The 6 Nations after a World Cup year is usually a good time for countries to bring in new changes. England, France and Italy all have new coaches. I expect a very open tournament with plenty of exciting games. Here's a look at the prospects of each nation.
Ireland
The Irish regions are in very good form at the moment and I think Ireland will start as joint favorites for the Championship with France. Two things initially stand-out, no O'Driscoll for the tournament; and will there be a hangover from their disappointing World Cup exit?
I expect Ireland to be the most consistent team of the tournament, and with the strength in their experienced forwards they will be difficult to beat. Ominously for the other nations both 10s, Sexton and O'Gara are in good form at the moment. Ireland to win a very close championship.
Predicted finish: 1st
France
The World Cup runners-up have Philippe Saint-Andre as their new coach. Predicting the form of France is a fruit-less task, though it's safe to expect the unexpected. Saint-Andre hasn't picked many new faces from the squad that played in the World Cup. In recent years the biggest flaw in the French team was having an unsettled first 15. If the new coach can give key players, such as Trinh-Duc, a run of games, then France can more successfully develop their brand of total rugby.
France may get off to a slow start in the tournament but I expect them to win most of their games.
Predicted finish: 2nd
England
The only way is up for the men in white after a nightmare last few months for the national team. A new coach, in Stuart Lancaster, though likely to just be an interim solution. As such, I expect England to really roll the dice (by their own standards) and blood some young players in key positions. Farrell at 10 and Ben Morgan at 8 should definitely get at least two starts. The main problem with England is their lack of creativity. Their backs in general don't have the natural flair or creativity compared to other teams. (France, Wales). That said, England always possess a strong set of forwards which ensures they are a match for any team.
With Toby Flood injured for the opening game the selectors have called up Charlie Hodgson, which amazes me. Charlie has had so many poor games for England that his international career should be truly over by now. How many chances does a player need to prove he's not international class? I don't care if Charlie's club form is excellent, he'll never the cut the mustard in my eyes.
Predicted finish: 3rd
Wales
Arguably the best performing 6 Nations team at the World Cup. Though this translated in Wales dropping 2 positions in the IRB rankings - how strange. Wales have struggled in the last 20 years to string together two consecutive good seasons. Which means the Welsh will have a disappointing year in 2012. Pundits may point towards a fresh crop of exciting young talent, North, Priestland, Faletau et al but that doesn't necessarily create a successful team.
It is worth highlighting the enormous talent of Dragons number 8 Toby Faletau. Still only 19 and one of the stand-out players of the World Cup, this kid should be one of the stars of the tournament. It will be fascinating to see how he responds to being a marked man. I'm sure he'll rise to the challenge.
So why have I only predicted a 4th place finish for my beloved Wales? Simple - the fixture list. England and Ireland away, two defeats. I'm actually a bit worried about the Irish backlash. I think the margin of victory will be over 20 points. Wales have France at home in March and by that stage Les Bleus should be too good for the men in red.
My one hope for the tournament is that Jason Tovey gets selected ahead of Dan Biggar in the squad.
Predicted finish: 4th
Scotland
Must be slightly depressing to be a Scotland supporter. A lack of world class players over the last 10 years means it's all about the "team" performance. Coach Andy Robinson is making steady progress with the talent available and in lock Richie Gray they have a potential Lions pick for 2013.
I was a fan of Nick De Luca when burst onto the scene but he hasn't really caught fire at International level.
Scotland will be competitive but they lack that bit of class to break into the top 3.
Predicted finish: 5th
Italy
Former Perpginan coach, Jacques Brunel, is the new man in charge of Italy. I think Italy are still years off regularly recording two wins in the championship. Difficult to know what difference Brunel can make in his first season. The Wooden Spoon beckons again.
Predicted finish: 6th
Saturday, 7 January 2012
Tuesday, 3 January 2012
The Olympics. A to W of Events
Last month I read an excellent book by David Goldblatt and Johnny Acton called How to Watch the Olympics. I can recommend it as essential reading before London 2012 begins.
Here are some things I learnt about the 29 sports that will be contested over 17 days.
Archery
If you hear someone shouting 'Fast!' it is not an attempt to increase the pace of shooting but to stop it.
Athletics
The women's discus record is longer than the men's - uniquely in Olympic sport. The women throw a discus half the weight.
Badminton
Shuttlecocks have been recorded at speeds in excess of 260km an hour.
Basketball
First full appearance in 1936.
Boxing
For men Super Heavyweight is the top weight division at 91kg plus.
Canoeing
16 Golds up for grabs.
Cycling
The Keirin is a track cycling event invented in Japan in the late 1940s.
Diving
The take-off is of equal importance to the flight and entry.
Equestrianism
In 1956 it achieved the unique feat of becoming the only Olympic event to have been held, in total, in a different country from the rest of the games. Australia's strict quarantine laws resulted in Stockholm being used as the venue.
Fencing
3 types of weapon. The épée duel is closest in style to classical dueling.
Football
The men's event is essentially an under 23s tournament, with 3 older players allowed.
Gymnastics
Trampoline has been at the Olympics since 2000.
Handball
Matches are officiated by two referees.
Hockey
The J-shaped sticks are all right-handed.
Judo
Cuba's women have done well in modern times to challenge the dominance of Japan and China.
Modern Pentathlon
The only sport specifically created for the Olympics.
Rowing
The lanes, though marked by buoys, are optional. Crews can take any course they like as long as they don't interfere with others.
Sailing
Great Britain tops the all-time Gold tally with 24. Hooray!
Shooting
Live pigeon shooting made a one-off appearance at the Paris 1900 games. Nearly 300 pigeons were killed.
Swimming
Michael Phelps is the greatest swimmer ever with a total of 14 Gold medals.
Synchronised swimming
The Russians are the swimmers to beat.
Table Tennis
Early versions of the game had names such as 'Whiff Waff' and 'Flim Flam'.
Taekwondo
Means 'the way of the foot and the fist'.
Tennis
Steffi Graff won a Golden Slam in 1988. The Olympic title and her Grand Slam.
Triathlon
The UK's Alistair Brownlee is one of the favorites for the men's event.
Volleyball
Indoor and Beach. In indoor volleyball the libero is a specialist position. They can only play in the back row and are not allowed to serve or spike the ball.
Water Polo
Olympic Presence: Men since 1900. Women since 2000.
Weightlifting
China is likely to dominate the women's event.
Wrestling
The competition for each weight division takes place on a single day.
Here are some things I learnt about the 29 sports that will be contested over 17 days.
Archery
If you hear someone shouting 'Fast!' it is not an attempt to increase the pace of shooting but to stop it.
Athletics
The women's discus record is longer than the men's - uniquely in Olympic sport. The women throw a discus half the weight.
Badminton
Shuttlecocks have been recorded at speeds in excess of 260km an hour.
Basketball
First full appearance in 1936.
Boxing
For men Super Heavyweight is the top weight division at 91kg plus.
Canoeing
16 Golds up for grabs.
Cycling
The Keirin is a track cycling event invented in Japan in the late 1940s.
Diving
The take-off is of equal importance to the flight and entry.
Equestrianism
In 1956 it achieved the unique feat of becoming the only Olympic event to have been held, in total, in a different country from the rest of the games. Australia's strict quarantine laws resulted in Stockholm being used as the venue.
Fencing
3 types of weapon. The épée duel is closest in style to classical dueling.
Football
The men's event is essentially an under 23s tournament, with 3 older players allowed.
Gymnastics
Trampoline has been at the Olympics since 2000.
Handball
Matches are officiated by two referees.
Hockey
The J-shaped sticks are all right-handed.
Judo
Cuba's women have done well in modern times to challenge the dominance of Japan and China.
Modern Pentathlon
The only sport specifically created for the Olympics.
Rowing
The lanes, though marked by buoys, are optional. Crews can take any course they like as long as they don't interfere with others.
Sailing
Great Britain tops the all-time Gold tally with 24. Hooray!
Shooting
Live pigeon shooting made a one-off appearance at the Paris 1900 games. Nearly 300 pigeons were killed.
Swimming
Michael Phelps is the greatest swimmer ever with a total of 14 Gold medals.
Synchronised swimming
The Russians are the swimmers to beat.
Table Tennis
Early versions of the game had names such as 'Whiff Waff' and 'Flim Flam'.
Taekwondo
Means 'the way of the foot and the fist'.
Tennis
Steffi Graff won a Golden Slam in 1988. The Olympic title and her Grand Slam.
Triathlon
The UK's Alistair Brownlee is one of the favorites for the men's event.
Volleyball
Indoor and Beach. In indoor volleyball the libero is a specialist position. They can only play in the back row and are not allowed to serve or spike the ball.
Water Polo
Olympic Presence: Men since 1900. Women since 2000.
Weightlifting
China is likely to dominate the women's event.
Wrestling
The competition for each weight division takes place on a single day.
Thursday, 29 December 2011
Pre Season build up
On Boxing day I ordered a souvenir gift set from the Tour De France official store. It arrived today and so begins my official countdown to the 2012 tour. I've actually started writing a blog about how I became hooked on road race cycling this year, which I need to finish sometime. This blog is to kick start a series (hopefully) of scribblings on my first year following the cycling road race season. The season runs from January to October so there should be plenty of opportunity to share my views on my new found passion.
Now would be a good time to declare my interest in the Europcar cycling team. I will be closely following the exploits of this French team, and in particular their star rider Thomas Voeckler. Also it will be interesting to see how Pierre Rolland matures after his fantastic White Jersey win in the Tour De France. Rolland rode tirelessly in support of Voeckler during the tour and managed to finish 11th overall as well. His win on Alpe-d'Huez was a brilliant achievement and hopefully will give Rolland the confidence to challenge in the GC in stage races.
In 2012, Looking forward to:
1. Watching the Spring classics. As I only got into cycling in July 2011 I missed an incredible early season. Will Gilbert dominate again?
2. The Giro. The one Grand Tour I missed in the 2011 season. The route for 2012 is more rider friendly and Contador is not likely to go, so it could be a really open tour. Team Sky may even send Chris Froome to have a crack at GC. That would be great for the British cycling fans to watch.
3. Mark Cavendish vs. the Rest
The split up of HTC and the emergence of Marcel Kittel as the next big thing will provide fresh tests for Cav. The Manx Missile will now be facing tough competition from former HTC team mates Mark Renshaw and Matt Goss. If anyone knows how to beat Cav surely it's those two. Most interestingly for me is the match-up with Kittel. This German wunderkid is by all accounts the real deal. I'm really looking forward to a true rivalry developing between these two.
4. Going to the Tour de France.
Hotel is booked and I'm off to see stage 3, the first stage in France, which finishes in Boulogne. The precise details of the route won't be released till closer to July, but I don't think I want to be at the finish. Somewhere in the last third of the route would be ideal. It will be my first trip to the Tour.
5. Tour de France
Watching as much as I can live on tv. This years tour was my tv highlight of the year. Beating even Wales' super win against Ireland in the Rugby World Cup.
The Tour is great sporting drama and because it's played out over 20 odd stages in 3 weeks, the tension & excitement just builds. I was very lucky this year to watch a vintage tour as my first one. I'm optimistic that the 2012 route will serve up some great racing. Impossible for Voeckler to repeat his heroics again, but I can see him getting some podiums. It would be good to see Andy Schleck win the Yellow Jersey, purely to reward his climbing talent. My gut instinct at the moment is to go with Contador. He's skipping the Giro to be fresh for the tour and I think he'll be back to best.
6. Olympic road race
Cav could win GB's first gold medal of the London Olympics. Would be a nice symmetry to it as Nicole Cooke won Team GB's first gold in Beijing.
The above points were just a few specifics but in the truth I'm looking forward to the whole season; all the UCI World Tour events and any other live cycling that finds it's way onto tv.
Roll on 2012.
Now would be a good time to declare my interest in the Europcar cycling team. I will be closely following the exploits of this French team, and in particular their star rider Thomas Voeckler. Also it will be interesting to see how Pierre Rolland matures after his fantastic White Jersey win in the Tour De France. Rolland rode tirelessly in support of Voeckler during the tour and managed to finish 11th overall as well. His win on Alpe-d'Huez was a brilliant achievement and hopefully will give Rolland the confidence to challenge in the GC in stage races.
In 2012, Looking forward to:
1. Watching the Spring classics. As I only got into cycling in July 2011 I missed an incredible early season. Will Gilbert dominate again?
2. The Giro. The one Grand Tour I missed in the 2011 season. The route for 2012 is more rider friendly and Contador is not likely to go, so it could be a really open tour. Team Sky may even send Chris Froome to have a crack at GC. That would be great for the British cycling fans to watch.
3. Mark Cavendish vs. the Rest
The split up of HTC and the emergence of Marcel Kittel as the next big thing will provide fresh tests for Cav. The Manx Missile will now be facing tough competition from former HTC team mates Mark Renshaw and Matt Goss. If anyone knows how to beat Cav surely it's those two. Most interestingly for me is the match-up with Kittel. This German wunderkid is by all accounts the real deal. I'm really looking forward to a true rivalry developing between these two.
4. Going to the Tour de France.
Hotel is booked and I'm off to see stage 3, the first stage in France, which finishes in Boulogne. The precise details of the route won't be released till closer to July, but I don't think I want to be at the finish. Somewhere in the last third of the route would be ideal. It will be my first trip to the Tour.
5. Tour de France
Watching as much as I can live on tv. This years tour was my tv highlight of the year. Beating even Wales' super win against Ireland in the Rugby World Cup.
The Tour is great sporting drama and because it's played out over 20 odd stages in 3 weeks, the tension & excitement just builds. I was very lucky this year to watch a vintage tour as my first one. I'm optimistic that the 2012 route will serve up some great racing. Impossible for Voeckler to repeat his heroics again, but I can see him getting some podiums. It would be good to see Andy Schleck win the Yellow Jersey, purely to reward his climbing talent. My gut instinct at the moment is to go with Contador. He's skipping the Giro to be fresh for the tour and I think he'll be back to best.
6. Olympic road race
Cav could win GB's first gold medal of the London Olympics. Would be a nice symmetry to it as Nicole Cooke won Team GB's first gold in Beijing.
The above points were just a few specifics but in the truth I'm looking forward to the whole season; all the UCI World Tour events and any other live cycling that finds it's way onto tv.
Roll on 2012.
Sunday, 23 January 2011
Memories of a casual gamer - Part 1
It all started in 1986 when I was 10. My Dad bought me my first computer, an Amstrad CPC 464. Games were loaded via cassette and some games could take nearly 30 minutes to load. Imagine that. The computer also came with a monitor, the legendary green screen monitor. Everything was displayed in different shades of green. Lovely.
Games such as Harrier Attack, Oh Mummy and Roland in the Caves soon became favourites. Jet Set Willy was also played alot. What a strange little game. It had the advantage of being a very quick game to load. And then there was The Bard’s Tale. A classic RPG of it’s day. The number of enemies I killed with a fire horn - unbelievable. (you had to be there) I can still remember some of the music from that game. I’m sure I’m not the only one.
Amiga
In 1990 I got an Amiga computer. This was a big step-up from my Amstrad and was capable of real good graphics and sound. The Amiga turned out to be a real high point for gamers in the early 1990s and produced a long line of classic games, many of which still survive in some format today. Some of my favourites included Lemmings, Cannon Fodder, Bloodwych, Double Dragon, Sensible Soccer, Sim City, James Pond, Railroad Tycoon, Hired Guns, Secret of Monkey Island and Dune 2.
The game that probably took up the most time was a turn-based strategy affair called Warlords. It was simple to learn with modest game rules but required real commitment and planning to master. I enjoyed the challenge of starting off from a small base and expanding your armies and influences through strategic play. It was a cleverly designed game and allowed the player to adopt a variety of tactics. The game had plenty of re-play value for me and will always be regarded as one of my all-time favourites.
1990 to 1995 were the Amiga years and it would be remiss of me not to mention the excellent Amiga Power. This was a magazine published by Future Publishing that became the number 1 gaming magazine for the Amiga. Reading AP every month was a pure joy. Check out the AP wikipedia site to understand why it was so great.
Games such as Harrier Attack, Oh Mummy and Roland in the Caves soon became favourites. Jet Set Willy was also played alot. What a strange little game. It had the advantage of being a very quick game to load. And then there was The Bard’s Tale. A classic RPG of it’s day. The number of enemies I killed with a fire horn - unbelievable. (you had to be there) I can still remember some of the music from that game. I’m sure I’m not the only one.
Amiga
In 1990 I got an Amiga computer. This was a big step-up from my Amstrad and was capable of real good graphics and sound. The Amiga turned out to be a real high point for gamers in the early 1990s and produced a long line of classic games, many of which still survive in some format today. Some of my favourites included Lemmings, Cannon Fodder, Bloodwych, Double Dragon, Sensible Soccer, Sim City, James Pond, Railroad Tycoon, Hired Guns, Secret of Monkey Island and Dune 2.
The game that probably took up the most time was a turn-based strategy affair called Warlords. It was simple to learn with modest game rules but required real commitment and planning to master. I enjoyed the challenge of starting off from a small base and expanding your armies and influences through strategic play. It was a cleverly designed game and allowed the player to adopt a variety of tactics. The game had plenty of re-play value for me and will always be regarded as one of my all-time favourites.
1990 to 1995 were the Amiga years and it would be remiss of me not to mention the excellent Amiga Power. This was a magazine published by Future Publishing that became the number 1 gaming magazine for the Amiga. Reading AP every month was a pure joy. Check out the AP wikipedia site to understand why it was so great.
Monday, 3 January 2011
John Dickson Carr
Reading the books of John Dickson Carr has become a passion of mine in recent years. So far I have read 21 of his books. Not a bad start, though considering he wrote about 70 books I’ve still got a way to go. He’s probably an author you’ve never heard. A writer from the Golden Age of Detective fiction (Agatha Christie’s era), he is known for his impossible crime stories and locked-room murder mysteries. I first became aware of him whilst reading a list of essential crime fiction published in the Guardian newspaper a few years ago. They recommended his book “The Hollow Man”. Thankfully this was of his books still in print. I read it and loved every bit of it. It was fantastic story telling and a masterful plot. Since that point I’ve been hooked on Carr books.
Half the fun of reading his books is collecting them in the first place. There are less than half a dozen of his books still in print. It will be a real challenge to gather together all his books and read them. And hopefully an enjoyable challenge. In my first year of reading Carr I went to the famous book town Hay-on-Wye to hunt down some books. I found one Carr and left with a fresh appreciation of how difficult it could be to build my collection. Websites like ebay and amazon market place have plenty of Carr books available but I know as my collection grows it will become increasing difficult to find those rarer books. And to make it even more fun there are the different versions of his books to collect, namely the English and American editions. As a sign of my passion for Carr I was in France in summer last year and bought three second hand copies of his books in French. Needless to say I can’t read French, but it’s pretty cool to have them in my Carr collection.
So 2011. A simple aim. To read 9 more Carr books to take the total upto 30. I already have five unread books to get on with. Actually six come to think of it. Though the sixth is a non-fiction work, a biography on the life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
I now present a list of my Top 10 John Dickson Carr books. It will be interesting to see if there is much change to this list by the end of this year.
1. The Hollow Man
2. The Judas Window
3. Papa La-Bas
4. The Emperor’s Snuff Box
5. It Walks by Night
6. The Seat of the Scornful
7. The Crooked Hinge
8. Fire, Burn
9. Captain Cuthroat
10. He Who Whispers
Half the fun of reading his books is collecting them in the first place. There are less than half a dozen of his books still in print. It will be a real challenge to gather together all his books and read them. And hopefully an enjoyable challenge. In my first year of reading Carr I went to the famous book town Hay-on-Wye to hunt down some books. I found one Carr and left with a fresh appreciation of how difficult it could be to build my collection. Websites like ebay and amazon market place have plenty of Carr books available but I know as my collection grows it will become increasing difficult to find those rarer books. And to make it even more fun there are the different versions of his books to collect, namely the English and American editions. As a sign of my passion for Carr I was in France in summer last year and bought three second hand copies of his books in French. Needless to say I can’t read French, but it’s pretty cool to have them in my Carr collection.
So 2011. A simple aim. To read 9 more Carr books to take the total upto 30. I already have five unread books to get on with. Actually six come to think of it. Though the sixth is a non-fiction work, a biography on the life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
I now present a list of my Top 10 John Dickson Carr books. It will be interesting to see if there is much change to this list by the end of this year.
1. The Hollow Man
2. The Judas Window
3. Papa La-Bas
4. The Emperor’s Snuff Box
5. It Walks by Night
6. The Seat of the Scornful
7. The Crooked Hinge
8. Fire, Burn
9. Captain Cuthroat
10. He Who Whispers
Friday, 2 April 2010
I think micro-blogging is the way forward, for now at least. Most things can be said within the 140 character limit on Twitter. And if you have something more to say you can always put a link into a blog. Also people haven't got the time to read blogs. Micro-blogging is the ideal solution.
I joined Twitter over a year ago but didn't really get into it. I tried again recently and have found it to be a useful and enjoyable website. I went off Facebook a long time ago, too full of clutter and too slow. Twitter, for now at least, is quick and simple to use, though I read that adverts may be coming to the site. This may take the edge off its appeal.
This is me: http://twitter.com/parsley76
I joined Twitter over a year ago but didn't really get into it. I tried again recently and have found it to be a useful and enjoyable website. I went off Facebook a long time ago, too full of clutter and too slow. Twitter, for now at least, is quick and simple to use, though I read that adverts may be coming to the site. This may take the edge off its appeal.
This is me: http://twitter.com/parsley76
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
