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'I am classing myself as a 1980's F1 car and these are 2020 F1 cars... they are much faster'

By Chris Jones
(Photo by Ashley Western/MB Media/Getty Images)

England wing Matt Banahan still rates himself  “a 1980’s F1 car” but admits Gloucester’s group of turbo charged wingers Jonny May, Louis Rees-Zammit and Ollie Thorley are currently operating at a speed that he could never reach – even at the peak of his powers.

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Banahan, whose 6ft 7ins and 18st frame still gives him the ability to hurt defences, provides the young guns on the wing for Gloucester with much-needed experience gained at test level where he won 16 England caps and as a key member of the Bath back division for 12 years before moving to Kingsholm. As he prepares for Wednesday night’s trip to Gallagher Premiership leaders Exeter, he gave his verdict on the other wing threats at the club along with Jason Woodward, the elusive full back.

The 33-year-old said: “The way I put it is this; an F1 car from the 1960s is still the fastest car that was around then. I am classing myself as a 1980’s F1 car and these are 2020 F1 cars and they are much faster than I have ever been. It is great to see these players develop around me and the opportunities they have given themselves. My game has changed over the years and my brakes are working just as fast but the natural gift they have is amazing and it is great to be part of it.

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“We have Jason Woodward at full-back and Ollie Thorley, Louis Rees-Zammit and Jonny May on the wings and sometimes you put your hand up and say that if I am fourth choice then I just put my thumbs up and keep a smile on my face. In training I keep up my momentum and enjoy it and hopeful the way I act and behave will benefit them in the long run.

“I have a nice conversation with Thorlo and Zammit about things and it is nice to get their perspective. Over the years, Jonny has become one of the best wings around and his knowledge, the way he talks and sees things is unbelievable. I remember he used to be very quiet and run a bit lateral but now everything he does has a reason to it and he is flourishing as an international wing,” concluded Banahan.

Dominic Waldouck, who recently joined as Gloucester’s defence coach, is using the pace of his wingers to help shore up that area of the team’s game. Since the restart, Gloucester have scored 18 tries but conceded 15 and he said: “One of the things we are trying to promote is that the pace in the back three can be used to prevent as well as score tries. You can see that in the work they put and there is desperation to use their pace to stop tries. It is a tool in our defensive weapons.”

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Jon 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

39 Go to comments
A
Adrian 12 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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