A Broken Duck - or should that be Wasp?

London Wasps 9 - 15 Leeds Carnegie

Wow.  I mean, wow.  I can't believe what I've just seen, let alone had time for it to sink in yet. 

Leeds Carnegie have not only won their first Guinness Premiership game of the season, they've also won their first Premiership away game since November 2005 and beaten London Wasps for the very first time.  Not a bad afternoon for my beloved team of "Premiership Whipping boys" and guaranteed yo-yo relegation fodder.  It's also three very good reasons to help explain why I'm sitting typing this in a state of mild shock and am contemplating taking a couple of headache tablets and having a little lie down.

It's true that today's game down in High Wycombe wasn't the prettiest game of rugby that you will ever see.  There were no tries, no twinkle-toed side steps or freeflowing champagne rugby on display.  Instead there was plenty of grit, determination and a solid performance of all the basics by the Leeds side, although Wasps minus the might of Phil Vickery seemed to fly around rather aimlessly, much like a bunch of dozy wasps intent on repeatedly smacking their faces against a window.

Wasps failed to get a solid platform from the scrum and this stopped them from successfully feeding the ball to their mouthwatering selection of backs.  Sackey, Lemi and Van Gisbergen barely saw the ball all day and instead spent most of the afternoon in B&Q, trying to find some elbow grease to help lubricate the creaking Wasps' scrum. Nippy half-back Joe Simpson made a couple of rapid breaks, but time and again any minor threat was dampened by Leeds who had invested in a job lot of insect repellent.

Danger: High Voltage

In contrast, the Leeds forwards all had an excellent day in the scrum and they completely owned the line-out.  Amusingly, the camera kept panning to an increasingly irritated looking Wasps coach Shaun Edwards on the bench, who seemed ready to implode as Leeds stole ball after ball.  Oh how it made me laugh. 

However, it was at the breakdown where Leeds won this game.  Hendre Fourie aka Shrek had yet another excellent game, although I hope the powers that be down at Twickenham HQ aren't tempted to look any closer at the South African who now qualifies for England due to residency, as he is a key element in the Leeds pack.

The evergreen Andy Gommersall also had an exceptional game, and he used the difficult swirling wind to his advantage in the first half, by peppering spaces in the Wasps half with well placed box kicks.  And to think, I really didn't like him when he was at Gloucester.  Well Andy, I take it all back, I think you're alright.

Leeds went in at half time with a 12-6 lead, all thanks to the boot of Ceiron Thomas.  Paul Walder kicked all of Wasps points in a rather scrappy performance for the London outfit, whose only plus point of the game was the emergence from the bench of man mountain Simon Shaw who has been out with a long term foot injury.  Thomas kept his cool and traded penalties with Walder to end the game 9-15 and prompt all the Leeds squad to leap with joy and start a good few minutes of well deserved back-slapping.

Woo!  Milky Bars are on me!

If Saracens can top the league by playing 'boring' gritty rugby, then I don't see why this won't do the trick in helping Leeds peel themselves off the bottom.  The gap to next placed Bath has been cut to two points with these two teams set to face each other in their first match of the new year at Headingley Carnegie on Saturday 2nd January.  Unfortunately I'm going to miss this game as I'll be dragging my decrepit body back from a New Year's Eve blowout in Brussels.  Mmm, chocolate.

Anyway, as the season progresses, Leeds will need to find the ability to turn periods of pressure into points and score tries rather than relying on the boot of their number ten to kick them to victory.  However if they can keep on getting the basics right like they did in the game today then they will definitely build a platform that will hopefully help them to avoid the pain of relegation.  Fingers crossed.

Living with the Pride: DVD Review

Warning! This review contains spoilers!

With Royal Mail embarking on a frustrating postal strike, it was with great relief when I checked my doormat on my return from work today to find that my Lions 2009: Living with the Pride DVD had finally been delivered.

I've been looking forward to the release of this access all areas documentary since about halfway through the Lions tour to South Africa this summer. There's something special and tantalizing about being able to sneak a peek behind the scenes of the pre-match preparations and find out what the players are really like when they're off duty. The 1997 vintage, Living with the Lions, will always be lauded as the pinnacle of sporting documentary (and rightly so) but I was eager to discover if the 2009 offering would come anywhere close.

The action starts at Pennyhill Training Camp and it's clear to see the bonds rapidly forming within the squad with Andy Powell, Donnacha O'Callaghan and Tommy Bowe quickly emerging as the jokers in the touring party. The squad relocates to South Africa and the tense build up of the warm up games is juxtaposed with moments of humour, such as Ugo Monye's irresistible chat up lines and Nathan Hines forgetting Luke Fitzgerald's name when allocating rooms.

As the tour progresses you get a real sense of the tension and weight of expectation building within the squad. Shaun Edwards pulls no punches and adds an extra dimension of intensity into every briefing and half time team talk. After the Cheetahs game (where the Lions won 26-24) the dressing room is silent and the players stony faced, such is the disappointment of coming so close to a loss. Seeing the passion of all the players and their pride in the jersey is powerful, as is the commitment and drive of all the coaching and backroom staff who work tirelessly behind the scenes.

In contrast to the action on the pitch, there is also a much lighter side in build up to the tests. Throughout the tour, the Lions are shown visiting schools and townships, and an absolutely priceless moment is watching the usually fierce Shaun Edwards teaching the children of one of the townships just how to do the Blitz defence. Other amusing moments generally occur any time Andy Powell is on the screen, and I did laugh when Tommy Bowe and Nathan Hines took it upon themselves to find a girlfriend for the surprisingly single Rob Kearney before the Sharks game. Somehow, (and despite his best efforts), the scantily clad Sharks cheerleaders seemed to be immune to Rob's Irish charms which was much to the amusement of his team mates. There are also some worthwhile highlights on the extras DVD, which includes a Soccer AM-style Skill School challenge between David Wallace and Alun Wyn Jones, Euan Murray's terrible jokes on the tour bus and Tom Croft receiving a shot in the nads from a much furrier lion.

Back on the rugby pitch, and the first two test matches are very difficult to watch knowing how the results pan out, especially after listening to the strong and passionate pre-match speech of Willie John McBride before the first test. After the final whistle of the second test match, the dressing room sits in an unbearable silence with the players exhausted and empty on every level. Being allowed in to see a moment like that made me feel like an intruder and it made for some very uncomfortable viewing.

The film reaches its climax with the third and final test, and I have to admit that I was forced to sniff back the tears whilst watching Ian McGeechan's emotional and rousing speech before the last game. As he spoke, sheer emotion and anticipation was hanging heavily in the air, and the focus and determination was clearly etched on the faces of all the players. Watching McGeechan shed a few tears after his speech really summed up the passion of what it means to be Lion and how it feels to pull on the famous red jersey. Ian McGeechan truly personifies the Lions ethos to the core, and watching him rally his pride with such a swell of emotion was truly lump in the throat time.

This DVD had me captivated from start to finish, and it really is a must for all the rugby fans who were mesmerized by the gripping series in South Africa. Brilliantly shot, it captures both the romance of a Lions tour without sparing any of the brutality. After watching this documentary of a Lions tour in the age of professional rugby, it is clear to see that the Lions spirit and purpose is in rude health and is still as relevant today as it always was.

I can't wait until the 2013 pride roar into Australia in four years time, and whilst Ian McGeechan probably won't be at the helm you can bet it will still be one hell of a ride.

PS: As a side note to all the ladies reading this blog, you might be interested to know that there are plenty of ice-baths, players sunbathing and surfing, and generally using any excuse to walk around with their tops off. You know, just in case you like that kind of thing...