The Sonny Bill Williams Defection: What League Lost

The sporting media have been in a frenzy this week over news that star New Zealand and Canterbury Bulldogs forward Sonny Bill Williams has abandoned rugby league without warning to join French rugby union club Toulon. Armchair Playmaker discussed this year's surge in code-jumping league players earlier this month, but Williams' change of venue tops all because Williams has left rugby league in mid-season with more than three years left on his contract with the Bulldogs.

Because Williams is walking away from his contract, the Bulldogs and NRL are pursuing legal recourse, while Williams's camp is considering a legal challenge to the NRL's salary cap. The outcome of the debacle will have implications for both the current episode and future events, but for now we'll just give you a look at why Sonny Bill is worth all the trouble. Below is a series of clips from the recent test between Australia and New Zealand, held 9 May to honor the 100-year anniversary of rugby league in Oceania:

Hell of a Game

Want to see how strongly they feel about rugby union in New Zealand? In the wake of Australia's 34-19 win over New Zealand last Saturday, a loss that prompted an apology from the All Blacks, the Kiwi version of the Rugby Heaven news site temporarily changed its name to "Rugby Hell." The stunt has been pulled before, including after New Zealand's shock quarterfinal loss to France in the 2007 World Cup. The temporary logo whas been removed, but whether or not it will stay gone may depend on the outcome of this weekend's rematch with Australia.

Below is a clip of post-match interviews with New Zealand's embattled head coach Graham Henry, star flyhalf Dan Carter, and backs coach Wayne Smith. As you can see, losses go down tough for them.

Did the All Blacks Bring the Interchange to Rugby Union?

The rugby league laws allow for a total of twelve interchanges, or substitutions, using a bench of four players. These interchanges can be made in any combination desired, and for any reason, so long as no more than twelve total swaps are made. For example, one reserve player can be brought on and off six times for the same starting player if a team desires.

In the rugby union laws, seven substitutions are allowed from a bench of seven reserve players, and they can also be for any reason (Law 3.4). Unlike rugby league, though, rugby union does not allow a replaced player to return to a match (Law 3.7). There are two exceptions for safety reasons, though. For one, if a front-row player is replaced and that replacement is injured, then the original player can return to ensure safety in the scrum (Law 3.12). For two, a player with a bleeding wound can be temporarily replaced to prevent transmission of bloodborne illness (Law 3.12; see also 3.10 and 3.11). Aside from those exceptions, though, a player who leaves the match is done for the day.

Until now. In today's thrilling Tri-Nations match, which saw the Australia Wallabies get over the New Zealand All Blacks 34-19, New Zealand seemed to make a dubious use of the blood replacement law to keep a halfack in play. Starting halfback Andy Ellis was replaced by Jimmy Cowan early in the second half. Later, Cowan limped off the field with an apparent knee injury, and Ellis returned to play. After a few minutes, confused referee Craig Joubert inquired about the situation and was informed that Ellis had come back on due to a bleeding wound, despite there being no apparent blood on Cowan at the time he had limped off the pitch. Cowan later returned, as is allowed with a blood replacement, with a heavily strapped knee. (Interestingly, Cowan would later be seen bleeding from the nose, though only long after returning from the original blood replacement.)

Questions are being asked about the legitimacy of the maneuver, and the commentators covering the match for FOX Sports enjoyed several jokes about the possibility of "finding some blood" on other players to give them a rest (even playfully suggesting the clandestine use of a razor blade by a trainer to free up a replacement).

Given that the blood replacement rule is imperative for safety, it will be difficult for referees and opposing sides to challenge such questionable situations without compromising safety standards. At the same time, incidents such as this threaten to make a joke of the rugby union replacement laws. Armchair Playmaker suggests that rugby union should bring in some sort of interchange, similar to that of rugby league, before the blood replacements become a sham altogether. Why not allow seven total interchanges among any players in a side, or perhaps ten or twelve given the fast pace of the game under the new experimental law variations? It's worth noting that bringing the interchange to rugby union was also suggested recently by rugby union legend Mark Ella, weeks before today's halfback circus.

If something isn't done, we may see a lot more rugby union players wheezing for air or clutching at sore knees and shoulders as they limp off for "blood" substitutions.

Oh Captains, My Captains

The exciting 2008 Tri-Nations rugby union series gets a new wrinkle this week with news that both Australia and New Zealand will be without their usual captains for their first clash this Saturday. Australia is short center Stirling Mortlock, while New Zealand will look to make do without flanker Richie McCaw. Both stars are going missing due to injury.

Although some are downplaying their absence, others are predicting that the missing players will have a big impact.

There is certainly an impact on the fans. To get an idea of how iconic McCaw is for All Blacks followers, for example, check out this brief tribute from the Alternative Rugby Commentary site :(Caution: Profanity, rude language, crude imagery, etc.)



An even closer look at how New Zealand fans feel about Richie McCaw can be gleaned from this Pulp Sport skit (also featured in this recent post on the great RugbyDump rugby union clip site), which features an unlucky television co-host who dares to walk through Christchurch on the day of an All Blacks match wearing rival fan gear and a disparaging message about the All Black hero(Caution: A whole lot of profanity and aggression, predictably):

Soccer Fronts Up

Now and then, there is a fair bit of teasing about the comparative physicality of the rugby codes and their distant cousin known as football/futbol/soccer/etc., but it looks like some airline representatives from the world's most popular team sport stepped up on a recent airline flight.

Armchair Playmaker figures no one on that flight was likely to question the toughness of the New England Revolution players. Then again, a little bit of good-humored joking across football codes, such as the extremely parsimonious example below, is good fun so long as it's only in jest:

Will the 3N Thrillers Continue?

With today's tense 16-9 Wallabies win over the Springboks, the 2008 Tri-Nations series is off to a screaming start. Three matches in, each side has won one, and two sides have lost one as well. The average margin of victory so far is less than seven points per match, with two of the three matches played so far ending with a converted try or less between the sides. In other words, everything's still up for grabs.

Sounds great. The only downside is that if the tournament doesn't stay this tight, it will risk dragging on. Since its inception in 1996, the tournament has typically included six matches, with each side (Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa) playing a home and away match against each of the other two (a "double round-robin" format). In 2006, the tournament was expanded to nine matches, with each side playing three matches against its two foes. New Zealand strolled that year, clinching the tournament with three matches to go and losing only the final match of the series. It suffices to say that sort of timing can take the excitement out of the last few weeks of the event.

In 2007, the series went back to the old six-match format to make room for the Rugby World Cup, but this year it's back to the marathon nine-match format. This year's series began 5 July, and will end more than two months later on 13 September. If these thrillers keep coming and the wins keep getting split up, Armchair Playmaker says bring it on. But if the winner is known in say, mid-August...well, let's just hope this one goes down to the last match of the series, just as it did last year.

ARC Throws Down the Gauntlet

In anticipation of the upcoming Bledisloe Cup clashes between Australia and New Zealand, which begin 19 July when the rivals meet in the ongoing 2008 Tri-Nations Series, the pro-Kiwi Alternative Rugby Commentary site has issued a stern criticism of all things Australian. This clip should give some idea of how heated the annual feud over the Bledisloe Cup can be:



The Alternative Rugby Commentary site also provides a humorous (if rude) live audio commentary for All Blacks matches. If you're planning to watch any New Zealand matches live, you can turn down your television set and use the "Listen Online" feature on the Alternative Rugby Commentary Site. For an idea of what the commentaries are like, you can have a look at the clips (also available on the Alternative Rugby Commentary site's "Videos" section) for highlights from the first two tri-nations matches between New Zealand and South Africa--New Zealand won the first and South Africa won the second) (Caution: Lots and lots and lots of profanity in the commentaries):

Match One, Part One:


Match One, Part Two:


Match Two, Part One:


Match Two, Part Two:


Match Two, Part Three:

Even More NA4 Online for Free this Weekend

In recent posts from early this week and late last week, we've noted that matches from the North American Four (NA4) representative rugby union series can be viewed live online for no charge.

There will be more such matches Saturday, when Canada West and the U.S. Falcons (who currently share the top of the table with 2-0 records) play at 2:00 p.m. Pacific U.S. time (5:00 p.m. Eastern U.S. time). After that, Canada East and the U.S. Hawks (both 0-2 so far), will play at 4:00 p.m. Pacific U.S. Time (7:00 p.m. Eastern U.S. time). These matches, the last of the round-robin series, will determine seeding of the semifinal matches to begin at the end of the month. Live feeds of the matches will be available at the NA4 site.

If you can't wait for the live feeds, some clips from the first match of the series (played in May between the two Canadian sides) are available below. Armchair Playmaker will be sure to share more match clips as they turn up.

Watch More NA4 Online For Free

As the 2008 North American 4 representative rugby tournament continues, a doubleheader is available for free viewing online tonight. First, the U.S. Hawks take on Canada West at 5:15 Pacific U.S. time (8:15 Eastern U.S.), while the U.S. Falcons take on Canada East at 7:15 Pacific U.S. time (10:15 Eastern U.S.). To get a link to the live feeds, go to the official NA4 site just before kickoff.

"Raging Bull" Charges Gasnier

Yesterday, Armchair Playmaker mentioned that rugby league might be losing one of its big names to rugby union. The confirmation is in with today's announcement that Mark Gasnier will sign with French rugby union club Stade Francais. It's no coincidence that the side is coached by Ewen McKenzie, who coached a few rugby league converts while with the New South Wales Waratahs.

Australian rugby league legend Gorden Tallis, known as the "Raging Bull" during his playing days, says good riddance, opening his newspaper column yesterday thusly:

"Mark Gasnier is a wonderful player, but if he is so driven by money that he wants to go and play rugby union in France, I say au revoir."

Gasnier's departure is certainly timed poorly for rugby league, given his prominence in the advertising campaign for the upcoming Rugby League World Cup (see this earlier Armchair Playmaker post for one ad featuring Gaz). Considering that, Gasnier might have got off easy from Tallis, considering what we've seen him do to opposition in the past:

Code-Swapping Epidemic Imminent?

It's been less than two decades since a rugby league player couldn't switch to rugby union, having lost his eligibility for the latter sport by having to audicity to take a wage for his troubles. Those days are gone, now, though, as is evidenced by converts such as Jason Robinson, Berrick Barnes, Lote Tuqiri, Mat Rogers, Brad Thorn, Wendell Sailor, Ryan Cross, Timana Tahu, Andy Farrel Lesley Vainikolo, Brian Carney, Clinton Schifcofske, Craig Gower, and Andrew Walker (and more). It may be a challenging move, but changing codes has appealed to many in recent years.

The code-swapping epidemic appears to be finding a higher gear, though, with news that Penrith Panthers back Luke Rooney is bound for French club Toulon, while rumors swirl that St. George Illawara star Mark Gasnier is headed to French club Stade Francais.

Will player drain increase talk of a hybrid game? There doesn't seem to be much optimism that it would work outside of Australia. The concentration of resources a hyrbid code would bring might be promising in the United States as well, though, where both codes struggle to gain the eyes of fans and a little rugby league physiciality might spice up the rugby product for an audience raised on American football collisions. Any hybrid game is nothing more than talk for now, but perhaps the United States would do well to listen.

Meantime, here's a look at the two latest converts (one rumored) in action:

Watch Live U.S. Representative Rugby Tonight

The North America Four (NA4) series, a representative senior men's competition featuring two all-star sides from Canada and two all-star sides from the United States, continues tonight. The schedule features round-robin matches between the four sides, followed by semifinal and final matches based on round-robin results.

In the 2008 series' first match on May 17, Canada West beat Canada East 20-15. Tonight, the U.S. Hawks play the U.S. Falcons in the second match of the tournament. You can watch the match live for free at the NA4 site starting at 6:30 p.m. Pacific U.S. Time/9:30 p.m. Eastern U.S. Time.

Given the United States sides' recent troubles, the good news is that an American side looks like winning tonight!

Monstering the Myth: Don't Saw the Molded Studs

For years and years, a lot of rugby union players across the United States have been running around with butchered boots. Unfortunately, this is due to a ridiculous misconception, and Armchair Playmaker is going to step up the mark in trying to dispel it.

Given that some American rugby union players come from an American football background, no small number of Americans play their first rugby union match in Amerian football boots. as with boots for rugby union, of these boots have detachable studs, while others have molded studs. Unlike rugby union boots, American football boots typically have a single stud on the toe.

Here is where the confusion comes in. The single toe stud has been banned in rugby union since 1981, so American football boots with detachable toe studs are not allowed. Some have also incorrectly interpreted this ban as a ban on molded American football boots with toe studs.

This is not so. Although Law 4.4(i) states, "A player must not wear a single stud at the toe of the boot," Law 4.3 (b) states, "Moulded rubber multi-studded soles are acceptable provided they have no sharp edges or ridges." In a clarification a couple of years ago, Peter Watson of the USARFU Laws Committee confirmed that the toe stud ban was only pertinent to boots with removable studs. Specifically, the clarification stated:

...I have heard reports of referees requiring that players cut a toe stud off molded rubber soles. This is not a requirement in Law. In fact, I have seen the results of this and they can be actually dangerous after a sloppy trim job, with sharp edges created when cutting off the stud...The prohibition on single studs is meant for boots with replaceable studs. Soccer style cleats with molded bottoms are covered in Law 4.3 (b), as are many boots intended for other sports such as football...In a similar vein, the boot style known as “blades” were accepted provisionally in 2001. That has not changed...

In other words, stop telling people to hack off that molded toe stud with a pocketknife! While football boots with removable studs must have the toe stud removed, no modification is necessary for molded boots. Let's get rid of this myth by spreading the true story on molded American football boots in rugby union.

Hint of Bias for ELV Naysayer?

Yesterday, New Zealand defeated South Africa 19-8 in the first-ever international rugby union match played under the Experimental Law Variations (albeit a more experimental set than those to be used worldwide starting in August). After the match, Springbok captain John Smit was nonplussed with the new laws, noting that the match "certainly wasn't the most fun I've had."

It may indeed have been the new laws that had Smit displeased with the match. It may have been the final scoreline. Or maybe, just maybe, this illegal dump tackle off the ball from Brad Thorn (who gets in trouble on the field rather than off it, noting over the weekend that he's no longer a drinker) had a little bit to do with Smit's dour outlook:

Mortlock: The More Things Change...

As Australia and France get ready for the second match of their two-match test series, Armchair Playmaker thinks back on how familiar one moment from last week's match looked.

It's been almost five years since Wallaby center Stirling Mortlock broke Kiwi hearts with his intercept try in the 2003 Rugby World Cup semifinal match, but he pulled off an eerily similar maneuver last weekend. The takeaways were at different points on the pitch and from different sorts of passes (one was from a long cut-out pass from flyhalf and one was from a ball going back inside in the midfield), but Archair Playmaker sees common threads nonetheless. See below to compare:

Here he is in the 2003 World Cup:



And here he is in the France match last week (at about 3:45 in the video clip):



Same old Mortlock?

Queensland Win Great State of Origin Series

Yesterday, Queensland came away with a 16-10 win in the deciding match of the 2008 State of Origin series. Featuring high-flying antics from man of the match Israel Folau, It was an exciting match and a gripping series, as you can see from the highlights below:

12 Hours to Origin Decider

With the 2008 State of Origin series level at one match each, Queensland and New South Wales will battle in the decider in exactly twelve hours. The below ad for this year's series should give some idea of what the series means to those contesting it: