UNITED KINGDOM: NATIONAL RUGBY TEAMS HOLD PHOTOCALL IN PREPARATION FOR THE SIX NATIONS RUGBY COMPETITION
Record ID:
338278
UNITED KINGDOM: NATIONAL RUGBY TEAMS HOLD PHOTOCALL IN PREPARATION FOR THE SIX NATIONS RUGBY COMPETITION
- Title: UNITED KINGDOM: NATIONAL RUGBY TEAMS HOLD PHOTOCALL IN PREPARATION FOR THE SIX NATIONS RUGBY COMPETITION
- Date: 4th February 2004
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (FEBRUARY 4, 2004) (REUTERS) 1. REPRESENTATIVES FROM SIX NATIONS POSING IN FRONT OF LION AT BRITISH MUSEUM (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, CAPTAINS OF WALES COLIN CHARVIS, IRELAND'S BRIAN O'DRISCOLL, ENGLAND'S LAWRENCE DALLAGLIO, ITALIAN NEW CAPTAIN ANDREA DE ROSSI, HOOKER GORDON BULLOCH WHO IS SET TO BE NAMED SCOTLAND'S CAPTAIN AND FRANCE'S PLAYER OLIVIER BROUZET 2. DALLAGLIO AND DE ROSSI POSING WITH CUP (ENGLAND PLAY THEIR OPENING MATCH IN ITALY ON FEBRUARY 15) 3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ENGLAND COACH CLIVE WOODWARD TALKING ABOUT INJURY TO JOHNNY WILKINSON SAYING: "He won't be playing the opening games. But that's never changed. We are very clear how we look after him -- he does not play again until he is one hundred per cent fit and we have to make sure that is right." 4. DALLAGLIO SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS 5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ENGLAND CAPTAIN LAWRENCE DALLAGLIO SAYING: "This championship represents an opportunity, particularly in the first game, for certain players to make their mark. And if you're brutally honest, opportunities in the England team in the last 12 months. The team has had a very stable, a very solid look about it in terms of selection and this campaign opens with a match in Italy and is going to give half a dozen players perhaps the opportunity to make their impression 7. ITALIAN CAPTAIN ANDREA DE ROSSI SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS 8. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) DE ROSSI SAYING: "We have a whole week ahead of our match against England and we are ready for it and we are looking for it." 9. FRENCH PLAYER OLIVIER BROUZET AND IRISH CAPTAIN BRIAN O'DRISCOLL POSING WITH TROPHY (FRANCE PLAY TOURNAMENT OPENING MATCH AGAINST IRELAND ON FEBRUARY 14) 10. (SOUNDBITE) (French) ASKED IF FRANCE ARE ENGLAND'S BIGGEST THREAT, NATIONAL COACH BERNARD LAPORTE SAYING: "No, I don't think so. There is Ireland, Wales who also played well at the World Cup can have a good campaign, Scotland are also progressing. So, I don't think that France is the only nation capable of beating England." 11. IRISH CAPTAIN O'DRISCOLL AND FRENCH PLAYER OLIVIER BROUZET POSING WITH TROPHY 12. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRIAN O'DRISCOLL SAYING: "I don't think you can just say ourselves and the French. I think there is Wales, the way they have played, a couple of displays in the latter parts of the World Cup really showed they are a rejuvenated side, Scotland have a new coach in Matt Williams, so they all want to impress. So I certainly won't pick just ourselves and France, particularly with the way the draw has gone, that we have England and France, so it's going to be particularly tough for us. So, I think it's going to be a very open competition." 13. DALLAGLIO AN BROUZET HOLDING TROPHY 14. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PLAYER BROUZET TALKING ABOUT ENGLAND FINAL MATCH AGAINST FRANCE AFTER THEIR WORLD CUP SEMIFINAL WON BY THE ENGLISH, SAYING: "It won't be a revenge after the semifinal a few months ago. We must forget that, we have to assume that we are just behind the best team in the world." 15. WALES CAPTAIN COLIN CHARVIS (RED SHIRT) AND SCOTLAND HOOKER GORDON BULLOCH WALKING EXTERIOR BRITISH MUSEUM (WALES FACE SCOTLAND AT HOME IN THEIR FIRST MATCH ON FEBRUARY 14) 16. (SOUNDBITE) (English) WALES CAPTAIN COLIN CHARVIS TALKING ABOUT FACING SCOTLAND FIRST, SAYING: "With the Scottish province now making the final of the European Cup and we've seen a coaching change of staff there I am sure they will have a lot of confidence in their squad and the new coaching staff is well renowned around the world, os it going to be a tough challenge for us." 17. CHARVIS AND BULLOCH POSING WITH TROPHY 18. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SCOTLAND COACH MATT WILLIAMS TALKING ABOUT PROSPECTS SAYING: "We really got this exciting group of backs coming through that we be playing at the Six Nations, that's exciting. And in the long term or medium term, 18 months down the track we will have a very competitive side. This championship will be particularly difficult for us with so many new players. But we're in terms of a long term view and that's exciting because we are getting the support from our chairman, our director of rugby and the whole nation in that long term view." 19. CHARVIS AND BULLOCH HOLDING TROPHY 20. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SCOTLAND'S HOOKER AND SET TO BE NAMED CAPTAIN ON THURSDAY (FEBRUARY 6) SAYING: "It's very different now, a lot of guys retiring after the World Cup. We've come to new training grounds in Stirling, the facilities there are first rate and obviously, all the coaches have changed as well, so it's not being an easy job for the last three or four months. 21. DALLAGLIO WITH TROPHY POSING AHEAD OF ROSSI, BULLOCH, O'DRISCOLL, CHARVIS AND BROUZET Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 19th February 2004 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UINITED KINGDOM
- City:
- Country: United Kingdom
- Reuters ID: LVAE3CWOWJ5D1MPMT4EA99WTT4G
- Story Text: England remain the standard for hopeful the Six
Nations championship, startinng with France at home against Ireland
on February 14.
The Six Nations championship was given a fanfare
launch on Wednesday (February 4) in London and it was no
surprise that the consensus of the competing coaches and
captains was that England remain the tournament's gold
standard.
Last year's Grand Slam winners and world champions have
a tough schedule this season but are still odds-on
favourites to retain the title.
England seem certain to play the first in Italy on
Sunday (February 15) and
the second in Scotland six days later, without Jonny
Wilkinson, and there is a chance that the World Cup-winning
flyhalf could miss the entire tournament because of the
nerve injury in his shoulder.
"He won't be playing the opening games. But that's
never changed. We are very clear how we look after him --
he does not play again until he is one hundred per cent fit
and we have to make sure that is right," England coach
Clive Woodward told reporters.
New captain Lawrence Dallaglio, who replaced World Cup
skipper Martin Johnson who retired from international
rugby, said the tournament will give opportunities to new
players.
"The team has had a very stable, a very solid look
about it in terms of selection and this campaign opens with
a match in Italy and is going to give half a dozen players
perhaps the opportunity to make their impression," said
Dallaglio
who has Italian ancestors
Italy were the only one of the Six Nations teams not to
make the quarter-finals of last year's World Cup.
They also have a new captain in Andrea de Rossi, who
has also just been nominated to be the skipper as England
begin the defence of their Six Nations title in Rome.
"We have a whole week ahead of our match against
England and we are ready for it and we are looking for it,"
Rossi said.
Italy had beaten the Welsh 30-22 in the Six Nations
eight months earlier, their second win following r first-up
success against Scotland in 2000.
The organisers have put their faith in England's
cross-Channel rivals France winning their first four games
to make their Paris encounter on the last day of the
tournament the decider.
French coach Bernard Laporte, however, refuses to buy
in to such an assumption.
"No, I don't think so. There is Ireland, Wales who also
played well at the World Cup can have a good campaign,
Scotland are also progressing. So, I don't think that
France is the only nation capable of beating England,"
Laporte said.
The tournament gets underway on Saturday (February 14)
when France play at home against Ireland.
Captain Brian O'Driscoll believes the Irish and the
French are not the only nations capable of challenging
England.
"I think there is Wales, the way they have played, a
couple of displays in the latter parts of the World Cup
really showed they are a rejuvenated side, Scotland have a
new coach in Matt Williams, so they all want to impress. So
I certainly won't pick just ourselves and France,
particularly with the way the draw has gone, that we have
England and France, so it's going to be particularly tough
for us. So, I think it's going to be avery open
competition."
Ireland's initial match will be a repeat of the World
Cup quarter-final when France cruised to a 43-21 victory.
The French were eliminated after losing the semifinal
to eventual champions England 24-7 and Olivier Brouzet
believes the World Cup would be a thing from the past when
they meet again in the final match on February 27 in Paris.
"It won't be a revenge after the semifinal a few months
ago. We must forget that, we have to assume that we are
just behind the best team in the world."
Completing the opening round, Wales face Scotland at
home on February 14.
Wales are on a high following their entertaining World Cup
finale when they pushed New Zealand and England hard before
ultimately losing both games.
Wales captain Colin Charvis said they would face
opponents who have all the potential to improve.
"We've seen a coaching change of staff there I am sure
they will have a lot of confidence in their squad and the
new coaching staff is well renowned around the world, os it
going to be a tough challenge for us."
Scotland's coach Matt Williams said the Six Nations
should be seen as an investment for the future.
"We really got this exciting group of backs coming
through that we be playing at the Six Nations, that's
exciting. And in the long term or medium term, 18 months
down the track we will have a very competitive side. This
championship will be particularly difficult for us with so
many new players. But we're in terms of a long term view
and that's exciting because we are getting the support from
our chairman, our director of rugby and the whole nation on
that long term view," said Williams who took over from Ian
McGeechan after the 203 World Cup in Australia.
Hooker Gordon Bulloch is set to be named on Thursday
(February 5) as Scotland captain for this year's Six
Nations Championship.
He has won 58 caps since making his debut in 1997, will
take over from scrumhalf Bryan Redpath, who stood down
after Scotland's World Cup campaign ended with defeat by
hosts Australia in the quarter-finals.
"It's very different now, a lot of guys retiring after
the World Cup. We've come to new training grounds in
Stirling, the facilities there are first rate and
obviously, all the coaches have changed as well, so it's
not being an easy job for the last three or four months,"
the 28 year-old said.
Bulloch is poised to lead the Scots in their Six
Nations opener in Wales on February 14 before they host
England in the Calcutta Cup match the following weekend.
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