NH International Rugby
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@MajorRage said in NH International Rugby:
@junior said in NH International Rugby:
@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 don't doubt the rugby has been turgid. My point is this: has the rugby always been turgid, but appeared better quality due to the presence of crowds making it otherwise compelling viewing?
The entertainment of Turgid rugby is all about the intensity. Crowds are a very big part of that intensity.
Yeah and that's the point I'm exploring.
I watch a bit of the EPL and was struck, when the league returned, how many blow outs there were and how, kinda, loose everything seemed. You add 40-50K people to each of those matches and the matches, in my view, would likely have played out very differently. So, it strikes me as a bit odd that the NH rugby has been so turgid, even without the presence of crowds to add to the tension.
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@junior said in NH International Rugby:
@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 don't doubt the rugby has been turgid. My point is this: has the rugby always been turgid, but appeared better quality due to the presence of crowds making it otherwise compelling viewing?
Certainly the crowds, but the whole tournament comes across as a bit artificial to me and poss. others as well. The Autumn Internationals have the SH sides and beating them is hugely important to the Home Nations - no matter how turgid the game.
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@MajorRage said in NH International Rugby:
In an extremely rare moment for the British rugby press, Corrigan is absolutely spot on with everything he's written there.
Daily Telegraph had some of the best Rugby writing a few years back. Now, apart from the Ian McGeechan articles, it's pretty much shite.
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@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
Disagree. It was an engaging hard-fought test to watch live. Some superb forward play and defence.
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No, that's a farce
England's starting XV has 813 caps to France's 68.
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@Bovidae said in NH International Rugby:
And if England lose...
.....Mitchell will claim it's a development team
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@Stargazer loving the weather.
Kind of coolish here ... 26deg C at 10:30 at night ...
Google tells me it's 6deg and (obviously) raining at Murrayfield.
Fiji currently struggling to hold the ball as Georgia come back to 19-10
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Commentators only have to say mumblemumbleAdze or somethingsomethineAshvili and I'll believe them.
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Can I please drop in a whinge about the ref not calling the maul stopped when the Lelos were going backward before going forward. Didn't really affect play as mauls either broke away or went to ground but it irritated me.
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Game is way better that some of the others with the bigger countries. Enjoying it
This tournament has been good for Georgia. Gave them some real experience at top level and they have some good players. One plus from Covid I guess.
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@Victor-Meldrew Yeah, that was entertaining. I don't think Georgia is quite ready to replace Italy in the 6 Nations, but if they get to play more games like this, they'll challenge them more and more.
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Pretty good game by former Crusaders Nadolo and Ben V.
Georgia are pretty well coached and you can see that their actual patterns are good. Just lacking some class.
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