Rugby thread (6 Nations, Heineken Cup etc)

[Fry Crayola]

I can't speak to its ubiquity or anything, as I rarely watch 7s, but that sort of gamesmanship ought to be dealt with by some unsportsmanlike behaviour rule. It was clearly unsporting to Canada, and it doesn't paint the game in a good light. 

[Matt Defis]

I loved playing 7s, I'm actually wearing my Nantgaredig 7s tournament jersey from 2012 in Jersey right now, that was a hell of a day, we were all drunk out of our minds and weirdly played in kilts, we won 2 games out of 12 because we were so pissed but won most entertaining team of the tournament.

[McFly]

7s was good fun to play, but maybe it should be on a half pitch or something to try and change it up a bit. 

[Matt Defis]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/59951325

 

Phil Bennett an absolute hero of mine died at 73, the guy was amazing and part of the golden era of Welsh rugby and gave one of my favourite speeches ever in 1977 before playing England. 

 

"Look what these bastards have done to Wales. They've taken our coal, our water, our steel. They buy our homes and live in them for a fortnight every year. What have they given us? Absolutely nothing. We've been exploited, raped, controlled and punished by the English — and that's who you are playing this afternoon."

 

[merman]

Saracens vs Leicester - head says Saracens have the players, heart says it’s so soon after the salary cap thing for them to be back on top

[glb]

A backheeled conversion!

 

[merman]

2 hours ago, glb said:

A backheeled conversion!

 

 

My brothers were there watching, England looked more like the scratch side at times.

[Matt Defis]

This SA V Wales game is starting to look tasty. 

[Matt Defis]

SA do not deserve that win in any shape or form. 

[g wings]

Oh Wales. So close and yet so far. I only got to see the highlights so hard to tell how good we were and how SA were but there seemed to be lost of positives.
I wonder how Test 2 is going to play out. 

[merman]

Southern Hemisphere 4-0 Northern Hemisphere

[g wings]

5 hours ago, merman said:

Southern Hemisphere 4-0 Northern Hemisphere

I think the Southern Hemisphere get a bonus point due to Jonny Hill being such a twat.

[phresh]

He's got form for doing stupid shit like that as well, fuck knows what he thought he was doing though. I was watching it with Australian commentary though, which was hilarious, someone even seemed to suggest that Hill's punishment should match that of the player who reacted. Bonkers.

 

Only watched the England game and fuck me it was another tough watch. They are rapidly running out of time for their tactics to click before the world cup, especially as there are no signs it currently will. It seemed like Farrell played 10 the entire game, rather than the much more fluid relationship he had with Ford. I get how you might use Smith to try and find space on the outside but it took away his ability to keep the defence from drifting (or exploiting it when there are gaps).

 

I kind of get most of the selection decisions (even if the players aren't performing), except for Lawes at 6. He's a top class second row and much better than Hill, and England currently have decent strength in depth at 6/7 (albeit lacking in caps).

 

One positive to take from that is Arundell though, yes the game was already won but there is absolutely no way he should score that try. It looks like a poor tackle by the two Australian players that collide but it's the acceleration that catches them out, and then he Jason Robinson's the last defender, just accelerating past them on a curving run. For those that haven't watched is highlight reel it is absolutely worth it, make sure you check his try against Toulon too (ideally with the French commentary). It's far too early to know whether he'll make it, and all the usual boring caution with young players, but his potential is off the charts at the moment.

[Matt Defis]

Wow fairplay Ireland, absolutely bossed it.

[Matt Defis]

England are looking really good going forward not sure if they can sustain this pace they're playing at though. 

[merman]

Oof, Australia really unlucky with the injuries today. Losing Itoje to that head knock nearly cost England, but Farrell kicked the points when it was needed.

[merman]

So it was 4-0 to the Southern Hemisphere last week, 4-0 to the North this week. Wales got their first win in South Africa.

[the_debaser]

What a win by Ireland against the all blacks. 2-1 in the series.
 

Surely they are second favourites for the World Cup now after France. 

[Matt Defis]

They'll fail at the quarters same as they always do.

[g wings]

1 hour ago, Matt Defis said:

They'll fail at the quarters same as they always do.

That’s the spirit 😂

[Fry Crayola]

1 hour ago, Matt Defis said:

They'll fail at the quarters same as they always do.

 

It's the way of things. If they somehow make a semi, I think it'd be the end of days.

 

A mirror of my own life.

[merman]

Well done the Irish, three tries in twenty minutes against the All Blacks is superb work.

 

England hanging on a bit at the end but did enough to win.

 

One thing I would say - both England and Australia were lucky not to get a yellow card for persistent offending. In both cases the attackers scored a try after the penalty offence was signalled, which seemed to make the officials decide that no further punishment was needed.

[Sidewaysbob]

I'll take a win down under anyday. And a series win, oh yes please. 😎

[Matt Defis]

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-62197134

 

A great player and a wonderful servant of his country and I feel really bad for the guy, he came in when the stength and conditioning ramped up muscle mass and cardio but the safeguards against head injuries weren't there. 

 

Does make me wonder if I'll get away with it after playing until i was 31 and then boxing until i was 36.

[merman]

Final score Southern Hemisphere 6-6 Northern Hemisphere

 

Scotland threw it away, Wales definitely making progress despite injury.

[Matt Defis]

The reason national anthems are sung at sporting events

 

 

[McFly]

On 17/07/2022 at 19:36, Matt Defis said:

 

Does make me wonder if I'll get away with it after playing until i was 31 and then boxing until i was 36.

Same here. I didn't play as long as you, but skating/bmx plus loads of general accidents, I was in hospital with head injuries 3 times before I was 5 for example. At christmas I smacked my head bad at work and was really emotional and kinda out of it for a week, 2 days after getting a small rear ender in my work van that damaged my neck. It makes me worry sometime when I read stuff about cte as I show a lot of symptoms mentally and physically and I'm 40 now, so in 10 years who knows?

[Matt Defis]

I'm 41 and I really can't see me getting away with it, I've got some real problems starting psysically already, between being a plasterer and sport my shoulders are constantly painful even with cortisone shots in them every 6 months and my left knee is on the way out. 

 

Mentally I'm not to bad but the amount of knocks I've taken over the years has to start showing at some point in the not to distant future I would of thought, I hope for the best but I'd be really lucky if I make it to 60 without my brain turning to cheese. 

[Plissken]

I suppose here is as good a place as any.  RIP Eddie Butler, one of the iconic voices of TV commentary who passed away today aged 65.

 

 

[phresh]

Felt much sadder about this than other current affairs. One of the best commentators across sport in general, televised games will genuinely be worse without his commentary.