Scrumbag

Snapshot: Dwain Chambers works out playing rugby really hurts...

Ah the poor chap's face. I've said before on Scrumbag, and I'll say it again now... I wish Chambers all the luck in the world with his rugby league career. If it works, he'll be a sensation. It's a big "if" but what's the point in not trying it?

Why do some rugby stars still love to eye gouge?

Though ladies love eye patches, if it's two words that should never be associated with rugby it's "eye" and "gouging". Thankfully Rugby Union and Rugby League teams have all but stamped it out, but it seems some players just can't help themselves. Great Britain Rugby League international Gareth Raynor for example has been accused of gouging this very week.

Oddly however it wasn't even an eye poke on another player. Gareth is accused of gouging a doorman's eye at a lap-dancing bar. The Hull player, 29, was charged with racially aggravated assault at Blackpool magistrates' court yesterday and the case was adjourned until next week. Raynor allegedly gouged Sallah Jeng's eye at the Wildcats Club in Blackpool on December 1 last year. Ughghgh.

Sean Long Leaves Tri-Nations Tour

St Helens half-back Sean Long has left the Great Britain squad on the ongoing Tri-Nations tour, with personal reasons cited as the reason for his departure.  Despite rumours of Long having been seen in a drunken state on the plane from Wellington to Sydney following his side's 34-4 loss to New Zealand, which leaves them needing to avoid defeat against Australia this Saturday in order to reach the tournament final, the party line is that Long wishes to be at home with his wife, who is heavily pregnant.

Long has also been accused of gambling on previous games in the Tri-Nations series, a recurring theme for Long after he served a ban for gambling offences earlier in his career.  Given his domestic situation, it is only fair though to give him the benefit of the doubt, especially given Brian Noble's reputation for being a disciplinarian.

Australia 12 Great Britain 23

The GB Lions recovered from last week's defeat by the Kiwis in magnificent style as they won a full-blooded encounter in Sydney with an 11-point margin.  Four tries plus a Sean Long drop-goal cemented the win, which came at the end of a week in which the Australian press had given the visitors no chance of coming away with the points.

The game was again marred by controversy, as Aussie forward Willie Mason appeared to escape scor-free with first a punch on Stuart Fielden and then a late, elbow-led challenge on Long.  The punch, which left Fielden unconscious, has since been punished with a one-game ban and a fine of AUS$5,000.

New Zealand 18 Great Britain 14

The GB Lions lost their first match in this year's Tri-Nations tournament, but will feel cheated after Danny McGuire was denied a try by a controversial refereeing decision.  After Brent Webb had given the home side the lead, McGuire crossed the line but had the ball punched out of his grasp by Webb.  From there, the Kiwis stepped it up and added two more tries, and late scores from Paul Wellens and Gareth Ellis were for naught.

The good news for GB is that Adrian Morley was cleared of two counts of foul play, having been put on report by match ref Paul Simpkins for an apparent high tackle on Ruben Wiki, and then having appeared to punch the controversial Webb.  An adjudication panel believed that Wiki had ducked into the tackle, while any contact with Webb was minimal.

Probyn Blasts Farrell Fast-Tracking

Legendary England prop Jeff Probyn has expressed grave reservations over the wisdom of Andy Farrell's fast-tracking into the England reckoning after the former League man's early games within the fifteen-man code.  Speaking to The Guardian, Probyn stated that Farrell's inclusion in the England training squad was a waste of time, and that the former Wigan player was not even playing in his correct position, putting the latter issue down to former England backs coach Joe Lydon, who was sacked this summer.  "[Lydon] was struggling to get his message across to the players and saw the signing of Farrell as a way of helping get his attacking disciplines across having worked with him in rugby league. Lydon has now gone and Farrell is not playing in the backs," stated Probyn.

Farrell's club coach Alan Gaffney has defended his decision to play Farrell at blind-side flanker, a position which doesn't exist in the 13-man game.  "Everyone is saying we should pick Andy at 12, but he tends to run across the field and that is the worst trait a centre can have," said Gaffney, adding that England coach Andy Robinson was of the same opinion.  Given that the back row is one of the few areas where England are currently spoilt for choice, one wonders how much thought Robinson has given the matter.  Probyn, for his part, endorsed the signing by Bath of Super League star Chev Walker.  "Club England earlier this year agreed to help fund the move of Chev Walker from Leeds to Bath and I went along with that.  He is 23 and plays in the centre: he will have plenty of time to adapt to union."  Time will tell...

Leeds 17 Warrington 18

Warrington have emerged victorious from the first Super League Elimination Play-Off after an enthralling last-minute drop goal from Lee Briers gave them a narrow win over Leeds Rhinos.  It was the first time all game that the Yorkshire side had trailed, and they paid the price for not capitalising on a fine start, leading 12-4 after less than twenty minutes.

Warrington will now face the winner of the Bradford-Salford game, for the right to face the loser of St. Helens vs Hull.  The winner of the latter game will then face the WINNER of the St. Helens-Hull game, as part of a system so convoluted that even after typing that out I'm not sure how it works.

Does anyone have any chalk?

Comfortable Debut For Farrell

As Saracens eased to an impressive 44-20 win over Newcastle on Sunday, their most talked-about player finally, and almost unnoticed, made his union debut.  With victory more or less secure, Andy Farrell took his Premiership bow, coming on for the injured Kris Chesney with 16 minutes to go.  He had an impact on the game, taking a line-out.  The resulting break from Ben Johnson led to a try for Shane Byrne.  So, no misunderstandings over sets of six or anything like that - Andy Farrell is a fully-fledged Rugby Union player now.  Today he will take part in his first training session for Andy Robinson.

Some more action may come on Friday night, as Saracens travel to champions Sale in the Premiership.  Farrell was glad to just get some game time at senior level:  "It has been a long time coming, so it was nice to get out there and get this game under my belt. I was eager to get on, and as the clock wound down, I wasn't sure if it would happen.  The boys already had the game under control, so that made it a pretty easy debut for me but the most important thing was that we won the game."  Coach Alan Gaffney was happy with his debutant, too, saying "Andy got a fair bit of a legal 'shoeing', which I thought was good for him. He has got a grin on his face.  His fitness level would be reasonable for most people in the Premiership but not at the level Andy Farrell himself would want to be at."

Castleford To Challenge Relegation

After Saturday's "relegation decider" saw Castleford lose out to Wakefield, the issue of Tigers' relegation to National League 1 is still at the centre of some controversy.  The club is approaching the RFL and the existing Super League clubs in the hope of getting the League expanded to 13 clubs for next season - meaning that Cas could stay in Super League as well as any club promoted from NL1's playoff system.

The NL1 playoffs are currently in progress, and the final takes place at the start of October.  Among the teams competing for the title are Batley and Whitehaven, neither of whom is eligible to play in Super League should they emerge victorious.  Should either club win the title, Castleford's relegation would be annulled and they would continue to play top-flight rugby regardless.  This would seem to be their best hope, as the proposed expansion would see the current Super League TV cash divided 13 ways rather than the current 12.  As the Castleford proposal would need the agreement of the Super League clubs, it is unlikely to pass.

Castleford Relegated

The Super League relegation decider went in Wakefield's favour yesterday, their 29-17 win condemning Castleford to an immediate return to NL1.  Five tries, including two for James Evans, sealed Wakefield's joy and Castleford's heartbreak.  Castleford's head coach, Terry Matterson, leaves his post as a result, and was critical of the system of promotion and relegation in the aftermath of the game, feeling that it prevents coaches from giving young players a chance.

"We just can't promote these kids because the stakes are so high," he said.  "I would have loved to have had Craig Huby out there playing and I would have gone with Andy Kain a lot more this year but there's just so much riding on it.  I was going to play a kid called Joe Westerman this week if we were safe but you just can't do it. There were 24 out of 34 players last week in the Wakefield-Bradford game who weren't English - that's crazy."  The flip side of this argument is that in National League 1, these players may now get a chance and come into Super League rugby with a decent year of experience under their belts.  As well as this, the teams playing in the lower divisions benefit from the competitive edge given to games when promotion is a possibility.  Though I wouldn't wish to be critical of Matterson, the real problem for Cas this season was the awful run towards the end of the season during which crucial games were lost without much of a fight.  Perhaps fielding the younger players anyway would have given them that?

Sean Long Leaves Tri-Nations Tour

St Helens half-back Sean Long has left the Great Britain squad on the ongoing Tri-Nations tour, with personal reasons cited as the reason for his departure.  Despite rumours of Long having been seen in a drunken state on the plane from Wellington to Sydney following his side's 34-4 loss to New Zealand, which leaves them needing to avoid defeat against Australia this Saturday in order to reach the tournament final, the party line is that Long wishes to be at home with his wife, who is heavily pregnant.

Long has also been accused of gambling on previous games in the Tri-Nations series, a recurring theme for Long after he served a ban for gambling offences earlier in his career.  Given his domestic situation, it is only fair though to give him the benefit of the doubt, especially given Brian Noble's reputation for being a disciplinarian.

Australia 12 Great Britain 23

The GB Lions recovered from last week's defeat by the Kiwis in magnificent style as they won a full-blooded encounter in Sydney with an 11-point margin.  Four tries plus a Sean Long drop-goal cemented the win, which came at the end of a week in which the Australian press had given the visitors no chance of coming away with the points.

The game was again marred by controversy, as Aussie forward Willie Mason appeared to escape scor-free with first a punch on Stuart Fielden and then a late, elbow-led challenge on Long.  The punch, which left Fielden unconscious, has since been punished with a one-game ban and a fine of AUS$5,000.

New Zealand 18 Great Britain 14

The GB Lions lost their first match in this year's Tri-Nations tournament, but will feel cheated after Danny McGuire was denied a try by a controversial refereeing decision.  After Brent Webb had given the home side the lead, McGuire crossed the line but had the ball punched out of his grasp by Webb.  From there, the Kiwis stepped it up and added two more tries, and late scores from Paul Wellens and Gareth Ellis were for naught.

The good news for GB is that Adrian Morley was cleared of two counts of foul play, having been put on report by match ref Paul Simpkins for an apparent high tackle on Ruben Wiki, and then having appeared to punch the controversial Webb.  An adjudication panel believed that Wiki had ducked into the tackle, while any contact with Webb was minimal.

Probyn Blasts Farrell Fast-Tracking

Legendary England prop Jeff Probyn has expressed grave reservations over the wisdom of Andy Farrell's fast-tracking into the England reckoning after the former League man's early games within the fifteen-man code.  Speaking to The Guardian, Probyn stated that Farrell's inclusion in the England training squad was a waste of time, and that the former Wigan player was not even playing in his correct position, putting the latter issue down to former England backs coach Joe Lydon, who was sacked this summer.  "[Lydon] was struggling to get his message across to the players and saw the signing of Farrell as a way of helping get his attacking disciplines across having worked with him in rugby league. Lydon has now gone and Farrell is not playing in the backs," stated Probyn.

Farrell's club coach Alan Gaffney has defended his decision to play Farrell at blind-side flanker, a position which doesn't exist in the 13-man game.  "Everyone is saying we should pick Andy at 12, but he tends to run across the field and that is the worst trait a centre can have," said Gaffney, adding that England coach Andy Robinson was of the same opinion.  Given that the back row is one of the few areas where England are currently spoilt for choice, one wonders how much thought Robinson has given the matter.  Probyn, for his part, endorsed the signing by Bath of Super League star Chev Walker.  "Club England earlier this year agreed to help fund the move of Chev Walker from Leeds to Bath and I went along with that.  He is 23 and plays in the centre: he will have plenty of time to adapt to union."  Time will tell...

Leeds 17 Warrington 18

Warrington have emerged victorious from the first Super League Elimination Play-Off after an enthralling last-minute drop goal from Lee Briers gave them a narrow win over Leeds Rhinos.  It was the first time all game that the Yorkshire side had trailed, and they paid the price for not capitalising on a fine start, leading 12-4 after less than twenty minutes.

Warrington will now face the winner of the Bradford-Salford game, for the right to face the loser of St. Helens vs Hull.  The winner of the latter game will then face the WINNER of the St. Helens-Hull game, as part of a system so convoluted that even after typing that out I'm not sure how it works.

Does anyone have any chalk?

Comfortable Debut For Farrell

As Saracens eased to an impressive 44-20 win over Newcastle on Sunday, their most talked-about player finally, and almost unnoticed, made his union debut.  With victory more or less secure, Andy Farrell took his Premiership bow, coming on for the injured Kris Chesney with 16 minutes to go.  He had an impact on the game, taking a line-out.  The resulting break from Ben Johnson led to a try for Shane Byrne.  So, no misunderstandings over sets of six or anything like that - Andy Farrell is a fully-fledged Rugby Union player now.  Today he will take part in his first training session for Andy Robinson.

Some more action may come on Friday night, as Saracens travel to champions Sale in the Premiership.  Farrell was glad to just get some game time at senior level:  "It has been a long time coming, so it was nice to get out there and get this game under my belt. I was eager to get on, and as the clock wound down, I wasn't sure if it would happen.  The boys already had the game under control, so that made it a pretty easy debut for me but the most important thing was that we won the game."  Coach Alan Gaffney was happy with his debutant, too, saying "Andy got a fair bit of a legal 'shoeing', which I thought was good for him. He has got a grin on his face.  His fitness level would be reasonable for most people in the Premiership but not at the level Andy Farrell himself would want to be at."

Castleford To Challenge Relegation

After Saturday's "relegation decider" saw Castleford lose out to Wakefield, the issue of Tigers' relegation to National League 1 is still at the centre of some controversy.  The club is approaching the RFL and the existing Super League clubs in the hope of getting the League expanded to 13 clubs for next season - meaning that Cas could stay in Super League as well as any club promoted from NL1's playoff system.

The NL1 playoffs are currently in progress, and the final takes place at the start of October.  Among the teams competing for the title are Batley and Whitehaven, neither of whom is eligible to play in Super League should they emerge victorious.  Should either club win the title, Castleford's relegation would be annulled and they would continue to play top-flight rugby regardless.  This would seem to be their best hope, as the proposed expansion would see the current Super League TV cash divided 13 ways rather than the current 12.  As the Castleford proposal would need the agreement of the Super League clubs, it is unlikely to pass.

Castleford Relegated

The Super League relegation decider went in Wakefield's favour yesterday, their 29-17 win condemning Castleford to an immediate return to NL1.  Five tries, including two for James Evans, sealed Wakefield's joy and Castleford's heartbreak.  Castleford's head coach, Terry Matterson, leaves his post as a result, and was critical of the system of promotion and relegation in the aftermath of the game, feeling that it prevents coaches from giving young players a chance.

"We just can't promote these kids because the stakes are so high," he said.  "I would have loved to have had Craig Huby out there playing and I would have gone with Andy Kain a lot more this year but there's just so much riding on it.  I was going to play a kid called Joe Westerman this week if we were safe but you just can't do it. There were 24 out of 34 players last week in the Wakefield-Bradford game who weren't English - that's crazy."  The flip side of this argument is that in National League 1, these players may now get a chance and come into Super League rugby with a decent year of experience under their belts.  As well as this, the teams playing in the lower divisions benefit from the competitive edge given to games when promotion is a possibility.  Though I wouldn't wish to be critical of Matterson, the real problem for Cas this season was the awful run towards the end of the season during which crucial games were lost without much of a fight.  Perhaps fielding the younger players anyway would have given them that?

Wakefield vs Castleford: Apocalypse Soon

It couldn't have been planned any more perfectly, from a drama point of view.  This weekend, the last of the regular Super League season, will see one of two teams relegated to National Division One.  To up the ante a bit, these Yorkshire rivals play each other on Saturday evening at Wakefield's Belle Vue stadium.  The home team currently trail their visitors by a solitary point, but have shown better form over the past two months since the appointment of new coach John Kear.  Cas, on the other hand, have been awful recently, losing five out of six games.  On Saturday though, that counts for very little.  In the immortal words of Abba, "the winner takes it all, the loser's standing small".

Given what's been detailed in the above paragraph, the point advantage notwithstanding, you'd have to plump for Wakefield to be playing Super League rugby next season.  Castleford broke their run of bad form momentarily to beat Harlequins two weekends ago, but aside from that they've been playing like drains.  Confidence seems to be at a premium, and all the momentum is with Wakefield.  Kear has recently trousered the Coach of the Month award for August, and in true team-man style, thanked his players for making it possible.

Castleford may consider themselves lucky that they are a point ahead of Wakey - should an unlikely draw be the end result, they will stay in the Super League, despite a points difference (-381) which is fully 243 points worse than their opponents'.  On repeated occasions, the Tigers have lost heavily, suggesting a tendency to lose heart when the going gets tough.  They mustn't allow this to happen on Saturday, as any show of weakness will be exploited by a newly-confident Wakefield.  The most recent game between the two sides, little over a month ago, saw the Wildcats leave the jungle with an 18-0 victory clamped between their jaws.  Two Wakey players were sent off that day which, while not admirable, does point to a fighting spirit.

Saturday's match, however, may not be governed by any of these factors.  History has a way of making the predictor look like a buffoon, and Cas may have a good day.  They'll need to because, if things start badly for them, expect the Tigers to be relegated by half time.

Super League Round-Up

It's been awhile since we covered Rugby League on here, with all the excitement over the new union season kicking off.  So, as a catch-up, here's a write-up of what we've missed.

Wakefield are now the favourites for relegation after what could be a fateful weekend of Super League Rugby.  Wakey lost 34-12 to league leaders St Helens on Friday night, as their nearest rivals for the drop, Wigan, were defeating Bradford 38-16.  The misery of defeat was compounded on Saturday, as Castleford shook themselves out of their dire recent form to comfortably beat Harlequins RL 37-12.  Another potential relegatee, Huddersfield, then won 24-18 over Salford to move four points ahead of Wakey.  This weekend will be crucial, with the Wildcats on 16 points, and Quins level with Cas above them on 19.  Wakefield host Cas on the final day, and if this weekend goes well for the Trinity, that one will be a relegation decider.  Quins' two remaining games are at home but tricky (against Wigan and Salford), and they should do enough to be safe.