I feel like the free world is at stake. A battle of good vs evil. Will we wake on Sunday morning to a scorched earth where 10-man rugby overlords have mercilessly crushed all opposition or will the larks be singing and the crickets chirping as running rugby once again spreads its verdant wings and rays of golden sunshine bathe a benevolent populace? These are troubling times my friends but let the blackness bring light.
That was a great test match and hats off to the Boks who were good value for their victory. For the ABs, I thought Weber had a great first half. Backs were generally pretty good TBH, maybe Havili could have done a bit more. But it wasn't in the backs that the game was lost.
I said it already, and I'll say it again, when you have Aumua and Tuipulotu as replacements, you are in lineout trouble. The former just can't be depended on to throw, and the latter is just not a jumping lock. Probably cost us the game. The starting props were also kept on 5 minutes too long. Really missed Whitelock.
I don't like having a go at the match officials, and fair play to Carling for having the guts to whistle penalties at the end, but there bad calls both ways. The worst for mine though was Mpimpi being a good few metres offside on the kick chase, not spotted by anyone.
I don't think you can be too hard or disappointed in the ABs, the Boks are our major foe for a reason - they are also bloody good at rugby!
TB said he would never coach Australia.
That’s AB credentials right there, jumps to the head of the queue.
I have a fundamental and philosophical problem with all this: why does being the child of a rugby star who earned and spent a lot of money entitle you to charity to pay for your later education?
Did Jonah have life insurance? Can Nadene work and provide for her kids? Etc.
I really liked Jonah but the aftermath of his passing and this saga is fairly unpalatable.
I heard match organisers are planning for a delay between the anthems, the time for the South African medical staff to attend to the players with injured vocal cords.
Saw this on the guardian
My mate has been given two tickets for the England vs Sweden game. He’s getting married today and can’t go. If you’re interested and want to go instead of him, it’s at 3 pm at St Mary’s in Bromley and her name’s Sarah.
I’m happy for Todd too.
Whether you support his selection or not always happy for a guy who didn’t throw a sook and head overseas at the first obstacle
@Mokey said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:
If being an island and 5m population made beating the virus so super duper easy, how come Ireland has 25k cases and over 1600 deaths?
2 different political systems on the one island with no desire to put up a physical border again
Lots of contact with the UK one of the major epicentres of the virus
Ski holidays in Italy and France at the moment the virus took off
3 hours flight gets you to multiple destinations in Europe. 3 hours flight from NZ barely gets you to Australia
Cheltenham horse races at the time the virus was taking off
Not only flights but also ferries into Ireland/NI
Population density higher in Ireland than NZ
Socialising in pubs is what the Irish do, much more so than in NZ
And so on. It's a great achievement, but don't be turning into a smug self-satisfied Kiwi now please!
@Centreman said in Bledisloe 2:
Anyone here believe in Ofa Tu'ungafasi potential or talent as much as Shag and his fellow selectors as I am struggling to see his worth off the bench or even in the AB environment.
Would welcome some enlightenment here.
It seems to be flavour of the month to lay into Ofa. He's had limited opportunities, and he's been OK, without either being totally rubbish nor dazzling.
I think the jury is out, and personally I'm happy for him to be given some more time. Props invariably improve with age, and he's still only relatively young (25).
@Steven-Harris said in NH club rugby:
@Billy-Tell how did Ihaia West go..?
The main thing was he nailed his kicks after 1 from 4 in the semifinal. He had a solid game with no errors. 7/10. I think he’s off to Toulon next season.
The surprise was Dylan Leyds the ex-bok. Always thought he was crap but he was very good today.
It’s clear that if the ABs can man up to Ireland they are eminently beatable.
LOL. All conquering Leinster were a damp squib in the final losing to O’Garas La Rochelle. Only LAR penalties kept Leinster in the game.
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2022:
@Frye said in All Blacks 2022:
I don't have a problem with throwing RTS into it straight away. He's going to be surrounded by experience, familiar faces and it's not like he is lacking big match temperament.
It's a huge risk against an Irish team which has Henshaw and Aki in midfield.
They are both surrounded by, and have way more experience at Test level and have actually proven their big match temperament in numerous Tests in RU. No matter how much temperament, familiarity and experience he has around him, Ireland will target RTS's inexperience and that will increase pressure on the players around him.
And - serious question - what do you think Foster should do if that risk doesn't come off and his lack of experience is brutally exposed? Do we toss him aside like Henry Paul or carry on with him being a known weak link until he gains enough experience?
He's a talent which needs to be nurtured carefully and not just thrown in at the deep end.
I think the Irish midfield will be ringrose then one of aki or henshaw. Personally I rate henshaw higher but aki seems to be ahead in the pecking order.
@Bovidae said in TV Serieseseses:
@antipodean said in TV Serieseseses:
Just started Better Call Saul
Great show. Season 6 starts next week.
Is very good. Didn’t like season 5 so much but the 5 episodes of season 6 I’ve watched so far are great.
"after completing this year's Rugby Championship"
It was touch and go if he'd be in the squad. No point selecting him now. Time to get some experience into other options
That may open a place for Hodgeman or Ross.
The place should already be open. Would have been a poor selection to pick Karl. Really underwhelming last 12 months
Fletcher newell is some find. Should easily push the other options out of starting TH, especially Jager. MOTM for me was matera, great game.
@Bones said in Brumbies v Crusaders:
@Billy-Tell said in Brumbies v Crusaders:
ennor has also never kicked on
At centre.
He's an excellent winger.
Excellent is stretching it. “Very good” would be my call up to now.
@Bones said in Brumbies v Crusaders:
Bridge ahead of both LF and Ennor
I actually think its the right call. LF has really slipped back in recent weeks, especially in terms of workfare, and ennor has also never kicked on. For mine, its the strongest crusaders team, but weaker than previous seasons.
If there’s a clause that he hands in his NZ passport on the way out then ok.
