The Current State of Rugby
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@Donsteppa The game is not without its issues in the UK. London Irish, Worcester and Wasps have basically gone to wall.
I think the big difference is that crowds in Europe love watching the physical stuff and don’t mind breaks in games. Too much Rugby in Aus and NZ has become glorified touch Rugby in the last decade.
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@Donsteppa said in The Current State of Rugby:
the game is in very different health in the UK
The Premiership is a disaster, and isn't the English RU struggling?
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@Machpants said in The Current State of Rugby:
@sparky said in The Current State of Rugby:
Even if what you saw last night wasn’t your cup of tea, be aware there is an enormous international audience who will have loved it.
Everyone who is not an AB supporter!
The same argument is always levelled at the UFC and MMA
Most tune in to see a combination ‘Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon’ meets Ali and every once in a while a fighter with an excellent wrestling pedigree totally dictates the tempo, pace, and nature of the fight smothering and nullifying the flamboyance of their opponent
It looks like bigger brother beating up on little brother
That’s what happened last night
If you appreciate all the nuances of the game then you cannot but applaud SA’s tactics and execution
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@MiketheSnow Dude it was a joke, don't take it so seriously. No matter how much you like running rugby, most other nations love to see the ABs humbled more!
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@mikedogz said in The Current State of Rugby:
After decades of Wales trying to be NZ it's heartening to see that NZ is trying to be like Wales
If this is a hatchet job released during the RWC I'd love NZ to go on and with the whole thing
Will be watching with interest
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@MiketheSnow Are you suggesting that Foster was unable to head coach Wales like his revered predecessors, so he decided to turn the ABs into Wales and therefore emulate his heroes?
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@Machpants said in The Current State of Rugby:
@MiketheSnow Are you suggesting that Foster was unable to head coach Wales like his revered predecessors, so he decided to turn the ABs into Wales and therefore emulate his heroes?
Ha ha
No
The infighting and civil war part
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@mikedogz said in The Current State of Rugby:
"The review, which former New Zealand Rugby chair Stewart Mitchell said last year could be “confronting”, has been progressing for the past eight months and has been asked to establish whether NZ Rugby, and its provincial unions, are fit for purpose in the Silver Lake era."
I just hope the review covers more than making rugby in NZ fit for purpose rather than fit for the Silver Lake deal.
Also the timing - weeks before the RWC?
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@Donsteppa said in The Current State of Rugby:
Entirely anecdotal... the crowd at Twickenham, followed by a chat with someone in local club rugby this morning, still has me thinking that the game is in very different health in the UK/Europe compared with Australia and NZ.
That could also be pretty regional. It's going great guns in Cornwall apparently, with more junior teams than before. On the other side of the fence, a mate involved in a club in Bucks tells a different story with decreasing numbers of younger players balanced by a small increase in women's and touch rugby.
Putting aside the travails of the Premiership, there appears to be some serious issues in England rugby at the grass roots.
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The fact that France have had Garces in camp and the Allblacks have had Ben O Keefe in camp in Germany tell you all you need to know about the modern game.
The idea this course of action needs to be taken by a team to make sure they don't fall foul of the law is indicative of the hole the game finds itself in.
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@Steve said in The Current State of Rugby:
The fact that France have had Garces in camp and the Allblacks have had Ben O Keefe in camp in Germany tell you all you need to know about the modern game.
The idea this course of action needs to be taken by a team to make sure they don't fall foul of the law is indicative of the hole the game finds itself in.
That’s called preparation of the highest order
You’d have enough to say if they didn’t and then fell foul of refereeing interpretations
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Rugby union absolutely hates itself. As a sport it's becoming less and less appealing to watch
Thus far in the world cup I've watched the NZ game and the England game
Both boring as shitThe Knights v the Raiders today was a 100 miles in front of both both as a spectator sport. One game has constant ball movement, constant attack, constant tension.
The RWC had box kicks, penalty kicks, red cards for head clashes, and deliberately negative football
Rugby has been my game forever, but anyone who say top level rugby is better than the NRL for entertainment is kidding themselves
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@mariner4life It can be but quite often isn't.
Watch Chile against Japan and discover what we've lost in terms of spirit and sheer fun
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@NTA said in The Current State of Rugby:
@mariner4life It can be but quite often isn't.
Watch Chile against Japan and discover what we've lost in terms of spirit and sheer fun
This. Japan vs Chile has been great fun.
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Japan v Chile is not top level rugby
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Really?
They played no football. They kicked and kicked and kicked. They tackled
And they won
Good for them, deserved win. Same as England this morning, deserved win
But it is dogshit to watch -
@mariner4life said in The Current State of Rugby:
Japan v Chile is not top level rugby
It's the world cup you miserable bastard.
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@mariner4life said in The Current State of Rugby:
Really?
They played no football. They kicked and kicked and kicked. They tackled
And they won
Good for them, deserved win. Same as England this morning, deserved win
But it is dogshit to watchFair enough. Each to their own.
The NRL also had 2 of their 4 playoff games be no contest blowouts so it's easy to cherry pick the best game of the round.
