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Excellent squad. Glad to see Hogg there - I hope he starts. He was the stand-out fullback this year. Generally glad to see good Scottish representation - well-deserved. No single team has really dominated the others so the split seems pretty representative to me. I think AWJ is a terrific player but watching this year’s 6N thought that he was slightly past his best. Who will start with him? I’d go with Itoje: he’s so talented and his mobility will pair well with AWJ (who is less mobile). I’m from SA and I think this squad is packed with talent and could well win the series. It should be a cracker. The 2009 series was one of the best I’ve seen so I hope this approaches that level.
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May 7, 2021 10:43
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| # ¿ Apr 25, 2024 09:40 |
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Northern hemisphere rugby is pretty strong at the moment, so the Lions squad is packed with talent. I think it's a really good team, but as others have said there were lots of options. Mako got pushed around at RWC2019, so no surprise there that he's out. When watching 6N I thought Hogg was the stand-out 15 so I am glad he's in. Price deserves it too. VD Merwe and Watson were both brilliant in 6N. There are so many good loose forwards but Curry has been outstanding. Once AWJ was in then Itoje was pretty likely, I thought. He's such a fast, athletic player to balance the heft of AWJ. The only slight surprise to me is Lawes on the flank - I thought he was a mobile lock? It should be a cracking series. 2009 was an incredible series and I hope this matches it. It has the potential, given that SA is pretty strong at the moment too. (I'm a Bok fan, BTW). i wouldn't want to call it but I think the Lions remarkable strength in depth might overcome the Boks' familiarity and combinations. I am glad to see such Scottish representation, which is deserved. Seeing Scotland regain strength (and style) has been such a pleasure.
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Jul 21, 2021 21:31
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Vaders Jester posted:Yeah, I think they want extra lineout options to try to at least get parity with a really strong lock pairing that SA have so went with Lawes over Beirne. Yeah, I figured line out plus some extra bulk. Lawes is pretty mobile but he doesn’t quite get around the park like eg Navidi.
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Jul 21, 2021 23:19
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Nobody commenting on how Watson should have had a yellow if not a red for the tackle on Le Roux? A number of ref calls were marginal but that was a very clear error. Lions had a terrific 2nd half and deserved to win but Watson off for ten (or the rest of the game) could have been huge. The line out prior to lions try was very crooked.
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Jul 26, 2021 23:28
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edogawa rando posted:Pretty sure the Venn diagram of people commenting on it and the people who thought Botia’s blatant shoulder to Damian McKenzie’s head a few weeks ago in the first All Blacks v. Fiji test is a flat circle. I’m not sure what point you’re making, but I doubt that Fiji losing a player would have affected the result, whereas the Lions going down to 14 for 10 minutes or even the rest of the game could have been decisive.
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Jul 27, 2021 09:47
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edogawa rando posted:It's just a gripe about a clear double standard at the judicial level. Ah. i just watched that clip. Looks like a straight red to me, and if not on the field then a ban afterwards. It's clear to me that Watson should have had at least a yellow if not a red. That seems to be consensus though. Given how strong N Hemisphere rugby is right now the Lions squad has huge depth, so should be very hard to beat on Saturday. I wouldn't change much about that team except for Cowan-Dickie, as the lineouts were wobbly, but given the depth it's hard to argue with any of the changes. SA suffered from a tactical rigidity, which is not new for us. I think we will come back strongly and hopefully with more acumen, but am not very confident.
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Jul 27, 2021 16:13
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HappyCamperGL posted:Whole bunch o' changes No real arguments from me other than vd Merwe is lucky that he was not dropped and that Watson was (who was unlucky to be dropped). I really like Hogg but this kind of game is not his strong suit and Williams is a better pick. If you have Russell at 10 running an attacking backline then Hogg makes sense, but not if the game is so aerial. I think Aki and Henshaw make a terrific centre pairing.
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Aug 3, 2021 18:15
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Vaders Jester posted:Watson was worse in the air that VDM, but the whole backline was awful on Saturday so hard to pick anyone out to get dropped. I thought that Vdm Was thoroughly rattled while Watson kept some composure but yes, broadly agreed.
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Aug 3, 2021 19:43
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Vaders Jester posted:There's an interesting stat come from Ben Smith at Rugbypass(so take with a pinch) that any contestable kick chase, across both tests, that has had Duhan as a gunner or directly competing for the ball, SA have had 0% success with. If that's true, then it might explain why he's kept his spot I suppose. It sure would. Even if it’s not 100% accurate but broadly representative it’s a more compelling case for keeping him.
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Aug 4, 2021 14:17
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MyChemicalImbalance posted:70 minutes of Finn? He’s playing really well. I’m bricking it. Lions looking v dangerous. We are clinging on by the skin of our teeth
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Aug 7, 2021 18:00
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Looke posted:At least we know now that if you want a win, just release a 30 min video of you criticising every decision the ref made in the first match Or you could blame poor decision making which leaves points on the table and doesn’t convert territorial and possession dominance into points. Don’t forget that Gatland started the whole refereeing issue by attacking the TMO. therattle fucked around with this message at 20:07 on Aug 7, 2021 |
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Aug 7, 2021 19:50
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CyberPingu posted:I presume this article is a bunch of sour grapes..https://rugbyonslaught.com/the-moment-that-finally-proved-this-lions-tour-was-a-farce/ Jesus Christ, that website is like the rugby equivalent of the Daily Mail.
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Aug 8, 2021 14:50
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CyberPingu posted:Oh really? Lol I didn't realise. I generally don't read rugby articles online tbh but that somehow ended up in my newsfeed. I had a look (never heard of it before) and the tone is soooo over the top.
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Aug 8, 2021 21:58
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edogawa rando posted:Who gives a poo poo about Quade Cooper, when you've got BEAUDEN loving BARRETT No doubt BB is terrific and probably best in the world but it’s easy to look good against a clearly inferior team and behind a dominant pack.
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Sep 15, 2021 08:05
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Sa-NZ was a terrific Test.
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Sep 26, 2021 10:32
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edogawa rando posted:Not counting any dumbshit repeaters and boomerang students, the All Blacks' current tenure with the Bledisloe Cup has gone on longer than all secondary school students in both countries have been alive. As far as I am concerned the ABs are and pretty much always are the best team in the world. I say that as a Bok fan.
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Sep 27, 2021 20:57
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Madkal posted:This thread is mostly dead but I just wanna say BOKKE! Seconded. Terrific match for a neutral to watch, I reckon. Some tough calls against Steyn, I thought. We are going to really miss Vermeulen
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Oct 3, 2021 19:59
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edogawa rando posted:As an All Blacks supporter, it was a very frustrating test to watch, and IMO, the Rugby Championships should end any further discussion about Ardie Savea's suitability as captain. I think that the ABs are so used to winning and being on the front foot that when an opponent manages to destabilise them they don't always know how to respond. SA put them under huge pressure at the breakdown, under the high ball, at scrum, lineouts, and with the rush defence, so NZ wasn't able to establish domination like they usually do. I take your point that a better captain may have been able to turn that around. I still think that they are the best team in the world though, and beating you always feels like it's unexpected, and the sweetest of victories (except maaaybe the Lions).
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Oct 6, 2021 18:08
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edogawa rando posted:Scotland has a pretty strong recent record against Australia, and along with the All Blacks and England, are one of the big bogey teams for the Wallabies right now. Wales weren’t robbed. There MAY have been a try but there were cover tacklers, and as the game went on SA increased its dominance. (That guy was a dick though). Wales was getting hammered in the scrum, mauls, a bit less at breakdown but SA was turning the screws. I thought that Wales got away with pretty much every line out throw being crooked.
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Nov 8, 2021 14:31
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edogawa rando posted:There's an open tryline in front of Williams who would have had every chance of making it. Obviously I am an SA fan, but I am not particularly one-eyed (and I actually really like Wales). An incident like that slightly diminishes the integrity of the SA win, but it's stronger than "there was no guarantee" - I don't think he would have scored (although he might have). He isn't getting the ball at pace - he's overrun it slightly and he has to check his run to collect it. That is what gave time for the cover tacklers to arrive, not the invader. The small amount of time taken to avoid the invader I don't think is enough to have been decisive - look how far from the try-line he is (5m line) when he is tackled (by two players). That extra split-second wouldn't have got him that much closer. Not even Sam Warburton thinks that he would have scored. ""I don't think Liam Williams is going to score there, I think he slightly overran himself anyway, he would have had to check himself," Warburton said." https://wwos.nine.com.au/rugby/pitc...38-5bfb88dfb74b Some neutral coverage agrees: https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/international/south-africa-snatch-dramatic-late-victory-to-deny-wales-in-cardiff-1.4721796 "Williams had to jump over the pitch invader before he was duly led away, although Wales would not have scored." So saying that Wales was robbed is not right, I think. Sorry! It was a pretty decent game though, that incident notwithstanding.
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Nov 8, 2021 21:29
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bessantj posted:Look the better team won but you need to fix your glasses. Eh, that’s what I remember seeing, a number of pretty crooked throws. If I see replays which show it differently I’m happy to change my mind. While doing a quick search I did see analysis which strongly suggested that the disallowed Bok try was valid. What’s the view on this? https://youtu.be/K8gnoWIiwc0 And here at about 2:40 https://youtu.be/uR7a-U1LJkU
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Nov 8, 2021 23:22
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I do t know if I’ll have time to watch Scotland-Aus. I know the result but I do love watching Australia get beaten and it’s so great that Scotland is a force to be reckoned with again
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Nov 8, 2021 23:33
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edogawa rando posted:I say there there's no guarantee that scoring that try would have definitely led to a Welsh win because it was at the start of the final quarter of the game. Had it been at, say, the 75th minute, I'd say that Wales were denied a draw and a potential match winner. We will have to agree to disagree - I think the chance of Wales scoring in that position were very low. Williams overran the ball, had to check, and there were 2-3 cover tacklers who comfortably intercepted him before the 5m line. He never got close to the tryline. Of course we won't ever know definitively but to me that wasn't going to be a try.
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Nov 9, 2021 13:06
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I enjoyed SA-Scotland. Scotland played well but just not well enough against a team that was simply better and had greater depth. I managed to watch Eng-Aus too. As a neutral it wasn't a great game - far too sloppy and error-ridden, particularly by Aus. They could not maintain possession or a decent number of phases without cocking up somehow - loose pass, knock-on, ruck penalty... Lack of composure, lots of snatching at the ball, lack of discipline. Both line-outs were pretty bad. If the England line-out is that bad against SA, and SA maintains its scrum dominance, England will be hosed on Saturday (Something to look forward to!). Fred Steward had a very impressive debut, and Marcus Smith did pretty well too. The try with Steward was very nicely done, with the way he entered the line. At around the 30m mark I thought Johnny May fluffed a potential opportunity - he went on a good run in the Aus 22 but then gave the pass too early without drawing the tackler, which allowed that tackler to switch focus to the player outside him. Nick White's try-saving tackle was spectacular. He had a very good game in trying circumstances. I thought both games were generally very well refereed.
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Nov 19, 2021 14:58
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That yellow for Taylor against Ireland is bullshit.
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Nov 19, 2021 22:01
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Total Meatlove posted:The absolute gall of playing it from behind the touchline Just finished this game in catch-up. Terrifically entertaining with that NZ break followed by the Ntamack breakout being the highlight. For a neutral it was highly enjoyable. I love it when the French play like the French. There’s nothing quite like it
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Nov 27, 2021 17:09
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Are Scotland-Japan and/or Wales-Aus worth watching?
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Nov 27, 2021 17:56
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bessantj posted:Sure. Both?
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Nov 27, 2021 19:25
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GTO posted:Wales Australia was excellent. Wales Australia was not excellent. It was pretty entertaining with lots of exciting breaks but it was also error-ridden with far too many penalties given away. Exciting but not high-quality rugby. It was definitely worth watching though. I thought that Wales got away with skew line-out throws in the SA game: they got pinged for at least a couple this game (and we’re lucky to get away with others, eg I noticed one at about 74m). Aus were unlucky to incur the red and unlucky to not win despite it.
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Dec 11, 2021 17:37
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I just saw that Gilroy/Rogers tackle. 100% red card. I’m a neutral re teams.
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Jan 31, 2022 14:11
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Vaders Jester posted:Wild that Peyper thought it was a yellow. Yeah. That was an absolutely clear red to me.
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Jan 31, 2022 22:20
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Saturday's match should be a cracker. I am looking forward to it. As a semi-neutral I want Scotland to win but England have got an exciting team. I compare them to SA, which hasn't really blooded many new players since RWC 2019 (where SA comprehensively outplayed England in every respect, totally dominating them in an epic final...), and which may not be that well placed for RWC2023. I can't believe it's next year! I had such a miserable time trying and failing to get tickets with their lovely website. Anyway, rugby generally is in a good place: there are a lot of very strong teams at the moment and on current form RWC could be anyone's.
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Feb 3, 2022 22:15
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The tournament is wide open this year and I am really looking forward to it. Apart from the Italy games pretty much every match is unmissable. I’m don’t care who wins as long as it’s not England.
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Feb 4, 2022 17:24
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Terrific!
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Feb 4, 2022 22:18
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I finished the England-Scotland game on Monday, having watched Ire-Wal over the weekend when I could. England dominated the game and should have won - but a team that can't convert dominance into points doesn't deserve to win. Having seen Nigel Owens's dissection of the penalty try I think it was the right decision. As a semi-neutral I thought the ref was OK. England is blooding a lot of very exciting new talent, which I think will bear fruit for the world cup next year (which SA is markedly not, worryingly), but I think that inexperience in key positions made itself felt. I really admire Itoje but he had a quiet game by his standards, as did Curry to a degree (perhaps weighed down by captaincy), but the pack generally played very well. The backs did too but were unable to really use all that possession to penetrate the organised Scottish defence. The replacement of Smith by Ford did not work and there were some poor decisions with ball in hand (eg kicking when there were overlaps). Scotland looked pretty good on attack when they had the ball in hand, and were excellent as always in broken play and when countering. Ireland were formidable. They looked really good in every aspect of the game, very cohesive, very well organised. I know BOD casts a long shadow but I think Ringrose is outstanding and his pairing with Aki is excellent. (England perhaps missed that midfield combination of passing/line-breaking and ball-carrying centres). I know Wales had some injuries but they just had a bad day at the office. To some degree a team plays only as well as the opposition allows but Wales lacked composure on attack, snatched at the ball, flung out loose, panicked passes, etc. They had an off day and it happened when they encountered a very strong Irish team. This year is set to be an absolute classic!
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Feb 10, 2022 12:12
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I managed to watch the Eng-Wal and FR-Sco games. France are looking really good. They have a very powerful pack, they are strong at set piece and breakdowns, and when they get turnover ball they are lethal on counterattack. Reminds me a bit of NZ at its best. They must be strong contenders for RWC23. Scotland tried but they were just outplayed and then lost structure and composure - unsurprisingly, against such a good team. They saying is that you play only as well as your opponents allow. I don't think that was true of Wales; they just played inexplicably badly, especially for the first 50 minutes. Sure, England won, and a win is a win, but I would not be that happy about it if IU was an England supporter. Against a team playing as badly as Wales England should have thrashed them like Ireland did, but they couldn't convert possession and dominance into points. I watched the first 25 minutes then resumed the following night, and was surprised that England was only 6 points up - I had forgotten the score but remembered their dominance, but it wasn't reflected on the scoreboard. Marcus Smith played well but i amn't sure he was MOTM, while Itoje was back on form. He's a terrific player. Most of the England team played well. (I do think Itoje interfered with the lineout that led to the try, but c'est la vie.).
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Mar 3, 2022 15:13
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Vaders Jester posted:
I have limited rugby watching time and just never watch the Italy games nor care about them. I’d love it if Italy became more competitive but they aren’t and that makes watching them pretty pointless for me.
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Mar 10, 2022 17:08
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Plucky Brit posted:Italy last won in 2015. They have improved, but so have the other teams (some far more than others). Then they haven’t become more competitive. 
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Mar 10, 2022 20:23
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Itoje had a storming game on Saturday. Ireland should have won that much more comfortably though.
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Mar 17, 2022 23:59
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| # ¿ Apr 25, 2024 09:40 |
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It was a very entertaining 6N even if the quality wasn’t always that high. France are looking formidable: joint favourites with NZ for RWC in my book. Wales played much worse than they should have on paper. What’s going on there? So they miss AWJ that much? Agreed with comments above re Scotland. England just about beat Wales when Wales was playing very badly; they should have thrashed them though, like Ireland did. I like the idea of a two-division 6N. It would be really good for teams like Georgia. Argentina would fit better there than in the Championship.
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Apr 2, 2022 14:59
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