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A true gentleman of the game: Rugby world mourns Vickerman
By Christopher Devine
The world of rugby was in mourning on Sunday following the death of former Australia lock Dan Vickerman at the age of 37.
Born in South Africa, Vickerman earned 63 Test caps for the Wallabies and represented the Brumbies and Waratahs in Super Rugby. He also enjoyed a brief stint in England with Northampton Saints.
His passing was confirmed by the Australian Rugby Union (ARU), although no details of the cause of death were disclosed.
The official Twitter account of the Wallabies led the tributes to Vickerman, and respects were paid across the rugby world via social media.
Our thoughts and condolences go out to the family and friends, and all who knew Dan, at this difficult time. RIP Dan Vickerman.
— Brumbies (@BrumbiesRugby) February 19, 2017
Rest In Peace, Dan Vickerman. 63 Tests, three Rugby World Cups, 53 Waratahs games. He will always be remembered https://t.co/uStsAc3uZc pic.twitter.com/WYRYdrEUbe
— NSW Waratahs (@NSWWaratahs) February 19, 2017
Shocked an old team mate Dan Vickerman has passed away..Grateful to have played along side you..Thoughts & prayers are with his wife & 2kids
— Quade Cooper (@QuadeCooper) February 19, 2017
Incredibly saddened waking up to the news of Dan Vickerman. A true gentleman of the game. Thoughts are with his family.
Rest easy Vicks
— Adam Ashley-Cooper (@AdamCoopy) February 19, 2017
Waking up to sad news about Dan Vickerman this morning. Always enjoyed playing against him. A real competitor and a great guy.
— Victor Matfield (@VictorMatfield) February 19, 2017
Incredibly sad to wake up to the news about Dan Vickerman. One of the greats on & off the field Thoughts are with his family
Rest Easy Vicks
— James Horwill (@JHorwill) February 19, 2017
February 19, 2017
Our thoughts are with the family & friends of former Saint Dan Vickerman, who has passed away aged just 37
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Latest Comments
SCW really dislikes Eddie, doesn't he?
His words in 2019 before the RWC final that he now says should have resulted in Eddie's firing:
"Was Saturday’s sensational World Cup semi-final win over New Zealand England’s greatest ever performance? Yes, unquestionably, would be my answer."
So let's fire the coach one game later? Duh!
Go to commentsIreland have every right to back themselves for a win. But the key variable has little to do with recent record etc.
The reality is that Ireland are a settled team with tons of continuity, an established style, and a good depth chart, whereas NZ are fundamentally rebuilding. The questions are all about what Razor is doing and how far along he is in that program.
NZ are very close to really clicking. Against England all of the chatter is about how England could have closed out a win, but failed to do so. This has obscured the observation that NZ were by far the more creative and effective in attack, beyond the 3-1 try differential and disallowed tries. They gave away a lot of unnecessary penalties, and made many simple errors (including knock-ons and loose kicks). Those things are very fixable, and when they do so we are once again going to be staring at a formidable NZ team.
Last week we heard the England fans talking confidently about their chances against NZ, but England did not end up looking like the better team on the field or the scoreboard. The England defense was impressive enough, but still could not stop the tries.
Ireland certainly has a better chance, of course, but NZ is improving fast, and I would not be surprised at a convincing All Black win this week. It may turn on whether NZ can cut out the simple mistakes.
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