Smash Rugby

England coach Martin Johnson has revealed that he is aiming to end the five match tour of down under with a win as his team go to take on New Zealand Maori.

This match is seen as the unofficial third match of the tour and England go in on a slight high after their narrow 21-20 win against Australia last week, a match in which Jonny Wilkinson was the hero, kicking a long range penalty to grab the victory from the jaws of defeat.

Although England will go into the match with the Maori as underdogs, coach Johnson has insisted that his players will be going all out for the win, a victory that will stand them in good stead as the new Rugby Union season approaches.

“We are not here to make up the numbers. We are here to win,” said Johnson.

“The bulk of this team have played well against the Australian Barbarians. They came back from points down in Perth and improved markedly for the second game and won that.

“This is their Test match.”

Johnson has selected Brad Barrit and Phil Dowson for the final test after calling them into the squad late on and Jonno feels that this is the perfect chance for the two, and the rest of the squad, to impress him in time for the new season.

“This was a great chance to get them in,” said Johnson.

“When you are picking a squad there are always some players who are unlucky to miss out who could have come easily. This is an opportunity for those guys to play.

“You are always disappointed to get injuries but this has worked out for us in some regards in that we get to look at them at the highest level.

“When we got Brad we thought, ‘Let’s not bring him all this way to sit on the bench’. It was the same for Phil. We wanted to give him a start.

“They are good guys and were unlucky to miss out, frankly. They are bright enough to know they get a good chance tomorrow.”

England are 4/5 with bet365 to beat the Maori and Ladbrokes are offering even odds.

It is thought that there is a lot of talented Rugby players that are not getting enough opportunity to play. This is true of the Springbok team, they have 30 potential players with a core squad of 22, that leaves 8 players who spend too much of their time waiting on the benches for a game. Then there are the other 22 players who are selected from each province. They too often go on tours with the team but rarely get a game.

It is hard to gain much needed experience and skill by sitting on the sidelines. These things are only gained during real game play and training. Many of these players are losing interest, some are paid big salaries for just sitting on benches. Their talent is going to waste because there are no clear procedures for ensuring every player gets an equal or set number of games. The main issue behind these problems seems to be the mis management of players, it seems money takes a priority over players welfare and progression.

The management of players needs to be much improved to stop Rugby talent getting wasted. A simple answer would be to force the trainers and managers to rotate the members of their squads more fairly.

If all members of each squad had the same opportunity to play from the same number of games then this would only improve overall team fitness. It would be doing what is best for any potential talented Rugby player. No longer should Rugby talent be wasted.

Rugby in Twickenham goes as far back as 1867 when Wellesley House had Richmond as their rivals and formed the first Twickenham Football Club. In 1873 some older members of the club decided it was time to play again, however they would need some young, fresh talent to represent them. It was decided to advertise in the local newspaper for boys of gentlemen, under the age of 17 to form and play for a football club. The new club was started.

There were a few changes during the 1880’s but the Twickenham Rugby tradition carried on, they still played and went on to form the Young Man’s Friendly Society toward the end of this decade. Not much is recorded up until 1893 when there was a meeting in a pub in Twickenham held by some local footballers and they intended to re form the Twickenham Football Club. They would decide which Rugby or association rules to adopt and concluded that rugby football rules would be used at their club. The club kit was to consist of black shirts with a white TFC logo. This was changed a year later when the colours of red and black were introduced, they remain the colours for Twickenham today.

Play took place originally on the Twickenham Green before the construction of a giant stadium for the sport. The history of Twickenham Rugby is very fascinating and Twickenham can provide the ideal destination for hospitality and tours if you want to find out more about this historic football rugby club.

Rugby is not a complicated game but like all games it has basic rules that should be followed. The game is played on a pitch by 15 players in two halves of 40 minutes each with a break at half time. The Rugby field has a white line running down the centre. You can score in Rugby several ways.

A Try is scored when a player gets the ball to ground in their opponents goal area and will gain 5 points. A Penalty Try is similar to a football penalty kick in that the opponent is penalised for stopping a Try, this also gains 5 points. A conversion goal can be attempted following a Try and is worth 2 points. A Penalty Kick is similar to a free kick in football and resets the positions. A dropped goal is when the player runs the ball back after a drop kick during normal play.

When the games starts the first kick is called the drop kick and forward passing is not allowed in this game. You are able to pass backwards or sideways and you may kick the ball at any time. If you go out off bounds of the play area then there will be what is called a line out where the other side gets to throw the ball back in between the 2 teams. Finally there is a well known method for introducing the ball back into play and it is called the scrum. Each team forming their own tunnel and the ball is put inbetween them. Both teams battle for the oval ball until one is able to manipulate the ball backwards and to his team players behind.

Over the years and around the world the game of Rugby has had many different names, for example the Greeks called it Episkuros where as the English named it Fute Ball. The game of Rugby began in English boarding school like Eton Early games did not allow the player to run with the ball in their hands in the direction of the goal and there was no limit on the number who could take part. This resulted in a mad scramble and it was decided more rules were needed. Some time after this running and having the ball in your hands was allowed.

The first written rules appeared in 1870 for this popular sport that now has Rugby League and Rugby Union as it’s main competitive championships. Rugby is played on a field area of 100 metres long and 75 metres wide and starts with a kick off to a challenger in midfield, the ball must travel at least past the 10 metres line. There is a referee and touch judges to monitor the play. The teams consist of seven backs and eight forwards in each team of 15.

There are 2 forty minute halves to each game with extra injury time. Points are scored in many different ways. Substitution players are allowed as in Football and a player is allowed to grasp and pass as well as kick the ball. He can run with the ball until tackled by an opponent and can pass to any player. It is important to remember that the oval ball cannot be passed forward, it is only allowed to be passed sideways or backward.

Equipment used in Rugby has to meet certain regulations, all manufacturers of equipment must be approved by the International Rugby Board. These rules are designed to ensure that players are protected during competition and all headgear and shoulder pads must bear the IRB approval mark. Competition is fierce for approval and currently there are only 2 listed testing companies that can provide it, one in the UK and one in France. Manufacturers must meet the standards before they can be tested and approved.

Rugby kits often come in sets in todays retail market and are often sponsored by big brand names like Adidas and HSBC bank. A set usually consists of 2 shirts for home and away matches, long socks, shorts,  and sometimes boots are included. The materials used are reinforced to allow for rough wear. There are of course extras that can be very useful like a mouth guard or padding for more protection.

116 nations are now full or associate members of the IRB since it formed over a hundred years ago but its regulations are due an update. Following a 4 year study Experimental Law Variations are now to be soon implemented following a 1 year trial period. Six of these regulations are about lineout and the throw-in procedures and should help improve the game. The best equipment for Rugby is considered to be the human body and this must be protected as equipment alone cannot win a game of Rugby. Rugby Union equipment regulations are for in place for everyone as protection

Rugby boots are vital when playing the sport, even if you do not have any of the other requirements like shorts, you need boots. Rugby boots are especially made for the sport, they are flexible in strength and support while proving protection from injury. There are several kinds of boot dependant on the position you will be playing.

This is important as a winger may need to be nimble on his feet where as another type of player may need a more solid, stronger grounding under foot. Even the amount of kicking you have to do in some positions is taken into consideration when designing and manufacturing Rugby boots. If you are going to play Rugby then you will definitely need the correct boots to get the most out of your game. This applies if you are playing in the park with friends or entering a Rugby tournament, Rugby can be a rough and dangerous game and with the right boots you will perform better and stay safer.

Children are often keen on the sport and so the correct footwear is very important for them, Rugby boots are available in all sizes and for all ages. When they are old enough to choose their own boots there are branded designs that should attract and reinforce the need for specially designed sport boots.

The amount of styles in the range of Rugby boots available is amply catered for and you will find something to appeal to everyones budget and tastes. As sport evolves Rugby has maintained a modern, safe and technologically advanced designs for suitable footwear options.