Welcome fellow G&GRs. These weeks between the RC and the end of year tours have always been a bit difficult as there isn’t a lot going on. In Australia there’s nothing except a few age grade competitions with both the U16 and U19 finals this weekend, U16 between the Tahs and Reds and U19 between the Reds and Brumbies. In NZ the NPC has finished with my Wellington team winning the competition in a hard fought final. The ABs played and won against Japan in what was a bit of a meh game, although it did show the coaches what a real 13 looked like and gave some game time to a few who hadn’t played for a few weeks.
This week the ABs play England. It’s been interesting to listen to some of the pundits going on about how poor the ABs were in NZ and how this means England will win, and in some cases win easily. I’m not so sure and I think Razor is starting to get the team playing in the way he wants them to. There are still some issues with ongoing selections of players who don’t seem to step up as required (like at 13) and the integration of the reserves isn’t working seamlessly, yet. However, individually the skills are still there and the length of time the players are syncing together is getting longer in each game. I’m pretty confident that the ABs will win this game OK. The AB XV plays Munster and TBH I have no idea how this game will go. The AB XV looks quite strong with a good mix of old and young in the team. I hope they play well.
There are a few other international matches this weekend. Not sure if any of these can be followed live although maybe RugbyPass will show them at some stage if you’re interested.
- Lithuania play Sweden at the Aukštaitija Stadium in Lithuania (I haven’t a clue how to pronounce that name)
- Latvia play Estonia at the Baldones Stadions in Latvia
- Belgum play Sweden at the Stade Charles Tondreau in Belgium, and
- Scotland play Fiji at Murrayfield. It’ll be interesting to see how Fiji handle the cold wet weather up there.
The Wallabies get another week off, and will no doubt “train well” together before they take on England on Sunday, 10 November. This game will be a litmus test for the team and while I think it’ll be tough, if things go their way and they get the odd lucky bounce of the ball or call from the officials they could go OK. Prior to this game the Wallabies A team will play Bristol on the Saturday. Again, I have no idea how this game will go, but it will be good to see how the fringe players step up.
Wallabies jersey revealed ahead of the British & Irish Lions Series
Outlined here by Rugby Australia, ASICS and RA have unveiled the Wallabies jersey for the British & Irish Lions tour next year. Allan Alaalatoa, Angus Bell, Max Jorgensen, Fraser McReight, Dylan Pietsch and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii showcased the jersey at the iconic Bennelong Lawn. In traditional Wallaby gold and collaboratively designed by ASICS and Rugby Australia, the jersey will feature the First Nations Tour artwork created by proud Wiradjuri man and Wallaby number 978, Dylan Pietsch.
In addition to the inclusion of the First Nations artwork, the official series logo will appear on the sleeve, while the inner sleeve cuff will feature the First Nations place names of the event fixture locations. On speaking to the design, Dylan Pietsch said: “I am incredibly proud to be representing myself and my culture as part of this momentous series through the inclusion of my artwork across the tournament range. The centre of the artwork features a wallaby and a lion in a direct reference to the Lions Series. Their relationship is presented as a battle underpinned by respect. Respect for our game, and respect for one another.”
Managing Director for ASICS Oceania, Mark Brunton said: “ASICS believes in the power of sport and movement, and its unique ability to unite us as a community. We are incredibly proud of the inclusion of the First Nations Tour artwork on the Series jersey, and across many items in the replica and training range, bringing to life the important message of unity, community and connection in what is a pinnacle moment on the rugby calendar.” Not to be out done Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh chimed in saying: “It’s always special to see the hours of work come to life in a new Wallabies jersey, and this one carries some extra significance with the inclusion of Dylan’s design as a current Wallaby and proud First Nations man. The British & Irish Lions Series is one of world sport’s premier events and we hope this jersey will unite all Australians in supporting the Wallabies next year.”
Wallaby number 896, Allan Alaalatoa said: “I’m incredibly excited about the possibility of wearing the Lions Series jersey, and to have one of our teammates design it is extremely special. Having had the opportunity to test the jersey as part of the campaign, I’m confident the new design will allow the team to perform at its best in what is an incredibly special Series in any player’s career.” The jersey is on sale from this week and no doubt RA will be hoping it gets a tad more sales than RM Williams got for the RWC range.
I think it’s fantastic that Pietsch was able to put his design into the jersey, now I just hope he gets picked so he gets a chance to own one. I must admit seeing Suaalii there did make me laugh. I hope he becomes even a 100th of the player so many people think he may, because by hell he’s getting a free run in every part of the game. There’s certainly a story there for any up and coming player to make sure they sign for a mungo team because coming back you get a free pathway into everything.
NZ Rugby reports a 6% rise in Player registrations with a 5% rise in teenage boys.
Reported here in Stuff by Paul Cully, NZ rugby registration numbers have increased to 156,000 which is an increase of 6%. The numbers have been driven across the board with women, girls, teenage boys and a strong Heartland union increase driving the numbers up. The increase of 5% for teenage boys is especially important as this segment causes the most angst as rugby competes for other sports up and down the country.
NZR general manager, Steve Lancaster paid tribute to the provincial unions for the work they have done and said it was due to a shift of mindset in how to attract teenage boys. “A couple of things such as school and both winter and summer tournaments weeks where five or six years ago there was nothing has been a big part of this” he said, adding that “the other area we are concentrating on is coach development, and this will be a continued area of focus for us”. He noted that working with teenage boys was a lot different from working with men and that understanding how to create a positive environment with good experiences so they want to come back was crucial.
Lancaster also admitted that there was a danger of becoming too focussed in that area and that this was not the best measure for the health of the game. “It’s an important are, which is why it was called out, but equally adult club participation, particularly in men, is also important and again they have seen growth in that area” he said.
In addition to this women and girls numbers rose by 15% to 33,757 while coaching numbers also surged by 10% to 10,154. One area of concern is a drop in the number of referees with a 3% drop that caused shortages throughout the season.
Apart from the referee numbers this is really good news, especially the emphasis on developing coaches so that players develop the skills they need at the right level. So while there is, and always will be, pressure from other sports such as basketball, cricket, netball and rowing, it’s good to see the game is at least maintaining some semblance of health.
