Thread: Today's Rugby

^ Based upon this fact alone Deans has done a great job maintaining the Wallabies position at number 2 behind the ABs.

I cannot imagine any other coach doing a better job then what he has done not to mention losing 2 team captains to serious injuries over the last 4 months.

Australian rugby is crippled at this point of time.

Originally Posted by petegilly

^^^ Agreed. New Zealand and South Africa at least have their provincial championships to use as a base to identify and nurture talent.
And I do think that Australia were better off with just there teams in the S12 Days..

ARC, flower set up? That only lasted a season or two didn't it? I remember seeing a few games being televised here.
Do you think that Australia could benefit from playing overseas based players as the Boks are at the moment? For my money Francois Louw was the best Bok forward on the park yesterday and he is based in Bath....

The ban on overseas players is probably the one thing they have right. Super xv is the toughest comp. if we let p,ayers go o/s chasing the big money in Japan and France they will be getting less useful experience than they would at home, where they are needed to make the super xv work.
This is without the problem of getting them released to play in our test windows which are northern mid season.

Originally Posted by Necron99

The ban on overseas players is probably the one thing they have right.

Completely disagree. To prevent players representing their country because of which club they play for is a joke.

^ it's the only way the super xv remains viable in Australia and to some extent, in NZ.
It's a reality that rugby is the poor third code, it cannot compete with the money on offer for top talent in France and Japan.
If the Australian teams we're to collapse in the super xv, that would be the end of the sport in this country.

Originally Posted by Necron99

it's the only way the super xv remains viable in Australia and to some extent, in NZ.

Wouldn't promoting the sport at grass-roots level (I think they call it grooming in the Sun) have a bigger, longer lasting impact? I agree that sporting success also plays a significant part, but what real success against international opposition does League or Aussie Rules have? League has very little international support (GB, NZ maybe?) and Ocker rules is not only daft it has no significant international presence. The only team sports that are popular in Aus that do have a lot of international competition are football and cricket.

I know Aus has a much smaller population than the UK, but if you take into account the numbers of days that aren't raining/snowing divided by the number of chips consumed on a Friday night, Australia actually has 15 times as much sporting participation than the Foggy Isles.

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

Australia actually has 15 times as much sporting participation than the Foggy Isles.

You mean sunny days?

Seems that Aussies these days are doing everything but participating in sport.

Yes, pretty much everyone agrees that the grassroots is the main issue. The reality is that here the vast majority of the star players come from a literal handful of private schools.
But another reality is that when the two by far most popular codes are your competition for young new talent, that grassroots expansionis expensive. Money only flows to the code through Super XV, which really only pays for itself, and The Tests, which supply most of the ARU revenue. Super XV is only shownon cable, and cable penetration is only abouta 30% in Oz. many young kids probably never see a game of Rugby unless it is a test played at home, and by then, its a foreign game to them.
The current management of the game have painted themselves into a corner somewhat, getting out will,be difficult.

It should be a great game at Soccer City, Sowto toady.. Both the Boks and AB's coming off convincing wins last Saturday and I fancy the Puma's to get their first RC win later in the day.

Saturday already? How remiss of me, thats what not having a watch or a calendar does to you.

Boks will be up for it at home, the new young players and an attacking mindset will see them through. I tip a small win for them in a low scoring game, 21-16.

While the Wallabies show promise with only 3 run on Tahs the lack of combinations and 1st cap nerves will get the better of them. The side picked is top heavy, trying to compete with the Argies on their strengths rather than outthink them.
16 point win for the Pumas and the end of the Deans debacle.

10 pm for the boks v ab's
6.10 am for the Deans swan song.

The Wallabies show great guts to overcome the Pumas on their soil by 25 to 19 and The All Blacks confirm they are streets ahead of everyone else by thrashing the Springboks in their own back-yard 32-16.

Aussies still number 2 in the standings and Deans has a reprieve until Christmas.

Qantas Wallabies wrote:

FT: ARG 19 def by AUS 25

The Wallabies have shown a lot of character in a win that Captain Nathan Sharpe has described as "gutsy". With the win, Australia have snuck in to 2nd position for in The Rugby Championship behind All Blacks.

^
^^
I have not read your posts, I have not seen the score.
I will be back after what I assume is a replay on 107 at 16:00.

Doh, sorry, best not open a thread about rugby if one wishes to watch a delayed match and not know the score.

Wonderful, I've gone all day avoiding the score and any reporting and 10 minutes until what I assume is the Wallaby Pumas replay (as they already replayed the Boks game) and the fucking heavens have opened in Bangkok Noi delivering sheets of grape sized raindrops of just the right size and texture to fuck with the satellite reception..cnuts.
Maybe it's a sign.

Bastards!
Rain has stopped, sat back on and the game is the Boks AB's again!
Coverage is 3.5 hours so I can only hope the 2 are being shown back to back..

Dunno, sunny here in Bali, and I just watched an AFL grand final reply on a channel, ASN, never heard of it before!

Godless Sons of Bitches......!
The second game is last weeks AB's v Pumas....!
Motherfeckers...

But I feel your pain!

Coverage at 16:30 for the last game of the domestic season, the dead rubber Bledisloe match between Cheatie McCaws' all conquering Darkness and the Wobblies. The Darkness are looking for a record 17 straight wins, it seems that an Act of God is required for them to drop a game.
Nothing significant going on at Camp Darkness, the team and Cheaties referee blinding Jedi mind tricks are all at full strength.
The Wobblies though are all over the shop, more injuries and we are into our 39th cap for the season, I have no idea who any of the players are nor what they are capable of.
Should be a sound thrashing, but, this is Brisbane, scene of our epic Tri-nations demolition of the Orcish horde in 2011 and I do seem to recall that last time the Devil's Minions were going for some record number of wins we put paid to that plan with an upset win in Honkas, so you never know.

Would have to go with the AB's on this one, but it could be an epic trip up..
Otherwise on the domestic front, both ITM Cup in NZ and Currie Cup in SA are in the semi's phase today.

Wow...

Thanks to the Wallabies for stopping the ABs record attempt!

History repeats, draws in Brisbane 1988 & 2012

If you read this, the similarities are amazing.
Golden era beckons for Wallabies | The Roar

Despite no tries, it was an enthralling game, perhaps one game too many for the Darkness and the Wallabies had a basically fresh line up.
Hope Higgers doesn't get too many weeks for spanking McCheat.

Oh how many Keewees have told me the All Black shirt would never have a sponsors logo on the front of it?

Originally Posted by Necron99

spanking McCheat.

spanking?..... sad to see a player of Higginbotham's pedigree to resort to pathetic cheap shots....