Hot: Dave Dennis's girlfriend - Not: His Super Rugby franchise
It is time for our weekly wrap up of who has their name in lights at the moment...and who is making the headlines for the wrong reasons.
They're on fire!
Scotland: Just in case you've been living in a media black hole, Scotland claimed their first win on Australian soil since 1982 on Tuesday. The question now is, can any of their northern hemisphere counterparts win over the weekend?
Fiji and Samoa: Fiji beat defending Pacific Nations Cup champions Japan and Samoa edged Tonga to warm up for their respective Tests against Scotland. The tourists shouldn't count on rain helping them out the way it did in Newcastle when they go Island hopping next week.
The Crusaders and Hurricanes: Most people expected a close game in Christchurch last weekend but Todd Blackadder's outfit were devastating. Seven tries later, the Highlanders didn't know what hit them. With DC looking sharp and King Richie back, an eighth Super Rugby title is on the cards. The Crusaders weren't the only Kiwi side in rampant form as the 'Canes bagged maximum points in Sydney to keep their play-off hopes alive.
The Lions: You never know with this these guys, do you? In typically unexpected fashion, the Lions finally hit their straps and blitzed the Sharks, just when South African fans were getting their hopes up of seeing three teams in the play-offs. The Sharks will now have to beat the Bulls on the penultimate weekend to have any chance of making the cut.
Asaeli Tikoirotuma: Four tries in one game? That's HOT!
Vincent Clerc: France's number one try-scorer showed what a quality player he is on Saturday with an outstanding piece of defence, chasing down Max Evans, tackling him and then rolling the Castres centre onto his back as they went over the whitewash to prevent a try. Tackle of the year?
Mo'onia Gerrard: Sister of former Wallaby Mark and cousin of Wycliff Palu, Ms Gerrard is a World Champion netball player and the girlfriend of new Wallaby Dave Dennis. And she's pretty hot. Well played Dave!
Bbbrrrr... Someone turn up the heater!
Wallabies: Tri-Nations champions v Six Nations wooden spooners = forgone conclusion, right? Right? Oh...maybe not.
Waratahs: Last Saturday's hammering by the Hurricanes meant the 'Tahs have now lost six consecutive games. This is the worst Waratahs team in the history of Super Rugby. It all seems to be coming apart in the second period for the Sydneysiders, who have racked up a positive points difference in the second half in only two of their fourteen games so far. This is despite leading seven of those games at half time. Strewth!
Sale sign Redpath: For weeks rumours run rampant that Bryan Redpath will leave Gloucester for Sale. With two years remaining on his contract, Redpath quits Kingsholm on the eve of the clash with the Sharks. Gloucester threaten legal attack if they discover evidence that an approach from Sale was behind Redpath's exit. Then silence, for six weeks. The dusts settles. On June 1 - surprise, surprise - Sale confirm the appointment of Redpath as their new director of rugby. Sale chief executive Steve Diamond insists that he only approached Redpath once he had parted company with Gloucester. And we're supposed to believe that?
Top 14 semi-finals: International players as far as the eye can see and not a single try in 160 minutes of rugby. Boooooooring!
Clermont: A month or so ago, the European-French double looked within reach. After falling just short against Leinster, les Jaunards were favourites to claim the Top 14 title, but shot themselves in the foot - repeatedly - against Toulon in last Sunday's semi-final. Even the Toulon staff admitted afterwards that Clermont had been the stronger side. But their inability to finish, or come up with a 'Plan B' when it started to rain, meant that 2012 will go down as yet another 'nearly year' in the Auvergne.
Overloaded Calendar We've been beating this drum for years, but each year the rugby calendar gets more and more congested. Test matches on the Tuesday? A Top 14 Final in the middle of June? Super Rugby until August? Tests in December? World Cups overlapping with domestic leagues? It's madness. Does anyone doubt we would have seen a different result in Newcastle had the Wallabies been able to line-up a full-strength team? The Springboks will have all of five days to prepare for their first Test against England. France are allowing stalwarts like Thierry Dusautoir to have a breather in June by sending a below-strength team to Argentina, where they'll be welcomed by a second-string Pumas team as their best players are rested for the Rugby Champion. Too many fixtures dilute the spectacle and below-strength teams devalue Test caps. We've said it before and we'll say it again: less is more! Unfortunately, it seems no one is listening.
By Ross Hastie
Comments
Norm says...
Hmmm ABlack
This is why your stadiums are so packed all the time is it?
Posted 10:59 07th June 2012
ruggaluva says...
@jaystarr.... if only the Boks losing this match would make much difference.... HM will still be around to bore the pants off of us for sometime yet. We may win some but it will never be in any style unless we are playing the minnows.
Posted 08:44 07th June 2012
tha_mai says...
one to add to 'cold' - lucky there is no Super rugby in Christchurch this weekend - yesterday their 24hr temp reached a 'hot' of just 0.4C, plenty of snow.
Posted 05:56 07th June 2012
Kiwikev says...
And she's pretty hot.
She has the face of a bloke but if you NH boys go for that sort of thing good on ya...
Posted 03:38 07th June 2012
ABlack says...
The NZ , SA & Aussie rugby unions hold a lot of sway with the IRB as they have most of the best players in the world in their test teams and are the top 3 ranked teams....IRB isnt going to listen to England, Scotland , Ireland very much as they arent globally seen by rugby and non rugby people as the most atractive sides to go and watch or pay more for a seat at Test matches etc
Without NZ, Boks, Aussies world rugby is stuffed
Posted 21:35 06th June 2012
philipjfry says...
She looks like a bearded lady at the circus. Step right up!
Posted 19:28 06th June 2012
melkdave says...
While it would be nice to have a unified calander ,it wont happen ,for various reasons.One is have you ever tried to play rugby in high summer in SA or Australia, or parts of the USA / Canada and Russia ect the pitches are baked solid for one and thus are dangerous,water breaks would have to be every 10 mins as tempetures hit 40 at times.Any changes in the NH ,and i can just imagine the outrage of that from club owners who fund most teams,and the french league organisation.Could the NH. calander be organisied better imo yes For England drop the LV cup Then play the Heineken cup in one block followed by the 6Ns finishing with the league finals and the summer testsThe loss of the LV i feel wouldnt go down to well with the club owners espically the welsh .Apart from some unions ie England .France,Ireland and S.Africa,most are short of income ,and the IRB is more concered atm with helping the lesser unions so the game can grow ,hence the huge cost to host a RWC a whooping $125million i think for 2015 just for the hosting rights.Even Football(soccer) is in financial trouble with most if not all clubs worldwide running massive losses.At least most rugby clubs are making a profit even if its not massive,and they still need a benafactor atm..As stadia capacity grows the club income grows hopefully,we can start cutting back on the number of matches clubs play
Posted 18:02 06th June 2012
APV1 says...
Why does Mo'onia Gerrard wear a beard? Is this a peculiar thing that Dave Dennis likes on a woman?
Posted 17:09 06th June 2012
GCP_JONES says...
@5Lock4ward...
Well said Mate...
Have been saying it for years, global club seasons played over the same months,6n played at the same time as 4n, if teams are to tour maybe a few tests before the 2 international compettions. Scrap the Baa's Baa's and Lions tours, if the IRB want to raise revenue then instead of end of seasons tours to generate incomes have the World Cup run every 2 years.and most importnatly find a way to make the likes of Canada, USA, Pacific Islands,Japan and Eastern Europe to be more competitive,. the game needs to be grown globally and move away from the old boys club.
Posted 15:08 06th June 2012
5Lock4ward says...
Agreed 100% about the over-stuffed calendar. They've got to get the hemispheres on the same page. 6N should be at the same time as the 4N. Other nations such as USA, Canada, Georgia, Russia etc. need an annual tournament running during the same time as 6N and 4N. Break up Super Rugby and create a Heineken Cup style tournament which would run along with Currie Cup and ANZC and include club teams from Australia and Argentina. Crack the rules down so that no imports can take place unless a player is retired from international play. Then have the club champ for the north play the club champ from the south. Make France, England, Celts/Italians and SH leagues all have the same length season beginning and ending at the same time. Is it that hard? Isn't this what we'd all like to see?
Posted 14:24 06th June 2012
JayStarr says...
ps: Is it just me or does Dave Dennis have something of the Fester Adams about him...?
Posted 14:13 06th June 2012
Carpelone says...
Quietbrit
Would always prefer quality over quantity.
Posted 14:11 06th June 2012
JayStarr says...
Heyneke Meyer should be on the NOT list for leaving Siya Kolisi, Gio Aplon and Heinrich Brussouw out, while picking 3 players from the Bulls reserve bench...
That makes it 13 Bulls players in the squad, and only 3 Stormers players - the same amount as Bulls reserves - even though the Stormers are the best team in SA. It's a joke. Meyer's blatant provincialism is clear for all to see. His baby blue (or shall we say pink) knickers are hanging out...
And as if that's not bad enough, he just picked ZANE KIRCHNER as the starting fullback!! I still can't believe my eyes. And this while players like Joe Pietersen and Gio Aplon are not even in the wider training group... and Patrick Lambie is on the bench. Not even PdV made selections as bad as this! At least John Smit was the 3rd best hooker!
Heyneke Meyer is so far up on my NOT list, that I don't even feel like supporting the Springboks this weekend. Because I am apposed his decision to pick an all Bulls coaching team - including Ricardo Loubser and Louis Koen (!?); I am strongly apposed to his decision to leave players like Kolisi, Aplon, Pietersen, Brussouw and McLeod out in favour of players such as JJ Engelbrecth, Jano Vermaak, Flip vd Merwe, Jaques Potgieter and Zane Kircher; and I am even more strongly apposed to his intention to make the Boks play 2007 Bulls rugby.
This is not what I want Springbok rugby to be for the next 4 years, so for that reason I hope they lose. Or rather, I know they will lose - and I don't mind.
Posted 14:10 06th June 2012
tha_mai says...
@ kybone like it or not . . .
you're dead right, money is an issue; like it or not they are ranked #1 and #2 in the world, and accordingly among the biggest attractions when it come to them playing overseas; with three test 'seasons' this year - the current tours, the Rugby Championship, the NH tours in Nov (plus a one-off Oz-NZ in Oct) - it's all too much.
Posted 13:34 06th June 2012
quietbrit says...
If we want this much Rugby we are going to have to accept that we will regularly not see our first choice teams on the pitch - injury or sensible periods of rest are the only options.
Posted 12:53 06th June 2012
GCP_JONES says...
A lot of these fixtures are being increasingly diluted, by constantly pushing the players on ever longer seasons to balance the cheque books above anything else. the system as its currently structured can't go on. the IRB need to stop running a professional body in a amateur way.
Ireland for example are travelling down to NZ minus 6 front line players and doubts hanging over a few more(not to mention the retirements due to injury of Flannery, Wallace & Leamy), the reality is Ireland have a small player pool and can't afford to lose that many test-standard men, if they went at full strength maybe it would be a real spectacle, for the punters paying through the gate, and i read this week that it looks as though only 1 of the tests will be a sell out. Basically these guys need a break.
Posted 12:51 06th June 2012
kybone says...
The thing is the NZRU and the ARU are really struggling financially and its all these tours and test matches that keep them afloat. Without them we'd probably see the demise of both these unions and, like it or not, they seem to hold the most sway with the IRB
Posted 12:38 06th June 2012
fozza says...
So, the Scotland result is a hot but the poor tired Wallabies is a not?
Personally, I don't agree with the argument about the amount of rugby being played right now. I love the fact that the tours have more of an old style feel about it and in many ways the fact that other players are being exposed to the international game can only be good thing. Look at the England situation, see how many new caps they had at the start of the season and how this has benefited them greatly now as players start to really come through. If Australia had won, we would be talking about the great ability of the aussies to bring through the depth in their squad (and this is true from the back row to the fullback!).
I also like the fact that SANZAR has managed to sort out their season so these old style tours don't hamper the Super season.
Obviously I don't play professional rugby and cannot comment on the impact this is having on the players, but as a spectator I am more than happy to watch rugby all year round!!!
Posted 11:43 06th June 2012
sextons_on_fire says...
"Strewth!" hahahahahaaa Oh my sides LOL
Posted 11:15 06th June 2012