Laying the egg

SO, funny story involved with this tactic. We spent some time a few practices ago learning about a ball positioning called "laying the egg"
...which literally derives its name from your ability to squeeze out the rugby ball between your legs.

Definitely takes a little practicing to get used to it (then again...what doesn't take practice to get used to it?), but as you're running with the ball and taken into contact by a defender, you need to start propelling your weight and theirs forward to prepare yourself to "lay the egg."
Land with your body on top of the ball (NOTE: this will take some practice but BE CAREFUL in the meantime. I have done this accidentally and it hurts like a beyotch if you hit your rib cage/lungs wrong....wind knocked out of you for dayzz.). Push the ball backwards towards your team by having it come out through your legs. This is an important technique because it eliminates poaching by the other team. It also helps you become more conscious of pushing the ball straight back to your team rather than flopping around and making it become a hot mess. The scrumhalves of the world will also thank you for giving them one less thing to think about when going for the ball to pass out somewhere before there's a chance of them being bulldozered.
Many people may get nervous that throughout this time they could be called for "not rolling away" by the referee, but with the amount of movement/"effort" you'll be making to get the ball out it shouldn't be a problem. There's also a plethora of the other things the referee is concerned about at the same time. Just make sure the ball is on the ground/you're not carrying it anymore and it is moving towards your teammates. Clearly you can't just sit there and make your body into a bungalow for the ball.
Whilst it sounds ridiculous and even awkward, my coach made a good point in shutting down both of these concerns: when is rugby NOT ridiculous and awkward?? "Half the time for the forwards your head is up someone's ass..." HAH!

Funny part: I attempted to find a picture of this tactic/do some more research, and when I googled "laying the egg rugby" THIS is what showed up:

What's even more hilarious is I actually just read about the history of this cartoon, which is from 1961.
It was created after the 3rd test match that went down between New Zealand and France. It's also the album cover for when the rugby game was recorded on vinyl record!
In this game, New Zealand beat France 32-3...it's hard to ever think of a time when New Zealand wasn't the favorite in rugby, but at this time period apparently France was considered the strongest European team. So the "egg" (which they clearly also made look like a rugby ball) is a little spitfire at France: "Top grade reputation - second grade performance" as in they didn't live up to everyone's standards (CLEARLY, 32-3 is an embarrassing loss for a favored team). THAT'S AWESOME.
Another fact about this cartoon: the All Blacks bird is actually a Kiwi, not a rooster. Kiwis are native to New Zealand and apparently many people who are native to Kiwi, New Zealand have called themselves Kiwis.

ANOTHER random fact I just found out through this hunger for knowledge is that this Marvel character, Kiwi Black, got his name based off the location of Kiwi and the All Blacks themselves!

YOU KNOW YOUR TEAM IS COOL WHEN A MARVEL CHARACTER IS NAMED AFTER YOU.
So much respect.

NOTE: I found out all this interesting knowledge about the cartoon from this cool website: www.rugby-pioneers.com! Us rugby bloggers have to stick together.

Inspriring All Blacks Story: Jonah Lomu

Post by SKY Sport NZ.

First things first: listening to almost any speaking with a New Zealand accent is going to be enticing.


I'll try to give the summary of this amazing individual but I know I'll fail at it.

• Jonah Lomu is the youngest player to ever be on the All Blacks; he was 19 years old when he first started. 

• He was a winger that was 6'5 and on average it took 4 PLAYERS TO TACKLE HIM (we've heard of on average one or two players being drawn in to tackle someone, but FOUR?! That's more than half of your team in sevens!!!!). 

• He has also been used as a prime example of why there are so many issues/inaccuracies with the BMI: his body produced a BMI that would be considered obese.

• In his career, he has scored 15 tries in the IRB Rugby World Cup, NEVER dropped a pass, and NEVER caused a penalty.
   
• He turned down a multimillion dollar contract with the NFL to continue playing rugby

• He's been considered rugby's first global star

• He's also rugby's first millionaire

This is a pretty famous picture of him.....unfortunate for Mike Catt of England who is getting pummeled on the ground.


But where Jonah Lomu's true legacy lies is in his dedication and refusal to ever give up.....even when you have a kidney transplant trying to hold you back.
He was on dialysis for 18 MONTHS, and still was able to score two tries in the 1999 World Cup afterwards. These quotes he said about having to handle his illness and still train with the team show how much he was put through:

"It was like falling off a building and suddenly, bang, you hit the bottom. The first time it happened was on an ordinary day at home. I was taking down some curtains. I took one step, turned around, took another step and then I fell and hit my head hard on the rowing machine."

"I was this guy who'd been racing around down there, on that field in 1999, running straight over people, scoring tries, winning games, having fun. And I ended up so sick I couldn't even run past a little baby."

"I was on dialysis for 18 months before the transplant, so it was important I tried to look ahead to days like my comeback this Saturday. You need those big goals to drive you on."

"When I was playing I felt tired all the time. My recovery period was a lot longer than the other players. They'd be ok after an hour - I'd have to stay in bed till the next session."

"Towards the end of 2003 it was hard to get through training - and the darkest point was when a doctor told me there was a possibility I could end up in a wheelchair." (quotes source)

BUT he continued to come back....again......and AGAIN. He's even played through surgery on a shoulder and a broken ankle. Even when he officially retired from the All Blacks and professional rugby, he has continued to play on random teams in Europe and in many charity events. He's a member of the "Champions for Peace" club that contains 54 famous athletes who "serve peace to the world through sport."

No matter how much the odds are stacked against you, even when your body is telling you that rugby isn't in the cards, sheer will can get you pretty damn far.

"I didn't just turn up on the doorstep playing rugby; I had to go through a whole lot of things to get there."