Scots look to upset ABs

Friday 21st September 2007

Scotland flank Allister Hogg is optimistic about his team's prospects in the much anticipated Pool C decider against the All Blacks at Murrayfield on Sunday.

Hogg, told the NZPA that the critical factor on Sunday would be for Scotland to believe they could beat the world's No. 1 ranked team.

While many pundits might be willing to debate whether Scotland will come close against the All Blacks, Hogg feels that there is sufficient reason to believe the Tri-Nations champions could falter.

He firstly argued that the final result in the 29-10 defeat to the All Blacks the last time the two teams met at Murrayfield, in 2005, wasn't a true reflection of the match.

Hogg added that he thought that match was a lot tighter than it looked.

However rugby followers will recall that particular match had already been secured by the All Blacks in the first-half, something which Hogg may or may not acknowledge.

The Scot added that there was a disallowed try in the dying moments of that game, which could have changed the complextion of the game. He said the effort showed the character that existed within the Scottish team nonetheless.

"And we ought to have had a pushover try awarded, while [replacement wing] Simon Webster went over near the end to show what we can do in what was probably the best home nations performance against them on that tour," Hogg explained.

Hogg said that same fighting spirit needed to be displayed on Sunday.

Hogg said it would all boil down to being assertive at the start of the match, making particular reference to Italy's early capitulation against the All Blacks in the opening Pool C game a fortnight ago.

"I think losing early scores against them caused Italian heads to go down, so Scotland aim to be the first team to really test these All Blacks," added Hogg.

Former Scottish flank John Jeffrey, who incidentally was the last Scottish flank to score three tries also against Romania believes Scotland's whitewash over Romania on Tuesday was crucial for the team's confidence ahead of the All Black clash.

"Romania really was an ideal victory; it was morale boosting, particularly through the clean sheet, yet with sufficient means of keeping feet on the ground," said Jeffrey.

He also commented on the possibility that Frank Hadden would rest his star players against New Zealand.

"As for the remainder of the tournament, what is important for Scotland is that they qualify for the knockout stages and if that means mixing and matching the lineup to face New Zealand, I have no problem."

The Scottish team will be announced at 16.00 on Friday.

www.planetrugby.com

Rafa tells Big Sam to butt out

Benitez hits back at Allardyce

By James Pearson   Last updated: 21st September 2007

Rafa Benitez believes Sam Allardyce may have a memory problem if he thinks Liverpool have struggled in the Premier League in recent seasons.

The Newcastle boss reportedly stated the Spanish tactician was only clinging onto his Anfield post due to his impressive UEFA Champions League achievements.

However, Benitez is happy with The Reds' two third-placed finishes in the last two seasons and has told Allardyce to worry about his own business on Tyneside.

"I want to say two things," Benitez told the club's official website.

"Firstly, I think he should be more worried about his own business because he must have more problems than to waste time talking about other managers.

"Secondly, has he forgotten Liverpool winning the Super Cup, FA Cup and Champions League as well as reaching another Champions League final, a Carling Cup final and twice finishing third in the Premier League?

"Maybe he doesn't have a great memory."

www.skysports.com

Enough already, Australia

29 April 2007

The last time Australia didn't win the World Cup, Nelson Mandela was still the president, the Tri-Nations was the newest thing on rugby's block, and one-day cricket was interesting. Sort of.

How times have changed since the 1996, when Sri Lanka - who not many years before had been what Bangladesh is to cricket now - swept to a stirring triumph.

Since those heady days, however, we have had to put up with one domineering Australian team after another. Saturday's events in Barbados, where Ricky Ponting's team bullied Sri Lanka to defeat by 53 runs in the final of the 2007 World Cup, was a case in point.

Actually, we could almost say that Australia won the World Cup twice on Saturday, what with the umpires calling the players back to endure the last few futile overs in the dark even after the Ponting's team had begun celebrating their win and television had beamed the result worldwide.

And who said there would be no day-night games at this World Cup? The dismal gloom that the tournament fizzled out in at Kensington Oval certainly was not daylight.

All well and good - the Aussies make worthy champions, and besides it's up to their opponents to beat them. If those opponents can't manage that, why should the Australians worry?

But here's hoping that by 2011, when the World Cup will return to the Asian subcontinent, the result of the final will not be obvious after the first round of matches, as it has been in the Caribbean for two months now.

With a significant number of Australia's stalwarts on their way to retirement, that may not be an empty hope.

Of course, there are a lot more talented Aussies where these came from. But they will surely not match (immediately, anyway) a side that will go down among the great sides.

Yes, they are a fantastic team, one of the finest ever. We know that. We have known it for 12 years. We do not need to be reminded of the fact.

So, enough already, Australia: go away.

by Telford Vice

South Africa choke on their lines again

Hugh Chevallier in Durban September 20, 2007

One word - guaranteed not to have been uttered by anyone in the South Africa team - haunted their entire innings. No prizes for guessing that word was "choke". Going in to this match today, South Africa were the only unbeaten team in the tournament, and it counted for nothing. It almost seemed make the result all the more inevitable.

"Choke" was almost the first word of the end-of-match press conference, and it elicited an embittered response from Graeme Smith, who sniped at the South African journalist: "I guess I expected that question from you," before conceding, "I guess we do find ways to get out of these tournaments... It's very disappointing knowing you've lost only one game in the tournament and you're out... That does seem a little bit weird."

It shouldn't feel too weird to three members of the team. Herschelle Gibbs, Mark Boucher and Shaun Pollock were there at Edgbaston in 1999, and at Headingley one match earlier, when Steve Waugh dryly told Gibbs that he'd just dropped the World Cup.

Gibbs's urge to celebrate catching Waugh was premature - he never had the ball under control - setting off the chain of events that culminated in that infamous run-out muddle involving Lance Klusener and Allan Donald. The match was tied, and South Africa, from a position of strength, had succumbed to a side that had needed to win every one of their remaining games to stay in the tournament.

The same trio were there - as well as Smith, de Villiers and Kemp - when Australia humiliated South Africa at the 2007 World Cup semi in St Lucia. That game was never South Africa's: they had been psyched out before play began, and there was no way back from 27 for 5.

Unhappily for South Africa, the litany goes on. At Durban in the 2003 World Cup, they made an unholy mess of the Duckworth/Lewis tables. Probably best not to mention that game to Boucher, who declined to take the single off Murali that would have put South Africa through to the Super Sixes. That was a ghost the team were desperate to put to rest.

The same happened yet again in the Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka in 2002. India were the assassins then as now. Smith, Gibbs, Boucher, Pollock and Ntini will have miserable memories of a September night in Colombo.

"When you lose like that it's always difficult to make excuses," mulled Smith at Kingsmead tonight. "As a team we've got to take these losses and try to come back better people. Yah, it was disappointing."

Smith kept coming back to the word "disappointing". There might have been another, uglier word at the back of his mind. He couldn't say it: it would have caught in his throat.

Hugh Chevallier is deputy editor of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack

Cricinfo

Kiwis lose, the world wins

September 20, 2007 4:12 PM

That lump in your throat, my New Zealand friends, will be tough to swallow. But you must.
Rugby's showpiece event would not boast half its present audience had the All Blacks managed to get it right.

The calamitous campaigns of 1991, '95, '99 and 2003 left Kiwis hollow, shattered, in a place darker than the jerseys they hold in Godly regard.
Yet because of this, the World Cup has been allowed to flourish.
There is uncertainty, which gives hope to the masses, bringing them to the viewing table.
A tournament lacking mystery is a tournament of misery, and punters once bitten are twice shy.
If New Zealand were to win every World Cup they were supposed to - that is all of them - forget the tournament's current standing as the third most watched sporting event in the world.
More likely, it would descend into the farce which is the rugby league version, where Australia predictably cleans up and most fans wish someone else - anyone - would win it.
The Kiwis sold their 2011 World Cup hosting bid by outlining their enormous contribution to the game around the globe.
Unfortunately for those across the ditch, it is in their most humiliating sufferings that they have contributed most.
Jamie Pandaram FairfaxDigital

Posted by Jamie Pandaram

Chabal or Cha-bald?

Thursday 20th September 2007

France's predicament is pretty hairy at present, but it seems Sébastien Chabal is determined to make it less so. The piratical forward with more hair then the whole England team was last seen heading to a Parisian salon for a trim.

The Sale Sharks star's long flowing hair and unkempt beard have made him a cult hero in his native land, but the wig vendors stationed outside Stade de France might soon be out of a job.

"I'm going to the hairdresser and the barber," Chabal told reporters at France's training camp outside Paris on Thursday. "I'll bring you back a lock of my hair."

And with that, he wedged himself into his tiny red Smart car and was gone.

If he makes good on his promise he will be leaving behind more than a mountain of hair - shed, too, will be a number of his many nicknames.

His main moniker - "l'homme des grottes" (the caveman) - might need to be ditch, as too "Rasputin" and perhaps "Attila" also.

But "l'anesthésiste" - that's another one - is famed for his mischief-making and is likely to lead the paparazzi in a merry but ultimately fruitless dance.

Indeed, why would he rid himself of the very features that have made him a sex symbol?

No, you didn't misread that.

His team-mates like to point out how "Cartouche" (cartridge) - one more - can scratch the back of his knees without bending, but they are probably just jealous that their neolithic chum has already been voted the sexiest player at the World Cup. In your face, Jonny Wilkinson! Take that, Dan Carter!

French women, it seems, just can't get enough of the hirsute giant. Hoards of female fans trail in his oily wake of unreconstructed machismo - they actually call themselves "Chabalistes".

One of their number recently forced one browbeaten Frenchman to contact the agony aunt of a local newspaper.

"Ma femme m'oblige à porter un masque de Sébastien Chabal quand on fait l'amour. Que faire?" wrote the cuckolded dolt.

In the interests of propriety we will refrain from translating his sad cry for help. Instead, we'll leave it to a member of Chabal's love-lorn entourage, Cecile de Comarmond, to explained the attraction of "the Beast of Valence" - that's the last nickname, I promise.

"He's big and strong and oozes testosterone, totally different for the typical weedy French male charmers - he is all man," cooed the 24-year-old office worker.

"I loathed rugby before I saw him play. But a boyfriend dragged me to a match - and I gave him the boot straight afterwards because he seemed so wimpish compared with Chabal.

"I'm not alone in thinking he's like a gorgeous wild animal - there are thousands of us!

"French women are sick and tired of weak, vain boys who pluck their eyebrows, wax their chests and reek of cologne.

"We want the sort of man who would rather beat a door down with his bare hands than open it for us!

"Chabal is raw. He's masculine, huge, monosyllabic and hairy. If he held you, you'd know about it - you'd stay held. That's the kind of real man that all women secretly crave. Anyone who tells you differently is a liar.

"Chabal makes us want to say, 'Take me in your arms and protect me'.

"English women don't know what they're missing. Your Jude Law is not a man - next to The Caveman he is nothing but a toy."

Chabal's wife, Annick, was - quite understandably - unavailable for comment.

By Andy Jackson www.planetrugby.com

Irish take on the local media

Thursday 20th September 2007

Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll and coach Eddie O'Sullivan have united in the face of a series of vicious attacks by the French media that have incensed the Irish camp.

And some of the comments in the press could backfire spectacularly with Ireland using them as fuel for Friday's seismic World Cup showdown against Les Bleus.

Allegations over Ronan O'Gara's private life appeared on Wednesday in what O'Driscoll claimed was the start of a dirty tricks campaign.

The growing hostility between the French media and Ireland intensified on Thursday morning when an astonishing character assassination on O'Sullivan appeared in one paper.

In it O'Sullivan was nicknamed 'The Dagger': "The type of suspicious person capable of asking you for a table knife and later planting it between your shoulder blades."

The slurs have left Ireland smarting ahead of Friday's do-or-die clash in Paris, which is being viewed by both sides as a straight shootout for a place in the quarter-finals.

The Irish have closed ranks around O'Gara with skipper O'Driscoll declaring the insult had been taken "personally" by the whole team.

"We're a very tight-knit group. We've all been together for the best part of three or four years, give or take one or two people," he said.

"We've developed very strong friendships and when you see a slur on someone's personality and private life, not on their sporting ability, you take it personally yourself.

"You wouldn't wish that on anyone, least of all someone on your own team. So we'll put it in the pot. We don't forget easily. It'll be used as extra motivation.

"The team will give the person in question the extra help he needs, even though he's one of the strongest people I know.

"If you're a cynic you could say the story was an attempt to knock things up in the days building up to the game - to throw a few sparks around the camp and unsettle us a little bit.

"But we're a bigger team than that. We're not going to let something so stupid and so unfounded shake us. It will galvanise us more than anything."

O'Sullivan revealed that O'Gara had taken the gambling allegations in L'Equipe in his stride and declared hosts France could end up being the biggest victims of the accusations.

"He was a bit upset with what happened. It was an attack on him on a personal level, which was totally unfounded as well," said O'Sullivan

"There was no evidence of anything like that. It was just really nasty stuff. But he's a tough individual.

"He's a guy who can focus better than any other person I know. It's not going to put him off. If anything, it will make him more determined."

O'Sullivan continued: "The players were upset about what was written in the French media. And I would say I'm upset about it as well.

"It was a disgrace that has angered people more than upset them. It might be a good thing at the end of the day because we are in the lion's den a little bit.

"For the French media to decide to go down that road a few days before a game I thought it was, well, I won't used the word I have in my head, but pretty annoying to say the least.

"I'm delighted that the Irish media didn't jump on the bandwagon. It just shows that in the Irish media we've a much higher level of integrity when it comes to sports journalism."

It was a rousing performance from O'Sullivan and O'Driscoll, who came out with all guns blazing towards the end of a week that has seen Ireland attract unprecedented levels of criticism for their dire displays against Namibia and Georgia.

www.planetrugby.com

O`Sullivan plots revenge

Thursday 20th September 2007

Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan claims his troops are ready to avenge their recent Six Nations defeat to France when the main Pool D rivals meet in Paris on Friday night.

The two European heavyweights face off in the group stage's biggest match with the losers likely to tumble out of the World Cup, although Ireland would retain a slight glimmer of hope against Argentina.

Hosts France have triumphed in the previous five meetings between the teams, including February's 20-17 injury-time victory at Croke Park.

But O'Sullivan insists Ireland have taken heart from that match as they seek to end the hosts' World Cup just two weeks into the tournament.

"We knew in the aftermath of Croke Park that we would have this chance to put that defeat right," he said.

"Croke Park has been at the back of our minds ever since that match.

"It's a real motivation for us to know we had the beating of a French team in a big pressure situation, only to let it slip.

"Now more than ever we're determined not to let that happen. That goes into the pot."

Ireland have made a dismal start to the World Cup with lamentable victories over Namibia and Georgia making a mockery of hopes they would make an impact.

But despite nearly two weeks of incessant criticism, there appears to be genuine belief within the Irish camp they can upset the 1-7 favourites.

"The high-risk game we played in the autumn and Six Nations we tried to replicate here," said O'Sullivan.

"But we were shy of match practice and made lots of errors. That didn't help our confidence.

"But when you step back from the game you realise it's very fixable.

"We knew we had to score points against the smaller side and that created its own pressure, which forced more mistakes and the whole thing became a vicious circle.

"Tomorrow is different because we know France, we play them every year and have been to the Stade de France.

"We know them and they know us. In some ways that will have settled the mind. We didn't know much about Namibia and Georgia.

"We know what we are facing against France so they're much easier to prepare for."

www.planetrugby.com

Boks in blazer boycott

Thursday 20th September 2007

South Africa's World Cup campaign is in danger of being overshadowed and even derailed by a decision of the Springbok players not to wear their official blazers at the tournament until technical adviser Eddie Jones is allowed to wear one.

Jones, the former Wallaby coach, was officially appointed as a technical advisor to Bok head coach Jake White just a few weeks before the tournament.

However, he has not been granted official status nor full national colours - even though he is allowed to wear a Springbok tracksuit and training gear.

This has angered the players, who forwarded a formal request that Jones be afforded the same status as other management officials - which are all awarded full national colours.

The players feel that the former Wallaby coach's contribution so far to their campaign - which include a 59-7 thrashing of Samoa and a record 36-0 whitewash of defending World Cup champions England - deserves more than what he is currently being afforded.

The players' decision to not wear their blazers, in protest over the decision of the President's Council of the South African Rugby Union (SARU) not to award Jones full colours, comes on the eve of the Boks- Pool A encounter with Tonga in Lens on Saturday.

Andy Marinos, general manager national teams SA Rugby (Pty) Ltd (the commercial arm of SARU), on Thursday told rugby365.com that he had been in discussion with Bok captain John Smit over the matter for the past two days.

However, Marinos said the council's decision is final and urged the players to concentrate on playing rugby and not get involved in administrative issues.

Bok team manager Zola Yeye said from the team's base in Paris that he is aware of the latest developments, but declined to comment on the matter.

"It is a matter between the players and Andy Marinos," Yeye told this website.

Marinos confirmed that the Bok management is not involved in the dispute and that it is an initiative from the players.

"Yes, I spoke to the captain, John Smit, and I was honest with him about our position," Marinos told rugby365.com.

"It was a matter that was discussed with the management team and Eddie Jones prior to his appointment and prior to the team's departure for the World Cup [in France].

"It was the feeling of the council [SARU President's Council] that he wouldn't be awarded colours and Eddie [Jones] had absolutely no problem with it and he was comfortable with the decision.

"He felt it was about what was best for South African rugby."

Marinos admitted he was taken aback by the players' boycott action, but urged that they now move on and focus on the rugby they should play in the coming days and weeks.

"I would be honest, it has come as a bit of surprise at this late stage.

"This is not a time to be worrying about who is wearing what blazer and I have stressed that to John [Smit, Bok captain].

"I told them [the players] we consulted with all parties, including the person affected, and our position is very clear on this.

"We mustn't allow something like this to detract from our focus on trying to win the World Cup.

"I made it clear the decision stands and that is our position - they must continue to focus on the game and playing the game and not worry about what decisions has been made and when and how."

Marinos said he now expects the matter as settled and that the players will get on with the task at hand.

"I wouldn't expect the management to be part of a non-wearing campaign and neither would I expect the players to be either.

"The decision stands and it is not going to be changed and they must not worry about wether or not certain individuals are wearing blazers."

By Jan de Koning www.planetrugby.com

Preview: France v Ireland

Thursday 20th September 2007

This is a big match for both countries. Lose and France are staring at making history by becoming the first host nation not to make the quarter-finals.

Ireland have been there before - in 1999, and they know it's not a pleasant experience. Lose this and they have to beat Argentina, and probably beat them well, to get into the play-offs. They are staring at the possibility of Lens 1999 when Argentina dumped them out.

This year it will be all the more miserable for Ireland as they went into the 2007 Rugby World Cup with such high hopes.

They believed they could take on the best and beat them. Their first two matches suggest that they do not have a snowball's chance of beating the best - or the eighth best for that matter.

The chance of their not making the quarter-final is real. Even their coach is speaking of a crisis. It may seem odd to speak of a crisis when they have played two and won two. It's the way that they have played that has caused national despair.

Their two matches have been against humble Namibia and humble Georgia. They won both but not convincingly. They and Namibia scored the same number of tries in the second half and Georgia, beaten by Agen and Auch in warm-up matches, were unlucky not to beat Ireland who won 14-10, beaten for territory and possession and surviving by centimetres as the Georgians flung themselves at and over the Irish line.

The reason for the sudden Irish decline is a mystery. They have the same coach and the same team that has been doing so well. The surmise is that the spirit is unwilling or disunified. That is a surprise.

Eddie O'Sullivan may be dictatorial but his troops must be used to his ways by now and they have been winning ways.

Brian O'Driscoll is the same Brian O'Driscoll hailed as the greatest captain in the world. Paul O'Connell is no longer the imposing figure he was but his face tells a tale of intent. Peter Stringer, described by O'Sullivan as a stalwart, has been dropped right out at the age of 29. O'Sullivan said: "He hasn't been the Peter Stringer of old." That could be said of many of the senior players - O'Driscoll, O'Connell, D'Arcy, O'Gara and on.

In fact, which of the Irish players has been the player he was of old. Have they perhaps been around too long? Are they too old? There have been regular denials of any disharmony in the camp, so many that one becomes convinced that there is disharmony.

France had a rickety start but against strong opposition and then they had a big win against a weak and weakened Namibian side, but it was not all that convincing - better, but not convincing, for their handling was not always up to standard.

The clash in this match will start up front. Up front Ireland were outplayed by Georgia. They are likely to find France stronger, faster, and sharper than Georgia. The battle up front is going to make huge demands of the Irish pack. Even without Fabien Pelous, France are an immense force up front. Their front row is considerably better than the Irish front row. Ten scrums against Georgia produced seven resets and five collapses. The Irish were battling.

Without Pelous and with a loose forward in his place you would expect O'Connell and O'Callaghan with back-up man O'Kelly to clean up in line-outs.

The French loose forwards look a lot better than their Irish counterparts who have been largely anonymous so far, perhaps because of the wobbly tight five ahead of them.

Give the forward battle to France and Ireland need a second plan. The French half-back pairing is not all that settled and the wayward genius of Frédéric Michalak of the patterned scalp could prove fragile, but then Ireland's settled half-back pairing has been unsettled.

At 26 Eoin Reddan is not a baby but with four caps he does not match Stringer's experience. Will O'Gara star or will his nondescript form persist? The half-backs will go a long way to determining how the two sets of centres will perform. France may well have the edge in the back three though there is not much to choose there if all play to potential.

All of that would suggest that France should win. But a team is often greater or less than the sum of its parts.

Maybe the French will have another Argentinian night. Maybe Ireland will suddenly rise and unite the four proud provinces into a proud rugby team again. Maybe the bounce of the ball will go wrong. Maybe Jean-Baptiste Elissalde will not kick at goal as well as O'Gara. Maybe Michalak will fall apart. Maybe the Irish performance up to now has been a policy of show nothing to lull the French into a false sense of security. Maybes are the spice of sport.

There is nothing much to choose between the two when it comes to discipline. France have conceded 12 penalties in their two matches, Ireland 13.

Referee Chris White will be well known to both sides. He has 40 Tests behind his name - ten involving France, five involving Ireland. He has refereed the two together once - on 2004 when France won 27-14.

The teams have one of the best referees in the world, a calm man, one of the greatest stadiums in the world and ideal weather. There is nothing to fear on those scores. The only fear is defeat, which could be so disappointing.

World Cup history is on France's side. The two have met twice before in World Cup quarter-finals, and on each occasion France have won - 36-12 at King's Park in Durban in 1995 and 43-21 at Colonial Stadium, Melbourne in 2003.

Players to watch: You will see Sébastien Chabal, the wild man of world rugby with his long hair and beard and his bullocking runs. He is remarkably fast for a lock but does he have the lock's steadfastness? You will want to see how Eoin Reddan gets on as he steps into Stringer's shoes. He offers greater variety than Stringer in his strength and speed but he is sure to attract the attentions of strong Jean-Baptiste Elissalde and rough men like Chabal, Serge Betsen and Julien Bonnaire.

Head to Head The centres - that is potentially the biggest clash of the match: David Marty andDamien Traille of France against Brian O'Driscoll and Gordon D'Arcy of Ireland. BOD, BOD, BOD. If he fires, Ireland fires. There have been moments at the World Cup but brief ones. He is up against stocky David Marty whose hands were atrocious against Namibia. Ireland's performance depends so much on the magnificent skill and competitiveness of Brian O'Driscoll. Heaven knows how bad the French backs can be against opposition of such calibre with space closed down. Traille and D'Arcy are both experienced men, Traille with more all-round skills, D'Arcy with greater attacking flair. But France have Yannick Jauzion on the bench as well...

Recent results

2007: France won 20-17 at Croke Park, Dublin
2006: France won 43-31 at Stade de France, Paris
2005: France won 26-19 at Lansdowne Road, Dublin
2004: France won 35-17 at Stade de France, Paris
2003: France won 43-21 Colonial Stadium, Melbourne
2003: Ireland won 15-12 at Lansdowne Road, Dublin
2002: France won 44-5 at Stade de France, Paris
2001: Ireland won 22-15 at Lansdowne Road, Dublin
2000: Ireland won 25-27 at Stade de France, Paris

Prediction: On current form, the warm-up matches and the two World Cup matches, the French are probably the better side. Recent history suggests that they are the better side. And, in any case, down the years they win more than they lose against Ireland. Will the Irish suddenly find the fighting spirit their nation is so famous for? Will they find the luck associated with their name? Will the French come apart at the seams and be whistled off Stade de France? We suggest that if the French do not win by more than 10 points or more, the Irish will win by three. It is a match with intriguing possibilities, but we'll go for the former option. We believe that France will win by more than ten.

The teams:

France: 15 Clément Poitrenaud, 14 Vincent Clerc, 13 David Marty, 12 Damien Traille, 11 Cédric Heymans, 10 Frédéric Michalak, 9 Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, 8 Julien Bonnaire, 7 Thierry Dusautoir, 6 Serge Betsen, 5 Jérôme Thion, 4 Sébastien Chabal, 3 Pieter de Villiers, 2 Raphaël Ibañez (captain), 1 Olivier Milloud.
Replacements: 16 Dimitri Szarzewski, 17 Jean-Baptiste Poux, 18 Lionel Nallet, 19 Yannick Nyanga, 20 Lionel Beauxis, 21 Yannick Jauzion, 22 Aurélien Rougerie.

Ireland:15 Girvan Dempsey, 14 Shane Horgan, 13 Brian O'Driscoll (captain), 12 Gordon D'Arcy, 11 Andrew Trimble, 10 Ronan O'Gara, 9 Eoin Reddan, 8 Denis Leamy, 7 David Wallace, 6 Simon Easterby, 5 Paul O'Connell, 4 Donncha O'Callaghan, 3 John Hayes, 2 Jerry Flannery, 1 Marcus Horan.
Replacements: 16 Frankie Sheahan, 17 Simon Best, 18 Malcolm O'Kelly, 19 Neil Best, 20 Isaac Boss, 21 Paddy Wallace, 22 Gavin Duffy.

Date: Friday, September 21
Kick-off: 21:00 (20:00 BST, 19:00 GMT)
Venue: Stade de France, Paris
Expected weather conditions: Partly cloudy with a day high of 22°C, dropping to an amiable 13°C and a wind of 14 km/h, dropping to 10 km/h.
Referee: Chris White
Touch judges: Dave Pearson, Hugh Watkins
Television match official: Jonathan Kaplan
Assessor: Michel Lamoulie

By Paul Dobson www.planetrugby.com

Wales`s `job well done`

Thursday 20th September 2007

Wales coach Gareth Jenkins expressed his delight following his side's 72-18 victory over Japan in Cardiff on Thursday, describing the 11-try rout as "a job well done".

The Welsh ran in 11 tries against a spirited if outclassed Japanese side in their third pool match to lift confidence ahead of their likely winner-takes-all clash with Fiji in Nantes on September 29.

"I am happy we can go back to France tomorrow with our heads held high," he said.

"It was a job well done tonight. We scored 11 tries and eventually racked up 70 points. There were a lot of pleasing things as well as still some frustrating aspects which we need to look at.

"We have also given game-time to 22 players and every member of our squad has played in the World Cup, which is a significant achievement."

The Welsh were able to boast nine different try-scorers, which Jenkins argued "shows the game we are playing gives everyone an opportunity to be part of it".

The individual hero was winger Shane Williams, who touched down for his second try in the final act of the match to take his tally for Wales to 34 on his 50th appearance and move into second place behind Gareth Thomas in the all-time list.

"We talked all week about what Shane has been to Welsh rugby over the last seven or eight years and he's getting better with age," said Jenkins.

"He sparkled tonight, which is great for him and great for us that we've got a player of that quality. He's a proud Welshman and he was proud of the reception he had."

Jenkins made ten changes to the side that lost to Australia and one of the newcomers, scrum-half Mike Phillips, earned the man-of-the-match award for an industrious performance.

"There is great rivalry and there has been some good performances from boys who had their first opportunity, Mike Phillips for example," added Jenkins.

"We have got a competitive squad and that's healthy going forward. There were a lot of combinations that worked well.

"It wasn't only about getting the result, it was getting combinations to evolve and develop. We built and varied and executed a lot of things we wanted to."

Flanker Martyn Williams also scored a brace of tries and others came from Rhys Thomas, Alun-Wyn Jones, Mike Phillips, James Hook, Dafydd James, Kevin Morgan and Gareth Cooper.

Wales captain Stephen Jones, who kicked six goals from eight attempts before making way for Ceri Sweeney, said: "I thought we were very good on attack.

"We made a few errors but the intent was there to play. I think that was evident throughout the match.

"It was an important game for us. We're happy with the win and we're happy with the manner in which we played as well."

"We need to look at our contact skills, make sure we tighten those areas up and if we do that then we can get a lot more continuity into out game."

www.planetrugby.com

Grunt and gallop

Two Bok players with great ambition need great performances against Tonga.

Ashwin Willemse and Bob Skinstad have been the comeback stories of Springbok rugby in 2007, but it is their performance against Tonga on Saturday that will determine the magnitude of their influence at this World Cup.

Both were in Jake White’s preferred match 22 six weeks ago, but both lost ground in the Boks 18-3 midweek win against Connacht. Neither was anywhere near capacity and White was quick to act against two players for whom he been prepared to walk the extra mile.

Wikus van Heerden jumped the loose-forward queue ahead of Skinstad and JP Pietersen was given a start at Willemse’s expense.

Skinstad snuck into the match 22 against England courtesy of Schalk Burger’s suspension, but he knows how important Saturday’s match is if he is to convince White he is a necessity and not a luxury in the play-offs.

Skinstad was superb against Samoa earlier in the year and outstanding against Australia in Sydney. Willemse has yet to produce a performance befitting his 2002 and 2003 glory years. If it doesn’t come on Saturday then there won’t be another opportunity at this World Cup.

By rights neither should be on a rugby field, let alone at a World Cup. Skinstad had walked away from the game four years ago and Willemse seemed destined to be forced away through a series of crippling injuries.

But these two guys, opposites in every sense, have one common denominator: they believe in themselves more than anyone can believe in them. And that’s what White has always invested in. When Skinstad told White he could come back at this level, the Bok coach was willing to believe him and when Willemse told the Bok coach he too would dispel the popular notion his career was over, White also said amen to that.

It is a South African rugby good news story that both players are in Paris and their fight to get here should never be dismissed as just another story. To be at Noisy le Grande’s Stade Alain Mimoun on Tuesday afternoon, sweating it out in a Bok World Cup run-on XV, is a credit to the power of their minds. There are some very good rugby players in South Africa who aren’t here.

Now they have to take the power of the mind and turn it into performance against Tonga and show White was right to trust the soul and pedigree of each player.

Both players know the stakes on Saturday. This is a match about the Springboks and not the opposition. Bok players on Saturday can play themselves out of contention for the play-off just as easily as force their way in.

“I’ve moved on from the emotional goodwill of making it back. When I played England in Bloemfontein I crossed that barrier,” said Willemse. “Now it is about performance at a World Cup. I’ve got a chance and as each player will tell you, it’s a chance not just for this Saturday but to be there the next weekend as well.

“We have class wingers in this squad and the coach has been consistent in how he selects teams. You play well and you are in. And if the 15 on the field play well then it makes our World Cup challenge even stronger. There’s a personal motivation to do well, but there is also the team motivation to ensure we don’t lose momentum after England.”

Van Heerden, a late inclusion after the Luke Watson debacle against Samoa, has been colossal in his ability to cover for Schalk Burger and White needs to see a performance of similar impact from Skinstad, who showed in the Super 14 and against Samoa and Australia that he was prepared to grunt as much as gallop.

Against Connacht there was no grunt to Skinstad and there was no gallop to Willemse. With JP Pietersen improving with every game, Willemse has to find the gallop to go with the grunt he has always had.

Willemse and Skinstad have glorious rugby pasts, but to have a future at this World Cup they require a performance in keeping with their pedigree.

By Keo www.keo.co.za

Botha typifies RWC Bok

Gary Botha was defiant that a squad system – and not just fifteen players – would win South African the World Cup.

Botha, starting for the Boks against Tonga on Saturday, has reason to be annoyed, frustrated and despondent. He was an original pick in the Boks World Cup squad, but in recent weeks has seen late edition Bismarck du Plessis stride past him as the second choice hooker.

Botha, however, was anything but angry when Jake White confirmed the match 22 to play in Lens at the weekend.

The Bulls and Bok hooker said if he was a selfish bloke it would have had an impact, but this World Cup was about winning it for South Africa, regardless of who was in the match 22.

“You have to be mature about these things. The alternative is I could be at home reading about what is going on here. Every guy wants to start in every game at this World Cup but that’s just not going to happen,” said Botha. “The coach has been up front about our role and about what he expects from us in every game. I’ve been given a responsibility in this game and if I am called upon at any stage of the competition then I’ll be ready.

“We all have personal ambitions, but this is not a World Cup about individualism; it is about doing what is best for the team and fitting in wherever the coach needs you to play a role. I am prepared to do that and I don’t question the selection. If that’s what the coach believes will win us the World Cup then I back it 100 percent. Should we win the World Cup – which I believe we will – I, along with 29 other guys, will get a medal. This tournament can only be won if guys are thinking about what’s important for the team and not what makes them individually feel better.”

Botha’s squad ethic was in evidence at the Bok media session on Tuesday when the players all spoke unanimously about the need to sustain the momentum after the 36-0 win against England.

“Obviously the scoreline is important against Tonga, but if we get the quality of performance we have spoken about then the scoreline looks after itself. We have worked on things, especially among the forwards, and I am sure they will come good,” said Botha.

Bob Skinstad was named captained of a Bok team loaded with Super 14-winning champions the Bulls and Botha said the presence of provincial teammates did make it easier to gel on Saturday.

“It does help that Bakkies is a regular teammate and when I spent a season with the Sharks I got to know Albert (van den Berg) well, but we’ve spoken about the challenge as a team and we need to improve on what was achieved against Connacht in the build up to the World Cup. We kept them tryless, but we know that as a team we under-performed. This is a fantastic chance to give the selectors something to think about,” said Botha, who is one of 11 changes to the starting XV that humiliated England 36-0.

(Bakkies) Botha, Danie Rossouw, Wikus van Heerden and JP Pietersen start their successive tournament game, while John Smit, BJ Botha, Victor Matfield, Juan Smith, Frans Steyn, Bryan Habana and Percy Montgomery give Whtie an insurance policy should the starting XV stumble in the opening 40.

Montgomery will also become the most capped test Springbok against Tonga, having reached his 50th cap against Italy as a wing replacement. On Saturday he will become the first Bok to ever play 90 tests.

When asked if Montgomery would get a run, White responded: “It is not a question of ‘if’’; he definitely will play get on the field. On Saturday he will become the most capped test Springbok and he is the most deserving to get there. He has been an unbelievable servant to Bok test rugby and this will be a special moment for him and South African rugby.”

By Keo www.keo.co.za

'Proud' Mourinho settles with Chelsea

'I am very proud of my work in Chelsea Football Club and I think my decision in May 2004 to come to England was an excellent one'

Staff and agencies
Thursday September 20, 2007
Guardian Unlimited

Jose Mourinho settled a massive compensation package with Chelsea and then declared he was proud of his achievements at Stamford Bridge.

Mourinho finally agreed on a financial settlement late this evening after agreeing to leave the club by mutual consent earlier in the day.

Chelsea have since appointed their director of football Avram Grant as his replacement. Mourinho's decision to step down as manager was due to a breakdown in his relationship with the Chelsea hierarchy. But he is set to land a reported £20million pay-off as compensation for the remaining three years of his contract - worth around £6m a year.

Mourinho said: "I am very proud of my work in Chelsea Football Club and I think my decision in May 2004 to come to England was an excellent one. It was a beautiful and rich period of my career. I want to thank all Chelsea FC supporters for what I believe is a never-ending love story.

"I wish great success to the club, a club that will be forever connected to me for some historical moments. I wish the players happiness in football and in their family life. Finally on my wife's and children' s behalf we thank the great professionalism of their school teachers and the beauty of so many friends."

After a night of negotiations at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea finally released a statement confirming that all contractual arrangements had been sorted out with their former coach.

The statement read: "Chelsea Football Club has reached agreement on all contractual arrangements with Jose Mourinho."

Portugal in crisis over Scolari ban

Ian Fuge
Friday September 21, 2007
The Guardian

The Portuguese FA will hold an emergency board meeting next week to discuss the four-match suspension Uefa has imposed on their national coach, Luiz Felipe Scolari, for lashing out at the Serbian defender Ivica Dragutinovic after the sides drew 1-1 in their Euro 2008 qualifier on September 12.

With Portugal in third place in Group A and Scolari set to miss all four of their remaining matches, Gilberto Madail, the federation's president, said the ban was "a heavy sanction for the Portuguese team". He added that Scolari would appeal.

"I met with Scolari for about two hours to share some thoughts on the problem and decided to convene an emergency meeting of directors for Monday," Madail said. Scolari, who sat next to Madail at the meeting with reporters, said: "Although I have recognised with all honesty my mistake, I think the sanction is excessive."

Dragutinovic, who was shown a red card at the end of the match, was given a two-match ban for improper conduct.

Gheorghe Hagi resigned yesterday as coach of Steaua Bucharest in circumstances similar to those that forced Jose Mourinho's exit from Chelsea only a day earlier. Hagi said he was quitting the Romanian club - who are in Group H of the Champions League alongside Arsenal - because of ongoing tensions with their owner, Gigi Becali. "I've had enough," said Hagi after Steaua lost their Champions League match 2-1 away to Slavia Prague on Wednesday. "There was indescribable tension. I felt tortured at Steaua."

Hagi, widely considered Romania's greatest footballer, frequently clashed with the outspoken Becali, and recent public rows had further soured their relationship in recent weeks. Becali accused Hagi of being ill-prepared for the job.

Milan's Paolo Maldini has warned the club's Ultra fans to stop their verbal abuse of players after they jeered the goalkeeper, Dida, and the striker, Alberto Gilardino, during Tuesday's 2-1 Champions League win over Benfica at San Siro. "I'm very angry, as are my team-mates," the veteran defender told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "After all that we've given, done and won, we deserve to be treated differently."

Saulius Mikoliunas has been suspended for Lithuania's next two Euro 2008 qualifiers after Uefa found him guilty of diving to win a penalty in the 3-1 loss to Scotland on September 8.

Abramovich takes hands-on role

· Owner to be 'more aware' of team as Grant takes over
· Mourinho speaks of his 'never-ending love story'

Matt Scott and David Hytner
Friday September 21, 2007
The Guardian

Roman Abramovich will take a more active role in team affairs after the departure from Chelsea of Jose Mourinho, according to a source close to the Russian. Avram Grant, the former Israel manager, yesterday led his first training session since taking charge of the first team. He will face Manchester United on Sunday and has been told it is his job to lose.

Abramovich will entrust his team to Grant and Steve Clarke, who remains assistant manager. The billionaire was in Cobham yesterday with his lieutenant Eugene Tenenbaum to congratulate Grant on his promotion from director of football. In contrast to Mourinho, Grant will be willing to accommodate the owner's demands - the first being to produce attractive football. "[Abramovich] won't pick the team but he will be more aware of the team [than under Mourinho]," said the source. "It is the Russian way: they like to be the boss when they are paying for things.

"Mourinho made mistakes but at the beginning of the season everything was very bright. The personal relationship between Abramovich and Mourinho looked very positive. Everyone was happy but then they lost games, and results and performances, when he had promised to change the system for much more entertaining football, changed that."

Friends say Mourinho intends to remain in London for the next two to three weeks before returning to Portugal with his family. "I am going to enjoy my life," he said. "And wait for phone calls. I want to work."

He visited the training ground yesterday to say farewell to the players with whom he won back-to-back Premier League titles, an FA Cup and two Carling Cups. He then left to have lunch with his staff, Rui Faria, Andre Villas Boas and Silvino Louro, before going to Stamford Bridge to agree severance terms last night.

Thirty-two months remained of his contract, worth about £13m, and later he issued a statement saying: "I am very proud of my work in Chelsea Football Club and I think my decision in May 2004 to come to England was an excellent one. It was a beautiful and rich period of my career. I want to thank all Chelsea FC supporters for what I believe is a never-ending love story. I wish great success to the club, a club that will be forever connected to me for some historical moments."

After an evening of negotiations Chelsea released a statement confirming that a deal had been struck, although no details were revealed. "Chelsea . . . has reached agreement on all contractual arrangements with Jose Mourinho," it read.

Earlier the club had stated: "Chelsea and Jose Mourinho have agreed to part company today [Thursday] by mutual consent". It was not until after 5pm, having announced that Grant and Clarke "have our full confidence and support", that the club expressed something approaching gratitude to Mourinho.

"We also must pay tribute to the great job Jose did for Chelsea," they said in an open letter to fans. "He has been the most successful manager the club has known and he rightly deserves that place in our history. Jose did not resign and he was not sacked. What is clear, though, is we had all reached a point where the relationship between the club and Jose had broken down. This was despite genuine attempts over several months by all parties to resolve certain differences. The reason the decision has been taken is that we believed the breakdown started to impact on the performance of the team."

Although Grant is the incumbent, there will be others itching to take over if results do not improve. Didier Deschamps was the first to declare his availability. "I am interested," he said. "If you know a coach who's not interested in going to a club like Chelsea, show me him."

Avoiding the surprise factor

21/09/2007 Sportal.co.nz

Eliminating surprises and coping with whatever is thrown at them has been the continuing pattern emerging as the All Blacks' World Cup unwinds.

Moving from temperatures in the mid-20s of Aix en Provence on Thursday to the low teens in Edinburgh in the course of a two-hour plane flight, with the prospect of a Sunday Test against Scotland at Murrayfield in windy conditions, has left the team unfazed.

Already having had to adapt to playing their first two games at 1pm and 1.45pm in the hottest parts of the day have not rattled the side.

Now they revert to something they are more familiar with, a 4pm start in Edinburgh.

It's all part of the All Blacks' adaptability, something the management side has worked on for the past three years.

"Nothing is a surprise to us, we've done a lot of work on it," backs coach Wayne Smith said.

The move away from the crowds and attention of bigger centres like Marseille and Lyon to Aix en Provence, allowed the All Blacks to go about their work without intense build-up around them.

It hasn't prevented them maintaining an edge however.

"To be fair there has been an edge since we got together. I think we've all recognised there is a different feeling than there was in the Tri Nations.

"There's been a lot of excitement, we've tried to encourage that, we've looked at the whole thing as a bit of an adventure so everyone has been pretty keen and the trainings have been good all the way through.

"The key for us is probably to maintain our concentration for longer during the games and to be building that up so we are playing for 60-70 minutes rather than 40," he said.

The temptation, given the natural feeling the players have about the way they want to play, was to keep on throwing the ball around while forgetting about some of the basics where errors had crept in.

"Concentration is an ongoing issue, especially if you stack points on. It is hard sometimes for guys who want to play the sort of rugby we play to do the little things well but that's what we are trying to do, nail all the little details. It's a bit more accurate for longer," he said.

Smith also added another factor that adds to the All Blacks potency - the sheer enjoyment of playing rugby in Europe.

"We've played pretty well up because we're excited about coming here. I think our group really likes Europe.

"It's different to the routine of Super 14, Tri Nations and home internationals. We love France, we've loved Italy and we've loved the UK, it's great to catch up with people over here, our supporters are really passionate over here, our expats. It's a good feeling here and it seems to suit us," he said.

All Blacks at home in Europe

21/09/2007 NZPA

If the All Blacks go on to win the World Cup it will complete a perfect record in Europe under the current regime.

That's no coincidence in the view of assistant coach Wayne Smith, who says the players have developed an affinity with each of the countries they play in here which tends to bring out their best rugby.

Since head coach Graham Henry and assistants Smith and Steve Hansen took the reins, New Zealand have won all 14 games they have played in Europe and barely been pressed in any of them.

"We play pretty well up here because we're excited by coming here," Smith said.

"Our group really likes Europe because it's different. It's different to the routine of Rebel Sport Super 14, Philips Tri-Nations, home internationals."

Smith said the team had grown especially fond of France but also enjoyed their visit to Italy in 2004 and the various destinations in Britain, including Edinburgh, where they play Scotland in a pool match on Monday morning (NZT).

"It's great to catch up with people here and our supporters are really passionate over here as well, our expats.

"It's a good feeling and it just seems to suit us up here."

New Zealand's record against European teams is even more commanding when home games are included.

Since the loss to England at Wellington in early 2003, the All Blacks have won 25 consecutive games against European opposition.

Smith found it hard to play down such a decisive statistic but singled out three tight Tests during that period that he said could have gone either way.

They were against Ireland in Hamilton last year (34-23), against England at Twickenham in 2005 (23-19) and Wales at Cardiff in 2004 (26-25).

Smith continued to dispute there was a gulf in ability between the leading northern and southern hemisphere sides at this World Cup, even though performances so far suggest New Zealand, South Africa and Australia are playing at a different level.

He said the Sanzar nations had an advantage in contesting the Tri-Nations about six weeks before the tournament.

"You've got northern hemisphere teams coming out of a layoff and a conditioning programme and then a couple of friendlies, so you can't compare the intensity of the two buildups," Smith said.

"But you'd expect three or four games would be enough to get back on track."

Mourinho wants to work

Former Chelsea boss eager to get back into the game

Jose Mourinho is keen to get back into football following his sudden departure from Chelsea.

The Portuguese left Stamford Bridge on Thursday after the club revealed there had been a break down in the working relationship between the two parties.

Mourinho has already spoken of his pride at his achievements with Chelsea, which included back-to-back Premier League titles.

He has also been linked with a string of roles, with Sky Sports News reporting on Thursday that he would be heading back to Portugal to work with the national team.

But Mourinho has nothing imminent lined up, although he is hoping for a swift return to work.

Waiting

"I'm going to enjoy my life, I'm going to wait for the telephone calls," Mourinho told The Times.

"I want to work."

In Mourinho's absence, Avram Grant has taken charge of the first team, starting with Sunday's game at Manchester United, live on Sky Sports 1.

www.skysports.com

England the acid test

Thursday 20th September 2007

Wallaby hooker Stephen Moore is relishing the possible quarter-final showdown against England in Marseille, not because he would like to avenge the 2003 final loss, but rather because he feels the match will put an end to any doubts about his team's front-row.

"They have a lot of strength in their scrum with Andrew Sheridan, Phil Vickery to come back, and Matt Stevens scrummaged very well the other night [the 36-0 defeat to the Springboks]," Moore told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Although Moore regarded England's front-row very highly, he said he did not by any means fear them. Moore is confident that the Wallabies will match the English in the battle up-front.

"They are a very good scrum unit. While we respect them, they are certainly nothing that we fear."

Moore, 24, said that a solid display against England's front-row will be a feather in the cap for the Wallabies and it would do the team a world of good.

In fact every team Australia is set to play in the knock-out stage of the tournament will pose a serious threat to the Wallabies' tight-five and Moore realises this.

"That is what we are trying to build in the pool games, that momentum and combination going into the big games," Moore said.

"If we do happen to play England in a quarter-final, that [domination of England in the scrum] is going to be a huge stepping stone.

"If we can get through that test - in the forwards particularly - we will be ready for anything," added Moore.

By 'anything' he meant even the All Blacks, who are the Wallabies' likely opponents in the semi-final, although nothing is carved in stone.

Wallabies management and even some media have acknowledged that the Aussie scrum has shown signs of improvement in recent months. But Moore at least admitted that it was still very much a work in progress for the forward pack.

The key will be for the Wallaby back three to gel well with the tight-five.

"As an eight we have improved individually and that has improved the scrum," Moore said.

"Everyone is becoming more aware of their role - from one to eight.

"In the past, only the front row worried about scrums. Now our eight are taking ownership, and that is reflected on the field."

www.planetrugby.com

Boks in tune for Tonga

September 20th, 2007

Bob Skinstad’s Boks are desperate to lose the ’second-string’ tag.

The decision to include the squad’s most experienced players on the bench means the Bok squad to play Tonga cannot be called second stringers.

Bok coach Jake White said he had to ensure continuity and momentum in the selections and the message to the younger Boks and to Tonga, through the selection of the senior players, was that this match was as important as the one against England.

The build-up has been less intense but given Tonga’s tournament form they pose a greater threat than England, who were all hype and nothing else.

“Tonga have played two and won two. They are eyeing a quarter-final, so if we took the approach that the game was already won we could find ourselves in trouble,” White told Keo.co.za. “I am comfortable with the attitude of our guys. The starting XV have an opportunity to keep the pressure on those guys who played against England and as a coaching staff we have the comfort that we can call on the most experienced bench in the history of our game.”

White said he would only use the likes of John Smit and Victor Matfield out of necessity, but confirmed Percy Montgomery would take the field, even if it was just for a couple of minutes.

“This is the game in which he breaks the record and becomes South Africa’s most capped test Springbok. He will also be the first ever Bok test player to reach 90 tests and I think it’s an incredible achievement,” said White. “Monty knows he will be going on, so it also becomes a special game for every player to be involved in. I look at guys like Bakkies Botha and Bob Skinstad, who will be playing their 40th tests. To appreciate just how many Monty has played you double the 40 and you’re still short of 90.

“I emphasise this point with the younger players, who are in their first season of test rugby. When they feel it is becoming a bit of chore they only need to look at Monty, whose professional is outstanding. If he can motivate himself for No 90 there surely shouldn’t be an issue with the 21 year-old getting up for a World Cup game, no matter how secondary some people may see it.”

White said the smaller nations had shown in this World Cup that they’ve grown an extra arm and a leg.

“They certainly have put in a bigger effort. You just look at Georgia against Ireland and Romania against Italy and Canada against Wales as some examples of how the second tier nations have pushed those Six Nations regulars. Tonga, at a World Cup, is tougher than playing Tonga in a one-off international in South Africa. We know they’ll be physical and motivated, but we’ve picked a squad with the capability of winning well.”

Bob Skinstad, given the captaincy, said the Boks were motivated by how they could perform as a team and not by the colour of the opposition strip.

“We’re at a World Cup and there’s a purpose in this squad to set standards, both from a team perspective and individually. To ensure we meet those standards has to be our motivation,” said Skinstad. “There are fine players in this team and I’m very privileged to be given the captaincy.”

By keo | www.keo.co.za

Scotland the real test for ABs

Thursday 20th September 2007

The real graft for the All Blacks will begin this Saturday when Graham Henry's men do battle with Scotland in Edinburgh.

Captain Richie McCaw told the Sydney Morning Herald that the trip to Edinburgh would be the real test of his team's abilities.

"This week it's pretty important that we take a step up," said the All Black flanker

The All Blacks will be anxious to finish at the top of Pool C but will have added pressure on them against Scotland as they are expected to win.

"The Scots are going to be a good challenge and we'll find out exactly where we're at. We have to do it right and because of that there's a bit more edge," added McCaw.

The All Black captain admitted that the first two weeks of their World Cup campaign were relatively stress free, which was the real danger for his team.

"We had a really enjoyable week last week this week though you feel like you're in a bigger test match.

"From here on in, for the next five weeks, we're going to have to be on top of our game right through."

According to McCaw the French are the team to watch in the World Cup, which is a rather intriguing comment when one considers that the two teams are on a collision course, pending on the final results in Pool D of course.

"I don't think the French are that far off," McCaw said.

"Against Namibia they showed they're prepared to use the ball. They are still going to be a threat in this tournament.

McCaw didn't read too much into the loss to Argentina in the World Cup opener and still regards France highly.

"I think they got lured into playing a different style of game against Argentina and you can't read too much into that."

McCaw fell short of suggesting that he predicted a quarter-final showdown against Les Bleus in Cardiff, which for most pundits is certainly a probability as it is unlikely that Ireland will beat the Argentinians in Paris, based on the team from the Emerald Isle's current form.

But judging from his response to questions, one could instinctively tell that was what he was thinking.

"If that happens it happens, we can't control it. I haven't thought too far ahead to that. There's no point looking at what might happen, you've got to keep an eye on what you're doing," said a mentally-focused McCaw.

www.planetrugby.com

White way to go

September 20th, 2007 by keo

Keo, in his Independent Newspaper Group column, writes the Boks should be kept in tact until after the 2009 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa.

Give Jake White a Springbok contract extension now and ensure the continuity of the World Cup is carried through to the 2009 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa. Make a decision then as to who will coach the Boks to the 2011 World Cup.

SA Rugby is reluctant to commit to White beyond this World Cup, confirming that should White want to continue as Bok coach he needs to apply.

SA Rugby managing director Jonathan Stones has been consistent in his view that the process of appointing the next Bok coach must be respected.

Equally the performance of the Boks at this World Cup cannot be ignored.

White, in 2006, made mistakes, but White in 2007 has got most things right. You only have to be in Paris to know how revered the Boks are and it is because of this team’s performance on and off the field.

The Boks, against Samoa and England, have made the most convincing start to a World Cup in the history of South African rugby and that includes the 1995 success story.

SA Rugby, understandably, had been reluctant to commit to White before the England match-up. Failure in Paris against the Poms could have resulted in a quarter-final elimination (against Australia) and they risked condemnation for a poor business decision.

However, the England match, by nature of the demolition, surely has changed the perspective within South African rugby.

Equally, the English media’s insistence that the next national coach be a foreigner cannot be ignored, especially with the options so limited.

English-born South African coach Nick Mallett is committed to Italy, Graham Henry won’t easily walk from the All Blacks to England and Eddie Jones has signed with Saracens for the next four years.

Seeing Allan Donald in the English cricket changeroom is enough of an eyesore.

He should be working with the Proteas and White should be working with the Springboks, regardless of whether they win the World Cup.

White made mistakes in 2006 and was condemned. Many, including me, called for his removal, but when the administration backed him they also backed their belief in his ability to win the World Cup.

He has learned from 2006 and this year responded with innovation and boldness. The Boks, at this World Cup, have set the standard.

Now the administration must show they are committed to South African rugby’s greater well-being and not show a prejudice to the personality that drives the Boks.

White’s clashes with the administration are well known but it would regrettable if he coached England next year.

White’s contract expires at the end of the year and he has indicated he would love to continue as coach. Bulls coach Heyneke Meyer has also said he would want the challenge, while Emerging Boks coach Peter de Villiers will apply.

SA Rugby has options from within South Africa, but it is essential history doesn’t cloud the decision-making process. Whatever the issues in the past White has shown himself capable of learning and maturing as the Bok coach.

South African rugby has already lost Mallett to Europe. Why lose the Bok World Cup coach, especially with England in such a desperate state and ready to snap him up?

www.keo.co.za

Deschamps in line for Blues

French star early favourite to succeed Mourinho at Chelsea

Didier Deschamps has emerged as one of the frontrunners to replace Jose Mourinho as manager at Stamford Bridge.

Mourinho dramatically left the club on Thursday by mutual consent after a poor start to the season.

He is understood to have contacted five senior players on Wednesday afternoon to inform them of his departure and by midnight the entire first team squad had learned he was going.

Peter Kenyon, the club's chief executive, Bruce Buck, the chairman, and Roman Abramovich's key aide, Eugene Tenenbaum, were called to an emergency meeting at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night to discuss the emerging crisis.

The club eventually confirmed Mourinho's departure in the early hours of Thursday when they posted a statement on the club's official website.

The statement read: "Chelsea Football Club and Jose Mourinho have agreed to part company today (Thursday) by mutual consent."

Absent

Many of Chelsea's staff and players had been enjoying a relaxing evening at a Fulham Broadway cinema on Wednesday night as they watched a screening of 'Blue Revolution'' - a new documentary about the Abramovich years.

But senior players like captain John Terry and England midfielder Frank Lampard were absent and the remainder, except a reluctant England winger Shaun Wright-Phillips, refused to talk to the media.

Mourinho also attended the evening but ignored the waiting media.

But Deschamps, who captained France to the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, is now one of the names in the frame to replace Mourinho.

Deschamps began his coaching career with Monaco before joining Juventus. But he resigned from the Italian club in May 2007 and is currently out of football.

Relationship

He spent a year with Chelsea as a player in 1999-2000 - winning the FA Cup.

It is thought the relationship between Mourinho and owner Abramovich came to a head after their 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa earlier this month.

Mourinho has been at loggerheads with the Russian since their disagreement over the lack of funds to sign players during last January's transfer window.

Mourinho's reluctance to play Andriy Shevchenko only served to heighten the tension.

Mourinho's departure will be followed by his backroom staff although assistant Steve Clarke is expected to remain on the payroll for now.

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Marshall backs All Blacks for Cup

20/09/2007 Sportal.co.nz

The passing parade of former All Blacks dropping in on the team's practices continued in Aix en Provence when halfback Justin Marshall was in attendance.

Last week in Marseille it was former captain Tana Umaga who called on his former teammates.

Marshall is playing for the Ospreys, the club based on the Neath and Swansea clubs in Wales in the Celtic League.

He said he feels the All Blacks still look the team to take the World Cup, the Webb Ellis Trophy, home with them on October 20.

"I think the two that can win it are Australia and New Zealand.

"New Zealand are a notch above Australia and Australia a notch above South Africa," he said.

Marshall said he had been impressed by South Africa by didn't think it could win the tournament.

"Everyone is talking about their win over England, but how good were England?" he asked.

The key to the All Blacks prospects, Marshall said, was the time the coaching staff had spent in their preparations.

"In 2003, John Mitchell and Robbie Deans only had a year to prepare. This time they have had the same coaches for three or four years. It's been four years without problems," he said.

"It would be great to be involved in a team playing the type of rugby they are, and playing it so well.

"They tell you to cherish it and respect it because once it's gone it's not the same and I fell that way," he said.

All Blacks heading to cooler surroundings

20/09/2007 NZPA

Three weeks after landing in Corsica, the New Zealanders will be departing France for the first time during the World Cup today, leaving behind non-stop sunshine and daytime temperatures always hovering above 25degC.

The forecast for the remainder of this week in Edinburgh is rain every day and 16degC the highest the mercury will climb.

It was something coach Graham Henry welcomed.

"That'll be good for our guys in a rugby sense. Cooler temperatures will give them a bit more energy perhaps, which might be a bit frightening," he said.

"And they'll play in conditions that they usually play in in the winter in New Zealand.

"(But) It may take a wee while to get adjusted from the magnificent conditions we've had in France."

The adjustment will be good practice for the All Blacks players, who will be back in their Aix en Provence base early next week and stay in southern France for the final pool match against Romania at Toulouse.

Then it will be another temperature plunge when they shift the following week for their quarterfinal -- in Cardiff if they beat the Scots this weekend.

Henry had the playoffs in mind when he spoke yesterday about his team named to play at Murrayfield.

He made a point of stating it wasn't yet his strongest lineup, with about a quarter of the positions -- which he wouldn't specify -- still yet to be signed off by the selection panel for the knockout phase.

"We just thought the 30 players were more important than the 15," Henry said.

"There's a good camaraderie going and a good feel in the group and we want the players to believe that they've got an opportunity to be selected in the top 15.

"We didn't want to make those decisions at this stage, we want to make them after Romania."

The addition of Chris Masoe on the blindside flank ahead of Jerry Collins and Reuben Thorne for his first tournament outing at lock instead of Chris Jack are two examples of player welfare ruling Henry's selections rather than form.

Assistant coach Steve Hansen agreed the changes gave the All Blacks pack a more mobile feel but didn't think they would necessarily make their playing style more high speed at Edinburgh.

"We'll play a normal type of game, the one that suits us best. We'll move the ball when it's needed to be moved," Hansen said.

"If we've got to tighten it up, well let's tighten it up.

"Reuby at lock is no different to Jacko, it just gives us another good athlete."

Thorne's return from a hamstring strain leaves lock Keith Robinson as the only All Black yet to play at the tournament.

An upbeat Henry had positive news on that front as well yesterday, saying Robinson was on course to return against Romania.

The coach praised his medical staff, who had shown excellent restraint in not pushing the Waikato hard man Robinson too hard, nor hamstring sufferers at this tournament -- Thorne, Conrad Smith and Mils Muliaina.

"If I was in charge of the medical crew we would have lost them so thank goodness I wasn't because I wouldn't be as patient," Henry said.

Not unexpectedly, Henry talked up Scotland's performance in their 42-0 defeat of Romania at Murrayfield today. It followed their opening 56-10 win over Portugal.

"They were very efficient, I've been impressed with them actually," Henry said.

"They've got a good lineout, they've got some strength in the back three (fullback Rory Lamont and wingers Sean Lamont and Chris Paterson), the back three are very potent.

"The goalkicker (Paterson) doesn't miss any shots at goal, which is always pretty handy.

"I think they're playing well and I think they'll be a big challenge for us and that's good."

Four leading players re-sign with NZRU

20/09/2007 allblacks.com

Four leading players have re-signed with the New Zealand Rugby Union until the end of 2009 and beyond.

2007 Junior All Blacks Daniel Braid, Corey Flynn and Scott Hamilton have re-signed with the NZRU until the end of 2009. Another 2007 Junior All Black, Jerome Kaino, has extended his NZRU contract until the end of 2010.

NZRU Deputy Chief Executive Steve Tew said it was important to acknowledge those players who recommitted themselves to New Zealand rugby.

“All four players bring significant experience to their respective teams and are all world-class rugby players. Their re-signing with the NZRU shows their desire that they still have a lot more to offer the game here. Their decision to remain here is fantastic news,” Tew said.

Daniel Braid, 26, has worn the black jersey for the All Blacks, Junior All Blacks, New Zealand Maori, New Zealand Under 21 and New Zealand Schools. This year he was co-captain of the Junior All Blacks side that won the IRB Pacific Nations Cup tournament for a second year in a row. Over the last five years, Braid has been a valuable member of the Rebel Sport Super 14 Blues team, representing the franchise in 51 games. He has also played 66 games for Auckland in the Air New Zealand Cup.

26-year-old Corey Flynn has represented his country from New Zealand Schools to the All Blacks. He made his All Blacks debut at the 2003 Rugby World Cup and has played three Tests. In 2006 he captained the Junior All Blacks to the IRB Pacific Nations Cup title and was also a member of the unbeaten team this year. Three years ago Flynn captained New Zealand Maori to Churchill Cup victory in Canada. For his Rebel Sport Super 14 franchise, the Crusaders, Flynn has played 64 matches since making his debut for the franchise in 2002. At provincial level he is the 2007 Canterbury captain and previously played 17 games for his native Southland.

Scott Hamilton tasted Test rugby for the first time in 2006 when he scored a try on debut for the All Blacks against Argentina in Buenos Aires. The 27-year-old wing also played for the Junior All Blacks in 2005 and 2007. In the Rebel Sport Super 14, he has played 47 games for the Crusaders, scoring 18 tries. A regular in the Canterbury jersey during the Air New Zealand Cup, Hamilton has played 57 games for the province.

24-year-old Jerome Kaino made his All Blacks debut at the end of 2004 and has since played in three games for the team, including two Tests against Ireland in 2006. He also played for the Junior All Blacks in 2005 and 2007. Earlier this year he finished the Rebel Sport Super 14 round-robin as the only New Zealand forward to play every minute. For the Blues he has played 32 games and is on 44 games for Auckland in the Air New Zealand Cup.

Liverpool bereft as Agger and Alonso suffer broken metatarsals

Andy Hunter
Thursday September 20, 2007
The Guardian

Rafael Benítez was dealt a major setback to his Premier League aspirations last night when he learned that both Xabi Alonso and Daniel Agger have suffered broken metatarsals which will sideline them for six weeks.

The Denmark defender Agger underwent a scan immediately on his return from Portugal yesterday which revealed a fractured toe in his right foot. The 22-year-old aggravated the injury during training on the eve of Liverpool's Champions League opener against Porto, having believed he was carrying only a minor strain after the weekend draw with Portsmouth. He had been expected to play in Tuesday's game despite feeling discomfort in his right foot after Saturday's draw. However, the pain worsened through training on Monday night and he was named a substitute against Porto instead, which fuelled the belief he had been rotated for Sami Hyypia.

The Liverpool manager had also to revise his midfield plans against Jesualdo Ferreira's side when Alonso limped out of the same training session with a foot injury sustained at Fratton Park. The Spaniard had disembarked from the flight back from Portugal wearing a protective cast on his left foot, and Liverpool were stunned to learn that he too had fallen victim to the curse of the metatarsal.

The loss of Agger is the greater worry for Benítez, the manager having failed in his efforts to sign proven central defensive cover during the summer. Alonso's absence will also be a major setback for Liverpool's assault on two major trophies, the Premier League title and the Champions League, although they are well stocked in central midfield.

Benítez's insistence that Jermaine Pennant must learn from his sending off in Portugal appears a forlorn hope after the England hopeful claimed the dismissal was unwarranted. The winger was rebuked by his manager for an unnecessary foul on the left-back Jorge Fucile that brought a second yellow card and a one-match suspension for the next group fixture at home to Marseille. There may be further punishment from Uefa if the referee, Lubos Michel, mentions Pennant's delayed departure from the pitch in his official match report.

"I didn't think it was the right decision to send me off," insisted Pennant. "It wasn't a yellow card because it wasn't a serious foul, and I didn't touch the Porto player anyway. He made a meal of it, so it was way too harsh. The whistling from the crowd influences the referee and makes his decision easier, probably.

"The referees are harsher in Europe and I was baffled by him all night. I definitely have to learn from the fact there is a difference in how the referees approach games in Europe."

Mourinho leaves Chelsea

Drama as Special One's departure stuns football

Chelsea have sensationally parted company with manager Jose Mourinho.

The stunning news was confirmed in the early hours of Thursday following talks with leading Stamford Bridge officials.

Mourinho was called to an emergency meeting late on Wednesday night with chief executive Peter Kenyon, chairman Bruce Buck and director Eugene Tenenbaum, Roman Abramovich's key aid.

The self-styled 'Special One' had earlier joined the Chelsea first team at a club DVD launch in Fulham and is understood to have been very emotional when he later texted senior players with the news.

Chelsea released a statement on their website at 1.45am on Thursday that read: "Chelsea Football Club and Jose Mourinho have agreed to part company today (Thursday) by mutual consent."

The former Porto boss won two Premier League titles, the FA Cup and two League Cups in just over three years at the club but his relationship with billionaire owner Abramovich became strained earlier this year and his departure comes just 24 hours after the club outlined their plans to win the UEFA Champions League - something Mourinho failed to do with the Blues.

The final straw appeared to be Tuesday's disappointing 1-1 draw with Rosenburg, watched by less than 25,000 fans.

Chelsea's first game without him is against champions Manchester United at Old Trafford live on Sky Sports on Sunday.

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Ponting out of Twenty20

Aussie skipper ruled out of entire tournament

Ricky Ponting will miss the rest of Australia's ICC World Twenty20 campaign because of injury.

The world champions' captain pulled his hamstring in the defeat to Pakistan on Tuesday, with Adam Gilchrist taking the reins.

Poning will now definitely miss the semi-final decider against Sri Lanka live on Sky Sports 1 from 8.30am on Thursday, and looks set for a two week layoff.

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Mortlock pleads innocent

Wednesday 19th September 2007

Australia captain Stirling Mortlock insists there was no element of revenge in his late tackle on Gareth Thomas during the Wallabies' 32-20 victory on Saturday.

Mortlock's collision with Thomas left the Wales captain with rib cartilage damage and ruled him out of action for the next two weeks.

Earlier in the half, Thomas had taken out Berrick Barnes with a late hit after the Wallabies' rookie fly-half created the opening try for Matt Giteau.

But Mortlock said he was not out to "get square'' with Thomas.

"As a team, and personally, we had a real offensive mindset into how we defended,'' said Mortlock.

"And when you get into situations where you can be offensive, get a bit of line speed and hopefully get a decent shot on the opposition, whomever they are, you try to take advantage of the opportunity.

"It just happened to be the guy who put a pretty big hit on Barnesy.''

Thomas had feared he would be out of the tournament and stranded on 99 caps but he is expected to be fit again for the quarter-finals.

Mortlock also faces two weeks out after suffering a partial dislocation to his shoulder and will not rush back before the quarter-finals.

"The range of movement is not too bad. We always knew it was going to be a little bit sore after the game, after what happened but it's starting to progress,'' said Mortlock.

The Wallabies will also be without Stephen Larkham for the second two Pool B matches, against Fiji and Canada, but the fly-half is determined to be back to face England in the quarter-finals.

"I'd be disappointed if I wasn't fit for that game,'' said Larkham.