World Cup Semi-Final Preview 2 - Argentina vs South Africa

In a tough top draw, the script has been screwed up and thrown out, but in the lower half of the draw everything continues to go according to seedings, with the two top qualifiers disposing of the two second placed qualifiers, albeit a little unconvincingly.

Argentina have been billed as the surprise of the tournament, but in reality anyone that has been surprised hasn't been paying attention for the past three years. With a solid pack, a big kicking five eighth and several gamebreakers in the outside, Argentina have set about forging themselves a formidable record in world rugby. Since the last World Cup the Pumas have defeated every one of the home nations at least once and in the three years leading up to the World Cup have suffered 3 defeats in 2005, 2 in 2006 and only one loss in 2007. 6 losses in 3 years stacks up well against all the top teams - Australia 14 losses, South Africa 11 losses, France 9 losses and England 16 losses. Only the All Blacks(3 losses) have lost fewer games in this timeframe. But that is exactly the point Los Pumas are trying to make - they are not taken seriously by the rugby playing world, and it's about time they were.

So far victories over France, Ireland and Scotland at the world cup have shown that not only have the Argentinians got a side that can beat top tier nations, they have a side that can do it regularly. The formula changes a little when you talk about their performance against tri-nations teams. Argentina have beaten the wallabies just 4 times in 17 starts, their best result against the All Blacks was a draw in 1985 and significantly - they have played against the South Africans 11 times and been on the losing side every time.

But as England and France both showed last weekend, the form book, the statistics and the odds all mean little when you are playing knock out football, and what is important is that the Argentinians will believe they have every chance of knocking off the South Africans.

After a clinical start to the tournament and a near perfect dispatching of the English in pool play, the South Africans have been in cruise mode a little and seem to have quite a bit in reserve. Against Argentina it's most probable they will need it. They certainly won't be able to let the Argentinians back into the game the way they did against Fiji.

One positive of the All Black loss is to be able to watch games like this from a completely neutral standpoint, and this is one I am dying to see. South Africa and Argentina play a very similar style of game, and the deciding factors are likely to be discipline and experience. The South Africans certainly have the big game experience on their South American rivals, but one suspects that the swarming frustrating defense of the Argentinians may get under the South African skin and cause problems. The longer that Argentina stay in this game the more chance they have of cracking the South African side which does not like being stood up to.

In the end South Africa would have to be big favorites to get the victory, but don't be surprised if you see the Argentinians play a more professional game than the South Africans, see a couple of yellow cards and the blue and white hoops into the final.

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A Medaieval Football match

Ever thought of football as an extreme sport?

Welcome to the world of Royal Ashbourne Shrovetide Football (Shrovetide)!

I was introduced to Shrovetide when I met my then-to-be husband, a determined Shrovetider, and asked him how he’d broken his nose!

Shrovetide football is played in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, England, on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday every year, as it has done annually from at least the 12th Century (not even the world wars stopped play.)

Both the inventors of Rugby, and Association football, had strong Ashbourne, and Shrovetide connections.

The goal posts are 3 miles apart, there is no pitch, just the streets of the town, the surrounding fields, and of course, the river Henmore, which is perhaps the most important area of play. This is because the goal posts are at the site of the old mill wheels of the two mediaeval water mills, upstream and downstream from the town, respectively.

The ball (brightly painted leather, about the size of a medicine ball) is ritually thrown to the mob (known as “The Hug”) at 2 p.m. each day, and is then fought over by two teams, the “Uppards”, who try to score it at the upstream goal, and “Downards”, who try to score it at the downstream goal, until 10 p.m.

As the ball is made of leather, with a stuffing of sawdust, as it gets wetter, it gets heavier. It also swells. Thus, by the time it has reached one or other of the goals, most of its paint has been rubbed off, and it is a sorry sight as it is victoriously carried aloft back to The Green Man, to mark the end of play.

(If the ball is goaled before 5 p.m., a second ball is turned up, but normally the ball is not goaled until well after 5 p.m., if at all.)

Loyalties are decided by birth, if you’re born upstream, or from an upstream family you’re an Uppard, and vice versa. (This differs from most ball games, in that the aim is to score an “own goal”)

There is no limit to the number of players on each side, and very few rules, so the game is very rough and tumble. It is all played in good humour, so deaths are infrequent, but it is a great spectacle to watch.

As the field of play is the whole town, spectators get caught up in events, but it’s quite safe – there are refuges in enclosed areas to ensure only players have any chance of injury.

It can be quite disconcerting, however, to see 4 to 5 hundred men in rags and hobnail boots rampaging towards you!

The river banks form a fantastic viewing platform for watching river play, and cheers go up from the crowd whenever the ball is seen.

It can be cold, but luckily Ashbourne has many historic pubs, cafes and restaurants to get you warm, and the pubs open each day before the game starts, and do not shut until well after the game finishes.

The locals are very welcoming, and someone in the crowd will always explain the finer points of play, as they’re intensely proud of their unique heritage.

I am a long term follower of Royal Ashbourne Shrovetide Football, and I married into the family which has the highest number of goals scored of any Uppards family. I also have strong Downards family connections.

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2007 Super 14 Rugby Reviewed

Super 14 Rugby is the leading competition for teams from the states and provinces of Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.

It would be fair to say that New Zealand teams have dominated the super 14, particularly the Canterbury Crusaders although other New Zealand teams have done well with many making the finals. The other main success has been the ACT Brumbies. The real disappointments of the series have been the Queensland Reds and the New South Wales Waratahs who despite being loaded with talent continue to under perform. Both teams will be looking to change that around this season. However the surprise Australian team and dark horse of the tournament this year may be the Western Force playing out of Perth, W.A. Last year they often came close but didn't have the experience to pull it out in the tight situations. I predict this year will be a very different story.

South African teams have proved very strong in South Africa, but to be successful they once again need to win games away from home.

The 14 teams are

Auckland Blues (Always strong, has the potential to beat any team on their day, time will tell if they can win enough games to make the finals, but if they do they are a chance to win the comp. - previous 3 times final winners (super 12) but recent years have not made the grade.)

ACT Brumbies (Full of class, however one wonders whether their Australian dominance is on the wane, twice previous winners, twice lost to Canterbury in the final, however last two years failed to make the finals - I predict they will fail again this year)

The Bulls (Based in Pretoria, in past years they have made the finals and must be considered a chance to make it again, but unlikely to have the class to win the comp.)

Central Cheetahs (Recent S.A. addition, made 10th, will do better this year but won't make the finals)

Waikato Chiefs (Traditional N.Z. rugby is on display whenever the chiefs play, hard, grinding, enjoy great support at home, only made the semi-finals once, won't make it this year but will provide some entertaining games).

Canterbury Crusaders (The most successful franchise in the competition. Won the competition six times, final two other times, dominant. This year will be no different. Any team that wants to win the competition will have to beat the Crusaders to do it).

Western Force (First year in competition last year, show good signs but never delivered. This year they could be the dark horse. May make the finals but lack of finals experience will stop them going further. Have great home ground support which should make them hard to beat at home).

Otago Highlanders (never won the competition and not going to change this year. However will destroy some other teams hopes in their famous house of pain in Carisbrook, Dunedin)

Hurricanes (Based in Wellington, N.Z., lost to the Crusaders in last years final. Will be doing well to make the finals this year but a possibility).

Lions (Name change from the cats will not change the fortunes for this Johannesburg based team, will not make the finals).

Queensland Reds (Never been successful, often put the blame on injuries to key players. Simply need to toughen the hell up if they are any chance of winning the competition. Have the talent, but not the heart).

Natal Sharks (Based in Durban and one of the better performing South African teams. Just missed out on the finals last year. Predict they could make the finals this year).

Western Stormers (Based out of Cape Town, nothing to write home about here. Will win a couple at home but thats about it).

NSW Waratahs (Based out of Sydney. Has made finals on numerous occasions but failed to lift the trophy, could this year be different?)

This is a quick look of Super 14 from a personal review of 2007. The end of the competition will see if I was right or wrong. Either way it will be fun watching.

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Springbok Squad Selection

Jake White's reasoning for his squad, at least his loose trio - So through some reading I finally found something about the Springbok squad that actually makes a bit of sense. Through Jake's entire explanation I found good reason, except for one glaring mistake (In my humble opinion) - His argument on Butch James. Having watched the Sharks play at times superb, at other times nothing short of inspiring rugby, I find it hard to believe that a central figure in their team such as Butch was left out. And Jake's reasoning here is the amount of time spent on the sidelines by Butch due to injury. I could not disagree more on this point, Butch definitely played a key role in the Sharks unprecedented success in the Super 14 this past season (the first South African team to ever finish top of the Super 14 log) yet he's played too little rugby according to coach Jake White.

The interview boiled down to combinations, combinations, combinations. Jake's viewpoint is that he selects his entire squad based on what he needs for his team to work in combinations, not on individual ability. And these selections change as one player is injured, off form or lacking game time.

"Combinations and role specifics within those combinations are influential in my decision-making. We can always debate the merits of one player over the other, but in the context of combinations there has always been a method to my thinking that has been consistent over four years. I have always asked myself how the three players will combine as a trio. They have to complement each other; not cancel each other out. Furthermore, their value has to go beyond the primary function of a six, seven or eight. Who I choose at lock determines the make-up of my loose-trio and vice-versa."

Sound thinking, perhaps - But, as they say, the proof's in the taste of the champagne flowing out of the World Cup, so let's see...

allaboutallsport.com To read more on this and international rugby click here

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The Rules of Rugby

The game of Rugby, has had its rules changed and evolved so many times through out the years that it now is very different from what it started out as but if you do decide to come out and ever watch a game of Rugby you will be wondering what the hell is going on...so here are the basics of Rugby.

Rugby is a game played in 2, 40 minute halves, with a 10 minute halftime break. Each team has 15 players and is allowed 7 substitutes. The positions are as follows:

* 2 Props
* Hooker
* 2 Lockers
* 2 Flankers
* 8th Man
* Scrum-half
* Fly-half
* 2 Side Wings
* 2 Centers
* Fullback

The field that rugby is played on is called the Pitch. It is a grassy field 70 meters wide by 100 meters long and separated equally into two equal halves by a white line.

Scoring is done in one of 5 ways.

* Try
When a player touches the ball to the ground in the opponents in-goal area his team is awarded 5 points.

* Penalty Try

A player can attempt a penalty when a player would have scored a Try but was stopped by an opponents penalty. This is worth 5 points.

* Conversion Goal
Conversion goal is attempted after a team scores a Try, a conversion goal is worth 2 points.

* Penalty
Whenever a penalty is called the team who the penalty was called on gets to try for a penalty kick. If the kick is made that team gets 3 points.

* Dropped Goal
A dropped goal is when a players runs the ball back after a drop kick during the games general play.

General Game Play

Just like in American Football rugby starts off with kick off which is referred to as a drop kick.

Unlike American football however, their are no downs, no 10 yards to get, the game is continuous. The play does not stop when the ball hits the ground it is fair game. passing is allowed but it must either be done laterally or backwards, forward passing is not allowed. However any player may kick the ball at any time, and once the ball has been kicked it is up for grabs from either side. players often use this method to get the ball down field to team mates. Players may also run the ball until 1 of 2 things happen either they are tackled or they step out of bounds.

When a player steps out of bounds it is brought back into play by a method called "line out", both teams line up 1 meter from each other in parallel lines and a player from the side that didn't put the ball out of play throws it in a straight line between the two teams.

When a player is tackled the other method of bringing the ball back into play is called "scrum", this is done by each team forming a tunnel and the ball is placed in between them, each side must battle for the ball against the other teams line until a player is able to push the ball backwards with his feet to his teammates behind him in the "tunnel". If you've been thinking this sounds a lot like American football, well it is, it was the forerunner to the American Football's "line of scrimmage".

And thats it, the basics of rugby, so go out there and play!!

Taken Directly from http://www.rugby-rules.rugbyplayers.net

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