Sports Shorts

Rugby League: Which Challenge Cup quarter-final was the best?

2010-06-03T10:46:14Z

Here's a question to ponder. Which of the two televised Challenge Cup quarter-finals last weekend did you enjoy more?

The answer is easy enough on the face of it. Bradford against Warrington was a flee-flowing to-and-fro affair, in doubt until the end.

Leeds versus Wigan was just as close, but had nothing resembling a try until Lee Smith's last-minute winner.

Until that marvellous finish, I'd found it a frustrating match. Strong defence and difficult handling conditions had a lot to do with it, but the handling was dreadful and the game was dominated by two things - the referee's whistle and place-kicking.

More than one person at the match made the obvious remark: "If this was what I wanted to see, I'd watch rugby union."

I'd broadly agree with that, although you can forgive a match a lot for that sort of finish.

But a lot of people who watched it on TV thought it was absolutely great from start to finish - which, in my book, it wasn't. I've seen low-scoring or even non-scoring games which justified that description, but this wasn't one of them.

Give me the game at Odsal the following day, although one or two of the tries were admittedly a bit on the soft side.

Now we just have a couple of months to wait for the semis!

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Plenty to think about in Steve McNamara's first England squad...

Strictly speaking, he doesn't need Melbourne's Gareth Widdop yet, but it's a shrewd move to get him committed to the England cause.

The man he has replaced, Shaun Briscoe, can consider himself unlucky, as can Ryan Atkins and, most of all, Eorl Crabtree.

I don't know what the Huddersfield Giant did wrong in his Tests last autumn, or indeed for his club this season, but I'd want him up the sleeve for his impact off the bench.

Rugby League: Thoughts on State of Origin

2010-05-27T11:41:46Z

Steve McNamara did not watch the first State of Origin live, for the good reason that he was preparing his Bradford team for a Challenge Cup semi-final.

When he does sit down and study it, he will find confirmation of what he already knows, namely that these games are played with an intensity and a level of skill that we are still striving for in this country.

As a positive-minded person, however, he will also be looking for areas that can be exploited come the Four Nations this autumn.

In my unofficial, unpaid role as seeker after reasons to be cheerful, I'd like to suggest the following.

1. Jarryd Hayne is a dazzling attacking full-back, almost but not quite as good as Billy Slater. But played out of position on the wing, he can be caught out defensively.

2. Jamal Idris is the scariest thing with the ball in his hands since Mal Meninga, but he too is subject to defensive uncertainty.

3. Lockyer and Thurston are one of those 'made in heaven' half-back combinations. Any other pairing brings Australia down several notches.

4. They don't have another hooker remotely as good as Cameron Smith.

5. We have two English forwards - Gareth Ellis and Sam Burgess - who are playing at this level week after week and shining. Either one of them would have been worth an Origin jumper, if they had played their first footy in NSW or Queensland rather than West Yorkshire.

I know McNamara is keen to put out his strongest possible side out against France, for one thing to try to match the continuity that Origin gives the Aussies' key combinations.

It should look something like this: Briscoe; Fox, Atkins, Bridge, Hall; S.Tomkins, Eastmond; Morley, Roby, Graham, Ellis, Burgess, O'Loughlin.

Subs: Crabtree, Sinfield, J.Tomkins, Westwood.

Rugby League: I'm not sorry to have missed Blackpool's 132

2010-05-19T14:33:39Z

People who know of my soft spot for Blackpool have been saying that they bet I wish I had been there to see them put 132 points past Gateshead on Sunday.

On the contrary, I'm glad I missed it - and any other match that day, thanks to great-nephew Finnan's christening. There's no pleasure in seeing that happen to a side, although I'm can quite believe that the Panthers scored some wonderful tries among their 22.

But you want to have to work for these things; otherwise, like an endless diet of strawberries and cream, it starts to pall.

Panthers coach Martin Crompton feels the same way. As a real rugby league man, he would have been happier winning a real contest.

He tells me he tried his best to stop his side reaching 100, by playing props on the wing and wingers in the front row, as well as deliberately taking off some of his most dangerous players.

It was no good. The Panthers topped the ton with 25 minutes left, so it could have been even worse.

The one thing that limits my sympathy for Gateshead is the memory of 1994, when the then Blackpool Gladiators let in 142 against Huddersfield.

What's more, I had to watch it - or felt morbidly drawn to watch it - because Huddersfield screened it the following week at their next home match.

I'm not sorry to have missed Blackpool's 132, but I'd rather watch that than the 142 again!

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I'm not writing in praise of fraud or counterfeiting as human activities, but I feel a bit sorry for Gareth Raynor.

The winger has been jailed for 15 months, nine for a computer ink scam and six from a suspended sentence for a previous assault.

As far as the main charge is concerned, it doesn't sound the most heinous crime in the history of the penal system. Okay, selling dodgy ink is wrong and you shouldn't do it, but is it worse than glassing someone in a pub - to cite one offence for which perpetrators often avoid prison?

Still, the people of Hull can sleep easy, knowing that the integrity of their printing ink is being safeguarded.

Rugby League: Farewell to Edinburgh

2010-05-05T11:31:01Z

So farewell to Edinburgh....

Sadly, I don't expect to be back there on rugby league business for quite some time.

Even though the RFL brazenly described a 7000 fall in attendances as a success, the real situation is that Murrayfield has run its course.

Sure, those who went enjoyed it, but even those who seemed to be enjoying it most said, when I asked them, that they would rather be in Cardiff.

The selling point of the Millenium Stadium is its city-centre location. People just like that and the only other example I can think of is Newcastle. It wouldn't surprise me to be in either of those cities next year.

Of course, we'd all be feeling a lot more chipper about Edinburgh if the rugby had been memorable. You can't legislate for these things, but one out-and-out good contest out of seven is a poor return.

Okay, it was good to see Crusaders and Harlequins get well publicised victories, but too many teams just didn't turn up - notably Salford and the Hull clubs.

Perhaps some clubs and some players didn't quite buy into the concept and, if they don't, the paying public can hardly be expected to.

The basic idea of a big weekend away for everyone in mid-season is still a good one. We just haven't got the formula right yet.

Rugby League: There's a question mark over Wigan

2010-04-28T12:49:44Z

There haven't been many turnarounds in Super League like Harlequins' second half at Wigan on Friday.

For the bottom of the league to trail 24-6 at half-time and beat the top of the league 38-26 is the stuff of comic book fantasy.

Yet there was no fluke about it. Wigan were simply played off the park after the break.

They are still leading the competition, but that's the third rotten second half they have put in this season, following Bradford and Sheffield.

That has put just a little question mark over their credentials. As usual, there is a theory to go with it; in old school parlance, they might be what used to be called overtrained.

There is no doubt that Wigan were the fittest team in the comp during the first two months of the season, but that isn't a peak you can maintain indefinitely. If you could, it wouldn't be a peak - more of a plateau.

When your defence is built on getting extra men into the tackle, you don't have to be very far off the pace for the gaps to start to appear.

And as for that young Quins hooker Danny Orr... get him signed up, Wigan.

They don't exactly have an easy match with which to try to get back on the rails.

Wigan's clash with Huddersfield looks like the highlight of the Murrayfield weekend. I just hope there is a decent crowd there to see it.

A worrying number of people are saying that, although they enjoyed it last year, they feel they've now been there, done that, got the kilt.

It remains a great deal for anyone who likes lots of rugby in a beautiful city. What would you rather be doing this weekend?

Rugby League: Challenge Cup draw evokes giant killing memories

2010-04-14T11:34:11Z

It will bring back legions of memories on Saturday when Sheffield Eagles play Wigan in the Challenge Cup.

Their victory over Wigan at Wembley 12 years ago ranks as the biggest Cup upset ever - although Leigh beating Leeds in 1971 pushes it hard.

The thing I remember about the build-up was Sheffield's absolute confidence that they were going to win.

If I had spent five minutes longer with Mark Aston, he would have convinced me to have a bet on them at 14-1 or whatever and I would still be living happily on the proceeds.

Now Aston is the man who rescued the Eagles from the wreckage of their merger with Huddersfield, their coach and driving force.

He is talking in his irrepressible style about a repeat performance. Can they do it? No…. but don't be surprised if they play out of their skins and make it distinctly awkward.

The draw is not exactly full of giant-killing prospects. If Barrow were at home to a Castleford side currently in some disarray, I think I might fancy them for an upset.

As it is, Cas should have enough, as should Warrington, at home to another in-form Championship side, Featherstone.

In the big all-Super League ties, I'll go with home advantage and lean towards Hull against Leeds and Huddersfield against Hull KR.

Hopefully, the various deals on tickets will give us some decent crowds and the sense of occasion that the Challenge Cup still deserves.

Tiger's (dead) dad enlisted to promote Nike

2010-04-08T11:54:28Z

Here's the new advert for Nike. It features Tiger Woods and is voiced by his father Earl, who died in 2006. Quite bizarre...

Rugby League: Wigan deserve praise, not criticism

2010-04-07T13:24:36Z

When John Kear talks about rugby league, I invariably listen, because he has always been a fount of common sense.

I couldn't go along, though, with his argument after his side's thrashing at Wigan - that the home side's mastery of the 'wrestle' in defence had not only tilted the game their way, but also made it boring.

There's no doubt that Wigan's ability to get extra men into the tackle - Melbourne-style - and therefore take longer to get them off makes them fiendishly difficult to play against.

I can't see that was the main problem on Monday. After all, Wigan were 18 points up before they lost the ball and had to do any defending.

What I came away with was admiration for some of the tries they scored; they have scored almost 35 tries through three outside backs so far this season. If they were bottling teams up and then grinding it out down the middle, I could see John's argument. As it was, I couldn't see the relevance.

And as for the description of the atmosphere as "like a cathedral", perhaps that had something to do with so few Wakefield fans turning up, as well as the team not turning up at all until it was too late.

So, is the current state of the ruck making the game boring? I'm far from convinced, but it's certainly making post-match press conferences pretty repetitive at times

A favourite moment in an Easter programme that was far from tedious?

One that might have passed largely unnoticed. I saw it on the big screen at Knowsley Road, although it happened in Hull.

Sean Long had the ball, Craig Fitzgibbon had timed his run to stay just on-side, but the kick needed some air-time if it was going to fall right for him.

Longy's body-position was all wrong for getting underneath the ball with a little chip. Instead, without possibly having time to think about it, he drove it into the ground. Up it looped perfectly into the second-rower's arms. Absolutely brilliant.

Rugby League: Harlequins merit their place in Super League

2010-03-31T12:23:52Z

When Harlequins hit rock bottom in Super League last weekend, it would have seemed to a lot of people to confirm what they have always said - that they are not worth their place in the competition.

In terms of results and attendances this season, there is a case to be made against them.

In their defence, they are at least losing with a team largely composed on English players, many of them the product of development in London.

Below Super League level rugby league is a massive success in London, with grass-roots participation on an undreamt of scale and plenty of talent working its way up the pyramid.

That is why, if there is a case for ditching the 30-year adventure, there is also one to be made for persisting in the capital, even if nobody goes to watch. Take away the top of the tree and the lower branches will wither away.

Besides, Quins are getting a few players back now. There is a morale-boosting win or two around the corner.

Still on London matters, welcome back Lee Smith.

I hate to say I told you so, but at the time of his signing for Wasps I could think of few players less likely to adapt to a strange game in a strange city.

Sure enough, he has been miserable and he is back - no doubt reflecting that not only is the grass not always greener, there is sometimes no grass at all.

Step aside Golden Balls...

2010-03-24T16:17:46Z

There's last minute goals and there's last minute goals... and this was the latter.

With his side trailing 1-0 in the Argentinean second division, up stepped goalkeeper Dario Capogrosso to launch a 70-yard punt into the opposition box. But Dario rather overdid it - his hoof missed every one in the box, including the opposition's goalkeeper and ended up in the top corner of the net.

On seeing the ball go in, Dario couldn't contain himself. His celebration would be worthy of a YouTube hit in itself and with 400,000 views already, he might just earn a place in the next series of Argentina's Strictly Come Dancing...

Gareth Thomas invokes some memorable debuts

2010-03-24T12:55:40Z

I don't know whether Gareth Thomas will make a rugby league player - and there certainly wasn't enough evidence one way or the other at Wrexham on Friday night - but you can't fault the bloke for willingness.

He's not afraid to put his head where it hurts. Indeed, he only put it where it hurts - usually into the biggest available French forward.

Maybe that was why he spent so much time at dummy half; less a plan to get him involved than a target for a groggy newcomer to head for.

Not only that, but he fronted up at the press conference afterwards, eager to talk about his experience, if slightly confused about what that experience had actually involved.

Good luck to him, I think he sincerely wants to play the game.

His first appearance, however, put me in mind of other ill-fated rugby league debuts.

Just last season there was the Dwayne Chambers circus at Castleford, where a hand-picked York A team seemed to be under instructions not to hurt him.

One I will always remember is Terry Holmes' debut for Bradford at Swinton, when he was on his way to hospital a few minutes into the first half. It was a huge signing and a huge story at the time, but he never really recovered from that first game.

I also recall the bizarre sight of Stuart Evans on the pitch being taught how to play the ball before his debut for St Helens. He never did really get the hang of it.

Old-timers tell me, however, that the one to see was McDonald Bailey's one and only match for Leigh in 1953.

The sprint champion scored a try in a specially arranged friendly against Wigan, but never fancied taking the field again.

Thomas is going to make more of an impact than all of the above, once he masters the art of keeping his head out of the way.

How much more depends on how well the rest of his body holds up in what he now realises is a tougher, more confrontational game than he is used to - certainly for an outside back.

There is a general desire for him to succeed, but, if he does, it will not be through doing things the easy way.

Rugby League: What I learnt this week

2010-03-17T14:21:00Z

So much to enjoy in last weekend's round of games, so I thought I'd just concentrate on one match and the lessons to be gleaned from it.

That game was Warrington versus Bradford and it was one during which I learned or re-learned a number of things:

1. Ryan Atkins should be woken up at 6.30 every match-day. Far from being affected by an untimely drug test, he had his best game for the Wolves so far.

2. Matt King should never be allowed to have his hair cut. Since he gave up on his unruly thatch and just let it do what it wants he has been unstoppable. Why risk even a trim?

3. Forwards win matches (A). Adrian Morley put in an old-fashioned, high-powered 80 minutes, but his finest moment came with that ferocious run in the 32nd minute. To the Bulls' credit, a couple of them threw themselves under the wheels and eventually brought him to a halt. But a lightning play-the-ball and Mick Higham's scoot made sure there was a try on the end of it.

4. Forwards win matches (B). 52 mins and David Solomona is due for a rest. He is, in the old term, breathing through his backside and looks like a missed tackle or a soft penalty waiting to happen. Time to drift towards the dug-out? Not a bit of it. Last tackle and he rolls his sleeves up, over-calls the usual kick option and throws a magnificent cut-out pass to King. He does equally well, but put it down to a thinking forward.

So much to reflect upon in one, ultimately disappointingly one-sided game. You could go through the same exercise with all the other matches. It's a pretty rich diet at the moment.

Rugby League: Kear can get the best out of Cooke

2010-03-11T14:25:48Z

At the time of writing, we're still waiting for confirmation that Paul Cooke is on his way to Wakefield.

It's one of those moves that just has to happen. Cooke has run his course at Hull KR, with the experiment of playing him at loose forward apparently abandoned after a couple of hours.

If anyone can now get some value out of him, it's John Kear. He knows the down-side of the player: the dodgy defence, the tendency to go off the rails, only training as hard as he feels like.

But he also knows what he can do. Like John, I've always enjoyed watching him play, especially waiting for that cut-out pass that he still throws better than anyone.

Yes, he will be a major test for Kear's gift for getting wayward players back on track, but it is surely worth a shot, all the more so after that performance against Huddersfield.

Just a word of caution about that game, though. Okay, Trinity lacked application and commitment on the day, but you have to factor in just how good the Giants were.

They played some text-book attacking rugby - the best I've seen from anyone so far this season. Their support play was exemplary and, if you were picking an England side at the moment, you'd have to have Kevin Brown at stand-off. He is developing now into the player he looked capable of being when he first emerged at Wigan - and Luke Robinson is at the top of his game as well.

Rugby League: Senior was out of line

2010-03-03T18:09:58Z

Still plenty of fall-out from the World Club Challenge and it will be at least next Wednesday before the remaining loose ends are tied up.

That is when Keith Senior faces an RFL hearing over his criticism of Richard Silverwood as "arrogant".

Keith won't need anyone to tell him that he was out of order on the pitch. We aren't a game that tolerates giving the ref a gobful - and rightly so. The penalty arguably cost Leeds the game and he could easily have gone to the sin-bin.

I've a bit more sympathy for the substance of his complaint and for his conduct after.

It was clear that Senior was frustrated by the way Melbourne were allowed to slow down the ruck - and I'm with him there. It produced a match of a quite different rhythm from Super League.

Stuart Cummings' explanation is just that the Storm are extra good at getting extra men into the tackle and are doing nothing actually wrong. He stops short of saying that a couple more penalties couldn't have been awarded as Melbourne pushed the technique to its limit.

To me, the balance was a bit wrong and the Storm had it pretty much their own way.

Cue Keith Senior, who when asked for his opinion at least had the balls to say what he thought.

I reckon players and coaches should be entitled to express their opinions of refs' performances. I'm not sure that calling him "arrogant" should be an offence, if that's the way you find him.

Where you cross the line, as Justin Morgan found out last year, is calling him a cheat.

Having said all that, Leeds would still have won at Elland Road, if either a) Kevin Sinfield hadn't got injured or b) Scott Donald had been there to take one of the chances Kallum Watkins couldn't.

For all Melbourne's setting of the ground rules, that's how little there was between the teams.

Rugby League: Leeds must hope for a swift change in fortune

2010-02-24T17:06:14Z

Their head honcho Gary Hetherington is convinced that Leeds' lousy form going into the World Club Challenge has nothing to do with skipping warm-weather training this year.

Well, he would say that, wouldn't he? It was his decision that the team's contribution to cost-cutting at Headingley would be wintering in Cumbria, rather than Florida.

The chief exec is adamant that his team is well ahead of schedule in its fitness and general preparation. That isn't the way it has looked from the sidelines. Not only have Leeds lost to Wakefield and Castleford, they have also been deeply unconvincing in wins over Crusaders and Salford.

It doesn't sound like the ideal preparation for facing Melbourne - Billy Slater, Greg Inglis, Cameron Smith and all.

And yet history shows that it is possible to suddenly recapture form in situations like this. Remember how bad St Helens were three years ago.

They lost two of their first three and were all over the place, but then they threw in Paul Sculthorpe at the Reebok and beat Brisbane.

The trouble is that Leeds don't have a wild card like Scully, but they do have an awful lot of good players who are due to hit their straps. If they can do that, it could be a game to remember at Elland Road.

Rugby League: Going to the wrong game

2010-02-17T15:13:31Z

Last weekend was one of those when you really needed to be in more than one place at the same time.

Nothing wrong with Wigan v Hull KR on Friday night, but Hull v Huddersfield turned out to be the tighter contest. And I also felt I should have been at the Willows to see Crusaders' first win of the year.

I feared it might take them rather longer than that to chalk up a victory, so it says a lot for them. It also says a good deal about how poor Salford look at the start of the season. They were absolute suckers for the same thing over and over again - to whit, Witt's kick for Mellars. He scored the same try three times, which is a sure sign of a defence learning nothing

Saturday, no arguments, had to be Cas, although an ambitious plan to watch Cas Panthers in the Challenge Cup against Thatto Heath on the way had to be scrapped. A good resilient effort from Warrington, in the sort of game they would have lost a year ago.

Sunday - another quandry, and I definitely pull the wrong rein by thinking that Bradford might give Saints a game. Early days, but problems at Odsal. I would have been a lot better off at Wakefield, whose unlikely start continued with victory over Leeds.

The saving grace in all this is the Monday night round-up on Sky - Boots'n'all the Tries. Very useful for anyone who realises he has been in the wrong place for most of the weekend.

Channel-hopping after that, I came across the first winter sports event calculated to appeal to a rugby league mentality. I warmly recommend the Snow Board Cross events, four competitors going flat out against each other down a course with bends and jumps. Plenty of crashing and battling on the corners.

It looks like being the highlight of my Winter Olympic viewing, although they do a good fight in ice hockey.

Rugby League: A game of two halves... literally

2010-02-10T15:50:32Z

I've experienced the proverbial game of two halves often enough, but this was ridiculous.

At St Helens on Saturday, you could just about see half-way across the field from the back of the stand. Anything beyond that was a mystery.

So I was especially interested to see Sky's coverage when I got home, because they film from the opposite side of the pitch.

They had the same problem in reverse - okay down their side, but anything over on the other wing was pure guesswork.

I now feel that I've seen the whole game by combining the two views and I suspect that Hull must have played very well indeed - although it's still hard to be certain.

Sean Long, of course, was always destined to have a big game. You would have sacked the script-writer if he hadn't.

But the other thing that struck me peering through the mirk was how much better some other Hull players were than their oposite numbers. I'm thinking here of Tansey at full-back, Lauaki as the impact forward sub and Richard Horne as a liberated stand-off.

All in all, there was ten times the attacking potency that they have shown over the past two seasons. The only question is whether they can do it when anyone can see them.

Should it have been played? A tough call, but probably not. Nobody on the ground or watching TV at home could really see what was going on.

Having come over from Hull, though, you would probably be in favour of it being played whether you could see it or not. And in the light of the result, there will be few complaints that it was.

Rugby League: Crusaders deserve credit but don't get carried away

2010-02-03T12:07:49Z

There are times when you're delighted to be proved wrong.

I'll admit that I set out for Wrexham on Friday very sceptical about claims of a sell-out crowd and even more sceptical about Crusaders' ability to give Leeds a game.

Well, credit where it's due. The club must have done a great selling job in North Wales to get more than 10,000 into the Racecourse Ground. And the team responded magnificently by holding the best team in Super League for 65 minutes before running out of gas.

A lot of people immediately revised their predictions that Crusaders will finish bottom. I'd insert a couple of words of caution about that. Conditions were certainly in their favour and it took Leeds a while to decide whether they fancied it on the night.

There was also a surge of adrenalin that they might find hard to replicate week after week. What can't be denied is that they were far better organised than we had any right to expect.

There was nothing there that should dissuade any of the 10,000 from going again, but don't underestimate the power of novelty. There were 17,000 in Paris for the first night of Super League - a figure they never got near again.

Which brings me to London the following day. Harlequins and Wakefield turned in a far better display than you could expect at this ridiculously early time of year - but it felt like there was nobody there to watch it.

Perhaps that was because so little is expected of Quins this season. If they defend like they did against the Wildcats, though, they will win a few games that you wouldn't fancy them for.

Sunday should have been Workington, but even as I gathered the tools of my trade and prepared to set off I was thinking: "There's no chance of this being played."

And that was one thing at the weekend that I was right about.

Rugby League: Cold steak pies, Irn Bru and a dreadful Super League launch

2010-01-28T12:23:44Z

I've been a bit concerned about my carbon footprint this week - at least as far as questioning whether my journey to London was really necessary.

The RFL chose to launch the Super League season in the capital, which meant around ten hours on a coach for journalists and an equally inconvenient journey for players and coaches.

All of that would have been fine if there had been any discernable benefit, any extra profile or publicity, gained from the exercise. As far as I can see there was none and we didn't even get the usual wads of info from the clubs.

We did, however, get the 2010 Super League Media Guide. Ah yes, this is a booklet that will go down in the annals of publishing. The League spotted 400 mistakes at the proof stage but plenty still got through. I needed to check the age of Castleford's young full-back Richard Owen and was alarmed to find that he was listed as 32.

There were consolations in the London jaunt - a tempting diet of cold steak pies and Irn Bru (Made at Spotland from Gurkhas) for one.

You also get a breathtaking view of London from the Millbank Tower. It just seems a long way to go to find that Richard Owen has aged 13 years in one season.

Manchester United bond issue 'a success'

2010-01-22T17:49:03Z

Manchester United has raised $816m through a bond issue priced in New York.which may be successful in business terms but does little to free the club from long term debt. Anyhow, this is the BBC's take on the sorry saga.

Rugby League: Some winter sun might have done the trick

2010-01-21T17:44:21Z

Only a week now - and Super League clubs are making their final preparations for the season.

The last few bits of business are being done - like Crusaders' signing of Gareth Raynor - and most club have their last real run-out this weekend.

One thing that occurs to me is that clubs like Warrington who decided to shell out for warm-weather training overseas might get pretty good value out of it.

Training conditions have been so difficult over here that clubs with an unbroken week of quality work in the sun have a definite advantage.

A few days on the North Yorks Moors might sound rugged and cheap, but not if you're snowed in all the time.

One thing for sure - Huddersfield will be wishing they had gone somewhere else.

I don't pretend to know the details of what went on at the hotel in Newcastle the other night, but six players face the possibility of rape charges and will probably still be doing so when the season starts.

It got rugby league onto some front pages - and some normally sensible people I know suggested half-seriously that, in that respect, it wasn't altogether a bad thing.

I can't go along with that. There is such a thing as bad publicity - and this is it.

He's like a mad octopus.

2010-01-19T16:32:32Z

The passing of Bill McLaren will lead to the airing of many a dodgy gravelly Scottish accent with misquote added to injury. So, amongst the multitude of McLaren highlights packages on YouTube, here's a selection of his whimsy.

Rugby League: Big freeze has preperations in chaos

2010-01-15T13:20:11Z

The thaw seems to have arrived, but that will not prevent a number of sides going into the Super League season badly underdone.

The majority of pre-season friendlies have fallen victims to the new Ice Age, which has played havoc with coaches plans.

Take Harlequins, for instance. Their only preparation will be next Friday's game against the London Skolars; after that it's straight into the league against Wakefield.

The Wildcats will have managed a couple of games by then, but their media day was a casualty of the weather. Considering it was meant to be down a coal mine, that can be taken as evidence of how bad things have been in the Frozen North.

They're a funny institution, pre-season media days. I find I don't ge much specific out of them, more a sense of how things are shaping up. Perhaps that's why I alway think Bradford are going to do well - it's the effect of the excellent curries they provide.

Wigan's shindig happened as well and left me with two general impressions.

Firstly, the new fitness regime has had an impact, especially on players like Mark Riddell and the leaner, meaner Paleaaesina, who will now hopefully be able to operate in bursts of more than ten minutes.

I'm less impressed with Michael Maguire's wheeze of a group captaincy. It looks messy to me amd most clubs who have tried it have reverted to having one man in charge.

Why being stabbed needn’t affect your enjoyment of the match

2010-01-13T12:46:48Z

What’s likely to be the worst thing about going to South Africa to watch the World Cup? That’s right – those pesky locals stabbing you as you peacefully watch the match.

But no more – the fabulous Protektorvest may well be the answer.

Until now, you see, the world of protective clothing has lacked mass appeal – it’s had kind of negative connotations, what with them being necessary to protect you against ‘blades, knives, bottles, and broken glass'. But such things are a mere inconvenience with the Protektorvest. A stabbing needn’t interrupt you enjoyment of the football in front of you. What’s more, they have put the fun in stab vests with your team flag, logo or a fun image - the word Ole perhaps, or the words ‘free hugs’. And lets face it, who wouldn’t want to hug a fan in a vest pockmarked with broken glass?

And the price for this positive thinking. Vest, plus logo of your choice, plus delivery to your hotel in Johannesburg or Pretoria, all for $71.

The Africa Cup of What?

2010-01-06T17:33:41Z

It's all about to get started in Africa. Those horn blower thingies have been flying off the shelves quicker than Roberto Mancini can buy Premiership veterans, stories about the impending crisis at Drogba-less Chelsea have reached fever pitch and football fans the world over are ready for some top-notch mediocre football.

But what is it we're watching? The Africa Nations Cup, The African Cup of Nations, The Cup of African Nations, The Cup of the Nations That Make Up The Continent Known As Africa...

It appears no-one can agree what to call it. I've even looked it up on the source of all knowledge (Wikipedia) and they don't know either.

It's not exactly the Copenhagen Climate Conference but reaching an agreement on the name of the tournament isn't too much to ask is it?