Official Rugby Thread

[ripper868]

Don't forget a token Gray brother for the midweek matches.

Think you'll have our measure again in a couple of weeks sadly.

 

[StephenZA]

I went to HQ for the England/Boks test. Still lousy with cold now, but that's beside my point.

Odd game. I can't recall ever being in a stadium where the home team is banishing a ten year hoodoo where the outcome felt so inevitable. After Youngs sold his first dummy it was always a question of how many. The lack of tension amongst the faithful was, I suppose a testament to how far Sir Eddie has dragged us in a year.

Shame we won't be facing the ABs this autumn to see how close we are to them now. Although I fully expect to see an England - dominated Lions when we square up in NZ next year. Can see places for North, Halfpenny, ***ton, Warburton and Roberts, in descending order of likelihood but the engine room should be 100% Red Rose.

The direness of SA rugby at the moment is terrifying. England have improved so very much under Eddie... to think he was gonna coach in SA and we let him slip.

I am very much looking forward to the Lions tour next year. Think its going to be spectacular rugby.

 

[Howe_zat]

> England finish 2016 unbeaten
> Wales lose all their AI matches
> England win first 4 matches of 6N while Wales beat Italy 12-9 and lose in France
> England get beaten in Cardiff and come 2nd in the 6N on points difference
> Gatland selects 17 Wales players because they 'have winning character' and 'perform when it counts'
> Lions lose 3-0

 

[Magrat Garlick]

> Lions lose 3-0

This bit happens anyway, why worry about squad selection?

 

[social]

Stop the presses!

Oz were actually halfway decent against the frogs with far fewer unforced errors than normal and some quality defence

Still think that we'll get beaten by both the Irish & the Poms but it was nowhere near as frustrating as usual

 

[ripper868]

Im morenpleased that Italy beat South Africa, and Wales needed a field goal at full time ti beat Japan! If yhese teams can consistently produce high quality rugby, its only bodes well for the future of the international game.

Agree that Ireland and England should beat the wallabies.

 

[StephenZA]

Im morenpleased that Italy beat South Africa, and Wales needed a field goal at full time ti beat Japan! If yhese teams can consistently produce high quality rugby, its only bodes well for the future of the international game.

Agree that Ireland and England should beat the wallabies.

To be honest an u12 team from Japan could beat the boks and is better coached at the moment...

 

[social]

I actually feel sorry for rugby players in SA & Bok supporters plus a terrible SA is not good for the game

 

[BoyBrumby]

It's far from a classic SA team, but they're still better than 4 wins from 11 tests.

It's very easy to dump all their problems at Coetzee's feet, but they've clearly gone backwards rapidly under him. Yes, Japan shocked them in the group stage but they still recovered well enough to make the semis and ran NZ within a score doing so.

Some of the selections have been baffling. Playing a 19 stone 6' 7" career lock at #7 is wrong headed and suggests an obsession with size. Du Toit may eat his greens, but the way he bought Youngs's dummies twice suggests a chap who lacks the game awareness for wing forward. Or an eyesight problem as one of my mates unkindly suggested.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Caught the end of Wales vs Japan. Streaky stuff from both sides.

 

[StephenZA]

The truth is SA rugby in general does not know what it is doing.

From a player point of view we are struggling at 9 and 10. And in particular having no decent 9 in SA hurts because we have historically used our 9`s as play makers off a strong pack. SA does not have the requisite ball skills at the moment to play a wider ball in hand game like the NZ`s or Aussies. But our franchise/provincial system and lower grade rugby is still trying to play the bullying game which is no longer good enough... SARU needs to sort out problems at lower levels, increase skill levels rather than pure bulk, and get the franchises to work for the Boks not against them

Coetzee has been really poor and needs to go, you can always have a strong defence, keeping you in the game, even if you struggle on attack. It is disgraceful how poor a coach he actually is...

 

[Howe_zat]

It's far from a classic SA team, but they're still better than 4 wins from 11 tests.

It's very easy to dump all their problems at Coetzee's feet, but they've clearly gone backwards rapidly under him. Yes, Japan shocked them in the group stage but they still recovered well enough to make the semis and ran NZ within a score doing so.

Some of the selections have been baffling. Playing a 19 stone 6' 7" career lock at #7 is wrong headed and suggests an obsession with size. Du Toit may eat his greens, but the way he bought Youngs's dummies twice suggests a chap who lacks the game awareness for wing forward. Or an eyesight problem as one of my mates unkindly suggested.

What really grinds my goat is that (elsewhere) fans continue to blame quotas, as though the mere presence of non-white players has made du toit miss tackles

 

[social]

What really grinds my goat is that (elsewhere) fans continue to blame quotas, as though the mere presence of non-white players has made du toit miss tackles

Cant be good for the Boks that there are more than 300 Saffers playing professionally overseas

Obviously not all down to quotas and the low Rand is a major factor as well but losing one quality player is too many

 

[BoyBrumby]

Italy ' s first try was scored by their lock who rejoices in the none-more-Afrikaner name of Dries van Schalkwyk.

The rugby gods not without a sense of irony.

 

[Dan_M_Bali]

England could potentially equal NZ's record of 18 test wins by the end of the 6N's. However, they wouldn't have played NZ in that run.

 

[ripper868]

Australia are also one test closer to breaking that record than New Zealand are...hehe.

that would be staggering though if England do get there having not played New Zealand, it's not entirely impossible either, though you'd expect them to drop one at least to either Australia next week or Ireland/Wales/France during the 6ns.

 

[Howe_zat]

We're playing away to both Ireland and Wales so it'd be bloody hard earned regardless of not playing the All Blacks.

It'll be an England record (14 games) if we finish unbeaten this year.

 

[ripper868]

Oh no doubt, any record like that is hard earned - though you know the Kiwis will put a * next to it if you don't play the All Blacks in that span.

With any luck, it's all put to bed next week at Twickenham

 

[Dan_M_Bali]

We're playing away to both Ireland and Wales so it'd be bloody hard earned regardless of not playing the All Blacks.

It'll be an England record (14 games) if we finish unbeaten this year.

Ireland will be super tough.

Wales are garbage.

 

[Howe_zat]

Ireland will be super tough.

Wales are garbage.

Wales being **** in the autumn and good in the six nations is nothing new, in fact it's more akin to the sun rising