@Bones said in Pick your clubs all time team.:

@Higgins you forgot your commentator!

OK, you got me on that one!
The official Welington Axemen PA/Ground Announcer: Keith Quinn MNZM

@erps said in The Time Has Come To Log In:

I from the South Island.

You are, aren't you.

The honeymoon doesn't last long before the piss taking begins.

What was your previous username, if not erps?

@booboo said in EOYT Revenue Sharing:

@Catogrande said in EOYT Revenue Sharing:

@booboo said in EOYT Revenue Sharing:

@sparky said in EOYT Revenue Sharing:

@Higgins said in EOYT Revenue Sharing:

@sparky That may be true but Wales will need to be able to finance their team and other than Six Nations games the only other side that fills most of the NOrthern grounds to capacity is the All Blacks.

Wrong, Twickenham makes a lot of its money from debenitures which are sold years in advance. Almost all games against Tier One nations are 82,000 sell outs. Lots of the crowd aren't really there to watch Rugby, but to have a sing song with thousands of others with bars nearby.

Given England is losing 700 people a day to the Coronavirus at the moment and the UK PM is in hospital. Threatening them at the moment (especially with a basically empty threat) is an appalling negotiation strategy.
.....

Do you think anybody is going to play for nothing in this day and age, even Wales or Japan?

The ideal is that it is a reciprocal arrangement but that is difficult in practice. Easier for a SH nation (or 2 or 3) to come up here and play 3 test matches v different opposition every year or so with little in the way of internal travel than it is for a NH side to play tests v multiple opposition down under. Consequently the NH sides tend to tour one country and play 2 or 3 tests but only every so often. Plus of course you guys get to host the Lions tours as well. Add in different degrees of revenue generation and costs as well as the overcrowded schedule and it is very difficult to get an equitable outcome.

Again, I'm not necessarily talking 50/50. But both sides generate the revenue. Both sides should share it. In whatever form equitable is.

Sure, I understand that, but I’ve not got anywhere near to thinking about the split. Just contemplating the complexities of it all. Not forgetting that what might work between say England and NZ might not work between England and Aussie, let alone say Wales and SA or Fiji.

The Open 2020 has been cancelled:

Golf The Open cancelled; Masters, US Open & US PGA Championship rescheduled The Open cancelled; Masters, US Open & US PGA Championship rescheduled

The 149th Open Championship is cancelled but 2020's three other men's majors are rescheduled because of the global coronavirus pandemic.

@TeWaio said in All-Time Favourite NBA Team/Players:

Awesome thread.

Favourite:

C - Shaq
PF - Garnett/K.Love
SF - LeBron
SG - Kobe
PG - Doncic/Iverson

Hatiest:

C - Embiid
PF - Draymond Green
SF - Durant
SG - Harden
PG - Kyrie/Simmons

Jeez that hatiest team is filled with jerks.

@KiwiMurph Yes - but, I think they're also related. The "Expect the Unexpected" Canes played an entertaining brand of rugby, but it wasn't a winning brand.

@Godder said in NPC v Super Rugby:

@hydro11 said in NPC v Super Rugby:

@Godder said in NPC v Super Rugby:

@hydro11 said in NPC v Super Rugby:

@Godder said in NPC v Super Rugby:

The Championship is part of the professional NPC, so all unions should be included somehow for their financial sakes if nothing else, but it might just be as a first and second division for this year followed by a promotion-relegation match after the finals. Could run that comp in 10 weeks - 7 rounds, Semi-Finals, Finals, promotion-relegations. If it needs to be even shorter, run 3 divisions based on last year's standings (2 of 5 teams, 1 of 4). If it's that or nothing, I'm sure everyone will be on board for this year.

SA are clamping down even harder than NZ on Covid, so we might be able to run a tri-nations at EOY (noting that SA is rather warm...) and 3 country Super again next year, maybe just go back to 12 teams.

I'm not sure why it needs to be shorter though. Overseas travel is probably gone for 18 months. We only need 3 months to run Mitre Ten Cup as it is, 4 months to run a full round robin. Start the season in October and end it in December if you have to. At best you are looking at games versus Australia/Australian teams.

Presumably domestic cricket will also restart using some of the same grounds and sharing at least some of the audience, so it would be preferable not to overlap too much.

I don't think domestic cricket uses any of the same grounds. Eden Park maybe the only one? Besides, money talks. Mitre 10 Cup will win out over the Plunket Shield - The Super Smash will go hard though.

Plunket Shield is primarily played as a warm up for test cricket on whatever grounds are available, agree that it won't impact anything, but Super Smash and 50 over matches still have some spectator value so should be protected. We also have a series against Aussie to reschedule dependent on everyone's schedules - hopefully would be in 2021 to avoid issues, but who knows.

Also an issue with not clashing for Sky TV though, not just playing venues.

Domestic cricket isn't actually on Sky from next summer. McLean Park is probably the other ground which hosts both cricket and rugby.

I'm not expecting any test matches next season, perhaps there will be games versus Australia.

@Kirwan said in A full strength NPC?:

@alftelf said in A full strength NPC?:

Sponsor update from HB Rugby, could be a much stronger NPC - hopefully..

"Mitre 10 Cup – There are some really positive discussions happening about this which is exciting for us. Several scenarios are being looked at with one sticking to the current format and distributed draw, secondly an option to establish a 14 team competition with a full round robin like the old days. There is a very good chance all Super Rugby players will be available from the start with the cancellation of the planned Super Rugby competition. All Black test matches are under severe threat so AB’s could be introduced and additionally the majority of players who were playing in Japan, France the UK etc have returned to NZ and indicated that they would be keen to play. We have been told that here are more than 50 players who have returned with the likes of Kieran Read (Counties Manukau) and Brodie Rettalick (Shield Snorters) who would turn out in provincial rugby as they just want to play. Sky TV now don’t have the televised rights for cricket so can be more flexible on start and end dates to competitions as they want the rugby content for their viewers and the provincial competition is very important due to the ability to connect throughout the whole of NZ. "

If we get this, we need to get as many people along and watching on sky as possible so they get a message this is what we want!

Problem is even if NZ want it, if overseas don't and won't pay to watch it then it won't happen. Unless we pick ABs from overseas and then the M10 will be back to no ABs anyway cos we won't be able to compete in the slightest.

this mirrors my thoughts.
if we have proven 6 and 8 in team ardie comes into converstion as 7.but ardie in a inexperenced trio at 7 is a no goer. we are a long way from that so ardie fills in at 8 or comes off the bench.
if hansen wanted to play barrett at 6 he should have played cane and dropped ardie.

@Bones the whole team was in disgusting form.

Pre virus days.

Even the commentary is good

I dare cricket tragics not to watch this (again)

Global Rapid Rugby also suspended

https://www.rapid.rugby/2020-season-suspended/

Didn't know where else to post this.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503460&objectid=12316168

@shark I mean in size, I know he plays there for the Canes and Wellington, it's frustrating, especially considering he was a very solid 6 before moving to the second row.

The guy plays Rugby for a living in front of thousands of people in stadiums and millions watching on TV. But he is entitled to the right to privacy about his medical situation & personal life the same as the rest of us.

It is a shame that he is facing a bit of a lay-off as he was in outstanding form. I hope it is nothing too serious and he makes a swift and full recovery, then gets back on the field soon. Thoughts with his family and friends as no medical precedure is ever without stress.

@Nepia said in Best Maori & Polynesian Super Rugby XV's:

@cgrant said in Best Maori & Polynesian Super Rugby XV's:

@Canes4life said in Best Maori & Polynesian Super Rugby XV's:

The Canes are celebrating their Māori & Pacific players and fans with Mana Moana week at Sky Stadium on Saturday.

It got me thinking, who would make an all-time Mana Moana Canes XV - feel free to add a Blues one in here aswell.

Considering the likes of Cullen and Coles count, here is my stab at an all time XV: * I feel like I've missed someone obvious in the locking department.

Schwalger 2. Coles 3. Tialata (but would probably have Lomax over him already) 4. Tito 5. Fatialofa 6. Collins 7. Savea 8. So'oialo 9. Perenara 10. Weepu 11. Lomu 12. Nonu 13. Umaga 14. Milner Skudder 15. Cullen

Has Weepu ever played 10 for the Canes ? If not, R. Flutey then.

Surely you'd take Cruden before Flutey?

Ooops ! I forgot about Cruden playing for the Canes.