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| Mike Rehu Reports on Week 2 |
In rugby the nose is an area that comes under some physical scrutiny. Place your head in the wrong place in the tackle, try to charge down a clearing kick with your face or insulting an opponent's mother will put you in the firing line for having a lasting reminder; a bent or flat schnooze!Last week I was presented with a new variation on this theme, as a pundit I had to deal with a player with his nose out of joint."I heard you were predicting an 80 point loss" exclaimed Singapore captain (and friend) Ben Wheeler, before their first match against Korea."Well somebody put me on the spot Ben, and I think there might be a bit of a gulf.... 65 if you play well" I added placatingly.Well it ended up at 65-0, more because Korea blew 2 or 3 tries and missed 6 kicks, as well as the heroics of the Singapore defence, especially their brave skipper.The Singapore squad has been sweating blood in the last two months; conditioning, training, missing time with their families, making concessions to their career just to have a shot at playing rugby at its highest level.When you give so much with an incandescent intensity, you expect results. You could see on their faces by the end of the game, that they understand they will have to attach limits on what they can achieve short term. At the end of the day, a Singapore team who train after the hours of 9 to 5 came up against a side with a mix of fulltime professional players, and soldiers and students who can concentrate fully on their game. A 65-0 loss is not bad.That is an issue with rugby sometimes when we're trying to convert the unbelievers. The game was played with good intensity, Singapore had their chances, Korea showed some real skill, power and rugby nouse.... but to read the score line it sounds like a rout.But the football followers will howl with derision "65-0, that cannot be entertaining!". But in my eyes, maybe if you transferred it into a football score, perhaps it was 6-1, and well worth watching.There are going to be some one-sided games in this year's HSBC-sponsored tournament, but to rugby fans there is always some element to look forward to; take this weekend's television clash between Hong Kong and Japan.Last year Hong Kong lost in Niigata 75-29, but they scored 4 very well constructed tries, three to flying fullback Rowan Varty. The team from the South of China showed guts and athleticism and were composed enough to stick to their game plan until the final whistle.For 2009, both teams have dropped some of their experienced players to make way for developing talent, and it will be an interesting yardstick for both squads to see how they measure up against other.It's not beyond the realms of possibility that Hong Kong could run Japan close, especially if they put pressure on the green combinations, driven on by what will be a rabid full house at the Hong Kong Football Club.I am hoping that we get to see young 22 year old Hong Kong back Keith Robertson play, he might not be 70 kilos dripping wet, but he is sure to surprise the Japanese defence with his jack-in-the-box running style.But at the end of the day the Japanese team, run by hard-nosed ex-All Black John Kirwan, will expect a big win with minimal tries conceded. So don't just look at the final result, look at the other smaller battles within the war.You can watch the Hong vs Japan game on STAR Sports next Monday at 1930hrs if you're in Hong Kong, or for the rest of Asia it 2300hrs next Tuesday. Also go to espnstar.com for try highlights of the games. |
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