Good:
1. Canada Rugby
They are clearly doing something right up there in the great white north. A strong finish to their 7s season, which saw them end in 6th place the best finish they have had since the 99-00 season (they finished sixth then too). The maple leafs then came out and put Scotland to the test in Toronto last weekend. It would have been interesting to see how it would have ended if the Canucks wouldn't have been binned. Since focusing their efforts on developing their sevens program they have seen a resurgence on the 15s field. Next years 7s series and World Cup could be interesting if they continue on this upwards projection.
2. Japan Rugby
I know nothing about this team but I do know their coach Eddie Jones and I like his style. Their victory over the USA was the ninth straight for the Brave Blossoms. Over the years they have steadily improved especially under the guidance of Eddie Jones who previously guided Australia to the 2003 World Cup final. He has gone on record in his belief that Japan is a hot bed for rugby and its starting to look it. The ever growing pro game there is only helping with coach and player development.
3. England closing the gap
The mighty All-Blacks have twice looked VERY beatable. The men in white have done well exposing some of the weaknesses and they were a few unlucky bounces (and poor calls) away from snatching a test series in New Zealand. Again, this is great for their world cup build-up and Lancaster has his boys rocking and rolling just at the right time.
Bad:
1. American coach development
Lets face the facts here, we got nothing here in America. It is as much about luck to get a HP position here as it is to recognized for skill and experience. If we want to get better as a rugby nation we need to open pathways for coaches. They are just as important as players are because its them who teach the game.
2. Eagles test performance
see results...
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