Dein erstes Forum » scrum is as important now as it had been previously;

Western Bulldogs stand-in skipper Easton Wood could return in the AFL finals after scans delivered some overdue good news at Whitten Oval.Wood landed awkwardly on his left leg during the third quarter of the Bulldogs win over Essendon on Sunday.The club initially feared it was a serious ankle injury that would sideline Wood for the Bulldogs entire finals campaign.They were far more upbeat on Monday afternoon, with football manager Graham Lowe suggesting the 26-year-old could be back on the park soon.Woody had scans this morning, and the good news is there is no bone damage but he does have a medial ligament injury, Lowe told the club website.Hes going to be in a CAM boot for the next seven to 10 days.Once his CAM boot is removed, then well determine his return to play.But were optimistic that he can play a part in our finals series.Coach Luke Beveridge confirmed on Sunday the Dogs would rotate the captaincy in Woods absence.Marcus Bontempelli is expected to lead the seventh-placed side against Fremantle on Sunday.The end-of-season bye could be a godsend for the Dogs, giving Wood and star midfielders Tom Liberatore and Jack Macrae another week to recover from injury.Veteran Dale Morris, whos been nursing a back-related hamstring niggle in recent weeks, has been declared fully fit.Hes set to be recalled for the Bulldogs final regular-season game, strengthening their inexperienced defence against the Dockers.Hes trained and prepared really well over the last couple of weeks, Lowe said.Rebounding defender Matt Suckling, whos nursing an achilles injury, could also make the trip to Perth.Mattys got to get through this week in terms of training and preparation, Lowe said.If he ticks those boxes, hell be available for selection.Captain Bob Murphy headlines a list of Bulldogs who will take no further part in the 2016 season.But Tom Campbell, Bailey Williams and Mitch Honeychurch returned from injury in the VFL at the weekend and got through the game unscathed. 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Berra made 42 saves and Kris Russell scored at 1:32 of overtime, lifting the Calgary Flames to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night. Chicago Blackhawks Jerseys Custom . The defence is doing its part, too. Drew Brees threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half and the guys on the other side made sure that was enough, sending the Saints to a 17-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night. The Super Rugby champions Hurricanes have been rewarded in the All Blacks team named to play Australia in the Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup opener on Saturday.Beauden Barrett has rightly been named the starting fly-half. What more could he do? Hes starred in winning a Super Rugby Championship, hes in the best form of his life, and he signed off last year in the Rugby World Cup with a fantastic try -- just one of several quality tries he has scored in his career. Hes just been sublime.Aaron Cruden has been Cruden. Hes safe but theres just that much more x-factor about Barrett. Crudens 25 and he was the incumbent after he started the third Test against Wales, and its tough on him to be named on the bench; but it was going a tougher call not to select Barrett.Thats the cut-throat environment were in, and it comes down to that fine line about who is that little bit better; and form is an important part of that.The choice at flanker was another tough call, especially with Sam Cane having suffered concussion issues, but I trust the judgement of medical staff. They know better than anyone that concussion is a medical issue in the spotlight and the eyes of the nation, and the world will analyse everything that is being done.There were other interesting selections, especially in the midfield now that Sonny Bill Williams is out for the year. They have stuck with Ryan Crotty and Malakai Fekitoa, but you cant say those positions were in any way locked down. It was interesting that Anton Lienert-Brown had been brought in, and Seta Tamanivalu will have been made aware that it is all about keeping performing and staying in that environment.The All Blacks have struggled to be consistent winners in Sydney over the past few years. In fact, it is probably the world venue where it is hardest for them to win now. And thats because Sydney is the home of Australian rugby; whichever ground they use in Sydney, its their Eden Park. Its always a tough place to go, and Australia at home has always been hard.So it will be a good way to kick off what is looking like an exciting Rugby Championship.In some ways, there are other things hanging on the game: It is going to be a test of Australias policy vs. New Zealands regarding the selection of players from overseas.It is tough for players when they are coming back from overseas contraccts for periodic Test duty.dddddddddddd Its a hard ask. Theyre coming from different environments. When you go overseas and play, you immerse yourself in that teams environment and you get used to what that team needs and what their requirements are.Southern hemisphere rugby is a different style, and to go back to what you were probably raised playing is not easy. And I imagine it is a lot harder for backs than it is for forwards. The game is faster down here and what can be seen as form in the northern hemisphere is one heartbeat or a hairs breadth off the sort of reaction times in New Zealand, Australian or South African sides.In that regard, I think New Zealand has got the policy right; it works for us and it keeps us strong. If we are going to have a global season that is one of the compromises we will have to look at, but it doesnt look like that is going to happen.The scrum is an area that will be interesting in Sydney. The Australian sides looked to have improved in Super Rugby, but I dont think the scrum is as important now as it had been previously; you can still get a penalty when youre getting pushed backwards at scrum time.The scrum has become a liability about who is going to be penalised, and thats a blight on our game. When youre supposed to have a re-start you have no idea what the outcome is going to be. You could be twice as dominant as your opposition but it doesnt always go your way.I hope there are reviews, test cases or people analysing how to improve the scrum, and coming up with different ideas, but it just seems that for the past 15 years we havent got it right.I noted that former England coach Stuart Lancaster was out at Pukekohe for the All Blacks warm-up run against Counties Manukau and Northland last Friday. I think it is great that a coach like him, who went through what he did at the Rugby World Cup last year, is still prepared to learn.Fair play to him. Hes come to the right country to learn, and you never, ever, stop learning when youre coaching. Its like the game; its always evolving and youve just got to try to keep bettering yourself. You ask if the Rugby World Cup in 2015 will make Stuart Lancaster a better coach, and you have to say, absolutely. ' ' '