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Why are England playing players in the warm up games that haven’t been selected for the wc squad? I don’t understand. They’ve got Johnny may playing agains Fiji, they played someone else against wales who hadn’t been selected.
Jonny May is Watsons replacement after Watson is out injured
Sinkler hurt now as well
This made interesting reading around the high tackle issue.
This made interesting reading around the high tackle issue
Interesting in the sense that SA have done it minimise cards. Maybe England should try it?
(It contributes nothing in the battle against CTE however.)
Watched NZ SA not sure many northern hemisphere sides could live with that. SA were in beast mode, NZ just fell apart.
Think NZ were shocked they were actually getting reffereed!!
It was noticeable that neither tackled high, everything was low.
well apart from 2 yellow cards for high tackles - but yes - the default was not upright.
PSDT yellow was hardly a high tackle in the conventional way. It was for the arm to head contact he was low bent at the hips and wrapping the arms. Barret's was for his entry to the ruck and hitting a man on the ground who was not, as the ref saw it, part of the ruck. A silly hit but neither were high tackles.
I assume Barrats red will not carry a potential ban as it was for two yellows and the first was a penalty after a team warning.
The SA yellow was to the letter though, tackler was bent trying to go low, arm up trying to wrap, ball carrier also low and another tackler involved. It was a combination of things rather that poor technique or trying to hit with shoulder.
Barret was a hit on a player on the ground that he had no chance of moving, also leading with shoulder, poor choices and I’d question his intent although that has nothing to do with the decision.
I’d question his intent
Looked a bit like a revenge cheap shot
I was looking forward to watching sa NZ today 😆😆😆
It's a pretty good match. They weren't going easy.
SA will boss everything in the way to win. Honestly they are brutal and made NZ look normal.
France could take them with flair but 80mins of that SA team ?
I think Scotland should refuse to play SA on the grounds they are far too scary.l throw the first match to save ourselves for ireland
We are doomed!
Tj - have they not got cover for Watson in the WC squad?
and the first was a penalty after a team warning
It seems somewhat iniquitous that a player can get an individual yellow card for a "team warning" and then later get a red card if he commits a yellow card offence.
Barrett didn't commit two yellow card offences yet he ended up getting a red. (Ignoring the debate whether or not his second yellow could've been a red.)
Surely it would be better to award a "team" yellow card and the captain nominates one player to go off rather than it be assigned to an individual?
Rugby seems to be continually determined to ruin games by reducing one team to 14.
Watched NZ SA not sure many northern hemisphere sides could live with that. SA were in beast mode, NZ just fell apart.
I've only seen 6 minutes of highlights, but it looked like a great game. SA look better than they were at the last world cup - with more attacking threat. The best try perhaps being the 'try that wasn't' by C Moodie - he looks like a special player. NZ try was good too.
This could well turn out to be the best world cup so far.
This could get interesting!!
https://www.lequipe.fr/Rugby/Actualites/Rhys-webb-biarritz-positif-a-l-hormone-de-croissance/1415831
I’ve only seen 6 minutes of highlights, but it looked like a great game
I thought it was not great. Maybe one for the purists? Just sledgehammer from SA and pressure causing errors from NZ. also not much doubt who was going to win
Less than two weeks until the first game 😃
I'd love to see people predictions for the group games. Is there a easy/manageable way for us to all give our predictions. Straight w/d/l or pts difference, or actual scores (that might be too much to display clearly).
Thoughts?
Just sledgehammer from SA
I guess that's a huge disadvantage of 6 min highlights - the drama can look like the whole game was like that
I know they hemorrhaged penalties but the NZ defence was immense. 20mins or so in their own 22 pretty impressive and against a team without the forward power they would have dominated.
SA sub scrum was almost as impressive as the starting 8.
Fiji scrum is worrying me although their lineout is almost as inept as the Welsh version.........
England v Fiji spoiled to an extent by bad weather in the first half - but the second half has been much better. Ford & Smith seems to work much better than Ford & Farrell from what I can see.
I think everyone in Wales may need to pray for rain when they play.
I thought the Fiji lineout was deliberately going long beyond the players in line.
At least we won’t go into the World Cup with any expectations 😂
Bloody well done Fiji. I keep laughing and then I remember Wales have to play them 😳😳😳😳😳
Congratulations Fiji!
I'm pretty sure everyone in Wales is having sleepless nights about playing them - this won't help!
Now to see what threat Georgia might be.
Ooof
Fiji hard running and (legal) tackling is something else. Also fit and strong enough to defend their own line without giving away pens.
Have England ever been worse, lucky for England it was raining - could have been worse.
Englands first loss to a tier 2 country apparently. Based on that they will get battered by Argentina; hell, watch out for Japan!
Should I watch Scotland v Georgia or Italy v Japan?
I fear for Scotland players getting an injury today - I cannot see what they will gain from this match.
Great start by Georgia - which team are 5th in the World? 😉
🙂
The Edinburgh Globetrotters need to get back to basics methinks!
Oof. Lets just forget that half. Maybe toonie is right in that we have become the NH all blacks 🙂
One positive - we have had the nudge at the scrum. Georgia defense has been excellent
Maybe toonie is right in that we have become the NH all blacks
Please tell me he didn't actually say that 😂
Georgia defense has been excellent
Georgia have a dynamic, well organised defence and are inventive in attack - their 9, 10, 11 & 15 look good to me.
Anything could happen in group C!
Please tell me he didn’t actually say that
I think it was more like we want to be like the ABs but after yesterdays horror show.....................
Better....
Crackin'👍
Fiji now above England in the world rankings!
Very good second half.
Anyone else notice Finn on the exercise bike after being subbed off? Big bag of sweeties and a big grin. Is that how toonie has got him back on side? tempt him with jelly babies?
I might do a TJ and turn Scottish 🙁
Im not expert but the body language in the post match interview between Lawes and Borthwick was awful. Lawes didn’t even look at him. Player revolt?
🙂
Folk are being too negative! It shows how the game is growing when 56000(apparently!) turn up at Twickenham on a rainy day to watch a couple of tier 2 teams play. Plucky England didn’t quite have enough to beat the team above them in the world rankings, but another time; just maybe!
Samoa looking decent v Ireland......
Cian Healey isn't what you would call one of my favourite players but still sad to see him get injured.
Glad Wales are not playing this week on a number of levels.
Fiji look more athletic than the Samoans but the Samoans have proper mad eyes, some of the hits are epic.
One thing - Scotland came thru the game with no cards, citings or injuries Phew
Shame, rooting for Samoa there.
I hate rolling mauls.
Rhys Webb tested positive for HGH. I am more shocked a French team is random testing to be honest.
France were stunningly good this afternoon. Really enjoyable to see such good rugby played.
They looked bloody good!
Only watched the England game this pm but it wasn't pretty.a few petted lips on show.
Interesting that Fiji played with a smile and helped folk off the ground whereas tier 1 teams tend to be much more churlish.
Also, on only 1 view, smiths try had a pass that was more forward than the disallowed Fijian one.
Interesting that Fiji played with a smile and helped folk off the ground whereas tier 1 teams tend to be much more churlish.
Scotland are Tier 2 hence not seeded for world cup!
England were so bad even Itoje couldn't find anything to clap about 😱😱😱
Men's Full Rankings
1 Ireland
91.82
2 New Zealand
90.77
3 South Africa
89.37
4 France
89.22
5 Scotland
84.01
6 England
81.53
7 Argentina
80.86
8 Australia
79.87
9 Fiji
78.70
10 Wales
78.26
edit - I am not sure those rankings are up to date - otherplaces seem to be saying England are lower thanthat
Those figures are up to date, they are recalculated every Monday morning.
https://www.world.rugby/tournaments/rankings/mru
Sat behind the posts and watched all but one try play out in front of me. Post match, the Fiji team were great with the crowds. An excellent birthday day out! And history in the making
Men’s Full Rankings
Pah, the world cup seedings don't lie 😆😆
Actually I thought Fiji had gone above Aus now. I am sure I read somewhere Fiji were top ranked in the group now
We know world rugby fixed the draw to give England and Wales an easy time 'cos they all hate Scotland 😉
cos they all hate Scotland
Understandable
Bastid!
😀
The best site for rankings is World Rugby Rankings Calculator - it even allows you to input your predictions for upcoming games and will calculate the effect.
Top 16 for interest:
# Team Points
1 Ireland 91.82
2 (↑3) South Africa 91.08 (+1.71)
3 (↑4) France 89.22
4 (↓2) New Zealand 89.06 (-1.71)
5 Scotland 84.01
6 (↑7) Argentina 80.86
7 (↑9) Fiji 80.28 (+1.58)
8 (↓6) England 79.95 (-1.58)
9 (↓8) Australia 79.87
10 Wales 78.26
11 Georgia 76.23
12 Samoa 76.19
13 Italy 75.63 (+1.00)
14 Japan 73.29 (-1.00)
15 Tonga 70.29
16 Portugal 68.61
Pool C has teams currently placed
7th, 9th, 10th,11th and 16th
Try accurately predicting those games 😃
I watched the England Fiji games yesterday on catch up. Amazed that the whole top tier of “twickers” was empty. Seems crazy that nobody wanted to see that game. Have the Home Counties finally given up on England rugby? I’ve seen Wales through some tough times but I don’t think I ever saw a 2/3 full stadium.
I found this an interesting watch - certainly the stuff about structures in the game
bits in there but .... he bemoans (rightly) the end of promotion and relegation from the Premiership and then lauds Saracens, the leading voice in that argument. England rugby system is a mess and the English team are a mess but the latter is more a reflection on the coaching at the national level than the likelihood of the talent being available IMO.
Rugby and cricket are both suffering from being corrupted by new money (football has been corrupted by money for far longer) as established old administrative regimes try and adjust to stronger commercial competition.
Just seen the 2024 6Nations fixtures - the schedule looks nice and favourable to Scotland to my eyes!
Why? Who are they playing?
TJ, only had chance to watch half of that vid so far. Will watch rest later.
What is interesting is that the problems Wales have been facing are now being felt by England. Biggest games being played with the best players absent etc.
We need a framework for international rugby that fits in with domestic rugby, I do wonder if Englands prem would be better combining with the rest of the British Isles teams in a 2 conference league and play of system or whatever with internationals played at a different time within the season. Who knows.
Ireland have worked with what they have very very well and played development by them is awesome but they always had a province system whereas English and Welsh clubs have tradition and fans and rivals who are not well catered for.
Scotland too have ditched the trad clubs and have two good teams but two teams isn't really a domestic game. Can't help think Scotland's current success (I hope they do well at world cup) is built on sand and they rely too much on French league and English prem for players so development is stuffed. A couple of generational talents and some good poaches are not much to build on.
Who knows...
May type more when I watch the rest later.
AA - the first half is the best bit
No doubt Scotland made a complete stuff up of the move to professionalism - however now they have a stable structure living within their budgets and like Ireland everything is geared to the national team
A lot of the Scots players are developed here. Duhan is a case in point. He says he would not have become the player he is without Edinburgh and Scotland
Why oh why does it have to be national team above all else.
Club before country.
(the French seem to be able to do it without going to soulless franchises or showing their club league that the celts show theirs, then wonder why only 27 people + a corgie turn up to watch)
A lot of the Scots players are developed here. Duhan is a case in point. He says he would not have become the player he is without Edinburgh and Scotland
But there are only two teams to play for, how many players fall through the cracks? Only 2 of each position can be getting top flight experience, also just because Duhan says it's true doesn't mean it is. Ireland's provinces have a massive number of players channeling into them and the pathways are well defined. Scotland lose too many good players to England's prem and France and the games are generally not well attended compared to the Irish teams.
Scots attendances are up year on year. Scotston is already too small and sells out constantly. Little murryfeild looks like going the same way