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I have to apologise in advance for cracking and putting pen to paper on the subject of Jarryd Hayne. I'd understand if my car…
Carl Friedrich Gauss was a German mathematician and child prodigy who, among other things, is credited with developing the Gaussian function - an algebraic…
Last Sunday, at a country rugby field, among the autumn leaves gently falling and the cool wind gusting across the ground, Wallabies scrum coach…
Boys, Us supporters just wanted to drop you a line before the World Cup final on Saturday. It's a massive game of course, and…
UK sporting columnist Simon Barnes said it best: “The sport was never designed as an activity on which fortunes and the reputations of nations…
One of the telling moments in New Zealand's 62-13 drubbing of a beleaguered France came in the 65th minute when Charlie Faumuina ran through…
The news that James O’Connor had been released by the Reds and was heading back to Europe brought back a taste of the venom…
What a shame the marketers ever got hold of the All Blacks. There was once a genuine aura about the New Zealanders, a mystique…
Over his career, golfer Gary Player accumulated nine major championships on the regular tour and six Champions Tour major championship wins. Player was the…
You know it's a big game when the All Blacks aren't playing but the New Zealand journos are still writing it up. Chris Rattue,…
At the Rugby World Cup in 2003, the Springboks played Samoa in Brisbane. During the warm-up, when players were running along the dead-ball line…
Coaches mostly get too much credit for winning and too much grief when their team is losing. Michael Cheika is probably getting slightly more…
As England prepares to take on Fiji in the opening match of the Rugby World Cup in 48 hours, the question on everyone's lips…
The recent gnashing of teeth out of Wales, where champion fullback Leigh Halfpenny has been ruled out of the Rugby World Cup with an…
Ah, the tragedy of race in South African rugby. All that can be said is that it has ever been thus. In 1963, the…
At the time of writing the Rugby World Cup is 23 days and 8 hours away, and closing fast. Of course, you knew that,…
Last Saturday, the Wallabies again failed to compete at Eden Park, slamming the brakes on the accelerating speculation about their World Cup chances. The…
François-Marie Arouet was born in 1694 in Paris, France, and died 83 years later in the same city. In those 83 eventful years François-Marie…
The news this week that the iconic Lansdowne Hotel was finally closing its doors made me cast my mind back to my time there…
Rugby makes men. Women too these days, and fine women they are, but still overwhelmingly, it makes men. There is no place to hide…
Harold….I’m genuinely interested as I made a concerted effort to make observations, not commentary….which part of what I wrote do you feel is “clueless”?
I’d value your feedback.
Boks can't outrun old race wars
Harry…..I was reluctant to write this piece in a way, because the complexities are far beyond our limited and often simplistic understanding here in Australia. For me, my wife is Zimbabwean, and my brother-in-law, an ex-Zim international at the 1991 World Cup, lives in Capetown, so I feel I get a little more depth than the average Aussie, but it is still a daunting subject.
Your numbers are interesting, particularly around schools participation. It is a similar problem being faced by rugby in Australia, at least as far as kids coming through. The answer is getting them playing the game at school.
Boks can't outrun old race wars
Thanks Sheek – you’re right, Tobias was veyr late when he made his debut. However, I think that he would have been held back anyway, just because the style of the SA game in those days was very much about kicking for field position and Botha probably had a superior kicking game.
Tobias was very much a running flyhalf, as evidenced by the number of tries scored on his watch.
Brad Morgan wrote in 2003 “With a gifted backline lined up outside of him – including great players like Danie Gerber and Carel du Plessis – Tobias excelled at orchestrating flowing movements that tore the opposition to shreds. In the four matches that he played at flyhalf, South Africa scored 122 points, running in 18 tries, 12 of them by backline players.”
Boks can't outrun old race wars
Greg…..nailed it once again and interesting to see the huge value of back ball vs front ball. Even with my coaching hat on, I hadn’t given a lot of thought to the fullback positioning, for instance.
Will take much more notice in future!
Why just winning lineout ball isn't enough
Pretty good overview nickoldschool – you could have written this for me! I really liked the Argies vs SA. I thought they were very strong in the tackle and rattled the Boks, who flattered themselves afterward that they hadn’t played that well. Much of their poor handling and decision making was due to Argentinean pressure.
Talking up Fiji feels good doesn’t it!! We’d all love to see them pull off a big game upset. I think you’re right, that England will probably beat them easily. My hope though is that they get an early try or two and rattle England – their wild style will be confusing and if the Poms get behind then anything could happen.
Re NZ, it will be a shame if sides stop playing against them in tournament play and simply concede defeat and save themselves for more winnable matches. Bad for rugby, and bad for NZ, but not unlikely.
Cheers…
Opening weekend the key to Rugby World Cup
True Story…..good pickup, just seeing if you were concentrating! No, my mistake, England beat Samoa 44-22 that year, poor score check from me. Cheers…
Opening weekend the key to Rugby World Cup
Moa….factual error indeed…..mea culpa. Well done on the pickup.
Opening weekend the key to Rugby World Cup
G’day Harry…..ah yes the beauty of The Roar is always the educated readers, not to mention the educated experts and writers like your good self! Mate you are 100% correct and that is my mistake. England beat Samoa 44-22 in their pool that year and were indeed beaten by South Africa 36-0. I should have remembered that score really….for some reason as a schoolboy whenever you got a flogging it seemed to be 36-0, perhaps it was the 4 point tries in those days.
I knew England got a pasting….I looked at the wrong score in the record, and should have trusted my memory!
Opening weekend the key to Rugby World Cup
“I assume by that comment, you are therefore inspiring this particular team to take the law into their own hands”
You assume wrongly.
Wallabies must learn the art of gutter fighting
Fair enough. I can’t actually believe I did it myself.
Wallabies must learn the art of gutter fighting
Not really, I’d describe it as a controlled and vicious physicality. Eben Etzebeth a good example. Bakkies Botha a bit too far at times but still good. Jerry Collins…Brian Lima…Schalk Burger…
Wallabies must learn the art of gutter fighting
OB,
I never write in jest and I would never insult my own intelligence, let alone yours, by saying that I did. My point is simply that the Wallabies go into Test matches expecting them to be fair contests, and they often aren’t, and there appears to be bemusement about how to handle that.
I am not advocating hairbrained thuggery. Neither was Fairbairn. He was simply saying that you need to be prepared to do whatever it takes to win. The Wallabies are prepared to do some of what it takes to win, but not everything.
I am reminded of Jimmy Malone talking to Elliott Ness in the Untouchables about how to get Al Capone.
Malone: You said you wanted to get Capone. Do you really wanna get him? You see what I’m saying is, what are you prepared to do?
Ness: Anything within the law.
Malone: And *then* what are you prepared to do? If you open the can on these worms you must be prepared to go all the way. Because they’re not gonna give up the fight, until one of you is dead.
Ness: I want to get Capone! I don’t know how to do it.
Malone: You wanna know how to get Capone? They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. *That’s* the *Chicago* way! And that’s how you get Capone.
The Wallabies are currently a little too Elliott Ness, and not quite enough Jimmy Malone.
Wallabies must learn the art of gutter fighting
Willie O a great example Sheek. Clear head, hugely physical, and devastating consequences. I would put Jerry Collins in the same class. Brian Lima is another one. Thierry Dusatoir also. Eben Etzebeth is growing into that role for the Boks. Not thugs at all, but definitely guys to stay away from on the field.
As I said in another comment….these are guys that people avoid not so much because of what they DO do, but what they MIGHT do! The fear of the possibility was enough.
Wallabies must learn the art of gutter fighting
Nailed it Woodsman. What the Wallabies need is one or two players that concern the opposition, not because of what they DO do, but more because of what they MIGHT do. Its that uncertainty which is distracting and invaluable.
Wallabies must learn the art of gutter fighting
Council……allow me to clarify. I’m not saying we wouldn’t think of it…..I’m saying, I wish we WOULD think of it! If I wasn’t clear enough, let me say plainly, I love the All Blacks approach and I wish the Wallabies had some of that.
Wallabies must learn the art of gutter fighting
kiwihaydn…..mea culpa…..the Reason article was a convenient source, but I knew I’d face some Black-lash, and so it has proved. For the record, I know Reason is a Pom (hence specifying “NZ resident”), and I think he’s an idiot. If that helps.
You are 100% correct about the mind battle. As soon as Australians start talking about the retribution they face for winning, you know that they believe that they are inferior.
Wallabies must learn the art of gutter fighting
Disturbing stuff Nick….but that was the Lansdowne!
Lansdowne lessons on beating the Blacks
Machooka / WIU…..if you liked Lobby Lloyd, you’ll enjoy this then…..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNcdUbVWH8E
Lansdowne lessons on beating the Blacks
My understanding re Cliffy is that they are concentrating on having him 100% injury free and super fit for RWC. Good strategy if true.
Lansdowne lessons on beating the Blacks
WIU…..”respected” might be gilding the lily somewhat 😉
The Airpockets…. great bandname!
Lansdowne lessons on beating the Blacks
Machooka…..if the side named below is correct, then there is plenty of mobility…..Sio, Mumm, Fardy, Pocock, Hooper, then Mitchell, Giteau, Kuridrani, AAC and Folau, can all run the ball. If Foley can play the 2014 Tahs style and chance his arm….we may well be in for a contest.
Allez les Wallabies!
Lansdowne lessons on beating the Blacks
Blanco, Blanco, Blanco – how could I? My favourite prop also…Jean-Pierre Garuet…..Patrick Lescaboura, Jean-Pierre Rives of course…..now we’re hitting the 70’s!
Lansdowne lessons on beating the Blacks
Good pickup Sherry…..I was hoping some of us old school comic readers would get the Mandrake reference!
Wales can't take a World Cup trick