The height/ size thing is very deceptive in rugby players. I certainly wouldn’t go around believing every published height/ weight you see. Wiki has Shane as 1.7m and 80kg for example but having lived with an ex-Wales prop he just burst out laughing to read that (partly at the height, mostly at the weight) and said there was a lot of “bigging up” going on in the stats/ media 😀 I know Shane was more robust towards the end of his career but the stats are rarely accurate! Is it a short person thing to measure yourself in mm too? 😆

Also worth bearing in mind is that height isn’t everything. Seeing Mike Phillips (thankfully non-aggro) shopping in Cardiff… it wasn’t the height that was in any way intimidating but the fact he is so damn barrel chested. Same with the Toulon props who were walking around Cardiff recently- not huge in height but about as wide as they were tall! 😀

I dont think they were lying about Shanes height, he was defo taller than me..

I agree that height is not everything.

I normally quote 5ft 5, but did it there in mm for accuracy as it was pertinent to the discussion and as a self deprecating thing, otherwise I have to say 5ft 5 and 7/10 and everyone takes the mick for making the 7/10 so important..

Wilkinson wasnt even the best ten in the world cup final,Larkham was better. Him going off when Ben who stood on his face made the difference. Excellent player a top class international but Larkham was better. He wasnt much better than Steven Jones.

What happen to Conrad Smith?

On sabbatical… awesome player

I think Conrad Smith has taken a sabbatical hasn’t he?

On the subject of player size – I bumped into Ashton Sims the other day, one of the Fijian brothers playing in the RL WC. I’m 6’4″ and 17st but my god he’s a monster… Nearly walked straight into his chest!

I think the player size thing is starting to become an issue even in the amateur game. At the club I play at you’ve got such a mix of sizes. Small 5’6″ 9/10st players playing against guys who are 6’6″ 20st gym monkeys. One day someones going to end up seriously hurt.

However, i’m not sure how it could ever really be resolved. People suggest splitting the game up by weights but to me that ruins the whole game. In all the best teams i’ve played in/against its been big strong guys hitting great lines but its always a small wiry player pulling the strings from flyhalf/scrumhalf or cutting teams apart on the wings.

I think there will always be a place for small players in rugby but they’ll have to adapt. Look at Will Genia, undoubtably one of the best scrumhalves in the world and he’s mixing it with the biggest and best players in the world at just 5’8″. The difference is he’s built like a brick outhouse and is one of the strongest players in his team. Maybe thats the approach the small guys will go down in the future? Certainly the best scrumhalf i’ve ever played with was only tiny but was virtually a solid ball of muscle. Used to be amazing – impossible to tackle due to his height and as strong as an ox, bouncing second rows and props all over the park.

In terms of the result on Saturday I have to go with a NZ win, I look at the England backs and just can’t see them offering anything at all. At least with Barrett and Tuilagi we had a nigh on inpentrable defence. Now we don’t even have that! Pretty uninspired for 2015 atm i’m afraid.

By the way, first post on this thread so please be kind 🙂

Me stirring?! 😆

I can tell 🙂

😯 Rhodri Jones 😯 Cory Allan 😯 .. Suppose Allan will fit with Gatlands plan A approach. I thought Beck did OK the other day, not got as good form as last season but I think he’s a good player.

Gethin’s 100th cap. He may not be playing at the level he once did but he’s still an awesome player.

Dan W – you also have to take into consideration the protection the likes of Parra gets (not so much Laidlaw) from the French pack. It negates the need to be particularly big. However, on the wings/fullback or even at 10 there is much greater exposure to the bigger boys so to speak. An example of this would be Courtney Lawes tackle on Parra a while back that dislocated his shoulder. Although that was a hell of a hit it does make you wonder whether a bigger built player such as Genia would have suffered the same injury?

Like I said though it is affecting the amateur game and its starting to become less about the game on Saturday but also about the amount of time they spend in the gym of a week which I think is a shame as its a huge barrier to entry.

Some info from the team announcement:

Anyone know anything about this?

“Rhodri has been training really well. We have been impressed with him. Scott Andrews is injured so again its a chance for a youngster.
Hook might start a game 😯 Scarlets main tight-head is on the bench for Wales and their third choice loose head is starting on tight head 😯

Step in the right direction which is good.

Seems fair enough although the team does look odd on first viewing!

Edit: also talk of Priestland to Clermont or Glos????

No! Muscle is denser than fat. Expecting Shane to be 80kg, especially for most of his playing days not just post- retirement bulk up, is highly unlikely. As I said, an ex-team mate laughed out loud seeing 80kg quoted and I think they are far better placed than us to judge

I am both of them.

Indeed which means for the same volume, it is an actual scientific fact that muscle weighs more than fat, which was was my implication.

Anyway I am happy to believe it. 80kg is only 12.5 stone.

Ire team to play the crims

Ireland: R Kearney; T Bowe, B O’Driscoll, L Marshall, F McFadden; J Sexton, E Reddan; C Healy, R Best, M Ross; D Toner, P O’Connell; P O’Mahony, S O’Brien, J Heaslip.

Replacements: S Cronin, J McGrath, S Archer, M McCarthy, K McLaughlin, C Murray, I Madigan, R Henshaw.

DD will love the Lions scrumhalf being dropped for D4’s finest 🙂 At least that crap flyhalf Sexton has made the team, phew!

Hadn’t considered the cannon fodder aspect of Hook starting against Tonga 😕 Poor guy!

Is Ryan Bevington in the mix for Wales or injured at the moment? He seemed to be coming on nicely along with Paul James…

Just noticed… is Shane wearing Non’s shorts? Size womens small perhaps? 😀

+1

Ha ha,according to that, the upper ideal weight for my height is 14.5 stone. I don’t recall being less than 15 after the age of 15 😀 when I pushed the boat out trying to get a sustained run in 1xv championship rugby I was fit as a butchers dog and 17 stone.

I don’t think it is. A winning Lions tour, 2 heine cups and a Rabo in 3 years is an excellent achievement. DC is the only flyhalf consistently better in the world IMO.

On the Sexton topic, I don’t think he does much that stands out as shockingly amazing but when you consider the consistent high level he has maintained for many years you can start to think of him a world class. A 10 that consistently does the right thing is almost more “world class” in my eyes than a hit and miss 10 with more X-factor. I wouldn’t immediately think of Sexton as world class but when you compare him to the other 10’s around at the moment it is hard to say he isn’t right up there. Bit of an on the fence opinion I know! 😀

Irish team do look strong although I guess strength in depth is going to be the recurring buzz word around the squad, much as with Wales

The weight and BMI thing is funny 😀 Halfpenny is listed at 1.78m and 85kg, Priestland 1.83m and 87kg, Danny Care 1.75m and 85kg, Ben Youngs 1.78m and 92kg 😯 Quite a variation in players all seemingly of similar height yet their builds don’t seem to correlate to their listed weight… it’s all a load of nonsense 😉

Edit, mental note: Do not post up my height and weight then a BMI chart

mmmmyeah but sometimes people can be heavier than they look. I’m about a stone heavier than the number 8 at my club but look nowhere near as big despite being of a similar height. Muscle and Bone density is a strange thing to try and accurately calculate in my experience.

Also in agreement re. Sexton. He is a brilliant player but is always at a disadvantage as Dan Carter has raised the bar for number 10’s by such a huge margin! I’d say Sexton is on a par with Cruden (admittedly i’ve not watched the latter play much)

Why are we arguing? With the exception of Carter, all 10’s are crap,that why we have forwards.

1000!