Forwards will determine England’s Six Nations fortune
Discussion in the rugby community has been focusing recently on England’s backs – particularly now that the headline-grabbing Danny Cipriani has been dropped to the Saxons – but it’s the eight men up front that need to front up in this year’s Six Nations.
England’s forwards have looked under-powered and toothless in recent outings in the white shirt, representing a significant shift away from previous dominance. Take England’s destruction in the scrum against Australia at Twickenham as all the evidence you need of their decline.
Before anyone can consider seeing backs like Riki Flutey, Paul Sackey and Delon Armitage – possibly even Andy Goode – in full flight, the pack must provide quick ball by clearing men out at the breakdown, committing to rucks and making sure that defenders cannot get their hands anywhere near to slow it down. The lumbering into contact that has been a feature of internationals for the last few years just doesn’t cut it at the highest level – they need to attack with pace and ruthlessness.
England’s pack should watch footage of Munster’s efforts in the Heineken Cup to remember how to exert control over a game whilst remembering to provide fast possession to the backs whenever appropriate. Paul O’Connell’s men concede so few turnovers that any team they play almost need to score every time they get the ball, since it happens so rarely. The back row is nearly always first to the breakdown rather than standing in the backs waiting to carry, and they clear defenders with a combination of expert technique and physical strength to ensure that the ball is protected and recycled quickly.
There are lessons to be learned, and Johnson may well have watched Munster’s fixtures and remembered that that is how the team used to play when he was a part of it – the England pack of 2003 was fitter, faster and stronger than teams they came up against and they rarely gave away possession cheaply. Forwards coach John Wells should be watching the same footage and coaching these techniques, because otherwise he isn’t doing his job.
Munster are also experts in defence, masters of the almost-forgotten skill of turning a man in the tackle, confident of support so that when the man is turned, possession is almost guaranteed. Richard Hill was a specialist in this technique that contributed to his belated accolade as the unsung hero, but the idea seems to have been lost somewhere in England’s past, as the preferred option now is to tackle and then fan out at the fringes of the breakdown.
The debut of Steffon Armitage could be the key to England’s performance. If he and James Haskell can secure quick possession at the breakdown in attack, and try to out-muscle the opposition in defence, Goode’s backline may just enjoy some possession. If Armitage ensures that any lingering defenders do not even get a sniff of a turnover by leading the charge into would-be snafflers, life will be far more comfortable than if they allow their opponents to get to every tackle believing they can steal the ball.
Every forward must focus on providing that quick ball, rather than standing out in the backs hoping to run with it. With quality possession, the backs will start on the front foot and they’ll suddenly have options in front of them, but if the likes of Lee Mears and Nick Kennedy spend the afternoon waiting for the ball, it will never come.
Golden weekend could represent change in British sporting psyche
What a sublime weekend we have just had the fortune to witness! Gold medals everywhere in Beijing, utter dominance of the velodrome and some top performances on the water in rowing and sailing.
The Great Britain team ascended to third in the medals table, behind China and USA – the Brits have batting high up the order, punching above their weight and any other sporting clichés you can think of.
Although the final standings are likely to change, the achievement for a small nation is remarkable and could signify a fundamental change of attitude right across British sport.
The desire to win was epitomised by the disappointment, frustration and anger shown on the faces of the women’s quadruple sculls team – they were heartbroken to leave the regatta with an Olympic silver medal, whereas not so long ago, the feat may have earned them an OBE.
For too long, the British mentality has focused on taking part, rather than winning – the opposite of teams like Australia and the USA.
Second place is no longer good enough for the Brits – it’s time to emerge from sporting mediocrity, to no longer be satisfied with doing your best if everyone else does better and to do whatever it takes to come out on top.
The hunger, dedication and determination shown by athletes such as Tiger Woods and Michael Phelps must start to be demonstrated by our homegrown sportsmen and women, so that by the time the Games arrive in London, we are challenging in more than just the ‘sitting down’ events and scooping medals across the board.
The National Lottery funding is clearly helping – the facilities, coaches and training environments are in place. Now it comes down to the individuals and their desperation to succeed – follow the example of Rebecca Adlington, Chris Hoy, Rebecca Romero et al and our British athletes may well go down in history come 2012.
Mark your cards – this system will improve your game
Hands up if you only record the number of strokes per hole when you play a practice round? I know that I tend to, but we really shouldn’t, writes James Hutchison.
Paying attention to other golf statistics, such as putts per hole and fairways hit, may also help to improve your game.
If you can build a complete picture of your golfing ability, illustrated by facts and figures, you will begin to learn where your strengths and weaknesses lie. For example, you may hit every fairway but take three putts per hole, so your score may be the same as if you had found the trees from every tee, but scrambled well and made a total of just 22 putts.
By isolating where you are performing below par, you will be able to address specific issues whenever you practise.
Here are a number of key metrics that you should consider noting each time you play a social round, that will enable you to pinpoint the holes in your game.
Fairways hit
Each time you hit a fairway from the tee, score a point in one column on your card. You will soon get an idea of how good your driving is.
Greens in regulation (GIR)
Score a point if you hit the fairway and then make the green with your second shot (or third on par-fives). If you can do this on every hole, you will certainly begin to score well.
Putts per hole
Count your putts for each hole and you will be reminded where so many of your shots are played.
Putts per GIR
Count the number of putts you take after reaching a green in regulation. This is a more useful guide than putts per hole, because if you regularly miss the green with approach shots, you may constantly chip close to the pin and single-putt.
Scrambles
The frequency with which you score par or better after missing the green in regulation will highlight the quality of your chipping.
Sand saves
Monitor the number of times you take two strokes or fewer to complete a hole after escaping from a greenside trap to find out how much work you need to do on your bunker play in practice.
If you keep an eye on some of these metrics, you will have some real evidence of exactly where your game falls down and what you need to work on in order to rectify it.
England looks to Pietersen, but Flintoff could be the key to unlocking South Africa
England’s cricketers will be back in action this week as the challenging Test series against South Africa gets underway at Lord’s. After a few dull duels with New Zealand, the South Africans will pose a real threat to England’s impressive Home record.
Captain Michael Vaughan, and indeed most of the nation, will be hoping that Kevin Pietersen continues his form wielding the willow, seeing as England’s other top order batsmen can hardly score a run between them.
Both Vaughan and Paul Collingwood, the Test and One-Day captains respectively, will aim to put their indifferent form behind them as they face the strictest examination of their credentials since the Ashes, but the hosts will definitely be underdogs.
In Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, the visitors have a devastating bowling attack that could tear England to shreds. Steyn is being hailed in his homeland as the new Allan Donald, whilst Morkel might be the new Shoaib Akhtar (minus the off-field misdemeanours, of course) with his 95mph deliveries.
England’s armoury is comparatively limited with a significant lack of pace, and only Monty Panesar to strike fear into their adversaries. But Pietersen and Panesar must not be expected to take on the tourists on their own – the rest of the team will need to stand up and be counted after being largely anonymous during recent series.
Andrew Flintoff may feature later in the summer, and although he is likely to miss the first and second Tests, he could still provide the boost that England need. Competition for places will intensify greatly on his return, and given that only Pietersen is assured of his place in the top order, Freddie looming large might be just the sort of motivation required.
It’s likely to be a fascinating contest, and let’s hope England can be competitive. Pietersen will need to be at his best, but Flintoff might just be the unsung hero from the pavilion.
The etiquette of golf
An image of the archetypal snooty golf club, where lifelong members turn their noses up at anyone with the wrong-coloured socks, is one that many people have in mind when they consider learning to play, writes James Hutchison.
It is true that there is a range of golf literature about etiquette: what to wear, how to act, what to say and what not to say — and the expectation of the social pressure involved puts some people off taking up the game.
Of course, there are a number of rules that everyone should follow, in the same way as there would be at a tennis club, but they needn’t be feared as a mysterious set of protocols that you are expected to know, yet no one will say what they are.
So rather than anxiously worrying about how to behave, consider how not to behave and you should be fine. An individual with whom I played once, for instance, managed to break nearly all the rules just by displaying a lack of respect.
What to avoid
The said golf novice arrived five minutes after his tee time, put on his shoes in the car park and appeared on the first tee wearing a pair of jeans, which is always a no-no. As he took eight practice swings and a hefty divot with each, some of the members began to frown at being kept waiting by a young man who did not seem to care for the game’s etiquette or the club.
Unmoved by the disapproving looks, he marched off towards his ball, dragging his trolley in the most direct route from the tee box, instead of following the carefully laid path.
Once he had reached the green, he took the opportunity to catch up with his friends, chatting loudly about the price of oil, mindless of the fact that others were trying to putt. Then, without marking his ball, he pulled his bag across the green, creating a line of unwelcome footprints between someone else’s ball and the hole.
His round continued in the same vein, as he regularly teed off before the group in front had cleared, and generally acted inconsiderately towards others.
Give a little respect
People will often form an opinion of what sort of golfer you are on the basis of your conduct at a club, rather than your ability to play the game.
Golf etiquette is about respect, and if you show enough of it to the greenkeepers, club members and other players, you will be regarded as a distinguished golfer, whether or not you can get the ball airborne.
