Carlos Spencer highlights from the Blues' 2003 winning season

Carlos Spencer highlights from the Blues' 2003 winning season:

Super Rugby kicks into gear again soon as the focus shifts down south, with rugby fans spoilt for choice over the next few months. Here's a look at one of Super Rugby's greatest ever players, in one of his best ever years. 

This video was posted earlier today on the official Blues website and while it's got some questionable music and no original commentary unfortunately, it's still worth having a look at as it shows some of Spencer's most memorable moments in that famous blue jumper.

In 2003 the Auckland Blues won the Super 12 title, and their team was littered with talent, particularly in the backs. Joe Rokocoko had one of his best ever years, and as if that wasn't enough to deal with for opposition defenders, they also had a guy named Rupeni Caucau to contend with.

Doug Howlett, Rico Gear, and Mils Muliaina were also floating about, not to mention Spencer, who controlled the ship beautifully from ten and thanks to his formiddable forward pack, had a platform from which to launch their lethal back division.

Spencer ran circles around the opposition and had one of his best ever seasons, producing moments of magic that will never be forgotten by those who were privileged enough to watch him at play. Those who have followed his career will fondly remember him as one of the greatest entertainers the game has seen.

Nowadays King Carlos is giving back, and doing a great job, as backline coach at the Lions in Johannesburg. Enjoy the video, and check out the related posts for more Spencer magic.

Courtesy of theblues.co.nz

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10 ways to improve rugby

10 ways to improve rugby:

Rattue argues that we should embrace the drop-goal © Getty Images

The New Zealand Herald's Chris Rattue provides 10 ways to improve the game ahead of the new season of Southern Hemisphere rugby.

"The national obsession starts up again this week. Here's a few improvement ideas for rugby.

1. Encourage the TV commentators to be a little kinder on the referees.

Players contest the breakdown, and commentators contest breakdown decisions. Constantly. Continually analysing this highly subjective area of the game is pointless, unfair on referees and affects the legitimacy of the sport. A few of our commentators appear to believe they know the rules better than the whistlers, which I bet they don't. The main point here is that breakdowns can indeed be things of beauty if there is greater acceptance that interpretations of them are largely in the eye of the beholder. Rugby by nature is something of a lottery folks - and the game appears all the better when you accept that. As for coaches who keep demanding greater consistency at the breakdown, they are usually excuse-makers who should put more energy into doing their own jobs better."

Best Tries of the Top 14 - Round 22

Best Tries of the Top 14 - Round 22:

A quick catch up on the best ten tries in the Top 14 for Round 22. Look out for James Hook, Sireli Bobo, Remi Grosso, and Francois Trinh-Duc. We've got more from the Top 14 coming up soon, but for now here's the latest top ten, and you can view previous rounds in the Related Posts below.

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Gavin Henson expulsado de Cardiff Blues

UPDATE: Gavin Henson sacked by Cardiff Blues: The former Lion's career could be over following his second alcohol-related suspension within a year.

Cardiff Blues da puerta a Gavin Henson

Cardiff Blues sack Henson: The Cardiff Blues have sacked centre Gavin Henson after his latest off-field incident

All Blacks y Doping

All Blacks fuming at book's steroids claim: Former All Blacks are fuming over allegations of steroid taking in the 1990s. The New Zealand Herald reports.

"Jack Ralston, who was New Zealand Rugby Union's head of sales and marketing between 1997 and 1999, made the allegation in his yet-to-be-released biography, The Sports Insider.

"People might be stunned by this but I know at least two All Blacks in the 1990s who responded to demands that they bulk up by taking steroids," he wrote.

"Ralston would not name the two players, who he said had told him in confidence, telling Fairfax Media they were "smaller guys who needed to put on muscle and bulk who were under pressure".

"He said the players may now feel they can speak publicly about taking the performance enhancing substances."

Highlights Hong Kong Seven 2012

España estará en las Series Mundiales. Balón Oval

España estará en las Series Mundiales:

Ole, ole y ole. E N H O R A B U E N A  a los Leones del seven. El año que viene estarán en las Sereis Mundiales de la IRB. Bravo! En la Final hemos caído con Canada, pero el objetivo ta estaba cumplido. Bravo!

Tras vencer a Tonga, España se enfrentó a Japón y como mandan los cánones, o sea, con la épica tras prórroga, España logró la victoria que les da la plaza para disputar las Series en 2013.

Los Leones del Sevn están por derecho en la élite mundial.

 El encuentro comenzó de cara para los intereses españoles con un ensayo del capitán Pablo Feijoo (5-0, descanso). En la reanudación, Igancio Martín amplió diferencias con otra marca transformada por César Sempere (12-0) pero Japón logró empatar el encuentro con el tiempo cumplido. En la prórroga, disputada a muerte súbita, el ensayo logrado Pedro Martín cerró la clasificación para la final del Torneo y el consiguiente billete a las World Sevens Series 2013.

Fichas de los partidos del domingo

España vs Tonga

Marcador:

5-0 Ensayo de César Sempere

—-

12-0 Ensayo de Pablo Feijoo transformado por Sempere

12-7 Ensayo de Latu convertido por él.

19-7 Ensayo de Carlos Blanco transformado por Sempere

España: I. Martín, Blanco, Canosa, Feijoo, Sempere, Heredia, P. Martín.

También jugaron: LeRoux, Cano, Tudela
España vs Japón

Marcador:

5-0 Ensayo de Pablo Feijoo

12-0 Ensayo de Ignacio Martín transformado por César Sempere

—

12-5 Ensayo de Hikosaka

12-12 Ensayo de Tipuilai convertido por Sakai

—

17-12 Ensayo de Pedro Martín

Alineación: I. Martín, Blanco, Canosa, Feijoo, Sempere, Heredia, Poggi

También jugaron: Cano, LeRoux, P. Martín
España vs Canada

Marcador:

5-0 Ensayo de Sean Duke

10-0 Ensayo de Sean Duke

17-0 Ensayo de Sean White convertido por Hirayama

17-5 Ensayo de Matías Tudela

22-5 Ensayo de Sean Duke

——-

10-0 Ensayo de Canadá

10-7 Ensayo y transformación de César Sempere

La vuelta del hijo pródigo, Brian O'Driscoll

The return of the prodigious son: David Kelly reports the hype surrounding the return of Irish rugby's favourite son, Brian O'Driscoll, in the Irish Independent.

"The 'sold out' signs are set to be erected around the RDS tonight for the keenly anticipated comeback of Irish captain Brian O'Driscoll.

Nearly 17,500 tickets have been sold as O'Driscoll prepares to make his first appearance of the season in Leinster colours against the Ospreys after a speedier than expected recovery from his post- World Cup shoulder surgery."

Tributo a Shane Williams

Edimbourg vs Racing Metro de París, el mejor partido de la Heineken

Edimbourg vs Racing Metro de París, 18 de noviembre 2011



J2 Hcup - Edimbourg v RM 92 - Le résumé por racingmetro92

Delon Armitage suspendido durante cinco semanas por dos incidentes

Earlier this week England and London Irish back Delon Armitage received two bans for incidents that took place in an Aviva Premiership match against Bath a few weeks back. He has now been suspended five times this year. His brother, Steffon, could also face suspension, following his lashing out at the procedure via Twitter. 

Armitage, who was suspended during the Rugby World Cup for a high tackle on Scotland's Chris Paterson, has spent a fair amount of time off the park this year. A push on a doping officer in January earned him 8 weeks off - causing him to miss the entire Six Nations - and upon his return he was suspended for a strike on Northampton Saints flyhalf Stephen Myler.

Armitage pleased guilty to the dangerous high tackle, and was later found guilty of dropping the knee into lock Dave Attwood as he went over for a very well taken try in the corner. That happened in the same match, not long after Armitage returned to the field following his time in the sin-bin.

The RFU banned him for 5 weeks for the tackle, and 3 for the knee, but they will run concurrently. "We accept that both these incidents were reckless and not malicious," said Judge Jeff Blackett.

"However, in relation to the dangerous tackle on Tom Biggs there was the potential for significant injury and for that reason we believe that it was a mid-range entry level offence of six weeks. We increased it to eight because of concerns raised by the IRB about injuries caused by dangerous tackles and because of his poor disciplinary record.

"We then reduced the sanction to five weeks because of his guilty plea, his contrition and the impressive way he conducted himself at the hearing. In relation to the strike to which he also pleaded guilty, we decided that this was a low-end entry offence and for that we imposed a three-week suspension.

"Delon has unfortunately had several disciplinary issues this year and it is a shame that he once again finds himself not playing. However, we hope that he will learn from these events and we look forward to him resuming the game he quite clearly feels very passionate about," he added.

Meanwhile Delon's brother Steffon is under investigation from the RFU regarding comments he made about the rulings on Twitter. Steffon, who is capped by England, reportedly called the RFU 'dickheads' and said 'rugby is turning soft!!! U should have stuck with football!!!!'

Following the recent investigations and banning of Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu for similar comments on Twitter, you would think that there may be a second Armitage being suspended some time soon.

Below are the two incidents from the London Irish match against Bath. The second wasn't discussed by the match commentators as they were focussing on the try being scored, but you can see it briefly anyway. Delon will miss matches in both the Heineken Cup and Aviva Premiership.

Richie Gray firma por Sale Sharks

Sale Sharks have signed Scotland lock Richie Gray on a three-year contract from Glasgow Warriors.

In a major coup for the Edgeley Park side, the 22-year-old, who was reportedly attracting interest from Bath and Saracens as well as clubs in France, will join the Sharks next June. Gray joins fellow Scots Fraser McKenzie, Richie Vernon and Alasdair Dickinson at the Aviva Premiership side.

Gray, regarded as one of the northern hemisphere's rising forward talents, was persuaded to join the Sharks by executive director of sport Steve Diamond, who also revealed an agreement to sign a second forward.

Diamond said: "Richie is the first to be announced of two who have already agreed to join us. Richie is only 22 but has the makings of a world-class forward and he has been courted by a number of Premiership clubs and several French clubs.

"But he has bought into our vision at Sale Sharks and wants to spend the next part of his career in Manchester."

Gray played in all of Scotland's games in the recent World Cup and has won 16 caps for his country. Diamond added: "Sale Sharks have a great relationship with Scottish players down the years from Bryan Redpath and Jason White through to Alasdair Dickinson, Richie Vernon and Fraser McKenzie.

"Our toughest two weeks are now over but we've now got to make sure we go into the next period of league games ensuring that we iron out those little errors.

"The aim now with all the guys back from the World Cup is to get everyone bedded in properly and get some consistency going into the next set of games."

Sale will look to bounce back from successive Aviva Premiership losses to Leicester and Saracens when they travel to play French club Brive in the Amlin Challenge Cup on Saturday.

El mejor ensayo del año 2011

El ensayo del año 2011, Radike Samo, el último partido del Tres Naciones, Australia vs Nueva Zelanda, y este jugador que llevaba siete años sin ser convocado antes de este año 2011 consigue este magnífico ensayo en uno de los mejores partidos de la historia del rugby -para mí.

Nominados a mejor jugador del año 2011

Thierry Dusautoir (Francia)

Piri Weepu (Nueva Zelanda)





Jerome Kaino (Nueva Zelanda)





Ma'a Nonu (Nueva Zelanda)





David Pocock (Australia)





Will Genia (Australia)









Previous winners of the IRB Player of the Year Award:


2010 - Richie McCaw (New Zealand)
2009 - Richie McCaw (New Zealand)
2008 - Shane Williams (Wales)
2007 - Bryan Habana (South Africa)
2006 - Richie McCaw (New Zealand)
2005 - Dan Carter (New Zealand)
2004 - Schalk Burger (South Africa)
2003 - Jonny Wilkinson (England)
2002 - Fabien Galthié (France)
2001 - Keith Wood (Ireland)

Federados en todos los países que juegan el Mundial

Un gráfico interesante, donde se ve como Rumanía, Georgia y Namibia con unos mil jugadores seniors han conseguido entrar en el Mundial, mientras que en España, que creo que debe haber más jugadores no lo hemos conseguido, y ya durante años no lo estamos logrando.

¿Dónde está el problema? ¿Cúal es la solución?

Rugby News

This blog has been designed to update the news in the world of rugby, spanish blogs and newspapers of the world.

Enjoy Rugby

Noticias de rugby

Este blog ha sido diseñado para actualizar las noticias más importantes del mundo del rugby, de blogs de aquí y periódicos de allí.

Disfrutad del oval

El rugby, de nuevo una lección para el fútbol

Vibrant spectacle of the Heineken Cup is rugby's lesson for football

The next time Ian Wright fancies a day out at the rugby perhaps he should invite that smooth-talking Wayne Rooney along




If there was ever a week to persuade neutrals that rugby union is a more satisfying sport than football this is it. The Heineken Cup quarter-finals will spread the gospel to previously uncharted territory from Barcelona to Milton Keynes, offering as vibrant and enthralling a spectacle as European rugby can deliver. Even the Six Nations, in all its traditional glory, cannot provide quite the same kaleidescopic range of backdrops.

Will Leinster v Leicester be as good an occasion as Ireland v England in the same stadium last month? You would be unwise to bet against it. Perpignan v Toulon in the Catalan capital of Barcelona? Atmosphere-wise, it will make the Stade de France feel like a wet Sunday evening in Lowestoft. Even the Amlin Challenge Cup, once a decidedly second-tier competition, will serve up four games with a genuine edge.

A better matchday experience than football? It is, naturally, a subjective debate with strong arguments for and against. To disciples of either sport it is like comparing the relative merits of cats and dogs. Minds tend to be made up early and habits duly formed. But how interesting to hear on the radio on Saturday morning that the former Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright had recently attended his first ever rugby game. His verdict? He could not believe how polite the supporters were towards each other and was positively staggered to discover that a) you could enjoy a drink while watching a Twickenham international and b) that fans are not segregated.

The X-Factor host Dermot O'Leary also told of his enjoyable visit to the Aviva Stadium for the England game last month, specifically the spontaneous applause from Irish supporters when an Englishman in their midst belted out a rousing solo version of Jerusalem. The next time Wright fancies a day out at the rugby perhaps he should invite that smooth-talking Wayne Rooney along.

But which of this week's four Heineken games would best help Wayne to escape his current angst-filled world? If he has never been to San Sebastián, home of Real Sociedad, he would be swiftly disabused of the notion that the north-west of England has the most passionate fans in Europe. The intense desire in the Basque country to see Biarritz beat the strolling players of Toulouse will ensure a contest with as much percussive forward power as any, particularly with Jean-Michel Gonzalez's team still hurting from their 41-13 defeat to Clermont at the weekend.

Or maybe he should head to the other side of Spain. Having been lucky enough to cover the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, I've always felt Heineken Cup rugby would be on fertile ground if Perpignan ever took a major home game to the Olympic Stadium. Now the blood-and-gold flag-waving fans have their wish. Jonny Wilkinson has played all around the world but this will be something else again, particularly with the Toulon president, Mourad Boudjellal, foaming at the mouth. Having criticised his players for losing at Castres, he is keen to goad them to the Top 14 title and, conceivably, the Heineken Cup as well. "I told myself: 'If I don't vex this bunch, if I don't humiliate them, they'll fall asleep,'" he said this week. "If they become champions of France by hating me, I'll be doing well."

Hmm, he sounds Wayne's type of guy in terms of using anger as a driving force. In that respect, Northampton's England contingent will also strike a chord. Ben Foden's late-night taxi altercation has demonstrated that rugby remains far from immune to off-field incidents and Saints' decline over the Six Nations period has merely upped the club's desire to finish the season as they started it. It matters not whether they are playing at Franklin's Gardens or their new temporary "home" venue, stadium:mk.

If I was Rooney, though, I'd board a plane and head for Dublin this Saturday. Leinster v Leicester offers an enticing sequel to Ireland's striking victory over a grand-slam chasing England. Will Ben Youngs and Toby Flood get their comeuppance again? Has Brian O'Driscoll got another European title in him? Will the Tigers scrum have the last laugh? Mix all the plotlines together and the stage is set, even on a packed sporting weekend, for a humdinger. A semi-final line-up of Northampton v Toulon and Leinster v Toulouse is my tentative prediction but one thing is certain: rugby's sense of self-worth will be higher by Monday morning.


Heineken Cup quarter-finals
Saturday, 9 April

3.30 Perpignan v Toulon, Olympic Stadium, Barcelona – Alain Rolland (Irl)

6.00 Leinster v Leicester, Aviva Stadium, Dublin – Nigel Owens (Wal)


Sunday, 10 April 2011

2.00 Northampton v Ulster, stadium:mk, Milton Keynes – Romain Poite (Fr)

4.30 Biarritz v Toulouse, Estadio Anoeta, San Sebastián – Wayne Barnes (Eng)


Semi-final draw:

Leinster or Leicester v Biarritz or Toulouse

Northampton or Ulster v Perpignan or Toulon

(To be played weekend of 30 April/1 May)


PROFIT WARNING

Strong words from the Sale Sharks owner, Brian Kennedy, in the current issue of Rugby Times. Kennedy says he questions his sanity "every day" having spent £15m on establishing Sale as a professional entity. "If the Premiership owners pulled out you'd have just four clubs left in England and that would put the RFU in a very funny position, wouldn't it? The whole financial dynamic of professional rugby union has to change and the RFU has to give us more financial support, otherwise the game will go bankrupt. Frankly if it wasn't for our fans and their support I'd have dropped this project years ago. The game is bust and the RFU has to do something about it." Not much room for misinterpretation there. Everyone with a stake in the English club game should heed his stark warning.


WORTH WATCHING THIS WEEK

Cian Healy (Leinster): The loosehead had a fine game for Ireland against England and now faces the ultimate challenge. Martin Castrogiovanni enjoyed a productive afternoon at Healy's expense in Rome back in February and both players will remember that particular fixture well. If Healy holds firm, Leinster will feel confident of reaching the last four.

No me gustan los ingleses, y es mejor decirlo que ser hipócrita

Os dejo una traducción libre de un artículo publicado en The Rugby Blog, el original está aquí.


¿Odian los franceses a los ingleses?


Los comentarios de ayer por el entrenador francés Marc Lievremont eran extraños, pero todo el mundo parece estar hablando de la última 'guerra de palabras ". 

Lievremont dijo: "No me gustan los ingleses, y es mejor decirlo que ser hipócrita". 

"Tenemos algunos problemas con los ingleses. Los respetamos - bien en mi caso por lo menos yo los respeto. Pero no se puede decir que tengamos la más mínima cosa en común con ellos. Agradecemos a nuestros primos italianos con los que compartimos la misma calidad de vida. Apreciamos a los celtas y su convivencia y con todas esas naciones tenemos algo en común.  No nos gustan los ingleses ". 

"Le ganamos a Irlanda pero abandonamos Dublín con el apoyo de todos los irlandeses que nos dijeron que por piedad debíamos batir a los ingleses". 

Johnno no quiso ser arrastrado a una respuesta, del mismo modo que no contestó las palabras de Gatland –entrenador de Gales, antes del partido ante los Dragones.

Johnno dijo ayer, "Se trata de la pasión y eso es lo que hace el torneo. Habrá un elemento de esto en el  juego. Quieres participar en este tipo de cosas. Sí, puede haber un poco de una mentalidad de asedio en algunos chicos y, sí, me habría quedado un poco impresionado si un inglés hubiera dicho alguna cosa así. Pero todo está sobrevalorado. Esto sólo es un poco de charla. 

"Esta semana no va a ser tranquila. Habrá mucho alboroto alrededor del partido. La mayor presión es externa, pero todo se reduce a manejar las cosas bien en el campo. Nada cambia en ese sentido. Y sólo porque lo manejamos bien en Cardiff, no significa que se maneje de la misma manera aquí. "