Gareth Anscombe – “New Zealand’s loss and Wales’s gain?

Gareth Anscombe – “New Zealand’s loss and Wales’s gain?

The much heralded signing of the Waikato Chiefs’, utility back, Gareth Anscombe by the Cardiff Blues has not gone down well in the “Land of the long white cloud”. Yet, Gregor Paul writing in the NZ Herald on Sunday is premature in declaring that Anscombe is already the first choice for Wales at outside-half.

For Wales the number 10 shirt is iconic, reserved for the team’s most influential player. The pantheon of Welsh outside halves is legendary; Cliff Morgan, Phil Bennett, Barry John and Neil Jenkins are some of the great players that have graced the shirt. It says a great deal, therefore, that several astute commentators feel that Anscombe has the ability to join such a celebrated group of players.

On announcing the signing, Cardiff Blues chief executive Richard Holland speaking to BBC Sport gave a realistic assessment of the region’s expectations, "It's probably a question posed for the Welsh Rugby Union, but we'd be keen to see him progress to international honours and play for Wales. Gareth is a hugely talented player and he's got a huge future ahead of him, certainly with Cardiff Blues and who knows maybe he will go on and represent Wales as well. But he's a young man, he's still got some bits and pieces to learn and I'll leave that to the rugby guys to nurture and develop."

Anscombe is certainly a gifted player, “One of the Top 5 number 10’s in New Zealand”, according to Gregor Paul and he is of no doubt that New Zealand has carelessly lost a very good player indeed. Mishandled by the Auckland Blues, given limited opportunities by the Chiefs, an ambitious player like Anscombe would have no option other than to leave and find a team that would support him.

With a growing reputation, earned in the hard hitting cauldron of Super Rugby, Anscombe has developed an excellent skill set. He can play in the heavy traffic, attacks the gainline, distributes with precision and has soft hands, good feet and plays with his head up constantly scanning the field for options. All that could have meant that he would have been able to secure a contract at one of the wealthy Top14 clubs in France but, to his credit, he has chosen to ignore that route. He is well aware of his Welsh heritage and with his mother from Cardiff he has a palpable connection with the city and the principality. It is too strong to say that he is coming home as he told TVNZ, “However, in consultation with my family, I came to the conclusion that the opportunity in Wales was one that I simply couldn't turn down. I am really excited to be joining a region like Cardiff Blues. I was lucky enough to be able to visit last year so have a degree of familiarity with the club and people that will hopefully help me hit the ground running and start contributing to what I hope will be a successful season for the Blues. Much has been made about my Welsh eligibility and there is no doubt that my mother's side of the family have always reinforced my Welshness. I am under no illusions and my focus is very much on the Blues, and if the opportunity to represent Wales comes as a result of my performances on the pitch then of course I will take it."

He is pretty much a like-for-like replacement for the Toulon bound Leigh Halfpenny and at 23 years of age has time on his side. On the other hand, his chances of going quickly into Wales’s international side are not so straightforward. Dan Biggar of the Ospreys is the man in possession of the shirt and in his last appearance against South Africa he was a “tour de force”. Then, there is the mercurial Rhys Priestland at Scarlets who led Wales to the RWC semi-final in 2011. At the Ospreys there is also the promising Sam Davies, a former U20 international player of the year. Even at Cardiff things are not so open with the prodigious Rhys Patchell in their squad. If he had not suffered a significant injury last season he would have undoubtedly added to his two international caps. Last, but not least, there is Owen Williams at Leicester who stunned the ultra-competitive Aviva Premiership with his displays last season. The 22 year old displacing England fly-half Toby Flood as first choice for the Tigers. In short, Anscombe might not be in the top five number 10’s available for Wales.

Warren Gatland and his squad will though no doubt be very pleased with Anscombe’s arrival, although it may be too late for the November international series. Anscombe has strengthened Gatland’s options, increased competition for places and shown his players that there are no guarantees. It is also a considerable boost for the game in Wales that at a time when so many players are choosing to leave a player of Anscombe’s pedigree has chosen to ply his trade there. If Anscombe settles then he has the undoubted talent and potential to reach the top and if he gets the chance to wear the red of Wales then both he and the country will be grateful that both had made the right decision at the right time.

 Read on:http://lastwordonsports.com/2014/07/29/gareth-anscombe-new-zealands-loss-waless-gain/

 

Commonwealth Games Rugby 7’s – The dress rehearsal for Rio 2016

The inclusion of Rugby 7’s in the Olympics at Rio in 2016 has ramped up its profile across the sporting world. In Glasgow this weekend at the home of the famous Glasgow Rangers football club, Ibrox Park, a portent of the quality of that Olympic tournament will be on show.

The Commonwealth games brings together most of the top teams of the IRB sevens series and a pecking order for Rio will emerge. Teams will be able to benchmark their preparation and try out combinations and strategies. Sevens players at this elite level tend to be specialists and only Scotland have raided their 15 a side international team to augment their squad with the significant arrival of Scottish full internationals Stuart Hogg and Sean Lamont. The rest of the teams bring some of the strongest players in the world to the tournament. Anyone who has played rugby 7’s knows that it is a game of great speed that tests the players’ fitness, skills, stamina and heart to an extraordinary degree. As Sir Gordon Tietjens, the legendary NZ sevens coach puts it, “Standards in 7’s rugby are more than the physical and mental, they’re just not one thing.” There is no place to hide on the field of play, one on ones are omnipresent and any errors are always costly. The team that wins this tournament will be not just well prepared and supremely fit, that is a given, but the team that will ultimately emerge with the gold medal will be the one that has the ability to change plans on the hoof and the courage to express itself both individually and collectively.

In these days of over coached testosterone chess that is the 15 a side game the game of 7’s is a refreshing change which allows the mavericks, the smaller cleverer players a place on the big stage. Scotland is the spiritual home of rugby 7’s and the stadium will be full and raucous and they will know that NZ are the team to beat. There are though several teams capable of denying NZ their fifth consecutive Gold medal, notably England and their captain Tom Mitchell who reckons his side could just pull off something special. There are certain advantages to us," Mitchell told Press Association Sport. "We haven't had to travel far which is a benefit and where we are after the training we've done, we're in a really strong position so we're hoping to do very well and it's certainly realistic to be up there. Speaking to some of the guys who were in Delhi four years ago, a fourth place finish is pretty tough to swallow and everyone is pretty determined to go well this year. We've worked incredibly hard over the last couple of months to get things right, and working hard in the gym as well to get in the best possible shape for it. If we back ourselves and do what we know we can do we can do well against anyone." England might not enjoy great support at Ibrox yet they do have the pedigree to go deep in the tournament but with five of the six best teams in the world in Glasgow they know anything could happen.

But despite that Mitchell and his peers know that the team to beat will be NZ with a record of zero defeats in four Commonwealth Games and a "brutal" training regime behind them, every team will be chasing down New Zealand, with Captain DJ Forbes telling BBC Sport the rigorous work Sir Gordon Tietjens has been putting the team through.  "His methods are old school - 'brutal' is one of the words I'm sure a lot of people will agree with," said the forward, with Tietjens revealing why he has put his team through the mill. "It's fair comment that I'm quite hard, but I also believe I'm quite fair.”

It is the unpredictable nature of the tournament that makes it the most wanted ticket in town, and the appearance of several of the smaller teams adds great spice to the mix.

Pool A of New Zealand, Canada, Scotland and Barbados is arguably the toughest of the four due to three IRB Series core nations being involved. Many expect the fixture at 21:04 between the Canadians and Scots to be vital in deciding who joins the Kiwis in the Cup.

Pool B consists of South Africa, Kenya, Cook Islands and Trinidad and Tobago

Pool C has Samoa, Wales, Papua New Guinea and Malaysia battling for progression to Sunday's elite competition.

Pool D pits England with Australia, Sri Lanka and Uganda in what should be a Cup progression formality for the more established duo on Day One.

The bookies rarely make a mistake and they have New Zealand as favourites and South Africa, England, Australia, Samoa and Canada their closest rivals, Kenya are a team not to be written off. It is very hard to see beyond a NZ victory and they will deserve it because they never take anything for granted. Expectation back home will drive them on they will not want to disappoint themselves and their supporters. “We find that every team that plays New Zealand goes into a game saying 'we've got nothing to lose'. So we treat every game like a final.” Is how Tietjens has prepared his team. To win the gold medal at Glasgow 2014will require a supreme effort, 100% on the gas for two days. Whoever emerges victorious will know that they will have earned the plaudits.