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28th January 2012 07:00
Former New Zealand scrum coach Mike Cron has accepted a role as forwards coach in the All Blacks' new team headed by Steve Hansen.
Cron, who retired after last year's World Cup after working with the team as a specialist coach since 2004, said he had accepted Hansen's offer.
He will work alongside head coach Hansen and his assistants Ian Foster, the backs coach, and Aussie McLean, the defence coach.
| Fixture | Details |
|---|---|
| All times are local | |
| RBS Six Nations | |
| Saturday , February 25 | |
| Ireland vs Italy | 13:30 |
| England vs Wales | 16:00 |
| Sunday , February 26 | |
| Scotland vs France | 15:00 |
| More RBS Six Nations fixtures | |
| Aviva Premiership | |
| Friday , February 24 | |
| Worcester vs Saracens | 19:45 |
| Sale vs Wasps | 19:45 |
| Saturday , February 25 | |
| Leicester vs Newcastle | 15:00 |
| Gloucester vs Harlequins | 18:00 |
| Exeter vs Bath | 18:00 |
| Sunday , February 26 | |
| London Irish vs Northampton | 13:15 |
| More Aviva Premiership fixtures | |
| RaboDirect PRO12 | |
| Thursday , February 23 | |
| Scarlets vs Benetton Treviso |  |
| Friday , February 24 | |
| Munster vs Cardiff Blues | 19:05 |
| Ulster vs Ospreys | 19:05 |
| Connacht vs Edinburgh | 19:30 |
| Saturday , February 25 | |
| Glasgow vs Leinster | 18:00 |
| Sunday , February 26 | |
| Aironi Rugby vs Newport-Gwent D'gons | 15:30 |
| More RaboDirect PRO12 fixtures | |
| Top 14 | |
| Friday , February 24 | |
| Lyon vs Brive | 19:30 |
| Agen vs Castres | 20:45 |
| More Top 14 fixtures | |
| Super Rugby | |
| Friday , February 24 | |
| Blues vs Crusaders | 19:35 |
| Brumbies vs Western Force | 19:40 |
| Bulls vs Sharks | 19:10 |
| Saturday , February 25 | |
| Chiefs vs Highlanders | 19:35 |
| Waratahs vs Reds | 19:40 |
| Stormers vs Hurricanes | 17:05 |
| Lions vs Cheetahs | 19:10 |
| More Super Rugby fixtures | |
| Fixture | Details |
|---|---|
| All times are local | |
| Aviva Premiership | |
| Sunday , February 19 | |
| Saracens 19 - 20 Leicester |  |
| Saturday , February 18 | |
| Bath 11 - 14 Gloucester | |
| Northampton 24 - 17 Sale | |
| Newcastle 19 - 10 London Irish | |
| Wasps 12 - 15 Exeter | |
| Harlequins 16 - 14 Worcester | |
| More Aviva Premiership results | |
| RaboDirect PRO12 | |
| Benetton Treviso 14 - 35 Munster | |
| Newport-Gwent D'gons 21 - 10 Edinburgh | |
| Connacht 13 - 13 Glasgow | |
| More RaboDirect PRO12 results | |
| Top 14 | |
| Bordeaux-Begles 26 - 30 Montpellier | |
| Bayonne 22 - 22 Clermont Auvergne | |
| Toulouse 21 - 10 Agen | |
| Stade Francais 19 - 19 Toulon | |
| Lyon 22 - 33 Racing Metro Paris | |
| Brive 13 - 15 Castres | |
| More Top 14 results | |
| RaboDirect PRO12 | |
| Friday , February 17 | |
| Cardiff Blues 21 - 14 Ulster | |
| Ospreys 23 - 7 Aironi Rugby | |
| Leinster 16 - 13 Scarlets | |
| More RaboDirect PRO12 results | |
| Top 14 | |
| Perpignan 25 - 6 Biarritz | |
| More Top 14 results | |
| RBS Six Nations | |
| Sunday , February 12 | |
| Wales 27 - 13 Scotland | |
| More RBS Six Nations results | |
| Aviva Premiership | |
| Wasps 17 - 22 Saracens | |
| More Aviva Premiership results | |
| RBS Six Nations | |
| Saturday , February 11 | |
| Italy 15 - 19 England | |
| More RBS Six Nations results | |
| Aviva Premiership | |
| Harlequins 30 - 23 London Irish | |
| Bath 30 - 24 Newcastle | |
| Gloucester 27 - 24 Northampton | |
| More Aviva Premiership results | |
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wales | 2 | 4 |
| 2 | England | 2 | 4 |
| 3 | France | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | Ireland | 1 | 0 |
| 5 | Scotland | 2 | 0 |
| 6 | Italy | 2 | 0 |
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Comments
sukkadoits says...
@markpat I agree with you that the NZ pack is not the greatest in the world at set piece, the teams you cite are often superior, Italy only one 1 or 2 occasions though. France atm definitely so.
What the NZ pack is the best at is the looser stuff- ball handling, ball running, support play, transition play, field mobility. it is these characteristics that set them apart.
Posted 03:15 22nd February 2012
RuckingKiwi says...
Fair comment on France but they're not really consistent.
Argentina on their day as well but I'm giving you a funny look with Italy.
Still would prefer NZs but each to their own
Posted 11:33 03rd February 2012
markpat says...
Much as ahate the French team, I'd rate the French pack above NZ's. I'd also be very tempted to put Italy's, maybe Argentina's.
Italy and Argentina are dominant in the scrum, have a formidable rolling maul, very efficient lineouts and are very good at both securing and turning over possession.
New Zealand win games with much lower percentages of possession, thereby suggesting, in intself, that their pack is not dominating games.
Posted 09:28 02nd February 2012
KiwiLad says...
Markpat, interesting question, who would you put above them?
Posted 06:02 02nd February 2012
ruckingkiwi says...
markpat, not disagreeing but interested, if you could name a better pack?
Posted 22:06 01st February 2012
markpat says...
No offence to New Zealand, who are justifiably accepted as the world's premier team, but since when were they the world's premier pack?
Posted 14:18 31st January 2012
brands says...
unstoppable!
Posted 21:46 28th January 2012
jmanngod says...
great news for the world's premier pack!
Posted 19:56 28th January 2012
TotalRugbyRules says...
Cron=forwards coach(great scrummaging creds); Foster=backs coach with dubious credentials; McClean=great defensive coach ... great thing about all this is Hansen doesn't have to do much of what we know he does poorly ... viz. coach.
Posted 10:46 28th January 2012