Will It Be Scotland The Brave?

What have we learned from Thursday's announcement by Scotland head coach Andy Robinson of the 36 man squad for the RBS 6 Nations?

Well, on the face of it, it's encouraging. Sure, there is a promising influx of young talent, all of whom have earned their places with solid and consistent performances so far this season, not least Duncan Weir, Stuart Hogg, Fraser McKenzie and Rob Harley and a mention to London Irish's Steven Shingler who if I'm honest I don't know a great deal about. But with a massive 36 names being announced I fear that most, if not all of these names won't get a shot at first team action, particularly if Scotland have a good start to the tournament.

Glasgow's 19-year-old Stuart Hogg has earned himself a shot

at a Scotland cap

The 6 Nations schedule is particularly tough this year, certainly compared to last year in my opinion. Firstly, we have only 2 home games, starting with England in the opening weekend. A trip to Wales is then followed by the second home game against provisional favourites France and then there is a trip to Dublin and then a finish in Rome - a fixture clearly seen by the organisers (perhaps fairly given recent seasons) as the competition to avoid the wooden spoon; something to fight for on the final weekend.

If Scotland get off to a good start by beating England (remember the English haven't won in Scotland since 2004), then I would be surprised if Robinson changes the setup for risk of losing the next game.

It is widely thought that he won't field the promising newcomers to the international setup on February 4th, and if that is the case, what chance will they have for the rest of the tournament?

'Even' numbered years have always provided the best opportunities for a top 3 place, or even a grand slam (see 1984 & 1990). With England and France at home, recent coaches have always played their 'go-to' men knowing that home victories in those fixtures could set up a successful tournament.

Alternatively, if it does come down to avoiding propping up the table come the final weekend this year, I also don't see Robinson fielding an experimental team for the risk of embarrassment.

There is precedent. When Robinson took the England job following the 2003 RWC, he was forced to name lots of new players in the squad in the wake of multiple test rugby retirements. However more often than not he would revert to type and select those players he had been coaching under Clive Woodward.

I think the inclusion of players like Dan Parks and particularly Simon Danielli goes a long way to letting us know that Robinson intends on playing a similar game. I bet he's even secretly rueing the recent decision by Chris Paterson to retire from international rugby.

I hope I'm wrong. Scottish rugby has a huge opportunity to build on recent and ongoing domestic success and with 2 years until the next Lions tour and 4 until the next RWC, surely now is the optimum time to be blooding young talent in the test arena? I guess we'll find out in less than a month's time.

A French Fancy

Phillipe Saint-Andre released the details of his French 30-man 6 Nations squad today, and it makes for interesting reading.

Firstly, there are only two uncapped players included - the Clermont centre Wesley Fofana, who has been in sparkling form this season so far, and of the games I have seen him in during the Heinekin Cup, looks to be a potent threat.  He would have to be, because he's kept Toulouse man Florien Fritz and resurgent Toulon man Mathieu Basteraud out of the offing.  The other is Toulouse lock Yoann Maestri who looks to be another in a long line of quality second rowers from France.

Fofana has been outstanding so far this season

However, the most striking thing that immediately stands out to me is the fact that the squad is comprised entirely of France-based players.  Not such a surprise perhaps, France has always been quite insular with it's homegrown talent, and with the money that is swirling around the Top 14 clubs, why would they want to leave?  But the 30 strong squad represents 8 different clubs in the domestic league.

The largest investment of players, predictably, comes from Toulouse where 12 players have made Saint-Andre's cut.  Clermont are second with 7, but the rest are fairly evenly split between Biarritz, Castres, Perpignan, Montpellier, Stade Francais and Toulon.

Looking more closely at those that have made the squad, it's clear to see that the clubs providing just 1 or 2 players are hardly making up the numbers - they are providing quality players.  Take Montpellier where Francois Trinh-Duc and flanker Fulgence Ouedraogo are likely starters for the French.  Biarritz are the same with Fabien Barcella and Imanol Harinordoquy.

What is great about the French Top 14 is that the quality of players are spread across such a large number of teams.  There are some that do things differently, like Toulon, who have invested heavily in foreign imports but generally speaking, French rugby talent is very well taken care of, and with the spread of that talent, there are plenty of opportunities for players to play rugby at the highest level.

Saint-Andre's selection looks ominously strong, and efficient.  30 men is 6 less than what Scottish coach Andy Robinson has picked for Scotland.  If the new French coach is as ruthless with his tactics as he is with his selection, we should all be watching out.

Winners & Losers (04/01/12)

So who's had a winning Christmas and New Year period and who ate to much turkey and drank too much (Danny Care)?

Winners

The Barclays Premier League - it seems no team with intentions of claiming the title have come through the festive period unscathed with Man Utd and Chelsea both losing at home and Man City, Liverpool, Spurs and Arsenal all dropping points to 'lesser' teams. It all contributes to a more interesting league, still anyone's to win.

Celtic - previously covered in this blog, Celtic claimed top spot in the SPL for the first time since April with a victory over their arch rivals Rangers. Consolidated with a New Year win over Dunfermline, it's 11 victories on the trot.

Scottish Rugby - a record 13,000+ crowd at Murrayfield and around 9,000 at Firhill saw Glasgow slug it out against Edinburgh to win the 1872 Cup, showcasing some young promising Scottish talent. Both teams are in good form of late, with one month to go until the 6 Nations and the Calcutta Cup.

Adrian Lewis - The Jackpot successfully defended his World Darts title, despite the majority of the crowd cheering on rival Andy Hamilton following farcical scenes in Lewis' semi final where he walked of stage because of a draft.  The final also saw Lewis very close to completing a 9 dart finish, just missing the double 12 on the final dart.

Losers

The NY Jets - it's been a miserable end to the NFL season for the Jets.  Wide receiver Santonio Holmes has been playing like a spoilt brat, playing only for himself and blaming everyone else for his own poor performance and QB Mark Sanchez has again underperformed in his third season.  The final weekend loss at Miami saw Sanchez thow 3 interceptions and persistantly struggle against the Miami defence.  Both players are on shaky ground right now.

Mark Sanchez really needs to improve

Danny Care - already mentioned, but that only reflects the fact that Danny Care has been TWICE reprimanded for drinking related incidents, leading to police charges, a court appearance and expulsion from Stuart Lancaster's consideration for England's 6 Nations title defence. See here for more!

Liverpool - The Anfield club have chosen not to appeal the FA decision to ban Suarez for 8 games following the alleged racist abuse towards Man Utd's Patrice Evra.  The first of those 8 games was played last night with Liverpool losing at Manchester City 3-0.

Lancaster Sticks To His Principles

When he was officially unveiled as the acting replacement for Martin Johnson as England head coach, Stuart Lancaster was quick to let everyone know that he and his team will not stand for any behaviour either on or off the pitch that could or would reflect badly on the team and the game.

As well as a show of fortitude to the press and the public, it was also a warning to any prospective England player to buck up their ideas if they fancy a chance playing for their country.

But already, Danny Care has taken it upon himself to test the resolve of the newly installed coach, and found that there is no flexibility.

Having been reprimanded for being drunk and disorderly before Christmas and after Harlequins Heineken Cup defeat to Toulouse at the Stoop, Care has again been caught, this time areested drink driving on New Years Eve.

 Danny Care won't be playing at the 6 Nations

Care, 25, is due to appear in court on January 16th and has commented "I made a very bad decision on the evening and need to take the punishment the courts hand out".  Whatever that outcome turns out to be, he has already found out that he is not being considered in any way for England's plans for the upcoming 6 Nations tournament with Lancaster describing the incident as "completely unacceptable" and adding "When we feel he can be trusted to behave appropriately on and off the field then he will be reconsidered for selection."

So Lancaster is pulling no punches and if it wasn't clear before, it will surely be now. 

Maybe Care was making up for not being at the World Cup where England conducted themselves poorly off the pitch and not much better on it?

In any case, he will miss his second consecutive major tournament at a time when he is in good form with his Harlequin team and would be pushing the likes of Ben Young for a starting place.  His lesson must surely now be learned. 

NFL Playoff Fixtures Confirmed

The number of varying connotations and outcomes from the Week 17 games was mind boggling.  With only three playoff berths available coming into the weekend, there were still divisional titles to play for and home field advantage to compete for.

Now that all games have been completed, the dust has now settled and the playoff fixtures confirmed.  Here's a simplified look at who will face who in the post-season, starting in the NFC:

• Green Bay Packers win the NFC North and earn a first round bye and secure home advantage as number 1 seeds.
• San Francisco secured the NFC West title and will be 2nd seeds and so have earned a first round bye and home field advantage.
• The 4th seeded New York Giants beat the Dallas Cowboys to win the NFC East and will play the 5th seeded Atlanta Falcons in the first round.
• 3rd seeded New Orleans Saints smashed Carolina to win the NFC South and will face Detroit Lions in the first round, despite the Lions losing to the Packers. 
• The Lions are through as 6th seeds after the Falcons beat Tampa Bay.

The NY Giants beat the Cowboys to secure final playoff spot

In the AFC:

• The New England Patriots thumped the Buffalo Bills after being 21-0 down to grab the number 1 seed in the AFC, a first round bye and home field advantage.
• The Baltimore Ravens clinched the No.2 seed and the AFC North title with a win over the Cincinnati Bengals.  They also get home field advantage where they are 8-0 in the regular season at the M&T Bank Stadium.
• The Denver Broncos won the AFC West title and with it secured the 4th seed despite losing to te Kansas City Chiefs all because Oakland Raiders lost to the San Diego Chargers.
• The Houston Texans lost to the Tennessee Titans in Week 17, but had already secured the AFC South title and are seeded 3rd.
• The Pittsburgh Steelers secured the 5th seed place with a win over the Cleveland Browns but lost out on the AFC North title as Baltimore won and will play Tim Tebow and the Broncos in the first round.
• Cincinnati Bengals have secured the final 6th seed berth despite losing and will face the Texans.

In each division, the lowest ranked first round winner will face the number 1 seeded teams (Packers or Patriots) and the highest ranked winner from the first round will face the second seeded teams (49ers or Ravens).

So there it is.  Easy.

In Like Flynn

What was all the fuss about?

It was announced on Saturday by Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy that starting QB Aaron Rodgers would not be playing any part in the Packers team on Sunday against divisional rivals Detroit Lions.  That would mean Matt Flynn would get only his second NFL start in his career.

It may have been a 'nothing' game for the Packers after they secured home advantage for the playoffs last week, but that didn't mean Flynn was prepared to lose it for the Packers who were going for a 15-1 regular season.

The final score came in at 48-45 to the Packers, but Flynn's numbers were incredible, setting club and personal records left,right and centre: 480 yards, 6 TD's, 1 INT finishing with a passer rating of 136.4.  It should also be noted that Matthew Stafford threw for an equally impressive 520 yards in the game, setting a club record for the Lions.

Matt Flynn smashes Packers records with 480yds and 6TD's

Flynn's postmatch reaction was understated and typical of the temperament McCarthy has instilled in the Packers players. "I didn't think it would be a 6TD game, but that's what it took to win...I didn't look to prove anything to anybody today.  The goal was to win the game.  It was easier to not look ahead".

McCarthy was quick to point out after the match that the world had now seen in Flynn  what the Packers see in training every week.  He also confirmed that he was keen to keep Rodgers involved and that the starting QB did call the plays in the first half.

But as they now do look ahead to a divisional playoff on January 15th at Lambeau Field, McCarthy will be confident that he has his number 1 QB in Rodgers in good form and plenty of back up from a superb Matt Flynn.

Glasgow Clinch 1872 Cup

Glasgow Warriors clinched the 1872 Cup with a 17-12 victory over Edinburgh Rugby at Firhill tonight.  Following last week's 23-23 draw at Murrayfield, Glasgow deserved the victory in what was a hard fought and rugged match that lacked any sort of flair.

The first half saw Glasgow edge the possession and dominate the set piece, particularly the scrum where Moray Low was superb at tighthead.  Richie Gray was a nuisance throughout at the lineout and carried well.  Chris Cusiter kept the momentum going forward despite two poor box kicks that went straight into touch after being passed to him from outside the 22.

But the star of the show for Glasgow was Chris Fusaro who was excellent at the breakdown, causing havoc on the ground and forcing Edinburgh into mistakes that ultimately led to a 9-3 lead at halftime through 3 penalty conversions from an average Duncan Weir and one in reply from Phil Godman.

Chris Fusaro was outstanding for Glasgow

Edinburgh came out in the second half and dominated possession and territory as Glasgow struggled to get out of their own half for just over 20 minutes.  Godman converted two penalties and missed another to see the scores go level at 9-9 before Glasgow broke up the pitch, resulting in Matt Scott being sin-binned for an illegal tackle on Rob Harley.

Substitute fly half Scott Wight kicked to touch and Richie Grays take at the lineout secured a platform from which the Glasgow forwards powered forward, carrying Moray Low and the ball over the line.  The try went to the TMO but there was no clear evidence of the ball being grounded.  Benefit of the doubt was given to Glasgow and the try awarded.  Wight missed the conversion narrowly.

Glasgow had their tails up from this point and a great take from captain Al Kellock from the restart again gave impetus for the Glasgow backs to run at Edinburgh, with Stuart Hogg and Peter Murchie showing glimpses of their attacking threat.  Wight converted another penalty before missing a further chance.

With 5 minutes to go and the score at 17-9, Glasgow had to keep it tight but instead gave some silly penalties away, allowing Edinburgh up the pitch to push for a chance at claiming a bonus point.  Sure enough, after sustained pressure and 90 seconds beyond the 80 minute mark, Phil Godman dug out an ugly drop goal that sneaked over the bar off the upright to claim a crucial 3 points.

All in all, a well deserved victory after domination at the set piece and for such a determined effort at Murrayfield by Glasgow the previous week.  Al Kellock lifted the 1872 Cup which Glasgow has now won 4 times in the last 5 seasons.

More importantly, it maintains Glasgow's unbeaten run in the league and sees them continue their hunt for a playoff place.

Lendl Experience A Source Of Inspiration For Murray

Tennis ace Andy Murray this week confirmed the appointment of 51 year-old Czech Ivan Lendl, an 8 time grand slam winner and all-round legend of the game as his new full-time coach.  After a couple of weeks of negotiations, Lendl becomes the first full-time coach for Murray since the dismissal of Miles Maclagan in July 2010.

What's interesting about about the appointment is how similar Murray's playing career is at this stage compared to Lendl's at the same time almost 30 years ago.

Before Lendl won his first grand slam tournament, the 1984 French Open after an amazing comeback from 2 sets down against John McEnroe, he had been at the wrong end of the result on four previous occasions in grand slam finals.

By the time that first win came Lendl was 24 years old, the same age that Murray is now.  Once the duck had been broken, Lendl then went on to win a further 7 grand slams.

Andy Murray - looking for his first grand slam in 2012

Ivan Lendl was one of the most consistent players in tennis history with a career spanning 16 years, and during a time when he competed with some of the greats of the game - McEnroe, Becker, Edberg amongst others.

This is all reflective of the situation Murray finds himself in.  The Scotsman is one quarter of the 'big four' with Nadal, Djokovic and Federer, and finds himself in that esteemed group despite not having a grand slam win.  That is down to the fact he is so consistent and has come up short on so many occasions in the big tournaments but has regularly beaten the other three in relatively lesser competitions.

It's the common held belief that it's only a matter of time before Murray wins a grand slam.  I buy into that theory, but it will take the advice and encouragement of someone who has been there and done it on his side to help him through, which makes Lendl an excellent addition to his team going forward into 2012.