Brian Ashton Blog
Brian Ashton will be updating this area of the SCD Southwest website with regular thoughts and views. While he is away he will feed back regularly so that you can keep in touch with all the work he is doing at home and abroad.
The only thing we can expect? That\'s right... the unexpected 04.02.2012
The wheels on the international bandwagon rarely stop rolling for long: the post-World Cup 2011 era has barely started, yet we are already thinking of the 15 matches that will make up the 2012 Six Nations Championship. There is always a nagging feeling that because of the imbalance of fixtures some countries play three games at home, others only two the outcome will not be a definitive reflection of the strengths of the teams involved. There will be no doubting the level of passion, however. Apart from the unexpected, the one thing we can safely expect is complete, no-holds-barred commitment.
Unpredictability is the watchword when it comes to the Six Nations and there is no compelling reason to think things will go entirely the way of the formbook this time round. I don't believe
It\'s the crash, bang, wallop that\'s damaging our clubs 28.01.2012
Top viewing, edge-of-seat stuff...the last round of Heineken Cup pool games lived up to its billing in many ways, producing a good deal of tough yet innovative and ambitious rugby to lift the spirits of all genuine union followers.
Only those with a particularly tribal mindset could have been disappointed together, of course, with the Premiership grandees, who are now pushing for a change in the qualification rules to give more English clubs access to the elite European competition. Can this be right? Please, let's not go out of our way to appear arrogant in this country.
Saracens were the only Premiership side to find a way into the knockout stage and even they spent a large part of their weekend scrabbling indecisively before beating Treviso, one of those pesky Italian teams
More common sense, less letter of the law from refs 14.01.2012
Most of the attention of rugby followers in recent days has been on Stuart Lancaster's initial selection decisions as interim England coach ahead of the Six Nations Championship and on the build-up to the decisive rounds of Heineken Cup pool games, the first batch of which take place this weekend. Both competitions are noted for the ferocity they generate, and it is a truism that in this kind of environment the mentally strong prevail.
In this connection, I find it interesting that the people who need to be as strong as anyone in the mind department those charged with ensuring things run as smoothly as a dynamically chaotic game like rugby allows rarely merit a mention when the big events are being previewed. Yet their decisions, the most significant of which inevitably decide the
It\'s a win-win situation for new England set-up 07.01.2012
It is with keen anticipation keener than usual following Martin Johnson's resignation as England manager and a clear-out of the coaching staff that the rugby public await next week's announcement of the new Elite Player Squad ahead of the Six Nations Championship.
Stuart Lancaster and his colleagues have been weighing up their options for the best part of a month now and in many ways they find themselves in a win-win situation. In this pressurised day and age, the chance to tread a totally fresh pathway with a major national side is a rare opportunity indeed.
There seems to be a groundswell of opinion among the players that now is the time to take some personal responsibility in putting together a diverse and challenging game. Can this desire be translated into action? That's a
Jonny was ruthless in his desire to improve 17.12.2011
In typically understated fashion no fanfare and no fuss, in stark contrast to most others who involve themselves in the union game Jonny Wilkinson announced his retirement from international rugby this week.
It is reasonable to suggest that his performances were more closely monitored, and generated more public comment, than those of any individual who ever played the sport certainly in this country. Yet he remains something of an enigma to many of those who watched his career unfold.
I worked with Jonny in the England environment and saw him close at hand over the best part of a decade, and while I do not claim to be any the wiser now when it comes to identifying exactly what made him tick, I am acutely aware of some of the characteristics that made him the most recognisable
Many of the RFU \'suits\' see me as the Anti-Christ of coaching 03.12.2011
I am old enough to remember the 1960s, and the ground-breaking satirical television programme "That Was The Week That Was".
How was the week that was for me? Let's say it had its share of irony and black comedy. There I was, sitting back in blissful relaxation and thoroughly enjoying life on the north-west coast when, suddenly, I found myself being bombarded with phone messages of the most surprising and bemusing kind.
While I was out of the house on Monday evening, I had 32 missed calls in 90 minutes the vast majority of them to do with something entirely fictional: namely, that I had either been offered, or was about to be offered, a deal to return to the England coaching set-up in a caretaker capacity for the forthcoming Six Nations Championship, which starts early in the new
England need entrepreneurial coach who will free players for competition 26.11.2011
Speculation has been rife in the week or so since Martin Johnson's resignation as England manager as to what will happen next, particularly on the subject of whether a foreign recruit might be the best solution to a very knotty problem, but the only thing we can say for sure is that more candidates have ruled themselves out than in extremely bluntly, in the case of the World Cup-winning coach Graham Henry.
To my mind, the clearest assessment of the way forward has been made by Sir Clive Woodward, with whom I had the pleasure and privilege of working over a four-and-a-half-year span with England. In particular, I was struck by his insistence that the new manager, if that's what he is to be called, should have some of the entrepreneurial spirit about him.
The entrepreneur shows
Edge-of-the-seat drama on the field is delightful relief 19.11.2011
Along with many others, no doubt, I revelled in the opening round of the most exciting and challenging club competition in the northern hemisphere - the Heineken Cup - and I confidently expect this weekends programme to produce the same level of unpredictability, with a similar number of contests going down to the wire. After another exhausting few days for followers of English rugby off the field, the prospect of watching some high-intensity cross-border action, rather than reading and hearing about the post mortems and recriminations at international level, is deeply attractive.
Last weeks Munster-Northampton match, which set the tone for the tournament, was fascinating in many ways and led to a remarkable denouement that would have forced many a scriptwriter to wonder whether
All Blacks\' red-blue thinking lights a path everyone else should follow 05.11.2011
As I was away last week and did not write a column, I want to offer belated congratulations to the All Blacks on winning the 2011 World Cup.
New Zealand were comfortably the best team in the tournament, if not necessarily in the final in which France again confounded all opinion and put in a massive performance. I am not sure that the "chokers" tag attached to New Zealand at World Cups will ever totally disappear but I suspect the All Blacks do not give a stuff.
I have resisted commenting on England's efforts on and off the field and have no desire to go into detail already covered elsewhere. Suffice to say that they did not endear themselves to many people.
World Cup captain Lewis Moody has flown the nest and made some interestingly strange comments regarding the behaviour
If All Blacks can keep assumption at bay Les Bleus haven\'t got a hope 22.10.2011
So history is about to be re-enacted at Eden Park.
Twenty-four years ago in the inaugural World Cup final, an outstanding team of men in black were comfortable victors over France by common consent, David Kirk's ground-breaking side set new standards in international rugby and many expect tomorrow's repeat showpiece on the same patch of turf to be equally conclusive. Certainly, the evidence from both the group phase and the knock-out stage suggests New Zealand should have little to fear come kick-off time. Not that they will be thinking in those terms. They need no counsel from anyone outside their tight-knit organisation, but I would advise them to dismiss completely all that has happened prior to this game.
This has to be the right approach because it is crucial to guard
Wales can create genius from chaos and beat French at their own game 15.10.2011
While the England players will be watching events unfold from the comfort of their sofas, perhaps before playing for their clubs in low-key Anglo-Welsh matches jet-lag? what jet-lag? our near neighbours from across the bridge will be involved body and soul in the maelstrom of a World Cup semi-final.
And deservedly so, for they have been superb. Much has been said and written about the England campaign but ultimately, when it counted on the field against France last weekend, they were not remotely good enough. Out-muscled and out-thought, especially in the first 40 minutes, they surrendered the game early and then found it impossible to claw back enough points after regrouping at the interval.
Matt Stevens looked in difficulties at scrum time, the French challenged the England
Wilkinson and Flood axis should be too clever by half 08.10.2011
As I sat down to write this column, I seriously contemplated driving six short miles up the North-west coast to Blackpool, where the illuminations season is in full swing and Gipsy Rose Lee is available for a crystal ball consultation.
It would certainly be fascinating to hear her thoughts on French prospects in this morning's World Cup quarter-final with England in light of their performance against Tonga last weekend, which to my mind plumbed almost farcical depths. Tonga were very good on the day, but the body language of many of Les Bleus reminded me of their footballing equivalents at the global tournament in South Africa last year. "Where do I want to be?" they seemed to ask themselves, before replying: "Anywhere on the planet, or even off it for a brief while, if it means I
England should win but ignore Robbo factor at your peril 01.10.2011
So the scene is set, 12,000 miles away from Hadrian's Wall, for the oldest of rugby enemies to meet in the final game of what has become a very tight World Cup pool.
The permutations have been well chronicled: suffice to say that Scotland could totally derail England's campaign by winning this morning, while Martin Johnson's men could point Andy Robinson and his players in the direction of the departure lounge.
When the teams played last weekend, there could not have been a greater contrast in fortunes. England easily overran a second-string Romanian side to assume pole position in the group while Scotland had a nightmare that may keep them awake in the small hours for some time. They must have kicked themselves hard after losing to Argentina. They might also have kicked Dan Parks,
Of all the Six Nations teams, the only losers, Wales, look the best 16.09.2011
A predictable set of results from the first round of World Cup matches? Yes, on the face of it. But the scorelines masked some deep anxieties affecting all the Six Nations teams as they launched their campaigns. Let's begin with Italy, whose big forwards fought valiantly against Australia, encouraged by some formidable box-kicking from their scrum-half Fabio Semenzato. Yet ultimately, they had no answer to the Wallabies wearing the Nos 9 to 15 gifted players who hinted very strongly that they may be the most potent attacking force in the tournament.
They are blessed with genuine pace, possess a wide range of passing and running skills, have three or four options on each of their set plays and they dare opponents not to make errors by operating directly in their faces. When they
English rugby needs an Eoin Morgan for creative inspiration 09.09.2011
The seventh Rugby World Cup begins today and as this is ostensibly a rugby column, there is only one subject worthy of discussion. There are, however, many ways of viewing a competition of this magnitude, not all of them solely through the prism of the union game. International sport in its broad range of manifestations is about performing at the very highest level, and there are many fascinating links and parallels between different disciplines.
I've written before about the shared demands of rugby union and Test cricket, and the similarities strike me once more as the big event in New Zealand shifts into gear. So let me begin by acknowledging the outstanding exploits of the England cricketers in whitewashing India and claiming the world No 1 spot an achievement Martin Johnson and
Sexton is becoming the perfect 10 just in time for World Cup 28.05.2011
It may be old news, but as it was and is such good news for the sport in the northern hemisphere, I have no hesitation in celebrating the tremendous efforts of the two Heineken Cup finalists, Leinster and Northampton, in Cardiff last weekend.
This top-class tournament regularly produces more interesting, thought-provoking rugby than the Six Nations and the climax was nothing short of sensational. All followers of the union game, whether they are fiercely partisan or wholly impartial, have strong views on how it should be played. I cannot believe any of them were left dissatisfied by what they witnessed on this occasion.
There were so many unexpected things to savour in what I can only describe as the rugby equivalent of a bag of liquorice allsorts, and while Leinster eventually
Leinster beware you mess with an Ashton at your peril 21.05.2011
Surely it is the fervent wish of most of those involved in this sport of ours that the talking points thrown up by today's Heineken Cup final in Cardiff concern the quality of the contest on the field.
Please, please: no more adolescent punching or vitriolic outbursts from coaches for whom the margins between genuine passion and a deep-rooted desire to shift blame have become worryingly blurred. We can also live quite happily without players tweeting their thoughts to the world, especially when they use deeply inappropriate political metaphors in an effort to make their point.
Ultimately, I suppose, all the above are reflections of modern-day society, and in this sense, should we really think of this behaviour as unusual, or be surprised by those who would argue for leniency and
Promote positivity as the antidote to fears of relegation 14.05.2011
Despite generating more than its fair share of tension agonising tension as far as those languishing at the bottom of the Premiership are concerned the bizarre second division Championship scenario does not appear to have many supporters, either inside or outside the game.
Many critics can be heard advocating the ring-fencing of the elite league, with a three-year franchise format the most popular model. This idea has been kicking around for years now, but there is suddenly a fresh surge of energy behind the argument that it should become reality.
Among those who back ring-fencing, there is an assumption, tacit or otherwise, that the removal of the relegation risk will "free up" the club rugby produced in this country and turn it into a more "attractive spectacle", whatever
Crazy play-off rules create more downs than ups for clubs 07.05.2011
You had to feel for Alan Tait and Neil Back, the head coaches at Newcastle and Leeds, as they saw their Premiership futures flash tantalisingly before their eyes last weekend.
I can only imagine what they were thinking as Worcester struggled to overcome a courageous and adventurous Bedford side who, under the weird and wonderful promotion rules, came within a few minutes and, indeed, a few inches of keeping both northern clubs in the elite league.
By the same yardstick, what did Richard Hill, the rugby director at Worcester, make of the proceedings, especially in respect of the celebratory non-try scored by one of his forwards? Knowing Richard as I do, I'd be astonished if the incident wasn't discussed, fully and frankly, in the after-match review. Bedford had nothing to lose
Bath time whetted appetite for today's tasty clash in Dublin 30.04.2011
As befits my former association with the Bath club, I watched their demolition of Wasps in the St George's Day Special at Twickenham with considerable delight, and I was particularly happy for Steve Meehan, who succeeded me as head coach five years ago and is about to leave for pastures new.
Admittedly, Bath were helped to a surprising degree by the Londoners' poor one-on-one tackling and lethargic approach to defensive organisation, but Steve has always sought to play a game full of pace, enterprise and dynamism the kind of rugby that asks questions of his own players, as well as their opponents.
It is not the easiest of routes to follow, but when things work as they should, the result can be spectacular, as we saw during the course of last Saturday's rather one-sided contest.
White-line fever too often ensures good intentions are wasted 23.04.2011
Despite being condescendingly referred to as "a minnow of club rugby" by a national broadcaster renowned for charging us all an extortionate licence fee, Fylde had good reason to be proud of themselves last weekend after winning a first league title in their 90-odd year history and winning it, I might add, with two fixtures to spare, having scored well over 1,000 points during the campaign and registered more attacking bonuses than any team in any division in the land.
More importantly, the players climbed this rung of the competitive ladder by showing what could be achieved, home and away in all weather conditions, by taking a positive, principles-based approach to the game.
There was also cause for celebration on the night before last Saturday's match with Manchester in
Biarritz betrayed the imaginative spirit of Blanco 16.04.2011
Poor old Serge Blanco. What could the great man of Biarritz have been thinking as he watched the Basque side's Heineken Cup quarter-final defeat by Toulouse on Sunday evening?
Here was a remarkable individual who performed, almost on a weekly basis, astonishing feats for club and country: a rugby genius blessed with imagination, invention, pace, skill and courage a master of the counter-attack who would back himself to make something happen when everyone else on the field was paralysed with fear. Quite simply, Blanco was one of the finest full-backs ever to play the game. Has any of his stardust been sprinkled on the Biarritz of today? Apparently not.
Quite what he made of his team's approach down there in San Sebastian, heaven only knows. It amounted to nothing more than a
Spanish practices make perfect sense in raising skill levels 09.04.2011
There are a fair few front-line coaches from across the sporting spectrum living up here in the North-west, including the Blackpool football manager, Ian Holloway, who works half a dozen miles up the coast from my home in Lytham St Annes.
I don't know Ian personally, but there is something both appealing and entertaining about his extrovert approach to life, and I have great admiration for the things he has achieved in the face of disadvantage and adversity.
It was Ian who gave me food for thought this week. His account of a recent trip to Spain, where he watched the world champions prepare for an international match, struck a chord with me especially his description of a training environment that placed great emphasis on what we might call "enjoyable learning". It seems the
Super 15 dynamos raise bar by putting on an attacking feast 03.04.2011
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Where do the die-hard critics of Super 15 rugby go now, following the fast-flowing splendour of the Crusaders-Sharks game at Twickenham last Sunday? I spent some time at the annual National Schools Sevens tournament this week and bumped into no end of people from Joe Public on the one hand to international coaches and players on the other who had been blown away by the standard of play produced by Dan Carter, Sonny Bill Williams and the rest of the southern hemisphere cast.
The question posed by those still to be convinced by the kind of spectacle produced by the New Zealand and South African franchises is a basic one: is it real rugby? There is no doubt that Super 15 has an element of "entertainment" built into it, but whether this is necessarily a bad
How Irish tale of the expected sealed cautious England's fate 26.03.2011
England's success in laying hands on the Six Nations trophy for the first time in eight years should not be underestimated titles at international level are never easy to come by but, given the nature of their defeat in Dublin last weekend, it was fairly predictable that the number of bouquets strewn at the feet of Martin Johnson and his team would be more than matched by the volume of brickbats thrown at their heads. That's the way of it in professional sport.
I have to say that the problems England encountered against the Irish were also predictable: certainly, the potential for a green-shirted uprising of considerable magnitude was evident throughout the build-up to the game. It therefore became a question of people dealing not with the unexpected but of them dealing with the
Ireland need to tidy up kicking and handling to cope with English 19.03.2011
Il momento della verita! Well, why shouldn't we dip into the Italian language, in celebration of their ground-breaking victory over France in Rome last weekend? Besides, the moment of truth is certainly upon England as we arrive at the end of this year's Six Nations journey. The opportunity to win a first title in eight years and a title of the Grand Slam variety at that does not present itself too frequently, and while Welsh chances of stealing the prize are still intact as we speak, most eyes will be firmly fixed on events in Dublin.
The Aviva Stadium, as we must now refer to Lansdowne Road, will take a good many years to match the deep sense of history and overwhelming air of sporting passion we associate with Croke Park, the temporary home of Irish rugby in recent years, but
We must condition creative instincts, not unthinking reflexes 12.03.2011
One of the joys of being self-employed is having the freedom to sample life's rich variety.
My only set routine these days is a two-hour morning walk with the dog, always along the beach near my home in Lytham St Annes a place with its own sense of time and space, and the perfect location to think and reflect. Once I leave this world of dreams, it is back to the unpredictable world of work, in all its many shapes and forms.
Stimulating projects have been coming thick and fast just recently. A couple of weeks back I returned to Stonyhurst College, where I once taught, to deliver a lecture on the relationship between international sport and politics. This was something of a departure, and my research gave me a fascinating insight into how, even in the age of the ancient Olympics
St George in different league to any players on Six Nations duty 05.03.2011
It was what you might call a rugby-fest weekend.
I watched from the touchline as Fylde beat Manchester 92-6 in a National Division Two game 14 tries, every last one of them scored by a back before casting an eye over three Six Nations matches and a Premiership contest on the talking box in the corner. There was also television coverage of a top-end rugby league game: the World Club Championship between Wigan and St George Illawarra, and I have to say that union coaches could do worse than study the way the Australian league players have mastered the core skills of running, with or without the ball, and handling.
These skills are common to both codes, but in some respects the league game was a league apart. There was no aimlessness, no drifting around; no one spun out
Ashton's style can add that je ne sais quoi 26.02.2011
England were looked after so well during the 2007 World Cup tournament, leaving aside a difficult few days spent at a Marseilles hotel situated in a Mediterranean version of Dog-Poo Alley, that we struck up a wonderfully positive relationship with our hosts, to the extent that the French security staff assigned to us were uncertain who they should support come our semi-final with Les Bleus. Who said the entente cordiale was dead?
I've never been much interested in the banter that routinely criss-crosses the Channel ahead of a serious game between the two nations, but when I cast my mind back to the events of four years ago I must confess that this week's comments by the French coach, Marc Liθvremont, seem a little odd. There again, the response in some quarters to his widely
An Ashton making the headlines? Long may this continue 19.02.2011
Once again, I am thrilled to see my name in the headlines and for wholly positive reasons, too.
Admittedly, the Christian name belongs to some other Ashton, of whom I shall say more later, but as those in the midst of the celebrity whirl never cease to point out, all publicity is good publicity, irrespective of the fine detail. England's victory over Italy also had its thrilling aspects: there has been a transformative air about the side for the last 10 months or so, and while Martin Johnson is absolutely right in saying that this is not the finished article and that nothing has yet been won, there can be no denying that some of the rugby played just recently has been very watchable.
There was the sharpest of contrasts between events at Twickenham a week ago and those in Rome
France impressed me most in a wonderful opening weekend 12.02.2011
It was, I am delighted to say, the most interesting start to a Six Nations tournament for some considerable time, and if I derived a good deal of enjoyment from the action, it was not simply because my pre-match predictions turned out to be accurate unusually so, by my standards.
I expected England, France and Ireland to emerge with the victories, but things would have been very different had Italy not spilt a restart in the closing stages and allowed Ronan O'Gara to land another of his match-winning drop goals. Poor old Nick Mallett. The Azzurri coach had a face like thunder as he descended the Stadio Flaminio steps at the final whistle.
Contrast that decisive error with the mental strength shown by England in Cardiff. England absorbed the all-consuming atmosphere of the big
Intimidating but inspirational, it's the perfect place to start 12.02.2011
Most of us could do without the barmy scheduling what use is a Friday night kick-off to anyone, apart from the broadcasters? but it's impossible not to be captivated by the start of another Six Nations jamboree, especially when the opening match sees Wales entertaining (for want of a better word) their old enemy England at the Millennium Stadium, which to my mind is the best venue in world rugby: intimidating, hostile, exciting and inspirational. The place is uniquely atmospheric, a great sporting theatre smack bang in the middle of a great sporting city.
It produces the kind of environment that should give a real boost to Welsh ambitions, but home advantage has not been too helpful to the Red Dragons recently. They are in a trough of bad results and, while this game will unite
It is time our game responded to voices in the wilderness 29.01.2011
It's that time of year: as the Heineken Cup quarter-finalists congratulate themselves on a job at least partially well done, national coaches around the northern hemisphere are in the grip of Six Nations fever while club coaches in England, well aware that there is no rest for the wicked, are busily framing their short-term strategies, based around a mix of Premiership and Anglo-Welsh competition.
Anglo-Welsh tournaments have had a chequered history for a variety of commercial and playing reasons, but the current incarnation the LV= Cup has its uses. It offers the carrot of elite European qualification, keeps the finances ticking over and, most importantly, gives our young players the chance of some meaningful activity.
If we opened our minds just a little, we could do
Don't batten down the hatches playing in a storm take wing 22.01.2011
The weather in the Lake District last weekend was not at its best inclement, would be the most polite way of putting it - but there was something in the rugby played by Fylde during the first half of their league match at Kendal that did justice to the majesty of the surroundings, even if the scenery was barely visible to the naked eye. As a sporting experience it was both fascinating and uplifting, and it brought some cherished memories flooding back. No pun intended, I might add.
When the rain is falling in torrents and the gods have thrown in a howling gale for good measure, most coaches and players fall back on low-risk, ultra-conservative, field-position strategy: kick the ball, chase it, and wait for the opposition to make a mistake. Theres nothing wrong with that
unless,
Elite player project offers chance to finish job I started 16.01.2011
Now the excitement over John Steele's restructuring revolution at Twickenham has subsided, it will be fascinating to see how his master plan to push England along the rocky path to No 1 status in the world game unfolds in reality.
Of the three new rugby directorships created by the chief executive, the "performance" role has attracted most attention predictable, given that the usual suspects are being linked with the job. We can expect a wave of speculation over the next few months.
Yet by indicating that this will not be an exercise in "looking backwards" and expressing a willingness to cast his net over the whole world of sport in his search for the right people, John has opened up a range of possibilities. Will the performance director turn out to be an Englishman? Will he be
Generals at No 10 need toughening up for the combat zone 09.01.2011
Watching some very strange goings-on at the line-out during last weekend's London Irish-Bath game at the Madejski Stadium both sides seemed obsessed with off-the-top possession from the front, which exposed the outside-halves, Chris Malone and Butch James, to the close attentions of two destructive England flankers in the contrasting shapes of Lewis Moody and Steffon Armitage snapshots of contests past flashed through my mind.
I could not help thinking of Serge Betsen, the Frenchman known as the "Grim Reaper", and his harrying of the young Saracens stand-off Owen Farrell the previous week, and once I had a picture of Betsen in my mind, images of his ruthless dismantling of Jonny Wilkinson in Paris a few years ago came flooding back.
Another thing occurred to me. By their own
In a World Cup year, let's have some world-class rugby 01.01.2011
In wishing everyone a happy 2011 and a prosperous one too, although that might be asking a bit much in the current economic climate I can say without fear of contradiction that this will be a momentous year on the Test scene, what with the seventh World Cup unfolding in New Zealand in September and October.
Unless something peculiar happens during the Tri-Nations tournament preceding it, the All Blacks will start as clear favourites to reclaim a title they last won almost a quarter of a century ago. At this stage of the game, it's difficult to see beyond a victory for the host nation, ΰ la 1987.
Domestically, it was intriguing to see 2010 drawing to a close with some lavish pomp and circumstance in the capital: a north London derby between Saracens and Wasps that drew a big
Wilkinson's deal sets real challenge for RFU selectors 18.12.2010
Those with a well-developed taste for the ironic must have been amused by the sight of Toulon taking the field in Reading last Sunday with five Englishmen in their starting line-up, especially as London Irish fielded only eight of their own.
Less than a fortnight before the game, the Rugby Football Union had publicly toughened its stance against any ambitious candidates for representative honours who might be tempted to broaden their horizons by playing offshore for a season or two. In light of the thoroughly modern, invigoratingly international flavour of the Anglo-French contest at the Madejski Stadium, is the governing body's argument really so clear-cut?
Of Toulon's "mother country quintet", I suppose only Jonny Wilkinson and Paul Sackey might come on to the radar of the
What Barbarians and 'Blackadder' can teach top coaches 12.12.2010
How good it was to see the Barbarians back at Twickenham last weekend, recording another victory over a top-tier international side by my reckoning, their win over the Springboks made it four such successes in three years in the fashion those of us who value the intelligence of their rugby have long been accustomed to.
I have to say I was disappointed at the absence of English talent in the Baa-Baas line-up, but then, it is hardly the first time home-grown Premiership players have been denied the opportunity to spend an enjoyable, instructive week in the company of some of the top performers in the world game.
Once again, the invitation side defied considerable odds and flew in the face of modern-day theories of big-game preparation by producing a match-winning display on the
All Blacks remind me of Ali there's no need for a Plan B 04.12.2010
So the autumn internationals are over for another year, and we've had a few days to pick our way through a mountain of information in the search for indicators as to who stands where in the great scheme of things. Two things are clear to me.
Firstly, the All Blacks are some distance ahead of the pack, even though they spent most of their Grand Slam trip in third gear. Those opposing coaches who blamed error counts and poor decision-making for their sides' failures against the tourists were deluding themselves. The New Zealanders, armed with a smart back-room staff and some very smart performers, are thinking differently about the game and playing it differently to everyone else.
Secondly, the November matches reminded us that teams who prepare for the hostile environment of
As the All Blacks show, attack-minded attitude is best form of defence 27.11.2010
Defence wins matches." "Defence is the best form of attack." How many times in recent years have we heard these phrases being trumpeted from the rooftops, usually by coaches who happen to specialise in...defence?
Such mantras have assumed the weight and authority of Old Testament commandments, and are faithfully repeated before any game of significance. Yet, to my mind, they should always carry the rugby equivalent of a health warning, for unless the messages are explained to players clearly, correctly and in context, there is always the danger they will create a negative mindset.
Something else occurred to me after reading the comments of Dave Ellis, the assistant coach at London Irish, namely, that the all-too-familiar messages about the importance of defence might usefully be
Youngs the catalyst as youth brigade inspire England's all-out attack 20.11.2010
If I correctly forecast the result of last weekend's England-Australia match at Twickenham, it does not make me a fortune-teller. Yes, I thought the Wallabies could and would be beaten but, if I'm honest, I was many miles away from predicting that the contest would unfold in the way it did.
There was a great deal to enjoy in the England performance, and we should ignore those critics who, even in the face of an 80-minute display of that quality, could not help highlighting individual errors or banging on that the tourists missed some early penalties. If you aspire to play in the dynamic, early-ball, offloading, space-attacking manner we saw on Saturday, it is inevitable that mistakes will be made.
As far as I'm aware, the flawless game of rugby the perfect game is a figment of
Bold Wallabies play 30-70 game but won't beat the odds today 14.11.2010
Liverpool 2 Chelsea 0, Fernando Torres back in the swing of things with two wonderful goals.
Why do I mention this? Because it was the only shock result of the weekend. The outcome of the first round of autumn internationals was far more predictable, and while I might have risked a couple of bob on Ireland finding their way past a Springbok outfit shorn of 13 front-line players and coming off the back of a pretty desperate Tri-Nations campaign, the collective scoreline of Southern Hemisphere 3 British Isles 0 did not come as much of a shock. If I'm brutally honest, it came as no shock at all.
One of my reasons for believing Ireland might have flown the flag for rugby in this part of the world was the Lansdowne Road factor, with the national team finally returning to their old/new
Individual initiative is needed to bridge North-South divide 06.11.2010
The shores of Lake Windermere may be a million miles away, metaphorically speaking, from Twickenham, the Millennium Stadium and the other capitals of the international rugby world, but it is a beautiful place to spend some time, even when the Cumbrian weather renders the lake itself invisible.
I was there the other day, doing some presentation work for the local Schools Sports Partnership an organisation that will shortly find itself under severe financial pressure, thanks to cuts introduced by someone in government who has no idea of its value and found myself revelling in the spirit of freedom and independent thought.
Despite a good deal of early-season promise, much of the rugby we see nowadays has narrow-mindedness stamped all over it not so much 360-degree vision as
The best are ready to rumble through the international jungle 31.10.2010
Now we are just about done with the Octoberfest or, in Saracens' case, the Oktoberfest we can look towards the November Test-fest and ask ourselves the usual question: is it meaningful, or meaningless?
A lot has been said and written just recently about the ever-increasing volume of international rugby, and depending on where you sit, cross-hemisphere matches between teams at the start of their season and opponents at the end of theirs are either full of importance or empty of significance. This much is certain: many of the finest players in the world will be in these islands over the next four weeks or so, and if they bring the best of their ambition with them, we stand a fighting chance of witnessing something memorable.
I take a purely academic interest in international
In the 'gods' it's easier to see who's slacking and who's tracking 23.10.2010
The word "overview" is an important one in rugby: it was the transparent lack of one that cost my old club Bath a valuable victory over Biarritz in the first round of Heineken Cup matches a calamity from which I'm still recovering!
The thought occurred to me when I found myself enjoying what you might call a literal overview of last weekend's Amlin Challenge Cup game between Leeds and Stade Franηais from a television gantry at Headingley.
Watching a rugby match unfold from an elevated position is always fascinating; indeed, I would venture to suggest that the ideal vantage points are always high up in the "gods". During my time with England, I would often join other members of the coaching team, usually Phil Larder or Dave Alred, in seats at the very top of the Twickenham stand
Bath and Co left to rue a criminal lack of clarity with winning line in sight 16.10.2010
The opening round of the Heineken Cup did not quite produce the pyrotechnics we were anticipating with Clermont Auvergne and Toulouse playing on home soil, where so many visitors have found themselves in the middle of a serious firework display.
To use a metaphor Gavin Henson might recognise as he continues his new career, the cancan we expected was replaced by a slow, sedate waltz. Come back Stade Franηais and their owner Max Guazzini, the consummate rugby showman.
But there was, as ever, a theme to events, and by the time the Sunday games were completed, we were reminded of one of the great truisms in rugby: namely, that the moment of judgement is reached at the final whistle and not before. London Irish, who performed extremely impressively for so long against the hardened
Heineken Cup hopefuls could take a lesson or two from Celtic Manor 09.10.2010
The start of a Heineken Cup campaign is a treat for us all, not least because the tournament asks such fresh and challenging questions of its participants, many of whom will quickly discover that delivering high-level performances in an unfamiliar environment is no easy matter.
By coincidence, I spent last weekend watching a variety of sports, both live and on television, in which teams and individuals showed exactly the combination of qualities needed to succeed in a tournament as demanding as the Heineken.
In fact, I would go as far as to describe the recent fare as a bonanza for the general sports enthusiast, which is what I consider myself to be. I started by tuning into the fabulously dramatic event that was the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor: a gladiatorial competition that tested
Borthwick's beer trip should sound last orders for rugby's pack mentality 02.10.2010
It was with mixed feelings, including a degree of disbelief, that I followed the Steve Borthwick saga as it unfolded in the early part of the week.
For those of you who missed it and I can't imagine it gave too many rugby followers the slip the incident was sparked by Steve's absence from the official launch of the Heineken Cup. Where was he? At the annual Munich Oktoberfest, on a "team-bonding" trip with his fellow Saracens. A leading player misses a function sponsored by a beer company to attend one of the biggest beer festivals in the world? There's a comic element to the story, you'll agree, not least because Steve is no one's idea of a boozer.
Of course, "Those Who Must Be Obeyed" failed to see the funny side, and as a result Saracens may be fined by the Heineken Cup
Parting Shots - interview in the Wisden Cricketer. 30.09.2010
Brian Ashton, on Aussie toughness and batting with Bumble - Interview by Richard Gibson, Illustration by Andy Ward
I played a lot of street cricket
Batting on cobbled stones or uneven surfaces makes you into quite a creative, innovative player. It was nothing like playing on a flat track.
I played for Lancashire at under-15 level alongside David Lloyd.
I was an opening batsman who kept wicket.
I used to love facing the fast bowlers: the faster the better. You could use the pace of the ball to your advantage and it always travels faster when it is at its newest. My theory was that you got more loose balls in the first half hour than at any other time, as bowlers more often than not were yet to find their rhythm.
I was never one to get my head down and bat out a day. It
Secret of Saints' success: three coaching brains behind the team's brawn 25.09.2010
Three rounds into the new Aviva Premiership campaign, only Northampton have yet to be beaten.
It may be that by close of play tomorrow, they too will have tasted defeat: they face a tough match at Saracens, the team who gave them more trouble than anyone last season and have recovered quickly from losing at Twickenham on the opening weekend. But Northampton themselves appear fully rejuvenated after the disappointments of April and May and it is a sign of their rapid development that expectations are so high. We should keep reminding ourselves that this time three years ago they were spending their Saturdays visiting the likes of Launceston and Sedgley Park in the Second Division.
I like the way they play: direct and physical, they work hard in defence, show great clarity and
England will never get back to the top unless we welcome mavericks 19.09.2010
Once again, I was riveted by the dynamism of southern hemisphere rugby as the All Blacks and the Wallabies ran down the curtain on this year's Tri-Nations Championship.
Last weekend's game in Sydney was not as high-scoring an affair as some of those we've seen in recent weeks and it seemed to me that there were more errors, but there was still an enormous amount to admire, particularly from a New Zealand side who were outplayed for 50 minutes yet still believed correctly, as it happened that if they stuck to their road map, they would find a way of reaching their destination. As rugby journeys go, the All Blacks' version is rarely less than exhilarating.
This depth of belief, which manifests itself in a determination to play from anywhere on the field while keeping the tempo
Cooper is Wallabies' Maradona and can set the World Cup alight 12.09.2010
Candidates for team of the week? Exeter, triumphant on their Premiership debut, were certainly among them, having sent notice to the rest of the top flight that Sandy Park will be no holiday zone this season.
Northampton, comprehensive winners in their derby contest with Leicester, also caught the eye especially in the front row, where Soane Tonga'uiha, Dylan Hartley and Brian Mujati delivered excellent performances in both tight and loose. Had Stephen Myler been in any sort of kicking form, they would have put 40 points past the meanest defence in the country.
But I hope enthusiastic followers of the club game in England will forgive me if I nominate the Wallabies as the pick of the bunch. Their Tri-Nations victory over the Springboks in Bloemfontein was one of those
Sarries and Saints can challenge tenacious Tigers in the title race 04.09.2010
Somehow, the sense of anticipation ahead of a new Premiership season is all the more acute when a World Cup is just around the corner.
I'm not suggesting for a moment that top-class club rugby does not have a value of its own, but when the major event in the sport is close at hand and we have spent a summer witnessing some tremendous southern hemisphere action, culminating in a truly exceptional Tri-Nations tournament, it is only natural to look at the coming English season from a global perspective.
The big players down south most notably the All Blacks, who are some way ahead of the game at the moment have demonstrated once again that in rugby, pace plus accuracy equals intensity. The heartening thing from England's point of view was that the last time they played, against
Real talents don't need coaches they need the freedom to shine 29.05.2010
I am interested to see that a namesake of mine my surnamesake, to be precise has been voted Premiership Player of the Year, not least because he operates in a position that rarely gets a show when the glittering prizes are handed out.
I share one or two other things with Chris Ashton, the Northampton wing: we come from a similar sporting background, from the same corner of north-west England. It seems to me that he is very much a product of his rugby upbringing and, if he is handled correctly, he could make a considerable impact at international level over the next few years.
If I'm honest, I thought Schalk Brits of Saracens would win the big award, for the South African has spent his first season in English rugby redefining the hooker's role. We have occasionally seen his like
Catt can break new ground as a coach if he keeps his edge 18.05.2010
It is now a week since Mike Catt made his farewell appearance in top-flight rugby, yet I still find it difficult to believe he will not be out there on the pitch next season, even though he played at Premiership level, or its equivalent, for the best part of two decades.
He has committed himself to a full-time role as a coach, having had a foot in both camps for a while, and I have no hesitation in wishing an old friend and colleague every success and, hopefully, his fair share of enjoyment in a job that generates all manner of stress and pressure.
I see little point in looking back over Mike's playing career, for there have been numerous eulogies already, including two memorable appraisals from Jeremy Guscott and Will Greenwood, both of whom played alongside him in the England
As English coaches are fired, Toulouse thrive on continuity 08.05.2010
So three more Premiership directors of rugby have lost their jobs or been moved sideways very much the trend in England these days.
Across the water in France, meanwhile, Toulouse have reached yet another Heineken Cup final. And what is the most striking factor in the Toulouse story? Continuity. Thirty years ago, when I visited the club as a young coach and saw the work of Pierre Villepreux and Robert Bru at first hand, it immediately struck me that they were building something of value. Since then, there have been only two head coaches: Jean-Claude Skrela and Guy Noves. It seems to me that they might be on to something over there.
Anyone who thinks they can explain the Toulouse phenomenon simply in terms of a large budget and an even larger squad is missing the point completely.
England's hopes depend on clubs raising their games 01.05.2010
Followers of English club rugby may feel disappointed, even alarmed, at the way the European campaign has unfolded, but there is no denying that this weekend's two-nation contest in the Heineken Cup is a fair and accurate reflection of the way things are at the top end of the northern hemisphere game.
France and Ireland, Ireland and France. Who, if they are being honest, can dispute that these countries are currently the dominant forces in our corner of the union world?
They have arrived here from entirely different directions, having taken totally different paths. The leading French teams have large squads, supported by spectacular amounts of money. There are still some clubs who consider the domestic Top 14 tournament to be their major priority, but increasingly, the real
Farrell brings fresh perspective to coaching questions 28.04.2010
A lot of things were said about Saracens during their long unbeaten run in the Premiership before Christmas, few of them positive or polite.
Brendan Venter's team may have picked up results always important in a results-driven business but they were roundly criticised for playing a conservative, kick-based game described by some as "anti-rugby". If I was less than thrilled by some of the things I saw from them then, I'm happy to report that I've found their recent change of approach inspiring.
It is no easy thing to stage a successful relaunch two-thirds of the way through a season, especially one as fundamental as this. I can do nothing but applaud Brendan in developing a fresh style that is confrontational in many different ways, rather than simply the most obvious way, and I
For Toulouse, victory is simply a by-product 17.04.2010
Innovative thinking. Now, there's a thought. Just recently, I found myself making a presentation on this subject to a leading business services company who had achieved a significant degree of success but were fearful of spending too long on a plateau and wanted to investigate ways of upping their game and taking things to the next stage.
Delegates found themselves involved in some interesting exercises: at one point, they were set the task of persuading a sceptical audience that surfing, sumo wrestling, tug-of-war and darts could and should be granted Olympic status. The challenge was to take an idea widely perceived as pie in the sky, assimilate it in a short space of time and somehow make it convincing.
As I watched the unfolding of last weekend's compelling Heineken Cup
How to win in Europe: a lesson from Austin 10.04.2010
The last time I was involved in a major European club occasion, I took Bath to San Sebastian for a Heineken Cup semi-final with Biarritz.
We travelled with bags of expectation, but fell short. There were reasons, looking back: at that point in 2006, Bath were on a transitional shift from the extremely limited style of rugby they had played over the previous three or four years to something more ambitious. But the fact remains that when it came to the crunch, we and I include myself in this failed to summon the courage to play the kind of challenging game required to win a match of that magnitude.
Nothing has changed. Now rugby has reached the knockout stage of this season's Heineken Cup the "real deal" time of the season, where there are no second chances it strikes me that
Child's play? It's really a thinking man's game 04.04.2010
After wrapping myself up in rugby union for so much of my life, I've spent a good deal of time over the last 18 months or so working alongside a wide range of specialist support staff coaches, medics, psychologists from a variety of sports, some of them involved at grass-roots level and others operating in the highest echelons of elite performance.
It has been a pleasure, a privilege and, in many respects, an eye-opener. What has struck me most forcibly? The fact that many of the key issues I've identified concerning the relationship between coaches and players in rugby are to be found across the spectrum.
The topics at the forefront of my discussions have been twofold: how do we encourage players to assume responsibility for their own actions in the competitive arena, and how
Return of inspirational evergreen Tindall was a big plus for England 27.03.2010
While the Six Nations Championship is done and dusted for another year, done to death in some quarters, one certain aspect of the last weekend is well worth noting.
I have long advocated the importance of individuals contributing to the strength and positivity of a squad and a dressing room, and I consider the return of Mike Tindall to England's midfield to be a classic example.
Tindall is both an outstanding player and an outstanding individual, whose positive attitude to life and those around him is inspirational. He has the character and personality to transform a team, and the ability to coax the best out of young players with talent and the ambition to play at the highest level. You can rest assured that Ben Foden and Chris Ashton were the better for Tindall's presence in the
France's 'total rugby' is reward for stunning skill 22.03.2010
Two teams, France and Ireland, are chasing the glittering prizes of the Six Nations today: a Grand Slam in the first case, a Triple Crown in the second. On the whole, I think this is a fair reflection of the tournament: they have been more dynamic than their rivals in executing their attacking skills under pressure and seizing the opportunities in front of them. As I will seek to explain, this indicates the presence of a particular mindset that distinguishes the achievers from the strivers.
While the French have been opening up defences from pretty well everywhere on the field, the Irish have not created opportunities in anything like the same volume. Yet if they did not win a great deal of possession in their match with England and found themselves struggling with what might be
France could make the running at World Cup 13.03.2010
Two rounds left, three teams France, England, Ireland still in contention, the prospect of more close finishes, passionate second-half fightbacks and the occasional passage of outstanding attacking rugby: the Six Nations Championship is justifying its place at the heart of the northern hemisphere season, even if the best of it must be weighed against some edgy, error-strewn fare from everyone involved. How do I expect things to turn out? At this stage, it's difficult to see past the French as the side to beat.
Last month, just before the first round of matches, I expressed a particular interest in the various centre partnerships, because it seemed that if there were to be any signs of an expanding mindset in the European game, these were the people most likely to be responsible.
Lee Byrne is right: Wales must think before kicking 06.03.2010
Not for the first time this season, I find myself thinking about some of the language commonly used by managers, coaches and players in today's game.
I've already had my say about some of the jargon I find exasperating "drill", "breakdown", "ball-carrier", "going through the phases" and after last weekend's round of Six Nations matches, I was left trying to make sense of another phrase. Martin Johnson, the England manager, said he thought his side had "played too much rugby" at certain times against Ireland. What did this mean, precisely?
From my perspective, I can only think Martin meant "too much ineffective rugby". At least, I hope this is what he meant. If players move the ball through the hands deep in their own 22, open up space for a runner coming on to the ball at the
Super 14's fearless creativity makes it a joy 28.02.2010
I am not a person who needs much of an excuse to watch Super 14 rugby, or to return to my northern roots by casting an eye over the latest happenings in top-class rugby league, so I did not exactly struggle to fill my time during last weekend's break from Six Nations activity.
The Super 14 broadcasts were of particular interest in light of Danny Cipriani's decision to head Down Under at the end of the season, and to judge by some of the imaginative, free-flowing stuff currently being played in the southern hemisphere, I'm quite happy to predict that he'll revel in his new surroundings.
Super 14 has had a bad press up here in Britain the critics see it as a form of rugby candyfloss invented by, and played for, television while the more die-hard union followers have dismissed
Italian Rugby needs to find its soul 20.02.2010
When you reach my age let's say I'm past my three score years and leave it at that you don't expect too many new experiences to come your way, but I achieved a first in Rome, one of my favourite cities, last weekend.
Never before had I watched England play live away from home without being directly involved in the coaching set-up, and to find myself doing so at Stadio Flaminio, a very old haunt of mine, was quite an irony.
Encouraged by my good friend Dick Greenwood, the England back-row forward, I travelled to Italy for a spell of club rugby in the mid-1970s, cutting my coaching teeth there with the help of two of the game's great visionaries, Carwyn James and Pierre Villepreux, both of whom were living and working in the country. During my first season, Stadio Flaminio was my
Individuals make the best team players 13.02.2010
"There is no 'I' in 'teams'." Most of us who have been involved in coaching or management for any length of time are familiar with this well-worn phrase, which, given the frequency with which it is heard, might more accurately be called a mantra.
Like many snippets of home-spun sporting philosophy, it attempts to capture the essence of a basic truth: in this case, that the significance of the individual in a team game is as nothing compared to the importance of the collective. And like many of these one-liners, it misses the point.
Just ask Warren Gatland about the influence of individuals, their thought processes and their decision-making. I'd be very interested to know the Wales coach's private view on Alun Wyn Jones and his visit to the sin bin during last week's Six Nations
The intensity and ecstasy create a buzz like no other 08.02.2010
It is unique. I can think of no annual international team tournament anywhere in the world that rivals the Six Nations Championship in heightening the emotions and captivating the mind.
For the players, it is both physically demanding and mentally draining. For the coaches and I have first-hand knowledge here it is an all-consuming experience, bordering on the claustrophobic. For the supporters, it is irresistible. What other event drives so many people with no hope of laying their hands on a match ticket to travel around Europe at considerable personal expense, just for the fun of being in the proximity?
To them, it is almost an annual holiday. To those directly involved, it is most certainly not a holiday, of any description. The Six Nations is an unusually intense amalgam of
O'Driscoll has the flair to make Six Nations sparkle 04.02.2010
There is always a crackle of excitement when the Six Nations Championship comes into view, but unfortunately we have yet to lose sight of the stilted performances turned in during the autumn by the northern hemisphere countries, with the single exception of Ireland.
It leaves me wondering exactly what we can expect from the forthcoming tournament. Will the coaches be brave enough to take a step or two back and allow players to navigate their own way through these high-profile, high-pressure contests, or will we see the playbooks and patterns proliferating once again?
With this in mind, I'll be looking closely at the players wearing the Nos 12 and 13 because in many important respects, these will be the people setting the tone for the competition. Is it too much to hope that they
Want a winning team? It's all in the mindset 16.01.2010
The mindset matters. History and experience tell us that when all other things are equal in the pressurised cauldron of elite sport, those with the ability to think clearly, stay on-process in the face of distraction and exert some control over the way decisions are made at important moments are the ones most likely to succeed.
These are the gifts that separate the world-class player from for want of a better word the "ordinary" international. So how is it that in rugby, less time is spent working on the mental side of the game than on any other area of high-level performance?
It seems to me that there is an absence of logic here. Specialists in mental skills tend to be called upon as a last resort when things are going badly wrong, as opposed to going well. Surely, it should
Revolution in attacking play is the way forward 09.01.2010
The New Year weekend seemed as good a time as any to feel positive about the future: if these annual celebrations are about anything, they're about hope.
So it was that I settled down to watch the Guinness Premiership action in a mood of high-minded optimism, only to be disappointed by many of the things I witnessed. Perhaps it was destined to turn out that way. After all, it is also the season for pantomimes.
With the trials, tribulations and negativity of 2009 behind us, I felt there was a chance that the first action of 2010 would offer something fresh. What did we see and hear? A lot of shouting and posturing, much of it from coaches and administrators, about problems in the game that would be much less problematic if more people worried less about what cannot be achieved and
And now for Something Completely Different... 05.01.2010
Classical scholars amongst us might describe the rugby year of 2009 as an annus extrarius: a strange 12 months bordering on the bizarre, what with the fake blood business, the drugs scandals, the inexplicable plague of gouging incidents and all the rest of it.
Perhaps the oddest aspect was the near-hysterical reaction from some quarters to the change in the law at the contact area, allowing the tackler more latitude in contesting possession. Some coaches seemed to think it was the worst thing ever to have happened to the game, but they were quickly put in their place by teams like New Zealand, Australia and Leinster, who, with the aid of strong and accurate refereeing, proved there was plenty of opportunity for positive, intelligent attacking play.
Being someone who prefers to look
A resolution for referees: lay down law from the off 27.12.2009
I'd like to start by awarding full marks to Alan Lewis, the Irish referee, for his handling of last weekend's Heineken Cup match between Toulouse and Cardiff Blues.
Lewis did something rather unusual and, in the process, did the game a significant favour by sending Paul Tito, the Blues captain, to the sin bin a few minutes into the contest. Most referees wouldn't dream of taking such decisive action against a player committing a ruck offence at so early a juncture, and this has become a problem for the sport. When officials shy away from their responsibilities, it is always the rugby that suffers.
Some of the people I played with and against in the dim and distant past will read this homage to Mr Lewis and wonder if I've finally flipped my lid: they remember how, during my time
A great man once told me never to play by the rules 22.12.2009
Will Greenwood, one of the more constructive English rugby players of the professional era, is a television pundit these days, and one of the phrases he used in respect of the Sale outside-half Charlie Hodgson during the Heineken Cup game at Harlequins last weekend struck a chord with me.
He described Charlie as a player who was "happy to go off-script when he thinks the situation calls for it", or something to that effect, and it went a long way towards explaining why Quins found their opponents such a handful, even though they were the ones playing at home.
Going back a few years decades, probably I remember the great French coach Pierre Villepreux talking along similar lines. One of his favourite sayings was "play with your eyes", by which he meant "don't play it by the
Baa-Baas showed what imagination can deliver 12.12.2009
Barbarians rugby may have lost a little of its lustre since the dawning of the professional era and the explosion of interest in events at club level, but to my mind it is still something to treasure not least when the Baa-Baas are involved in a high-quality match that challenges some of the orthodoxies of the modern game.
This happened last weekend at Twickenham, where they achieved a rare and precious victory over the All Blacks. I found their performance fascinating, especially in the current climate of doom and gloom.
How was it that a team thrown together over a few days one which, in the words of the coach Nick Mallett, had only two "walkabout training sessions" could beat a side as good as New Zealand in front of 63,000 spectators? Admittedly, a Barbarians fixture does
A confident fly-half can bring tightest game to life 09.12.2009
After weeks of incessant clamour from coaches and administrators about the difficulty of scoring tries under the rules currently being applied in the tackle area, what happened in the last round of international and Premiership matches? A scoring frenzy.
Tries came along like Blackpool trams, one after another: 25 of them in five games alone, with well over half being credited to the away teams. For those of us who enjoy seeing lazy theories being disproved, it was good fun.
The teams responsible for most of this scoreboard activity New Zealand and Australia; Northampton, Leicester and Harlequins had something in common. All fielded a genuinely gifted footballer at outside-half. Dan Carter and Matt Giteau; Shane Geraghty, Toby Flood and Nick Evans ... these are players
It is the money men who are suffocating our game 29.11.2009
There is a tremendous amount of noise being generated around rugby by people worried about the "state of the game", by which I take them to mean the recent shortage of dynamic, end-to-end action, together with a sharp drop in the number of tries seen in the Premiership and, in many instances, at international level as well. I believe there are strong grounds for concern, but what really intrigues me is the deafening silence from certain stakeholders in the sport.
For one thing, we're not hearing too many complaints from the commercial side. The ball may be spending endless amounts of time in the air as straitjacketed teams attempt to lure each other into a mistake, but the grounds are still filling up and the money is still coming in. As for the players themselves... well, they're
All Blacks show how to nurture smarter players 21.11.2009
Some of the rugby I've seen played in the British Isles of late, including major international contests, has set me thinking anew about what I consider to be one of the burning topics in the modern game: the relationship between coaches and players, both before a match and during it.
The arrival of the All Blacks in London is another reason to revisit the subject, because under their current coaches Graham Henry, Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith they seem to be ahead of the field in striking the correct balance.
When the sport first went professional, I remember one Test player saying that, as he was now an employee, it was his job to do as his coach told him. I found it as exasperating then as I do now, for I have long held the view that this is not true; that in a game as complex
England need to get on the Aussies wavelength 16.11.2009
Read Brians thoughts every Saturday in the Independent, or go to www.independent.co.uk
Argentina secured a famous victory when they last visited Twickenham in 2006 I remember it distinctly, having been part of the England coaching team at the time and when they make their return visit this afternoon, they will again pose certain dangers. Most of the perils will be concentrated in their forward pack, which is rightly considered to be one of the most formidable in the international game but to my way of thinking, the most intriguing thing about the South Americans will be their approach away from the more static phases of play.
It may be that they won't have much of an approach at all that they will adopt the kind of heavy-hitting, no-frills strategy that has paid them
Weaker Wallabies must rediscover killer instinct 09.11.2009
It goes without saying that this afternoon's Twickenham international between England and Australia is an important one for both countries as they seek to build confidence and continuity ahead of the next World Cup, but I have to confess that it's more difficult than usual to take a firm view on how things will turn out. A big part of me struggles to see the Wallabies winning, for reasons I will explain. There again, there is always something perilous about writing off any Australian team ahead of the event.
Watching the tourists slide to another defeat at the hands of the All Blacks in Tokyo last weekend, it struck me that the most consistent thing about them was their inconsistency. There were some purple patches, especially early on, but there was no sign of them maintaining their
Wasps abuzz with ideas for breaching defences 31.10.2009
Brian writes for the Independent every Saturday....
The Guinness Premiership has taken its share of criticism over the last few days, not least from the Wales coach, Warren Gatland, who went for the jugular by describing this season's tournament as the worst he'd seen since first coming to these parts from New Zealand.
I'm sure Warren has his own motives for beating this particular drum at this precise moment, but he's hardly alone in thinking that the level of rugby in England's top domestic competition is not setting the world alight.
Under the circumstances, then, it was invigorating to see Wasps the very club Warren ran when he was making a very decent living out of the Premiership a few years ago produce a dynamic, well thought-out performance of considerable quality in
Thinking on our feet is the best game plan 25.10.2009
Brian's Saturday column for the Independent can also be found at www.independent.co.uk
Despite the fact that the season is still unfolding, rather like the way we stretch and yawn when first awakening, I have been fascinated by the number of games where teams have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.
Only last weekend, Harlequins and Bath, both at home in hugely attractive Heineken Cup ties, lost games where they had seemed to be heading in the right direction for victory. Quins led Toulouse 14-0 at half-time yet lost 19-23 while Bath were 21-9 up on Stade Franηais who still managed to leave The Rec as 29-27 victors.
These are not the only games this season where the art of game management has been less conspicuous than you would wish.
It is important to understand how
Two No9s can really put the quick into quick ball 20.10.2009
Brian writes for the Independent every saturday: www.independent.co.uk
Having enjoyed a succession of wonderful games last weekend, I felt a huge sense a gratitude to the Heineken Cup for reaching parts of me the Guinness Premiership has so far failed to reach.
The character and focus shown by London Irish in their immense victory over the holders Leinster in Dublin; the breathless battle-back by Leicester, seemingly on the canvas at home to Ospreys only to force a sensational 32-32 draw; the gripping contest of Test quality that saw Northampton withstand a typical Munster offensive at Franklin's Gardens thanks to the vision of Shane Geraghty and a mighty performance by their forwards.
Everywhere you looked there was drama, quality and excitement generated by Europe's premier
Coaches must go with the flow, free of jargon 03.10.2009
Brian writes for the Independent each Saturday with his views:
Last weekend, I was in the north of England talking to a group of coaches involved in schools rugby.
We found ourselves discussing the difference between drills-based coaching, of which I've long been deeply suspicious the word "drill" instantly conjures up an image of a sergeant major screaming, "This is how you do it", at soldiers marching up and down the parade ground and sessions based on problem solving, with which I'm far more comfortable.
It set me thinking about the language of rugby and how the repeated use of certain words and phrases affects the way many people approach the game here. "Drill" is a good example of what I would call negative or inhibiting language, because to my mind, there are a lot of
A week end up North !!! 30.09.2009
Spent the last week-end back in the North of England part work part pleasure with Helen and the dog ( Wurgo ! ) in attendance.
Having stayed the Friday evening with my Aunt in Glazebury nr Warrington we travelled the following day to Stonyhurst College , a school I taught at some years ago to watch them play against Arnold School , Blackpool.
There was an added attraction in that we were catching up with Bill Beaumont and Hillary plus other members of the family. Josh , Bills youngest son is the 1st XV captain of Arnold so we were supporting in opposite camps ! Unfortunately Josh was injured shortly before half-time and played no further part in the game that Stonyhurst won 13-0.
We then moved on to Sedbergh School where the work element was to be held. On the Sunday morning a
Brian Ashton: Anything is possible if you play without fear 29.09.2009
Much as I'd like to say that this season's Guinness Premiership has hit the ground running in the attacking sense, I can't pretend this is the case.
With the single exception of London Irish, who have secured both of the try-scoring bonus points registered over the opening three rounds of the tournament, it's not clear that anyone is running anywhere with a genuine sense of purpose. I'm not picking on the English club game for the sake of it, but the majority of the rugby I'm watching at the moment comes from the Premiership, where ambition has been in short supply.
Bold, imaginative attacking play does not automatically go hand in hand with a lack of defensive proficiency: London Irish have the third best defensive record in the country, so any notion that the two disciplines are
Simpson is leading a scrum-half resurgence 21.09.2009
Exactly two years ago, when I was coaching England at the World Cup in France, one of the serious issues we faced was a limited range of options at scrum-half, that most important of positions my old position, as it happens, although that was in the dim and distant past.
I wouldn't for a second wish to undervalue the contribution of Andy Gomarsall, who was one of the key figures in helping us reach the final against the expectations of a very significant majority, but Andy was already well into his thirties and therefore a shorter-term option.
It seems times have changed for the better. Last weekend I saw an exciting performance from the young Wasps half-back Joe Simpson, who used his startling pace to great effect against Bath. Indeed, I'd say he was one of the principal
Why can't more players think for themselves? 13.09.2009
I was struck by the comments of Bryan Redpath, the director of rugby at Gloucester, after his team's emphatic win over Bath on the opening Sunday of the new Premiership season.
He spoke afterwards of "player responsibility" an important subject about which many coaches up and down the country talk a good deal, but only in the sense of paying it lip service. Bryan was absolutely correct in saying that when players take the field, what happens next is down to them. But how many people in the professional game genuinely take this seriously?
It seems to me that many coaches are still obsessed with another, very different idea: that of the game plan. I've never had much liking for "game plans". In a sport as dynamic and full of movement as rugby union, any expectation of a game going
BRIAN ASHTON RUGBY ACADEMY 08.09.2009
During late August and early September this year the first Brian Ashton rugby Academy took place based on the Chateau du Molay in Calvados, Normandy, France.
The concept was born from an idea of Edwin Dorans of the sports travel company of the same name and developed ( as many of the best ideas are ) in a conversation over a pub lunch !
The object was to give schools an opportunity to travel outside England and prepare for the upcoming rugby season through a 5 day pre-season training camp at the Chateau.
Edwin Dorans company sorted out all the logisitics and I provided coaching on/off field wherever it was required.
The Chateau is situated just outside the village of Molay , 15 minutes from Bayeux and 45 from Caen both of which were used as alternative training venues.
The
Brian Ashton: French lessons can only improve our players 05.09.2009
Tackling the issues: A new column from the coach who took England to the 2007 World Cup final read it every Saturday in the Independent
A few months ago, before the Harlequins blood capsule scandal and the deeply disappointing end-of-season problems at Bath, the biggest controversy in English rugby concerned the exodus of players from the Guinness Premiership to the Top 14 tournament in France.
Some of the biggest names in the domestic game Jonny Wilkinson at one end of the age scale, James Haskell at the other, and a good few in between signalled a desire to cross the Channel. As a result, a lot of people, not least at the Rugby Football Union, grew very hot under the collar.
One of those expressing alarm was Rob Andrew, the director of elite rugby. That interested me. It
IRANZ IN THE USA 14.08.2009
From the 2nd to the 7th August I spent a fascinating week with the International rugby academy ( Run by Murray Mexted ex- All Black number 8 ) in Glendale , Colorado , USA.
Glendale has a brand new sporting facility with state of the art facilities surrounding a pitch dedicated to Rugby Union. It is an oasis in the land of American Football , Basketball and Baseball.
Two courses for Players and Coaches ran parallel and interacted whenever possible. It was a hectic week as the course had been shortened to fit in with local circumstances so working days began at 8.00 am and finished at 8.30 pm !
The majority of the participants of both courses were from the USA / North America and most had a remarkable enthusiasm for the development of the game in the USA.
We had a visit from Kevin
Rugby Academy @ St. Edward\'s School, Oxford. 31.07.2009
Spent an interesting and eventually very enjoyable 2 days earlier this week running a 2 day Rugby Academy at St. Edwards School , Oxford on behalf of the Independent Schools Coach Education. I had the valuable assistance of Evan Stewart ex captain of Loughborough Students.
Dodging the showers on the first morning we had decided to base the 2 days around and fun / learning experience and , therefore , spent the majority of the day working through games based scenarios highlighting various aspects of play. This was obviously a different approach for the players ( 11 13 year olds ) but one that they eventually grasped with relish.
The second day saw some split backs and forwards work before again to reverting to playing in teams to promote all the benefits of Game Understanding
WINNINGTON PARK COLTS CHALLENGE 13.07.2009
On the afternoon of Saturday 11th July , as part of my business / rugby day I took a session that was a part of a Colts Challenge which the club organizes each Summer.
As the players had previously had coaching from the Sale Sharks Academy staff and players on various techniques and unit skills of the game I decided to centre my session around creating some order from chaos in phase play and then moving on to playing in Attack and Defence from turn over ball.
It was clear that this games based approach was different for the players and they took some time to come to terms with the dynamism and decision making required. However towards the end of the session there were clear signs that the messages were being taken on board. Interestingly the communication levels between the
Leadership 04.07.2009
I have delivered two presentations recently on the above topic.
This is not leadership from a text book but from a combination of a lifetimes experience drawn from my own adventures and working with and under others in all areas of life.
Whilst leadership can come in many forms there is little doubt in my mind that having both the Courage to Fail and the ability to Adapt to changing and unexpected circumstances immediately are two consistent characteristics of outstanding leadership.
The two venues were very different in situation and audience. The first was the University of Warwick where I presented for the Football Association on their UEFA pro licence coaching award course. I was in distinguished footballing company with the likes of Gareth Southgate and Mike Phelan
An Evening at Christ's Hospital School 25.06.2009
Spent an interesting afternoon and evening at Christs Hospital School in Sussex on Friday 19th June.
I had been invited by Sean Davey (Premiership Referee and member of staff ) to run a coaching session with the squad of players from the school who are off on tour to Australia this Summer.
The players worked hard and with intelligence throughout the session which was based largely on Principles of play and decision making through games. Seventy five minutes of this also provided a good cardiovascular work out !!!
In the evening a dinner was held in the remarkable school dining room to raise money for the trip. It was well attended by approximately 370 people of all ages and both sexes. The dining room is remarkable in that it can seat the whole school (800 pupils + ) at one sitting
An Evening in Italian Rugby 08.06.2009
When I spent time in Italy recently I was invited to watch the National under 19 final of the Italian Rugby Federation. These were , one assumes , the two best sides of that age group in the country.
From a coaching perspective it was fascinating to see the two sides operate when the ball became ALIVE outside the set pieces how decisions were made and how they manoeuvred themselves around the field.
In fact , they did not actually manoeuvre themselves at all but were very clearly being operated by two very passionate and vocal coaches patrolling the touch line for the whole of the game.
It was a classic example of Autocratic coaching in action. Decisions either made in certain situations or areas of the pitch before the game commenced and carried through irrespective of the
My Italian Job 04.06.2009
On Saturday 30th May I presented to the Level 3 / 4 coaches from the whole of Italy on the topic of transition rugby how to play when you win or lose the ball in phase play. The presentation was done completely in Italian which, fortunately , has still not deserted me !
Also present were all the National Coaches of the Italian teams, including Nick Mallett , the Head Coach of the senior team.
I attempted to make the presentation as interactive as possible, giving the Italian coaches the opportunity to air their views , but with mixed success. As with most coaches at events such as this there is a reluctance to speak in public. However this allowed me to talk also about the relationship between the coaches and players that allows both to realise their full potential. This certainly
Interview with Kate Eddy 27.05.2009
Kate Eddy (ASCC)
Head Strength & Conditioning Coach
Team Bath
Brian Ashton joined Team Bath in 2008 as a consultant Director of Coaching where he works alongside Team Bath's coaches and support staff, in the areas of coach development and education applying his expertise in the principals of high level performance.
Lancastrian Ashton was born in Leigh and went to school in Leigh and Lancaster before studying History and Education at Leicester University. He went on to become a teacher and then rugby coach after a playing career which included an England touring side selection. Ashton coached Bath Rugby either as Assistant or Head Coach between 1989 and 1997. He also coached Ireland before moving on to an assistant role with England and then shouldered the main role when England
News & Events
RFU Teachers Days 14.06.2011
Hi Brian
I just wanted to drop you a line to thank you once again for two excellent Teachers days last week. The feedback I have had has been very ...
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