Tackleman Blog: Rugby Overload

Greetings one and all, Tackleman here.  

February’s drawing to a close and my head’s on a bit of a swivel at the moment. There’s so much rugby going on, I don’t know where to focus my attention.

The 6 Nations is crackling along, Super Rugby is up and running and the slug fest that is European rugby is bubbling nicely with squads at breaking point as injuries mount with the end of season pressure.

So, where to start? Let’s give the honour to the Southies and focus on Super Rugby.

Is it super? It’s certainly rugby, but just how good is it? Pretty darn good if you ask me. It’s the furnace that fuels Southern Hemisphere rugby and the “Big Three” have done ok in recent years. Sure, it’s franchise driven and there’s no relegation but that suits everyone just fine, for now at least. The English may point to the grit that relegation adds to a player’s character but even they now talk of ring fencing a top tier of 14 teams to allow added investment and confidence.

The view from down south

The southern season is pretty young but the Hurricanes from New Zealand are setting the pace. Julian Savea and TJ Perenara have caught the eye, with Savea certainly the player of the moment anywhere in the world. Yet, allow me to mention a slightly less high profile individual.

Can you imagine what it must be like to have been an aspiring Kiwi openside for the past decade or so? No matter how good you may have been, Richie McCaw has basically shut you out from the national team. 

Set against other no.7’s you’d probably be up there as one of the best, but in your own country, take a seat fella, the bench is probably as far as you’ll go. Spare a thought then for Adam Thomson, a former All Blacks flanker with a handful of caps. A move to the Queensland Reds has done him the world of good. The black shirt is now beyond him but in season one with his new teammates he’s pulling up trees as they say and having a lot of fun.

6 Nations

Whilst we’re on the subject of no.7’s, let me head north and remind you of what has been my key moment of the 6 Nations. It wasn’t during a game, it happened in the tunnel at The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff minutes before Wales vs England, and it may well go down as the seminal moment in Chris Robshaw’s career.

As the disco and light show raged outside in the stadium, England were given the call to head out onto the pitch. On a cold February evening, the England skipper had no desire to stand in front of the loud, passionate Welsh crowd and wait for Warburton and his cohorts to appear. Timing is everything in this game and he wasn’t about to wilt in the cold before a ball had even been kicked. So, Robshaw stood firm.

Eyes bulged, jaw muscles twitched as the English and Welsh teams played a subterranean game of chicken.

With assurances from the ref that they wouldn’t be kept waiting too long, England emerged. The score line shows England won the game, but for Robshaw, who has had his critics over the years, that was the second victory of the night. The first came out of the public eye and may yet be his greatest triumph.

Damn, so much to talk about, so little time. We’ll chat soon, yeah? There’s some tasty games this weekend so keep an eye out for my thoughts on the action. 

See you soon
Tackleman

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