Roar Guru
Joined August 2013
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"Never confuse motion with action."
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Rassie Erasmus told us to judge him on three criteria: improved performance on the field, depth built for the Rugby World Cup, and ‘transformation.’ So far, he gets a B minus, and was quite close to an A minus.
The All Blacks have only lost consecutively to an opponent ten times in history.
Bald fans and balding coaches can be grumpy, but bountifully blonde ball-players like Ned Hanigan and Faf de Klerk seem always in good cheer.
‘How do you know Australia exists? I mean, how do you really know it is real? On what basis do you believe in Australia?’
Tenth-ranked Argentina and the sixth-ranked Springboks take their rivalry across the Atlantic, and all the way to the foothills of the Andes, to play a settling test under the reliably clear blue skies of Mendoza, heaven for foodies. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog from 5:10am AEST.
Google ‘Cheika fired’ and the first result will be a Reuters article from early June of 2018, which discusses how ‘fired up’ Michael Cheika was to tangle with Joe Schmidt’s Irish squad.
Will Rassie Erasmus’ “Pooper” gamble of playing two opensiders with a link man and a classic fetcher on the bench pay off? Will Argentina return to form with the World Cup looming ever closer?
Super Rugby has the best names. Listening to Super Rugby commentators every weekend is a splendid cacophony of Spanish, Japanese, Xhosa, Sotho, Afrikaans, Tongan, Maori, or Fijian names stewed into an expressive anthem of speed and power.
Another June is gone, and hopes of beating the All Blacks lie in ruins again.
Despite beginning with two of the worst opening quarters in South African rugby history (and allowing a disgracefully soft try at the end of the first Test at Ellis Park), the Springboks rebounded.
Eddie Jones had Rassie Erasmus floored, gasping for breath, punch drunk, after twenty minutes of rugby at Ellis Park.
Conor Murray does not look like a scrumhalf. He’s too tall. He doesn’t wriggle. He’s not a gymnast. He does not have breakaway speed. His snipes are deceptively slow – he runs upright and fends. A halfback does not usually fend.
Since the Boer War, savagery has permeated the rugby rivalry between England and South Africa.
Lappies Labuschagne, Dillon Hunt, Pablo Matera and Michael Hooper looked good in my last piece, ‘Super Rugby stat deep dive: Who is tackling the most and the best?‘, regarding tacklers who want to tackle more and get up quickly to do so, dominating a lot of ball carriers, and seldom missing.
With Test season approaching, and the Super Rugby season advanced enough to render statistics meaningful, let’s look at our heavy tacklers’ efficacy.
Israel Folau is free to have his definition of eternal misery. But what would rugby hell look like?
Before Leigh Halfpenny takes a shot at goal, he takes off five articles of clothing.
Neutral Viking.
I think when you look at positions for crossover between NFL and rugby, these would be excellent fits:
– wings and wide receivers
– tight ends and No 8s
– running backs and 12s
– tall props and offensive linemen
The Wallabies forwards need to be accountable and go back to the future for Bledisloe 3
Excellent look! Should become a podcast.
Kitshoff as pod pivot is a thing that’s working for Boks; Etzebeth, too.
Why the Wallabies' Plan A isn't working
Most tactful post ever
The Wallabies forwards need to be accountable and go back to the future for Bledisloe 3
And he’s good at drop kicks!
The Wallabies forwards need to be accountable and go back to the future for Bledisloe 3
Ha!
Personally, I think a blend of respect and irreverence is always the way to go.
When did showing respect become a big ask?
QLD by a half dozen.
The four we always suspected are through, but who makes the NRC final?
2014
The Wallabies forwards need to be accountable and go back to the future for Bledisloe 3
Yes, once I ran the ruler over a Thor season (214). 1221 minutes of Super Rugby (76.3 minutes a match). Played almost every minute of 14 Tests for the Boks, so the total was over 2,000 minutes of elite rugby. All in all, I calculated about 390 severe impacts per season.
The Wallabies forwards need to be accountable and go back to the future for Bledisloe 3
Yes, seems when I imagine great YAC rugby players nowadays, I think of powerful No 8s picking up from the base and bouncing tacklers on their way to a 4-5 m carry. Vermeulen, Faletau, Vunipola, Picamoles, Akira Ioane, Stander, etc. Got to be durable. Tough way to make a living.
The Wallabies forwards need to be accountable and go back to the future for Bledisloe 3
Walter Payton and Earl Campbell had big YAC, even though one was a lot smaller than the other. Illustrates your point. You can slide/angle to more YAC, or Vunipola your way to more YAC.
The Wallabies forwards need to be accountable and go back to the future for Bledisloe 3
RobC is really going to love this article, because the star is Sean McMahon, the Jaco Kriel of Australia. In the the NFL, they have a stat for “yards after contact.” It’s good stat, over a season. Illustrative. I am sure McMahon and Jaco have great YAC.
How good is Gloucester going to be on this particular trait? Menacing and awful pack of big ball carriers, no?
The Wallabies forwards need to be accountable and go back to the future for Bledisloe 3
Yes, that’s why he’s like-for-like with Faf! hahahaahh
Springbok report card: How does Rassie rank?
Beef tongue and cheek is very underrated. Braai that up and slather it with salsa.
Springbok report card: How does Rassie rank?
Hougaard is the most like-for-like with Faf: speed, defense, fiery.
Springbok report card: How does Rassie rank?
I like that team!
Tank could play LH/Wilco at TH cover.
Lood get a look in? Or RG for you?
Hope Willemse gets all the remaining minutes at backup 10.
Springbok report card: How does Rassie rank?
On form, I think it’s a coastal final: with WP the edge bc of try scoring under coach Dobson! (Heart says this).
The Wrap: Truth the first casualty in rugby’s propaganda wars
Orwell: “sport is war minus the shooting.”
The Wrap: Truth the first casualty in rugby’s propaganda wars
We should ask Rugby Tragic for his option on da guac.
Currie Cup Wrap: it’s Bulls at WP in one SF; the Sharks v Lions in the other. Willemse at 15, your man Stander at 10: they scored 4 tries in the 1H, then the rain stopped the game, but the result was final. Bosch at 10…Rob du P at 12.
The Wrap: Truth the first casualty in rugby’s propaganda wars
Thank you for the Wrap, good doctor.
I feel sympathy for you, because your lips can be read by your love, whilst at the bar, across the room, at parties.
Avocados: so, Lima is only able to buy 166,666 avocados in Dunedin per year on his new salary, or about 50,000 of that delicious fruit, on his old salary. In England, his avocation can afford him 1,000,000 avocados. It’s the Avocado Index.
Holy Guacamole!
The Wrap: Truth the first casualty in rugby’s propaganda wars
Fun read. I’d like to see Hooper defending against Dyantyi, more! But overall, great points.
The Hooper blooper: Re-form the Pooper and bring back Cooper
Good and faithful servant of Aussie rugby. Brave player. Knows his limitations. Takes a lot of sledging.
Bernard Foley signs one-year deal to stay in Australia