Carl Hayman chooses Toulon over the All Blacks

I have come out of the doom and gloom to write about Carl Hayman’s choice to play in Toulon next year, rather than represent the All Blacks in the next world cup.

I’ve always been a huge fan of Hayman, particularly as we’ve had to endure Neemia Tialata’s ineffectiveness for the last three years.

But now he’s not coming home. Whether it is a big loss or not for New Zealand rugby (and a year ago I would have said ‘yes’, but since then I’ve seen Luke McAlister arrive back from the Northern Hemisphere a diminished player) is by the by.

The wider issue being discussed is whether New Zealand players should be allowed to play for a Northern hemisphere club and the All Black test team in the same season.

My answer is no.

For a start – a wealthy northern hemisphere club would not be prepared to release their players for training or tests to New Zealand (gawd, English clubs don’t do it for their own English team members so I very much doubt they would ever do it for a New Zealander).

Secondly, the New Zealand public would lose even more interest in the over hyped super 14 and the NZRFU would continue to lose revenue which means we would continue to lose even more stars.

Thirdly, skills levels of those stars plying their trade overseas would not be aligned with New Zealand rugby. Luke McAlister is a perfect example of this. He left as an up and coming star and has returned Joe Average. (More of the same is expected from Chris Jack and Aaron Mauger).

While I can understand Hayman’s choice to take the money, I wonder how he will feel come world cup time. If the All Blacks lose, no doubt he’ll be highly relieved. If they win, it may be another story for him altogether.

But he’s loaded now so that’s all ok because money is the answer Yeah right.

British and Irish Lions keep up their losing ways

Another eventful weekend of rugby saw the All Blacks winning a scratchy and frustrating match against Italy, South Africa taking the Lions series in Pretoria and more red faces in the French camp.

The Lions lose by two points in a thriller - and the moaning begins

After the melodramatic and unsuccessful 2005 British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand went pear shaped for the Lions, the high pitched squeals of Brian O’Driscoll, Clive Woodward and Alistair Campbell complaining as they actively launched a hate campaign on Tana Umanga could be heard throughout the world.

Unfortunately for Woodward and co, the moaning didn’t translate into points on the field in 2005 so it was a good idea when the Lions squad of 2009 decided to keep their complaining about the opposition behind closed dressing room doors for their tour of South Africa.

This all unravelled after the scintillating second test when several incidents off the ball saw a number of Lions players hospitalised (and lest we forget Schalk Burgers’ very obvious eye gouge in front of cameras, touch judges and other team members).

South Africa turned up to play dirty according to the spotless Lions who of course with players like Simon Shaw and O’Driscoll would never do anything collectively underhanded as a spear tackle or eye gouge. Yeah right.

So now that the Lions have lost, the dressing room door has been opened and the insults in the British media are out. While I agree that Schalk Burger should be punished for his offences (and since writing this, has been), the British and Irish media maybe need to take a look in their own back yard before they get all self righteous and start throwing stones.

It is bad when the game is played dirty, but it isn’t just the All Blacks and Springboks who are guilty of those offences. The British and Irish Lions lost and already the moaning has gone up a gear. It looks like sour grapes, as per usual. Haven’t they learnt anything?

All Blacks at new lows

It was a shambolic and frustrating display at Jade Stadium on Saturday night for the All Blacks’ test match against Italy. The Italians managed to restrict the All Blacks to the smallest ever margin and the celebrations were evident in the Azzuri coaching box after the game.

The problem for the All Blacks according to the media is all about the 9 / 10 axis. Personally I think there are a few more rotten apples in the barrel of the New Zealand backline. For a start, where is the attacking potency of yesteryear? It certainly wasn’t on display on Saturday. This is as much to do with Luke McAlister’s error ridden game as it is to do with a lack of intelligence and collective nous.

Poor Mils Muliaina - who was the best back by far on Saturday - cannot be the brains for a backline that had arrogance (yes, trying to run in your own 22 for the majority of the game because you think you’re going to score a 10 try haul against the Italians is arrogant) and stupidity (even when the 10 try haul didn’t look like it was going to happen, they didn’t know how to change their tactics. Duh – dumb).

Why did the backline stand so flat behind the first five eighth? Murray Mexted - love him or hate him - was right. The All Blacks had no go forward and never really looked like getting over the gain line. Instead the fancied themselves doing little flashy moves that came to nothing: running criss cross dummies and executing silly little hospital passes to each other. It was a depressing sight to watch.

Once an attacking team with flair and ingenuity, I fear to say they look more like an English backline now – running backwards and sideways, pointing and yelling idiotically, and no structure or skill. This is not looking good for the Tri nations at all.

The only upside (and I’m clutching at straws here) is that the South Africans under their foot in mouth prone coach Peter De Villiers may not be as strong as they could potentially be. After all, the Lions theoretically were never expected to beat the Boks. But the northern hemisphere side took them pretty close and often played the better rugby.

Also, the Wallabies only managed the one try against France in what was described a ‘turgid’ match on Saturday. Not exactly the roasting that everyone was expecting. Only time will tell I guess

Bastereaud

The New Zealand media is having a field day with plays on Bastereaud’s name and the sentence ‘lying bastard’. All very obvious and unsubtle. The unwitting centre it turns out didn’t get assaulted by any New Zealand thugs but into a scuffle back at his hotel room with his team mate.


Wellington mayor and property developer Kerry Prenderghastly waded into the drama demanding Bastereaud make an apology to the people of Wellington. How very typically parochial of us. I guess the police investigation costs should be covered by the French but it’s become a bit of a non story now and I do kind of feel for the ‘French Nonu’.

He is just a young guy who is (obviously) a bit stupid and panicked. Now his reputation has been tarnished with this story making rugby pages throughout the world. How embarrassing for him and his family. As Graham Henry said, he’s a young guy and all young guys do stupid things from time to time. Unfortunately for him, this one has made worldwide headlines.

Luke McAlister returning to New Zealand

Luke McAlister has rejected lucrative offers from several wealthy French rugby clubs to come back to New Zealand. He’ll be dotting down into Auckland airport when the Northern season ends in May. It is assumed he’ll get dispensation from the NZRFU to take up All Black duties immediately in June (normally you can’t represent the All Blacks unless you’ve played the previous season in the Super 14). It’s great news for Graham Henry and his team, who have had their work cut out for them after the player drain of 2008.

With the English economy in dire straits the boot appears to have shifted dramatically to the other foot for a number of British clubs. Struggling with salaries as sponsorship deals go kaput, left right and centre, a number of English clubs have to contend with their players cutting the apron strings and seeking the more lucrative options on French shores. Here’s Wasps chairman Mark Rigby expressing his concern. I'm sorry, where did Riki Flutey come from again?

how luke mccalister got sold on sale

There has been a lot written in the last couple of days about Luke McAlister signing up for a two year deal with Sale in England. A lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth from the New Zealand public and media that is...

The guy is too young. He is only twenty three. He'll never reach his potential. He has ruined his rugby playing chances. He is selfish and is too worried about the the money. He has devalued the All Black jersey. Why would anyone want to go and live in Manchester anyway. The weather is horrible in Manchester. Blah blah blah.

I do think Luke McAlister is a wonderful player; in a kind of Carlos Spencer way, that is. All those chip kicks and little searing runs (when he probably should have passed because there was an overlap). When the team is on song, so is he. But when they’re up the proverbial creek without a paddle, you probably won’t see him making such a clean break towards the banks for safety. He can definitely be spectacular but sometimes I think he lacks a bit of substance and is a bit too flashy. I still wish him luck and am surprised that anyone would begrudge him an OE.

But why the fuss about McAlister in the first place? Wouldn’t a bigger song and dance have been more appropriate for the true rock of this All Black team in the form of Carl Hayman. Instead, we get nothing. Just a resigned shrug of the shoulders and ‘oh well, there was nothing we could do’ by the NZRFU ‘we offered him a farm but he wanted to go Newcastle’. It seems to me strange that while we all seem to have been mourning the loss of McAlister for the last couple of months - we've let a true gem sure slip through our fingers.

And Manchester? Well it is an awesome city and anyone that writes otherwise has obviously never been there. It knocks the socks off Auckland for a start.