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Official Rugby Thread
- Thread starter KennyD
- Start date
James
Cricket Web Owner
They've had a bunch of their senior players retire, go to Japan, or are injuried, but even so, they shouldn't be as bad as they are.
The depth in NZ rugby is certainly reducing.
Heboric
International Debutant
I guess losing Razor doesnt help either.
Molehill
International Captain
I watched some of England v Ireland Women's game......a one sided monstrosity. Will be interesting to see how they fare in France on Saturday, at the moment they just look like thrashing everyone. They've taken a talented and professional team and added a highly qualified Kiwi coach, hard to see how they get beaten over the next few years. The professional game and the level of investment is so far ahead of competitors, and we've seen in other sports (eg Aus in cricket) how long it takes to catch up.
Ellie Kildunne, with a mop of hair that grabs your attention, looks an absolute star at full back.
Ellie Kildunne, with a mop of hair that grabs your attention, looks an absolute star at full back.
Molehill
International Captain
England gave France a thrashing in the 6 Nations decider in Bordeaux, despite being rather average in the second half when the game was won.
That's 29 consecutive 6 Nations wins now. Giving this side John Mitchell has just taken them to a new level. Can see them having a level of domination similar to the Aussie Women's Cricket Team.
That's 29 consecutive 6 Nations wins now. Giving this side John Mitchell has just taken them to a new level. Can see them having a level of domination similar to the Aussie Women's Cricket Team.
Howe_zat
Audio File
They were pretty unstoppable going into the world cup as well but got, well, stopped. The 6N has never really been the barrier for them, beating NZ is.
Molehill
International Captain
I think that was a one off freak game where England played most of it with 14 (a sending off which I'm not sure would be more than a yellow now). It was in NZ and they still should have won. In last year's inaugural WXV, NZ lost to France by a point before getting well beaten by England (in NZ).
Next World Cup is in England, they've upgraded the Coach, found some better players and are clearly significantly better now than the last tournament. It'll take more than a questionable red to stop them this time.
There is a huge gulf in the current rankings between 1st and 2nd. A lot has changed since 2022.
Women's and Men's Rankings | World Rugby
Howe_zat
Audio File
I mean they're favourites sure, and it's not that close, but I really think winning one cup is the minimum starting point before you can compare them to a side that's won four in a row.
Molehill
International Captain
Could easily change Wallabies to Wales there - both nations have huge issues at the mo that run deep in their game.
It's not exactly rosey for England/Scotland either, but their concerns pale into insignificance by comparison.
Rugby has massive competition in Australia from far better managed/more popular sports so the situation is somewhat understandable
Those other countries don’t face anything like that so there comes a time when you have to question the game itself
Personally think it requires a massive overhaul
James
Cricket Web Owner
The Aussie sides are showing a lot of promise in Super Rugby this year, most competitive they've been in years.