Road to the Rugby World Cup 2015: What are the all Blacks’ chances?
Wednesday evening saw team Blacks (not the Silver Fern lot from the Southern Hemisphere) take part in the annual Wooden Spoon mixed touch rugby tournament at Moortown RFC. The evening was put on by the Charity Wooden Spoon to help raise money for mentally, physically disadvantaged children.
With the real England squad heading into a final test against the All Blacks this Saturday morning, we take a look at the team Blacks’ squad and discuss whose shirt they would fill if they were to pull on the English Rose against the Kiwis:
Steph Round = Danny Cipriani: undeniable talent but off field distractions will always raise question marks against her name – reapplying lipstick just moments before kickoff and asking the paparazzi to take “action shots” of her midgame will leave the management team requiring reassurances that she is totally committed to the role.
Lucy Rigden = Manu Tuilagi: as the tournament’s top try scorer for team Blacks, Rigden was clearly the ‘gamebreaker’ for the squad. As with Manu himself, the management team will be left to ponder what is her best position? One of the first names on the team sheet without a doubt.
Alex Hall = Kyle Eastmond: the rugby league convert has bags of talent but the players around her just aren’t reading some of the lines and offloads she is capable of. A combination of great speed and dazzling footwork means she will always beat the first defender. With more game time under her belt, has the potential to unlock any game.
Nick Dyson = Chris Ashton: Came in to the tournament off a highly successful Sue Ryder campaign the previous season. Unfortunately the playing space was severely reduced due to the relaying of the first team pitches at Moortown meant that the blistering raw speed of Dyson was restricted to a few fleeting glimpses. Will always be a threat as defenders tire and has the ability to run a try in from his own goalposts.
James Teagle = David Wilson: Will be disappointed with early handling errors but made up for it with ferocious defending. A ‘dog-like’ performance with JT putting in some serious ‘hard yards’ that so often go unnoticed.
Euan Lawrence = Billy Twelvetrees: Brains over brawn. Mr Lawrence has vision not often found in many players, exudes confidence at all times and seemingly has more time than other players with the ball in his hands – The ‘Chessmaster’ knows when to play the right pieces at the right time.
Dave Paterson = Mike Brown: The England man is referred to as the ‘Angry Man’. Many people will mistake DP as angry whereas he is just actually ultra competitive. Rides his luck at times with officials and the management team need to watch his on-field remarks closely. He won’t be helping his team if he is in the sin bin for dissent. No-one can question his quality, error free rugby at its best – does not make mistakes.
James Farad = Chris Robshaw: A captain that leads by example, will cover every blade of grass. He is always hungry for work and has a knack of popping up on the shoulder at the right time to score.
Andy Boyde = Alex Corbisiero: Should have stayed on the plane, like ‘Corbs’ he came with plenty of hype heading into the tournament off the back of previous successes. Unfortunately a season ridden with injury, he looks well off the pace. Must get up to match fitness quickly or younger and hungrier players will pass him by. Some fight left in the old dog though.
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