Good Day

To remember that brief moment in time when European, or at least English rugby dominated the world. It was 12 years ago and Europe’s Grand Slam champions headed to the World Cup having claimed away wins that summer against both Australia and New Zealand.

Martin Johnson was in charge and they had an aura about them as them matched through the pool stages and a meeting with host nation Australia in the final.

And the man who secured their victory? The best that has played the game, according to Nicolas Sanchez.

“When people ask me, ‘Who is the greatest player ever?’, I say Wilkinson,” said the goal-kicker who has helped steer Argentina into a second World Cup semi-final

“He is a legend and I tried to take advantage of his knowledge as much as possible.

“Wilkinson worked with me on my kicking (at Toulon) and made me focus on the details. One important thing we worked on was the mentality that a kicker has to have, and he taught me how to be focused.”

What a contrast with this World Cup which saw some of England’s players back in club action in their domestic league even before the knockout stages were underway while, for the first time ever, no European team will be involved in the last two weekends of competition.

Bad Day

For Newport Gwent Dragons and, potentially, Wales supporters and perhaps Warren Gatland, the national team’s head coach, as the departure of the Dragons’ leading player became ever more likely with the province’s request to the Welsh Rugby Union to be allowed their top player Taulupe Faletau.

The Tongan-born No.8 who is still only 24, but has already joined Wales’ 50 Cap club and has played Test rugby for the British & Irish Lions, has been conspicuously loyal to the weakest of the Welsh provinces over the years.

However English Premiership club Bath has registered interested in signing him and, with talk of a six figure transfer fee in the air while his form has not been as impressive for the Dragons as it is at international level on the relatively rare occasions he is available to them, it seems their board is ready to cash in while it can.

Matters are complicated in Wales, however, with the desire to restrict the national team to selecting largely from home-based players resulting in Warren Gatland, its head coach, effectively having a veto over whether contracts between the provinces and international players can be terminated early under the terms of a new agreement.

It states that only two players who have left Wales since it came in force in August can be selected for the national side so with Faletau’s international colleagues Jamie Roberts and Rhys Priestland alreaday having been granted permission to leave letting Faletau go would leave Gatland having to leave one of the trio out of his Six Nations squad.

It looks a tricky decision that could affect morale either way.