Official Rugby Thread

[steds]

LOL @ Wales.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Bugger me. One wild pass from Spies & we're 19-17 ahead at the break.

Would be turn up to end all turn ups if we pulled this off.

We won't tho, still fairly sure. Saffies have been dire & still scored two tries, even if Janurie's was jammy.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Bugger me. One wild pass from Spies & we're 19-17 ahead at the break.

Would be turn up to end all turn ups if we pulled this off.

We won't tho, still fairly sure. Saffies have been dire & still scored two tries, even if Janurie's was jammy.

Solid second half.

 

[steds]

LOL @ Wales.

LOL @ England.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Solid second half.

We still performed almost creditably.

 

[Goughy]

We still performed almost creditably.

Both games it looked like men against boys. The Saffies have looked pysically far bigger as well as being tougher and quicker. Thats even before you start to talk about how much more experienced and accomplished the SA forwards are (and yes I do know Eng are missing all their forwards but even then they dont compare).

 

[BoyBrumby]

Both games it looked like men against boys. The Saffies have looked pysically far bigger as well as being tougher and quicker. Thats even before you start to talk about how much more experienced and accomplished the SA forwards are (and yes I do know Eng are missing all their forwards but even then they dont compare).

Take 35 players out of any international line up & they'll struggle too. Of the team we put out only really Stevens & Wilkinson would consider themselves first choice.

I'm not suggesting we're any good, far from it, but it'd be wrong to draw any conclusions from today.

 

[Goughy]

I'm not suggesting we're any good, far from it, but it'd be wrong to draw any conclusions from today.

Oh agreed. These games were pointless. There was such a vibe for a long time surrounding these games and as more and more people withdrew, people here (Im in Pretioria) lost a lot of interest. Everyone knew the Boks were going to win and noone here wanted England to have a ready made and valid excuse.

The withdrawals took a lot of the fun out of the games. They meant absolutely nothing.

 

[Perm]

None of the Southern Hemisphere teams were overly impressive I didn't think, the All Blacks probably played the best out of the SANZAR nations but even they weren't up to their usual standard.

 

[ohtani's jacket]

What I can't believe about Thorne is that he's the most capped blindside flanker - ahead of greats such as Ian Kirkpatrick, Kel Tremain and Alan Whetton, yet he's only had a handful of good games in the black jersey.

And Masoe's not a number eight, either. God help us if Rodney So'oialo gets injured in the World Cup. Henry needs to manage him this season so he doesn't have another burn out like the last Test in South Africa, but Collins as a back-up number eight is the best option, IMO.

 

[Fiery]

What I can't believe about Thorne is that he's the most capped blindside flanker - ahead of greats such as Ian Kirkpatrick, Kel Tremain and Alan Whetton, yet he's only had a handful of good games in the black jersey.

Thorne has been around for a while now and has played a lot of games off the bench. With the amount of tests being played these days it's not that surprising that he has played more games than the great players you mentioned. Unfortunately he's not fit to lace any of their boots

 

[Perm]

What I can't believe about Thorne is that he's the most capped blindside flanker - ahead of greats such as Ian Kirkpatrick, Kel Tremain and Alan Whetton, yet he's only had a handful of good games in the black jersey.

And Masoe's not a number eight, either. God help us if Rodney So'oialo gets injured in the World Cup. Henry needs to manage him this season so he doesn't have another burn out like the last Test in South Africa, but Collins as a back-up number eight is the best option, IMO.

It comes down to the number of games played in the modern era, the three legendary All Blacks you mentioned all played in an age where they did not have 15 Test matches a year like we do now.

Masoe first made his name as a No 8 for Taranaki about 3 years ago in the NPC and this was his preferred position until he made it to the All Blacks and they are experimenting with him at Openside Flanker.

 

[Fiery]

Good article by Fitzy. I share his concerns and frustration.

Just been watching the Scotland Sevens. Gee, Afeleke Pelenise looks one for the future...sensational player

 

[ohtani's jacket]

That doesn't explain how Thorne has survived for so long in international rugby. I don't wanna knock him too much, he was immense in the Test where we won back the Bledisloe, but if he didn't play for and captain Canterbury would he really have had so many caps? Anyway, he had a bad game on the weekend.

And just because Masoe plays No.8 at a provincial level doesn't mean he's up to it at Test level. He looks far better on the openside in Tests.

 

[Perm]

That doesn't explain how Thorne has survived for so long in international rugby. I don't wanna knock him too much, he was immense in the Test where we won back the Bledisloe, but if he didn't play for and captain Canterbury would he really have had so many caps? Anyway, he had a bad game on the weekend.

And just because Masoe plays No.8 at a provincial level doesn't mean he's up to it at Test level. He looks far better on the openside in Tests.

Thorne is a good player, it takes a bit of nous to realise this and perhaps paying attention to what has been said about him by his team-mates. He does the dirty work and puts in the hard yards so that other people can get the accolades for scoring tries, making breaks and putting in big tackles. You can't seriously be suggesting that he played so many Test's because he played for Canterbury, especially when Mitchell was the coach.

I realise that, all I'm saying is that #8 is his natural position and I'm struggling to see why he isn't performing there at Test level because he has shown for Taranaki and the Hurricanes that he can be very effective. Personally I'd have Soialo playing there and Masoe on the bench, but that's just me.

 

[ohtani's jacket]

When Mitchell was coach he selected a ton of Canterbury players. I honestly don't think Thorne would have as many caps if he played for another province. I can appreciate Thorne at his best, like last year against the Boks, but it doesn't happen as often as a good Collins performance & Flavell needs a crack.

 

[Fiery]

Thorne is a good player, it takes a bit of nous to realise this and perhaps paying attention to what has been said about him by his team-mates. He does the dirty work and puts in the hard yards so that other people can get the accolades for scoring tries, making breaks and putting in big tackles. You can't seriously be suggesting that he played so many Test's because he played for Canterbury, especially when Mitchell was the coach.

I realise that, all I'm saying is that #8 is his natural position and I'm struggling to see why he isn't performing there at Test level because he has shown for Taranaki and the Hurricanes that he can be very effective. Personally I'd have Soialo playing there and Masoe on the bench, but that's just me.

and who was Mitchell's assistant coach?

 

[ohtani's jacket]

I forgot to ask, was that Christian Califano I saw playing for France? What was with that?

And Gordon Tietjens is one of the finest men in rugby.

 

[Fiery]

I forgot to ask, was that Christian Califano I saw playing for France? What was with that?

And Gordon Tietjens is one of the finest men in rugby.

It was Califano, and yes, stunning win my Tietj's boys, thanks very much to Wales

 

[Perm]

I forgot to ask, was that Christian Califano I saw playing for France? What was with that?

And Gordon Tietjens is one of the finest men in rugby.

It sure was Christian Califano.

Tietjens=toughest coach? Yes IMO.