Wednesday’s Rugby News has more Commonwealth backing for RWC2027, rain on Spain’s 2023 Rugby World Cup spot, Owen Farrell’s tackle technique back in the spotlight and gathering ’round for more Rassie wisdom.
Further Commonwealth funding boost for Aust RWC2027 (and Women’s 2029)
Embed from Getty Images[some front-rower-looking chap and Phil Waugh at a RWC2027 event]
Pravda reports that the recently released Federal Budget confirms the Commonwealth’s investment for Australia’s existing bid to host Rugby World Cup 2027 will be extended to include a bid for the women’s Rugby World Cup in 2029. It follows $9.8m in funding the Australian Government has already provided to support Rugby Australia’s bid efforts.
With Australia the preferred candidate for the bid, the Commonwealth will support event delivery and operations, should the World Rugby Council announce it as successful 2027 host on 12 May 2022. Australia is currently preferred candidate to host RWC2027 and Rugby Australia will now consider with World Rugby the potential to also bid to host the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2029.
Rugby Australia Chairman Hamish McLennan said:
“Bringing the world’s third-largest sporting event back to our shores would provide a huge boost to the Australian economy after what has been an incredibly difficult few years for everyone. RWC 2027 in Australia would welcome two million attendees, including 200,000 international visitors, delivering $2.5 billion in direct and indirect expenditure for the economy and creating 13,300 equivalent FTE jobs. It would also attract 30,000 new participants to the game. This is an unrivalled opportunity to support the Australian economy and grow the game of Rugby in Australia and the Pacific.”
Unexpected Spanish inquisition
One on’t cross beams gone owt askew on treddle for Spanish Rugby according to Rugbypass and Stuff.co.nz.
On 14 March 2022 Spain used their weapons of fear, and surprise, and ruthless efficiency (and nice red uniforms) to beat Portugal 33-28 to secure a place at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. It was to be only the second time the team have qualified.
However, Spain’s RWC place in France is in doubt while it is being investigated for fielding an ineligible player. World Rugby said it was convening an independent judicial committee to examine a possible breach by Spain in World Cup qualifying of Regulation 8, concerning a player’s eligibility for internationals.
“World Rugby was made aware of a potential breach concerning one member of the Spanish national men’s senior team,” it said in a statement. “Having concluded initial enquiries, the international federation believes a formal independent review is warranted. The Spanish Rugby Union has been fully cooperative throughout the initial enquiries.” World Rugby did not specify whether the rack, the soft cushions or the comfy chair were required to secure this cooperation.
The review reportedly concerns South Africa-born front-rower Gavin van der Berg who made his debut on December 19 as Spain beat the Netherlands 52-7 in Amsterdam in the Rugby Europe Championship, which also doubled as World Cup qualifying. Van der Berg was a second-half replacement and scored a try. He was a second-half replacement again on February 7 when the Netherlands was beaten 43-0 in Madrid.
Van der Berg arrived in Spain in 2018, and had to live there for three years to qualify for Spain on residency before his debut on December 19. But he reportedly returned to South Africa for four months in 2019, and went back there again during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
If Spain is found guilty of breaching Regulation 8, it could lose at least the 10 competition points it won against the Netherlands. That would drop it from second to fourth in European qualifying and out of the Rugby World Cup. Romania, instead, could rise to second and automatic qualification, and Portugal could finish third and advance to the world repechage tournament in November.
It’s the second straight Rugby World Cup qualifying that Spain has become embroiled in controversy. In 2018, Spain, Romania and Belgium were sanctioned for fielding ineligible players and Russia advanced to the World Cup in 2019 in Japan. The first of which I have divulged in my previous utterance.
STOP PRESS – Owen Farrell uses ‘appalling’ tackle technique in first game back in 4 months
In a shocking development that strains credibility, Owen Farrell has failed to use his arms in a tackle according to stuff.co.nz. The former England captain’s tackling was in focus for the first time in his career as he helped Saracens to a 27-23 win over Bristol for “a no-arms hit” on Bristol centre Piers O’Conor.
“Farrell failed to wrap his arms as he drove into O’Conor with a shoulder,” a Wales Online report noted, as he escaped with just a penalty when many felt a yellow card was deserved. It was Farrell’s first appearance in four months as he returned from injury. He kicked 12 points in the win before being forced off late for a head injury assessment.
His return to the England team appears inevitable after their fifth-placed Six Nations, but his game will likely be monitored for the wrong reasons. “Owen Farrell looked sharp today, some lovely passing and brilliant kicking off the tee, but his tackle technique continues to be appalling,” wrote Bristol Post journalist John Evely, without condescending to back-up these so-called earlier tackling incidents with any facts.
Former England skipper Lawrence Dallaglio agreed as he was part of the TV commentary team looking at the incident: “I love Owen Farrell to bits, but you have to wrap your right arm. That could easily have been a yellow card.”
Rassie something something (sigh)
Rugbypass reports that Springboks Director of Water Bottles Rassie Erasmus has come to the aid of embattled head coach Eddie Jones and says that ‘no one’ knows how teams will fare at the World Cup in 2023. “You can’t look at the latest performances in the Six Nations to determine how teams will perform at the World Cup,” he wrote, adding that is obvious France are the favourites.
Erasmus highlighted his own experience when taking over the Springboks in 2018, when the side lost to Australia and Argentina while ‘trying new things’ like an experimental-phase uni student.
“Something might look awful right now but it could be part of the planning. Teething problems. There are different mechanics to every organisation so you don’t know what’s happening behind the scenes,” he wrote. “That’s why it annoys me when Sir Clive Woodward tells us how to do things in South Africa because he is not privy to what we are really doing”. Samuel L Jackson has responded to this point.
Erasmus then went to bat for England head coach Eddie Jones who he said he ‘admires in a weird way’ and continued to ask questions of Clive Woodward. “England are getting a lot of criticism but they will be strong at the World Cup. Don’t tell me Eddie has suddenly become a bad coach. He is a good rugby man who texted me when I was in trouble with World Rugby,” he wrote. “Maybe a buffer between Eddie and the board and the fans could be a good thing that would allow him to focus on the coaching. Or maybe he enjoys that stuff.”
Or maybe you’re rambling Rassie.
