the winner of the England vs. Ireland match.

What's more, the Women's Six Nations Championship is held at the same time and across the same schedule as the men's tournament each year.

Rugby fans can rest assured they're seeing all the exciting moments during the Six Nations Championship this year and in years to come, when they're using digital recording technology like Sky boxes to record the action.

Digital video recorders take out the hassle of recording and viewing all your favourite programmes. Using technology like the Sky Plus Box means all your favourite moments will be recorded to watch and re-watch during the match. If you are an avid rugby fan then such features can ensure you need not miss your favourite team playing again.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Victoria_Cochrane

Wales rugby league | Rugby - Gaining Significant Momentum in the United States

2009-03-25T23:19:00.000-07:00

Where does rugby fit in the grand scheme of American Sports? Up until recent history the United States has paid little interest to sports outside its borders. Avid American sport goers have really taking stride in bringing soccer into the mainstream; however that's caught on with little degree of popularity - although optimism was spiked during the past World Cup in 2006. Another sport, cricket, which is tremendous in India, South Africa and Pakistan is also feeling the heat of irrelevance - when Americans were asked about the very fundamentals of cricket over 90% could not decipher what instruments, apparel or gear are used to play the game, (survey conducted by Zpryme Research & Consulting, LLC).

Another sport, cycling is still very much a recreational sport in the United States with a very small spectator following- especially since the retirement of Lance Armstrong. However, a sport traditionally foreign to the United States has been catching on in the United States, much to the surprise of many athletic apparel companies like Adidas and Nike is Rugby. "According to USA Rugby, the sport has grown 15 percent annually the past four years, with the biggest and most rapid increase in the youth sector."Rugby has also exploded in the Northeast and out in the west with many adolescents and high schools - a wonderful primer before entering the club sport at the university level. "The number of high school teams registered with USA Rugby has increased from 150 to more than 500 in the last six years, and there were 679 men's and women's college teams registered last year."

However Rugby is still far from the revenue juggernaut, Mr. Gridiron, American Football. Still, Rugby is experiencing a strong exposure on most college campuses in the United States and already possesses a loyal legion with both current and past rugby aficionados. These core fans already do their best by employing viral marketing though mediums such as blogs, MySpace.com and university campuses - they loyal fans could easily increase the domino effect of rugby exposure if they saw their sport begin to surface in the mainstream athletic arena.

At a professional level, the United States is approaching decency in the game: they've qualified for the past three Rugby World Cups, and while they have yet to advance past initial play, have delivered hope in their attempts. The 2007 International Rugby Press Association Try of the Year was scored by an American, Takudzwa Ngwenya, who capitalized off an end-to-end transition play against the Springboks of South Africa by outrunning the 2007 international Player of the Year, Bryan Habana down the far wing.

The Future of Rugby?

If rugby continues to grow at its current rate, there will be approximately 1,500 high school teams within the next five years or so. This increase in high school activity will lead to a higher interest in collegiate rugby, and this seasonal cycle will lead to mounting interest with the potential to fund a professional rugby league similar to that of the AFL (arena football league).

Further inspiring the growth of rugby is the news that "USA Rugby and Canterbury of New Zealand (CCC) announced today that CCC has become the official kit provider and exclusive apparel licensee to USA Rugby through May 2012. Under the agreement, CCC will supply USA Rugby with apparel for all Eagles teams, and also commits to the payment of performance bonuses through Rugby World Cup 2011. In addition, CCC will be launching a USA Rugby licensed leisurewear range that will be available to retail stores across America. CCC will also provide a three year academic/rugby scholarship to Loughborough University, one of England's premier Universities."

"By establishing a relationship with USA Rugby, CCC is pleased to lend its support and 104 years of rugby tradition and experience to the Eagles." The future certainly looks bright for rugby in the United States. For those that are already fans - they should collectively make it a priority to spread their love for the game to the youth, so that one day it will not be uncommon to see it broadcasted daily on mediums such as ESPN Sports Center or in print in the sports editorial of their local newspaper.

Zpryme Research & Consulting is a research-based business strategy firm with affiliates and industry contacts in major cities within North & South America, Asia, and Europe. Our clients range from Internet start-ups seeking venture capital to Fortune 500 companies' expanding into foreign markets. The success of our firm is measured by our client's ability to confidently and successfully enter emerging global markets.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Ishac

Wales rugby league | Do the WRU Market the Magners League Enough?

2009-03-25T23:10:00.000-07:00

Just got myself a-thinking (a painful passtime) about Welsh rugby regionalism. No, this isn't going to be anything to do with a 5th region, or super-clubs etc. What I was thinking about is marketing.

Please note these are thoughts written almost as soon as they occurred to me, I have put very little thought into them and so are subject to vast change.

Now we all agree, I think, that the regions' marketing departments leave a lot to be desired. Even the Ospreys who many consider to be by far the best in this area miss a lot of opportunities as far as I am concerned.

But my question is... do the WRU do enough for the regions on the marketing side.

Some may argue that it is not the WRU's job, the regions are responsible for their own region - marketing and all.

But I think this is wrong. The WRU have a mandate to support rugby throughout Wales, and the premier competitions for them (outside of internationals) all involve the regions (though the same could be said for advertising the WP as well).

Surely the WRU can do a lot more to try get us excited about regionalism, marketing the league etc where-ever they can. For example internationals give a captive audience that are already interested in the rugby product, yet you never see anything done by the WRU at these events.

Similarly the Millennium Stadium hosts a lot of events, how much is the ML or just the regional concept pushed at these?

Do they have a 'rugby club' emailing list that people can sign to, giving international and regional news? they may do, but I don't know of it.

They don't advertise the ML/edf/WP in newspapers, TV or radio.

I'm not really sure how much responsibility they have but I honestly feel that should be doing something. We know that the ML has next to nothing in sponsorship and that a lot of people still aren't interested in the regional concept, but the WRU do nothing to try help. We're to small a country to not support each other and the WRU should by supporting their regions by promoting the ML/regional brand and product.

I reckon anyway

Nick (sometimes known as rugby Nick) is a devout follower of all things rugby, especially anything related to Welsh rugby. His thoughts and rants can be found on his Welsh Rugby blog.

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Wales rugby league | Rugby World Cup - Crunch Match One - Wales vs Fiji

2009-03-25T23:04:00.000-07:00

The Welsh faithful returned to Cardiff to watch their team play Fiji at the Millenium stadium. But this week the formula had changed. The two teams were playing for a quarter final berth against the South Africans, or, an early exit from the World Cup.

The Welsh had recorded reasonably comfortable wins against Japan and Canada before their 12 point loss to the Australians. They are ranked eighth in the world and were expected to fend off a reasonably strong challenge from the Fijians.

By comparison Fiji had to work hard to account for Japan 35-31, and Canada 29-16. Australia clocked up 50 points in seeing off the Fijians, but despite the very different paths taken to arrive at this game, the formula was simple. The winner of this match would go forward, the loser was out of the cup. The Welsh had some small comfort in that if they achieved a draw, their bonus points they had accumulated would see them through.

The Welsh were methodical and structure in the opening exchanges, and went to a 3-0 lead early. but after the Welsh missed a second shot at goal the Fijians woke up. In a period of play worthy of their seven-a-side team the Fijians scored dynamic tries in quick succession and by the 24th minute they had put a point a minute on the men in red to be leading 25-3. Wales suddenly clicked into gear themselves and mounted a methodical comeback that saw them grind away at the Fijian lead, against a team that was reduced to 10 men just before half time.

The yellow carding of Quera was nearly a crucial decision. The sin-binning was a little dubious, particularly when you consider many of the other offenses that weren't punished in this match. Wales scored points with remarkable ease in this period and there was an air of inevitability about the way the Fijian lead kept getting smaller. When Martyn Williams plucked a pass out of the Fijians back line and scored his try it looked to be all over for the Fijians.

But showing the same sort of resolve which has seen Tonga do so well in this tournament the Fijians dug deep and found they really did have the reserves to win matches like this. A string of penalties and finally a hard earned try to Dewes saw the Fijians erupt in delight when the final whistle was blown with them holding the edge 38-34.

Wales can expect a grilling from their press who expect big things of their team, while the Fijians can look forward to a huge quarterfinal against a team who must now be amongst the favourites to win the cup - South Africa.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tom_Scott

Wales rugby league | 20 Things You Never Knew About Rugby

2009-03-25T22:59:00.000-07:00

Rugby and football were essentially the same game until 1863. The split occurred when attempts were made to formalise the rules of football, whereupon the Blackheath club quit the new Football Association, wishing to protect players' right to kick one another on the shins.
Initially, the game of rugby was played by teams comprising 20 players.
Rugby is the oldest international team sport, with the first rugby test predating both the first cricket and football tests.
The International Rugby Board was created as the result of a disputed try, in a match between England and Scotland.
The 1895 split between rugby league and rugby union occurred along both class and geographic lines. Clubs in the working class North embraced a professional game, while the wealthier clubs in the South adhered to the ethic of amateur rugby.
The United States is the reigning Olympic rugby gold medallist, having won the last rugby event played at the Olympics, in 1924.
Japan boasts the largest playing pool of any rugby-playing nation, with 125,000 registered players.
Pope John Paul II played rugby for the Polish national team.
The first Gilbert rugby ball was manufactured in the late 1700s by William Gilbert, a cobbler whose business was positioned next to the Rugby school at which the modern game was first played.
The shape of the modern rugby ball is derived from the use of inflated pigs bladders, which were used during the early years of the game.
During the early days of the game only a single point was awarded for a try. A drop goal, however, earned 3 points.
The first test between Western Samoa and Fiji was played at 7am in the morning, on a pitch with a large tree growing in its centre.
The South African rugby team didn't lose a single test series between 1896 and 1956.
World War One had a significant impact on the game of rugby. 133 international players were killed in battles, which resulted in the development of the sport being set back by decades, and also gave football the opportunity to become the most popular game in the United Kingdom.
If Germany had not occupied France during World War Two, rugby league would have been the dominant convention in that country. During the Nazi occupation all the assets of the massive French Rugby League were handed over to the French Rugby Union, and for decades after the war rugby league clubs were not permitted to describe their game as 'rugby'.
The grave of William Webb Ellis, the man credited with inventing rugby, was only located in 1959.
Stellenbosch Rugby Club in South Africa is the largest rugby club in the world with over 7,000 registered players.
Rugby Union is an extremely popular spectator sport in Georgia and Madagascar.
Since turning professional, the popularity of rugby has soared around the globe, with the 2007 Rugby World Cup attracting a cumulative audience of 4 billion. The sport is currently considered the second most popular on the planet, the first being football.
Rugby union is gaining in popularity more rapidly than any other sport in the United States, and the country already boasts a player pool larger than any of the Celtic teams participating in the Six Nations Championship.

Well, there you have it - 20 things you didn't perhaps now about rugby!

Learn more about Six Nations Rugby and how the game it played and bet one from around the world.

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Wales rugby league | Will Welsh Rugby Superstar Gavin Henson Go on the British Lions Tour?

2009-03-25T22:52:00.000-07:00

Welsh rugby superstar is no doubt a talent. Winner of two Grand Slams with Wales, he was on the last British Lions tour and once one the IRB young world player of the year.

But controversy hes dogged his every step. It took Mike Ruddocks intervention in 2005 to find his best position, with many advocates believing at the time he was better suited to outside half or full back than the inside center spot.

He has missed two World Cups now, in 2003 Steve Hanson dropped him because he felt that Gavin Henson wasn't ready and in 2008 Gareth Jenkins even more controversially dropped him because he felt Gavin wasn't fully recovered from injury, despite giving others the chance to prove themselves fit.

On the 2005 British Lions tour of New Zealand controversy was again following him with a series of bust ups with then British Lions coach Sir Clive Woodward, including being used in a photo shoot opportunity that Gavin wasn't made aware of as a way of proving that the rift between the pair had been healed.

But on his day Gavin is a devastating rugby player. He has a cannon of a right boot, able to kick the ball for miles. His vision and awareness of others around him is exemplary, his pace is deceptively quick and his defense has improved no end. Indeed Shaun Edwards, Welsh Defensive coach, made Gavin Henson the defensive captain for Wales in the 2008 Grand Slam winning side that conceded the least amount of tries in the 6 Nations, ever.

With Gordon D'Arcy of Ireland injured, England struggling to find a cohesive backline and Scotland struggling to create tries Gavin Henson could be a vital cog for the British Lions. Lets just hope he can avoid controversy between now and then.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_J_Jones

Wales rugby league | Is Welsh Rugby Lacking Leadership?

2009-03-25T22:49:00.000-07:00

There has to be a serious concern about the lack of leadership within Welsh rugby.

At the very top Ryan Jones is a great leader, inspirational, comfortable with the role and good with the press. Rightly he is being touted as a potential leader for the British Lions tour of South Africa in 2009.

But a look below that level gives us a lot more to be worried about.

At regional level the Ospreys have Ryan Jones as their captain as well, but outside of that the other 3 regions all have foreigners at the helm. The Scarlets have long term captain Simon Easterby while both the Blues and the Dragons have appointed foreigners in the shape of kiwi's Paul Tito and Tom Willis respectively.

So what does that say about the state of on field leadership in Wales? When Ryan Jones took over his main rivals were, according to many in the press, Alun Wyn Jones, Duncan Jones and Gethin Jenkins.

Again Ospreys have been monopolising Welsh talent, but it is disappointing to see that Gethin isn't considered the right man for the Blues job, especially as he will presumably be playing more rugby now that Yapp is being moved across to the tight head.

I can understand it from the region's perspective, they want leaders who will lead the whole team... and if the players are disappearing off for a good proportion of the season to play and train for Wales then it makes sense for non-international playing foreigners to take the role on as they will be with the region for far longer.

But what is right for the regions is, yet again, not necessarily right for Wales. So where will our next leaders come from?

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_J_Jones

Wales rugby league | Does Wales Have a Plan B?

2009-03-25T22:45:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has been watching Wales since Warren Gatland and Shaun Edwards took over the Welsh rugby side in late 2007 has to have been impressed with what they have managed to do. They took a side that, just a few months previously, had been knocked out of the 2007 Rugby World Cup in the pool stages by relative rugby minnows Fiji and led them to a Grand Slam title, beating all before them.

Since then they have competed well against South Africa and New Zealand before being the only Northern hemisphere team to beat one of the trinations in the '08 Autumn Internationals when they beat Australia.

Much of this success has been based on a powerful and well structured game plan of the type that Gatland and Edwards devised when they were working together at London Wasps a few years previously - one of the most successful coaching teams in the history of English club rugby, winning the Guiness Premiership a number of times as well as the coveted Heineken cup.

But there are concerns that there has been little else to Wales' rugby game other than power and structure. Against England Wales were 'found out' by tactics designed to neutralize the Welsh strength. Wales proved too strong in the end and Warren Gatland assured fans afterwards that there was a plan B but that he wanted to prove a point to his players that their power game could take on anyone.

But the French game in paris has shown us otherwise. Like the England game the French attacked the Welsh power game head on, and with more success. They smashed players backwards, attacked the Welsh tactic of putting only a few bodies into rucks and defended the channels like their lives depended on it - and got the win.

Whilst Wales, despite having a poor game, were still in it at the end that has to have been more by luck than judgement.

The concern was that not once was the playing style changed. ball was continually kicked to an attacking back 3, the channels were constantly run and rucks were still being under committed player wise. What the game needed was a change of direction, but there wasnt one.

Part of the problem is playing personel. Stephen Jones, Jamie Roberts and Tom Shanklin are all worthy international players - but they are just too similar to play in a backline together - all 3 like to straighten the line, there is a lack of creativity.

In the end Gatland did throw on Gavin Henson and James Hook, 2 hugely creative talents, but it was a case of too little too late.

There is real concern in Wales that there is no plan B, and on current evidence it seems that is the case. But Warren Gatland is a world class coach so I am sure he is aware of the problem and working on it now.

More opinions on Plan B, and welsh rugby in general can be found on the Welsh rugby blog - the home of opinionated rants about all things related to rugby in Wales

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_J_Jones

Wales rugby league | Should Steve Tandy by Part of the Welsh Six Nations Rugby Squad?

2009-03-25T22:40:00.000-07:00

Steve Tandy, the Ospreys openside flanker, is one of the few uncapped players in the star studded Ospreys team that includes the likes of Welsh rugby super stars James Hook, Ryan Jones, Shane Williams and Gavin Henson. And it is easy to see why when you look at the talent of Martyn Williams, one of the best flankers in the world, strutting his stuff for Wales.

But after Martyn Williams there is a lack of truly talented options available to the Welsh selectors, and that has to be a huge worry to Warren Gatland, the Welsh rugby coach. Martyn Williams retired after the 2007 World Cup in France and it took all of Warren Gatlands persuasive talents to coax him back into international rugby.

And it was needed. Robin Snowden-Taylor, team mate of Martyn Williams at the Cardiff Blues, was considered next in line and a good prospect. But he has not pushed on form or talent wise as many fans of the game in Wales would have hoped.

Other than that there is Colin Charvis, who is 36 now and has lost the pace needed to compete at the fast moving openside position in the international game, despite his impressive regional rugby performances for the Newport Gwent Dragons.

Gavin Thomas of the Llanelli Scarlets has won a number of caps, but is injured and considered by most observors to not really have the talented needed.

There are a couple of talented youngsters coming through, Ben Lewis and Sam Warburton. but both are injured and so are not getting the game time or experience needed to truely earn a Welsh rugby squad place.

Which for me leaves Steve Tandy. Whilst he gives away too many penalties to be considered a first choice international flaker he has never let teh ospreys down. His support work is good and his rucking is top class, both areas are vital to the way that Wales play international rugby.

So whilst I think that Steve Tandy shouldn't be starting for Wales, I do think that he is currently the best option we have as a back up flanker. My advice to Warren gatland would be to bring him into the Six nations squad.

Love reading about Welsh rugby? Check out the Wales rugby blog for more news, stories and opinions.

It's good for a laugh if nothing else!

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Wales rugby league | Will the Italian Rugby Clubs Joining the Magners League Be a Benefit?

2009-03-25T22:31:00.000-07:00

The Italian Rugby Federation has decided that Italian rugby would benefit from joining the Magners League (previously known as the Celtic League) and is tendering a bid to the Irish, Scottish and Welsh rugby unions, the three countries that make up the Magners League, to have a number of teams take part in the league.

The number of teams is yet to be determined, with either two or four the most likely. If two then the Italians would be looking at creating 'super clubs' or regions in the same manner as the Welsh and Irish sides do now. If four then they would take the top four Italian rugby club sides of the moment.

But what benefit would adding extra fixtures to an already congested season bring the current rugby sides playing in the Magners league? There are a number of benefits to be gained.

Increased number of spectators. With new games added more fans will be turning up to see the games, bringing in more money to the clubs and regions.
More exposure for sponsors. Sponsors will have the additional benefits of more games to gain exposure in and a new market to have their brand in.
More sponsorship. With more exposure for sponsors, and a brand new market of companies that will want exposure, rugby clubs and regions will be able to charge more, and to more companies, for sponsorship.
A wider audience. These days rugby clubs and regions are a brand themselves, and with the Italians on board they give themselves a wider audience to spread their brand and new potential fans to win over.

All in all there is considerable financial benefit to the rugby sides competing in the Magners League for allowing the Italian clubs entry to this top level cross border rugby league.

For more information on this, and all other rugby news, get yourself over to the Wales Rugby's best blog. It has everything you need from a rugby site... providing you only want funny and interesting opinion based articles!

So check out the best blog to do with Rugby news in Wales today.

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