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 Notebook Minute's silence in respect
Posted: Friday October 08, 1999 07:23 PM
EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) -- Fans will observe a minute's silence before this weekend's round of rugby World Cup games as a mark of respect to the victims of Tuesday's train crash in western London. The first moment of respect was on Friday at the Scotland-Uruguay game at Murrayfield and organizers said the same would happen at games on Saturday and Sunday.
What went wrong?The Government is to meet organizers of the Rugby World Cup to discuss the ticketing fiasco which marred the championship and especially the competition's opening game between Wales and Argentina in Cardiff.Thousands of tickets went astray and there were many empty seats at the Millennium stadium for the opening game while other matches, also expected to be totally sold out, have been affected too. "We have all been disappointed by the off-the-field problems that have detracted from what has otherwise been a very successful start to the tournament," said the government's Consumer Affairs Minister, Kim Howells. "The best way forward now is to look at how and why these problems occurred and, with the benefit of hindsight, determine ways in which this can be avoided in future sporting events."
Scots stay awayHuge blocks of empty seats for Scotland against Uruguay on Friday and only 5,000 tickets sold for World Cup holder South Africa against Spain on Sunday.The Scottish fans aren't turning out for games they expect to be one-sided and Murrayfield, which holds 67,500, had only 10,000 scattered around its vast arena for Friday's 43-12 victory over the Uruguayans. The South Africans, who will field many of their backup players against the Spaniards having already beaten Scotland 46-29, say they're not that bothered by the apparent apathy. "The absence of a big crowd won't make any difference to us," said Andre Vos, who will stand in as captain as Joost Van der Westhuizen is rested. "We're playing for ourselves and for the South Africans back home. We know that they will all be in front of their TV sets watching us. That's what's important to us. If there's not many spectators it will not be the end of the world. "Every time you put the green and gold over your shoulders you're representing South Africa and we're representing everyone back home," Vos said. "It's a great opportunity for us and you want to make the most of it every time you run out in a South Africa international match."
Castaignede: 'I'm off'Injured French star Thomas Castaignede isn't in the mood to hang around and support his teammates for the rest of the World Cup."I am going to leave. Far away, I think," the flyhalf said after being ruled out of the rest of the competition with a torn muscle in his left thigh. "I am saturated. There's more to life than rugby, and I have to go and see what there is elsewhere." Castaignede, who has scored more than 200 points in a brilliant international career, was inconsolable after being told his World Cup was over at the French training camp in Seilh, near Toulouse. "It is the biggest disappointment of my career," he said. "I was dreaming of the Millennium Stadium and I end up in an industrial zone in Seilh."
Computer kingsIf only you could e-mail a pass.Keen to improve its performances even further, New Zealand now has sophisticated computer-video technology to help prepare its teams for World Cup games. The coaches and players study the results of their previous games and also analyze their opponents after all the details are captured on computer disks. "We used it to review our own game against Tonga and looked for areas of improvement but we also look at our next opponents to see what they are doing so we can see how it is best to play against them," said All Blacks technical adviser Wayne Smith, who coached the Canterbury Crusaders to back-to-back Super 12 titles in 1998 and again this year. "We have some special analysis features which are confidential and exclusive to us that we have been working on for two or three years that I have utilized in the Super 12. "It is one of many tools we have and is quite significant. It is at the cutting edge of technology to analyze rugby."
Spain's just not readySpanish coach Alfonso Feijoo says it would be pointless for his team to harbor hopes of the soon-to-be Six Nations tournament being expanded even futher to include Spain."Perhaps one day it will happen, but right now it's certainly not possible," he said on the eve of Spain's encounter with World Champion South Africa. "We are not of the same standard." With Italy now playing in the Northern Hemisphere tournament, there has been speculation that the Spaniards might try and join as well to give the country's rugby a boost. Fullback Francisco Puertas says Italy has "gone downhill" in recent months, and predicts they will have a torid time in the Six Nations. "As far as we're concerned, nobody is even considering the idea right now," he said.
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