I have to congratulate Dover for a good game, ever the sports women, and for giving us supporters (mainly of the female variety, or maybe just me) something to do when it got a little bit slow, so big hand to the Dover no.9.

Never missing a chance to chatch up with Ben Cohen - and he remembered me! (Debs).

click through, you will see a side of Simon Shaw, Tom Rees, RFTG fave James Haskell and Danny Cipriani that you may have thought that you would never see. (Lucy)

I then proceeded to hug Lawrence Dallaglio because he gave me a beer, ask Riki Flutey – who is absolutely gorgeous – what moisturiser her used because he smelt yummy, tell James Haskell he too smelt yummy (Kerry)

I mean why would anyone look elsewhere when we have got some of the most attractive players here in the premiership?!?!?
From Leicester, we have Danny Hipkiss; Harry Ellis and esp for Jill: Lewis Moody! (Lucy)

BBC Sport

RUGBY SHORTS FOR AUGUST

England’s Million Dollar Hiccough? Andy Farrell
Andy Farrell OBE was to Rugby League what Martin Johnson was to Rugby Union. Honoured by the Queen in last year’s New Year’s list for his services to Rugby League, he was the youngest ever Great Britain League captain aged 21 years, 4 months in 1996. And in March 2005, he took a leap of faith to switch codes from the 13 man rugby league to the 15 man union game, having never played a full 80 minutes in his life, but securing a deal worth a reported £750,000 [$1.3m] jointly between the RFU and Saracens. And 15 months on, he still hasn’t played a game... but he is back in England’s Elite Player Squad… again… Read more…

All Black Domination

The rugby has been fairly interesting so far in the Tri Nations, but antics outside of the 80 minutes play seem to be dominating the news headlines more than New Zealand’s athletic prowess. If its not handbags, then its spying accusations, and if its not secret service-like infiltration, its to haka or not to haka. It’s about time we made the return to rugby RFTG spoke of last month. However, not wanting to deprive you of school playground antics and take all the fun out of grown men acting like five year olds, here’s our roundup of the Tri Nations so far, as we approach the middle of the tournament. Read more…

England’s Elite Player Squad Announced

JONNY WILKINSON MBE and Andy Farrell OBE have been named in England’s 40 Elite Player Squad [EPS] for the 2006/7 season. An interesting choice since Jonny hasn’t pulled on an England shirt since the morning of 22^nd November 2003, and only played the final month of last season for Newcastle, and Andy may be Saracens’ most expensive player, but has never played a full game of rugby union in his life. Have the selectors finally lost the plot you may ask.

Andy Robinson, England Coach said at the announcement, “I am very excited about this new Elite Player Squad which faces a challenging year ahead leading into the 2007 Rugby World Cup.” Well OK then Mr Robinson, explain yourself.

We vaguely understand not including Bath prop Matt Stevens due to injury, though he should be fit and playing by the end of this year, and Andy Titterell who had a neck operation recently, but again, he will not be out indefinitely. So in fact, since Robinson picked injured Farrell and Wilkinson last year, there appears to be no logic at all to his selection. Not for one moment are we doubting the capabilities of players such as Martin Corry, Lawrence Dallaglio, Phil Vickery [who incidentally is still injured too] and Pat Sanderson, or should I say captains, as there appears to be quite a few. But somehow missing from the core 40 players are the likes of Wasps’ Tom Voyce, Leicester’s Tom Varndell and Ollie Smith, Gloucester’s Alex Brown and Andy Hazell, Bath prop Duncan Bell, just in case you wondered whether there was an abundance of props in England right now.

Well maybe we should just assume that logic was not a factor high on the agenda of the selectors, and there is method in their madness. Only the Autumn Internationals will prove the efficacy of this decision, but if when faced with New Zealand, Argentina and South Africa twice, this is not making a mountain out of a molehill.

EPS 2006/7:

Stuart Abbott (NEC Harlequins), Iain Balshaw (Gloucester Rugby), Olly Barkley (Bath Rugby), Steve Borthwick (Bath Rugby), Mike Catt (London Irish), George Chuter (Leicester Tigers), Ben Cohen (Northampton Saints), Martin Corry (Leicester Tigers), Mark Cueto (Sale Sharks), Lawrence Dallaglio (London Wasps), Louis Deacon (Leicester Tigers), Harry Ellis (Leicester Tigers), Andy Farrell (Saracens), James Forrester (Gloucester Rugby), Andy Goode (Leicester Tigers), Danny Grewcock (Bath Rugby) , Charlie Hodgson (Sale Sharks), Chris Jones (Sale Sharks), Ben Kay (Leicester Tigers), Josh Lewsey (London Wasps), Michael Lipman (Bath Rugby), Magnus Lund (Sale Sharks), Lee Mears (Bath Rugby), Lewis Moody (Leicester Tigers), Jamie Noon (Newcastle Falcons), Tim Payne (London Wasps), Shaun Perry (Bristol Rugby), Pete Richards (Gloucester Rugby), Pat Sanderson (Worcester Warriors), Simon Shaw (London Wasps), Andy Sheridan (Sale Sharks), James Simpson-Daniel (Gloucester Rugby), Mathew Tait (Newcastle Falcons), Steve Thompson (Northampton Saints)
Mike Tindall (Gloucester Rugby), Mark Van Gisbergen (London Wasps), Phil Vickery (London Wasps)
Julian White (Leicester Tigers), Jonny Wilkinson (Newcastle Falcons), Joe Worsley (London Wasps).

Ex-All Black Facing Lifetime Ban On Air New Zealand

STEPHEN BACHOP had a remarkable international career having represented both New Zealand and Samoa. But on a flight from Auckland to Tahiti last month [his mother’s birthplace], he managed to get himself arrested by the military police for drunken behaviour and verbally abusing fellow passengers and crew. Bachop was handcuffed at Faa’a International Airport and escorted into custody, but no charges were filed and he was released the following day. He will only be allowed to return on Air New Zealand once he has been assessed by the airport staff, and he will not be served alcohol on the flight. Whether he will be permitted to fly again with ANZ will be at the discretion of the airline.
Alongside his brother, Graeme [who appeared in 31 tests for the ABs and also 8 for Japan], he played for the New Zealand Colts in 1987. Since there was no immediate call up to the senior All Blacks, Steve’s Samoan heritage allowed him to play in the 1991 World Cup for Manu Samoa, and again in 1999, when he faced Graeme in a Pool match against Japan. But in between these stints, thanks to loose eligibility regulations, Steve managed to get the coveted All Black call up and represented the Kiwis in 5 test matches.
©Action Images PLC

Steve finished his playing career in the UK, representing London Irish and Leeds Tykes at fly-half until his return to New Zealand in 2002, where joined the coaching staff at Wellington.

But it was not just these two brothers that pulled on the black jersey. Steve and Graeme’s sister sired a couple of young boys, Nathan and Aaron Mauger, who like their uncles played for the Canterbury Crusaders, and Nathan had a short stint as an All Black, while Aaron is still in the current squad. And the similarities do not end there; when Nathan joined Gloucester Rugby, he signed up as a French player since his maternal grandmother was born in French Polynesia. Here’s hoping the younger generation have not inherited their uncle’s penchant for one libation too many!

Eligibility tightened for Pacific Islanders side