Talk Rugby Union Blog

Josh Lewsey decides to call it a day for England

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:39:56 UTC

A key member of England’s rugby union World Cup winning team has retired from international duty at the age of thirty-two. Josh Lewsey, who has played for the national team a total of 55 times, has fallen out of favour with selectors recently as officials aim to test out younger players.

In the light of this new situation, Lewsey has decided to focus solely upon his club career with Wasps. He has not been in particularly impressive form recently for his club and this is something the player, who has very high expectations of himself, is keen to change.

It is a major decision from a player who made his Test debut for England in 1998. He quickly became a key player for the national side and, during his international career, he scored 22 tries. One of the most memorable of these tries came last year in the World Cup semi-final tie against France.

Unfortunately, Lewsey was injured later in the same game and was forced into missing the tournament’s final. The crucial involvement in the semi-final has proved to be the last act of Lewsey’s in an England shirt and it was perhaps a fitting end to an impressive, if somewhat underrated, international career.

Lewsey explained that he spoke to new England boss, Martin Johnson, about his future prospects in an England shirt, and was told that “he didn’t consider me to be an integral part of his immediate team moving forward”.

Despite this discouragement, the player still has hopes of participating in the Lions' tour next year. The Lions will travel to South Africa and the player will hope to be in with a chance of inclusion.

Australia set to investigate Wembley pitch

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 10:54:05 UTC

Last week, Matt Dunning and Sekope Kepu, two Australian rugby players, suffered serious injuries when a scrum collapsed during a match held at Wembley.

Yesterday it was announced that the rugby authorities from Australia are going to investigate whether or not the pitch at Wembley was a major contributing factor in causing the injuries of the players.

A health and safety committee of six representatives has been formed by the Australian Rugby Union and Rupa, a body which represents the rugby players, and the investigation will assess whether the players competed on “surfaces that are unstable” and therefore inherently unsafe.

The chief executive of Rupa, Tony Dempsey, has revealed that several of the players complained about the unstable pitch and this, in his own words, has concerned Australian rugby officials “from an occupational health and safety point of view”.

Rupa, the body currently headed by Dempsey, stands for the Rugby Union Players’ Association in Australia. It was initially set up to ensure the safety of the sport's players and the organisation will deal with this recent issue severely if it is found that the Wembley pitch was unfit for professional play.

The news has been dismissed by officials at Wembley, who believe that the pitch surface is perfectly stable.

A spokesperson revealed that both teams took part in training sessions the day before the match and had no complaints. Furthermore, thousands of junior rugby players took part in matches prior to the game’s kick-off and did not suffer any injuries.

Wilkinson may be in line for Six Nations return

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 09:00:52 UTC

England rugby union star, Jonny Wilkinson, has revealed that he may make a successful comeback from his latest injury problem in time to be in line for a call-up to the Six Nations squad.

The Six Nations tournament starts next February and the availability of Wilkinson would be a massive boost for an international side which has faltered during recent performances. Toby Flood and Danny Cipriani have failed to make an impression in the position left vacant by the Newcastle fly-half, with the latter player coming under heavy criticism during recent weeks.

Wilkinson, who is still the record points-scorer in international rugby union despite having suffered a wide range of serious injuries since his starring role in the 2003 World Cup, suffered a serious knee injury at the end of September and is set to have one more operation before starting the real road to recovery.

This operation will allow surgeons to assess how Wilkinson’s knee is healing and, if all the signs are positive, he will be able to, in his own words, “move around” properly by January.

The fly-half believes that the national team, under the guidance of new manager, Martin Johnson, will thrive in the near future. Whilst immediate success under new management is an unrealistic ambition, Wilkinson remains confident that improvements will be seen very soon.

The player has placed his trust in “the system” as well as the coaches and the other players in the England team. Hopefully for England, Wilkinson will be able to return in time to see Six Nations success.

Rob Andrew defends England coaches

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 08:56:10 UTC

English fans of rugby union have been left feeling angry, frustrated, and dejected following the recent performances of the national side. Humbling defeats at the hands of teams including South Africa and New Zealand have chipped away at the national pride felt by those who still remember the glory days of 2003, when the England rugby team beat Australia to win the World Cup in impressive style.

However, one person who simply refuses to believe that the England team has frustrated fans recently is Rob Andrew, the national union’s director of elite rugby.

According to Andrew, all is well in the English rugby union world. He has given his full backing to the coaching team which includes individuals including Brian Smith, Jon Callard, and Mike Ford, and believes that Martin Johnson is the right man to be leading the national side at this time.

Andrew recognised that the coaches have had a tough start but the director still thinks that a “rebuilding process” is underway and, as such, the recent performances and results should have been expected.

Andrew’s words seem slightly unrealistic. After all, even Martin Johnson has admitted that work needs to be done. The manager revealed that the team needs “to improve” in all areas and simply needs to “get better” very quickly.

Despite the dissatisfaction felt by England fans recently, Andrew believes that supporters “understand the difficulties and the difficult job that Martin has been given”. He has urged patience during the build-up to the 2011 World Cup.

Johnson names Borthwick as captain

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 09:06:17 UTC

Steve Borthwick has been named England captain for the team’s autumn internationals. The Saracens lock, who is 29 years of age, was appointed by England manager Martin Johnson.

Borthwick led the national side during the New Zealand summer tour as a result of the absence of previous captain, Phil Vickery. Vickery is no longer one of the first names on the England team sheet, primarily as a result of injuries and the impressive form of Matt Stevens. As such, Johnson would have been somewhat foolish to name the Wasps prop as skipper.

However, the England manager was quick to recognise, and show appreciation for, the influence Vickery has had on the national team. Johnson publicly thanked the prop, who he played alongside during the successful World Cup campaign, for the work he has done with the team during his time as captain and continued to compare Steve Borthwick with the England legend.

Martin Johnson has made a sensible choice in picking Borthwick. He has experience as England captain and was first handed the honour during this year’s Six Nations fixture against Italy. He enjoyed ten successful years at Bath, winning the European Challenge Cup last season, but decided to join Saracens earlier this year.

The director of rugby at the club, Eddie Jones, believes that the player should be captain of the national side as a result of his hard-working, competitive nature. Jones believes that Borthwick is extremely “serious about his rugby” and is therefore a natural team-leader.

Johnson was also eager to point out the qualities of the Saracens player and, most notably, was keen to discuss his leadership skills. He spoke of the thorough preparation and careful planning which the player puts in before every match (at both club and international level) and expressed his excitement at working closely with him in the near future.

Borthwick has not been handed the captaincy for any official fixed period of time. However, the player can rest assured in the knowledge that he has the full backing of his teammates and, of course, his manager. Martin Johnson spoke of his wish to “support him as much as possible” whilst still allowing the player to revel in the high level of responsibility demanded by the role.

Borthwick has already spoken about his excitement at the prospect of leading the national team out at Twickenham and is desperately looking forward to this “special moment” which will undoubtedly be a highlight of his career so far.

However, the player was keen to put the concerns of the team above his own: “My overriding aim is to help England get off to a winning start.” The England rugby team is due to come up against the Pacific Islands on the 8th of November before facing tough tests in the form of matches against Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.

It will certainly be interesting to see whether the Saracens player can exert his influence successfully and lead his team to victory over the coming weeks.

Hadden names uncapped pair in national squad

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 07:59:35 UTC

Frank Hadden, the coach of the Scottish rugby union team, has surprisingly named a pair of uncapped players in the squad for the upcoming autumn Tests. Geoff Cross, who is a prop for Edinburgh, and Max Evans, who is a back for the Glasgow Warriors, have been included in the 31-man squad.

A further surprise came in the form of flanker, Scott Gray, who has only one cap, earned against Australia several years ago. Gray has impressed at openside during several of Northampton’s matches and this has not gone unnoticed by Frank Hadden, who believes that the player has “put in some great shifts”. Cross and Evans are both 25 years of age and have impressed at club level this season.

The Scottish national team is set to face New Zealand, South Africa, and Canada next month and the matches are particularly important in the light of the draw for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. They will face New Zealand on the 8th of November, South Africa a week later, and Canada on the 22nd of November.

The coach has spoken about the importance of healthy competition for a place in the first team and believes that the inclusion of Cross and Evans can only be beneficial for the side. The large squad will now meet at a Spanish warm-weather training camp next week.

Unfortunately, the training facilities at Murrayfield are currently being renovated, making them unsuitable for use.

Other players named in the squad include Mike Blair and Ben Cairns (who both play for Edinburgh), Rory Lamont, who has been in impressive form for the Sale Sharks, and Rory Lawson, who plays for Gloucester.