Ireland’s best chance for that first All Black scalp?
Who says the rugby season is over? A month of summer tour matches kicks off this weekend, to be swiftly followed by the Tri-Nations which will keep us going for weeks and then we’ll be straight back into Premiership, Top 14 and Magners League action come September.
Ireland takes on the All Blacks on Saturday and the game offers a chance for them to exorcise the demons that seem to have haunted them this season. An encouraging win over the Barbarians with a depleted team should set them up nicely to face a new-look New Zealand side that will have to adjust quickly back to the old (proper) laws.
Only six players are retained in Graham Henry’s squad from the team that lost to France in the World Cup – a number of new faces will feature and they might take a while to get going. Anthony Tuitavake is one to watch out for – he plays for the Blues and will start on the right wing with pace to burn and impressive strength in the tackle.
Jerome Kaino steps into the Number 8 berth after Jerry Collins’ retirement from international rugby with Rodney So’oialo shifting to the blindside. It’s still a fearsome back row completed, of course, by Richie McCaw and Ireland will have to be at their best to compete up front.
It’s probably no coincidence then that the Irish are fielding seven Munster forwards, the side that won the Heineken Cup with a dominant forward display. Paul O’Connell looked to be back at the top of his game in that match, and will need to be to challenge Ali Williams and Brad Thorn at the set-piece.
Eoin Reddan has been looking sharp behind the Wasps pack and Ronan O’Gara knows all about facing New Zealand. They won’t have an easy task against Crusaders cohorts Andy Ellis and Dan Carter, but if they can release the new centre partnership of Luke Fitzgerald and Brian O’Driscoll they may cause the Home side some problems.
Ireland’s best bet has to be to keep it tight and keep their score slowly ticking over. As much as I’d like to see a Northern Hemisphere team go to New Zealand and throw caution to the wind, by utilising the familiar forward unit and playing at a completely different pace to that dictated in Super 14 by the ELVs, they should confuse a relatively junior team enough to keep in touch on the scoreboard.
If Ronan O’Gara can steal a few penalties, kick for the corners and keep New Zealand on the back foot they may just stand a chance. Unfortunately, everything is telling me they won’t do it – they never have before, home or away, and have been very disappointing all season. Catching the All Blacks cold is a good opportunity for them, but I fear they’ll just warm them up nicely, ready to demolish England in a week’s time.
New Zealand:
15-Mils Muliaina, 14-Anthony Tuitavake, 13-Conrad Smith, 12-Ma’a Nonu, 11-Sitiveni Sivivatu; 10-Dan Carter, 9-Andy Ellis; 8-Jerome Kaino, 7-Richie McCaw (captain), 6-Rodney So’oialo, 5-Ali Willliams, 4-Brad Thorn, 3-John Afoa, 2-Andrew Hore, 1-Neemia Tialata.
Replacements: 16-Keven Mealamu, 17-John Schwalger, 18-Anthony Boric, 19-Adam Thomson, 20-Jimmy Cowan, 21-Stephen Donald, 22-Leon MacDonald.
Ireland:
15-Robert Kearney, 14-Shane Horgan, 13-Brian O’Driscoll (captain), 12-Luke Fitzgerald, 11-Tommy Bowe, 10-Ronan O’Gara, 9-Eoin Reddan, 8-Jamie Heaslip, 7-David Wallace, 6-Denis Leamy, 5-Donncha O’Callaghan, 4-Paul O’Connell, 3-John Hayes, 2-Jerry Flannery, 1-Marcus Horan.
Replacements: 16-Rory Best, 17-Tony Buckley, 18-Mick O’Driscoll, 19-Shane Jennings, 20-Peter Stringer, 21-Paddy Wallace, 22-Girvan Dempsey.
By James Hutchison
Muscle tone is not something usually associated with golf, but it should be
Learning to play golf is an endless endeavour to perfect your swing. Tempo, rhythm, club-head release, shoulder turn, weight transfer: there is always something to work on.
Nevertheless, one essential ingredient seldom mentioned is ‘core strength’ – key to maintaining good balance and body position from the moment you begin to wind the club around your neck right up to the top of your follow through.
Top fitness trainer, Graeme Hilditch, says: “One consistent factor which crops up again and again with many of the golfers I have treated is related to weak core muscles.”
These muscles are responsible for supporting the trunk, playing a vital role in preventing back injury and ensuring good posture is maintained throughout your swing.”
He adds: “If your core muscles are weak, your balance through the swing is compromised, not only putting excessive stress on your back but also having a significant impact on your final body position as you strike the ball.”
Understandably then, strengthening your core will improve the rhythm in your swing, helping to achieve that smooth movement from start to finish, and developing the consistency of your golf.
How strong are your core muscles?
Graeme often finds that his clients are unaware that they need to hone this aspect of their fitness, unsure of how strong these hidden muscles actually are.
He says that improving core strength is not simply a case of forcing out 100 sit-ups every morning, but it requires a multi-faceted exercise regime to develop every stabilising muscle recruited in your golf swing.
It is best, he says, to seek advice from a qualified personal trainer who will assess your weaknesses and muscular imbalances and then prescribe appropriate exercises.
Test your strength
1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your pelvis in a “neutral” position. i.e. not tilted.
2. Place one hand on the floor, under the small of your back.
3. Slowly extend your knees to 90 degrees, so that your lower legs are now parallel to the floor.
4. Firmly press your lower back down on to your hand and maintain the same pressure, as you slowly lower your feet back down to the ground.
If you are unable to maintain firm pressure on your hand whilst lowering your feet, it indicates that your core muscles are weak, which is likely to be affecting your golf swing.
For an overview of some simple and effective core strengthening exercises, visit www.fitFAQs.co.uk
How customised clubs can improve your golf
There is an old joke that goes:
Q: What’s your handicap?
A: My clubs.
It’s not very funny, but sometimes it’s true.
There’s a strange relationship in golf between a player’s ability and the equipment they use – generally, the better the golfer, the better their equipment and vice versa.
GEAR IT UP
Every golfer knows someone new to the game that struggles around the course with rusty irons. After a couple of years they’ll invest in better kit and their game will go from strength to strength.
WELCOME KNOWLEDGE
There’s a misconception that custom-fitted clubs are the preserve of single-handicap golfers, but given that most manufacturers will offer the service at no extra cost, it is well worth considering. Of course, you can’t buy yourself a lower handicap, but equipment suited to your height, ability and swing speed will give you one less thing to blame.
TAILORED TO SUIT YOU
A custom-fitting service will take basic measurements, such as the distance between your hands and the ground. You’ll hit some balls and your swing speed will be calculated, and you’ll be given the ideal specifications for your clubs in terms of shaft type, club length, and loft and lie, as well as grip size.
Properly fitting clubs will not solve all your problems, but they can help to improve the way you strike the ball so that you’ll hit straighter shots more consistently. Most importantly, they will help you play to your full potential.
The more you practise, the luckier you’ll get
Part of golf’s appeal is that every now and then an amateur golfer can hit a shot that a professional might envy. A stunning drive, long and straight, a chip-in from 50 yards, or a 30-foot putt on an undulating green – for that one moment, you’re as good as Tiger Woods, writes James Hutchison.
Sadly for most us, these moments are far and few between, but here are a few things to bear in mind as we strive to push that handicap down.
Warm up physically and mentally
You don’t often see Vijay Singh screeching into the car park, putting his shoes on in the car and jogging to the first tee. He’ll be there stretching, swinging and concentrating on golf, and we should take note.
You need to factor in preparation time to loosen your muscles and contemplate your game. Spend a few minutes on the range or in a practice net, then head for the putting green and work on those short putts. This will save you needlessly throwing away the first few holes as you ‘warm up’.
Slow down your swing
We’ve all been there: it’s your second shot on a par five after a disappointing tee shot, there’s still 450 yards to the green but something in your head says that if you just swing slightly harder and a smidgen faster, you might just be able to reach it. You put all the strength you can muster into the swing and then watch in astonishment as your ball disappears into the bush.
Slow it all down, take your time and think of the old cliché that says, ‘let the club do the work’. If you focus consciously on swinging slowly, your rhythm will be much more natural, and there will be a far greater likelihood that you’ll strike the ball properly – and with that thought in your head, it will stop you worrying about that enormous lake in front of you.
Practice your putting
About half of all the shots you play are on the green, but putting is probably the least-practiced skill in golf. It’s much more fun to go to the driving range and smash a hundred balls as far as you can, but spend half an hour on the putting green every week and you’ll knock shots off your game.
In particular, practice putts within 10 feet – if you can sink the ball from that distance, you’ll avoid any three-putt horror shows.
Establish your pre-shot routine
The most important part of a golf shot is probably the 30 seconds before you hit the ball. Think about the type of shot you are about to play and where you’d like the ball to land – then imagine yourself playing the shot and watching the ball sail through the air. Equally, block out any images of yourself slicing the ball into the halfway house – if you think about hitting a bad shot, you probably will.
If something disturbs your routine, make sure you stop and start it again. Tiger Woods is notorious for following the same pre-shot routine, and he has the extraordinary ability to stop in the middle of his backswing if anything interrupts him.
Get a superstition
Nearly every golfer has a lucky ball, or a favourite club, so make sure you get one too – it may help you to create a positive mindset as you stand over the ball.
Jack Nicklaus always had to carry three coins in his pocket; if Payne Stewart made a bogey, he used to throw the ‘unlucky’ ball away; and there is a whole raft of ‘lucky’ ways to mark your ball on a green.
If you find something that brings you luck, be sure to make the most of it, although this may not be as easy as it sounds. After Tom Lehman won The Open in 1996, he couldn’t quite put his finger on what gave him that fortune. When the competition returned to Royal Lytham & St Annes in 2001, Lehman did everything he could to reproduce it – he ate at the same restaurants, spoke to the same people and ordered the same food as he had five years previously. It didn’t work – he missed the cut.
Johnno’s dilemma: IRB rankings point the way
As England fans welcome another new dawn, the turning of another leaf, and yet another England management structure, thoughts inevitably turn to the future.
The country is once again tingling with excitement about the opportunity to finally see our young guns develop and flourish in the right environment. There is a wealth of talent in England, and with the right man in charge, England’s fortunes may just be on the up at last.
“Select Haskell as captain” they cry, “Pick Care and Cipriani”. It’s all with the future in mind, ideally to foster a team to peak in New Zealand and steal the Web Ellis Cup from under the All Blacks’ noses.
However, this grand plan could fall flat on its face if there aren’t any immediate improvements in England’s performances. Seedings for the World Cup draw will now be based on IRB rankings, rather than the performance of teams at the last World Cup, and the cut off point is at the end of this year.
The top four seeds used to be determined by the four semi-finalists at the previous World Cup and the position in which they finished – hence England, France, Australia and New Zealand were all the number one seeds in their groups in 2007.
Under the old system, South Africa, England, Argentina and France would have made up the top seeds in New Zealand, and with the All Blacks, Australia and Wales to throw into the mix, there would have been some interesting groupings and possibly more than one ‘Group of Death’. However, brown envelopes must have been exchanged somewhere along the way and the system is changing just in time to spare the All Blacks’ blushes.
Seedings will now be based on the official IRB rankings as of December 1st 2008, a system whereby New Zealand has not been out of the top four since it was devised by our sport’s governing body in 2003.
England is currently in fifth place behind Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and South Africa, with Wales hot on their heels in sixth. To give themselves the best opportunity in 2011, they must break into the top four this year, which means they simply have to win matches.
Unfortunately, their 2008 fixture list makes worrying reading in this context. Ignoring the Barbarians game, first up is the two Test tour of New Zealand, a country in which England have won once – back in 2003 when Johnno’s men were at the peak of their powers. In the autumn, Twickenham will be opening its doors to the Pacific Islanders (a game which will not affect the rankings), followed by Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.
The rankings work on an exchange system, in which teams take points from each other depending on the match result (click here for a full explanation). Australia looks like a vital game to win, since they are closest to England in the rankings, but by then New Zealand may have stolen so many of our points that we are out of contention.
So Johnson’s primary objective is to get through to Christmas with at least three wins out of five, which should guarantee a place in the top four. With that in mind, what approach should he take?
Is it a long term plan, blooding youngsters in difficult fixtures this year, perhaps taking the view that to win the World Cup, you must be good enough to beat every team, so the seedings are in fact a moot point?
Or is it a focus on the short term, with a must-win approach, even if that means playing it safe with a 10-man game? The winning margin affects the ranking points, so should it be a damage limitation exercise, rather than throwing caution to the wind and accepting a 70-point drubbing because the experience will do the players some good?
It’s a difficult dilemma. England fans may need a little patience before we see the team fulfill its potential – consider the next few performances in this context before making judgements about Johnson’s ability. If people start losing faith without an understanding of this predicament, we may end up taking another step backwards.
The last thing we need is another review by Rob Andrew, which ultimately bows to the influence of the baying media and takes an almighty, albeit popular, gamble – but don’t get me started on that one.
By James Hutchison
