RFU World Cup
Comments
-
For me, the game of the tournament was France v South Africa - the irresistible force against the immovable object, spectacular. That would have made an enthralling final. My money (I don’t gamble 🙂) is on South Africa to be champions.
1 -
Well 2 months back who would have put any money on England getting thru the first stages of the World cup but here we are in the semies and am sure tonight the boys will be fighting for a place in the final, bring it on, lets be more positive, win or loose it has been a tremendous achievement. COME ON ENGLAND
you only needed to look at the punishment meated out, fairly, to Marcus Smith, to see what the boys go thru, only ever played rugby for a short spell when i was doing my Navy training, vowed i would never put my head into another scrum (impetigo breeding ground) again.
1 -
I’m going with my heart then!
Having played for approaching 25 seasons in total I never succumbed to that itchy issue. Having said that the closest I ever came to a scrum was ‘chucking’ the ball in (straight and true mostly)!😉I do hope for a game free from contentious ref. decisions and a lack of any coloured cards. Let rugby do the talking too, not the players who should, in my opinion, be listening mostly.🏉
0 -
Rufs, as my "monica" indicates I spent many hours in the front row of a scrum and never had an issue with impetigo, or any other type of infection. In fact I even managed to avoid developing a cauliflower ear, although I did loose a few teeth, and had to have a displaced collar bone put back on a number of Sunday mornings!!
Off to watch the match now, COME ON ENGLAND!
0 -
Oh!! So near, but so far! What a heartbreak for the players, lomsing by a single point. They played exceedingly, well just not well enough unfortunately.
Can't see SA beating the All Blacks if they play the same way but next Saturday's game will certainly be an exciting watch.
1 -
England did better than I expected. Tbh, I thought they’d be well and truly thrashed.
0 -
Just goes to show how influential a coach can be! I thought with all those early replacements they were panicking. Was our Front Row that spent? We lost the dynamics in the replacement there! Well done mind in the effort made, now an unenviable shot at third place is all that’s left!😟
0 -
The game has become far too 'technical' with the object of the game (scoring a try) lost in the myriad technical offences that bring the disproportionate award (reward) of a penalty, usually converted into points by the star kicker.
It seemed like England were penalised in the scrum pretty well every time despite myriad conversations between the referee and the players, the scrum now seems to be the 'highlight' of the game rather than running...
France v NZ was far more open, a running game I thought this 'code' was just that...obviously times (and the army of technical/tactical specialists confirm) change.
a huge disappointment, not just because I was supporting England, who played well, but that a WRC semifinal gets effectively decided on some trivial technical infringement...
Where's the David Duckhams of the modern game?
1 -
YT - you are spot on with that analysis of the modern game in this code.
It was a brave performance by the England team who had a clear plan to stifle the Springboks attacking flair and ran them much closer than any of us though possible. But at the end of the day their lack of flair and discipline cost them dearly. I do think it will make for a better final though.
The Springboks have had two tough games; the All Blacks had an easier semi final and with an extra days rest I think they will dominate the final and win by a clear 10 points or more (but my predictions to date have not been totally accurate so expect a close game!
)Looking forward to England v Tonga in the other code this afternoon. 👍
1 -
Yes, YT, our game has become far too 'technical', those basics laws are now lost, as you say, in a myriad of technical offences against them.
Yes the RWC is also a disappointment for me because this semifinal, and to be honest quite a few of the other games, were effectively decided by some trivial but ‘valid’ technical infringement. To a large extent the refs are hamstrung, which infringements do they penalise and which do they overlook? Should they only penalise infringements which provide an obvious unfair advantage? Yet they need to show consistency but then encourage an open running spectacle and that’s where us observers, and players of the game can get so upset.The advantage law as it stands is also not helping as again how long it legitimately goes on for is not so much determined by the laws but by the ref. Who in the world would want to be a ref. these days? The 21 simple laws of the game probably need a significant overhaul. But there again would it still be Rugby?
0 -
But hasn't it always been thus? I can remember the deciding game in a The Lion's tour in SA a hundred years or so ago (pre 1972 anyway) lbeing decided by them converting 6 penalties where we scored 3 converted tries, which were worth only 3 points for the try.
0 -
Yes, but professionalism has significantly changed both the ethos and the attitude of both players and spectators to this wonderful game of ours. In this modern world where transparency and fairness dominate much of our lives the issues we are now seeing seem to be raised almost constantly and the review of incidents are almost instantaneous to all and open to instant criticism. Every year the laws of the game are tweaked in order to achieve a ‘better’ game and reduce the perceived problems of the ‘day’ but in my view only the surface is being scratched and I’m not sure the real issues are being addressed, these being those myriad of technical issues first mentioned by YT. The game is different to when I played, even then I never really grasped the dark arts of the front row so how can today’s casual spectator stand a chance. We also would never have dreamed of berating a ref. we’d just suck up and play on when things didn’t go our way. I think the refs. today are generally trying their best given the blunt and inexact tools given to them and WR don’t seem to be helping them very much. Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t a clue how it could be resolved but I hope for a better awareness, understanding and tolerance is to be found out there soon. The alternative is to return to those halcyon amateur days of yore, sadly in some respects the game is now doing this to itself with the recent ‘loss’ of so many clubs in the professional game.
0 -
I think Nellie, this should be specifically raised with Mike A although I’d agree with him. I think the scoring system in RL is a little better than we currently have in RU.
Incidentally that England Tonga game was interesting and what a humble interview of the man of the match, Mikey Lewis. What a lovely man. Another small by stature, huge in talent and heart young man.Joe Marler’s ‘friendly’’ rag dolling of Faff made me smile mind, that’s how many transgressions in my playing days were resolved! 🤣
1 -
micky, I think that player safety is now a huge issue, with the increase in bulk of players, particularly in the front row, and also the big jump in fitness, of all the forwards in particular. I played in the front row as hooker for our first team, weighing no more than 11 stone wet through, between props who were not a lot taller than me at 5'9" but a fair bit heavier!! Nowadays there will be very few forwards who stand under 6' even at the junior club level.
0 -
Agreed. This Nellie is partly the reason why the tackle laws have changed. Currently I’m told there are over 40 ‘incidents’ of brain injury under ‘investigation’ that involve the RFU. As said, the profession game has change the game considerably. Player safety is now equally of paramount importance in today’s professional and amateur clubs. My seven year old grandson is coached and ‘playing’ with his local club and I’m very mindful of the dangers but it’s a junior club like that of all my adult playing days. I’d love him to go on and enjoy the sport as much as I have done. I hope he can do so as safely as possible.
1 -
Hear, hear, micky.
0 -
I agree, Rufs, in fact I think the better team lost, but it was quite an exciting game, not one for the nervous avid England supporter.
Looking forward to tonight's game, and hope the All Blacks win in an close encounter.
1 -
I disagree as I think it was a real contest which could have gone either way. The 'Boks prove what an immovable object they are. It is a pity that there were the sending off but player safety is paramount. Roll on the next one, when hopefully there will be more open rugby played with a bit less tactical kicking.
1 -
Now that the dust has settled, a little, I was impressed with Ian Foster’s final interview as head coach of the All Blacks. He acknowledged the absolute honesty and integrity of Wayne Barnes but lay the failures of the modern game at the feet of recent rule changes and the new systems of administrating these in game time. As a result I’m becoming a supporter of the 20 minute red card idea where the offending player is not allowed to return but can be replaced following a sending off. The game we love needs some radical changes if it is to flourish and of course player safety is paramount and this needs to be addressed in those changes.
1
