RUGDAQ Weekly: Who's going up and who's going down in the global rugby stockmarket

The RUGDAQ Index charts the rise and falls of various rugby stocks. See who’s on the rise and whose stocks have taken a hit this week.

BUY! BUY! BUY!

1. Scotland. On a crisp, clear early February day in Edinburgh, Scotland won their opening Six Nations match for only the second time in the competition’s 17-year history. It was not just the fact they beat one of the pre-tournament favourites in Ireland that impressed, as much as the exciting, joyful manner of their victory. Of the 23 bravehearts who took the Murrayfield pitch, Stuart Hogg, Jonny Gray (and his big brother Richie), Greig Laidlaw and Hamish Watson were the standout players in the tournament’s standout team of the opening weekend. A performance like that counts for a lot – especially with Lions’ places up for grabs.

2. New Zealand Rugby. After losing Aaron Cruden to deep-pocketed Top 14 outfit Montpellier, NZ Rugby had a rummage down the back of Steve Hansen’s sofa and managed to stump up enough change to keep hold of fullback Ben Smith, who was also being wooed by northern hemisphere clubs. Eventually, a combination of more money, a generous sabbatical clause and the temptation of another World Cup in 2019 proved too much to resist. Job done – now, they’re out to hold on to Israel Dagg.

3. US Eagles women’s sevens side. Everyone expected New Zealand and Australia to fight it out for the title in Sydney last week. That didn’t happen. And while Canada ultimately won the Sydney Cup, most of the plaudits rightly go to Richie Walker’s Eagles, who completed a remarkable turnaround to finish as the tournament’s runners up, after their desultory 11th-place in Dubai. Next stop, Las Vegas, where home support may even see them go one better.

4. Richard Cockerill. The ever-combative Cockers’ portfolio took a tumble when he was unceremoniously dumped by Leicester at the start of the year, after nearly a quarter of a century’s faithful bulldog service. He has kept his hand in with spot of forwards consultancy work at Toulon, and has now been strongly linked to the soon-to-be-vacant Edinburgh job. If true, his appointment would be a strong statement of intent that the Myreside outfit have had enough of being the second rugby club in Scotland.

5. John Mitchell. As abrasive as Cockerill, and almost definitely more controversial, John Mitchell is almost 12 months into a three-year contract with USA Rugby – which suggests it may be time for a change. According to French rugby newspaper Midi Olympique, his résumé has been doing the rounds in France, where it has found its way on to the desk of the bosses at ambitious promotion-chasing ProD2 side Oyonnax, who just happen to be on the lookout for a new coaching team, after head coach Johann Authier and backs coach Stéphane Glas both handed in their notice. The Mitchell link is, of course, pure speculation, but on such issues a coach’s stock rises.

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SELL! SELL! SELL!

1. England. Despite beating a resolute and determined France, confidence in the England camp seems low ahead of the big trip to Cardiff this weekend. Dismiss it as Eddie Jones’ mind games if you like, but publicly worrying about England’s record in Wales, despite the fact that their recent record in Cardiff is actually pretty good, reminds fans of reasons to be fearful. To make matters more difficult, the defending Six Nations champions could be forced to pit a rookie back row against a much more experienced Welsh unit.

2. Guy Novès. As recently as November, France’s blue-chip coach Guy Novès was riding a wave of public support despite a dismal year for Les Bleus. He had rediscovered, it seemed, the secret formula for flair-ridden French rugby. All he had to do was translate performance and promise into wins. In the opening round of the Six Nations, we saw more performance and promise – but still, no win. Frankly, Les Bleus should have beaten England at Twickenham at the weekend. The patience of the rugby-mad French faithful is starting to wear thin. Novès needs a win, and a good win, against Scotland this weekend.

3. Jean-Marc Doussain. There have been worse Six Nations’ performances – flanker Mauro Bergamasco’s bizarre and error-strewn sole game at scrum-half against England in 2009 during an Italian injury crisis, for example – but France’s replacement fly-half’s stock plummeted during his 10 minutes on the pitch at Twickenham, during which he missing a penalty kick to touch that could have given his side one last chance at winning the game. Novès has publicly said that Doussain did not lose the game against England all by himself, but the coach’s obsession with the Toulouse 10 has to end sooner rather than later.

4. Scott Higginbotham. New Queensland Reds signing and former Wallaby Scott Higginbotham reportedly tried to play peacemaker after his companion was arrested for allegedly urinating against a wall at a mall in Brisbane early on Sunday. It didn’t end well. He has been charged with assaulting a police officer and illegally entering a police establishment.

5. Ronan O’Gara. When he wore the green of Ireland, fly-half Ronan O’Gara could do little wrong – he cemented his legend with a Grand Slam-winning drop goal against Wales in 2009. But as a TV pundit, he clearly has a lot to learn. Before the Scotland game he tried to short the market when he told Irish broadcaster RTÉ: “I hope Ireland hammer Scotland today for the way they behaved in the week. [They are] too mouthy, they can’t back it up. I was brought up with a mentality that you work hard and talk about it afterwards.” We all know how that turned out. Which makes another recent ROG pronouncement – admittedly with his Racing 92 coaching hat on – that the defending Top 14 champions can retain their title, despite currently languishing in 10th, six points away from the play-off places, even harder to swallow.