Official Rugby Thread

[PY]

Flipping 'eck, his body has properly had everything happen to it. I've not heard of this happening to anyone in my memory which granted is pretty short.

Poor guy, it must be gutting....least he's had chance to enjoy life outside rugby from what I've read.

 

[KennyD]

Shame for us to be deprived of Johnny for so long.

 

[Perm]

Indeed, when he played those couple of games for the Lions early on last year my opinion of him totally changed. I always disliked him with his queer goal kicking style and tendency to kick drop goals but I also realised what a resolute defender he was for a small guy like he is. Now I just feel sorry for him.

 

[Craig]

Why is a drop goal still three points?

It should be one and drop penalty goals from three to two. I mean if a team can win a game in rugby and give anywhere from 5 - 7 penalty goals and not score a try then it is pretty sad and poor IMO.

I don't know about anybody else but I find it pretty boring when a team has a penalty in the opposition half and point to the sticks, especially when it happens have a period of time in the game. Kick the ball into touch and attempt to score a try. Better to not suceed trying then to not try at all.

 

[BoyBrumby]

I'd disagree that the value of penalties should be decreased. If that happened it would be more of a licence for the killing of the ball at the ruck which is pretty endemic just now. As often as not defenders take the option that 3 points are better than 5/7, so I can only imagine it would become worse if the value of the punishment is less.

There's certainly a case for making drop-goals worth 1 or 2 points instead of 3. If the ref is properly enforcing the offside law they're more or less impossible to defend if the scrum-half delivers decent ball. I have no objection to them being used as a way of breaking the deadlock (like Jonny did in the WC final) or extending the lead beyond a converted try late on in a game like they are in League, but with them worth 3 they can be used as a soft option. The obvious example was Janie De Beer in the 1999 WC quarter v us. Kicked five of the bloody things and totally killed the game off.

 

[Perm]

The obvious example was Janie De Beer in the 1999 WC quarter v us. Kicked five of the bloody things and totally killed the game off.

I remember watching that game, absolutely borefest. I beleive I stayed awake and watched 3 quarterfinals in a row through the middle of the night.

 

[Craig]

I'd disagree that the value of penalties should be decreased. If that happened it would be more of a licence for the killing of the ball at the ruck which is pretty endemic just now. As often as not defenders take the option that 3 points are better than 5/7, so I can only imagine it would become worse if the value of the punishment is less.

There's certainly a case for making drop-goals worth 1 or 2 points instead of 3. If the ref is properly enforcing the offside law they're more or less impossible to defend if the scrum-half delivers decent ball. I have no objection to them being used as a way of breaking the deadlock (like Jonny did in the WC final) or extending the lead beyond a converted try late on in a game like they are in League, but with them worth 3 they can be used as a soft option. The obvious example was Janie De Beer in the 1999 WC quarter v us. Kicked five of the bloody things and totally killed the game off.

Well I have the view that if a team has an advantage and are going to get a penalty then any field goal shots should take away their advantage just like if the flyhalf spotted a gap and ran through it and got 20m on everybody else before being tackled the advantage would be over.

IMO when a player does it and when it has no chance of scoring from it then it becomes a waste of time as when the knock it on purpose.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Shortly off to Twickers (well to Ely train station to catch the train to King's Cross, strictly speaking) to watch us v yer Argies. Hope to see us break our six game losing streak (which I read is our worst run since 72/73 & only one shy of equalling our worst ever ).

Still think we should have enough about us to beat Argentina at home; but think it'll be close. It will be interesting to see if we maintain our new-found commitment to throwing the ball around if the scores are close late on. Personally I'd prefer to see us win rather than fall into the "gallant losers" trap. I've no adversion to shoving the ball up our jumper when the situation dictates.

Spoken like a true Englishman....

 

[steds]

As often as not defenders take the option that 3 points are better than 5/7

Seems like the attackers think that way most of the time too.

 

[Anna]

Martyn Wood, of Bath Rugby, has had to retire from the game aged 29 because of his failure to recover from a serious neck injury sustained in training last year

 

[steds]

Great to see Beattie get a try on debut. Gun for me on PRM2.

 

[steds]

Oh, and hahahahahahahahahahaha @ England

 

[Matteh]

'Scotland eased to victory over Romania without managing to "smash" their opponents in a way demanded by head coach Frank Hadden.'

Poor tbh.

 

[steds]

We set ourselves high standards. A 42 point margin would have been enough for most other teams. A 2 point one would be as much as England could hope for, atm.

 

[Matteh]

England are just dire atm, waiting for my call-up tbh.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

England to lose to Italy in Six Nations?

 

[Matteh]

At this rate, it's a cert.

 

[Perm]

England are woeful, but in saying that Argentina are a great team and could be in the top 3 nations in the world if they had a decent domestic competition and a regular international one.

All Blacks leading 23-3 at halftime against the French. Couple of soft tries have stretched the margin out but the All Black's look pretty good on the counter attack whereas the French look quite slow and laboured, Damien Traille is not the man you want to have inside your two key playmakers in Fritz and Yauzion.

 

[Perm]

All Black victory 47-3 in the end. We feasted on their mistakes and they never looked likely to be perfectly honest, broke the line once I think. Fabien Pelous getting yellow carded was ridiculous, as was Raphael Ibanez's lineout throwing. Is Michalak coming back into the side for the next test? They need somebody at flyhalf who can control the game and unleash their best two attacking weapons in Fritz and Yauzion. Quite disappointed in the French really, but the AB's new defensive pattern of "zones" worked quite well.

 

[Craig]

Calls now for Andy Robinson to be sacked, can anybody else see it happening? Especially a year out from the World Cup?

Anyway read in that paper that former French captain Marc Cecillion has been jailed for twenty years for murdering his wife two years ago. If he was going to do it, do it in Queensland and he would have got a suspended jail term.