Rugby World Cup - as the dust settles

As the dust settles from the Rugby World Cup #RWC2015 the storm cloud are gathering. England Rugby has parted company with Stuart Lancaster and are saying that they may appoint a “foreign coach for the first time”. 

 This could mean that when the World Cup comes round in Japan #RWC2019 there may not be a single country coached by a coach from the shores of the UK. Lancaster had signed a contract through to 2020! But the contract allowed a review to negotiate after the World Cup…. So what makes a good coach it surely can`t just be the accent!

When Japan comes round there may also be a shortage of UK referees. Those in charge of rugby #worldrugby always talk about the age of referees. It is their policy to promote the `younger referees`. It was therefore really pleasing to hear Nigel Owens – clearly the best referee in the world at the moment – who was being interviewed on BBC`s Hardtalk #bbchardtalk state that he was hoping to be around for the tournament in Japan when he will only be 44years young. “If you are good enough you are young enough”

Nigel`s lifestory has been well documented both in print and in the BBC Wales documentary and this has endeared him to both rugby players and supporters alike. He is superb when it comes to `one-liners`. One of his best being when a ball was thrown squint in the line-out Nigel blew his whistle and said “Crikey, I`m straighter than that!”. Truly one of Rugby`s great characters.

Post World Cup, its fine to see what happens `once the dust settles` but in the immediate aftermath the joy of the All Blacks it’s good to see what happened in the sanctuary of the dressing room. If you go to www.allblacks.com there is an opportunity see Team All Blacks in an exclusive look  in the `All Blacks changing room after the Final'.

For every winner there is a loser and from losing can come the determination to make sure that you change into a winner, but it only comes from hard work   ---   Ask an All Black. Does their dust ever settle?! www.rugbyplus.com/club-int-I-replica/newzealand.html

Looking Back On the 2015 Rugby World Cup

As this week is a week of Remembrance, it is only fitting that Rugby teams up with the rest of the United Kingdom to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country. To commemorate this selfless act, many Clubs held a minute’s silence before last Saturday’s matches. After all, it is only right that we remember. So in the spirit of Remembrance, we’re looking back at the 2015 Rugby World Cup #RWC2015.

Tackling A Week Of Remembrance

With the end of the year on the horizon and the biggest tournament of the Rugby calendar over, many rugby supporters and die-hard fans are suffering withdrawal symptoms from an overdose of all things rugby. And what a great tournament it was. From the moment Japan toppled the “mighty Boks” by sacrificing an easy penalty for a game-winning try, right up until the All Blacks took on the Wallabies in a clash of the rugby titans and Richie McCaw lifted the wonderful Webb Ellis Trophy, it really was one of the sport’s greatest few weeks ever!

Post-Match Commentary

Although those pesky Abs #allblacks probably deserved to win the 2015 Rugby World Cup, looking back, it’s hard to imagine a team that was actually capable of beating them. In the interest of “what if” scenarios, who stood a chance? What if Scotland had not been so desperately unlucky in the dying seconds against Australia? What if Argentina was a piece of cake? What if the Tartan Bravehearts went on to get a result against these guys of “the long white cloud”?

Back On The Side-lines

Back in the shop things were extremely busy during the 2015 Rugby World Cup. On the Monday after Japan’s kamikaze win over South Africa, we sold eight Japanese rugby jerseys. By the end of the week, we were completely sold out. As people flocked to support the underdogs, jerseys for the so-called “less likely to win nations” also fared well. As Namibia, Georgia, Fiji and Samoa climb the rugby ranks, so did our sales for underdog goods.

But as all good things must come to an end, the end of the 2015 Rugby World Cup marks the beginning of Club Rugby, Pro Rugby and European Rugby. If you’re one of the many rugby fans tackling post-World Cup blues, we’re clearing out our Rugby World Cup stock, so pop on down to the shop or visit our website. Whether you’re a player, volunteer or ardent fan, you’re the one who keeps rugby top of the sporting log as the number one sport in the world. So as we pay tribute to the brave both on and off the field, let’s look back on what’s being called the best Rugby World Cup ever. What do you think?