Official Rugby Thread

[BoyBrumby]

I'd support whoever I need to (apart from S*uthampton or Aussie Cricketers).

But the French were the best team in the tournament and deserved to win it. I'm still not quite sure what happened in Cardiff on Saturday. Did England suddenly improve massively in a week or are Wales really that bad? I honestly thought there was a chance of a bit of an upset, I did not expect a complete bullying, it was men against boys (apart from when Pollock came on). I've not heard from my In Laws since the game, hope they're alright. A real sorry state of affairs for them, hard to see when they next win a game.

Little from column A, lot from column B.

Leekists were really going through the motions in the second half, hate to hear myself saying things like "no pride in the jersey", but there really wasn't.

Amazing to think they were champions as recently as 2021. Won the triple crown too and came within three points of a Grand Slam too. Vertiginous fall from grace.

 

[Molehill]

Little from column A, lot from column B.

Leekists were really going through the motions in the second half, hate to hear myself saying things like "no pride in the jersey", but there really wasn't.

Amazing to think they were champions as recently as 2021. Won the triple crown too and came within three points of a Grand Slam too. Vertiginous fall from grace.

It was thoroughly predictable though. You could see that all their best players were retiring and there was just nothing coming through. The off field issues at the WRU has made matters worse, re-hiring Gatland was plain daft too.

But somehow their U20's beat England on Friday night, so maybe there's a small glimmer of hope.

 

[Chin Music]

Sam Warburton spoke well about the situation on rugby special. Perhaps a summer tour is an opportunity to get in some of the better younger players coming through with some senior players off on the Lions tour.

Ireland were discussed and that they have a lot of players in their 30s who may not be around in a couple of years, alongside those who have retired after this tournament. Apparently they haven't been doing so well at more junior levels.

 

[ripper868]

Wales basically had a crop of really really good players and players with character retire, with nobody coming behind to fill that gap. Hard to replace guys like AWJ, Biggar, North, Roberts, Halfpenny, Davies (the centre, not the population of Neath). And with LRZ trying his hand at NFL, it's a pretty sad state of play to look at from the outside.

 

[Ali TT]

They can't really get any worse although they can stay this bad. Is this a permanent decline into ineptitude like the Windies post-2000 or more like the Aussies' carcrash period in 2009-12 before they bounce back as the next generation beds in?

 

[Niall]

Not sure if it has been said here, but do think its odd Farrell was able to take the six nations off to go manage the Lions, not like its a gig that many wouldn't have wanted.

 

[Chin Music]

Not sure if it has been said here, but do think its odd Farrell was able to take the six nations off to go manage the Lions, not like its a gig that many wouldn't have wanted.

If there is any season that someone is going to take off, it is going to be the intermediate season after the world cup and two years for the build up to the next one.

 

[weeman27bob]

Not sure if it has been said here, but do think its odd Farrell was able to take the six nations off to go manage the Lions, not like its a gig that many wouldn't have wanted.

Pretty tricky to watch players in person if you're still coaching one of the teams.

 

[ripper868]

I'm interested to see what the combined Aus/NZ XV team will look like for the Lions tour tbh. If it's a 'best available' selection, then logic would say it's just a test vs the all blacks. I assume it'll be a case of test level guys from NZ with a few 'promising' youngsters from Aus getting a gig, with a similar feel to how a Barbarians team might be thrown together. I'd expect 0 of the first XV for the Lions to play in it obvs.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Interesting shout for yer Loins XV/XXIII this summer, actually.

Can likely count the nailed on starters on one hand, and two of them are Kiwis and another a Yarp.

Reckon we've got Itoje, Doris, Gibson-Park, Lowe and Van der Merwe nailed on, with Aki and Curry, T in the very likelies.

Bit of a crap shoot after that. Before the 6N I'd have said Russell was a v likely at least, but young Smith, F looks a very cool head. Not quite the ball skills of his (near) namesake, but equally less likely to throw twatty intercepts for the oppo too.

 

[Molehill]

I'm interested to see what the combined Aus/NZ XV team will look like for the Lions tour tbh. If it's a 'best available' selection, then logic would say it's just a test vs the all blacks. I assume it'll be a case of test level guys from NZ with a few 'promising' youngsters from Aus getting a gig, with a similar feel to how a Barbarians team might be thrown together. I'd expect 0 of the first XV for the Lions to play in it obvs.

Looking at the fixtures I'm not sure I agree. It's 7 days before the First Test and there's a midweek game 3 days before against the Brumbies.

Interesting shout for yer Loins XV/XXIII this summer, actually.

Can likely count the nailed on starters on one hand, and two of them are Kiwis and another a Yarp.

Reckon we've got Itoje, Doris, Gibson-Park, Lowe and Van der Merwe nailed on, with Aki and Curry, T in the very likelies.

Bit of a crap shoot after that. Before the 6N I'd have said Russell was a v likely at least, but young Smith, F looks a very cool head. Not quite the ball skills of his (near) namesake, but equally less likely to throw twatty intercepts for the oppo too.

Feels like the forwards will be pretty much an Eng/Ire combo with a couple of Scots in the backs (Kinghorn at full back another big possible). I'm not convinced Aki is a starter, there seems to be a lot of talk about Freeman in there now.

 

[weeman27bob]

Interesting shout for yer Loins XV/XXIII this summer, actually.

Can likely count the nailed on starters on one hand, and two of them are Kiwis and another a Yarp.

Reckon we've got Itoje, Doris, Gibson-Park, Lowe and Van der Merwe nailed on, with Aki and Curry, T in the very likelies.

Bit of a crap shoot after that. Before the 6N I'd have said Russell was a v likely at least, but young Smith, F looks a very cool head. Not quite the ball skills of his (near) namesake, but equally less likely to throw twatty intercepts for the oppo too.

Sheehan I think has to be in the nailed on too.

 

[ripper868]

I think Kinghorn is the lock at 15 right now. F Smith i think has actually been the best 10 of the home nations, he's been assured and very steady, which I think is all you need in a Lions XV, Finn Russell seems to have fallen off quite a lot, he's overplaying his hand too often as opposed to pouncing on the right moments, a little like 2011 Quade Cooper vs 2013 onwards Quade Cooper (where 2011 Quade would pounce on opportunities as they presented, as opposed to trying to make them with every touch).

Fair point about the Aus/NZ XV match being a week out from the first test - could well be a near full dress rehearsal.

 

[Molehill]

I think Kinghorn is the lock at 15 right now. F Smith i think has actually been the best 10 of the home nations, he's been assured and very steady, which I think is all you need in a Lions XV, Finn Russell seems to have fallen off quite a lot, he's overplaying his hand too often as opposed to pouncing on the right moments, a little like 2011 Quade Cooper vs 2013 onwards Quade Cooper (where 2011 Quade would pounce on opportunities as they presented, as opposed to trying to make them with every touch).

Fair point about the Aus/NZ XV match being a week out from the first test - could well be a near full dress rehearsal.

The one issue Russell has had with Scotland is a relatively weak set of forwards in comparison to the back line. I suspect he'll be able to control a game far better behind a Lions pack instead of having to risk stuff with a Scottish backline. I think he's probably still first choice......just.

I don't think there's a lot between Kinghorn and Keenan at 15.

 

[Ali TT]

Yeah, fairness, opportunity, spreading the game and all that but **** off I want to see England travel to Tbilisi in the 6N rather than face Wales.

Six Nations: Georgia coach Richard Cockerill wants Wales play-off

Coach Richard ****erill says Georgia have "earned the right" to face Wales in a play-off to decide who should be in the 2026 Six Nations.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Molehill]

Yeah, fairness, opportunity, spreading the game and all that but **** off I want to see England travel to Tbilisi in the 6N rather than face Wales.

Six Nations: Georgia coach Richard Cockerill wants Wales play-off

Coach Richard ****erill says Georgia have "earned the right" to face Wales in a play-off to decide who should be in the 2026 Six Nations.

www.bbc.co.uk

Maybe they should turn it into an 8 team tournament each year. Two groups 4 then semis and final (which the bottom 4 teams could do as well and the loser gets relegated).

 

[BoyBrumby]

I genuinely think a top v bottom two-legged play off is the way to go.

It'll never happen because turkeys don't vote for Xmas, but if the best of tier 2 beats the worst of tier 1 there's no argument outside of financial that the latter doesn't deserve a place at the top table.

Somewhat ironically (as the article states) yer Leekists' last test win was actually against the Georgians, but that was all the way back in October 2023.

 

[Chin Music]

Yeah, fairness, opportunity, spreading the game and all that but **** off I want to see England travel to Tbilisi in the 6N rather than face Wales.

Six Nations: Georgia coach Richard Cockerill wants Wales play-off

Coach Richard ****erill says Georgia have "earned the right" to face Wales in a play-off to decide who should be in the 2026 Six Nations.

www.bbc.co.uk

A nice night out Tbilisi. I went trekking in the Caucasus a few years ago too. Don't recall seeing much about rugby during my travels there.

 

[James]

Great to see the Aussies getting their act together this Super Rugby season. Getting rid of the Rebels and spreading the talent across less teams is certainly paying off.

 

[ashley bach]

Great to see the Aussies getting their act together this Super Rugby season. Getting rid of the Rebels and spreading the talent across less teams is certainly paying off.

It certainly makes it much more interesting when they're competing that's for sure.
Having said that it's just not the same without the South African teams these days, hope they can eventually get involved in the comp again.