The Rugby Thread

[404cameljockey]

Would you want to take on this man - even when pi$$ed? Zinzan Brooke was a class player and is a legend in the sport - something Marler will never be.

No opposition should be forced to stand and watch this rubbish without being accused of disrespecting NZ. A national anthem for each team is quite enough claptrap before an international event, why should NZ be given a chance to drag it out even more with this silly dance which is even being performed in more sports now. I was very happy the time that the England team turned their backs during it. This dance is effectively trash-talking the opponents, it should either be banned or performed in their dressing room!

I understand your post was possibly generated from a dislike of Marler, although he does stand large in the sport, while never potentially being described as legendary.

[Big Boy]

Surely, not just NZ - I've seen other nations doing their own Haka.

Even back in the UK at the age of 7, we had to learn the Haka before being considered to play for the school rugby team. I haven't done a Haka since age 10 - forgotten it now. It's just a bit of fun.

[404cameljockey]

Awaiting our Welsh pundit's match report of England/NZ, but what a thrilling game, and expertly and cordially refereed. I'm a fan of continual on-field player instruction and explanation (particularly after yet another rule change) as opposed to some refs who just drone on and on rapping teams' knuckles. The clear and detailed explanations of contentious decisions by the ref to the crowd does feel a bit 'American sports-style' , but I believe it's a move in the right direction for the sport. Many players don't know all the rules, let alone those watching! The crowd LOVED yesterday's battle and enjoyed booing deafeningly as one man when the NZ deliberate knock on had seemed to be ignored (one of the relatively few infringements the ref missed).

I really enjoyed, it as much as was possible when you lose at the death. Two great teams who love their encounters.

[dtaai-maai]

Even back in the UK at the age of 7, we had to learn the Haka before being considered to play for the school rugby team.

Dear God, that's an image that will never leave me!!

[Big Boy]

[pharvey]

Tad late on parade "CJ" - with regards to the "Haka", each to their own IMHO and not worth arguing about, but it's been there for an age and is part of the sport and history of the Pacific Nations, all of which have their own version. It was also there before the National Anthem was sung before international matches. Strangely enough, it is reported that the first time a National Anthem was sung at a rugby match was Wales vs NZ in 1905 at Llanelli - no doubt in response to the "Challenge" of the Haka..... Proud Nations have proud traditions.

As to the match - yes it was a cracker, but I wonder what damage NZ could have done if they could have kept hold of the ball at times. I said before the game that mid-field could be an issue for England and it was - though perhaps not exactly in the way that I thought in may be, why would Borthwick play Ollie Lawrence at Inside Center rather than Outside where he's been a class act for Bath - and to be fair even play Slade with less than an hour of Club Rugby after returning from injury? The Lillywhites' "Blitz Defence" can be superb when it works, but leaves them open when it doesn't. At the end of the day they were outscored by 3 Tries to 1 with England's coming from an interception against the run of play (and by a now-not-wanted Welshman! ). Hardly a vintage display from the "Blackness" and where was England's attack? That said, they had the game won and only a tactical shift in trying to close out the game and some (IMHO) misjudged replacements handed the victory to NZ - Borthwick must take a fair bit of responsibility and criticism rather than any poor performances on the field.

I was surprised to see the English Front-row suffer as they did at times, but stand out performances elsewhere in the pack from the likes of Itoge and the entire Backrow - and for me Cunningham-South in particular. I think there's a lot to come from this Lillywhite side which believe me is very hard for a Welshman to say!! BUT, is Borthwick the best coach to do it? England have a huge Player Pool and a mass of talent - they should not have lost this game.

On the other side, NZ do not look like the well oiled machine they once were and whilst there are players not performing at their best and other key players moving on, the coaching setup is not working. PeteC said as much some time ago and I disagreed - I should have listened and kept up with Super Rugby!!

I agree with "404cameljockey" in that the Ref had a very good game (yes DM, Shh now) - he missed the odd thing but worked well with the TMO. England were borderline regarding a Yellow Card with several infringements in their own 22 and close to their line in the final stages but I don't think were even warned... That would be my only criticism.

Rather than England vs Australia, I think Ireland vs New Zealand may give a clearer picture as to where the Lillywites and Borthwick are....

Roll on the weekend!!

[pharvey]

Even back in the UK at the age of 7, we had to learn the Haka before being considered to play for the school rugby team.

Dear God, that's an image that will never leave me!!

Trust me, your Caption Comp entry regarding having a portion of Fries with nothing on (I thought the worst) added to BB doing the Haka has left me with added medication...

[pharvey]

No F1 this weekend, but a shed load of Rugby!! Not only Round 2 of the Rugby Internationals, but also Round 2 of the Premiership Rugby Cup - the Highlights for me obviously Ireland vs New Zealand, Wales vs Fiji and Bath vs Bristol. The game in Dublin could well be a cracker, but the "Blackness" will have to raise their game significantly after their scrappy win over the Lillywhites IMHO. Fiji welcome a whole host of first team players back missing from the dire display against Scotland, which will certainly make a huge difference, though it's truly a must-win for Wales who will be looking to end a run of 9 Test defeats on the bounce spanning back to the 2023 Rugby World Cup!

Saturday's match at the Rec is conveniently timed with a 1pm KO - I just hope I can find a link for it!!

Anywho - All Times UK: -

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Sunday 10/11
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[pharvey]

Just as an EDIT to the above - and a bizarre one quite frankly. It's gone a little under the RADAR but I did know about it - I was even offered tickets (and decent seats), but tonight's match in Dublin takes precedence!!

Fair do's, Bristol and the vast majority of Rugby Clubs need to make money, and the Bears are going all out to do it - but..... Why-oh-why this TONIGHT?! Not only is there a cracking International on at the same/similar time, Bristol themselves are playing in the Premiership Rugby Cup tomorrow (Saturday) as are England where Bristol Squad members will be involved - a farce quite frankly and where and what Squad members are going to be playing over the 3 is the question ..... It could and would have been great fun on another day - especially having the potential of being a class match.

Bristol Bears vs Australia XV: A Rugby Matchup at Ashton Gate Stadium

"The Bristol Bears will host the Australia XV at Ashton Gate Stadium on Friday, November 8th, 2024, at 7:45 pm KO. This highly anticipated match marks a significant moment in rugby history, as it will be the first time the Wallabies have played a touring match in Bristol since 1909."

Oh well, it all starts soon in Dublin!!

[dtaai-maai]

^^Odd, to say the least. And hugely insignificant, since the Aussies are playing England tomorrow.

"An Australian XV (to include the coaching staff in certain key positions and with the addition among the replacements of any willing Bristolian under 50 who has visited Australia in the last 20 years.)"

[pharvey]

"An Australian XV (to include the coaching staff in certain key positions and with the addition among the replacements of any willing Bristolian under 50 who has visited Australia in the last 20 years.)"

They'll have scoured the pubs I'm sure..... Then again, is Big Boy Jr about to make a return to the City?
[EDIT] Zero offense meant - although Jr (and yourself) do follow the "Dark Side" BB .....

[PeteC]

We've never talked about anabolic steroid use in Rugby, or in the NFL for that matter. With the beef on those boys I can't imagine that many don't use them.

Perhaps it's a not a big issue with the governing bodies and they just look the other way most of the time?

I can't recall reading any media articles about their use in both of those above sports.

[pharvey]

We've never talked about anabolic steroid use in Rugby, or in the NFL for that matter. With the beef on those boys I can't imagine that many don't use them.

Perhaps it's a not a big issue with the governing bodies and they just look the other way most of the time?

I can't recall reading any media articles about their use in both of those above sports.

Missed this one. Can't speak for the NFL, but there's certainly been instances in rugby. It's not as prevalent as it is in other sports such as athletics, but it's there more-so in lower leagues/Semi-Pro. Testing certainly takes place and can be done so at anytime with zero warning - penalties are severe and that's why it's very rarely seen in top class rugby. In more recent times (but still way back), the likes of Cocaine were the cause of a ban (2 or 3 years). Matt Stevens and another Bath player were banned 15 odd years ago and I seem to remember there being an issue at "Harlequeens" a few years later.

Steroids were prevalent in the early days of Professional Rugby - Amateur players were into the gym/bodybuilding scene and were using steroids to bulk themselves up. Testing was non-existent in those days, ultimately because it was an Amateur sport. In the late 90's/early 2K, a GP in Newport (Wales) was done for providing Steroids to a vast network of sportsmen and women - many of the former being rugby players. There was a massive stink about it, players and coaches banned, clubs fined and ultimately news laws/governance brought in. Rugby has cleaned up it's act almost completely in this regard - and hell even the pi$$ups are on the decline!

Players are getting far bigger naturally and the whole professional scene has changed things considerably, diet/fitness/strengthening/conditioning... I was just reading a report, not regarding drugs/steroids etc., but changes to the sport regarding physicality etc. - it's an interesting read: -

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rug ... n-30330562

[pharvey]

Wonderful to see "Brizzol" stuffed at the Rec in the “Premiership Rugby Cup” – and leaving those Wendyball (empty) Stadium loving fans and team without even a solitary Bonus Point!! 78-19 as it ended....

As for the Internationals!!

I shall leave Wales to last, as that’s where we richly deserve to be – this with absolutely ZERO offence to Fiji.

Ireland vs New Zealand

Far from the match and not exactly the result that I expected! NZ were much improved with regards to errors, but Ireland for some reason took on that mantle!

The first “Home” loss for the Paddies since 2021 and 19 games I believe... And they deserved it. They were not great, silly errors, poor handling whilst the “Blackness” were far better than they were against the Lillywhites (at least handling-wise).

The Plastic Irishman Lowe (never liked him sorry) had another decent game, as did a number of suspect Irish - still a great team and coach, but this one was not good. Way too many mistakes and a hint of panic in the 2nd Half where there's not been for some time.
Big reliance on the current (Leinster) squad, tactics and set-up. Time for a change I think before the next RWC - Wales should have caught things, but we've wasted 2 odd years. Ireland need to make some adjustments - great side now, but changes are necessary... TAKE NOTE IRELAND!

England vs Australia

Yet another one lost by the Lillywhites – there was a clip to the bench in the final moments where Will Stuart(?) was smirking in the belief that the game was won… NO, it wasn’t and this is an attitude that England need to get rid of! For Goodness sake, you have class players at your disposal (including several Welsh ) a good (but questionable) coaching team – but there is always the arrogance. Yes, it’s needed to a certain extent (all the best sides have it), but the Lillywhites are not backing it up…. A pity really as you should (I hate/cringe/despise myself/risk death in Wales by saying it), should be topping the Rankings and winning the RWC!!

The ”Little one” at 10 (DM has a lookalike soft toy to cwtch apparently) had a cracking game though I hate to say it… Once again, Cunningham-south was superb – many I have spoken to blame substitutions for several of England’s losses, but sorry it goes further than that. By no means do England have the same issues as Wales or their Coaching team, but the so-called “Blitz Defence” has to be questioned (42 points), as does playing players out of position/not used as per their club position. England are blessed with a wealth of talent and should have won these last two and others. I honestly believe they simply aren’t making the Blitz Defence work. Was it 30 or 40 missed tackles?!!

Fair play to Australia – never gave up, played well and certainly improving over the past year. Deserved win. Hope they play their 4ths against Wales….

Scotland vs SA

Very impressed with the Scots, but they just couldn’t get there. SA prove yet again why they are current Rugby Championship Cup holders and DOUBLE World Champions. I’m a HUGE fan of Russell, cracking player and he plies his trade at Bath** BUT, he can lose games as well as win them quite as easily – especially at this level. I must admit to utter confusion as to how the guy can walk let alone play (very decent) rugby with the collective heads up his arse.

SA are a class act (not at their best this week), but despite what I said last week (vs 2nd string Fiji) – Scotland will be a concern for many teams especially in the Six Nations. Certainly some missed chances but that’s something that can be addressed fairly easily. The scrum was a concern for Scotland, but against this SA pack (x2) what are the chances?

Wales vs Fiji

First off, congrats to Fiji, well played and a deserved win - pity some of “our own” supporters and media class our loss as an embarrassment – frustrating yes, but respect to Fiji. We had our moments, but too few and too far in between - coaching, tactics, selection major issues yet again (Costello in the matchday 23 when it's a 6-2 split - he shouldn't be in the squad), BUT zip will change with those in power within the WRU. I've supported Gatland for a long time - certainly when the vast majority of others didn't. But I'm done now, he's had his time and he and his team need to go. Who on earth we bring in, I truly don't know - but times need to change!! As for the match, the odd bright bits - Winnett at FB (stood up to some damn hefty tackles and took the high ball superbly), Thomas (at 12), Llewellyn (before latter tactics), Murray and Lake at Hooker and Captain (later Elias). As for the rest of the forwards, it was not a good day - lost try and a Yellow for Reffell, 2nd Rows non existent aside from giving away penalties and ground. CLUELESS, absolutely clueless - ALL coaching staff should be seriously questioned as should a number of player displays!!

I shall now fall off my Soapbox, give up on the Welsh Coaching Staff, divert my savings meant for the next RWC in Australia 2027 - a proper “Bucket List Event” to be scratched off.

At least the LHG will be happy with that one!!.....

[pharvey]

And just to make matters worse...
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Congrats to "JimmyGreaves" , "Dai_L" we'll talk (though he's not on the Forum) ..... Damn this betting with heart crap is killing me!!