Those who enjoy comment and salacious gossip in tandem with their rugby could do worse than look up a new site, www.theeastterrace.com. The founders have described it as an online rugby newspaper and the name is taken from the much-loved terrace in the old Cardiff Arms Park
True terrace talk
According to their manifesto, they seek "to bring a new and most exhilarating approach to coverage of rugby football union. Rather than some of the stories being sensationalised or untrue (as is frighteningly often the case in the modern world of sports journalism) they are all, instead, quite simply untruthful."
So there you have it, rugby union with a suitable sense of irreverence.
Blades on scrums
Former Wallaby prop and forwards coach Andrew Blades has lent his help to the International Rugby Board in the production of a video focused on scrummaging and the challenges this specialist aspect of the game poses to referees, coaches and players.
Blades, widely regarded as one of the best practitioners of scrummaging in the world game, teamed up with the IRB development department, and players from Leinster Rugby and academy in Dublin to film at Old Belvedere Rugby Club.
The specialist video, which will provide an invaluable educative resource on scrummaging not only for referees but also for the training of scrummaging worldwide, will be launched next month at the IRB Panel Referees conference in London, and sent in dvd and video format to all member unions of the IRB.
Ireland rugby league fixtures
The Ireland rugby league team are set to play a couple of fixtures this month, first taking on Wales at Bridgend on October 17th and then hosting Scotland in Navan on October 29th.
Ticket competition
The generosity of Planet Rugby once again knows no bounds. We, with Leinster Rugby, are offering five lucky families (2 adults/2 children) the opportunity to travel to all three home European Heineken Cup matches in Lansdowne Road, against Bath (October 30th), Bourgoin (December 4th) and Treviso (January 14th-16th).
To be in with a chance of winning, e-mail information@leinsterrugby.ie with the answer to this week's question. Name the current Leinster senior captain? Please include your name, address and telephone number with each entry. The judges' decision is final.
The winners will be announced on www.leinsterrugby.ie on Wednesday, October 13th.
O'Driscoll rated highly
We are indebted to Fran Pender and Dave Tyrell of Guinness Rugby Club, who spotted a discrepancy between Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan's thoughts on the pecking order of Irish second rows and those put forward by the powers that be who govern the ERC fantasy rugby competition.
In checking out the ERC fantasy rugby team competition on their website, the pair came across an unusual ranking system. Under the terms of the competition each player in the declared European Cup squad has been given a rating between one and 10. The duo take up the story.
"We began quite well with our front row but when we came to pick our second row we were amazed to see that the former Munster second row Mick O'Driscoll, now at Perpignan, is rated at six, which is the highest rating for any second row in the competition along with the likes of Martin Johnson, Simon Shaw, Fabien Pelous, Scott Murray, David Auradou and Munster and Ireland star Paul O'Connell.
"Yet the likes of current Irish internationals Malcolm O'Kelly and Donncha O'Callaghan are rated as four. I'm not sure how they achieve these ratings but we were wondering if the Ireland management team had been missing out on something over in Perpignan."
Micko for Ireland.
Japan favourites for World Cup
The race is on to secure hosting rights for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, with a pair of heavyweights set to challenge Japan's hopes of being the first non-traditional rugby nation to host the code's showcase event. Expressions of interest have now closed, with the International Rugby Board (IRB) soon to release a list of criteria on which the respective bids will be judged.
The New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) has confirmed its interested in hosting the RWC, the Kiwis no doubt still smarting from having the co-hosting duties removed in the lead up to the 2003 tournament.
South Africa, who hosted in 1995 are also in contention, their bid headed up by the winning captain that year, Francois Pienaar. Stumbling blocks would include the likely absence of corporate or government support due to the fact South Africa is hosting the Soccer World Cup in 2010, and a potential bid for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Japan remains a very early favourite. Not only does it have strong support in the corridors of power at the IRB, but the up-and-coming rugby nation is also reaping the benefits of a flood of international involvement in the game locally. Names like New Zealanders Ron Cribb, Tony Brown, Leon McDonald and Glen Osborne, former Wallabies Toutai Kefu, Glen Panaho and Brian Smith, and current Springbok Jaco van der Westhuyzen are all either playing or coaching in the recently formed Top League.
If they win it will be the first staging of the event in Asia.
Olympic chance for sevens
Rugby still has one eye on getting into the Olympics, albeit in its abbreviated format of sevens. The support of former Australian legend and World Cup-winning captain John Eales, in Athens for this year's Olympics, is pivotal given that a vote will be taken by the International Olympic Committee, in Singapore, to decide the 2012 host city next June (2005).
Also at this meeting, a list of five new sports will be considered for inclusion, including rugby, squash, golf, karate and roller sports. The time-frame gives sevens rugby the best possible chance to prove it's a worthy inclusion on the Olympic programme.
All Blacks in different class
Ireland generally has had reason to celebrate Down Under in recent years when taking on Australia at schools level. This year though they lost the Test match for the first time in their last three visits there. However, the real power brokers at schools level in the Southern Hemisphere are New Zealand.
They came through their tour of Fiji unbeaten and will now take on the Australia schools team in Christchurch. New Zealand will come into the game off a convincing 30-17 win over a Fiji under-18 team.
Conditions in Fiji were difficult, the game played in about 30 degrees of heat - the New Zealanders drank 60 litres of water during the game - and the ground unbelievably hard.
Australia, who were keeping a close eye on the New Zealand team in Fiji, played against Otago recently. The Aussies will be out to get their first win over New Zealand since 1997.
