Quote:Now from what I can remember from his tenure at LI was that we were playing a particularly drab style under Gold. I can recall a 20-20 scoreline in the wet with Falcons at the MadStad that left me leaving the stadium wondering if it was the most boring game of rugby that I will ever witness.
Quote:FairShout
At the Sale game, they were selling resevations for their season tickets for the new Salford city Stadium. Just a question...why do we have to wait until the end of the summer to buy our season tickets and then only receive them days before the first home game?
Quote:Each morning as he arrives for Leinster training, Isa Nacewa shakes the hand of every team-mate. It is not just a quirk of the Aucklander. All the players do it. It is a little ritual introduced by Joe Schmidt, the coach, who brought the practice with him when he moved to Leinster from tomorrow’s semi-final opponents, Clermont Auvergne, two years ago. He has yet to insist on cheek-kissing.
“It’s a good way to start the day, a little courtesy, a chance to acknowledge your team-mate," said Nacewa, the dashing, ringlet-haired runner who has been a mainstay of the side since his arrival in 2008. “Squads are so big these days that you could go the whole day without saying a word to some players."
The morning interaction is not the only innovation that Schmidt has introduced since taking over from Michael Cheika in September 2010. Leinster, who won the Heineken Cup in his first season in a dramatic final against Northampton, have lost only one Heineken Cup tie since he took over, a 20-13 reverse against his former club last season.
Nacewa knows the coach from his own days as a youngster in Auckland. He had reservations when he heard that Schmidt, who was working as Vern Cotter’s assistant at Clermont, had been appointed head coach, wondering if he had the character and presence to crack the whip on a squad of established international players.
He need not have worried. “Joe created a strong culture straight away, made sure that everyone knew who was boss," Nacewa said. “It showed most in his Monday morning review sessions when he would pick up on every little thing.
“You might have thought you had a good game. Well, you might until Joe got to work on you. Those Monday sessions can be scary. There’s no hiding place. Other coaches might brush things under the carpet. Not Joe."
Quote:annie blackthorn
Be interesting to know who spoke to the journo, and his role.
Quote:
Quote:The pity from New Zealand's point of view is that, right now it is highly unlikely he would be available.
Quote:bathfanstuckinhighwycombe
The whole thing is turning into a complete farse somebody should have been appointed ages ago recruitment should have been nearly finished but No!!