Jaguares jump Reds 22-8

In South America, football is first, second and third. Depending on the country, we also have basketball, motorsport, tennis and cycling. But they are just as minor as rugby.

Bakkies, I agree that is the purpose of the law, even though I don't agree with the law. Rarely if ever does a player deliberately slap a ball forward. If not able to intercept they are at best trying to block the pass. Again I say it's the attacking players responsibility to make a clean pass, and defenders to stop it. If the ball happens to deflect backwards there is, in theory, play on. If ball deflects forward we see this crazy yellow card and sometimes a penalty try as well. Certainly in this instance a penalty was uncalled for, let alone a yellow card. Might as well red card players for holding opponent up over goal line. Clearly spoiling any chance of a try being scored. Maybe coaches will get players to run with ball held above their head. Any attempt at grabbing ball will be a red card and 6 weeks suspendion for high tackle. Which is another sore point. The step back inside and ducking under an off balanced defender always results in higher than normal contact. Also probably the least painful tackle you'll ever get in a match. Yet it's become an automatic red card and long suspension.

i totaly agree with you. and let me add a couple more things, in every match you spend 10 to 15 minutes resetting the scrums. i personally dont understand why they keep playing the scrums, what its the point to throw the ball straight to the number 8 ? no dispute , no skills...... i believe they have to go a little to the old school , its almost ridiculous allows to make that many changes in the same game. you can almost change half of the team. thats killing the spirit, changing talented player form body building type because how many times have we see ,NZ winning matches from the bench

True concerned and that's no way to try and get off the bottom, same for the low Aus and SA sides. The travel is knocking a lot of the positives out of those sides and it's only the depth of the stronger franchises that allows them to cope.

Its a very valid point. It was a poor game and the Reds were not very good (yes I'm the king of understatement) and the constant lengthy interruption means I now record all games and watch with my thumb on the fast forward to get to the play. The head high tackle is getting out of hand - particularly where the attacking player stumbles/ducks/falls into contact when the tackler is already committed and the contact is completely accidental. Notwithstanding these sensible observations you've only got to read the comments above to see that the obvious solution to the Reds being cr@p is to throw the Argentinians out of super rugby........ Because its way harder for Aus teams to play there than a fixture at say Jo'burg....

Size is irrelevant if you don't use it with correct technique (foot position, straight back, shoulders above hips). Australia for the past three years have taken large packs to the JWC and still get minced by packs with less size. Even England have fielded lighter packs than Australia at that level.

Rich coming from you

Hi (again) Cynical Play (I replied to your question in "Five talking points from SR round 5". As a matter of fact (please don't believe and check it out by yourself) Argentina has been playing an American rugby competition. It's called the Americas Rugby Championship (in went y another name in the old days). B/c the Argie side (the Pumas) is too strong for our rivals-of-the day, we made up a team of youngsters (who may or may not feed either the Jaguares or the Pumas later) called Argentina XV. They play against the USA Eagles and the other national, "A" sides of Canada, Uruguay, Chile, Brazil, and Paraguay. Apologies for bringing in a bit more of competition/challenge for you guys. I used to think you Anglo Saxons stock loved competition & challenges, and specially trashing us poor, clumsy Latinos and other Diegos. Your kiwi cousins seem, strangely enough, to take great pleasure at beating us soundly & thoroughly. Perhaps there's a lesson there to be taken?

Well, there you go UTB.....you've provided a simple viewpoint, on the status of Aus rugby where size does matter so, they go for the bigger and heavier, pack. My guess is, the know-it-alls won't even bother to respond - just us mere mortals, who are still learning something new, every day. Thanks for the update but here's a hint - size does matter, if you know, how to use it properly.

Why do you keep going in this crusade to get rid of Jaguares from SR, do you really think that the problems of rugby union in Australia will go away if the the Jags are not there? Pls explain me and the rest of us why and how.

Fox stats showed that the Reds had a 50kg weight advantage in the scrum. That should confer an advantage at this level. [Cue procession of Roar know-it-alls (most of whom have never been in a scrum) to give a lecture on technique and how size doesn't matter].

wow.. from you...

would love to... doesn't make it a correct decision.... I mean do you really think the 6 nations teams would agree to travelling to Arg to play. Of course they wouldn't. It's has always been a flawed decision. Not to you obviously.

'Argentina should be in an American Competition obviously.' First of all you have to have professional opposition of a high standard. That isn't there currently and they are also included by Sanzar which is solely not run by Australia.

Despite all of the political nonsense in Argentinian Rugby they managed to organise national provincial and club competitions decades before the ARU got one off the ground.

It's to stop players from slapping forward passes with one hand to kill attacking movements and scoring opportunities. League probably has this law too but like most of the laws in that game the referees choose not to police it.

You need to have other sides to be able to have an American comp. Once the SMH driven agenda of cutting Super Rugby teams stops Argentina will look to field another side in the competition.

'Rugby Union is flawed, too many rule changes have muddled it up.' No it isn't flawed.

I agree with Nobrain, Argentina & Japan don't seem to be unhappy with the 18 team Super Rugby format.Both would do more travel than the other nations.

YeahRight, Your summing up on deliberate knock-ons is spot on.The law in this respect is one of the many reasons people are watching Rugby League.Someone on the Roar said that Mike Fraser and his assistants had good games.