Are the Tigers finally back?

"Leicester Tigers"

By definition, the Tigers are the most successful ever English rugby side, and possibly the most reputable club in the world.

They have had legends such as Martin Johnson, Neil Back, Graham Rowntree, Lewis Moody, and Ben Kay grace the hallowed turf of Welford Road over the past two decades.

They have produced the likes of Manu Tuilagi, Ben Youngs, George Ford and Billy Twelvetrees in more recent times.

There is absolutely no question that the Tigers are always the team to beat, whether they sit at the top of the table or the bottom.

The legendary 2001 Heineken Cup winning team.

Yet in the past 3-5 years, the Tigers have been unquestionably and uncharacteristically unsuccessful, regardless of winning the Aviva Premiership in 2013. They have been toothless, tame and lacking of that final killer blow, especially in Europe.

Their last trophy was indeed that 2013 Aviva Premiership Final win against Northampton but since then there has been little to rave about at Welford Road, something the Leicester faithful are not accustomed to.

However, after the arrival of  new head coach Aaron Mauger last summer, Leicester are fast becoming a team that are looking evermore likely to win and not lose.

Their only loss in the Aviva Prem came back in November against a very good Exeter side and they sit in a very respectable 3rd place in the table.

Their form in Europe has been outstanding having been unbeaten after playing the likes of Munster, Stade Francais and Treviso. They currently top their group, 9 points ahead of second placed Stade Francais.

Without question, the Tigers have been playing more like the gritty and hard-hitting team that they have become so well known for internationally.

For next season: Matt Toomua

Having previous players Aaron Mauger, Richard Cockerill,  Richard Blaze, Geordan Murphy, and Matt Cornwell holding the reigns at the club, there can be no question that the club's legendary philosophy will be instilled into further generations of Tigers. What's more, with all of those spoken of above having an average age of 35, there is a promising look for the long term.

In the last couple of weeks the Tigers have announced the incredible signing of Australia international Matt Toomua as well as contract extensions for Ben Youngs, Freddie Burns, Ed Slater and a certain Manu Tuilagi.

The future certainly looks bright for the legendary Tigers and I think all fans of the English game can be grateful for their return to the top of the club game.

MJ

Champions Cup proving that there is still life in the English game.

Another weekend of Champions Cup rugby has been and gone and if anything has been proven by it, it is that the English game is still breathing and very much alive.

Ulster 9 - 27 Saracens
Benetton Treviso 3 - 36 Leicester Tigers
Bath 19 - 16 Leinster
Glasgow Warriors 15 - 26 Northampton Saints
Exeter Chiefs 34 - 19 Bordeaux-Begles
Wasps 32 - 6 Toulon

6 English teams were involved this weekend and as you can see quite clearly, 6 English teams got wins. A feat that is quite remarkable, especially with Leinster and Toulon being 2 of the 6 opponents.

And what does this mean?

It means that the English club game is doing far better than we perhaps thought.

Cooper and Hughes exchanging a friendly greeting on Sunday

I have been very critical of the Premiership's wage structure and believe it is seriously hampering us in comparison to the French's top division, the Top 14. But I will hold my hands up and accept that this weekend it has well and truly given me an almighty smack between the legs and proven me wrong.

I think the highlight has to be that win for Wasps.

Never did I think that Toulon could lose, ever! Their team is every rugby fans' idea of heaven and they have more talent than the Samoans have high tackles.

Cooper, Habana, Manoa, Armitage(s), Stevens, Bastareaud were in their line-up on Sunday to name just a few. But they also have Ma'a Nonu, Leigh Halfpenny, Paul O'Connell, Drew Mitchell, and Matt Giteau. All these players didn't feature but can you imagine a line-up with them all playing?!

The last English winners of Europe's top tournament. And yes, that is Dallaglio.

I have been a massive sceptic of English teams competing in Europe and simply can't see how they can overcome the giants of the French game. Teams like Toulouse, Toulon and Clermont have ridiculously good outfits and they are able to draw in any player from anywhere in the world with there being no concerns over wages. English teams, on the other hand, have to be far more careful about who they bring in and usually rely on bringing academy products through the ranks to fill out the team. A system which on paper looks good but after this year's world cup and there not having been an English team winning Europe's top cup since 2007, doesn't seem to be working.

But now, after just one weekend it seems to me that maybe there is more hope than scepticism.

Maybe, just maybe, we can look forward to an English team lifting the Champions Cup next Summer. And could it even be so adventurous as to say that the national squad will benefit massively from this?

I bloody well hope so.

MJ

Jonah Lomu: The Legend Remembered

Late last night the tragic news of All Blacks legend Jonah Lomu's untimely death was announced to the world, and now almost twenty four hours later, not only the world of Rugby but the world of sport as a whole is in mourning after the loss of such an iconic figure in our game. Tributes have been rolling in from rugby clubs, players and fans all around the globe, which tells you just how huge Lomu's impact was on the sport.

Jonah Lomu revolutionised the sport of Rugby, like Tiger Woods did with Golf and Michael Jordan with Basketball. Bursting on to the scene at the 1995 Rugby World Cup at only 20 years of age many were doubtful over the impact Lomu would have in the All Black squad and whether he was going to be able to compete with the 'big boys' of Rugby, and after his performance in the semi-final victory against England, scoring four tries (the first after only two minutes) and famously bulldozing over Mike Catt, the answer as to whether he was ready, was a very, very firm 'yes'.

Jonah Lomu, aged 20 scored four tries in the World Cup semi-final victory
against England in 1995. 

Will Carling famously said after that World Cup semi-final in 1995 that Lomu was "a freak, and the sooner he goes away, the better". However Lomu did the exact opposite, scoring eight tries at the 1999 Rugby World Cup and causing carnage on the pitch up until his international retirement aged 27. 

Standing at 110kg it made perfect sense for Lomu to be part of the forward pack, however playing him on the wing, a position often associated with skinny, fast runners, was simply revolutionary. But Jonah Lomu was not just a man mountain, yes he bulldoze his way through any defence, but if you were to show him outside, he was gone in an instant. How a man of that size could be as quick as Lomu was, is still nothing short of a mystery, but what a sight it was. 

Lomu wreaked havoc on the wing for the All Blacks, and paved the way for players such as Alesana Tuilagi and in more recent years a man often compared to Lomu, Julian Savea. Speaking on BBC Radio 4 Sir Clive Woodward stated that "he was 110kg but could run like the wind" and "having that on the end of your chain rather than in the forward pack was a revolution of the game." and I couldn't agree more. Seeing a player of his stature stood on the wing certainly made a great deal of rugby fans rub their eyes and take a second glance as this really was something that had never been seen before.

Lomu revolutionised rugby off the pitch as well as on it, the sight of him bursting down the wings and smashing through players on countless occasions meant that the sport of rugby was introduced to an avalanche of new audiences and commercial deals across the globe. A real measure of the impact of Lomu's performances on the pitch can be seen in the fact that the Rugby World Cup is now the third-biggest sporting event globally, a statistic that twenty years ago would have been simply unimaginable. 

Lomu's performances at the 1995 and 1999 Rugby World Cup's
turned him in to the biggest name in world Rugby, and turned
the sport in to one of the biggest professional sports in the world

Lomu was diagnosed with a rare kidney disorder called nephrotic syndrome before the 1995 World Cup, a disease which, unlike Mike Catt and countless other players, would slow and eventually stop him from playing Rugby. Lomu underwent a kidney transplant in 2004 after the organ failed in 2003, resulting in Lomu having to teach himself to walk again. Despite this, the organ failed again and Lomu, who always believed he would still be able to play, altered his life ambitions to simply being able to see his young children reach their 21st birthdays. 

Lomu's sudden death is nothing short of tragic, and has left the sporting world in a state of shock. However the legacy that he leaves behind is, in turn, nothing short of legendary. 

Jonah Lomu at the 2015 World Cup in England this September.

Lancaster gone; a sad but necessary departure.

The inevitable has finally happened and Stuart Lancaster has stepped down as head coach of the English National Rugby team and I for one feel it as being bittersweet.

Stuart Lancaster felt 'deeply saddened' by leaving England post.

When Lancaster was made interim coach four years ago he came into the job with no experience and virtually no name in the game of rugby union. He might have done amongst those involved in the professional game but to me, as a fan, I had no clue to whom the RFU had appointed. 

A few months down the line and a lot media speculation later we then had this 'unknown man' made permanently positioned and at the time it was a bit of a head-scratcher. The RFU is well-known for being the richest Union in world rugby and instead of forking out a huge sum of money for an experienced and renowned coach they put their faith in new-boy Lancaster. 

It all seemed great at first. We had a new captain in Chris Robshaw who, I believe, only had 1 international cap to his name. We had a complete overhaul of nearly the entire starting XV with lots of young players being brought in. We had a new coaching set-up. And lastly we had a promise that he was going to focus 100% of his efforts into building a squad capable of competing for the world title in the home 2015 world cup. 

Well... that went well. 

It certainly felt embarrassing to be an England fan in this year's world cup and it did feel like the last four years of work had been completely pointless. But maybe we have learnt something out of this ordeal and maybe we can take some positives out of Lancaster's reign. 

Owen Farrell and George Ford; a product of Lancaster's reign.

1. He rebuilt the pride in wearing the red rose and instilled discipline that was nowhere to be seen in New Zealand in 2011.

2. He did bring some quality young players to the forefront. Anthony Watson, George Ford and Owen Farrell to name a few.

3. He has left behind a very promising group of players with a great mixture of experience and youth. 

This means that maybe someone will come in and utilise the little good work that Lancaster has done. It is just such a shame that Lancaster can't be the man to do it. He has over the last four years been honest and open about the squad's performance and has been  constantly described by pundits as a 'lovely man'.And I think it's because that after hearing of his departure most people felt a lot of sympathy for him. 

He has done almost everything that could have been asked of him but just not quite got the mixture right. My personal feeling is that the biggest problem with English rugby is the board that runs it, the RFU. Hopefully now the RFU will realise that building up for something is great but international sport is all about getting results straight away. We haven't won a six nations title under Lancaster and to be honest, that is simply awful with the team he had. You can't win a world cup if you can't win Europe's competition.

MJ

Salary or England? A question no player should have to consider.

Feels a lot like deja vu if you ask me.

I remember watching England in New Zealand four years ago and feeling utterly embarrassed by the way the squad played and presented themselves off the pitch. And to be absolutely frank, I feel the same now. The only difference is that I am not ashamed of the players' attitude off the pitch this time.

No.

This time it is the RFU. The RFU which has so arrogantly held its position on selection that it starved players of earning anything near than those playing France. A position which has forced players to consider whether playing for England or earning a decent salary was more important.

I will wholeheartedly admit that I agreed with the RFU's stance on only selecting  players in the Aviva Premiership when it was first announced. But on reflection I think this was more because I was 16 and was unaware that rugby playing careers are incredibly short. That the players in question had families and a future after the game. That perhaps maybe, just maybe, they wanted to earn as much as they could in the 10-15 years of playing they had before going into a working world whereby they had no guarantee of work.

And it now sickens me that the RFU forced players to decide between representing their country or improving their livelihoods. Moreover, I can't believe that players were openly criticised for going to France and labelled 'unloyal'!

What other sport in the world does this?

What's more, what other nation does this?!

South Africa, Australia, Argentina, Japan and Scotland all have players playing out of their respective nations and yet they all finished way ahead of England.

Now I understand the need to keep the Aviva Premiership of a standard we all in England want. But that is not to say it should be at the sacrifice of the English players' earnings! That, my friends, is due to the salary cap which is in place but I won't get into that now. That is a completely different topic to discuss.

Steffon Armitage; arguably one of the world's best flankers.

Can you imagine if England had players like Toulon's Steffon Armitage in the starting XV? He would have added a whole new dimension to our squad and made our back-row go from mediocre at best to a solid outfit. 3 players make up that vital part of the team. Changing just one can make all the difference. If you don't believe me then imagine New Zealand without Richie McCaw, South Africa without Schalk Burger or Australia without Michael Hooper or David Pocock.

I just can't believe that in this day and age we are forcing players to pick between a white shirt which means so much to so many and a salary which can solidify their future. It is disgusting, old-fashioned, unfair and killing the Red Rose.

MJ

Sam Burgess: What Went Wrong?

Last night there were huge rumours that Sam Burgess had quit Bath, and ultimately the game of Rugby Union, and had returned to his former club the South Sydney Rabbitohs. The news was later confirmed by South's that Burgess had indeed quit Bath and signed a contract which will keep him at the NRL club until 2018. The news of his departure from Rugby Union came as no real surprise as it was made public that Burgess "didn't feel quite right" upon his return from international duty with the England squad and that Bath coach Mike Ford decided to give him ten days off from club duties as a result, giving the Rabbitohs the ideal opportunity to lure their former superstar back to Australia. However the impression I have seen on social media, seems to be that rugby fans would have loved to have seen Burgess stick it out and look to develop in to an impressive Union player. So the real question that needs to be asked is what actually went wrong with Sam Burgess and Rugby Union?

Before any fingers are pointed at individuals, I think it's worth pointing out that one of the biggest cock-ups on the whole saga was the huge lack of communication between club and country, in this case Bath and England, as to what Burgess' best position was. Playing at blind-side flanker for club all season, and then picked at centre for country was possibly the biggest talking point in the lead up to the World Cup, alongside the decision to leave Cipriani out of the 23-man squad, but we won't go in to that!

Burgess was controversially included in England's World Cup
squad, and struggled to make an impact. 

Despite trying and struggling at centre, Burgess moved to blind-side flanked, played 21 games and scored four tries for Bath, although many have argued that his style of play was actually more of a centre, which may have been a factor in Lancaster's decision to pick him for the World Cup. Personally, I was relatively impressed with his performances in the England jersey, he played well when he came on against Fiji, and wasn't too bad in the loss to Wales, let's not forget that when he was substituted England were leading the Welsh 25-18.

I understand the debates that were sparked by Lancaster's decision to pick Burgess over a player in Luther Burrell, who seemed to have done everything to cement his place in England's squad after his performance in this years Six Nations. However, people cannot pin the blame for a poor overall team performance on Sam Burgess, he was picked for the squad for a reason and clearly Lancaster and the other coaches saw something in him that others did not, but I do think it was unfair for fans and especially the media to blame Burgess for England's disappointing World Cup campaign, after all, he didn't pick himself for the squad. I am by no means defending Lancaster's decision to include Burgess in the World Cup squad, as I firmly believe that Burgess was actually nowhere near ready for the call-up, and ultimately I felt terrible for players such as Kyle Eastmond and Luther Burrell who were left out, and who, although they would never admit it, were probably incredibly frustrated by the decision.

Luther Burrell was one of the key names left out of the World Cup
squad by coach Stuart Lancaster. 

From my point of view the most frustrating element to this whole saga has to be that we will now never know how good Sam Burgess really would have been in the game of Rugby Union, which is a real shame as I do feel that he could have blossomed in to a real force of the game, given the right amount of time and guidance.

Since his departure from Rugby Union Burgess has stated that there were a lot of family-related issues which sparked his return to Australia, claiming that he missed his family "more than [he] could have imagined" during his time in the South West of England. Sam's entire family (apart from fiance Phoebe) all currently live 'down under' with brothers Thomas and George still playing for the Rabbitohs in Sydney, and other brother Luke playing for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, so it's understandable as to why he would want to return to Australia. Plus I'm fairly sure the weather may have had something to do with it eh Sammy?

Overall, the answer to the 'what went wrong' question lies in the fact that he was pushed too early, and wasn't allowed the right amount of time to mature and develop in to a great Rugby Union player. Plus the fact he was playing different positions for club and country didn't do him any favours, at times he almost looked confused in the centre for England and at times was just "running around looking to land big hits" as one of my friends put it the other day. There was no way he was ready for an international call up, not to mention in a home World Cup, a tournament when the eyes of the whole world were pointed at our country. There is no doubt that Sam Burgess did not fail at Rugby Union, but instead Rugby Union failed him.

It was announced last night that Burgess will return to former club
South Sydney Rabbitohs until 2018. 

I am incredibly sad to see Burgess return to the NRL simply because he could have one of the true greats of the Union code, but I guess we will never know. Regardless, I hope that Sam is happy back in Sydney and will be able to reclaim his rightful place as one of the best Rugby League players in the world.

Thanks for reading.