NH International Rugby
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Italy don't seem to getting any better do they?
Consistently bottom of the table and no real progress over several decades.
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@Victor-Meldrew In the past they have had a couple of decent players or had organised or cunning coaches. Now they just look not very good.
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@Victor-Meldrew said in NH International Rugby:
Bundi O'Aki having a good game.
Bundi O'Aki would be my MOTM.
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@Victor-Meldrew said in NH International Rugby:
Caelen Doris. Contender for weirdest name in international rugby.
Simone Ferrari, Italy's reserve Prop, has a much cooler name.
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Try of the match from Italy at the death
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@sparky said in NH International Rugby:
Simone Ferrari, Italy's reserve Prop, has a much cooler name.
Always thought Welsh tighthead Samson Lee had the coolest name.
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@Machpants said in NH International Rugby:
I'll pop this in here, feels wierd agreeing with Eddie. Yes rugby needs more speed and less bulk, and yes you have to really want to play for an international side
Eddie Jones: rugby union needs to speed up or 'we will end up like NFL'
England’s coach Eddie Jones wants the number of replacements cut from the bench as well as more decisive calls by match officials for a faster game
Could also read as small forward (Eddie), who lost higher selection honours to bigger players, wants smaller players to have more chances, once coach.
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@sparky said in NH International Rugby:
Great dummy and break by Garbisi.
He's been pretty good today.
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@Victor-Meldrew said in NH International Rugby:
@sparky said in NH International Rugby:
Great dummy and break by Garbisi.
He's been pretty good today.
Great debut
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England, RFU and Barbarians count the cost of players' brainless behaviour | Gerard Meagher
There was a depressing inevitability about the events that led to the cancellation of England’s match against Barbarians. The only surprise is that it came so soon
England, RFU and Barbarians count the cost of players' brainless behaviour
Gerard MeagherRugby, it’s different.” So read the caption accompanying a picture posted on social media of two opposing players sharing a beer after last week’s Champions Cup final. It was misguided at best and widely criticised for the smug attitude that continues to blight the professional game. Fast forward a week, to the colossal wreckage caused by Friday’s cancellation of England’s match against the Barbarians, and it can be said with certainty that rugby is different all right.
In what other sport would professional players – a former national captain no less in Chris Robshaw – behave so brainlessly? So selfishly. The knock-on effects are catastrophic for the Rugby Football Union, for the Barbarians and not great for Eddie Jones and his England side either. But the ramifications stretch far wider. Think of the Welsh youngsters who dashed to central London on Friday to make up the numbers. The stadium workers and freelancers who now miss out on much-needed income. The supporters who have waited nearly eight months to see England in action.
Unsurprisingly, a video surfaced on Saturday of Robshaw and a sizeable Saracens contingent in the pub. They went to an Italian restaurant for good measure. Martin Johnson once said: “Rugby players drink beer, shocker” after the dwarf-tossing scandal at the 2011 World Cup. At least Robshaw and co apologised – even if there was something jarring at the way they did so in unison on social media – but it seems to be a maxim by which too many still live. For there was a depressing inevitability that once the international programme began this sort of thing would happen. The only surprise is that it came so soon.
The Barbarians are beside themselves the match has been called off as the RFU “evaluates the legal and financial implications”. The invitational side will take a while to recover from this and their anger at the mindless behaviour of their players is entirely understandable. You could question the wisdom of sticking with their usual Park Lane hotel but the blame lies entirely with the players who breached the protocols and the trust of the Barbarians, who could not have made their rules clearer.
The Barbarians were already growing weary that they are endlessly tarred by the boozy brush; that the drinking sessions were all for which they were known. That is now a reputation even harder to shake for an institution that has challenges staying relevant in the cluttered modern calendar. It took only a cursory glance to see how hard it was for them to put together a competitive squad in Covid times and the hope must be that this episode does not tarnish the Barbarians’ allure.
For the RFU it is nothing short of calamitous. The chief executive, Bill Sweeney, recently told of a £122m reduction in revenue resulting in a loss of £46m – increasing to £138m reduction and a £60m loss if next year’s Six Nations matches take place behind closed doors. No doubt broadcasters and sponsors will want a hefty rebate, meaning the union may be out of pocket by up to £1m, but again, the consequences do not stop there. The union is lobbying the government for financial assistance and to let crowds back into Twickenham but not even the players can stick to the rules and those in parliament – stung by the backlash over images of enormous crowds at the Cheltenham Festival and other sporting events in March – are evidently wary.
Rugby players fear for future as Covid 'typhoon sweeps through sport'
Read more
In Jones’s case, he now has a sizeable problem. England have a habit of underperforming in their opening matches of campaigns and they will now head to Rome undercooked. Admittedly, they have never lost to Italy but in all likelihood they will need to rack up a considerable score if they are to end the day as Six Nations champions. Jones has also been denied the chance to cast his eye over a clutch of promising youngsters for whom it is hard not to feel sympathy. Equally so for those Barbarians who stayed put at the team hotel.In the short term, the RFU will no doubt throw the book at the players who breached protocols and England will reconvene on Monday, most likely with an additional reminder of the need to follow protocols. International rugby is back but we now look forward to the coming six weeks with trepidation.
One match has fallen by the wayside, how many more will follow?
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Very problematic for the players. Everyone in England is under the rule of 6 at the moment. Adults in the UK are meant to stay 2 metres apart. (This was not a sanctioned work function or a sporting activity). Current London lockdown rules mean you can only go to the pub with other members of your own household.
Massive fines and charges of bring the game into disrupt are likely.
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@sparky said in NH International Rugby:
Massive fines and charges of bring the game into disrupt are likely.
Would be good to see the RFU take the lead on this in case it takes on a life of it's own. Does the RFU have jurisdiction over the Barbarians?
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@sparky said in NH International Rugby:
Very problematic for the players. Everyone in England is under the rule of 6 at the moment. Adults in the UK are meant to stay 2 metres apart. (This was not a sanctioned work function or a sporting activity). Current London lockdown rules mean you can only go to the pub with other members of your own household.
Massive fines and charges of bring the game into disrupt are likely.
Would be a bit rich for these to get punished but politicians to get off scot-free
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@Victor-Meldrew The RFU were organising the fixture. The Barbarian players signed a contract apparently saying they would only go out before Saturday for training, to visit the coffee shop down the road or a medical emergency.
None of the Barbarians management or coaches are in the video so they might not have known anything about it until after the event.
The 12 players went out on two evenings. Tuesday to the pub. Then Wednesday to the pub, then an Italian Restaurant. RFU security were tipped off about the restaurant trip. The players were escourted away from the team bubble on their return to their 5 star hotel on the Wednesday.
12 replacement players were summoned from the England squad and from Wales. Lots English-based club players volunteered to help out. Then the Tuesday trip to the pub came to light which had potentially exposed the whole Barbarians bubble to COVID-19. The RFU took the decision then to cancel the fixture, costing them at least £1 million.
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@MiketheSnow Problem is the RFU is negotiating a multi-million pound bailout with the politicians. Very embarrassing indeed for the game of Rugby in England in the current circunstances.
