NH International Rugby
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Half time in extra time. Kicking competition if no one scores.
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Still 19-19 sudden death.
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England really messed up the kick off. Odd call by the ref again. Why didn't he go to the replay?
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French scrum folds. English penalty in their own 22.
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If England win this, they will have their front row replacements to thank.
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England setting up a drop goal but France turn it over.
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England win a kickable penalty. For me Itoje was off his feet yet again. Another chance for Farrell to win it.
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@sparky said in NH International Rugby:
If England win this, they will have their front row replacements to thank.
And the referee.
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Farrell hits it. England win the Nations Cup. 22-19.
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End of a tough year for them, but England looked very beatable there. They win the trophy but they beat a scratch French team with helpful refereeing by the skin of their teeth.
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@sparky said in NH International Rugby:
England win a kickable penalty. For me Itoje was off his feet yet again. Another chance for Farrell to win it.
Not only that, the reason for him not being able to get the ball was because a French player legally sealed it off and he was trying to pull the ball through a person. Bit of a farce ending, but well done Itoje for selling it.
Man Billy V has the weirdest fresh/kiwi/Welsh/pom accent you'll ever hear.
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Earlier this week, the English press wrote that this game should be a farce as the French XV was too weak and too inexperienced of offer some resistance to the formidable England side. It was not a farce, just a boring fest. France have some serious talents now. Imagine what a complete French team would do to England.
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@Victor-Meldrew said in NH International Rugby:
@junior said in NH International Rugby:
@Catogrande said in NH International Rugby:
@MajorRage said in NH International Rugby:
@sparky said in NH International Rugby:
All over. Wales were brave. England were powerful and street smart. Wales 13 England 24.
You forgot the most important part.
The most uninspiring test match of the last few years. And there have been some shockers.
Dull, dull dull.
Yes, apart from England's defence and some flashes from France this competition has been the very definition of dull. I've really not been enthused about anything. I will watch the final but probably won't bother with any of the other matches.
Do you think that without the large crowds, the singing, the atmosphere that a lot of what makes the 6N - tension, drama, struggle, tribalism - is completely lost?
To echo what @Catogrande said, the press have picked up on how dull it has been as well. Not just Internations but also some of the club games.
Some reasonable articles on how to make the games more exciting and loads of praise for Nigel Owens reversing possession when teams use "caterpillar" rucks to slow things down.
Example from James Corrigan in the Daily Telegraph. The last para is telling.
"To think, some punters might have paid £100 a ticket to watch one of these Autumns Nations Cup matches. Jonny May’s heroics on Saturday were worthy of an entrance fee, but the rest of it? Mega dull.
It comes to something when Wales’s excruciating victory over Georgia was not the low point of the weekend. That came at Murrayfield on Sunday, when France beat Scotland in a kicking battle that booted any idea of a spectacle deep into touch.
Apart from the rolling maul, is there anything more tedious than a box kick? Ping pong unmerrily along.
And when teams used to encroach into their opposition’s half was not the intent to attack rather than merely to pen in their rivals and force the penalty? The defence coaches have a crushing grip on proceedings and, criminally, they are being assisted by the laws.
That is why we should cherish the May moments, because the way the modern robotic game is heading, individualism will soon be lost, sacrificed according to that great textbook of conformity. Face it, the overwhelming majority of England v Ireland was turgid. The home back row did not allow the visitors to play, while the home side, itself, had no intent to play. The Red Rose marches on triumphant; the entertainers are all but redundant. May’s miracle was not in the gameplan. They would have won anyway.
Granted, the rugby Championship has enjoyed some exciting passages, with that wonderful underdog tale of Argentina overcoming the mighty All Blacks the other week. But if you were unlucky enough to watch Saturday’s draw between the Pumas and the Wallabies, you will testify that the fall to earth was as defunctive as it was rapid. Blame the weather, they told us. Except that does not always wash.
Remember when an international match used to be a treat on the calendar. Now there are so many, you approach them saying: “Jeez, not another one.” The fanless atmosphere is exactly what these borefests currently deserve.
i, for one, would like to welcome the UK press to my club. Modern rugby is often utter shit.
Ban The Box Kick.
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@Machpants said in NH International Rugby:
@Bones said in NH International Rugby:
Imagine what an in form Argentina would do to England.
Imagine what an in form French 2nd XV would do the the 1st XV!?
Meh! I wouldn’t pick any of the French players in a combined TRC team.
