Rugby Union - Six Nations & Erc

Discussion in 'General Football & Other Sport' started by Sting, Mar 12, 2017.

  1. Grrwood

    Grrwood Reservist

  2. davisp2

    davisp2 Reservist

    We will get revenge for Wales by beating South Africa. They will love us even more when we beat the springboks. #revengeforwales
     
  3. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    Yep. And the ABs take out their anger on the Welsh !
     
  4. wfc4ever

    wfc4ever Administrator Staff Member

  5. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

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  6. wfc4ever

    wfc4ever Administrator Staff Member

    Very tight - more injuries than try scoring chances .

    SA being very physical and putting pressure on meaning we are giving away penalties.
     
  7. Otter

    Otter Gambling industry insider

    SA being cynical about the scrum, the ref seems to be on their side where a couple of those were caused by SA more than England.

    But a poor half from England, we only got forward properly once.
     
  8. Hornpete

    Hornpete Squad Player

    Bit like watching Watford. Not attacking much, edgy at the back and boring.
     
  9. wfc4ever

    wfc4ever Administrator Staff Member

    Last time we played them in the final it was all kicks .

    Still time ..
     
  10. UEA_Hornet

    UEA_Hornet First Team Captain

    Pretty embarrassing performance for a World Cup final. Nervous from the start and completely bossed by SA.
     
    iamofwfc likes this.
  11. wfc4ever

    wfc4ever Administrator Staff Member

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  12. Smudger

    Smudger Messi's Mad Coach Staff Member

    Failure to execute the basics.

    Losing Sinckler was a blow. But not to get Marler on sooner was poor. The kicking was poor (really poor from Ford) as was the chase. To put it in a nutshell poor execution at the set piece has undone England. Nothing more or less. South Africa are hardly scintillating but they have done what they needed to do and had the scoreboard pressure. Farrell missing at 9-15 was terrible and to give up needless penalties at a restart or in the red zone are cardinal errors. Daly for once has been left floundering. If England had Liam Williams well. I doubt he get pasts Liam at Saracens.
     
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  13. Smudger

    Smudger Messi's Mad Coach Staff Member

    They were not superior physically indeed England did better at the breakdown in turnovers. It is the setpiece and basic errors that have cost England dearly. The lack of kicking through the blitz defence and turning them around is also a mystery. Set your standoff or fullback deep or bring the wing in to do it. That will make them think more than once about blitzing. England didn't do it once compared to Wales.
     
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  14. Diamond

    Diamond First Team

    Had an easy choice this morning: Stay in the warm with a cuppa and a bacon sarnie and watch the rugby or go and do park run in horrendous conditions. Luckily I chose the run.
     
    CYHSYF likes this.
  15. Smudger

    Smudger Messi's Mad Coach Staff Member

    This is the sort of weather I love to go running. Feel the elements in your face. So this effort ended really with a whimper. Sad really.

    For the sake of rugby union as a whole I sincerely hope WR puts more effort into promoting Tests for the second tier, and getting better domestic competitions sorted out and more coaching clinics. No to mention a revamp of the WC format. Six groups of four teams so that the group schedules are fair to all teams. I was pleased by the efforts of Japan although they need to do more to get more indigenous players. They have a new professional league in the offing but I fear it is a waste of resources to fill the pockets of retiring top professionals than grass roots development.

    The Pacific Islanders need far more help in terms of serious competition and Samoa needs it's union to be sorted out lock stock and barrel. Hopefully the USA, Canada and Uruguay as well as Brazil and Chile benefit from the new professional Major League Rugby, foreign coaches and established professionals.
     
    CYHSYF likes this.
  16. hornetgags

    hornetgags McMuff's lovechild

    Felt like one game too far this morning. Last week's sublime performance felt like their final and they had nothing in the tank.
     
    CleyHorn likes this.
  17. The Voice of Reason

    The Voice of Reason First Team Captain

    We obviously peaked one game too early :rolleyes:
     
    folkestone orn likes this.
  18. folkestone orn

    folkestone orn Squad Player

    South Africa deserved it today.
     
  19. Happy bunny

    Happy bunny Cheered up a bit

    I always think of rugby as being very little evolved from two groups of medieval peasants trying to carry a pig's bladder to one village or its rivals'; but I was in the room for the first half of the final and it was more like a football match reffed by Mike Dean - a competition to see who could win the most penalties.

    Boring.
     
  20. Sahorn

    Sahorn Reservist

    Watched the final with s group of England fans and took my token SA flag.
    SA deserved the win. Too many mistakes by England.

    What a moment for the country as Siya Kolisi the first black captain lifts the WC.
    From a township born of teenage parents and spotted by a talent scout at 12 and given a scholarship at a good school.
    So not from a privileged background.

    This will do so much more for the country to bring people together and also boost rugby in the black community.

    ALL the new black govt ministers in 1994 wanted to do away with the Springbok and demote rugby as a sport.
    What did Mandela do? - he embraced rugby and the Springbok emblem as a way of unifying the country through sport.
    What a vision and legacy from the great Madeba....

    England will come back and win the WC again but this win for SA will be a positive in transforming attitudes and helping the country.

    Congratulations to the Bokke.
     
  21. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    I don’t pretend to understand rugby, but today’s final only confirmed why it can never have the appeal football does to me or most of the world’s population. It can be a thrilling sport when played expansively but today, for some reason, England seemed happy to take part in a kicking contest, both from penalties and in open play. It seems too easy to smother the play with hulking forwards and the multiple substitutions allowed nowadays only serves to sustain the intensity with which these forwards can do it for 80 minutes. In the end I was pleased South Africa came up with two excellent tries to confirm they really deserved to win and for those of us who remember apartheid in full swing, seeing a black captain lift the trophy felt like a neat conclusion to that country’s journey into the civilised world.
     
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  22. wfc4ever

    wfc4ever Administrator Staff Member

  23. Grrwood

    Grrwood Reservist

    I suspect this is just the beginning of a huge debate. I follow Sarries a little bit and am disappointed that their upper management have let it come to this. For years there have been accusations regarding the wage cap yet they still continued to bring in big names such as Williams, Daly, Maitland, Skelton... The club have got it wrong and deserve the punishment. However this now raises questions regarding player care. There is no doubt Sarries look after their players better than any other club, acknowledging their short career and supporting them with classes on how to run their own businesses, paying their spouses on the payroll (apparently). Punishments like this are potentially damaging to long term player welfare. I expect their will also be debate regarding whether Sarries release their players for the 6 nations...
     
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  24. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

  25. Smudger

    Smudger Messi's Mad Coach Staff Member

    New chairman at Saracens is a lawyer now that Nigel Wray has stepped down. Plenty of injuries facing the teams in the Six Nations prior to the start of the tournament. Michael Fatialofa is still in intensive care after his neck injury against Saracens folowing successful surgery to relieve pressure on his cervical spine. And probably means the end of his career. He turned down the chance to represent Samoa at the World Cup.
     
  26. wfc4ever

    wfc4ever Administrator Staff Member

    Looks like they might just nick a spot in the last 8 of the Champions Cup.
     
  27. wfc4ever

    wfc4ever Administrator Staff Member

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  28. Smudger

    Smudger Messi's Mad Coach Staff Member

    First round commences today. New head coaches in Pivac, Farrell, Galthie and Franco Smith at the Azzurri. Any of four can win it with Scotland and Italy battling to avoid last place. The European Rugby Championship also kicks off today. Georgia host Romania, Russia take on Spain and Belgium play Portugal. Gerogia are the reigning champions unsurprisingly while Portugal replace Germany who they beat in a playoff sending Germany to the ER Trophy which they should win with ease.
     
  29. hornetgags

    hornetgags McMuff's lovechild

    No need to be diplomatic, Italy will get the wooden spoon, I know that, you know that...everyone knows that.

    Unless some All Blacks and Wallabies take Italian citizenship, we won't win a game.
     
  30. Smudger

    Smudger Messi's Mad Coach Staff Member

    It's a pity Italian rugby has not progressed as rapidly as hoped. But the progress is being made. Everyone needs to be patient. Part of the problem is the FIR itself and it's lack of a coherent vision. And they are still some exciting players like Minozzi but not enough to form a team that compete for the full eighty. No one has come along to replace Dominguez or Vaccari or shown the sniping skills of a Francescato/Troncon or Marcello Cuttita. They were world class players. That is the issue. Outside of Parisse who has not been picked no one in recent years has stood up and you can point to them and say they are top drawer. However patience will be needed. French rugby took years to develop.
     
  31. hornetgags

    hornetgags McMuff's lovechild

    Parisse is past his best now, possibly the future coach. The issue is at grass roots level, the Italian football team has had the same problem, the Primavera teams had average players coming through so the national team had to select aging players. There's no real grass roots game in rugby which is where FIR have to focus.

    I know France took seven years to win their first game and Italy achieved theirs quite quickly, but it feels like they've stagnated in the last 5 years with a couple of false dawns.
     
  32. CleyHorn

    CleyHorn Reservist

    I attended Italy v Scotland at the Stadio Flaminio (wearing a kilt) on 5 February 2000 during the Italians first outing in the six nations. Fantastic early spring weather.

    The Italians won!
     
  33. wfc4ever

    wfc4ever Administrator Staff Member

    Well they did say France had some exciting players coming through - just a case of if they were up for it which they would be given this is the first game.

    One try for England might change things !!
     
  34. wfc4ever

    wfc4ever Administrator Staff Member

    Poor old Stuart Hogg - another dropping the ball on the line has cost Scotland ?!


    Not that the English are complaining ..!
     
  35. Smudger

    Smudger Messi's Mad Coach Staff Member

    Bill Beaumont gets re-elected as WR president fending off Agustin Pichot.

    All four SH unions voted for Pichot. All Six Nations for Bill. The SH want more money to compete with the 6N and avoid the player drain. The WR voting body does need reform as it is still antiquated much like FIFA used to be when the Home Associations had multiple votes. They still do in WR along with the big three from the SH.

    Australian union is in a fiscal funk and in danger of collapse while NZ are concerned by losing more and more players with Japan a lure as well now. I am happy Bill won though given that the idea of a new competition promoted by Pichot was sponsored by Andrew Forrest. An unscrupulous man if there ever was one head of the Fortescue group.

    From an Aussie Wallaby mad friend of mine who alleges:

    'He rides in like a saviour on horseback making grand gestures and statements that never, NEVER eventuate while he reaps the profit from his lies. He’s a swindler in the grand tradition. A snake oil salesman who saw the opportunity the axing of the Force presented to further polish up his carefully cultivated image of benefactor at large. There are pages worth of Twiggy f**king Forrest stories like that... his grand offer of charity following the bushfire crisis that wasn’t charity, just a vehicle to carry another opportunity for his private family foundation, his close involvement in the social welfare debit card that eradicates choice from welfare recipients spending and further lines the pockets of the Liberal Party linked organisation that owns the card and most recently his blatant ambushing of a government press conference on the current Covid19 crisis by bringing along, unannounced, the local Chinese Consul General when the government was mired in a delicate war of words with the Chinese government.

    He’s a self serving flog with delusions of grandeur and the mistaken belief that swindling indigenous people of their land rights and making himself rich in the process affords him the luxury of social sainthood.

    Aside from all that though, the sleazy **** blatantly hit on a young lady friend of mine one night by waving a $100 note in her face and implying she’d be grateful for the chance... and turned that smirk on me as if I should congratulate him for his wit and leather patches on the tweed jacket the slimy weasel was wearing. True story mate.'


    The need for the SH unions to centrally contract their players means having to pay very expensive contracts which cannot be sustained and why the Australian union is in real peril. The US union is already bankrupt but Major League Rugby is a separate body and thankfully unaffected. NZ are also looking at investment bankers to come in and pump millions into their sport and break free from WR. Although who they would play would be interesting not to mention how would this affect player eligibility. The partners being looked at are Silver Lake in the US and a Belgian consortium who already have investments into many sporting areas.

    It raises also the worrying effect of what these companies looking for a return on their investment would ask of players, clubs, franchises and unions and even the laws of the game itself. Supposing for instance they wanted a more mobile high scoring spectacle. Not to mention the effect of putting live rugby behind a paywall as the 6N may end up with a drastic drop in viewing figures as we have seen with cricket and F1 (although that is more to the mind numbing predictability of it).

    Beaumont and Laporte his vice chairman will need to look at improving player safety, a global calendar which seems impossible given the insistence of the 6N unions retaining it in it's current months in the year. Also how players like Charles Piatau who played once for the ABs can be allowed to play for his country of birth Tonga. The PI's who as I have often mentioned seem merely a place for other unions to steal players from would benefit greatly from this.

    And getting teams like Fiji in top tier competition along with Georgia. It is beyond ridiculous that the last time many Tier One sides played someone from Tier Two outside of a World Cup is over seven to eight years ago. This needs to change but as I have stated before I dislike this World League idea immensely.

    These are troubling times for union as with many sports and decisions made now in haste and fear could be even more ruinous. All unions need to work closely more than ever to ensure the sport remains healthy and continues to grow for the benefit of everyone.
     

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