Japan v All Blacks
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@MiketheSnow said in Japan v All Blacks:
@Steve said in Japan v All Blacks:
@MiketheSnow said in Japan v All Blacks:
@Steve said in Japan v All Blacks:
Im so downbeat about the Allblacks these days. I didn't get up to watch a game for the first time ever. And it seems I was right to skip it.
The team has no character and no characters. Empty shirts most of them.
Bleach blond highlights, frosted tips, mullets, red boots. You need to earn the right to look like that ala Nonu or Jerry Collins (I say half tongue in cheek, half serious).
We don't have a fly half in the squad for knockout test rugby.
Our captain is a hell of a warrior but the embers are burning out. He isn't the best in his spot and it is plain to see. Still love him though.Samisoni or bust....Coles and Taylor are miles off.
Vaii looked like a player who had very few minutes in the jersey. Worrying.
Perofeta will be eaten alive by NH teams.
ALB is a genuine centre, but he was vanilla in 2019 and is still vanilla but older now.
We know how knockout rugby at the RWC is reffed. We know what those games look like and how they feel. This team is not equipped for it. No chance.
Aside from the Allblacks , im even more downbeat about the state of the game. I think it is gone to the dogs. Cards every game. Im bored sick of it.
You feeling ok boy?
Not the match I watched. And thoroughly enjoyed.
And the cards will continue to be waved for as long as players are dumb, dirty or both.
Im not defending Retallick by the way....Just saying if there are that many cards on a week to week basis, the players are not learning, or what is being asked of them is unrealistic. Akin to Bundee Aki's correct red against the Sharks im not exactly sure what part of the jackler him or Retallick are supposed to hit? Crocodile rolls are as bad, and many an ACL has been snapped by them. Dan Leavy and Jean de Villiers come to mind.
Some will say "they lost the contest, so stay out of the ruck". But that's not sport either is it? Maybe we shouldn't be putting jacklers in those positions in the first place. I know it was something Pocock was regularly fuming about. "how many cleans do you want me to survive ref" he once said to a ref (Barnes I think). Maybe no hands in the ruck at all, and you just have to drive over the ball and secure possession that way.
It was lost
Reset for next contest
Dumb and cheap
But its not lost until it is lost....you know what I mean? There is no contest then. So either both teams must drive over the ball or we have our current situation of jacklers surviving missiles from the other team which sometimes get punished and sometimes don't.
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@Steve said in Japan v All Blacks:
@Mr-Fish said in Japan v All Blacks:
Interesting reading all the comments about Japan's relative standing in the game at present.
This Brave Blossoms side is currently not as good as the team that All Blacks belted in 2018 (with a junior squad) and likely won't make it out of their pool at next year's World Cup.
So I do think that it's a bit optimistic (for Kiwi supporters) to write off the poor performance as a product of facing a good Japan side. Sure, they tackled their hearts out - but a half decent NZ side should still have the won this match at a canter.
Fully expect them to get belted at the World Cup. Not sure why they are being talked up so much.
If you'd asked me 3 months ago I'd have agreed 100%.
But now? We seem to have some momentum and that's really important and I'm a heck of lot more optimistic, though the next 4 weeks will be a better indicator.
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@Victor-Meldrew said in Japan v All Blacks:
@Steve said in Japan v All Blacks:
@Mr-Fish said in Japan v All Blacks:
Interesting reading all the comments about Japan's relative standing in the game at present.
This Brave Blossoms side is currently not as good as the team that All Blacks belted in 2018 (with a junior squad) and likely won't make it out of their pool at next year's World Cup.
So I do think that it's a bit optimistic (for Kiwi supporters) to write off the poor performance as a product of facing a good Japan side. Sure, they tackled their hearts out - but a half decent NZ side should still have the won this match at a canter.
Fully expect them to get belted at the World Cup. Not sure why they are being talked up so much.
If you'd asked me 3 months ago I'd have agreed 100%.
But now? We seem to have some momentum and that's really important and I'm a heck of lot more optimistic, though the next 4 weeks will be a better indicator.
Im on about Japan.
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@Steve said in Japan v All Blacks:
Maybe im in bad form, Im not sure. 37 years old and losing my love for it.
thread disruption, but I'm with @Steve in losing my passion for the game. The top level is plain ugly - refs standing around looking at big screens, poor TMO decisions, random cards for head contact and a judiciary lottery. There's some good stuff going on at times, but damned if it isn't hard watching.
the big concern is how do you attract new people to the sport? It's not accessible, and even seasoned watchers start wondering about interpretation changes they missed with the refereeing.
Defence is our achilles heel, and conceding stupid red cards.
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@nzzp said in Japan v All Blacks:
@Steve said in Japan v All Blacks:
Maybe im in bad form, Im not sure. 37 years old and losing my love for it.
Defence is our achilles heel, and conceding stupid red cards.
Blame the man (& coach) not the game
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@nzzp said in Japan v All Blacks:
@Steve said in Japan v All Blacks:
Maybe im in bad form, Im not sure. 37 years old and losing my love for it.
thread disruption, but I'm with @Steve in losing my passion for the game. The top level is plain ugly - refs standing around looking at big screens, poor TMO decisions, random cards for head contact and a judiciary lottery. There's some good stuff going on at times, but damned if it isn't hard watching.
the big concern is how do you attract new people to the sport? It's not accessible, and even seasoned watchers start wondering about interpretation changes they missed with the refereeing.
Defence is our achilles heel, and conceding stupid red cards.
Imagine explaining whats going on in todays games to your ten year old brother etc....The game has disappeared up its own arse. "mitigation, laws, learnings, escorting". The language around the game is middle class, corporate jargon.
The great thing about soccer is you can put down 4 jumpers and play with your mates.
Rugby ,at the professional level is a different sport to that of what I played as a teenager. It's night and day.
Tag rugby or 7's is more reflective of whats fun to play.
I wouldn't want to play the current version if I was a young fella now.......
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@nzzp said in Japan v All Blacks:
@Steve said in Japan v All Blacks:
Maybe im in bad form, Im not sure. 37 years old and losing my love for it.
thread disruption, but I'm with @Steve in losing my passion for the game. The top level is plain ugly - refs standing around looking at big screens, poor TMO decisions, random cards for head contact and a judiciary lottery. There's some good stuff going on at times, but damned if it isn't hard watching.
the big concern is how do you attract new people to the sport? It's not accessible, and even seasoned watchers start wondering about interpretation changes they missed with the refereeing.
Defence is our achilles heel, and conceding stupid red cards.
Aki put Ofa out for a few weeks during the Irish series with a clean out that wasn't even looked at and lead to an Irish try. Then we have Retallick today getting a red and later on Glen Young getting a yellow for essentially identical offences : illegal head contact.
Pearce started to talk about bicep contact instead of shoulder contact...I have never heard that criteria mentioned before EVER. Are swinging arms ok now by that standard? Similar to Porter/Barnes and the "absorbing" tackle rhetoric...and Reynal blowing Foley for the first time wasting penalty I have ever seen in my 30 years watching the game.
We are supposed to watch this and nod along thinking this is all kosher? Its wheel of fortune.
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@Steve said in Japan v All Blacks:
@nzzp said in Japan v All Blacks:
@Steve said in Japan v All Blacks:
Maybe im in bad form, Im not sure. 37 years old and losing my love for it.
thread disruption, but I'm with @Steve in losing my passion for the game. The top level is plain ugly - refs standing around looking at big screens, poor TMO decisions, random cards for head contact and a judiciary lottery. There's some good stuff going on at times, but damned if it isn't hard watching.
the big concern is how do you attract new people to the sport? It's not accessible, and even seasoned watchers start wondering about interpretation changes they missed with the refereeing.
Defence is our achilles heel, and conceding stupid red cards.
Imagine explaining whats going on in todays games to your ten year old brother etc....The game has disappeared up its own arse. "mitigation, laws, learnings, escorting". The language around the game is middle class, corporate jargon.
The great thing about soccer is you can put down 4 jumpers and play with your mates.
Rugby ,at the professional level is a different sport to that of what I played as a teenager. It's night and day.
Tag rugby or 7's is more reflective of whats fun to play.
I wouldn't want to play the current version if I was a young fella now.......
Get on the BFs bus while it’s running. Still has physicality but also players using sharp passing and endeavour works to get tries. Players also enjoy themselves with infectious enthusiasm.
Yes, if you want to be a misery guts you can critique the “perfection “ levels all game long but best to just cheer along.
Go to an ABs match and the crowd spend all their time yelling at the refs or groaning at mistakes.
What I saw at the BFs was families enjoying a night out cheering and laughing and being part of the ups and downs of a sports contest.
Professionalism will probably ruin the women’s game too over time. England already act like the miserable fucks that the ABs are. I am hoping that the environment can remain more like Sevens has. -
@MiketheSnow said in Japan v All Blacks:
@nzzp said in Japan v All Blacks:
@Steve said in Japan v All Blacks:
Maybe im in bad form, Im not sure. 37 years old and losing my love for it.
Defence is our achilles heel, and conceding stupid red cards.
Blame the man (& coach) not the game
Foster Must Go.
But the game also feels a lot harder to watch and support tahn it did a few years ago
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@nzzp said in Japan v All Blacks:
@MiketheSnow said in Japan v All Blacks:
@nzzp said in Japan v All Blacks:
@Steve said in Japan v All Blacks:
Maybe im in bad form, Im not sure. 37 years old and losing my love for it.
Defence is our achilles heel, and conceding stupid red cards.
Blame the man (& coach) not the game
Foster Must Go.
But the game also feels a lot harder to watch and support tahn it did a few years ago
Im a single man in my 30's , at my commercial peak for paying subscriptions, buying tickets, jerseys etc and I am losing interest rapidly. They are losing me to the game. Historically I bought every jersey, went on tours, and would miss my grannies funeral to watch a game. I planned all my annual leave around games. Today I stayed in bed.
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@nzzp said in Japan v All Blacks:
Defence is our achilles heel, and conceding stupid red cards.
those things are very much linked imo (for us at least)
I'm with you guys, I have missed more AB games in the past 3 years than I had the previous, well ever, and 2 games this year I bailed at half time.
I remember getting up in the small hours to watch, now, I won't even watch a full replay, I will just watch try highlights.
How many red cards were there in npc this year? I recall a couple but they were clear reds, not ones for accidental contacts.
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All the "chahooooing" and head patting the opposition when they make a mistake too.
Rancid stuff. And all teams are at it.
Too much dilution of tribalism too. Teams being coached by foreigners.
Foreigners playing for other nations. The British Lions being coached by a foreigner.
Isaac Boss on the breakdown lapping up an Irish win. Bundee Aki getting the Irish to do a pacific Island style post match huddle chant.
Its all just perverse to me.
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I’m probably a bit different in that I never had rugby on a pedestal above all other sports anyway even though I still loved it .
But the Allblacks are my favourite sporting team.
My enthusiasm is not where it’s been in the past, but I’m hoping that s something that comes and goes depending on how much pleasure it provides , and it’s been a mixed bag the last few years .
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@mariner4life said in Japan v All Blacks:
@Stargazer nah man. I was entertained. Didn't think we were as bad as it's being painted, and thought Japan played as well as I have ever seen them play.
Good game.
And we scored some cool tries. Reece's was thr best AB set.move I've seen in years. Sotutus was the end of some power running. Ennors had some sick passing. Even Retallicks had a sweet variation on the ubiquitous wrap around.
Might even say the coaching was working
If you are entertained by watching locks try to throw left-handed wraparound offloads in the tackle, may I present to you the NZ Warriors!!!
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@broughie I'm not sure that's quite what he saying.
I think it is perfectly fine to watch sports to make you happy, and therefore if the game you love is no longer the game you love, it is OK to not be happy with it...but if it makes you unhappy to watch, that's different.
I still enjoy watching club rugby and npc, but something is not quite right at the top, sure playing shit ain't helping.
I don't watch the ABs as much now cos I don't get the enjoyment any more, but I still get it watching lower levels.
So my love of the game is still there, but my love of the ABs has diminished considerably.
