The World of Rugby Thread

[niko_cee]

Jonathan Davies' groan for his namesake's clearance before the try :D

Aye.

And the "g'wan" he gave Biggar after that interception. Can't beat a bit of nakedly partisan commentary, or Brian Moore and his gay slap patter.

[Lewis]

Most league fans can't be doing with 'Jiffy' (even though he refers to England as 'we'), but I think he's alright. What is the union view?

[Ian]

Aye.

And the "g'wan" he gave Biggar after that interception. Can't beat a bit of nakedly partisan commentary, or Brian Moore and his gay slap patter.

When Wales lost a load of ground because of a good England kick at one point his first words were, "I mean, the sad thing about that is...."

[Jimmy Floyd]

The utter national bias in all the rugby co-commentators is funny. The Irish and Scottish ones tend to be more of the slow, rumbling seethe variety.

[Lewis]

I've taken a dislike to Brian Moore since some sad cunt grass tagged him in those lol Eric Bristow nonce tweets and he failed to call him a sad cunt grass.

[Disco]

Most league fans can't be doing with 'Jiffy' (even though he refers to England as 'we'), but I think he's alright. What is the union view?

I would probably enjoy lolling at his naked bias (as Wales lose) if it wasn't delivered in that tinnitus inducing screech. Thank god for radio commentary.

[Disco]

:D
WarpedLinedGavial

[Disco]

Good game this, if nothing else the Stade France should be a shoe in for the most obnoxious PA system ever conceived.

[The Merse]

Maitland is frustrating. Has serious gas and ability to finish from a distance but rarely uses it. He shirks backing himself in the foot race and takes the inside line too often.

[Lewis]

I hope they lose by a point after that lol conversion.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I like a good hired hand as much as the next man, but these Fijian wingers that France have are annoying me. Find your own players.

[Disco]

I'm not sure which was better, that conversion or that England lineout last week.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Somebody shoot the French brass band.

[Disco]

If France refuse the three points twice in row then I'm officially rooting for the scotch.

[Lewis]

That's a try every day of the week.

[Disco]

Ahahahahahahahahahaha. :lol:

[The Merse]

Somebody shoot the French brass band.

They were playing Offspring - Kids Not Alright at one point :rave:

[Disco]

It's the Fijian import they have on 2nd trumpet that's making the difference.

[Ian]

Just seen that missed conversion from today. If he even takes a couple of steps back then then the ball falls before he tries to kick it and he can reset it. What a pleb.

[Disco]

The ref told him to hurry up when in fact he had loads of time left so he rushed it. :harold:

If Scotland have any players left then it should be a good game against Wales.

[niko_cee]

They were playing Offspring - Kids Not Alright at one point :rave:

Isn't it The Kids Aren't Alright?

:nono:

[Disco]

The ref told him to hurry up when in fact he had loads of time left so he rushed it. :harold:

I would appear to be wrong, seems it was Hines telling him to take it as they were concerned about the TMO ruling out the try. Rather begs the question of why Hines took so long to get onto the pitch with the tee.

[Lewis]

Whitewash. :cool:

[Lewis]

'Flanno' is seething.

[Queenslander]

Any potential NRL blokes that should remember?

[Lewis]

From today, Joe Burgess will go back at some point, Oliver Gildart is going to be class in a couple of years, George Williams probably could become good enough (but lol at an Australian side signing an English half), and John Bateman is a case of when not if. From yesterday, Rhys Evans maybe, Daryl Clark definitely (Wayne Bennett should have taken him back for this season), and he didn't play yesterday but Ben Currie should be interesting NRL clubs.

'Flanno' was blaming us only using one referee in his 'I don't want to take anything away from Wigan but...' SEETHE, but 1) lol at thinking that NRL referees always enforce the ten metres (Cameron Smith lives offside); and 2) peptides mate peptides.

[Lewis]

Transatlantic sport getting up-and-running with Toronto beating Siddal (who are basically the best amateur team in the country) 14-6 on their atrocious pitch is the sort of thing that would give Roger Goodell brain damage he doesn't believe in.

[Disco]

That would have been the most Scottish way of throwing away a lead.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I think Scotland's backs have done more exciting stuff in this game than in the last 20 years combined.

[Disco]

No Loblaw this week but I like the full back and the wingers, they've been great. Flattered a bit by Wales being garbage.

[Lewis]

lol at Wales, but lol also at those celebrations.

[Lewis]

Does that little leprechaun bloke just love a freebie? Nobody else seems to wheel out the top man for so many things.

[Disco]

Surprising amount of French people have turned up to watch Ireland vs Fiji.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I watched that Waterloo film earlier, this is basically the same thing again.

[Waffdon]

Scotland are actually going to win this. Hark hark hark.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Italy by far the superior side in the first 20 minutes. Sigh.

[Disco]

And yet nothing to show for it.

[Disco]

Surely if there's no ruck then you just get back up again and keep going.

[Jimmy Floyd]

They're having a proper meltdown because like all English sportsmen they can only respond to PLANS and have no ability to think for themselves.

[Disco]

There we go, at least Hughes has a brain.

[Jimmy Floyd]

lol. They should be minimum 10 points ahead. By far the better team.

[Ian]

What an absolute rabble we've looked so far. Properly awful.

[Disco]

Ironic that if their kicker could kick they'd have less points out of that.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Professional players not even slightly knowing the rules is something that is hugely widespread in all sports, it's always funny to behold.

[Ian]

"I'm a referee, not a coach" is a quality line.


Professional players not even slightly knowing the rules is something that is hugely widespread in all sports, it's always funny to behold.

Any time there's anything remotely unusual in overtime in the NFL you can pretty much guarantee that at least one coach or player is going to embarrass themselves after the fact.

[Ian]

Nice from Care but there are at least a couple of Italians there who might've given some thought to tackling him.

[Lewis]

As if looking like a massive toddler wasn't bad enough, Joe Launchbury is sporting some bald patch. Watch his confidence slowly vanish.

[Disco]

'That was much harder than it should have been' could be the tagline for the entire game.

[Ian]

BBC live text for the game showed Matt Dawson having a good old seethe about the Italians ignoring rucks and evading offsides.

[Spikey M]

i don't even understand what they were doing?

[Disco]

As if looking like a massive toddler wasn't bad enough, Joe Launchbury is sporting some bald patch. Watch his confidence slowly vanish.

Have you heard his voice?

[Lewis]

He sounds like a child impersonating an adult, so there might be a conspiracy here.

[Ian]

i don't even understand what they were doing?

My understanding is that by not committing men when England were down with the ball that meant there weren't rucks which meant it wasn't possible for them to be offside, so they could go past the line of the ball when it was on the ground and cut off potential passing options.

[Disco]

This will be happening across the nation in club rugby this time next week.

[Lewis]

If it was worth doing New Zealand would have abused it to death by now, and the rules would have been changed to stop them.

[Jimmy Floyd]

It is probably worth doing if you have no ambition and just want to avoid going down by 60, but anyone else surely wants to contest the breakdown anyway.

[Spikey M]

My understanding is that by not committing men when England were down with the ball that meant there weren't rucks which meant it wasn't possible for them to be offside, so they could go past the line of the ball when it was on the ground and cut off potential passing options.

Ah, gotcha. Cheers. That's some properly Tony Pulis Rugby.

[Ian]

Jesus Christ, imagine Tony Pulis Rugby.

"So Tony, tell us about your decision to start props as backs today?"

[Lewis]

Gatlandball.

[Ian]

Speaking of which, is he going to go ahead with Wyn Jones as the captain despite him admitting yesterday that he can't control his own kickers?

[Queenslander]

It happens in Super Rugby from time to time and the answer has always been solid pick and drive with the occasional pop pass off the ground.

Edit: And drive past the ruck on the clean out if the ref isn't calling it.

[ItalAussie]

If you don't contest the ruck, you don't win the ball? Seems self-punishing.

Best used if the opposition is looking to kick for territory, I'd assume. I quite like the idea there.

[John Arne]

I think the problem that Dylan Hartley had is that 3 Italian players would go into the tackle, then 2 of them would just quickly get up and roll away - so it wasn't really a single man challenge. I don't know the rule at all, but this seems like a reasonable complaint. But yeah, as Ital said, you 'aint never winning the ball if you don't contest - although it did force England to kick a lot, and thus turnover was achieved (albeit deep in their own half).

[Disco]

Finding French players in there would have been confusing.

You see teams not committing numbers into rucks to make defense easier but they clearly warned the ref they were going to do it. I think the confusion came from there being Italian players in there but they were deemed not to be contesting. Still took too long to sort out though.

[John Arne]

Oh yeah, fixed :D Bloody Frenchies.

[ItalAussie]

I think the problem that Dylan Hartley had is that 3 Italian players would go into the tackle, then 2 of them would just quickly get up and roll away - so it wasn't really a single man challenge. I don't know the rule at all, but this seems like a reasonable complaint. But yeah, as Ital said, you 'aint never winning the ball if you don't contest - although it did force England to kick a lot, and thus turnover was achieved (albeit deep in their own half).
I didn't see it - did it really force England to kick? Or is that just their default response to non-standard situations?

It seems like if there's no threat of a turnover or losing territory, you may as well just hold the ball for as long as it takes.

[Jimmy Floyd]

England would kick even if the Italian forwards started an impromptu performance of Riverdance behind the gain line.

It wasn't even that effective. I can't think of a single time the Italians actually turned it over. It was just a mechanism to kill the game and bring the margin of defeat down from 60 to 20. In fact if England hadn't been dreadful, it would have been 40 anyway.

[John Arne]

I didn't see it - did it really force England to kick? Or is that just their default response to non-standard situations?

It seems like if there's no threat of a turnover or losing territory, you may as well just hold the ball for as long as it takes.

What do you mean by "hold on to the ball"? Once the tackled player releases the ball backwards... it has to be played, so it's not as if you can just stand there with the ball... you have another set of tacklers coming to hammer you. All it did here was force England to pass directly backwards, rather than sideways, and that lead to a more aimless kicks than usual (which takes some, I admit).

As Queenslander said, there should have been much more pick and drive - I'm baffled as to why England couldn't work that out sooner.

[Disco]

Yeah, it caused confusion because all of a sudden there's no off side so you had Italian players coming round to block the scrum half. The stupid part is how it took them half an hour to work out that you just pick and go, you gain ground every time and force them to commit bodies into a ruck. Which is exactly what happened once they worked it out.

Interesting interpretation though, I think if they hadn't primed the ref ahead of time he'd have called some of the early ones as rucks and pinged them for offside. Quite how it went on for so long without the players sorting it or a message getting onto the pitch I don't know.

The upshot will probably be Ireland winning on points difference/scored unless we utterly hump the Scotch which I don't quite see happening.

[ItalAussie]

As Queenslander said, there should have been much more pick and drive - I'm baffled as to why England couldn't work that out sooner.
Pick and drive was basically what I meant. Just keep running forward, and don't pass.

Sounds like they got there in the end, so I can't see what Eddie's getting so worked up about in the post-match.

[Disco]

Gameplan ruined, him and his captain shown up somewhat, plus we now probably lose on points to Ireland should they win the last game.

Still something of a hissy fit though, not really any need for that.

[Disco]

The St David's day Google image is literally a wooden spoon. Harsh.

http://i.imgur.com/Xmke0wq.png

[Lewis]

Toronto won their first league game 76-0. It was against the London Skolars, who some people see as the safer long-term London bet, so yeah.

Speaking of shite, lol at that clueless twat 'Madge' making Greg Inglis lollop about on a burst ACL for the best part of an hour (although lol at him calling George Burgess a waste of space). Souths have run that geezer into the ground, and he'll probably be in bits by the end of his contract.

[Queenslander]

Souths are a disgrace for letting/making Inglis play on.

[Lewis]

It was his good knee as well, rather than the trick one that has bothered him for years. When did he last put a consistent season together? 2013? Poor bastard.

[Queenslander]

My best memories are of him in a Melbourne Jersey.

[Lewis]

Well in, Wales.

There was some classic refereeing this morning in the Queensland derby (should have woken up early for that). The referee got in the way of a Brisbane player and stopped him scoring (he looked tackled but whatever), so the next time they were in he allowed the most forward pass you have ever seen. Pleb.

[Lewis]

Stone Cold Shaun Edwards. :cool:

[Offshore Toon]

Pretty much winner takes all today, then. Except Scotland would somehow find a way to fuck it up against Italy.

[Disco]

The Welsh handing it to us is quite amusing, that will have ruined a few evenings in Mountain Ash. Shows what happens when you remember to play both halves.

[Ian]

Really looking forward to the game this afternoon. Hopefully we'll bother to play in the first half.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I have my sister and her Scottish fiancé coming over especially to watch it, what japes. She hates it when I slag off the jocks now as well, whether in his company or otherwise.

[Disco]

Stone Cold Shaun Edwards. :cool:

*glass breaks*


http://i.imgur.com/GH5p6S9.png

[Ian]

I have my sister and her Scottish fiancé coming over especially to watch it, what japes. She hates it when I slag off the jocks now as well, whether in his company or otherwise.

My sister, who is English (well, we're half-English but English/British for sport) is married to a Scot and she said to me last night she's less bothered about England winning this and when I queried this the crux of it seemed to be because of Brexit. Daft mare.

We won't thrash them but I'd like us to. Probably going to be very tight, one way or the other.

[Disco]

Nice start Scotland.

[Lewis]

Get right in his face, Floyd. Tip the settee over.

[Ian]

Oof, lovely. Lol at the defence, mind.

[Lewis]

It's hard to tell whether we've turned it on or Scotland have BOTTLED IT.

[Disco]

I know they've lost a couple of players but the Scotch defence has been woeful, it's like they aren't even bothering in midfield. Finn Russell has also been shit.

In short: lol.

[Disco]

Speaking of sloppy defence...

[Disco]

I'm almost more interested in the atmosphere at chez Floyd right now.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I'm almost more interested in the atmosphere at chez Floyd right now.

It's such a whomping that it's almost got a bit awkward now. He went mental for their try as well. Idiot.

[Ian]

What did he go for ? Was it a "GET in!"? "YAAAAAAAAAS!!"?

[Ian]

Wonderful.

Keep turning the screw.

[Pleb]

We'll take the random 5 points now for the GRAND SLAM!!!!

[Disco]

It's such a whomping that it's almost got a bit awkward now. He went mental for their try as well. Idiot.

He should be grateful, there could be records on the cards here.

[Ian]

Well that was absolutely splendid. I hope Jimmy is winding the guy by not even being that fussed about it.

[Giggles]

Seen a bit of that. England :cool:

[Magic]

Is Ian not Scottish?

[Giggles]

Is Ian not Scottish?

English living in Scotland innit?

[Jimmy Floyd]

Well that was absolutely splendid. I hope Jimmy is winding the guy by not even being that fussed about it.

Exactly, just silence and a nod for all our tries. I had money on a -31 handicap as well which made it even better.

[Ian]

Correct, Giggles.

Jim. :cool:

[Magic]

English living in Scotland innit?

How did I not know this? Like finding out your best mate since childhood is a cock smoker.

[Giggles]

I remembered something o/

[niko_cee]

Exactly, just silence and a nod for all our tries. I had money on a -31 handicap as well which made it even better.

This could only have been made better by the existence of a broadsheet sized betting slip you could have elaborately unfolded.

[Jimmy Floyd]

This could only have been made better by the existence of a broadsheet sized betting slip you could have elaborately unfolded.

With 20 minutes to go he said 'my new aim for this match is that you lose your bet'. I think the wedding's still on.

[Ian]

I remembered something o/

Oh God, you're not in love with me are you?

[Lewis]

Eddie Jones mate. :cool:

[Giggles]

Oh God, you're not in love with me are you?

Only sometimes.

[Ian]

:wub:

[Disco]

This is an odd one, lol at France I guess.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/39254887

[Lewis]

It won't go through. Sky wanted to merge loads of clubs when they launched Super League, but the SEETHE sent them packing, and that was just moaning English people. Once their fans start shutting roads and burning things they will shit the bed and settle on a ground share.

[Disco]

Stade players are going on strike apparently. :harold:

[Queenslander]

It's pretty easy winding up Kiwis at the moment. All I have to do is mildly compliment England and the preciousness explodes out them like a Volcano erupting. Lol

[Disco]

I read a hilarious article yesterday that started 'England, Aussie coached and New Zealand captained...' and went on to average the world ranking of each teams opponents. Alright lads, calm down, you did win the World Cup.

[Queenslander]

Dead set nervous.

[Lewis]

I read a hilarious article yesterday that started 'England, Aussie coached and New Zealand captained...' and went on to average the world ranking of each teams opponents. Alright lads, calm down, you did win the World Cup.

World rankings hardly take into account the game-raising bitterness of our most frequent opponents.

[hfswjyr]

It's pretty easy winding up Kiwis at the moment. All I have to do is mildly compliment England and the preciousness explodes out them like a Volcano erupting. Lol

Wait, where did you hear this?


Eddie Jones has promised not to put on his cloak and play Little Red Riding Hood after comparing All Blacks coach Steve Hansen to the Big Bad Wolf.
As England eye New Zealand's No 1 ranking, Hansen praised Jones as he chases a second Grand Slam in two years.
But rather than bow to Hansen, the Australian took a cautionary stance and cast the Kiwi as the fairytale predator.

[Disco]

That did make me smile.

For me we're still very much no2. In a single game I'd back the Kiwis, in a series I'd be confident we could win one and be competitive in the other two. We still have the potential to not really turn up for 40 minutes which would be suicide against that lot, plus we still need to find a proper 15.

[Disco]

Who's going to turn up for this then? Logic would suggest not France but then again it is a mostly pointless fixture so they could play the best rugger of their lives.

[Disco]

Jonathan Davies is much better like this.

[Ian]

Jonathan Davies is much better like this.

How's that? I'm not watching so I'm curious.

[Disco]

He clearly has a cold of some sort which takes his voice out of its normal tinnitus inducing range. He's gone completely now which is a double edged sword as on the one hand I don't have to listen to him but on the other we don't get his doleful little whimpers in the background when Wales fuck it up.

[Ian]

Of all the annoying pundits he is one of the ones where it's most satisfying to see him crushed with disappointment.

[P_3]

This is hilarious.

[Kikó]

About bloody time.

[Lewis]

The Lions will still have about nine Welsh starters.

[Baz]

I forgot what scoring tries looked like. :youpi:

Luke Walsh is still a beast.

[Lewis]

Saints are the most boring team in the league. It must be painful watching them every week.

[Lewis]

This has all been very predictable.

[Offshore Toon]

Swing lol.

[Lewis]

We'll just say Andy 'Andrew Farrell' Farrell won that and take partial credit.

[Disco]

Called it, we were never winning that.

[Lewis]

Regional Twitter seems to have enjoyed it, presumably having realised that the easy draw all but guarantees it next year.

[Baz]

Saints are the most boring team in the league. It must be painful watching them every week.I could watch Kyle Amor for 80 minutes and not get bored, but yeah I see your point. But he reminds me of Vila Matautia back in the good old days.

[Lewis]

I think you could save yourself a lot of bother if you just turned it off whenever Jon Wilkin is starting in the halves.

[Lewis]

Between the leprechaun comment and the patronising congratulations, Our Eddie has come out of today the real winner.

[Giggles]

Fucking hun cunts keeping the bandwagon rolling.

[Giggles]

I could watch Kyle Amor for 80 minutes and not get bored, but yeah I see your point. But he reminds me of Vila Matautia back in the good old days.

You couldn't watch anything in rugby union and not be bored.

[Baz]

You couldn't watch anything in rugby union and not be bored.Thats why it's called Rugby Yawnion here. :eyemouth:

[Lewis]

That Theo Fages offload was mental. France could have a very handy side if more of them left France and learned not to be benders.

Speaking of which: lol (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUJMvLlR2uc)

[Queenslander]

If NSW don't select him this year I'll be stunned.

[Lewis]

In a sensible world they would lose half of their side to New South Wales, but the stiffs in charge will have already pencilled in Mitchell Pearce and James Maloney for another crack, and Jarrod Croker is probably always going to be one of those bizarre oversights like Hazem El Masri and his one appearance.

[Lewis]

lol at loads of clubs possibly having spent over the next salary cap already, and lol at the idea of not having one for a year instead of having to adjust to it (unless Canterbury signed Jarryd Hayne and Kieran Foran on one year deals to make the other clubs seethe). Speaking of which, why is the NRL getting on board with this Cameron Smith win record business? Didn't he have five seasons' worth of wins voided?

[Queenslander]

Yeah that's bizarre. If the NFL could somehow fit their business model to the NRL Union would be dead and buried.

[Lewis]

Does the NFL even have a business model, or does it just hoover money up by existing?

[Lewis]

What's this Wayne Bennett stuff about as well? From what I can gather, he has a new bird, but he doesn't like people knowing about it, so now he hates Paul Kent (who is a gobshite). We could do without him having a MELTDOWN before the World Cup.

[Queenslander]

I doubt it would be his undoing. He has always been a private person so it's no surprise he isn't keen in the rubbish the Kent and the like are doing.

[Lewis]

Would union shower Cooper Cronk with money, or would he be too old to bet on for the next World Cup? He's been a bit shifty about Sydney clubs, but surely he can't expect to leave it until the end of the season to make his mind up, because nobody will have the million-plus left in their salary cap to sign him.

[Queenslander]

He was in the year above me at school and in the age group above me at Sunnybank. He was the best inside centre of his generation.

No money in Aussie​ for Cronk. Would he fit in French Rugby?

[Lewis]

He can't ponce off to France if his whole reason for leaving is to shack up with his bird in Sydney, so Canterbury will put up the required pokie riches to snap him out of his one club man mate sympathy train. That FRAUD Des Hasler must have her on the payroll.

[Queenslander]

I forgot about his missus. Pokies money :drool:

[Lewis]

There was a bloke bealing (https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/apr/03/nrl-clubs-and-poker-machines-is-there-not-another-way-to-raise-funds) about pokies the other day, and the numbers are insane. How have you ended up with twenty per cent of the worlds machines as well? Was it the only legal form of gambling or something?

[Queenslander]

Pokies rooms are attached to almost every Pub, club, RSL, Bowls Club, Rugby League, Football etc in the Country. It's really gross and is naturally a big problem in low socioeconomic areas. They tried to regulate it a bit a while back but this is bloody Ockerstan gambling addictions are for pussies.

Dead set bus loads of old people social Clubs have organised pokies days each month.

[Lewis]

Bring back the Winfield Cup.

[Queenslander]

:lol:

[Queenslander]

R.I.P Australian Rugby Union.

[niko_cee]

The whole 'Super Rugby' model is shit and shows why supranational leagues wouldn't work in other 'codes'. You need actual (local) rivalry to sustain a fanbase. Australia is too big for state based rivalries to be the bread and butter.

[Queenslander]

Super 12 was the peak.

We should be going balls deep in Western Australia because theere zero competition from League. The cunts might as well have 3 teams playing out of Eastern Sydney and 2 playing out of Ballymore.

[Lewis]

The impending tide of not quite good enough Australians and South Africans must have French rugby rubbing its fat hands. Australian union clubs should affiliate themselves with the league ones, like how Yorkshire Carnegie (they were called that last time I looked, so it may have changed since) sponge off the actually viable Leeds Rhinos. Failing that, gamble everything on their own State of Origin, and hope it becomes big enough to sweep all of your problems under.

[Jimmy Floyd]

The Celtic Fringe league (Pro 12 or whatever it's called) is another great example of why multinational leagues are terrible. Soccer take note.

[Lewis]

If you spread all of the Welsh players out over ten teams the quality would be appalling.

[Jimmy Floyd]

You could make the fewer teams = more quality argument in any circumstances (and bean counters always do). What it does though is shrink the size and reach of the sport.

[Lewis]

Welsh union seems to be in decent shape.

[Jimmy Floyd]

It's declined in areas, even if the national team are still decent (so far).

[Lewis]

I would bet on its decline in certain areas mirroring football increasing its popularity. Did Wales even have a football team in the seventies?

[Jimmy Floyd]

Is football massive in Pontypridd, Ebbw Vale and Bridgend, old rugby heartlands which now aren't involved in the professional game? I can't see it.

It mirrors the stuff Queens always talks about re union needing to establish a foothold in more localities over there, and that means having more teams and a bigger operation, not the opposite.

[Lewis]

What isn't in decline in those places? They won't have enough able bodied men left in them to form a rugby team, let alone support one properly.

[Jimmy Floyd]

You could turn Super League into 3 Yorkshire teams, 3 Lancashire teams and a pointless London team that they'll never give up on attempting. They'd all be closer to NRL quality then as well.

[Queenslander]

State of Origin probably couldn't work in Union mainly because Queensland would never lose with the amount of elite players the school boy system spits out every year.

The Brumbies is our biggest problem in my opinion they produce dick all players, no on goes to their games and they have bugger all corporate interest. All their success is off the back of the NSW and Queensland systems being able to produce enough of a surplus of players for them to work with. Fortunately for them they have had great success with scraps but there is zero future in Canberra. It should be a Southern Brumbies franchise that draws players from the ACT and Southern NSW Union + Victoria + Tasmania. The Western Force should be Western Australia + South Australia and the Northern Territory. It will never happen because Rugby Union is run from Eastern Sydney.

The sad thing Union is on the up in Perth. :(

[Lewis]

I thought the ACT was just seen as being New South Wales for rugby purposes.

[Lewis]

You could turn Super League into 3 Yorkshire teams, 3 Lancashire teams and a pointless London team that they'll never give up on attempting. They'd all be closer to NRL quality then as well.

Toronto, mate. Not to mention the French.

[Queenslander]

I thought the ACT was just seen as being New South Wales for rugby purposes.

In Rugby it's actually 2 - NSW Rugby Union who are linked to the Waratahs and ACT and Southern NSW Rugby Union who are linked to the Brumbies.

In Rugby League ACT and all of NSW fall under the NSWRL.

EDIT. Also from earlier I can't see League wanting their clubs being affiliated with Union in anyway. They want Union gone.

[Lewis]

They could steal the Western Force franchise and branding, send Ivan Cleary and whatever players he has left at the end of the year, and then that is both the expansion and the Tigers sorted. Benny Elias and the Balmain casuals might be SEETHING but whatever.

[Lewis]

SEETHING, Baz.

[Baz]

Shambles.

[Mike]

Watching what's normally my only rugby game of the year outside the grandf final. Good old good Friday. Can't see saints getting anything now though.

[Lewis]

lol at Wigan paying Sam Tomkins huge money to be worse than Morgan Escare, who is probably on minimum wage and petrol money.

[Lewis]

That is a bit mental.

[Lewis]

That is a bit mental.

https://s4.postimg.org/vbv3s3xpp/Untitled.png

:|

In real-time here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ih7t6x7iuZ8#t=15m51s). Best finish since David 'The Idiot' Williams in that mega 2013 Manly vs Souths semi-final.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Is the pole not in touch?

[ItalAussie]

I'd thought that as well.

[Lewis]

It hasn't been for years. I think union got rid of it before league as well.

[ItalAussie]

Fair enough. I did always find it odd, because it wasn't the case anywhere else on the field.

Why still have the pole at all?

[Disco]

So you can see where the corner is.

[GS]

Lions squad announced tomorrow. Warburton is set to be captain again, and big omissions include Hartley, Launchbury, and Jonathan Joseph.

[Lewis]

Rovers getting Tim Sheens is quite a coup. Or it will be if they can also sign eleven new, not shit players for him. Speaking of which, was Warren Gatland talking up 'continuity' an early excuse to pack the Lions with shit Welsh players after England win another Grand Slam?

Not quite on the Grand Slam, but still... Let's see(!).

[Jimmy Floyd]

Gatland can fuck off. They will get crushed 3-0.

[Queenslander]

The Kiwi Super Rugby teams are on another as well so the mid week Lions team will probably drop a game or two.

[Lewis]

It's State of Origin as well. Congratulations, Queensland.

[Queenslander]

:D

I would prefer to watch a Lions series win at the moment. The humble ones are no better than Australians at our worst.

[Lewis]

If New South Wales lose this year then they should just stop doing it. Failing that, at least have Bob Fulton killed.

[Queenslander]

We could could start another series, South East QLD v everything north of Gympie. *Spits*

[Disco]

Hartley I can understand but Launchbury has been immense lately. This is going to be painful isn't it.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Looking forward to Fireman Sam getting a go at number eight and Elvis at inside centre.

[Lewis]

Ivor the Engine at full-back, Julia Gillard... If the BBC website and the Guardian are anything to go by (as if I'm venturing into Union Twitter), literally everybody - even the Welsh - is wondering what he's playing at.

[Disco]

Moriarty, good grief. Still, at least we won't be subjected to a thousand videos of James Haskell being a dickhead. Well, not on tour anyway.

[The Merse]

AWJ and Biggar. For fucks sake.

[hfswjyr]

Who were the major players to miss out in your opinions? Launchbury and... ?

[Spikey M]

The Scottish seethe :drool:

[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. :cool:

[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. :cool:

[Queenslander]

Sent :cool:

[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]

https://gyazo.com/19fdb7ed7123e36add4d3c6b4821b66e.png

[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. :eek:

[Lewis]

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

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.