The Rugby Outsider

SANZAR, an acronym for South Africa, New Zealand and Australia rugby, is the governing body for the Tri-Nations and SupeRugby tournaments. To find out what the member nations think of SANZAR, do an experiment. Google: South Africa SANZAR, New Zealand SANZAR and Australia SANZAR. It does not take many headlines to realize that South Africa and SANZAR don't always see eye-to-eye. And, since SANZAR also metes out punishment for player indiscretions, there are always headlines when SANZAR cites South African players and fails to cite others for similar offenses. Witness two cases-in-point. First, from last year's Tri-Nations, a vicious head-butt by Springbok Bakkies Botha on All Black Jimmy Cowan, which Botha received a nine-week ban. Then, take a look at yesterday's Sharks-Crusaders SupeRugby match, with Sonny Bill Williams of the Crusaders giving Ryan Kankowski a flying elbow. What's important is that this contest might as well have been a Springboks-All Blacks game becau...

Remember the date: 27 March 2011. I hope all who were watching the Sharks-Crusaders SupeRugby match from Twickenham knew what was happening: a match between the Manchester United and FC Barcelona of the Rugby Union world. It was a date that will live in history as the first SupeRugby game played in the Northern Hemisphere, which saw the Crusaders beat the Sharks 44-28 . The Durban-based Sharks and the Christchurch-based Crusaders came to Twickenham in England to play the game postponed from earlier this season because of the earthquake on South Island that affected Christchurch and the surrounding area. My uninformed thoughts and observations of this historic tilt are thus: Yes, it seems that Sonny Bill Williams is the real deal. If you don't know by now, fellow Americans think the next Jonah Lomu. OK, bad analogy for those of you that don't know Rugby. Think the next A-Rod in baseball, the next Peyton Manning in football or the next Kobe Bryant in basketball. What I liked...

I have no real knowledge of rugby and the organization that runs the sport here in the United States, USA Rugby. I read here from gainline.us and here from Universal Sports' "The Scrum" Blog by Buzz McClain about some dissatisfaction with USA Rugby President and CEO Nigel Melville and Board Chairman Kevin Roberts . I'll let you read and come to your own conclusions, but here my own uninformed talking points: I don't care if USA XV's coach Coach Eddie O'Sullivan, Melville and Roberts aren't American. That never has been a sufficient criteria for a coach or an administrator of any sport in the United States. Having well qualified individuals such as these can only help, not hurt American Rugby. I think we need their knowledge and expertise having coached or administered the game of rugby at the highest levels in the rugby-playing world. If the articles are true as written, specifically that the Congress that elects the USA Rugby CEO and the Board and...