Thursday, May 31, 2007

Early peek at weekend internationals

Yours Truly is off to the lakes of northern Ontario early Friday morning for weekend wilderness hijinks, beyond range of cell-phones and other electronic media. Shame, 'cos there's a pantload of international rugby action happening and I'll miss all of it ~ at least 'til Tuesday when I'll sit down for a long afternoon of replays. Until then I'll be keeping my fingers poked tightly in my ears. No spoilers, please!

Rugby Planet ordinarily has their match previews online morning-to-midday Friday, so be sure to check out their main page for starting line-ups, kick-off times, predictions and all the other pertinent details of Saturdays' major test match action.

Here's the live online broadcast schedule ~ ALL MATCHES ON SATURDAY, JUNE 2nd ~ all times EDT (Toronto, New York):

New Zealand All Blacks vs. France
Mediazone Rugby Channel
LIVE kick-off : 03:35 AM ET

Australia Wallabies vs. Wales
Mediazone Rugby Channel
LIVE kick-off : 06:00 AM ET

South Africa Springboks vs. England
Mediazone Rugby Channel
LIVE kick-off : 09:00 AM ET

Churchill BOWL Final (5th/6th place play-off final)
USA vs. Canada, 11:30
Setanta Sports North America (Broadband 2)
LIVE kick-off : 06:30 AM ET

Churchill Cup CONSOLATION (3rd/4th place play-off final)
Ireland 'A' vs. Scotland 'A'
Setanta Sports North America (Broadband 2)
LIVE kick-off : 08:30 AM ET

Churchill Cup CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
England Saxons vs. New Zealand Maori
Setanta Sports North America (Broadband 1)
LIVE kick-off : 11:30 AM ET

Argentina Pumas vs. Ireland
WARNING! Setanta Sports has this test listed at 17:00 ET (5:00 PM ET) on Broadband 1, but does not list it as live, and does not specify if it's Test #2 or a taped replay of last weekends' First Test nailbiter won by Argentina. Caveat emptor!

*Reminder: Mediazone Rugby Channel and Setanta Sports both require registration!

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Wednesday, May 30, 2007

IRB: Lipstick on a pig



Update to the Open letter to IRB and Rugby Canada vis-a-vie RWC broadcasting rights in Canada.

Longtime poster "Gary" at The Silver Fern is another angry rugby fan annoyed about the greedy RWC tv deal the IRB signed to screw Canadian rugby fans this September.

Gary draws my attention to even more facts that fly in the face of official IRB propaganda, directing me to the IRB's own 2004 Strategic Plan.

An information sheet titled "IRB Invests in Rugby's Future quotes IRB Chair Dr. Syd Millar describing the IRB Council - Interim Meeting of November 2004 as, quote, "the most important Meeting of the IRB Council since 1995 when the game of rugby went open."

The report details the IRB Council as having "unanimously approved a new strategic plan for the IRB incorporating a new governance structure. Rugby has undergone profound change since 1995 and the strategic plan recognises the fact that the game's policy-making and delivery mechanisms required modernising to reflect the changing requirements of the game."

IRB Vice Chairman Bob Tuckey, Chairman of the Governance Working Party established by Council in 2003, added, "In consultations with Member Unions and other stakeholders a common message was prevalent, that the IRB needed to review the way in which it conducts its business to ensure that it remains relevant to the changing needs and imperatives of all Member Unions."

Gary points to the 2004 IRB Strategic Plan that was produced from that Council meeting, highlighting the section titled "IRB Strategies: Appendix 2.5" (scroll down to page 15 of the .pdf document):

2.5.
Maximize the promotion and marketing of the RWC


We will do this by:

  • Establishing targets for global broadcast audiences and broadcast targets for each key market.
  • Reaching global and specific target audiences levels.
  • Negotiating broadcast contracts to reflect commercial and broadcast targets.
  • Developing a broadcast strategy for each Participating Union.
  • Increasing the brand value of the RWC mark.


  • Gary rightly wonders how this new broadcast deal with Setanta meets any of the above criteria and stated objectives. The underlying reality is that Canadians will see substantially less of the 2007 RWC on television, and at substantially higher Pay-Per-View costs.

    All valid points.

    It's too bad the IRB seems to be much too busy waving their bank account statements around for them to answer any of them.



    My best advice is to write letters to the IRB and Rugby Canada. Light a fire with the facts, and don't be afraid to throw the IRB's own stated propaganda right back in their faces.

    Ask them why their organization is failing to live up to their strategies and objectives.

    Demand to know why they are penalizing Canadian fans after the demonstrable growth of rugby in Canada.

    Go Howard Beale on their arses ~ let them know you're mad as hell and you're not going to take it any more!

    .

    Monday, May 28, 2007

    Monday Morning FB

    Quick international test match wrap from the past weekend...

    The Springboks were ruthless hammering England 58-10 at Bloemfontein on Saturday. England was playing without the contingent of London Wasps and Leicester Tigers front-liners who'd competed in the previous weeks' Heineken Cup final, so it's difficult to get a gauge on the lopsided victory.

    Australia rebounded from an early 17-0 deficit to beat a weak-ish Wales 29-23 at a half-empty stadium in Sydney. The Wallabies trailed when 80 minutes came up on the clock, but scored a decisive try from Stephen Hoiles in injury-time to steal the win.

    Ireland out-muscled and out-thought Argentina for most of 70 minutes at Santa Fe, but were undone by a superlative match-winning performance by Pumas flyhalf Felipe Contepomi, who drop-goaled at the 78 minute mark to guide his team to a 22-20 victory. In a test that was for the most part a tight affair played between the opposing 22s, the final 10 minutes saw an exciting see-saw contest with four lead changes and the Irish pack recycling near the Argentine goal-line at the final whistle to claim the win. Alas, a sorry-looking Geordan Murphy drop-goal attempt was as close as they got.

    It has been confirmed that Argentina skipper and fly-half Felipe Contepomi will not play in the 2nd test at Buenos Aires nest Saturday. Contepomi will travel to Dublin next week to collect his medical degree.

    Re-capping Friday's Churchill Cup test, the New Zealand Maori strolled to a 59-23 victory over Canada. The result was deserved and never in doubt, but Canada showed signs of progress and areas they need to work on. Rugby Canada's match report here.

    .

    Friday, May 25, 2007

    Live-blogging: CANADA vs. NZ MAORI

    The CANADA vs. NEW ZEALAND MAORI Churchill Cup match gets under way in about 10 minutes. Stay tuned for live tracking scores and commentary.

    Here are the team line-ups:

    Canada: 1. Kevin Tkachuk, 2. Pat Riordan, 3. Scott Franklin, 4. Luke Tait, 5. Mike Burak, 6. Mike Webb, 7. Adam Kleeberger, 8. David Biddle, 9. Ed Fairhurst (captain), 10. Ander Monro, 11. James Pritchard, 12. David Daypuck, 13. Craig Culpan, 14. Dean Van Camp, 15. Mike Pyke. Reserves: 16. Aaron Carpenter, 17. Dan Pletch, 18. Mike Pletch, 19. Josh Jackson, 20. Stan McKeen, 21. Morgan Williams, 22. Nathan Hirayama.

    New Zealand Maori: 1. Keith Cameron, 2. Luke Mahoney, 3. Hoani Tui, 4. Kristian Ormsby, 5. Isaac Ross, 6. Angus Macdonald, 7. Scott Waldrom, 8. Warren Smith, 9. Chris Smylie, 10. Callum Bruce, 11. Anthony Tahanae, 12. Rua Tipoki (captain), 13. Jason Kawau, 14. Pehi Te Whare, 15. Shannon Paku Glen Horton. Reserves: 16. Aled de Malmanche, 17. Craig West, 18. Jarrad Hoeata, 19. Hayden Triggs, 20. James Rodley, 21. Tamati Ellison, 22. Dwayne Sweeney.

    This will be the third time Canada has faced the NZ Maori. The Maori toured Canada and played three matches in 2003, including a pair of test matches. Full details of that tour here.

    Franklin Gardens, Northampton in England for an nice clear early evening...

    Canadians are on the field, Maori coming out... Anthems and haka to follow...

    Maori to kick off...

    Ander Monro holds on at the Canada 22 and penalized. Easy kick...

    2 min. Callum Bruce hits post, misses easy penalty attempt. Canada escape...

    5 min. Canada clear badly, charge down by Maori. TRY to Scott Waldrom. 5-0. Conversion to come.

    Bruce converts easily. Maori 7 - Canada 0.

    Another Canadian mistake at kick-off, ball kicked dead, scrum at half.

    9 mins. Maori TIGHTHEAD on Canadian scrum at half-way. Canada intentional knock-on. Maori scrum at half...

    12 min. Pat Riordan (Canada) penalized in front of sticks... Maori opt for lineout...

    TRY out wide right to Maori winger Pehi Te Whare... Maori lead 12-0.

    Canadian commentator Gareth Rees whinging about Maori obstruction in mid-field...

    Bruce converts out wide. 14 min Maori 14 Canada 0.

    Tipoki with huge openfield break. Ormsby steps out of bounds.

    Penalty against Maori for killing ball. Pritchard converts out front.

    18 min. Maori 14 Canada 3.

    TERRIBLE giveaway on ruck ball near Canadian line, Anthony Tahanae scores easily in left corner TRY!

    21 min. Bruce misses conversion. Maori 19 Canada 3.

    Maori run ball from their own line, look dangerous, but throw ball out of bounds near half....

    24 min. Penalty. Pritchard lands a long one. Maori 19 Canada 6.

    Heavy pressure, Maori recycling and attacking... Canada barely holding on...

    26 min. TRY to Maori fullback Glenn Horton behind sticks. Maori 24 Canada 6.

    Bruce converts easily Maori 26 Canada 6.

    Ormsby penalized for swinging arm on Van Camp. Canada kick for corner...

    30 min. Canadian prop Franklin off, Mike Pletch on. Penalty near Maori corner flag. Ref warns Maori about a yellow card...

    Canada millimetres from a try on line. Great rucking... Going to TMO...

    Looks like a try to Adam Kleeberger, but tough TMO call...

    TRY awarded!

    31 min. Pritchard converts out wide left touchline, just misses. Maori 26 Canada 11.

    Well-deserved try.

    Better defence by Canada, pressuring Maori into errors.

    35 min. TRY to Anthony Tahanae. Came on back of bad Canadian mistake. They had penalty at the half, kicked to line, but missed touch and Maori counter attacked with lethal open-field breaks. Canada knocks ball loose, Tahanae pounces on loose ball over line. Conversion missed.

    37 min. Maori 31 Canada 11.

    Aimless cross-field kick by Monro; Horton runs it back and try is on with three open Maori, but stopped dead with pass intercepted by Fairhurst.

    Kristian Ormsby looks like Caucau (!!), blows by four Canadian defenders in open field. Knock-on.

    HALF-TIME. Maori 31 Canada 11 at the break. Canada have made some silly errors that have lead to probably 14 points.

    Teams are back on, Canada kicking off...

    44 min. No scoring yet. No quit and good energy by Canada... so far...

    46 min. Callum Bruce runs through several WEAK Canadian tackles, runs straight 50 metres to score under posts with big Roko dive TRY. Ouch! Easy conversion. Maori 38 Canada 11.

    Penalty against Maori. Ref warns Tipoki about another yellow for back-chat...

    52 min. Try to Maori; but ref doesn't play advantage. Silly. No worries - Quick tap at line and TRY to Jason Kawau.

    Bruce converts. Maori 45 Canada 11.

    Scrummie Morgan Williams on, Ed Fairhurst moves to fullback.

    58 min. Scrappy play, no change in score. Canada pinged for penalty. Maori kick to corner for lineout near Canadian line...

    Both teams ring in changes. We've lost audio feed, and can't see numbers, but McKeen on for Canada. Audio returns...

    60 min. Canadian scrum near own line. TIGHTHEAD, ball loose, Angus McDonald gets ball to mid-field, Tamati Ellison TRY on first touch of ball. Easy conversion. Maori 52 Canada 11.

    Maori are running rampant, but Morgan Williams claims turnover ball, goes inside, dummies, nice pass wide (hint of forward pass) to Mike Pyke TRY!

    63 min. Pritchard nice conversion wide left touch. Maori 52 Canada 18.

    Bad clearance kick by Canada misses touch, Maori counter-attack; big busting run by Tahanae who offloads to Warren Smith TRY.

    69 min. Bruce slots conversion. Maori 59 Canada 18.

    72 min. Nathan Hirayama comes off the bench for Canadian debut - youngest Canadian test player ever. Rees says his father played for Canada. Audio feed disappears again...

    73 min. TRY to Aaron Carpenter, Canada. Missed conversion. Maori 59 Canada 23.

    (Setanta Sports broadband died for a minute, missed the build-up...)

    Two minutes to go, Gareth Rees names Rua Tipoki the Man of the Match.

    Very organized defence by Maori all night - every time Canada spins ball, it always looks like 4 or 5 Canadian backs running at 8 defenders, with no room to operate.

    79 min. Maori attacking, Morgan Williams claims turnover. No advantage, no time on clock, ref blows whistle for full-time.

    FINAL: Maori 59 Canada 23.

    Hurricanes and Maori lock Kristian Ormsby interviewed post-match ~ he compliments Canada's gutsy effort and believes come RWC they will come into form and be competitive.

    All good lessons for Canada's development. If they can tighten up their defence, make their kicks to touch, and concentrate for a full 80 minutes, as Al Charron says, they will run teams like the Maori closer. Nonetheless, the Maori were clearly deserved winners.

    .

    Chrurchill Cup: Canada vs. Maori viewing options

    NOTE: Canada plays the New Zealand Maori TO-DAY (Friday May 25th).

    Rugby Canada press release:

    BCC: HOW TO WATCH CANADA V THE MAORI

    May 28, 2007 (sic)

    Toronto, ON

    While Canada's games at the Barclays Churchill Cup are not available on broadcast television in Canada fans will be able to see all games involving their red-jerseyed heroes by going to their local pub that features Setanta TV programming or if you have a subscription to Setanta Broadband, you can watch it online. (No pay-per-view offered)

    Kick-off between the Maori and Canada is 3:00 pm EST, (Noon Pacific).

    Setanta, the Irish based broadcaster, sealed the North American rights to the four year old Barclays Churchill Cup this week, and Rugby Canada wants to get the word out to fans that they can find the watering hole nearest them that features Setanta broadcasts, by clicking on this handy link to the Setanta Pub Finder. This game is available on Setanta's regular channel, and not the pay per view, so entry charges may not apply, but this cannot be guaranteed at this point.

    The second option is to watch the game on Setanta Broadband (subscription required) where you can watch the game through your PC or laptop. You can click here - to fill out the required information.

    Link.

    Again - no TV coverage, but you can view online, or you can go to "select" taverns to watch.

    And again, neither option exactly ideal for watching the game with your kids. In fact, if the second option isn't nigh-near impossible (and really, they should be at school!), it is nevertheless degrading and assbackwards.

    Still, as Donald Rumsfeld once famously said, "As you know, you have to go to war with the Army you have, not the Army you want."

    That worked out real well, too.

    Of course, Rumsfeld also said, "You can have all the armor in the world on a tank, and it can [still] be blown up."

    Touche.

    More game info and announced Canada vs. Maori starting line-ups below.

    .

    RP: Pumas vs. Ireland preview

    Rugby Planet has just posted tomorrows' Argentina vs. Ireland test match preview. Here are the starting line-ups:

    Argentina: 1. Marcos Ayerza, 2. Alberto Vernet Basualdo, 3. Santiago González Bonorino, 4. Pablo Bouza, 5. Esteban Lozada, 6. Martín Durand, 7. Juan Fernández Lobbe, 8. Juan Manuel Leguizamón, 9. Nicolás Vergallo, 10. Felipe Contepomi (c), 11. Francisco Leonelli, 12. Hernán Senillosa, 13. Miguel Avramovic, 14. Tomás De Vedia, 15. Bernardo Stortoni. Reserves: 16. Matías Cortese, 17. Pablo Cardinalli, 18. James Stuart, 19. Genaro Fessia, 20. Lucio López Fleming, 21. Juan Fernández Miranda, 22. Horacio Agulla.

    Ireland: 1. Bryan Young, 2. Jerry Flannery, 3. Simon Best (c), 4. Trevor Hogan, 5. Malcolm O'Kelly, 6. Neil Best, 7. Keith Gleeson, 8. Jamie Heaslip, 9. Isaac Boss, 10. Paddy Wallace, 11. Tommie Bowe, 12. Kieran Lewis, 13. Andrew Trimble, 14. Brian Carney, 15. Gavin Duffy. Reserves: 16. Bernard Jackman, 17. Tony Buckley, 18. Mick O'Driscoll, 19. Stephen Ferris, 20. Tomas O'Leary, 21. Geordan Murphy, 22. Barry Murphy.

    Date: Saturday 26 May 2007
    Kick-off: 16:10 local (19:10 GMT) 15:10 (3:10 PM) ET (Toronto, New York)
    Venue: Estadio Brigadier Estanislao López, Santa Fe
    Referee: Lyndon Bray (New Zealand)
    Touch judges: Kelvin Deaker (New Zealand), Phillip Bosch (South Africa)
    Television match official: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)

    RP prediction: Pumas by 10 points.

    Read the whole Rugby Planet preview here.


    ADD Rugby Heaven preview here.

    There is NO Mediazone Rugby Channel coverage, but Setanta Sports will also be carrying it live online. Click here for more details.

    RP: Springboks vs. England preview

    Rugby Planet has just posted Saturdays' South Africa vs. England test match preview. Here're the starting line-ups:

    South Africa: 1. Deon Carstens, 2. John Smit (c), 3. BJ Botha, 4. Bakkies Botha, 5. Victor Matfield, 6. Schalk Burger, 7. Juan Smith, 8. Danie Rossouw, 9. Ricky Januarie, 10. Butch James, 11. Bryan Habana, 12. Jean de Villiers, 13. Wynand Olivier, 14. Ashwin Willemse, 15. Percy Montgomery. Reserves: 16. Gurthro Steenkamp, 17. Gary Botha, 18. CJ van der Linde, 19. Johann Muller, 20. Pierre Spies, 21. Ruan Pienaar, 22. Francois Steyn.

    England: 1. Nick Wood, 2. Mark Regan, 3. Stuart Turner, 4. Dean Schofield, 5. Alex Brown, 6. Chris Jones, 7. Andy Hazell, 8. Nick Easter, 9. Peter Richards, 10. Jonny Wilkinson, 11. Jason Robinson (c), 12. Andy Farrell, 13. Mathew Tait, 14. Iain Balshaw, 15. Mike Brown. Reserves: 16. Matt Cairns, 17. Darren Crompton, 18. Roy Winters, 19. Pat Sanderson, 20. Andy Gomarsall, 21. Toby Flood, 22. A N Other.

    Date: Saturday, 26 May
    Venue: Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein
    Kick-off: 15:00 local (13:00 GMT) 09:00 AM ET (Toronto, New York)
    Referee: Steve Walsh (New Zealand)
    Touch judges: Joël Jutge (France), Malcolm Changleng (Scotland)
    Television match official: Derek Bevan (Wales)
    Assessor: Tappe Henning (South Africa)

    RP prediction. Boks by 35 points (!!).

    Read the entire Rugby Planet preview here.


    ADD Rugby Heaven preview here.

    Mediazone Rugby Channel will be carrying the game live stream online, kick-off at 09:00 AM ET (New York, Toronto, etc.). Cost is USD$9.99 (bit steeper than usual.)

    Looks like Setanta Sports will also be carrying it live online. Go here for more details.

    Thursday, May 24, 2007

    RP: Wallabies vs. Wales preview

    Rugby Planet has posted this weekends' Australia vs. Wales test match preview. Here are the starting line-ups:


    Australia: 1. Matt Dunning, 2. Stephen Moore, 3. Guy Shepherdson, 4. Nathan Sharpe, 5. Mark Chisholm, 6. Rocky Elsom, 7. Phil Waugh (c), 8. Wycliff Palu, 9. Matt Giteau, 10. Stephen Larkham, 11. Drew Mitchell, 12. Adam Ashley-Cooper, 13. Stirling Mortlock, 14. Mark Gerrard, 15. Julian Huxley. Reserves: 16 Adam Freier, 17. Benn Robinson, 18. Dan Vickerman, 19. Stephen Hoiles, 20. George Smith, 21. George Gregan, 22. Scott Staniforth.

    Wales: 1. Iestyn Thomas, 2. Matthew Rees, 3. Adam Jones, 4. Brent Cockbain, 5. Rob Sidoli, 6. Colin Charvis, 7. Gavin Thomas, 8. Jonathan Thomas, 9. Mike Phillips, 10. James Hook, 11. Chris Czekaj, 12. Sonny Parker, 13. Jamie Robinson, 14. Gareth Thomas (c), 15. Lee Byrne. Reserves: 16. Richard Hibbard, 17. Ceri Jones, 18. Michael Owen, 19. Scott Morgan, 20. Gareth Cooper, 21. Ceri Sweeney, 22. Gavin Henson

    Date: Saturday, 26 May
    Venue: Telstra Stadium, Sydney
    Kick-off: 20.05 local (10.05 GMT) 06:00 AM ET (Early morning Toronto, New York, etc.)
    Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)
    Touch judges: Paul Honiss (New Zealand), Mark Lawrence (South Africa)

    RP prediction: Australia by 10 points.

    Read entire Rugby Planet preview here.


    ADD Rugby Heaven preview here.

    BREAKING! Wallaby 1st-Five Stephen Larkham is OUT of the test with late-minute injury. Click here for details.

    Mediazone Rugby Channel will be carrying the game live stream online, kick-off at 06:00 AM ET (New York, Toronto, etc.). Cost is USD$9.99 (bit steeper than usual.)

    Looks like Setanta Sports will also be carrying it live online. Go here for more details.

    .

    Canadian BCC news

    Last month Al Charron was hired to the staff of Canada's senior mens rugby team. Upon the announcement, I wondered if Al might put a straitjacket on his Rugby Canada columns.

    Fear not, as just today Al has posted his latest "letter," and it's an unvarnished assessment of Canada's 39-20 loss to Ireland 'A' in Churchill Cup action last weekend:

    Canada had passages in the game in which they played well but again had periods of lapses where they were not up to snuff in what the coaches and experts in the game would say is required in the modern age of international rugby. [...]

    Canada as a group has to collectively be mentally tough enough to play sound if not spectacular 80 minutes of rugby with no costly lapses to get international wins - it’s as simple as that.

    Playing sound rugby for 65 to 70 minutes is great but not if in the 15 to 10 minutes that you don’t, you soil the linen so badly it costs you the game.


    Read the entire post. It's refreshing. The words are tough, but not destructive criticism, instead being just the sort of experienced straight talk the squad needs building toward September.

    This weekend Canada faces an even sterner task, as the Canadians tackle the New Zealand Maori:

    Canada: 1. Kevin Tkachuk, 2. Pat Riordan, 3. Scott Franklin, 4. Luke Tait, 5. Mike Burak, 6. Mike Webb, 7. Adam Kleeberger, 8. David Biddle, 9. Ed Fairhurst (captain), 10. Ander Monro, 11. James Pritchard, 12. David Daypuck, 13. Craig Culpan, 14. Dean Van Camp, 15. Mike Pyke. Reserves: 16. Aaron Carpenter, 17. Dan Pletch, 18. Mike Pletch, 19. Josh Jackson, 20. Stan McKeen, 21. Morgan Williams, 22. Nathan Hirayama.

    New Zealand Maori: 1. Keith Cameron, 2. Luke Mahoney, 3. Hoani Tui, 4. Kristian Ormsby, 5. Isaac Ross, 6. Angus Macdonald, 7. Scott Waldrom, 8. Warren Smith, 9. Chris Smylie, 10. Callum Bruce, 11. Anthony Tahanae, 12. Rua Tipoki (captain), 13. Jason Kawau, 14. Pehi Te Whare, 15. Shannon Paku. Reserves: 16. Aled de Malmanche, 17. Craig West, 18. Jarrad Hoeata, 19. Hayden Triggs, 20. James Rodley, 21. Tamati Ellison, 22. Dwayne Sweeney.

    NZ-based Canadian centre Craig Culpan will be facing some familiar faces.

    For more information, go here, here and here.

    .

    More Manny Castillo exploitation and disinformation

    Manny Castillo archive:
    Fri. May 11
    Sat. May 12
    Mon. May 14
    Tue. May 15
    Wed. May 16
    Sat. May 19


    Journalists continue to pull "facts" out of their arses and muddy the waters in the Manny Castillo tragedy.

    Last weekend saw Laura Robinson step up to a Ottawa Citizen soap-box and use the young man's death to score thoughtless cheap shots about ice-hockey and violence against women.

    Now City-TV News is piling on and exploiting Manny in a lede to a completely unrelated gun-shot murder:



    Teen Allegedly Killed Over Prank

    City TV News
    Thursday May 24, 2007

    Less than two weeks ago Toronto heard the tragic story of Manny Castillo, a 15-year-old boy who died after an incident on the sidelines at a Lorne Park Secondary School rugby game. Now, another senseless act that took place on the grounds of a North York high school has claimed the life of another young boy.

    Jordan Manners was killed on Wednesday after being shot to death at C.W. Jeffrey's Collegiate at Sentinel Road in the Keele-Finch area. [...]


    Again, the only fact we know for sure is that Manny Castillo is dead. Please read the archive above for the pertinent (read: vague and confusing) details that have been dripping out. The "fact" that Castillo's death had anything to do with a "senseless act" or "vigilante justice" has not been established to any measurable degree. Yet City-TV doesn't hesitate to elevate Castillo's on-field death to the level of a homicide by firearm.

    From all the reports so far released - many of them conflicting - it's apparent that the chances are 50/50 that Castillo died as a result of an accident, perhaps compounded by head trauma impacted by a concussion a month earlier. A responsible journalist should, at the very least, err on the side of caution before convicting another boy in the court of public opinion. It's a good thing the supposed "vigilante" in this so-called "senseless act" has his name suppressed, because the hyperventilating news media here already has a noose around the kid's neck.

    City-TV also provides a new scoop, casually tossed in this completely unrelated firearm murder story, informing us that Castillo was killed "on the sidelines." That's a new wrinkle that hasn't been divulged before.

    C'mon media guys, get your story straight.

    Was it a scrum? Or was it an incident on the sidelines?

    Perhaps we should wait until we get a referee's report and hear the results of the police investigation before typing news with our hair on fire.

    .

    Tuesday, May 22, 2007

    Open questions for the IRB and Rugby Canada

    (Updates below.)



    Rugby Canada has an IRB press release today ejaculating about strong financial results.

    In part, the IRB report (.pdf) states:

    The International Rugby Board (IRB) has announced strong financial results for the year ending December 31st, 2006. The results from the third year in a four-year financial cycle leading up to Rugby World Cup 2007 in France, reflect the IRB’s continued commitment to major investment in the game on a global scale. [...]

    The vast majority of revenue generated continues to be in respect of Rugby World Cup 2007, which is already guaranteed to set a record for gross revenue for a Rugby World Cup. [...]

    "Rugby World Cup 2007 in France promises to be a huge commercial success," said IRB Head of Finance Robert Brophy. "Broadcasting deals for the tournament have already been completed in the major territories such as France, the United Kingdom, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, representing a substantial increase on Rugby World Cup 2003.

    "We are also pleased to have completed significantly enhanced broadcast deals in the emerging rugby markets of Russia, India, USA and Romania and there has also been significant growth in the corporate travel and hospitality and official suppliership markets. [...]

    Worldwide Development of the Game

    "The IRB is committed to major development of the game worldwide," continued Brophy. "This commitment resulted in an extra £30 million ($64.9 million CAD) being invested in the game at Tier 1 and Tier 2 Union levels as part of the unprecedented, three-year Global Strategic Investment Program that was launched in August 2005. This also includes significant investment for targeted Tier 3 Unions of up to £1.3 million ($2.8 million CAD). [...]

    This investment has also resulted in the implementation of exciting new cross-border competitions across the globe, including the IRB Pacific Rugby Cup, IRB Pacific Nations Cup, IRB North America 4 and IRB Nations Cup in Europe as well as enhanced funding for the Churchill Cup and various regional tournaments in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. [...]
    "Significantly enhanced broadcast deals...?" Who is the IRB trying to bamboozle here?

    How can a Canadian rugby fan not grow increasingly agitated about these IRB boasts? Does the IRB honestly expect Canadian rugby fans to eat dog-feces and call it chocolate ice-cream? Mmmm, yummy!

    It's terrific to hear all the wonderful things the IRB is doing to assist India and Russia. But how do we know they aren't simply setting up Indians and Russians to pull the rug out from underneath them in a decades' time? Isn't that what's happening here?

    The IRB is telling us that the RWC is a financial windfall, and that they are growing and promoting the game in Tier 2 and 3 developing nations. Yet they price their RWC broadcast rights beyond the affordability of any Canadian networks or sponsors to show the tournament. For the first time in the history of this global showcase, Canadians will not be seeing it on their TVs without paying a Pay-Per-View arm and leg for the privilege - and only then if they are digital cable subscribers, or willing to pay money to watch the games at "select" bars and taverns - which, as a poster in the Rugby Canada forums points out, is a pathetic strategy to promote and develop the sport to our kids ~ the next generation of rugby players.

    The report also boasts about that wonderful injection of money into the Churchill Cup ~ the tournament ostensibly established to promote and develop rugby in North America ~ and the same tournament that is no longer available on Canadian TV ~ again, for the first time in the history of that competition.

    The IRB report states the December 31, 2006 meeting at Dublin was attended by Canadian councillor Chris Le Fevre. Mr. Le Fevre is not listed on Rugby Canada's "Office Staff" personnel list, and their Board of Directors link is broken, so I can only surmise Mr. Le Fevre is an IRB councillor representing Canada. I'm curious what our representative is doing at these meetings? Sitting on his hands, nodding his head, and repeating, "Yes Mastah, Yessah..."? Why are our representatives not screaming to the IRB about the damage they are doing to the promotion of the sport in Canada? Why are we not dressing down the IRB about their filthy broadcast deals and restrictions?

    Rugby Canada offers a feeble excuse in their FAQ:

    Why is there not much rugby on TV in Canada? Does Rugby Canada control what is shown on Canadian cable?

    Rugby Canada is only responsible for national men’s and women’s teams matches that have been produced through broadcast agreements with a particular broadcast partner. Any other rugby broadcasts are solely the decision of the rights holders, regardless if Canada is involved in a contest. For example if a game involving Canada in Europe is being broadcast by the host country, Rugby Canada has no control over what rates or to which network would be able to show the game on Canadian television. Generally the rates asked for by foreign broadcasters are prohibitive and thus games involving Canada do not air in Canada. Decisions about the World Cup 2007 fall under a similar vein, as there are rights holders for this region, and they control who will show the games and for how much. Currently Setanta Sports in the US zone holds North American rights, though it remains unclear if another broadcasters will partner with Setanta to show the World Cup in Canada. We will keep fans advised of the situation as it develops.
    "Broadcast agreements with a particular broadcast partner"...? Rugby Canada has NO broadcast agreements, and NO broadcast partners. None, zero, nada, zilch. Who are we kidding here?

    The IRB officially states, quote, "Rugby World Cup (RWC) is the financial engine which drives the development of the game world-wide."

    The RWC may well be the IRB's "financial engine," but the IRB's brainless broadcast deals and lameass excuses are doing NOTHING to drive the development of their game in Canada.

    We're just a little over three months away from the RWC, and Rugby Canada has NO CLUE WHATSOEVER about the chances of Canadians seeing their national team play at the World Cup.

    Some questions:


  • Does Rugby Canada think Guinness - or for that matter, ANY future sponsors - will want to become partners with a national body that can't even get the IRB to work with broadcasters and get their biggest showcase - the so-called "3rd biggest sporting event in the world" - onto Canadian televisions sets?

  • Why do Canadian rights have to be wrapped under the umbrella of North American rights?

  • Why does the IRB grant India, ranked 87th in the world, a "significantly enhanced broadcast deal," but Canada, a participant at EVERY RWC ever contested, does not?

  • India has never attended a Rugby World Cup. India has no IRB council representation. Yet India receives RWC broadcasting license benefits that Canada does not. Why?

  • If Canadian broadcast rights have to be a part of a North American package, then why is India getting special treatment and not part of a broader Asian package?

  • The FIFA World Cup, the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, the NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB, EPL, Serie 'A,' Wimbledon, Australian Open - basically every important sporting event in the world - brokers separate broadcasting deals to the United States and Canada, but the Rugby World Cup - which the IRB repeatedly gloats is the world's "third largest sporting event" - is supposedly handcuffed and incapable of separating American and Canadian interests and operating the same way every other major sports organization in the world does. For the love of God, why?

  • Lastly, why isn't Rugby Canada doing more to direct these blunt questions to the IRB? We are a partner and have a seat at the table. Why is Rugby Canada remaining stone silent on the matter? Why is Rugby Canada not aggressively pursuing the interests of Canadian rugby fans?


  • This letter has been forwarded to Dr. Syd Millar, Chairman of the International Rugby Board, and Mr. Graham Brown, Chief Executive Officer of Rugby Canada. I suspect neither will pay much attention to the questions of a piddly rugby blogger, but dammit, WE NEED ANSWERS.

    *******

    UPDATE No. 1:

    Rugby Canada CEO Graham Brown responded promptly, with a deft offload to Nick Taylor, Rugby Canada's Director of Marketing & Communications. As always, Taylor was unfailingly polite and courteous, which is probably more than I deserve, so I want to thank him for his speedy and thoughtful reply. I have omitted some of his pleasantries, but here's what Mr. Taylor told me:

    Thank you for taking the time to send your thoughts to us at Rugby Canada. Thank you even more for sending these same thoughts to the iRB.

    It may come as a surprise to you, but we have in fact discussed Television coverage (or lack thereof) in great detail at both the staff and board of director level. It is at that BOD [Board of Director] level that Mr. LeFevre serves his function as a council rep with the iRB.

    I have personally been involved in communications with a number of Television Broadcasters in North America (mostly Canada). I have had discussions with SportsNet, The Score, CBC, TV5 and of course Setanta. Of the aforementioned companies - Setanta are the rights holder for the 2007 RWC in North America. (I agree Canada should be kept separate - but I see how with our market being so small - the iRB chose not to). The rest are broadcasters that had shown some level / varying levels of interest in the 2007 RWC.

    Recently, after months and months of internal discussion, of conversations with the broadcasters, with the rights holders and the agency that sold the rights (IMG), I too have reached my final point of frustration.

    I have drafted a memo just last week that was distributed to our CEO (Graham Brown) as well as two members of our board that act as Co-Chairs of our marketing committee. A call is scheduled this week to address my concerns and take the matter to the entire board. Once at the board level, it is my hope that the matter will be taken personally to the iRB by our President and another board member.

    Dave - in summary I could not agree with you more on many of your points. I believe strongly that the iRB are ignoring a responsibility to ensure / guarantee that children around the world have an opportunity of witnessing the worlds 3rd largest sporting event (let alone fans such as yourself).

    I would however like to point out a few things that I would ask you to consider:

  • Rugby Canada does have a partnership with a TV Broadcaster in The Score (you will find them on our home page of www.rugbycanada.ca).
  • Notwithstanding that partnership, there are still significant costs to be paid by Rugby Canada and/or The Score for producing or airing content of a domestic or international nature.
  • Events that we do not control the rights to are quite often priced beyond what our market will accept.
  • In 2006, The Score had on average 22,000 viewers tune in to their live coverage of the Barclays Churchill Cup or 2006 WRWC. The numbers for poker are much higher by comparison.

  • You can see therefore, there is another group that should shoulder responsibility for the lack of coverage for rugby on TV. That is the fan base. People need to tune in and watch content in order to grow audience numbers. Growth in audience numbers will be like an extra bargaining chip for us at the negotiation table when working to convince a broadcaster to air content. More content will provide assets to sponsors and advertisers.

    (Emphases mine.)

    It's certainly heartening to learn that there's as much frustration at the Board level as much as at the grass-roots fan base. It doesn't move us any further along than where we already are, but at least it gives me the impression that piddly assinine basement-bloggers aren't shouldering all the weight in this fight.

    Some thoughts...

    Re: "Rugby Canada does have a partnership with a TV Broadcaster in The Score." Mea culpa. It's true that The Score does carry the weekly 30-minute IRB program "Total Rugby," and they did broadcast the Womens World Cup (thankfully ~ Canada was the host nation for that tournament!) I also see where the producer of The Score's daily "Sportsworld" program, Garth Gottfried is listed as "Communications Consultant" at Rugby Canada.

    Nevertheless, the IRB themselves, as stated directly in their official propaganda linked above, underlines the senior mens RWC as the showcase that drives their sport - and bottomline, Canadian viewers will not see their nation participate in that showcase. Ergo, the tournament will be driving NOTHING to promote and develop the sport in Canada.

    Alas, Canadian viewers have not seen their national mens rugby team play on broadcast TV in a year. (Go here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.)

    Sports fans in Canada comprehend that the growth of soccer in Canada - in terms of participants and viewership - is linked to the popularity of the FIFA World Cup, which has always drawn astronomically higher viewership than any other soccer tournament or soccer programming on Canadian television.

    Accordingly, there is evidence of a direct correlation between the RWC broadcast on Canadian TV, as begun in 1987, and the increased level of participation and interest in rugby at all levels in Canada since that tournament began. The IRB seems not to care nor comprehend that the failure to broadcast the RWC in Canada will have an equally adverse affect on the sport at all levels in this nation - from grass-roots high-school participation to national team sponsorship.

    Re: "I agree Canada should be kept separate - but I see how with our market being so small - the iRB chose not to." I don't necessarily disagree with this comment. Still, it doesn't add up:

    1. Our market has always been small, and in prior years was even smaller. And yet, in prior RWC's, Canada received a complete RWC broadcast package. Indeed, when the initial RWC commenced in 1987 - and was entirely broadcast on TSN - there were few-if-any high-school rugby teams. Now there are hundreds of teams for girls alone, which was unthinkable two decades ago. Last week Brian Lynch, president of the British Columbia Secondary School Rugby Union, told the Globe and Mail that participation in boys rugby in his province alone has "climbed dramatically. It's larger than football now."

    2. Our market may be small, but the IRB has nevertheless granted us a seat at the IRB Council, a privilege than none of the United States nor India nor Russia enjoys. That's fabulous at a corporate level, but for the fanbase it's meaningless. It's not merely that Canadian fans aren't equals to Indians and Russians - it's that the IRB is treating Canadian fans and potential new fans like sub-humans undeserving of their showcase.

    3. If the IRB truly believes that Canada is a small market, then surely it behooves them to draft broadcast license deals that reflect the realistic size of that market. The IOC would never go to the Netherlands and expect their broadcasters to pay the same licensing deals than NBC in the United States does.

    Even drug-pushers and Jehovah's Witnesses understand you don't get new customers/adherents/addicts by overpricing wares at the opening bell. No JW anywhere on Earth is going to knock at your door and offer you a copy of The Watchtower for the princely sum of $100, 'cos they know they'll get no further than doors slammed in their face. They are more likely to offer you a Bible - for free - and get a foot in that door. Same thing goes for anglers. They understand to get a fish to bite, you have to offer more than a shiny hook - you need to put some bait on it.

    4. The IRB short-sightedness is Bizarro-World ridiculous. Do they not comprehend that the way to expand that small market is to offer them their "showcase"? If you get a viewer hooked on rugby, you tease them by offering them the RWC, and then maybe networks and viewers will afterward want to purchase additional IRB properties between RWCs. Same goes for sponsorship. Whereas, removing the "showcase" guarantees NOBODY in Canada will want to pay for IRB properties between RWCs, and sponsors like Guinness will in the future take a pass because it's a losing proposition.

    Bottomline: If the IRB has a desire to see young Canadian boys pick up a rugby ball and join a rugby team, they should offer their showcase at an affordable price. And if they think that by over-pricing their showcase to a small market unable to afford it, that in future sponsors will be beating each other over the head to get their corporate logo onto Canadian national mens team jersies, they are seriously deluding themselves. Fewer participants, fewer eyeballs, and fewer sponsorship dollars does NOT grow, promote nor develop the sport of rugby in this country, and it's about time the thick skulls at the IRB got a grasp on reality.

    HAVING SAID ALL THAT, I would again like to thank Mr. Brown and Mr. Taylor for their prompt replies. It's certainly more than I ever expected.

    Still haven't heard back from the IRB yet (... chirp... chirp... ).

    *******



    UPDATE No. 2:

    Longtime poster "Gary" at The Silver Fern is another angry rugby fan annoyed about the raw RWC tv deal the IRB is screwing over Canadian rugby fans this September.

    Gary draws my attention to even more facts that fly in the face of official IRB propaganda, directing me to the IRB's own 2004 Strategic Plan.

    An information sheet titled "IRB Invests in Rugby's Future quotes IRB Chair Dr. Syd Millar describing the IRB Council - Interim Meeting of November 2004 as, quote, "the most important Meeting of the IRB Council since 1995 when the game of rugby went open."

    The report details the IRB Council as having "unanimously approved a new strategic plan for the IRB incorporating a new governance structure. Rugby has undergone profound change since 1995 and the strategic plan recognises the fact that the game's policy-making and delivery mechanisms required modernising to reflect the changing requirements of the game."

    IRB Vice Chairman Bob Tuckey, Chairman of the Governance Working Party established by Council in 2003, added, "In consultations with Member Unions and other stakeholders a common message was prevalent, that the IRB needed to review the way in which it conducts its business to ensure that it remains relevant to the changing needs and imperatives of all Member Unions."

    Gary points to the 2004 IRB Strategic Plan that was produced from that Council meeting, highlighting the section titled "IRB Strategies: Appendix 2.5" (scroll down to page 15 of the .pdf document):

    2.5.
    Maximize the promotion and marketing of the RWC


    We will do this by:

  • Establishing targets for global broadcast audiences and broadcast targets for each key market.
  • Reaching global and specific target audiences levels.
  • Negotiating broadcast contracts to reflect commercial and broadcast targets.
  • Developing a broadcast strategy for each Participating Union.
  • Increasing the brand value of the RWC mark.


  • Gary rightly wonders how this new broadcast deal with Setanta meets any of the above criteria and stated objectives. The underlying reality is that Canadians will see substantially less of the 2007 RWC on television, and at substantially higher Pay-Per-View costs.

    All valid points.

    It's too bad the IRB seems to be much too busy waving their bank account statements around for them to answer any of them.



    My best advice is to write letters to the IRB and Rugby Canada. Light a fire with the facts, and don't be afraid to throw the IRB's own stated propaganda right back in their faces.

    Ask them why their organization is failing to live up to their strategies and objectives.

    Demand to know why they are penalizing Canadian fans after the demonstrable growth of rugby in Canada.

    Go Howard Beale on their arses ~ let them know you're mad as hell and you're not going to take it any more!

    .


    (Image courtesy Outhouse Graffiti.)

    Weekend rugby wrap

    A beautiful long holiday Victoria Day weekend meant getting out of the house and expending as little energy updating rugby posts as the lovely wife would allow! O-kay, we're a few days late, here's some catch-up from the past weekend:

    The Bulls are Super 14 champions after defeating the Sharks with an injury-time try to Bryan Habana, winning 20-19. It really was one of the most remarkable Super finals ever played. Full Rugby Planet report here.

    Rugby Planet also names their Super 14 Brickbats & Bouquets and Team of the Tournament.

    The final can still be seen in all it's glory at Mediazone Rugby Channel.

    In Euro action, the Heineken Cup was settled with London Wasps dispatching Leicester Tigers 25-9 in front of a packed house at Twickenham.

    And the European Challenge Cup Final saw Clermont Auvergne shave Bath 22-16.

    Supposedly there was some Churchill Cup action as well, and in a game no Canadian rugby fans saw, Canada went down 39-20 to Ireland 'A'. It might have been a good performaqnce by Canada, but not having seen the game, I'll never know. Canada face NZ Maori next up...

    Saturday, May 19, 2007

    Moralizing pinheads

    Manny Castillo update archive:
    Fri. May 11
    Sat. May 12
    Mon. May 14
    Tue. May 15
    Wed. May 16

    [Updated below.]

    As expected, more moralizing pinheads are coming out of the woodwork to sermonize about the Manny Castillo tragedy, rush to judgment and score cheap political points.

    This time Laura Robinson wastes trees pontificating in the Ottawa Citizen, ignoring facts and running with scissors second-and-third-hand hearsay to condemn, among other things, Canada's hockey mentality and male abuse of women.

    The needless death last week of 15-year-old Manny Castillo, a Grade 10 junior rugby player at Lorne Park Secondary School, is just one more example of a long list of near fatal and fatal injuries boys and young men have suffered while acting out their part in the passion play that is aggressive male sport. Mr. Castillo was killed during the last seconds of the game by an opposing player police say picked him up and, away from the playing area, drilled him into the ground.

    This senseless act of violence is eerily reminiscent of Todd Bertuzzi's hit on Steve Moore in 2005 that broke Mr. Moore's neck and has prevented him from playing or even having the kind of life a healthy man in his 20s, hockey player or not, should expect. [...]

    I wasn't surprised that there was no national coverage of Dr. Graham Pollett, medical officer and CEO for Middlesex-London in Ontario, and his report on the relationship between the eye-for-an-eye violence that occurs in the NHL, Canadian Hockey League, and younger leagues, and male violence against women and children, earlier this month. Despite how big and strong adolescent athletes may look, they are still children.

    Dr. Pollett is adamant and wonders why officials did not make the correlation his report made decades ago. With the death of Manny Castillo, Dr. Pollett's warning is made so very real: "This form of vigilante justice is accepted even by the referees who only intercede after one player has clearly beaten the other or both players fall to the ice" he writes. ...


    The Ottawa Citizen identifies Laura Robinson as the author of "Crossing the Line: Violence and Sexual Assault in Canada's National Sport," and "Black Tights: Women, Sport and Sexuality." She is a Nordic skiing and cycling coach.

    Memo to Nordic skiing and cycling coaches who think they understand the sport of rugby, and the impulses that drive boys and girls to play the game:

    I know cyclists and tri-athletes. Some of these competitive athletes have broken their cheek-bones, arms, and collar-bones doing face-plants after accidents down steep descents. I suspect Ms. Robinson knows cyclists who have crashed and injured themselves as well.

  • What part of those cyclists' accidents had anything to do with "acting out their part in the passion play that is aggressive male sport"?
  • How many of these accidents were "senseless acts of violence eerily reminiscent of Todd Bertuzzi"?
  • And, what percentage of those accidents had anything to do with "vigilante justice" and a pattern of "male violence against women and children"?


  • My older sister was hospitalized after falling off a horse and landing on her head in an equestrian competition. It was an accident. A friend in high school had the misfortune of being a baseball pitcher who let one get away and drilled a batter in the face. It was an accident. I had a friend in high school who died after getting whacked by a pick-up truck on his motorcycle. Again, it was an accident.

    Can anybody prove that horse, that pitcher, that pick-up driver weren't channeling Todd Bertuzzi?

    There may - read: may - have been malice and violence involved in the Manny Castillo death. But we simply don't know that.

    The facts as they have been presented to us via the media have been thin and dubious. You'd think it common sense to err on the side of caution, perhaps exercise a little skepticism until more facts are revealed to the public. But to read Laura Robinson ~ pffff, why wait to let facts get in the way of a good story when a rugby tragedy is a terrific opportunity to sermonize about evil hockey players and the nasty things they do to women and children, huh?

    We don't know jack about how Manny Castillo died, other than that his head presumably came into contact with something hard. Maybe a knee. Maybe the ground... We don't know because we have not yet heard the referee's report. We did hear from one eye-witness - an unnamed "mother" - whose grasp of the sport of rugby is dubious, saying the tragedy was an act of violence. But other witnesses - who go on the public record using their actual names -- dispute this version.

    Witnesses who saw the play Wednesday said it looked harmless.

    "They both had each other in a lock," said Brendan O'Brien, 16, a friend of both students. "He (Manny) fell kind of awkwardly. They weren't mad at each other."

    O'Brien said he assumed his friend would get up and walk off the field.

    "It is a sport," said Jordan Posocco, 15, a close friend who played football with Manny and was at the game. "Stuff gets heated ... It wasn't out of control."
    We also just learned that Castillo suffered a concussion last month that may-or-may-not have impacted his death. Alas, these are trifling matters of no concern to moralists like Ms. Robinson who eagerly rush to judgment looking to score cheap political points.

    Clue for the clueless: the thing that my cyclist friends, my equestrian sister, and even teenagers who swim a little too far from the shoreline have in common, is that accidents happen ~ and people who generally participate in risky activities generally understand that there are risks involved.

    I suspect there's even been the occasional Nordic skier who has suffered things like fatigue and frostbite, which can lead to impaired judgment, accidents, and possibly even physical harm. It's almost certain those skiers would be safer and better served by instead lounging around a library in a comfy chair. C'est la vie. Ms. Robinson is in a better position to comment about the passions, desires and risks of Nordic skiers than I am.

    But until Ms. Robinson and her clueless cohorts get the real facts, she should cease-and-desist from opportunistic political mud-slinging and passing judgments about a sport she doesn't understand.

    End o' rant.

    Update:


    The above photo of a high school girls soccer game, shot by Kitchener-Waterloo Record photographer David Beebe, appeared in yesterdays edition.

    The caption reads:

    Irene Sonnenburg (top) of the Cameron Heights Golden Gaels collides with Bluevale Knights goalkeeper Ainsley Wheldon, yesterday during the second half of the Waterloo County senior girls soccer final at Jacob Hespeler High School in Cambridge. Wheldon left the game and was taken to hospital.
    Colour me curious wunderin' if those girls were acting out their part in the passion play that is aggressive male sport, channeling a senseless act of violence eerily reminiscent of Todd Bertuzzi, and exhibiting vigilante justice that flowers into violence against women and children...?

    Ah, now we see the violence inherent in the system.

    Shut up!

    Oh! Come and see the violence inherent in the system! Help! Help! I'm being repressed!

    Bloody peasant!

    Oh, what a give-away. Did you hear that? Did you hear that, eh? That's what I'm on about. Did you see him repressing me? You saw it, didn't you?


    Friday, May 18, 2007

    Rugby Planet previews HUGE club finals weekend



    There's a huge weekend of rugby starting tomorrow, and very little of it having anything to do with the Churchill Cup test match between Canada and Ireland 'A' (see that preview posted below).

    The international club calendar comes to a close with three big finals. As always, Rugby Planet has their invaluable previews and starting line-ups.

    * The SANZAR Super 14 final sees the table-leading Sharks host the Bulls in a all-South African final that ensures for the first time in the history of the competition that the champion will be from the Republic.

    Super 14 Final: SHARKS vs. BULLS

    Sharks: 15 Percy Montgomery, 14 Francois Steyn, 13 Waylon Murray, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 JP Pietersen, 10 Butch James, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 AJ Venter, 6 Jacques Botes, 5 Johann Muller, 4 Johan Ackermann, 3 BJ Botha, 2 John Smit (c), 1 Deon Carstens. Replacements: 16 Bismarck du Plessis, 17 Tendai Mtawarira, 18 Albert van den Berg, 19 Warren Britz, 20 Bob Skinstad, 21 Rory Kockott, 22 Adrian Jacobs.

    Bulls: 15 Johan Roets, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 JP Nel, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Derick Hougaard, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Wikus van Heerden, 6 Pedrie Wannenburg, 5 Victor Matfield (c), 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Rayno Gerber, 2 Gary Botha, 1 Gurthro Steenkamp. Replacements: 16 Jaco Engels, 17 Danie Thiart, 18 Danie Rossouw, 19 Derick Kuün, 20 Heinie Adams, 21 Morné Steyn, 22 Jaco van der Westhuyzen.

    Date: Saturday 19 May 2007
    Venue: ABSA Stadium, Durban
    Kick-off: 15.00 (13.00 GMT) 09:00 AM ET.
    Referee: Steve Walsh (New Zealand)
    Touch judges: Lyndon Bray (New Zealand), Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)
    Television match official: Kelvin Deaker (New Zealand)
    Assessor: Tappe Henning (South Africa)


    Read the entire preview here. Rugby Planet prediction: Bulls by less than 10 points.

    The game will be broadcast live on Mediazone Rugby Channel starting at 09:00 AM ET (Toronto, New York, etc.).

    If you really want to sink your teeth into this juicy all-South African battle, be sure to bookmark Mark Keohane's website for all the latest developments. (And don't forget to check out his flaming comments sections!) Like RP, Keo is also predicting glory for the Bulls.

    ** Same day, Clermont face Bath in the European Challenge Cup Final at the Twickenham Stoop. Rugby Planet previews:

    European Challenge Cup Final: ASM CLERMONT AUVERGNE vs. BATH

    Bath
    : 15 Nick Abendanon, 14 Joe Maddock, 13 Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu, 12 Olly Barkley, 11 David Bory, 10 Shaun Berne, 9 Nick Walshe, 8 Zak Feaunati, 7 Michael Lipman, 6 Andy Beattie, 5 Danny Grewcock, 4 Steve Borthwick (c), 3 Matt Stevens, 2 Lee Mears, 1 David Barnes. Replacements: 16 Pieter Dixon, 17 Aaron Jarvis, 18 Peter Short, 19 James Scaysbrook, 20 Andy Williams, 21 Chris Malone, 22 Tom Cheeseman.

    ASM Clermont Auvergne: 15 Anthony Floch, 14 Aurélien Rougerie (c), 13 Grant Esterhuizen, 12 Tony Marsh, 11 Julien Malzieu, 10 Brock James, 9 Pierre Mignoni, 8 Elvis Vermeulen, 7 Michel Dieude, 6 Sam Broomhall, 5 Thibaut Privat, 4 Jamie Cudmore, 3 Martin Scelzo, 2 Mario Ledesma, 1 Laurent Emmanuelli. Replacements: 16 Brice Miguel, 17 Goderzi Shvelidze, 18 Loic Jacquet, 19 Gonzalo Longo, 20 Alessandro Troncon, 21 Seremaïa Bai, 22 Raphael Chanal.

    Date: Saturday 19th May 2007
    Time: 17.30 (16.30 BST)
    Venue: Twickenham Stoop
    Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
    Touch judges: High Watkins (Wales), Tim Hayes (Wales)
    Television match official: Gareth Simmonds (Wales)
    Read the entire preview here. Rugby Planet prediction: Bath by 6.

    *** On Sunday, Wasps meet Leicester in the final of the Heineken Cup at Twickenham. Rugby Planet is hyping this baby Big-Time:

    Heineken Cup Final: LONDON WASPS vs. LEICESTER TIGERS

    [...]

    Leicester and Wasps have somehow managed the impossible.

    The all-English cast and the Twickenham surrounds give the impression of a domestic cup final, but we must remind ourselves - with a stout pinch - that this is the Big One.

    This is the one that they all wanted. This is the one that the French crave. This is the one that the Welsh and the Scottish and the Italians can only dream about. This is the one that the Irish cotton-balled their biggest stars for, thereby sacrificing their Magners League pretensions at Europe's highest alter.

    Forgive the triumphalism, but even the weakest drizzle is cause for celebration during a severe drought. No matter what transpires on Sunday, the event has already secured its status as England's finest hour since that distant night in Sydney in November 2003.

    With the nationalist tub-thumping now out of the our system, we can turn to domestic hostilities, and rivalries don't get much bigger than the one shared by Wasps and Leicester.

    The marketeers have billed Sunday's final as 'the biggest club game ever', and for once the blurb seems to do the occasion justice.

    Ticket sales indicate that attendance is likely to surpass the world record for a Rugby Union club match. That current mark stands at the 79,741 who were at Stade de France to see Stade Français Paris beat Toulouse 22-20 in a Top 14 contest earlier this year, but Twickenham could be full to its new capacity of 82,000. [...]

    Leicester Tigers: 15 Geordan Murphy, 14 Seru Rabeni, 13 Danny Hipkiss, 12 Daryl Gibson, 11 Alesana Tuilagi, 10 Andy Goode, 9 Frank Murphy , 8 Martin Corry (c), 7 Shane Jennings, 6 Lewis Moody, 5 Ben Kay, 4 Louis Deacon, 3 Julian White, 2 George Chuter, 1 Marcos Ayerza. Replacements: 16 James Buckland, 17 Alex Moreno, 18 Leo Cullen, 19 Brett Deacon, 20 Ian Humphreys, 21 Sam Vesty, 22 Ollie Smith.

    London Wasps: 15 Danny Cipriani, 14 Paul Sackey, 13 Fraser Waters, 12 Josh Lewsey, 11 Tom Voyce, 10 Alex King, 9 Eoin Reddan, 8 Lawrence Dallaglio (c), 7 Tom Rees, 6 Joe Worsley, 5 Tom Palmer, 4 Simon Shaw, 3 Peter Bracken, 2 Raphaël Ibañez, 1 Phil Vickery. Replacements: 16 Joe Ward, 17 Tom French, 18 Dan Leo, 19 James Haskell, 20 Mark McMillan, 21 Dominic Waldouck, 22 Mark van Gisbergen.

    Date: Sunday 20 May 2007
    Venue: Twickenham, London
    Kick-off: 14:30 BST (13:30 GMT) 09:30 AM ET.
    Referee: Alan Lewis (Ireland)
    Touch judges: Alain Rolland (Ireland), Simon McDowell (Ireland)
    Television match official: David McHugh (Ireland)



    Read the entire preview here. Rugby Planet prediction: Leicester by ten.

    The game will be broadcast live on Mediazone Rugby Channel starting at 9:30 AM ET (Toronto, New York, etc.)

    .

    Thursday, May 17, 2007

    Two new caps for Canada vs. Ireland 'A'

    Ian Kennedy at Rugby Canada reports on Canada's starters and highlights a pair of Saskatchewan-based players who "will earn their first starts for Canada when it takes to the field against Ireland ‘A’ on Saturday evening at Sandy Park, Exeter."

    Coach Ric Suggitt and his staff have named twenty-three year-old, Nigerian-born flanker Nanyak Dala and twenty-six year-old tight-head prop Scott Franklin as the only new caps on the Canada side composed of eight European professional based players and seven domestic players. [...]

    Canada's team for Saturday:

    1. Dan Pletch, 2. Pat Riordan, 3. Scott Franklin, 4. Josh Jackson, 5. Mike Burak, 6. Colin Yukes, 7. Nanyak Dala, 8. Stan McKeen, 9. Morgan Williams (c), , 10. Ryan Smith, 11. Dean Van Camp, 12. David Spicer, 13. Craig Culpan, 14. James Pritchard, 15. Mike Pyke. Reserves: 16. Aaron Carpenter, 17. Kevin Tkachuk, 18. Mike Pletch, 19. Adam Kleeberger, 20. David Biddle, 21. Ed Fairhurst, 22. Derek Daypuck.


    Read the whole story here.

    Churchill Cup kicks off this weekend. Wake me up before you go-go.



    Prologue: Several months ago the IRB announced the annual Churchill Cup would be moved from North America this year, and hosted in England - all the better to accommodate the special needs of players on the British teams who don't like travelling farther than a single time-zone away from their cucumber sandwiches three-months away from a World Cup. At the time I called the decision ludicrous, and not simply because the excuses were incredibly lame. This also made me scoff caught my attention:

    "The tournament will return to North America in the summers of 2008 and 2009, and we can confirm that the finals in 2008 will be hosted by USA Rugby. We are delighted to be in a position to confirm the longer term strategy for the tournament which allows long term planning and earlier announcement of venues and dates."

    Rugby Canada press release, today:

    BARCLAYS CHURCHILL CUP: BROADCAST DETAILS REVEALED FOR GAMES INVOLVING CANADA

    May 17, 2007
    Toronto, ON

    The Barclays Churchill Cup is already an internationally recognised rugby competition but this year the tournament will be broadcast to thousands more people around the globe in a worldwide broadcast deal announced today. Sky Sports are the host broadcasters of the tournament which is being hosted by England for the first time in it's five year history. [...]

    Sky Sports are broadcasting seven of the nine matches live to thousands of homes in the UK, including the main Barclays Churchill Cup Final which is being staged at Twickenham on Saturday 2nd June. The tournament is contested by six teams - England Saxons, the New Zealand Maori, Scotland A, Ireland A, Canada and USA, and will this summer act as a genuine chance for players to try and earn selection to their senior teams ahead of September's Rugby World Cup.

    Canada takes on Ireland A in Exeter on Saturday, May 19th - starting at 2:55 pm EST. [...]

    Speaking on Wednesday's broadcast deal announcement, Paul Vaughan, Commercial Director of the Barclays Churchill Cup said, "It is great news for the tournament to receive such global coverage. This is a very exciting year for the tournament as there is so much riding on the players as they look for World Cup selection. All the countries have named strong squads and it promises to be another highly competitive tournament. There is already a following for the tournament in North America so it is pleasing that the growing number of rugby fans in the US and Canada will still be able to enjoy the matches on the television. We are also hopeful of announcing further broadcast deals over the coming days which will deliver the Barclays Churchill Cup to even more people around the world." ...



    Sounds like Rugby Heaven, right? Hold onto your hats...

    While Canada's games at the Barclays Churchill Cup are not available on broadcast television in Canada fans will be able to see all games involving their red-jerseyed heroes by going to their local pub that features Setanta TV programming.

    Setanta, the Irish based broadcaster, sealed the North American rights to the four year old Barclays Churchill Cup this week, and Rugby Canada wants to get the word out to fans that they can find the watering hole nearest them that features Setanta broadcasts, by clicking on this handy link to the Setanta Pub Finder. This game is available on Setanta's regular channel, and not the pay per view, so entry charges may not apply, but this cannot be guaranteed at this point.

    The second option is to watch the game on Setanta Broadband (subscription required) where you can watch the game through your PC or laptop. You can click here - to fill out the required information.

    Rugby Canada is working on possibly getting a link from our website to for viewers and will have an update during the day Thursday (May 17th).


    Canadians haven't seen their national men's rugby team appear on national television in the past year. The Churchill Cup was taken from North America and temporarily dumped to England for the benefit of British players. This September's Rugby World Cup has been taken off Canadian television... the Churchill Cup has now also disappeared off free Canadian teevee... and maybe - hopefully - but not guaranteed - might be - made available for free at Setanta-sanctioned pubs and taverns...? This all seems pretty Mickey Mouse, especially a couple days away from a tournament where Canada's national men's rugby team is a principal entrant.

    Nevertheless, we're supposed to believe this is all part of the "long-term strategy" to promote and develop the sport of rugby union in North America.

    Ever get the feeling you're being cheated?

    Wednesday, May 16, 2007

    Christian Cullen hangs up his boots



    One of the greatest finishers and sweetest steps to ever play the game, Christian Cullen says he has retired from all rugby because his body has had enough.

    "I've hung up the boots for good," he told the BBC sports website.

    The YouTube viddie is several years old, it appears to have been produced for British TV to coincide with Cullen's move to Munster several seasons ago. The video quality is pretty good (as far as these things go), check some classic All Black tries to remember one of the most electrifying rugby talents of the professional era...

    Concussion rumour added to Castillo tragedy

    Manny Castillo update archive:
    Friday May 11
    Saturday May 12
    Monday May 14
    Tuesday May 15

    Louie Rosella, writing in yesterday's Mississauga News, adds this wrinkle that may-or-may-not have affected "what really happened":


    Concussion could have been early warning for teen

    Should Manny Castillo have been playing in the rugby game that ultimately cost him his life?

    Maybe not, especially if he suffered a concussion at an earlier date, according to medical experts and parents. [...]

    There's widespread speculation among Castillo's friends that the 15-year-old Lorne Park Secondary School rugby player sustained a concussion in the weeks prior to last Wednesday's match against Erindale Raiders.

    In the May 9 game, Castillo clashed with a player on the Raiders and subsequently suffered a head injury. He was pronounced dead in hospital last Friday. A 16-year-old boy has been charged in connection with the case.

    Manny's father, Manuel Castillo, and the boy's uncle, Hector Castillo, wouldn't discuss any potential injury the teen may have sustained prior to last week.

    "We really can't comment on that because there is still a police investigation going on," said Hector Castillo.

    More than a half-dozen Lorne Park students have told The News that Castillo sustained a concussion last month while playing sports, but some said he had told them that his doctor cleared him to play.


    Read the whole story here.

    Tuesday, May 15, 2007

    More Manny fall-out

    Manny Castillo update archive:
    Friday May 11
    Saturday May 12
    Monday May 14

    Well, it's started: the well-intentioned finger-wagging editorials and commentaries, like this one by Lee Prokaska in yersterdays' Hamilton Spectator ("No game is worth dying for") that assumes the very worst of the police charges of aggravated assault leading to death.

    Without any additional informatiion -- and that includes the match officials report and a comment from Rugby Canada -- I still cannot walk as far as to believe this is a straight story of assault that has so-far been made public. It could be true, but I can't operate from the assumption, not when the hearsay and eyewitness accounts are filled with all sorts of trap-doors and viable escape-hatches.

    Sarnia sports blogger Jim Miller has just posted an interview he conducted with Eric Clarke, head coach of the Sarnia Saints senior A and B rugby teams, and a part-time referee for Lambton Secondary Schools Athletic Association games. Clarke echoes the feelings of rugby fans everywhere, telling Miller, “Obviously I’m very sad for the family and so is the entire rugby community.”

    But like myself, Clarke is wary about accepting everything he's read about the eyewitness reports:

    “I’ve read a lot on the incident and there could be some misconceptions." [...]

    Clarke didn’t see the game and his knowledge is strictly from the various news outlets. It will be the job of the authorities to sift through the many variations of the story and Clarke said the possible scenarios are endless.

    Clarke admits rugby is often a tough sell ... [and] still a sport which is misunderstood, especially in Ontario.

    This is due, in part, to the fact it’s not on television and it receives very little press attention. [...]

    “The lack of (media) coverage used to really bug me,” said Clarke. “It doesn’t any more. What bugs me is the misconceptions. We hear it’s a rough, barbaric game because we don’t wear any equipment. There are actually fewer injuries than football because we’re taught to tackle properly and respect opponents." [...]

    “I wish I could just sit everyone down who doesn’t understand the game, hold a clinic, answer questions and say ‘this is the way it is’.”

    Source: Jim Miller Sports.



    Similarly, Al Charron tells the Globe and Mail:

    The death yesterday of 15-year-old Mississauga high-school student Manny Castillo was a shock to the entire rugby community, Mr. Charron said. The sport has a rough, tough reputation, but he says it has a core of etiquette that is at odds with the details reported about the fatal incident at Lorne Park Secondary School. [...]

    "Players pick each other up off the field. What [bitterness] happens on the field is forgotten. I can't think of a game that hasn't ended with both sides shaking hands."

    He said that like hockey and baseball, rugby has its code, but it is not a code of retaliation.

    Hockey and baseball codes are infamous for their eye-for-an-eye philosophy. If a batter is beaned by a pitcher, the players on the offending team know they are fair game to be hit by a pitch the next time they bat.

    If one hockey coach sends out a goon to brawl or bully a star on the opposing team, the adversary coach usually matches brawn with brawn.

    "Rugby has a reputation for violent collisions, but rugby's not a sport for cheap shots," Mr. Charron said.

    "If someone got me, I'd want to get him back with a good, hard tackle.

    "When I heard about what happened in Mississauga, it struck me that it was an incident that could have happened in any sport or activity. My heart goes out to the family of the boy who died -- and to the other boy, who, I'm sure, never in his life thought someone would die.

    "It wasn't a rugby play, but something that happened between two players afterwards. But what people will remember and attach to the incident is the rugby connection. It will feed a stereotype that it's a violent game and that will affect the sport, take it a couple of steps backward.

    "Why did it have to be rugby?"

    [...]

    The Globe and Mail article continues:

    Rugby Canada spokesman Nick Taylor says the popularity of the sport has grown -- though the installation of a new registration system makes it hard to track exactly the rate of growth.

    Around 32,000 adult rugby players have been registered over the past three years.

    About 20,000 of them play in a given season, and others sit out due to injuries or pregnancies.

    The sport is even bigger at the high school and postsecondary level, Mr. Taylor says. School players are not registered with the national rugby body but with their local school conferences.

    Mr. Taylor says there are an estimated 35,000 high-school players on boys and girls teams, and another 5,000 to 7,000 at the university level.

    Brian Lynch, president of the British Columbia Secondary School Rugby Union, says the participation in the sport has "climbed dramatically.

    "It's larger than football now."

    There are more than 200 boys and girls high-school teams across the province.

    "The game is safer and the referees and officials make safety paramount in the game," Mr. Lynch said yesterday.

    "What you don't have control over, however, are reactions.''

    Monday, May 14, 2007

    Sharks and Bulls to All-Bok Super 14 Final

    I watched both Super 14 semi-finals on Saturday, and I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only one. The South African sporting public, starved for big rugby championships in the professional era, turned out in droves to support the home sides. (And that's not even accounting the ticket mayhem for tens-of-thousands of disappointed fans.)

    Sharks beat the Blues 34-18. The Blues took the opening 20 minutes of their game against the Sharks, but couldn't turn the early advantage to points. Whereas, the Sharks got their teeth into the game's second quarter, pulverized the Blues scrummage repeatedly (until Keven Mealamu came on to replace Darrin Whitcombe and stabilize the Blues tight-five), scored on their chances and took a tidy 14-6 lead into the halftime changing shed. The Blues looked wiped. But the Blues owned the wildcard in the form of the Blues young inside-centre Isaia Toeava, who carved up the Sharks defenses with blockbusting runs and awesome offloads early in the 2nd-half to give the Blues an 18-14 lead. Sadly for the Blues, on the second of those two bursting runs Toeava injured his ankle, was taken from the field, all the danger and energy evaporated from the Blues and they never recovered. The Sharks owned the last quarter and were deserved victors.

    Digression to Isaia Toeava. The injured Blues back was moved from outside-centre (#13) to replace injured Luke McAlister in the inside-centre (#12) position for this semi-final. The 21-year-old kid was clearly a game-breaker and terrifying to Shark defenders, and appears to be fulfilling the faith All Black coach Graham Henry had in him when he was a shock selection on the AB's end-of-year tour two years ago. "Ice" is the hottest young SANZAR backline star seen since Rupeni Caucaunibuca's awesome seasons in a Blues uniform a few years back. It will be intriguing to see whether Henry gambles with his RWC preparation and selects the youngster into either of the black centre positions. Hard to say what the extent of his ankle injury is, but there's no question he's one of the sports freshest talents.

    Back to the Supers...

    The 2nd semi-final was a gripping affair despite a dodgy referee and no tries scored. The home-side Bulls were deserving victors 27-12, although the game was closer than the scoreline suggested ~ as with the earlier semi, the result was in the balance for either side at the 70-min marks. What made the game especially difficult to watch was that all 39 points were scored with the boot on penalties and a drop-kick. The South Africans tackled their hearts out all day. The Crusaders looked tired and unimaginative. All-World Dan Carter is still playing at half-speed and appears to be looking ahead to his All Black campaign.

    Inky's wrap sounds about right.

    And those to whom South Africa have just revealed themselves as a major threat, rest assured. I will continue to sound the alarm against complacency until it's second nature in this country. All this Super 14 season proved about any superiority is that [NZ's] half-empty pool is still deeper than Australia's when full, but not yet deep enough to take any usually knockout-vulnerable African franchises for granted.


    So it's Sharks vs. Bulls at Durban next Saturday for the Super 14 final, which guarantees for the first time ever that a team from the Republic will be the SANZAR Super champion.