So on Friday I made it down to Oxford after my show to attend the Walk4Matt 2010 launch, the charity event that I am lucky enough to be involved in, as a Vice President of Special Effect, a charity that will directly benefit from this amazing event.

Matt Hampson has proven a real inspiration to me over the three years I have had the pleasure of knowing him, and I’m sure he will carry on inspiring people for a lot longer, but what always surprises me about Matt is just what a patient, nice, and downright funny guy he is! If you would like to read about Matt’s incredible story, a young England rugby player whose life was forever changed after breaking his neck in an U21 games, an incident that left him completely paralysed from the neck down, you can do so in full here.

Playing for your country at any level, and at any sport, is an incredible achievement, especially in Rugby where the standards are so high, but it is what Matt has achieved since his accident that has truly made me think about how I approach life. Matt did not take a backward step, and has lived his life as he played his rugby, with a high intensity, dedication, and also with a cheeky smile. It is so easy to moan, and think yourself hard done by in this world, and yet when you see people who have faced real adversity, like Matt, or any of the kids I have met through the Teenage Cancer Trust (that I'm also incredible fortunate to be involved with), it makes you realise what is truly important, and I just hope, that one day I might be as inspiration to other as Matt and many other people are to me.

He has dedicated himself to raising money for people who have found themselves in a similar position to him, either from birth, or via a tragic accident, and to see the work of Special Effect in action, in developing software and interactive systems that allow people with disabilities to use them, something that we take for granted n a daily basis, always amazes me..........even if I often end up getting my arse kicked at some of the games............the guys were just too good! I say all of this, knowing that if I said it Matt’s face, he would probably rip the Mick out of me or just tell me to shut up, as he is a such a humble guy, but it’s not often you meet someone like Matt, who makes you realise just what life is really about. Matt’s life is pretty much constantly on the go, as he is not just spending his time now raising money for others, and to supports himself, he is also a rather good rugby journalist, and you might see his interview in Rugby World, and he puts me to shame!!

Take the Walk4Matt that the great man organises each year, it’s a 110 mile walk from Rugby ( the home of his favourite sport) to the Premiership Final at Twickenham, with the idea to raise as much money as he can for the Charities he s involved with, and there are a few! Each year, lots of superstars from the world of rugby, including Martin Johnson and Dusty Hare last year, as well as players from every Premiership team, joined in one the route. You can walk the whole route, staying on one of the Barges that accompanies the walk (although not the Guinness one, as Matt says that’s his steam boat.............i.e. the boat that gets every one steaming!), or just join in for one day, either way it’s great fun, and being an event organised by a rugby player, there is no shortage of liquid refreshment, and each night there is lots of awesome entertainment planned at the stop of points, to make sure you can top up on some of that morale if needed!

I was lucky enough to have a quick chat with Matt at the launch, and I will post the video in this Blog later in the week!

Anyway, I suppose what I am saying is, if you want to get involved in an awesome charity event, meet some superstars and some very inspirational people, and have a damn good time doing it – you can sign up for the Walk4matt 2010 here.

Right, next it’s all about My beloved Arsenal.......and how we were played off the park by Man Utd on Sunday, honestly, watching that game, as much as I hate to see us lose to anyone, especially the plastic Manc's, well all I could think of was, Man Utd not only deserved that, they at times walked it.

See, as passionate as I get, I believe in putting your hand up at times and saying, yeah, we were outplayed, obviously not to give up, but to realise where you have gone wrong, and what needs to be done. Wenger may be the greatest ever Arsenal manager, but he could do with a lesson in humility sometimes. Anyway, Nani, actually looked world class for once, and as for Rooney, well I am just glad he is English, and not pretty enough to be a pin up for society so that he can get on with what he does best, playing some awesome football.

I really thought that we may have had an outside chance at the title this year, and hell we can still string a few results in there and be in the mix, but wow, unless the players raise their games on for matches like this, we have no chance, and I can see this being a two horse race, between United and Chelsea, and while I would have gone for Chelsea 2 weeks ago, there is no doubt Sir Alex’s men are starting to peak at the right time once more, as they always seem to do….the gits.

Moving swiftly on, I was glued to my phone and laptop on Monday hoping to see some massive, and frankly hoping for some outrageous transfer day deadline moves, but no, none really happened, with the two best moves seemingly being Man City buying a very classy young home-grown winger from ‘Boro in the form of Adam Johnson, who I think could really shine with some great players around him that he will no doubt have at Eastlands.............if he gets his chance, and the move from Robbie “Every club is my boyhood favourite” Keane..........well to his boyhood favourite club Celtic.

Keane will score for fun in the SPA, and that’s not from my mouth, but from “Super” Johnny Hartson’s, a Celtic goal scoring legend, who has admitted he wouldn’t have got half as many goals in the Premiership.

Otherwise though, apart from my cousin Dave going on loan to the Dog & Fox for two weeks as he chinned their goal keeper in the pub on Friday, and being as he is quite large they think his bulk might keep out a few shots, there really wasn’t much else doing.

Still, something that is exciting me massively is the Six Nations, and I will blog back at the end of the week with my preview of the Northern Hemispheres premier rugby event!!

Bring it on!!

So yeah, today I nailed my first kicker!

If, like my a few weeks ago, that sounds like something an overactive teenage American footballer would say after just mullering the guy going for a field goal, but in fact it refers to me actually hitting my first massive (okay tiny) ramp on snowboard and actually pulling off bit of “air”........or in other words gracefully flying through the air of a ramp, and then rather ungracefully collapsing in a heap when you land!

In fact, ironically, my awesome instructor AT down at the Snowdome, the guy who first taught me to “Shred the Rad” when I had 4 hours of lessons 8 months ago, told me to pretend that the ramp wasn’t even there...........advice I actually took to well when doing a few warm up runs, and just though sod it, and went for it anyway!!

Honestly, I’m getting such a buzz out of getting back into boarding, and I can’t believe that after approximately 6 hours of lessons, I’m already nailing jumps!!! To be fair to technically nail a jump, you have to land it, and I reckon I got about 40% there, although my rather ambitious final jump coming straight down from the top of the slope and getting about 6 feet in the air, I am going to count, as I did land it, I was just then so happy I feel to the floor with joy..........honest!!

Snowboarding rules, and I love having the awesome people and facilities of the Tamworth Snowdome around the corner, I even managed to go there on a rather nice Honda Hornet 900, which if you want to see more of, just head over to the Motorcycle Diaries right now!!

Away from the piste, Andy Murray has been in devastating form in the Australian Open, being the first British person (easy you patriotic Scots, we put up with you long enough to be able to lay claim to all of your sportsman!) to reach the final down under since 1743 when Archibald Peregrine Windermere the third managed to vanquish the evil convict Captain Blackbeard in the final by hitting him over the head with his racket. Okay my history may be a bit blurry, but you know what, Murray actually looks the real deal now, he was behind against Cilic, and then a moment of genius happened when he hit a winner chasing down a lob, and anguished cry was let out, and then bosh, you just knew he would win.

Perhaps anguished cries are the key?? Next time you’re having a bad day, just scream from the top of your lungs and make a face like you really need the bathroom, and viola, you should be good at tennis.....or something like that! I just love seeing how the media reacts to a British player who is actually really good, they just don’t seem as interested when they can actually play, unlike the furore we used to get when Jeremy “I'll Never be as good as Boris Beckers left big toe” Bates or Tim “I’m not bitter Murray is better than me....honest” Henman simply laced a racket.

Go get 'em Andy, that’s all I’m saying!

Oh and Mr Rooney, take a bow!! What a way to win a game in the Carling cup Semi against the dreaded blue side of Manchester than in the final minute with a thumping header in front of your old fans! I really thought Tevez had done enough to take it to Extra time with his audacious volley, but as Ferguson said, Rooney is truly playing like a World class superstar at the moment, just watch him go and break his meta tarsal now ahead of the World Cup.................oh God, I didn’t mean it..........quick someone go print a picture of his foot so I can kiss it better!! He even managed a bit of a cartwheel……….but yeah…….so did I when I was 12 at school in PE….and mine was better!

Tomorrow I am attending the Walk for Matt 2010 launch, where I will get to interview once more, one of my true heroes, Matt Hampson; I’ll get some cool video footage too and report back from it after the weekend!! It truly is a great cause, so get involved if you can, and you can read all about Matt’s incredibly inspirational story here.

Right then, I’m off to bed to read some Sartre, yes, big whoop, wanna fight about it?? It’s not that I’m an intellectual, more that I find it helps me fall asleep rather easily!!

Well the last few days have seen some mammoth events in the sporting calendar, the Australian Open is gathering pace with Murray getting past Nadal.......even if it will go down to injury to the Spaniard that cost him the game, I feel Murray had outplayed him completely anyway, the build up to the Six Nations gathers pace (i.e. lots of injuries!) and transfer window panic buying is starting to kick in, but it is in the world of European Egg Chasing in which I want to focus on to start with!!

It was a huge weekend of games for teams hoping to secure their passage to the knockout stages of Europe’s premier Rugby tournament, the Heineken Cup, especially for Gloucester and Northants who are the only English sides to make it through. Yes that’s right, no Wasp’s. London Irish or even my beloved Tigers.

Being a Leicester fan I have had it rather good the last few years, but I must admit I have not felt as low as I did after the final whistle on Saturday, as I have done for some time. That is not to say the Ospreys, deserved their win, which they did, it’s just a shame that we had to be on the losing side. It was a great game of rugby, and sure while there may have only been one try, the effort from Bowe that sealed the game, beautifully set up by James Hook, there was so much tension and passion on display that it was a shame any side had to walk away as a loser.

It’s a huge loss not getting through to the next stage, sure we are still well poised in the League, but with international games now going to affect the selection over the next few weeks, it is still anybodies to run away with, and I can’t help but feel that by going out on the Heineken Cup, we have lost out on our best chance of silverware this season.

Ah well, there is always next year right?? That’s what Leeds fans would have been saying to themselves in the 93^rd minute of the game against Spurs on Sunday, that is until the referee pointed to the spot, and that man Beckford, whose goals have not only propelled Leeds to the top of League 1, but also said “Good Bye Bye” to Man Utd in the previous round, stepped up calm as you like to slot home the equaliser.

Man has he got some balls!! He often gets criticised about drifting in and out of games at times, but there is no doubt that his temperament when it comes to scoring is spot on, he definitely looks like a real handful, and it was his goals, along with an courageous and skilful effort from Leeds that kept some of that FA Cup magic alive.

Unfortunately, to round of a bad weekend of sporting action for my teams, Arsenal only went and decided that they were going to allow even more of the magic to surface in their match up with Stoke. I swear Ricardo Fuller never scores a goal unless I watch him! Each time I have, for Stoke versus Southampton a couple of years ago at St. Mary’s, and every time I see him on the telly, he scores, looks world class and I can’t for the life of me work out why he is playing for Stoke. I know he doesn’t play like this week in and week out, in fact I here at times he can be awful, but it must be some sort of effect I have on him.

Maybe Fuller should pay for me to watch his every game and he would walk away with the FIFA Player of the year, or perhaps he can only get himself up for the big games, whatever it is, Wenger had no answer to his, and Stokes committed display, and although I hate losing, I must admit it is nice to see the bigger teams lose out in a good old fashion FA Cup match, just next time, let it be Chelsea! On a another not, it was kind of surreal seeing Campbell back in an Arsenal shirt, will it be any more than just a gimmick?? Time will tell!

Now I know I haven’t mentioned this before...........ahem....but you might have heard I busted my neck last season, and have spent six months practically doing nothing sports wise......what do you mean I mention it every week??

Anyway, operation get Luke back playing lots of sport has speeded up a bit now, not only with me back training full time in the vain hope I will be able to play a bit of Rugby again, but also with my return to the wonderfulness (I know that’s not a real world, I just like it!) that is the Tamworth Snowdome!

I was lucky enough last year to go for 3 lessons with an awesome instructor their called AT, and despite my fears that my rugby based motor skills (i.e. running head first into things) might hinder me, I did find that thanks to some amazing instruction, and obviously the rather good facilities there, I picked it up quite naturally! Then bang, busted neck, and I haven’t even thought about snow (apart from thinking how cold it is and how it stops me riding my motorbikes!) for the last 7 months!

That all changed last week, when I booked myself a couple of quick refresher advanced lessons, to see if I had managed to retain any sort of skill for it at all! This time my instructor was Stu (again, a top guy, I just think all boarders must be this nice!) and I strapped myself to a board, went to the half way point and thought, sod it, let’s just go for it!!

I couldn’t believe it, not only did I seem to not have forgotten a thing, but within about 20 minutes Stu was already talking me through my first jumps!! It was a classic case of relaxing and let the natural instincts take over, because when ever I thought about it too much, I ended up stacking it big time.

Luckily Stu was rather patient, and I can’t tell you the sheer buzz I get from being out on my board in the awesome Snowdome, I just love the freedom and the feeling, and I the only thing I can compare it to is the same buzz I get from riding very fast bikes!

So I managed to nail three jumps, the third one with me actually getting more than an inch of the ground, and I’m raring to return this Thursday to see what next there is to learn! I’m hoping to make it a regular bi weekly thing, so I will keep you posted on all of my exploits, including the bruises I pick up for getting that little bit cocky! I thought I’d gotten away with one big crash, until all the staff came running out to see if I was okay, obviously meaning they had seen it all on CCTV...........d’oh!

Honestly, having spent all my life playing rugby and cricket and the like, the more “Traditional” sports, I never thought I would be any good at snowboarding, but wow; it is simply one of those wonderful sports, that when you try, you simply get hooked!

Talking of bikes, I am back now on a bike everyday as I have kicked off the Motorcycle Diaries for 2010 in earnest, starting off with 3 blogs about all the new technology that is available for riders this year in safety gear, and also my first steed is a Yamaha WR125X.................and it’s so much fun!!

Also I must admit I had an awesome time Dj’ing Subculture at the O2 Academy in Birmingham, its simply the best night I have ever Dj’ed at, with everyone up for a laugh, and of course, me bringing the rock and metal to get crazy too!! There are also scantily clad dancers, you might see me in the background of this pic if you look carefully!! We do it all again this Sat (and every one there after – so I’ll see you there!)

I will Blog back after my next boarding lesson on Thursday, and let you know how it all goes, and if your keen to either try out a bit of skiing or snowboarding action at the Dome, or maybe get some refresher lessons before a big holiday, just head here!

Not literally for me, I was freezing my arse off at an outdoor party at the Custard Factory in Brum, I lasted about an hour before the crowds, the cold, and the fact that I am obviously just an old man now took its effects on me, and I went home, although I would like to point out that the party at my flat didn't finish till well after midday, so maybe I’m not getting that old!

The first big sporting even of the new decade was the PDC world final between Phil Taylor and Simon Whitlock……….yes I love me arrows…………. big whoop………wanna fight about it??

In fact I am that obsessed with the darts that I have religiously watched nearly every round on my iPhone (check out the sky sports app – its amazing!) even when I wasn't at home, and it was fitting that to see in a new era the greatest darts player of all time was once more crowned the worlds best…….for an amazing 15th time!

Yes Phil “The Power” Taylor is truly god…….in the darts world……and maybe in Stoke, for this short rotund man has dominated the sport for the last 20 years, and I feel we must acknowledge how each year he keeps raising the standard and bar at this level, and each yeah although the others improve, he somehow manages to stay one step ahead of them.

Sure he wouldn't win a 100m race against my arthritic dog, let alone a Ginster’s pasty (unless the pasty was dangled as bait at the end of the 100m), but that doesn’t matter, just look at Jan Molby, and I for one salute you Mr Taylor, for being a true champion.

So how red do you think Sir Alex went in the changing rooms after Man Utd’s loss to Leeds in the 3rd round of the FA Cup?? It was a great local derby, and to see Utd’s arch rivals put one over on a team two leagues above them was great. It had passion, skill, and a hell of a lot of aggresion, and it must be said, considering he didnt really have much to do all game, that Beckford looks a talent. He has been banging them in for Leeds for a while, and he caught my eye last season, expect him to move in Jan, and his goal proved to be the deciding factor in a pulsating game.

To be honest, I was starting to lose hope in the FA Cup for any David vs Goliath stories after pretty much every game before Sunday went to form, but after Leeds upset the apple cart…….sorry……….Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah…………….my faith was restored, and thankfully my beloved Arsenal managed to scrape through against the Hammers too.

To me that's the whole point of the FA Cup, sure everyone wants their team to do well, but I always find myself cheering on the underdog, no matter who is playing…….unless it is Arsenal obviously, and we havent’ seen enough of that this year, and that has led to many saving that the gulf between the big clubs and the smaller clubs has become too large…….which on the evidence of the 3rd round, might just ring true!

Ah well, Leicester beat Sarries at least in the big game in the Guinness Premiership, and I really think this is the most open season ever in rugby, sure the standard of actual rugby to watch has been very poor, and they need to sort out the rules at the breakdown immediately so that everyone knows what is going on, but I for one can’t wait for the second half of the season.

I’m back at work as of today, doing my normal daytime show 10am-2pm Mon –Fri on the mighty Kerrang Radio,  and this Friday I am also hosting Amped Out at the Wharf Bar in Walsall from 8pm with some of my favourite unsigned bands from last year, including the awesome Kidnapper Bell, tickets are only £4 and I’ll be dj’ing till late afterwards too!

I'm not doing any more dates at Gatecrasher for the next few weeks, but hopefully I will be back there as soon as things get back to normal now it’s the New Year, and the really exciting news is that I am back in full time training (okay that's probably only exciting to me! lol!) and hoping to actually get back on a rugby pitch next week with the Birmingham and Solihull Bee’s. The training is already hurting, and its going to be a long way back from this horrid neck injury that has kept me out of all sport for the last few months, but its just good to be back in the gym!!

Right I’m off to upload some more Motorcycle Diaries, and I will blog back later in the week, until next time my illustrious compadres!

And what a great holiday season it is shaping up to be!!

Not only did I manage to actually get a few days off over Chrimbo for the first time in ages, there has also been a bumper sporting calendar for me to enjoy!

Xmas for me is very much a family thing, and after having spent the last 5-6 years working over the Christmas period, it was awesome to go home and spend time with my friends and relatives back in the Mighty Epsom. There was lots of brotherly shenanigans, the traditional Old Ruts vs Old Wimbledonians rugby game on boxing day, and I also managed to spend some quality time with my mum, which may not sound very rock ‘n roll, but you know what, it works for me!!

I had the pleasure of listening to the Arsenal vs Villa game on the way home from Epsom on Sunday afternoon, and what an impact Fabregas had in just 25 minutes in that game. Living in Birmingham, and obviously spending a lot of time commentating on Villa the last two seasons, I really wasn't relishing the match, as I know first hand just how good Villa are at the moment.

In fact, 57 minutes into the game, it really seemed as if they had not only managed to nullify Arsenal’s passing game, but they were actually looking pretty dangerous on the counter attack too and might have nicked it. Then on came Cesc, and well, the rest is history!!! One free kick, a brilliant run and finish and some of the best passing i had ever seen and he left the pitch 25 minutes later, after picking up a knock having completely changed the outcome of the game.

They say the truly great players have the ability to make something happen when it is needed, and I don’t think anyone could argue with the fact the little Spaniard did just that. I’m just hoping that his injury doesnt turn out to be a bad one, as Arsenal were looking so out of ideas until he entered the fray.

I must admit the run of results recently for the big clubs has been incredible, and I really feel this is going to be one of the closest premiership finale’s ever, and with the European places up for grabs, and with no team seemingly unbeatable, this is going to be one hell of a run in!

Let’s not forget our cricketers either who have toiled away in Durban, specifically in Cooky’s case, and put themselves in a possible match winning position. Cook’s ton, in his 50th test match, when he was under immense pressure was brilliant. Sure there weren’t the flashy strokes you like to see, and yes at times he looked about as comfortable as a donut at Vanessa Felts house, but he showed true grit and determination to fight his way back into form. Take note KP!!!!

London Irish also pulled off the result of the season by beating Saracens at the weekend, and with only 9 points separating the top four, and with Wasps still in the hunt with a game in hand, I can see this one going to the Wire as well!

Of course it wouldn’t be Xmas without the PDC Darts Championship, and I must say this year looks like it will be a real treat for all arrow fans. Taylor is, as always, looking like awesome, but with Van Barneveld, Adrian Lewis, Wade and many more also looking like they have raised there games this year, I don’t think its going to be easy!

I for one will be watching all the action of the next few days, and of course will blog back before the end of the week with my sporting look back at the 2009!

Right I'm off to eat some wheat free mince pies (thanks Mum!), ill catch you in a few days!

What a crazy last few days!!!

First up, I was lucky enough to be taken to the Bike show at the NEC by the sponsors of the Motorcycle Diaries that I do, and not only did I have a whale of time checking out the shiny bikes……and ladies, but they also put me up in the Hotel du Vin for the night, and promptly took us al out and got us……well shall we say a little tipsy…….honestly it was like being back on rugby tour!!!

Talking of which, hitting the gym in earnest again this week after my neck problems, and while I probably won’t ever be able to take contact again in rugby, I am hoping to start training back with the Birmingham & Solihull Bee’s in the next couple of weeks, once I have got some sort of fitness back again, but just once a week, and I’ll be wearing a “Don’t tackle me I’m old” t shirt, still will be great to get back involved again after 5 months out, although its going to hurt!

I'm gutted about not being able to play in anger again, as rugby has been my life ever since I can remember, well along with music and bikes (!) but after all the scares that were associated with my recent problems, it seems rather trivial in the grand scheme of things…….especially as I have can still play a bit of cricket, so at least I have something to train for!!!

Then Friday I was hosting Amped Out, an unsigned band night at The Wharf in Walsall, before my weekly residency in Gatecrasher here in Birmingham, which was the craziest night ever, as Faithless were playing the main stage and it was a complete sell out, and I was bringing the Rock and Metal to the Orange Pop room, and had a right laugh too.

Then on Sunday, after getting to watch most of the Rugby Sat afternoon, and seeing Ireland continue their impressive form with a massive win over the Saffers, although Wales and Scotland both got a bit of a beating, and along with England (Scotland's win against the Aussies to one side) they will be licking their wounds after a pretty miserable set of Autumn Tests, and they must be looking at the 6 Nations, with France and Ireland as the favourites, and thinking, wow, we really need to improve…….and fast!!

It was huge weekend for football, with Wayne Rooney's hat trick ensuring Man Utd stay in the hunt, but it must be said I think the defining game was between my beloved Arsenal and Chelsea, where Ancelotti’s side managed to come away with an impressive 3 points, after honestly making at look at times as though it was men playing against boys. Physically, mentally, and in pretty much every spot on the park we were outplayed, and although we had a lot of possession, the result of the game was never in doubt after they took the lead. Oh how Wenger could do with a Drogba! Ah well, looks like the title is up for another year, at least their is the Champions League, League Cup (which we will defo lose in the semi’s after Arsene uses the youth squad to get us there!) and the FA Cup….which we will be lucky to reach the Semi’s!! Don’t get me wrong, I love being an Arsenal fan, I’m just seeing a slight pattern developing over the last few years, where we get so close, and then miss out, perhaps Wenger should be spending big like Chelsea and Man Utd in January??

Anyway, final bit of sporting genius at the weekend was England's one day victory against South Africa in the cricket, after we bowled them out for 119! What was so amazing was that literally two days before the same batting line up had destroyed our bowlers and smashed them out of the park as they but on 350 odd! What a difference 48 hours makes, lets just try and keep the high standards up guys!!!!

Right this week, I shall be mostly be riding the Suzuki V-Strom and Honda Transalp as a comparison piece for The Motorcycle Diaries, I shall also be giving away the new 30 seconds to Mars album on my show “This is War”, plus I am launching a brand new bi weekly night at the Flapper and Firkin pub, where I shall be DJ'ing this Friday from 8pm, before supporting Paul Oakenfold at Gatecrasher on Saturday. Oh and just because its Gatecrasher, doesnt mean I’ll be I will be playing dance music!! I get to bust out all of the top indie, rock, metal, punk and classics tracks that I love so much, as well throwing in a few eclectic choices too!!

Right then, lets hope the One Day side can build on the latest victory, Arsenal can bounce back, and that I can survive my first week back in training!!!

Woo!!

I’ve had enough!!!

I always defend the English rugby team to those who love to have a pop at the boys, without realising the hard work, commitment and effort that comes with being a top rugby player competing on the world stage, but sometimes there comes a point where you have to speak your mind!

First up, commitment, while players like Moody and Wilkinson never seem to be short of enthusiasm and a bit of Mad Dog, you have to look at the England pack and say, while they may have fired at times, there is simply not the same amount of aggression around the contact area around the contact area, why is this?

Look at how the Aussies, Saffers and Kiwis, clear out players at the ruck, and hit it at pace with real dynamicism, and then watch England's forwards who seem to find it hard to ever win any quick decent ball.

Is it simply because the Aussies want it more? I've met the England team and trained with them , they are all top boys, and no one trains harder, so why is that we just seem to lack that, for want of a better word, bit of craziness that you need in rugby?

Secondly, our backs, now i know Johnson has probably got a very good, complicated game plan but honestly, I go so fed up with the boys on Saturday taking static ball, and not seemingly having a clue what to do with it……..it wasn’t just every now and again, but phase after phase.

Now while everyone is blaming the coaching setup, and maybe with some justification after we only just held on to beat the Argentineans at Twickers, I cant help but think the players have to shoulder some of the blame.

Yes they seem to be confused, but if that's the case, why isn't someone in the backs taking control, and just saying sod all of these moves and “Heads up Rugby”, why don't we just run hard, aggressive lines and take them on properly? I genuinely have seen better use of the ball in the backs at school rugby, where even the under 16’s I watched the other day were running two lines of attack at once, with players of the shoulder of each other.

It worries me, because on Saturday I didn't see a lot of guys (Moody, Wilkinson, and a few others accepted) try and win the game, more like they were just trying to make sure they didn't mess up.

I have talked about this in length before, and about the sports psychology theory of the “Need to Achieve” versus the “Need to avoid failure”, but this is starting to creep into the English rugby setup, and its never a good thing!

Maybe I'm looking at the game too simply, but I think the players need to take a long hard look at themselves, and start putting their hands up and admitting that maybe the fault lies with them.

I have never seen backs take the ball so static before, which amazes me as the first thing you learn when you start rugby at about 4 years old is that you always are looking to receive the ball at pace, as it makes getting over the gain line that much easier, and also makes you that much harder to stop. Oh and don’t get me started on Monye……if he pulls on an England shirt again it will be a disgrace, he couldn't catch, his tackling was atrocious, and he looked about as dangerous with ball in hand as a hamster…….and not a hamster who has rabies…….just your normal commonal garden every day hamster that lives in a cage. Will any player ever fear Monye on the world scene after that? No they will target him.

Thank God for Ireland!!!! Honestly there game against the Aussies was immense, there was belief, passion (P’OC and Ferris…….immense) and there was skill, and more importantly they did the basics well. Rugby really is a basic game, tackle like your life depends on it, run good hard lines and pass backwards…….simples!

They really rocked the Aussies, who didn't play badly at all, and it was great to see two sides going at each other like that. O’Driscolls try at the end was a great example of how if you run good lines with flat ball on the gain line you can cut defences to pieces. I also thought their whole performance was up a notch on England’s against the Aussies last week, and it was an amazing game to watch!

It’s sad, that I genuinely was 10 times more passionate about the Irish performance at the weekend, than I was about watching the England game, but unfortunately the way this England team is setup, well its not fun to watch anymore.

So what can they do? Well personally, i would sit the boys down this week, before the hardest test of them all against NZ at the weekend, and ask them to start putting there hands up. Not just in defence, in attack as well, have the guts to call moves, to try something, but don't forget the basics for crying out loud. If its slow ball, then try and get go forward ball from your tight five around the fringes, don't just chuck it to the backs. At the moment it just looks as though they are lost and confused out there, and so maybe things are being over complicated?

Backs, have runners of shoulder, and don’t just be in one big straight line, there is nothing on earth easier to defend, and if they cant get themselves properly up for an international match psychologically, they maybe they should try drinking some diesel and eating a cigar before the game (I remember “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan doing that in the awesome Stallone arm wrestling movie (I use awesome loosely) Over The Top to get himself psyched up).

While rugby is game that more and more needs to be played with the head, because of the sheer physicality of it, and the sheer nature of the game, we mustn't forget to keep playing with our hearts too.

Phew Rant over, and yeah, this week I am mostly riding motorbikes in the wet, DJ’ing at Gatecrasher in Birmingham on Saturday night, and getting back in the gym for some hardcore training!! I might not be able to play rugby anymore due to my damaged neck, but i can still pretend…….oh and there is always cricket!!!

Anyway, I truly hope England can come out on Saturday and play some better rugby, even if they lose, I wont mind if they play with some of that soul that was evident at the 2007 World Cup, and then hopefully, once they are doing the basics well again, then they can push on and the more complex moves should click too!!

I will leave you with my favourite image from the weekend, after Manny Pacquiao had beaten Miguel Cotto at the weekend with a thrilling 12th round stoppage to become a five weight, five time World Champion, and to surely become the greatest pound for pound fighter i have ever seen, if not the world!!

Go Pac Man!!!

So I didn’t quite make it up at stupid o‘clock once more this weekend to watch the penultimate race in the MotoGP season out in Sepang, but thank goodness for iplayer, as it was one hell of an eventful Grand Prix!

First up was the incredible torrential rain that came 30 minutes before the race proper, after it had been sunny and dry all weekend, which would have completely messed up the riders preparation, then the fact that Lorenzo failed to make it back to his starting position in time meaning he had to start form the back of the grid looked to have ended any hopes he had of taking the Championship before the race had even begun.

Then when they finally did start, Rossi uncharacteristically lost his advantage from starting on pole as he slipped back to 5th on the first corner, and was languishing in 11th by the end of the first lap.

Suddenly it seemed as if the race was back on, with the awful conditions meaning Rossi could fall at any time, and with Lorenzo rapidly gaining back places it seemed as though we would have a race after all!

But the wise head of Rossi meant that he had actually simply stuck himself on the back wheel of Lorenzo, to ensure that he wouldn’t get away from him, knowing that a top four finish would do to help him take his 7th Premiere title.

Ruthlessly he loitered in Lorenzo’s mirrors, until he realised his teammate did not have the pace, and then he simply ghosted past him, and from that moment on, even though there was always a chance of a crash in the horrendous conditions, you just knew that “The Doctor” had it in the bag!

The most bizarre bit of the day though was clearly when Rossi, having won the title, decided to stop and pose with a chicken adorned in his colours…….no he hadn't mistakenly popped into a KFC Drive Thru, but instead the reason for this strange celebration is simple really, as the great man said "My celebration was because in Italy we say an old chicken makes good soup but can no longer lay eggs! I am like the old chicken - 30 years now - but I have made another egg! That's nine!,"…………………okay maybe not that simple, but zany enough to be done by Rossi!

He truly is the greatest, he has set pretty much every record and deserves to be champion once more, but I can’t help think that next year, with a fit Stoner and more experienced Lorenzo, it will be harder to make it a nice round 10. In fact Stoner was such a class above everyone else, he was in different time zone, having put on a 18 second lead in about 10 laps, he simply cruised home, and this young Aussie is looking better than ever, amazing when you think that the Ducati he is on is notoriously hard to ride!

Moving to the football, I was gutted to see Arsenal throw away the 2 goal lead at Upton Park, and with it the chance to go top of the table, sure its early doors, but games like that can make a huge difference at the end of the season. Just ask United who had their worst nightmares come true at Anfield as they were played off the park by a Liverpool team with something to prove!

Chelsea won again, although the real thriller was between Bolton & Everton…….I know who’d have thought it, especially with the fact that Megson’s men were actually playing some decent football and just not lumping  it up to Davies for him to get stuck into.

In fact after this weekends results, I would say that the Premiership is really open this year, and the European places, as no team seems to have an unbeatable air about them at all, and others seem to have really raised their games.

I managed to pick every game wrong this week in the Guinness Premiership, as my beloved Tigers went down at the Madejski to London Irish, again without scoring a try, and I would be seriously worried in the Tigers camp about their lack of penetration at times. Quins beat the impressive Worcester, Newcastle picked up their first win of the season at Bath, and even Wasps managed to beat Gloucester away! Sarries continued their 100% record with a hard fought win against Leeds, and returned to the top of the table, while with Northants beating Sale, they moved up into 4th place above the Tigers.

So all in all, both Premierships are throwing up some results that lead me to believe this could be one of the best seasons of sport ever!!

On a personal note this week, I am turning 30 on Friday, so I mostly going to be out celebrating, by going to see the Dead Weather tonight, hosting a premier in Birmingham for my listeners of Jennifer’s Body (Megan Fox as a demonic cheerleader…….hell yeah!), and then watching Greenday at the LG arena on Weds before heading home for a bone scan on my neck, and some fun and games with my mates and family back in Epsom!

Chances are then that the next time I’ll blog I will be thirty………….maybe I should get me a chicken too??

What a weekend for motorsport!

I awoke with a rather large hangover on Sunday afternoon to the bliss that is the MotoGP. In fact I was so not with it, that I even phoned my mate Gary up who runs Streetbike, as I couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing!

Lorenzo flying off at the first corner, and taking poor Nicky Hayden with him, was so unbelievable to me after watching him all season, that I had to call someone, it was only then that Gary pointed out to me the race had actually taken place at stupid o’clock that morning, and I was in fact watching the highlights!

Good news though, as Gary subtly didn't ruin the race for me, and just said to keep watching. What unfolded over the race was simply breathtaking, two men riding their bikes right on the edge, all the way to the chequered flag!

You would have though Rossi would have eased off and given Stoner an easy win, but it was not to be, as both riders showed just how good and competitive they are, still pushing right to the end, with both almost losing at the final corner!

For Stoner it must have been bliss, as he proved all his doubters wrong and has shown that now he is fit, he is up there with the very best, and just seems to be enjoying riding now, and with Rossi’s lead at the top now 38 points surely Lorenzo has blown his title hopes?? Bring on the next race!

Then after some frantic walking of my friends dog….for two hours to sober up, I settled in at possibly the perfect time to watch a Grand Prix. Seriously, 6pm, after a nice Sunday lunch, and with it cold and dark outside, how cool was it to watch the Brazilian grand Prix…….oh and that man Button!

I really thought Button was blowing the Championship this year, he is a natural racer, and he has struggled in races ever since he has seemingly been trying to play it safe. I really thought another performance like that might cost him the title. Wow was I wrong!

After the worst qualifying of the season for Jensen, and starting in 14th, he must have just decided, sod it, and with his teammate and championship rival Barrichello in the lead early on, we got to see some of the best driving I have ever seen on a Formula One track!

Button was incredibly, battling his way up through the pack with a mixture of incredible overtaking skills and real on the edge driving, and it was obviously he had had enough of the negative tactics that had seen his lead at the top of the table diminish so rapidly. Yes Brawn haven't been on pace for some races,but to see his true colours come through in Brazil was simply astonishing!

What a way to shut your doubters up and show you truly are a World Champion! Also wasn’t it lovely in world more associated with the cold calculating egotistical genius of drivers like Alonso, Schumacher, and to an extent Hamilton, wasn’t it great to see the emotion that poured out of Jensen after the win, something that made the struggles of his career all the more tangible, although I do feel his rendition of we are the Champions may come back and haunt him on the new TV Show I have heard about being made by the BBC, Celebrity come Dancing Karaoke on Ice…….seriously though Button, top work, an amazing job by everyone at Brawn too, and to see the “Ice Man” Ross Brawn break down into tears at the end….well it just rounded up a perfect day, and show you how much these guys keep there emotions in check most of the time!

So then this week I am mostly riding lots of motorbikes in the rain, which is nice, if you haven't already check out my other blog to see what I’m on about in the Motorcycle Diaries, and i am also loving the return of Champions League footy to warm my dark and cold winter evenings, if only the results weren't so predictable, Man Utd and Chelsea win, Arsenal play well but struggle to a draw and Rangers getting thumped, plus of course the normal doom and gloom surrounding Liverpool after a few bad results.

On a personal note, I am chuffed this week after having actually managed two gym sessions in a row without breaking down! My neck has been playing up so badly over the summer but light is at the end of the tunnel, and I am off for a Bone scan next week, and I’m seeing a Neuro surgeon the week after, hopefully to get the all clear so I can start running into people head first again on a rugby pitch!

Apologies for lack of bloggage over the last few weeks, I have simply been so busy that my head exploded, and unfortunately while i though I was actually blogging, I was just taping away at an empty table with my laptop on the other side of the room.

In all seriousness I have been rather taken up not only with my daytime show on Kerrang Radio, but also with the ever developing and exciting Motorcycle Diaries which I have now taken into the video stage, so go check them out! Oh and here is a picture of me doing some Moto X just in case you don’t believe me!

On top of that I launched a new club night, and have been doing lots of work for my TV show, plus now I’m also starting back in training to look at seriously playing a bit of rugby again!

Only one problem there, and that is I’m awaiting the results of a bone scan and Neuro surgeon consultancy in a few weeks on my injured neck, as something wasn’t right on the MRI i had two months ago, but hey, heading back in the gym tomorrow to see if I cant get somewhere near match fit, so I can go and train and hopefully play with the Birmingham & Solihull Bee’s again at some point in the near future!

I couldn’t have asked for a better game to get the blood pumping and get me focusing on rugby fitness than Leicester vs. Ospreys at the weekend in the Heineken Cup….what a comeback by my beloved Tigers, and a great example as to why fitness in the final minutes of a match can make such a difference! Also it was just to have Europe’s premier Rugby competition back……man I missed it, and as always it didn't disappoint!

Oh and Billy Twelvetrees, I don’t care how many larches you own son, you did ace!!

Not that I’m anywhere near match fitness, in fact since I injured my neck at the end of last season, its been hard to get a weeks training in without breaking down, but hopefully, I have turned a corner and can start getting “Massive” as they say again!! Yay!

I thought it was a shame to see England throw away their 100% World Cup qualifying record against Ukraine on Saturday, all pretty much down to one silly mistake from a certain Rio Ferdinand. No doubt a world class player, he has copped a lot of stick over his mistake that led to Robert Green being sent off, and he will be in no doubt that he needs to get himself out of his comfort zone if he is to up his game….but come on……we were already through!

Sure it wasn't a great game, but you know what, we have done the hard work, and so if our players want to mess up at any point in their international career now is a good a time as any!

I read someone’s Facebook status (you can add me on here www.facebook.com/superstarluke to stay updated with the latest blogs!) after the final whistle which read something like “God why do I bother to support England after a game like that!” and couldn’t believe it! I mean this is a side that has just walked through qualifying with one of our best runs of form ever, scoring goals for fun and looking great while doing it, and they were judging them on the Ukraine match. I say, take it easy, these boys have already got their mind on 2010, so it was never going to be a full blooded performance, but the main thing (Just ask Maradonna with Argentina) is that we are through, and will be in South Africa next year!

Right then, I am aiming to update this at least twice a week from now on with my sporting views and random gibber jabber, so until next times my illustrious compadres!!!