Good week, bad week: Jonathan Joseph in A Tweet Too Far
England player chose the wrong moment to tell the Twittersphere all about his footwear – but another international picked the right time to put in a storming performance on his return from injury.
GOOD WEEK
La Rochelle
Suddenly, everyone loves Top 14 side La Rochelle – and why not? At the weekend, they made sure of a place in the end-of-season playoffs and a Champions Cup spot next season. Along with Pau, the team they beat, La Rochelle are threatening to bust open the monopoly of the Top 14’s all-important top six places, while big-spending behemoths like Racing 92 and Toulouse continue to struggle. What makes this season all the more remarkable is the fact that their win at Grenoble way back in the second week of the season was their first victory on the road in 518 days. It clearly started something. They have since won six more times away from their Stade Marcel Deflandre fortress – and haven’t lost in the league since November 19.
Jersey
Speaking of surprise packages, the English Championship side on an island just off the French coast did what no other team in the competition has managed to do this season: beat runaway leaders London Irish. The result probably won’t affect the race for promotion to the Aviva Premiership – London Irish are 17 points clear at the top of the table, and have already beaten likely playoff opponent Yorkshire Carnegie three times (twice in the league and once in the British and Irish Cup) – but, for now, Championship bragging rights belong to the Channel Islanders.
British and Irish Lions fans
Up to 20,000 rugby fans are expected to head to New Zealand for the scratch team’s 10-match tour. With accommodation scarce and prices for what’s left sky-high, one generous All Blacks‘ fan decided to do something. So, he started the ‘Adopt a Lions fan’ Facebook page to encourage other New Zealand rugby fans to offer spare rooms, sofas, floor space accommodation – for free.
Chris Robshaw
After 12 weeks out with a shoulder injury, you could be forgiven for thinking Chris Robshaw would want a nice, warm seat on the bench and a relatively gentle 20-minute return to match rugby. But that’s not the Robshaw way. He played the full 80 minutes of Harlequins win over Newcastle. If we didn’t know all about Robshaw’s engine, we do now – and it may well be he has the Lions on his mind. He certainly left those journalists watching the game from the confines of the press box wondering if he could get the nod from Warren Gatland.
Leigh Halfpenny
Got to love a slice of speculation. Bath are reportedly putting together a big-money deal to tempt the Wales and Toulon fullback to the Rec for the 2018 season. The 28-year-old had been in talks to return to Wales on a dual contract with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) and his former region, Cardiff Blues. That, apparently, fell through, with the WRU said to be unwilling to extend a two-year deal to cover the 2019 World Cup, prompting Halfpenny to sign a year’s extension with the Top 14 side.
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BAD WEEK
Australian rugby
A report suggesting that rugby in Australia was less popular than ballroom dancing caused uproar, and prompted a swift response from the powers that be at the ARU. But, it’s not the first piece of bad rugby news from Oz in the past few days. Western Force issued a strongly worded statement about its future amid speculation it could be axed from next season’s Super Rugby competition, following suggestions the tournament could be reduced from 18 sides to 15. The ARU, too, said that no decision had been made about the future of the Perth-based franchise. But that speculation just isn’t going away.
Ospreys
Every side has a bad day at the office – just ask Bath about their away day at Saracens last weekend. Few, however, would have predicted Welsh outfit Ospreys, third in the Pro 12, to come unstuck at 11th-placed Treviso. But that’s what happened. Worse, they returned home with not even a losing bonus point, which leaves them four points behind Munster in the race for a top-two spot and home advantage in the play-offs. Treviso has now won three, and will probably finish higher than the league’s other Italian side, Zebre, to qualify for next season’s Champions Cup.
Fabien Gengenbacher
The Grenoble fullback had already announced he would retire at the end of the season after spending the past 11 years with the Isere side – but instead his career came to an early end midway through the opening half of the Top 14 strugglers’ must-win match at Stade des Alpes against Castres at the weekend.
Anyone who has any doubt about what a club can mean to a player should watch this:
???? Merci Fabien ! #FCG pic.twitter.com/8KgUSS67rP
— FC Grenoble Rugby (@FCGrugby) March 28, 2017
Gengenbacher’s pain will have been eased as he watched Grenoble win, courtesy of David Mele’s third drop goal two minutes from time. And, to prove what a player can mean to a club, this happened next:
— FC Grenoble Rugby (@FCGrugby) March 26, 2017
Jonathan Joseph
The England winger returned to domestic duties at Premiership side Bath this week. The match against Saracens did not go well, but his ill-judged post-match tweet made everything much worse.
Performance not where it needed to be today. But its air max day! ? #kissmyairs @nike nikelondon https://t.co/kqRzfYNhKK
— Jonathan Joseph (@Jonathanjoseph0) March 26, 2017
Way to win over the fans, JJ. Some of their replies were … scathing.
@Jonathanjoseph0 @Nike Cut the sponsor butt-licking and get on with the rugby JJ! #bathfamily #nosilverlining @bathrugby
— Miles Offside (@miles_offside) March 26, 2017
@Jonathanjoseph0 @Nike No tries for us since 2015, team completely going off the boil, just been beaten 53-10 but hey, shoes! Sums up the clubs current state.
— Alex Beard (@BeardsBanter) March 26, 2017
@Jonathanjoseph0 @Nike disappointing tweet, that.
— Tom Stranks (@tomstranks5) March 26, 2017
Comments on RugbyPass
I certainly don’t miss drinking beers at 8am in the morning watching rugby games being played in NZ.
1 Go to commentsThis looks like a damage limitation exercise for Wales, keeping back some of their more effective players for the last 20/25 minutes to try and counter England’s fresh legs so the Red Roses don’t rack up a big score.
1 Go to commentsVery unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to commentsJust such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
2 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
5 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
2 Go to commentsThere’s a bit of depth there but realistically Australian players have a long way to go to now catch up. The game is moving on fast and Australia are falling behind. Australian sides still don’t priories the breakdown like they should, it’s a non-negotiable if you want to compete on the international stage. That goes for forwards and backs. The Australian team could have a back row that could make a difference but the problem is they don’t have a tight five that can do the business. Tupou is limited in defence, overweight and unfit and the locks are a long way from international standard. Frost is soft and Salakai-Loto is too small so that means they need a Valentini at 8 who has to do the hard graft so limits the effectiveness of the backrow. Schmidt really needs to get a hard working, tough tight 5 if he wants to get this team firing.
3 Go to commentsSorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
2 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
10 Go to commentsSimple reason for wanting him back. Robertson wants him as captain. Otherwise he wouldn’t be bothering chasing him. Not enough reason to come back just to mentor.
10 Go to commentsI had not considered this topic like this at all, brilliant read. I had been looking at his record at the Waratahs and thought it odd the Crusaders appointed him, then couple that with all that experience and talent departing and boom. They’ve got some great talent developing though, and in all honesty I don’t think anyone would be over confident taking them on in a playoff match, no matter how poor the first half of their season was. I think they can pull a game out of their ass when it counts.
2 Go to commentsNot a bad list but not Porecki and not Donaldson. Not because they are Tahs, or Ex Tahs, they are just not good enough. Edmed should be ahead. Far more potential. Wilson should be 8 and Valentini 6. Wilson needs to be told by his father and his coach, stop bloody running in to brick wall defence. You’re not playing under the genius Thorn any more. He’s a fantastic angle runner. The young new 8 from the Brumbies looks really good too. The Lonegrans are just too small for international rugby as is Paisami, as is Hamish Stewart at 12. Both great at Super Rugby level. Stewart could have been a great 10 if not for Brad Thorn. Uru should be there and so should Tupou. Tupou just needs good Australian coaching which he hasn’t been getting. I don’t think Schmidt will excite him.
3 Go to commentsIf he wants to come back then he should. He will be a major asset to the younger locks and could easily be played as an impact player off the bench coming on in the last 30. He is fit, strong and capable and has all the experience to make up for any loss in physical prowess. He could also be brought back with a view to coaching within the structures one day. Duane Vermeulen played until he was 37 or 38. He is now a roaming coach within the South African coaching structures. He was valuable in the last world cup and has been a major influence on Jasper Wiese and other young players which has helped and accelerated their development and growth. Whitelock could do the exact same thing for NZ
10 Go to commentsBrett Excellent words… finally someone (other than DC) has noted that Hanigan is very hard and very good at doing what Backrow should do… his performance via the Drua sauna was quite daunting for those on the other side… very high tackle count… carries with good end result… constant threat to make a good 20-25 meters with those long legs… providing his mass effectively to crunching the Drua pack… Finally he is returning to quality form… way to much injury time over the last 2 years… smart-strong-competent in his skills… caught every lineout throw aimed at him and delivered clean pass to whoever was down below… and he worked hard for the whole 80 minutes… Ned has to be in the top 5 for backrow honors… He knows what is required as he has been there before…
20 Go to commentsI think Sam Whitelock should not touch a return with a bargepole. He went out on a high, playing in the RWC Final. He would be coming back into a team that will be weaker than last years, and might even be struggling to win games, especially against the Boks. Stay in France, enjoy another year with Pau, playing alongside his brother.
10 Go to commentsRyan Coxon has been very impressive considering he was signed by WF as injury cover whilst Uru has been a standout for QR, surprised neither of those mentioned
3 Go to comments