MY OLD BLOGS MOVED OVER FROM MY OLD SITE

• 27/8/2007 - ANOTHER "MNNOW" STORY
Rugby: Rugby world's small fry have big dreams
Page 1 of 2 View as a single page 4:47PM Monday August 27, 2007
Who will be the next Daniel Carter? Photo / Brett PhibbsPARIS - Who will be the World Cup's leading fly-half? Daniel Carter, Stephen Larkham, Jonny Wilkinson, Frederic Michalak?
But Emil Vartazarian? Definitely not this time, but maybe 2011.
Vartazarian tried in vain to steer India to what would have been an unlikely place at the World Cup.
He was just like 86 other fly-halfs from rugby's outposts who started out on the long qualifying road which kicked off at humble Molt Illustre Conseille General on September 4, 2004 with Andorra running out 76-3 winners over Norway.
Two years, six months and 21 days later, that qualifying series finished at the Estadio Parque Central del Club Nacional in Montevideo, where Uruguay were pipped for the final place in France by Portugal.
In that time, 191 matches were held over 932 days to determine which 12 teams would join the eight automatic qualifiers in France.
Vartazarian's India were one of the teams to fall by the wayside but they managed to secure a first win on home soil in the process when they defeated Malaysia 48-12.
That brief success highlighted the very different worlds that Vartazarian and the likes of All Blacks superstar Carter inhabit.
"I arrived in Calcutta in 1987 from Iran when I was 10. In the Armenian college every individual had to play rugby as it was like a religion for us, so I started playing," said Vartazarian.
India's loss to Kazakhstan and a draw with Guam sealed their fate as far as 2007 was concerned. The Kazakhs eventually lost to Sri Lanka who lost to Hong Kong who then lost to qualifiers Japan.
Another team not in France are China and the game's money men are probably wishing it were otherwise.
China were never in the hunt in qualifying with an opening 22-19 win over Taiwan followed by defeats to the Arabian Gulf, Sri Lanka and Hong Kong.
That woeful record hasn't stopped the Chinese from thinking big with officials having drafted in the likes of England's 2003 World Cup winning skipper Martin Johnson for coaching clinics.
"I saw the Chinese national team play in Dubai, and I didn't really know what to expect, but was very impressed with them," said Johnson.
Rugby union is still very much an infant sport in China.
The first club was started only in 1990 at China's Agriculture University with the CRFA being formed six years later and becoming affiliated with the governing International Rugby Board in 1997.
China are currently ranked 45 in the world while India are 84.
Propping up the IRB world rankings is Bosnia and Herzogvina who played two qualifiers and lost both to Austria (29-12 and 10-7) and have only been playing as a national team since 1992.
But at least they are on the list.
War-torn Afghanistan can only dream of such modest achievements.
In Herat, close to the Iran border, touch rugby is the order of the day with a shortage of players and space, as well as the ongoing strife, limiting the development of the game.
Unlike the high profile teams at the World Cup, teams in Afghanistan have to rely on donations from all over the world - training gear from Gosforth in England, t-shirts from Newcastle and balls from the Rugby Football Union.
A far cry from the big-money sophistication about to grace the finals in France.
- AFP
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• 27/8/2007 - SPARE A THOUGHT FOR THE LITTLE GUYS!!
August 27, 2007 - 10:38 AM
Swiss rugby seeks to convert newcomers

Image caption: The Swiss rugby community hope the world cup will encourage more young people to take up the sport (Verdes) As rugby fans eagerly await the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France, Swiss rugby is hoping the tournament will raise the game's profile across the border.
Despite having suitable infrastructure, rugby remains an amateur sport in Switzerland and is still viewed primarily as a game for expatriates.
Switzerland is currently ranked a lowly 48th in world rugby and failed to qualify for the 2007 tournament, which starts next month.
The country currently has 20 clubs, fielding 23 teams, and has 1,600 registered players competing in three national leagues. There are a higher proportion of clubs in the French-speaking part of Switzerland.
"We've got the necessary infrastructure to develop the sport," said Carlos Verdes, national technical director at the Swiss Rugby Union.
But efforts to develop the game are sluggish and the sport remains distinctly amateur, with the Swiss accused of lacking commitment and technical ability.
At the same time Swiss rugby gets practically no financial support from the Federal Sports Office or the Swiss Olympic Association.
Another major problem is that pitches are closed from November to March so that they do not get damaged.
Potential
"All these handicaps have a kind of catalysing effect, forcing us to work even harder," said Verdes.
This has been reflected in the good results of the national youth teams. For the second year running the under-18s are taking part in the European Championship finals in Landes, France, in March.
And this season, the under-18 and under-20 sides hope to be promoted to higher leagues.
"Despite fewer registered players and access to facilities for only part of the year, our results have been very promising," said Verdes.
Better conditions would boost the teams even further, he added.
We have a tremendous amount of time to catch up – at least 70 years.
Carlos Verdes, Swiss Rugby Union
Youngsters
Rugby is also a relatively young sport in Switzerland.
The sport is said to have originated at Rugby School, England, in 1823 and the Rugby Football Union was founded in 1871, but the Swiss Rugby Union has only been in existence since 1977.
We have a tremendous amount of time to catch up – at least 70 years," said Verdes. "We have to try by all possible means. Closing the pitches during the winter season is a big handicap for us."
He points out that other countries, such as those in Scandinavia, continue to play outside despite the snow.
"The more we talk about the problems, perhaps those in charge will start thinking long and hard about doing something to change certain measures which were adopted years ago," said Verdes.
But the hurdles are high. The clubs rely on volunteers for help and only a few communes, cities or donors with a historic interest in the sport provide any financial support.
Technical training structures do exist in Switzerland, but without rugby schools to put into practice lessons learnt in the classroom, they remain fairly ineffective.
Publicity
Another problem is that rugby is not very well known in the small alpine country
"We function a little bit like a private club with our own values, but we don't pass them on. We have to make it a priority to inform people about our sport," said Verdes.
There are currently 1,600 registered players in Switzerland, although the international rugby authorities say the optimum number should be 7,400, based on the size of the population.
"It would be magnificent if we could reach 3,500 in two years," added Verdes.
The Swiss rugby community is therefore hoping that September's world cup will help advertise the game and boost its ranks.
"Every four years the tournament provides a window on the sport. We have to put in place small-scale infrastructure in every club to meet the requirements of anyone who might want to contact a club and have a go."
swis info, Marcela Águila Rubín

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• 23/8/2007 - IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN - AND THE WALLABIES SNEAK INTO TOWN (VIA PORTUGAL)
I've been surfing around the various blogs and websites, many of which are springing up just in time for the World Cup.The theme is - the All Blacks are going to choke (everyone's getting on that particular bandwagon) and why not? Then there is the old stuff the Poms are spruiking about the 'defence" of their God given title - I don't think they are on the same planet as everyone else to be honest. With all of the numbers, money and resources that they should have at their disposal, they are doing the English thing - when the going gets tough bring in the old blokes. It might work in Cricket, but this is RugbyThe French think that because they are hosts, they are a shoe in. The rest all think they have a rough chance.The French who beat the Poms, who beat the Welsh who beat the Argies all think they are a chance...etc etc...not much of a form guide, if you look at it.....but the really interesting thing is that no one is really talking much about the Boks or the Wallabies.Meanwhile, the Wallabies quietly arrive in town, not in any particular frame by the bookies and we know that they will quietly go about their business... which is exactly the space that they would want to be in..The All Blacks are doing their usual sullen, superior thing of being aloof and unapproachable, no sex, no rock and roll, no enjoyment of the moment - after all, how can they, when they are carrying the weight of 20 years of failure and the expectation of their nation.. it's no wonder so many of them are giving up and going to play somewhere else after the tournament!What we are seeing with the Wallabies is a team that is well balanced, well composed, together and with a quiet resolve to get on with the job.And let;s not forget, when the Wallabies play the All Blacks there is no home ground advantage, and I reckon that that will work in the Wallabies favour, as I don't think that the AB's play with the same confidence away from NZ.Bring it on. I can't wait and I think we are going to see some special moments in this World Cup.
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• 23/8/2007 - BEER AND SPORT - ANOTHER NEW BLOG
Beer and Sport- Give this one a go - you can never have too much discussion about sport!!
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• 4/7/2007 - GOOD NEW RUGBY BLOG - GREEN AND GOLD
Give this one a go -Green and Gold RugbyGatesy
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• 24/6/2007 - GIVE CLINTON A GO
THE LEAGUIES CAN STEP UP..I think that it is great that John Connolly has brought Berrick Barnes and Ryan Cross into the Wallabies squad of 32. They certainly deserve to be there, and I am quite interested to see how Barnes would work alongside Gregan, Giteau and Mortlock.Ryan Cross is solid and dependable, has good leg speed at the line break, and has a great work rate.I do feel sorry for Clinton Schifcofske. I know everyone can't make it, but let's look at him. I truly believe that he is as good a right wing as Lote Tuqiri (on Lote's current form), and I don't see why Lote has the right to be an automatic selection.Schifkofske has shown that he has good directional sense. He always beats the first tackler, he has a sense of how to run back inside and link with his forwards, he is a strong finisher, and, of course, it goes without saying that he is probably the best goal kicker in Australian Rugby at the moment. I think he could certainly handle coming off the bench, if not starting.I guess that it now comes down to him having a very strong APC, but I do hope that the selectors don't take their eyes off him. He strikes me as a bloke who has embraced the game, been a keen student of it, and has the goods to go all the way.Gatesy
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• 16/6/2007 - COUPLA THINGS LAURIE COULD HAVE DONE BETTER AGAINST THE JUNIOR ALL BLACKS
He could have (should have?) pulled Peter Hewat at half time on the basis of lousy decision making in the game - Shepherd to fullback and Turner onto the wing. Then he should have pulled Norton Knight.If he had done that, he would not have had to have pulled Cross, and should have left Holmes on.Tawake could probably have done a better job on the flank when Salvi got injured. Still, they were playing the second best team in the world!Gatesy
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• 15/6/2007 - WHAT A REFRESHING ATTITUDE FROM THE CANADA RUGBY TEAM!
Letters From Al
From the Rugby Canada webiste
All News Items
LETTERS FROM AL: NZ TOUR WILL PREPARE CANADA FOR RWC
May 31, 2007


Ottawa, ON
Canada is in the midst of wrapping up it’s games in the 2007 Churchill Cup and soon will be heading home to Canada following their last match against the USA on June 2nd. However a large part of the Canadian Churchill Cup contingent will not be around long in hockey country before they will have to pack up once again and depart on June 8th for New Zealand.
In New Zealand, Canada with hopefully a full complement of players likely to be part of the Rugby World Cup squad, will play two matches.
The most foreboding one is a game against a primed and hungry full New Zealand All Blacks test side. Plus another fixture against an under 21 New Zealand side comprising of top young Super 14 players, many who no doubt will go on to full test status with New Zealand in the months and years ahead. Without question two very daunting games for Canada on their short two week tour, but two games that will firmly set the bar high for what will be expected of the Canadian players as they prepare over the next couple of months to then compete this September on the world stage in the RWC taking place in France.
A lot has been made of the fact and questioning why would Canada take on these fixtures -but why wouldn’t you want to? Any player worth his salt wants to play and test themselves against the best and New Zealand certainly fits that bill.
No matter what the results are Canada will come out of that match against the All Blacks knowing it has been in a game and with all due respect for the rest of Canada’s opponents in the months to come the games will be easier from here on in. When you’re thrown into the fire like Canada will be- lessons will be learned both in what you should and shouldn’t do in a given situation.
If you want to be better as an individual player and as a team you play the best and in doing so you pick up the small subtleties and nuances that allow great players and teams to make the plays and decisions that they do. Not only will the players benefit from playing in New Zealand, a rugby hotbed, but so will the coaches, as the Kiwis in my experience are very generous and gracious in helping countries like Canada improve their game.
Having said that, there will be no quarter given nor asked in the actual matches. New Zealand rugby is tough, physical and uncompromising. If test rugby is a few major steps up from club rugby then a test match where the opponents are the All Blacks takes it to yet another level. Their foot is firmly on the accelerator at all times and for Canada there is no weathering the storm like a typical test for the first ten minutes. This will be a case of weathering the perfect storm for 80 minutes of hell. Canada will need to battle through the adversity it faces and to maintain composure by virtue of strong mental discipline in what will surely be an almighty physical battle.
Canada as a hockey nation faces opposition in which they are often clear favourites like New Zealand are regularly in rugby. But no matter how well Canada in rugby defends to a man for long passages of time, mistakes are eventually made and defences sooner or later broken down.
The equalizing balance in how large or small the score line could be in a game of hockey when the defence does break down (say the trap) is ultimately the goalie. A team and a goalie clearly under the gun can make a one sided match seem closer if not possibly stealing a win by virtue of a goalie standing on his head as a last line of defence. In rugby we have no real last line of defence when things break down other then the fullback, but sadly he can not drop down into a butterfly position and stretch his entire body with his goalie pads to cover from corner post to corner post to thwart scores from occurring.
The sad part in rugby like I alluded to last week is that you can play great rugby for the better part of a game but if you do not do it for a full 80 minutes you’re in danger in the end of leaking a lot of points. Final score lines can be misleading in how well losing sides have actually done in the course of a game. But Canada is not in the business of just trying to keep the score close. At the end of the day you want to win. However, like in any sport though, some games are more winnable then others. This is one such game- thus the positives and the gains from the match against the All Blacks will perhaps be more telling a little down the road.
I have had the good fortune of playing the All Blacks on two occasions, once in 1991 when Canada played one of it’s better games in that year’s RWC quarter-final (NZ 29 - Canada 13) and a second time in 1995 (73-7) a couple months prior to that year’s RWC in South Africa. The second game does not bring back as fond memories as the first (if you can take any solace in losses) because we were totally out classed and I personally was terrible. We played the All Blacks following a scorcher of a match in Fiji that left me so messed up that I was hospitalised overnight (which was a story in itself the details of which I won't share with you here). As a result I was a wreck for the All Blacks match and I have no memories of the Fijian ordeal, other than by what others told me and by virtue of a grainy video of my last conscious moments in the match prior to succumbing to my collective injuries suffered in the game.
I have often been asked if we were a demoralized lot after the NZ game? Well perhaps briefly (getting crushed is hard to swallow), but as experienced a side as Canada had down there in the South Pacific we didn’t come into that NZ game in the best frame of mind. We had some off field issues to contend with and we had some beat up guys on the pitch to play a fired up All Blacks side that was fresh off a trial match with players looking to solidify their position for the up coming RWC. Now you better have your ‘A’ game when you play as formidable a foe as the All Blacks and we didn’t and rightly took it on the chin.
That All Black side was a beauty and to this day, as I have said many times before with all due respect to South Africa the 1995 RWC winners, that NZ side was the best team in the world that year and if the RWC final match up was actually a hypothetical NHL best out of 7 the Kiwis would have won it in 5.
Easiest thing for Canada to do would have been to wallow in our own self pity after suffering such a humiliating loss heading into the RWC but we didn’t.
We took away valuable lessons from that game and regrouped like we did in 1991 and in years prior to that when we played NZ sides as part of the CANZ (Canada Australia New Zeland) series and used it to our advantage. In the CANZ series Canada was beaten badly by the likes of provincial sides Otago and Waikato on a couple of occasions but we got better as a team for it. We proved how much we had benefited from those tough losses by playing the Kiwis tough in the 1991 quarter-finals where as without that CANZ experience we may well have been cannon fodder for the Blacks that day in Lille France. However four years later we were very much canon fodder for the All Blacks but then as mentioned we used that painful experience to our advantage in games to soon follow.
You can’t help but be better as a player and as a team when playing sides as skilled, polished and clinical as the All Blacks are. You ask any player who has had the good fortune to represent their country in rugby and no doubt to a man they will tell you they want to play against the top sides the world has to offer and perched firmly on top of that list is New Zealand.
Canada, will God willing, come away from this short tour with no major injuries but more importantly, a team better educated in rugby and how to play and carry the pace of a match that will pay dividends for the individual players, coaches and team as a whole come this Fall’s Rugby World Cup.
In 1995, if not for being placed in the pool of death with Romania, South Africa and Australia we may very well have made as much noise in that Rugby World Cup as we did in the previous one. We beat Romania handily (34-3), played the defending 1991 RWC Champions Australia tough (27-11) and the same goes for 1995 RWC champions to be South Africa who we lost to (20-0) in a tough match that unfortunately is remembered more for the infamous brawl then for the robust rugby that was played by a depleted but determined Canadian side.
I was proud of how we played as a team and I think we took a lot of useful things away from the New Zealand pummelling we received prior to the RWC and applied it and addressed it in our pool games. If we had simply played Fiji and maybe say Tonga on that pre RWC tour and not NZ I don’t think we play as well as we do in that 1995 RWC. Furthermore I know that personally I used the embarrassing score line and my poor showing in that NZ match as motivation to prove to the world that I was a better player then I displayed and that we, Canada were a superior team then we showed. We were a proud bunch of Canadians, many who were involved in the 1991 campaign, and we wanted to send notice that the 1991 RWC was not a flash in the pan.
Canada has some very good rugby players at present and I don’t think Canada is going to get crushed like everyone is forecasting but they will no doubt be tested to the extreme and it will be interesting to see how the team responds during the game to the pressure the All Blacks will impose on them. Similarly it will be worthy of note to see how Canada reacts, responds after the game and to carry lessons learned forward.
If Canada has any real inclination of doing something special in the 2007 RWC then the tour to NZ that they are undertaking is needed. Winning against Fiji or Japan is no given but if we are indeed to beat them and want any chance of beating one of our much higher ranked remaining 2007 RWC pool opponents either Wales or Australia then you best go into the Lions den to see where you stand.
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• 6/6/2007 - SOMETHING ABOUT RUGBY THAT MAKES IT RISE TO THE TOP
From the Minnesota Post-bulletin - http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?a=296584&z=22
6th June, 2007
By John Wiess
6/5/2007 9:10:18 AM
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. -- Sod flew and bodies collided as rugby players tackled an opponent who dropped the ball, leading to a wild ruck where St. John's and Banshee players pushed, sweated and grunted to get the ball free to another back.
When the ball was heeled out, another back picked it up and began running, continuing a fast-paced, well-played game celebrating 40 years of rugby at St. John's University in Collegeville.
Watching the game last weekend at the Johnny pitch were several of us, players from the first years of SJU rugby.
"We did that?" I said to Mike Minks who was a forward with me. We ran like that, got hit, hit, jumped, played hard and made the dirt fly?
Yup, we did that, he said.
And we did it with gusto in our days in the early 1970s.
But as several of us from those first years talked before the game, it was not only about those great old days but also the new times of the need for shoulder surgery, an artificial knee, bad backs, and one or two already being grandfathers. We were the fathers of rugby, some of the first ruggers in the state, and we were getting older. Our glory days are long past but no one can ever ever take away the times we had on the pitch.
Forever we can say "We were ruggers."
All of us played other competitive sports but there's something about rugby that makes it rise to the top. I've played six sports in all but am most proud of being in the second row of the Johnny scrum. My job was to push in the scrum and jump in lineouts, getting the ball to the faster backs. I was a role player with no great size or speed but I did my job and we won a lot more games than we lost.
I never heard of rugby before enrolling at St. John's. A classmate, Dick Howard, introduced it to me. He was scrum-half, one of the most dangerous jobs on the pitch, and he bled more than once.
I tried rugby and was mystified at its rules, especially offsides rules that are positively Byzantine until you learn them. Because I could jump, I was made a forward, about 30 pounds too light but I never knew that so I kept on playing there.
The game was intriguing, I loved the fast pace. Unlike American football, which is the son of rugby, there are no first downs in union rugby, very little padding, no specialty players who only go in for third and long or just for kickoffs. It was 15 players on the pitch; it you were injured you had two minutes to get up or get off the field. If you left, your team played a man short until you could come back.
The best games were the fast ones, without a lot of scrums and lineouts, just passing, hitting, running, short kicks, playing for position. You forgot everything, you just thought about where to go, who to hit or not hit.
Yes, I got walloped more than once and have a sore lower back because of a my mistake. It's part of the game, it wouldn't be rugby without the physical contact.
Rugby, however, is only a contact game while footbll is a collision sport. Because the game has the potential to be so rough, you learned to back off. You knew you could really smash someone but you also knew that if you did, the other team might make sure you got hit extra hard. It was rugby detente.
Besides, the guy you walloped on the pitch was also the guy you were going to meet after the game either sitting around to talk or at a party.
I remembered a lot of that as I watched St. John's play the Banshees a week ago, standing around with teammates, and was happy I took part. Though my shoulders and back are bad, I still felt the call to the pitch, to play in the alumni game. It was a call I knew I could never again answer but it was still so strong, I wanted to be able to run, hit, jump, push, feel the sweat and pride of being a rugger.
When it was over, we stood around and talked more and at the dinner that evening, shared more memories. Five of us who played together split up after that. I may never see them again but this I know: for three glorious springs in 1970-72, I played with them and I can always say "I was a rugger."
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• 27/5/2007 - ANOTHER SLEEPING GIANT??
Touch and go, rugby`s India story

Aabhas Sharma / New Delhi May 27, 2007



A sport that is popular in England and Europe is now finding acceptance in this country as well.

The last time you probably heard or read about rugby, the mention of India would have been a remote possibility. After all, we are a nation that dotes on cricket, suffers in hockey and look to other sports to provide this country with an occasional moment of euphoria. So where does rugby fit into all this? Played with great enthusiasm on the Continent (that would be England and Europe), this rough and tough sport has been on the back burner in India for a while but now the sport looks all set to become more mainstream.

International rankings in recent times also suggest this. Until 2002, India was ranked 105. In 2005 we inched up to 91 and in 2007 India has been ranked at 87. Despite this dramatic improvement there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. Pankaj Khanna, president, India Rugby Football Union (IRFU) agrees, “The potential is immense and with the meagre resources available at our disposal, we have performed well and have brought our ranking to an encouraging level. We hope to keep improving from here.”

Just like other sports, in rugby too a lot will depend on support coming from various quarters like the government and sponsors. According to Khanna, a lot of encouragement and financial support has come from the International Rugby Board (IRB) as they do recognise the game’s potential. The game is also growing in rural areas of the country. As Khanna puts it, “Rugby is an inexpensive game as you only need a ball and a ground to run around in.” It is a great spectator sport and a lot of people initially look at the sport as a form of entertainment but end up taking it up professionally.

Actor Rahul Bose, who has been involved with the sport for over 20 years, feels that when he started playing the game, there were only a few clubs promoting the sport. “The game has definitely improved but each sport takes a lot of time and effort to become mainstream.” Citing the example of cricket, he says that it took India almost 75 years to become a top ranked team and that too in a small pool. “Give rugby that sort of time and you will see results.”

With Rugby 7s being a discipline at the Commonwealth Games 2010 in Delhi, it should be a wake-up call for the government. What, then, is the need of the hour? “We need dedicated rugby grounds all over India and this can easily be provided by the government through SAI.”

The army has shown a lot of interest in the sport and has taken it up seriously. Just two years after the game was introduced, there are three to four players from the army in the national team. There are also three players from the police. Explains Khanna, “We have a development programme in place for the Indian Army, and the army has been supportive.”

Sponsor support has also been good. Telecom major Hutch has been a “dedicated and passionate sponsor” according to Khanna. IRFU has also recently tied up with KAPPA as the kitting sponsor to the Indian team.

The International Rugby Board is viewing India and China as potential rugby playing nations. Khanna feels that the government should frame a policy on sports sponsorship offering tax incentives to sponsors. “This will not only help rugby but all sports.”

But how good are the players? Khanna says that encouragement from parents of potential players is needed. Parents, however, feel that rugby is a rough game and players can sustain serious injuries. This, is a fallacy as sports players incur more injuries. However, Bose feels that it is a brutal sport. “Unlike football or, say, tennis, you can’t on a lazy afternoonsay let’s go out and have a quiet game.”

The IRFU has been promoting touch rugby in over 100 schools in India and recently an Inter-school tournament held at the Bombay Gymkhana attracted over 14 schools and over 400 kids. Add to this, the junior level tournaments which are organised on a regular basis. Khanna informs that they have also approached SGFI (Schools Federation) for inducting the game in school curriculum and may be approved soon.

A few years ago, it was only Mumbai and Kolkata, and that too a few clubs in these cities, that played rugby. Rugby is now being played in Chennai, Bangalore, Pondicherry, Bhubaneshwar, Manipur, Assam, Delhi, Haryana, J&K (Srinagar), Pune and several of the army nodes like Ahmednagar, Bangalore and Ambala.

The biggest problem the sport faces is lack of infrastructure. “With government support, we will be able to take a giant leap to success.”
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• 27/5/2007 - WHEN 12 DOESN'T GO INTO NINE, BUT NINE SHOULD DEFINITELY GO TO 12!
London to a brick ... whoever takes over the Wallabies next year won't want to use Matt Giteau as a half-back.....so why is John Connolly persisting with this ridiculous experiment? The only benefit that I can see is that it will shorten his tenure, because we won't even make the semi-finals on current form.It is amazing that you had George Gregan on the bench for 60 minutes, while the ship floundered around without a rudder. As soon as he came on, the ship got back on course, the back line got moving forward with some width, and we regained composure.If Connolly's plan is to get the backline moving forward, why not do it the way everyone else does, through the five-eighth - and that, by the way, is not Sam Norton-Knight.The sooner that Gregan and Larkham are back in control, the better, with Giteau where he belongs at No.12. With Mortlock outside him, the selection of wingers is less important, and we have a number of good ones to choose from.I would like to see how Clinton Schifcofske would go on the end of a backline like that, with perhaps Lachie Turner on the other wing. Hopefully Cameron Shepherd and Clyde Rathbone can get back soon, and Latham, too.John Connolly has a problem with Gregan, but this is a World Cup year. Next year is the time to do the experimenting, not this year. Anyone who remembers the '91 World Cup would remember, that except for the late injury to Tim Gavin, we had a settled team for two years. The '99 team were also pretty well settled long before the event.The fact that John Connolly only signed on for a limited time, suggests that he was only ever a custodian, and he should have started with the strongest possible 15, and only made changes where necessary. We have an Australia "A" program and that is where the experimenting should be done.The sooner that everyone agrees that George Gregan should be the starting half, (and the skipper, in my view), the better for all concerned.There are many positions that are iffy, but not the 9, 10 and 12 slots.Gatesy
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• 21/5/2007 - CAN THE REDS SINK MUCH LOWER?
If they couldn't do any good with him, how will they go without him?The Queensland Reds need to take a good hard look at themselves, and stop blaming the people who are not really responsible for their downfall.Eddie Jones may not be everybody's cup of tea, but one thing that you can be sure of is that he gives nothing less than 100%It looks to me like the old cronyism, the private school bully boy mentality, the insular, inward looking thinking has triumphed yet again. ... and it seems that it's all about getting another old boy into the fold.Connolly wanted Foley and destabilised Eddie to the point where Eddie said 'enough' - and who could blame him?If the Queenslanders think that it all turns around in one season they really are living in Fantasyland.You just lost Mitchell Chapman to the Brumbies, because he is a winner who is not happy playing with losers. Eddie could probably say the same, and probably is.Face, it Queensland, the power base has shifted. You and NSW are no longer holding all the cards. Other people are now running the game. The ARC could have happened five or ten years ago, if you hadn't had your heads stuck firmly in the sand (or was it snouts in the trough??)You get what you deserveGatesy
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• 12/5/2007 - IT'S GREAT TO BE AN UNDERDOG (AGAIN) !!
This is the time of year when we philosophise....only because our teams are all out of the Super 14, and we don't really care what happens in SA this weekend, do we? Thinking positively, and putting the best spin on it, you say things like, now the boys have two weekends off, a bit of club Rugby won't hurt them, you can' t win every year, etc etc....But I have often said - beware the wounded Wallaby.So, this is a great time to talk about how we might go in France in November.For all of our supposed lack of depth, we have won the World Cup twice, once when we were in the amateur era, and once when there were only three Australian Super 12 provinces. Having four provinces is not a liability by any means. Back then , we didn't have an inferiority complex, and there is no reason to have one now. I believe that we still play the game the way that it should be played. The World Cup is sudden death and some teams will play a low risk style of footy. Provided that we don't drop our heads, we have the fire power to go right through.I do think that South Africa will do well this year, but we've all seen how cocky they can get, and with two teams hosting semis this weekend, their confidence must be right over the top!! Hope they don't peak too early!! Again, will they play high risk Rugby or low risk Rugby when the pressure is on?The All Blacks have that famous propensity to peak early, and already they are talking themselves up (not without some good reason). Hope they don't choke.France deserves a place at the top of the table, so they have to come into the mix. The more that do come into the mix, the better for us, as far as I am concerned. England will always talk themselves up, because they think that they have a God-given right to be considered superior, and Ireland must be looked at as a genuine contender.So, again, we're not in favouritism and that's right where we should be. Who remembers 1995, with all of the hype and the expectation that the Wallabies would walk it in? Other people had other ideas.I think that we are in the best position that we have ever been in, and we certainly aren't drawing attention to ourselves, so we're perfectly positioned to "sneak up and bite the others on the bum!!"...and, let's face it, the first really crucial game is the semi-final. Once there, it's on for young and old.I don't think we have ever been into a World Cup ranked no. 1 (except 1995, and look what happened then), so what else is new?While we all bristled that the Waratahs got 19 into the squad of 59, you can't really say that any of them should not be there ....and we only have to put 15 out of the 59 on the field. From my short summation, we seem to have good depth across the board. We have (arguably) the world's best players in at least 8 positions (Paul, Chisholm, Vickerman, Smith, Waugh, Gregan, Larkham, Mortlock, Latham.. and potentially others) .. so nothing to panic about (except maybe the coaching credentials)In my view, every position is covered by a world class player. Perhaps our weakest area might be the front row, but even there, we have made some good strides in the last two seasons. Provided that Connolly and Johnson settle on the combinations reasonably soon and stick with them, we should be right. Remember 1991 - we had a very settled team for months before the World Cup, apart from the glitch of Tim Gavin's injury, and we stuck with that combination. I hope that we do that again, this year.Hopefully, they will coach a good, sensible kicking game, with more emphasis on a running game, and not coach the flair out of the players, especially the new guys like Lachlan TurnerI ( and I'm sure I'm not alone) am quietly optimistic. What about everyone else?
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• 7/5/2007 - WALLABY SELECTIONS!! HA!! HA!!
The Whole bloody Waratahs side made it, but not the whole Brumbies side!! .... and not the whole Force side!! You cannot convince me that Sheahan and Valentine are better than Henjak, or Phibbs.Hullooo?!!What did Matt Henjak do wrong??!!I really feel for Matty Henjak, Saia Faingaa, and Patrick Phibbs...and probably some of the Force guys, too.What about Clinton Schifcofske? What did he do wrong?Good to see Josh Holmes there, but they've picked 5 half backs and only 2 (maybe 3) full-backs. Why should Cordingly be an automatic selection when Henjak isn't?Then again, we know that Latham will walk into the side, and good luck to him. Hewat has to feel hard done by, but by now, he has probably figured that out for himself.Gatesy
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• 3/5/2007 - REPRINTED FROM THE WESTERN FORCE WEBSITE
REPRINTED FROM THE WESTERN FORCE WEBSITEIt seems that the diehards from NSW and Qld can't come to grips with the fact that the power base is shifting, and they need to learn to live with it. I think that this article says it all.Gatesy
RugbyWA Urges Support For New ARU Chairman
Wednesday, May 02, 2007 4:03pm
RugbyWA

RugbyWA Chairman Geoff Stooke OAM
The following is a statement from RugbyWA Chairman Geoff Stooke on behalf of RugbyWA.
“After only five days in the job, the new Australian Rugby Union Chairman Peter McGrath is already the subject of unfair criticism.
In a report in today’s The Australian newspaper, comments were made suggesting McGrath was not the right man to take the game forward and that he was there by default. This is not the case.
McGrath is not from New South Wales nor Queensland. He is the Managing Partner of a Canberra legal firm and from 1999 to 2005 was Chairman of the ACT Brumbies. During this time the Brumbies won two Super 12 competitions and set the benchmark for Super 12 rugby in Australia. Since his retirement from the ACT Brumbies Board, he has been on the Board of the ARU.
This background would seem to provide excellent credentials for the Chairmanship of the ARU and his appointment to the Chairmanship was unanimously supported by his fellow ARU Board members.
Suggestions in the newspaper report that various high profile businessmen would be keen to take on the Chairmanship but were reluctant to put themselves forward because of the ‘constitutional’ process is hard to understand. The process is very straight forward – NSW and QLD can nominate two people for election and the other states combined can nominate one. Two independents are appointed, and the Chief Executive and the Player Representative complete the Board. Vacancies on the Board saw three quality candidates elected on the weekend.
It is very easy to criticise those prepared to take on positions such as Chairman of the ARU or other pseudo voluntary roles in rugby. It is a lot more difficult to assume one of these positions of responsibility and give it the time and energy required.
Rugby is in better shape than the way it is often portrayed in the media but there is still work to be done. Endless criticism of those charged with the responsibility to address the issues only harms the game and makes it all the more difficult to go forward.
It is time for all those who genuinely have the interest of the game at heart to get behind the new Chairman, Board and Management of the ARU together with all those involved at state level. We have Test matches, the Tri-Nations competition, the Australian Rugby Championship and the World Cup ahead of us. These should be our focus and not the driving of personal agendas and endless negative comments and criticism.”

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• 2/5/2007 - HOW ABOUT THIS FOR A H0ME GROUND?!!
From eRugbyNews.com
Pitch of the Month – May
Tuesday May 1, 2007 in Fan Forum Pitch of the Month
Pier 40 was completed in 1954 and originally used a parking garage. When a make over for the entire west side of lower Manhattan from the Battery north to the George Washington Bridge began in the late 1990s, plans were made to alter the three-acre parking courtyard to become and athletic field for soccer, baseball, and rugby.
The pitch is made of super turf, an artificial substance with a rubber base that is often softer than natural grass. High wattage lights illuminate the pitch for night play. The venue is used by New York-based Super League team Old Blue.
After the game, it’s a short walk into the nightlife of Soho or Greenwich Village. And, there are still a few parking spaces so visitors can drive right up to the field.
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• 30/4/2007 - WHO NEEDS A BOARD OF DIRECTORS ANYWAY?
By Gatesy,I just had this great idea for running Australian Rugby.Why bother having a Board of Directors,at all?Why not just let the journalists run it,, or that bloke called "Everyman and his dog". Or why not just do a whip around of the barflies at all the Rugby clubs every time we need a decision made?Because that is what seems to be happening anyway, by default.We spend a lot of time complaining, so we get a new Board, and immediately the knives are out, the conspiracy theories are under way, and people seem to forget that a Board of Directors is a small representative group, which is elected to look after the interests of the stakeholders. The trouble with Rugby is that everyone with the any barrow to push, not matter how minor, thinks he's a stakeholder.Peter Jenkins is already accusing hte ARU of dropping the ball, and it's only Monday!How about all of us sitting back, taking a big deep breath and letting the new Board get on with it?John O' Neill only wants the job on his terms, and who says that there isn't someone better out there?The domestic Test season isn't going to be affected one bit if the new board takes a couple of weeks to get a new person in place, the Super 14 is almost over, and nobody's gong to save the Waratahs or the Reds in the next couple of weeks, so what's the harm in getting a careful process in place?What does everyone else think?I say give Peter McGrath a fair go and let his new Board at least get their feet under the table before we start bagging them.
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• 30/4/2007 - GET YOUR WORLD CUP SPREADSHEET
Here's a great website: Nimisis, where you pick up a Rugby World Cup spreadsheet, to keep up with all of the scoring, if you are so inclined.Gatesy
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• 28/4/2007 - QUOTE OF THE YEAR - "IT'S A GREAT TIME TO BE A MAGGOT!!"
These guys could give Rugby a good name!! - from the Montana Kaimin
Hundreds of rugby players set to converge on Missoula for Maggotfest
Story by Pete Delmoe APRIL 27, 2007Montana Kaimin
This weekend will be the 31st annual Maggotfest and the rugby showcase will feature nearly 40 men’s and women’s teams in one of the countries largest rugby tournaments. But anyone who knows anything about Maggotfest knows that rugby is more of an afterthought than anything.
The main focus will be on getting together with friends and drinking. Most of the bars downtown will look like a scene from the movie “Animal House” with a bunch of half-naked men wrestling around and chugging beer like frat boys.
Maggots’ head coach and captain Bill “The Bull” Merrill said that Maggotfest is more of a social event and the drinking just kind of goes with it.
“Rugby is an Old World sport,” said Merrill, who’s been a Maggot for seven seasons. “It was founded on camaraderie and social values, getting together and drinking a beer after the game.”
Maggotfest, held at Fort Missoula, began Thursday and ends on Sunday.
For the Maggots it is a relaxing weekend before next weekend when they host the Montana Rugby Union Cup Tournament.
“This weekend is more of a fun, hanging out with your buddies and have a few beers deal,” said Blake Meyers, the Maggots’ vice-captain. “Next weekend is where we really get down to business.”
Maggotfest brings in teams from all over the country and even some from outside the U.S. and even the continent. Some teams come down from Canada and a few years ago a team came from England.
Maggotfest isn’t just for the rugby players though, as it’s become a big part of Missoula and it is almost like a holiday. It is sort of like the Testicle Festival out at Rock Creek.
“It’s a big shot in the arm for the community,” Merrill said. “It’s kind of become a cornerstone of the community.”
Merrill estimated Maggotfest will bring in about $350,000-$450,000 to local businesses as well as about 700 or so rugby players.
For the Maggots this is without question their biggest time of the year. With Maggotfest and next week’s tournament, this is what it’s all about.
“It’s a great time to be a Maggot,” Meyers said.
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• 26/4/2007 - LIFE'S TOUGH WHEN YOU ARE A MINORITY SPORT!!
I picked this one up from the South Dakota Collegian - Keep your chins up guys!!Pics came from their websiteI love the captions!! - never heard a ruck called a 'dog-pile" before!!________________________________________________________________________
Rugby teams suspended
Intramural Council suspends teams for damaging field.
Julie Frank
Issue date: 4/25/07 Section: News
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Media Credit: John Nelson
SDSU rugby players dogpile a Wayne State (Neb.) ball carrier. University officials suspended and fined the SDSU club for playing after being warned one day earlier to stay off the storm-softened field.

Media Credit: John Nelson
An SDSU ball carrier is pushed by a Wayne State defender in Saturday's rugby game.

Media Credit: John Nelson
An SDSU rugby player sneaks the ball from a dog pile during the game versus Wayne State on April 21-22.The men's and women's rugby clubs were suspended by the Intramural Council for playing April 14 on a wet field.The decision came April 17 after both clubs met with the Intramural Council, which consists of supervisors of intramural sports, to discuss the events of the previous Saturday.The teams were scheduled to play a home game against Wayne State (Neb.) on April 14. The rugby field, which is shared with other clubs, is located on the east end of campus next to the flag-football field and the disc-golf course. The melting snow, which fell earlier in the week, left the field wet and muddy. Due to this, Matt Thorn, the facility manager, banned both teams from playing on the field for safety reasons, according to Mark Ekeland, coordinator of intramural sports. However, both teams played.As a consequence, the men's club was suspended for six consecutive months and the women's club for one. In addition, the teams will split the cost of repairing the damages done to the field, estimated at $500, according to Ekeland.Both teams are upset with the results but each is handling it differently.Sara Smith, president of the girl's club, said she was never told they couldn't play."We messed up," she said. "We are going to pay for our actions."The men's team, however, sees it differently.Joey Galvin, president of the men's club, was told the morning of April 13 that the following day's game couldn't be played on that field. Despite the call by Thorn, Galvin made the decision to play on his own. He made that decision because the visiting team had arrived already and also to avoid the fine that would be issued if they canceled.Galvin, along with former president and teammate Sam Nelson, argued the intramural sports are on a "witch hunt." "I was surprised by the irresponsibility of the intramural," Nelson said.Nelson continued to say the intramural sports claim they are worried about safety, which he finds hard to believe. The team found three "broken-off, jagged" fence posts, six-inch horse tracks and tire tracks in their field. He also said $500 wasn't done in damages."We did a little damage but did not ruin it," Galvin said.As coordinator of intramural sports, Ekeland's job required him to punish the teams for playing. "They put themselves and us in a liable situation," he said.If Ekeland chose a punishment for the teams, they would have been able to appeal it to the Intramural Council, who have the final say. Ekeland chose to pass his decision on to the Intramural Council, believing the teams would appeal. If he had made the decision, Ekeland would have chosen a more severe punishment.Ekeland also said the teams weren't even allowed to practice on the field because it was unsafe and were to wait for Thorn's okay. The teams also violated the rules because they failed to have a UPD officer on site during the game. "If you are going to be a college team, then play by college rules," he said.The men's rugby team was reinstated in March as an official SDSU club after being suspended for two years. Nelson said the current members are trying to "polish up the club's image." They participated in Friday night's Relay for Life to help that mission. As for the girl's team, Smith said she is looking forward to next season."I want to play harder to prove we aren't troublemakers next year," she said.