ONE FOR THE COACHES

Finally, a topic on which I can speak with some direct experience! We are not exactly overloaded with coaches here, so chances are that if you are coaching a Finnish team then, like me, you are learning as you go. I love coaching and hopefully my trials and errors can help you on your coaching journey. 

Coaching is a team game

Both in Turku and in Helsinki, having a coaching group has been essential. These groups included the captain(s) and a small number of senior players and team managers off whom I could bounce ideas, gauge the atmosphere in the team and make sure that I'm getting feedback on trainings. Many times when I thought I had fool-proof idea, these guys would spot the glaring error that was hidden outside my coach's blinkers. These players should also become your assistant coaches in training. You can't be watching everything throughout every session, so you should be able to trust these people to share the load. At the same time, if you're the coach then you need to maintain the understanding that you make the final decisions. Players should always have a way to put ideas to you, but make it clear how and when this is (i.e. not in the middle of training!). Jan Airola, Mikko Korte, Marko Sallert, Mikko Aalto, Bam Hennessy, Paul Kernick, Ville Siiskonen and Romain Sirot are just some of the many who have been an indispensable help.

Bam Hennessy is just one of many people who have been essential when coaching, taking responsibility for HRC's two 7s teams.

Think about the timing of your beginners' courses

It's great to see so many beginners' course adverts on Facebook already, but many clubs will also have another course closer to the season and timing is crucial. Why would you organize a course 1-2 weeks before the season starts?? (It has happened). That means players away are from training to help organize and coach it just when you need them focused and fine-tuning their own game. You then also have to accommodate varying skill levels and potentially take a step back when match prep should be front of mind. Think about the new players as well: give them the extra time to integrate into the squad and get comfortable with rugby before he pressure of matches arrives. If new players are likely to join mid-season then have a plan of how to integrate them without scaring them off. Your assistant coaches should help with this.

Get the contact in early

This partly ties in with the beginners' course timing but is also a general point. New players coming to rugby want that contact experience and they need time to get comfortable with tackle technique (and most of the existing players could do with as much practice as they can get!). Yes, you need to rest and recover in off-season, but for me it's a big mistake to not include regular contact work. The importance of footwork in contact can't be overstated - check out Jamie Joseph's tutorial video. Get involved with the winter 7s series - it keeps players match fit and gives them the extra spacial awareness in attack and defence.

The Winter 7s series kept players contact-ready year-round, which meant less of a shock to the system for XVs.

Put more time into your squad players

If I boiled HRC's recent success down to one factor it would be squad depth, but in terms of quality, not just quantity, People have this weird misconception that HRC have been successful just because there are more people in the capital region but Helsinki have always had big numbers, so where were these expectations before 2014? What changed? A big thing was that we focused more attention on the 'squad players' and made sure that there was serious (but friendly) competition for every position. We were therefore usually able to ride out games when we were missing  2, 3, 4, sometimes 5 'first choice' players without losing much at all. It also meant that our bench players weren't just there to make up the numbers - they became a key part of our strategy. We also gave our 2nd team their own identity, with their own nickname and goals, so that they were training and playing for more than just hoping to make the 1st team.

Don't be afraid to start a good player on the bench if there is an equal or better choice for the same position. The temptation is to squeeze all the 'key' players into the starting lineup, even if it means putting them into a position they aren't wholly suited to (a mistake of which I have been guilty several times), but there is often greater value in having these people as impact players who can come on when the starters tire (or are having a bad day). This also gives other players valuable game time to develop themselves in their own primary position, thus strengthening your squad. As mentioned in a previous post, rugby is now very much a 23-person effort rather than just the starting 15.  At the same time this means that you need to manage the expectations of your players and inspire them to buy in to your ideas.

Ask your players what they want

You might have big plans in the off-season and have players penciled in for particular positions, but are the players sold on the idea? Have you asked what motivates them and where they actually want to play? They might be playing in one position because they are told to, but you could be getting much more out of them elsewhere. Great examples started for me in Turku with Galen Rangiawha: he was a centre, he'd always been a centre and played at centre for the NT, but by 2012 he was bored and had his heart set on playing flanker, so we made it happen despite my plans. He needed to make some improvements to certain aspects of his game and adapt to the set pieces, but he he worked at it and became a key part of the pack, more so because he was really enjoying it.

At Helsinki we got pretty excited about the Bask brothers, Wertti and Joonas.. Both tall, powerful in contact, fast and perfectly built for lineouts, I could see HRC having the most agile 2nd and back row in the country. Slight problem: they both hated it and wanted to play wing instead. Wertti slugged it out as a 2nd row for his first season and although his performances were impressive, you could tell that his heart wasn't in it. So we made a clear plan: at the start there were other wings who were better at skills A, B and C, so Team Bask had to be prepared for starting on the bench and/or building their skills in the 2nd team, but when we saw evidence that they had made improvements then they would get their chance with the 1st team. They're doing ok, I suppose....(here's Joonas scoring his second try in his first game for the 1st team).

Beyond Don Tami - Questioning players in training

Don Tami came to speak to our company and set out his leadership formula: explanation, demonstration, repetition, repetition, repetition. This is good when you're working with professional athletes, but the most important thing that I learned from Stu Reynish during the coaching course was the importance of questioning the players during the phases of repetitions. If you just tell players to do something, tell them why and then ask whether they understand, often they will just nod. However, if you run a drill for a few minutes THEN ask questions like "what went well and what can improve?" and ask them to explain the purpose of the drill or a particular technique back to you, then they are forced to gain a clearer understanding, which often translates into better execution.

Film it!

Being able to watch game films and training on video is a huge benefit to coaches and players alike (you can start with our game link database here). YouTube is possibly the best invention ever, allowing us to not only search for tutorials and ideas (another key point - keep educating yourself!), but also to upload our own material and share it with the team. Ask the players to write their own short analysis as well; just like with the questioning during drills, it forces them to really understand things. We had a video session in the days before the final and it gave people the confidence that comes with understanding. Ask a retired or injured player to come along to training with an iPad or camera to record the drills. Telling people how they can improve is one thing, but showing them on video what they are doing now and THEN advising how they can improve bring a whole new level of benefit.

Be prepared - create utility players

Growing up and reading the 5/6 Nations squad previews in the papers, it seemed that being a utility player was a bad thing, with players like Austin Healey being left on the bench because they could cover multiple positions, but rarely starting. However here in Finland we're dealing with a different game. We all know the reality is that players will miss matches - holidays, weddings, illness, the next-door neighbor's cousin's dog's birthday etc., so prepare for it. Switch up positions in training from off-season all the way until Finals week so that players understand the patterns from multiple perspectives. That way they are prepared when the absences come and you lose as little continuity as possible.  Especially important in the backs but also for the lineouts.

Just enjoy it!

Let's be honest: Finnish rugby is a relatively tiny community of amateur players, so it should be fun. And yet precisely because it is such a small community, it is also hyper-competitive. As a coach, you have an duty to promote and practice the core values of rugby, including sportsmanship, enjoyment and respect. I have been guilty of failing here and it took a look of utter disappointment from someone I respect for me to understand the importance of this. I'm not saying let's all join hands and sing Kumbaya (if you've seen me at a game, then you know that I get a bit....animated), but every year I've made a concerted effort to forget all the bollocks and micro-politics which creep in and focus instead on enjoying the games and, most importantly, keep my own temper in check. I've enjoyed each passing season more as a result. Oddly, the game I enjoyed the most this year was our loss to Jyväskylä!

The Dark Knight falls - Tampere having some fun with Batman on the pitch side.

FINLAND TAKE A BONUS POINT WIN OVER ESTONIA IN HELSINKI

Finland brought their 2016 rugby season to a celebratory end as they racked more than 50 points to beat Estonia and reclaim  the International Rugby Partnership Shield at Myllypuro!

First and foremost, if you were not able to attend or watch the live stream, you can watch the game film here. You can find an alternative filming from WrcAtsu here.

Finland lock Karl Filtness secures a lineout near the Estonia try line.

Kuopio's Jussi Viljanen, currently playing in the UK, had another strong performance, scoring 3 tries as well as penalty kick. Ossi Aro, Richard 'Bam' Hennessy, Samu-Petteri Pääkkä, Matti Keränen and Antti Lammi also crossed the line, with Lammi also slotting some tricky second-half conversions on a windy day. Coach Isaac Visser praised the efforts of all 23 players (who all got game time) in brief post on the Suomen Rugbyliitto's Facebook page.

The game in number: the respective lineups and action log from the game.

What to be happy about:

• First and foremost, the result. Finland will be thrilled to have not only survived the first potential banana skin game, but to have also secured a vital bonus point.
• This was the most complete attacking game that I have seen from a Finland back line. Cast your mind back to the win over Bulgaria in the Spring and then re-watch the Estonia game: it's unrecognizable. The combination of Bam Hennessy, Tumppi Finell and Jussi Viljanen at 10, 12 and 13 was a big success.
• We have seen new faces performing well. Julius Kekäläinen has thoroughly deserved his place in the team and will look to build on solid performances. Phil Sleath, Samu-Petteri Pääkkö and Bam Hennessy all made good impressions against Estonia, with the latter two scoring tries. Combine these talents with the experience of players like Aaro Katainen, Tumppi Finell and Kosti Eskola and we're definitely in a good position to take the next step.

Centre Jussi Viljanen on races to his hattrick.

What Finland will look to improve before Denmark in the Spring:

• Finland's set piece in the forwards did not go to plan. Credit to Estonia for disrupting the lineout (although at the same time, credit to Karl Filtness and Aaro Katainen for their smart reactions to the non-engagement at the mauls). More importantly the Finnish scrum, usually a safe area, came under far more pressure than expected. Scrum timing and lineout decision making and execution only come as a result of practice, so we'll be hoping to see a few camps over the Winter.
• Less of an improvement and more of a standard, Finland will need to be conscious of the off-season lull. We have a long break in rugby before the next game, which creates the danger in a decrease in match-fitness and game awareness. Denmark will be facing a similar problem, so it may come down to which side is more disciplined over the break.

How the group stands after 2 games each.

FINLAND v ESTONIA: TEAMS ANNOUNCED

After much waiting, we have squads for Finland and Estonia ahead of tomorrow's clash at Myllypuro! Kickoff at 1300 EET - live stream here. Two strong squads so it should be a cracker - see you there!

Finland:

Aaro Katainen (Jyväskylä)
Antti Lammi (Warriors)
Crispin Maenpaa (Tampere)
Dawie van de Walt (Linna)
Henri Repo (Warriors)
Jarkko Tuoresmaki (Old Town Shamrocks, Porvoo)
Janne Heinanen (Jyväskylä)
Julius Kekelainen (Tampere)
Jussi Viljanen (Kuopio)
Kalle Valimaki (Linna)
Karl Filtness (Jyväskylä)
Kosti Eskola (Warriors)
Matti Keranen (Kuopio)
Mauno Konttila (Jyväskylä)
Mika Narhi (Espoo)
Mikko Grondahl (Warriors)
Ossi Aro (Helsinki)
Paavo Honkanen (Helsinki)
Philip Sleath (Tampere)
Richard Hennessy (Helsinki)
Samu-Petteri Paakko (Old Town Shamrocks, Porvoo)
Sebastien Mickelsson (Old Town Shamrocks, Porvoo)
Thomas Finell (Warriors)

Estonia:

Taavi Ermel Madis Sihimets Arseni Voropajev

Kaarel Kokemägi Rasmus Toompere Pedro Gallardo Andre Astre

Jaan Lorens Kimmo Kokemägi Kullar Veersalu Aivar Lõhmus Karl Pallas Luke Veebel Roland Kalso Arli Sinijärv Ragnar Toompere Mihkel Pärn Ashwath Venkatasubramanian Richard Erelt Karmo Lomp Karles Tiitsmaa Madis Kõpper Kristjan Kotkas

FINLAND V ESTONIA - GAME PREVIEW

This Saturday sees something that we've been waiting for for some time now: Finland facing Estonia as part of formal competition. The two nations will meet at Myllypuro in their 2nd Rugby Europe Championship game.

The two sides have, of course, met before. Previous matches have been friendlies as part of the Baltic Rugby Partnership Shield (which I'm hoping will continue). In fact, Estonia currently hold the Shield, following their victory over the Finland A side in Turku in 2013. You can also watch the last time the main Finland side hosted Estonia way back in 2010 here, both game videos courtesy of Atsu at Warriors. It was Total Rugby's coverage of that game that alerted me to rugby in Finland not long after I arrived!

Both sides began their REC campaigns with a loss: Finland losing away to Norway 48-31, while Estonia were the first to face the experienced Hungary side, losing 5-53 at home (game film here).
Hungary have established themselves as the team to beat following two wins in two weeks. One week after easing past Estonia they took a 25-13 home win over Denmark, showing their resilience over similarly-seasoned opposition.

Unfortunately Finland's game was not recorded so there will be no game film to analyze but SRL Technical Director and Men's Team Manager, Stephen Whittaker, posted a brief match report on the SRL Facebook page.

Centre of attention: Finland centre Jussi Viljanen had a cracking game by all accounts.

Both Finland and Estonia will view the home and away games against each other as strong potential sources of points in the competition, but but sides are also playing their cards pretty close to their chests at the moment.

Finland Head Coach Isaac Visser had this to say ahead of the game:

After Norway and a depressing loss in the last 10 minutes we need to drag the positives. We had 22 of the 23 players Finnish blood and to me this is the way forward. Our team is developing and I felt that the first game of the season was an opportunity to strengthen our team by giving exposure to up and coming players from the domestic Championship season.

For Estonia I have made a few changes and, after watching them play against Hungary a few weeks back, they look like a hard team to beat and game plans needed to be altered.

Estonia will be coming out with passion and very strong with their new Kiwi born coach Ray. Finland will look to keep the foot down for full 80 minutes. Finland rugby is growing more and more and players are showing some real competition for the Jersey now. With the right combinations and executions on Saturday, I will be looking to walk away with a bonus point putting us 2nd on the group ladder under Hungary.

Finland's Karl Filtness supports Kalle Välimäki during the Norway clash

Estonia's Head Coach Ray Dickson is similarly upbeat:

We have trained hard to rectify our set-piece issues and I feel that we have done all that is possible to get on top of the technical things which, as you know, are extremely important. We are confident in ourselves that we will be far more competitive than against Hungary, where honestly I think we got stage fright . The guys are pumped and really looking forward to the contest . I feel the pressure lies with Suomi as they have the ranking and the resources . But we will not roll over. We will fight for everything and there will be no quarter taken or given. This is the Bledisloe cup of the Baltic Sea and we certainly are the underdogs in this fight.

Team Estonia: a team photo from one of their many recent training camps.

As neither team has announced a squad as of yet, we can only guess at what sort of game is coming. This leaves us with only the Estonia - Hungary game film for possible clues and indications:

•  While accuracy was pretty hit and miss, what was abundantly clear is that the Estonians are comfortable with running with the ball. 7s has for a long time playing a crucial role in the Estonian game, with their national side competing in the Rugby Europe 7s leagues, and you can see their eye for a gap. Finland will need to present a watertight defence and shut down opportunities earlier.
• Offloading could potentially be the difference between Estonian joy or misery: particularly in the 2nd half of the Hungary game, we saw offload attempts as a first choice over setting up a ruck. If Finland stay aware of this, there is a strong potential for disruption and turnover. However, if they give the Eestis the time and room to execute, then we would be inviting trouble.
• Coach Dickson's focus on set piece after the game is spot on. It's difficult to tell how much of it was Hungary's experience overwhelming them, but scrums and lineouts were a weakness. As scrums, in particular, have been a consistent strength of Finnish rugby, I would hope to see Finland opting to test the Estonian pack from penalties.
• Lastly, Finland need to keep their eyes open and stay aware of how Estonia are playing their game. From the Hungary game film, we see that Estonia's forwards do form pods, but they have a tendency to take the ball a long way behind the gain line, providing Finland an opportunity to steal easy meters with a simple press. On the flip side, Estonia are quick to form a defensive line BUT when the press comes, we see individuals shooting up at different speeds and leaving tempting gaps.

Game sheet from Estonia v Hungary

MATCH DETAILS

Full details can be found on the Facebook event page here. For those not on Facebook, the venue is Myllypuron urheilupuisto (Myllytontunpolku 1, 00920 Helsinki). Gates open at 12:00, with kickoff at 13:00. Entry is free, but donations at the gate will get you a match program.

There will be a LIVE STREAM of the game as well!

Elsewhere in the REC, Finland's old rivals Bosnia, now in Conference 2 South, suffered a loss away to Austria - you can find the match video here.

Team I'd Like To See 2016

2016 was a competitive year in the Finnish Men's Championship and everyone likes a Team of the Season at the end, so that's what this was supposed to be. However, although I've watched a fair few games (game links here) and gathered all the points-scoring stats, I haven't seen enough to call this my "team of the season", so instead this is a team that I'd like to see, based on the performances that I have seen this year. In any case, here's a chance for all you armchair coaches and sideline 'experts' to have a good bitch.

For obvious reasons I have not included Finnish players based abroad, so there is no snub intended to the likes of Paddy Aunula. Crispin Mäenpää, Mikael Ahola, Alex Clegg etc. I've also tried to think beyond just bundling together the best performing players, and instead I've picked a lineup that I think would actually dominate as a team.

1. Kalle Välimäki (Linna)

Photo: Linna RC

The young prop has gone from strength to strength over the last 3 years. He led Linna very much from the front, with strong runs in attack and dependable scrummaging. What's really impressive, though, is his defense: we have plenty of Finnish props who can scrum, but very few with consistently high tackle success rates. Linna gave him a fair bit of game time at number 8 but let's hope that he can focus on his front row development next year.

2. Ossi Aro (Helsinki)

Photo: Juha Tamminen

When you remember that this was only his 2nd season of rugby then you start to appreciate the potential here. Ossi has become a go-to ball carrier for Helsinki and it's rare that he does not break the first tackle and make meters. He  has just gone to England to continue his learning under Bob Hussey and should return at another level next season. I admit, I could easily have swapped in Jyväskylä's Mauno Konttila - the two are almost carbon copies: both strong carriers and both capable of playing hooker and back row. Although Mauno has a clear edge over Ossi at the breakdown, Ossi's lineout throwing and fitness over 80 minutes gets him my vote. Here's the thing, though: if you think in terms of a 23-man squad instead of just a starting 15, you realize the great position that Finland is in. A key learning from the last 3 years is that subs are vital in deciding the result, so whichever of the two you start, how lucky are we that the other can come on at the opportune moment and raise the game. I have to also give a mention to Chris Denholm: the choo-choo might have been a fraction less explosive this year, but his scrummaging and lineout throwing were excellent and we also discovered his leadership capability as a bonus.

3.  Marko Vikstedt (Jyväskylä)

What?! But he's not a prop! Hear me out: I grant you that JRC's wrecking ball does not play front row - but he should. Here's why: the man's a beast, with bulldozing runs and big defence (see the WRC-JRC semi-final for proof). While this strength is very welcome in the scrum, he is clearly not a jumping option at lineouts, meaning there is one less option in the back 5. Now imagine a tighthead prop that has all that power and gets around the park like he does (exhibit B). In my opinion, having the internal competition would also bring the best out of Janne Heinänen and potentially push both their games to new levels. You're welcome. (Please don't kill me, Rob)

4. Ofa Loketi (Helsinki)

Photo: Juha Tamminen

Continuing with  the theme of 'but he didn't play there', Ofa can bring dynamism to the 2nd row. A versatile lineout option (both as a jumper and lifter), solid scrummager (as a lock as well as at 8) and with bags of confidence in open play. I think he would agree that his discipline can occasionally undermine his talent and his 1-on-1 defence is a work in progress, but I'd take that risk for his attacking potential and mobility.

5. Paul Kernick (Helsinki)

Photo: Helsinki RC

Helsinki's co-captain made big strides in his 3rd season of rugby, building from a shaky and nervous start to become one of HRC's primary ball carriers and lead their lineout. His 115kg also added stability in a reliable scrum. As with the props, Finland has no shortage of big guys who are strong ball carriers, but very few couple this with being a viable lineout option. Paul will be relocating to the UK soon and will be continuing with rugby there, which will no doubt continue to develop his game.

6. Kosti Eskola (Warriors)

Photo: Warriors RC

He didn't score the most tries and his team didn't win the Championship, but his was still the first name on my team sheet, and it's all down to work rate. Last year's Player of the Year gets everywhere, constantly involved in both attack and defence, running good lines and snaffling opposition ball at the breakdown. If he can make himself into a more versatile lineout option then that would really make him indispensable.

7. Iikka Ahlfors (Helsinki)

Photo: Juha Tamminen

I'm wagering that people will question this one, considering how well Kuopio's Matti Keränen and Porvoo's Petter Larsen are playing, but I honestly couldn't rate HRC's 2015 Rookie of the Year any higher. What has impressed me is not just his physical capabilities (though his fitness is ridiculous), but also how quickly he has learned technique. Defence is where he makes the most impact: he has complete comfort with chopping legs and I have not seen anyone better in the guard/pillar position when it comes to halting pick-and-goes. His speed and agility are big assets in attack and on top of this he jumps well in lineouts and comfortably lifts much heavier teammates. Given that we have several big ball carriers in this pack already, Iikka brings great balance to the pack.

8. Aaro Katainen (Jyväskyla)

Photo: Jyväskylä RC

Voted Player of the Season this year by the clubs for good reason, the former National Team captain is a man of few words but big actions, scoring 14 tries as part of an impressive JRC pack. Quick off the back of the scrum, a dependable lineout option and strong over the ball in defence. His versatility is also an asset, as you lose nothing by playing him at lock or flanker. Keep an eye open next year also for John Poole - discipline issues brought a disappointing end to a promising season, but has already taken positive steps to rehabilitate by co-founding and coaching new team Saimaa Sharks. A young player with bags of potential.

9. Tumppi Finell (Warriors)

This is perhaps a bit on an injustice to all the actual 9s who had good seasons. Moreover, Tumppi probably won't thank me for putting him at scrum-half, but love him or hate him, he's a great rugby player. He makes things happen on the field, often out of not much (case in point here). What would really make him a dangerous 9 in this team is his game "smarts" and his ability to work the ref and subtly influence decisions (do you think he's shouting "good steal" and "our ball" at those 50/50 breakdowns just for fun?). Speaking of steals, check back on Warriors' games and see how many steals he makes himself - that's a skill that I wouldn't mind behind the rucks.

10. Bam Hennessy (Helsinki)

Photo: Juha Tamminen

Look at the stats: most tries scored (19), most points kicked (70), most overall points (165). On the other hand you also need to look beyond mere numbers. This was his first season as co-captain and also his first as a 10 and he rose to the occasion, marshaling the forwards and organizing the backs to open up defenses. His flat speed is still his greatest asset, but he has worked hard to improve his passing and his reading of the game. Additionally, he is much stronger in the contact than his size would suggest (as with his try in the Final). The next element to develop will be the kicking game.

11. Samu-Petteri Pääkkö (OTS Porvoo)

Photo: Old Town Shamrocks RC

Pace and power is every spectator's favourite combination on the wing, and Pääkkö delivers both - check out this attack-halting tackle in the quarter-final. Great to see him get the call up for the Norway game and I hope we'll see more of him in national colours. Despite a rocky start to the season with a red card in the opening game, he made the left wing his own by scoring 7 tries, including a great solo effort in the semi-final (at 43:40 here). Kudos to JRC's Jyri Hautamäki and Warriors' Tino Mohell, who were effective finishers this year, but Pääkkö's potential is too tempting.

12. Jussi Viljanen (Kuopio)

Kuopio's talisman had another strong season, despite some bad luck with injuries. He missed at least 4 games by my count, yet still finished joint 3rd in the overall points. Plays at 10 for Kuopio and has mostly played 15 for the NT, but are we getting the most out of him there? I guess that coach Isaac wondered the same thing and it was great to see him at 12 against Norway, providing not only a notoriously-elusive attack runner, but also a second playmaker - and by all accounts he did a fantastic job! Let's see how playing in the UK for a season develops his game.

13. Curtis Pollard (OTS Porvoo) / Antti Lammi (Warriors)

This was the toughest call and, after watching games over and over, I bottled it and went with two options who would bring two different game styles. Tero Siivonen (JRC) and Paavo Honkanen (HRC) both had strong seasons and each has their particular strengths, but Curtis and Antti stood out. Antti had a great year with the boot (check out 1, 2 and 3 long-range conversions on a windy day), reads the game so well and plays with that confidence in attack that only comes with experience. Curtis brings the firepower and the physicality to the position, as well as experience of his own. Check out this racing back in defence and this daylight robbery. He has a turn of pace for a big guy too and would be a constant distraction for defences. If they tweak their attack structure next year then I can see Porvoo making much more dangerous use of him.

14. Eetu Lahtivuori (Turku Eagles)

Granted, he spent most of this season at centre, with the occasional stint at flanker, but just imagine what he could do with this team when you put him out wide in space - check out this finish vs JRC. The former junior 100m sprinter has added some muscle to match the speed and shot up to 4th overall in  the try-scoring list with 12. He has also proved that contact in defense is no problem. A big mention as well to Warriors' Henri Repo, who came back from injury to have a cracking game in the semi-final and final - he's made big developments in his defensive game this year to equal his attacking strengths.

15. Antti Haapanen (Linna)

Photo: Juha Tamminen

What a season from this chap, basically from out of nowhere! For anyone who wants to argue this, watch WRC v Linna: a balanced runner and ruthless opportunist in broken play and also capable of some hammering tackles when standing as the last line of defence (sorry, Matty - here). If he works on his kicking game during the off-season then Linna have a real gem for next year - in the meantime, 7s teams beware!

The best part? As of the end of this month, all of the above are eligible for the NT!

Disagree with my choices? Good - tell us what team YOU would like to see, but back it up with some reasons!

Norway team to face Finland on Saturday

Yesterday we got a look at the Finland 23 that will travel to Oslo for Saturday's European Nations Cup game against Norway. Now we also know the team that will host them.

The Norges Rugbyforbund posted the team today on their Facebook page:

The Norway squad to face Finland this weekend.

There are plenty of changes since Norway last hosted Finland back in October 2014. On the other hand, despite a few notable exceptions (such as Sondre Gundersen moving to openside flanker after playing at scrum-half in Norway's recent games!), this is team contains a lot of the same names who represented Norway at the end of the last ENC season.

Norway's lineup from their last ENC game vs Turkey in May.

15 of the 23 for this Saturday's game, including 13 of the starting team, featured in Norway's last game in May. 12 of this week's team also played in the game before that (away to Turkey in April). What this tells us is that this is a team that knows how to play together, not just in training but in games as well, and that consistency and momentum will undoubtedly work in Norway's favour.

What to expect:

Norway has a strong back line, packed full of useful runners. All of Norway's 28 points in their last game came from backs, including 13 points from fly-half and captain, Nathan Cummins. Finland also need to be aware of fullback Robert Gannon: Finland have previously encountered him as a 10 and 12. If Finland are smart, they will avoid purposeless kicking that could give Norway the opportunity to kick clear or counter-attack.

The lineout could prove to be a key battleground. Norway have multiple jumping options, using full lineouts and 5-man systems with dummy jumpers to create space. Finland's defensive lineouts will need to identify to key players early and be flexible with their lifting pods to disrupt this - one thing highlighted in the Turkey game was that Norway's lineouts can be inconsistent when under pressure.

The Norwegian defensive structure looks solid, but they did struggle with Turkey's powerful runners in first-up tackles. However, if Finland want to benefit from this, they need to not only put faith in their ball carriers, but also make sure that support players are close by. I'd like to see Finland create space for the back line to test Norway's backs in defence with more running attacks than we saw against Bulgaria.

Here again is the film from Norway v Turkey for you to make your own assessment.

Finland name team to face Norway in Oslo for ENC opener

The Finnish domestic season has now come to an end with a great Finals Day hosted by Linna RC (roundup and review articles coming later), but a brand new European Nations Cup season is just beginning!

The new format:

For those who haven't heard, Rugby Europe has rearranged the structure of the middle tier groups. What were formerly called ENC Division 2A-D have now been divided into Conference 1 and Conference 2, each with respective North and South divisions, with Finland competing in Conference 2 North (see graph below). Finland's first game will be away to Norway this Saturday!

The new structure for the European Nations Cup

The potential benefit of the new structure for Finland is obvious, with Estonia, Norway and Denmark all relatively nearby and with frequent air routes. What I hope is that this will translate into more relaxed schedules for away games, resulting (hopefully) in the results that we all want to see.

Hungary remain an somewhat unknown quantity, although their away win over Estonia in Tallinn at the weekend announced their presence in a big way. Estonia's Finland-based coach, Ray Dickson, is already hard at work to prepare the squad for their next game against Finland in Helsinki on 22nd October, and he will have a keen eye on this weekend's game.

The Finland squad:

Like the Estonians, Finland have been given a tough draw to start their campaign as Norway have traditionally been strong at home. However, Finland coach Isaac Visser will be looking to build on the moment of a strong domestic season and the momentum generated in the National team by the heroic home win against Bulgaria in the spring. Coach Visser, who has made a point of attending as many games as possible in recent months, is feeling confident for the upcoming two games and has named the 23 below for the season opener, which includes 7 players who will earn their first caps. Visser noted that a very competitive domestic season made it clear that a new wave of players is ready to make the step up to national team level and, with a long campaign ahead, the squad will benefit from rewarding these emerging talents with a chance to build on their impressive domestic performances.

Let's get behind the team and give them all the support we can! Stay tuned for information about a possible live stream.

Forwards -

Ossi Aro (Helsinki)
Karl Filtness (Jyväskylä)
Mikko Gröndahl (Warriors) - 1st cap
Janne Heinänen (Jyväskylä)
Mauno Konttila (Jyväskylä)
Aaro Katainen (Jyväskylä)
Julius Kekeläinen (Tampere) - 1st cap
Matti Keränen (Kuopio)
Petter Larsen (OTS, Porvoo) - 1st cap
Mika Närhi (Espoo) - 1st cap
Christian Skögholm (Spartacus, Sweden)
Kalle Välimäki (Linna)

Backs -

Alex Clegg (Washington DC, USA)
Thomas Finell (Warriors)
Antti Haapanen (Linna) - 1st cap
Paavo Honkanen (Helsinki)
Antti Lammi (Warriors)
Crispin Mäenpää (Tampere)
Henri Repo (Warriors)
Tero Siivonen (Jyväskylä)
Philip Sleath (Tampere) - 1st cap
Jarno Suoja (Linna) - 1st cap
Jussi Viljanen (Kuopio)

Support staff -

Coach: Isaac Visser
Team Manager: Stephen Whittaker
Assistant: Chris Gibbons

Opponents become teammates: Helsinki's Ossi Aro (centre) and Warriors' Tumppi Finell (left) were competing in the men's Championship Final last weekend, but will team up for Finland against Norway. (Photo copyright to Juha Tamminen)

Norway on film:

Here are links to match videos of two of Norway's recent home games from the last ENC season:

Norway v Turkey
Norway v Bosnia