Your Scrumhalf Connection

re-posted from ScrumQueens:

Sky Sports has confirmed that it will broadcast thirteen live games from the Women’s Rugby World Cup.

There will be nine pool games live, including all of England’s matches, highlights from the remaining games as well as full coverage of the third place play off, semi-finals and the World Cup Final being played at The Stoop in west London.

Asides from England’s pool games, Sky has selected some of the top games from the other pool stages to show live.

On day one they will broadcast Wales V Australia, New Zealand V South Africa and England V Ireland – three of the most exciting clashes on the day.

On the second day of action there will be full live broadcasts from the games between France and Scotland, England and Kazakhstan and the most highly anticipated match of the pool stages, New Zealand and Australia.

On day three the matches being shown are New Zealand V Wales, Australia V South Africa and England V the USA.

Both semi-finals, the third place play off and the World Cup final will also be shown live though full details of those broadcasts and where they will feature are to be announced.

Other countries who show the World Cup (for example the Rugby Channel in New Zealand will show the Black Ferns games) will also take the Sky feed and commentary.

The IRB is also planning to simultaneously stream the same games that Sky has selected live.

Sky Sports Coverage (live games in bold)

MATCH DAY 1: FRIDAY, AUGUST, 20

No. Kick-off Group Match Venue/Pitch

1. 12.00 C Canada v Scotland Surrey 2

2. 14.00 A Wales v Australia Surrey 1

3. 14.15 B USA v Kazakhstan Surrey 2

4. 16.15 A New Zealand v South Africa Surrey 1

5. 16.30 C France v Sweden Surrey 2

6. 18.30 B England v Ireland Surrey 1

MATCH DAY 2: TUESDAY, AUGUST, 24

No. Kick-off Group Match Venue

7. 12.00 A Wales v South Africa Surrey 2

8. 14.00 C France v Scotland Surrey 1

9. 14.15 C Canada v Sweden Surrey 2

10. 16.15 A New Zealand v Australia Surrey 1

11. 16.30 B USA v Ireland Surrey 2

12. 18.30 B England v Kazakhstan Surrey 1

MATCH DAY 3: SATURDAY, AUGUST, 28

No. Kick-off Group Match Venue

13. 12.00 C Scotland v Sweden Surrey 2

14. 14.00 A New Zealand v Wales Surrey 1

15. 14.15 C France v Canada Surrey 2

16. 16.15 A Australia v South Africa Surrey 1

17. 16.30 B Ireland v Kazakhstan Surrey 2

18. 18.30 B England v USA Surrey 1

The World Cup semis and final will also be shown. See here for the full list.

Today is a great day because it is The Girl’s Birthday! Now we won’t say how old she is getting…but its another year closer to 30!

The Girl

You Are My Sunshine
My only sunshine.
You make me happy
When skies are grey.
You’ll never know, dear,
How much I love you.

Don’t forget to enter the July Free Rugby Raffle, you can win a limited edition The Girl tshirt!

Water is the most important nutrient in the body and our body is about 65% water so it is also the most prevalent. We need water on a daily basis in order to live and survive. We will die without water. We can go up to 3 months without food. We can survive about a week without sleep. We will be dead in 4 days if we don’t have water. That number could be even less if we are in a hot area or sweat a lot. Hopefully it is clear that water is VERY important and we need to be consuming water at all times in order to assure proper hydration.

Water has many uses in the body. It acts as a solvent, it controls thermoregulation (maintaining body temperature), gives structure to cells, used for lubrication in our joints and helps to conduct electrical current for our neurotransmitters (messages from our brain to various body parts). Since these things are all over the body we need a lot of water and since this happens on a daily basis we need to ensure that we have enough water for these things to happen.

The average adult female needs about 72 ounces of water daily for normal hydration. The average male needs 96 ounces of water daily for normal hydration. This is the average sedentary “I don’t bust my ass in the gym, on the pitch or sweat my butt off on a daily basis because I hate to sit on the couch” type of lifestyle that is Rugby. The more you sweat on a daily basis then the more you need to replenish. Sweating profusely means another 32 ounces or more. If the temperature is high then sweat loss will be even greater and water replenishment demands will also increase.

On a daily basis we need to drink plenty of water as this is our major source of water intake. However, we do get water from more sources other than just plain water. We can get water from any liquid and food source. Chicken, lettuce, bananas, vegetables, fish, and nuts all have water in them. Any food has water in it. Only oil does not have water in it. If we eat a steak there is water in it. That is the juice that we are tasting. We will use the water as part of our daily need. Every liquid is also water based so our body will process the liquid and use the water. We can get water from sources other than water but we still need to attempt to drink water for a quantifiable consumption of water. Alcohol, carbonated and caffeinated drinks have water in them also but with the processing need to derive the water these beverages can only be considered for half of their intake. Meaning if you drink a 12 ounce soda it will only be considered 6 ounces for your daily need.

An easy way to check whether or not you are hydrated properly is thirst. If you are thirsty then you are already at the early stages of dehydration. Drink some water at this point because continuing to sweat and work hard will cause you to become more and more dehydrated. Sometimes in the middle of a game it can be difficult to consume the water needed to stay hydrated. Therefore, it is very important to ensure proper hydration before the game. Do not do this by consuming massive amount of water before a game. That will cause bloating and slow your performance. Water must be consumed daily to allow the body to get acclimated to increased water and become accustomed to being fully hydrated. Drink plenty of water every day. Make it a habit and you are sure to improve your sports performance.

Anyone in the San Diego area is welcome to drop in at our studio at 2949 Garnet Ave. 3rd floor, Pacific Beach, CA. We would love to put you through our workout. Please feel free to call or email Spencer Aiken,CSCS (951) 296-7993 email:spencer@truefitness.biz

Article written by Spencer Aiken, CSCS, CEO, TrueFitness

Good news for the men and there have been rumblings from Nigel Melville that some games at the Women’s Rugby World Cup could televised as well.

from USA Rugby:

Networks Partner with International Rugby Board for Rights to Rugby World Cup in 2011 and 2015

All World Cup Matches to Air across Universal Sports’ Media Platforms

NEW YORK CITY — June 17, 2010 – Universal Sports Network, NBC Sports, and the International Rugby Board (IRB) today announced a partnership that will bring to U.S. audiences unprecedented national television and digital media coverage of the 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cup tournaments.

The announcement was made by Universal Sports CEO David Sternberg and Mike Miller, CEO and Secretary General, International Rugby Board. The official launch was supported by USA Rugby CEO Nigel Melville and the local New York rugby community in the build-up to the Churchill Cup finals set for Saturday, June 19 at Red Bull Arena.

“This is a huge step in the right direction for USA Rugby,” Melville said. “A major broadcast partner will create a number of new opportunities for the sport, raising rugby’s profile in America, as well as allowing supporters to follow the Eagles on their road to the 2011 Rugby World Cup.”

Universal Sports, the preeminent destination for Olympic-related sports programming, and NBC Sports will provide full, multi-platform coverage of all 48 matches during the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand and the 2015 World Cup in England. Two matches in each tournament, including the Finals in 2011 and 2015, will air either live or on a same-day delay on NBC Sports. Live and delayed match video will also be accessible at www.universalsports.com, and on Universal Sports’ mobile platforms. Universal Sports’ and NBC Sports’ match coverage will feature a studio pre-game show, halftime and post-game shows, as well as several other production enhancements, and will be offered in high definition.

“This is a very significant rights acquisition for Universal Sports, especially given the growing popularity of rugby around the world and in America,” said Sternberg. “We are delighted to be partnering with the IRB for the Rugby World Cup and other top events, and we look forward to showcasing global rugby, at its highest level, for our audiences across all of our platforms—television, online and mobile.”

“Today’s announcement represents a significant milestone in the development of Rugby in the United States,” said Miller. “NBC and Universal Sports are globally renowned for quality broadcast delivery of major sports events in the United States and their considerable experience and passion for sport will deliver the widespread platform for Rugby World Cup to truly capture the hearts and minds of American sports fans.”

The Rugby World Cup is one of the largest and most avidly watched sporting events in the world, drawing an estimated 4.2 billion viewers worldwide during the last championship in France in 2007. The competition next year begins on September 9, 2011, when host New Zealand meets Tonga in Auckland. The tournament field consists of 20 different nations, likely including the United States, who will compete over the course of a month for the coveted Webb Ellis Cup. New Zealand and Australia jointly hosted the first edition of the Rugby World Cup in 1987 while South Africa is the defending champion from 2007.

The agreement extends Universal Sports’ focus on rugby, which will debut at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Since the beginning of June, the network has really built up their rugby coverage. They have teamed up with USA Rugby and televised the U.S. College Sevens Invitational and the six-country Churchill Cup tournament. The final two matches of the Churchill Cup, featuring both the U.S. national team and the England Saxons, will air live from Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, this Saturday, June 19 beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET.

ABOUT UNIVERSAL SPORTS: Universal Sports, a partnership between NBC Sports and InterMedia Partners, LP, serves as the preeminent multiplatform destination for Olympic-related sports programming on television and online. Universal Sports is available in more than 63 million homes, including all of the nation’s top 10 DMAs: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Dallas-Fort Worth and Washington, D.C. Recent expansion includes launches in Boston, Atlanta, Houston, Miami, Denver, Portland, and Jacksonville. Go to UniversalSports.com for a complete list of TV markets. Major world championship and Olympic qualifying events found on Universal Sports range from track and field, skiing, swimming, gymnastics, marathons and cycling, to volleyball, rowing, triathlon, fencing, speed skating and martial arts. UniversalSports.com delivers an immersive experience via live and on-demand competition coverage, interaction with top athletes through blogs and in-depth access to Olympic sports news and information year round. For more information on the availability of the Universal Sports 24-hour television channel, please visit UniversalSports.com.

ABOUT IRB & RUGBY WORLD CUP: Rugby World Cup is the world’s third largest single sports event and the 2011 tournament in New Zealand will be broadcast to a potential audience of over 4 billion in 200 countries. All tournament surpluses generated by commercial revenues underwrite a range of major funding initiatives aimed at increasing global growth and stimulating participation. In total the IRB will invest over £153 million during the period 2009-2012.

ABOUT USA RUGBY: USA RUGBY, founded in 1975, is the national governing body for rugby and is a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the International Rugby Board (IRB). The organization is responsible for the development of boys, girls, high school, collegiate and club rugby programs, as well as the nation’s rugby coaches, referees, administrators and all of its national teams that represent the U.S. in international competitions. As part of this development, USA Rugby hosts a number of courses, clinics, National Championship events and international matches throughout the year. For more information, please visit www.usarugby.org.

CONTACT INFO:

Universal Sports
Kevin Endsley
kendsley@universalsports.com
818-661-4188

Greg Hughes
Ghughes5425@gmail.com

NBC Sports
Adam Freifeld
Adam.freifeld@nbcuni.com

IRB
Dominic Rumbles
Dominic.Rumbles@irb.com

USA Rugby
Sara Wright
swright@usarugby.org

I recently stumbled upon a Vimeo site that has great example videos of law breakdowns. Here is an example of Law 15.7 (c) Players falling on or over the players lying on the ground after a tackle. Videos are taken from the IRB.com site…

Law Clips from the 25 May 2010 meeting between Tier 1 Coaches and iRB Referee Manager’s meeting.

Posted for the purpose of discussion with my referee coach. All rights iRB.

To view more YSC videos hover over the heading ‘Videos’ on the navigation bar up top and choose Rugby Video Monday.

Please continue sending in your videos and I will keep posting them! Send them to wendy@scrumhalfconnection.com.