Moderation? Really?!

Forgive me for believing this was a forum where we were actually encouraged to share our untarnished opinions. There is nothing foul in what I have stated; only an irritable tone.

And the absolute farce that is world rugby continues to cement its reputation as the most unintelligent, unfair and im genuinely starting to believe perhaps even corrupt to a degree. How else to explain these mind-boggling decisions in recent weeks that demonstrate clear favoritism?

Pocock – Knee to the back of Scott Baldwin, with a valid argument to be made that it was done cynically or recklessly at the very least given his clean track record. Result: Off field yellow card….Someone care to explain what this accomplishes?

O’Brien – A clear punch on Pascal Pape right in front of the referee. Result: One week ban….Idiotic moves like this are a blight on the game, and unless one feels sorry for the Irish given their current injury status a ban for the remainder of the cup would be difficult ot dispute.

Gray/Ford – A clean out clearly not done cynically, but with poor technique, which when combined with the awkward angle the player player at, makes it look worse than it seems. Result: Three weeks, a death sentence for the Scottish side. A clean slate of disciplinary issues is also not a mitigating factor.

The growth of the game in recent years has been incredible to witness, and in less than a decade it could potentially be twice as popular around the world. But not until something is done about the pack of morons running the ruling body. Combine this with disgraceful refereeing performances that go unpunished, the inoperable scrum laws and a ridiculous policy on media that is akin to swaring fealty and it becomes clear there is a serious problem.

I love this sport more than any other, and the international tournaments are the pinnacle of its appeal, but I certainly would not be holding any grudges if a nation were to boycott future participation until action is taken to overhaul an organisation that is so sorely out of touch.

You’re killing me mate haha Might release a Top 20 in a few weeks when I have some time to spare post exams.

Wow. My words fail me on that one.

Time to give Coach O a call back?

Haden has just given sark the flick. Deja vu it seems, intoxicated sometime after the atrocious loss to unranked Washington; doesn’t make for a pretty couple. Comments make it seem like it’s for the greater good of sark’s well being, but honestly it seems like it’s just a scapegoat for the awful state of this team. Some absolutely brainless play calling on show, and not for the first time this season. I remain hopeful, but my optimism is nigh on extinguished. The game against notre dame has the potential to turn into an absolute catastrophe with the team in damage control.

Cant disagree with any of this. Terrific to see the world cup becoming continuously closer every four years, and not one triple digit belting in sight. Hopefully the upward trend continues especially with the Olympics set to showcase rugby to an even larger audience.

History has showed that pool round form means very little in the grander scheme of things. Knockout rugby is exactly that, and all it takes is one mistake to have an entire nation waiting for at least four more years for another tilt. I would suggest waiting until the conclusion of the Welsh game before any justified predictions be made.

Having said that, from a neutral supporter’s perspective, two things stood out to me watching the Aus Eng game on Sunday. 1. (The Positive) Cheika is obviously keeping his cards close to his chest and not giving too much away at least in terms of set piece play. The way Australia were able to relatively contemptuously do away with England whilst doing so is a testament to how far the side has come over the past year. Having said that, 2. (the negative) Beating England, dare I say it, is nothing much special. The margin of victory is, but this English side was schoolboy like in that they thought they could toss the ball from side to side and gaps would inevitably appear. Woeful (and inconsistent) selections, caught between two entirely different game plans, a clear lack of confidence in some players, and rumours of player dissent means this side, despite being at home, were never really in the running. I had expected Lancaster to iron out a few kinks by now, but his stubbornness has cost them dearly.

Kudos to Australia, but in my opinion they are yet to be tested by a world class side. I expect them to stroll over Wales given their mounting injury toll, but there are still significant questions around this side.

Beat me to it.

I would argue that touch judges are becoming unnecessary. Not due to their role now becoming redundant with the advent of new camera technology, but because most are seemingly blind when the time comes to make a call. Think about it, when was the last time we saw a touch judge step in to stop a matter going to the TMO because he saw what happened himself? The last time a TJ raised their flag to signal foul play, even right in front of them? Raising the flag according to where the ball crosses the plain of the touch line is NOT the point of the job. That can be done by any birds eye camera view. If they are not going to help officiate the game, then there really is no point in having them there.

It is pleasing that there is a growing consensus for some form of draft and recruitment system to be implemented for schoolboys. Love it or hate it, but the draft system in both the NBA and the NFL is the ire of world sport outside perhaps soccer. From high school to college, then from college to the professional league, despite the ability of a player at 17 and 22 perhaps not reflecting how he will cope given time at the level, talent can never be found guilty of becoming lost to the game by a poor pathways system. Although rugby does not have the popularity to command the implementation of such an enormous system, fundamentals such as talent scouts, a form of player testing and invitational selection tournaments would (given time) do wonders for the growth of the player pool.

Agreed. For me this was the main reason behind Fiji’s demise. Poor passing, wasted kicks both from hand and off the tee and just generally exhibiting a lack of confidence. Hard not to feel for him given he has played barely any super rugby and is now thrust into rugby’s ultimate arena against the tournament hosts in the first game. A year with the Crusaders should serve him well next year, but one feels the RWC is a step too far as it stands.

I will defer to your expertise on this one Harry, but just from watching the match some serious defensive concerns especially around the centres were very apparent. The best two examples I can think of were the two final Japanese tries. The penultimate one sees Matsushima lurk up on the inside of Ono, and go through a giant gap between JDV and another player. However, as Ono takes it to the outside, Kriel presses up to stop the movement and meet him in a one on one tackle, but for some odd reason JDV fails to trust his man and shuffles to his left, which creates the gap. There was no overlap at all; just a poor decision to try and gang tackle a fly half of all people when it was clear a flying left winger should have been the priority. Some fault should rest on Kriel’s shoulders here, as had he moved up a little quicker perhaps JDV would not have been tempted to move laterally.

The second of the two was the fault of Kriel again, whose flat footed defence costs them big time. When the Japanese 12 whose names escapes me sends a cutout across the face of the defence, Mafi receives the ball literally a metre away from a lurking Kriel. Why the latter thought not to move up and absolutely belt the former is beyond me. When watching the ball fly through the air the first time in live play, I believed it was game over, as a forced knock from a dominant tackle or an intercept was imminent. But again, the inexperience and perhaps even a lack of confidence of Kriel are on display. I do not want this to sound like a rant at one player, as I believe him to be an exceptional talent, but these are fundamental aspects of centre defensive play which should be among the first things taught to a player when they make the transition. From the evidence, I can only conclude that he is still not comfortable in his new position, or some seriously substandard coaching is on display. It would not surprise me in the slightest if this was viewed as a target area by Eddie Jones prior to the game even kicking off. Politics and quota have no place in excuses when basic errors like this are on show.

As a GB fan, that O-line scares me to death. Yeah they have one or two injuries, but forte still ran for nearly 150 yards in the first half. That’s nigh on inexcusable. Give Beastmode that much room to move and it’ll be game over.

If JuJu gets a mention then surely Corey Coleman should too. 182 and 192 over the first two games is extraordinary. Especially given Seth Russell’s decision making is rather questionable.

A combination of both.

In my opinion, yes he is. But as Pot Hale said, it is impossible to deduct whether he is or isnt. Only induct. Some people value a running 10, others a master tactician. Despite the analysis, a lot of it does come down to individual preference. For the sake of this article, the biggest two factors for me were skill balance and how one fares under pressure (ignoring the kick against NZ, which has evidently been something of an anomaly).

Hi Nick, i originally wrote the list out before i started doing the bios on each player, however the list that has been published has changed greatly from the one originally written. Missed players, form drops (big enough to warrant a movement down), and other factors have been influential. But long story short, the 100 list was basically complete (barring said changes), and I wrote the published articles week by week.

I think im relapsing…

But thankyou nonetheless!

You’re welcome mate!

Indeed I was not, i mentioned at the start that injured players would not be considered. So Cruden, Davies, Tuilagi all missed the cut unfortunately.

Get well soon mate, the roar misses your input.

Much appreciated OB!

Impromptu productivity review on friday. So lets hope not 😛

In seriousness though, there were a fair few 6am wake ups.

I can certainly see that happening, he has been nothing short of outstanding this year. Personally Im throwing my hat in for Dane Coles, but im not 100% on it quite yet.

The criteria for selection was who would I prefer to select in a neutral team i.e. not the all blacks or wallabies. For the all blacks, I would choose McCaw hands down, as he is so well respected and admired in NZ that his presence alone does a lot to lift the team. But if I were to have a choice for a side that viewed them both on pure ability, then it would be Pocock.

Has never been given much time to strut his stuff, which is a huge reason that ranking him would take a lot of guess work.