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The final whistle must have just blown in a test match against the Wallabies, then. 😊
Aussie-born England capped rake Nic Dolly signs with Force ... and he'll soon be eligible for the Wallabies
Good luck to the lad – had a terrible time with injury.
Aussie-born England capped rake Nic Dolly signs with Force ... and he'll soon be eligible for the Wallabies
…and the only RWC winner in the current Crusaders squad is 36 year old Owen Franks, isn’t it?
All Blacks star signs surprise short-term deal with Irish heavyweights
You mean like the Wallabies?
All Blacks star signs surprise short-term deal with Irish heavyweights
You do know Jacko, who I was replying to, is a Kiwi, right?
The ABs have dominated rugby for the last decade? How do you work that one out? They certainly dominated rugby from about 2009-2015. But, that was a while back.
All Blacks star signs surprise short-term deal with Irish heavyweights
😂 😂 😂 😂
Yes, my ‘desperate need to be relevant’ manifests itself as posting on an Aussie rugby site. I also post on Welsh, English, Kiwi and general sites occasionally.
I suppose it could be a psychological problem or, alternatively, I could just be interested in rugby.
The insecure always get wound up when ‘outsiders’ offer an opinion (no offence).
All Blacks star signs surprise short-term deal with Irish heavyweights
Eh? Why would the fact Parling was on the Lions tour in 2013 be relevant to the Lions lineout I’m 2025?
I’d suggest the WBs have a few more immediate things to worry about than a Lions tour anyway.
CONFIRMED: Wallabies land final piece of coaching puzzle as ex-Lion signs on ahead of showpiece event
You’re talking about the Leagues. The comparable comp to the SRP is the European Cup.
I watch both (the time difference means I can watch both on the same day).
I can only go on what I’ve seen this season, because SRP coverage has been patchy in the U.K. the last few years (probably contractual reasons).
The standard of the European Cup has been consistently higher.
It’s not surprising. Few of the world’s very top players play in the SRP any more.
All Blacks star signs surprise short-term deal with Irish heavyweights
But, but, but, I was continually told the ABs were the best team in the world throughout their 24 year run of not winning the RWC.
I’m confused…
All Blacks star signs surprise short-term deal with Irish heavyweights
But, you can offer some informed opinion. If a ‘club team’ is virtually as strong as the international side ranked 2nd in the world, it’s not too much of a leap, is it?
All Blacks star signs surprise short-term deal with Irish heavyweights
Oh, it’s a NZ website as well is it? I love the way the NZ bit comes before the Aussie bit.
If you just want to hear how every AB is a Demi-God who can do no wrong, why not simply stick to ‘Stuff.’
All Blacks star signs surprise short-term deal with Irish heavyweights
Do they Jacko? So the French comfortably beating the ABs and the ball being lodged on Jordie Barrett’s thigh when in the process of Ireland dotting down probably the winning try, tells you what?
Are we to believe that Super Rugby was rubbish in 2019 because England comfortably beat the ABs in the RWC?
A major shift has taken place in rugby below international level.
Virtually none of the players that would make most people’s ‘world 23’ currently play in SRP. That’s extraordinary.
All Blacks star signs surprise short-term deal with Irish heavyweights
The Bristol game was a friendly to shake off the dust caused by the pause in the season from the Six Nations. But, Bristol is a fairly average Prem side.
The key competition and comparator is the European Cup. The standard in the knockout rounds has been higher than the SRP.
Two or three of the Kiwi teams would be contenders, none of the others in SRP would.
I repeat. Pick your world 23 and tell me how many of them are currently plying their trade in SRP.
All Blacks star signs surprise short-term deal with Irish heavyweights
Leinster would stick 50 points on any of the Aussie SRP teams.
All Blacks star signs surprise short-term deal with Irish heavyweights
If you were picking a World 23 today, 90% of players would be playing in the European Champions Cup, 10%, at most, in SRP (that’s assuming Savea is coming back).
That’s an amazing turnaround. Partly because of SA now playing in the URC, but also a general trend shift.
The SRP is very up and down in quality. When Brad Shields can’t secure a contract for a top English team, but walks straight back into the backrow of the best team in SRP, that should give you pause.
All Blacks star signs surprise short-term deal with Irish heavyweights
‘I wonder how the Champions Cup / Top 14 and other games recently – compare with
these top quality viewings …’
Why don’t you watch the Champions Cup (three QFs yesterday) and find out? We’re lucky in the UK time zone because I could watch the SRP games yesterday morning and then 3 of the Champions Cup QFs back to back in the afternoon/evening.
The first one between Bordeaux and the English underdogs Harlequins finished 42-41 to the underdogs. It was played in 30 degree heat in front of 30,000 screaming French people. There were 12 tries and only 3 points in the entire game came from penalty kicks (by the French). The third game (Northampton v Bulls) also had 12 tries and only three points from a penalty kick.
Sandwiched between was the match between Leinster (not far short of the Ireland national team) and last year’s champions La Rochelle.
In terms of pace, intensity and quality all three were a significant step up. The Rebels would lose to all teams involved by a sizeable margin.
It’s not a surprise (although it is a massive shift in, say the last five years) because if you were picking a ‘World 23’ today, 90% of the players would not be playing in the SRP.
'Kid wonder': Lancaster, Gordon shine as Rebels take one giant step in locking in maiden Super Rugby finals berth
Over the 3 European Cup QFs played yesterday, there were 30 tries.
There isn’t a ‘problem’ with rugby – there’s a problem with Australian rugby.
Rugby is losing the long-term battle: What World Rugby must learn from Australia before it's too late
😂 😂 😂
Hi KPM, sorry I’m a bit late replying but I was watching three of the European Cup QFs yesterday. The first one was a bit of a boring kick-fest in front of 30,000 screaming French people in Bordeaux in 30 degree heat. The boring English team, Harlequins, got up to win 42-41. 12 tries scored overall, none of the Harlequins points scored by penalty kicks, only one penalty kick from Bordeaux, and the all-time knockout competition record for points scored before halftime broken.
I think this record will stand for many years…oh, wait, it stood for 3 hours before it was broken by the Northampton – Bulls QF. Another 12 tries with only one penalty kick for points and another match in which the boring English team didn’t kick a single penalty.
Sandwiched in between was Leinster v La Rochelle, in front of 50,000 in which not far short of the Ireland national team beat last years champions. A mere 6 tries scored in this borefest.
The favourites Toulouse take on a young underdog English Exeter team this afternoon in the final match. After that we can sit down in the ‘North’ and talk about how on Earth we’re going to change things so that we can try and match the pace, intensity, skill and excitement of the Reds – Moana Pasifika game I snored through yesterday morning.
Rugby is losing the long-term battle: What World Rugby must learn from Australia before it's too late
I’ve made no such claims. Too many variables to make too many predictions about July. Not least the fact that England players will have been going at it virtually non-stop for 21 months, and I’ve no idea who will make it to NZ or what condition they’ll be in.
I also said European, not UK. Only a fool would deny that there’s been a major shift in the last three years or so. In 2018 most people picking a world 23 would have 85% of players playing in SR. Now, 90% of most objective people’s selection would be players playing in the 3 main Euro leagues.
That’s a massive shift. If you want to see the best players in the world knocking the stuffing out of each other, outside of international rugby, you need to watch the European Cup not SRP.
Rugby is losing the long-term battle: What World Rugby must learn from Australia before it's too late
????????????????
Look, it’s no shame to say ‘I’ve never watched NH rugby I’m just repeating what my mates told me in the pub 20 years ago?’
Oh, and is that the Chris Jack who finished his two year stint at Saracens 15 years ago?
Rugby is losing the long-term battle: What World Rugby must learn from Australia before it's too late
I can imagine…
Rugby is losing the long-term battle: What World Rugby must learn from Australia before it's too late
Indeed. It’s a well known fact that Dan Cole is the only prop in international rugby who does anything even vaguely shady at scrum time.
Rugby is losing the long-term battle: What World Rugby must learn from Australia before it's too late
I thought so…
Rugby is losing the long-term battle: What World Rugby must learn from Australia before it's too late
Did you watch the European Cup games last weekend?
Rugby is losing the long-term battle: What World Rugby must learn from Australia before it's too late
Which is what I’ve been pointing out for years to those banging on about the ‘vast numbers’ of rugby players England have to choose from. Most schools in England don’t play rugby. Many only take the game up at university and then carry on. Of course, even for the good ones, that’s far too late to take up the game to be a top class professional.
For the vast majority the game is waddling around in the local pub team 5ths before downing 10 pints of Scruttocks Old Peculiar.
Aussie-born England capped rake Nic Dolly signs with Force ... and he'll soon be eligible for the Wallabies