The West London's RWC blog

Cartoon - (No, not the UK anthem on a Renault)

A shabby little cartoon for your delicatation during the 'interval' - and while I do some work! This is obviously side-splitting stuff which is doing the rounds...

Balls To France!

Notwithstanding all the fuss about a glut of incompetent buteurs complaining about the match ball, the venerable Sylvain, the Editor in Chief of Le Parisien, has been out and about talking balls in Paris. (We have all done it Sylvain, I assure you!) You can take a look at his balls here...

A+

So, the candle that was lit when France fell at the first hurdle of the pool stage in the Rugby World Cup 2007 is beginning to flicker, as another four nations battle for team pride, searching for that elusive result that will move them from 0 or 1 point in their respective tables. On the face of it, not very exciting games, but we have seen Georgia, Namibia and the USA give their far 'grander' opponents a hard time.  Samoa too - although we have come to expect more from the players with 'pow'! They'll win tonight, as will Georgia - mere peanuts on the bar prior to the three course feast of elimination matches taking place over the weekend...Anyway, what is the common thing linking all four sides playing in tonight's games?
They all end in the beginning of the alphabet!

'Modern Times" - (84mins)

Here's the latest film by Charlie Kaplan - a real stunner with a twist in the tail. The playful comic gets all tangled up in this escapade set in Bordeaux. You've seen it once folks - you'll see it again...hopefully if New Zealand and, say Australia 'get it on'  in a semi final... Oh what a time we can look forward to, with the amiable buffoon upsetting everyone - again!

Corry - Nation's Treat...

Martin Corry has been named as England's captain for their must win game against Tonga. Phil Vickery - who kickstarted England's World Cup campaign - has not been selected for this critical game...possibly a victory for common sense over reputation? Lewis Moody is selected ahead of 'basher' Worsley, and it can only be a few minutes before he (Moody) gives away a penalty for being caught with his hands in the sweetie jar of the ruck (he will not fancy lying around over the ball...) and I expect him to receive a yellow card for slowing play down - particularly if England are under the cosh. Hopefully I'll be wrong again and England will play well..."but it's the Demons you know, perched on me shoulder..." I would also have liked Hipkiss to feature - he always looks as though he makes a right nuisance of himself whenever a Leicester game features on TV - worth a go in my book. It would be simple enough to make a tactical substitution if he is that far out of his depth...

"Good Old Fred"...

That used to be the cry that went up after the Tom and Jerry cartoon had finished at the cinema, but I'm not talking about a game of cat and mouse, I'm talking about "Frederick the Great"  - aka Frederic Humbert!
He has created a fascinating blog (an understatement) about rugby memorabilia and associated things. He describes himself as 'a modest rugby player' (you may gather from this that he is neither South African, New Zealander or Australian..!) and now 'a modest collector'.
Enough said. Take a look at this offering if you have an interest in rugby - and get lost in the 'rooms of the museum!' It is available in English, French, German, Italian and Rugbymanian - but the pictures are in a universal language...great stuff!

Tuesday Matches

Ho hum - Japan's final fling, and they might get a win against Canada's second string...the first XV will be saved for the Australia match on Saturday. It is Portugal's 'final' tomorrow too. The team that has won over the crowds will be jousting against Romania's second XV...as the first team will be saving themselves for a tilt at the All Blacks. It has been a bit quiet on the World Cup front so I'll tell you a little bit about the weather in London. Pelting rain this morning, followed by warm sun with a dessert of Easterly wind. In the middle of England there was a tornado blitz - eleven in all - which caused damage throughout the country. Here's a picture of the rosbif's tournedos...

Ever Get That Blurry Bottom Feeling?

OK - a day of rest, jour de repos...a chance to go a little off topic (hang on - everything is off topic!).
The appeal of rugby is worldwide as we know, but what is it about the elite that leaves people wanting more? I guess it is probably the 'Englishness' of the sport - with everyone wanting to identify with the quaint traditions, yeoman spirit and gentlemanliness of this 'Webb Ellisyan' ethic. The soap on a rope, the Cotton Traders XXXXL tops, curry, beer and fragrant demeanour  - "Oh to be an Englishman..." - that is what is on rugby player's minds... here's proof.

"Och Aye The Noo Zealand"

" Okay gentlemen, I'll be brief - we have a table booked for McTavish's restaurant in half an hour...
First of all, to even things up a touch, we'll arrange it so that both teams play in identical kit - everyone watching will be a bit confused and that way, the Scottish public will see their team running with the ball, maybe scoring and they will flock back to Murrayfield for the next match.
"Good idea boss"
"Secondly, we get the haka meisters to do a new dance - we don't allow the others because it'll fall foul of the Health & Safety regulations - incitement to riot etc etc...make 'em do a highland fling or a cheeky, more feminine number. Definitely don't let any big, tattoed Maori lead it too - give it to someone who's a bit on the shy side maybe...
"Yeah - great boss - when's dinner?"
"And we need to think about the referee, I don't want..." "That's OK boss - the guy is Joubert - South African. He's not gonna care much anyway."
"Sorted. Let's eat."

Cut to the NZ team meeting - Graham Henry is briefing his men...
"Right boys, we gotta take this one easy - not too many tries and give the crowd their money's worth. Let the oppo tackle a bit and run around. Sure, score a few but make it look as though you're screwing up under tackling pressure. The ref has told me that to make it fair, he's going upstairs for any try we score within five metres of the touchline, so Douggie, you're bound to get a chance - just make sure you get under the posts...you have been warned."
"Oh - one last thing - we gotta do haka number 3b in the songbook - gotta make it a bit... er Scottish looking - bit poncey - that sort of thing, not too much of the old eyeball stuff this time - got it?"

And so it came to pass that Scotland were defeated by forty points. Which is not bad under the circumstances - at least the teams do not need to swap jerseys (- a shambolic decision on someone's part). Highlights included watching Nick Evans the replacement back for the All Greys - lovely running skills; and someone (Masoe?) putting in a big hit on poor Craig Smith - the big hairy potato I mean prop got picked up and shovelled back towards his try line as he 'accelerated' from the Scot's '22' with ball in hand.
Apart from France, it seems that all the next pool matches for the six nation's sides are 'knockout' games - is that true?
Woe.
Have a lovely evening and a nice break from the rugby tomorrow.

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