Fog On The Tyne but still Simply Red
A 1000 mile round trip, a sore bottom, a sore back, no hangover, a stomach still trying to get over an indulgence in KFC and nothing to show for our endeavors …. not the best weekend I have had for a while! I think everyone will agree we did deserve something from the game at Tynedale albeit a couple of bonus points. Tynedale are a very good side and have some quality PLAYERS, I am sure they will have a bearing on who ultimately gets the promotion spot.
The defeat pretty much puts to an end our challenge, although the defeat cannot be held totally responsible, that honour goes to the home performances against Cambridge and Wharfedale and the failure to collect bonus points from matches at Westcombe Park and Cinderford. All in all it has been a great season to date and one we will all remember, its not over yet and the boys are adamant that we finish the season as we started.
I think I have mentioned before, but please keep a watch on Rob Miller the young England Under 20′s player and Newcastle Falcon. He is on Dual Registration at Tynedale and turned out for them following a short appearance for the Falcons against Leicester Tigers on Friday night. He was simply outstanding and will be a player who I believe will play for the full England side in the future. With players like him coming through the ranks and with other young players of real quality coming through Newcastle will be a team to be reckoned with plus they have Jonny Wilkinson to come back!
Tynedale are in the fortunate position of having excellent links with the Falcons and I know if we were 10 miles or so away from such a club we would be doing our best to establish such relationships. A lot of people have mentioned the legality of players such as Rob Miller appearing for a Premiership club the night before appearing in a National 2 game. It is within the regulations as Dual Registered players are free to move between their 2 clubs without any registration criteria applying.
I would like to say sorry to Peter Simpson, the Team Manager at Tynedale, as I left without saying goodbye. Thanks for all your help on Saturday and I would be grateful if you would pass my thanks to those concerned for looking after us after the game …. I look forward to catching up with you next season. Also the spectators were really nice and it was a pleasure to make acquaintances with some particularly the man and wife who stood just beside our dug out …. look forward to meeting you again in the future.
Just a point of correctness, an article appeared in the Crosby Herald last week referring to the injury suffered by Waterloo’s Adam Anderson. It stated that Darren Jacques was the Redruth player who was first on the scene to help the player who had sustained a serious head injury. In fact it was Ashley Morcom. From my perspective, it was still very nice to see that the act was recognised and mentioned. That is not the first time that we have assisted injured players from the opposition, it was only a couple of weeks ago that we were also first on the scene when a Southend player sustained a nasty head injury.
Now I need to make an apology to Paul Thirlby! Last week I mentioned about records being broken and said that both Emyr Lewis and Mark Scrivener beat Steve Larkins record of 23 points scored in a game, well I was wrong! I completely overlooked Paul Thirlby’s haul of 24 points back in 2006 against Harrogate. I must ensure that my reference source is also updated!!
Sincere condolences are offered to Mark Richards and his family on the loss of his father in law last week. Mark did not make the trip to Tynedale as the situation did not look good at the beginning of the week. Our thoughts are with you all.
This weekend we travel to Cambridge for another challenge. Cambridge are 5 points behind us with 2 games in hand, so the game on Saturday is 10 pointer. It will be a real challenge but just the sort of game we need following this past weekend. The team will be bolstered by the fact that the Supporters Club are having their weekend away this weekend and will be out in force … looking forward to it.
Last week, as I mentioned, I popped along to the CIA in Cardiff to watch, who else, but Simply Red! The show was brilliant but the support entertainment was even better! Yes you know who you are and it was nice to be in the company of an “All Girl” group for a few hours … I tell you they are worse than a group of blokes when out!! Apart from their “act” they made me blush with tales about underwear, and many other things that I cannot mention …. all I can say Betty, Mary and the rest of you …. I hope the men didn’t find too much of a bashing on their credit cards!!
Elsewhere, feel very sorry for the Brumbies who are currently in South Africa playing Super 14 matches. They lost to the Sharks by 35 -14 and have now lost lock forward Shawn MacKay. He has been placed in a medically induced coma in a Durban hospital with severe spinal, head and leg injuries after being hit by an armed response vehicle in the early hours of Sunday morning following the loss to the Sharks. 26-year-old Mackay was struck as he and a group of team-mates were returning to their hotel after they went out following the match. Brumbies team manager Rob McQuade says Mackay has been placed in traction and will be in a coma for the next two days.
“They are very serious injuries as a result of the accident that occurred last night,” he said. “Having come out of surgery he’s in traction in a medically induced coma, which he will be kept in for the next 48 hours or so, as he undergoes further treatment on his injuries.” He says the long term health recovery of Mackay is uncertain. If that wasn’t enough, the touring Brumbies have suffered further bad news after it was revealed that some players’ belongings were stolen from their hotel rooms in Durban.
It has been confirmed that laptops and cell phones were taken from one of the Brumbies’ Elangeni hotel rooms, KwaZulu-Natal police said on Monday. “There was no forced entry into the players room,” explained Superintendent Jay Naicker. “Hotel management did not report the robbery and resolved to solve the matter internally.” … that’s very nice of them!
The British Lions tour gets ever closer and no doubt everybody has their views on what selection should be. Injury doubts now surround Mike Tindall and Gavin Henson who both picked up injuries at the weekend in the EDF Cup semi finals. The squad will be announced in about 3 weeks …. meanwhile Springbok legend Naas Botha Springbok legend Naas Botha has issued a warning to the British and Irish Lions that South Africa will enter the series as clear favourites this June.
The greatly-anticipated spectacle is the main rugby event of 2009 with such names as Jean de Villiers, Brian O’Driscoll, Victor Matfield and Paul O’Connell all going head to head. However, the former fly-half believes that the Springboks have too much in the tank to come away with anything but defeat against Ian McGeechan’s men. “I will be surprised if we don’t walk away as winners,” Botha said, speaking to BBC Wales. “Unfortunately for [the Lions] South Africa are in good shape at the moment.
“The outstanding players of the Super 14 have been our players and that is a good omen for us. “We are playing a faster game at the moment and the guys physically are in unbelievable condition” …. I can recall at the 2003 World Cup Rudi Strauli, the then Sprinbok coach, saying that the reason the South Africans got beaten by England and subsequently got knocked out of the competition was their lack of bulk and fitness …. what a lesson they learned …. a World Cup win, Super 14 domination and a potential Lions Test Series win coming up.
Lots going on in the club over Easter culminating in our appearance in the Super Cup Final against Cornish Pirates at St Austell on Easter Monday. Kick off for this game is 5:00pm I think …. for action at the club please have a look elsewhere on the site. Our annual encounter with Imperial Medics will take place on Good Friday when we hope to give a number of our Colts a run out.
Finally. the very best of luck to Truro College in their game against St Peter’s Gloucester in the Daily Mail Under 18′s Cup Final at Twickenham on Wednesday. I will be there watching and I am hoping it’s going to be a nice day as there are 4 finals there in all with the Truro game the last one kicking off at 3:30pm. The whole of Cornwall will be hoping you bring the trophy back …… I am sure it will be a tough game as all Cornwall v Gloucester encounters are.
That’s it for this week, hope to see you all at Cambridge on Saturday, they have a lot going up there.
Cheers for now
David Penberthy
Director of Rugby