Rugby News

Haskell: playing for England is top priority

2011-05-04T04:25:00.000-07:00

Top priority: Haskell wearing the Red Rose jersey

England flanker James Haskell insists that playing for England tops his list of priorities as he decides where to hang his hat next season.

Out of contract with Stade Francais this summer, but with a one-year option to stay, the 26-year-old said: “I am exploring different options in France and England and I’ll decide in the next two weeks. There are some great teams in the Premiership and French Club dominate European rugby.”

“Playing for England remain my most important criteria, but I believe if I play at the best club level I can still be picked and perform well for England.

“I manage to be man of the match against Scotland and my Stade team-mate Tom Palmer did the same against France. It makes no difference whether you play in France or England.”

Haskell also shrugged off reports from the Daily Mail about a possible move to the New South Wales Waratahs in Super 15.

“I could also go to play in Japan. No seriously, it is news to me. I have always said playing for England is my priority and moving to Australia wouldn’t be the best idea for that.

“The Waratahs are an amazing club just like the Reds or the Crusaders. The level of the Super 15 is very good but I’m not thinking about a move down there right now.

Still in pink in 2012?

“Everyone tells you what to do – but it will be my choice. I was told recently that I was going to Toulouse next year even if I never heard of it myself!

“I won’t be dictated to about where to go. I will make my own mind once I know all the circumstances.”

There has been talk of Haskell returning to Wasps with new head coach Lee Holden keep to bolster his English contingent.

Haskell said: “It is easy to say that you want to come back to England but a club has to want you. Some teams want a fly-half first and then see for the rest. Plus the salary cap in England is hard to work with.

“Some other teams want to pay you only after the World Cup. It is very difficult to be out of contract on a World Cup year.”

Haskell admits that the RFU policy over picking English-based players is a “worry” but added:

“People told me I wouldn’t be picked if I left Wasps but I kept working hard and it paid off. England called me again.

Teenage dream: Debut
for Wasps at 18

“I came through the ranks at Wasps but I didn’t play as well as I should have for them and for England so the move was a good idea and I am very happy about it.

“I am playing the best rugby of my life. There is a lot of competition for the back row at Stade.

“Playing with these talented players helped me grow up on and off the field. It is the best two years of my life.”

Haskell knows he faces fierce competition for a back row spot with England as the World Cup near.

“I have played all the games during the Six Nations but you can never say the England shirt is yours.

“You have to be confident to be a professional rugby player and believe you should start every game. I believe I should start for England but the competition is so strong you have to keep working hard.

“Lewis Moody is the captain, Tom Croft is a Lion, Tom Wood played brilliantly during the 6 Nations and you also have Hendre Fourie, Thomas Wladrom and Nick Easter in the mix. There is a lot of depth in the back row.

“I will play wherever Martin Johnson want be to play.

“Some people believe that I would be better on the bench due to my versatility but I don’t want to be a super sub.”

Tom Palmer happy to stay at Stade

2011-05-04T01:04:00.000-07:00

Tom Palmer: staying in Paris

Despite rumours across the Channel that he might be leaving Stade Francais, Tom Palmer insists he will be definitely playing in Paris next season.

The England lock said: “I still have one year in my contract and I am going nowhere. I love living here and I love the culture in France.

“And to be honest I would like to stay in France after next season when my contract ends. But I will see my options and make a decision only then.”

Since moving to Stade Francais in 2009, Palmer has taken a new dimension and has become Martin Johnson’s first choice second row over the last international campaign. However he knows that with the RFU policy on picking players playing abroad, his chance to be selected for England might shrink.

“Obviously, it is a bit of a worry. I will speak to Martin (Johnson) and see what his opinion is.

“Jonny (Wilikinson) signed for another two years at Toulon so we will see how strict the RFU is on this policy,” the 32-year-old admitted.

Stade are out of the play-offs contention in the Top 14 but will play the final of the Amlin Challenge Cup on May 20^th against Harlequins in Cardiff.

“We have nothing to play for in the Top 14 and our only chance to qualify for next year’s Heineken Cup is to win the Challenge Cup so I will be going all out to try to,” Palmer said.

After that, his focus will be on preparing for the World Cup with England later this year.

He added: “The World Cup seems so far away right now but it will come quickly once we start training. I have never played in a World Cup so I’m very excited about it.”

No.8 Wim Baars relieved as Canterbury on the way to stay in League 2

2011-05-03T02:03:00.000-07:00

With two games to go in National League 2, Canterbury RFC pretty much secured their place in the league after a cruising victory against Newbury 81-5 on the weekend. A situation that No.8 Wim Baars is “happy and relieved about.”

“Coming off with the win was really good especially against Newbury. They beat us earlier in the season where they shouldn’t have.

“Everyone at the club is feeling pretty good. We are still a bit apprehensive about what the next results could bring but everyone is pretty positive and fired up.

“We are looking to go forward this weekend, go away and get another win hopefully,” said the 26-year-old.

Canterbury need only two points from their last to games. This situation was far from certain when between November and March they lost 13 games in a row to put themselves in the relegation battle. They since found form again and won three of their last five games.

“Those 13 games were a pretty miserable period. We needed one win to get the ball rolling and we got it against Lyney. After so many narrow losses, it finally put us over the edge.

“A new coach came in to hep us especially the forwards and he has had a positive influence in our attitude towards playing,” he added.

It seems that Canterbury avoided relegation this season but the New Zealand born No.8 know what the team needs to improve on not to be in the same position next year.

“We need to build a team spirit. I personally feel that there are a lot of mixed signals. The forwards are doing one thing, the backs are doing another and in the end we are not doing the sae things at the same time.

“I think as long as we focus on working and playing as team we can beat anyone,” Baars said.

On a personal point of view, it has also been a mixed season for the big No.8.

“I am not 100% happy about my season mainly because of the shoulder injury that I played through. I thought my start of the season was really good and now my shoulder if feeling better I have started played a lot better and a lot happier,” he concluded.

Foreign imports may wreck future of 'Les Bleus'

2011-04-30T11:42:00.000-07:00

Maxime Medard: Young Talent...

Toulouse star Maxime Medard fears the influx of foreigners into the Top 14 will harm the future of French rugby.

With the number of British players switching to ply their trade across the Channel next season rising week after week, Medard believes French clubs should revert their attention to the youngsters coming through rather than maintain their dependence on foreign mercenaries.

Medard, who was in action today in Toulouse's defeat against Leinster in the Heineken Cup semi-final, said: “I am quite worried about the future of French rugby with all these imported players in the Top 14.

“It’s good for the level of the Top 14 but I regret the fact that certain club are going a bit too far and do not invest enough in youngsters,” added the 24-year-old winger.

“Players like Jonny Wilkinson and Ian Balshaw are great for their club. Not only when they help them win on the pitch but also every day at training where youngsters can look up to them and see the little details that make them above the rest.

...Future of French rugby

“There are a lot of talented young players and they need to be given the time and opportunity to prove they can perform. It could be more beneficial for a club to do so rather than sign an older foreign player.

“What worries me is when an average player is preferred to a young French one full of potential. But I guess it is the economic pressure on clubs that dictates this kind of choices.

“Personally I have always been a fan of Ian Balshaw. He is a very classy fullback. He is quick and good under pressure. I am sure the young players from Biarritz improved a lot next to him.

“For me, the future of the clubs and therefore the national team will always be about the talented young players in the academies,” the young flyer added

Medard is the perfect example of the potential residing in the club academies. Born and raised in Toulouse, he made his professional debut as a teenager just after his 18^th birthday in November 2004 against Castres and his now playing in his seventh season for Les Rouges et Noirs. U21 World Champion in 2006, Medard has since become an uncontested starter on the left wing or at fullback for France.

“I have been very fortunate to make it in the club of my dreams and play for France. But I think it is down to your mental and the trust and confidence the club puts in you,” the young flyer said.

By playing away from their home countries, players are often not able to represent their country. There is a worry over the Channel to see a huge wave of incoming players after a World Cup year and the other way the year just before one which could impact on the general level of the Top 14.

“The choice players make for their career is down to them and I can’t judge them for that. But I can understand that a guy like Sonny Bill Williams decided to move to New Zealand to pursue his goal of playing for the All Blacks,” he added.

When asked if he could leave Toulouse for an experience abroad, he replied: “I have always expressed my wish to maybe, in a few years, play in London or in Sydney and experience the culture there. But first I need to improve my English.”

Brive ready to offer new challenge to Geraghty

2011-04-30T07:34:00.000-07:00

Last call: Geraghty in his last game for England in 2009
against New Zealand

French club Brive have been in contact with Shane Geraghty over a possible move to the Top 14 next season.

“Shane is a very talented young player and has a very interesting profile for our club,” Brive coach Ugo Mola admitted.

“He had a very bright start of his career topped up with England caps. But in the last two or three years, it kind of slowed down and he might be looking for a new challenge here,” he added.

Geraghty started only 11 games this season and will be on the bench again for tomorrow’s clash against Perpignan in the Heineken Cup Semi-finals.

Success: Geraghty with the
LV Cup trophy in 2010

With Stephen Myler preferred for the number 10 jersey and the arrival of Ryan Lamb from London Irish next season, his opportunity to play will be even harder for the former England international.

“He came to visit our facilities but we are just at the talking stage right now. We first want to secure our place in the Top 14 for next season and then get a bit more into it.

“We have a lot of young players and it would be great to have a guy like him to guide them on the pitch. He has some good skills we would love to offer him the opportunity to kick start his career again,” Mola added.

“No place for gouging in rugby” says player who had eye removed

2011-04-29T10:09:00.000-07:00

Clarence Harding two week after being gouged

Following Mark Cueto’s ridiculous ban for gouging in the clash between Northampton and Sale, former Gravesend player Clarence Harding who had his right eye removed after being gouged last year believes: “Gouging should be stamp out of rugby. There is no place for it in our sport.”

“The RFU’s made it clear during the different hearings of my case that they want to get rid of gouging for good. But I am not sure, the sanction given to Mark Cueto is right.

“The two Frenchmen were banned for 70 weeks and six months, Mark Cueto for nine weeks and Shalk Burger for only eight. The rugby institutions have to be more consistent if they want to succeed in their mission,” he added

Mark Cueto’s suspension means that he will be available to play again on June 4, two weeks before England start their preparation for the World Cup.

Busted: Cueto gouging Christian Day

“I don’t care who is found guilty of the offence. If you are found guilty, you should never be allowed to be involved in any form of rugby ever again,” the former No.8 insisted.

Harding’s incident happened in January 2010 in a Kent Cup game between his former club Gravesend and local rivals Maidstone. After two hearing at the RFU, it was established that Harding injury was caused by two fingers and nothing else like it was claimed.

Because of a lack of evidence, no one has been found guilty of the offence even though Mr Harding clearly stated he knew who was responsible for his injury throughout the case.

Instead, Maidstone Rugby Club has been fined £2000 and deducted 50 points, the club being responsible of the actions of its members as stated in the RFU guidelines.

They have since appealed the sanction but dropped it during the first day of the hearing.

“Maidstone have always claimed their innocence but their decision to drop out of the hearing is strange,” the South African born said

Clarence Harding is now recovering well after having a surgery to remove his right eye and is now thinking about taking legal action against Maidstone Rugby Club.

“I was in constant pain and having my eye removed stopped it nearly completely. So on this point of view, the surgery was a great success.

“I am currently looking at taking legal action against Maidstone for their role in the affaire and maybe also the three players involved in the RFU hearing,” he concluded.

C4 new President excited about new role (Video Interview)

2011-04-26T07:47:00.001-07:00

Just before the end of last term, Alex Penn has been elected the new president of Canterbury Christ Church University Mens Rugby Club. The PE Sports and Science student admits he is “very excited about it”.

He said: “I am really relishing the opportunity of being in charge and having the responsibilities more than anything.

“I have loved playing for C4 in the last couple of years and for me, going into teaching, having that experience under my belt can only be good for me.”

The list of things to work for next season is already growing and it will all kick off once the academic year is over.

“My university commitments need to take priority at the moment but once the 19^th of May comes everything will be starting to get into place.

“Ordering new balls and sorting out kit for next year are on top of my list. I just want to make the club a bit more professional than it was this year and build from the good work that Sam Clark did this season,” he added.

The atmosphere around the club will also be key.

“I want to make sure the club has a really good atmosphere about it.

“I want it to make it more a club rather than just men’s rugby on one side and women’s rugby on the other. This is a massive thing for me. We don’t do enough with the girls I think.

“We are going to try and rectify that next year.

“I want to be approachable and getting to know everyone. The club running smoothly is probably the main thing for me. I want to make sure everything goes well and click into place.

“I also want to organise another good tour like we had this year,” the 22-year-old admitted.

On the pitch, he hopes the second team can perform better to take the club further and follow the footstep of the 1^st team.

“I think the one will have a solid team even though we are going to loose a couple of key players like James Lunnun, Joseph Wood and Sam Bailey.

“But getting the second team promoted is a massive goal. They were unlucky not to do better than they did.

“A poor start of the season did not help but the back end of the season really put them on the map and made people realise that the 2s are pretty good.

“Playing a bit more competitive games during the season whether it is against the 1^st team or not will help them when it comes to Varsity.

“Varsity is a massive step up and the inexperience and the lack of competitiveness of the league they are in massively showed in Varsity. If we can sort this out next year I think the club can go far,” he concluded.

Imanol Harinordoquy: I am a No.8 not a seven

2011-04-26T03:07:00.000-07:00

Harinordoquy warming up with Biarritz wearing the number 7 jersey...

Arguably the best No.8 in Europe, Imanol Harinordoquy is mainly playing at openside flanker for his club Biarritz. A situation he is not happy about.

“I believe to become the best in the world, you need to play at the same position week-in week-out. This is what I want to do at number eight,” says the Biarritz captain.

Despite playing 18 of the 22 games he played this year for the French giants at flanker, the 31 year-old insists: “my favourite position is number eight. I like the freedom and I think it suits my game better than flanker.”

The reason behind this move is tactical. His combination in the back-row with the highly-rated youngster Raphael Lakafia at eight and England International Magnus Lund at blindside flanker has proven to be a success for Biarritz. However, the team does not perform as well when Tongian international Samiu Vahafolau comes in at flanker and Harinordoquy moves back to eight.

Usually praised, his versatility has become a handicap for his development. “I am quite pleased of my performances this season but this switch leaves me unsatisfied,” he added.

But the Basque Warrior, his nickname since last year Heineken Cup semi-final against Munster where he played with a broken nose wearing a protective mask, insists that “wherever I play, I will give everything for the club to achieve the success we deserve. The club has a bright future ahead with all the talented youngsters coming through and I will do my best to help.”

...and wearing the No.8
with France

When playing for France, Harinordoquy has become the first choice at number eight for the last three 6 Nations campaigns having started 13 of the 15 games at this position. Once threatened by Racing Metro Sebastien Chabal earlier this season and in the 6 Nations, he has proved against Scotland, Ireland and Wales that he is the number one contender to wear the number eight jersey during this year’s World Cup in September.

He also believes that playing flanker in his club will not affect his performance in New-Zealand. “Marc Lievremont told me he considers me as an eight. As soon as the season with Biarritz is over and we start training for the World Cup, this is where I will be playing. I am used to do the switch now and I will have enough time to get ready,” he said.

For him the last 6 Nations from France was good and the shock defeat in Italy can only be a good thing for the future. “If you forget about the Italy game, I think our tournament has been good as a whole. We have to learn and grow from it to win this kind of game where we are hugely favourites.

“We have to prepare them the same way as when we are underdogs. We had the same problem in the Heineken Cup this year with Biarritz when we lost at Aironi and nearly missed out on the quarter-finals because of it. If we can manage that, we will be contenders in New Zealand,” he said.

James Lunnun: Winning against UKC was good

2011-04-26T02:39:00.000-07:00

James Lunnun, left, all smiles after winning Varsity
with Sam Bailey, centre, and Joseph Wood, right.

Nicolas Verdier: What did it mean for you to win the Mark Burgeff Award for service to rugby at this year’s Sport Fed dinner?

James Lunnun: Some very nice people have won it before so I felt very proud to be one of them. I was very surprised as I was not expecting to win it at all. I have heard about the award before but I did not even know I was up for it this year. It was a great surprise.

N. V.: How was Varsity?

J. L.: It was amazing. It was so good to win against UKC. It is always very hard to win Varsity as the team we play is always a league or two above us. But we gave everything we had on the pitch and at training and it paid off at the end.

N. V.: What was the key of the game?

J. L.: I think like every year, the key was determination; everyone was so pump up and passionate for the game. That is why we won. In a high pressure game like Varsity, it always comes down to determination. In the past UKC did not take us seriously. We are always the underdogs but this is what makes us so pumped up and get the win.

N. V.: How did you feel after the last whistle?

J. L.: It was a massive feeling of relief. I was very nervous going into the game. I knew it was my last chance to win Varsity as a third year but also as I was the captain. I won it in my first year but lost last year so I knew what it meant for the team and the whole University to lose. I really did not want to experience that feeling again.

N. V.: When did you realise you won Varsity?

J. L.: I was a bit shocked at the end of the game to be honest. The atmosphere was amazing and when the entire crowd came on the pitch to celebrate it was surreal. It is only when we calmed down and sat down in the changing room that we realise what just happened. It is by far my best memory as a rugby player.