The World Women's U19 Lacrosse Champs were completed today. USA won the final comprehensively, beating Australia 18-3. The bronze was a surprise with England toppling Canada 9-8.
NZ came in 10th of 11th which sounds unimpressive, but in fact was a brilliant effort. NZ lost all but one game, beating Germany in the play-off for 10th and 11th (8-6), their first win, after losing by 1 to Germany in the first round (10-11). They were competitive in every game, unlucky not to beat the Czech Republic after having 22 shots on goal to 11 but being thwarted by the brilliant Czech goalie.
It was an impressive effort all up when one considers that NZ is new to the sport, this being their first U19 effort after debuting at the senior worlds in 2005. There are also a number of quality players at home who could not make the trip because of injury, other sporting commitments or cost. Of course such trips are not funded, each player spending $6000 for the trip!
The top NZ team would have potentially been top 6. Impressive for NZ were the McLain sisters Lauren and Kate, Gracie Keown, Sonja Yaw, Susie Clephane, Laura Rensford, Ariana Simmonds and Kelly Leaper. Some will no doubt score US scholarships. Way to go girls!
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Cross Country Champs
Tributes to the winners at the NZ Cross Country champs in Wingatui Dunedin on the weekend. Of note were the senior winners including Edwin Henshaw and Maria Akkeson from Auckland.
The race of the day was the M19 race with Dominic Channon winning by 2 seconds from Matthew Mildenhall with Terefe Ejigu only 1 second back! 3 across the line in 4 seconds is one heaven of a finish. The W19 race was won well by Ruth Croft from Haley Green and Katie Wright from Auckland. Katie is recovering from glandular fever, so this was a special effort.
Esther Keown won the W16 race from Nicki McFadzien and Hannah Newbould. This was Esther's first national cross country title in schools or provincial after podium finishes in 5 previous races. She has recovered from a lay off with a hip injury so it was a special win. Nicki and Hannah remain very consistent, Nicki having 2 seconds this year at schools and provincials.
Promising Margot Gibson ran the W14 race. It would have been interesting if she had run the W16 race as she beat Esther in Christchurch at the schools race earlier in the year. However, Esther was recovering from injury at that point.
The quality of the fields was a bit down in the W19 and 16 races without Kelsey Patterson, Camille Buscombe, Olivia Burne, Hannah Morgan and others there.
Hopefully the fields will be stronger next year
The race of the day was the M19 race with Dominic Channon winning by 2 seconds from Matthew Mildenhall with Terefe Ejigu only 1 second back! 3 across the line in 4 seconds is one heaven of a finish. The W19 race was won well by Ruth Croft from Haley Green and Katie Wright from Auckland. Katie is recovering from glandular fever, so this was a special effort.
Esther Keown won the W16 race from Nicki McFadzien and Hannah Newbould. This was Esther's first national cross country title in schools or provincial after podium finishes in 5 previous races. She has recovered from a lay off with a hip injury so it was a special win. Nicki and Hannah remain very consistent, Nicki having 2 seconds this year at schools and provincials.
Promising Margot Gibson ran the W14 race. It would have been interesting if she had run the W16 race as she beat Esther in Christchurch at the schools race earlier in the year. However, Esther was recovering from injury at that point.
The quality of the fields was a bit down in the W19 and 16 races without Kelsey Patterson, Camille Buscombe, Olivia Burne, Hannah Morgan and others there.
Hopefully the fields will be stronger next year
Rugby Part 3
Yet more of rugby's problems spring to mind.
15. The absence of free to air broadcasts: another problem is that lack of rugby on free to air. Some would bemoan this and say that if you are serious you would get sky. Well it is $64/month to get sky. That is a lot for a family like ours with three teenagers with all the costs and the costs of life. Currently what is there is on Prime and not all get it and if your place is like ours, the reception sux. For rugby to hold NZ's interest it must be the sport of the people, available to all, free. A slight delay is not an issue if that keeps Sky happy. But it has to be there, for people to view. This has the effect of people losing touch with the game. The teams of full of names they do not know. The shift from Super 14 to NPC becomes confusing for the fringe supporters and other interests take that place. Knowing the players, knowing the teams are basics.
16. Night rugby: night rugby is supposed to enhance crowds, but does it? In the middle of winter at Jade Stadium? Is that the best option. What about rugby with the winter sun on the backs at 2.30 on a Saturday. It has always produced the best rugby. Again we have broken from tradition and we are paying the price to keep the corporates happy.
15. The absence of free to air broadcasts: another problem is that lack of rugby on free to air. Some would bemoan this and say that if you are serious you would get sky. Well it is $64/month to get sky. That is a lot for a family like ours with three teenagers with all the costs and the costs of life. Currently what is there is on Prime and not all get it and if your place is like ours, the reception sux. For rugby to hold NZ's interest it must be the sport of the people, available to all, free. A slight delay is not an issue if that keeps Sky happy. But it has to be there, for people to view. This has the effect of people losing touch with the game. The teams of full of names they do not know. The shift from Super 14 to NPC becomes confusing for the fringe supporters and other interests take that place. Knowing the players, knowing the teams are basics.
16. Night rugby: night rugby is supposed to enhance crowds, but does it? In the middle of winter at Jade Stadium? Is that the best option. What about rugby with the winter sun on the backs at 2.30 on a Saturday. It has always produced the best rugby. Again we have broken from tradition and we are paying the price to keep the corporates happy.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Rugby Part 2
More on rugby crowds and the problem with rugby.
12. Violence, feminisation and injuries: another issue for rugby generally is the injury toll and physical challenge of the game. This is a turn off to many moderns in an urban western situation. Women in particular often do not want their kids to play the game. While the game has been cleaned up it is still essentially physical and confrontational and this is a turn off for many.
13. Disappointment: the failure of recent AB rugby teams at world cups has not helped the image of rugby. Loyal fans will die for the game but the fringers find it tougher and tougher to support a team that blows it.
14. Disillusionment with professionalism as it is playing out in NZ rugby: I cannot see why the ABs have to be rested for tournaments, have weeks off, reconditioning bla bla bla. We need to get into the real world of professional sport and realise that being a professional athlete will involve a long season of earning one's money. It is a job. What other profession takes the approach rugby it taking? European soccer, rugby, the NRL, the AFL, the American sporting scene involves people playing week in and week out. It may win us a world cup but it is devastating to the game to rest players as we are doing. It is a luxury that has to end. The World Cup and internationals are just another event in the cycle of the sporting treadmill and NZ rugby needs to harden up and face the professional reality. Anyway, I am not sure it is better preparation for world cups etc to not play and wander around a gym bulking up! We lost the last world cup after resting the AB's from the NPC and perhaps this is the problem. We beat SA brilliantly in the quarters. Then faced the Aussies and we were flat, so flat it was shocking! Was it because we were not match hardened. Whereas the English who had played a huge number of games were hard and fronted magnificently for three games in a row; they were used to it! I hope France is not the same; I will not be surprised if it is. I for one have had enough of players bleating about how hard it is; how tough it is; how long the season is. I played club rugby for Pakuranga in the 80's and I would have given anything to have the opportunity these guys have. HARDEN UP, get out there and play. Oh, I have to go to work now. Need to recondition, but, oh, the boss won't let me...
12. Violence, feminisation and injuries: another issue for rugby generally is the injury toll and physical challenge of the game. This is a turn off to many moderns in an urban western situation. Women in particular often do not want their kids to play the game. While the game has been cleaned up it is still essentially physical and confrontational and this is a turn off for many.
13. Disappointment: the failure of recent AB rugby teams at world cups has not helped the image of rugby. Loyal fans will die for the game but the fringers find it tougher and tougher to support a team that blows it.
14. Disillusionment with professionalism as it is playing out in NZ rugby: I cannot see why the ABs have to be rested for tournaments, have weeks off, reconditioning bla bla bla. We need to get into the real world of professional sport and realise that being a professional athlete will involve a long season of earning one's money. It is a job. What other profession takes the approach rugby it taking? European soccer, rugby, the NRL, the AFL, the American sporting scene involves people playing week in and week out. It may win us a world cup but it is devastating to the game to rest players as we are doing. It is a luxury that has to end. The World Cup and internationals are just another event in the cycle of the sporting treadmill and NZ rugby needs to harden up and face the professional reality. Anyway, I am not sure it is better preparation for world cups etc to not play and wander around a gym bulking up! We lost the last world cup after resting the AB's from the NPC and perhaps this is the problem. We beat SA brilliantly in the quarters. Then faced the Aussies and we were flat, so flat it was shocking! Was it because we were not match hardened. Whereas the English who had played a huge number of games were hard and fronted magnificently for three games in a row; they were used to it! I hope France is not the same; I will not be surprised if it is. I for one have had enough of players bleating about how hard it is; how tough it is; how long the season is. I played club rugby for Pakuranga in the 80's and I would have given anything to have the opportunity these guys have. HARDEN UP, get out there and play. Oh, I have to go to work now. Need to recondition, but, oh, the boss won't let me...
Monday, August 6, 2007
The problem with rugby
The discussions of the last few days relate to the crowd sizes at rugby games which are down on previous seasons. I am not surprised at all. I think that there are good reasons for the decline in interest in many urban centres
1. The Stop Start Nature of the Game: The scrums continually collapse. The break down is a constant disaster. Time is continually wasted with line outs, scrum resets, discussions between the ref and players, TMO decisions, discussions between refs and lines men, injuries upon injuries. The game must be sped up with far less time spent fluffing around with line out calls, injuries etc.
2. The Congestion of the Game: Rugby players are faster, fitter, stronger and able to last longer with contemporary fitness models. Yet the fields are the same size, the number of players the same, and the game is a 22 man game rather than a 15 man game. The game used to break open due to fatigue but can not do so with two even fit teams. The fields could be enlargened, the number of players reduced or the replacement rules changed to ensure that the game breaks open.
3. Other Options: There are now a lot of other things for people to do and games to play. Rugby does not hold exclusive pride of place. There are any number of sports from soccer, to lacrosse, to dancing etc. Not to mention that many people live a sedentary life anyway and don't play anything.
4. Life's busyness: Life is incredibly busy now and time is precious. One does what one has to do and to heck with the rest. Rugby is one of those options for discretionary time and it is quite a hassle to get there what with traffic, walking there, queuing etc.
5. TV Coverage: Why go to a game when you are incredibly busy when you can hit a switch and watch it live with replays, the fridge handy, in the warmth of the house etc? While it is not the same as live, in terms of time it is often a better use of the time to take the time to watch the game without all the extras around it. I mean one has to leave at 5ish to watch a 7.30 game and then is not home until 10ish.
6. Cost: it is rather expensive to go to a game especially if there are a few of you and you want to watch from the stand. Watching the game on TV for the rugby addict involves the purchase of Sky already and then throw in the cost of watching the game with a drink and something to eat thrown in and it all adds up!
7. A loss of traditional affiliations and season length etc: the development of professional rugby has led to a season that runs from Feb-Nov with followers of the game moving from Super 14, to club, to All Blacks to provincial affiliation. It all gets confusing. Regions do not capture the imagination as much as provinces. Then there is the shift back to provinces. It would be better to have one long good provincial competition and internationals rather than shifting from one to the other (go the NRL way etc). Through these constant changes the NZRFU and SANZAR organisations have torn the heart out of NZ traditional rugby allegiances.
8. The lost of top players overseas: the erosion of NZ talent is sad as the cream of NZ's players are going overseas leaving the NPC as a second rate competition in the shadow of the Super 14 and internationals.
9. Boredom at the same old same old: each year it is the Tri Nations, NZ, SA and Aus. When we get an international team here from Europe it is normally second rate. We need France A, Lions, England especially here on tours. We need SA and Aussie touring and playing the traditional rivals of provinces. We need to have the tri-Nations every two years and not in world cup year. We need tours!
10. Global sporting options: We are spoiled for choice now. We can follow league, rugby, soccer, baseball, grid iron, cricket, basketball etc here and overseas. There are vocational opportunities all over the world through USA colleges etc. The world has changed. Rugby does not dominate anymore and never will again. There are swags of other sports like hockey, triathlon, athletics, swimming etc for people to try out. It is now culturally OK to play anything unlike the earlier days when rugby was the only 'real sport'.
11. Constant law changes: while rugby wants to sort its act out it tries new rules every year or five. Compare that to soccer which has the same game now and for years. We need to settle on the game we want it to be and LEAVE it. Let is go through the ebs and flows. It needs to be radically simplified and LEFT.
When one adds all the above up, then it is obvious why rugby is losing the battle for support. It is the way it is and we better get used to it. They can simplify the season, bring back allegiances, make the game flow and open up again and this will help. But it won't fix it all. It is a consumers world and the consumers will decide. Whatever, those who rule the sport better get a move on because a glorious new world awaits us rugby fans.
1. The Stop Start Nature of the Game: The scrums continually collapse. The break down is a constant disaster. Time is continually wasted with line outs, scrum resets, discussions between the ref and players, TMO decisions, discussions between refs and lines men, injuries upon injuries. The game must be sped up with far less time spent fluffing around with line out calls, injuries etc.
2. The Congestion of the Game: Rugby players are faster, fitter, stronger and able to last longer with contemporary fitness models. Yet the fields are the same size, the number of players the same, and the game is a 22 man game rather than a 15 man game. The game used to break open due to fatigue but can not do so with two even fit teams. The fields could be enlargened, the number of players reduced or the replacement rules changed to ensure that the game breaks open.
3. Other Options: There are now a lot of other things for people to do and games to play. Rugby does not hold exclusive pride of place. There are any number of sports from soccer, to lacrosse, to dancing etc. Not to mention that many people live a sedentary life anyway and don't play anything.
4. Life's busyness: Life is incredibly busy now and time is precious. One does what one has to do and to heck with the rest. Rugby is one of those options for discretionary time and it is quite a hassle to get there what with traffic, walking there, queuing etc.
5. TV Coverage: Why go to a game when you are incredibly busy when you can hit a switch and watch it live with replays, the fridge handy, in the warmth of the house etc? While it is not the same as live, in terms of time it is often a better use of the time to take the time to watch the game without all the extras around it. I mean one has to leave at 5ish to watch a 7.30 game and then is not home until 10ish.
6. Cost: it is rather expensive to go to a game especially if there are a few of you and you want to watch from the stand. Watching the game on TV for the rugby addict involves the purchase of Sky already and then throw in the cost of watching the game with a drink and something to eat thrown in and it all adds up!
7. A loss of traditional affiliations and season length etc: the development of professional rugby has led to a season that runs from Feb-Nov with followers of the game moving from Super 14, to club, to All Blacks to provincial affiliation. It all gets confusing. Regions do not capture the imagination as much as provinces. Then there is the shift back to provinces. It would be better to have one long good provincial competition and internationals rather than shifting from one to the other (go the NRL way etc). Through these constant changes the NZRFU and SANZAR organisations have torn the heart out of NZ traditional rugby allegiances.
8. The lost of top players overseas: the erosion of NZ talent is sad as the cream of NZ's players are going overseas leaving the NPC as a second rate competition in the shadow of the Super 14 and internationals.
9. Boredom at the same old same old: each year it is the Tri Nations, NZ, SA and Aus. When we get an international team here from Europe it is normally second rate. We need France A, Lions, England especially here on tours. We need SA and Aussie touring and playing the traditional rivals of provinces. We need to have the tri-Nations every two years and not in world cup year. We need tours!
10. Global sporting options: We are spoiled for choice now. We can follow league, rugby, soccer, baseball, grid iron, cricket, basketball etc here and overseas. There are vocational opportunities all over the world through USA colleges etc. The world has changed. Rugby does not dominate anymore and never will again. There are swags of other sports like hockey, triathlon, athletics, swimming etc for people to try out. It is now culturally OK to play anything unlike the earlier days when rugby was the only 'real sport'.
11. Constant law changes: while rugby wants to sort its act out it tries new rules every year or five. Compare that to soccer which has the same game now and for years. We need to settle on the game we want it to be and LEAVE it. Let is go through the ebs and flows. It needs to be radically simplified and LEFT.
When one adds all the above up, then it is obvious why rugby is losing the battle for support. It is the way it is and we better get used to it. They can simplify the season, bring back allegiances, make the game flow and open up again and this will help. But it won't fix it all. It is a consumers world and the consumers will decide. Whatever, those who rule the sport better get a move on because a glorious new world awaits us rugby fans.
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