Friday Funnies - Stirling Mortlock low blow

It's not good to laugh at this type of thing, so I'll leave that up to you. But a few years back, in the 2004 Tri Nations, when Jaco van der Westhuizen put through a well placed, low, stabbing kick against the Wallabies, Stirling Mortlock found it anything but funny.

Taking it square in the wedding tackle, Mortlock was seeing stars for a good few minutes before recovering and continuing with the game.

Not too long ago we saw a charge down with the head by Corey Jane. I wouldn't want to begin to describe what kind of charge down this is.

Lets just say Mortlock was temporarily a contributor to this odd shaped balls website, in more ways than one.

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Shocking spear tackle from Bulls youngster

Young Bulls flanker Dewald Potgieter got himself in a whole lot of hot water against the Crusaders on Friday night in Pretoria. Potgieter has been suspended for a week after an outrageous spear tackle on Casey Laulala.

As if the evening wasn't disastrous enough for the Bulls, who went down 54-19 in the end, Potgieter put a black mark next to his name and is now out for the next week. For some reason the ref and touchjudge didn't consider this bad enough to be a yellow card, but I guess that's what the citing commission is for. I personally thought it would have and could have been a red.

It's a pity for the young Potgieter, who actually made a huge difference to the poor Bulls performance. I'd like to say you'll be hearing that name again in the future, but hopefully for different reasons as to why you're hearing it now.

We've seen some terrible spear tackles in the past, but this is one of the worst, with Laulala actually flipping over so far that he didn't land directly on his head, luckily.
A one week ban in my opinion is extremely lenient, but perhaps the players' disciplinary record and character was taken into account.

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Mark Regan handbags, with comedy by Brian Moore

Former England hooker Brian Moore is proving to be quite the entertainer this year, with his outspoken commentary becoming a feature whenever England play. Moore rips into his England team in a way that no commentator before him has done, and it's quite refreshing to say the least. Celebrating and lambasting his players as though he were a coach, Moore is blunt as ever.

As a neutral or even an England supporter, I'm sure it's nice to hear that someone acknowledges when players are doing foolish things on the field. Ian Balshaw, who's not the most popular amongst fans currently, gets literally shouted at by Moore at the beginning of this clip. The 'You're a fullback!!' comment wouldn't normally be heard by professional commentators. But hey, it's funny to hear that type of thing in the middle of a serious test match.

Mark Regan also got told off by Moore for his swinging elbows on a French player who was holding his collar. The ref handled it well though in my view, with no further action needed.

As for Brian Moore, he calls it as he sees it. He's bias and he admits that, which is good to see and makes for some entertaining commentary, something that's been lacking in the past.

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Ma'a Nonu finishes off a great team try

Someone once said that the great players always find themselves in the right place at the right time. It's no coincidence that certain guys regularly score more tries than others. You work hard enough, get yourself into position, and reap the rewards.

Ma'a Nonu did exactly that to finish off this excellent team try by the Hurricanes against the Reds on the weekend. Turnover ball against any New Zealand side is dangerous, and the 'Canes showed that in no uncertain terms by punishing the Reds with this 80 meter effort.

Weepu, Gopperth, Masoe, Gopperth, Nonu - trytime. The basics done really well at speed by some really talented players who show just a glimpse of what they're capable of. I've always been a fan of the Hurricanes brand of rugby, from back in the days when Christian Cullen, Tana Umaga, and Lome Fa'atau were running riot. This try, epitomises the counter attacking flair that the 'Canes have always possessed, albeit through a different generation of players.

As for discarded All Black Nonu, a well deserved try after many superb line breaks.

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Schalk Burger suspended for two weeks

Stormers loose forward Schalk Burger was yesterday suspended for two weeks following an unsavoury incident against the Sharks on the weekend. Burger was found guilty of "an act contrary to good sportsmanship" by a Super 14 disciplinary committee.

Burger will miss the upcoming clashes with the Crusaders and the Reds, after his suspension comes for making an abusive gesture to a touch judge after he had been pinned as being involved in a scuffle.

Schalk is one of the best players in the world and normally keeps his cool, but he totally lost it here and I'd hate to see this type of behaviour on a rugby field again. They already have a sport for that - soccer.

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England vs France highlights

England gave their Six Nations campaign a huge boost when they beat France in Paris for the second time in six months.

After a home loss to Wales, and a not too convincing victory over Italy, England bounced back and showed real heart to overcome the French in their own backyard.

Strong, aggressive defence and a destructive scrum reminiscent of that which damaged Australia so badly in last year's World Cup quarter-finals, were the key to a victory that will go a long way to maturing a young side that still has many areas to improve on.

Wilkinson and Flood are gelling nicely, and the inclusion of Wigglesworth proved it's worth as his interplay and presence brought huge value. Jamie Noon's massive hit on Cedric Heymans that led to the Sackey try was also vital. Despite replays showing that it came off Noon's hand, it was the kind of hit that not only resulted in a try, but lifted the team in general.

It was also good to see big Lesley Vainikolo finally being used a bit more. The much talked about Lomu replica has been wasted thus far. If you have a guy like that out on the wing, get him involved more and use his strength and speed.

England travel to Murrayfield in 11 days time for a meeting with the Scots that in theory, will see England overpowering the men in blue.

Video Length: 1:41

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Ireland vs Scotland highlights

As the Times Online said yesterday, Ireland are a team who are slowly but surely rediscovering their heart, soul and identity.

Their defeat of Scotland, while not perfect, was a sign that things are starting to fall into place, with the old and young intermingling to create glimpses of the brilliance that we've come to know and expect from names like O'Gara, Murphy, and O'Driscoll.

Ronan O'Gara himself was sublime, with his display of subtle crosskicking and pinpoint distribution that made him look the class flyhalf that we all know he is. Not to mention THAT flick pass which set up an excellent counter attacking try for Tommy Bowe.

Scotland themselves still have a long way to do. While competitive at times, they still lack the edge needed at this level, which shows in that they've only scored two tries in six internationals. Nathan Hines blew a great chance on the line by lashing out with an outrageous punch that didn't connect with anyone, but was penalised nevertheless and ruined that attacking opportunity.

Next up, Ireland meet Wales in a mouthwatering encounter at Croke Park, while the Scots host a rejuvenated England team that will no doubt be looking to continue their good run after beating France in Paris on Saturday.

Video Length: 2:40

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Wales vs Italy full highlights

Wales maintained an unbeaten record in this years Six Nations after their convincing 47-8 rout over Italy in Cardiff on Saturday.

With arguments about the open or closed roof over, Italy were in the game at half time, with a 5 point margin being the only thing that separated the two sides. In fact, if Gonzalo Canale had held onto a simple pass with the try line beckoning, Italy may well have been in front after 40 mins.

The second half was all about Wales though, with man-of-the-match Lee Byrne taking a brace for the day, and flyer Shane Williams once again scoring two excellent tries himself, the second of which showed what a classy finisher he is.

Flyhalf Stephen Jones gave an immaculate display of place kicking with four penalties and three conversions and his replacement James Hook slotted two conversions.

Wales are looking good, and their fourth round meeting with Ireland at Croke Park will be a real test of character for a side that has come on in leaps and bounds this season.

Note: Highlights of the other two Six Nations matches will be up soon

Video Length: 8:48mins

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Nick Evans try vs the toothless Lions

Aucklands Super 14 team the Blues punished the Lions by 55 points to 10 on Saturday night at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.

Last years semi finalists winning wasn't a surprise, but the emphatic victory and the manner in which the Blues brushed aside the young Lions was impressive to say the least.

Training ground moves were executed to perfection as the Lions defence fell to pieces and at one stage the Blues were scoring at a point a minute.

This Nick Evans try was an example of the quality of the Blues handling, but also the disorganisation of the Lions' defensive patterns.

It's going to be a long season ahead for the Lions if they continue to perform like that. As for the Blues, I think it's a safe bet that they'll be there in the top 4 when the Super 14 Semis come around.

NOTE: The video is currently down, but will be back up as soon as possible.

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Incredible hands for the Tommy Bowe try vs Scotland

A classy Irish performance set their season back on track against Scotland at Croke Park, in a game which produced an incredible piece of skill which led to a fantastic Tommy Bowe try.

The on form Ulster winger finished it off, but Leicester fullback and wing Geordan Murphy started it with a great counter attack and flipped pass, which popped up perfectly for flyhalf supremo Ronan O'Gara to pull of a quite superb flick of the ball that was pinpoint accurate and would normally only be reserved for the practice field.

A great result for Ireland at Croke Park, with this being one of the tries of the Six Nations so far, mainly because of that piece of brilliance from O'Gara.

Final Score: 34-13 to Ireland

Note: This video was down for a while, but has now been updated.

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Try Savers & Rib Breakers 9

You asked for it, so here it is. The next episode in our series of bone jarring compilation videos that will have you up out of your seat and psyched up like never before.

Try Savers & Rib Breakers 9 is upon us and brings you all new footage of the best last minute try saving tackles and the biggest rib breaking hits, all mashed into one video that lives up to the reputation of it's predecessors with incidents from all over the rugby world.

And if this doesn't satisfy you, sit tight, because this is just a glimpse of what we have to offer you. Try Savers & Rib Breakers 10 is already in production and will comprise mainly of the hardest hitting action from the Heineken Cup, Super 14, Magners League, Guinness Premiership, French Top 14, and whatever else we can get our hands on.

It's coming soon, so sit back and enjoy TSRB9 in the knowledge that here at Rugbydump, bringing you big hits and classic rugby footage is what we're all about.


Flat On The Floor by Nickleback

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Andrew Mehrtens zaps the crowd after a winning dropgoal

Known for being one of the most intimidating stadiums in the world of rugby, Loftus Versfeld has a reputation as being a place you don't want to be in if you're not supporting the Bulls. I know, I went there as a Sharks supporter once and wasn't too popular in my black and white jersey and painted face.

In 1999 the Crusaders took on the Northern Bulls, as they were known back then, in a Super 12 match that went right down to the wire.

The Bulls lead by more than 15 at half time, but let their lead slip thanks to some courageous play by the men from Christchurch.

All Black star flyhalf Andrew Mehrtens was getting hassled by the crowd all match, and when he slotted the winning drop goal in injury time to seal a memorable away win, Mehrtens celebrated by giving the crowd the old one fingered salute and two armed zap.

The game was remembered more for the reaction from Mehrtens than the winning dropgoal.

Mehrts has always had a fabulous sense of humour, so I personally found this quite funny, although it caused quite a stir at the time.

The final score was 30-28 to the Canterbury Crusaders.

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Jason White tackle against Ireland in 2005

Ireland play Scotland tomorrow at Croke Park in a Six Nations encounter that talismanic captain Jason White won't be playing any part in unfortunately. The hard working leader won't be available due to a head injury that he has not yet fully recovered from.

Scotland will no doubt miss him, what with his reputation as one of the hardest hitters around.

This is just one example from 2005 of his tenacity at the tackle. White stopped Maggs dead in his track.

If anyone has any other quality clips of Jason White making big hits, please drop me a mail as he's one of the most requested tacklers on Rugbydump.

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Friday Funnies - The Cory Jane charge down with the face

Hurricanes fullback Cory Jane took one for the team with this attempted charge down on Kurtley Beale's clearance kick in last weekends Hurricanes vs Waratahs clash.

The clip has been circulating around the web, but we thought we'd save it for our Friday Funnies slot, for those of you who haven't seen it, and for those who want to see it again. I've watched it a few times now and either cringe or giggle every time I see it.

In all seriousness though, I don't know how Jane managed to get up so quickly from taking a propelled rugby ball in the face. I think we've all been hit in the face from a pass at least once in our careers, and believe me it can be quick a shake up.

I think in this case, it was probably adrenalin, embarrassment, or sheer shock, but the former Sevens star (who's sporting a new hair do this season) shrugged it off with only a tiny dribble of blood from the nose and a bemused smile.

A true Falcon if ever there was one, and Phil Kearns loves that stuff.

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Jerry Collins gets hit and hurt by Beau Robinson

I think I saw pigs flying out of Sydney Football Stadium on the weekend, as one of the hardest men in the game was knocked to the ground, and stayed there.

It's very rare to see Jerry Collins on the turf. The big All Blacks and Hurricanes flanker is extremely tough and is usually the one dishing out the massive hits.

On this occasion, young Waratahs tear away Beau Robinson got the better of him with a devastating blow to the kidneys. Collins copped it big time, and stayed down for a long time as seen in this clip.

You can't keep a good man down though, and after a breather for a few minutes and a good chug on the water bottle, Big Jerry was right back in the action, showing no signs of ill effect.


Time: 01:27

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Uche Oduoza scores an incredible 98m try vs Fiji

In all honesty, until watching the San Diego Sevens two weeks ago, I had never heard of young Worcester and England Sevens star, Uche Oduoza.

But after literally the first minute of the England vs Fiji game, I sat up and took notice. Oduoza scored this incredible try direct from the kickoff, beating the hapless Fijian players who, in all honesty, didn't look like they wanted to tackle the big guy when in full flight.

Oduoza is fast, agile, and from the look of things, very strong. His profile on the Worcester Warriors website says he only weighs 100kg, despite looking a lot bigger, and after seeing this try, he looks to be a powerful runner who no doubt has a great career ahead of him for both Worcester and indeed, England.

A name to remember for the future perhaps.

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The Alternative Rugby Commentary are back for 2008

Thats right! They're f*cken back again, and this time it's personal! First up, the 2008 Super 14, and this year General Thian is leaving nothing to chance as they plough headlong into the Criminal Element and those Big Fat Biltong Biting Bastards!

For more info and antics from the brilliant bunch over at the ARC, check out arcrugby.co.nz.

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Wasps vs Bath classic with extended highlights

On a weekend where all the talk was about the Super 14's new ELV's, that are supposed to make the game faster and more exciting, we saw Wasps and Bath play a high quality game of rugby that certainly didn't require any changes in the law.

Bath winger Andrews Higgins notched the opening try for Bath in bizarre fashion, bursting through from deep inside his own half, only to seemingly run out of steam within yards of the Wasps line.

But his stray off-load was knocked back to him by a Wasps hand, allowing him to canter in and score, but not before turning back in the wrong direction, almost inviting the tackler to catch him. A rather comical finish to a great try.

The rest of the game proved to be anything but slow, and the theory that rugby as it is needs the new Experimental Law Variations was put to boot. It's not an open and shut case, but this game certainly proved that the game as we know it is still alive and well.

Wasps overcame a 20-13 halftime lead to come out eventual winners 42 - 34 after an amazing second half comeback.

It was a remarkable afternoon at the Rec, and although I don't normally post videos this long, I thought a lot of you out there would appreciate this one.

Note: All tries are shown which means the video is 10 mins long

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Fulgence Ouedraogo dropped badly in the lineout

On the weekend I watched the Top 14 meeting between Montpellier and Biarritz Olympique. The game was a hard fought and tight encounter, but just before the end young flanker Fulgence Ouedraogo suffered a bizarre injury in the lineout.

Ouedraogo is Burkina Faso born and another in the line of African born flankers that turn out for France. He made his debut for his country, France, on the New Zealand tour of last year. He is a strong ball carrier and excellent at the breakdown. He'll no doubt be a star performer for France in the future and is most definitely going to feature strongly in this years Six Nations.

His Montpellier team mates didn't do him any favours though when he got tossed up really high in the lineout, but then not brought back down to ground safely.

This is a lesson in how NOT to support your lineout jumpers. Ouch.

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Huge All Black defense rocks the Wallabies

There have been countless times in the past that spectacular, bone-jarring tackles have won matches. When such moments occur at the right time, they can lift a team to hang in there for a vital few more minutes or, if you look at it from the other perspective, big tackles can demoralize the opposition completely.

Even more demoralizing however, is when a big tackle is followed by another big tackle, and then another, and then another. When going backwards while on attack your options quickly narrow down to kicking the ball away.

Thankfully for the Australians, the kick is a good one, but nothing can take away from a truly tenacious All Black defensive display, as seen here in the Bledisloe Cup a couple of seasons back.

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Luke Fitzgerald scores against Cardiff

Young Irish and Leinster flyer Luke Fitzfgerald scored this excellent try vs the Cardiff Blues in the Magners League on the weekend.

Fitgerald, who was the youngest player to be capped for Ireland in 29 years, is an up and coming star who continues to impress with solid performances for Irish club side Leinster.

This is a nice example of his skill and speed.

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ELV discussion with the Waikato Chiefs

With the first weekend of Super 14 2008 underway, the new Experimental Law Variations have been a huge talking point.

Was the weekend a success because of them, or was it just a weekend of pure experimentation, with players, ref's, and fans all looking as confused as each other?

This interesting video features the New Zealand Super 14 side, the Chiefs, and shows their preseason training and thoughts on the how the season ahead will pan out under the new laws.

To find out more about the exact definitions of the ELV's and what they actually entail, have a look at the detailed thread about ELV's in our new forum. Feel free to ask questions there too.

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Sivivatu comes off second best after this big hit on Nacewa

In this weekends Super 14 clash between the Chiefs and the Blues we saw All Black winger Sitiveni Sivivatu actually come off second best after his huge hit on Blues fullback Isa Nacewa.

Sivivatu lined Nacewa up beautifully and timed the tackle to perfection after the long hospital pass from center Isaia Toeava.

Nacewa actually popped up pretty quickly afterwards, with Sivivatu looking to have winded himself. Great hit though regardless of who came off worse for wear.

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Top 10 Tries of the Guinness Premiership 2007

The title pretty much speaks for itself on this one. Some awesome tries were scored throughout the Guiness Premiership season last year, and these are the Top 10 according to a certain well known tv station.

Some classics, some of which you may have seen on Rugbydump before, they're still worth watching again.

My favourites are the Ben Cohen and the Jason Robinson tries.

UPDATE: This video is down temporarily unfortunately. We're working on getting it back up though.

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Joe Rokocoko sniping try vs the Chiefs

In this mornings Super 14 game between the Blues and the Chiefs we saw the new ELV's being put into practice and taking their toll on a lot of the fatties around the park.

With the new laws, if you're unfit, you won't last. There was some exciting play, with tap free-kicks replacing most penalty infringements, therefore we saw quite a lot of exciting, free flowing rugby, that had most of the players, including the referee, sucking in the big ones as the pace was intense at times.

One of the new laws which is a helluva positive one in my opinion is the new scrum law that requires that both sides (minus the scrum halfs) need to be 5 meters behind the eighth man's feet. This results in a lot more space on attack which gives the flyhalf a bit more freedom to control the game and distribute under a little less pressure than before.

This was nicely illustrated with this nice Joe Rokocoko try that saw him coming in from the left to finish of a nicely planned move. Yes there was a missed tackle, but the pure speed and strength of smokin Joe showed what a great finished he is.

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Friday Funnies - Tal Selley shown up by determined Ngwenya

Tal Selley of Wales goes it for what looks to be a great try after out sprinting a few of the USA players. Little does he know, but Zee Ngwenya, the Biarritz flyer is hot on his tail and hasn't given up the chase.

Watch as Ngwenya swings at Selley's arm, therefore knocking the ball out causing Selley to drop it before dotting down.

Probably not so much funny as well played by Ngwenya and poorly done by Selley. He did score later in the match though, and that time made sure he dived down on the ball properly.

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Todd Clever quality try against Wales - USA Sevens

USA Eagles hardman Todd Clever was recently featured on RD for his big tackle against the Welsh at the San Diego Sevens. After the tackle, Clever got a bit worked up and lashed out at the Welsh players. None of the punches connected too well, therefore he stayed on the field.

A few comments were made about the USA and about Todd himself, all of which were unwarranted. I personally have seen a lot more of Todd playing than most, and believe me, he's a quality player.

Hard, physical, and with immense talent, Todd is a stand out performer in every game he plays. He also happens to be a helluva nice guy who, along with his teamate Chris Wyles, recently sent me some pics of them at the Wellington Sevens in their new Rugbydump T-Shirts.

I'll say it again, although they have a long way to go, the USA are on the up and deserve the same respect as any other minnow. With the correct structures in place, I have no doubt they'll be genuine competitors in years to come.

Against Wales in the same game as the big tackle, Todd scored this brilliant 80 meter try that set the stadium alight and showed that's he's more than just a physical player.

Fantastic speed, step, and power. The massive 'Don't argue' is becoming somewhat of a trademark of his. That hand-off is lethal, just ask Butch James.

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Super 14 biggest hits of 2007

The 2008 Super 14 kicks off tomorrow with the opening game featuring the Crusaders vs the Brumbies in Christchurch.

The tournament comprises the best teams from South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia, and is well know for it high intensity and bruising encounters.

This year, the all new Experimental Law Variations (or ELV's) will be put into practice, which can only speed up the game and hopefully encourage more running rugby.

Last year we saw some incredible big hits throughout the tournament, and I feel this year will be no different. We'll be bringing you all the biggest tackles and best moments from the 2008 tournament, so keep a lookout for them in the upcoming weeks.

Here's a great vid made by Guetteba that features some of the hardest hitting moments from last year. You may have seen some of them on here before, but believe me, they're well worth watching again.


Anxiety by Black Eyed Peas ft Papa Roach

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Six Nations Pick of the Week Round 2

Week two of the Six Nations provided some great tries and a generally improved standard of play from week one.

We witnessed an excellent individual performance by Vincent Clerc for France, who scored a first half hat trick against Ireland in Paris. Cedric Heymans featured nicely in most of those tries.

For England, Jonny Wilkinson showed signs of his former self by making a brilliant chip, catch, and pass to put Paul Sackey away in the corner for a great try. Wilkinson also notched up the huge 1000 point milestone which is an amazing achievement for a player who's been injury cursed for most of his career.

Welsh maestro Shane Williams scored two excellent tries, one of which was unfortunately a poor decision by the TMO. The try should never have been awarded, although Williams has Mark Cueto's backing I'm sure.

With that, here's the Rugbydump pick of the weeks tries for round two.

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Paul Thorburns legendary penalty kick from 1986

Last weekend in the Six Nations Wales were awarded a Penalty close to the half way line. The commentators jokingly said 'Bring back Paul Thorburn'.

For those of you who heard that comment and didn't really understand what it meant, I've managed to track down this excellent quality video of a moment of legend, thanks to a Rugbydump fan who sent me the link.

In the 1986 Five Nations game between Wales and Scotland at Cardiff Arms park, Welsh fullback Paul Thorburn put over one of the biggest kicks you will ever see, at just over 60 meters.

The commentary of the legendary Bill McLaren makes it even more special, combined with the fact that he kicked it from a divot he created in the grass - there were no proper tees back then.

An amazing feat that will go down in Welsh rugby folklore for being probably the biggest kick to ever be seen on the international rugby stage.

And to rub salt into the wound, he followed it up with an easy 49m penalty a few minutes later.

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Jamie Noon great hit against Italy

There were a few decent hits on Sunday in the Six Nations game between England and Italy in Rome. Paul Sackey was one of the contenders for hit of the week with his well timed tackle on the Italian (edit) flanker after an Andy Gomersall up and under.

In my opinion though the biggest hit was this Jamie Noon cruncher. Italian New Zealander Kane Robinson felt the brunt of it and got rocked backwards after receiving a pass that wasn't too kind.

Noon lined him up and waited, then hit him hard. Great technique and perfectly legal.
Excuse the commentator thinking it was Wilkinson though. Easy mistake to make I guess.

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Awesome Cedric Heymans tribute

After a weekend in which we saw the French running riot against the Irish in the Six Nations, one player who I think really deserves a mention is the enigmatic Cedric Heymans.

Heymans was involved if most of the tries, and certainly played a huge role in Vincent Clerc achieving a first half hatrick.

An exciting runner who looks extremely dangerous when joining the line from fullback or when getting open space as a wing, Cedric Heymans also adds an excellent kicking game to his repertoire and is fast cementing his place as one of the French stars of the season.

I received a link to this excellent video from a guy named Camilo González, who himself has put together a really good tribute to a great player who has scored some amazing tries of late for both Toulouse and his country France.

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Todd Clever brings the pain in San Diego

Hard working USA Eagles and Rugbydump fan Todd Clever impressed the locals at this years leg of the San Diego Sevens in the USA last night.

Chasing a kick off that was perfectly weighted, Clever put a great hit in on the Welsh receiver as he caught the ball and landed. Something happened on the ground though, big Todd took exception to it, and a scuffle ensued.

I don't often say this, but the referee handled it really well, himself even stating that it was a great hit and everyone just needed to calm down a little.

Great to see Todd keeping up with his tradition of making massive hits at the USA Sevens.


Time: 01:38

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Nathan Hines swinging arm on Lee Byrne

In yesterdays Six Nations clash between Wales & Scotland at the ever impressive Millennium Stadium, big second rower Nathan Hines got himself into a little bit of trouble with referee Bryce Lawrence.

Hines, Australian born and now playing for Perpignon in France, took a disliking to Welsh fullback Lee Byrne holding him back slightly and lashed out with a swinging arm that would have knocked most players into next week.

Hines duly got his marching orders and isn't the first playing we've seen throwing a wild swinging arm in recent times, even if the 'holding back' was questionable.

Note: The Pick of the Week with all the best tries will be featured in the upcoming days so keep popping back. For the inside scoop on what's happening at RD, register at the forum to get to know the team and the regulars and lets us know your feelings on the world of rugby at the moment.

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Sebastien Chabal hunts down Ian Balshaw

Simply put, everyone loves Sebastien Chabal. The big guy is currently one of the most recognisable figures in world rugby, particularly after the World Cup in France in which fans were flocking to see the big caveman and his flowing locks in action.

After the Six Nations kicked off last weekend, it seems that simply put, everyone dislikes Ian Balshaw.

Balshaw was a bit of a surprise selection at fullback for England and coach Brian Ashton has taken quite a bit of heat about for it.

With that in mind, I'm posting this clip of Chabal hunting down Balshaw early last year when Sale took on Gloucester. Chabal's hit is pretty late and he gives away a penalty, but I figured some of the anti-Balshaw brigade and the Chabal fans would enjoy this one.

Exclusive: Check out the latest rugby caveman here in these new pics from pre-season training.

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Fantastic party atmosphere at the Wellington Sevens

Hippies, Romans, porn stars, frogs, cowboys, pirates and naughty nurses are among the crazy characters that flooded the Westpac Stadium in Wellington for the New Zealand leg of the IRB Sevens series last weekend.

The sold out event attracts thousands each year and has become renowned for it's party atmosphere which sees most of the people who attend going there not necessarily to watch the rugby, but to have a good time.

Tickets are sold out within minutes of going on sale, and come matchday, creativity is key as supporters adorn themselves in well planned themed costumes to transform the stadium into a sea of colour and imagination.

Commentator Keith Quinn says the combination of 'Mardi Gras' atmosphere and high standard of play make the Sevens one of the year's most exciting tournaments:
"As someone who's been lucky to go to all the major sevens locations in the world, I would say that Wellington is the noisiest and the brightest."

"When we first started, each match was covered like a rugby match," says Quinn. "Now we also cover the crowd, the colour, the singing, the dancing, the costumes, and the atmosphere in the stadium. It's a lot of fun!"

The USA leg kicks off this weekend in San Diego, so if you're in the area be sure to get down to PETCO Park and join in the festivities of one of the most entertaining forms of the game.

NOTE: Thanks Sam - the song is 'Eagle Rock' by Daddy Cool, an Aussie band. I've had it in my head the whole day and I'm pretty sure you're going to be humming along to it soon too.

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Friday Funnies - What the hell is going on?!

In news of the bizarre from 2005, this was one of the strangest tries you'll see for a long long time, and probably the easiest too for flanker Brent Wilson.

The two NPC sides, Otago and North Harbour, both hear a 'Phantom Whistle' that could only have been someone in the crowd having a bit of fun. Everyone stops, except for Wilson who casually strolls over the line, also looking a bit confused.

You can even see the number eight of Harbour turning around in disgust after making the pass, thinking the ref had called it forward or something.

All in all, confusion reigned, and 'What the hell is going on' is probably still a question that the players involved will be asking themselves.

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Random memorable tries of 2007

There were plenty of quality tries scored last year around the world of rugby. From the Super14 to the Guiness Premiership, and from International games to the Heineken Cup, we were treated with some truly memorable moments that, for me anyway, are worth watching more than once.

So it's with that thought in mind that we've brought you this small compilation of some of the more memorable tries from 2007. Some of them you may have seen before, but I'm sure there's at least one in there that will bring memories of where you were at the exact moment when you enjoyed the try for the first time.

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Marius Joubert play acting after a tap on the head

As mentioned in the comments section of my post about David Knox milking a penalty, Marius Joubert went completely overboard against Munster recently, with this shocking display of poor sportsmanship.

After receiving a tap on the head from Munsters Rua Tipoki, Joubert rolls around on the floor as if he's been hit in the face by a sniper from above. It looks like he was claiming he got poked in the eye, but from the angle he got tapped I don't see that as being the case.

Terrible acting and poor, poor sportsmanship by an international player who should know better.

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The Zinzan Brooke drop goal from 1995

The Zinzan Brooke 40m drop goal against England in the 1995 World Cup Semi Final has gone down as one of the most amazing and unexpected moments to be seen on a rugby field since the game began over a hundred years ago.

It broke English hearts on a day that was dominated by the power and pace of big Jonah Lomu. Eighth man Brooke slotting a drop kick from close to halfway just rubbed salt into the wound.

Zinzan was one of the most talented forwards to play the game, and at that time, way ahead of his peers in terms of ball skills and general talent.

"I used to practice all the time in my backyard, you know left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot," said Brooke, who won the World Cup with New Zealand in 1987.

"The moment I decided to do a drop goal was when it was actually bouncing along the ground and I thought, 'right, this is going to go through the posts'".

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The gloves are off - Stade Francais boxing

I'm not sure exactly what it is about the French Top 14 league, but for whatever reason, these guys have fist fights extremely often compared with other professional leagues around the world.

In most places if a punch is thrown, they're off and more than likely suspended for a few weeks. In France, and correct me if I'm off the mark here, but it seems that pretty much anything goes.

What we see in this clip are fights between Stade Francais and Toulouse, Biarritz, and Montpellier respectively.

The last brawl, from this season against Montpellier, was pretty much disgraceful. A massive fight between virtually all the players resulted in the two hookers getting sent off.
AFTER being sent off, it started up again, with two tough front rowers exchanging numerous blows before the rest of the team joined in again.

Crazy stuff, but it does make for interesting viewing.


Note: The audio has been disabled due to youtube policies. We'll try get it sorted soon.

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Big forwards slotting drop goals unexpectedly

Since rugby became professional back in 1995 there have been numerous radical changes to the game. The demands of the modern game require that all players are now bigger, stronger, faster, and fitter than ever before.

Another change to the game has been the fact that all players are now expected to be able to catch, pass, and make decisions with ball in hand. Forwards in the backline isn't encouraged, but when it happens, they're skilful enough to slot in seamlessly, or they're meant to be anyway.

Overall, the skill level has increased dramatically. So much so that on occasion forwards have taken it upon themselves to have a go at polls with a drop kick. Zinzan Brooke famously did it against England in the '95 World Cup, and since then there have been a few who've had a go.

Here we see talented Bob Skinstad have a crack at a simple one from straight in front. Ex Chiefs captain, stalwart Johnno Gibbs slotted a pretty flat looking kick against the Cats a few years back. And then, who could forget Mat Dunnings masterpiece.

We've featured it on Rugbydump before, but thought we couldn't leave it out of this, because it's just classic. Read the full story behind this moment of brilliance that was actually a moment of stupidity here.

There are probably a few others out there, but these are some of the better ones we've come across.

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Six Nations Pick of the Week Round 1

The first round of the RBS Six Nations 2008 was highly anticipated, but in some ways a bit disappointing for many. For whatever reason, the sides looked rusty and unadventurous.

We had some competitive rugby though and one major upset.

Having said all that, we did get to see some great tries in some of the matches, which we've highlighted here.

The Pick of the Week features the best tries which were scored by Girvan Dempsey, Toby Flood, Lee Byrne, Mike Phillips, and Vincent Clerc.

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Jonny Wilkinson hit knocks out Jonathan Thomas

Just twelve minutes into England's clash with Wales at Twickenham on Saturday, Welsh flanker Jonathan Thomas felt the full brunt of Jonny Wilkinsons notoriously brutish defense.

It's not vintage Wilkinson when compared with his cracking tackles on the likes of Justin Bishop or Emilie Ntamack, but highly effective and painful, as I'm sure Jonathan Thomas will testify. Falling to the floor and hitting his head hard, with players' legs bashing him also didn't help of course.

There was no malice involved in the tackle. It was simply a good, solid, hit and it was unfortunate to see Thomas go down like that. Some may say it was a bit of a swinging arm, but I can't see much fault in it.

Once again though, Wilkinson proves that he must be the hardest tackling flyhalf in the game today.

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David Knox does a Hollywood, sending Os off in 1997

We've all seen what soccer players are like when they get the slightest of nudges, or take a decent tackle - they hold their heads, roll around on the floor, and basically act as if they've either broken a leg or a family member has just died.

Commonly known as a 'Hollywood', acting to get a penalty or more is a common way to trick the ref into thinking the incident was worse than it actually is.

In the 1997 game between the Boks and the Wallabies, flyhalf David Knox took a bit of a late hit from Os Du Randt which in normal circumstances should have just been a penalty, if that. Through his acting, Knox managed to milk a penalty and a crazy yellow card for big Os.

Thankfully I've only seen this type of acting on the rugby field once or twice. Soccer can keep it as far I'm concerned.

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Interviews after Wales turn England over in their own patch

Perhaps not as spectacular as past Welsh/English encounters in terms of plentiful tries and bruising defense, this weekend's match between these two fierce rivals was dramatic nonetheless.

A game of two halves, if there ever was one. England 10 ahead at the break before letting Wales rush back in second forty with two quick fire tries. Despite holding out for the win, Warren Gaitlands men still have plenty to work on before next weekend's clash with the Scots. England too will need to sort themselves out if they wish to avoid embarrassment against Italy in their next match in Rome. A string of injuries will surely set them back though unfortunately.

A historic victory for the Welsh, as 1988 was the last time they'd won at Twickenham.
Refreshing attitudes shown by both captain Ryan Jones and Man of the Match James Hook. Both staying focussed and grounded. After all, the Six Nations isn't won in February.

Stay tuned for the Pick of the Week which will feature all the tries from the weekends action.

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Mauro Bergamasco smashes the Irish players

Physicality was not something that was missing in Italy's performance against Ireland in the opening match the Six Nations. The tackles came on thick and fast from the Italian back-row from the likes Bergamasco and Parisse especially.

Even Irish captain Brian O'Driscoll begins to feel the intensity and needs a breather after getting drilled by open-side Bergamasco. Geordan Murphy also gets a taste of the action when he and a rampaging Bergamasco collide in the second half.

Despite the physicality though, both sides lacked a little bit of direction and the game struggled to find its rhythm. Dempsey and Castrogiovanni were the only try scorers, with Ronan O'Gara being the eventual difference between the sides.

Stay tuned for weekly highlight packages and for all the rest of the nitty-gritty from the 2008 RBS Six Nations.

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Classic Encounter - Wellington Sevens Final 2008

The Wellington leg of the IRB Sevens series produced one of the most outstanding finals in Sevens rugby history. A true classic, the meeting between hosts New Zealand the last years winners, Samoa, was a game that had the neutral viewer and the 35 000 strong crowd on the edge of their seats.

A last minute try by hometown hero Victor Vito sent the more than vocal crowd into hysteria, with the conversion simply a formality that from what I saw, they didn't even bother taking. Vito, who was compared to the great Lomu when scoring one of this tries, is fast becoming one of the more dangerous players in the incredibly talented New Zealand side.

Not to take away from Samoa though. The title holder put up an amazing fight, and after a dramatic start to the game were actually in control at one stage. The scorer of the first try, Mikaele Pesamino, looks to be an amazing find and with speed like that and age on his side, we're sure to be seeing a lot more from him in years to come.

For me, an absolutely classic match that either side could have won. As Keith Quinn labelled it, "The most dramatic final you could ever see."


Time: 07:48

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