Vernon Signing The Latest Show Of Warrior Strength

by Dugald Skene

It was announced yesterday that Richie Vernon will be making a return to Glasgow Warriors as he signed a 3 year deal from the end of the season to play at Scotstoun.

The Sale Sharks backrower has spent two years in Manchester since leaving Glasgow.  At 25 years old and with 20 international caps, he will be bringing yet more international experience to the well oiled Glasgow machine.

Vernon stated his enthusiasm for coming back to a vibrant Warriors team: "I have learnt a lot from my time at Sale over the last couple of seasons but this is an excellent opportunity for me to return home and play my rugby in Scotland.

"Of course it helps that I know a lot of the guys in the squad already, but I've been watching their progress this season and it's a very exciting time to be getting involved with the club."

Vernon has 20 Scotland caps and has scored 10 tries

in 44 appearances for Sale Sharks

Vernon's commitment to the Warriors is the latest act in Glasgow that sees the team establish themselves further as a power in the RaboDirect Pro12 league and the more dominant of the two Scottish pro teams.

In a legacy set up by Sean Lineen who oversaw 2 top four finishes in 3 years before his departure last summer, the Warriors have built a squad to last a complete season.  Long gone are the days when the Scottish teams slide down the table as the autumn internationals and 6 Nations tournaments pillaged the squads of their best talent.

What is more, they have such strength in depth now that they are taking advantage of other teams losing out to the call of international selection.  Under new coach Gregor Townsend, the team find themselves in second spot in the league, closing down early pace setters Ulster for the top spot.  A top 2 finish would be Glasgow's best season finish before the playoffs and would secure them a home berth for the post season showdowns.

The sustainable growth of the club has to be lauded, along with their Chairman Charles Shaw and Managing Director Nathan Bombrys.  Glasgow have taken small but steady steps in the last 5 years to get them to where they are, but have always made progress.  The transition from Lineen leaving under slightly acrimonious circumstances to Townsend taking the reins has been smooth.  The move to the newly refurbished Scotstoun Stadium has proved successful.  Everything is very settled in the west end of Glasgow.

Compare that to the state of Edinburgh Rugby right now.  Struggling in and around the bottom of the league table the last few seasons, Edinburgh have failed to attract both the quality and quantity of talent that their bitter rivals have.  They still falter during the international tournaments because they simply don't have that strength that Glasgow have acquired recently, and instead use the lack of relegation in the league as an impetus to concentrate on the Heineken Cup which has its fixtures fit around the 6 Nations and  autumn internationals.  It means they can look to make progress in a competition when they have all their key talent back within their ranks.

It worked last year as Edinburgh made it to the semi-finals of the premier European competition only to lose out to Ulster in Dublin.  The achievement was unprecedented for a Scottish club.  The sacrifice was their league position, finishing a lowly 11th with 32 points, less than half of the total accumulated by 4th place finishers Glasgow.

The discussion on whether all 12 RaboDirect teams get to qualify for European competition is heated and ongoing, but for me it isn't right that a team can prioritise the cup over the league, knowing they can still qualify for the following year.  The Heineken Cup should be the reward for those teams that either finish highest overall in their league or higher relative to their compatriot teams in that league.

That aside, Edinburgh must do better to attract the calibre of player heading to the west coast.  There must be a fundamental difference in the attraction of both teams for potential players looking to sign north of the border.  Is it the facilities? The management? The existing corps of players? The money?

Whichever one or combination of these it is, Glasgow have clearly struck a better balance than Edinburgh and are only building momentum. Their training facilities at Scotstoun have long been known to be first class.  Now that the team has relocated there for match days too means they now have a complete, compact and efficient operation under one roof. 

The Warriors moved to Scotstoun Stadium at the start

of the 2012/13 season

Edinburgh, on the other hand, play their games at Murrayfield, attracting a typical crowd of around 3,000 spectators who are drowned by the emptiness of a 67,500 seat stadium.  They have touted the idea of investing in Meadowbank stadium which is currently owned and operated by Edinburgh City Council.  It has the infrastructure and facilities in place to allow it to potentially flourish as a 6/7,000 seat arena.  A smaller stadium encourages a better atmosphere, which attracts punters, money, investment and players. 

Glasgow made the step from playing at Hughenden with very little seating to the 9,000 capacity football ground at Firhill before adopting Scotstoun as their home for good.  It's manageable, realistic and sustainable.  It seems that Edinburgh have some ground to make up.

And so we can conclude that Richie Vernon is heading back to the brighter of the two Scottish rugby stars right now.  The only question now would be where and how much he will play with such a wealth of talent on the books at Scotstoun?  He will be competing with the likes of John Barclay, James Eddie, Josh Strauss, Ryan Wilson, Rob Harley and Chris Fusaro who all ply their trade in the back row.  With his pace, Vernon provides a different option to all of these guys but he'll have to raise his game if he has designs on a consistent starting spot.

Success breeds success, and Vernon will no doubt be up for the challenge.

Irish Loss Ironically Shows The Turning Of A Corner

by Dugald Skene

Given the result on Sunday, and the nature of the 12-8 loss for Ireland at Murrayfield that day, it might be strange to suggest that the Irish have finally decided to turn the corner that they have seemingly refused since their 2009 Grand Slam winning campaign.  But I think that's exactly what has happened.

Declan Kidney has taken much of the stick for Ireland's poor display, particularly in the second half, and although culpable to a large degree, he also needs to be praised for his approach to the game.

Ireland were ultimately let down by the players' inability to finish off the chances they created and convert the huge amounts of possession and territory they enjoyed in the game. They allowed the Scots back into the game and paid the price.

Declan Kidney has taken the brunt of the blame

for Ireland's loss to Scotland

Hindsight, as they say, is a wonderful thing, and everyone can point fingers at the coaching staff for poor selection, but that isn't what lost the game.

Instead if I was an Irish fan, once the pain of such a demoralising loss had subsided, I'd be encouraged that the Irish dominated a game for huge portions of the match with a lot of young and fresh talent.

So Paddy Jackson didn't have a great day with the kicking tee.  It happens, he'll improve.  Fellow debutant Luke Marshall was the standout player in the first half and looked perfectly at home in international rugby.  With the recent debut caps for the likes of Craig Gilroy and Simon Zebo, I think we are starting to see the changing of the old guard in Irish rugby.

This has been coming for Irish fans. The so called 'golden generation', led by inspirational centre Brian O'Driscoll, is starting to fade away, although O'Driscoll (along with Rob Kearney) is one of the few who can still legitimately claim a starting berth for the Irish.  Ronan O'Gara has lost his ability to secure a match in the closing stages as a stabilising substitute.  Some of his decision making was flawed to say the very least when Ireland needed him and his renowned composure in such a tight contest.  Although forced out by injury, I don't believe Gordon D'Arcy is worthy of a starting place in the team and the likes of Luke Marshall have shown that to be the case.

These players all peaked during their 2009 Grand Slam campaign and Kidney rode the wave created by that success through to the World Cup in New Zealand in 2011.  If 2009 wasn't the time to change, 2011 surely was.  And yet Kidney has for the large part refused to adapt and bring in younger talent when the chances have come.  For me, in culminated in the 3-0 series loss in New Zealand.

Since that summer tour, Kidney has recognised the need to freshen up the team.  He has selected a new captain in Jamie Heaslip, despite the ongoing participation of O'Driscoll.  He has debuted more players in the last 6 months than I can remember for some time.

I accept that most of the changes made for Sunday's game were borne out of necessity given the extensive injury list Ireland currently have, but Kidney didn't have to start Jackson. He could have played it safe and started O'Gara, but he chose not to.  Regardless of the result and the player's own performance, that has to be applauded.

It may all be too little too late as the fans and media in Ireland mount increasing pressure on Kidney, but it can't be argued that he is trying to do something new and finally get Ireland out of the selection rut it has been in for the last 4 years or so.

Every change comes with growing pains, and Sunday's defeat at Murrayfield is the first big one.  They are also hard to get used to, especially when the status quo has been in place for over a decade.

If Kidney is really trying to push through a much needed revolution in Irish Rugby, he has to be given the chance to see it out.  There is still enough time before the next World Cup to develop these young players into hardened test match veterans, but they need to be exposed to that environment now for it to take effect.  It's hard to change a culture that so many have become accustomed to and there will be losses along the way, but it's all for the greater good in my book.

FFR Choose Design Winner For New Rugby Stadium

by Dugald Skene

As much as I'd love my life to be centred around all things blogging and generally expressing my often maligned opinion on the world of sport, it's unfortunately not the way it has turned out.  Instead, I spend my days doing the day job - being an Architect.

So it's a nice coincidence when the world's of architecture and sport collide and offer up something new to look at, and that's exactly what has happened this week in France.

Talk has been ongoing for years about the Fédération Française de Rugby (FFR) building their own home in France - the Twickenham or Murrayfield equivalent, if you like.  The FFR launched a design competition last year and Populous, the architects most notably behind London's Olympic Stadium, have been announced the winners this week.  The firm, in cooperation with French practice Ateliers 2/3/4/ have designed a stadium that looks, well, very unlike a stadium.

The new Grand Stade du FFR

Like most equivalent new facilities, there is much focus on the future flexibility of the stadium.  It's clear that rugby unions need to optimise their income from what is often their single biggest asset, and the FFR have been no different in their approach to the design brief.

Legendary French full back Serge Blanco, a member of the judging panel and vice president of the FFR, confirmed this approach and the response to the brief by Populous. “The proposal made by Populous and Ateliers 2/3/4/ proved to be the most suitable to meet the objectives that we have set for the medium and long term. It fits perfectly with the idea that we are creating the multifunctional stage par excellence", he said.

The stadium will seat around 82,000 fans

Ben Vickery, senior principal of Populous, said “The Grand Stade of the Fédération Française de Rugby will be not only the new home of French Rugby, but a cultural catalyst for the district of Essonne as well as France.”

Hold on a minute - Essonne? That's right, the FFR are building their home of rugby 25 kilometres south of the capital Paris.  Given the stick that the Stade de France has had over the years for being too far out from the city centre, despite only being 2 or 3 kilometres away in St Denis, it seems odd that this new 82,000 seat behemoth be situated so far out from the city.

The FFR are going for the alternative stadium look

Time will tell how successful a ploy this turns out to be, but for now, we have some pictures from Populous of their monolithic creation, said to be inspired by the idea of a 'fortified town delivering both hospitality and protection'.

I'll let you be the architectural critics on this one.  What do you think of the design, it's proposed location and the very need for it's existence?

3 Key Battles In Super Bowl XLVII

by Dugald Skene

The 'Brother Bowl'. The 'Har-Bowl'. However the 47th edition of the NFL season finale is to be coined, the outcome is far more of an unknown.

The 49ers have the perfect 5-0 Super Bowl record. They haven't been there for 18 years, and they will be desperate to complete their self proclaimed 'Quest for Six'.

That said, the Ravens have the momentum, beating bitter AFC rivals the Broncos and the Patriots on the road on their way to New Orleans.

This one will be close, but for me the game will come down to 3 distinct aspects.

1. Joe Flacco vs The 49er Secondary

Ravens quarterback Flacco has thrown 8 touchdowns with no interceptions in this postseason. He only needs one more TD pass to equal four time Super Bowl winner Joe Montana's NFL record of 9-0 in a postseason run.

Flacco has more than his fair share of detractors, all of whom claim he cannot be considered an 'elite' QB. The fact is this overhauled Ravens offense, run by coordinator Jim Caldwell, plays to Flacco's strengths. One of those big weapons is the cannon in his right arm.

Flacco has demonstrated with lethal effectiveness the deep ball, exposing the secondaries of each of their conquered opponents. To pull off the deep pass, he needs the guys to pass to and in wide receivers Torrey Smith and Jacoby Jones he has willing runners.

The 49er safeties Trenton Robinson, Dashon Goldson and Donte Whitner will have their work cut out to avoid joining the likes of the Broncos' Champ Bailey on the roster of embarrassed defensive secondaries.

2. Ray Rice vs the 49ers Linebackers

In Ray Rice, the Ravens have a wise head on still very strong legs, playing as well as he ever has in his career. With the available combinations for Flacco between the wide receivers, Anquan Boldin through the middle and Rice in the back field, the 49ers defensive line and linebackers will have to be on the ball to stop the running back making significant yards.

The revered San Francisco defence allowed only around 15 points per game up until week 14. From week 15 and through the playoffs, that has shot up to 28.8 yards. Above all, they have struggled to stop the run and OC Jim Caldwell and Ray Rice will see that weakness and look to expose it. Expect a strong running game from both sides, but Sunday night might be very special for Rice.

3. Colin Kaepernick vs the Ravens Defence

Not a lot more can be said about this Ravens defence. The return of talisman, inspiration and all round tackle machine Ray Lewis has transformed the fortunes of the Ravens through the postseason following very indifferent form after week 9.

But it isn't just one man. Terrell Suggs has improved his fitness since his return and is resembling the sort of form that saw him claim the defensive player of the year award in 2011. Other linebackers Paul Kruger and Courteney Upshaw have shone as the season has gone on, as well as Ray Lewis' protoge Dannell Ellerbe. Oh yeah, and if the 49ers get round them, they need to watch out for veteran safety Ed Reed. It is one formidable unit.

But the 49ers have an offense that the Ravens haven't yet come across this season, and it all revolves around sensational young quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

Much was made about the replacement of starting QB Alex Smith with Kaepernick, but Jum Harbaugh's decision has been vindicated as his young number 7 has guided his team to the Super Bowl.

Kaepernick has it all, and can adjust to what is in front of him. Against Green Bay, he rushed for an all time NFL record of 181 yards, exposing the Packers deficiencies in defence and inability to stop the run. But against Atlanta in the NFC championship game, he ran very little and used his incredibly accurate arm to dissect the Falcons defence.

I expect he will run more against the Ravens, but not necessarily out of choice but necessity as the Ravens defence will put big pressure on the 49ers offensive line. Combined with RB Frank Gore, San Fran could rack up a lot of rushing yards, looking to stretch the likes of ageing top tackler Ray Lewis to tire him out as the game goes on.


Whatever happens in Super Bowl XLVII, it's sure to be a close fought and brutal fight. Both teams have defences that rank near the very top in the last decade or so, and whichever one gets on top in the game, particularly with turnovers, will likely claim the Lombardi Trophy

NFL Franchise In UK Closer Than Ever

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has intimated stronger than ever that the opportunity for the creation of an NFL franchise based in the UK is as possible as it ever has been.

Speaking at his annual pre-Super Bowl press conference in New Orleans on Wednesday, Goodell was reacting to the positive news that both games set to be played at Wembley in 2013 have sold out, more than 9 months in advance.

"I think the message is very clear. We've got passionate fans that love the NFL in the UK," said Goodell.



2013 is the first year that 2 regular season games will be hosted at Wembley, representing home fixtures for the Minnesota Vikings and the Jackson Jaguars, the latter having committed to playing a game at Wembley in each season up to 2016.

The response to having two games could not have been more positive in the UK, with general admission tickets selling out within a week. The message to Goodell seems clear.

"We're always asking what is the next step after two games," he continued. "Do we move to three, do we try something else? How do we continue to celebrate the growth of the game in the UK? But I think from the positive reaction from the fans, that our ownership understands that this is a market in which we need to be more active."

Goodell's comments are the latest from a number of high profile and powerful players in the NFL. Last summer, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft also seemed very positive about opening up America's game beyond it's own borders.

It is generally accepted in the UK that the core fan base may have to expand to justify a sustainable franchise on this side of the pond. The NFL UK currently has over one third of a million registered members, and growing. The magic one million would most likely represent a more realistic number to represent the kind of interest to warrant a UK franchise.

It may be a few years yet before anything like this happens. In the meantime, UK and European fans have to keep expressing a demand to have fixtures over here to keep sending a strong message to that States that the option is a viable one. It seems that that message is starting to get through to those who can make the difference

Kaepernick Breaks Records To Beat Packers

by Dugald Skene

NFL Playoffs

Green Bay Packers 31-45 San Francisco 49ers

Jim Harbaugh can finally feel justified.  

His decision to start young quarterback Colin Kaepernick instead of the established and perfectly satisfactory Alex Smith paid off last night as Kaepernick broke NFL records as he led his San Francisco 49ers team to a 45-31 win in his first ever playoff game.

Lets get to the point: Kaepernick rushed for 181 yards from 16 attempts (including 2 kneel downs) and 2 touchdowns. He also threw for an additional 263 yards from 31 attempts and 2 TDs. In short, Kaepernick gained more yards than the whole Packers team.

No quarterback has ever rushed for 181 yards in any NFL game, ever. Kaepernick did it in his first playoff game, and only 8th start.

The 49ers now go on to the NFC Championship game to take on the winner of the Falcons - Seahawks, the same stage that Alex Smith led them to last year. Can Colin Kaepernick take them that step further and lead them to New Orleans? Given the way he showed up last night, I certainly won't be betting against him.

SPOTY 2012: Who Will Win It?

by Dugald Skene

Who will win Sports Personality of the Year 2012?

This year, it's a tantalising choice and given my correct prediction of Mark Cavendish last year, I have a record to keep intact.

Firstly, it's important to acknowledge that in an iconic year for UK sport, the standard has been raised across the board, with all but one of the nominees (Rory McIlroy) taking part in the Olympics and succeeding in at least one aspect.

So it's with this in mind that in a historical year for UK sport, only a truly historic achievement should merit the award. This, for me, boils it down to two candidates.

I am not trying to downplay the achievements of any of the nominees. Winning one, two or even more Olympic medals is simply phenomenal and will see their names rightfully entered into the annals of triumphant sporting history. But for Bradley Wiggins and Andy Murray, they not only achieved that Olympic success, but did something that no Brit has done in either 7 decades or ever.

Ironically, of the 12 nominees, these two have perhaps the least publicly perceived 'personality' of the lot. Both quiet men, they look as uncomfortable in front of a camera as each other, but equally and clearly passionate about what they do, even if they can't convey particularly well through a TV set.

Take Andy Murray. For years he has been the 'almost but not quite' guy - the Colin Montgomerie of tennis. One member of the greatest quartet of players to be playing the game in the same era, until this summer he was the only one of the four never to have won a Grand Slam. 3 finals had been and gone and Murray was being tagged with the frustrating and frankly patronising labels assigned to not just losers, but British sporting losers - 'brave' and 'courageous'.  It was never 'winner' or 'heroic'.
 

Andy Murray winning the US Open

His success at the US Open this year not only merits recognition because he is the first British male in 76 years to win a major singles title, but because he has never stopped trying. Like all the very best sportsmen and women, he has a never say die attitude and has never openly doubted himself and his abilities while others around him and in the media may have. In a sport that relies so heavily on psychology as well as the fine combination of endurance and technical ability, Andy Murray has proved himself to be one of the greatest sportsman of his generation this country has produced.

Similarly, Bradley Wiggins' achievements in winning this years Tour de France have been borne out of disappointment in previous years. In 2011, he was tipped for the top before a crash and broken collarbone ruled him out of contention while he was sitting 3rd in the general classification.

This year, he came back fitter and stronger than ever, and with a team of the very best around him, led by coach Dave Brailsford. In the run up to the Tour, Wiggins and Team Sky had swept all before them, most notably the Paris-Nice and the Criterium de Dauphine, the winner of which is usually successful in the Tour later in the year.  The first Brit to ever win the Tour in it's 99 year history, he has achieved an even higher level legendary status in British cycling.

Wiggins became the first Brit to win the Tour de France

His gold medal in the Olympic road time trial less than 2 weeks after the conclusion of the Tour confirmed him as the world's best at that discipline, and as the best all round cyclist in the world this year.

These two men have achieved far more than just Olympic success this year, they have created British sporting history.  For me, it's a two horse race for the grand prize this weekend but I struggle to pick between them.  My Scottish bias errs me towards Murray, but my years of fondly watching the Tour since I was a boy on holiday in France (even going to see the famous Mont Ventoux stage of 1994 live) mean I have a soft spot for Wiggins.

If pushed, I would say Wiggins might just take it.  Of course, this all may be academic and neither one will take the glory.  We'll just have to tune in and see.

Sports Personality of the Year 2012 Nominees:

Nicola Adams
Ben Ainslie
Jessica Ennis
Mo Farah
Katherine Grainger
Sir Chris Hoy
Rory McIlroy
Andy Murray
Ellie Simmonds
Sarah Storey
David Weir
Bradley Wiggins

Carlin Isles: The Fastest Man In Rugby?

by Dugald Skene

If you haven't seen it by now, check out this video of the frighteningly quick USA sevens player Carlin Isles.  With that priceless ability in sevens to make something out of nothing, he is pretty special.

Unsuccessful in his quest to compete at the 100m in the Olympics, he has turned to sevens rugby in an effort to reach Rio 2016.