@sparky said in Sam Cane - All Blacks Captain:

Which test was Andrew Hore ABs captain for?

It was a club game.

@snowy said in RIP Phil the Greek:

One more year and he would have got a message from his wife.
Wonder what that would have been?

Actually feel quite sorry for the old girl. She really did love him.

A couple of years ago the son and his partner were doing the Windsor Castle walkthrough while we were in the pub. ('Two Brewers' if you are looking for a good one there) and while others in their group went rushing from item to item they stopped to just look out a window onto a courtyard. A door opened and out came Lizzie with a couple of dogs, a car pulls up and out hops Phil. She has a big smile and goes and gives him a hug. They luckily witnessed a totally real and candid moment between the two.

My own little experience was more formal but we got an invite to one of the garden parties at the big London house and then got selected to meet the old girl as she wandered through the garden. Anyway it is all quite formal and you get introduced etc. The wife and I use different surnames and because of a quirk in the way it was set up ended up standing on either side of a couple of friends. Anyway she has her little chat along the line to the others. Work talk. Then gets to me. 'and what brings you here Crucial?'. I pointed to the wife and said 'I'm just here as support and logistics for her'. She actually laughed and said 'Oh, I have one of those as well'.
After she moved on to the next group and we were released we had so many people come up and asked how we made her smile and laugh. The 'joke' was weak so I can only assume it was thinking about the silly old bugger.

@cantab79 said in AB Test Team v France.:

Can't believe people are seriously suggesting that Steve Hansen has not called up Akira Ioane because he is saving him for the Maori team. Is there any precedent to back up this theory? Luke Whitelock has outplayed Ioane at both Super Rugby and Mitre 10 Cup levels this year, and that's why he's been selected.

How does that pie taste?

Look. Tana and BOD have buried the hatchet and are sharing a laugh.

Next on Tana's list are @Kirwan and @Duluth

@jegga said in RWC: Japan v Ireland (Pool A):

@booboo said in RWC: Japan v Ireland (Pool A):

@jegga said in RWC: Japan v Ireland (Pool A):

@Victor-Meldrew said in RWC: Japan v Ireland (Pool A):

@jegga said in RWC: Japan v Ireland (Pool A):

Apparently BOD was a pundit on the Irish coverage and didn't take the result well. If anyone has the footage and can post it I will be eternally grateful

Was on the ITV coverage.

He had the look of a man who's swallowed a wasp during during a live TV interview and that distracted him from the fact he's also having a severe bowel spasm.

Excellent.

A quarter final exit is an Irish tradition isn’t it?

Planet Rugby’s Ireland fans are still delivering gold

“We knew all of this in advance.
That’s why Joe player what he felt was his best team.

In cooler weather, better ref, neutral location both teams given the same amount of rest and our B team puts 40 points on them.

Do we really think that Japan making the quarters wasn’t just what WR wanted?

At this rate Japan might make the semis or better.

Reminds me of Korea/Japan WC in the football.”

Also a whole thread about how bent Gardner is

http://forum.planetrugby.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=91481&sid=5594db999ca625c55956a0becc14a9dc

I don’t remember bok fans being this graceless at all and their team came back and gave ours a hell of a game in the semis.
I hope Heneke Meyer had a smile on his face last night .
The only downside for Japan is no one in their pool is going to take them lightly so they’ll be playing their top side if possible.

As a neutralish observer (I was obviously backing Japan) I didn't notice any obvious issues with the officiating. Did anyone? (Haven't read the thread.)

What are their specific whinge? Or is it just victim mentality?

Some of them have been saying Japan had an advantage because they play in the super rugby comp and are more used to the way Gardner refs .

Victim mentality, delusions of grandeur or just ungracious arseclowns? Take your pick

According to comments on the42 Ireland were beaten by some fella called Hugh Middity.
He wasn’t on the team sheets but must have been there because everyone is saying “Hi, Hugh Middity”

@allblacksfan72 said in Are there any All Blacks wildcards left ?:

How about George bridge? Has all the qualities needed for test rugby

A red and black jersey?

What about stupid people that think they can coach and select the ABs but have no clue about it. They can piss right of!

Took a drive yesterday (only 5 km over the regional border) to a farm in the Wairarapa and picked up a new pup. 3 month old black lab. Very cool little fella. This will keep me busy.

@Canes4life said in Bledisloe 1:

Our best player not being there next week is a huge loss. Big chance for Hoskins though.

Is something wrong with Sami?

@Windows97 said in Foster, Robertson etc:

@Crucial said in Foster, Robertson etc:

@Windows97 still missing the aspect of pre-negotiation and filtering before the process.

Which if you have a small talent pool is a stupid thing to do

or cuts to the chase.

@Windows97 still missing the aspect of pre-negotiation and filtering before the process.

@kiwi_expat said in Foster, Robertson etc:

@Windows97 said in Foster, Robertson etc:

@kiwi_expat said in Foster, Robertson etc:

@Windows97 said in Foster, Robertson etc:

Getting the best talent in NZ rugby, forcing them into pitched camps and then making them fight to the death for the job seems an entirely silly way of doing it...

I think we'd all agree with this.

No, no your wrong here, a number of people have been arguing with me all day this is exactly how it should be.

Choose the desired head coach first, then do whatever necessary to build the best possible team around them.

It's common sense, which inevitably means NZR will do the opposite.

...and if it turns out that there is no one in tune with the head coach you just signed up? I'd say that it is common sense to make sure there is a cohesive plan around assistants first.

@Windows97 said in Foster, Robertson etc:

@kiwi_expat said in Foster, Robertson etc:

@Windows97 said in Foster, Robertson etc:

Getting the best talent in NZ rugby, forcing them into pitched camps and then making them fight to the death for the job seems an entirely silly way of doing it...

I think we'd all agree with this.

No, no your wrong here, a number of people have been arguing with me all day this is exactly how it should be.

No we are trying to tell you that you are simplifying what happens to prove your argument and that your scenarios aren't based on reality.

@Windows97 said in Foster, Robertson etc:

then to his surprise/delight he sees Schmidt and Brown have applied for AC.

That is unlikely to be a surprise. If it is then Robertson wouldn't be very clued up.

@Windows97 said in Foster, Robertson etc:

@Crucial said in Foster, Robertson etc:

@Windows97 said in Foster, Robertson etc:

I'm saying that limits those positions to either people the HC has worked with or knows.

And you are sure of this? One of the first questions I would ask an applicant about their package is if they had considered others outside of their 'circle'. You'd know who was available and interested. It would undermine your own application to ignore others and not be ready with the reasoning behind who is in and who isn't from your package.
You are showing quite a naive view to how this likely works. It is very unlikely that you would get the job by saying 'and my mates here have said they will work with me'

Are you involved in the application process to even know this? Your assuming those are the questions they asked - so were you there?

I thought it was quite clear I was making assumptions and attributing questions to "what I would do" but even so mistakes or bad practice does not mean fundamental flaws, just poor application.

I'm still searching for the cred of this commentary YT channel but an interesting array of 'facts' around where Brexit has lead the UK.

@Windows97 said in Foster, Robertson etc:

I'm saying that limits those positions to either people the HC has worked with or knows.

And you are sure of this? One of the first questions I would ask an applicant about their package is if they had considered others outside of their 'circle'. You'd know who was available and interested. It would undermine your own application to ignore others and not be ready with the reasoning behind who is in and who isn't from your package.
You are showing quite a naive view to how this likely works. It is very unlikely that you would get the job by saying 'and my mates here have said they will work with me'

@Windows97 said in Foster, Robertson etc:

We want the best people to coach the team however...
...
We then limit out of those people who could apply down even further to just those who have been selected by a head coach applicant to be part of "their team".

Wrong. You are assuming that there is no work done by the HC applicant to find the best available (and by that I mean the best available that will work well under their vision).
In the corporate world this is often done by a new CEO getting rid of incumbents and appointing those that share the attributes they want to suceed. Does that mean the new people are the best (or even better than those they replace)? Not at all.
NZR are completely able to suggest someone else to be involved if they have identified an available assistant that they deem 'the best'. The desired HC then gets to state a case for and against their appointment.

@Windows97 said in Foster, Robertson etc:

@Crucial So the process is fundamentally flawed and produces terrible results and your keen to continue to use it for the next AB coach?

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree...

Bad decisions and fundamental flaws are different things.