At What Point Can We Actually Consider It To Be Cheating..?

As the world of professional cycling is continuously tarnished by 'drug cheats' surely you have to ask yourself, if everyone's doing it at what point is at actually cheating? Yes ok, we know it's against the rules therefore we know it must be considered cheating but if EVERYONE is doing it then is it cheating? Or is it simply becoming the norms of professional cycling

After reading former U.S Postal Service rider and Lance Armstrong's team mate, Tyler Hamilton's book 'The Secret Race' it became clear that exactly what I and everyone else was thinking was in fact true. Anyone who's anyone on the professional cycling circuit is doping. It's just the way it is in the modern era. But in this case, if everyone is actually doping then can we really consider it cheating? 'The Secret Race' highlighted several important points for me: Firstly, and gold medal to me for stating the obvious, Lance Armstrong doped. He denied it throughout his entire career, but he did in fact dope. Secondly, Lance bullied a lot of his team mates into doping, including author Tyler Hamilton who also denied it for a long time before coming clean on a television interview several years later. Thirdly, the lengths that Lance and several other riders went to to ensure they would not be caught and would get the appropriate drugs from the best doctors in the world was beyond extreme. This highlights to me and to every other cycling enthusiast there is, that the world of professional cycling simply will not change. They can't police every single rider to the highest level, A because they are just too good at ensuring they can't be detected with drugs in their system, and B because if they did manage to uncover every rider who doped, there would probably be less than 30 riders left in the field (The Secret Race, Tyler Hamilton, Pg.177, 2012).

Taking all of this into account, lets get back to my question; At What Point Can It Actually Be Considered Cheating? In technical terms of course it's cheating. The rules state that it is against the rules set down by the UCI and enforced by USADA that riders cannot be aided by the use of steroids, blood transfusions or any other form of performance enhancing drugs. (The Secret Race, Tyler Hamilton, Pg.78, 2012). BUT; As this is now becoming the norms of professional cycling, maybe we should just let them be? Maybe we should just accept the fact that over 75% of professional cyclers dope? Maybe we should just let them be, and let them continue to do what they do, and we'll find out who the best of the 'cheats' is every year? Or we'll just find out who has the best doctor. Either way, the world of professional cycling will not change, and with cyclists covering their tracks so much better now it is becoming even harder to detect these drugs, so maybe we should just let them go at it? In 2005, the last time Lance Armstrong won le Tour de France, if they stripped every rider who doped of their respective results and awarded 1st place to the next clean rider, the rider would've come in 23rd place. That shows the extent to which professional cyclists are doping more and more in the modern era, and this number is not going to drop, it will only go up as cyclists realise they simply cannot compete at the top level and keep up with every other rider unless they are doping. This unfortunately is the realism of professional cycling. Maybe it is time for everyone to accept it as a necessary part of cycling?

Time For The BlackCaps To Harden Up?

We know the BlackCaps have had a torrid time of it lately, well a few people have, but surely it's time to move on and toughen up a bit, especially given their latest result in Newlands...
Although the treatment of Ross Taylor was beyond poor, and yes we all admit that, New Zealand cricket cannot sit there and feel sorry for themselves any longer otherwise we will continue to get trounced by top tier nations, such as has happened in South Africa.

What Needs To Happen Inside and Outside The Team..

Ross Taylor:

He needs to come back. Simple. Yes he was treated very badly by NZC but Brendon McCullum is the captain now. Ross Taylor can't change that, but what he can change or at least have an impact on, are the teams on field performances. He has to return for the England series, by the time they show up on our doorstep Taylor will have had 3 months away from the game to get himself sorted. I believe that if he chooses not to front up for the England series then he should consider himself dropped from the team and he should have to fully earn his re selection, like every other player in New Zealand.

Martin Guptill:

He needs to start making runs at test level, or the BlackCaps need to pick a new opener. Again, simple. A top score of 13 from his last six test innings is simply unacceptable for any batter, let alone an opener! The fact that he makes big runs in the shorter form of the game cannot justify him remaining in the side at test level. He is no longer a threat to opponents, because they know how to get him out and get him out early! If I was Mike Hesson, I would seriously have my eye out for a new opener.

Team Changing:

Our test team needs to stop changing so often! Look at the top ranked nations and how consistent they are with their selections. That's why they do so well! The BlackCaps however reckon it's pretty reasonable to change the test team every single tour that comes their way and expect partnerships and combinations to form and the team to succeed. We need to consistently keep our team the same, with the exception of injuries of course, and build them up to be able to take on any team. This of course is with exception of particularly bad form i.e Martin Guptill.  

A tougher side will start resulting in a better side. We need to start making tougher selection choices, we need to stop wrapping Ross Taylor in bubble wrap and tell him to hurry up and return to the side. He's not getting the captaincy back, so get over it and get on with the job. That's the harsh reality of it. Yes he was treated incredibly badly, everyone admits that, but what's done is done. Surely time to move on?? Surely given the BlackCaps recent run of results, he'll want to get back in the side just as quickly as New Zealand does?

All Blacks Look To Continue European Surge Against Wales

After a scrappy win against the Italians, the All Blacks now move to Cardiff to try and take down the Welsh.
This will prove to be the All Blacks biggest test so far on their northern tour, with the Welsh feeling that they deserved a place in last years World Cup final.
Pre game comments from Wales' defence coach will surely have the All Blacks fired up, but with Steve Hansen revealing his A team for the first time on the northern tour, one would have to think that the All Blacks will again be too strong for this determined Welsh side.

What Wales Will Look To Do:
The Welsh will again look to their defence to try and stop a rampant All Blacks attack which, even though lacks a certain playmaker, will again prove to the be the difference between the two sides. A passionate Welsh side will however bring a lot of physicality up front and look to disrupt the All Blacks pill, as the Italians did last week. The All Blacks will therefore need to provide a lot more protection for Aaron Smith at the breakdown to ensure that he can continue to get quick ball away to Aaron Cruden and the All Black backline. Wales will rate their game up front. They always have, and this is where they believe they can out muscle the All Blacks. What the AB's need to be aware of is this; Wales believe they can win this game. They will go into it with the mindset that if they stick their guns and execute their game plan then they will be able to knock over the All Blacks in front of 80'000 passionate Welsh supporters. The All Blacks will therefore need to step up their game another level from their previous two encounters and execute their game plan with perfection.

5 Who Need Big Games:

Aaron Smith

Aaron Cruden

Andrew Hore

Liam Messam

Richie McCaw

All Blacks Scrape Away With Win In Rome

After a complete demolition of Scotland at Murrayfield, Steve Hansen made 14 changes to his side to face Italy, with Julian Savea the only one backing up from the week before. Whilst that dreaded R word came to everyones minds when the team was announced, the All Blacks managed a comfortable 42-10 win in the end, although it wasn't all that easy, nor was it a very attractive brand of footy.

The Italians brought a new kind of passion to the game in Rome, something we haven't seen from the them in a long time. They really stepped up their game since the last time the two sides met 2 years ago in Milan. This somewhat shocked the All Blacks, as they were slow to get themselves into the game. The Italians targeted the breakdown, and their physicality in that area caused some headaches for the All Blacks forward pack, and also halfback Aaron Smith, who was put under constant pressure by the Italians, therefore resulting in slower ball for the backs to work with. This also meant that the All Black backline was often starting on the back foot, meaning that the Italian backline had more time to come up and put early pressure on Aaron Cruden so he couldn't clear it to the threats out wide.

However, when we did manage to get fast front foot ball, Cruden took it to the line effectively and managed to set up his outsides well. Although they were quiet early on, wingers Hosea Gear and Julian Savea started to assert themselves on the game in the second half, not only scoring tries, but taking the ball to the line off the shoulder of Cruden and Nonu and setting up support players for the tries. Beauden Barret was solid in his first start at fullback, managing to control the early aerial assult from the Italians well. He attacked the line with speed, but found himself nudging the ball through a few too many times. Cory Jane was a standout when he came on at fullback, constantly taking the ball to the line and breaking through the Italian defense. Expect to see him back on the right wing for the test against Wales at Millennium Stadium, as the All Blacks go back to their A team for the last two tests.

The Standouts:

Kieran Read

Tony Woodcock

Julian Savea

Brodie Retallick

Cory Jane

Probable Starting XV for Wales:

1. Tony Woodcock
2. Keven Mealamu
3. Owen Franks
4. Luke Romano
5. Sam Whitelock
6. Liam Messam
7. Richie McCaw (c)
8. Kieran Read

9. Aaron Smith
10. Dan Carter
11. Julian Savea
12. Ma'a Nonu
13. Conrad Smith
14. Cory Jane/Hosea gear
15. Israel Dagg/Cory Jane

16. Andrew Hore
17. Wyatt Crockett
18. Ben Franks
19. Brodie Retallick
20. Victor Vito
21. Piri Weepu
22. Aaron Cruden
23. Beauden Barret

All Blacks Look To Start Off Northern Tour With A Win At Murrayfield

The last time we witnessed the All Blacks play this year, they put together a very scrappy 18-18 draw with Australia. Now as they embark into the Northern Hemisphere, Richie McCaw and his men will be looking to not only improve on their well below par performance in Brisbane, but they will be looking to get their Northern Tour underway with a strong win over Scotland at Murrayfield.

What The Scotts Will Bring To The Table:

Scotland will know that they will struggle to match the All Blacks for strength and physicality, so the battle up front won’t be too high on their agenda. The All Blacks are simply too strong at the breakdown, and despite not having the physical presence of Kieran Read and Liam Messam for the opening test, the All Blacks will still target the Scotts in that area and look to continue to produce quick go forward pill for the backline to work with. This means that the Scotts will look to not over commit at the breakdown and have their loose forwards hang off the side of the ruck and look to put constant pressure on Dan Carter and disrupt our back play.

The relatively inexperienced midfield combination of Tamati Ellison and Ben Smith will look to be exploited by the Scottish defence all day, as they are aware that they do not bare the same physical presence of Nonu and Smith the Scotts will look to run heavy traffic their way all day on attack. Scotland has to be confident in their own attacking abilities if they’re to have any chance of putting digits on the board. When they get it right, it can work very well. When they don’t, it’s all over red rover, and its long night on defence for the lads.

5 Who Need Big Games:

Piri Weepu- Again under pressure to perform. What else is new? 

 Ali Williams- Selected on past form. Needs to repay the selectors faith.

Israel Dagg- Expect a somewhat aerial assault early on from the Scotts.

Adam Thompson- Looks to be on the out so needs to show he’s still able to produce something good.

Tawera Kerr-Barlow- On debut and has been talked up. Needs to show that he deserves to be there.

Kick off from Murrayfield is at at 3:25am tomorrow morning live on Sky Sport 1

5 Reasons Why Canterbury Will Beat Auckland In The ITM Cup Final

As the premiership final of the 2012 ITM Cup draws near, Canterbury are looking to clinch their fifth straight title, while Auckland are looking to be the ones to dethrone them.
Being the one eyed cantab that I am, here's 5 reasons why Canterbury will claim their fifth title in a row over their northern rivals:

1. Coaching Staff

The Canterbury coaching line up have a wealth of experience between them, both playing and coaching. Head coach Tabai Matson, although in his first year as head coach, has been the understudy to Rob Penny when Canterbury claimed their last four titles. Therefore he knows how to coach a winning side, he knows how to combat the pressure of finals footy and he knows how to inject a game plan capable of taking out the final, especially against rugby giants Auckland. Matson. Crucial. Enough said.

2. Home Ground Advantage

Whilst playing at home is always said to be an advantage, playing at home in Canterbury is something just a little bit different. Widely regarded as the best fans in the country, and the hardest to play in front of as an opposing team, these Canterbury fans will make it very hard for Auckland to get in the game, and will make full sure that they are behind Canterbury for the full 80, being as vocal as they can. Remember these fans have been missing rugby for a couple of years (earthquakes you see, real shame) so they will ensure that they make their presence known tomorrow night.

3. Canterbury Know How To Win Finals

Remember, Canterbury are gunning for their fifth consecutive title. That means that they have the four previous ITM Cup competitions. Which means they happen to know a thing or two about winning, and how to win finals. With the experience they have in their side going into the final, they will be a very difficult side to put away. They've won finals away from home, they've won finals at home. They know how to do it. Period.

4. Robbie Fruean

I think the picture says it all about this man really. He's a beast. He can rip teams apart and change the game instantly. He will be crucial to Canterbury's attack tomorrow night, we need to get the ball into this mans hands, and when we do he will be a nightmare for opposition. His pure strength and decisiveness on attack has been key to the functioning of the Canterbury backline all year, and this must continue in order for Canterbury to claim their fifth title.

5. Andy Ellis

This guy is in the form of his life at the moment, and how he isn't wearing an All Black jersey I'm not sure. But the way he is controlling the game and dictating Canterbury's attack is second to none, not even Aaron Smith. His kicking game is putting constant pressure on opposition and his speed to the breakdown ensures continuous quick ball for the Canterbury backs. There's no need to ask 'if he fires Canterbury will be unstoppable' because he WILL fire and Canterbury WILL be unstoppable.


Canterbury gun for their fifth title tomorrow night at 7:35 live on SkySport1 from AMI Stadium in Christchurch.

Where To Now For JK And The Blues..?

At the start of the 2012 Super Rugby season, the Blues had 13 All Blacks in their squad and a promising season of rugby ahead. However we know that their 2012 campaign was an absolute disaster, and as the naming of the Super Rugby squads for 2013 draws near, the Blues have a new coach but have now lost several of their key players both overseas and to other New Zealand franchises. So what will John Kirwan be able to conjure up for the 2013 season?

After the recent departure of All Black Ma'a Nonu to the Highlanders, soon after prop Tony Woodcock announced he was also heading south, John Kirwan suddenly faces a real challenge to put together a relatively inexperienced team capable of winning games and hopefully being able to move forward into the playoffs.

So who will he rely on?

Kevin Mealamu:

Mealamu will again handle the leadership duties for the Blues, but will also be heavily relied on to lead the pack from the front. As a senior player in the team, he will need to take it upon himself to provide clean breakdown ball for his backs, and ensure that his forward pack can secure their own pill at the breakdown, and also be competitive for opposition ball.

Anthony Boric:

As another senior player, Boric will be the rock in the Blues lineout in 2013. An area which is becoming increasingly crucial to ensuring ball retention, the Blues cannot afford to have a shaky lineout. The backs will also look to Boric to be a pillar at scrum time, ensuring that the backs are getting clean, front foot ball to be able to unleash what could potentially be quite a dangerous backline.

Piri Weepu:

After a very questionable 2012 season, Weepu will really need to step up and show his class and experience in the Blues backline. At 9, he is one of the most important players on the field, and he will need to provide clean, quick front foot ball for his backline if they want to be able to outplay their opponents. He needs to take control of the game and dictate what is going to happen on the field. He also needs to watch his holiday weight and ensure that he does not have a repeat of what happened in the 2011/12 off season.

JK has included a lot of young talent in his 2013 squad (not that its been released yet, but we still know who majority will be) and this will provide them with a very good chance to step up and prove their worth on a much bigger stage. 2013 will provide chances for these players to get good game time under their belts, and further their own careers.
In what I'm sure will be a very demanding pre season for these players, they need to step up and repay the faith that Kirwan has placed in them. 2013 will certainly be a rebuilding phase for the Blues, but it also provides a very good opportunity for several players to stake their claims for All Blacks duties and further progress as individual players.

The finalised Super Rugby squads for 2013 will be named within the next couple of weeks.