Indeed, also lets not forget that North is only 2 years older than Watson, plenty of improvements to come from both. Will Watson get 50 caps and Lions test starts in the next two years?
@infernoprotv at it again.
Claims that the Chosen One has told team mates his rugby career is over.
I think Milner Skudder was a great finisher but the team somewhat flattered him.
Tbh his form in the RWC was nothing like his form in S15 where his team doesn't flatter him. He makes breaks from absolutely nowhere. Awesome player, pity he's so fragile.
I am a massive AA Cooper fan as he is much more rounded than someone like Drew Mitchell and would be my second pick if he didn't mind swapping wings
He's a curious player isn't he. On the face of it he's just a very good defender, without a huge amount of pace or skill. But then he scores. All the time. Mitchell, on paper, is a far better wing. but Cooper just does the job quietly, with no fuss. I like him.
Update - Claiming that the source is the Press Association.
Can't find that source yet, though.
Tbh his form in the RWC was nothing like his form in S15 where his team doesn't flatter him.
That's very true. Strange that he looks kind of average in that NZ team!
He's a curious player isn't he. On the face of it he's just a very good defender, without a huge amount of pace or skill. But then he scores. All the time. Mitchell, on paper, is a far better wing. but Cooper just does the job quietly, with no fuss. I like him.
Agree again. Nothing super flashy but so solid in almost all areas and a great try scorer that always seems to pop up with a beautiful line cutting through the midfield... deadly in the opposition's 22. Amazing player
Yeah AAC is one of those guys that you just don't want playing against your team. He always seems to do the right thing and be in the right place at the right time.
Kinda like Conrad Smith.
Must admit I've thoroughly enjoyed the RWC and was absolutely delighted that NZ won as they've been a great side for years and Carter, McCaw, Nonu, Conrad Smith etc really deserved it. Hats off to Australia to making a game of it though.
After Scotland Australia I'm very glad NZ won. Not any kind of revenge, just if those Aussies had won the would have been a (wholly irrational) niggle inside - "we should have beaten them, that RWC should have been ours".
At least now after a 34-17 score I can feel "well it wouldn't have mattered anyway, we'd still have lost to NZ"
A great final to watch and that kid that ran on at the end - it's not just SBW's reaction. Several of the NZ team and coaches handled that well Milner Skudder (I think) in particular chatting to the security guy and quietly getting him not to do his job. Spot on
loum - Member
Beauden Barrett was the closest challenger to Ben Smith for team of the tournament 15, IMO.
Likewise - Sonny Bill, Conrad Smith, and Ma'a Nonu were the three best centres in the tournament.
Any other picks are really just tokenism.
It's the most demoralising thing about the AB's, they start making substitutions and they'll take off arguably the best player in the world in any given position only to replace him with the fella that means he wasn't definitely the best in that position.
Haven't been paying a lot of attention to the domestic game so far 😯 dear Lord the Ospreys are awful 😥
Prem looks pretty topsy turvy this year too! Saints haven't started well....could be an interesting season.
McCaw, why not get past 150 caps or try and make it to the Lions Tour ?
Have to laugh at reporting of Hansen who said he'd never coach another international side and press reports "Hansen rukes out coaching England"
Yeah, if I was McCaw I'd take a step back but not retire from the national side. Be there for the transition to Reid or Cane as the next captain, and get to 150 caps, even if it's off the bench. Pressure off but no chance of later regretting not trying for 150. If he merits his place of course, but I'm sure they could get him on the pitch twice more regardless.
I think McCaw is absolutely the last guy who'd accept two more caps just for the sake of it.
Probably. Depends how OCD he is 🙂
McCaw was second best to Pocock on Sat,but nobody will look too closely at it because he lifted the trophy at the end. I seriously hopes he retires to earning a huge pension fund with a couple of years in France.he deserves every euro he could make.
Claims that the Chosen One has told team mates his rugby [b]union[/b] career is over.
FTFY.
On the upside it does mean he gets to play for England in the 2017 world cup....
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*Chuckles*
OMITN, surprised it took so long for someone to bite! 🙂 If he wants to run off and play a minority sport instead, fair enough! 😉 It's annoying more than anything, though. So much pressure put on the poor lad, and there's no doubt he could have been a great rugby* player if he stuck at it.
*Can't help myself! 🙂
Sam training at bath today. Has he even made his mind up?
Haven't been paying a lot of attention to the domestic game so far dear Lord the Ospreys are awful
They are. Terrible defence vs Glasgow and no clue on how to attack.
<Ref bashing> Fitzgibbon saw Baker make an illegal tackle, no arms, and decided to card him. When the TMO replay was shown it appeared that Baker HAD used his arms but the player was slightly too far away and the Glasgow player basically tripped over Baker's fingertips. Nothing illegal at all, but Fitzgibbon being the arse of a ref that he is couldn't back down and had to give a penalty against Baker. 🙄
Lolz @ CFH
You and I know full well that in the valleys there is soccer and there is football.
Here you are CFH;
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🙂
Well some countries are getting their sevens squads sorted for the Rio Olympics. I saw Habana and Allende (among others) added to the Blitzboks and Sonny-Bill, Liam Messam and Ardie Savaea are in the ABs squad.
Anyone know what GB are doing? I know England getting 4th in the world series qualified a GB side but will that side be English or British? Is it gonna be organised or will it be the usual cluster***k that happens everytime we get a new team sport at the olympics?
the usual cluster***k that happens everytime we get a new rugby team
Yup.
slight tangent but I was channel hopping the other night and watched 'Urban Rugby' or whatever it was called with Ugo Monye and Marlon Yarde.
A really great idea, moving away from that 'rugby is for posh kids' idea (well in England anyway) and to borrow a football term for a moment some of those kids had 'unbelievable tekkers'. It was also great how they spoke to the kids about behaviour in school, at home etc. and teaching them values.
Really heartwarming
^ Thanks for the heads up, I missed that. School of Hard Knocks is worth a watch too for a similar type of thing (with Will Greenwood and Scott Quinnell). There are full episodes on Youtube/ Rugbydump IIRC
Rabbitohs resign Sam.
Good luck to him.
Good rugby player and good bloke.
Sauce?
If thats true its a slap in the face for all the Union people that put time in for him, and especially for Luther Burrell. He stole his place without merit then when he didn't get the glory he felt he'd paid for he's buggered off.
Lack of respect IMO, yeah good luck and hope he doesn't bother coming back.
On the Beeb now.
Can a revolving door slam?
Sauce - BBC website
Edit - dammit 13 seconds
Excellent news as it will be a very very long time before a League player is rushed into Union and into the England setup again. So my incling that the story may have been a scurrilous one put about by the Aussie press was wrong.
@loum, agree with your sentiments with the one correction that he's a very good League player and totally unproven in Union.
At least you clowns are consistent. Damned the bloke while playing for England and now you're damning him for going back to RL.
Now that your oh-so convenient scapegoat has gone back to RL, who are you going to focus your vitriolic rage on? Will England rise like a phoenix from the rubbish RWC campaign now the bad man has gone. Grow up! (ninja edit)
@El, I'm not daming him for going back to League, that's the best thing for England (Union). In fact I never criticised him for coming to give a Union a go that's his right. What's totally wrong was his selection for England or even Bath first XV
@jambalaya - I wasn't referring to your comments but to the committed anti-Burgess contributors on this thread. Opinions are fine but the hate is unneccesary.
Not sure there's much hate. Disappointment certainly. He could have been a great rugby player if he'd been given the chance to properly develop. He was railroaded in toothed game far too quickly. Who's to blame for that?
Well, I suspect that he should shoulder a little bit of the blame himself, but it must be hard to say you're not really ready!
Lancaster? Perhaps. Farrell? Likely.
It's a shame to see him go. Whatever the devious machinations that got him there for a year.
I think it's a real shame that he's gone back to league, I can understand why he has done it, but I think he had the opportunity to prove himself a fine forward that's now been lost. However as a league fan I am thrilled he's back, his brother Tom was superb on Sunday against NZ and I am looking forward to this weekend's match. Interestingly, Sam Tomkins withdrew from the England RL squad just before the series and was not replaced, so there is still the chance another unnamed player *cough* could be called into the squad...
Nobody hated SB. Most simply loathed the idiotic way that "Club England" dealt with the whole issue.
If he'd been left to mature at Bath and then picked on merit for England when ready it may have worked.
Being rushed into the RWC when clearly not worth his place and having proven to be incapable as a club centre with Bath having switched him to back row must have given Burgess the impression that English Rugby is totally amatuerish.
No wonder he's gone back. Careers are short. Good luck to him.
PS
Apparently the buy-out clause on the contract was substantially higher than the transfer fee Bath paid the Rabbitohs in the first place so Bruce Craig has made a few quid back.
Lancaster? Perhaps. Farrell? Likely.
And if it turns out to be true, his management for negotiating an RWC appearance into his cross code contract.
Personally as I said I think the fact that he hasn't attempted to play on and learn the game to come back stronger is disrespectful to his teammates and the guy that lost his RWC place to him. It smacks of Mr Grumpy throwing his toys out the pram. Instead he could have worked through the winter and come back stronger to stake a claim in the 6N. Could this be about his ego wanting to be in the RLWC?
What a pile of tripe!
I don't blame Burgess for going back to somewhere he's appreciated rather than stay somewhere where he's getting a load of shit for something that's not his fault. It would be a strange mentality to turn down playing for England if asked to. Shame for Bath because he could have become a mighty fine back row in time, and I agree a great shame for Burrell who should have been picked ahead of Burgess. But again, that's no more Burgess' fault than Burrell's.
To be fair he is better off in RL. I can't see the bloke wanting to learn the technicalities of bring in the forwards and he isn't fast enough for the back line. England management should be embarrassed by the whole affair and deserved to be sacked (unless they were told to pick him of course). If Bath made money on the deal then well done them.
Carter et al took the world cup to Jerry Collins grave. Nice touch..
+1 nbt and namastebuzz
I would have liked Burgess to remain in English rugby for the remainder of this season, but some of the vitriol from the press, from too many English rugby union fans and within the rugby union establishment itself has called for a thicker skin than any sportsman need bear.
So he's back at Souths with Tom and George. And he'll play in the 2017 Rugby World Cup where England have a very good chance if success.
After 120 years it's clear nothing has really changed in the English rugby union establishment attitude to the other code....
#blameburgess
It's a shame and indeed disappointing to see Sam go crawling back with his tail firmly between his legs. If anyone is to blame it's the England management for promoting him into the English squad far too early.
He [s]could have been[/s] is a great rugby player
He is a world class RL player, one of the best. Don't let your blinkered snobbery blind you to this fact.
Oh, and Sam didn't deny Luther Burrell a place in the squad, the selectors did. There is no argument against Burrell being a much better choice.
Sam go crawling back with his tail firmly between his legs
I don't think so some how.
I'm not sure where you've got the ammo to suspect every fan blames only Burgess. We're all aware of the rest of the shambles, his management is just part of the issue.
Coyote, we don't know but there are rumours of Lancasters hand being forced by Burgess contractual agreement. Should that be true it's a massive travesty. On the one hand why would a player ask for that, it doesn't display respect for your peers. On the other hand if it's the RFU / management that made the decision then shame on them.