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2015-16 rugby, world cup year
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anagallis_arvensisFull MemberPosted 8 years ago
England wont lose to Fiji. Wales wont get out of the group I dont think.
anagallis_arvensisFull MemberPosted 8 years agoSamson might join Liam in starting v uraguay apparently. Hope they hold together.
toys19Free MemberPosted 8 years agoEngland wont lose to Fiji. Wales wont get out of the group I dont think.
I hope you are right.
As long as we beat Wales I’ll be happy.DanWFree MemberPosted 8 years agoI wouldn’t be too surprised to see Fiji and Aus qualify. Fiji have been playing some cracking rugby this year and were actually putting away most of their penalties too.
mrhoppyFull MemberPosted 8 years agoWales had a tough job getting out of the group before the Italy game, now not a chance. Could have lived with losing Webb just about but 1/2p really messes things up.
IdleJonFull MemberPosted 8 years agobut 1/2p really messes things up.
I don’t agree. As good a player as he is, if Williams is fit he’s a better counter-attacking 15, and Biggar is a consistently good kicker.
Webb has been a stand out player for Wales lately.
The real problem is lack of depth, as usual.
anagallis_arvensisFull MemberPosted 8 years agoThe loss of 1/2p is big, but Biggar is a top quality kicker, maybe 5m shorter in range and he hasnt really kicked in internationals much but I reckon he’ll be fine. Williams if fit and on form is more of a threat in attack maybe doesnt have the defensive positioning of 1/2p. 15 is crucial in the welsh system as everyone else defends in the line no ball carrying 8 or scrum half sweeping like england often have.
The forwards will win or lose the game v england I reckon. Hopefully Samson can play a half and AWJ is fit. AWJ would be a bigger lose than 1/2p.
Davies at 9 could be good, could be a nightmare. He’s untested at international level due to injuries last season but he’s electric ball in hand. Him and Williams certainly will make Wales less predictable.
mrhoppyFull MemberPosted 8 years agoThe reliability of 1/2ps kicking is fundamental to the way Wales have set themselves up. Biggar may be good but psychologically losing a guy that can pretty reliably kick 3 points from anywhere in the oppositions half will be hard to take. I like Williams and if he was fit it might not be too bad but he’s not and now he’ll be rushed in with not enough game time. If Williams becomes fit it’d have been much better to have him replace Cuthbert on the wing.
Webb has been standout but has only recently replaced Philips (who the rest of the team understand how he plays), and there’s a bit more depth in the squad there.
duckmanFull MemberPosted 8 years agoScotland will finish above Samoa and lose the quarter to Engerland,Engerland. It will be just as tight a game as last time that will be ignored as evidence that you lot aren’t very good either.THM will celebrate by mentioning that the closeness of the game will have left him “sweaty” and Zokes will crawl out from under his rock to get AA a ban. Ideally for comedy gold, we will put a dent in one of your centres,forcing you to start Burgess against the AB’s in a game that Stuart Barnes thinks you will win.
Ireland are the enigma wrapped in a mystery for the home nations. That half when they destroyed the AB’s was the best performance against a SH team since England played with 13.namastebuzzFree MemberPosted 8 years agoEngland will beat Fiji (just) and then Wales before getting mullered by the Wallabies and losing George Ford injured.
SL will say that the team are “improving” despite the loss and that they had a “very good team meeting” after the game.
They will then face Scotland in the quarter, as they’ve sensationally beaten the Boks, where Owen Farrell stars in a 6-3 trouncing.
On to the semi where the ABs race into a 50 point lead before Cipriani comes off the bench for his first appearance in the RWC (and last ever cap) with ten minutes left and sparks a three try revival as England lose 50-21.
Afterwards SL will say that, despite the loss, we are “improving” as evidenced by “us winning the last ten minutes”.
This secures his job until 2019 and we suffer four more years of middle-management inspired mediocrity – securing the runners-up spot in the 6N on annual basis before failing to win the RWC (again).
IdleJonFull MemberPosted 8 years agoAt least England haven’t got to the point where they lose to a very second rate side and sack the coach before he even gets on the plane home. There’s time for that, yet.
(I am enjoying the fact that England are doing exactly what Wales (and Scotland iirc) did between about 1995 and 2005. They have now reached the stage of raiding RL because they must be good, yes? Did someone pick up a Welsh coaching manual in the Oxfam bookshop and assume it was gospel? Is there a redeemer on the way?)
😀
TimPFree MemberPosted 8 years agoAs an aside to all the above, I am off to the welcoming ceremony for Japan and Samoa today at Brighton Dome. I expect to feel very very small…
wreckerFree MemberPosted 8 years agoIt will be just as tight a game as last time that will be ignored as evidence that you lot aren’t very good either
To be fair, if scotland continue on the cruve they’re on – they’ll be a handful for a lot of sides. They also seem to be SA’s bogey team and SA are not in brilliant form at present.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised by an upset in that group.duckmanFull MemberPosted 8 years agoSA will be too good in the forwards,we have very good backs,but SA will just maul us to death.We will beat Samoa,but getting out of the groups is a realistic target for us.
jambalayaFree MemberPosted 8 years agoEngland will top the group winning all their games, beat Scotland or Somoa in the QF and the semi final against NZ will be a very tense affair, too hard to call now
I finally found a video of h/p’s injury and either he was hiding something from the coaching staff or they knowingly played him when not fit. He went down untouched, was not moving at any great pace and the adjustment of direction he was making was small. I will imagine Toulon will not be at all impressed.
DanWFree MemberPosted 8 years agosecuring the runners-up spot in the 6N on annual basis
You’d be lucky 😆
I finally found a video of h/p’s injury and either he was hiding something from the coaching staff or they knowingly played him when not fit. He went down untouched, was not moving at any great pace and the adjustment of direction he was making was small.
Few points 😀 First, when a player is fit to play how fit do you think they realistically are? At this level almost all are carrying knocks and managing issues. Evident by the massive strapping of the affected leg in HP’s case, but he’s no different to anyone else on the pitch. Second, soft tissue injuries are very complex and what might look like a small force can actually be very large when you consider the combination of movements a shift of weight on the “small change of direction”, weakness in other areas around the joint, etc, etc.
It’s unusual to do your ACL like that as a “fit” pro yes, but not that odd when you consider what these guys (and gals!) put their bodies through day in day out and how everything accumulates. None of them should be damaging their Achilles either but don’t tell that to Priestland or Lee
duckmanFull MemberPosted 8 years agoteamhurtmore – Member
A very poorly cast nymph……the fish swims serenely past
Posted 8 hours ago #Report-Post
Wasn’t meant to be anything other than based on your posts.
It’s unusual to do your ACL like that as a “fit” pro yes, but not that odd when you consider what these guys (and gals!) put their bodies through day in day out and how everything accumulates. None of them should be damaging their Achilles either but don’t tell that to Priestland or Lee
I saw a full back do his walking back from placing a ball for a penalty. Worst “WTF?” injury I have ever seen was a guy passing a ball and dislocating his hip,that looked SORE. I think the old Scots phrase “Whats for ye will no pass ye by.” sums up the timing of some injurys.
This is from the town I grew up in.
https://www.facebook.com/dundeeschoolsrugby
Looks good until you realise that a town of c200k residents has no individual school rugby outside of the private school. And at the tournament featured they had to play 12 a side. I was at one of those schools in the 80’s;with a smaller roll than today they had 11 teams,or nearly four times more than every school in Dundee can muster. Rugby in Scotland is fubared.
DanWFree MemberPosted 8 years agoSounds like Scottish rugby is struggling more than most of us realise. I guess it has got to a stage that will be hard to turn around again???
I saw a full back do his walking back from placing a ball for a penalty. Worst “WTF?” injury I have ever seen was a guy passing a ball and dislocating his hip,that looked SORE.
That sounds a lot like an ACL rupture I saw in pro AFL player… while walking in a lab… taking part in an ACL study as a healthy control participant!
The hip dislocation sounds hard to top though- nasty!
namastebuzzFree MemberPosted 8 years agoI was at one of those schools in the 80’s;with a smaller roll than today they had 11 teams,or nearly four times more than every school in Dundee can muster. Rugby in Scotland is fubared.
So are they playing other sports instead or just none?
teamhurtmoreFree MemberPosted 8 years agoNot sure which is sadder another nymph or news in paper that stadia will be ramping up music after tries to make rugby more appealing. Teams will be playing in silly colours next and other marketing BS.
Music “stings” apparently
Webb Ellis will be turning in his grave!
duckmanFull MemberPosted 8 years agoYou know what THM,you post your pathetic racist references to sweaty socks on every thread you pollute,don’t know why can complain about anybody mentioning it,maybe if you didn’t do it in the first place… On thread;
N-buzz:My brother coaches his sons footy team,they were up here recently as there are now Tayside leagues. When I were a lad…3 divisions in Dundee alone at every year from u10-18. Kids up here don’t play sport,I would love to know what they do. I boxed until I was 20,6 clubs in Dundee,one left.Barely one u18 side left at rugby FP level. AA posted a cracking link to Melrose rugby on last year’s thread,they are one of the oldest,most community based clubs in Scotland and they can’t field 3 teams.
Dan; it was in the warm up..Ref was being assessed,so delayed ko by 45 mins and made up play 😥 shorts didn’t need washed that week!namastebuzzFree MemberPosted 8 years agoYeah Duckman it seems kids are mostly at home on their consoles or smartphones although there are also a lot more sports they can do now easily that they couldn’t do before.
Great article about NZ Rugby in the Grauniad – if you’ve got 15 minutes to spare. HERE
Helps understand how they turn out so many great players and, together with the lack of Scottish lads taking up the game, why so many Kilted Kiwis turn up.
duckmanFull MemberPosted 8 years agoThe thing is NMB, they are not, the local community centre is rammed, and all the online stuff the kids I teach do is instant, eg Facebook/Twitter etc. I wonder if there is a sea change in participation that is more noticeable where there are fewer numbers participating. Eg local u18 rugby team needs 25 players to function. 20% wastage over 10 years equals no team at all. Certainly I have seen a survey at some point to say that if you didn’t play sport there is a significant reduction in the likelyhood of your kids doing so.
Jambalaya; it’s a play on the Anyone But England phrase…namastebuzzFree MemberPosted 8 years agoHow about a bit of actual rugby?
Cracking try by Waikato in the ITM Cup.
[video]https://youtu.be/4mZGTXrdKTw[/video]
anagallis_arvensisFull MemberPosted 8 years agoManu Tuilagi back in the news
http://m.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/34215507He seems to be a rival for Andy Powell in brain of britain. Surely saying you lied in court aint sensible?
toys19Free MemberPosted 8 years agoI know its dissapointing, we are used to players who are lawyers and Drs.
TimPFree MemberPosted 8 years agoSince 2010, Samoa have played just 39 test matches, compared to NZ playing 73 in the same period. It means they come into this World Cup with their most experienced players with under 40 caps but at their 3rd tournament. Teams like Samoa need more games and more exposure. World rugby would be a poorer place without them
anagallis_arvensisFull MemberPosted 8 years agoThe tricky thing is lots of samoan players get good contracts in England and France because they dont play many internationals.
wreckerFree MemberPosted 8 years agoHow about a bit of actual rugby?
Never a try, but entertaining rugby.
duckmanFull MemberPosted 8 years agoSamoa and Fiji are the Elephants in the room for NZ and AUS. If they played them more often it would be harder to pry away their players
duckmanFull MemberPosted 8 years agoAll Black legend Williams: big teams all hate England | The Sunday Times
http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/public/share/uuid/93c68e80-596a-11e5-9863-4142321c7470
Bearing in mind he will have played against them during the “Mike Tindall’s stag” period,at least ONE part of that article is unfair.teamhurtmoreFree MemberPosted 8 years agoAmazing how obsessed non-English people are about the England team
Williams is a poor imitation of Campese – at least Campo’s wind ups were amusing
mikewsmithFree MemberPosted 8 years agoIn an interview with L’Equipe, the French sports daily, Williams expresses his “hate” for the English
I think it’s probably part of the contract for doing an interview with l’equipe
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