Rugby 2023-24 World Cup Year!

Finding a way to get it done when things are going against you…….”

And that’s one of the things that Jonno brought to the England team when we won it. Corry had tjat ability too. But since then, England have not has a true leader with a brain and what, where I come from, is called ‘nous’. Quite the opposite since then (and certainly since 2011) – absolutely no nous in Englands leadership since. The skills and brains of Flood and then Ford have been totally wasted.

Give it a rest will you.

Yep. As long as you lot shut up about dull and shit the bronze medallists are.

That was tight! Surprised nz didn’t take the 3 points a couple of times when they had kick able penalties. I think their discipline let them down too, very rare for nz.

well done SA, a tough road to the final for sure. 

Just been back through the last 5 pages of posts and somewhere between 20 and 25% of the posts are knocking England, or England’s players, or their style of play, etc.

But yeah, I’ll shut up now.

Just been back through the last 5 pages of posts and somewhere between 20 and 25% of the posts are knocking England, or England’s players, or their style of play, etc.

are you counting those by English fans? 

Well done to South Africa. A tough route playing every top team. Winning each knockout by a single point is pretty wild.

Is theotherjov 5plus8’s new log in? 

He certainly has a bee in his bonnet doesn’t he.

Rugby does have issues when teams like England and SA can do so well by simply kicking the leather off the ball. It needs looking at because rugby is dying a slow death imo.

Limiting subs to say only 3 tactical switches whilst allowing HIA replacements or injury replacements but those replacements have a 2 week stand down would help imo. Allowing forwards (and backs) to become so big and then replacing them with more massive blokes when the tire is killing the game. Something needs to be done with the breakdown too as a lot of teams don’t seem to even want to make a break unless they have a pen advantage as you will just get pinged for holding on.

Watching endless box kicks was fun when Robert Jones dismantled Campese in 1989, it’s much less fun now!!

The scrums in the final were interesting. There did seem to be an attempt to drive and stay up. Lots of NH teams use it to get penalties, which just is boring. Watching loose head elbows yesterday seemed all up. Lots of other team LH will have elbow pointing at the ground. That would seem to be an easy ping from the ref

A loosehead elbow up can just as soon mean he is boring in. On to AA’s point, something wrong with the game when the Saffers can take off the hooker and claim it’s a technical sub in case of a last min lineout on their line. As for size of modern players, I would love to find details of when players have been drugs tested, my gym rat colleague who is quite open about his own PED use was incredulous watching a game at the WC. 

There was a pic of itoje coming off after a game with top off. He was like the incredible hulk from the 80s.

I’m w anagallis, rules and points per play need looking at.
I think the whole idea of Mr Webb-Ellis was to pick up and run w the ball, not about kicking it the most times over the cross bar.
What we all love is running rugby, and getting over the try line. Shame that the team that scored most points and tries didn’t win in the end, or that other teams who did well on excitement and running the ball also fell foul of RSA anti-rugby

On most of the stats relevant to what makes rugby exciting, RSA didn’t even make the top 5. They did score tries, but only against lower tier opposition.
The only category RSA won was the tackle count.
I know there are different approaches to win games, but I know what I like watching.

https://www.rugbyworldcup.com/2023/stats

What we all love is running rugby, and getting over the try line

I enjoyed the Fiji – Portugal match; I liked the way Portugal played and moved the ball around without incessant kicks. They made mistakes and mishandled, but it was still nicer to watch than kick tennis.

I see Eddie Jones has jacked it in – he’s really become the Jose Mourinho of rugby hasn’t he.

Just watched Dregs v Cardiff. Standard was about as you would expect, but holy shit Mason Grady is freakishly fast for a player of his size. If he can step up this year and be international standard it would be great for Wales.

@ditch_jockey If the Japanese RU have any sense they’ll stay far away from re-employing him.

Cheika apparently out of contract?

David Humphreys former Ulster & Ireland and Head Coach for Gloucester and Ulster looks like he might get the Ireland High Performance Director role replacing David Nucifora. Its a pretty important role in Irish rugby as IRFU pay all the coaches of the provinces, decide which players get central contracts, have to sign off on any overseas signings. They can also heavily influence players to change provinces and probably should do a bit more to distribute some of the players down the pecking order at Leinster across the other teams where they might challenge for a starting position. I’m pretty happy with appointment, met him once at Gloucester’s training ground and he seemed pretty sharp.

Wayne Barnes retires, shame he was a top class ref.

Porter will be pleased, I am sure he has been angling for this for a while 😄

Wales v Baabaas today, are elite Welsh players contracted for 35hrs a week for the RFU or something? Bet the clubs are chuffed about that!

Bet the clubs are chuffed about that!

It’s a farce!!

Scarlets v Cardiff today and all the internationals injured or away, no wonder the game is dying in Wales.

are elite Welsh players contracted for 35hrs a week for the RFU

WRU please!!!!

shows the WRU do not care a hoot about their URC teams. 

When all this year’s of carrying Wales finally catch up with you 😟

All those years of carrying Wales finally caught up with Biggar.

via u/sadicologue on Reddit pic.twitter.com/U33RgGeXlq

— Riaan Louw (@Ringo26) November 4, 2023

Now the dust has settled from the world cup we can look at the stats:

The Ireland v Scotland pool stage match on October 7th broke a record – with 137,000 pints of beer sold at Stade de France to the 78,459 spectators, easily beating the previous record of 90,000 pints, which was set during a Metallica concert at the stadium

I’ve always like Biggar despite his antics.  I see him a bit like Sean Lamont.  Not the most skillful or exciting player but someone who made the best of his talents and who never gave less than his best.  He deserves to be remembered as a player who played with passion and fire

He also provided us with some fine comedy moments over the years.  Everybody do the Biggareana!

The Ireland v Scotland pool stage match on October 7th broke a record – with 137,000 pints of beer sold at Stade de France to the 78,459 spectators, easily beating the previous record of 90,000 pints, which was set during a Metallica concert at the stadium

Are they selling actual beer in Stade de France now? Last time I was there (2010, I think) they were only selling non-alcoholic Heiniken for 6 euros a pint.

I’ve always like Biggar

Me too.  It’s crazy to think just how many Welsh fly-halfs have come and gone while he’s been an international.

I’ve always like Biggar despite his antics

Bit like Faz but without the cheap shots and anger.

Wales screwed for 10’s now. No Bigger, no Anscombe, no Jarrod Evans, no Patchel, no Costelow as he looks long term broken, no Hawkins. That leaves us with Ioan Lloyd who has played about 10 pro games as a 10, Sheedy and my nan.

dunno aboutthe anger but I always enjoed his flapping of arms in protest and he as far as I remember never went for the cheap shots

“Without the anger.” 

Were there 2 Biggars then?

Seems Wayne Barnes and his family have been getting death threats (from the decision the TMO made as far as I can work out), keep it classy NZ!

The Legends last game today!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/67452865

Quite a sad interview with Wayne Barnes today about the death threats and abuse to his family. This sort of stuff should carry huge bans and prison sentences.

Rent-a-gobs like Erasmus and EJ have a huge responsibility in this. Quotes from Barnes in a Fra v SA match in which he sent off DuPont and Pieter SdT. Dupont apologised to him as he left the field whereas Erasmus called him a cheat and gobbled off on Social media.

Legend is overused word but pretty accurate in AWJ case, would have been nice if it was an international game but  sounds like the Toulon crowd gave him a good send off

I’d put AWJ up there amongst the very best in world rugby. It will be strange not hearing his name mentioned when we play Wales – I honestly can’t remember a time when he wasn’t there!

Farrell announces a break from international rugby, citing mental health and a focus on his family.  
Good on him with his priorities.

Hope he’s better at it than Mr S Hogg.

2 pretty watchable club games this evening Quins V Sale and Munster V Glasgow. Will watch the first half of the latter and maybe decide at HT which is more competitive for 2nd half.

cracking win for Exeter!!

Now to watch the Cardiff u20 try not to get steamrollered by Toulouse. DeLaRua aged 19 to start his first pro game ever 😱😱😱

I was Bristol airport yesterday afternoon and Scarlets and Cardiff squads were there getting the same EasyJet flight to Toulouse. I felt sorry for anyone else on the plane….

I find it slighty disturbing that I was at school with the (late) father of Teddy Williams (who looks exactly like his father Owain and is equally giant).