Roar Guru
Joined May 2013
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Professional Rugby Player lucky to be plying my trade in Southern France. Ex Cooma Red Devil, Joeys, Warringah Rat,Central Coast Ray, Waratah and QLD Red.
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The Lions tour is over and it encapsulated all that is good about rugby. There are a few things we can and can't say…
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Hey Nick, thanks for the comment. I think it’s basically down to what our tight 5 were brought up on skills wise up till about u/21. Most Aussie tight 5 could throw a 25m cut out pass if need be because as youngsters we could get away with being good at that and less good in the scrum. I don’t think Adam Jones of Wales or the lions, Nicolas Mas of the French, Andrew Sheridan of England and now Toulon or Martin Castrogiovanni has or could make a pass much over a meter. But there impact at
Scrum time why is they are there. Ball carrying is just a plus. Different mentalities. Australia will get there though. There has been a shift in recent years, as I said its all about consistancy now. Both in a game and a season.
Things we can and can't say about the Lions series
Fair call Pete. Maybe the doggies do get more than I said, but 15,000 in an 85’000 seat stadium looks like 4000. Back to Belmore for the doggies I reckon. Club Rugby League is a heartland game best played in heartland stadiums.
Things we can and can't say about the Lions series
Not sure taking the first dummy half run each set of six is his idea of fun anymore.
Things we can and can't say about the Lions series
Over here, not so much. in Australia all the time. If we lost the hit, bring it down and go again. That was 5 years ago though, I think there is a bit more pride in Aussie scrummaging now. Note the last scrum in the game on Saturday. We didn’t win the penalty by collapsing it, we won it by smashing it.
Do spectators even care about the scrum?
The defintely weren’t injuries caused at one moment of impact in particular. There were due to repetitive collusions and compressing of the disks in their backs over a number of years.
Do spectators even care about the scrum?
Not 100% sure if it was only from hits. Scrums in general I think. These guys were long time professionals. Sure heavy squats etc in the gym has been a factor as well.
Do spectators even care about the scrum?
The Scrum has to remain a competitve, major part of the game. It is a major basis of attack in Rugby. It is a major basis of asserting dominance. It is a cornerstone of Rugby. There are things that can help. I think if a scrum is collapsed but the ball is waiting there at feet of the number 8 it should be made to be played straght away. The ref of the test Lions test match did this pretty well last Saturday I thought. There is nothing worse than the scrum basically being over, the ball being won and someone loses their footing and we have to reset again. Get on and play it.
On the injury front in terms of the hit. I’ve has a quite a few team mates now who have had back problems and operations due to the repetitive collusions in the scrum. If the new binding laws to come in, which we are playing this season in France, of the props having to keep the bind at the touch call can minimise the impact on spines and neck while still keeping the scrum competitive and important then it has happen.
Do spectators even care about the scrum?
It’s an interesting question. I know that no amount of training can replicate a game. You can have opposed session however it’s very difficult when the team opposite knows exactly the patterns and calls and can just lie in wait exactly where the ball will be. I think it would have been good to have the guys play with their provinces as well. If only for confidence, to face the lions and take out the mental factor of thinking they are possibly better than they are. Watching video’s when doing a defensive session can often be like watching a highlights reel and can often give you the impression you are playing the best players ever which can be disconcerting. To use a cliche, they’ll be better for the run next time round.
So many 'what ifs?' for Wallabies after loss to Lions
Maybe I worded that wrong. Ah there’s that word again. Successful/unsuccessful? Good/bad? Surely you get my general point that the playing style of both teams made the game something rugby, as a code, can be proud of. I again make the point, had Genia just played the percentage option, rather than what was in front of him we don’t see that amazing try. Had George North safely put in a return kick, and not played what was in front of him, we wouldn’t have witnessed that great try. Forgive me but I’m going to say it again. They were the right options. They were courageous options. It is the right way to play rugby. It’s a game that has been dominated by fear of mistakes for too long now. Which for me, was the wrong way to play rugby.
So many 'what ifs?' for Wallabies after loss to Lions
I didn’t realise he was meant to kick as well. Poor fella. Gutted for him. He’ll be back. He is class.
So many 'what ifs?' for Wallabies after loss to Lions
Fair call WRM. I think Croft is a brilliant player skill wise, he is just not very tough. For me, this is where Mowen evens it up. Fair point on the experience front though.
After fifteen years it's finally Game Day!
G’day Nick,
Very true. Sexton is only an ok defender. Definitely no Jonny wilkinson in that department. The only problem with that tactic is the Lions play such a compressed rush defence it’s unlikely that these they would ever get a one-on-one opportunity.
Perhaps after we have attacked the edges of their defensive line for a while and they start to spread more to cover it, that would be the perfect time for that tactic.
After fifteen years it's finally Game Day!
Good question Az. My headline when I submitted was just ‘It’s game day’.
After fifteen years it's finally Game Day!
I agree 95%!! Everything except the mystical level of countryness people lose when they move to the city to play rugby. I didn’t see the game so I am not sure how the scrums went but I’d say for safety’s sake alone the tight 5 should be made up of professional players or as close to professional. It wouldn’t have to be all pro’s. For example if you had a country prop he is with a pro hooker and prop. A country second row packs down with a pro second row. The rest- give the boys a crack. it almost defintely would have been a higher score, but so what.(although the points for the Lions dried up a little in the second half as more of the country based players got on the field) Part of the romanticism of this tour, for me, is this game.
I actually threw my hat in the ring for this game. I was told I couldn’t be selected as it was only open to Australian based players- fair enough.
I offered…
1- cause it would be a once in a life time opportunity.
2- I’m very proud of my country ubringing
3- I play against some of those guys week in, week out so I thought I could be of some benefit.
Admitedly I didn’t feel great about the notion of displacing a “proper” country representitive.
However… the one part of the article I didn’t agree with was the fact that because players such as myself no longer live in the country means we are not country enough to play in a team like this. Rubbish. Once a country boy always a country boy. (or girl)
In saying that, apart from the majority tight five playing at any one time, this team should have been made of players who are picked from the country representitive sides. I’d rather the ratio have been 6 pro players and the rest picked from the NSW and QLD country rep team.
If the ARU really want to develop country rugby, and make up for the slap in the face, they should send a proper combined country team on a European tour to play against English championship (div 2) and French pro d2 teams to give them games against pro players and full time coaching for a few weeks whilst on the tour. (develop country coaches as well). They could run the tour every 2 years or so. Would be a great carrot for further selection and a great way to test themselves against Professional players more than once every 12 years.
That my 2 cents…
Country players dudded a rare shot at Lions
Fair call James. It seems bulldogs averaged 23000 last year. That puts Stadium Australia at a bit over 1/4 capacity. It feels empty was the point I poorly made. I am actually a life long Dragons fan and love Rugby League. I played it at junior level in my hometown, waited in line for what felt like forever for Ricky Walfords autograph and decked my house out in red and white streamers for the grand finals St George played in the 90’s. However, to leave Rugby to play in a 1/4 full stadium is a waste. You may sight waratahs attendance, but Folau will play up to 13 test matches this season in full stadiums all over the world, Rugby league does not offer that. It was a badly researched figure as you said, but the fact remains.
Things we can and can't say about the Lions series