Women's Rugby & Sport

So on the eve of the 2010 Women’s World Cup final I have finally got round to (sort of) writing about it and before anyone goes “egh, women’s sport”, I need to point a few things out:

1. England are undefeated and have only conceded 10 points in 4 games.
2. Scored 161 (only team who have score more are the other finalists New Zealand, who have had an easier route the final).
3. England are the host nation.
4. Like other women’s team sports, players are all amateur, having to give up work, take holiday or a career break to play.

“So what” you might say, but having been at all of the pool games in Guildford, and seen the semis on TV the quality of play and passion would be on a par, if not exceeding that of the men’s game. Fast paced and the lack aimless kicking, just two of the traits which have made the women’s game exciting this summer.

For example Maggie Alphonsi, England Flanker, has the work ethic I have never seen in the game. If there is a big tackle, a ruck that needs clearing or a player who needs support at the breakdown, it would not be surprising if the ‘Machine’ (as named by her teammates) is involved; 23 tackles and a try capped her performance in the first group game and this has continued throughout the tournament. This ethic has now got her a nomination for IRB Women’s Personality of the Year - a worth nomination (if not winner).

Another aspect the women’s game is the exposure which it has got; Sky have been showing three group games each day of the tournament and the semi-finals with the final (and playoff) tomorrow. Great exposure and with the quality of the games a great promotion for the game.

This exposure, along with all the group stages being held in one venue and on one day, has built the success of the tournament and has given the tournament a festival feel and a real atmosphere which sometimes doesn't come across on the TV (for the men’s games) but the Guildford games it really did.

But how to build momentum and move the women’s version of the game forward?

Well that’s not quite fair it is the same rules and pitches, but the support base needs to grow - a win tomorrow would help, but continue with doubling up the male matches and women’s matches, like last November’s double header where the ladies toppled New Zealand, then there is no excuse (except for schedules, but we also have red button) for TV not to show the games, thus bringing it to a wider audience.

Unfortunately until someone has the balls to invest or show (women’s) sport on TV more, the expansion will be limited, which is disappointing not only for sports fans (and I am becoming increasingly interested in women’s team sport, be it rugby or netball) but the athletes involved who put their all in (on and off the pitch or court) - due to the love and passion they have for their sport.

Perhaps this is the charm of the amateur/semi-pro side of things, but in the short term I can’t see this being lost if things were to turn professional and would hope that this wouldn’t be killed off in the long run.

Formula What??? - "Switch Gate"

So starting with probably the most controversial - "Switch-Gate"

At the German Grand Prix two weeks ago Vettel had a bad start, Alonso sort of capitalised and jumped him but who they both missed was Felipe Massa, (who one year previously nearly died at the Hungarian Grand Prix) who went around the outside of the both of them to lead. A great occurrence from a man who seems to have been out of sorts this season since his return to the Red car. The race was OK, but not a classic. Massa and Co pitted and then left in the same order but afterwards Massa was struggling on the new Hard tires in the conditions, while Alonso seemed to make them work.

Then came a garbled radio message (which was half missed by the BBC) but has been cleared up on the brilliant FOM/f1.com (I am not saying by any means the BBC coverage is bad) post race recap videos of Alonso whinging about being faster and being backed into Vettel. I am sorry the best drivers drive in F1 and Alonso has two championships to his name, he should be able to earn his positions, and get passed Massa. He nearly did, but ran wide and then took the wrong line and dropped back again.

Then, after several hurry-up messages from Rob Smedley (Massa’s race engineer), came the most infamous words of the 2010 F1 season...

“Felipe, Fernando is faster than you, can you confirm you understand...”

Felipe limply accelerated out of the hairpin at the back of the track and Alonso went past (if you had any doubt FOM flashed to a replay with the telemetry and what do you know the green acceleration block was a quarter filled). But it was the message after Massa had conceded the position which swayed the stewards post race...

“Ok mate, good lad, just stick with it. I’m sorry”

The race continued and Massa appeared on the podium with an expression that could be best described as p***ed off. Much debate was had and Eddie Jordan’s collaring of Stefano Domenicali on the BBC Coverage was brilliant and what the fans wanted.

Ferrari claimed that they were doing the best for the team - the result change nothing for the team, the team competes for the constructors championship and a result of Massa-Alonso is the same a Alonso-Massa, to the team. I appreciate if the team wants one of their drivers to win the championship, then give them the equipment (which Ferrari have) and let the driver earn his championship. If it takes you until race 11 of a 19 race season to give them the right equipment so be it, have a great last 9 races and win the championships that way.

Now they have been summoned to the World Motor Sport Council in September, to answer charges of breaching Article 39.1 of the 2010 Sporting Regs (using team orders) and Article 151 c) of the International Sporting Code (basically brining the sport into disrepute). Whether they will suffer the same as the last two F1 teams brought to the WMSC for breach of 151c (Mclaren got $100m in 2007 for "Spy-Gate" and Renault a suspended ban last year for "Crash-Gate") I doubt it, but they may get a similar penalty to Renault.

Whether team orders should be banned, I say keep it as it is and let the drivers earn it. If not, they might as well scrap the drivers championship and replace the drivers with autopilots.

Coming Up.... Formula What????

So I may not have blogged recently, but the Formula 1 World Championship has got interesting in the past fortnight. First off was ‘Switch-Gate’, second was ‘Wall-Gate’ and the third probably was missed by most quarters ‘Presenter-Switch-Gate’.

This was going to be one blog but the length of the first bit means it has been broken down and will appear on here in 2 or 3 parts very soon.

Fabio, Fabio, Fabio...

So, Fabio hasn’t been publicly backed by the FA but where does this leave him and the national team?

Lets start at the beginning; he started with England in February 2008 with the first game being a win against Switzerland, this was followed by 17 wins, 4 loses and 2 draws in the 23 games following his first. Then there was this years World Cup, 1 win, 2 draws and a defeat, which was England’s heaviest in a World Cup finals, and sent them out of the tournament. Now even including this years competition, his record is the best amongst all England managers (P28, W19, L5, D4 - in Premier League terms 61 points or a win percentage of 67.9%).

But where did it all go wrong and is Capello really the man who is to blame for it all?

The team played badly - maybe they were following his instructions and yes his English isn’t great but they managed up until the World Cup and dominated their qualifying group so can that be used as an excuse, I don’t think it can. If things were really that bad then the players who are grown men could have spoken to him, or just agreed amongst themselves on how they would play (if you believe the reports its how the rugby union team made the 2007 final from the position they were in the group stage). This might have happened with Gerard struggling to stay on the wing and drifting in and leaving space for the opposition to attack through.

So it wasn’t tactics or his English, was it that the premiership season is too long? Is it though, other players seem to be fine, Tevez has scored twice (OK one he was miles offside) but he plays in England too. So if there was a winter break would it make any difference or does playing through help ensure momentum (although it didn’t help this year). This also brings in the comment from the Wigan chairman, suggesting that the Premier League should run the England team. I’m not sure this would be right can 20 teams who are in competition make the right decision for the national side, probably not and it would be compounded by the foreign ownership influence and would hardly be balanced.

Perhaps the players just didn’t want it enough, felt too pressured by the press and couldn’t handle playing at altitude...

This brings me to the situation with the FA. There have been calls to sack Capello, is that right? He’s had one immense qualifying campaign, and a lackluster tournament. Sven Goran Eriksson had three tournaments but everyone else since Graham Taylor have had only one tournament to show what they can do, what motivation does this give the manager to build himself, his relationship and the legacy? If things go wrong they are gone. The FA also signed a new contract with him weeks before the tournament in South Africa starting so why the change of heart, this was his first tournament proper?

So the FA didn’t go out of their way yesterday to back him as England manager, stating they wouldn’t make a “knee-jerk” reaction and would wait two weeks before they make a decision. The only reason I can see for this is that they are hoping Capello will crumble on the pressure that the media may apply and quit, thus saving them the bill (reportedly £6m) for the termination of his contract which is only a month old.

So who would replace him? I’m going to save that for another day, but I don’t think they should sack him, give him until 2012 or at least half way through the qualifying campaign and then replace him if necessary. And although the timing is bad maybe South Africa was a little blip and the Fabio record will continue.

What a Weekend

So... we got knocked out but that isn’t the only sport from this weekend. I’ll come back to that later.

So Saturday Andy Murray won his 3rd round match in straight sets and he will be on again later today in the last match on Center Court. I’m not a massive tennis fan (although I did watch an hour and a half of the Court 18 stalemate last week) but is Murray peaking at the right time this year? People question his passion but after his defeat in the Australian Open and his disappointment I don’t think he does. He may have not performed up until the Wimbledon but he seems to want it and without tempting fate seems to be over his slump having not dropped a set so far at SW19. But if anything he has done more than both Tim Henman and the forgotten man Greg Rusedeski.

So while Tennis has been controversial in the past (Rusedeski’s F-Word outburst live on the BBC) it wasn’t this weekend it was the Formula 1 and Football.

Starting with the F1, I read somewhere that Valencia was a “Fan-Favourite” something I cannot agree with the previous races have been processional and dull... this years wasn’t that much better until Lap 8 when Red Bull really did give Mark Webber wing, well the Lotus of Hekki Kovalainen did. But the fact Webber got out of the car says a lot about the quality of the cars design. Who was to blame - most blame seemed to be at the Lotus drivers movement and if (as reports have stated) he broke 80m early maybe Kovalainen was too blame - he also appeared to move one a half times although why did Webber follow him - was always asking for trouble. No action appears to have or is going to be taken and they both walked away.

This brought our first controversial moment of the day - The leaders were just passing the pit area and the safety car was leaving the pits alongside Lewis Hamilton, who hesitated and then went by leaving the Ferrari’s to sit behind and slowly make it back to the pits, ruining their race. But it wasn’t until Lap 25 that Hamilton got a penalty which he took (as he is allowed to) 3 Laps later and after thrashing it around remained in second - Cue much whinging from Ferrari and Alonso. It would have made little difference to the Ferrari’s if Hamilton had been stuck with them behind the safety car then he would have joined them down the back of the field. Then this morning Ferrari have accused the FIA of manipulating the result.. rich from a team who fixed several GPs in the early 00s and from Alonso who benefited from the cheating in Singapore 2008. Had it been anyone else would they have cared?

Drive of the race had to go to Kobayashi who raced on one set of tires, kept at bay (possibly held up) Jenson Button most of the race, and then took both the sulking Alonso and the Toro Rosso of Buemi on the last lap, in probably the most entertainment of the afternoon.

So after the F1 a quick change to BBC HD to watch the England game.

Not much to say really we couldn’t defend and the Germans took advantage but the only time they looked worried was in the mad 10 minutes before half time, when the man who couldn’t defend Upson scored and Frank Lampard hit his screamer, which was then disallowed - Controversy #2 - technology in football.

So they spend lots of time on money with a ball which has been criticised but they won’t come up with a method to implement the technology which is already in use. It took the host broadcaster 25 seconds to show a replay in-line with the goal line showing the ball crossing it and the argument that it would interrupt the flow is rubbish other major team sports use the tech, why not football. But this debate could (and will) run and run! Also why didn’t the German keeper hold his hands up and said it was in, in rugby or cricket the sportsmanship would have meant someone would have put their hands up and said “yeah it was out” or “yeah its a 6”, but maybe sportsmanship in football can wait for another blog.

Also will save discussions about the England management for another day.

So Vettel won the F1, the Germans the football but England beat Australia to end the sporting day although we left it very late and close but we did it and won the series 3-0 with 2 still to play so is a whitewash on the cards, we’ll find out on Wednesday with the 4th ODI from the Oval.

The First Post

So, I thought I would take the plunge into blogging. Starting with Sport based Blog covering whats going on nationally and internationally as well as anything which I see live.

Coming Up:

• World Cup - I am not a huge football fan but can't really ignore it
• Formula 1 - I am a huge fan and off to the FOTA Fan Forum next week so will talk about that
• Wimbledon
• Women's World Cup - Happening on my doorstep so will be having a look and posting on here about it
• Local Sport - live near Guildford so Guildford Heat and Surrey Storm will be covered too

This is just this summer, now I have graduated have time to get more into this broadcasting lark and will be doing something hopefully on GU2 Radio the university radio station over the summer connected in someway to sport!