Rugby Union: New Pre-Season Training in New Zealand, When England Beat New Zealand Twice in a Row (and You Didn't Notice) and The Night Wales' Stars Spent in a Lay-by
Ball In Touch: Our rugby columnist Jeff Ball comments on the most compelling and interesting rugby stories in the news recently. For further comment on these stories and more, follow @BallInTouch on Twitter
Ball In Touch: Our rugby columnist Jeff Ball comments on the most compelling and interesting rugby stories in the news recently. For further comment on these stories and more, follow @BallInTouch on TwitterNot horsing around With the British season reaching its mid-point and entering the winter shuddering, in the Southern Hemisphere their season has ended and they are enjoying the summer. After a suitable period of r&r, teams have begun their build up to the new season, with pre-season training involving lengthy and torturous fitness sessions up hills and sand banks and across broken glass and rivers of fire. Ok, maybe not the last bits, but anyone who has taken part in a proper pre-season will recognise the sensations. With pre-seasons starting earlier and earlier, the onus is on the coaching staff to come up with new and original ways to keep the players engaged rather than bored. A lot of clubs now work with teams from other sports, wrestling and basketball are popular ones, but horse whispering? Yes, you read that right. The New Zealand Rugby Union side sent its Super Rugby coaches on a two day course of what can best be described as horse whispering. Its not uncommon for teams to go on team bonding sessions, a bit of paintballing and the such, but the purpose of this course is far from messing around. The aim is to develop the coaches leadership skills. "The horses are an emotional mirror of us, so we're showing them things like how to communicate, how to praise. High-energy, aggressive sort of people, the horses are going to mirror that with tension, says horse trainer Andrew Froggatt. "On the other hand if we're too timid, they're not really going to take any notice of us so we've got to set ourselves up as the boss." With many rugby players (and coaches) typically having a lets smash it attitude to a problem, the horses provide the ultimate foil to these rugby folk and mean they have to undertake a period of self reflection if they are to complete their tasks. As the two days went on, slowly the coaches started getting it right, leading their horses around the paddock. Many may not realise it initially but horse whispering develops our understanding of boundaries, relationships, encouragement and consequences. So if you are a coach trying to think of something different for next pre-season, why not pop down to the local stables. 
Wales driving force. Or not Sam Warburton arrived on the rugby stage in the Rugby World Cup, the 22 year old taken the Captains armband and time and again leading from the front, inspiring those around him to push on and reach their goal. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for his car on Monday night, as he ran out of petrol on the M4 on his way home. With Wales team mate Jamie Roberts in the passenger seat, the episode developed over Twitter as Roberts filled the time by mocking his lift home. While waiting for help, the players made the most of it by engaging with their fans on the social networking site, answering questions and keeping in good spirits (Warburton loves a tuna sandwich by the way). Eventually Wales winger Leigh Halfpenny came to their rescue with a can of fuel allowing the stranded souls to finally make their way home, but not before Roberts, who when asked what Christmas present he would like said "A lift with a bloke that's not as tight as @samwarburton_," found out that he too needed to fill up his own car, before he could drive home himself. Irony abounds. 
Women do it better With the fallout from Englands Rugby World Cup campaign just about dissipated, the anger and annoyance is making way for a feeling of regret that we werent good enough to beat the tops teams. England fans then should take heart from the unheralded but much acclaimed performances of the England Womens side, who beat New Zealands Black Fearns over a three match series. With New Zealand the reigning world champions having beaten England in last years World Cup final, the England team was always going to be up for this one. The first game was at Twickenham with England winning 10-0, itself a moment of great satisfaction, especially for those involved last year. Not to rest on their laurels, they secured the series with a 21-7 win meaning it was the first time New Zealand have lost back-to-back matches against their biggest rivals. Finally a 8-8 draw with a much changed side meant the Black Fearns returned home with nothing to show for their lengthy journey. The noises from New Zealand were as you would expect, blaming a mixture of bad luck, poor preparation and a under strength side. But to focus on that would be a disservice to the England Womens team. The trophy was in touching distance not only in 2010, but in 2002 and 2006, and every time it has been New Zealand snatching it away. The openly had a point to prove and they made it. And made it well. A lot of younger players got some experience of what it is like at the top table of rugby that will come in invaluable when the next tournament rolls around. For anyone who has not seen a womens rugby match I thoroughly recommend it. The first time I saw a game was many years ago in the wee small hours of night as England played, you guessed it, New Zealand. After being initially disappointed at the misleading and short Ceefax description (it was a while ago) of England v New Zealand rugby I was amazed at the sheer physicality on display, the hits being even more thunderous than those in mens rugby. The efforts of Anna Richards, who is the most capped Black Ferns player, in particular stood out. Despite being battered and bruised to a level that even an amateur boxer going 12 rounds with Mike Tyson would fine extreme, she played on. And on. And on. Despite having to be carried from the field on at least a couple of occasions. Do not underestimate our Womens side they are spectacularly good sportspeople that do not get the recognition they deserve, falling under the shadow of the mens game time and again. Lastly, practically none of these players are full time professionals many have full time jobs that they go back to on Monday morning like an unassuming superhero. Hopefully by the time the next World Cup comes around, they will be recognised as much as their efforts deserve.