Planet Rugby Forum

les@mooloolaba

Looks like World Rugby has dropped the crazy idea to not allow the All Blacks and Springboks to play each other in their iconic colours. I wonder if Adidas and Nike have had a quiet word with World Rugby Good, I was wondering about that. Surely even colour blind people can tell the difference betwe...

les@mooloolaba

I think any talk of Will Jordan's legacy is premature. Yes, amazing winger with incredibly strike rate but he's not in the class of Juian Savea yet. Jordan is beginning to be a bit of a ball hog. I think sometimes he is taking the ball into a tackle when a better option was to pass, I hope it doesn...

les@mooloolaba

If will Jordan scores this weekend and claims the outright record for most tries in a single RWC (overtaking Lomu, Habana et al.), how much does that enhance his legacy? Would be a nice record to have. I think any talk of Will Jordan's legacy is premature. Yes, amazing winger with incredibly strike...

les@mooloolaba

If New Zealand were to win, would this be the worst RWC-winning NZ side in their history? Excluding those that are still there from 2015 (which is still the best and most complete side to win a World Cup IMO), there's mostly a bunch of somewhat above-average players that will largely be forgotten a...

les@mooloolaba

Start ALB at 12 and play Jordie on the wing? I wouldn't go that far, but I do think it would benefit us to be flexible with our positioning. Jordie is still one of the best in the world under the high ball, so I think it wouldn't hurt to drop him into the backfield every now and then to help counte...

les@mooloolaba

The ABs should run out more or less the same team as the one that took on Los Pumas, but of course with the exception of Christie. Who played adequately enough, but mediocre is not going to win this. The way the AB's win is by pulling out all the stops, running the Bok around the park and putting t...

les@mooloolaba

Their set pieces are likely going to be a big bellwether. If the Boks dominate here in the opening stanza, then it’s going to be four more years. Pollard will get them over from anywhere on the field. Mo’unga’s goalkicking was terrible in the semifinal. DMac has to stay on the bench for this reason...

les@mooloolaba

They are a more dangerous pair than DDE and Kriel IMO. If the Boks go with their semi game plan, who plays at 12 and, moreso, 13 will be irrelevant. I mentioned this in the game thread, but Kriel didn't receive a pass until the 60 minute mark. Given their success in London, I'm intrigued with what ...

les@mooloolaba

trapper wrote: ↑Sun Oct 22, 2023 9:40 pm
terryfinch wrote: ↑Sun Oct 22, 2023 9:01 pm Wayne Barnes appointed for this one. He deserves it. Best ref on the planet.
Happy with the appointment, not that I have a preference. But happy for him to get the gig, he deservesd it.

Yep happy with that, we know how he refs

les@mooloolaba

You know there already are free kicks for some scrum offences, right? Yes, but quite often the team getting the free kick will scrum again to get the penalty Would they scrum again to get another free kick though? Next one is normally a penalty and if you’re smashing them in the scrums you’re going...

les@mooloolaba

Ben O’keefe has had a torrid year. Abused by Chiefs fans after the Super Rugby final. Abused by Frenchies after the quarter final and now abused by Englishers after the semi-final. I had issues too tbh but the blues got thrashed so I couldn’t whinge :D I don't like the smug twat, but objectively he...

les@mooloolaba

Like a lot of scrum penalties, it looked like a lottery. That scrum ended up a mess. Looks terrible from an audience perspective to be parsing penalties in a situation like that. 50% of scrum penalties are debatable. I agree we need to keep the scrum as part of the game but needs to be fixed someho...

les@mooloolaba

Jay Cee Gee wrote: ↑Sun Oct 22, 2023 10:39 am
towny wrote: ↑Sun Oct 22, 2023 9:56 am

- Differential scrum penalties
You know there already are free kicks for some scrum offences, right?

Yes, but quite often the team getting the free kick will scrum again to get the penalty

les@mooloolaba

If they stopped giving penalties for a restart following a technical error we could avoid much of this shit. But with individual scrums often taking 3-4 minutes, and often failing to even restart the game, still we continue with the madness of incentivising teams to seek penalties rather than getti...

les@mooloolaba

I wonder if we'll take a page out of the Boks book and take a 6/2 split for this game? I think it's possible. Foster made it clear against Ireland that Christie and DMac aren't getting on the field in a tight game, which we all expect this to be. In which case they're a wasted spot. I think there's...

les@mooloolaba

Steward lost that game for them with that dumb high kick on halfway that got them caught on halfway. Should have kicked longer and into the 22.

les@mooloolaba

Except... he didn't. He expressed doubts as to his suitability in an interview and NZRU called for applications. He even re-applied FFS, but Mitchell was chosen ahead of him. You know what I mean. Crikey it was as good as resigned. No one thought he'd get it back once he expressed doubts of his sui...

les@mooloolaba

Ireland had the wood on NZ for a time, but even the series win in NZ was helped immensely with a 30min red card, one the was’t reciprocated in the third test which went to the wire. I don’t think they were as far ahead of NZ as they thought. Mate the team was in chaos last year with a coaching chan...

les@mooloolaba

Roigard and McKenzie should have big roles if they make the final - the French showed how to play the boks in that first 20 - hard, but exceptionally fast and frenetic (and hope you execute well enough that the boks get limited chances to counter attack). They weren't able to maintain it, but the l...

les@mooloolaba

If we won the RWC I’d be over the moon - it’s not something I think this AN team is capable of. if we won I’d be very happy for Foster , Cane and the team. But even if we win i am glad there is a new coach next year - we need new blood 4 yrs ago and it was only the introduction of two strong assist...

les@mooloolaba

Chilli wrote: ↑Thu Oct 19, 2023 4:58 am My word, but have the Kiwis nothing better to do other than troll this thread?

Yes because we try and get page numbers going because the Saffers are like the Irish swarm when we point out their cheating…

les@mooloolaba

If the rumours are true about Christie and McKenzie not coming on if the game is in the balance near the end why not have a 5/2 bench split and keep our forwards fresh? Roigard and McKenzie should have big roles if they make the final - the French showed how to play the boks in that first 20 - hard...

les@mooloolaba

Look, another one. And another. Foster had been a shit coach his worst crime is not actually the performance prior to this world cup which in itself is pretty bad but his failure to engage and inspire the fan base or attract new interest which will hurt NZ rugby long after he has gone. Add me to th...

les@mooloolaba

If you can bring a player like Sam Whitelock off the bench you’re a very good side. Looks like NZ have 3 of the best 4 locks on the world atm Most kiwi posters won’t agree with that, they were adamant we needed bigger players in our forwards or we were going to be knocked out in the pool stages whe...

les@mooloolaba

Tele’a was always going to come back into the team so that’s no surprise. They’ve set their stall in Christie and if we make the final he’ll be in the team. Don’t mind the Whitelock and Retallick swap but Coles out and Taukei'aho in seems to be a straight tactical decision. Last chance for Samisoni...

les@mooloolaba

English fans on here were telling me that their scrum is a relative weakness for them. But the article you posted says: What am I supposed to believe? They dismantled ours in the Pool match... and the other Pool teams' scrum was worse than ours, so both could be true. They met weak opposition in th...

les@mooloolaba

This is so funny :lol: Kiwi's getting all their BS in nearly two weeks out from a "possible" matchup that may or may not materialize. Love the insecurity If the ABs and Boks make the final, I figure there will be a few twitchy bums in Bokland. You know the ABs can destroy the Boks if they feel like...

les@mooloolaba

Aaron Smith’s yellow was understandable. A pretty instinctive thing. But what was Cody Taylor thinking? I don’t get why pulling down a maul would even occur to a player as a good option. You’re not going to get away with it. You’re just going to be in the bin for ten and there’s a penalty try anywa...

les@mooloolaba

AnkleTap wrote: ↑Mon Oct 16, 2023 2:37 pm No effort at all put into the match thread. Flounce now.

If you put in a bit of effort into the OP you might not get banned, quick before Enz wakes up…

les@mooloolaba

Gotta chuckle at this place sometimes. A thread complaining about ref-bashing turns into a brawl about ref-bashing. I think rugby is a very technical game and WR needs to call a rugby equivalent of the Council of Nicaea to agree on the simplification of the rules. It’ll make the referees jobs a who...

les@mooloolaba

It is- but you'll never get a perfect ref, it's a complex game open to interpretation. Don't mind they aren't perfect. Inconsistency, calling what they don't see, calling offences one way for one team and another for the other are the problem. Going back to say Nigel Owens, he wasn't perfect, wasn'...

les@mooloolaba

I admit that I find it hilarious that the most maligned All Black in the squad - Finlay Christie - apparently useless at everything - a halfback - won more turnovers this year in Super Rugby than Sam Cane. Hilarious. Finlay Christie didn't win more turnovers in Super Rugby this year than Billy Harm...

les@mooloolaba

Why would you drop Fainga'anuku? 50/50 him & Telea I think. Telea's indiscretion may mean he doesn't play again this tournie. I like Whitelock starting for the lineout. Wonder if Blackadder is rated ready for primetime yet and gets a bench spot? I was thinking about the props after watching what SA...

les@mooloolaba

I find it weird that Cane can be so average for years.. and then suddenly turns into McCaw! Even Richie himself said it's the best he's seen him ever play... Better late than never. Let's hope he can back it up next week. Yep.. two more performances like that and NZ have a chance.... So if NZ lose ...

les@mooloolaba

I remember Johan Roux jogging off in 96 smirking when substitutes were for injury only. They flout laws but I really have no opinion on the HIAs as I didn’t catch it all today. And all the dodgy lifitng they used to do in lineouts before the IRB gave in and allowed that too. How long before they su...

les@mooloolaba

Enzedder wrote: ↑Mon Oct 16, 2023 7:06 pm
Monkey Magic wrote: ↑Mon Oct 16, 2023 8:23 am
Ogre wrote: ↑Mon Oct 16, 2023 7:59 am
I forgot about the token blooo. He was there I suppose.
6 tackles in 5min... lazy blues
They ran straight at him; he didn't even have to move.

I’ll do a PP here, none of Daltons tackles were dominant and in one he was bulldozed backwards

les@mooloolaba

Also shows just how good a side Ireland are. The ABs played a superb game with career defining performances from key players and only just pipped the Irish. A bounce of a ball in it only really. I said it on the Irish thread yesterday watching the Bok v France match. Each team made more errors in a...

les@mooloolaba

Im not justifying it, I'm just saying it was pretty benign. The kid can thank his lucky stars he wasn't folded by some 135kg PI security guard instead. So Sam Cane did him a favour now? You're downplaying and making allowances for his bad behaviour. At least Sam Cane didn't downplay his behaviour. ...

les@mooloolaba

kiwigreg369 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 15, 2023 5:07 am The less Dalton plays the better he gets apparently….

les@mooloolaba

Games like this are where he stands up and where he is missed when he's injured/not selected. A series against Ireland in NZ is three big games in a row where he was outplayed in all three by Jvdf. Close to man of the match today and his best game since the 10s but he's served up a lot of dross for...

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