There was some gubbins about that a few years ago. There was some evidence that taping prevented injuries, so insurance companies insisted on every player having ankles tapes.

Trouble is, there’s a fair bit of evidence that taping/bracing actually weakens a joint.

If he’s anything like as good a club player as his father, he’ll go far!

King’s playing some great rugby these days. Here’s hoping junior can follow in his footsteps!

Nice bit of recognition for Nigel Owens on the Beeb news this morning. There’s also a documentary about him at 11:55 tonight.

Nominations for player of year: Wynn Jones, Laidlaw, Hooper, Pocock, Carter and Savea

Laidlaw 😆 really????

re injuries, I think that if they could find a way to make the game less of a stop start affair then that would go some way to reducing the size of the players and hopefully the injuries.

With the number of stoppages we have at the moment the game is more anaerobic which gives big fast heavy guys the advantage. If the game became more aerobic then the players would have to slim down otherwise they would be completely knackered after 30 minutes.

Also, they should enforce the rule that the head should be above the hips at the breakdown. Bending over like that without being able to see who’s coming is just asking for trouble.

BruceWee – and 15 players not 23

His name is Alun-Wyn Jones. I wasn’t aware of another Jones in the running for player of the year

Read something last week from unknown England Player moaning about how they were being set up to play a high tempo ball in play game for the coaches to bottle it at the last minute. “would have been better prepared hitting the weights gym” was the quote.

Anyway, RFU finished their Report, yet?

@Samper not sure they’ve even started yet

@aa I appreciate I’m repeating myself but even with the wrong side we where 10 up with 10 (ish 😉 ) mins to play, as thm said our lineout was obvious as the prior one had been a dogs breakfast so it was obvious we’d throw short (it was obvious Scotland should have thrown short against Australia with 2 mins to go but they went for the element of surprise by going long and wrong)

Re injuries and careers etc look at Giteau, Wilkinson etc they are showing that retiring from internationals helps prolong your career, those are the most intense matches and if you opt out you get a couple of decent breaks in the season and no end of season tour either. This makes particular sense if your club pay in say France is much higher than you’d get stopping at home. I personally have a doubt that Giteau and Mitchell would have come back for anything other than a RWC.

Looking forward to tomorrow and have to say these 3rd/4th matches are a waste of time

The kiwis have had top players take sabbaticals.

Am enjoying the Scablets giving the Dregs a good going over at the moment!

Today’s the day 😀

It’s a wonderful sunny day in Paris and the really good news is I don’t have to listen to that strangled cat singing World in Union.

Is this the first Time where what can be generally considered to be the two best sides in the world are contesting the Final?

I don’t remember SA being thought of as top two in the world before the 1995 RWC and remember watching a documentary suggesting they themselves thought they were a ramshackle mess! Certainly I remember the semi against France where the ref, Derek Bevan, penalised France out of the game and disallowed a couple of definite tries. Almost as if SA had to go through to the final. (If you want a conspiracy theory 😆 ). I always thought it was a travesty that SA won that RWC.