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RUGBY UNION | STEPHEN JONES

December 15 2019, 12:01am,The Sunday Times

Stephen Jones, Rugby correspondent

More than 75% of Kiwis do not want Ian Foster to coach the All Blacks, and for good reason

Was Englands evisceration of New Zealand in the semi-final of the World Cup even more significant than we thought at the time? It was certainly a sensational sporting soaking, perhaps the most one-sided knockout game of any World Cup. But was it also the end of the All Black epoch? Was it Gotterdammerung, the Twilight of the Gods? There was certainly an air of finality. Kieran Read, the long-serving and celebrated captain, walked off into the sunset of retirement. Coach Steve Hansen and Brodie Retallick, the lock, left for the softest of existences available in professional rugby, the Japan League; three icons Ryan Crotty, Ben Smith and the sharply overrated Sonny Bill Williams had all played their last for the All Blacks.

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New Zealand head coach Ian Foster taking on the toughest job in rugby - The Times

Johann van Graan backed his players to make the right on-pitch decisions after Munster missed a chance to rescue a losing bonus point in a 15-6 defeat at Saracens today.

Munster had a late penalty to move within seven points of last seasons Heineken Champions Cup winners in north London but instead of kicking for goal, stand-in captain CJ Stander and his leadership group opted to go for a try and kicked for the corner.

The resulting lineout came to nothing and Munster now go into the last two rounds on 11 points, just a point in front of Saracens and six adrift of Racing 92 at the top of Pool 4 with a trip to Paris to play the table-toppers on January 12.

Head coach van Graan refused to criticise the Munster players for their call and insisted the chance to qualify for the knockout stages was still up for grabs.

"You always back the decisions on the pitch, they decided to go to the corner and unfortunately it didn't work out for us, van Graan said.

"But there's a lot of rugby left in this pool, the fact Saracens didn't get four tries means it's 17, 11, 10 if I'm not mistaken.

"The Paris game becomes a knockout game for us now, we need to go and win in Paris."

Despite losing skipper Peter OMahony to a groin problem during the warm-up and then seeing fellow back-rower Tadhg Beirne leave the game on a stretcher with an ankle or lower leg injury after just 10 minutes, then prop John Ryan to a calf injury before the half-hour mark, Munster held their own against a near full-strength Saracens side and broke a half-time deadlock with a 44th-minute JJ Hanrahan penalty to move into as 6-3 lead.

A mass brawl between the teams soon afterwards that had appeared to have been sparked by an argument between Saracens hooker Jamie George and Munster doctor Jamie Kearns, handed the visitors another penalty as the home side looked rattled but Hanrahan pushed his kicked wide.

Saracens rallied from that point and tries from Sean Maitland and Mako Vunipola sealed their win, much to Munsters frustration.

It's disappointing, we came here to win, van Graan said. We were in the game for large parts of it, but unfortunately in the last 20 minutes they were applying pressure in our 22 and they went for multiple scrums and scored the try that put us under huge pressure

"I felt their bench made a big impact and we lost Pete in the warm-up, Tadhg pretty early, John Ryan pretty early... we were quite thin there at the end.

"It was an incredibly tough game of rugby against the champions in their backyard but I'm incredibly proud of our guys."

Of the fight early in the second half, the Munster boss said: I don't know what happened here, there were a lot of people involved which is never nice to see and we missed the penalty, the score was 6-3 at that stage.

"Had we gone to 9-3 it might have given momentum to our side, so we missed that penalty and that's what I said earlier in the week - to come and win here, only one side has managed it (in Europe), you need to be at your utmost best and take all of your opportunities and unfortunately we left one or two opportunities out there."

Picture: INPHO/Billy Stickland

Saracens boss Mark McCall repeated his defence coach Alex Sandersons claim that Munster doctor Kearns had said something untoward to Jamie George to spark the brawl and that his club would consider taking further action.

We need to decide what we're going to do before I start speaking about that. From what I know, something pretty bad was said at Jamie (George).

"He wouldn't have reacted the way he reacted otherwise. We'll take our time to decide whether we do anything.

I don't think what was said to Jamie was good at all. We'll see. If a doctor....we just have to decide....because it started a 30-man brawl.

"Owen Farrell got penalised for running into the melee but from what I saw 29 other people ran into it.

"It was a strange penalty to give and it was instigated by a member of their staff who said something horrible to one of our players.

"We'll decide what happens next.

Read the original:
Van Graan: 'You always back the decisions on the pitch' - BreakingNews.ie

Theres a moment near the end of Control that is so unabashedly thrilling, joyous, and decadent in its design that it would make most roller coaster creators reflect on their life decisions. To say much more about the Ashtray Maze would be to spoil the giddy surprise. But its worth noting that, when its over, protagonist Jesse catches her breath and offers her analysis of the mind-blowing events that just transpired:

That was awesome.

Its not something youd expect the normally stoic Jesse to let out, given her predicament. Control is a game about navigating a paranormal US government agency in an attempt to find out the truth about what happened to your brother, and things get pretty dark. But it cuts to the core of why this is my favorite game of 2019. Remedy Entertainment didnt just create an exhilarating action sequence; it had the confidence to know that its players would be thinking the exact same thing as Jesse.

That same confidence is key to Controls storytelling, which leans heavily on the assumption that players will be invested in Remedys enigmatic lore. Control throws a lot of cryptic terminology at you from the start and trusts that youll be intrigued enough to figure out what it means down the line. For me, at least, the payoff was more than worth it.

Control is not exactly shy about its influences. There are clear references to the likes of Lost, Annihilation, SCP fiction, Twin Peaks, and House of Leaves, all wrapped up in a distinctive visual design that references brutalist architecture and 70s typography. The resulting bricolage is tremendously satisfying, feeling entirely like its own thing without being shy about the homages it is paying.

It all works because, unlike any of those aforementioned inspirations, Control is a video game. And video games, more than any other medium, are uniquely suited to the concept of a character digging up information on fascinatingly arcane subject matter. Control is a game that spends most of its running time placing you in dour office blocks, yet every dusty computer and abandoned cubicle around the corner of each right-angled corridor feels ripe with possibility. There might just be another heavily redacted email to read or grainy videotape to watch that gets you that little bit closer to understanding the Astral Plane.

Of course, Control isnt all about rifling through filing cabinets. This is an action game at its core, and Remedy adopted a relatively conventional Metroidvania-style structure where you start from a hub area and gradually unlock abilities that grant you access to new locations. The important twist, however, is that much of the best stuff is optional. Useful combat abilities are often unlocked through narrative side-quests that reward you for investigating further.

Control can be a tough game at times, and it doesnt have any difficulty settings. In the end, though, I didnt have much trouble finishing it. Far more than other comparable action-adventure games, I found myself compelled to finish as many side missions as I possibly could, which had the welcome bonus of making Jesse a lot more powerful by the end of the story. Control doesnt necessarily have the tightest combat, and some of its level-up systems are a little over-designed. But when you get to the point where youre able to fly around a vast room and use concrete pillars as a shield before flinging more masonry at your unfortunate adversaries, it rarely feels like a chore.

Thats what makes Control so special. Its unusual to come across such an ambitious game where each of its elements feels so perfectly in tune with one another, the pursuit of one rewarding you with progress elsewhere. Controls lore is rich and engrossing, and the best way to delve into it is by taking on combat challenges. The combat is experimental and satisfying, and the best way to get better at it is by exploring the games fiction. If youre not into either of these elements, you wont like Control. If youre into both, you will love it.

Control is a knockout game. It clicked with me on a level so few games do, where I wanted to read it as much as play it and play it just so I could read it more. It all comes down to Remedys confidence and, yes, control over the vision it had from the start. I believe its the best game Remedy has ever made and the best thing I played all year.

Original post:
Why Control is my game of the year - The Verge

Johann van Graan refused to criticise his players for the on-field decision to turn down a penalty at goal which would have earned them a bonus point in their 15-6 defeat by Saracens at Allianz Park. It is a decision which has left them probably needing to win their final two pool matches away to Racing and at home to the Ospreys to have any chance of again qualifying for the knockout stages of the Heineken Champions Cup.

You always back the decisions on the pitch, said Van Graan. They decided to go to the corner and unfortunately it didnt work out for us. But theres a lot of rugby left in this pool, the fact Saracens didnt get four tries means its 17 (Racing), 11 (Munster), 10 (Saracens) if Im not mistaken. The Paris game becomes a knockout game for us now, we need to go and win in Paris.

Indeed, bonus point or not, Munster were probably going to need two wins from their final two games anyway in the event of a defeat here, and for all the disruptions suffered in losing Peter OMahony before kick-off and three more World Cup internationals during the game - Tadhg Beirne, John Ryan and Andrew Conway.

Its disappointing, we came here to win, said Van Graan. We were in the game for large parts of it, but unfortunately in the last 20 minutes they were applying pressure in our 22 and they went for multiple scrums and scored the try that put us under huge pressure.

I felt their bench made a big impact and we lost Pete in the warm-up, Tadhg pretty early, John Ryan pretty early - we were quite thin there at the end. It was an incredibly tough game of rugby against the champions in their back yard, but Im incredibly proud of our guys.

The extent of OMahonys groin injury was unclear.

Its difficult to say. He pulled out, he had started the warm-up pretty well but pulled out with his groin. Its very frustrating to lose your captain in the warm-up, especially for a game like this. Then to lose Tadhg, your other loose forward, it made the lineout very interesting from our side.

Well done to Billy Holland for adapting, it was something we went hard at last weekend and we were down two men in the lineout and obviously in the poach threat as well, thats two of our best poachers. But look, thats rugby - youve got to adapt and I thought the guys that came on did all they could.

Beirnes ankle injury and Ryans calf injury both looked potentially more serious, but again it was too soon for Van Graan to provide any news. I havent spoken to him (Beirne) but it looks pretty serious. Losing John Ryan, which looks also like a pretty serious calf injury and losing Peter in the warm-up and Andrew Conway to a HIA was tough to take.

There could be ramification too as a result of the all-in brawl which spilled off the pitch in the 50th minute, and which Saracens believe was caused by something a member of the Munster backroom staff, believed to be team doctor Dr Jamie Kearns said to Jamie George. It also led to a penalty which JJ Hanrahan missed to push Munster 9-3 in front.

Look I dont know what happened here, there were a lot of people involved which is never nice to see and we missed the penalty, the score was 6-3 at that stage, said Van Graan.

Had we gone to 9-3 it might have given momentum to our side, so we missed that penalty and thats what I said earlier in the week. To come and win here, only one side has managed it, you need to be at your utmost best and take all of your opportunities and unfortunately we left one or two opportunities out there.

When it was specifically put to Van Graan that it was something Kearns said, the Munster head coach commented: Ive no idea what happened there, Ill have a look at it but Im not going to speculate. You never want to see a fight between two teams of this quality.

It subsequently transpired that Dr Kearns had apologised in person to George and while it was thought both camps are set to move on, Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall intimated that Saracens might lodge a complaint about the comments that provoked the fight.

"We need to decide to what we're going to do before I start speaking about that," McCall said. "From what I know, something pretty bad was said at Jamie. He wouldn't have reacted the way he reacted otherwise. We'll take our time to decide whether we do anything.

"I don't think what was said to Jamie was good at all . . . Owen Farrell got penalised for running into the melee but from what I saw 29 other people ran into it. It was a strange penalty to give and it was instigated by a member of their staff. We'll decide what happens next."

Read more from the original source:
Van Graan stands by decision to kick to touch - The Irish Times

Johann van Graan backed his players to make the right on-pitch decisions after Munster missed a chance to rescue a losing bonus point in a 15-6 defeat at Saracens today.

Munster had a late penalty to move within seven points of last seasons Heineken Champions Cup winners in north London but instead of kicking for goal, stand-in captain CJ Stander and his leadership group opted to go for a try and kicked for the corner.

The resulting lineout came to nothing and Munster now go into the last two rounds on 11 points, just a point in front of Saracens and six adrift of Racing 92 at the top of Pool 4 with a trip to Paris to play the table-toppers on January 12.

Head coach van Graan refused to criticise the Munster players for their call and insisted the chance to qualify for the knockout stages was still up for grabs.

"You always back the decisions on the pitch, they decided to go to the corner and unfortunately it didn't work out for us, van Graan said.

"But there's a lot of rugby left in this pool, the fact Saracens didn't get four tries means it's 17, 11, 10 if I'm not mistaken.

"The Paris game becomes a knockout game for us now, we need to go and win in Paris."

Despite losing skipper Peter OMahony to a groin problem during the warm-up and then seeing fellow back-rower Tadhg Beirne leave the game on a stretcher with an ankle or lower leg injury after just 10 minutes, then prop John Ryan to a calf injury before the half-hour mark, Munster held their own against a near full-strength Saracens side and broke a half-time deadlock with a 44th-minute JJ Hanrahan penalty to move into as 6-3 lead.

A mass brawl between the teams soon afterwards that had appeared to have been sparked by an argument between Saracens hooker Jamie George and Munster doctor Jamie Kearns, handed the visitors another penalty as the home side looked rattled but Hanrahan pushed his kicked wide.

Saracens rallied from that point and tries from Sean Maitland and Mako Vunipola sealed their win, much to Munsters frustration.

It's disappointing, we came here to win, van Graan said. We were in the game for large parts of it, but unfortunately in the last 20 minutes they were applying pressure in our 22 and they went for multiple scrums and scored the try that put us under huge pressure

"I felt their bench made a big impact and we lost Pete in the warm-up, Tadhg pretty early, John Ryan pretty early... we were quite thin there at the end.

"It was an incredibly tough game of rugby against the champions in their backyard but I'm incredibly proud of our guys."

Of the fight early in the second half, the Munster boss said: I don't know what happened here, there were a lot of people involved which is never nice to see and we missed the penalty, the score was 6-3 at that stage.

"Had we gone to 9-3 it might have given momentum to our side, so we missed that penalty and that's what I said earlier in the week - to come and win here, only one side has managed it (in Europe), you need to be at your utmost best and take all of your opportunities and unfortunately we left one or two opportunities out there."

Picture: INPHO/Billy Stickland

Saracens boss Mark McCall repeated his defence coach Alex Sandersons claim that Munster doctor Kearns had said something untoward to Jamie George to spark the brawl and that his club would consider taking further action.

We need to decide what we're going to do before I start speaking about that. From what I know, something pretty bad was said at Jamie (George).

"He wouldn't have reacted the way he reacted otherwise. We'll take our time to decide whether we do anything.

I don't think what was said to Jamie was good at all. We'll see. If a doctor....we just have to decide....because it started a 30-man brawl.

"Owen Farrell got penalised for running into the melee but from what I saw 29 other people ran into it.

"It was a strange penalty to give and it was instigated by a member of their staff who said something horrible to one of our players.

"We'll decide what happens next.

More here:
Van Graan: 'You always back the decisions on the pitch' - Irish Examiner