Banger Banter Newsletter,1st Quarter 2010

8/14/2019 Banger Banter Newsletter,1st Quarter 2010

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Old Boys come out of woodwork

to play exhibition game at

club Family Day


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3/30BangerBanter JANUARY - MARCH 2010

You Will Always Be A Banger

5 The Mots du CaptaineBanger tricolor patois from our club captain

6 Peter BurgessThe club coach writes - YOU READ OK

7 Andrew TatamTates looks back at the Banger year 2009

14 The Ancient QuillGrahame Soi Dog Fox message to the old boys

16 Banger AncientsMatch report on recent Ancients match

19 Lost and FoundTom Kerr reports in from Northern Ireland

22 Geoff the ChefThe humble egg takes centre stage

23 The Wall of KnowledgeThe Know-It-Alls that loiter around the Wall of Knowledge

25 ClubhouseWall Street exposed with Rick OShea

26 My WhistleDave Smiths thoughtful insight on the recentNorthern Hemisphere rugby internationals

28 The Healthy BangerProgramming future rugby players

29 The Other HalfPictorial of wives and girlfriends at Banger Family Day

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Hit 2010 running...... I enjoyed the holiday season alittle too much. As a result, I am a little late getting the

Banter out.The Banger Banter newsletter is now into its fth year. A big thanks

should go to the members who contribute their time and effort, towrite a column for the newsletter each quarter.

When the club started the Banter in 1996 our goal was to simplypublish a newsletter for our membership and in tandem, provide aadvertising and promotion service to our club sponsors

We have never not lost sight of the original goals. In fact we aregoing to do a better job this year. Cris Dunning, the club marketingmanager, has made it very clear, he wants to up the anti and provideadditional media support for our sponsors. Its part of the Bang ForYour Baht sponsorship program

Do yourself a favour and support our sponsors, whenever you can.Remember, its their contribution that helps to keep the club on itsnancial feet.

The BistroBanger Privilege Card has been distributed to the mem-bership at large. All you have to do is patronize Bistro 33, for thepromotional advantages to kick in.

Check with Cris Dunning, if you havent received yours. Its well worthincluding this card in the arsenal of plastic in your wallet.

The Bangkok International Tens are in February. Eddie Evans will nodoubt be looking for help to run the tournament. If he taps you on theshoulder try and make yourself available.

If you have anything you ever want to add to the Banter, please sendyour jottings to [email protected].

Its always welcome.

Editor

EDITORIAL:Jean Jeff Francois Klentzi, AndrewTatam, Peter Burgess, Rick OShea, Geoff McKenna, Doug

Ozanne, David Smith, Jeremy Fairtbrother, Cris Dunning,

Graham Fox, Mike Laloli

CONTRIBUTORS:James Moss, Roberto Guolo

Steve Mommaerts, Tom Kerr

PHOTOGRAPHY:Johnn Jaspers, Robert Brewer

PROOF READER: Roger Fitzgerald

WEBMASTER:Jason Manning

BANGER BANTERis published quarterly by the Old Bangkok Bangers Rugby Club for members, sponsors and friends of the rugby club. The

Banger Banter is downloadable from the club web site. Members contribute all editorial and photography. The layout and design is provided by

Ruck Graphics - a member of the Old Bangkok Banger Rugby Club




Cette n dannee a t a limage de la saison : Pleine devenements

et demotions.

Il y a dabord eu le fabuleux Anghor 10s et les 4 jours passes aPhnom Pehn avec comme resultat le trophe de champion pourles Old Boys et une honorable place de naliste de la plate pour

les Colts.

Pour le reste, ce qui se passe On tour reste On tour mais dernierr estera memorable.Sen est suivi le Bangkok 10s ou la seule satisfaction a t

davoir lequipe ayant la plus grande moyenne dage, cequi malheureusement nest pas un avantage dans une tellecompetition.

Ensuite quelques courageux Bangers ont comme lanneederniere participer au Marathon de Bangkok en courant les10.5 km.

Puis se fut le tour de notre traditionnel Familly Day avec nos amis Japonais et loccasion pour notretout nouvelle section The Ancient de rechausserles crampons et faire leur premier match delannee

Quelques jours tard, il tait temps de tous se

retouver au bistro 33 pour le tradionnel Christmas dinner avant determiner lasemaine suivante par la Carol Night au Redand White

Ouf il est donc maintenant temps de se faire une pose avec les fetes de n dannee et je voudrai a cette occasion

souhaite un joyeux Noel et surtout une tres bonne annees 2010 a tous les Bangers avec je lespere encore plus desucces, de bonne sante, dargent et de bonheur quen 2009.

See you soon at training..

Mind my French




2009 WAS A GOOD YEARfor the Old Bangkok

Bangers. Participating in the Thai RugbyUnion (coming to grips with local refereeinginterpretations) followed by the RBSC minicompetition allowed us to show case our rugbyprowess.

In reality, we played more rugby in 2009 than anyof the previous years which is great for players &club members alike.

Our usual tournaments in Pattaya, Phuket andPhnom Phen & the Bangkok International 7s wentvery well, with the club being competitive in all

events (on & off the eld). The 33 Cup has beenloaned to the Southerners, but I am condent we

can win it back in the very near future.

Club activities were well supported, with the BangerFamily Day becoming a popular annual calendarevent. The emergence of the Banger Ancientsas a true rugby force to be reckoned with will sendshivers down the spines of the opposition. Great tosee some of our sponsors lining up to play.

The Banger Golf Day drew the usual suspects outof the woodwork. If the Bloody Marys 6.30 am atWall Street didnt sort you out at the start, the aftermatch function at Wall Street certainly did! Welldone to the organizers!

The next major event on

the Banger calenderis the BangkokInternational Tens inFebruary.

This is a majortournament for us. Assoon as trainingcommencesin the NewYear, thisevent will

be ourfocus.

FinallyI wishto

personally thanks all our sponsors for their support duringthe year

Believe me it is greatly appreciated The club could notfunction without you.


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8/30 8BangerBanter JANUARY - MARCH 2010


met Roberto for lunch at Zanottis, theup scale Italian eatery on SaladaengRoad. Over my scallopini, Robertoproceeded to tell his rugby story.ROBERTO WAS BORN THIRTY ONE YEARS AGOinMontebelluna, the medieval town in Northern Italy. He played at ahis rugby at a very early age. By the age of sixteen, when family

moved down the road to nearby Trevsio - 30 kilometers north ofVenice - he already completed nine seasons of rugby.

During his teenage years, Roberto playedwith Benetton Trevsio, the strong rst

division Italian club. The giant Benettoncorporation, have a tradition of supportingminor sports in his native land, likebasketball, volleyball and rugby. At theage of 21 for business reasons, he signedwith another Trevsio club, Tarvisium.

Roberto chose rugby over football inhis soccer crazed native country, simplybecause it was played across the street200 metres from where he lived.

Over time he was asked to join in andhas never looked back. In addition,eleven players from the local club wereneighbors living on the same street.

Interestingly, he started his career as

a halfback however, moved forward

to the engine room. Roberto has

come into his own and establishedhimself as a efcient and clever

hooker.

In his youth he has played alongside notable Italian national teamplayers, including the Dallan brothers,Bergamasco Mauro, Perugini Salvatore,Parisse Sergio, Alessandro Troncon,Zanni, Ongaro and Pavanello.

During his career, he has been fortunate

enough to be coached by John Kirwanand Craig Green, both outstanding AllBlacks who played and coached in Italy atthe tail end of their careers.

Roberto represented Italy on 21occasions as a junior, including playinga junior world cup qualifying round inCasablanca in Morocco 1976.

He started his working career with Replaythe Italian jean manufacturer howeverwas later head hunted by Benetton.

Roberto is now CEO of the Asia Pacic




branch ofce in Bangkok and responsible for operations in

Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam.

When he arrived in Bangkok he was looking for a rugby club to

join. It was indeed fortuitous, that he rocked up atWall Streetone evening during the last World Cup to watch France play NewZealand on the big screen. He met Tom Kerr as you do. Tomrecognizes talent when he sees it and signed him up on the spot.

What Roberto really loves about

the game is the camaraderie andfriendship, all essential elements ofthe rugby family. As he points out,you can go anywhere on the planet,

join a club and instantly have a plethora of international friends.

Peter Burgess describes him as a typical kiwi forward uncompromising and totallycommitted. Thats quite a wrap.

He takes pride in his skills & it is evident he has played rugby at a high level andenjoys playing the game rather than watching. says Peter

He has certainly managed to bring some Italian la dolce vita style to the

Bangers, both on and off the eld.

Despite his modest years and manner, it is immediately apparent. Robertoexudes the kind of easy-smiling, charismatic condence with absolutely nothing

to prove.

He has reached maturity & evolved into a rst grade player! The Bangers are

indeed lucky to have him on board




Editor : James, pleased to have the opportunity to chat to you ?James: The pleasure is all mine. Its been a while since I wasinterviewed for a sports magazine!

Editor : Lets get down to it. I know you are a busy man. When andwhere did you start to play rugby?James: My rst game was when I was around 8 years old (I think) in

Nelson, New Zealand. One of those cold, bloody Saturday morningsthat NZ is famous for. And yes, I was thrown into the forward pack!

Editor : Who were some of biggest inuences in your early years?

James: Being originally from Wellington, it was the team as a wholeand obviously Murray Mexted (is that how you spell his name?), StuWilson and Bernie Fraser. Cowboy Mark Shaw from the Manawatuwas a legend given his erce rucking. When I went to school in

Christchurch, the Canterbury team had just won the Ranfurly Shield

and Wayne Smith was a key player. Although I was pissed off withthat, he was a pretty impressive player as was Robbie Deans whomust have been one of the unluckiest players not to have playedmore for the All Blacks (because of a Wellington player, AlanHewson).

Editor : I understand you are from Wellington ?James Yep. Born in a place called Karori and went to Karori NormalSchool when I was young. Parents moved us to Nelson when I was7 years old. In Wellington, I can vividly remember walking to schoolat a 90 degrees angle because the wind was so strong. Wellington isaffectionately known as Windy Wellington.

Editor : You ended up going to Christs College in Christchurch aschool with a great rugby tradition. Did you manage to crack the rst

fteen?

James; Unfortunately not played 1st fteen rugby for my year

group, but I suppose that doesnt count. Only spent a year at ChristsCollege and then got fed up with boarding life. Spent four years of myboarding schools having spent 3 years at a prep school.

Editor ; Did you ever feature in/or see any of those classic annualbattles with Christchurch Boys High.?James; I did. Going to Christs there were also battles with Boys Highand the other schools there. We were known as Syrup Suckers (long

story) and were pretty much hated by the other schools.Editor : What is your greatest memory from your those days?James. Actually, the cricket side was. I played representative cricket

for Canterbury with Chris Cairns as

my captain (who went on to CaptainNZ). We won the South Islandchampionships. Snow skiing was alsohuge.Editor : How do you think rugby haschanged over the yearsJames; Denitely got a lot more

exciting as its so much faster. Iremember thinking rugby league wasbetter back then because of muchmore running. Now, no comparison.Lineouts are better, no more place-kicks and more tries (although kickingseems to have come back into the

Caught up with James Moss, the fearlessBanger utility forward.




game).

Editor : If you could change two laws, what wouldthey be?James: Reduce the drop kick to 1 point (from 3)and bring back rucking.

Editor : Do you feel that todays rugby players playtoo much rugby?James: No thats their job.

Editor : Moving on. What made you decide to comeand work in BangkokJames; I was working in Hong Kong as a foreignexchange trader wanting to get into equities.At the time people were looking for mandarinspeakers at the entry level so I was told to comedown to Thailand to get my feet wet and get someexperience.

Editor : You have not hurt your career by comingto Asia. Do you think the same opportunities wouldhave opened up for you had you stayed in NZ?James; Denitely not. The great thing about being

in Asia is that this is the fastest growing part of theworld and its also where 30% of the populationare. The travel and different cultures have beenfantastic. Needless to say if I was back in NZ Id beon a sheep farm with me and my mate, the dog!

Editor : I keep hearing good things about the

seaside shack you bought down on the Gulf ofSiam ?

James; Yes, I really should do the decentthing and throw a hog on a spit and inviteall the Bangers around. Just worried aboutscrums being packed down after a few anddigging up my lawn! Its a nice little get-awaythough and will eventually get around toorganizing a shin-dig down there.

Editor : Now married with children. Cant help

noticing you turn up with the tribe wheneveryou play on a weekend ?James; Always nice to have a fan club! Yehno its good and both of them are playingrugby so hopefully Im a good role modelthere. Needless to say they never come overto the Red & White afterwards

Editor : Do you have a nickname?James; Mossy is obviously the one mostpeople know me as. Chris Jack is mumbledoccasionally.

Editor : Chris Jack ?James; because of my good looks not mylineout skills

Editor What has been one of your mostembarrassing moments on the rugby eld?

James; Playing fullback and having my kickcharged down to lose the game in the nal

minute of play

Editor : James you are a very passionate AllBlack supporter. Wear the heart on the sleeve stuff.What do you think of the current ABs ?James; They are obviously a very good side with

Richie and Dan the Man in there, but fairly ordinarywithout them. That is a little worrying, especially giventhat the Aussies are building a young team with theWorld Cup in mind. Always love watching the All Blacksplay given their attractive brand of rugby Most times




they do us proud.

Editor What changes would you make if you werecoach?James; Kick out the two wingers and Nonu whoI have never rated. McAlistair has been verydisappointing as well upon his return. Never wouldhave picked Stephen Donald I would ratherblood some young players there. Forward packseems ne.

Editor : On another note, what are your pastimesaway from the Club?James; Getting back into golf as well as tennis.A regular gym goer. Thinking of a return to cricketalthough it takes so much bloody time! Used tobe a reasonable squash player so maybe thatfeatures at some point.

Editor : What was the last music album you boughtor downloaded?James; I actually bought 6 albums on the trotwhen I was in HK recently. (old albums that I had

lost) Police, AC-DC (Blow up you video), AliceCooper, Cat Stevens, Lou Reed, Aerosmith

Editor : I see you play a little golf What is youhandicap?James; About 20even shot a birdie at theweekend

Editor : Name three people (past or present) you would like to have dinner with?James; Prashant Pompous Nandha great mate of mine from the Southerners days. We had a great timeand some awesome memories. Dirty Doug. Third one difcult as I have come across many and varied people

probably have to say Vaughan McClear as we have known each other for a long, long time

Editor : What cant you live without and dont tell me Marmite ?James; BEER

Editor : You are clearly still in love the game do you think you will playing in ten years?James; Id like to be although only if I was reasonably able to get around. Nothing worse than being a spectatorwhen you are playing

Editor : James Enlightening interview Thanks for your time. Now how about an aleJames; OKjust a few then washed down with a tequila!




ALL INVOLVED HAD A GOOD TIME and I believe the Ancients

should try to have a run on a semi-regular basis. The consensus is, toplay all future game essentially by the same rules and with the samespirit enjoyed that day.

Your committee are 100% behind this venture and will do all theycan to support the silly old men.

In their wisdom, the committee have also decided to book a slotat the International Bangkok Tens next April, so the Ancients candisplay their range of skills to the world.

Next step. We would like to create a list (young people call it adatabase) of all Banger members who qualify for membership of

Ancients and who would like to be considered for awith the team.

u are qualied if you are over 50, have a medical

icate for piles, on chemotherapy or any other body

ability that advanced age enhances.

ou believe you may qualify, send your personal detailsSoi Dog at [email protected]

will need include your full name - in English - age,

by history, inside leg measurement, disclose alldical disabilities and of course a small donation toXFAM.

clear that some of the older Bangers are not treatingr bodies as temples! We really need to see mores turn up for training on a Sunday afternoon - a jogund the pitch, some touch (preferably before thewers) and a few beers after the session. This willure we are ready for any challenge on the paddock.

start after the Christmas break. Selection for thecients will be as erce, as the sh in the Queen Sirikit

k lake. Those that train will be the rst selected comeme day.

Its been a couple of months since the

Banger Family Day and the inaugural run

of the Old Bangkok Banger Ancients. The

joints and aching muscles should have

recovered by now and no doubt you are out

training in preparation for the next game.

By the way, the committee intends securing medicalsideline support for all games, certainly the ofcial

ones. But your attention to personal tness, you knowmakes sense.

Until the committee is satised we have the right

combination of attitude, spirit and respect for the rulesof our game we will restrict games to the Bangers

membership. When we are all satised, we will then

consider inter club matches.

At all times, players involved in Ancient action, willbe required to commit to the three fundamental of ourgame :

Winning is only to be achieved at NO cost!

NO-ONE gets hurt!

We will EXCEL in hospitality.

Some of Ancients believe we can set the standards forVery Old Boys rugby worldwide if we can get it righthere in Thailand.

That would be wonderful, if we can take that spirit toCape Town next year. Generate a pride of new friendsso to speak.




COUPLE OF MONTHS AGOon the Banger Family Day toexact, the new Old Bangkok Banger Ancients played an

hibition inter club match as part of the afternoons calender.

s match ordinarily would not have rated a lot of interest.wever on this balmy afternoon the entire club turned up toness the occasion.

those new Bangers to young to know, the Old Bangersre formed over a couple of beers at Wall Street aennium ago.

the founding members are still alive and are sprinkledund the planet. Two of the them proudly showed up for aon this afternoon.

ahame Soi Dog Fox recently appointed by the committeecrank up Banger Old Boy rugby, did a great job generatingme enthusiasm for the occasion.

ce the Banger Colts became the alpha team in the club,grumpy older fellas felt they had been pushed to theeline. Enough was enough was the call. We must reclaim

our heritage. Lets hit the ground running, just likewe use to do.

The players that rocked up were divided into twoteams. Their numbers bolstered by a couple ofyoungsters well below the qualifying age. Notquite in-keeping with the ethos of veterans rugbybut it didnt seem to matter.

Many of the old boys on show were around whenthe club rst started. This call to arms dragged

them out of bars from every corner of Thailand.

They turned up in droves with their copy boots,bandages, cotton wool, multi weave jock straps,20 year old mouth guards and surng shorts. No

pressed strip or knife edge creases on the shortshere.

Come game time, after the pre game photo

session the players cantered, not ran out on tothe eld The distinct aroma of old world linimentwafted in the breeze as the creak of limbs could


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DURING THIS BUSY TIME of the year its easy tolet your basic nutrition requirements go to pot. Onefood that can help to get you through those busytimes are eggs.

Eggs are very nutritious. The average weight of ahens egg is around 60 grams. The shell weighsabout 12% of the total weight of the egg and is

made up of a calcareous, porous substance whichis pervious to air, water and odors, which makesthem particularly susceptible to pick up unwantedodors and avors.

The white of the egg weighs about 58% of thetotal weight of the egg and is a thick, viscous,transparent liquid that contains a high percentageof water and some mineral salts. The egg whitesare soluble in cold water but will congeal at around70 degrees C.

The yolk of the egg weighs about 30% of the total

weight of the egg and is an opaque, soft substancethat will set at about the same temperature asthe white. The yolk is composed of albumins, fatsand mineral substances including a ferruginouspigment called haematogen which gives it its color.

Dietetically, the fresh egg is almost a completefood. It contains easily assimilable proteins,fats, vitamins A, B, D and E (only vitamin C isnot present), an appreciable amount of iron anda number of mineral salts such as magnesium,calcium, sodium, potassium, manganese, copper,

zinc, chlorine, iodine and uorine. Also, the eggbeing a bearer of life, contains precious oligo-elements.

The average 60 gram egg will consist of about 7grams of shell, 35 grams of whites and 18 grams ofyolk which, all together, will contain about 39 gramsof water, 7.5 grams of albumen, 5.5 grams of fat, 0.5grams of salts andwill give you about70 calories.

The compositionof eggs varieswith the breed ofthe hen and itsdiet. The diet willhave a signicant

inuence on the

avor of the egg

which studies haveshown that thebest eggs comefrom free rangehens which haveaccess to the

right proportionof grains andvegetable matter.Soft boiled eggsand scrambledeggs are theeasiest to digest, omelets and fried eggs come insecond and hard boiled eggs are the ones that take thelongest to digest.

Eggs are not only a complete food but they arevery versatile as well. They can be simply served at

breakfast time, used in any number of recipes for lunchor dinner and of course the myriad of desserts, cakesand cookies would not be possible without the humbleegg.

In one of the reference publications I have there are979 recipes given for eggs alone, not including cakes,cookies or any other concoction that an egg will end upin.

My personal favorite for eggs is Steak, Eggs andChips. Boring you might think! Well, the eggs should besoft poached then placed in a bowl. Add a little butter,

salt and black pepper and roughly mix it all togetherthen pour it on top of the steak ( Instead of gravy)




RUGBY UNION IS SUPPOSED to be straight forward.

In rugby, we create for ourselves small, self-contained worldsidealized and simplied versions of life. We have clearly dened

players, rules, goals, and results. Every match is short andsmall enough to get your mind around and make sense of.

The point of rugby is to create a fair start, with equalopportunities for anyone who chooses to play. Rugby isintentionally an escape from the unclear conicts of real life.

Given this idealized world, there are adults out there whodont play and whose only escape is boning up rugby andsports trivia.

Enter the world of the Know-it-alls. The Wall of Knowledgehas it share. No doubt you know some of these members,pretenders or have friends that t this category.

They are ones that think they are in the enviable position ofbeing able to demonstrate there vast knowledge on a widearray of rugby and sport topics.

Do people enjoy hearing about these important facts? Notreally. Their eyes generally roll, followed by a mild protestof Would you just @#$% shut up?!

AWall Street Know-

it-alls smugness can at times grate andget on the nerves.

The benet of being a Know-it-all is that other

people, dont in fact, know all. Wall Street Know-it-alls believe that it is their obligation to enlightenpeople about the gaps in their knowledge withinteresting rugby and sport triva.

It helps if you have a good sense of humour whenyou are in the company of a Know-it-all.

Fortunately, many of the patrons on the Wall ofKnowledge dont take these pearls of knowledgeseriously.

They tend to stand their ground and dispute the point.Of course that is exactly what a Know-it -all want youto do, so he can really ram the facts down your throat.And of course, if you are ever wrong, Know-it-alls will bewearing their best I-told-you-so grin.

Even baristas at upmarket coffee bars around Bangkokthese days are in on the act. Order a large latte. latteyai? they ask in a condescending way that both conrms

my order and gently reminds me that they dont servesomething as gauche and bourgeois as a large..

Albert Einstein once said, Great spirits have alwaysencountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.

Maybe he was right.




ClubhouseRick OShea

ONCE AGAIN THE OLD BANGKOK BANGERS

distinguished themselves by winning the Old Codgers

tournament at the Angkor Tens. The Colts came awayempty handed this time around.

The Bangers also entered a Colt side in the BangkokInternational Sevens. Unfortunately, several top playerswere unable to play because of other commitments.Coach Peter was forced to call on the older Bangers toplay against the young guns from visiting teams fromoverseas. Congratulations to Keith Coljohn who at 52played against the New Zealand 7s side. Well done.

Wall Street sponsored the McDermott AboriginalDevelopment Team at the Bangkok International

Sevens, who could not tour if a sponsor wasnt found.This team acquitted themselves well, beating a strongKiwi team in the semi nals, but going down narrowly

to the another strong NZ team, Carlton Grammar.

This quarter saw the annual Old Bangkok Banger golftournament. Loads of fun. Golf how it should be played.There was some stanzas of good golf but at the end ofday, the numerous cans of beer on the 18 hole journeytook its toll on all.

I attended the Banger Christmas party this year. Whata great evening. Started at Bistro 33 and then migrated

down to Wall Street late in the evening. Plenty ofbonhomie and good cheer here.

I had my birthday recently, so I put on a party. Goodturnout of Bangers. Something snapped, because I putfree beer on all evening. Free beer equals a long night.Enough said.

The Bangers are entered for the tour to Cape Townto next years Vintage Rugby Tournament. Anybodyinterested in this trip of a lifetime please inform me. Stillspace available.

The Shanghai Shaggers were in town recently for a

round of pool, darts and golf. Enjoyment was the mainingredient and this year was no exception. For thosethat dont know, the Shaggers were rst team that the

Bangers ever played. Eight years ago !!!

We blanked them in the golf 8 to zip and narrowlybeat them in the other two disciplines. Always a goodweekend.

Good to see the All Blacks going through the tourunbeaten in the tests they played in the NorthernHemisphere Bit of work to do before the World Cup

Cannot wait for the television rugby to start. Six

Nations or Super 14.

Take your pick




I ENJOYED THE INTERESTING AND EXCITING AUTUMN international rugbyseries at the end of the year. Ran into many of the Bangers at some stage, at eitherWall Street or Bistro 33.

Im sure youll all agree that the series asked all kinds of questions. Not just for theNorthern Hemisphere sides (maybe one or two for those in the South too!) but thereferees as well. It leaves us wondering what the 6 Nations competition will bring usin 2010.

There have been rumblings from rugby pundits including the RFUs Director of Elite

Rugby; Rob Andrew, to the IRB concerning the current laws, which in his opinionare killing the game as a spectacle,

It raises concerns of yet another tranche of Law changes, howeverIm pleased to be able to advise that the IRB have conrmed that

there will be no Law changes before the 2011 World Cup, despitewidespread alarm at regulations governing the ruck and tackle

areas.

And the prospect of forcing change before 2011 is bleakbecause despite the promise of a review starting next year,alterations between now and 2011 can only be made forsafety reasons.

As things stand, the tackler at the breakdown provided hethen gets on to his feet, is allowed to compete for the ball.

Critics allege this has swung the balance too far infavour of the defending side, with referees more likelyto now penalise the attacking team for ensuing ruck

infringements such as holding on. This, it isargued, has led to sides kicking away ball for fearof being caught in possession and so made Test

match rugby less of an entertaining spectacle forfans.

But defenders of the current set-up insist thatteams that want to attack can still attack, citingNew Zealands 39-12 win over France andAustralias 33-12 victory against Wales asevidence.

Andrew, is worried that the lack of entertainment isalready having an impact on supporters. Im veryconcerned that attendances will start to declineunless changes are made. I think were seeing italready, he said.

You just have to talk to people in the game,

including some of the coaches who have said theyreturning the TV off themselves when theyre watchingmatches.

There is a concern within the game that yourebetter off without the ball than with it, which isntwhat rugby should strive for. The risk in keepingthe ball in hand is too large. There are somefascinating stats from this years Tri-Nations,showing how little time South Africa had the ballyet they still won the tournament.

I dont know if you agree with his comments? Perhapsthey were just talking about England!!

Looking forward to 2010




From a new virtual reality training programmecreated at Queens University Belfast.

Team members from Ulster rugby have been working withresearchers in the School of Psychology at Queens on a range ofvirtual training scenarios that test players perceptual skills.

Dr Cathy Craig, a Senior Lecturer inVisual Perception who has previously

collaborated with Adidas and top professionalworld class goal-keepers to study perception ofcurved free-kicks in football. Immersingplayers in an interactive virtualreality provides anexciting new wayof exploring andunderstandinghuman behavior.

The advantagesof this technology

are that unlikeplaying a videogame on a normaldesktop computer, the rugby playeror athlete is totally immersed in arealistic simulated environment.

By presenting stereoscopicimages in a head mounted displayand tracking head movements,the users viewpoint is automaticallyupdated giving a 360 degree virtual experience.

This means that the user becomes totally absorbed in their virtualenvironment encouraging them to interact as they would in thereal world.

The players are tted with a backpack of sensors and don a

helmet-like visor known as a head mounted display through whicha series of 360 degree virtual scenarios are displayed.

Research is concerned with identifying the key events thatinuence decisions made by players on the pitch.

For the researchers this type of research provides valuable insightinto expertise and how visual info is used in the decision makingprocessSo far Ulster rugby players have taken part in two studies

Jeremy Davidson,Forwards Coach withUlster Rugby said:

Working alongsidethe researchers inPsychology at Queenshas provided us witha very useful visualcoaching tool that canbe used to developa players peripheralvision. This is a vitalaspect of a playersgame and we arelooking forward to itimproving decisionmaking for our playersin a real matchsetting.


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Banger Banter Newsletter,1st Quarter 2010

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