Planet Rugby compiled by John O'Sullivan.
Harrington short-changed:
It happens to all of us. You know when you are caught short-change(d). This was literally the case for one of Ireland's premier sports people, Padraig Harrington in a recent visit to the David Lloyd Fitness centre in Riverview. Ireland's top golfer, a fantastic sixth in the world rankings, is a frequent visitor to a gymnasium, in order to keep in trim for the demands of the modern game.
Last week as he dropped in for a work-out he headed for the changing room only to discover that he didn't possess a euro for a locker. Anyone facing that situation would be embarrassed but when you have just won € 800,000 plus the previous Sunday for winning the Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews and are an instantly recognisable face to most people in the country, you can expect a little ribbing.
(Un)Fortunately, for Harrington the Leinster rugby team were there at the same time as Harrington quietly asked if he could borrow a euro for a locker. The Irish golfer certainly has a sense of humour as he prefaced his entreaty with 'yes, I know I won eight hundred and odd thousand last weekend but I actually need to borrow a euro'.
Leinster's strength coach Dave Fagin proved to be the white knight, lending the required amount and Harrington, showing a touch of class, later reimbursed Fagin with a two euro coin.
Balls in short supply
Once again it seems an Irish rugby team have encountered a ball problem. Following on with the problems encountered by the national side in New Zealand during the summer with the adidas ball - All Black outhalf Andrew Mehrtens wasn't exactly enamoured of the product either - it seems Munster outhalf Ronan O'Gara was once again a victim.
In the Heineken European Cup the match balls are supplied, specially branded by Gilbert, but the company has recently been in a take-over situation and it seems that balls must be in short supply. Normally, a team will have access a couple of days before a game to the match balls for place-kicking practice and such like.
Unfortunately for Munster's European Cup tie against Gloucester at the weekend that wasn't the case. The five balls in question were used for the Sale match the previous night and then couriered to Gloucester for the match. It meant there was very little time to get used to the ball and that was reflected in the difficulty O'Gara experienced in kicking from the hand during the match.
Obviously it would have been the case for both sides and that the situation is unlikely to repeat itself again in the foreseeable future - or is it?
No change in world order:
The International Board (IRB) is trying to spread the rugby gospel but as the latest Zurich world rankings demonstrate, there may be more countries playing rugby union, but at the highest level there is infinitesimal change to the pecking order.
More countries may be playing the game but at the top level, it is a throwback to the amateur days. Most countries remain light years removed from a meaningful inclusion in the sport's hierarchy. The rankings, taking into account the 89 nations that have qualified, or have attempted to qualify, for a rugby world cup since 1987, show that while the game is played in the four corners of the world, the power remains with a select few countries.
Since their inception in 1998, only 21 teams have occupied the top 20 spots in the Zurich World Rankings with no newcomers to the established "premier" league for nearly two years now. The only side to break the mould were Georgia back in 2001, with Spain since losing their place at the top table.
The manager of the Netherlands national team, Piet van den Deijssel, whose side is in 28th place, was asked why Georgia had managed to bridge the gap while others floundered. "Somewhere like the Netherlands still has only amateur rugby, so it's almost impossible for us to compete with even the likes of Georgia, who have professional players in France," he said.
Meanwhile, Italy coach and former All Black winger John Kirwan said: "Having more than five or six teams who can win the World Cup has to be the ultimate goal. While that's getting a little bit closer at the moment, there's always more we can do, and we should be looking at successes like the Senegal team beating France at the soccer World Cup."
Although four places are still to be decided for next year's World Cup, it seems probable the 20 teams at RWC 2003 will be the top 20 in the rankings. Should this prove to be the case it will ape the situation at the 1999 tournament.
Philip Quinlan fund-raiser:
Will Jesuitical zeal win out over Holy Ghost know-how? Find out on Friday when the three Jesuit rugby-playing schools - Gonzaga, Belvedere and Clongowes Wood - face Blackrock, St Michael's and St Mary's in a charity match aimed at raising funds for Gonzaga past pupil Philip Quinlan. The game takes place in Donnybrook at 6.30 p.m.
Quinlan, who is now confined to a wheelchair after a serious accident in 1999, was a keen cricketer and golfer and now needs an estimated €1.5 million for the lifelong medical costs which he requires. Between sponsorship and gate receipts, the appeal hopes to raise € 100,000. The two teams are being selected from this year's SCT panels and will include some of the best young players in Ireland. Further info, telephone: (01) 887 2684.
