The Game for Those with Odd-Shaped Balls (the Rugby thread)

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  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    I haven't really been following the Cup (I'm not even sure I could get it on cable, and Real Life™ has rather intervened in the last week), but it gave me a much-needed smile to read that Scotland had won a match.
  • I think the RWC is being covered by CBC Sport.
  • Australia not looking too special against Uruguay. Playing a team of amateurs they made a lot of errors and there were far too many illegal tackles.
  • Two cards for the All Blacks! That’s unheard of. They didn’t make a difference, despite Namibia’s bravery, but it would never have happened in Richie McCaw’s day.
  • Not that McCaw was above the occasional bit of questionable play...
  • And poor old Canada have just gone down to the 'Boks 66-7.
  • And it would have been a century if Canada hadn't played better with fourteen men than with fifteen.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Scotland 61, Russia 0.

    That brought me a much-needed smile! :smiley:
  • Typhoon deciding some final pool games.

    Necessary but sad
  • Typhoon deciding some final pool games.

    Necessary but sad

    Very true. Mind you, wasn't there a World T20 held during a monsoon season? Not close to it, but right in it.
  • Unless its the wind they're worried about, what is wrong with them having games with a bit of mud? Scotland, in particular, are supreme artists at rugby-in-the-mire.
  • Piglet wrote: »
    Scotland 61, Russia 0.

    That brought me a much-needed smile! :smiley:

    My partner is Russian, and she reacted with astonishment at the revelation that Russia had a rugby team. Judging from that scoreline, maybe they don't.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Maybe they sent their tiddlywinks team by mistake ... :mrgreen:
  • TukaiTukai Shipmate
    Unless its the wind they're worried about, what is wrong with them having games with a bit of mud? Scotland, in particular, are supreme artists at rugby-in-the-mire.

    Clearly you have not been underneath a typhoon as I have done several times. They usually leave a trail of infrastructure damage and other destruction - we could rely on the power being off for a week or two every time one passed within 200km of our home. Not to mention much flooding, roads closed, roofs lifted, windows broken, and so on...And that's just the aftermath. No sane resident goes outside during a typhoon, and certainly not to play rugby.
  • I was being a tad tongue-in-cheek there.
  • Today is My Big Day!
    Having restrained myself from taking over-intense interest till NOW.
    This measure was taken in consultaion with Significant Other after my insane preoccupation - to the exclusion of All Else at Home and Abroad - during the Ashes. And I'm not even Australian, just unaware that I was so cricket-starved apparently!
    I am wearing symbolic black shorts and a black t-shirt and organising my life around the Quarter Finals and subsequent games.
  • I ended up watching parts of the second half of this morning's AUS-ENG match at the local hospital ophthalmology clinic around various tests. I was not terribly happy when I had to sit in a waiting room that was showing politics instead but I'm happy with the result.
  • NZ v Ireland was an old-fashioned shillacking. Aren't Ireland the no. 2 team in the world? You'd have to think the Kiwis will romp it in now.
  • OMG ! Not our finest hour but we had the good fortune to have on the opposing side a kicker who managed to hit the woodwork not once but twice :grin:

    We're going to have to get down to some serious thought before we meet the 'Boks in the SF.
  • Baptist TrainfanBaptist Trainfan Shipmate
    edited October 2019
    Not just the kicking, I think that Les Cogs Sportifs shot themselves in the foot with that elbow shove. They were the better team on the day. That's twice France have lost to Wales after having a convincing lead at half-time.
  • ZappaZappa Shipmate
    Kudos to (kiwi) Gatland who acknowledged France were the better team after his Welsh side won. But now the pointy end. England v NZ should be massive. I'm an english born kiwi so I'll take either win.
  • Zappa wrote: »
    Kudos to (kiwi) Gatland who acknowledged France were the better team after his Welsh side won. But now the pointy end. England v NZ should be massive. I'm an english born kiwi so I'll take either win.

    I think we can treat the England v NZ match as the final and the Wales v SA as a third-place play-off.
  • I think we can hope that the Blacks & Brits wear each other down in a war of attrition and its either us or the 'Boks to pick up the trophy ...
  • I have a church council day next Saturday. I might be late for it.
  • We have a service on Sunday morning .....
  • Silent mode is a wonderful thing :grin:
  • Hmmm ..... the Minister (me) might not be too pleased. Mind you, the match should finish before the service actually starts.
  • sionisaissionisais Shipmate
    edited October 2019
    The big match didn't affect our service although the musicians had less time to practice than usual.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    I have fond memories of an Evensong in St. John's which coincided with the final of the gentlemen's ice-hockey at the Winter Olympics. One of the girls in the choir had her mobile on "silent" but she couldn't quite hide her elation when the Canucks won. :)
  • Well, knock me down with a feather. The "Prince of Wales" has actually shown some support for our rugby team, visiting them in training and presenting Owen Lane with his cap.
  • Well, knock me down with a feather. The "Prince of Wales" has actually shown some support for our rugby team, visiting them in training and presenting Owen Lane with his cap.

    I'll bet he was about to visit the England camp when one of his aides took him aside and gave him a quiet reminder of where his loyalties should lie in matters such as this.
  • To be fair to Charles, he's never shown the slightest interest in the game played by any team. It was the late Princess of Wales who took William to the Arms Park for the first time.
  • "...[Sports psychologist Steve} Jackson said in New Zealand “more people go to rugby games than go to church; the passion for the game is extreme”, but also that some Kiwis were growing fatigued of rugby’s dominance in the cultural psyche and fed up with the violence and excessive alcohol consumption that is often associated with match nights.

    “I do see a growing number of people resenting the prominent place rugby has in New Zealand’s story – that it has displaced almost any other form of culture.”

    Not to mention the spike in "domestic violence" if the All Blacks lose. Not blaming New Zealand - this phenomenon is reported by women's refuges world wide

    Guardian, 0319 BST this morning
  • Surely one of the greatest games ever? Amazing!
  • Brilliant game. From the fronting up to the Haka to the final whistle, England did everything right (apart from the generous NZ try - perfect pass from George!).

    Wonderful game: make no mistake, NZ weren't bad: England pressed and hustled and pressurised them so well, they never got into the game.

    So chuffed. Over the past 4 years, we've seen hints that England can be this good, but not often have they managed it for 80 minutes. And never against the best in the world before.

    Splendid performance from 1 to 15. (To 23).

    Two things I want now; an all Northern Hemisphere final (for the 1st time ever) and much more importantly a top performance next week. They haven't won anything yet.

    (A very happy) AFZ
  • Interesting game. The ABs seemed shell-shocked by the early English score and didn't really recover.

    I thought Nigel Evans had a good game apart from one tackle which he and the AR deemed was legitimate when it seemed plain to be and the cohort watching in our place that it was a blatant case of a body check; however, the English did well.
  • The All Blacks were never in the game right from the opening whistle - that's why the try was able to be scored in the first place.
    Stunned for 9 hours afterwards - I measure everything these days. OK now though. Life goes on (Earth and laundry both spinning).

  • bassobasso Shipmate
    I was able to congratulate a customer who came through my checkout lane today wearing an England shirt. Customer service abetted by the Ship.
  • Galilit wrote: »
    "

    Not to mention the spike in "domestic violence" if the All Blacks lose. Not blaming New Zealand - this phenomenon is reported by women's refuges world wide

    Guardian, 0319 BST this morning

    There is a spike in FV worldwide whenever NZ lose a rugby game? That seems incongruous.
  • No, silly. World wide reports of increase in DV/GBV/FV after "big" sports events
  • Well, they haven't yet reached half time and already the "neutral" man in the middle, Jérôme Garcès, is showing his intention of impeding players and being blind to plain infringements. 3 terrible howlers so far (including "not seeing" Moriarty being taken out in the air) and re-writing the rules about who gets the put in if the ball goes out of play. SO refreshing to know we not only have to beat the 'Boks, we have to beat the ref too.
  • An ugly match - not a patch on yesterday.
  • Galilit wrote: »
    No, silly. World wide reports of increase in DV/GBV/FV after "big" sports events

    Sure. That was clear.
  • Not for the first time the England team showed that they tend to panic if Plan A doesn't work and that their players don't seem able to come up with a Plan B. Not brutal enough to out-muscle a team that relies on physical intimidation as much as anything else, not cerebral enough to make their own luck. But the English should be proud of the way they've played overall, especially in their semi-final against New Zealand.

    Well done to the 'Boks who've proved, apart from anything else, that money alone won't get you a trophy.
  • And having gained so much goodwill the England team have now thrown it away with their petulance, refusing to wear their silver medals, etc. Unforgivable.
  • This ex-pat will be having a really really big night.
  • Well done to the 'Boks who've proved, apart from anything else, that money alone won't get you a trophy.

    Can you explain what you mean by this? I'm not taking the piss, I'm sincerely interested.
  • Is it an allegation that the England side purchased their place in the final? That would be glorious.
  • sionisaissionisais Shipmate
    edited November 2019
    The ‘Boks did to England much as England did for the All Blacks, only more so. They destroyed England’s scrum and by scoring tries out wide they also exposed England’s defence.
    And having gained so much goodwill the England team have now thrown it away with their petulance, refusing to wear their silver medals, etc. Unforgivable.
    Frankly, I wouldn’t want a losers medal. Leave the whole post-match to the winners, with interviews from the runner-ups captain and coach.
  • TheOrganistTheOrganist Shipmate
    edited November 2019
    Well done to the 'Boks who've proved, apart from anything else, that money alone won't get you a trophy.

    Can you explain what you mean by this? I'm not taking the piss, I'm sincerely interested.

    The national rugby unions with the most registered senior male players are England (131,399), France (124,079) and South Africa (113,174). The richest clubs in the RU world are the French top 14, the top 5 of whom have more money than all of New Zealand rugby - useful article here. French rugby has so much money that even its Second Division has more money at its disposal than Super Rugby.

    Like France, England has more than one division of fully professional rugby teams; in contrast Wales, Ireland and Scotland combined have 10 in the Pro-14 league.

    South Africa has professional rugby teams in its 10 provincial unions: lots of registered players sure but not much money.

    The amount of money available to national RUs controls what those countries can do for their international players in terms of coaching (who they get to coach, facilities, etc) and other backroom staff, travel (so much better if you can give your team 1st class all the way rather than budget options). In addition, smaller and poorer unions are more likely to have players spread around the globe so they don't get so much chance to play together.

    Compared to the Spring Boks the England team have had years to play together, the money and facilities to be together for extended periods, etc. And their salaries are such that although a win bonus is nice, it isn't going to make the difference between getting a holiday or not...

    The prize money given to the world cup winning rugby union is £325,000 to be shared among players and staff. English and other unions put together their own jackpot fund to pay out for wins - so if England had won each player and member of the coaching staff would have got £220,000; to put that in context, if New Zealand had won they would have got £119,000 each. South Africa haven't released details of their bonus pot but their players are unlikely to have got much more than their share of the £325,000 prize money with a top-up of perhaps another £10-15,000.

    Does that answer your question?
    Simon Toad wrote: »
    Is it an allegation that the England side purchased their place in the final? That would be glorious.

    No, just that the money available in each country can have a marked effect - see above.
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