Classic Rugby Videos
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Start with Cully as this popped up on my FB feed today.
Obviously he was a freak, sublime timing, running lines, strength that seemed to bely his 82kg frame, coupled with that pace and ability to step and swerve to just glide past defences....awesome, shame some of these older clips are such shit quality...but man others that were around him too. Funny though, how baggy thier jersies were back then.
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Yeah, James Small.
The thing about that Cullen clip, also highlights the ability of that team to pass into space. So many of those assist passes seem to be thrown to nowhere, then Cullen appears at full tit which puts him straight through the line.
Cullens signature try, the Bledisloe one where the Aussies were playing in the vomit jumpers, is just as much down to a great read/pass from Zinny, as it is Cullen.
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@MajorRage said in Highlight Clips:
Yeah, James Small.
The thing about that Cullen clip, also highlights the ability of that team to pass into space. So many of those assist passes seem to be thrown to nowhere, then Cullen appears at full tit which puts him straight through the line.
Cullens signature try, the Bledisloe one where the Aussies were playing in the vomit jumpers, is just as much down to a great read/pass from Zinny, as it is Cullen.
Hmm suspected as much from James Small. I remember him as being a dirty prick. Racist sledging etc, too.
Your comments about the rest of the team are completely correct - they created space. Pretty much everyone of them had serious ball skills. Quite some names in those teams too.
Everyone knew how smoothly Cullen ran but I never noticed the length of his stride. Completely different to every other player (usually chasing him).
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@MajorRage yeah some of those passes from Merhts were so good, but as I mentioned in the OP, the timing of Cully's run or the angle at express pace was so damn good it made the passes look even better.
Imagine having to choose a team to include that Cully, wouldnt be too many arguments for Ben Smith to 14 huh....
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The other incredible thing is how well those back lines played from a shitty first pass from Marshall. Merhts was a magician given how often he had to reach skyward for the ball.
I've mentioned it before but it wasn't until I watched Cully live in that club match at Upper Hutt that I realised how much ground he would cover in the blink of an eye to be in the right place. So many "how the fuck did he get there?" moments.
I blame Deans. -
Cullen was my first genuine man-crush. I farking loved that guy and couldn't believe how he was treated by Mitchell. Win/lose/draw, pretty much any game he was in had something memorable.
BB gives me the same feeling. Hope he kicks on a little longer than Cullen, who was effectively gone from NZ aged 27. Fark you again Mitchell/Deans.
Oh yeah that 13, 14 crap was kneejerk bullshit to the 98 season. Apparently Cullen needed to touch the ball more and Goldie was a better fullback. Dickheads.
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@Rancid-Schnitzel said in Highlight Clips:
Cullen was my first genuine man-crush. I farking loved that guy and couldn't believe how he was treated by Mitchell. Win/lose/draw, pretty much any game he was in had something memorable.
100% same for me. I wasn't raised in a rugby family and Cully is the reason I started watching rugby, and it seems to consume a lot of my life these days.
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@Rancid-Schnitzel at the time I was working in a sports shop, we had a picture of cully on the wall, I don't know that my boss ever realized the poster was for Mizuno boots that the ABs wore at this time, cos we didn't sell Mizuno gear haha
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Watching the documentary from earlier on the year on Sky about the 1996 AB series win in SA.
Cullen was in his first year in the team and was just insanely good. Pre-knee injury, he was a monster.
I must try and find those rugby matches in full on YouTube -- there were just all black and springbok greats. Mark Andrews for the Bokke was off the charts good - as good a lock as you'd ever see. Combined with Joost vdw and their monster pack (Os Du Randt), it was a hell of an achievement.
Also amazing to see Zinny kicking a 35 m droppie at a critical time in the series decider ... that guy was just incredible. Skill levels up the wazoo
