One training session turned around England's dismal rugby World Cup campaign last year when the defending champions were on the verge of elimination, according to coach Brian Ashton.


England, humiliated 36-0 by eventual champions South Africa in the group stages, rallied to beat Samoa and Tonga and reach the knockout stages where they defeated Australia and hosts France to reach the final for the second successive tournament.


In an interview in The Independent newspaper on Thursday, Ashton described the notorious emergency meeting when the team sat down with the management to thrash out a survival plan after the South Africa defeat.


Autobiographies published since the tournament by former captain Lawrence Dallaglio and Mike Catt have suggested Ashton was out of his depth as coach and the players had been forced to take command.

"There was a good deal of talk, very honest talk, and everyone who wanted to make a contribution did so. Contrary to popular belief, there was no swearing that I can remember," Ashton said.
"What I do remember is a considerable amount of disagreement between the players themselves about things we'd done in the buildup to the tournament. What emerged was a need for clarity."

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Minister of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports, Olivia 'Babsy' Grange on, January 10, 2008, presented a sponsorship cheque to the Jamaica Rugby Team to assist with their preparation for the International Rugby Board (IRB) Youth World Championship slated for Santiago, Chile, April 9-30, 2008.

In presenting the cheque to Chairman of the Jamaica Rugby Union Mr. Jacob Thompson, Minister Grange commended the team for its hard work and dedication to the development of the sport for over 30 years.


She acknowledged the team's achievement and commended them on receiving the IRB trophy, the second highest award given out by the organization and for being the only team outside of Europe to receive the award.


Jamaica is the first and only English speaking country to qualify for the event, joining other countries such as Uruguay, Romania, Namibia and Korea. Thirty two members of the team are now in training with a final 26 to be selected to represent the country at the Chile games.

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The volume's not too good, so you may have to turn your speakers up.

The International Rugby Board ( IRB ) has announced that the Rugby World Cup 2011 tournament in New Zealand will comprise 20 teams. This mirrors the number of teams that played in the last three tournaments.


The decision was taken at a Special Meeting of Council following a recommendation to the Council from the Rugby World Cup Limited Board.

Dr Syd Millar, IRB and RWC Limited Chairman said,

"Prior to RWC 2007 the IRB stated that it would review the number of participating teams for future Rugby World Cups. The reason for this review was to ensure that the tournament remains competitive and commercially attractive, that player welfare concerns are addressed and it continues to be the major promotional and financial vehicle for the continued expansion of the Game."

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