01-03-2020, 12:54 AM
How can we make the greatest game in the world even better? Simple. Vans Shoes Clearance . Sort out the scrum. I am fed up with the amount of down-time it takes just to get the ball in and out. Secondly, get the hooker to hook the ball.For me, it is a very simple, strict set of instructions to the man in the middle with the whistle. However, referees are not applying the law. I will take you back to the start of the season, round one of the Top 14, Bordeaux v Racing. The referee that day was Pascal Gauzere and in the first two scrums, he penalised each side for feeding. I nearly dropped the microphone. The penny has finally dropped, laws are being implemented, the scrum is back, the referee is having no nonsense, he is in charge. Japan made sure they got the ball away as quickly as possible from the scrum against South Africa However, for the rest of the game, we reverted back to the usual dross. Scrum-halfs rolling the ball to the No 8 and numerous resets. This has also been the case in the Aviva Premiership and Guinness PRO12.Why do they allow this to happen? A quick hooked ball with the 8 in channel one is such a weapon. How did Japan beat South Africa in the World Cup? Pride, passion and channel one ball.How do referees continuously get away with not applying the scrum laws? How do well-paid scrum coaches get away with their hookers not being able to swing their leg? If they did, we would have a quicker game with less time wasted meaning more ball in play time.It is not that difficult to sort out. The players still call the ref Sir. It is about time Sir got strict about the scrum.You can watch Englands tour of Bangladesh, plus Premier League football and the Japan Grand Prix on Sky Sports. Upgrade now and enjoy three months at half price! Also See: Team of the week WATCH: Greenwoods Favourite 5 Rugby on Sky Follow @SkySportsRugby Vans Slip On Sale . Others describe it as taking the parrot for a walk. Vans Sk8 Low Sale . -- The Kelowna Rockets earned their 16th straight win with a 7-2 rout of the Portland Winterhawks in Western Hockey League action Thursday. http://www.vanssalestore.com/ . Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas appeared to be on track to gain election from the Baseball Writers Association of America on Wednesday, and Craig Biggio could join them.PHILADELPHIA -- Villanova coach Jay Wright believed his Wildcats had a chance to be good this season, thanks to the players chemistry. He just didnt expect them to be this good. Darrun Hilliard scored 19 points to lead No. 6 Villanova to a dominating 77-59 victory over Georgetown on Saturday, preserving the Wildcats hopes of a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. JayVaughn Pinkston added 13 points, and James Bell and Ryan Arcidiacono had 11 apiece for the Wildcats (28-3, 16-2), who won their sixth straight game while tying the 2005-06 team for second-most wins in program history. Villanovas 16 Big East wins are the most in school history. "I dont try to predict our record but if someone forced me to, I never wouldve predicted 28-3," Wright said. Wright said the teams togetherness, which has been evident since preseason workouts in the summer, is a key to the Wildcats success. "Most of your teams that are good get along, but this is a really unique group," Wright said. "I think they are all really similar, and they do look out for each other. Its a pleasure to coach guys who love to play. They love to play together. It was really fun to be a part of that." Said Hilliard, "We just like each other, man. We dont have nothing against each other. Were really like brothers. We like talking with each other and enjoy being around each other, even off the court." The Wildcats team-first mentality showed against the Hoyas, as five players scored in double-figures. Bell entered Saturday averaging a team-best 15 points per game, which is unusually low for a team so highly regarded. "At the offensive end, theyre a very, very unselfish team," Hoyas coach John Thompson III said. "They drive, kick it to the person and that person can make a shot. They have several players on their team who would be the point person, the star on other teams. They have different players who can step up. I think their unselfishness is a key." The 18-point win marked the largest margin of victory for Villanova in a Big East game between the teams. Markel Starks scored 20 points for the Hoyas (17-13, 8-10), who are in jeopardy of failing to make the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2009. DVauntes Smith-Rivera added 14 points and Aaron Bowen had 13 for Georgetown. Georgetown needs a run in the Big East tournament to secure a fifth straight NCAA bid. The Hoyas, who are the No. 7 seed, open the tournament Wednesday night. "Well put all of our energy into getting ready for that first game," Thompson III said. "Well have to play better than we did today, significantly better." Villanova, meantime, is in position for a No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament with a good run in the conferrence tournament. Vans Slip On Clearance. . The Wildcats, who were helped by Kansas loss on Saturday, already have secured the Big East regular-season title and the top seed in the conference tournament. Villanova opens play in the Big East tournament Thursday. The Wildcats likely will field many questions about NCAA tournament seeding in New York, site of the Big East tournament, but Wright said the talk wont affect his players. "I dont think theres that much of a difference with a one and a two (seed)," Wright said. "Being considered up there is great, but its no concern for us. The Big East tournament will be fun." Bell added: "Our focus is always on the next game, the next day and just getting better period. The next day is just the next challenge. The next day is another chance to get better and thats what we have to deal with." Villanova, which led 42-29 at halftime, upped its advantage to 20 points when Arcidiacono made two 3-pointers on consecutive Villanova possessions to give the Wildcats a 55-35 lead with 13:02 remaining. The Hoyas never got it under double-digits the rest of the way. The Wildcats took control with a strong first half. Bells four-point play with 49.8 seconds left in the half gave Villanova its largest lead of the period, 42-27. Bell had 11 points in the half for the Wildcats, who shot 52 per cent from the field and 57 per cent from the arc in the opening 20 minutes. Bowen had nine points before the break to pace Georgetown, which battled foul trouble in the first half. Starks, who entered averaging a team-best 17 points per game, picked up his third foul with 6:40 to play before intermission. Jabril Trawick also had three fouls before the break. There were some hard fouls in this one that was reminiscent of the old Big East when these teams developed a fierce rivalry that has remained with the incarnation of the new basketball-only Big East this season. Smith-Rivera suffered an apparent head injury 43 seconds into the second half and walked groggily to the bench before returning minutes later. Villanovas Dylan Ennis limped off after going down hard with just over seven minutes to play. Neither team allowed the other easy layups in a game that featured 46 fouls. NOTES: It was the 73rd meeting between the teams, and the Hoyas now lead the series 42-31. ... The Wildcats improved to 39-33 all-time at the Wells Fargo Center, Villanovas off-campus home venue. ... Wildcats recruits Phil Booth and Mikal Bridges, who both signed National Letters of Intent with the school for next season, were in attendance. ... Villanovas previous largest Big East margin against the Hoyas was a 75-60 win on Feb. 5, 2004. The Wildcats largest-ever margin was 28 points -- 73-45 -- on Feb. 11, 1950. ' ' '