The World of Rugby Thread

[The Merse]

Launchberry is a major one, though somewhat understandable with Kruis and Itoje there. Still, I'd have had him and either Gray brother in there ahead of AWJ and Henderson (twice outclassed by opposing locks in the 6N, though admittedly a brilliant young player).

Ken Owens is a very good hooker but Rory Best is an inconsistent thrower like Jamie George who has never started a test, so Fraser Brown and Dylan Hartley may feel hard done by. Given George's destructive qualities in the loose are arguably greater than those of Best, I'd take the former along with the versatile former 7 that is Fraser Brown.

Biggar has flattered to deceive for Wales for the past year in a faulty midfield. Finn Russel and Paddy Jackson offer better options.

Jared Payne simply isn't a world class full back or centre, so I'd take Duncan Taylor who is recognised as the most consistent all round centre in the Premiership and is similarly able to play 15, given that two wings also play 15 (Watson and Williams) and Hogg is nailed on to start. Whilst the Taylor's hopes were seen as being dashed by injury during the 6N, Payne was also injured so it's a moot point in that context.

Jonathon Davies is also in poor form, so pick from Gary Ringrose as a bolter, Alex Dunbar as Mr Consistent or for me, Scott Williams as the better Welshman.

Leigh Halfpenny's kicking isn't needed given Sexton and Farrell's proficiency, so Simon Zebo, already a Lion, has to be in there, again offering wing cover as well.

I imagine Sean O'Brien is there as a midweek captaincy candidate, but Hamish Watson is the more natural and energetic 7 to disrupt the opposition. Toby Falatau is lucky to get in ahead of the versatile (6,7,8) Barclay when the Lions already have Stander, Moriarty and Vunipola able to play there.

[Lewis]

It should have been England, that Jock full-back, and a couple of Mick forwards.

[Lewis]

Everybody is well happy with Chris Heighington and Chris McQueen (Chrises?) being named in the England squad. The former has played for England before (and was rubbish), but is thirty-five now, and the latter isn't even the best second row at his club. Joe Greenwood is, and he's eligible for England by virtue of actually being from England. Somebody should give him a disrespectful head pat.

[Queenslander]

I need to have a wee glance at the birth certificate of that 17 year man child that has gone viral.

[Lewis]

He could be Captain America and the Warriors would still turn him into a useless twat.

[Queenslander]

Chris McQueen is a very strange one Lewis. You're welcome England yuck!

[hfswjyr]

I wonder if Bennett wants the biggest challenge available, which is coaching the kiwis?

[Lewis]

If we lose tomorrow, which I think we will, his selections will put him under an awful lot of pressure. He apparently compromised with the clubs moaning about a mid-season test by only picking three from each (otherwise Wigan would have been fielding stewards), but we've got a meh utility at full-back, the form full-back is at centre, the form centre is in the stands with the two form Super League props (so why take them?), and the crap Australians are on the bench. Throw in the RFL deciding to stream the game online for three quid, rather than letting the BBC show it on the cheap, and the annual 'What are these idiots doing?' discussion has come early this year (not that it ever really goes away).

Speaking of which, it was good of New Zealand to completely fail to show up today with their STRONGEST EVER SIDE. Look at the spine, lads. Look how strong their spine... Oh, they all play for the Warriors now. Never mind.

[Lewis]

Hey, we won(!). THE SUPERCOACH lives to fight another day. Someone get the coke in.

[Lewis]

Six thousand people watched Toronto beat Oxford (62-12 lol) in their first home game.

[Queenslander]

That is a mental turnout. Will they jump the ladder if they walk the League?

[Queenslander]

This World Cup is going to be so rubbish but so well supported in Queensland.

[Lewis]

They will get promoted when they walk their current league, but I don't think they will do so again next year. I think their best bet is to be 'thereabouts' for a couple of seasons in the Championship, maintaining decent crowds and not bleeding money, and then Super League will go back to fourteen teams and take them up with somebody else (possibly Toulouse if they do likewise).

[Queenslander]

It's strange New Zealand don't have a second team out of Wellington at this point.

[Queenslander]

This World Cup is going to be so rubbish but so well supported in Queensland.

By shit I mean blokes will play for Queensland and NSW then put their hands up for Fiji, Tonga and Samoa if big Mal doesn't need them.

[Lewis]

I used to think that, but anyone eligible to do so seems to have a pretty fluid Australian/Islander identity and approach to domestic violence, so it is preferable to bigger teams having it the other way around (or the whole poaching thing in union). You wouldn't bash yourself up in these mid-season games for no money unless you were bothered about doing it for its own sake.

[Queenslander]

I just don't like the B Team option that Milford and McGuire have with Tonga and Samoa.

The quality of League is going to be very fun however and I really really hope a minnow makes it to the Final.

[Lewis]

They want to do an old fashioned Great Britain tour in 2019, which will hopefully mean games against all the islands before the inevitable Australia whitewash.

[Queenslander]

That sounds brilliant but I hope Great Britain actually tours the Islands not just plays them in Western Sydney.

[Lewis]

That would be good, but they would have to do them after the main series to spare having to hop to and from the islands. In which case the ideal calendar would look something like:

Papua New Guinea
Indigenous Fellas XIII (play it in Townsville or somewhere)
Australia (Lang Park)
Country New South Wales
Australia (Sydney)
City New South Wales
Australia (somewhere else)
Fiji
Tonga
Samoa

lol at that happening though. It would last until Christmas and the clubs would have an aneurysm.

[Queenslander]

Good excuse to visit Brisbane though mate.

[Lewis]

You could show me your snake.

Elsewhere, lol at this cocaine business. Leave the MORAL PANIC to others, but if the New Zealand captain is casually off out and doing it in a nightclub after a test you would have to think that a fair bit of it goes on.

[Queenslander]

Have you seen my Instagram page?

[Lewis]

No. Were you in the nightclub with them?

[Queenslander]

Nah I keep snakes as a hobby.

It does seem that ever since Jason Smith's​ crew were caught selling that the cops have been all over it and that all of the football codes are in trouble.

[Lewis]

PM me the link (I don't Instagram, so I won't follow you). Jason Smith.

[Queenslander]

Sent

[Jimmy Floyd]

Why is the rugby World Cup drawn more than two years in advance? The seedings could be completely wrong by the time we get there.

[John Arne]

[Queenslander]

I actually never questioned it but it's a bit weird. We are going to be so shit by 2019 lol at that group.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Oceania 1 will be Fiji, so lol in advance at Wales on the hard baked Japanese pitches.

You have to question why Italy bother with the World Cup.

[Queenslander]

Swapping Scotland.with Italy would instantly make three pools of death.

[hfswjyr]

Why is the rugby World Cup drawn more than two years in advance? The seedings could be completely wrong by the time we get there.

Got an email yesterday from World Rugby, which started with "only 864 days to go before Rugby World Cup 2019!". Really?

The result of the group draws just emphasizes how small rugby actually is around the world. You can hardly get enough competitive countries into a seeded draw.

[Lewis]

If 2015 is anything to go off (and assuming a Sir Eddie Jones team doesn't shit itself) that stands to put us against New Zealand in the semi-final, in which case it would be worth throwing the France game and getting on the other side of the draw.

[Jimmy Floyd]

If Pool A v Pool D is a semi-final then they need to do a redraw pronto.

[hfswjyr]

From reddit:

This game in the PNC next year will likely decide Oceania qualifying, with the winner becoming Oceania 2 and the loser advancing to a playoff with Europe 2.

Win: Congratulations, you now play England, France and Argentina!

Lose: Bad luck. You now have to beat the mighty Spain in a play-off just to qualify for the infamous "Pool of Death" with Ireland, Scotland and Japan.

I'm sure both teams will be giving it their all.

[ItalAussie]

Ahahahaha - we're going to shamble our way into the final and lose to NZ again.

[Disco]

The whole thing is a bit lol, Argentina in particular get shafted because their ranking is artificially low.

[ItalAussie]

The Guardian said that England got the worst possible group, but I have to think the South Africa would have been worse than France?

[Mellberg]

Absolutely. Safrika will have sorted themsleves out in a couple of years, whilst France will still be France.

[The Merse]

The whole thing is a bit lol, Argentina in particular get shafted because their ranking is artificially low.

That holds less water than in previous years. They failed to win a single AI against Wales, Scotland and England and it's that which was most damaging to them. In particular, the Scotland game, which was effectively a playoff for 2nd pool seeding. Losing to their SH chums doesn't have a hugely damaging effect on their ranking with the way the system works and given they now play 'proper' tests all year around, they've got what they deserve for their results over the past 2 years (though not necessarily what their performances deserve).

[The Merse]

Absolutely. Safrika will have sorted themsleves out in a couple of years, whilst France will still be France.

Hard to know with the quota system. Finding 8 test-ready starters and a further 4 subs 'of colour' (the term used by the Saffer government, not mine) is going to be challenging and a lot of good young (white) Saffer players are leaving as a result. The earlier in their career they do so, the better chance they have of winning caps for their adoptive nations (hello, Big Jock van der Bokke).

Personally, I think they'll quietly scrap the rule for 2019 on some grounds which allow them to extend the deadline for the policy without conceding fault (which would be a shame in my book, I like AA as a concept in such circumstances), but they may already have lost half a generation by then as these young white dudes are exiting left, right and centre now as they think about their chances of making the 2019 RWC.

[Baz]

It's only a matter of time before we look ordinary and get turned over again, but Saints are absolutely smashing Hull here.

[Lewis]

If Saints sign Ben Barba (and keep him off the gear) they might be contenders now they have an actual coach.

[Baz]

Not quite as good as "WIDE TO WEST" but jeez that Tommy Makinson's try was unbelievable.

[Lewis]

Six thousand people watched Toronto beat Oxford (62-12 lol) in their first home game.

Seven thousand this week to watch them batter Lofty's Barrow Raiders (70-2 lol). Half of Super League would be happy with that.

[Lewis]

If New South Wales lose this series then everybody involved in picking and coaching needs putting in a bin.

[Queenslander]

Hayne can't tackle well enough for the centres.

Mitch Pearce lol

2 games in Brisbane

[Lewis]

I think the problem down there is that you've never been crap enough at international level to have considered the idea that some players just can't hack representative football. We used to have players who killed it in Super League, but supposed lesser players always looked better in a Great Britain shirt. That is Mitchell Pearce.

Coen Hess missing out for Queensland is lol as well.

[Disco]

Jesus christ, can we just win at Twickenham for once please.