Another upset: Great Britain men beat Australia men's 21 - 19.

@Steven-Harris said in Northland 2023:

Josh Moorby has signed for another 2 years this will be announced early next week , absolutely wrapt the union got this one over the line
Also former NZ under 20 prop Rob Cobb has signed for 2 seasons , a really good pick up , was also being chased by Auckland..
There are a couple other super players that are in the mix that have reached out to Northland as well as a South American prop/hooker that will be suiting up for an Australian Super Franchise in 2023
Can’t elaborate to much on these selections at the minute , but if they can get all 3 of them across the line , things will definitely be on the up.

Santiago Medrano (Force)?

Wasps debts totalled £95m, say administrators Wasps debts totalled £95m, say administrators

The debts of the Wasps group when it went into administration totalled £95m, according to a report by the club's administrators

Who is owed the most money?

The administrators' reports have highlighted the full extent of the CBS Arena's and Wasps' debts.

Taxpayers took the biggest hit as a result of the £14.1m unsecured Covid Sport Survival Package (SSP) loan from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), administered by Sport England.

A further £7m owed to His Majesty's Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has not been repaid - and there were also losses for local taxpayers.

Coventry City Council was owed more than £270,000, with the council telling the BBC the bulk of it (£228,152) was as a result of unpaid business rates.

Warwickshire County Council was owed £600 and Stratford District Council £2,868, while West Midlands Police lost £20,570 and West Midlands Ambulance Service took a loss of £1,755.

The reports also show former Wasps owner Derek Richardson had loans of about £16.5m in the various Wasps companies when they went bust.

It is a bigger blow to the public purse than when Worcester Warriors collapsed in October, owing the government £16.1m from their SSP loan (the biggest of the combined £124m package of loans given to all 13 Premiership clubs), as well as £2.1m in unpaid taxes to HMRC.

The other big losers were Wasps bondholders, who were owed £35.2m.

They did receive around £7.4m back, but it still results in total losses of £27.8m.

@FakatavaAllBlack
Prop Matt Graham-Williams Tasman/Crusaders academy also there

Abrar gets his 6th by dismissing Stokes.

RR still over 5 and Jacks looks set.

@Windows97 said in Foster, Robertson etc:

If you have a small talent pool you need to do your best to attract as much of that talent as possible to apply for a vacancy.

Not put in place silly rules or process that limit that already small pool of talent.

Because if you put in place silly rules you have less people apply and less chance of getting the prerequisite talent to do the job.

Worst case scenario you get whittled down to only being able to pick from a very small pool of talent - like only 2 applications for the AB coach for instance.

You then don't get the right people for the job, they lack the necessary talent and when it comes to perform they fail (sounds awfully familiar doesn't it).

This is the EXACT reality we are in now.

All of the above is entirely of the design of the NZRU.

completely agree.

My preferred theory is: they want the Finals weekend to coincide with Champagne Day.

Home Home

Champagne Day 2023 is on October 27! Join a planned event or host a virtual tasting on the Champagne Day website.

@Stargazer Blyde has been awesome and is getting better too.

@nzzp said in NFL Season 2020/21/22:

@Cyclops I think he's solid. No star, but he really helped the Browns go from dumpster fire to mediocre... Which was a massive shift.

But yeah, he really hasn't kicked on

nostril bloody damus? I think not

@Stargazer yeah he did, and also had some minutes for the Highlanders previously.

Celts offence is actually off the charts right now. They have depth, shooting, defence and two guys that can create and get you a bucket when you need it.

@antipodean said in Super Rugby 2023:

@Daffy-Jaffy said in Super Rugby 2023:

Reds 2023 home Jersey -
![9fcde272-1f69-4514-9c18-79560541d28d-image.png](/assets/uploads/files/1670497109681-9fcde272-1f69-4514-9c18-79560541d28d-image

The Bank of New South Wales sponsoring Queensland.

Well when I used to go and watch at Ballymore, used to hear the announcer say the Queensland Reds sponsored by Canterbury, are playing the Canterbury Crusaders, that was strange.

@mariner4life yep. 5 teams have winning records on the road (Kings, Breakers, Taipans, JJs, 36ers). Wildcats are 3-3 and then the other 4 teams (Phoenix, Hawks, United, Bullets) all have losing records on the road.

Only 3 teams have winning records at home, and it’s the top 3 teams on the table - Kings, Breakers and Phoenix.

@booboo

I saw this (re: Mark Hotham). He must be the temporary manager for this tournament.

318111434_521063813380443_7913986708669857842_n.jpg

This is where all the rugby meetings happen now, even for the amateur guys like us.

After a few years of COVID and the Tahs living in shitty demountables, it is a welcome change.

Paul Doorn is a top bloke too, I might add. Country boy, loves the game.

All the other top coaches seem to respect him. The public perception is pretty much down to his never ending desire to stir.
That is a real stirring as well not just a media thing. Look at the numbers of players used yet he still pretty much returns to his “favourites” quickly. That can be thought of as searching and not knowing but I reckon it is a tactic to keep his preferences on their toes.
Then there is coaching staff. He is always looking for different views and voices but they can be seen from the outside as not being able to get along.

@NTA said in Australia v West Indies:

Labiashame with another ton.

So... 3 innings
Double ton
Ton
Ton

Two guys averaging over 60. Definitely cheating.

@canefan said in NZR Chair:

@Dan54 said in NZR Chair:

Actually wonder if Dame Patsy realises she has finally made it, one thing to be Governor General, but she's finally cracked it as chairman of NZR!!!

She won't feel that way if they fuck up the ABs coach appointment. She will raise the ire of a horde of angry Polish chicks

Na mate, appointing AB coach is not the most important job NZR got,, that's just for people on forums. There job is to run all rugby in NZ, she'll be ok.

Have seen the Blues article on Tito's signing, it appears that Brown's with Georgia's coaching staff now 😠

@mariner4life said in FIFA World Cup 2022:

@KiwiPie a striker who won't work without the ball is worthless in modern football.

but as you say, he's still great to have if you desperately need to score

Agree. His athleticism (plus height) is still a decent weapon with a midfield that wants to just lob it into the box seeking an equaliser or winning goal. But he’s basically an extra time player with this Portugal side.

Hahaha fuck y'all

@Stargazer said in Hurricanes 2023:

@mikey07 said in Hurricanes 2023:

@Stargazer Yeah look what he did for the Lions forward pack which is essentially the Canes forward pack anyway.

Uhm, Wellington may have the largest representation in the Canes overall and in their forward pack, but the majority of Hurricanes forwards doesn't play for Wellington.

Aumua, Numia, Blackwell, Bird, Kirifi, Delany, Lakai are all in the Lions squad, and will all likely play big mins next year for the Canes. That’s a good chunk of the Hurricanes forwards even when you don’t include Savea and Coles. I know there are also a lot of quality forwards from Manawatu, BOP and HB that will complete for positions. Would have been good to have Fish on board, better option than Mackintosh.

I see what @mikey07 is saying though. That Lions lineout was top notch. The way Delany, Bird and Blackwell played this year was a level above previous seasons and big ups must go to Tito for that.

The surprise girls team of last tournament (Central Storm), who beat Condors in the first round and made the final in their first year, has lost two players to NZSS. The coaches daughter has made the NZ Māori team as well.

@Higgins they invite one team into the Challenge Cup. Play all their matches in Europe. The other CC Premier teams (Griquas & Pumas)won't disappoint in the URC to be honest.

Shakira Baker has been part of the BF7s squad for a while but hardly plays on the world circuit. It's probably a good idea to have a go at XVs again.

Also good to see a couple of former BF props returning after having children.

@Stargazer said in NPC 2023:

I can imagine Wellington being unhappy about losing a player like Naitoa Ah Kuoi to BOP (I don't know the background of that move)

Especially when his father is a Vice President (and will be the President in the not too distant future) of the WRFU!

WRFU Officers - WRFU

PS: It's good to know you won't be complaining about other provinces poaching Wellington top talent in the future, as it's all fair game aye? 😉

I think they are miffed after losing the poached hooker (Tyrone Thompson) back to where they poached him from!

@Chris Booo!

@bayimports said in Sports Memes:

sorry @MiketheSnow ...i laughed though!

https://www.reddit.com/r/rugbyunion/comments/zdly76/rwc_2035/

Me too

Means we got to the SF stage at least each WC 😉

@MiketheSnow said in UFC:

Tremendous fight between Wonderboy and Holland

Dos Anjos has still got it

Pavlovich is a beast, Bam Bam got bam bammed

Nicolau and Dolidze are legit

Anders the best he's been for ages

The best non-PPV event of the year

Holland has an incredible chin and pain threshold. How did he stay standing after those body shots??

Thompson looked great. There's something really fun to watch when a high quality karate fighter starts flowing like that. The old man had the speed and fitness edge too

I hope RDA gets the Conor fight he asked for. He deserves the payday and Conor shouldn't be coming straight back and fighting a top 5 guy

Pavlovich surprised a few people. I think we are on the verge of a great era in the HW division. There's so many good fights to make over the next few years. Particularly if Ngannou sticks around and Jones finally fights

Elkins always has fun, bloody fights. Not sure how many more I want to see though

To Ryan's credit, he spoke to Barnes about Sowakula's NPC form prior to naming the AB XV squad.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/all-blacks/300756981/coach-backs-pita-gus-sowakula-to-reignite-all-blacks-career-ahead-of-world-cup

TITO COMPLETES BLUES COACHING PICTURE — Blues Rugby TITO COMPLETES BLUES COACHING PICTURE — Blues Rugby

New Zealand rugby icon, Paul Tito, completes the Blues coaching staff picture today, signing on as Assistant Coach for the 2023 season. Tito comes to the Blues off the back of successful coaching stints with Georgia, who claimed victory over Wales in the recent autumn international window and for t

Not sure this belongs here but something for @stargazer to follow up on

and about two minutes from the end of this one below there is a footnote that the kid featured in the one above and scorer of the final try below (Hame Luaki) has been signed up for the HB Academy.

Oceania U20 Trophy

I assume Samoa have won it on points differential:

First game:

Second game:

Presumably the Pak tour will be on sky, as they are showing Pak v Eng.

@Kirwan said in Auckland v Canterbury NPC Sept 1998:

@hammer said in Auckland v Canterbury NPC Sept 1998:

@Rapido said in Auckland v Canterbury NPC Sept 1998:

All Blacks at the time? Or All Blacks eventually? Hope that is in the bet fine print ....

It might have been vague at the time but he has paid up already so it's all good.

@Duluth Do we charge an Elon or Tim Apple rate for settled bets?

I made a small contribution to the forum earlier ,more of a Bankman-Fried rate tho.🇧🇸

@taniwharugby said in Law trials and changes:

@Stargazer I wonder if they are going to alter things for taking players off for an HIA...

If a contact has been made to the Head that sees a card, then surely it warrants checking the other player straight away, not 1 or 10 mins later, or not at all.

Yeah it should be automatic, head contact bad enough to result in a card? HIA for affected player

@mariner4life said in AFL 2022:

and so the Draft has happened. And the AFL media do their usual over-rating of what it actually means for clubs. Words like "elite" get thrown around about 65kg 18 year old kids, and the narrative is that teams have "found solutions" via the draft.

For every Matt Rowell (who broke down despite being built like an adult) there are a thousand kids who take years to develop in to AFL-level assets. This isn't the US where they come out of a couple of years of college, this is kids out of high school.

The Lions got the two players they wanted. Apparently one is ready to go straight away but i am not holding my breath.

North will still suck despite all their high draft picks.

Struggle to get excited about school kids.

Maybe draft should waif until they've played a couple of years jn VFL, SANFL or WAFL