Thread: The 6 nations 2014

^it always was, the team were just playing a joke on you...

Originally Posted by Little Chuchok

It's a piece of piss to drop a scrum.Esp if you are a tighthead.

Originally Posted by Bruce Bayliss

no front row forward enjoys a collapsed scrum...

Originally Posted by buriramboy

The rules for the scrum are fine, the problem is the referees not enforcing them.

Because they don't actually know what is going on in there...and never have...this has been going on for over a century...the problem is because of safety fears and closeup TV Twickenham are trying to fix it

Originally Posted by Bruce Bayliss

I have question for you front row experts that you can't Google...what is a loose arm?

No takers eh?

Originally Posted by Bruce Bayliss

Originally Posted by Little Chuchok

It's a piece of piss to drop a scrum.Esp if you are a tighthead.

Originally Posted by Bruce Bayliss

no front row forward enjoys a collapsed scrum...

Originally Posted by buriramboy

The rules for the scrum are fine, the problem is the referees not enforcing them.

Because they don't actually know what is going on in there...and never have...this has been going on for over a century...the problem is because of safety fears and closeup TV Twickenham are trying to fix it

The refs don't enforce the laws that are currently in place, for starters the scrum is supposed to be steady before the ball is put in, how much messing around and time wasting resetting scrums goes on because the front rows are a bunch of fukwits which leads to spectators getting pissed off more than anything else, simple solution warn them, scrum goes down again yellow card them all, all refs do this consistently and things will change. Feeding the ball straight, still isn't being done most of the time and the ref hardly blows up for it, again warn the scrum half, does it again card him.

Originally Posted by buriramboy

Feeding the ball straight, still isn't being done most of the time

Very true...but if they ruled on that as well the game would be a farce

Originally Posted by Bruce Bayliss

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruce Bayliss
I have question for you front row experts that you can't Google...what is a loose arm?
No takers eh?

OK...the loose arm...this was a technique in the old days when tight heads were far more important. These days the 8 man shove is normal from the defending pack so the quick striking hooker isn't as important.

If the loosehead hooker had long legs and a quick strike, and a scrum win was important the tighthead hooker would sometimes throw a loose arm bind.

Instead of binding his tighthead arm around the back of the tighthead prop's shoulders,he would slip the arm underneath the props chest and grip on the front of his jersey. This gave him a better angle and longer reach to go for the ball, even to the extent of striking behind the loosehead hooker.

It had dangers, for example of the scrum collapsed his tighthead arm could drag him down and wreck his loosehead (right) shoulder. Also if he did it too often and the opposing locks were onto it they would rake the shite out of his striking legs.

Originally Posted by Bruce Bayliss

Originally Posted by buriramboy

Feeding the ball straight, still isn't being done most of the time

Very true...but if they ruled on that as well the game would be a farce

Only if the refs let it become a farce, yellow card scrum halves consistently and they'll soon learn how to feed straight.

Originally Posted by Bruce Bayliss

Originally Posted by Bruce Bayliss

I have question for you front row experts that you can't Google...what is a loose arm?

No takers eh?

Maybe most of us aren't that interested and just sat back waiting for you to tell
us as we all knew you would .Seems that you've installed yourself as the resident
rugby expert on this thread so nobody's opinions are going to matter anyway,
well certainly not to you. Incidently could you explain what twickenham tv is?
I have lived in Thailand for a number of years now and have never heard of it.

setanta sports arn't advertising it as being shown, does any one know what channel it will be on, otherwise all this tough talk will be pointless.

Originally Posted by splitlid

setanta sports arn't advertising it as being shown, does any one know what channel it will be on, otherwise all this tough talk will be pointless.

The first 3 games will be torrents for me as the rugger bar shuts at midnight.

Originally Posted by jamiejambos

Seems that you've installed yourself as the resident
rugby expert on this thread so nobody's opinions are going to matter anyway,
well certainly not to you.

There are quite a few intelligent rugby posters on the Thai forums, sorry you aren't one of them...but watch, listen and ask intelligent questions and your knowledge will improve

Originally Posted by jamiejambos

Incidently could you explain what twickenham tv is?

I have never heard of Twickenham TV...you are a teacher...I am not so you should be telling me how to read.

Originally Posted by jamiejambos

Maybe most of us

So you are speaking for all the rugby posters on TD?

sad state of affairs since regionalisation

Welsh club rugby could die warns Pontypool director Ben Jeffreys

Club rugby in Wales cannot survive in its current form unless urgent action is taken according to Pontypool RFC's commercial director Ben Jeffreys.

Jeffreys claims the clubs have been left to "languish" by the Welsh Rugby Union and the four regional sides.

"It's got five to 10 years in its current form," Jeffreys told Radio Wales Sport.

He said WRU chief executive Roger Lewis has accepted an invitation to watch a match to see the challenges clubs face.

"When the older demographic is long gone, there won't be much of a club game to have around I don't think," Jeffreys added.
Continue reading the main story

“There can be no hiding from the mess that the club game is in and people at the top of the WRU and the regions have to take responsibility for it”

Ben Jeffreys Pontypool RFC commercial director

"There can be no hiding from the mess that the club game is in and people at the top of the WRU and the regions have to take responsibility for it, otherwise there probably will be a vote of no confidence in the board of the WRU if clubs are willing to speak up and act."

The WRU and Regional Rugby Wales, the body that represents the regions, have been asked for a response to Jeffreys' concerns but have so far failed to comment.

However, the WRU's financial records show that since 2008 it has invested almost £20m in its member clubs and grassroots rugby.

Swalec Championship side Pontypool, which during that period has also played in the top semi-pro Principality Premiership division, received a total of £333,302 since 2008.

Welsh rugby's elite professional tier was controversially reduced from nine to five teams for the launch of regional rugby in 2003.

One year later one of those teams, Celtic Warriors - a merger of Bridgend and Pontypridd rugby clubs - closed down amid more controversy.

That left Ospreys, Scarlets, Newport Gwent Dragons and Cardiff Blues as the nation's leading teams.

Club sides such as Pontypool, Bridgend and Pontypridd continued as semi-professional teams playing in the Welsh Premier and acting as feeder clubs to the regions.

Jeffreys feels the club game has deteriorated in Wales and its condition has been ignored by the governing body and the regions.

"If you just do a simple exercise on Twitter of following every rugby club that has a Twitter account you're looking at 25-30,000 people," said Mr Jeffreys.

"There's certainly an argument that that's a massive segment of the Welsh rugby market that's being ignored."

The WRU and the Welsh regions are currently locked in a bitter row over funding, the exodus of Welsh players and a proposed Anglo-Welsh league.

On Tuesday regional rugby bosses met MPs in Westminster to discuss the situation.

Jeffreys feels the state of the club game should also be on the agenda as a matter of urgency.

"I feel like we've been largely ignored by the regions and I think they are starting to hold their hands up to that because they've had no other choice in the spectrum of this debate," said Jeffreys.

"In fairness to the Blues in particular and the Dragons, in relation to Pontypool, we've had some very good discussions with them lately and I'm confident that if we can get through this then it will be better for the whole game in the long run."

Obviously my little piss-take has completely gone right over the top of your head.
With a surname like Bayliss you sound like some kind of antipodean
vacuum-cleaner that sucks up shite and blows out hot-air.
Worked out whether i'm Scottish or Irish yet? Einstein,

[QUOTE=Bruce Bayliss;2678060][QUOTE="jamiejambos"]Seems that you've installed yourself as the resident
rugby expert on this thread so nobody's opinions are going to matter anyway,

Originally Posted by jamiejambos

Maybe most of us

So you are speaking for all the rugby posters on TD?

When has '' most'' ever meant '' all ''

Please fellas, play nice and stick to the rugby eh?

Originally Posted by ChiangMai noon

sad state of affairs since regionalisation

Welsh club rugby could die warns Pontypool director Ben Jeffreys

Club rugby in Wales cannot survive in its current form unless urgent action is taken according to Pontypool RFC's commercial director Ben Jeffreys.

Jeffreys claims the clubs have been left to "languish" by the Welsh Rugby Union and the four regional sides.

"It's got five to 10 years in its current form," Jeffreys told Radio Wales Sport.

He said WRU chief executive Roger Lewis has accepted an invitation to watch a match to see the challenges clubs face.

"When the older demographic is long gone, there won't be much of a club game to have around I don't think," Jeffreys added.
Continue reading the main story

“There can be no hiding from the mess that the club game is in and people at the top of the WRU and the regions have to take responsibility for it”

Ben Jeffreys Pontypool RFC commercial director

"There can be no hiding from the mess that the club game is in and people at the top of the WRU and the regions have to take responsibility for it, otherwise there probably will be a vote of no confidence in the board of the WRU if clubs are willing to speak up and act."

The WRU and Regional Rugby Wales, the body that represents the regions, have been asked for a response to Jeffreys' concerns but have so far failed to comment.

However, the WRU's financial records show that since 2008 it has invested almost £20m in its member clubs and grassroots rugby.

Swalec Championship side Pontypool, which during that period has also played in the top semi-pro Principality Premiership division, received a total of £333,302 since 2008.

Welsh rugby's elite professional tier was controversially reduced from nine to five teams for the launch of regional rugby in 2003.

One year later one of those teams, Celtic Warriors - a merger of Bridgend and Pontypridd rugby clubs - closed down amid more controversy.

That left Ospreys, Scarlets, Newport Gwent Dragons and Cardiff Blues as the nation's leading teams.

Club sides such as Pontypool, Bridgend and Pontypridd continued as semi-professional teams playing in the Welsh Premier and acting as feeder clubs to the regions.

Jeffreys feels the club game has deteriorated in Wales and its condition has been ignored by the governing body and the regions.

"If you just do a simple exercise on Twitter of following every rugby club that has a Twitter account you're looking at 25-30,000 people," said Mr Jeffreys.

"There's certainly an argument that that's a massive segment of the Welsh rugby market that's being ignored."

The WRU and the Welsh regions are currently locked in a bitter row over funding, the exodus of Welsh players and a proposed Anglo-Welsh league.

On Tuesday regional rugby bosses met MPs in Westminster to discuss the situation.

Jeffreys feels the state of the club game should also be on the agenda as a matter of urgency.

"I feel like we've been largely ignored by the regions and I think they are starting to hold their hands up to that because they've had no other choice in the spectrum of this debate," said Jeffreys.

"In fairness to the Blues in particular and the Dragons, in relation to Pontypool, we've had some very good discussions with them lately and I'm confident that if we can get through this then it will be better for the whole game in the long run."

What level are the formation of an Anglo-Welsh league being targeted at? I think it would be a benefit to both areas to merge leagues at 'English Championship' level, but the top tier would still have to stay in place for the WRU to exist and therefore for Wales to have a representative team.

But would it make any difference? If there's little support for club rugby in Wales, then it'll die regardless.

^
would be for the 4 fully pro regions
none of whom i have the least interest in


nice to see my team pontypridd winning their group stage of the british and oirish cup
massive 40 odd -0 win over edinburgh academicals to seal their spot

no mean feat considering the 3 teams in their group were all fully professional

Originally Posted by chassamui

Please fellas, play nice and stick to the rugby eh?

Preaching to the wrong fella Chass.

Originally Posted by ChiangMai noon

nice to see my team pontypridd winning their group stage of the british and oirish cup

Good to see, and it's important to support rugby at this level, obviously. The local community teams are the heartbeat of rugby.

Originally Posted by ChiangMai noon

Welsh club rugby could die warns Pontypool director Ben Jeffreys

I think that possibility is scary and sad. Wales used to be a powerhouse in world rugby but that waned by the 1960's except for the 1971 Lions team which was Welsh stacked with top players from the other countries. I question whether the decline of coalmining and heavy industry is part of the problem.

New Zealand is losing both clubs and players, and not just in the country areas. The difference here is that the national union owns the game, and the players, and therefore controls the provincial unions (read clubs) in a way only the British Unions can dream of. They jealously guard the All Black jersey so that only the most elite players can risk taking a lucrative contract in the northern hemisphere. in other words if one takes the big money in the north don't bother coming back.

It is well known if they had not done that the game would be in trouble here as well.

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

The local community teams are the heartbeat of rugby.

Oh yes they are, and if the professional clubs don't send the money down they will wither as sure as anything.

Originally Posted by Bruce Bayliss

The difference here is that the national union owns the game, and the players, and therefore controls the provincial unions

that's the way it works, or rather doesn't work, in wales too

Originally Posted by ChiangMai noon

that's the way it works, or rather doesn't work, in wales too

The difference in Wales is that the top players all play for clubs that own them...no All Blacks can do that...easily

Originally Posted by Bruce Bayliss

The difference in Wales is that the top players all play for clubs that own them.

the wru are considering offering central contracts in a bid to stop the bleed to other countries

already being done by all accounts

january 19
Wales Rugby: Sam Warburton set to sign central contract | Live Rugby News | ESPN Scrum

Wales captain Sam Warburton is set to sign a central contract with the Welsh Rugby Union, according to reports in the Mail on Sunday.

The deal will have huge ramifications in the current war between the regions and the WRU over a new Participation Agreement. The WRU reportedly tabled offers to six players whose contracts are up at the end of the season in a bid to keep them playing in the country.

Alongside Scott Williams, Alun-Wyn Jones, Adam Jones, Rhys Priestland and Leigh Halfpenny, Warburton has been linked with a move abroad but he has frequently stated his preference to stay in Wales. And it appears the WRU has got its man.

The deal is reportedly worth £300,000 a year and the organisation will control the player, but loan him to a region, most likely the Blues. The WRU will then have a say in which matches the Welsh captain will play.