Good Rugby Reads
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<p>Austen Healey provides a solution to England's Rugby problems - buy a S15 Franchise.</p>
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<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/international/england/11980146/English-rugby-needs-to-raise-its-standards-they-should-buy-a-Super-Rugby-franchise.html'>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/international/england/11980146/English-rugby-needs-to-raise-its-standards-they-should-buy-a-Super-Rugby-franchise.html</a></p> -
<p>only problem is which Country will relinquish a team to stack full of English players? </p>
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<p>NZ teams would still be owned by the NZRU (well 51%) and as such have NZ Rugby interests at heart, Aus teams are the same I think? SA want more teams for themselves to cope with thier abundance of talent...Argies arent gonna let thier chance go by giving up spots to English players, so maybe the Japanese team is where they should look?</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="taniwharugby" data-cid="539828" data-time="1446841172">
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<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://eliteperformancesportpsychology.wordpress.com/2015/11/02/why-sonny-bill-williams-handed-the-medal-to-the-child-all-black-culture/'>https://eliteperformancesportpsychology.wordpress.com/2015/11/02/why-sonny-bill-williams-handed-the-medal-to-the-child-all-black-culture/</a></p>
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<p>Thanks for that.</p>
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<p>My partner's into <span>Psychology & Team -building and found it fascinating</span></p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Kirwan" data-cid="539847" data-time="1446848877">
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<p>It's an always expanding Comp buy a new place in it.</p>
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<p>Who actually owns the teams?</p>
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<p>NZ franchises and player contracts are all owned (presumably) by NZRU. I suspect the same is true of Aus and SA franchises, but perhaps the provincial unions own their own franchises (dunno), but I've long wondered if expansion would mean franchises in future become property & playthings of individuals like pro sports clubs in the rest of the world; and if so, will there be salary-caps, draft lotteries, unrestricted free agency, player trades & transfers, etc.</p>
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<p>Brave New World...?</p> -
Not sure if all, but at least a couple of the NZ franchises are partly owned by private backers, 49% I think, and yes the provinces have shares in the gpfranchises too.
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<p>Beautiful paean to DC in the Guardian:</p>
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<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2015/nov/25/dan-carter-the-future-will-always-be-bright-in-new-zealand-rugby'>http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2015/nov/25/dan-carter-the-future-will-always-be-bright-in-new-zealand-rugby</a></p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="red terror" data-cid="540702" data-time="1447256817">
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<p>Who actually owns the teams?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>NZ franchises and player contracts are all owned (presumably) by NZRU. I suspect the same is true of Aus and SA franchises, but perhaps the provincial unions own their own franchises (dunno), but I've long wondered if expansion would mean franchises in future become property & playthings of individuals like pro sports clubs in the rest of the world; and if so, will there be salary-caps, draft lotteries, unrestricted free agency, player trades & transfers, etc.</p>
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<p>Brave New World...?</p>
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<p>Melbourne Rebels are owned by a private consortium, 'Infinity Sports Group' or something similar. Don't think its made a huge difference in the way they are run, imagine they are free of the blazers in NSWRU/QRU though.</p> -
<p>some good reads on here</p>
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<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://thespinoff.co.nz/21-11-2015/rugby-richie-mccaw-is-hippie-and-that-transformed-the-all-blacks/'>http://thespinoff.co.nz/21-11-2015/rugby-richie-mccaw-is-hippie-and-that-transformed-the-all-blacks/</a></p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="taniwharugby" data-cid="544482" data-time="1448504607">
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<p>some good reads on here</p>
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<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://thespinoff.co.nz/21-11-2015/rugby-richie-mccaw-is-hippie-and-that-transformed-the-all-blacks/'>http://thespinoff.co.nz/21-11-2015/rugby-richie-mccaw-is-hippie-and-that-transformed-the-all-blacks/</a></p>
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<p>Good read, although McOnie seems to be giving all credit to McCaw when some of it could be going to others like Tana for instance.</p> -
Not a rugby read but entertaining all the same <br>
<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2015/11/23/caltech-basketball-losing-streak-oliver-eslinger'>http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2015/11/23/caltech-basketball-losing-streak-oliver-eslinger</a> -
<p><strong>The Return to the Top</strong><br>
by Dan Carter</p>
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<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.theplayerstribune.com/dan-carter-all-blacks-rugby-injury-comeback/'>http://www.theplayerstribune.com/dan-carter-all-blacks-rugby-injury-comeback/</a></p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Milk" data-cid="546497" data-time="1449523487">
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<p><strong>The Return to the Top</strong><br>
by Dan Carter</p>
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<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.theplayerstribune.com/dan-carter-all-blacks-rugby-injury-comeback/'>http://www.theplayerstribune.com/dan-carter-all-blacks-rugby-injury-comeback/</a></p>
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<p>WTF?</p>
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<p>"After some wavering, my provincial team decided to re-sign me. They played me out of position for most of the season, which was tough because I was trying to prove I could still be a fly-half for the All-Blacks."</p>
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<p>DC is talking about the Crusaders here. Was Toddy seriously wavering on selecting him in 2015? </p> -
<p>You'd have to think that was what he was saying...I guess cos Slade and TT?</p>
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<p>I enjoyed this one:</p>
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<p><strong>Steve Hansen on the art of coaching</strong></p>
<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11559601'>http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11559601</a></p> -
<p>Dan saying very clearly here, what I said all along - not focused on winning for the Crusaders.</p>
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote"><span style="color:rgb(38,38,38);font-family:'Publico Text Web';font-size:19.125px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);">Honestly, I didn’t care how I played; I just wanted to get through it. I needed to prove to myself that I could make it through a series of games without breaking down. Once we made it halfway through the season and I was injury free, I got to take a step back and change my goals. Now I shifted my focus to elevating my play to another level and making meaningful contributions.</span></blockquote> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Chris B." data-cid="547163" data-time="1449804365">
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<p>Dan saying very clearly here, what I said all along - not focused on winning for the Crusaders.</p>
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<p>although he also says:</p>
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote">
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<p>"After some wavering, <strong>my provincial team decided to re-sign me</strong>. <strong>They played me out of position for most of the season</strong>, which was tough because I was trying to prove I could still be a fly-half for the All-Blacks."</p>
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<p>so was Toddy really focused on winning ;)</p> -
<p>This may be Kinsella's best article yet - deconstructing Munster's humiliation away to Stade Francais. He was (before serious injury) in the Munster academy, which may explain the very cutting (though not inaccurate) tone:</p>
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<p><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Georgia, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;font-size:15.6px;">‘These lads are shitting themselves,’ Stade would have thought after this, or after the string of four major mistakes in the seven minutes that followed half time – when Munster </span><em>should </em><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Georgia, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;font-size:15.6px;">have been playing with confidence and energy against 14 men.</span></p>
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<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.the42.ie/analysis-munster-stade-francais-champions-cup-2541782-Jan2016/'>http://www.the42.ie/analysis-munster-stade-francais-champions-cup-2541782-Jan2016/</a></p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="ulsterman" data-cid="551876" data-time="1452524865">
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<p>This may be Kinsella's best article yet - deconstructing Munster's humiliation away to Stade Francais. He was (before serious injury) in the Munster academy, which may explain the very cutting (though not inaccurate) tone:</p>
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<p><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Georgia, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;font-size:15.6px;">‘These lads are shitting themselves,’ Stade would have thought after this, or after the string of four major mistakes in the seven minutes that followed half time – when Munster </span><em>should </em><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Georgia, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;font-size:15.6px;">have been playing with confidence and energy against 14 men.</span></p>
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<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.the42.ie/analysis-munster-stade-francais-champions-cup-2541782-Jan2016/'>http://www.the42.ie/analysis-munster-stade-francais-champions-cup-2541782-Jan2016/</a></p>
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<p>I have to say I have minimal sympathy. Having lived in Munster, it would be fair to say their fans think the sun shines out of their ass more than Kiwi rugby fans, which is already quite damning in itself. But they seemed to plan extremely poorly for the end of their golden era, then basically seemed to organise a coup to get rid of Penney, with Foley appointing all his mates with zero coaching experience to take the reigns. They were absolutely appalling in the weekend, only their SA import Stander (who may well now wear green) looked anyway decent. It looks a long long way back for Munster.</p>
