Best of the Rest

It’s been a little while since we’ve posted a selection of some worthwhile reading from around the online rugby world. This time we’re going to take a slightly different approach. Instead of writing a summary or our thoughts below the link, we’re simply going to post an excerpt and let you decide if it sounds interesting and what its value is. The links below cover an array of topics including rugby history, philosophy, officiating, scrum problems, and the World Cup.

 

Super Rugby was First Choice for Ardron Before Chiefs Signed him – by Joseph Pearson / Stuff

“The riches of European rugby could have kept him in the northern hemisphere but the 26-year-old wanted a crack at Super Rugby because “why not play the most exciting brand of rugby,” Ardron said with a very strong Canadian accent.”

 

Tough Day on Lansdowne Road after RWC Hammer Blow – by Gordon D’Arcy / The Irish Times

“The plan backfired because there is no way of showing the world how great a tournament we would put on, how there would be a buy-in from every small town, because foreigners cannot possibly understand the cultural aspect of the GAA.”

 

New Canada coach Jones set to Dive Into the Deep End – by Josh Clipperton / Canadian Press

“Kingsley Jones got an early taste of what’s waiting for him if he can get Canada past Uruguay and into the 2019 Rugby World Cup — a lot of attention from back home.”

 

Throw Away the Walky-Talkies – by Alan Jones / Players Voice

“I thought the game was about running into space, not people. And if you want the public to continue to come, if you want to make the turnstiles turn, we should be trying to recalibrate rugby into a 15-man game. And that’s what I’ve sought to do.”

 

Rugby has to be Shaken Up – by Nik Simon / The Daily Mail

“Conversation moves between meeting Barack Obama, discrimination in business — ‘auditors dug into my accounts more than normal people’ — and his tunnel vision to shake up the rugby world. Altrad’s rugby revolution starts at home, where he rescued Montpellier’s near-bankrupt club in 2011.”

 

Italian Clubs Finding their Groove – by Conor O’Shea / Pro 14 Rugby

“We’re focused on laying the foundations and not merely papering over the cracks, because building a team, a squad and a national system takes time. It’s a journey of constant growth and although not everyone stays on until the finish, everyone can have an impact on where you end up.”

 

The California Eagle hovers over La Rabine – by Frédéric Hervé / Mêlée Ouverte (French)

“Twenty-four Pro D2 games later, the arrival of the US loosehead prop proved to be a very good pick. Appreciated for his human qualities as well as sporting, the Californian has carved his place into the first choice pack of Vannes.”

 

We are in the Process of Working on the Scrum – by Fernando Guatieri / UAR (Spanish)

“Each prop is unique and there is no universal formula for everyone. Of course there are common things, but the work is individual and a good part of that work is the flexibility of the lower body and the postural part.”

 

The First Roar of Los Pumitas in Berlin – by Juan Pablo García / Cordoba XV (Spanish)

“30 years ago. While the country was on the verge of the carapintada uprising, the youth team was crowned champion of the FIRA Tournament in Berlin. Germán Sagrera, a man from Palermo Bajo on that occasion, was the only Cordoban of the squad.”

 

Beyond the Beach: An Inside Look at OMBAC – by The Rugby Republic

“OMBAC Rugby was started in 1966 and started to play in 1968.  We all have heard or know about OMBAC Rugby from their presence in the top competitions and the top players they produce but we wanted to learn more about the club, as well as some really great looking kits.”

 

With no Referee, There is no Game of Rugby – by Colin Gregor

“When you think you are making progress at training during the week but it doesn’t materialise at game time it can be infuriating. You want immediate reasons why it hasn’t happened. Human nature looks for excuses, eyes wander and there is the referee.”

 

We don’t have a crisis. We’ve got a problem. – by Robert Kitson / The Guardian

“Gary Gold has duly signed up as the next Eagles head coach but the high‑fives are on hold. After five successive Premiership defeats, Worcester are less bothered about American dreams than extracting themselves from an increasingly Grand Canyon-sized hole.”