The Silver Fern

Yeah needs a bit of polish but the raw materials are there for an excellent player

@canefan Eddie would agree.

@Tim said in QF: Blues v Tahs:

@Nepia Just sign up, you lazy fuck.

You're 100% correct here.

@TeWaio said in Black Caps v England:

@Donsteppa said in Black Caps v England:

Joys of one run or one point in sport. Had it been a one wicket loss...! I've occasionally wondered how NZ rugby history would have gone had 2011 finished up 7 - 8 at Eden Park instead.

Or if Merths' late droppie in 1995 had gone over...

or if Mils try in the corner was awarded

@duluth said in Hurricanes v Blues (pre-season):

@kiwimurph

Oops, yes I forgot

it's Northland, totally understandable

@mariner4life said in Poll: Foster reappointment:

@frye i think there are a lot of factorsstill in the Crusaders favour that slightly skew the number of titles.

But

Having talent and depth but getting the best out of it is what being the AB coach is all about.

However, for all the talk of the head coach, at test level i am more convinced than ever that the quality of the assistant coaches has more to do with the overall success of the team than just the HC.

In the current game, the most important coaches are arguably the defence coach and the skills coach. Our skills dropped off when we lost Mick the Kick and our defence is obviously shit

really wish I had unfollowed this thread

@damo said in Blues v Waratahs:

@kruse said in Blues v Waratahs:

@daffy-jaffy said in Blues v Waratahs:

Now thats a good lift -
dadf6eb0-93af-493f-94aa-7b98de7dac2b-image.png

Genuine question... why did they ever change the laws to allow lifting?
It's always seemed to me that it just caused more problems than I can think of ever existing pre-lifting.

You're just looking back with rose tinted glasses. Lineouts used to be an absolute shit fest. Scrappy forwards elbowing at each other to win rubbish ball for the halfback to deal with or get smashed by the opposing players.

Lifting in lineouts is the best change they ever made.

Fair 'nuff
Like I said - honest question... I think a few people have said similar things - I'll bow to the masses.
Could the same effect have been achieved done other ways? Probably.
Doesn't matter... we are where we are, and it is better than before. Like so many things, I sometimes wonder if it could have been fixed by just proper application of the laws at the time.

@Duluth thanks fella, glad someone else found the same issue!

NOt a show stopper, but nice to have.

Yeah, saw that on the TV news last night. Félix Hernández is also keen.

Hernández is a six-time all-star, and has pitched both a 'perfect game' - conceding no hits over nine innings - and an 'immaculate inning' - nine pitches, nine strikes - both for the Seattle Mariners.

@Bones said in Post-Apocalyptic Sports:

@Snowy I'm gonna take a wild guess at Mr Andrew Cotter. Who knows really though.

Yeah that didn't show up until I scrolled over the vid. Know him from golf more than union. Funny bugger.

@LABCAT said in Dream11 Super Smash:

Free entry before 2PM:

that's a cool initiative 🙂

@rotated said in Why this feels different...:

@pakman said in Why this feels different...:

The sad thing to contemplate is that the way money is influencing things a combination of NH getting its player base together and the increasing player drain is making staying near the top an incredible challenge.

It's ironic though, the drain is supposedly much worse now but the second gut punch in 2007 was realizing that McAlister, Hayman, Mauger, Howlett, Jack, Masoe, Kelleher etc had all played their last test (at least for a while); and over the next few months Collins and Evans firmed up as leaving too.

This time only Read from the starting side is off and it would be hard to argue Smith or SBW left too many test in the tank either.

One thing which really upset me about 2007 was that we were by far away the best team there.

In 91 and 99 Oz were tops. In 2003 England was no 1, just. Being at Ellis Park in 95 and seeing what it meant for the nation was the ONLY time I've ever watched the ABs and thought, 'It wouldn't be so bad if we lost this', and after all it was a draw by normal standards.

Saturday for me felt as though we played the final a week early. That said, no guarantee Poms will get up this week.

First time in years that I watched most of that.

It was a bit disappointing those late safety cars came out, because I was looking forward to an old time finish with cars spluttering to a halt half a lap from the finish.

I think Whincup would've been a good bet if he'd kept the lead and played the same cards as Scotty.

New Zealand one-two in Australia's Great Race! 🙂

@cgrant said in SANZAAR players coming home:

Players I'd like to see back in NZ for Super Rugby :

Fitzgerald (the Chiefs' stock of locks is rather empty)
Colin Slade
Ihia West (he's been good for La Rochelle and there aren't many experienced 1st 5/8 in the country)
Charles Piutau and Steven Luatua (of course)
Rory Grice (two years ago, he was rated as the best Nr.8 in the Top 14 - it's a position where the NZ teams are lacking big physical men)
Michael Fatialofa (he would bring some grunt to the Blues second row)
Victor Vito (his experience is needed)
Tawera Kerr-Barlow (for the third halfback spot in the ABs)

Saw West play. Looked bloody sharp. Was carving up. TKB not so much. But he seemed to have a vendetta against the opposing 9. Got himself a yellow.

@Kirwan said in Blues vs Stormers:

@pakman said in Blues vs Stormers:

@Kruse said in Blues vs Stormers:

@taniwharugby said in Blues vs Stormers:

@Kruse yeah kinda (although isnt that just catch it full stop, not be on the ground?) but given there arent off-sides and > It simply isnt an easy fix because this game is all about the contest, but as soon as the ball goes in the air, one person seems to have all rights and the other doesnt, meaning there isnt really a contest.

Yeah - the "AFL" call was a facile comment,
But anyway - at the moment - which "one person" has all the rights? Some people seem to think it's the person who jumped first, some who think it was who jumped the highest, some who think it's who was in place first. And generally - it turns out to be (in the ref's eyes) who got least injured in some sort of potentially career-ending collision.
It's fucked.
And yeah, your particular suggestion - I'm not sure I agree with it being the best one, but it's certainly an option. Possibly one that achieves the effect both I was thinking of, and Mariner's.

If I were involved in the rule setting I'd get a couple of AFL experts in and ask how within their rules they ensure people don't break their necks. Those jokers climb up each other's backs, but I'm not aware (perhaps because of sheer ignorance) that lots of neck/back injuries result.

This a good question, would prefer a skills based solution

Mainly because they're jumping in the same direction, leaping upwards as opposed to forwards. The increase in forward velocity in rugby contests in the air make someone invariably unstable and easier to rotate when they hit another player who becomes a fulcrum. The faster both players in rugby are travelling at each other, the greater the moment (turning force) when they collide.