rugby

Oct 03

Rugby’s hierarchy still set in stone

By Beau Dure rugby 2 Comments »

Over the last seven men’s soccer World Cups, 28 teams have reached the quarterfinals (27 if you count Croatia and Yugoslavia as one). Only one country, Germany, has reached that stage all seven times. Then it’s Brazil with six, Argentina five, three with four, two with three, and the rest with one appearance each.

Over all seven men’s rugby World Cups, including the current one, only 12 teams have reached the quarterfinals. Since South Africa was welcomed back into competition in 1995 to pave the way for a future Matt Damon role, it’s just 11. Australia, New Zealand, England, France, South Africa have never missed the quarterfinals, aside from South Africa missing the first two Cups during the apartheid days.

This group is self-reinforcing. The top 12 teams in each World Cup (quarterfinalists plus third-place group finishers) automatically qualify for the next World Cup. The rest of the world plays through a promotion/relegation/playoff scheme so complex it makes the Davis Cup look like the NCAA Tournament. And the International Rugby Board divides teams into tiers, with the top 10 playing either in the Six Nations Championship (Europe) or Four Nations (Southern Hemisphere). The second IRB tier has the seven teams that usually play in the World Cup.

Everyone else is in Tier III, including the other eight teams that have ever played in a World Cup. That’s only 25 teams. Yes, fewer teams have qualified for a 20-team tournament (formerly 16) in seven iterations than have qualified for the quarterfinals of soccer’s World Cup in the same period.

So changes in the rugby hierarchy are marked in glacial terms. But these tiers could still use a little updating.

Tier I: The big five teams are competitive within the group — no team has won it more than twice, and no team has always made the semifinals. But below that, no team has ever made the final.

Tier II: The next tier of four teams includes the three other teams to reach a rugby semifinal — Wales (1987), Scotland (1991) and Argentina (2007). Ireland is in its fifth quarterfinal but has never gone farther. This tier of four has once again accounted for the other three quarterfinal spots this year, with Scotland the odd team out for the first time.

Tier III has the other teams who have reached a quarterfinal, but they’re well back. Before South Africa joined the fun, Fiji reached the 1987 quarterfinals, and Samoa and Canada advanced that far in 1991. Samoa made it back in 1995, Fiji returned in 2007, and Canada hasn’t won more than one game in a Cup since then.

Curiously, the International Rugby Board released new rankings today in the middle of the World Cup. The changes are basically based on one game — Tonga’s upset of France. France fell three spots to No. 8; Tonga leaped four to No. 9. Everyone in between them, therefore, moved one spot in either directions. And yet nothing has really changed — eight of the nine usual suspects are in the quarterfinals.

Here’s how they stand going into those quarterfinals:

Tagged with: Rugby World Cup

Mar 09

Rugby terms: Or why most people who say “scrum” are wrong

By Beau Dure rugby No Comments »

“Oh, and there’s a scrum along the boards,” a hockey commentator might say.

Not likely. A scrum is organized. Players get in specific positions and try to get the ball back to their teammates behind them. In hockey, a faceoff is as close as you’re likely to get to a scrum.

What’s usually called a “scrum” is much closer to a ruck, which happens within the flow of the game in rugby. Any number of players can get involved in the action — if you’re close to the ball or puck, you jump in.

So to keep it straight:

- Scrum: Players form interlocking circles with specific positions, and the ball is put into the fray by someone on the outside.

- Ruck: The ball is down, during the run of play, and players contest possession. It can get kind of rough.

- Maul: Similar to a ruck, but the ball is off the ground.

- Darth Maul: Ball is in the air, and players contest possession with light sabers.

Tagged with: hockey • maul • ruck • scrum • star wars

Jan 03

2011 in myriad sports

By Beau Dure 2011 calendar, 2012 medal projections, basketball, chess, cycling, mma, olympic sports, rugby, soccer, tennis, track and field, winter sports No Comments »

Any listing of the year in sports is going to be selective, and this one is no different.

The idea here is to get every world championship in every Olympic sport. Some sports don’t have world championships in odd years, so you’ll see a mix of 2010 world championships and a handful of elite 2011 events.

I’ve also included other major Olympic-sport events such as track and field’s Diamond League and various events in tennis and men’s soccer, which have no specific world championships for Olympic-eligible athletes. I also have some events of U.S. interest and a few non-Olympic sports selected through a mix of cultural importance and personal whims.

The “priority” ranking, not really priority but just for purposes of sorting: 1 is a world championship in an Olympic sport, 2 is a near-world championship, 3 is U.S. interest and 4 is general interest.

DATE	SPORT	EVENT	LOCATION	PRIORITY
2/8/2011	Alpine	World Championships	Garmisch, Germany	1
7/3/2011	Archery	World Championships	Torino, Italy	1
8/27/2011	Athletics	World Championships	Daegu, South Korea	1
4/17/2011	Athletics	London Marathon	London	2
5/6/2011	Athletics	Diamond League	Doha, Qatar	2
5/15/2011	Athletics	Diamond League	Shanghai, China	2
5/26/2011	Athletics	DL Golden Gala	Rome, Italy	2
6/4/2011	Athletics	DL Prefontaine Classic	Eugene, Ore.	2
6/9/2011	Athletics	DL Bislett Games	Oslo, Norway	2
6/11/2011	Athletics	DL adidas Grand Prix	New York	2
6/30/2011	Athletics	DL Athletissima	Lausanne, Switzerland	2
7/8/2011	Athletics	DL Meeting Areva	Paris	2
7/10/2011	Athletics	DL Birmingham GP	Birmingham, England	2
7/22/2011	Athletics	DL Herculis	Monaco	2
7/29/2011	Athletics	DL DN Galan	Stockholm	2
8/5/2011	Athletics	DL London GP	London	2
9/8/2011	Athletics	DL Weltklasse Zurich	Zurich, Switzerland	2
9/16/2011	Athletics	DL Memorial Van Damme	Brussels, Belgium	2
1/28/2011	Athletics	Millrose Games	New York	3
2/26/2011	Athletics	USA Indoor	Albuquerque	3
3/20/2011	Athletics	World Cross Country Champs	Punta Umbria, Spain	4
8/8/2011	Badminton	World Championships	London	1
8/28/2010	Basketball	(Men) World Championships	Turkey	1
9/23/2010	Basketball	(W) World Championships	Czech Republic	1
6/18/2011	Basketball	Women's EuroBasket	Poland	2
9/3/2011	Basketball	Men's EuroBasket	Lithuania	2
6/14/2011	Beach volleyball	World Championships	Italy	1
3/1/2011	Biathlon	World Championships	Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia	1
2/4/2011	Biathlon	World Cup, U.S. stops	Maine	3
7/28/2011	BMX	World Championships	Copenhagen, Denmark	1
2/14/2011	Bobsled/skel	World Championships	Koenigssee, Germany	1
9/16/2011	Boxing	World Championships	Busan, Korea	1
8/18/2011	Canoe/kayak	Flatwater World Champs	Szeged, Hungary	1
9/7/2011	Canoe/kayak	Slalom World Champs	Bratislava, Slovakia	1
5/3/2011	Chess	Candidates Matches	Kazan, Russia	4
2/19/2011	Cricket	World Cup	India, Sri Lanka, Bangla	4
3/19/2011	Curling	(W) World Championships	Esbjerg, Denmark	1
4/2/2011	Curling	(Men) World Championships	Regina, Canada	1
2/12/2011	Curling	US Championships	Fargo, ND	3
3/24/2011	Cycling	Track World Championships	Apeldoorn, Netherlands	1
9/19/2011	Cycling	Road World Champs	Copenhagen, Denmark	1
5/7/2011	Cycling	Giro d'Italia	Italy	2
7/2/2011	Cycling	Tour de France	France	2
8/20/2011	Cycling	Vuelta a Espana	Spain	2
3/19/2011	Cycling	Milan-San Remo	Italy	4
4/10/2011	Cycling	Paris-Roubaix	France	4
4/24/2011	Cycling	Liege-Bastogne-Liege	France	4
1/3/2011	Darts	World Championships	London	4
7/16/2011	Diving	World Championships	Shanghai, China	1
9/25/2010	Equestrian	World Equestrian Games	Lexington, Ky.	1
4/27/2011	Equestrian	Dressage World Cup final	Leipzig, Germany	2
4/27/2011	Equestrian	Jumping World Cup final	Leipzig, Germany	2
10/12/2011	Equestrian	Last eventing classic	France	2
10/8/2011	Fencing	World Championships	Catania, Italy	1
3/13/2010	Field hockey	(M) World Cup	New Delhi, India	1
9/11/2010	Field hockey	(W) World Cup	Rosario, Argentina	1
6/25/2011	Field hockey	Champions Trophy women	Amsterdam	2
12/1/2011	Field hockey	Champions Trophy men	India; city and date tbc	2
3/21/2011	Figure skating	World Championships	Tokyo	1
1/22/2011	Figure skating	U.S. Championships	Greensboro	3
1/30/2011	Freestyle ski	World Championships	Deer Valley, Utah	1
10/8/2011	Gymnastics	World Championships	Tokyo	1
1/13/2011	Handball	(Men) World Championships	Sweden	1
12/3/2011	Handball	(W) World Championships	Brazil	1
4/16/2011	Ice hockey	(W) World Championships	Switzerland	1
4/29/2011	Ice hockey	(Men) World Championships	Slovakia	2
8/23/2011	Judo	World Championships	Paris	1
1/29/2011	Luge	World Championships	Cesana, Italy	1
1/1/2011	MMA	UFC 125: Edgar-Maynard	Las Vegas	4
1/22/2011	MMA	UFC Fight for the Troops	Fort Hood, Texas	4
1/29/2011	MMA	Strikeforce	San Jose, Calif.	4
2/5/2011	MMA	UFC 126: Silva-Belfort	Las Vegas	4
2/27/2011	MMA	UFC 127: Penn-Fitch	Sydney	4
3/3/2011	MMA	UFC on Versus	Louisville, Ky.	4
3/5/2011	MMA	Strikeforce	Columbus, Ohio	4
3/19/2011	MMA	UFC 128	Newark, N.J.	4
3/26/2011	MMA	UFC Fight Night	Seattle	4
4/30/2011	MMA	UFC 129	Toronto	4
7/2/2011	MMA	UFC	Las Vegas	4
9/6/2011	Modern pent	World Championships	Cairo, Egypt	1
7/9/2011	Modern pent	World Cup final	London	2
2/24/2011	Modern pent	U.S. World Cup stop	Palm Springs	4
8/30/2011	Mountain bike	World Championships	Champery, Switzerland	1
2/22/2011	Nordic ski	World Championships	Oslo, Norway	1
5/31/2011	Poker	World Series of Poker	Las Vegas	4
9/19/2011	Rhythmic gym	World Championships	Montpellier, France	1
8/28/2011	Rowing	World Championships	Bled, Slovenia	1
5/21/2011	Rugby	Heineken and Amlin Cup finals	various	4
9/9/2011	Rugby	World Cup	New Zealand	4
10/3/2011	Sailing	World Championships	Perth, Australia	1
7/29/2010	Shooting	World Championships	Munich	1
9/3/2011	Shooting	Shotgun World Champs	Belgrade, Serbia	1
6/13/2011	Shooting	Last World Cup rifle/pistol	Munich	2
3/11/2011	Short-track	World Championships	Sheffield, England	1
3/19/2011	Short-track	World Team Championships	Warsaw, Poland	2
1/14/2011	Snowboarding	World Championships	La Molina, Spain	1
6/26/2011	Soccer	Women's World Cup	Germany	1
7/29/2011	Soccer	U-20 World Championships	Colombia	2
4/26/2011	Soccer	Champions League semis	various	4
5/3/2011	Soccer	Champions League semis	various	4
5/14/2011	Soccer	FA Cup final	Wembley	4
5/18/2011	Soccer	Europa League final	Dublin	4
5/28/2011	Soccer	Champions League final	Wembley	4
6/5/2011	Soccer	Gold Cup	USA	4
6/18/2011	Soccer	U-17 World Championships	Mexico	4
7/1/2011	Soccer	Copa America	Argentina	4
1/22/2011	Speedskating	Sprint World Champs	Heerenveen, Netherlands	1
2/12/2011	Speedskating	Allround World Champs	Calgary	1
3/10/2011	Speedskating	World Single Distance Champs	Inzell, Germany	1
7/16/2011	Swimming	World Championships	Shanghai, China	1
7/16/2011	Synchro swim	World Championships	Shanghai, China	1
5/8/2011	Table tennis	World Championships	Rotterdam, Netherlands	1
5/1/2011	Taekwondo	World Championships	Gyeongju, Korea	1
1/17/2011	Tennis	Australian Open	Melbourne	2
2/5/2011	Tennis	Fed Cup, first round	various	2
3/6/2011	Tennis	Davis Cup first round	various	2
4/16/2011	Tennis	Fed Cup semis	various	2
5/23/2011	Tennis	French Open	Paris	2
6/20/2011	Tennis	Wimbledon	London	2
7/8/2011	Tennis	Davis Cup second round	various	2
8/29/2011	Tennis	U.S. Open	New York	2
10/31/2011	Tennis	Fed Cup final	tba	2
11/28/2011	Tennis	Davis Cup final	tba	2
11/16/2011	Trampoline	World Championships	Birmingham, England	1
9/10/2011	Triathlon	Final, World Champ Series	Beijing	1
4/9/2011	Triathlon	ITU World Champ Series	Sydney	2
5/14/2011	Triathlon	ITU World Champ Series	Yokohama, Japan	2
6/4/2011	Triathlon	ITU World Champ Series	Madrid	2
6/18/2011	Triathlon	ITU World Champ Series	Kitzbuhel, Austria	2
7/16/2011	Triathlon	ITU World Champ Series	Hamburg, Germany	2
8/6/2011	Triathlon	ITU World Champ Series	London	2
10/10/2010	Volleyball	(M) World Championships	Italy	1
11/14/2010	Volleyball	(W) World Championships	Japan	1
11/4/2011	Volleyball	Women's World Cup	Japan	2
5/27/2011	Volleyball	World League	various	2
7/6/2011	Volleyball	World League finals	Gdansk, Poland	2
8/5/2011	Volleyball	World Grand Prix	various	2
8/24/2011	Volleyball	World Grand Prix finals	Macau, China	2
11/20/2011	Volleyball	Men's World Cup	Japan	2
7/16/2011	Water polo	World Championships	Shanghai, China	1
11/10/2011	Weightlifting	World Championships	Paris	1
9/13/2011	Wrestling	World Championships	Istanbul, Turkey	1
10/13/2011	Multisport	Pan Am Games	Guadalajara, Mexico	4

Two more notes:

1. No, I didn’t try to list every interesting soccer event. Didn’t want to overwhelm the calendar with one sport.

2. Many, many thanks to the wonderful WP-Table Reloaded plugin.

Tagged with: 2011 in sports • world championships

Aug 13

All Blacks must bring success into 2011

By travis rugby No Comments »

New Zealand’s dominance in this year’s Tri Nations spectacle is nothing new. In the short history of the tournament, the side wearing the silver fern has won nine out of a possible 15 times, including four out of five, and six of the last eight. But this year is unlike any previous Tri Nations, as New Zealand is set to host the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

For all of the All Blacks dominance over the years, they’ve only managed to win the World Cup title once. That was back in 1985, the first time the tournament was held. The World Cup has been held on just six occasions, excusing the All Blacks lack of success — to an extent. The other time they reached the final was in 1995, losing to a South African side of “Invictus” fame 15-12. The Springboks managed to slow down the freight train that was Jonah Lomu and escaped with an inspirational victory.

In recent memory, pressure is always immense on New Zealand heading into the World Cup, and since they first co-hosted the tournament with Tasman neighbors Australia. Next fall, they’ll host it alone, and the pressure to win will be unlike anything the All Blacks have seen.

Scores of Kiwis will be turning out in droves to support the home side, and anything short of hoisting the Webb Ellis trophy when all is said in done is going to be catastrophic.

Adding to that is the performances completed at this year’s Tri Nations. Just past the halfway point of this year’s tournament, Graham Henry’s side has been clinical, outscoring what are supposed to be the second and third-best rugby nations in the world by a score of 132-67. While three of those four wins have been on home soil, there’s little reason to take stock in either Australia or South Africa putting up much of a threat from this point out — the All Blacks need just one point to mathematically clinch the title.

An abbreviated tournament in 2011 may give an even stronger indicator of what this side is capable of — Tri Nations are generally shorter in World Cup seasons. But again, a performance similar to this one will also heap the pressure of expectation on the All Blacks.

For now, however, focus remains on the 2010 Tri Nations campaign. Only two games remain — a trip to Johannesburg for a test match at Soccer City, and a trans-Tasman journey to Sydney. A single point from the South Africa trip would see New Zealand clinch outright, while Australia needs to win their three remaining, with a bonus point in each, and then overtake the All Blacks in point differential. Translation: probably not going to happen.

Tagged with: australia • new zealand • Rugby World Cup • south africa • Tri Nations

Aug 06

All Blacks aim to seal emphatic Tri Nations win

By travis rugby No Comments »

Rare is it to see 10 tries scored in a Bledisloe Cup match, but such was the case last weekend when New Zealand ran over an Australia side by a 49-28 score. Referee decisions played an unfortunate role, when Wallabies winger Drew Mitchell was sent off for two yellow card offenses. Controversial circumstances of the dismissal aside, Australia struggled to match the pace set by New Zealand in Melbourne.

This weekend the two sides hop across the Tasman, descending on Christchurch to square off in what could be the Tri Nations decider for the All Blacks. Thanks to their impressive start in three games — a 15-point haul and a 55 scoring differential — another bonus point win would secure the crown for Graham Henry’s impervious side.

Pressure is on Australia, who have now lost eight straight to New Zealand, and can’t seem to keep up with the All Blacks — though to be fair, no team can when they perform as they have in the last month. Robbie Deans can only hope to recapture the magic he experienced in Christchurch as coach of the Super Rugby side Crusaders.

Changes are aplenty for the Wallabies — Adam Ashley-Cooper has been shifted into the centers, with Kurtley Beale slotting in as fullback. Beale is one of those prodigious talents who has yet to reach his full potential. He’ll need to keep a calm head at the back under the offensive siege he’ll likely see. Also making news on the Australian front is the Fainagaa twins both starting, Saia at hooker and Anthony at center next to Ashley-Cooper. Matt Giteau retains the fly-half spot in place of the suspende Quade Cooper, while Mitchell retains his spot on the wing.

Whether any of that makes a difference against the All Blacks seems unlikely. New Zealand has a tendency to peak during the Tri Nations, and are firing at all cylinders on both sides of the ball. Henry’s biggest concern at the moment has to be complacency, with such a large gap in the Tri Nations standings.

Henry has only made one changed, and his hand was forced by injury, with Piri Weepu selected at scrum half for Jimmy Cowan. Weepu has the experience at this level to make a seamless transition into the starting ranks, and is more stoutly built than most scrum halves you will see at this level.

Australia was second best in the prior meeting — and that was on home soil. Now heading to New Zealand, the psychological barrier standing in front of the Wallabies will be just as tough to conquer as the opposition they are set to face. And while the Wallabies reject that particular notion, they’ve got to show the ability to snap an eight-game losing streak against what is becoming a seemingly unbeatable side.

If you dare watch, expect to see New Zealand run over the Wallabies and clinch the Tri Nations.

Last week’s highlights are posted here.

Viewing options for Saturday’s 3:35 AM EST kickoff here.

Tagged with: australia • new zealand • Tri Nations

Aug 06

Friday Myriad: Bolt vs. Gay, Silva vs. Sonnen, DPs vs. DPs …

By Beau Dure mma, olympic sports, rugby, soccer, track and field, tv No Comments »

If you’re not a fan of American soccer leagues, this isn’t much of a weekend, though some European leagues (France, Netherlands, English Championship) kick off.

FRIDAY

2 p.m.: Track and field, Diamond League, Stockholm. Bolt vs. Gay. Great stuff. Universal Sports online

SATURDAY

3:35 a.m.: Rugby, Tri-Nations Cup, New Zealand vs. Australia. Travis’ preview will run in an hour or so. RugbyZone.com

3 p.m.: Harness racing, Hambletonian. We don’t cover much horse racing, but this is seriously the most interesting non-league item on USA TODAY’s listings. NBC

7 p.m.: Soccer, PDL championship. As with the W-League, this game is way too early because the players all need to scramble back to college. FSC

10 p.m.: Mixed martial arts, UFC 117, Anderson Silva-Chael Sonnen, Roy Nelson-Junior dos Santos, Jon Fitch-Thiago Alves. Good card. Previews at USA TODAY. Pay-per-view

SUNDAY

10 a.m.: Soccer, Community Shield, Chelsea-Manchester United. I tease Eurosnobs, sure, but of course I’m thrilled to see resumption of play in England. FSC

6 p.m.: Soccer, MLS, Dallas-Philadelphia. If you’re a Philly fan, stick around for the next game on FSC

8 p.m.: Soccer, WPS, Philadelphia-Boston. Alternately, you might have made the trip out to West Chester. Yeah, it’s a haul, but isn’t West Chester beautiful? FSC

9 p.m.: Soccer, MLS, Chicago-New York. Counting something like five Designated Players who might be on the field at the same time, which would be a record. Let’s see — Ljungberg, Castillo, Henry, Angel, Marquez. Might not all be ready, though. We had Beckham-cam a couple of years ago when he was on the bench and thinking about coming in — will we see Marquez-cam? ESPN2

MORE MYRIAD

Full soccer listings at Soccer America: MLS, international friendlies, France, Mexico, Brazil.
Selected weekend listings at USA TODAY
ESPN3: Lots of tennis and lacrosse, plus Australian Rules football, Dutch soccer and the odd friendly.
Tennis Channel: Live and delayed coverage of ATP Washington, WTA San Diego.
Universal Sports: Volleyball, beach volleyball, USA Swimming.
More Olympic sports: Shooting World Championships continue (live TV).

Jul 30

Bledisloe Bash Begins in Tri Nations

By travis rugby No Comments »

As the Tri Nations tournament nears the halfway point, the Bledisloe Cup enters the mix. So is called the inter-nation trophy between New Zealand and Australia during the Southern Hemisphere competition, a competition dating back to 1931. In what will be the first of four tests this year, the Wallabies are hoping to wrest the Cup from the All Blacks’ grasp for the first time since 2002, and wouldn’t mind a Tri Nations title while they’re at it.

Instead of players dominating headlines in the buildup, the story of a sports photographer is commandeering attention. Getty photographer Scott Barbour, originally from Christchurch, New Zealand, but now relocated to Melbourne, Australia — location of the first test match between the Wallabies and the All Blacks, snapped close ups of New Zealand coach Graham Henry’s tactical sheet.

Of course, that subtracted from the on-the-field chatter that is only now starting to heat up. The confidence of a young Australia side is at a good level, as the Wallabies search for an end of a run of seven straight losses to New Zealand. The All Blacks, who thoroughly dominated South Africa in the Tri Nation’s first two tests, are deep and experienced. Australian coach Robbie Deans will need much more than a few glimpses of Henry’s tactics to take down New Zealand

The scene turns to Melbourne, at Docklands Stadium. It’s where Deans will lead Australia out against his fellow Kiwis, looking to snap a seven-game losing streak at the hands of the All Blacks. Whispers of a troublesome pitch threatens the match, but as of now is set to kick off early Saturday in the United States.

New Zealand’s performance in the opening two tests against South Africa were matched by the Wallabies, seeing off the Springboks last week 30-13. The only bad news emerging from that results was Quade Cooper’s two-week suspension for a high tackle. Australia can boast some semblance of depth, calling Berrick Barnes into the centers while shifting Matt Giteau into Cooper’s fly-half spot. Giteau’s performance last weekend is what the Wallabies need to contest the All Blacks, who have the seemingly perfect Dan Carter handling kicking duties.

Two rivals that know each other so well can sometimes make for boring rugby. Tight, defensive matches at the breakdown are where this one will be won and lost — both Mils Muliana and Adam Ashley-Cooper are excellent fullbacks who should discourage any kind of long-kicking approach. Australia needs to take the attack to the outside, use their team speed and youthful energy to wear out New Zealand.

Sampling an Australian rugby column gives a glimpse of how loose some of the supporters may be. It is naive to think that the All Blacks can’t get any better — South Africa may have been off in their three road tests, but assuming they have peaked is a daft idea. Deans should know this, and considering this is his third crack at a Tri Nations, the pressure will be firmly on the home side’s coach to prove why he signed on in 2007. A win is also paramount because the Wallabies must travel to Christchurch next week, and to lose to New Zealand on home soil could seal the Tri Nations this weekend.

Highlights of Australia’s 30-13 win can be seen here.

Kickoff is at 6:00 AM Saturday. Pay viewing options are here.

Tagged with: australia • Bledisloe Cup • new zealand

Jul 23

Youthful Australia face battered ‘Boks

By travis rugby No Comments »

A beat down, ragged Springboks side limps across the Tasman Sea looking to return home with anything as a three-game road swing concludes. Not much has gone right. They’ve lost Bakkies Botha thanks to his temper, coach Peter de Villiers is in trouble for his conspiracy theories, and most importantly, the ‘Boks were outscored 63-29 by a determined All Blacks side.

Brisbane is the destination this week, and the Springboks have rung the changes from the side that lost to New Zealand last week in Wellington. Ruan Pienaar gets the nod at scrum half, Gio Aplon replaces Jean de Villiers on the wing, while Ryan Kankowski comes in as a replacement in the scrum. Bryan Habana has yet to flash his wheels, and he’ll look to take advantage of a quick pitch in Queensland.

The Wallabies enter Saturday’s fixture as favorites, at least according to the bookies in Australia. And while that’s not far off the mark, coach Robbie Deans has a younger, less experienced side to call upon, particularly amongst the backs. Center Matt Giteau will play a crucial role handling the kicking duties, and needs to find some consistency to compete with the ‘Boks. 22-year-old Quade Cooper, recently cleared of robbery charges, will start his first-ever Tri Nations match, lining up at fly half as he usually does for his Super 14 side Queensland Reds.

Last year, the Wallabies suffered through a Tri Nations campaign they’d prefer to forget, posting a 1-5 record, only winning last year at this same venue. At the very least, history favors the hosts — South Africa has never won at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium, including a 49-0 loss in 2006.

Whichever side fails to win faces a massive challenge in contending for this year’s title. New Zealand’s emphatic performances — with a bonus point in each one for number of tries scored — has them sitting on 10 points. Australia, seen by many as the outsiders of this tournament, could thrust themselves into contention with two wins on home soid — New Zealand comes to Melbourne next weekend.

To do that, Deans must inspire a series of performances from Giteau, who has struggled with decisions and kicking thus far. He’ll also need his youngsters to deliver, particularly his backs. James O’Connor, all of 20 years old, starts on the wing, and 21-year-old Rob Horne lines up at Outside Center next to Giteau.

Fortunately, the pack up front has a number of wise old heads, such as captain Rocky Elsom, Dean Mumm, Benn Robinson and Nathan Sharp all in the mix. The youthful exuberance of the Wallabies could prove to be an advantage, particularly because South Africa is coming in playing two games in two weeks. The Springboks failed to match the high-level of intensity the All Blacks displayed, and look for the Wallabies’ Kiwi coach Deans to emulate his fellow countrymen.

No matter the result, New Zealand carries the advantage, and all the more so if South Africa triumphs on Australian soil. It’s going to take a lot from these two teams to play catch up.

Catch highlights from last week’s South Africa-New Zealand match here.

ESPN UK video preview here.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 AM on the East Coast, early Saturday morning. Pay viewing options are here.

Tagged with: australia • south africa • Tri Nations

Jul 23

Friday Myriad: The dog ate it

By Beau Dure cycling, olympic sports, rugby, soccer, tv 1 Comment »

Things I’ll try to watch this weekend while we finish up a long week of dog-sitting …

FRIDAY

8:30 a.m.: Cycling, Tour de France, Stage 18. Flat stage with a likely sprint finish that will help decide the green jersey. Thor SMASH! Thor SMASH! Versus

8 p.m.: Softball, USA-Japan. First game of a lot of World Cup softball on ESPN networks this weekend. Jennie Finch has announced her imminent retirement. ESPN – full schedule of games at USA Softball

SATURDAY

6 a.m.: Rugby, Tri-Nations, Australia-South Africa. RugbyZone.com (pay)

8:30 a.m.: Cycling, Tour de France, Stage 19. Time trial. That’s Andy Schleck’s last real chance to take the yellow jersey from Alberto Contador, but he’s an underdog. Versus

4 p.m.: Action sports, BMX Open. NBC

10 p.m.: Basketball, U.S. national team intrasquad game. World Championships start in late August. LeBron apparently not involved this time, though without a one-hour special, can we be sure? ESPN2

SUNDAY

5:30 a.m.: Soccer, USA-Nigeria, U-20 Women’s World Cup quarterfinal. ESPNU/ESPN3.com

7:30 a.m.: Cycling, Tour de France, final stage. Possibly a final sprint for the green jersey, but more importantly, time to bid a fond farewell to Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen for now. And what will we do with our mornings now? Versus

4 p.m.: Beach volleyball, AVP Long Beach men’s final. ABC

10:30 p.m.: Soccer, Seattle-Colorado. In case you prefer league games to friendlies. Fox Soccer Channel

11 p.m.: Beach volleyball, AVP Long Beach women’s final (same-day). ESPN2

MORE MYRIAD

Full soccer listings at Soccer America: MLS, international friendlies, U-20 Women’s World Cup, Mexico.
Selected weekend listings at USA TODAY
ESPN3: U-20 Women’s World Cup, Australian Rules football, CFL, cricket, AAU basketball, tennis, fishing, lacrosse
Tennis Channel: Two live ATP tournaments.
Universal Sports: Triathlon, World Juniors track and field.
More Olympic sports: Handful of U.S. championships and junior competitions.

Jul 16

Friday Myriad: Morning TV, friendly soccer

By Beau Dure cycling, golf, olympic sports, poker, rugby, soccer, tv No Comments »

I have survived Double Deadline Day. I survived the sauna that passes for RFK Stadium’s press box. I survived the long Metro ride home, which ended with a ranting woman accusing me of using my Blackberry to transmit shortwave signals into her head to make her hair fall out. (Among other problems corroborating such an accusation: She had a very healthy head of hair.)

So what will I be watching now that all of this is done? There’s the British Open, which some will watch for Tiger drama but I enjoy for the spectacle of seeing pro golfers deal with bunkers that look like they’re hiding the Millennium Falcon. The Tour de France has a good two-man race between defending champ Alberto Contador and youngster Andy Schleck. And there’s soccer, soccer and more soccer.

FRIDAY

7 p.m.: Soccer, Manchester United-Celtic. Euro friendlies have always struck me as something I’d much rather watch in person than on TV, but plenty of people would disagree with me on that. Must be a considerable number disagreeing with me, as this game is taking up an ESPN network’s air time rather than filling summer time slots on FSC. ESPN2

9 p.m.: Boxing, Zab Judah-Jose Armando Santa Cruz. Unusual to see a name like Judah’s on the Friday Night Fights card. ESPN2

SATURDAY

3:35 a.m.: Rugby, Tri-Nations, New Zealand-South Africa. See Travis’ preview.

5 a.m.: Golf, British Open coverage starts with multiple angles/holes online, then on TV at 7 a.m. ESPN/ESPN3.com

8:30 a.m.: Cycling, Tour de France, Stage 13. Versus

Noon: Soccer, USA-Switzerland, U-20 Women’s World Cup. Fresh from a stunning 1-1 draw with Ghana, which would apparently frustrate the USA in every sport ever invented, the young Americans try to regroup against the Swiss. Good news for the Swiss: They have Atlanta Beat prodigy Ramona Bachmann. Bad news: They lost their opener 4-0 to South Korea. ESPNU/ESPN3.com

4 p.m.: Soccer, San Jose-Tottenham. Really? This friendly is on TV while Philly-Toronto (3:30), Columbus-New York (7:30), Dallas-Salt Lake (8:30) and Colorado-Kansas City (9) are on Direct Kick and online? OK, then. Columbus-New York won’t feature Thierry Henry’s debut, but the Red Bulls could leap over the Crew into first in the East. ESPN/ESPN Deportes

7:30 p.m.: Soccer, USA-Sweden women. Tale of two halves when these teams met earlier in the week. The USA dominated the first half and finally got a goal. Early in the second, Amy Rodriguez hit the crossbar, and Sweden scored on a counter. It finished 1-1, with Sweden looking better the rest of the way. That’s not normal for a home game and speaks to a possible depth problem. Fox Soccer Channel

SUNDAY

6 a.m.: Golf, British Open. All feeds live at the same time. ESPN/ESPN3.com

7:30 a.m.: Cycling, Tour de France, Stage 14. Versus

3 p.m.: Soccer, Seattle-Celtic. Again, huge game if you’re within driving/train-riding distance of Qwest Field. Or if you have a fierce Celtic tie. ESPN/ESPN Deportes

5 p.m.: Soccer, WPS, Boston-Washington. The Breakers are making a charge with two straight wins, while the goals have dried up for the Freedom. FSC

7:30 p.m.: Soccer, MLS, D.C. United-Los Angeles. Both teams looking to rebound from a loss. There, the similarities end. It’s worst vs. first at RFK. (Technically, D.C. is a point ahead of Philly, but the Union have three games in hand.) FSC

MORE MYRIAD

World Series of Poker: Main Event will be whittled down to 27 players on Friday and then down to the “November Nine” on Saturday.
Full soccer listings at Soccer America, including SuperLiga.
Selected weekend listings at USA TODAY
ESPN3: U-20 Women’s World Cup, Australian Rules football, CFL, NBA Summer League and a ton of golf.
Tennis Channel: Nothing live this weekend.
Universal Sports: Ironman, some Tour simulcasts and AVP Hermosa Beach.
More Olympic sports: U.S. championships in boxing and mountain bike.

Previous Entries

Rugby’s hierarchy still set in stone

Rugby terms: Or why most people who say “scrum” are wrong

2011 in myriad sports

All Blacks must bring success into 2011

All Blacks aim to seal emphatic Tri Nations win

Friday Myriad: Bolt vs. Gay, Silva vs. Sonnen, DPs vs. DPs …

Bledisloe Bash Begins in Tri Nations

Youthful Australia face battered ‘Boks

Friday Myriad: The dog ate it

Friday Myriad: Morning TV, friendly soccer

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