A bird's eye view of rugby

No room for media

The announcement of the news surrounding Simon Best was again conducted at the bottom of the steps of the team hotel because a room was not available. As a result, the normal cliched, pushing-and-shoving media scrum took place as Eddie O'Sullivan was going through the depressing news that his prop was being transferred to a specialist hospital. The IRB won't cough up for a media room - estimated to cost about €1,000 - because, the IRB say, in this age of television, sound and print media the Irish team don't need one.

That issue of a media room would have been an interesting question to put to the IRB chairman Syd Millar who, hot on the hells of Noel Murphy and the IRFU CEO Phillip Browne was seen exiting one of the most expensive hotels in Bordeaux this week, the Burdigala. Sadly the best-appointed, the Radisson, has not yet opened.

Smit shows confidence

Sometimes the arrogance just oozes out by accident. John Smit, the South African captain and hooker, made an observation yesterday about the Springboks' game against the USA this weekend.

"It's right in the middle (of the tournament) and if you look at our preparation it's more ideal for us to play this team now. The guys are well rested and need as much rugby as possible at the moment."

Right in the middle of the tournament ?

Well if you intend to get to the final or win it outright, now is around the middle. Not really a position Ireland would take.

Tonga team spirit

The patience of the Tonga secondrow Inoke Afeaki was severely tested when an Irish TV reporter confused him with his team-mate Epeli Taione.

"I'm not Epeli," he growled at the reporter. "If you want Epeli, go look for the ugliest guy on the field. That'll be Epeli."

Sour grapes

The Irish team decided to break from their bunker hotel and take a trip to St Emilion, the famous winery close to Bordeaux.

The television people thought it would be gas to get a few shots of the players strolling through the endless acreage of vineyards.

So the chase of the team bus began. With traffic and outriding police bikers keeping the bus moving quickly and other police bikers slowing down the chasing hounds, frantic driving was called for.

Finally the crew caught the bus and arrived after an hour or more of breakneck speed and knife-edge motorway exits across four lanes. Right, you've got two minutes, they were told.

So the cameras dutifully took shots of the players walking down what could have been any street, the only grapes visible the sour ones being metaphorically eaten by the crew.

Quote of the day

"We're coming to the stage now where there's no room for error and there's no second chances, so we've got to start preparing and making sure 'the time is now' for all of us."

- No not Eddie O'Sullivan, but Springbok hooker John Smit reading from a similar autocue.

Trimble makes waves

To beat the boredom this week several of the Irish squad took off to the coast to watch some action in the World Surfing Championships. Alas, the waves were not suitable for the competition to proceed proper but as so many people turned up to watch, the legend Kelly Slater put on an exhibition. The ex-boyfriend of the Baywatch star Pamela Anderson is an eight-time world champion and the first man to score two perfect rides for a total 20 out of 20.

It's not the first time the rugby players have gone surfing. For the record, the pick of the lot when they got the chance to get up on a board was the blond Ulster beach bum Andrew Trimble.