Oh, I can remember that feeling; a black psychological moment. Pack down for the first scrum and, despite your best efforts, the studs start sliding and back you go. This is going to be a tough eighty minutes. Second best in the set-piece is a bad place to be.
Looking at the weekend's international games I have to say that despite rugby being more open, tackling getting better and better, and handling skills improving all around the world, it is pretty obvious that the set-piece wins you games.
If you can dominate at scrum and lineout then you finish on top.
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I used to like . But it's no longer a mark of respect, nor some ancient challenge; it's become a rather silly one-way exercise in threatening behaviour.
And they really expect teams to just stand and watch?
It was so good when Willie Anderson, the Irish legend, got far too close for comfort when
I like New Zealanders, some of the best people I have met hail from there.
, one of my heroes was and they say that if you want a fence built in the UK you get a contractor, but in New Zealand you get a few mates and build it yourselves.
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I can see into the future. England are going to nick back as soon as they can. The man is ahead of the game in the northern hemisphere.
Northern hemisphere rugby teams lag far behind their rivals south of the equator. And I think I know why. We lack smartness in the way we play, our individual skills are not the equal of theirs, and we play in a winter that is far worse than theirs.
But fundamentally our coaching, and our in-depth knowledge about rugby is behind theirs. Southern hemisphere rugby is fantastic stuff.
Apart from - more of that later - the northern hemisphere teams were all utterly demolished by their rivals.
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I think you should show respect for the opposition, not celebrate tries as if a life has been saved, and then behave soberly at the end of the game. Am I wrong?
What the heck is wrong with shaking hands with the opposition immediately after the final whistle?
Why has rugby union grasped football's celebratory idiocy, while rugby league players, after knocking seven lumps out of each other, extend a hand straight away?
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Right, this is going to hurt. English rugby is the hotbed of the game in the northern hemisphere. Ouch. Help! Nurse...!
I say again, I want a British league.
And the reason? Promotion and relegation. It's a real league. If players lose games they lose their jobs.
I have written articles about how English club rugby is stodgy but, just like its soccer counterpart, the English league is becoming the best in the world.
I watched that and my jaw was dropping to the floor. It was confrontational, tactical, abrasive and oh-so-good to watch. The best game for a while.
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I was born in Borneo, spent my formative years swinging from the trees, and you might know me as an international rugby player, but now I'm off to London to give you my opinion on all things Olympic as part of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Scotland Sport Nation Olympic team.
