RWC: Scotland v Samoa (Pool A)
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@African-Monkey said in RWC: Scotland v Samoa (Pool A):
@shark Scotland looked awful in their last game and are missing Watson. If Samoa are gonna cause a boilover, now is their time. The Scots look soft up front and I'd be pressuring the breakdown and looking to hurt them in contact (without getting reckless) if I were the Samoans.
I feel that this game will be a lot closer than people give it credit for (hopefully an upset win for Samoa).
Good call
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When was the last time a game had two penalty trys?
Have to say, was it was a pleasure watching that ref be decisive with the TMO. He was clearly in control and was using the TMO to help him make a decision, not be a deer in the headlights and asking "what are you showing me?"
Even if you didn't agree with his decisions, you could clearly understand the process on how he got there and he was fair. Let the players contest well at the ruck too I thought.
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@Billy-Webb said in RWC: Scotland v Samoa (Pool A):
@African-Monkey said in RWC: Scotland v Samoa (Pool A):
Lame way for Samoa to go out of the cup, and to think I gave them a shot before the game started haha. Scotland did what they had to tonight, but on that performance, I'd back the Japanese to beat them.
@antipodean said in RWC: Scotland v Samoa (Pool A):
Samoa looked like they hadn't assembled before this week. Made Scotland look competent and dangerous!
I'd also backed Samoa to have a shot today. But they just didn't seem to pitch up.
Was that the faint hope of a Springbok nation not wanting to play Ireland in a QF?
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@Billy-Webb said in RWC: Scotland v Samoa (Pool A):
It would be great for the tournament buzz if Japan get through the Pool stages.
Given that they have a decent (better) record against the Boks than the AB's, I am hoping JJ and the Brave Blossoms go all out to secure top spot in the pool.Of course, should Japan end up 2nd and they face the AB's, then Joseph has a really good audition for a future AB job...
From a purely marketing perspective, if the hosts were to play the ABs in a knock-out QF, the interest from non-rugby fans in Japan could be huge. Viewing numbers could go through the roof.
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@NTA said in RWC: Scotland v Samoa (Pool A):
@Stargazer said in RWC: Scotland v Samoa (Pool A):
@Billy-Webb They have the Pacific Nations Cup (Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Japan, Canada, USA).
Only Japan have really improved out of all those teams, and probably more due to imported upgrades and Super Rugby than Tests against whatever France lets out for a game in a tropical downpour.
Including those teams, in the post you have quoted, as a list of PNC teams is misleading. That was a one-off this year .
The old PNC got broken up about 3 years ago with USA and Canada moving into the ARC. In the ARC; USA, Uruguay and Brazil have made great strides.
Canada have gone backwards. But that is due to internal issues. (Same as Samoa and Tonga, you could probably argue).
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@Stargazer said in RWC: Scotland v Samoa (Pool A):
@Billy-Webb Yep, I think addressing that "release by European clubs" problem should be a priority for WR, but not sure what they can do. The rules with obligations to release are in place, but if a club doesn't want a player to play test rugby they'll either not sign him or offer him a lower salary if the player doesn't want to give up test rugby.
Release by clubs is hard to enforce. So WR should approach from the other angle: incentive.
WR should pay match fees directly to players for the RWC , rather than distributing central funds for the inept or corrupt union to in turn offer $300 bucks per match.
$5k per match.
5k x 23 per squad x 20 teams x 4 pool matches = $9.2m. Yikes. Getting high. Would also need money for the other 8 not in match day squad.Its a portion of the money they distribute anyway. Just change the way.
You might be prepared to irritate your club coach for 20k, but not for 1200 bucks.
Is $9m worth it to preserve, or increase, the integrity of your competition that generates $500m + in income?
Another angle is financial distribution to the big pro leagues. They sort of brought the English and French leagues into the tent when they had the San Francisco Agreement on the global calendar structure changes.
There are only 5 pro rugby leagues to deal with who employ 95% of the players at this tournament. Build in incentives to schedule their season during Rwc year that no domestic rugby is played during the RWC. Create a financial incentive for player release. A club is paid e.g. $5k per player supplied.
$5k x 31 x 20 = $3. 1 million.
So evil Worcester, with their 3 or 4 horded Samoans. Could be missing out on $15k direct payment, guess also $60k in saved wages if they dont pay, but WR pays those guys 15 to 20k each for the month, plus a share of say $1m League payment for scheduling incentives paid to the league (1m ÷ 12 = 83k each).
Therefore, in my back of an envelope doodling. Evil Worcester, for releasing 3 Samoans into a well paid side job for their nation, and in cooperation with WR, are around $150k up for the inconvenience. Plus any English incentives, plus any Welsh, Canadians etc they may employ and release.
Bring them in. The professional game is small enough in rugby to be able to work this.
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@NTA said in RWC: Scotland v Samoa (Pool A):
I'm wondering what a mandatory 10-week camp for each of Tonga, Samoa, and Fiji could achieve. Given they've been fairly flat this RWC.
All the teams have been in camp for 10 weeks. Including Samoa. This isnt an excuse come RWC time.
It's the only time the the T2s get to do this, T2 preps with WR funding have been a big WR focus where they know they get bang for their buck. Since about the 2007 windfall the IRB/WR have been able to afford it. Usually why T2s performances are so much better in RWCs than the gloomers predict. Since the 2003 minnow massacre.
Samoa will need to own their own failure on this one.
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Comment of the day in response to this picture
Scotland outsourcing their rugby team.
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@ACT-Crusader said in RWC: Scotland v Samoa (Pool A):
@Billy-Webb said in RWC: Scotland v Samoa (Pool A):
@African-Monkey said in RWC: Scotland v Samoa (Pool A):
Lame way for Samoa to go out of the cup, and to think I gave them a shot before the game started haha. Scotland did what they had to tonight, but on that performance, I'd back the Japanese to beat them.
@antipodean said in RWC: Scotland v Samoa (Pool A):
Samoa looked like they hadn't assembled before this week. Made Scotland look competent and dangerous!
I'd also backed Samoa to have a shot today. But they just didn't seem to pitch up.
Was that the faint hope of a Springbok nation not wanting to play Ireland in a QF?
Not really. It was more a case of making for an interesting pool.
That pool is already a shoot-out, a Samoan victory would have made it even more so.If we get Ireland in the QF so be it. Those knock-out games are going to be tightly contested, never mind who you face.
