London Welsh get thumbs up for promotion

The decision last Friday to promote London Welsh to the Aviva Premiership was great news for anyone who holds the integrity of sport at heart.

Having declined their original application through not meeting the Minimum Standards Criteria (MSC) for playing Premiership rugby, the RFU had no option but to admit them to the top tier, on the basis of the decision by the independent panel led by James Dingemans QC.

Kassam Stadium
Pic (c) footballaway.co.uk

The panel met to decide on London Welsh's argument that the rules governing the Primacy of Tenure section of the MSC had infringed UK and EU competition law. London Welsh were successful in arguing their case, so are now free to play their fixtures at their new home, the Kassam Stadium in Oxford.

The ground is home to Oxford United, and owned by the club's former chairman, Firoz Kassam, who oversaw the completion of the stadium's construction over a decade ago.

Given the ground's main status prior to the introduction of the London Welsh scenario, it would be difficult to see how Primacy of Tenure could justifiably have been given to the rugby club.

Ground-sharing between different sports clubs at the highest level in England has been a feature of the sporting landscape since the advent of professionalism in rugby union during the 1990s.

London Irish have used the Madejski Stadium in Reading since 2000; Saracens have been Watford FCs tenants at Vicarage Road since 1997 (although will be moving to their own ground at Barnet Copthall before the end of season 2012/13); and London Wasps playing home fixtures at Adams Park in Wycombe since 2002, and prior to that, Loftus Road from 1996-2002, as part of their ownership by Loftus Road Holdings plc.

Sale Sharks have shared Stockport County's Edgeley Park since 2003, and will now play at the Salford City Stadium, alongside the Salford Reds Super League side. That move comes at a time when they remain as the only northern side in the Premiership, while there are five clubs within the London area.

The Newcastle Falcons will of course, face at least a year in the Championship, under the guidance of Dean Richards, who has a great track record in that division, taking Harlequins back to the Premiership in 2006 at the first attempt after their relegation the previous year.

The side who take up residency at the Kassam meanwhile, will not only have to prepare for life on the playing field among the rugby elite, but also need to build up their fan base in a city that up until now, has only been served by professional football. Rugby fans in the town may already have their allegiances with nearby London Irish in nearby Reading, or any of the clubs within reasonable travelling distance, including Gloucester, further along the A40 to Wales.

They need to recruit a new list of club sponsors who are willing to support the new venture - what happens to those businesses who have supported them over the years in Richmond, their spiritual home?

Despite much hype surrounding the Championship Play-off Final played at the Kassam, only 3456 turned up; a fair proportion of which would have been Cornish Pirates fans.

So, despite congratulations on a deserved promotion, the real battle starts by trying to win the hearts and minds of the good people of Oxford, and also their supporters from the bad times.

When is a suspension not a suspension?

Answer -

When it is an RFU suspension.

The RFU have just announced their verdict on a citing for Newcastle Falcons' Taiasina Tu'ifua. The Samoan flanker pleaded guilty to a dangerous tackle during the last league game of the season at London Wasps.

His punishment - a four week ban, running from 1 June to 28 June, allowing him to play again from 29 June.

As an international, Tu'ifua misses out on three Samoan test matches, against Fiji on 10 June, Japan on 17 June, and Scotland on 23 June.

But he remains free to play for his club from the start of next season. Surely there hangs a case to argue for RFU suspensions to be delivered in matches rather than weeks.

London Welsh fight on for Premiership place

The ongoing saga as to whether London Welsh can claim a place at rugby's top table next season seems as if it will continue long after tonight's final whistle was blown.

The second-leg of their Championship Play-off match against Cornish Pirates at the Kassam Stadium in Oxford may be irrelevant, if the RFU have their way.

The 29-20 win, for an overall aggregate victory, saw the Old Deer Park side earn the right to play in the Premiership - or so you might think. 

Pic (c) walesonline.co.uk

But the RFU decided on 23 May that London Welsh would not be eligible for promotion, after hearing the findings of an independent audit, requested by the London Welsh club.

The audit was requested after the RFU had deemed that the London Welsh club did not meet the Minimum Standards Criteria for playing in the Aviva Premiership as set by the Professional Game Board.

Their Old Deer Park ground in Richmond is unfit to hold Premiership rugby. The club attempted to work around this by arranging a ground-sharing deal with Oxford United, to play at the Kassam Stadium.

Despite this deal, the independent audit turned down this opportunity, claiming that primacy of tenure was one of several issues.

Another issue was that the club's back-up venue of Brentford FC's Griffin Park, was over 30 miles from the first option.

That in itself reeks of irony, in that Griffin Park lies only 3 miles away from Old Deer Park, when the club themselves are prepared to relocate 50 miles away in Oxford.

The final decision now lies in the hands of solicitors, and the bargaining carried out in the corridors of power. But really, what would a move 50 miles away from its traditional home mean to the club? 

The play-off match tonight certainly attracted what appeared to be a sell-out crowd to the Kassam, as the issue has galvanised a lot of support, but it has made for an interesting talking point.

Consider this - how far would you want your club to move just so they could play a couple of seasons of top flight sport? And would London Welsh then return to Richmond once their spell at the top is over?

RFU decide on Tuilagi tackle

Pic (c) Getty Images

An RFU disciplinary panel yesterday dismissed the citing of Leicester Tigers' Manu Tuilagi for an incident in the first minute of last Saturday's Aviva Premiership final, which Harlequins won by 30-23.

The tackle, on Danny Care, saw the Harlequins scrum half 'tipped' by Tuilagi, brought off his feet in the tackle, and made to land on his upper body. The tackle can be seen on the Aviva Premiership website.

Under the IRB Law 10 - Foul Play, 

"Lifting a player from the ground and dropping or driving that player into the ground whilst that player’s feet are still off the ground such that the player’s head and/or upper body come into contact with the ground is dangerous play."

should result in a penalty kick. The referee, Wayne Barnes, played an advantage at this point, stating that although "the tackle was above the horizontal, it wasn't dangerous".

That comment was heard by anyone who had taken advantage of the Ref Link - a service where spectators at major rugby matches can hear the referee's comments during play. 

Harlequins played through the advantage, gaining ground past the point where the tackle had taken place. 

The incident was quickly forgotten in the stadium as the match was played at a frantic pace, and Quins displayed a game-plan that brought them their first ever Premiership title.

The RFU regulations allow for a player to be brought before a disciplinary committee after a game, even if, as was the case in this incident, the match referee had seen it and acted upon it.

The Citing Procedures state clearly that 

"Before bringing a citing complaint the Premiership Citing Officer must be satisfied that in his opinion the act of foul play merited the award of a Red Card"

Previous high profile incidents had brought this particular part of the game to the fore, not least the Wales captain Sam Warburton having been sent off during the RWC 2011 semi-final against France.

Although the game was allowed to go on, it came as no surprise to hear that Tuilagi had been cited for the tackle afterwards. The hearing, heard by Christopher Quinlan QC, Dan White and Nick Dark "was not satisfied on the balance of probabilities that the referee was wrong in not sending off the 21-year-old" according to the RFU press release issued after the hearing.

Conveniently, the centre is free to travel as planned to South Africa with the England squad, where they are on tour during June.

Fylde over-run Macc in rugby 'El Classico'

What a game! Fylde supporters this season have had a great introduction to National League One, and I know that parking up on Ansdell Road every other week at 2 o'clock, I'm letting myself in for a great afternoon in front of me.

The fireworks during the second half of the game against Coventry in November saw a brand of rugby that the home support have savoured, but the second half turnaround yesterday, in my humble opinion, eclipsed that performance, and showed why sport at any level is just the purest form of entertainment.

Having lost both locks to injury the week before, Mark Nelson had to reshuffle his pack, bringing both Grant Ferguson and captain Sam Beaumont into the second row.

A real backs-to-the-wall performance during a first half which saw the visitors pile the pressure on the home side, it took Fylde a full ten minutes before they moved forward past their own 22 metre line.

Reporting for The Rugby Paper, this was another day where the rugby on view just couldn't be justified with a limit of 400 words, but here is what appeared in this morning's edition.

Fylde 48 Macclesfield 23

The final scoreline tells a different story to the reality of this match, as Fylde blew away Macclesfield in the final quarter with four tries to demolish the visitors’ hopes of taking anything from the game.

Mark Nelson was delighted with his side’s battling qualities throughout: “At half-time I told them to just keep putting them under pressure, and they did exactly what I asked of them” he said.

“The Fylde pack was magnificent today, against a huge pack. We showed a lot of tenacity, commitment, at the scrum, at the line-out, against much bigger opponents, and with those drive over tries, it shows that we can score from anywhere.”

That defensive tenacity was in view from the start, as Macclesfield were camped in the Fylde 22 for the first nine minutes. 

After weathering the early pressure, it was Fylde who scored first, as Jonny Roddam emerged from the bottom of a drive over after 13 minutes.

Macclesfield though, turned the screw, and answered five minutes later, when Josh Fowles accepted a pass from Ross Winney, running over on the left.

Winney added extra points from a neat drop goal and penalty, before Jack Moorhouse extended their lead on 30 minutes, while Richard Kenyon pulled back the deficit just before half-time, for a 16-10 lead to Macclesfield.

The visitors started the second period as they had the first, with Moorhouse scoring on 43 minutes, but that was to be their final score of the game, as the penalty count against them started to mount.

Oli Brennand started the comeback on 49 minutes, before getting his second on 60. Roddam added his second, after Tom Lavelle had thundered down the wing, to move Fylde into the lead on 65 minutes.

What really saved the game for Fylde however, was a try-saving tackle by Sam Beaumont on Fowles with ten minutes to play. 

That gave the home side the belief that they could hold out, and so it proved, as Brennand got his hat-trick minutes later, and set up Nick Royle to score the final try of the day.

Macclesfield’s Geoff Wappett thought his side should have taken something from the game: “I thought we got a bit silly or generous towards the end. I was disappointed at conceding the final points, and that we didn’t come away with a four try bonus point” he said.

For eagle-eyed readers out there, I failed to report on Evan Stewart's try-scoring contribution. He went over on 78 minutes, in another drive over the line against the club he left at the end of last season, and now sits in third place in the club's try-scoring list, with 16 tries. Not bad for a back rower!

Also missing was the detail of Macclesfield's Gavin Woods yellow-carded on 78 minutes for killing the ball in a ruck.

That result leaves Fylde level-pegging with Ealing in second placed, and a comfortable lead over fourth-placed Rosslyn Park. 

With six games to go, Fylde now have only two home games left, against third-bottom Birmingham on 31 March, and Ealing on 21 April, with a visit to table-toppers Jersey on the last day of the season, 28 April.

Teams:

Fylde: Royle, Viney (Waywell 68), Briers C, Briers S, Brennand, Kenyon, Wallwork (Depledge 73), Livesey (Griffiths 61), Roddam, Loney (Lavelle 49), Beaumont (McGinnis 80), Ferguson, Stephenson, McGinnis, Stewart

Macclesfield: O’Regan, Stobart (Hughes 57), Moorhouse, Davenport, Fowles, Winney, Eaton, Mantell, Moss (Kent 77), Robinson (Woods 40), Marsh, Williams (Roddy 73), Owen, Parkinson (Marsden 73), Barker

Scorers:

Fylde

Tries: Roddam 13 66, Kenyon 37, Brennand 49 60 75, Stewart 78, Royle 80

Conversions: Kenyon 49 66 75 80

Macclesfield

Tries: Fowles 18, Moorhouse 30 43

Conversions: Winney 43

Penalty Goals: Winney 27

Drop Goal: Winney 22  

Penalties Conceded:  2 - 12

Lineouts Won:          10 - 5

Lineouts Lost:          4 - 0

Scrums Won:            3 - 10

Scrums Lost:            0 - 0

Sin Bins:                  0 - 1 

Half-time: 10 - 16

Star Man: Grant Ferguson (Fylde)

Referee: Wayne Fella

Attendance: 824

Young Grasshopper mastering his game

Preston Grasshoppers have benefited this season by the presence of the exciting young scrum-half, Nathan Fowles. Signed on a dual registration with his parent club Sale Sharks, the 18-year-old has had a season of highs and lows, as he told me this week.

Pic: (c) Aviva Premiership

Nathan, you’ve been the regular scrum-half since joining the club in the summer. How has the season panned out for you personally first of all?

Well my main reason for going to the club was to get experience at an open age level, at a reasonable standard. Obviously Preston being in National League Two is quite a decent standard, and with the past players who have been at the club, I thought it was a really good opportunity to better my ability and gain more experience.

You joined them in the summer. How did that happen?

I’m dual contracted with Sale and Preston. I train every day at Sale with the first team there, and then train a couple of times a week at Preston, and play for them on a Saturday, unless I’ve got a game for Sale on the Monday night.

You were out with a bad injury for a while earlier in the year. What happened there?

We were playing Luctonians away, and it happened in the first ten minutes. I broke a bone in my foot, and was out for about three months. I missed all of Sale’s A League games. It was a pretty bad time to get injured, but it’s not been too bad since I’ve had the injury. Things have healed up, and I’ve done quite well.

Was that the worst playing injury you’ve had?

It’s the longest I’ve been out. It’s very demotivating going into training and doing the same thing every day, you just feel like you’re getting nowhere. But then eventually it all comes together, and you’re back fit as if nothing’s happened.

Does coming back from injury affect your mental approach to playing?

I was playing really well before I did it, my confidence was high. With the physios and medical staff at Sale, they ease you back into training and just do what you’re comfortable with, so it didn’t really phase me that much. I just listened to them and they said it was fine. I thought that if it’s fine to them, then it’s not going to worry me, so I just got on with it. I’ve seen cases of lads at Sale who have got really down and really wary, but no, I was fine. Sometimes an injury can affect your game, but the way Sale are run, they have the highest quality medical staff, and they rehab you until everything is perfect and back to normal. 

You were part of the Sale Academy at Myerscough College for the last couple of years, how well did that time bring you on as a player?

Massively! I remember when I started at Myerscough I was the third choice scrum half for Lancashire under 16s, never got a start with them, and by the end of my time at Myerscough I had played for North of England, played in the divisional festival to go into the England squad, played for England Colleges, got a contract at the Sharks, and played for the Sale Jets. My career escalated in such a short period of time. I wasn’t academic at school, I was more practical, so for me to go there and do rugby and learn about sport was just the perfect combination really.

Pic (c) Lancashire Evening Post

And since you’ve returned from injury, you’ve made your Sale Sharks debut, away at la Vila in the Amlin Challenge Cup. How was that experience?

It was incredible. To do it in my first year at the club was beyond what I had expected, and also beyond what a lot of people had expected of me, so it was quite nice to prove to myself and others who have watched me in the past and helped me to get to this stage that I am good enough, and I’m heading in the right direction. It gave me a lot of confidence, because it was only two weeks after I had come back from the injury. I had played one game for Hoppers and then I was picked for that one, so I couldn’t believe it really.

And how did that call-up come about?

I honestly don’t know, I remember sitting in a team meeting, and it was just another squad being read out to the players. I didn’t expect it, I was just thinking I was going to be playing for the Hoppers at the weekend, and when I heard my name read out, the staff told me to go and find my passport. The way I thought about it was that they wouldn’t pay for me to go over there if they didn’t think I was capable and worth keeping at the club and having a future there. It was good for my confidence because although I get reports after games, I don’t know whether I’m going to be staying for the next five years or what. It’s good to know that I’m in their thoughts.

So how long are you contracted at the Sharks?

It was originally a year, when I left Myerscough, because I had ambitions of going to UWIC university, but the club have offered me an extension for twelve months, and I’ve accepted that now, so I’ll be at Sale until March next year. A lot of the lads the same age as me are going to be there until the same time, so the club have to decide whether they are going to offer me another contract, and I have to think about where my future goes from there.

So is your plan to stay at Preston next season then?

I couldn’t tell you, it depends on how Sale think I’m developing, if they feel it’s right for me, and if I think it feels right for me. We might agree that it is right for me, because I do get on with all the coaching staff and all the lads down there. I’m enjoying my time playing for Preston, but Sale might turn round and say ‘we want to push you a bit more’ so might take me to a higher level. I’m more than happy at Preston though, it’s a great place to play, the way they’ve boosted my profile and all that they do for me, I couldn’t appreciate it more.

Preston have had a decent season by their own standards have they not?

We’ve had some good results over the season, with players playing really well. Everyone has blips in a season but we’ve come into some good form and the lads work really hard down there.

And are the club aiming for a play-off spot perhaps?

We just have to see how the next couple of games go. With it being the back end of the season, injuries might take their toll, but we’ll see how it pans out because we’ve got a good squad. Even the second team are doing really well in their league, we’ve always got players pushing the first team lads for their spot so it’s a good sign for the future.

Finally, playing alongside a rugby legend like Sean Long, at a club like Preston Grasshoppers, is that all a bit surreal?

I remember as a youngster I used to watch rugby league more than union, and I actually had a season ticket at St Helens with my granddad, so we watched the home matches, and now playing alongside someone that I watched for years as a kid growing up is a bit of a surreal experience, but it’s the same sort of scenario as my first day at Sale. Training with the first team, that was unreal as well, having watched them from being young. I think it just becomes a friendship really, and it’s just like having any other friend eventually. It’s just a bit strange the first couple of times.

2011/12 Season Stats (as of 2 March 2012)

Appearances:

Sale - Amlin Cup 1 (1 x sub)

Preston  - 11

Scoring:

Preston – 6 tries

My Cumbrian Valentine's Date

A lunchtime call from the Sportsbeat press agency saw me travel up to Brunton Park, home of Carlisle United for their Valentine's Day fixture with Tranmere Rovers. My remit was to provide copy to the Liverpool Echo the next day.

Having only had the call during the day, I was still in lectures, so had 15 minutes at home after university had finished, before setting off at 5:30, through Preston rush hour traffic, up the M6 for the 90 mile journey.

I had never seen either side play before, so was a bit nervous about my work, as I was to provide 200 words at half-time, with a further 200 just before the final whistle, and another 200 words of quotes from Les Parry, the Tranmere boss.

Another unknown for me was Brunton Park - I had seen it numerous times from the M6, travelling south from Scotland, but was unsure whether it was easy enough to find once off the motorway, and whether I would have had a parking spot set aside for me.

Arriving at about 7:00, I had plenty of time to get settled, although the guy on the gate didn't have me down on his list, I was allowed to park anyway. A walk round the other side of the ground to the main entrance, and I collected my pass for the night, and made my way inside the main stand.

Now, when I've been to other grounds, there is a room that the press can sit in and have a coffee and a bite to eat, so it was with some surprise (a bit more than that to be honest!) that I was told that we were only allowed in the media room after the game, and to go straight up to the press box.

The box was well enough appointed, with its own light and power socket, although a little cramped. So, it was time to set up the laptop and get to grips with the teamsheet and programme.

Being unfamiliar with both sets of players, I had hoped to see Lee Miller (ex Aberdeen) but he was suspended for the night, having been sent off in Carlisle's last match.

Although there was no food available, Carlisle did have their own press helper, Jordan, who ran round with the brews, so that was something at least.

On to the match, and Tranmere surprised the home crowd, having the best of the possession and chances. Having lost their last seven away matches, and still to record a win in 2012, they were the underdogs at the start of the match, with Carlisle in the hunt for a play-off place.

A nil-nil draw was how it ended, and having sent my half-time copy without a hitch, just at the full-time whistle, my laptop slowed to a standstill, and I was left waiting for it to warm up, when perhaps what could have been the turning point happened, when Williams in the Tranmere goal made a point blank save from a header right on 90 minutes. The match report was available on the Liverpool Echo website the next morning.

I finally got that copy away after the whistle, before making my way downstairs to interview Les Parry. A quick chat in the dug-out, and I was able to plug the earphones in to my Olympus, and type furiously away in the media room while Carlisle boss Greg Abbot was giving his thoughts on the game to their local media. His quotes were also published the next day.

It was 10:30 by the time I had packed my bag, and started making my way round the ground to the car park, to be met by a padlocked gate! Panic was averted once I found the boardroom and a kind gent walked back round the ground with me, to unlock the gate, and wait while I retrieved my car from the field a half mile down the road. Thanks to Arthur - you are one of life's gentlemen.

By now, with a gap of ten hours between meals, it was time to hit the 24 hour Tesco on the outskirts of town, to wolf down a sandwich before the hour and a half drive home. Home for 12:30, I was thinking ahead already to my next assignment, the familiar surroundings of Park Lane, Whitefield, for the National League One rugby fixture on Saturday between Sedgley Park and Jersey.