Rugby Union

[grandadbob]

That has to be one of the best England performances of all time. I hoped but didn't really believe. I now believe!!!  

[GeoffAlan]

I thought the same as grandadbob. I also think that for the first time in the competition we woz robbed of quite a few points.

[Stubby47]

Is it me, or do teams not realise the importance of the drop goal?

In the group games, yes the bonus point for 4 tries is an advantage,  but in the knockout stages it's all about the game scores.

 

A couple of drop goals is about the same as a try& conversion, and can soon rack the points up.

[St Enodoc]

8 minutes ago, Stubby47 said:

Is it me, or do teams not realise the importance of the drop goal?

In the group games, yes the bonus point for 4 tries is an advantage,  but in the knockout stages it's all about the game scores.

 

A couple of drop goals is about the same as a try& conversion, and can soon rack the points up.

We could well see one or two tomorrow.

[rockershovel]

1 hour ago, Stubby47 said:

Is it me, or do teams not realise the importance of the drop goal?

In the group games, yes the bonus point for 4 tries is an advantage,  but in the knockout stages it's all about the game scores.

 

A couple of drop goals is about the same as a try& conversion, and can soon rack the points up.

 

Ermm.... yes, they do. England attempted one today. But, they are a risky strategy unless you have a world class kicker (I’m talking in the Johnny Wilkinson, Janie de Beer class - and JdB was closed down by Australia in the next game, ) AND they mean that you then have to receive a kickoff 

 

To illustrate how rare they are, and always have been;

 

 

I’m surprised to see Rob Andrew on the list, I always remember him a a dull-as-dishwater #10 who kicked possession away, time after time after time....

 

Edited October 26, 2019 by rockershovel

[rockershovel]

1 hour ago, Stubby47 said:

Is it me, or do teams not realise the importance of the drop goal?

In the group games, yes the bonus point for 4 tries is an advantage,  but in the knockout stages it's all about the game scores.

 

A couple of drop goals is about the same as a try& conversion, and can soon rack the points up.

 

Two drop goals add up to six points, a converted try is seven. Wales won last weekend by precisely that margin. England lost to NZ at Twickenham by that margin, not so long ago. That extra point changes everything, that’s why (after much discussion) the converted try was increased from five, to six and then seven points. 

[rockershovel]

1 hour ago, GeoffAlan said:

I thought the same as grandadbob. I also think that for the first time in the competition we woz robbed of quite a few points.

 

Don’t agree. There was clearly some sort of offside infringement at the first disallowed try, and the knock-on in the maul was technically correct on the evidence... which isn’t to say that I particularly agree with decisions of that sort being given at all, in such circumstances. 

 

I also thought that Nigel Owens missed at least one obvious forward pass by NZ, as did the TMO. If the TMO is going to increasingly intrude on the referee, this sort of thing needs to be thought about. 

 

To be slightly uncharitable for a moment, I wasn’t sorry to see Jaco Peyper “not considered for further RWC matches”. I have always regarded him as greatly over-rated as a referee, and his lapse of judgement off the field was inexcusable. 

[MJI]

3 hours ago, Stubby47 said:

Is it me, or do teams not realise the importance of the drop goal?

In the group games, yes the bonus point for 4 tries is an advantage,  but in the knockout stages it's all about the game scores.

 

A couple of drop goals is about the same as a try& conversion, and can soon rack the points up.

 

Last time I remember seeing one was in 2003 RWC final

[rockershovel]

1 hour ago, MJI said:

 

Last time I remember seeing one was in 2003 RWC final

 

 

 

Edited October 26, 2019 by rockershovel

[rockershovel]

They have actually been quite common in this tournament

 

https://www.rugbyworld.com/news/hail-return-rugby-world-cup-drop-goal-103529

[MJI]

3 hours ago, rockershovel said:

They have actually been quite common in this tournament

 

https://www.rugbyworld.com/news/hail-return-rugby-world-cup-drop-goal-103529

 

Only watched a few matches, and the odd highlight

[tigerburnie]

A bright start by both sides

[St Enodoc]

On 26/10/2019 at 21:54, St Enodoc said:

We could well see one or two tomorrow.

Well, I was wrong. What an arm-wrestle. I thought that might be the case when the first scrum was less than a minute into the match - yesterday it took 18.

 

Overall, the stronger side won.

[rockershovel]

Today didn’t surprise me much. The Welsh team I saw at Oita last week, looked lost without a couple of key players, and George North hardly appeared to play any role. South Africa looked the stronger side and so it proved today. Both sides gave away far too many penalties and both sides looked stressed at times. 

 

If England can repeat yesterdays’ performance, I’d say the World Cup was within their reach next week. 

 

Edited October 27, 2019 by rockershovel

[EddieB]

I’m certainly no expert, but it looks as though Wales we’re trying to beat South Africa at their own game - physicality from the forwards and a strong kicking game.

[teaky]

14 minutes ago, EddieB said:

I’m certainly no expert, but it looks as though Wales we’re trying to beat South Africa at their own game - physicality from the forwards and a strong kicking game.

I agree.  They seemed to cancel each other out and neither team offered anything that looked like being a successful breakthrough.

[teaky]

Next Saturday is going to be interesting.  Can England reach the same heights?  Can SA raise their game?  What proportion of possession will SA's strength at the breakdown gain them set against England's obvious strength there?  De Allende v Tuilagi, that'll be a collision.  Two effective rolling mauls.  Strong packs.  Fast backs.  It'll certainly be a battle.  Can't wait!

[Joseph_Pestell]

12 minutes ago, teaky said:

Next Saturday is going to be interesting.  Can England reach the same heights?  Can SA raise their game?  What proportion of possession will SA's strength at the breakdown gain them set against England's obvious strength there?  De Allende v Tuilagi, that'll be a collision.  Two effective rolling mauls.  Strong packs.  Fast backs.  It'll certainly be a battle.  Can't wait!

There is quite a history at RWC of teams having a great semi and then not managing to follow that up in the final. So England have a big job to do psychologically. But Eddie Jones will know that.

 

I think that South Africa still have another gear. They were far from their best on Sunday but lucky enough to come up against a Wales side well below par. Injuries played their part, especially the absence of Navidi, but above all Wales made some poor kicking decisions and executed them poorly. I was very disappointed.

 

But why so much kicking from both sides? Once again the RWC organisers must take the blame for putting two matches on the same pitch in 24 hours. Even the best groundsman in the world is not going to give you a good pitch on Day 2 in the wet season. The pitch was cutting up and the ball greasy within 5 minutes of the kick-off. Not what you want to play attacking rugby. Are they playing both games next weekend on that pitch? If so, the final is likely to be very compromised.

 

The other thing that restricted the match from becoming a decent spectacle was poor refereeing of offside. Garces (and his assistants) persistently let the defence lines be 50cm offside. Does not sound much but it makes a lot of difference in a physical game as the attack can not build any momentum.

 

I hope that next weekend's referees do better on this point. In fact, I believe that the rulemakers made need to wake up to the realities of modern rugby and change the rules for offside at rucks and mauls.

[Joseph_Pestell]

On 26/10/2019 at 12:47, rockershovel said:

 

Ermm.... yes, they do. England attempted one today. But, they are a risky strategy unless you have a world class kicker (I’m talking in the Johnny Wilkinson, Janie de Beer class - and JdB was closed down by Australia in the next game, ) AND they mean that you then have to receive a kickoff 

 

To illustrate how rare they are, and always have been;

 

 

I’m surprised to see Rob Andrew on the list, I always remember him a a dull-as-dishwater #10 who kicked possession away, time after time after time....

 

 

Seems consistent to me. Put over a drop goal and give yourself three points rather than pass the ball and let a team-mate get four.

[rockershovel]

When all the shouting dies down, the RWC organisers deserve a long, loud raspberry for some aspects of the tournament. Two games in two days, is too much for ANY pitch. Having no apparent contingency arrangements in a major international tournament, in an Asian country during the typhoon season, simply isn’t acceptable. 

 

England are, apparently, going there for a two-match tour in 2020. 

 

 

[rockershovel]

I was quite amused by the Gatland/Jones snarking match this morning. One thing I didn’t realise, was that neither man had been capped for their respective countries. 

 

 

[tigerburnie]

I think for a first time having major rugby internationals Japan have done quite well, good crowds and it would seem the fans have all had a good trip, no one could have forecast how bad the weather was going to be and rugby always was a roll in the mud when I played it.

[tigerburnie]

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=Nd0gNu8c&id=B2B49A229DAD07A683722C4B69C78800C7401E7D&thid=OIP.Nd0gNu8c3daLPb9WtO3rSAHaHa&mediaurl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.supercookshop.co.uk%2fekmps%2fshops%2fsupercook%2fimages%2fkeep-calm-and-carry-on-playing-rugby-drinks-coaster-with-the-iconic-picture-of-a-muddy-fran-cotton.-1588-p%5Bekm%5D1000x1000%5Bekm%5D.jpg&exph=1000&expw=1000&q=fran+cotton+muddy&simid=608054990454394360&selectedIndex=1&qpvt=fran+cotton+muddy&ajaxhist=0

[rockershovel]

20 minutes ago, tigerburnie said:

I think for a first time having major rugby internationals Japan have done quite well, good crowds and it would seem the fans have all had a good trip, no one could have forecast how bad the weather was going to be and rugby always was a roll in the mud when I played it.

 

I’ve just returned from a ten days’ round trip with No 2 Son, including the Pool C and D quarter finals in Ōita, and it was a tremendous bit of fun. The pitch was soft and cut up badly, but you can’t have everything. Some of the Brits were whinging about the travel, our round trips from Kitakyushu to Oita were long days but it was all part of the trip, and all arrangements worked well enough, especially given the ad-hoc nature of the planning (he was only awarded the tickets three weeks before the games). 

 

A few comments for any future travellers

 

1) Japanese trains are seriously efficient. The JR one-week railcard is a great value buy

2) Japanese hotel rooms are SMALL!

3) McTeriyaki burgers are perfectly foul, regardless of how much beer you have drunk beforehand

4) Japanese castles are great. Wherever you are, visit one

5) Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto are bigger than you expect

6) Takoyaki (octopus dumplings sold from street stands) are great, whatever my son thinks to the contrary! 

7) the Suntory whiskey sold in 2-litre plastic bottles is about what you’d expect

8) temples require planning, some are really good, others less so. 

[Joseph_Pestell]

1 hour ago, tigerburnie said:

I think for a first time having major rugby internationals Japan have done quite well, good crowds and it would seem the fans have all had a good trip, no one could have forecast how bad the weather was going to be and rugby always was a roll in the mud when I played it.

 

Yes, many aspects of the tournament have been excellent.

 

I am no meteorologist but it seems that bad (wet) weather is normal for this time of year in Japan.