Rugby thread.

[mazolaman]

After watching the exiting Scotland v Italy game, then the cautious, yet ultimately dull France v Wales game (not helped by a terrible pitch), the Ireland v England game was a tense, brutal game of rugby.

Well done to England, takes some doing beating Ireland in Dublin.

[Dara]

It was a physical game alright and Ireland certainly weren't helped by the loss of Zebo and Sexton so early.

England pulled off a great win but I think Ireland failed to capitalise on a lot of chances!

[mazolaman]

If I were French, I'd be gutted at the substitutions, as France were in charge at first, but they were a different side at the end.

[Ken Gargett]

the most important game of the year, any year, qld v the fiilth, is over and truth, light and justice has prevailed.

can now handle whatever happens with other games this year. thereare just rugby.

[ARRV]

Enjoy it while it lasts KG - the Tahs are coming back - will take a little longer but the signs looked promising for the future

[Ken Gargett]

now i am the first to concede that these things do go in circles (and would never dream of mentioning something like that it must be one hell of a big circle given since super rugby first came in, in 1992, nsw has never won it - even when there were only six teams - while qld reds won it as the super six, a couple of times as the super ten and more recently as the super 15) but i will pose a couple of questions that i sent to a couple of my nsw loving mates (one of whom even agreed).

i'd be interested in any thoughts.

and if i was a nsw fan, i'd be concerned that they may not 'benefit' from a referee so seemingly determined to assist, in future games.

adam freir on ‘outsiders’ sunday morning. “35,000 was a good turnout for the game but let’s be honest. no one turned up to see the reds play the waratahs, they were all there to see izzy folau.”

is the bloke a complete simpleton or does he really not get it? 35,000 went along to see the glorious reds beat the hated filth from down south. we would not have cared if god himself was playing for nsw. not 15 naked supermodels. this is why you blokes just don’t understand.

and i see that your coach is on a bonus system whereby he will earn extra dosh, not for wins or anything like that, but for putting bums on seats. hence, it is more important to play entertaining rugby than it is to win. so when it comes to a selection, this bloke will be more inclined to pick an ella than a mclean or a lynagh? possibly an extreme example but you know what i mean.

have you lot gone mad? i can tell you that watching cooper do magic tricks is fantastic fun but nowhere near as much fun as walking away from suncorp with a win. if cooper’s tricks or anything else wasn’t working, we’d be perfectly content to replace them, and him, with something that did. no matter how unexciting. in fact, we’d insist. do you blokes seriously think any kiwi team is thinking that it is better to be entertaining than to win?

here is a big tip. nothing puts bums on seats like winning.

[ARRV]

Unfortunately the only circle for the Tahs so far in Super rugby has been of Dante-esque qualities.

NSW probably has the worst back line of all the super teams except the Force - Folau was picked because of the absence of anything much better rather than for pure spectacle. I think Freier was probably doing some spruiking there for NSW and Folau - probably aimed more at the home crowd to get them along to the next game rather than a reflection of what was really happening in Brisbane..

There has been a mantra down here of "entertaining rugby" this season - as in if you're going to lose may as well have a crack - and frankly the way the tahs have been playing for the last few years it's more likely than not that they would lose anyway so may as well lose pretty. or at least trying to score tries.

If they had the choice I am sure that any fan (and player) would prefer to win but in the past they have been playing (or trying to play) percentage rugby and it did not work and was a horrible spectacle as well as resulting in a loss. So i think that at least trying to play positive rugby and having a better attitude generally will bring the crowds back even if they are not winning.

So yeah - probably a bit defeatist but NSW does not have the players at the moment to really win regularly so why not try to develop a style which is entertaining so even if you dont win it at least looks as though you are having a go

The biggest issue i think is just a lack of basic skills - catch and pass under pressure. I still dont understand how those basic skills still seem to be lacking. Maybe it is just pressure and the inability of individuals to deal with pressure and maybe experience assists in overcoming that but really I think that is the problem.

[Ken Gargett]

Unfortunately the only circle for the Tahs so far in Super rugby has been of Dante-esque qualities.

NSW probably has the worst back line of all the super teams except the Force - Folau was picked because of the absence of anything much better rather than for pure spectacle. I think Freier was probably doing some spruiking there for NSW and Folau - probably aimed more at the home crowd to get them along to the next game rather than a reflection of what was really happening in Brisbane..

There has been a mantra down here of "entertaining rugby" this season - as in if you're going to lose may as well have a crack - and frankly the way the tahs have been playing for the last few years it's more likely than not that they would lose anyway so may as well lose pretty. or at least trying to score tries.

If they had the choice I am sure that any fan (and player) would prefer to win but in the past they have been playing (or trying to play) percentage rugby and it did not work and was a horrible spectacle as well as resulting in a loss. So i think that at least trying to play positive rugby and having a better attitude generally will bring the crowds back even if they are not winning.

So yeah - probably a bit defeatist but NSW does not have the players at the moment to really win regularly so why not try to develop a style which is entertaining so even if you dont win it at least looks as though you are having a go

The biggest issue i think is just a lack of basic skills - catch and pass under pressure. I still dont understand how those basic skills still seem to be lacking. Maybe it is just pressure and the inability of individuals to deal with pressure and maybe experience assists in overcoming that but really I think that is the problem.

interesting.

your entire pack is wallabies. what a platform!

back line with talent like a-cooper, horne, barnes, foley, kingston, turner, mitchell, folau. fair whack of talent on paper but i think your forwards the strength. barnes a spineless turncoat, injured more often than shane watson. folau an endless code hopper. mitchell hot and cold. a few others less than inspiring. though i'd have a-cooper at fullback rather than trying to shoehorn izzy in there. play him n the centres or wings.

but i think that the nsw press is a little like the poms (and no doubt plenty of others) - build 'em up hugely and if it fails, tear 'em, to shreds.

what your bloke sees in dave dennis is beyond me. least deserving wallaby in history. hardly ever going to lead by example. is he some tactical genius? if so, keeping it well hidden. hooper a good pick up but yet again, outplayed by gill. if deans had a brain, gill at seven and pocock at 6.

loved horan's comment pre game. more important for the reds to beat nsw than for the wallabies to beat nz.