@steven-harris interesting comment because it aligns with what I think of the refs. I can mostly follow Gardner and Barnes rulings and processes. Others less so.

Match highlights:

@nta said in Scotland v England:

@pakman makes my case - when did that happen? 🙂

Vs France in Paris a few years ago

Squidge take inlcuding "It's almost ineviatable that some coaches have some areas of the game they don't understand as well as others... Gregor Townsend doesn't really understand the scrum, Warren Gatland attack, or Ian Foster rugby"

@duluth said in Hurricanes v Blues (pre-season):

@kiwimurph

Oops, yes I forgot

it's Northland, totally understandable

France - Ireland on Saturday should be a cracker.

Can't really do anything with this fucking vertigo, so I had this still on the sky recorded. 2 points that came up later in the year confirmed

ABs attacking shape was fucking non existent, just individual brilliance made most of the tries. As mentioned above set piece was shit, but HEY we've got individual brilliance George bridge has no positive impact, he is such a pathetic thing to have as an all black 11. That's lomu's Jersey FFS.

Also TJ was rather good, aside from his desperate desire to take every penalty quickly. Conversely DMac was a fucking idiot, with no control, crap passing (first 6 mins, 3 passes to ground), and an ability to either pass to someone in a much poorer position, or run himself into a worse position.

@cgrant said in All Blacks v France, 2021 NH Tour:

Pita Ahki

Played for Tonga and NZU20s and NZ 7s? We could use someone like him. And Moala.

But if they fix their injury worries I'd have no problems with twin midfielders, just imagining what dummy running tactics one could come up with, with twins that could almost look like.

@duluth And that three-match ban will become a two-match ban ...

The No.8 will miss the Brumbies’ Super Rugby Pacific trial matches against the NSW Waratahs on January 29 and the Brumbies’ development team the following week plus their competition opener against Moana Pasifika on February 18.

But Valetini can opt to complete a Head Contact Process Coaching Intervention course to have his ban reduced to two matches.

That avenue is available to offending players in the hope of modifying specific techniques and technical issues that contributed to the foul play.

I hadn't realised that that option to complete a Head Contact Process Coaching Intervention replace one of the matches a player is suspended for, had been adopted for the November internationals. Is it part of the law trials, or is it an official rule now? I only remember it being trialled by the the U20s a few years ago.

By the way, that a game of the Brumbies development team counts towards his suspension is ridiculous.

Cool to see Mike Umaga as a halftime pundit.

@smuts said in England vs Springbokke:

I hope @Catogrande is recovering well. But I’m also hoping the boks are heading home thinking about how critical developing a more incisive attack is.

Thank you. My recovery was going well but due to recent self medication consisting mainly of Chenin blanc, I may be relapsing.

@nta said in Scotland v Japan:

@mn5 said in Scotland v Japan:

@nta said in Scotland Vs Japan:

Watched this today. Main notes:

Top quality skills on display. Like watching both these teams go around but fuck me Scotland can be cynical.

Scotland should have had a yellow card inside the first 20 minutes. Every time a ruck headed toward their line they invariably infringed. Pickerill bottled that.

Meanwhile, Williams was on one sideline calling out everything against Japan, ignoring anything in blue - both sides were playing merry hell with the last feet.

45th minute, Japan are moving upfield with pace. Ruck forms and Blue #4 is never onside - advantage.

Kick through, regather Japan 14, tackled just short by Blue 11. Ball is popped up for a supporting player but Blue 11, still on his knees, grabs it.

Clear penalty try. Nothing between Japan support runner but paint - as they say if you took out the offending player, would the try have been scored? Probably-to-definitely. Yellow card as well thanks. It was even replayed multiple times on the big screen and the officials still didn't want to know about it.

Call me cynical, but if it had gone the other way there would have been a fucking inquest and a YC/PT the way things have gone this tour.

I’ll just call you a Scotsman instead

My mother was 25% Scot, so I'm 100% not.

If you opt out of buying a round one in every four pub sessions you know why.

Ronan O'Gara on Irish podcast suggested that AB's defence was outdated -- prime example of why 'manwatching' is no longer used in North is the extraordinary number of times ABs were sucked in by the decoy runners.

It was a cool atmosphere too.

$9 a can opened up the ole wallet a bit but who cares in that situation. Was a very fun evening.

Book ended the game with beers at the Eastside which I haven't been to in a very long time.

@bovidae said in France v Black Ferns 2:

I still can't believe that a player can have played 30+ tests as a hooker but still can't throw for shit.

Anton Oliver?

seriously, though, it's in the mens game to a certain extent. Halfbacks with 10s of caps who can't pass (Justin, TJP)

@stargazer said in France v Black Ferns 1:

@bovidae Yep, I'm definitely going to watch one of the replays of that England v Canada test.

There are replays on Monday:
1.25pm (Sky Sport 9) and 10.30pm (Sky Sport 2)

The scoreline doesn't really reflect the game & worth remembering that Canada were 2 years without a test as well until they met the USA a few weeks back. Canada were well in the mix during the first half - 7-5 up on 23 minutes and brought it back from 15-7 to 15-12 on 35 mins. A good number of the Canadian squad have been playing in England & France recently, so maybe not as rusty as the Black Ferns. Full game is on YouTube (British BBC coverage)

Some beautiful tries in that match.

Red was 100% from the highlights vid.

@nta said in England v Australia:

@higgins no ruck - play on, unfortunately.

Further to that: the option for Ikitau was to hit the deck and wait, but it wouldn't have made a lot of difference - only Leota and McDermott were in frame and there were about 8 Poms on their feet.

@tim said in Taranaki v Southland (Championship SF):

@stargazer I think Sione Tuipulotu will cover lock. They only have 4 specialist locks in their squad.

One of whom (Poloniati) does not even start for the 'Poo.