Official Rugby Thread

[Burgey]

France left most of the squad at home

Which is pretty much all the comment anyone needs on the state of Australian rugby.

 

[GotSpin]

Which is pretty much all the comment anyone needs on the state of Australian rugby.

I believe club rugby and quarantine issues were the main reasons

but if you’re referring to the strength of Australian rugby - then yes...mind you, France has something like 4 times as many registered players than Australia and 6 times the number of professional clubs. They really should be winning more

 

[Burgey]

I don't know if 15-20 years ago any northern hemisphere side would have left so many of their best players at home owing to a clash with club rugby, but then again it's been big over there for quite a while I guess.

 

[GotSpin]

I don't know if 15-20 years ago any northern hemisphere side would have left so many of their best players at home owing to a clash with club rugby, but then again it's been big over there for quite a while I guess.

Yeah maybe not. Club ready is huge though and quarantine issues only compound that

obviously Australia just isn’t that much of a threat

 

[Smudge]

McCaw was one of the few forwards who stood up in that semi. Often he would get to the breakdown and the two carthorses who were playing with him in the loose trio were miles behind so he would get isolated in trying to claim the ball. Hence he gave a few penalties away.

We lacked a second loosie with genuine speed - both Collins and Thorne are tight loosies (actually Thorne isn't a loosie's a*****e).

McCaw is very good - not a great yet, but he will be.

Not a bold call from me in early 2005, but I'll take it.

 

[social]

Hooper is such a dumbarse

Failure to take the points has cost us many tests & he never learns

 

[Spark]

Hooper is such a dumbarse

Failure to take the points has cost us many tests & he never learns

He's a good player, and obviously a fairly inspirational personality. But he's also an idiot who really shouldn't be captain and making on-field decisions.

Anyway, you aren't going to win games of rugby if, when you have a game-deciding scrum at hand, you put up that. Eesh.

 

[social]

Idiot

Gave France a chance and they took it

Worst captain I have ever seen

 

[Burgey]

Is he really that good a player though? He’ll end up with a ten year plus career as player and captain but imo he’s never been any higher than second best in his position. The most over rated footballer from any code in australia.

Wallabies are woeful. This is a second-third string French side and they looked pedestrian against them. If that was Nz they’d have put 60 on Aus last night. And I wish it was NZ.

Aus is always taking about where they’ve come from and what they’ve changed, but tbh I can’t see any improvement in them at all.

They’re still just a pack of private school soft ****s, and tbh I love seeing them lose.

 

[Smudge]

I suspect you haven't watched NZ in the last year, Burgey.

 

[GotSpin]

Hooper is such a dumbarse

Failure to take the points has cost us many tests & he never learns

Always does it as well. Terrible Captain

 

[social]

lol

What a joke

 

[Spark]

Wow. Fair play, that is quite a performance.

 

[Smudge]

No doubt Burgey won't come near this thread after what was a very gutsy performance. The rugby league shill only rocks into this thread when he sees an opportunity to slip the boot into rugby union.

PS. Love you, Burgey.

 

[GotSpin]

No doubt Burgey won't come near this thread after what was a very gutsy performance. The rugby league shill only rocks into this thread when he sees an opportunity to slip the boot into rugby union.

PS. Love you, Burgey.

I actually came into post the same thing

The red card almost had me turning the TV off but that was really good game otherwise

 

[social]

Good win

Farcical dismissal so to come back after that was good stuff

 

[James]

Should be a good Bledisloe this year I'm thinking.... Wallabies are definitely onto something.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

The most successful Chiefs coach in charge of Australia; the least successful Chiefs coach in charge of NZ. Genius from the NZRU.

 

[BoyBrumby]

It's fair to say that it hasn't captured my attention as with previous Lions' tours, but the first test v RSA is scheduled for Saturday.

Line ups as follows:

British and Irish Lions: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Elliot Daly, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Ali Price, 8 Jack Conan, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Courtney Lawes, 5 Alun Wyn Jones (c), 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Wyn Jones
Replacements: 16 Ken Owens, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 Kyle Sinckler, 19 Tadhg Beirne, 20 Hamish Watson, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Owen Farrell, 23 Liam Williams

South Africa: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Kwagga Smith, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nché
Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Rynhardt Elstadt, 21 Herschel Jantjies, 22 Elton Jantjies, 23 Damian Willemse

----

Few eye catching calls in the Lions, notably van der Merwe on the wing, Daly at outside centre (where he probably hasn't played since the last Lions get together in NZ, but is still arguably his best position, IMHO at least), Price at #9, Big Courts at blindside and Conan being preferred to Faletau at #8.

Lawes and van der Merwe (plus Watson on the other wing) would suggest Gatland's size fetish is still extant, but the presence of the relatively diminutive Price at scrum half would also maybe point towards form being the guide.

Doubt too many had Price, van der Merwe or Cowan-Dickie in their XVs.

Fancy yer Boks to edge an arm wrestle.

 

[Howe_zat]

Yeah, while the 2017 tour really felt like a best of the best series with a huge build up, this tour feels rather more like it's been barely salvaged. That's partly because I haven't followed things as closely, but a Lions side that has at least half a dozen starters that aren't playing for their country doesn't fill me with confidence either.

The Springboks have already edged an arm wrestle on this tour in the guise of 'South Africa A' so it's hard to disagree with your verdict. I suppose we should congratulate the dozen or so players who have been promoted from the second team so quickly.