Dublin4 wrote: ↑Sun Nov 20, 2022 5:50 pm
I would love to see PJ play for Ireland but that ship has sailed. The world is even more of a woke, feminist place than it was in 2018.
The Union is under constant attack over its apparent discrimination against women in rugby to the extent that, in order to avoid criticism, it has to divert €5.5 million next year to fund "professional " women's rugby which generates minimal income.
The world is more woke, as you say. The Rugby authorities are quite willing to do little about the issue of concussion but run away from the threat of a few twitter posts re PJ. We had an issue in the Australian match where a player should not have been allowed back on the the pitch after a HIA.
And then we have the hypocrisy of the All Blacks selecting a number of wife/ girlfriend batterers. But we exile a player for saying 'spit'.
The Women's game, I do not believe will be self financing in the next 10 years. The audience isn't there.
Cap'n Grumpy wrote: ↑Sat Nov 19, 2022 10:20 pm
Dunno why Ireland didn't opt to take the scrum instead of penalty when Aussies were yellow carded. Would have been playing against 13 for much longer.
Zackly this!
Was watching it in the pub, and hadn't seen why/when the aussie 2 went off, so I assumed they were exempt from losing the additional man for going uncontested, then with a couple of minutes left on the card, there's a scrum and they're down to 13.
These are professional rugby players, but even if they aren't that smart, why was the message not coming on from the sidelines?
Criminal game management!
Maybe they made the same assumption as you, BR?
One might argue that it goes against the spirit of the law to have opted for the scrum early doors, but in international rugby, you play for every advantage you can get.
I'm not arguing -
I'm just explaining why I'm right
Cap'n Grumpy wrote: ↑Sat Nov 19, 2022 10:20 pm
Dunno why Ireland didn't opt to take the scrum instead of penalty when Aussies were yellow carded. Would have been playing against 13 for much longer.
Zackly this!
Was watching it in the pub, and hadn't seen why/when the aussie 2 went off, so I assumed they were exempt from losing the additional man for going uncontested, then with a couple of minutes left on the card, there's a scrum and they're down to 13.
These are professional rugby players, but even if they aren't that smart, why was the message not coming on from the sidelines?
Criminal game management!
Maybe they made the same assumption as you, BR?
One might argue that it goes against the spirit of the law to have opted for the scrum early doors, but in international rugby, you play for every advantage you can get.
Aye - well I had at least had the wit to ask the people I was with - but they were drunks rather than professional rugby players, so I'll forgive them for just thinking what the **** is BR on about this time? (I know you all know that feeling)
rumncoke wrote: ↑Sun Nov 20, 2022 4:36 pm
If PJ had been available at the last World Cup Sexton would have retired two years ago .
The fact is Sexton is playing on memories
As I stated in the “ Are Ireland worthy Number 1”
The fact is they defend well but can’t attack because even the wings are picked because their defence is better than their attack .
One run by JoB across the pitch says everything about why Ireland struggled .
You are probably right about Sexton in that he was washed up a couple of years ago. His return to form has been amazing - ok he's not at his 2018 peak but is playing well. Whether it is good for his longer term health is a different matter.
He is playing better rugby than PJ though.
I disagree about the defensive wingers. If that was the case it would be Conway, Balocoune and Earls in the mix but even I'd all fully fit, you'd say hansen and Lowe would start and Lowe is the worst defender... .marginally worse than stockdale
Everyone thinks defence is tackling wrong -- a wings defence is about the ball in the air --- you can't misfield a ball in the air -- why because it is virtually an open if you do -- too far behind the gain line a total loss of field position and handing momentum to the opposition. --- Irish wingers since Bowe have all been ball catchers with a big kick .
When was the last time an Irish wing has scored a try were the move started from a set piece in his own half.
Watch the ABs most of their trys are scored by Backs -- most of Irelands trys are scored by forwards starting from rucks and mauls about 5 metres from the goal line.
Ireland don't select attacking backlines and wings -- because they seldom get the ball.
Within this carapace of skepticism there lives an optimist
Cap'n Grumpy wrote: ↑Sat Nov 19, 2022 10:20 pm
Dunno why Ireland didn't opt to take the scrum instead of penalty when Aussies were yellow carded. Would have been playing against 13 for much longer.
Zackly this!
Was watching it in the pub, and hadn't seen why/when the aussie 2 went off, so I assumed they were exempt from losing the additional man for going uncontested, then with a couple of minutes left on the card, there's a scrum and they're down to 13.
These are professional rugby players, but even if they aren't that smart, why was the message not coming on from the sidelines?
Criminal game management!
Maybe they made the same assumption as you, BR?
One might argue that it goes against the spirit of the law to have opted for the scrum early doors, but in international rugby, you play for every advantage you can get.
Aye - well I had at least had the wit to ask the people I was with - but they were drunks rather than professional rugby players
If you had any more wit, BR, you'd be a half-wit.
and if you had even a bit more wit yet, you wouldn't have asked the drunks.
But I'll forgive you for that as we were all pretty drunk-off by then, and I hadn't even had a drink.
I'm not arguing -
I'm just explaining why I'm right
I see the SA hooker is in hot water telling the ref to “ referee both sides “
To be honest I have a certain sympathy with the sentiment
I have long had the view that in certain situations look for certain fouls — the two common calls are against defenders near the goal line off side or over the top , ie referees are watching the defenders while the attacking side are pre— binding or holding defenders behind the goal line when not part of the ruck .
Thus defenders are more frequently penalised than the attacking team it is not bias it is the style of refereeeing - watching defenders rather than attackers
It may appear bias if one team are more often within their opponents 22
Within this carapace of skepticism there lives an optimist
World rugby decided many years ago to ignore infringements by the team in possession. This was an attempt to produce 'more exciting', multi-phase rugby with higher scores and more tries.
This allows teams to take the ball into contact with a 90% chance of retaining possession and is what turned the game from a contact sport to a collision sport. Surprise, surprise, we then end up with ever increasing rules and sanctions to attempt to stop injuries, and before we know it, "the game's gone soft!"
Hey, but at least we get the multi-try thriller like at Lansdowne on Saturday.
Remove the unwtitten (actually it has more recently started to become written) bias towards the balll carrier, remove the counterintuitive offside at the tackle and remove the ball carrier's god given right to retain the ball and when the odds don't stack up so well, players should return to evading tackles rather than winning collisions. It should eventually result in a 80 minute match where 15 players play 15 players and nobody ends up seriously injured.
rumncoke wrote: ↑Mon Nov 21, 2022 4:30 pm
I see the SA hooker is in hot water telling the ref to “ referee both sides “
To be honest I have a certain sympathy with the sentiment
I have long had the view that in certain situations look for certain fouls — the two common calls are against defenders near the goal line off side or over the top , ie referees are watching the defenders while the attacking side are pre— binding or holding defenders behind the goal line when not part of the ruck .
Thus defenders are more frequently penalised than the attacking team it is not bias it is the style of refereeeing - watching defenders rather than attackers
It may appear bias if one team are more often within their opponents 22
Suspect that's a warning shot across the bows of the SA players not to adopt the tactics of their beloved leader. The players take their lead from the management. Erasmus back from a lengthy ban has just copped another ban as he hasn't learned he is not bigger than the game yet. WR really need to put manners on him as his ego seemingly cant cope with losing without it being the referees fault
Who wants the game to descend to wendyball levels of berating the referee? If respect for how the referee interprets the laws on a given day goes then the game is gone.
BR wrote: ↑Sat Nov 26, 2022 5:01 pm
Wales v Australia
Does anyone publish stats for how many minutes of the game are played under 'advantage'?
Advantage should have a phase limit
I'm not sure it would have mattered in that game. They were just giving away penalty after penalty, especially in the first half. If the ref hadn't played advantage, he'd have needed a new whistle at halftime.
