Archive for February, 2009
McAlister to return home
Posted by: | CommentsRugby Heaven have just broken the story that former All Black Luke McAlister is to return to New Zealand rugby, signing a three year deal with the NZRU.
McAlister, who left New Zealand rugby at the end of 2007 to play for English club Sale, will return to New Zealand at the end of the English Premiership season in May.
With star first five-eighths Dan Carter injured and a lack of depth at No 12, McAlister’s return gives Henry a player who can help cover both positions.
I’m suddenly much more optimistic about the All Blacks’ chances in June. Hell, I say bring back Nick Evans as well, then we’ll be set. Unfortunately the McAlister return has been brewing for over a year now and there is no talk of Evans returning.
He would need a special dispensation to play for the All Blacks in June and don’t discount that given the current circumstances.
Somehow I don’t think this will be a problem.
Commenting from his home base in Manchester, McAlister said he was looking forward to coming home.
“The simple reason why I am leaving England and heading home is because I want to be closer to my family who are very important to me,” said McAlister.
“The fact that I can continue my rugby career as well back in New Zealand is obviously fantastic as well and I appreciate being given the opportunity, but family comes first.”
Good to hear a player saying this. The rumour mill also says Carl Hayman is looking to return for much the same reasons. We might not be able to offer the players more money than European clubs but family and the black jersey count for something.
Henry says stars need more time off to survive
Posted by: | CommentsDuncan Johnstone over at Rugby Heaven has a very interesting article about Graham Henry joining the chorus calling for more time off for top players.
All Blacks coach Graham Henry, surveying an alarmingly large injury list, believes leading players need a three months break over the summer to better equip them for the demands of top rugby.
Won’t get any argument from me, I’ve thought the season has been too long for a long time now.
Henry made his case as evidence stacked up with virtually a team of All Blacks missing some or all of the opening two matches of the Super 14.
Richie McCaw, Ali Williams, Mils Muliaina, Richard Kahui, Leon MacDonald, Brad Thorn, Andrew Hore, Piri Weepu, Jimmy Cowan, Jamie Mackintosh, Rudi Wulf, Sione Lauaki, Conrad Smith, and Corey Flynn have all required medical attention. Keven Mealamu has been battling through the pain barrier to lead the Blues and, of course, superstar Dan Carter is out of action after surgery to an Achilles injury from his stint in France.
For those of you counting at home, that’s 15 All Blacks who would be unavailable if the side were selected today.
Henry took a fatalistic view on the current toll, admitting injuries were part of the game.
“It’s a concern, it’s an irritation quite frankly. But there’s nothing we can do about it. Thank goodness it’s not June,” said Henry as he addressed New Zealand media on Wednesday.
Uh, Graham, it could get a lot worse by June.
The situation isn’t new but little seems to change and that’s the worrying thing as administrators on both sides of the equator try to sort out a global season that will ease the pressures on the top players.
I don’t think the administrators are worried at all. We’ve heard this all before and nothing seems to be done about it. In fact, in “doing something” about player burnout SANZAR added a third round to the Tri-Nations and New Zealand and Australia seem destined to play a fourth Bledisloe Cup game in another exotic location to “promote the game”. How is adding to the already congested schedule addressing the issue of burnout?
Something similar was required for the stars to avoid burnout and an injury crisis like one that has hit the current Super 14.
“That’s the ideal situation really … if you could have a three month period where they have a preseason where they are in the best nick that they could be.
Like can the end of year tours? The northern unions have sent sub-standard teams down here for years but we continue to send our top players off to tour on a yearly basis then wonder why they can’t get ready for Super 14.
Conrad Smith, the premier All Blacks centre, suggested something similar as he missed the preseason and opening round of the Super 14 with an injury hangover from last year’s All Blacks season.
Does anyone else find it concerning that a first choice All Black is missing time in the Super 14 due to an injury he picked up on the end of year tour? Like I said, can the tour.
It appears the All Blacks will get some relief from the prolonged Air New Zealand Cup where Henry doesn’t expect them to feature “unless they have been injured and need to play to make sure they are right for rugby above that level”.
Which is just what the Air New Zealand Cup needs, no All Blacks playing at all and, with the addition of three more rounds this year, more money down the drain as fans stay away in droves.
Here’s where the administrators of the game don’t get it. The fans are staying away because we’ve seen it all before, what used to be a rare occurance, the All Blacks versus the Springboks, now happens three times a year. And by taxing our players to the level that a 10 month season does, the fans don’t get to see their favourite players in action.
Personally I blame these end of year tours which have gone from happening every so often to every single year. Shorten the Air New Zealand Cup season, something the NZRU could have done but didn’t in a grab for more money, and knock a round off the Tri-Nations. Then you can have these tours every couple of years, hold them earlier in the year and give the players some time off in between. That way we all get to see the best quality rugby.
And let me leave you with a final thought: Why was the Lions tour such a huge success? Because it was something fresh that we haven’t seen year after year.
Super 14 Power Rankings Week 2 countdown
Posted by: | CommentsHere the weekly countdown of the Super 14 Power Rankings at the end of week 2
Referee “merit” selection policy places refs in lose-lose situation
Posted by: | CommentsThis year’s Super 14 refereeing appointments are being handled differently from previous years with merit being used instead of nationality to determine who control which fixtures. On the surface this seems like an excellent idea with the best referees possible in charge, it has become apparent after two round that this noble experiment is already doomed to failure.
The reason for that doom is simple: If referees are now not from a neutral country, then it becomes far too easy to question their motives for decisions rather than the decisions themselves.
Take a look at Friday night’s game between the Waratahs and Chiefs in Sydney, controlled by Sydney based referee Stuart Dickinson. Early on in the game Dickinson gave a close knock on decision against the Chiefs and immediately former Wallaby Rod Kafer pointed out that Dickinson resides in Sydney, with the clear implication that it was a home town decision.
That is not to say I’m accusing the referees of bias, far from it. As a former referee myself I know how hard their job is and what a tightrope it is to walk when there is a team involved who you have some connection with. Often neither team will be happy with this situation as the team you are connected with will feel you are being too hard on them to show you are not biased, while the opponents will think the opposite.
One referee who I think clearly fell into this trap at the weekend was Bryce Lawrence. Coming form fantastic refereeing blood, his father Keith was an international referee, Lawrence is a fine official but controlling the Brumbies and Crusaders he allowed the Brumbies far more leeway at the breakdown, and while this did not effect the outcome of the game, it did show up the holes in the new appointment system.
The referees are an easy target out there on the field, making an estimated 3000-4000 decisions a game, and even if they get 99% right, the rugby public would find 30 mistakes a game unacceptable. This current system has the referees in a position where they must not only defend their decisions on the field, but also their integrity on which they base those decisions.
Australian rugby writer Spiro Zarvos called for the system to be scrapped before round five of the competition, but for mine changing a system, no matter how flawed, in the middle of a season will disadvantage some teams. Here’s hoping we’re back to neutral referees for the 2010 season.
Sports After Dark episode 2
Posted by: | CommentsSports After Dark is proud to release episode two of our podcast
