# Rugby..........



## Alexus (Apr 9, 2003)

Ireland v's All Blacks at the 'Cake tin' in Wellington this coming Saturday.

Who's watching? Ireland have everything to play for with a near full strength team

and the AB's rebuilding.

Sky Sports in this part of the world probably arent carrying it so I'll

be watching it live on the computer via mediazone.com

Go All Blacks.


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## Stuart Davies (Jan 13, 2008)

I'll be watching Wales v South Africa at 2pm on Sat.

"Come on the Red Men!"


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## pauluspaolo (Feb 24, 2003)

I watched Leeds Rhino's beat Wigan last saturday & Hull beat Bradford (ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha) last sunday - 'twas indeed a fine thing to see :thumbup:

Means that both the Rhino's & Hull are through to the semi-finals of the Carnegie Challenge Cup  :thumbup:


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## Don1 (Mar 20, 2008)

Yep, ex junior Bath player here... now having retired from the game (taken up cage fighting instead - it's safer!).


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## JoT (Aug 12, 2003)

Played for 28 years and now a supporter. I will be flying all day Saturday unfortunately 

I don't think Ireland are a happy team at present and fear for them in Wellington.

Wales - South Africa should be interesting and should prove if there is really a Welsh renaissance or not.


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## MarkF (Jul 5, 2003)

pauluspaolo said:


> I watched Leeds Rhino's beat Wigan last saturday & Hull beat Bradford (ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha) last sunday - 'twas indeed a fine thing to see :thumbup:


 

Leeds played very well against Wigan, they are a strong team this year, can't see anybody stopping them.

Like RL but not RU although I do take an interest in the big games.


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## JoT (Aug 12, 2003)

MarkF said:


> pauluspaolo said:
> 
> 
> > I watched Leeds Rhino's beat Wigan last saturday & Hull beat Bradford (ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha) last sunday - 'twas indeed a fine thing to see :thumbup:
> ...


That would be the Rhinos chasing the Warriors then Mark :lol:

I go and watch Harlequins RL from time to time, since the London Broncos joined up with Harlequins and became Harlequins RL they are really starting to build something IMO.


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## b11ocx (Mar 19, 2008)

Rugby is not a game, it is organised violence


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## JoT (Aug 12, 2003)

b11ocx said:


> Rugby is not a game, it is organised violence


In the amateur days perhaps :lol: Here's a great clip of the 1974 Lions in South Africa probably the violent international tour ever played.


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## Stuart Davies (Jan 13, 2008)

JoT said:


> b11ocx said:
> 
> 
> > Rugby is not a game, it is organised violence
> ...


Ah remember it well although I was only 2 :lol:

Phil Benet was rather good wasn't he. JPR was a nutter but seriously talented all the same.

As for me I played from the age of 10 till I was 16. I captained my school and youth teams but come unstuck when I went for Welsh Schoolboys trails and dislocated my left shoulder at the age of 15. Seven dislocations to my left shoulder and 2 to my right later I hung up my boots a year later. One of my only life regrets as I had big ambitions to play to as high a level as possible when I was a kid...


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## Alexus (Apr 9, 2003)

Not the most spectacular of games, battled out in what must have

been sub zero temps.

Felt sorry for O'Driscoll interviewed at the end of the game.

I reckon he was a minute away from collapsing - hypothermia :jawdrop:


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## JoT (Aug 12, 2003)

Alexus said:


> Not the most spectacular of games, battled out in what must have
> 
> been sub zero temps.
> 
> ...


Sounds like it was a lot closer than the score suggests from the reports I have read


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## JoT (Aug 12, 2003)

New Zealand 37 - 20 England

The score flatters England if it hadn't have been two displays of blistering speed from debutant Topsy Ojo it would have looked pretty sorry.

Bright spots, the Harlequins trio did OK under the circumstances and Ojo did what he has been doing all season for London Irish (he cost the Quins a play-off spot with a last minute dash).

Borthwick made a pretty good go of the captain's role, as he would, he has always given 100%.

I really don't know what the answer is to these summer internationals .... the home nations send under-strength tired teams down to the southern hemisphere just to get battered every year ..... today's England side was almost a 2nd XV .... it couldn't have been much fun for the New Zealand fan either I would have thought.


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## Stuart Davies (Jan 13, 2008)

At least Wales gave SA a game this time - much less of an embarrassment this weekend.

Shane Williams - the new (and much improved) JJ Williams - shear class.


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## JoT (Aug 12, 2003)

Stuart Davies said:


> Shane Williams - the new (and much improved) JJ Williams - shear class.


What kind of Welsman are you  Shane is a good player but much improved over JJ ??? .........







my Welsh genes are outrgaed


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## Stuart Davies (Jan 13, 2008)

GREAT picture John!

I've studied the DVD 's and say this with conviction - the game has moved on and so we Welsh have to accept that the 70's (as fantastic as it was) has certainly long gone :lol:

So in an era where muscle bound players ("oh yes i can bench press 600lbs" - Mr Andrew Sheridan) are king then little man is arguably one of the finest players (possibly along with Dan Carter) of the modern game IMO.

I mean did you see his try today? Absolutely stunningâ€¦

What do you say John? Does he have to do much more to be right up there in your opinion?


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## JoT (Aug 12, 2003)

Stuart Davies said:


> GREAT picture John!
> 
> I've studied the DVD 's and say this with conviction - the game has moved on and so we Welsh have to accept that the 70's (as fantastic as it was) has certainly long gone :lol:
> 
> ...


J.J. was a sublime footballer and if he had been playing rugby as a professional in today's game I believe he would have been better than Shane ... Shane is a great player but J.J. is a legend 

I am older than you and perhaps you had to be around to appreciate that side  ..... J.P.R., J.J., Barry John, Phil Bennet, Gareth Edwards, Mervyn Davies, Gerald Davies, Ray Gravell, Derek Quinnell, John Taylor, Geoff Wheel and not forgetting the Pontypool front row Graham Price, Bobby Windsor & Charlie Faulkner.

I doubt if I could name as many England players from the same era :lol:

Played 46 Won 32 Drawn 3 Lost 11

72.8% success rate â€" second highest of any decade

Grand Slams â€" 1971, 1976, 1978

Triple Crowns â€" 1971, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979

Outright championship wins - 1971, 1975, 1976, 1978,1979

Yes the game has moved and modern players are superb athletes and it is so different now, muscle bound and often very formulaic it lacks the _joie de vivre_ of the amateur era where players had full time jobs and still found the time to play and train to international level.

I still think it is a great game but it is not the game I fell in love with as a schoolboy  and for me there will be no acceptance that Shane or anyone today is better than that 1970's side :lol: even as an Englishman it was beautiful to watch.

While I am on a roll what is it with these poxy skin-tight shirts that make the players look like puffs? Have you seen the England kit? It makes me want to vomit :taz:

Mud blood and glory


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## Stuart Davies (Jan 13, 2008)

Are you sure your not Welsh John :lol:

Did I tell you my mum used to date Steve Fenwick before she met my dad  - IMO He belongs in your list too.

I have got the DVD's and they are great to watch.

I first started watching live International Rugby when i was 13 (so that would be 1985) - Cardiff Arms Park, East Terrace - Ticket price Â£3! - But you wouldn't have wanted to pay much more as they were dark days (Gareth Davies & Co) indeed :cry2:

Cheers Stu.


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## JoT (Aug 12, 2003)

Stuart Davies said:


> Did I tell you my mum used to date Steve Fenwick before she met my dad  - IMO He belongs in your list too.


How cool is that  I had forgotten about him, went to play League as I recall .... not the done thing those days :lol:

Am I Welsh? No, born and bred in England but with a 100% Welsh mother and some very distant Welsh antecedents on my dad's side ..... so not Welsh but more Welsh than Griff h34r:


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## Stuart Davies (Jan 13, 2008)

JoT said:


> not Welsh but more Welsh than Griff h34r:


 :cry2: Oh! no what have you started :lol: :rltb:


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## Alexus (Apr 9, 2003)

I am older than you and perhaps you had to be around to appreciate that side  ..... J.P.R., J.J., Barry John, Phil Bennet, Gareth Edwards, Mervyn Davies, Gerald Davies, Ray Gravell, Derek Quinnell, John Taylor, Geoff Wheel and not forgetting the Pontypool front row Graham Price, Bobby Windsor & Charlie Faulkner.

If my memory serves me correct, these players were in the British Lions Team of 1972 which toured New Zealand.

I watched them play one of the tests against New Zealand in Wellington that year.

Barry John kicked New Zealand off the paddock.

I think this was one of greatest Lions teams ever to tour and their rugby was a joy to watch.

So what happened to England last Saturday?

That celebrated rugby columnist Eykyn (where did you find him from?)

wrote a very scathing report a few days before the game about the state

of New Zealand rugby, coaching, selection policies etc etc.

Ok enough said. I hope the white shirts put on a better show in

Christchurch. My guess is, if the weather is fine, another 20+ point drubbing.


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## Alas (Jun 18, 2006)

Hate to mention Scotland and rugby in the same sentence but good result for them against Argentina. All ruined though when one of the players(John Barclay) then says "Bring on the All Blacks and the Boks"!!!  Will they ever learn :lol:

Bit of a shame they move out the top 8 due to the last minute try by Argentina.

Alasdair


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## Nalu (Nov 28, 2003)

I've had to studiously avoid this thread until I could catch up on downloading and watching all the June test matches :lol:

Since I don't know who was available, I couldn't comment on the England 2nd XV assertion. They certainly didn't look the part of a national team. The pack did OK, helped by some refereeing (all collapsed scrums apparently were the fault of the AB front row, violating a principle that JoT himself taught me ) The backs were nearly hapless, with the exception of the speedy Mr. Ojo. The AB lineout continues to be abominable. I agree that the scoreline flattered England. Looking forward to Saturday, but I have to think that England are in for a hiding.

Ireland fought hard through two matches. I don't think the outcome was ever in doubt against the ABs, but I was surprised that they came up short against Australia. There was some brilliant work done by the Irish mid-field, but ultimately they looked a bit tired and beat up, which was the difference. I have to believe that BODs shoulder wasn't right and was the cause of the butchered try in the second half. Giteau was brilliant. The Wallaby front row is going to be decimated during the 3N unless they come up with some miracle. After the Wallaby match, Paul O'Connell opined that this group had been together a long time and it's time for them to start producing results. I have to agree with the big guy. Stringer has the fastest delivery in all of rugby, but in spite of that and some very hard play, he couldn't make it happen. The Irish offense really took off after Reddan came on.

The Springboks look very strong, possibly even better than they did last year at RWC. Hard to believe that after all the old heads effed off to the European clubs to make some real money that they could come together so quickly. Hats off to Wales for coming back strong in the second test. Whilst lighter than the usual farm monsters they grow on the veld, the Bok pack looks impressive. I especially like the new 8s, Spies and Kankowski, and Victor Matfield is as artful as ever. Bakkies Botha had a quiet match, not sure if this is an effect of his suit against SARFU or not. I thought Ricky Januarie played well, but I don't think he's the man to run the Bok offense. His delivery is too slow. Butch James has made a great comeback and is now one of the better standoffs in the world. DeVilliers was superb, as was Jantjes at 15. The Boks need to sort out their winger issues however. Habana is a clear first choice, but after him it's a mystery.

Currie Cup starts this weekend with a bang: WP v Sharks in the Tank!


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