Thinking ahead to 2029 and the B & I Lions tour to New Zealand, this game was a big of a wake-up for NZ Rugby.

If we put up thrown together line-ups that are marketing constructs or poorly prepared teams against the Lions, the results will be predictable. Hopefully, alongside the Super Franchises and the All Blacks, we will see proud, historic New Zealand provincial teams given a chance to down the Lions.

@Windows97 said in All Blacks v France II:

@antipodean said in All Blacks v France II:

@Windows97 said in All Blacks v France II:

Forward pack was fantastic, Patty T had a great game, impressive. Holland the Lio-Willie looking like natural players in the test match arena, Vaa'i surprisingly mobile and looking good at 6. Savea looking good at 7 and the forward pack is a lot more balenced I feel. Reiko looking good on the wing. Credit where credit is due the selctins have been on point.

Ourbackline however not overly brilliant, ball still gets stuck in midfield, we seemed to have lost the ability for the backline to make space or to effectivly manipulate the defence for players to hit gaps.

Perhaps we need to find a player that can distribute and see how they go.

Any good wingers going around that we could chuck in there??

Super Rugby bias’s aside you’ll be pushed to find many Ferners that don’t want to see Tangitau get a chance when he’s ready. He looks to be a real weapon.

@booboo said in Springboks v Italy II:

BTW have no issue with the "lineout" move. Just seems a little unnecessary to me.

I think the element of surprise was the biggest facror here. Plus it adds to the legend of Rassie the innovator even though it sounds like it was done by a school team

@nostrildamus said in Argentina v England II:

@cgrant said in Argentina v England II:

Gomez Kodela

40 last week, a veritable spring chicken.

Maths!

at least we have massive and physically imposing players in the loosies now
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Not sure if Scotland have ever played on a surface like that!

The back 3 of Fiji played well but was impressed with some of the forward tactics. Kept it tight despite the temptation to swing it. Too many errors at times but a very good win that I see has shaken the rankings up.

@Catogrande said in Mid-Year Tour : Japan v Wales Test 2:

Monkey off the back. Now have to back this up.

I hope so. Really don't like to see Wales in this place. Supporters deserve better

@antipodean said in Brumbies v British & Irish Lions:

Chessum went well.

I don't think he is mobile enough to be a 6, as was seen in the Creighton try from the scrum.

Credit to the Brumbies who went down swinging.

@No-Quarter I think in that case, Proctor was too close to JB than simply that he was skinned for pace, his opposite was standing well outside him, there was such a massive gap between Proctor and whoever was defending at wing in that play.

That said, it a major error on his part, but you'd hope Jordie and whoever was at wing (Jordan?) should also be talking as they can see things too.

@Nepia said in Wallabies v Fiji:

@KiwiMurph said in Wallabies v Fiji:

@Mr-Fish @Catogrande

I don't think that's exactly true.

If the attacking phase is under two phases (which this was) then the TMO can go back 2 phases

See note at the bottom of the below 2025 TMO protocols

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My issue with that table is that the touch wasn't part of the "attacking passage of play", it was part of a defending passage of play. So "technically" (yes, I'm being a pedant) that column shouldn't really apply.

I think that's the point - you can go back two phases regardless of whether an infringement happened with the attacking passage of play.

Might be misunderstanding you though.

@NTA said in Mid-Year Tour : Japan v Wales Test 1:

@Catogrande said in Mid-Year Tour : Japan v Wales Test 1:

Odd that his stance with Aussie the second time around was so different.

I'm going with some form of undiagnosed brain worms.

Eddie might. be like John Hart, a large part of their coaching identity to them, deriving from being the ideas guy, continually, and exacerbated as they age. With Eddie, and I'm only guessing, he may have created such turmoil and competition that it eventually alienated senior players (when coaching England?) For Australia, he seemed obsessed with off-field stats.
I complained a lot about early Foster ABs lacking innovation, but OTOH I was impressed by how Farrell kept the Schmidt Irish rugby machine but improved around the edges.

@antipodean said in Waratahs v British Lions:

@sparky said in Waratahs v British Lions:

Ireland's favourite English nepotist is claiming the Waratahs watered their pitch. They are claming they didn't.

Murray Kinsella  /  Jul 5 Farrell says Waratahs watered the pitch. Waratahs say they didn't Farrell says Waratahs watered the pitch. Waratahs say they didn't

The Australian side have pointed to the bad weather in Sydney earlier this week.

Irish and British don't have experience of wet pitches? Does it not rain over there?

Dry as a nun's in Ireland

@Steven-Harris said in Māori All Blacks v Scotland:

He said to me as the yesterdays game was coming to its conclusion that the game has no flow and the referee and TMO’s are now the stars of the show
and the stop start nature kills any momentum with players slow to pack scrums and forming committee meetings before lineouts are set up not to mention players that are going down with injuries miles away from the action and yet the game gets halted

Did you tell him to watch Super Rugby as they actively addressed these issues this year?

Lara Pitt is the Australian rugby league equivalent.

Though without the grating voice.

@Smuts said in Springboks v Barbarians:

They both looked bang average. In fairness to Sotutu he was playing in a well beaten pack. But he didn’t seem to take the fight to the boks which is what I’d have expected from a guy playing to prove something to the selectors.

Edit to add that whatever @Mauss saw from Sotutu at the breakdown was too subtle for me. Nothing like another Auckland 8 criticized for being afraid of doing the hard graft, Zinny, getting stuck into the bok pack when they got the upper hand in Joburg in 97 say

I’ll agree that it was probably too subtle to make much of a difference in terms of selection. It just looked, to me, like he was trying to make some small adjustments to his game.

I’ve always interpreted the selectors’ critiques of Sotutu as being an issue of body height, especially around the breakdown and contact. Sotutu has a tendency to stay on his feet as much as he can, even when he’s cleaning the ruck, in order to ‘stay alive’ on attack and remain a viable support option. The problem is that this kind of cleaning can lead to weak shoulders and underpowered cleans.

In the game, I saw a few rucks where Sotutu actually went off his feet (in a good way), making dominant cleans with his shoulder. It might not be anything at all, but I felt like Sotutu has made an effort throughout the SR season to adjust his body height, in trying to be more effective around the attacking breakdown and play a more conventional loose forward-role in those areas.

I don’t think Sotutu is ever going to be a number 8 who revels in the nitty-gritty of Test rugby, and I’m pretty sure he’s not going to become Zinzan Brooke all of a sudden. You select Sotutu for his carrying abilities, lineout work and his unique vision and skills on attack. I think it’s pretty clear now what he does and doesn’t offer.

@barbarian said in Force v British Lions:

I thought O'Keeffe was pretty good. If that's the style the tour will be played, bring it on! Let it flow, good competition on the ground but leeway given to the attacking team.

All for fewer whistles esp at breakdown. But can’t see why we should give one side an extra advantage in any contest?

Team in possession already has an advantage - they decide where/on what terms breakdowns are going to happen. If they can’t use that advantage to get support to tackled player & to create, use & exploit space buggered if I can see why we should give them licence to cheat a bit to keep the ball.

Fewer more fiercely contested rucks not more bullshit ones produces better quality rugby.

@Bones said in Japan XV v Māori All Blacks:

@Crazy-Horse said in Japan XV v Māori All Blacks:

@Bones said in Japan XV v Māori All Blacks:

@Crazy-Horse said in Japan XV v Māori All Blacks:

@Bones said in Japan XV v Māori All Blacks:

@KiwiMurph said in Japan XV v Māori All Blacks:

One thing that impressed me with Reihana was his passing - he had a nice mix of different types of passes and his timing and accuracy of those passes was for the most part top notch.

Yeah after reading all about his sloppy passing in the SR finals, I was pretty surprised to see silky passing of various lengths, bang on target.

I haven’t seen the game so it's good to hear, but we also need to take the opposition into account. If his passing was found wanting last night I would have been disappointed no matter what he did during the Super season.

Some people.

You don't think opposition should be taken into account?

Definitely not.

Why not?

@No-Quarter said in Final - Crusaders v Chiefs:

@Canerbry said in Final - Crusaders v Chiefs:

It was pretty predictable really, target the playmaker as he is pertty much all of their attacking flair and also a notorious flake under pressure.

This has been a real problem for the ABs, both DMac and Mo'unga have been really flaky when the heat goes on, Mo'unga in particular has been a possum in the headlights on many occasions for the ABs. I think that's why the coaches have gone with Beauden so much, he makes errors etc, but he doesn't tend to get flustered when the opposition are trying to target him.

DMAc and BB have had so many chances (BB more so), and yet the same flaws remained. It makes it even more exasperating that they didn't at least try Plummer (you know, SR winning 10 Plummer) in the captain's seat once in a real game. Even the Bled dead rubber would have been a legitimate test.

Sorry ment didn't.
didn't seem to demaind the lime light

@Tim Great try. It does show the inexperience of Pollock, though. Curry rushes Albornoz to pressure the kick but because Pollock is lax in following up, Albornoz is able to step inside the gap.

I'm sure Andy Farrell will let him know. But fantastic execution by Albornoz nonetheless. One of the best 10s running around nowadays.