Rest taken-now I’m raring for Doncaster!

NOTTINGHAM Rugby are one step closer to Twickenham after a nail biting win against Blaydon at the weekend in the 4th round of the EDF Energy National Trophy at Meadow Lane.

The draw on Monday has been reasonably kind and we will now be playing Cornish Pirates at home on the weekend of the 7th of February. It certainly is a lot better than an away tie!!!

I was lucky enough to be rested this weekend for which I was very grateful to the management. National Division One rugby is relentless, especially when you have a small squad such as ours and I am a big believer in gaining suitable rest when possible.

Having experienced life as a full time and part time rugby player I think that rest is probably the biggest difference between the two. The training at Nottingham is well structured and has to be well planned in order to fit around the guys that work as well as play.

We don’t necessarily train any less than a full time side but in the time that those players would be resting and recovering we tend to be at work. The fixture list doesn’t really allow for any free weekends and I have played nearly every minute of every game this season and my body was crying out for a rest.

Now I am raring to go for the big game this weekend against local rivals Doncaster Knights. It is a top four battle between two good clubs and I can’t wait for Saturday to come round.

There will be a large contingent of Nottingham fans there to cheer us on too – I am told the official Green Army trip is a sell out but they are hoping more fans will make their own way there. Should be a great atmosphere and I am sure we can deliver them a win.

We can all learn from the KP captaincy episode

I have written in the past about the English trait of the tall poppy syndrome and chopping down our greatest talents having built them up in to super stars and it appears to have happened again with the England Cricket team in the last week.

Now I am not suggesting for one minute that Kevin Pietersen is an easy character to deal with but the majority of the media have delighted in taking a told you so approach to appointing the breath taking but volatile batsmen as England captain.

Pietersen was as direct as a captain as he was as a player and that doesn’t appear to have sat particularly well with the ECB, who have now turned to the calmer and more understated Strauss.

Pietersen is not the first, it has certain shades of the Botham era about it, and he certainly won’t be the last in any of the English sports. My immediate thoughts turn to the legendary Martin Johnson, who selects his England squad for the Six Nations this week.

How long will the hero of English Rugby be given to turn around the fortunes of the National Team? And who will be the first in the media to say I told you so, he has never even coached before?

Our road to Twickenham starts this Saturday at Meadow Lane, kick off 2pm, with a 4th round fixture against Blaydon from National Division Two. Tickets prices have been reduced to thank the supporters for all their efforts during a tough time for the club and are priced at £10 adults, £5 concession and £1 children.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all of the Nottingham Journal readers and welcome to the first column of 2009!!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and have kicked off the New Year on the right foot and more importantly wrapped up warm during what has been a very chilly couple of weeks.

Christmas is always a funny time in professional sport, but I had a fantastic time during the festive period. The coaches at Nottingham are very cautious about the amount of training that we do, due to the fact that we have such a small squad, so despite training on Boxing day in preparation for our game against Esher on the 28th we had a fairly normal Christmas training regime and plenty of time to relax and recover from what is a relentless season in National Division One.

I do love Christmas and the traditional things that happen around this time of the year. The time spent with the family, the lovely British fayre that is served at every meal and of course the Darts World Championship.

It is amazing to watch a master at work and that is exactly how I spent last weekend, after the game against Sedgley Park had been cancelled due to the weather. The Power is a genius on the oche and a true legend of sport. I am always amazed by the accuracy of his darts and the way that he can dominate the opposition and apply so much pressure just by his presence.

We will need precision and accuracy in our play at Meadow Lane on Sunday against the Cornish Pirates, kick off 3pm, and I hope the presence of another good crowd will put them off their game.