Edinburgh sign two new second rows

Posted on May 2, 2012 in Edinburgh, Scottish Rugby

Edinburgh Rugby continued to power up their playing squad for next season with the signing of a pair of quality second-row forwards, both on two year deals.

Following the confirmed departure of Esteban Lozada, the club has acted swiftly to bolster the boiler house with the capture of Perry-John Parker from English Championship side, Esher, and elite development player and Scotland under-20 cap Robert McAlpine, who will join the 2012 Heineken Cup semi-finalists until 2014.

Parker and McAlpine join six other new faces making their way to Murrayfield next season, including South African prop WP Nel; All Black back and former Junior World Player of the Year, Ben Atiga; and Welsh caps John Yapp (prop) and Richie Rees (scrum-half), while 19 of the club’s top performing players have extended contracts.

Head coach Michael Bradley, said: “It’s very exciting for Edinburgh Rugby to have secured two very promising young locks at crucial stages of their respective careers.

“While we’ll continue to refine the expansive, attacking play for which the club is famous, we’re keen to introduce a harder, more aggressive edge to our play, and believe this pair will work tirelessly to lay the platform from which our back division can play.

“Both players have real quality, are exceptionally committed, and will develop into top-class second-rows for Edinburgh Rugby.”

At 6’8” and 118kg, 24-year-old Parker is a fast, dynamic ball-carrying second-row, renowned for his pace, contact skills and deft touch in the lineout.

In his early 20s, he captained Haywards Heath before making a big impression with Esher in his debut championship season, before looking to progress his career at a higher level.

The big lock explained that when the call came, he jumped at the chance to pull on the black and red of Edinburgh Rugby.

He said: “I knew that the Edinburgh Rugby coaches had seen some of my tapes so I was delighted to get the chance to meet them and talk about the club’s achievements, ambitions and off-field culture.

“It’s a massive opportunity for me. To be in the mix with a club like Edinburgh Rugby is really exciting.

“The club’s quarter-final win over Toulouse was inspirational and I can’t wait to be part of that next season.”

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Dai Young Previews London Wasps v Bath

Posted on Apr 19, 2012 in English Rugby, London Wasps, Premiership

London Wasps Director of Rugby Dai Young says a strong start is vital this weekend if his side are to go away from home and beat Bath in the penultimate round of the Aviva Premiership.

In recent games against Harlequins and Biarritz, Young has watched his side struggle early on only to burst into life late in the game, and he says his side simply cannot afford a slow start on Saturday.

“We haven’t been accurate enough in the first half of our last couple of games and we’ve allowed teams to build pressure on us. We have been finishing games strongly but that won’t be enough against a very good Bath side. Our first half an hour is hugely important and we’ve got to look to play the game in the right areas in that period.”

Young believes that Bath will be gunning for a win at The Rec.

“I have no doubt that Bath will be desperate to get a good win in their last home game of the season. They aren’t where they would like to be in the table and they are bound to have a few doubts about themselves at the moment so it is up to us to make sure that they are massively tested. They are a quality team with quality players so if they start well and get their confidence up it could be a very tough afternoon.”

Young saw his side stumble to league leaders Harlequins at the weekend and his young team faces a stern test of its ability to pick up a result under pressure with just four points separating Wasps and Newcastle at the bottom of the table.

“It is my job to try and take all of the external pressure away from the team and just make sure they are focused on playing to the best of their ability – that is all you can ask of the players. Everyone knows what is at stake and everyone is aware of the pressure in terms of the league position, but the players just need to focus on their roles in the team and deliver quality performances individually and collectively and hope it will be enough. We are still in a position where everything is still in our hands and you can’t ask for much more than that at this stage.”

Short and Wray extend Sarries contracts

Posted on Feb 24, 2012 in English Rugby, Premiership, Saracens

James Short has extended his contract at Saracens.

Mark McCall, Director of Rugby, said: "James has made fantastic progress over the past couple of seasons to a point where he is widely admired across the Premiership. We believe he will continue to improve and are delighted he has agreed a new contract."

James Short said: "Saracens provides an exceptional environment for a rugby player. The quality of coaching, the strength of the squad and the general mood are all…. well, special!"

Also extending his contract with Sarries is Jackson Wray.

Director of Rugby, Mark McCall, said: "Jackson has the potential to become a top quality backrow forward, and he is fast realising that potential. We are very pleased to have agreed a new deal."
Jackson Wray said: "As a young player, you want to be playing at a top club with a great environment. For me, Saracens is the place to be."

Stringer signs for Saracens

Posted on Dec 6, 2011 in Latest Rugby News

Saracens have signed Peter Stringer on a three-month loan from Munster.

The Irish international scrumhalf will be registered to play for the English champions in the Aviva Premiership and Heineken Cup.

Mark McCall, Director of Rugby, said: “We are fortunate to have a pair of outstanding young scrumhalves in Ben Spencer and Luke Baldwin, but the injuries to Richard Wigglesworth and Neil de Kock have left us exposed in this pivotal position. We are delighted to have secured the services of Peter Stringer, an experienced player of proven quality.”

Stringer, capped 98 times for his country, said: “Everybody in Irish rugby can see there is something very special happening at Saracens, and I can’t wait to be part of it.”

So, this World Cup malarkey…

Posted on Aug 23, 2011 in Latest Rugby News

I think its fair to say that my prolonged silence might show that I’m not wildly enthusiastic about the upcoming World Cup. This is true.

I am looking forwards to a great glut of rugby to watch and shoot my mouth off about. Its been a long summer and the World Cup warm-up games have been nice, but essentially still pre-season games. Pre-season games with a great deal of emotion it seems, but still pre-season. It’s a little difficult to get worked up over something that has such a very tenuous connection with what’s going to happen. Now that the squads have been picked and the last games are approaching it feels a bit more serious but so far my favourite pre-season game seen was the mad try fest between Montpellier and Leicester. That’s undoubtedly due to lesser levels of quality, commitment and pressure, but I’m not going to complain too much if it makes for a better game to watch. Now the commitment and pressure levels are getting ramped up –  unless the quality levels follow suit, the World Cup could be as unwatchable as an all day marathon of Deal or No Deal using monopoly money.

Hopefully match sharpness will kick in, the moves will get wheeled out, and backlines will show genuine attacking ability. Bolters will shine, old warhorses shall dust themselves off for one last gallop, and scrum-halves shall concentrate on getting the ball away quickly rather than gobbing off at the ref. Speaking of refs, they shall make consistent decisions, the scrums shall stay up, people will stop to think about why players are selected for World Cup squads before gobbing off and… well, I think I’ve stretched credulity enough there. That there will be some horrifically bad rugby played seems inevitable. The more I think about it, this world cup strikes me as like being a tightrope walking contest for vertigo sufferers. That does sound quite watchable now I’d said it out loud, but mainly as a tragicomic farce. Or, maybe to put it more accurately, the disabled. England, Ireland, and Scotland all suffer from backline malfunctions –  they’re like a man with one leg trying to hop across. Australia have a pack malfunction and will be trying to cross the rope by walking on their hands. France and South Africa both suffer from madcoachitis and may try making the crossing on rollerskates. Wales seem almost problem free by comparison at the moment, but a few injuries will soon reduce them to a state of crippledness. Then there’s New Zealand, the real vertigo sufferers. New Zealand should win this at a canter. They have home advantage, they have a clear advantage in both quality and experience. However, with their wretched history in the competition, they have about as much pressure on them as possible. The monkey on their back is now of King Kong size and proportions.

So, all in all, I’m not expecting a great deal. I’m certainly not expecting a great deal from England. I’m almost more interested in the new domestic seasons and watching the youngsters get their chance if I’m honest. The time has come though to stop inspecting the gift horse’s mouth and enjoy the rugby, and England’s triumphant, slow, attritional, dire march to the final.