Scrum of The Earth

RBS 6N Team Of 2009

2009-03-23T15:43:44.327375+00:00

Brian O'Driscoll: Player of the Tournament...

RBS 6 Nations number ten is done and dusted with Ireland standing out, shoulder to shoulder, as Grand Slammers. 61 years of pain endured, it is fair to say, even those fans old enough to remember Jackie Kyle and Karl Mullen's 1948 band of brothers weren't shirking away from rounds at the bar on Saturday night.

The mean green XV claimed the medals but how many of their glory boys made the ScrumoftheEarth.com side? There's also the small matter of a Lions tour in the summer, so we've added our starting line-up for the first Test at the bottom for you too. Do you agree? Let us know...

15: Delon Armitage (England): England unearthed a gem in the flying full-back. Played like an international veteran, countlessly leaping assuredly to claim the high-balls and gave England more cut and thrust with his intuitive running lines from deep.

14 Tommy Bowe (Ireland): The fleet-footed Ulsterman won't be welcome at Ospreys training this week but the Irish winger is blessed with a full arsenal of skills, notably his try against Wales and the last ditch tackle on Thom Evans against Scotland were stand-out moments.

13 Brian O'Driscoll (Ireland): Some say he's lost a bit of pace, so what does he do, master the art of a prop-forwards try. Answered those madmen that doubted BOD's place in green by putting in punishing shift after shift. The talisman fully deserves his moment of glory after a decade of unrewarded centre dominance.

12 Riki Flutey (England): The tournament's top try-scorer was a breath of fresh English air, bringing a new dimension to a previously clueless back-line. Gav didn't do enough while Jamie and D'Arcy aggressed in spurts. Flutey could well become the first man to play for and against the Lions in South Africa.

11 Maxime Medard (France): Shane? Thom? Ugo? All endured their peaks and troughs but the bushy burned Frenchman continuously showed his counter-attacking brilliance, especially when maniac Marc 'tinkerbell' Lievremont decided what he wanted to do with him.

10 Ronan O'Gara (Ireland): Jumping in and out of game's like a sexually confused teenager facing their closet, ROG came good when it mattered. Stephen Jones can count himself unlucky but he lacks the Irishman's match-winning bottle and those extra 55 inches of right-boot.

9 Morgan Parra (France): France like their goal-kicking nine's and the Bourgoin baby's stellar performances against Wales and Italy marked him out amongst an ordinary bunch. A tactician in the making, his incisive fringe running and slick hands were a feature of inconsistent French fluidity.

1 Gethin Jenkins (Wales): A human bulldozer with the Chinese work-rate was a shoo-in after the England game with a monumental 16 tackles. Covered every blade of grass and the competition's chief scrummage destroyer.

2 Jerry Flannery (Ireland): The Irish red-faced assassin shades Lee Mears in a photo-finish. Both had their moments, especially their trademark accuracy in the line-out but the Munster bruiser offered slightly more menace around the park.

3 Adam Jones (Wales): Rid of those awful braids, the fuzzy bear found an extra-yard from somewhere and performed titanically as part of the most powerful and dynamic Welsh front-row for donkeys years.

4 Alun Wyn Jones (Wales): Tackled more obstructions than the tournament's organisers and was richly rewarded for proposing a new generation of Welsh-lock with the captaincy against Italy although he can expect strong challenges coming from Messrs Hines and O'Callaghan in South Africa.

5 Paul O'Connell (Ireland): The ginger giant draws comparisons with England's former Captain Colossus, Martin Johnson, savaging bodies in the line-out, tackle-area and fearlessly charging into contact without care for limb nor his sanity. The outstanding forward of the tournament.

6 Thierry Dusautoir (France): Taken Serge Betsen's crown as le tour de force on the French back-row, not only courtesy of his brutal tackle count, but also his impressive tally of turnovers, stampeding link-up play and marauding athleticism. A sublime all-round talent.

7 Martyn Williams (Wales): Untouchable when it comes to the breakdown business. Even in his twilight years, the nugget is worth his weight in gold and it showed in Rome where Wales were strangely outmuscled and bullied in the contact area.

8 Sergio Parisse (Italy): Mr. Italy at fly-half, centre, full-back, hooker... Anywhere. More carries, yardage and reverse-flick passes than his peers, Parisse betters Imanol Harinordoquy and Jamie Heaslip to the title.

British Lions XV

15 Lee Byrne, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Brian O'Driscoll (c), 12 Riki Flutey, 11 Shane Williams, 10 Ronan O'Gara, 9 Mike Phillips, 1 Gethin Jenkins, 2 Jerry Flannery, 3 Euan Murray, 4 Nathan Hines, 5 Paul O'Connell, 6 Tom Croft, 7 Martyn Williams, 8 Jamie Heaslip.

England Finish On A High

2009-03-21T19:19:33.968+00:00

Matt Tait: 'See what I can do!'

It wasn’t the jackpot but England bagged the oldest prize, The Calcutta Cup, and gave Martin Johnson and his team their first trophy, ending the Six Nations with a 26-12 victory over Scotland.

Not the try-scoring jamboree of last weekend, England gained back-to-back wins for the first time since 2007 with a disjointed performance that promised plenty of zest but often lacked fluency against their gritty Caledonian neighbours.

On the Six Nations final day under-card, international rugby’s oldest rivals slugged it out like two seasoned heavyweights, but as the clocked ticked towards the closing rounds, there was only going to be one winner, especially with both sets of players out on their feet by the end of the contest.

England bossed both territory and possession but found a stubborn Scottish defence difficult to grind down. Despite large periods of pressure, England couldn't find a cutting edge in the second-half with first half injuries to Phil Vickery and Harry Ellis stiffling the red rose’s momentum.

Three more tries, to go with the 13 already scored, championed England as the tournament's top try-scorers and Mike Tindall was quick to heap praise on the team’s new style of play and coach Brian Smith.

“It’s the most pleasing aspect of the tournament but it’s just disappointing that maybe we should’ve been going for a Grand Slam.

“We’ve made a lot of progression during the course of the tournament. Today we were a bit sloppy and perhaps too eager but hopefully everyone can see the way we want to play.”

Riki Flutey has been the heartbeat of England’s ambitious approach and the Man-of-the-Match treated the sell-out Twickenham crowd to another sensational display of quick feet, delicate hands and try-scorers instinct.

Ugo Monye raced into score England’s first after some neat Toby Flood hands before Flutey used all of his strength to carry three Scots over the line en route to his third score of the tournament albeit after television adjudication.

Limited they may have been, but with their coach’s job on the line, Scotland refused to throw in the towel and played, as Johsnon predicted, with a “chip on their shoulder” throughout the tussle.

Some heroic defending from the auld enemy, coupled with England’s growing tally of penalties (11) and self-imploding errors, ensured Scotland were in with a shout with ten minutes to go as Phil Godman and Chris Paterson nudged over long-distance penalties.

Try as they might smashing into England’s midfield, Scotland’s largely ineffective dominance came in short bursts and in fairly ineffective field position. And with Matt Tait's late effort putting the gloss on the scoreboard, Scotland were taught a lesson in execution.

It wasn't rugby at its best but it was a job well done.

Pleasing aspects for Johnson – the growing confidence of Flood, Flutey and Tindall’s greater understanding in the centres, Delon Armitage’s maturity at full-back and Tom Croft’s athletic contributions in the back-row – will be getting back in the winning habit but second place isn’t something he will cheer about too long into next week.

England Scrum Switched On

2009-03-20T19:20:05.9817496+00:00

Lee Mears: Soon to be the new nose of Kenco...

England must front-up and be switched on if they are going to match a near-perfect Scotland scrum, according to Graham Rowntree.

Scotland may only have the one win in this year’s competition but their ferocious scrum has claimed its fair share of scalps along the way.

Rowntree, whose trademark cauliflower ears serve as a reminder of the brutal physicalities of front-row aritistry, said: “There are not many bigger packs around the world than Scotland and what they did to Ireland and Italy, and indeed to South Africa and New Zealand in the autumn, shows their forward play, not just their scrummaging, has really improved.”

Euan Murray has been at the core of Scotland’s savage set-piece and Rowntree admits he is a “big fan” of the Northampton Saints prop.

England hooker Lee Mears can’t wait for the “huge battle” with Murray after the pair made acquaintances during Bath’s draw at Franklins Gardens earlier this season.

“All tight-heads wander into my area at some point or another, so i’ll be looking forward to having a word in his ear at the weekend.

“Scotland has just started to play together and like us, they’ve kept a similar side and are blessed with big units. Murray’s scrummaging well, Alastair Dickinson’s a livewire and they’ve got big bruisers in Nathan Hines, Jason White and Jim Hamilton.”

Mears, who is reaping the rewards courtesy of Martin Johnson’s selection policy, is anticipating Scotland to throw the kitchen sink at the red rose pack.

“We must express ourselves and put pressure on Scotland even when we haven’t got the ball. We must force them to work outside of their game plan.

“Whenever you play away, you’ve got to dominate the opposition forwards and they stand a good chance, especially with great attacking options like the Evans brothers. [Thom and Max} It’s going be tough day."

Continuity Silences Shooters

2009-03-19T11:01:14.954+00:00

Toby Flood: What's it going to be this week? His little toe.. .

Sunshine breathes optimism, or so they say, and as the clouds finally lifted from over the England rugby team, their training base became infected with hope. Given the current climate, such buoyance is restricted to small communities, but even behind his well-seasoned face, Martin Johnson couldn’t hide a beaming smile - he even managed to crack a joke or two.

Behind all the doom and gloom of a shambolic autumn, pressures have ceased for now, and a fresh blossom has settled upon England’s garden after Sunday’s spot of French weeding.

In some cynical corners, questions were being asked, only whispers of course, but an air of confidence that has blown in the manager’s favour with Toby Flood and Joe Worsley’s fighting off the evil fitness demons to take their places in England’s unchanged side to take on Scotland this weekend.

October 13 2007. That was the last time England named an untouched 22 for a rugby international It just so happened to be the World C upsemi-final against France. Only four members of the XV survive from that evening with Nick Easter, Simon Shaw, Mark Cueto and Andrew Sheridan primed for Saturday’s Calcutta Cup crunch.

Flood’s shoulder is not as serious as Worlsey’s gashed thumb, which was believed to have split right down to the bone and according to one team-mate, the Wasps flanker rated his chances as “30% at best” on Monday.

It just goes to prove that miracles do happen.

Scotland hasn’t won at Twickenham since 1983 and will travel down to English HQ with the trophy following last year’s 15-9 Murrayfield triumph. Not one that lives long in the memory apart from the bitter taste Scotland’s ungracious celebrations left in Captain Steve Borthwick’s pallet.

If proof of the skipper’s growing influence wasn’t abundant on Sunday then Johnson's claims that he expects Scotland to come down with a “chip on their shoulder” and his show of “no sympathy” towards opposite number Frank Hadden should stoke the fires ahead of the Six Nations final round feast. As if they needed helping.

"Our motivation as a team has got to be to improve our performance from last week. You never say 'same again'. You want to get better. There is a big improvement to come out of us," said Johnson

Improvements on the field have mirrored those in the management. Experiments with Steffon Armitage and Ben Foden aside, Johnson’s continued faith in his cohorts, not just his chosen one, Borthwick, but also the umpteen sin-binners and his coaching staff, have been rewarded.

Naming the same team coupled with a win on Saturday would be a fitting end for the manager and his insistence on sticking to his guns. Even if the critics thought he was way off target.

Heaslip, O'Leary, Flannery In

2009-03-17T15:13:28.345375+00:00

Jamie Heaslip: A Lions spot awaits...

Declan Kidney has made three changes to his starting line-up for Saturday's Six Nations Grand Slam decider in Cardiff against Wales.

Number eight Jamie Heaslip, scrum-half Tomas O'Leary and hooker Jerry Flannery, are recalled following the 22-15 victory over Scotland at Murrayfield.

Peter Stringer can count himself slightly unfortunate following his match-winning break that set-up Heaslip's try while Rory Best and Denis Leamy did little wrong too.

Ireland: R Kearney (Leinster); T Bowe (Ospreys), B O'Driscoll (Leinster, captain), G D'Arcy (Leinster), L Fitzgerald (Leinster); R O'Gara (Munster), T O'Leary (Munster); M Horan (Munster), J Flannery (Munster), J Hayes (Munster), D O'Callaghan (Munster), P O'Connell (Munster), S Ferris (Ulster), D Wallace (Munster), J Heaslip (Leinster).

Replacements: R Best (Ulster), T Court (Ulster), M O'Driscoll (Munster), D Leamy (Munster), P Stringer (Munster), P Wallace (Ulster), G Murphy (Leicester).

Wales Change Eight For Ireland

2009-03-17T15:11:47.611+00:00

Ryan Jones: Dreaming of more glory... and kebabs!

Wales have made eight changes to their side to face Ireland for the crucial Six Nations title-clincher against Ireland.

Key features of Warren Gatland's side, include returning forward trio prop Gethin Jenkins, lock Ian Gough and flanker Martyn Williams.

2005 and 2008 Grand Slam centre pairing Tom Shanklin and Gavin Henson are reunited outside Stephen Jones with Jamie Roberts having to settle for a spot on the bench.

Ryan Jones takes on the skipper's role from Alun Wyn Jones with namesakes Adam and Mark starting at prop and wing respectively.

Wales must win by 13-points to reclaim the RBS 6 Nations trophy.

Wales: L Byrne (Ospreys); M Jones (Scarlets), T Shanklin (Cardiff Blues), G Henson (Ospreys), S Williams (Ospreys); S Jones (Scarlets), M Phillips (Ospreys); G Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), M Rees (Scarlets), A Jones (Ospreys), I Gough (Ospreys), A-W Jones (Ospreys), R Jones (Ospreys, capt), M Williams (Cardiff Blues), A Powell (Cardiff Blues).

Replacements: H Bennett (Ospreys), J Yapp (Cardiff Blues) L Charteris (Newport Gwent Dragons), D Jones (Scarlets), W Fury (London Irish), J Hook (Ospreys), J Roberts (Cardiff Blues).

Scotland Upset England 1990

2009-03-17T13:23:28.689+00:00

> > >

Pre-Match Entertainment

2009-03-17T13:21:56.111+00:00

> > >

Jason Robinson Try vs. Scotland

2009-03-17T13:19:03.579+00:00

Jonny Wilkinson Try vs. Scotland

2009-03-17T13:17:43.657875+00:00

> > >

How Many English Lions?

2009-03-17T13:11:33.0485+00:00

Tom Croft: Sizing up the Springboks...

Months of hard work finally paid off with a devastating display of attacking rugby from England against France but despite the red rose's scintillating performance, selecting a Lions XV made up of Celts remains a feasibly simple exercise for the British & Irish Lions first Test against South Africa.

Lions tours are all about momentum and form and on the basis on the Six Nations so far, Tom Croft, Delon Armitage and Riki Flutey could all state strong cases for a starting berth.

Croft's versatility and superior athleticism marks him out as a unique option for Ian McGeechan on the blind-side. Ryan Jones and Stephen Ferris have their qualities but the tantalising opportunity of unleashing Croft on the hard tracks in the Cape could swing the balance in the Leicester Tiger's favour.

Armitage and Flutey were only just flashing upon England's radar eight months ago, but the pair's outstanding contributions during Europe's spring rugby festival, most of all their natural instincts and the ability to beat their man on the outside, should at least see them somewhere near the airpot check-in desk.

Mark Cueto, a previous Lions tourist, and Harry Ellis have been bricks in Johnson's team-building blocks while Ben Foden, a hotly tipped left-field pick, with McGeechan a well-known admirer, offers match-winning class in abundance.

And then there is Jonny Wilkinson, who for the umpteenth time, seems to be planning his timely comeback from injury to perfection. If he’s fit, you can bet your house on England’s golden-boot wearing the number ten shirt.

Ireland and Wales will undoubtedly share most of the jerseys but given a slice of luck and a strong showing in Saturday's Calcutta Cup clash, a few of England's dreamers could well find themselves over in the Rainbow Nation come June instead of walking out at Old Trafford against Argentina.

Steve Borthwick Stands Tall

2009-03-16T10:09:40.89225+00:00

Steve Borthwick: Aged a bit since then just like his nose...

Step up Steve Borthwick. Amid all the pats on the back and richly deserved jubilation, the skipper's role at the hub of England's ruthless dismantling of an inept French performance could not be understated.

Stealing two line-outs, offering an effective battering ram in midfield, Borthwick even displayed some deft hands for Joe Worlsey's try.

Ever the team man, Borthwick, like Martin Johnson of old, refused to take the plaudits but thanked his manager for showing faith in his leadership.

Johnson lavished praise on his skipper, "I am happy for the whole group and Steve Borthwick in particular. I have never played with a more conscientious player than him."

"I don't think he has to answer criticism, but I am happy for him that all the heartache he has had has paid off."

An elated Borthwick nursing a few bumps and bruises cited the importance of victory and could now look forward to the next challenge and getting stuck into Scotland.

"Over the last few weeks, I have been doing the role I have been asked to do for the team and a lot of that is unglamorous stuff. A lot of it is hitting breakdowns, making tackles and the set piece. That is what I have been asked to do and that is what I will do.

"I take great pride in playing for England and I will do anything to help this team. Ultimately it is my job to do what is in the game plan."

England Hit High Fives

2009-03-16T09:38:33.032875+00:00

Riki Flutey: Mr. Muscle loves the jobs you hate...

England 34-10 France

Cor, Blimey! Who expected that? Everyone bar the 22 men dressed in white and their relieved coaching staff, that’s who.

Twickenham’s great pillars of English rugby stood firm, chests blown out with full gusto, as Martin Johnson and his army of soldiers rolled back to the years of land, hope and glory with a breathtaking five-try blitz over a shell-shocked France.

They’ve been talking about a change of season around the Red Rose for a while now and with the spring sunshine blossoming around HQ on Sunday, a new era finally dawned.

The gloomy dark clouds lingering through petulant indiscipline, a poor run of results and wasted talent – England picked the prettiest day of 2009 to show their true colours – disappeared after 40 minutes.

Sure, the penalty count soared in the second-half and will itch away upon Johnson’s broad shoulders, but the almost smiling manager refused to scratch below the surface of a resounding triumph.

The capacity crowd had barely captured its breath back after belting out the anthems before Mark Cueto got the ball rolling but nobody would’ve anticipated what followed. Even the gentleman seven pints deep, three rows in front, could’ve struggled to predict such a party.

England executed their game-plans to perfection. Their running lines, passing and poaching were right on cue – a jovial chap to my left even found time to joke about France turning up in their away strip such was the savage stripping of the men dressed in blue.

France did make a fist of things, winning the second-half, 10-5, but only the most cynical of Englishman could care less.

The French were awful. The decision to play Sebastien Chabal at openside flanker wasn’t quite up there with Nick Mallett’s Mauro Bergamasco experiment, but the giant caveman was ineffective and ominous, and he wasn’t alone.

The long-haired pin-up’s partners in crime, Imanol Harinordoquy and Thierry Dusautoir, so far sensational in this year’s Championship found England’s first brick wall of defence too tall to mount.

At the heart of the tempestuous defensive rear-guard was Captain Steve Borthwick. It was difficult to understand what pleased Johnson more, the result or the performance of his talismanic skipper, who has been a punchbag for the critics since his takeover.

A pest in the line-out, Borthwick had the bit between his teeth and smashed into tackles, ultimately doing what a captain should by leading from the front.

Able forward deputies came in man-of-the-match Tom Croft, the superior athlete on the park and Simon Shaw, at the grand old age of 36, sharpening his dirty paws and slowing down ball whenever necessary.

If the forwards laid the platform, it was the backs that finally flourished, giving the sun-kissed capacity crowd a taste of what’s to come from Brian Smith’s genius play-book.

Harry Ellis utilised some rare quick-ball and England reaped rich rewards with Riki Flutey settling in as the fulcrum of a ball-hungry back-line.

It was the Kiwi’s outside break that freed Cueto for the first score before the Sale Shark returned the favour for England’s second after some imaginative running and delicate hands, involving Nick Easter, Toby Flood and Joe Worsley.

Delon Armitage capped an accomplished performance with a sweet score before further delicious handling from England’s No. 8 and Borthwick set up Worsley for the fourth try on the stroke of half-time. Time for a 'cheeky livener' methinks and then we can wake up from this dream. 29-0 – game over!

The downpoint of an outstanding afternoon came in the shape of Flood, whose shoulder injury in the build-up to Worsley’s score looks like it might force the Leicester Tiger out of next weekend’s Calcutta Cup fixture against the Scottish.

This wasn’t a day for upsets and England ignored to be hamstrung by Flood’s loss and started the second-half as they did the first. This time it was another searing break from Armitage that enabled Flutey to dive over for his second.

France staged a mini-revival, catching a tired English defence cold with Dimitri Szarzewski and Julien Malzieu going over, but there was only one team walking off the turf with a spring in its step. And they were dressed in white, standing head and shoulders above their doubters, enjoying ever second of it.

Can England Tame The Beast?

2009-03-13T12:27:19.265625+00:00

Sebastien Chabal: A savage beast...

Anyone heading to Twickenham expecting to see the show, Beauty and The Beast on Sunday can forget about it. France arrives on English shores packing one of their beefiest-ever teams and are primed to take Martin Johnson and his tyros on head-to-head.

With Sebastien Chabal at openside, Lionel Faure packing down in front of Romain Millo-Chluski, France's heavyweights ticks the scales at a combined 885 kilos. And with mutant Mathieu Bastareaud in the centre, the tricalores have put the champagne rugby on ice, choosing instead for a far more bruising bunch to meet stubborn with stubborn.

France showed against Ireland they no longer travel light and underprepared, whereas their overbearing forward dominance in Paris against Wales - something they have sorely lacked when bullied by England in recent meetings - reverberated around Europe like an earthquake.

At their devastating counter-attacking best, France bless the pace, power and jaw-dropping improvisation to savage the tightest defensive ship, capable of creating overlaps and space for their flying back-three with aplomb.

England's atrocious kicking must improve. Delon Armitage's bomb of a right boot should be used more effectively and positioning Toby Flood and Riki Flutey on either side to split the back-line could breed better success.

In Maxime Medard, France have unearthed a gem and giving him a 10m headstart from which to kick his heels would be criminal.

England has a habit of frustrating French flair and ironically forced them into mistakes and indiscipline, more accustomed with the men in white in 2009.

As game-plan's go, England have based their negative pattern on defence - make your tackles, kick deep and suffocate quick ball - and their limited endeavor albeit largely criticised can be extremely effective against teams that thrive on their natural instincts.

English rugby cultures is weighed down by the fear of failure at present with discipline and trust a real issue. If they believe they can win the mini-battles and find some self-belief, then we could start seeing more fluency, seemingly waiting to burst out.

England must keep hold of their possession; or rather stop France from wracking up the phases. England need a win, a point will do, because if it wasn't Martin Johnson with his grand old reputation, heads would've rolled by now.

Shaw Thing For England

2009-03-12T10:30:20.234375+00:00

Tom Croft: 'You're going to have to do better than that Shawsy'

Simon Shaw will make his first start under Martin Johnson after getting a shock England recall at the tender age of 36 to play France on Saturday.

Johnson, who embellished in more than his fair share of ugly Anglo-Saxon battles in his time, has ordered an extra serving of meat with Shaw beefing up the England pack at the expense of the "gutted" in-form London Irish lock Nick Kennedy.

Kennedy, like poor little Matt Tait, can count himself desperately unfortunate, especially considering another incomer, Ugo Monye was picked ahead of Paul Sackey on form rather than a niggle or two.

"Nick is unlucky but it's about getting a balance," Johnson said.

A Shaw-Kennedy combination would certainly appease a few flabbergasted fans, which have fired missiles at current underperforming captain, Steve Borthwick.

Borthwick survives the cut with Johnson a la Sven Goran Eriksson, seemingly wrapping his skipper up in cotton wool and with the straightest of bats, rejecting any suggestions that the Saracen was undeserving of his place.

"No, we didn't consider leaving him out. Yes, I think he's doing tremendous job for us, sometimes in very difficult circumstances."

The stronger, more direct, Monye returns to international duty on the left-wing after a brief exodus since the autumn with Mark Cueto reverting to his more favourable right-wing position.

Shaw's resurrection, his last England appearance coming in the 2008 Six Nations, has also prompted a re-think on the back-row with current club colleague, James Haskell being replaced by leaner and substantially smarter athlete, Tom Croft.

Croft brings extra line-out expertees as well as a rare turn of space for a No. 6, which Johnson clearly sees as a critical area to combat superior marathon men, Thierry Dusautoir, Imanol Harinordoquy and the caveman, Sebastien Chabal.

England: D Armitage (London Irish); U Monye (Harlequins), M Tindall (Gloucester), R Flutey (Wasps), M Cueto (Sale Sharks); T Flood (Leicester), H Ellis (Leicester); A Sheridan (Sale Sharks), L Mears (Bath), P Vickery (Wasps), S Borthwick (Saracens, capt), S Shaw (Wasps), T Croft (Leicester), J Worsley (Wasps), N Easter (Harlequins).

Replacements: D Hartley (Northampton), J White (Leicester), J Haskell (Wasps), N Kennedy (London Irish), D Care (Harlequins), A Goode (Brive), M Tait (Sale Sharks).

France: 15-Maxime Medard, 14-Julien Malzieu, 13-Mathieu Bastareaud, 12-Yannick Jauzion, 11-Cedric Heymans, 10-Francois Trinh-Duc, 9-Morgan Parra; 8-Imanol Harinordoquy, 7-Sebastien Chabal, 6-Thierry Dusautoir, 5-Jerome Thion, 4-Lionel Nallet (captain), 3-Sylvain Marconnet, 2-Dimitri Szarzewski, 1-Lionel Faure.

Replacements: 16-Benjamin Kayzer, 17-Thomas Domingo, 18-Louis Picamoles, 19-Julien Bonnaire, 20-Sebastien Tillous-Borde, 21-Florian Fritz, 22-Damien Traille.

Cipriani Shuns Catt

2009-03-10T10:47:29.705375+00:00

Danny Cipriani: 'I'm going to tell my mummy!'

Someone should've reminded Danny Cipriani that Martin Johnson wanted Mike Catt on his England staff before the arrogant Wasps fly-half shunned the World Cup winner's offer of a post-match handshake. The champions nicked the battle of Berkshire, 21-16, thanks to a bulldozing back-row display from Messrs Rees, Betsen and Hart.

The Premiership's form number ten, Sam Vesty, is at Leicester Tigers and the local-boy has been instrumental in the Tigers jaw-dropping switch to a more open brand of rugby. It's been a while since a Tiger has been condoned for throwing a loose interception pass but last year's finalists are flourishing at present and despite not crossing the whitewash in the 24-10 victory over Gloucester, they had several chances and Julien Dupuy's trusted boot.

Four teams rest on 47 points with Bath and Harlequins the big movers at the last round of matches. Bath mercilessly put Division One doomed Bristol to the sword, 45-8, while Danny Care excelled for the Quins, compounding a horrible week for Saracens, 21-15.

Newcastle Falcons made it five wins in a row with a sensational 32-25 triumph at Sale, capturing a rare bonus point against the league's meanest defence. Charlie Hodgson might've surpassed Jonny WIlkinson's record Premiership points tally of 1,489, but it was unknown debutant, Andrew Fenby that stole the headlines, running in his astonishing 69th score in 71 matches - most of which came for Blaydon RFC.

Elsewhere, Northampton celebrated their first away win of the season at Worcester Warriors, 22-12.

Kenya's 7s Weapon: Collins Injera

2009-03-04T16:00:41.33875+00:00

> > >

Rugby World Cup 7s Final '93

2009-03-04T15:56:44.62+00:00

> > >

Sireli Bobo 7s Magic

2009-03-04T15:53:49.33875+00:00

> > >

RWC 7s 1993

2009-03-04T15:48:13.698125+00:00

> > >

IRB Warms Up For Olympics

2009-03-04T15:06:06.291+00:00

Has there ever been a more eagerly anticipated kick-off to a Rugby World Cup? Has the prize ever been so great? Strangely, over the next three days, winning isn’t everything.

Thirty one nations have flew into the sun-kissed crystal deserts of Dubai for the fifth International Rugby Board Rugby World Cup 7s, and like all addictive page-turning dramas, it is the sub-plot, the 2016 Summer Olympiad, that has the critics glued to the action.

None more so than the four Olympic delegates, arm-in-arm with some 112 colleagues, who will be present to ‘dot the i’s and cross the t’s’ before October’s crucial meeting in Copenhagen, where the International Olympic Committee finalises two inductees - rugby, softball, netball, squash, karate, golf and roller sports - in the 2016 Games.

The IRB have been working overtime, exhaustively tackling every commercial, technical and spiritual issue, including an 80-question document commissioned by the IOC, to provide a bulletproof argument as to why rugby should join the grandest sporting stage of all.

Rugby 7s truly has a global appeal, popularly played across every continent, at every club, park and dusty dirt track, and continues to break down the blue-collared mythical association with the 15-man game.

The inclusion of a Womens competition for the first time, featuring 16 nations, should also act as a key unique selling point for the Olympic governors, not to mention a TV audience spanning 140 countries and a mass influx of rugby tourists.

It promises to be the most open tournament to date with realistic champions tipping into double-figures, rather than the same-old USA or the Soviet Union tracksuits dominating the prize-giving platform.

Kenya, yes, that renowned hotbed of rugby talent, are currently sixth in the world rankings and recently beat New Zealand for the first time in their short-history. Argentina go into the tournament full of confidence following their triumph in San Diego and you may get better odds on Australia (20/1) than Portugal (66/1) but the Wallabies live in the European minnows shadow in the world rankings too.

Honours for current Summer Olympic team sports - hockey, basketball and football - are regularly commandeered by the same old bunch.

Click here to visit the official website or sign-up to watch online
USA has won four of the past five mens basketball golds while the women have won all but three of the nine thus far. The football competition is largely limited to U23s and is critically seen as an auction for the biggest European clubs seeking to tap-up the brightest South American talent, Leaving hockey, which remains a minority sport despite being prosperous in under-privileged countries.

So Dubai, and its purpose-built 50,000 seated stadium might ooze the same feel of ancient Athenian auditoriums but the spectacle, and stars turning up to support the IRB’s bid, should ensure one hell of a party and thumbs-up all-round.