Notebook

Spain loses on field, gains experience

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Posted: Sunday October 17, 1999 01:36 PM

Alfonso Feijoo: "We lost our three games in the group but we still put much more experienced opponents under pressure." Allsport UK/Allsport

LONDON (AP) -- Despite losing all three games and the last without scoring a single point, Spain believes it gained much credibility from its first appearance at the rugby World Cup and hopes it will have boosted the game back home.

"It is vital for small rugby playing countries like ours to increase our experience, and to do that we must participate," said coach Alfonso Feijoo, whose team lost 27-15 to Uruguay, 47-3 to defending champion South Africa and 48-0 to Scotland.

"It is a big mistake to close international rugby to just the biggest rugby playing nations in the world.

"Teams like ourselves and Uruguay have justified our participation. We lost our three games in the group but we still put much more experienced opponents under pressure," Feijoo said.

"I think we have shown people that we can play and hopefully lots of youngsters in Spain will have seen what we have done and will take up the game. It is so important for our development for that to happen and we must continue moving forward.

"It has been very good for Spanish rugby and we have made a big improvement. We can go home with our heads held high."

Boks hopeful

Honiball has been pulled out of the Springboks' three pool games because of a lingering hamstring problem and Jannie de Beer has played each time.

There were fears that Honiball might be sent home because of the problem but team spokesman Alex Broun said he was confident the flyhalf would be fit to face either England or Fiji at the Stade de France on Oct. 24.

The South Africans are also defending Venter at a disciplinary hearing in Scotland on Monday. Coach Nick Mallett said that what appeared to be stamping was purely accidental.

Perfect kicking record

Gareth Rees, playing in his fourth and last World Cup, didn't miss a single kick at goal during their three games and has a 100 percent record from 19 and, according to figures in the Sunday Times, an average of 28.8 meters per kick.

England's Paul Grayson, who has only played in one match so far against Tonga, which England won 101-10, is second in the list with a 94.4 percent success rate of 17 from 18.

Then come Fiji's Waisale Sereve (90.9 percent with 10 from 11), Ireland's Eric Elwood (90 percent with nine from 10) and Argentina's Gonzalo Quesada (87.5 percent with 14 from 16).

Those four are still in the competition but they can't catch Rees.

Kicking contest

Brought into the team in place of the rested Jonny Wilkinson, whose record he beat in the 101-10 thrashing of Tonga, Grayson is aware that coach Clive Woodward may well recall his rival at flyhalf in the playoff against Fiji on Wednesday.

"I suppose it says something of the competition for places that I can break an England record and be far from certain of retaining my place," he said.

"It's good to know England have two standoffs capable of scoring lots of points. Gone are the days when you could command an international spot for five years unchallenged."

French Fijians

Center Vili Satale had joined the French club Mont-de-Marsan, flyhalf Nicky Little could be joining Lannemazan and prop forward Jo Veitayaki might became a Racing Club Paris player.

 

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