What's wrong with this picture?

What's wrong with this picture? 



Once again, WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?



Okay, here's a clue, or rather, el clue-o...





What's wrong is that Itaú Bank from Brasil is sponsoring rugby in Argentina and Uruguay, but is NOT sponsoring rugby in Brasil!

However, now that Bradesco Bank (a.k.a. the good guys) has taken the lead by signing a deal with the CBRu, I can only hope that the 'herd mentality' will take effect, so encouraging Itaú to also help the sport in its own country.

And then we can start on getting the car manufacturers involved as well...

Horario Politico

For fun : Interactive map of Scotland's whisky distilleries

The enclosed link is to the "Scotsman" newspaper's Whisky Distillery Map:  

http://whisky.scotsman.com/map.aspx 


So you know what "wee half" to drink during the "third half" ! 

My top three are The Macallan, Highland Park, and Bowmore. 

These 3 are all easier to find in Brasil than is Irn Bru 

N.B. Please bevvy responsibly... 



"Choose Life" from the "Trainspotting" film.

"Choose Life" from the "Trainspotting" film.  "Escolha vida" do filme escocês "Trainspotting".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx7Dh_lgIz4 





For a different take on the theme, try "Brainspotting" at :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kcx9HFRkVlo 

Synopsis: Scottish zombies deal with addiction to eating brains.Choose life. Choose cannibalism. Choose a great big machete, choose taxis, wheel wrenches and air raid sirens. Choose undeath, bloody vomitus, and no pulse. Choose a cozy catastrophe. Choose a fortified country manor. Choose a happy ending. Choose one last hit of juicy, juicy brains. Choose to run and wonder if survival is as good as it gets. Choose rotting away for 28 days, a shambling, smelly, shrieking twat. Choose your future. Choose life.

Really great! (Plus it makes me seem normal in comparison...) 

Brasil Rugby gets new sponsor - Bradesco Bank

The Brasil Rugby Confederation (CBRu) today (Thursday Oct 14th) officially announced that Bradesco Bank has signed on as a sponsor for the next six years, ie up to the Rio Olympics of 2016. This follows on from last year's longterm deal signed with sportswear firm Topper.

CBRu president Mr. Sami Arap said  "We are very happy to have brought Bradesco onboard. (Happy?! He must be over the moon. Banks in South America are doing very well, thank you, and have not needed billion-dollar bailouts.) It is a source of pride for the CBRu to have both our male and female international teams associated with, and sponsored by, Bradesco. We feel certain that rugby is on the right path to succeed in Brasil."

This is good news, even if the details of the amount involved have not been revealed. I just hope it is enough that the CBRu can afford to have a better, less derivative, logo designed for them.

The official announcement is shown below (CBRu website link is http://www.brownbag.com.br/brasilrugby/v1/index.asp?p=3&id=374  ):



A Confederação Brasileira de Rugby (CBRu) e o Bradesco firmaram acordo de patrocínio por um período de seis anos. Essa medida visa fortalecer o rugby brasileiro, que cresce gradativamente no país e será um dos esportes estreantes dos Jogos Olímpicos de 2016, no Rio de Janeiro (RJ).

A concretização do acordo foi comemorada por Sami Arap, presidente da CBRu. "Estamos muito felizes com a parceria estabelecida com o Bradesco. Trata-se de uma das maiores instituições financeiras do Brasil, cujo histórico representa visão de futuro e respeito a valores sócio-culturais".

O acordo prevê a participação do Bradesco nas seleções masculina e feminina. "Associar as seleções brasileiras masculina e feminina junto ao Bradesco é motivo de orgulho para a CBRu e temos certeza que o rugby está no caminho certo para atingir seus objetivos", acrescentou Sami Arap.

Com o acordo com o Bradesco, a Confederação Brasileira de Rugby agrega ao esporte uma segunda marca de peso, já que desde o ano passado tem o patrocínio da Topper, do Grupo Alpargatas.

Map of Rio de Janeiro state

Rio has a population of 6 million, Greater Rio (Baixada Fluminense) has 11 million. The whole state has 16 million. Sao Paulo city is off to the south-west, about 250 miles/400 km away.

Some photos of Rio & Rugby

Guanabara (yellow) V Rio Rugby (blue)



Itaguai (blue) V Patriotas (hoops)


For tha laydeez, it's Daniel Gregg of Brasil and Niteroi Rugby.


 For the gentlemen, it's Brasil's women's team.

Refrainspotting

Here is the source quote from the movie "Trainspotting", which I interpreted for rugby :

Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a f*cking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suite on hire purchase in a range of f*cking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the f*ck you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing f*cking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pishing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, f*ucked up brats you spawned to replace yourself.   Choose your future.   Choose life.

Thank you Irvine Welsh and Ewan McGregor.

Choose a club. Choose a team. Choose a family. Choose a f*cking big prop; choose jumpers, tactics, big mean forwards and lightning fast backs. Choose good health, low blows, and dental insurance. Choose fixed stares and intimidating hakas. Choose a starting line-up. Choose a top-end scrum machine on hire purchase in a range of f*cking colours. Choose ICU and wondering where the f*ck you've woken up on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that icecold bench watching mind-numbing, spirit-enriching live matches, stuffing f*ucking cold pies into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of the night, pishing your last in a miserable outhouse, nothing less than a legend to the selfish, f*cked-up brats you trained to replace yourself. Choose your future. Choose Rugby.

Who runs rugby in Brasil ?

We interrupt your regularly-scheduled blog for this quiz from our sponsors.
Who Runs Rugby in Brasil ?  Is it:


A)  The Brasilian Rugby Confederation  ? 
B)  A norf Lahndon football (soccer) club  ?
C)  Brasil's rowing organization  ?
D)  A bunch of bull riders ?
E)  Some university rodeo wranglers ?
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The answer is...
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Anything but  (A)  !

And here's why, in two parts : 

PART ONE

Before rugby was readmitted to the Olympics, the governing body was the ABR, Associação Brasileira de Rugby 
   The badge has the correct letters on it, and it even has a wee rugby ball. 
 
To join the Olympic gravy train organization, the ABR had to become a Confederation, ruling over at least 5 state rugby federations. So its shiny new name is the Confedereção Brasileira de Rugby, or CBR.  
Unfortunately, CBR is already being used by:  

(1) the Brasilian Rowing Confederation, Confederação Brasileira de Remo , and
 

(2)  the Championship Bull Riding organization.  


So it was forced to use CBRU, until this was found to clash with the Confederação Brasileira de Rodeio Universitário ,


and so now Brasil's rugby organization has become CBRu. 

I think this is a complete piece of s#%t, it should be all capitals! 
  
PART TWO 

Here is the new logo of the Brasilian Rugby Confederation :



Here is the logo of Arsenal football club :




Now side by side :

Christalmighty what a ripoff by the oval-ball boys from brasil! You have been found out for having a complete lack of original ideas, go and hang your heads in shame, and change your badge, pronto.   

Droga, que merda !

SuperDuper League 2011 : The Proposal

I believe the format of Brasil's national league would improve by being changed.

The dog's dinner image above shows what we have at present - no its not the Super XV, its the Super 8, and no its not the ABR, it is now the CBRu, oh do pay attention 007.

This year's Super League had eight teams, playing each other once (seven matches). There were five teams from Sao Paulo state, and one each from Rio de Janeiro,  Parana, and Santa Catarina states. 

The CBRu (Brasil Rugby Confederation) plans to add two teams next year, one from Rio Grande do Sul state, and one more from Sao Paulo state. (i.e. nine matches for each team.)

There is also a playoff for this year's last placed team, and they could be replaced by a team from Minas Gerais state. 

This will increase every team's travel expenses substantially, which is a BAD THING. 

Currently there is very little money in Brasilian rugby, the game is mostly amateur and without major sponsors. So...

I believe the sport's elite teams would be better served if the national championship had an initial regional format, leading into fully national knockout semifinals and final.  

Based on the current top teams, this would give us the following divisions:

Region 1, South (three states) -  four teams playing home and away: Desterro, Curitiba, Farrapos, Charrua. 

Region 2, Sao Paulo state - four or five teams playing home and away: Bandeirantes, SPAC, Pasteur, Rio Branco, Sao Jose dos Campos. 

Region 3, South-East (three states) - four teams playing home and away: Niteroi, Rio Rugby, Belo Horizonte, plus 1 other. 

This structure gives 6 or 8 quality games for each team, with reduced travel costs. The three group winners plus best runner-up go to semifinals (with these travel costs paid by the Confederation). 

The regions can expand to have more teams in them, and other regions can be formed, as and when required.

But it all needs a new name, as frankly my deahs "SuperLeague" is just soo passé.  How about the...  

AWESOME LEAGUE TM 

        24/7 ATTACK !  TM

THAT will pull in the sponsors! 

Get your motor running...

Yesterday (Saturday 9th) should have seen Niteroi Rugby Club's final game in this year's national Super 8 Championship, involving a road trip (yay!) to Desterro Rugby. This is a journey of about 1150 km (720 miles). Easy peasy!
Unfortunately, the bus broke down half way, in Sao Paulo state, and couldn't be fixed in time for a match to go on.


Who needs a scrum machine when you have a bus to push? 

So, no rugby, and if the game is declared a Walkover then Niteroi may be fined R$5000 (US$3000), AND be barred from next year's league! Lucky white heather, anyone?



On a more serious note, with the inclusion of a team (Farrapos Rugby) from the southernmost state in next year's expanded Super 10  9, even more stupidly long journeys (and associated costs) will be required for all teams. And for the referees too, I suppose :-). Unless...

Unless the decision is taken to split the national Super 9, Campeonato Brasileiro, whatever, into two or three regional mini-leagues, with the top four teams overall advancing to national semifinals.

This structure ought to be easy enough to implement on top of the existing state championships, same as the current Super 8, while still giving the top teams a higher level of competition.
Plus it reduces travel expenses.
Plus it is easily expandable, if the Centre-West and North-East/Bahia regions want to get involved at some future date. (Thus making a more truly National competition.)

My next post will give more details of this proposed regional SuperLeague.

Time for a quickie ...comment, that is!

Cable channel Bandsports showed both semi-finals from the 2010 Rugby Womens World Cup today. (Better late than never)

Fans of the men's game should get out and support the women's game more. An international is an international, ffs! You will be pleased to know that, just like for men's senior matches, squint put-ins to scrums and lineouts are perfectly legal.... 

  

Campeonato Fluminense 2010 : final results

These are the results for the Rio de Janeiro state rugby championship, played in Brasil's wintertime from March to October.
This year there were two divisions, the top being serie A, which started with 8 teams. The teams played 15-a-side.
Calx-Cis had severe problems fielding a team, and they did not play any matches. Niteroi were champions, winning all their matches. Rio Rugby ran them very close, winning their other six matches, and only losing to Niteroi by 19-3.

Campeonato Fluminense 2010

SÉRIE A

1 Niterói          won 7

2 Rio Rugby    won 6

3 Guanabara   won 5

4 UFF               won 4

5 Friburgo       won 2

6 Itaguai          won 2

7 Patriotas      won 2

8 Calx-Cis       won 0

SÉRIE B

Serie B is for less well established teams, and matches were played as either 10-a-side or 12-a-side.  The champions were Campos dos Goytacazes, from a city up in the north of the state.

  

1 Campos 

2 Maxambomba 

3 Grandfather (Jacarepagua)

4 Rural

5 Tamoios

Campos and Maxambomba could probably make the step up to Serie A next year, to be replaced in Serie B by some of the even newer startup teams!

I personally would like to see Rio Rugby's B team (or Rio Oeste), plus Niteroi's under-21 team, plus Vila Real, playing in Serie B. All they do right now is fanny about play the occasional friendly.

Link to more results ( in Portuguese) :

http://blogdorugby.com.br/index.asp?s=6&c=47 

We are now moving into the Spring 7-a-side, and beach rugby, season.

Rugby teams in Rio de Janeiro state

The International Rugby Board (IRB) can be happy that the men's Rugby World Cup appears to be doing the job of promoting rugby in new territories. Before the 2003 Cup, there were only five teams in RJ state; four new teams were started in 2004-2005; then after the 2007 France World Cup there was an explosion of growth!

Year    Team   
1940    Rio Rugby
1980    Niteroi
2001    Cabo Frio
2003    Vila Real
2003    Jacarepagua
2004    UFF
2005    Guanabara
2005    Buzios
2007    Nova Friburgo
2007    Cachoeiras
2008    Itaipuaçu 
2008    Campos dos Goytacazes 
2008    Itaguai 
2008    Maxambomba 
2008    Patriotas 
2008    Calx-Cis 
2008    Rio Rugby Oeste 
2008    Rural 
2009    Titans
2009    Grandfather
2009    Tamoios 
2009    Imperio
2009    Macae
2010    Vassouras

Not all these teams have lasted, some are "hibernating", and some are in low-population towns where they will struggle for numbers. The growth, however, is still impressive. 

Below is the logo of the RJ state rugby Federation, the Federaçao Fluminense de Rugby:



FFR is already taken, by the French national fed'n, so the RJ version may need to change name.

It will also need to make itself more publicity-savvy, visible, representative, and accountable. Why, you may ask - because, I will reply, rugby is now an Olympic sport again, and this means more MONEY will be floating about, and I want to know where it goes to!