The French a cheat and the craziness of video replays

Football has reached a new nadir. The bottom of a pretty deep barrel Thierry Henry is being vilified for cheating rightly so. Yet the people that run football persist in the idea the football should be the same on the park as it is in the stadium. The problem with that theory is that a piece of cheating by a bloke on a Sunday morning does not effect the nation. The numbers being bandied round for loss of GDP for the Irish economy are as big as one billion euro. 

Football should use video replays because the technology is good it provides fairness and equality. On a personal note it would stop the interminable talk radio conversations regarding dodgy refereeing decisions. Football can not rely on its players for honesty so using video replays is a natural progression. 

The roundabout of Rugby Rules

What is wrong with the rules of rugby union at the moment? That is a genuine question. The experimental law variations went, the game was meant to improve. This has not been the case. In the Autumn internationals, there has been some excitement however the feeling to us people who watch the game is the same feeling people get with a slightly disappointing meal in a brilliant restaurant. All the bits are in place for a great meal but something is not right. The same is true of rugby football.

The major problems are the around the ruck area. The inconsistency is astounding, some referees call a penalty for handling in the ruck when the tackler jumps to his feet and stands over the ball, some referees don't. The other area that is causing problems is the interminable kicking game. The passages of play in the game where the ball is in the air are ridiculous and boring which is worrying when rugby is in a competitive environment trying to  entertain the masses. 

The kick in rugby is an incredibly important part of the game. If the kicking game is lost in rugby union the game becomes like rugby league or American football. In those two games the kick is purely defensive or last option in attack. In rugby union the kick has had great attacking potential. The grubber is a way of keeping the defence on the back foot. The "garryowen" is a test of bravery for the fullback. This means the kick has to be kept and used properly, at the moment it is causing the game to  be sterile and some what boring. What we need is a change in trend. The first nation that takes the ball and runs the kicks back and scores will send the kicking game back into the stands.

The English Problem

We are a good way through the traditional Autumn international series. What have we learnt? Firstly the game is in a strange transitional situation. Their is no side that looks like world beaters, South Africa are undoubtedly the best of the Southern Hemisphere. New Zealand are a side that seeming to have lost the All Black aura and Australia, after a tough tri-nations are showing promise under the inspiring leadership of Rocky Elsom.

The northern hemisphere are the usual ups and downs of celtic and Latin nations. Fortunately for the Northern hemisphere France in Toulouse were truly brilliant a mixture of dynamic back play and aggressive forward play. Wales and Ireland look a bit rusty, they have direction but are just lacking some of the fluidity that playing together brings. The real issue is England, the highest number of players the most money what is the problem.

Against Argentina the English forwards were pleased with being able to hold the Argentina front five. The thrust from the forwards was not their, for some reason the English coaching staff can not seem to get the best out of players such as Tom Croft. Monye looks ineffectual and the midfield looks woeful. The general excuse chucked out is the injury crisis and hardness of the English game. Yet France seems to produce great players in an equally tough league. Johnson needs a mentor, someone to give his coaching staff direction otherwise England have wasted a year before the world cup without direction. 

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The European international rugby season kicked off this weekend. The result was that we have learnt nothing about the state of world rugby. The good is the emergence of Italian rugby with 80 000 people attending a rugby match at the San Siro Stadium, Milan. Why is this good? Milan is th heart of Italian football, with two great teams Inter and AC based there. Eighty thousand Milanistas are now attending a rugby match this is exciting for the game.

The bad is the game of kick tennis taking place in highest level of rugby at the moment. Why? Games mean so much that people are scared to run the ball as it is risky. My personal hope is that the French can save us from this banal aspect of a great game. The French do not have the Anglo Saxon caution and hopefully the cultural stereotype will prevail and the French cut loose.

The ugly is the state of the England rugby team. The problem is that they look rudder less. Injuries can be blamed and their is no doubt that that the front row crisis is causing England problems. The most worrying problem is that England have not got an established pattern of play. 

The England team under Will Carling played hard forward based rugby. The team under Martin Johnson the same but with backs intelligent enough to know how to straighten the line and use the kick as an offensive weapon. This current England team is neither hard enough in the forwards or intelligent enough in the backs to know how to play. Can blame be placed? Yes, Martin Johnson and his staff have to take responsibility. The players have to be given a pattern of play dictated to by the coaching staff. This is probably alien to Johnson because his teams were full of leaders that, when the game was drifting could take the game and make things happen. At the moment England do not have that and nobody is quite sure whether the current crop- of England players have it in them.

The Rugby Size Conundrum

Martin Johnson named his England squad today and the main story rather than rugby is the injury crisis throughout English rugby. Specifically this time round it is the prop forwards that have suffered. The speculation surrounding this injury crisis has centered on the size of players. 

There is no doubt that rugby players are bigger than they have ever been. Allied to this they are stronger fitter and faster. The meaning of this is that the impacts are bigger than ever before. However bigger impacts mean more   injuries and  more severe injuries with longer recovery times.

The catch 22 rugby faces is that the excitement is that a big hit generates excitement and excitement generates crowds and with that revenues. The problem is that the players will not last.