Namibia qualification to RWC

Special Report by Benedict Chanakira

While controversy swelled all over the world as to why the games where not played at the same time, it took no glitter off any of the results. Namibia have qualified for the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England.

Congratulations to them. They showed determination, character and peaked at the right time. Having lost their first game against Kenya, followed by a come from behind win over the Sables there was hope. They had to win by a mammoth 53 points or more against Madagascar. They came out and blew the hosts away. They knew what they had to do and executed perfectly. Led by Pumas loose forward Renaldo Bothma who was in devastating form.

Bothma was quoted as saying "We have the belief and we are still in it after the first two games. We hope for a favorable result between Zimbabwe and Kenya." It played out well. They had everything in their hands from there.

This was a day full of ups and downs. Zimbabwe looked to have qualified after their win over Kenya. Kenya who were in pole position blew it and failed to grab the required bonus point try in the end for automatic qualification. The Sables executed well and exploited their opponents' weaknesses. Zimbabwe put in a brave onslaught on defense in the last five minutes on their try-line. The Sables' only criticism would be the decision not to go for the corner instead of settling for the three points.  This decision haunted them in the next game as Madagascar was put to the sword by Namibia despite a second half flurry of beautiful interplay between the hosts.

The Sables now must turn their attention to Siberia where they will face Russia in a few weeks. A win will then set-up a clash against Hong Kong/Uruguay. This was a fascinating tournament and the best team won. Namibia did their job and can book their flights. The rest of Africa now stand behind the Sables in their quest not to only make their first World Cup in twenty-two years but claim a third World Cup spot for Africa. 

Rambai makashing Sables! (Remain brave Sables!)

African RWC Qualification - Round 1

Special Report by Benedict Chanakira

South Africa one of world rugby's powerhouses are the only side from Africa with automatic entry into the Rugby World Cup. One spot is up for grabs and Zimbabwe,  Madagascar, Namibia and Kenya are vying for it. Whoever finishes top will qualify and face the daunting task of playing the New Zealand All Blacks. Runner up will have another bite at the cherry by facing Russia. That will be a much more difficult route.

After round one we have Zimbabwe top of the group and that is thanks to an easy win after a close first half against the hosts, Madagascar. Not much could be taken from this clash as the forward onslaught Zimbabwe gave the Madagascar pack was expected.  Madagascar had a rather light weight team. While they lacked in brawn, they made it up in elusive and quick play. When it went right they displayed silky hands and skills which exposed defensive frailties in the Sables side. Zimbabwe did the business though and coach Brendan Dawson will be pleased, but if a first appearance at the World Cup since 1991 is to be realized a few tweaks must be made.

Towards the end the machine was in full steam ahead.A tough test awaits next and this should shed light on how good the Zimbabweans really are. A win over their arch-rivals Namibia for the first time in over a decade should see the Sables take a huge stride towards England 2015.

Namibia will have to pick themselves up quickly. A shock loss at the hands of a well prepared Kenya side blew this tournament open and threw a curve ball to all spectators.Kenya are now favorites to go to the World Cup. They showed character, determination and hunger. It looked as though at 12-0; Namibia would run away with it but Kenya had other ideas.

As we  approach the second round we can expect more clarity. I firmly believe Kenya will beat Madagascar. To set up a potential final with Zimbabwe should they over-come the mental barrier that is beating the Namibians. Namibia need to win to keep their hopes alive. All to play for in this game.Whatever happens we expect a cracker of a wednesday. There are still twists in this Tournament and we hope whoever qualifies will fly Africa's flag high.

Rugby Santa 2011: Try Time!

This time last year, Coach Burke of the Oakland Warthogs and I rucked over an idea to get OLD Rugby players to donate unused/retired gear to YOUNG Rugby players. The response last from last year's Rugby Santa forced my business partner to ask me to stop having stuff sent to the office. We literally couldn't get down our hall. Let's do that again, yes? 

After the Silly Season, "The Girl" at YourScrumHalfConnection.com came up with TRY Donation Program: Tomorrow's Rugby Youth. 

Madak.com designs gave us a logo, and BOOM, we were in business.  
 If you have old gear, please contact Kevin at RuckingInsurance.com for a mailing address. If you're a youth program in need of gear, again contact Kevin. And, be sure to visit the Rugby-Related Businesses that help us promote this last year: 

ARugbyLife.com 

PakisCorner.com 

RugbyAmerica.org

ScrumHalfConnection.com

RugbyAthletic.com 

AGiantAwakens.com 

The PCRFU 

Ruckie The Moose 

RuckingInsurance.com

Fashion: Kia ora from the future

As part of a new feature on a rugby life,  I am proud to introduce an insight into rugby fashion brought to you by Bakline.

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Kia ora from the future

With the culmination of the Rugby World Cup ending tomorrow, the 2011 year has proven to be a noteworthy one for rugby fashion. The battles waged on the pitch during the tournament began transcending across borders, court rooms and retail outlets before the event even started. While fans of the game watch replays on Rugby Dump to pass time at the office, our time at Bakline was busy watching the trends of the insight and controversy within the fashion world of rugby.

To kickstart the year, it was announced that a people's champion, Jim Carlberg of Rugby America, Ltd. in a David vs. Goliath scenario fought the Ralph Lauren Company in it's defense to keep the word "Rugby" out of Ralph Lauren's greedy portfolio of copyrights. Imagine, Ralph Lauren wanted to put a stop to all the brands out there from using "rugby" on their apparel. The chutzpah. Thankfully, a level-headed Judge in the USA thought RL's claim to be whack and gave the six year legal battle victory to Mr. Carlberg. Thank him if see him about.

Springboks RWC 2011 Jersey

The next battle waged, well several, was in South Africa. The beloved Springbok is the epitome of pride for many in South Africa. Although the icon was in existence long before the Apartheid went into existence, the current government wants to make all national teams consistent with the Protea and decided to move the Springbok emblem from the left chest. The jersey maker, Canterbury has their logo front and center - but the most important icon to rugby fans was cast to the sleeve during the tournament. To add further insult to the furor was a legislative member of the ANC government called on his peers and country men to boycott wearing the jersey for its made in China and not locally by the fabric mills within SA. Tough battle we say.

A similar story of politics and rugby fashion happened in New Zealand when MP Clare Curran wore a Highlanders jersey in session and was asked to leave for breaching dress code conduct. Her reason was highlighting the protest of the change in kit colors from blue and yellow to lime green. The passion!

England 7s National Team

Speaking of colors, who can forget England's "tiger" sevens kit or the debacle surrounding the English alternate "all black" kit. This, we think, is one of the biggest fashion stories of 2011. When England and Nike announced the all black kit, fans across the world on both sides criticized the marketing move as both offensive and flattering to the New Zealand All Blacks. Should we remind our readers that New Zealand's alternate kit is completely all white and Wales got in on the fun too with a near complete, all black away kit as well. It was probably just a fashion conspiracy to get the English to look like All Blacks supporters!

Which leads us to the tournament hosts. Adidas and retailers in New Zealand put the much anticipated All Black jersey up for sale at rather astronomical prices. In the home nation, the jersey asking price hovered around $220 NZ dollars (about $180 US) and online with World Rugby Shop for $89 US. This created huge uproar from fans as this price fluctuation showed the cracks in the marketing from Adidas. Obviously, New Zealand has a captured audience on an island and when you mix the pinnacle of rugby competitions in the land of the best team, you have a goldmine to suck dry. Some retailers bent on their profits to appeal to the fans but nevertheless - the support behind the All Blacks is immense and reports show the jersey is selling better than expected.

Oh, and thought that fancy new All Blacks jersey was indestructible? This one is for you ladies.

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About the author: Bakline, Inc. is an American based sportswear and lifestyle company. Bakline Rugby is a Bakline, Inc. company brand with sales both domestic and international.

You can learn more about Bakline from President and Co-Founder Rob Schnabel who we interviewed in Podcast Episode 10.

Celebrate the Rugby World Cup with Infamous Goose Sauvignon Blanc in New York City

New York City's popular Kiwi hang out, Nelson Blue, invites you to celebrate two of the country’s most iconic exports on Saturday, October 1st; Sauvignon Blanc and rugby. Marking the release of their 2010 Sauvignon Blanc, The Infamous Goose welcomes the triumphant return of their home team the All Blacks to the Rugby World Cup with a pre-game reception at New York City’s Nelson Blue Bar & Grill co-hosted by the Kiwi Club of New York.

Guests will be invited to complimentary samples of The Infamous Goose 2010 Sauvignon Blanc and learn “The Haka” – a traditional dance of New Zealand’s native Māori made famous worldwide by their rugby team. Originally performed before battle to proclaim strength and prowess - the Haka is now an integral part of formal ceremonies. Prizes awarded to the best Haka performers.

Cheer New Zealand’s All Blacks, as they take on the Canadian Canucks and toast to New Zealand rugby icons Captain Richie McCaw, Fly-half Dan Carter and wunderkind Sonny Bill Williams as they ruck and maul their way to glory in the North Island city of Wellington at 10:30pm EST.

Date: Saturday, October 1
Time:9 – 10:30pm (Kickoff at 10:30pm)                    
Location: Nelson Blue New Zealand Bar & Grill
233-235 Front Street @ Peck Slip, South Street Seaport, NYC 10038

Phone:  (212) 346-9090
Price:  Complimentary to members of the public 21 years and over
Website: www.nelsonblue.com
RSVP: theinfamousgoose.eventbrite.com

I will be at the event, so please come over and say hi!

11th hour RWC preview: Ireland vs USA

Ireland vs USa in Santa Clara.
Credit: Tony Avelar / Associated Press

The countdown to the Ireland v USA's match at the 2011 Rugby World Cup is almost over, as both teams get ready to kick of at 6pm NZST (2am EST) in New Plymouth.

This match is highly anticipated here, and even with the odds stacked against the Eagles, many are wondering if we could see an upset for the Irish.

For the Eagles, with the match taking place on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and former Irish head coach Eddie O'Sullivan now at the helm, this game is going to be an emotional one.   Captain Todd Clever and O'Sullivan have already acknowledge this in interviews and to their credit, have sounded very calm and collected.  Channeling this emotion into motivation is key to their success.  O'Sullivan knows the lay of the Irish land to a certain extent and exploiting that can only benefit the US.  Other key factors is for the Eagles to settle down into the game early, while maintaining the physically pressure for the full 80 minutes (US should take some inspiration from the Romanians and Japanese). 

My RWC 2011 predictions

Who'll be lifting the
 Webb Ellis Cup this year?

A few folks have been asking me what my Rugby World Cup predictions are for this year and thought it was about time to share them with you all!

I will talk more about game predictions in a future post or you can get a sneak peak of what I am thinking by joining the ARL Rugby World Cup prediction game on SuperBru (Pool name: a rugby life, Pool code: seartick).

So without further ado, here are my calls:

ARL launches RWC page for folks in the US

www.rugbyworldcup.com

I am pleased to announce today the launch of the ARL RWC in the USA page!  Here you will find information, TV coverage, schedules, and local events where you can catch all the action in New Zealand.

Its a work in progress and I plan to regularly update it with more information as we get closer to the first kick off in Auckland on September 9th.

If you have any info. you would love to share with us, drop us a line!

Eagles Head Coach Eddie O’Sullivan announces player camp

Eagle Valenese Malifa in action (Credit: USA Rugby)

BOULDER, Colo. - Eagles Head Coach Eddie O’Sullivan has officially announced his first domestic training squad of the year, in what will be a very busy 2011 for the Men’s National Team in their buildup to the 2011 Rugby World Cup (RWC).  O’Sullivan has also added a few members to his coaching staff to best prepare the Eagles for a full list of pre-RWC fixtures.

The 35 players will assemble at the Olympic Training Center (OTC) in Chula Vista, Calif., from Wednesday May 4 to Sunday May 8.

“This is the first and only assembly for the domestic Eagles in 2011. It is an immediate opportunity for everybody invited to push for a place at the Churchill Cup in June,” O’Sullivan said, acknowledging that many overseas players are tied-up in their professional duties for their respective clubs.

O’Sullivan also noted that some players are also unavailable for personal reasons and others are unavailable due to injury and involvement in domestic collegiate rugby.

The squad assembling at the OTC consists of 17 forwards and 18 backs. Thirteen members of the squad have represented the Eagles in the IRB Sevens World Series and 14 of the 35 players have caps for the Eagles fifteens side.

USA Rugby Kicks Off World Cup Campaign at United Nations

NEW YORK – United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon and the Rugby World Cup trophy, the Webb Ellis Cup, helped the Eagles kick off their Road to the World Cup campaign at the UN Headquarters on Monday.

Ki-moon welcomed the delegates and the audience, but the audience surely wasn't prepared for what Ki-moon had embedded in his speech; a fantastic sense of humor.
"There are a lot of similarities between rugby and diplomacy: you lose teeth and you can even lose face...Scrums are as confusing to those unfamiliar with the game, just as speeches can be in diplomacy," said Ki-moon.

The Secretary General also lamented that he was "never good enough to play loose head prop, or tight head prop, and certainly never played hooker."
The crowd was delighted with his speech and he highlighted the importance of sport and the power it has to unite people.  USA Rugby CEO, Nigel Melville, presented the Secretary General with an Eagles jersey and the New Zealand mission to the UN gave Ki-moon a New Zealand All Blacks jersey.

USA Eagle team captains, Mike Petri and Todd Clever, were on hand to represent their team at the event as were International Rugby Board (IRB) chairman, Bernard Lapasset and CEO Mike Miller.
Lapasset showcased the growth of rugby in recent years and recognized that the sport has a proud tradition of promoting social change and helping those in need.

"The Rugby World Cup is a symbol of the power of sport to drive social change.  In the hands of Nelson Mandela in 1995, it helped unite a nation.  We hope that it will continue to inspire future generations to participate, to express themselves, to have fun.
We are proud of our sport's ability to make a difference.  The global rugby family united behind Christchurch after the devastating earthquake in February and is rallying behind Japan," said Lapasset.

The IRB's "Tackle Hunger" program raised over 3 million dollars to benefit the United Nations World Food Program and will use the 2011 RWC to promote the worthy program to the audience.
Before the Secretary General spoke, ambassadors from the 20 participating nations met in the General Assembly Hall and had an opportunity to pose with the Webb Ellis Cup.  Plenty of playful banter was exchanged between the representatives, some claiming the Cup will look better in their respective countries.
The Eagles have their first World Cup warm up match in London on June 4 where they will face the England Saxons.
Further Information:
Jarrod Beckstrom | Communications Manager | USA Rugby | jbeckstrom@usarugby.org

Introducing the New ARL logo!

Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce the new 'a rugby life' logo!

A BIG thank you goes out to Adam Kopp and the folks at Madak Design and Rugby Athletic, who did the design for me.  The idea of a redesign came up in conversation after wrapping up last years podcast on Rugby Athletic.  Adam has been working with me since and I am chuffed to share his finished work to the world today.  

Let me know what you folks think of it :)

England and Japan to host next World Cups

The International Rugby Board (IRB) has awarded the 2015 Rugby World Cup to England and the 2019 Rugby World Cup to Japan. Check out the full announcement here.

World Cup qualifier round-up

Oceania
Great news for Samoa, who beat Papua New Guinea 73-12 to qualify for Pool D in the 2012 World Cup in New Zealand.

Africa
The last remaining place in Pool D will be settled in November as Tunisia and Namibia face off.

Americas
The USA still has the opportunity to qualify after their loss to Canada earlier this month. Canada has now sealed the spot in Pool A, and the Eagles will face Uruguay to compete for the Americas 2 qualifier spot in Pool C. The loser will still have one more chance to qualify through the cross-continental final place playoff in 2010.

Asia
The winner of the Asian 5 Nations will qualify as Asia 1 in Pool A with the runner-up playing in the final place playoff. The 5 Nations teams are made up of Arabian Gulf, Hong Kong, Japan, Kazakhstan, and Korea.

Europe
With England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales already pre-qualified, there are two definite pool places up for grabs, with one additional chance in the final place playoff. Battling it out are Belgium, Czech Republic, Georgia, Germany, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, and Ukraine. The top 2 from the European Nations Cup (ENC) Division 1 will qualify as Europe 1 (Pool B) and Europe 2 (Pool C). The 3rd and 4th place teams from the division will compete for a spot in the final place playoff.

Here's how the current pools are looking:

Pool A - New Zealand, France, Tonga, Canada, Asia 1 (Winner of Asian 5 Nations)

Pool B - Argentina, England, Scotland, Europe 1 (winner of ENC Div. 1), Final place playoff (TBD)

Pool C - Australia, Ireland, Italy, Europe 2 (runner-up of ENC Div. 1), Americas 2 (USA or Uruguay)

Pool D - South Africa, Wales, Fiji, Samoa, Africa 1 (Namibia or Tunisia)

Let's celebrate

Happy 4th of July, folks! And what a great day for rugby!

The day started off well with a victory for the British and Irish Lions in South Africa. A bit bittersweet after a tough tour, but a great win today of 9-28 with tries from Williams (2) and Monye (1), and two conversions by Jones who also knocked over three penalties. The Boks' Steyn delivered the team's only points from three penalties.

And don't forget...ESPN 4pm today: USA take on Canada at home for a chance to secure their place in the next World Cup in New Zealand.

Live rugby on ESPN July 4th - RWC Qualifier USA vs Canada

ESPN has been recently pushing the boat out by providing rugby coverage on their channels in the US. So its great to see that they are broadcasting the USA vs Canada World Cup Qualifier at 4pm on July 4th. Head on over to ESPN's scrum website for more details.