The Current State of Rugby
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@Victor-Meldrew said in The Current State of Rugby:
Generally agree with much on this thread and agree there's a fair bit wrong which needs to be fixed, but here's a positive thought:
There were 65,000 mainly Japanese supporters to watch the Japan-AB game yesterday providing an atmosphere which was uniquely polite while still being passionate. The All Blacks didn't play well, but that was a pretty damn good game to watch with plenty of skills and tense rugby on display and a great advert for the game.
This
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Said it before but these athletes ar bigger, faster and stronger and consequently the field has become compressed. That's why there is less space and the game is a grind. Is probably why support play and chancing the off load is so popular because fractions of seconds could be an opportunity. Maybe 13 players is the option or a bigger field.
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@Victor-Meldrew Japan hold the record for largest in country TV audience for a rugby match. They should be in the Rugby Championship with us, would be a great addition. Just the season issues again.
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@Victor-Meldrew said in The Current State of Rugby:
discussion on the 12 slot to see a pretty standard view that "Big and Powerful" trumps skill every time
The argument is that there should be a trade off. Pick big and strong, but run the risk that they run out of puff and become a liability.
To change the balance you have to shift the have
Limit reserves, reduce stoppage time, reward players who can go 80. Then you'll get lighter faster players competitive again. -
@nzzp said in The Current State of Rugby:
The argument is that there should be a trade off. Pick big and strong, but run the risk that they run out of puff and become a liability.
Unless your surname is Nonu...
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@nzzp said in The Current State of Rugby:
@Victor-Meldrew Japan hold the record for largest in country TV audience for a rugby match.
Wow. I didn't know that. Impressive.
They should be in the Rugby Championship with us, would be a great addition. Just the season issues again.
Needs fixing. Just like Georgia & the 6N's needs a solution.
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@nzzp said in The Current State of Rugby:
@Victor-Meldrew Japan hold the record for largest in country TV audience for a rugby match. They should be in the Rugby Championship with us, would be a great addition. Just the season issues again.
Would love it, and we could just play each other once! Keep it fresh and interesting, look at maybe Fiji in future.
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For a scrum, standard rules apply, if it's a front rower you have to bring on another prop and pull a loosie.
The idea is that the stoppage still happens but once they're good enough to continue they leave the field. There's nothing to police, it's a objective standard. Trainer on the field? Off to the next stoppage. Only exception is if you sub the player off, the replacement can come straight on (or if they go for an HIA, blood bin etc).
The idea isn't that the ref somehow prevents.it, it's that the consequences are significant enough that you never do it for tactical reasons.
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@Victor-Meldrew said in The Current State of Rugby:
Generally agree with much on this thread and agree there's a fair bit wrong which needs to be fixed, but here's a positive thought:
There were 65,000 mainly Japanese supporters to watch the Japan-AB game yesterday providing an atmosphere which was uniquely polite while still being passionate. The All Blacks didn't play well, but that was a pretty damn good game to watch with plenty of skills and tense rugby on display and a great advert for the game.
I think that's more because it was the AB's in town to be fair. And the Japanese folk have a few quid, and are still in the post RWC coital glow.
At the end of the day it's essentially still a team with a couple of poaches who are admittedly doing better than we all imagined.
Gerhard Van der Heever on the bench. For crying out loud. How sterile. How fake. What has the game become. Do the ends just justify the means for everyone now?
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This is the Rugby I used to enjoy. Jeopardy on both sides. Either team could have scored in this passage. Forwards were strong, backs were fast. When the ball went wide it was on.
Notice how not one player or commentator complained when Marty Holah arrowed Dawson into the turf like a sack of garbage.
Good times.
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@Steve said in The Current State of Rugby:
This is the Rugby I used to enjoy. Jeopardy on both sides. Either team could have scored in this passage. Forwards were strong, backs were fast. When the ball went wide it was on.
Notice how not one player or commentator complained when Marty Holah arrowed Dawson into the turf like a sack of garbage.
Good times.
Holah would be red carded today no question.
I think the most amazing thing of all is Mike Tindalls flowing tresses on display.
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@MN5 said in The Current State of Rugby:
@Steve said in The Current State of Rugby:
This is the Rugby I used to enjoy. Jeopardy on both sides. Either team could have scored in this passage. Forwards were strong, backs were fast. When the ball went wide it was on.
Notice how not one player or commentator complained when Marty Holah arrowed Dawson into the turf like a sack of garbage.
Good times.
Holah would be red carded today no question.
I think the most amazing thing of all is Mike Tindalls flowing tresses on display.
Post O'Driscoll and Alastair Campbell we shat the bed with foul play. I was upended like that many times in my playing days and never once complained. I was fond of dishing out the odd dump/spear tackle myself too.
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@MN5 said in The Current State of Rugby:
@Steve said in The Current State of Rugby:
This is the Rugby I used to enjoy. Jeopardy on both sides. Either team could have scored in this passage. Forwards were strong, backs were fast. When the ball went wide it was on.
Notice how not one player or commentator complained when Marty Holah arrowed Dawson into the turf like a sack of garbage.
Good times.
Holah would be red carded today no question.
I think the most amazing thing of all is Mike Tindalls flowing tresses on display.
If Umaga dropped his intercept he would get 10 minutes in the bin too.
I always laugh when I hear the ref say " you were not in a realistic position to make the intercept" . If he can touch it. then he is in a realistic position to intercept it. Look how far it travelled from Umagas finger tips before he regathers. Let the game flow for fuck sake.
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@broughie said in The Current State of Rugby:
Said it before but these athletes ar bigger, faster and stronger and consequently the field has become compressed. That's why there is less space and the game is a grind. Is probably why support play and chancing the off load is so popular because fractions of seconds could be an opportunity. Maybe 13 players is the option or a bigger field.
Everything these days seem to benefit bigger players. From 8 subs, to TMOs, to reset scrums, water breaks etc.
I think reducing the number of subs allowed on to 5 (8 on bench, only allowed to use 5) would swing the balance greatly towards fitness over size. The days of the bomb squad would be at an end.
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@broughie said in The Current State of Rugby:
Said it before but these athletes ar bigger, faster and stronger and consequently the field has become compressed. That's why there is less space and the game is a grind. Is probably why support play and chancing the off load is so popular because fractions of seconds could be an opportunity. Maybe 13 players is the option or a bigger field.
Unlike
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@Victor-Meldrew said in The Current State of Rugby:
@nzzp said in The Current State of Rugby:
The argument is that there should be a trade off. Pick big and strong, but run the risk that they run out of puff and become a liability.
Unless your surname is Nonu...
There’ll always be superior athletes
AND they get get the opportunity to shine
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@Steve said in The Current State of Rugby:
This is the Rugby I used to enjoy. Jeopardy on both sides. Either team could have scored in this passage. Forwards were strong, backs were fast. When the ball went wide it was on.
Notice how not one player or commentator complained when Marty Holah arrowed Dawson into the turf like a sack of garbage.
Good times.
That was no different to the first 15 minutes of Scotland v Australia match yesterday
Except the Holah ‘tackle’
Straight to the showers
And deservedly so
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@Steve said in The Current State of Rugby:
@MN5 said in The Current State of Rugby:
@Steve said in The Current State of Rugby:
This is the Rugby I used to enjoy. Jeopardy on both sides. Either team could have scored in this passage. Forwards were strong, backs were fast. When the ball went wide it was on.
Notice how not one player or commentator complained when Marty Holah arrowed Dawson into the turf like a sack of garbage.
Good times.
Holah would be red carded today no question.
I think the most amazing thing of all is Mike Tindalls flowing tresses on display.
Post O'Driscoll and Alastair Campbell we shat the bed with foul play. I was upended like that many times in my playing days and never once complained. I was fond of dishing out the odd dump/spear tackle myself too.
Until the adults determined it was stupid
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@profitius said in The Current State of Rugby:
@broughie said in The Current State of Rugby:
Said it before but these athletes ar bigger, faster and stronger and consequently the field has become compressed. That's why there is less space and the game is a grind. Is probably why support play and chancing the off load is so popular because fractions of seconds could be an opportunity. Maybe 13 players is the option or a bigger field.
Everything these days seem to benefit bigger players. From 8 subs, to TMOs, to reset scrums, water breaks etc.
I think reducing the number of subs allowed on to 5 (8 on bench, only allowed to use 5) would swing the balance greatly towards fitness over size. The days of the bomb squad would be at an end.
Agree with this. The issue is that it isn't happening because most NH unions think things are just fine. I don't think things are going to change as a result.
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@Steve said in The Current State of Rugby:
If Umaga dropped his intercept he would get 10 minutes in the bin too.
I always laugh when I hear the ref say " you were not in a realistic position to make the intercept" . If he can touch it. then he is in a realistic position to intercept it. Look how far it travelled from Umagas finger tips before he regathers. Let the game flow for fuck sake.Agree 100%. Punish a deliberate knock-on absolutely, but there are way too many cards for what is in effect simply a failed intercept.
