The Emperor's New Clothes

For some time, I've been meaning to give my rugby photography site a bit of a fresh coat of paint. Plus, the way the site was put together was a little archaic, so I've taken the opportunity to do it the right way, adhering to Web Standards, which should make it faster to load, easier to use and generally more accessible to a wider range of readers. It should also work nicely on your mobile phone, if you have internets on it!

So, out with the old:

[outdated look and feel]

And in with the new!

[nice shiny new clothes]

On other notes, I see Danny Grewcock has lost his appeal against the six week ban he received for punching during the ECC Final. This rules him out of all the England RWC warmup games, and the first few fixtures of the tournament. Brian Ashton has said he can't name a banned player in his 30-man squad, so Grewcock really has let another moment of madness ruin his chances at a last World Cup place for him.

I'm also pleased with the new format for the Anglo-Welsh Cup. To be honest, I was getting a bit sick of Saracens always having to play Wasps and London Irish in their group, seeing as we meet them regularly in the Premiership. So it will make a great change to be able to see Leeds, Bristol and Llanelli Scarlets this time round.

Finals Round Up

The last post covered the end of the season matches, and I decided to go to the ECC Final, Bath Rugby against ASM Clermont-Auvergne at the Twickenham Stoop.

Bath Rugby vs ASM Clermont-Auvergne, ECC Final, 19th May

[Joe Maddock is tackled by Jamie Cudmore]

The game was a close-run thing, with a late kickoff, but it was a lovely summer evening for rugby. The light was really nice, and I was pleased with my photos from the game. Unfortunately, Bath couldn't quite beat the Frenchmen, with Peter Short just losing control of the ball before it was grounded, and Clermont were 22-16 winners to lift the trophy [see below]

See more photos of the team and fans celebrating. It seems that Danny Grewcock couldn't keep his temper in check during the game, and now faces a six week ban for striking an opponent. This rules him out of the World Cup warm-up matches on 4th and 11th August, and the start of the actual World Cup campaign, so I can't really see him figuring very highly in Brian Ashton's plans for the tournament.

Churchill Cup Finals Day, Twickenham, 2nd June

The first game with a morning kickoff, was the Bowl Final, seeing Canada take on the USA. Canada were very much in the driving seat, and ran away with the game, winning 52-10! Nothing much I saw worries me about England meeting the USA in the first RWC pool match in September, I'm afraid!

[Above, Canadian Flanker Adam Kleeberger is tackled by the USA's Chris Wyles]

Next up was the Plate Final, contested by Ireland A vs Scotland A. This was a very entertaining game, much closer than the try-fest of the first one, with the Irish eventually triumphing by a measly point, 22-21.

[Locks Andrew Farley and Mark Rennie engage in a bit of synchronised jumping]

The final proper was between England Saxons vs New Zealand Maori. Of course, this started with the obligatory pre-match Haka:

[The NZ Maori perform their own Haka, which is different to the one the Allblacks perform]

Another entertaining game, again close, but the Saxons managed to retain the upper hand and won 17-13. Good going, lads!

[The two packs prepare to hit in the middle]

So, that's about it for the summer. I'm happy to say I have a ticket for the England vs France World Cup warmup game on 11th August, and will be back at Twickenham a week later for the more traditional start of season Middlesex Sevens Tournamet.

I might find a few things to post in the meantime, but don't be surprised if it all goes a bit quiet for a few weeks!

Very Long Time, No Blog

It seems ages since I've done a blog, so this will have to be a roundup of the last few weeks.

Saracens vs Glasgow Warriors, ECC Quarter Final, 1st April

[Simon Raiwauli is tackled by Dan Parks]

Sarries won 23-19 to take them trough to the ECC Semi-Final.

London Wasps vs Saracens, GP match, 8th April

The next match was away at the Adams Park stadium in High Wycombe, for a Guinness Premiership match against Wasps.

It was a fantastic sunny day, and there was a party atmosphere in the car park and plenty of ale was had by all. Sarries lost out 27-26, right at the death. [above, Richard Birkett, takes a lineout ball, with Tom Ryder trying to get a hand to hinder him]

Sarries vs Quins, GP match, 13th April

The next week, it was back at Vicarage Road for another Guinness Premiership game.

[Yatesy puts the ball up his jumper and goes for a trundle]

Sarries were on good form again, and won 33-19, putting them in a good position going into the final games of the season.

Saracens vs Bath Rugby, ECC Semi Final, 22nd April

[Danny Grewcock gets some unwanted attention from Kris Chesney]

It was a tough game, and Sarries just missed out, going down 30-31, and putting Bath through to the final with Cleremont-Auvergne.

Despite that disappointment, Sarries season ended on a high in 4th place of the Guiness Premiership, and putting them back into the Heineken Cup for next season - now the wrangling between the various factions has been ironed out!

Saracens Thump Bristol

Great game at Vicarage Road yesterday, Saracens maintained their winning streak at home by stuffing Bristol 36-5 and earning themselves a bonus point win. This means they're currently sitting at 4th in the Premiership table for the first time this season, just overtaking Wasps with a game in hand. That's due to the delayed game against London Irish coming up this Friday, so it's a must-win game for the Men in Black if they wish to consolidate their position in the table.

[Kris Chesney brings down Bristol prop Alex Clarke]

I have to say, there was some great passing from Saracens, who seemed to be offloading furiously before big tackles, and they really kept the ball moving. Kameli Ratuvou continues to impress with his speed on the wing, scoring a brace of tries. And the pack were going forward really well - especially with one maul which saw them make headway from their own 10m line to over half way and into Bristol territory. That got a great shout from the crowd. There were also plenty of crunching tackles, and good defence in the main - one slight error letting Bristol in for their only points of the game.

Kevin Yates also managed to canter over for a score in the second half, which pleased him no end. He's now scored five this season, not bad as the Front Row don't often get on the scoreboard from running play. You can see more photos from the game at rugbypix.com as usual.

There was certainly a festive atmosphere at the ground too. Saracens favourite supporters, the Fez Boys, were celebrating their 10th anniversary, featuring on the front of the programme with Yatesy, and also appearing with the Saracens Sensations in a special one-off performance before the game. I have the evidence [right, Bokke in a Bikini, with the Sensations, god help us all!]

Kyran Bracken was also on a high from having won the Dancing on Ice competition on Saturday. So he's proud to have won the club the first silverware of the season!

Welsh Pride Restored

Six Nations Game 15 - Wales vs England (27-18)

England were caught napping in the first three minutes, when Toby Flood's clearance kick was charged down and James Hook did the honours with hand and boot to score seven points for Wales.

Wales nearly got another before Shane Williams [left] was hauled down and England won a penalty which was quickly taken and cleared. With just eight minutes gone, Joe Worsley went off concussed, to be replaced by Magnus Lund. Then Hook had a chance at goal from just under half way and made it into double figures, 10-0.

Then Wales had another strong attack, Chris Horsman just going over the line under a pile of Welsh bodies. Hook's wide conversion just bounced off the posts, to make the score 15-0.

England had the chance at an attacking lineout after Wales gave away a penalty. Wales knocked on to give England the scrum. They spun it out wide, and got within 2m but were getting very slow ball.

With over 30 minutes on the clock, James Hook went for a drop goal but it went wide. Possession seemed to be all Wales' way. But then England managed to make a break, skipper Mike Catt was chasing his chip ahead to the line. It bounced awkwardly, missing the Welsh defence, and Harry Ellis [right] was there to clear up. Toby Flood made the conversion and England were back in the game at 15-7. Shortly after, Flood struck a drop goal to claw back another three points, taking them to 15-10.

A few minutes later, Hook added another three points for an England infringement, taking it to 18-10. But immediately after, Ellis made a great break, with Jason Robinson in support, diving over in the corner. It was a Billy Whizz trademark try. Flood didn't make the conversion, but the score was back at 18-15 at the break.

Just after the second half started, Mike Catt went off to be replaced by Shane Geraghty. David Strettle made a break and were brought up just short, then Wales gave away a penalty. Flood's kick levelled the score at 18-all.

Wales were caught crossing in the England half, and Flood's huge kick down the field put them back into Welsh territory. The lineout was just about won, Ellis shipped it out to the backs but a high kick was caught by Wales, who promptly passed it out into touch. A few minutes later, they did the same thing on the other side of the pitch. England's lineout went long and was nicked, but then Shane Williams knocked on to give England a scrum.

Wales won their own scrum in the England 22, and they were making ground, but Kevin Morgan threw a wayward pass and Mark Jones [left] was unable to take it before it went into touch.

England were back in possession and in the Welsh half when they were caught holding on. At the Welsh lineout, England infringed and James Hook took a chance at goal from 39m out. It hit the right post and was collected by George Chuter. Then England got a scrum on half way but Wales turned over possession in the loose.

With about 20 minutes to go, Hook had another chance at goal and drew ahead at 21-18. England won some good ball fom the restart but an interception put Wales back in the England 22 with a throwin. Then they were up at 5m with a lineout throw. Gough took the ball cleanly, and England were on the defensive. The forwards were picking and driving but were still 2m from the line when Hook took another drop goal, to make it 24-18.

Hook then made a great break but couldn't manage to pass without knocking on. Meanwhile Dwayne Peel was replaced by Mike Philips [right]. England got a bit more possession, but it seemed to be coming out slowly, when Shaun Perry knocked on. Wales then had another go at goal, pulling away to make it 27-18 with eight minutes to go.

No more points were added, despite England attempting to make ground in the dying minutes. At last, Wales had a win to avoid the Wooden Spoon. Hook's 22 points made him Man of the Match.

Or, read my ten word review.