Official Rugby Thread

[social]

Legal obstruction is such a blight on the game

 

[ScaryMinds]

Wallabies are very average (at best) and beating 2 poor teams hasn’t changed that

The win over England was marginal and then that loss to Scotland put things in perspective. Simply grabbing kiwi coaches is not going to get the Wobs back up there, the two countries play very different football. Still signs might be there of a more competitive 2025, sorry just grabbing this straw over here.

On the bright side the ABs are about one lock away from really bringing it back.

 

[Smudge]

On the bright side the ABs are about one lock away from really bringing it back.

And a 10.
And a 13.

 

[Molehill]

I see the European Club Rugby is now being shown on some completely obscure paywall channel (Premier Sports) that you’d only previously have if you liked ice hockey or NASCAR. How to take a decent competition and make it totally invisible! Not sure whose in charge of that decision but seems utterly weird (but presumably someone’s getting rich out of it).

 

[ripper868]

Yeah its actually ridiculous, i already forked out for TNT for a month for the Autumn series matches, I'm not adding another pay service to the budget.

 

[Molehill]

I like watching rugby, but I’m never going to sign up to another subscription for it, and I’m sure there’s plenty more like me. Viewing figures must be woeful.

 

[ripper868]

It's essentially what has hurt the game the most in Aus, when it went fully behind paywalls, it became inaccessible to the casual, now the only viewers are the diehards and the only others who take an interest are the blowhards who like slagging off the game.

 

[Furball]

I see the European Club Rugby is now being shown on some completely obscure paywall channel (Premier Sports) that you’d only previously have if you liked ice hockey or NASCAR. How to take a decent competition and make it totally invisible! Not sure whose in charge of that decision but seems utterly weird (but presumably someone’s getting rich out of it).

Premier has had the URC for ages TBF.

It's all a legacy from the decision that Sky having all the EPL games was illegal.

 

[Molehill]

Premier has had the URC for ages TBF.

It's all a legacy from the decision that Sky having all the EPL games was illegal.

This was the one occasion where increasing competition proved to be just what consumers did not want!!

 

[social]

It's essentially what has hurt the game the most in Aus, when it went fully behind paywalls, it became inaccessible to the casual, now the only viewers are the diehards and the only others who take an interest are the blowhards who like slagging off the game.

Even the stuff that is accessible to the masses in Australia is appallingly marketed

Couple of years ago, I was channel surfing through our hundreds of channels and came across something called The Hospital Cup on one of the secondary fta channels

To my surprise, it turned out to be live coverage of Brisbane Premiership Rugby

n.b. there was nothing about live sport or rugby in the title & I only clicked on it because I was bored and assume that many simply skipped over it

 

[ripper868]

Yeah Hospital Cup is full of Super Rugby level players as well, it's a high quality competition, and dead right, the lack of advertising etc is what keeps the game hidden.

 

[Ali TT]

Might only be available in the UK but watched the Unbreakable documentary on TNT about what's happened to the England 2003 World Cup squad over recent years. Jeez, it's a tough watch. You'd think these guys would be made for life after something like that but even the likes of Wilkinson and Robinson carry quite a few issues, even before getting to Vickery announcing in the show he has whole parts of his brain that are dead and Thompson saying he can't remember being in Australia back then or his kids' names today.

 

[ripper868]

Yeah its a very sobering watch for sure.

Thompson in particular struck a nerve for me, I sat next to him during the 2013 Lions Test in Brisbane (I had a volunteer operational role) and he was doing some sideline punditry or something along those lines, really nice genuine guy who took the time to take photos with anyone who recognised him and was very happy to chat about anything and everything - mentioned he was happy he didn't have to go chasing Israel Folau and George North around a pitch anymore (This was the test North Carried Folau on his shoulders)

 

[the big bambino]

Absolutely tragic to hear about the declining mental and physical health of these players. There was a doco on Mario Fenech a little while back cataloguing his life now that he has been diagnosed with brain damage. I used to love the league (and still follow) but not as much now seeing what the game does to players.

 

[ScaryMinds]

And a 10.
And a 13.

Steady on, baby steps at this stage. Would agree with a couple, *cough*, of the back line being passed their used by date.

 

[Molehill]

Might only be available in the UK but watched the Unbreakable documentary on TNT about what's happened to the England 2003 World Cup squad over recent years. Jeez, it's a tough watch. You'd think these guys would be made for life after something like that but even the likes of Wilkinson and Robinson carry quite a few issues, even before getting to Vickery announcing in the show he has whole parts of his brain that are dead and Thompson saying he can't remember being in Australia back then or his kids' names today.

Robinson did a corporate speech at our office recently. Fair to say he’s still very much dining off 2003 and doing ok out of it.