Difficult to talk up RL hopes

TONY SMITH still reckons England can win the rugby world cup.

As coach, you would hardly expect him to write off the team’s chances, especially when they are only two games away from the international game’s ultimate prize.

Consecutive wins against New Zealand and Australia? In a world in which the BBC commissions Hole in the Wall, anything is possible.

While celebrities once again attempted to pass their bodies through shapes in a moving slab of polystyrene in the name of prime-time entertainment on Saturday evening, the really shocking televisual spectacle had already taken place on the other side of the world.
Watching England’s 24-8 lead transform horribly into a 36-24 loss against the Kiwis was hard to take.

It was tempting to dismiss the game as a dead rubber, a glorified warm-up for the following weekend’s semi-final. Why not treat it like that night you did the funky robot dancing in the pub? Pretend it never happened and quickly move on.

But unlike that evening on the town, nobody was on the beer at that time in the morning and everybody really did see what went on with clear eyes. An opening half-hour that was plenty promising was soon followed by a series of defensive efforts that went way beyond awful.

Poor Paul Sykes, caught cold a number of times while playing out of position on the wing and at full-back, wasn’t the only one to blame as man-mountain Manu Vatuvei helped himself to four tries. All over the pitch New Zealand were in total control against nervy, disorganised opposition.

The Kiwis were helped by their 18th man. With the scores level, Aussie referee Tony Archer somehow came to the conclusion that Isaac Luke had been poleaxed by Kevin Sinfield off the ball — rather than producing an acting performance which would have been laughed at even in an episode of ‘Neighbours’. The consequent penalty goal put New Zealand ahead and they never looked back.

Still, it was as tough to argue with the final result as it was to agree with Smith. Even reaching the final now, let alone overcoming the Aussies in it, would be a major achievement.




“I DEFINITELY won’t miss getting punched in the face for a living,” said Birmingham boxer Peter Buckley on his retirement last week, following a career record of 256 losses in 300 professional bouts.

Super-featherweight Buckley went out on a high, beating Matin Mohammed in his home town for a first victory in five years. What a way for such a brave and committed professional to bow out — sadly, accompanied by a swathe of cowardly articles poking fun at him.

Joe Calzaghe’s stats (46 wins and zero defeats) are a little more impressive. But after destroying Roy Jones Jr in a light-heavyweight bout in New York, maybe the Welsh wonder would do well to consider Buckley’s sentiments.

Having fought a succession of top-class fighters at the tail end of his boxing life, he no longer has anything left to prove to anyone. Right time to go, Joe.