ELVs – so much has been said and written about them that further discussion is almost pointless. Putting aside the farcical way they have been introduced, they are here for the season so let’s see what happens. I hope they don’t spoil the game. Clever coaches will have worked out how to use them. Gloucester will love them, Leicester will hate them, Wasps will push them to the limit.

England – I really worry for Jonno. With all due respect, the best that can come from the Pacific Islands match is no major injuries. If he were to lose 0-3 against the Tri-Nations teams he would be in a difficult spot. England must win at least one of the matches and must front up against New Zealand. Hopefully he will engender some backbone and standards in a team that went totally AWOL on and off the pitch in New Zealand, but unless a world-class lock appears from somewhere and one of the coaches can sort a decent centre combination, I am not overly hopeful. Oh, and Rob Andrew, can’t you just resign? Your attack on Clive Woodward showed just how weasel-like you really are.

James Simpson-Daniel – Please stay injury free and please nail down a place in the England back line. Somewhere, anywhere!

Danny Cipriani – Please come back as fast and as good as you were before your ankle went and did that "funny angle" thing.

TV – Can Sky please stop moving the scheduling of the Rugby Club all over the place? Give it a settled slot and keep it there. That aside, Sky do an excellent job. Oh and I can’t wait for Moore and Butler to resume their double act in the 6N.

Premiership – Some team other than Wasps to grasp the concept of the play-offs.

And so to predictions:

Premiership – Gloucester (I think they might finally do it)

Anglo-Welsh – Saracens

Heineken – Clermont

6N – France (although hopefully by then Jonno might have worked some magic!)

Autumn Internationals:

PI – England

Aus – England (please God, this is the match I want to see us win)

SA – England (Putting aside the recent thrashing of Oz, the Boks are having England-like post World Cup problems)

NZ – New Zealand

Call to help 519-717-7043; 519-717-7099

MNN.  Sept. 1, 2008.  THIS IS A CALL FOR HELP.  3 people are in jail.  5 more are surrounded by cops.  They need support and supplies.  Take #403 to Brantford, exit at Oak Park Road, turn left at the T Junction; take the first right onto Fen Ridge; the site is across from the Proctor & Gamble distribution facility.  

The OPP have created chaos at Six Nations – Again!  Suddenly yesterday, on Sunday August 31, 2008, reports starting coming to MNN about harassments and arrests.  Highway 6 was blocked.  People are being stopped from going to their homes in the Six Nation communities by the Caledonians and the OPP.  Everyone’s worried because school starts tomorrow.  What’s happening?

In Haida Nation and Taku River Tlingit, the Supreme Court of Canada reminded Canadian governments they have a duty to consult and accommodate all indigenous people who are defending legitimate property rights.  This applies to the OPP [Ontario Provincial Police].   This law is being systematically broken.  

Brantford continues to give out illegal permits to foreign corporations.  Mega projects continue to be started on unsurrendered Indigenous land.  These corporations fraudulently use our land as collateral to raise money at stock exchanges around the world from an unsuspecting public.  No charges have been laid against Brantford officials or foreign corporations for breaking the law.  Instead the cops are being siked on anyone who attempts to defend our legal rights.    

Yesterday, a man was grabbed by the cops from his van and held incommunicado for hours.  His 14 and 16 year old sons were arrested.  The cops ransacked another van looking for something to charge the driver with.  Eventually they charged him for driving without a license.  Two more youths were arrested.  None of the parents were allowed to speak to their children.  

Today, at 7:00 am. Labor Day, the OPP raided the demonstration at the illegal construction site of the Irish company, Kingspan.  This had been shut down by Six Nations defenders.  Two more youths were arrested, according to sporadic reports.

Why has this situation degenerated so three groups are blocking Highway 6:  the OPP, the Caledonians and the Six Nations? Is this is Canada’s idea of consultation and accommodation?   

Every inch of land in Canada is unsurrendered native land.  Canada doesn’t want to face this.  Our property rights are extremely well documented. That’s a problem for them.  The rights Canada and Ontario have been violating at Six Nations were documented before either the Canadian state or the province of Ontario were founded.  Canada is a product of fraud.  Is that why they don’t want to sit down and work out a reasonable plan for peaceful co-existence?  

So far Canada’s response has been violence.  Bring out the guns and bats!    

Canada and the world knows this is wrong.  They have no choice but to deal with us, the landowners.  We are the legal trustees of Onowaregeh, Turtle Island.  Each time they hit us, they remind us of our duties.   We struggle even harder to uphold them. 

The use of force can never produce a legal result.  The Supreme Court of Canada and international law agree with our law, the Kaianerehkowa/Great Law.  The only legal way to solve problems is through discussions, negotiations and understandings.

Canada must start listening to our legal reasoning. The violence against Indigenous peoples has got to stop.  We know what’s right and wrong.  The more they beat us, the more they make it clear that they are wrong.  They must back off, stop arresting us, stop beating us up and stop shoving their kangeroo court documents down our throats.  

On Tuesday, at 9:00 a.m., some of our people will be brought into the Brantford Court.  There is no proof that it has jurisdiction over our people and our land.  Many Indigenous people have been asserting our law.  They have refused to attorn to the court.  They have declared that they stand on the law of the land, the Kaianerehkowa.  Or they have demanded proof of the court’s jurisdiction.  

So far Canada’s colonial courts have all refused to provide proof for their authority.  They know they have none.  So they find some way of putting things off. They don’t know what to do when indigenous people who have been accused for political reasons demand proof of their jurisdiction or evidence of the valid termination of our law.  They know full well that we never gave our informed consent to become Canadians.  We are not Canadians. 

If you can, please come to witness the court proceedings and provide support. We need to tell Kingspan of Ireland, Hampton Hotels of the U.S. all the other shysters trying to trespass on our land to go away.  

MNN Staff
www.mohawknationnews.com        
Contact:  Sonehahs 519-761-8094 

Please Note.  It’s becoming critical for legal actions to be taken to protect our rights.  We have no funds.  If you can donate anything to our cause, it will be greatly appreciated.  Donate to PayPal, www.mohawknationnews.com, or “MNN Mohawk Nation News”, Box 991, Kahnawake [Quebec, Canada] J0L 1B0.  Nia:wen.

Go to MNN “Six Nations” category for more stories; New MNN Books Available now!  Purchase t-shirts, mugs and more at our CafePressStore http://www.cafepress.com/mohawknews; Subscribe to MNN for breaking news updates http://.mohawknationnews.com/news/subscription.php; Sign Women Title Holders petition!http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Iroquois

searstina@hotmail.com

"The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward." - Rocky Balboa

Jason Cecil was fighting long before his professional MMA career.

Cecil was born in Montreal to a young mother in the late 70's; he was without a father and subjected to a "verbally abusive and high tension home."

At the age of five his mother relocated their family to an apartment in Toronto. Cecil remembers the strong sent of urine that was in the stairwell and the roaches that would scatter while you were walking and when a light was turned on.  The neighborhood was very run down and "poor." There were shootings, drugs and prostitution that occurred on a regular basis in the area.

When Cecil was 15 his family relocated again to Abbotsford British Columbia, unlike the other move B.C. was a hard change from Toronto because Cecil had to create an entirely new circle of friends. At 15 most kids that age are in high school and have already planted their feet in their different clicks.

"I had a very difficult time not having my childhood friends around and my parents were very negligent when it came to talking or any physical touch" says Cecil.

This lead to drinking at an early age which then lead to getting into fights which meant easily allowing himself to be in and out of jail.

"One time I was in a high speed chase with three police departments chasing me, I used a stolen truck and planned on heading back to Toronto in it. I got caught by a police dog," says Cecil.

Cecil was in jail for two weeks awaiting his sentencing for the crime, it was there he found god. He had his license taken away for a year and was put on a two year probation with community hours.

"I got off BIG time. God helped me on that one for sure" Cecil says.

Five years later Cecil was kicked out of his house, tired of the neglect he was ready to go off in his own direction.

He moved in with a friend of his while working with a stucco company hauling cement around the site and worked as a bouncer on the weekends.

"My friend would come home each night drunk and high on drugs with friends and keep me up during the night. I had enough of this guy keeping me awake so I took a knife to his throat and that got me kicked out and with another criminal charge" says Cecil.

After spending 40 days in jail Cecil found himself living in his car for a few months. But, things started to look up when he met an athletic girl who competed in bikini contests and was training for fitness modeling. After they moved in together Cecil successfully completed a fitness instructor course and found a job in that field.

Three years went by, Cecil and his girlfriend parted ways sending him into a "major depression" which made him attempt suicide. He was committed to a psychiatric hospital for two months following that.

Moving back Toronto at 25, without a permanent place to stay Cecil ended up in a shelter located in downtown Toronto for eight months.

Down the street was a community centre which happened to have submission wrestling, and because Cecil always had an interest in athletics and martial arts he found himself training there on a regular basis.

An opportunity arose to fight Brent Beauparlant on an Apex card in 2006, and with only two days notice Cecil took the fight but lost due to TKO in 2:22 in the first round.

Six weeks later he was offered another fight this time in the ECC, but was only given five days notice. He lost that fight due to a key lock submission also in the first round.

"I was eager to get into the sport so I took the two fights although it was short notice and I was poorly prepared" Cecil says.

But that didn't discourage the young aspiring fighter, he continued to train at the community centre teaching him self how to incorporate some striking with his wrestling techniques, and he did that for the next year and a half until he felt comfortable to compete again.

Searching to fight Cecil found himself on an Iroquois Mixed Martial Arts II card getting a chance to fight Geza Kalman who has not only fought in the UFC but he's also fought Kevin Randleman.

Cecil won the bout submitting Kalman with a guillotine choke.

"I fought each month for the next four months in a row with the help of Rexdale fight club who had seen me at IQMMA II and offered me to train at there gym" Cecil says.

His last fight was at the Iroquois Mixed Martial Arts forth fight card where he lost to Lloyd "Kadillac" Marshbanks by submission in the first round.

Cecil since then has taken time off fighting to train, and get his skills intact so that he can be "as ready as ever" for his biggest MMA opportunity to date.

"Training and competing has always been a great way to get out my aggression, stay healthy, have fun and encourage me to better myself. MMA is a sport that demands so much of a person and it all shows when you are there in the cage" says Cecil.

Jason "Lethal" Cecil will be fighting September 13, 2008 in Montreal for the light heavy weight title on Xtreme MMA fight card.

This Article was Featured on:

Xtreme Lifestyle

MMA Canada

MMA Takeover

Yes, South Africa are RWC-winners – double-winners no less – and on Saturday they showed the Argies a thing or two about putting points on the board. But the team travels poorly and the RWC win is oh so last year. Significantly, they have an unfortunate habit of losing to top tier sides such as New Zealand and Australia. The Springboks were famously left out of the 1987 World Cup, which the All Blacks won. Bok fans like to believe that if their team been allowed to play, New Zealand would not have won that tournament. But the fact is the Boks have played the ABs 37 times since 1987 and have lost 70% of those matches. They have also lost most of their matches to Australia over the same period. The Springboks are undoubtedly the best team in South Africa, but as for the World’s Best? You be the judge.

The mighty New Zealand All Blacks currently hold the trophies for all the tournaments in which they compete, save one – the RWC. Their inability to win World Cups is well-known and a mark against them being judged World’s Best. Further, their grip on the Bledisloe and Tri-Nations Cups looked decidedly shaky a few weeks ago when they were given a real going over by an unproven Wallaby team. Yet they remain the most successful team – in terms of win-loss ratios – in the history of the sport.

Australia currently holds both the Cook Cup (which means they’re better than England) and the Mandela Plate (which means they’re better than South Africa). Like South Africa, they are double-RWC winners. They have also won two-thirds of their matches over the past decade. But their best claim to The World’s Best is that they are All Black-killers. I’m not saying they have a winning record against New Zealand – no team does – but the Wallabies have the least-worst losing record. They have only lost 52% of their matches against the ABs over the past 10 years. This compares with losing records of 68% for South Africa, 71% for France, 82% for England, and 100% for Wales.

The Welsh hold the 6N trophy which suggests they're the top team in Europe in 2008. But their performance is often erratic. Their last Grand Slam came in 2005. Between then and now they were horrible, finishing fifth in 2006 and 2007. Even Italy did better than Wales last year. Even Italy! Plus, the Welsh are pretty hopeless against the SANZAR teams. In the last 20 years they’ve managed only two wins against 37 losses against 3N teams.

USA are the current Olympic champions, having beaten France 17-3 in 1924, the last time rugby was contested on the Olympic stage. In fact, the Americans have the best Olympic record of any nation winning gold in both 1920 and 1924. But since then it’s been all downhill. They managed to scrape a narrow 3-point win over Japan in the 1987 RWC, but that was about it. It’s been losses ever since. But you never know, 2008 could yet be their year.

Okay, time to cast your vote...

Out of the ashes, and out of the flames, keeps gettin’ stronger, like a slow moving train, watch it now…Main Line is a hard rock band straight outta the Six Nations Reserve in Southern Ontario. They have rocked many stages far and wide including legendary venues such as the el Mocambo in Toronto, and Jackhammer’s Nightclub in Brantford. They played at such festivals as The Roger’s Friendship Festival in Fort Erie, The National Cree Gathering in Moose Factory, and they were big hits at the 2006 Creefest and Regional Youth Gathering in Attawapiskat, Ontario. They have participated in many fundraising concerts such as 2 shows in the “Burning Axes” concert series fundraising for the Six Nations Fire Department. Other artists in the series included The Trews, Priestess, Grady, Superstack, The Binges, and Derek Miller. They have won many battles over the years, the latest being the first annual Pumpkinfest Battle of the Bands held in Waterford this fall. Main Line presents their Stand and Deliver Tour, headlining the Liquid Lounge ( 159 Sydenham Street, Brantford) on July 5th at 9pm with special guest, the Revolutionary Sounds of A.K. McLeod.

By: Christina Sears
searstina@hotmail.com

Matt Ferraro, who fights out of Cutting Edge MMA in Caledonia, made his pro-debut at the Iroquois Mixed Martial Arts III (IQMMA).

Ferraro's opponent changing on a few occasion with Curtis DeMarce receiving the call three days before the bout accepting to fight  Ferraro.

The IQMMA has been much debated and very shady throughout the commissions in not only Ontario but in Canada. DeMarce making a huge last minute decision to fight on this card meant possibly being suspended from fighting in Winnipeg and other "sanctioned" events throughout Canada.

In round one Ferraro starts off well throwing a decent combination of punches, however DeMarce got a hold of that clinch and started landing some big knees and a bang on head kick.

However this round didn't last long on their feet, Ferraro managed to suck in a double leg picking DeMarce up dumping him to the mat. From there Ferraro starts to work from DeMarce's guard but almost gets caught in an arm bar attempt.

At this point both men are not doing much and look a bit tired, DeMarce attempts to get to his feet but again Ferraro's wrestling shines through when he drags him back down to the mat and continues to work from there. DeMarce attempts a leg lock forcing Ferraro to scramble for a better position. While in the process of doing that Ferraro lands a good punch right down the middle bouncing DeMarce's head off the mat.

The first round ended with Curtis DeMarce in Matt Ferraro's Guard.

The round looked close however, Ferraro got more of the take downs, and showed good ground control. Standing DeMarce landed only those knees and head kicks early in the round. But for the majority of the round it was Matt Ferraro with his huge take downs, and ground control.

In my opinion the first round going to Ferraro.

In the second round DeMarce comes out with not only one, but four huge head kicks landing everyone with added combos putting Ferraro against the fence looking like he was in a load of trouble.

But Ferraro managed to grab around DeMarce's body picking him up and once again taking him down. But he wasn't safe just yet DeMarce then started with his submission attempts, which was enough for Ferraro to stand up and just rain down some punches again bouncing DeMarce's head of the canvas of the octagon.

Ferraro shows his submission ability by attempting a key lock from side mount, but was unsuccessful allowing DeMarce to reverse their position putting Ferraro on the bottom.

Ferraro now looking a bit tired he allows DeMarce to take his back and attempt a rear naked choke. In the last 30 seconds of the round Ferraro fights off the choke, with Coach Bryan Edge in his corner giving him instructions to stay calm and just breathe while shouting out time updates. Ferraro manages to survive into the third round.

Again a close round, Ferraro using his wrestling at every chance to take DeMarce to the mat; however DeMarce's early head kicks and submission attempts might have been enough to per sway the judges into giving him the round.

Round two going to Curtis DeMarce.

With fatigue setting in on both fighters the third round for both was either hit or miss. Both needed to end it with knock out or submission instead of leaving it in the hands of the judges, and that's exactly what Curtis DeMarce did.

At the beginning of the third Ferraro went for a takedown only this time leaving his head exposed for a guillotine choke, DeMarce see's that and capitalizes. Once on the ground it was seconds before Ferraro tapped making Curtis DeMarce the winner via submission.

After the fight DeMarce admits that he knew Ferraro was a wrestler and says even though it was his (Ferraro's) debut as a professional fighter he feels that he was probably the toughest guy he's fought thus far in his own MMA career.

Another fight that was much talked about was Josh Powell vs Amsterdam's Noufel Amellark.

Early in the first round Powell and Amellark both started swinging for the fences, punches flying from every direction, Powell getting the better end of the exchanges.

The best way to describe these exchanges would be that of two men who were offered money to just go in there and fight. Neither of them punched like a professional MMA fighters should punch. None of the punches were crisp and technical, more of an amateur who just threw on a pair of gloves and decided to try it out.

But Powell managed to throw a few more punches pressing Amellark against the cage and forced him to cover up. But out of nowhere the ref stops the fight.

Amellark right away throws its hands up as if to say "what the heck" and the I.L.A Arena echoing with the boos of the crowd who were displeased with the stoppage.

The ref announces the winner Josh Powell by Technical Knock out due to "broken nose?"

Like most of the crowd was probably thinking "a TKO by a broken nose? Did I hear that right?"

After the results were announced you see Hamilton's Jeff Joslin get into a fighting stance bouncing back and forth with Amellark and his corner exchanging some words with Joslin. Powell then steps in with the ref or someone trying to break them up.

Before Jeff interviews Powell about the fight he laughs and said "I don't know what that was about, I don't fight for free," and then goes on with his interview with Powell.

Powell saying that he would fight Amellark again and is up for a rematch anytime, to prove he deserved that win.

The Next Iroquois MMA event will take place June 21'st on the Six Nations Reserve at the I.L.A Arena.

Visit www.iqmma.ca for ticket information.

Since that historic loss in 2003, the ABs and England have met four times with the ABs winning on each occasion by a healthy margin. But that means little for the coming match. This week sees a still-raw AB team competing against battle-hardened English side. England didn't do well in the Six Nations, but they did thump Ireland by a lot more than the ABs did last Saturday. Yes, I know the conditions were different, but there's really little else o which to judge the two teams' current form. My instinct says the ABs will win this weekend in Auckland by less than 12, and then they'll win bigger the following week in Christchurch.

I mentioned at the beginning that the ABs have had a 60 month run of wins at home. What about some of the other sides?

- After NZ, Argentina has the best home-winning streak of 24 months (NZ beat them in Buenos Aires in June 2006)

- Australia is on a 23 month home-winning streak(NZ beat them in Brisbane in July 2006)

- South Africa is on a 12 month home-winning streak (NZ beat them in Durban in June 2007)

- The home-winning streak for Wales is 7 months, for England, France and Scotland it's just 4 months, and for Italy it's 2 months. Ireland lost it's last game at home.

Out of the ashes, and out of the flames, keeps gettin' stronger, like a slow moving train, watch it now...Main Line is a hard rock band straight outta the Six Nations Reserve in Southern Ontario. They have rocked many stages far and wide including legendary venues such as the el Mocambo in Toronto, and Jackhammer's Nightclub in Brantford. They played at such festivals as The Roger's Friendship Festival in Fort Erie, The National Cree Gathering in Moose Factory, and they were big hits at the 2006 Creefest and Regional Youth Gathering in Attawapiskat, Ontario. They have participated in many fundraising concerts such as 2 shows in the "Burning Axes" concert series fundraising for the Six Nations Fire Department. Other artists in the series included The Trews, Priestess, Grady, Superstack, The Binges, and Derek Miller. They have won many battles over the years, the latest being the first annual Pumpkinfest Battle of the Bands held in Waterford this fall. Main Line will be headlining the Alex (187 Market St, Brantford) on June 14th at 10pm.

"One Moment of/in Time" by Randy Johnson, 1998; 16.5 mm high.

Out on the sidewalk, E.g. said, "You really want that sculpture, don't you?"

"Just because I really like something doesn't mean I have to own it!"

Penny said, "It is very nice, that one."

E.g. said, "It's art. There's nothing wrong in owning art, and nothing wrong in encouraging an artist. I can buy it if you'd like it."

I re-entered the shop. The man behind the counter looked up. Not meeting his eyes, but with a hand on the carven woman's left shoulder, I stared at the floor.

"I'd like to buy this sculpture."

"Do you know what it's about?"

"No. I just think it's beautiful, the way the bird and the woman -- I can't tell where one ends and the other begins. Could you tell us about it?"

That was when Penny, E.g., and I discovered that the "clerk" was the artist himself. Randy Johnson told us he was a member of the teaching clan, which is either Wolf or Bear, I no longer remember. Then he began to teach. There was a large clamshell on the counter, and in it he placed some dried cedar tips, which he then lit on fire. The teaching lasted far longer than the fragrant smoke; I think we were there for over an hour.

Randy told us of how Sky Woman fell through a hole where a tree had been uprooted, and fell toward the Great Flood far below; how the birds caught her to slow her descent; how the water animals, the ones who looked up and named her Sky Woman, searched for a bit of dirt at the bottom of the waters, set it on Turtle's back, and watched it grow as Sky Woman walked in ever-widening circles, singing.

He told us of Sky Woman's twin sons, the well-developed one who was happy and created good things, and the poorly-developed, flat-faced one who was unhappy and created bad things. He told of how they were both Sky Woman's children, and how she loved them both.

He told us of the White Pine -- you can see part of it under the happy child's chin -- beneath the roots of which the Five Nations of the Haudenosee buried their war instruments and proclaimed peace. The eagle roosts at the top of the White Pine, watching for peoples to come from the Four Directions to join the peace and bury their weapons also.

He told us many things. He took his teachings from ancient legends and recent pop-psych books and everything in between. Finally, when our new knowledge was overflowing our ears and mingling in confused strands on the dusty wooden floor, Randy stopped. From a drawer he took out a small brown feather. Handing it to me, he said, "May our paths meet again. Niá:wen'kówa."

"Niá:wen'kówa," I smiled. "Thank you very much."

...

A few years ago, E.g. and I were down in Port Dover, visiting a classmate. The weather was good, so our friend suggested we go over to the Six Nations reserve at nearby Ohsweken. Penny, an immigrant from northern England, had frequently visited the reserve with family and friends over the years. She told us she always felt an inner peace when she went. Okay, we said, let's go.

In contrast to Penny, I have North-American-settled ancestors on both my mother's (Mennonites) and father's (United Empire Loyalists) sides, stretching back nearly 300 years each. Love being what it is, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a bit of unrecorded First Nations blood in me.

What I'm certain of, however, is not the blood in my veins but that on my hands, as the descendant of intruders to this continent. My European ancestors stole a people's land, and then called them "poor". They curtailed their means of livelihood, and then called them "lazy". They banned their language, and then called them "uneducated". They destroyed their culture, and then called them "uncivilized". They took away their children, and then called them "drunkards". The peoples of the First Nations have been struggling with might and main to restore their heritage, while the federal government gradually concedes an acre here, a protective law there, a little restitution, a little respect.

So here we were in the public park in downtown Ohsweken, where there was some kind of celebration going on, with tables and barbecues set up to sell hot dogs and cobs of corn. I was too shy, too guilty, to partake. I felt like an interloper. I hung back while Penny and E.g. loaded up their 'dogs and brought me a ginger ale.

Then Penny guided us across the street to some tourist shops. Ah, shopping, the great leveler. Here was my place -- except my bank account was nearly empty at the time. Still, it wouldn't hurt to look.

The first store held the wide variety of trinkets one expects from tourist shops the world over. Here were necklaces, dream catchers, moccasins, T-shirts, souvenirs with beads, wood, and feathers. There was an interesting mix of items for white tourists and gear identifying different indigenous nations or clans. We flitted about the shop, and I relaxed a little.

The place next door was smaller, quieter, sparer. We crossed a worn wooden verandah to an old screen door, and entered a large dusty room lined with shelves on its left- and right-hand walls, and a table and counter in front of us. We were the only shoppers. A man, presumably the clerk, sat behind the counter, simply nodding to us and saying nothing.

The shelves held sculptures. Now, I was raised not to go into a store if I didn't intend to buy anything, and part of me wanted to exit now; but the sculptures were beautiful. I paused at each one of the dozen or so there, wondering at their symbols, gingerly touching a few of them, although most of them could probably tumble down a staircase without sustaining any damage. One in particular arrested me completely. I didn't understand, but I was drawn to it. Finally, I asked the man its price. When  he told me, I nodded appreciatively, regretfully, and walked out of the store.

Tomorrow: Part II.

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Fonte: dalla rete

Sarà Twickenham ad ospitare la prima partita dell'Italia nel 6 Nazioni 2009. Il programma del torneo è stato annunciato oggi e vede gli azzurri inseriti proprio nella partita inaugurale, sul campo dell'Inghilterra, sabato 7 febbraio alle 16.

Lo stesso giorno l'Irlanda ospiterà la Francia al Croke Park di Dublino mentre domenica 8 scenderanno in campo i campioni in carica del Galles, che a Murrayfield faranno visita alla Scozia.

L'Italia giocherà in casa, sul campo del Flaminio di Roma, tre partite: domenica 15 febbraio contro l'Irlanda, sabato 14 marzo contro il Galles e sabato 21 marzo contro la Francia. Sabato 28 febbraio gli azzurri sfideranno la Scozia a Murrayfield.

Questo il programma completo del torneo:

Sabato 7 febbraio: Inghilterra - ITALIA; Irlanda - Francia.

Domenica 8 febbraio: Scozia - Galles.

Sabato 14 febbraio: Francia - Scozia; Galles - Inghilterra.

Domenica 15 febbraio: ITALIA-Irlanda.

Venerdì 27 febbraio: Francia - Galles.

Sabato 28 febbraio: Scozia - ITALIA; Irlanda - Inghilterra.

Sabato 14 marzo: ITALIA - Galles; Scozia - Irlanda.

Domenica 15 marzo: Inghilterra - Francia.

Sabato 21 marzo: ITALIA - Francia; Inghilterra - Scozia; Galles - Irlanda.

But change was always been coming and though the manner of the change has been ham-fisted, the transformation is important. Not just for England, but also for you as a coach.

Martin Johnson, the former England World Cup winning rugby captain, arrives with no formal rugby coaching qualifications or the experience of managing a team.

What he does bring it something you can use yourself to move your coaching output ahead.

Before I tell what it is, I want you remember the man in question.

He is big. He towers over most people and many players.

He never took a step backwards on the pitch and rarely off the pitch. This meant his word was the final word, to a team mate, opposition player or even the referee.

He led from the front and took on all comers, sometimes over aggressively. He would front the charge from the kick off, often beating the winger to the catcher.

So what can we all learn from “Johnno” ? It is that unswerving belief in yourself and your goals can carry you over many rough paths. It creates momentum, it pulls others with you and it doesn’t care about the setbacks.

I have just completed part II of a series on what we can learn from one of the world’s most success sports coaches, John Wooden, for the next Rugby Coach Newsletter. He would see Johnson as one of the main building blocks in his Pyramid of Success, based on his intention.

Do you have that personal belief? Can you reaffirm your goals with greater rigour? Then you might just find you have energised yourself and, as a happy consequence, your team.

I believe Johnson’s belief will do the same for the England rugby team.

Dan, Better Rugby Coaching Editor