RUGBY NEWS AROUND THE GLOBE

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Permalink Reply by Vilisi Nadaku on February 5, 2010 at 2:59am

With all my love, may Fiji be the number one.
I love you all. and Fiji forever be the best,
God Bless Fiji, and God Bless us always!

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Permalink Reply by Ox™ on February 5, 2010 at 6:19am

Fiji face Boks in quarters

Fiji Times

Marc Hinton
Friday, February 05, 2010

Lee Jones of Scotland is tackled by Josefa Bole, Osea Kolinisau and Emosi Vucago of Fiji in the match between Fiji and Scotland during day one of the Wellington IRB Sevens at Westpac Stadium on February 5, 2010 in Wellington, New Zealand.

Update: 10:28PM THE Bok sevens side faces a daunting quarter-final against the hot Fijian side.

LATEST:New Zealand mixed heroic defence and fabulous finishing to score a pool-topping victory over South Africa to end the opening day of the Wellington Sevens on a jubilant note.

In a furious Friday night finale to Pool A, New Zealand and South Africa went toe-to-toe in a magnificent encounter every bit as committed and physical as the two countries' storied rivalry at XV-a-side level.

But in the end it was Gordon Tietjens' in-form New Zealanders who carried the day, taking the South Africans' best shots along the way to a 19-7 victory that sees the Bok sevens side facing a daunting quarterfinal against the hot Fijian side.

New Zealand will meet Australia, well beaten by the Fijians in their pool's defining encounter, in the first knockout round - a contest likely to get the big crowd in early at Party Central.

The other pool toppers were England and Samoa, while Canada provided the opening day's chief upsets as they got past Argentina and France to clinch a quarterfinal spot. The Canadians meet defending champs England in the last eight, while Samoa earned a knockout encounter against the dangerous Kenyans.

But it was the evening's final match that provided the day's most exhilarating encounter, Tietjens' men soaking up huge periods of pressure at the start of both halves, but managing to hold their line and then striking at key moments.

It was nearly six minutes into the first half when New Zealand's star of the opening day, Counties flyer Sherwin Stowers, produced a moment of brilliance to break open a stalemate. The speedster stepped off his left foot and then showed superb strength to break a tackle and race in handy to the posts.

But Ryno Benjamin summoned his own piece of magic just before halftime to level the scores at 7-7 by the break, the flyer's change of angle leaving Tomasi Cama flapping at thin air.

The South Africans then spent the first four minutes of the second half unsuccessfully probing the stretched Kiwi defence, but were punished when another piece of Stowers' razzle-dazzle put Zar Lawrence in for a great try off the popped pass. And 14-7 was stretched by a further five points when Kurt Baker finished Lote Raikabula's turnover to send the party people off into the night with smiles on their faces.

"Against South Africa we knew we had to go up another 10 percent," said Stowers afterwards. "I'm glad we did."

Earlier the New Zealanders cruised past Wales and Niue with plenty to spare, with Stowers and Baker announcing their credentials.

Tietjens' men have started the new sevens season spectacularly, winning the first two tournaments in Dubai and George, and are keen to make it three in a row by regaining their home title after they were beaten in last year's final by England.

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Permalink Reply by Ox™ on February 5, 2010 at 6:21am

A Streaker enjoying the match

A streaker invades the pitch in the match between Australia and Scotland during day one of the Wellington IRB Sevens at Westpac Stadium on February 5, 2010 in Wellington, New Zealand

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Permalink Reply by Justin on February 5, 2010 at 7:08am

hahahaha....dua madaga e high tackle taka na tamata qo....

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Permalink Reply by Ox™ on February 5, 2010 at 7:14am

brass...low tackle taki koya mada !!!

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Permalink Reply by Justin on February 5, 2010 at 7:16am

lol.....me low tackle taki koya e dua na sele kava qori...

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Permalink Reply by Ox™ on February 5, 2010 at 7:33am

kua ga ni tavivi i gusumu na nonai sele kava hahaha

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Permalink Reply by Ox™ on February 5, 2010 at 6:25am

Preview: England v Wales

05th February 2010

James Hook: Finally at home?

It's 100 years since England beat Wales 11-6 at Twickenham, the first of this particularly spicy annual clash to be played at England's rugby HQ - indeed, the first international rugby match of any kind to be played there.

On that day, it was England wing Fred Chapman who was England's hero, scoring a try, a penalty and a conversion - which in those days amounted to eight points as there were only three for a try. England, featuring seven debutants, led 11-3 at the break and were good value for their win - the first over Wales for 12 years.

A hundred years on and things have changed a bit. Billy Williams' cabbage patch has morphed into an 82,000-seater cauldron, replete with hospitality boxes, a swanky hotel and a great big television. On the pitch, things have also changed: shorts are shorter, shirts tighter, players' wallets considerably heavier and punches considerably lighter. But Wales are still the ones on the roll when it comes to taking the spoils from such matches. Currently.

Yet Twickenham has not been a happy hunting ground for the Welsh down the decades. Before the remarkable 20-point second-half blitz two years ago, the last Welsh victory at Twickenham had been in 1988, when a pair of Adrian Hadley tries sank England. The last time Wales won two in a row at Twickenham was ten years prior to that, courtesy of three penalties from a Mr. Phil Bennett in a 9-6 win.

Warren Gatland's insistence on the development of a Welsh kicking game this week would have you convinced that a similar outcome would be top of his priorities, but as several other rugby writers this week have observed: he is fooling nobody. Wales will come to run the ball, England will try to stop them. Then they will try to nick the win.

More intriguing might be to watch what England do. The stench of solid pragmatism lingers around England's base a little too much for most palates, with even Lawrence Dallaglio launching an attack on what he perceived as a 'dictatorial' regime run by Martin Johnson where the players had no say and thus no empowerment to innovate on the pitch beyond the dire restrictive game-plan we saw in November.

Johnson responded in a cool manner by saying there had been 'full and frank' discussions, but he may just as well have pointed to his team sheet and said 'what about that then?' There is more in this XV than there has been in many an England XV down the past couple of years, but whether it will show is another matter.

Up front, England have significantly less to worry about than they did a week or so ago. Wales have lost two thirds of the Lions front row they had planned to batter England up front with; behind that front row England have little to fear. Wales can run all the ball they want to, it won't mean much if they don't get any to run with.

So expect pragmatism from England. Expect them to do as they are told, to do what they have often done: win it up front. But expect them to win? Don't expect them to lose easily...

Ones to watch:

For England: David Wilson has a big job, but now rendered a little easier by the withdrawal of Gethin Jenkins. Wilson also has a shot at becoming the man to regularly fill an increasingly up-for-grabs number three jersey. Against Paul James, Wilson will fancy himself to be the cornerstone of what is likely to be an immense forward effort.

For Wales: Gareth Williams hasn't won many caps, but is a stalwart of the Blues and has clinched his place ahead of the more youthful Huw Bennett by dint of resurgent form underpinned by a magnificent work-rate, with the latter going to be a much sought-after commodity against England's belligerent approach.

Head to head: Two men with much to prove are Mathew Tait and James Hook. The last time Tait played Wales it was as a stripling debutant; sixty minutes later he stumbled disconsolately off, the final humiliation his having been picked up by Gavin Henson à la one of Charlotte Church's handbags and dumped on the turf some five metres later. Finally, he's back, no doubt to show us what he is really capable of. Opposite him is James Hook, two years ago the next great Welsh fly-half, now the next great Welsh... something. Outside centre is his latest incarnation, after stints inside and at full-back. Perhaps he will find a home there? One thing all agree on is that he needs to be there somewhere...

Recent results:
2009: Wales won 23-15 at Millennium Stadium
2008: Wales won 26-19 at Twickenham
2007: Wales won 27-18 at Millennium Stadium
2007: England won 62-5 at Twickenham
2006: England won 47-13 at Twickenham
2005: Wales won 11-9 at Millennium Stadium
2004: England won 31-21 at Twickenham
2003: England won 43-9 Millennium Stadium
2003: England won 26-9 at Millennium Stadium
2003: England won 28-17 at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
2002: England won 50-10 at Twickenham
2001: England won 44-15 at Millennium Stadium

Prediction: This is a tough one to call. You'd suggest it could be Wales on paper, yet the memory of that lifeless submission to Australia is cause for concern, as is the weakness left in the front row by the withdrawal of Gethin Jenkins. We have a feeling that England might finally come good this time... England by five.

The teams:

England: 15 Delon Armitage, 14 Mark Cueto, 13 Mathew Tait, 12 Riki Flutey, 11 Ugo Monye, 10 Jonny Wilkinson, 9 Danny Care, 8 Nick Easter, 7 Lewis Moody, 6 James Haskell, 5 Steve Borthwick (c), 4 Simon Shaw, 3 David Wilson, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Tim Payne.
Replacements: 16 Steve Thompson, 17 Dan Cole, 18 Louis Deacon, 19 Steffon Armitage, 20 Paul Hodgson, 21 Toby Flood, 22 Ben Foden.

Wales: 15 Lee Byrne, 14 Tom James, 13 James Hook, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Shane Williams, 10 Stephen Jones, 9 Gareth Cooper, 8 Ryan Jones (c), 7 Martyn Williams, 6 Andy Powell, 5 Luke Charteris, 4 Alun-Wyn Jones, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Gareth Williams, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements: 16 Huw Bennett, 17 Paul James, 18 Bradley Davies, 19 Jonathan Thomas, 20 Richie Rees, 21 Andrew Bishop, 22 Leigh Halfpenny.

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Permalink Reply by Ox™ on February 5, 2010 at 6:28am

Smith calls time on Wallaby career

05th February 2010

PlanetRugby

Smith: 'This is the right time to step aside'

Australia flanker George Smith has announced his retirement from international rugby at the age of 29.

The Brumbies star has won 110 caps for his country - one of only four Wallabies, and 10 players in total, to reach three figures - since his debut against France in 2000, scoring nine tries in that time and captaining the side on seven occasions.

But he has now requested an early end to his Australian Rugby Union contract to explore other options and will be released by club and country when the Super 14 season finishes at the end of May - a year ahead of the scheduled conclusion of his deal, which was to run until the 2011 World Cup.

Smith said: "Throughout these 10 years I have always held a deep respect and honour for the Wallabies jersey and for what it means to be a Wallaby. I have considered it a privilege to wear the gold jersey.

"The decision to retire from Test Rugby has been a very difficult one. Although I believe that I could play competitive rugby at the highest level and contribute to the Wallabies for many years to come, I know in my heart that this is the right time to step aside.

"In recent times I believe that the Wallabies have created the right balance between providing opportunity for the outstanding young talent that is within Australian rugby and also having the knowledge and experience in senior players to bring out their very best. I believe that the fruits of this hard work will be seen in the months and years ahead, most importantly at the 2011 World Cup.

"I believe that now is the time for me to give back to my family, to be able to spend more quality time with my wife and young children. It has become increasingly difficult for me to spend large periods of time away from home and my family and this is something that I would like to change."

Smith plans to look for a club outside of Australia, and continued: "I would like the opportunity to experience a different environment and culture together as a family unit whilst still playing competitive rugby. I personally feel that I owe this opportunity to my family."

ARU chief John O'Neill said: "George has made an enormous contribution to Australian Rugby for more than a decade. His list of achievements in the game stands him alongside the all-time greats.

"We could have insisted he see out his contract and blocked any opportunities to play the game overseas before the next Rugby World Cup. His wholehearted commitment over 10 years, however, deserves special consideration."

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans added: "You only have to look at the statistics of his career to realise what a special player George is, and to appreciate the enormity of his contribution to Australian Rugby.

"Not only has he been a great team man, he has been a fine leader of young men as a role model - both as a player and as a captain. Consistency, both in terms of his availability and the level of his performance, has been his hallmark."

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Permalink Reply by Ox™ on February 5, 2010 at 4:06pm

CAN WE GET SOM SUPPORTERS IN THE HOUSE PLEASE !!!! LACK OF SUPPORTERS IN THE HOUSE

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Permalink Reply by Ox™ on February 5, 2010 at 5:50pm

Out of hearsay I heard Fiji is leading 7-0 South Africa/i>

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Permalink Reply by Ox™ on February 5, 2010 at 5:58pm

Fiji's Final score is Fiji 21 - 5 South Africa

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