@Nepia said in NH International Rugby:
@booboo said in NH International Rugby:
Although I like the idea of needing citizenship as a minimum
That would rule some Kiwi origin players for Australia going forward.
And?
@booboo said in NH International Rugby:
@Nepia said in NH International Rugby:
@booboo said in NH International Rugby:
Although I like the idea of needing citizenship as a minimum
That would rule some Kiwi origin players for Australia going forward.
And?
Does there have to be an And ... I thought this was a place to spew out our verbal diahorrea. 
Martin Bayfield picks a XV of the best players he’s played with or against -
Full-back: Gavin Hastings (Scotland)
During my international career Gavin was, pretty much, the Scotland team.
Right wing: Ieuan Evans (Wales)
There were faster wings, but his ability to read and influence a game was enormous. Against the Maori in 1993, with the Lions down by 20 points, he took control of the game, scoring a crucial try.
Outside-centre: Jeremy Guscott (England)
Gave an efficient, effective England side a touch of finesse. An arrogant sod and a pain in the arse at times, but great fun.
Inside-centre: Scott Gibbs (Wales)
I liked the way he carried himself. He was humble and quiet, but could be scary on the pitch.
Left wing: Jonah Lomu (New Zealand)
I remember holding on to his leg, and it was like putting your arm around somebody’s chest.
Fly-half: Rob Andrew (England)
Once the pressure came, he never folded. England’s gameplan was built around him.
Scrum-half: Rob Howley (Wales)
My last game for England was his first for Wales. England won, but Rob scored a remarkable try. You could see he was special.
Loosehead prop: Gary Pagel (South Africa)
If only Northampton had a player of his quality now. I have seen him destroy an opposition’s front row.
Hooker: Sean Fitzpatrick (New Zealand)
Sean makes you realise why the English will never get to the same level as the All Blacks: we do not have the same passion or history.
Tighthead prop: Jason Leonard (England)
Would come into your hotel room so any food or drink went on your tab.
Lock: Martin Johnson (England, capt)
You do not need to say much about Johnno, he was that influential for England. Boring as hell with his American football, but intelligent.
Lock: John Eales (Australia)
We made our debuts two days apart, but, boy, was there a gulf between us. He made me look at how I played my game.
Blindside flanker: Tim Rodber (England)
One of those guys who could drift in and out of a game, but, when he got it right, he was unbelievable.
Openside flanker: Peter Winterbottom (England)
Winters played for Hawke’s Bay during the 80s. When we returned to a bar in that part of New Zealand on the 1993 Lions tour, the whole place stood to applaud him.
No 8: Zinzan Brooke (New Zealand)
There was something that set him apart. I have never come across a player with so much skill.
Liked the fact he picked Rob Howley at 9
Considering the utterly shit packs he played behind, Howley looked world class game after game. A mix of Sid Going's running and bossing the game and Aaron Smith's passing.
Best 9 I've seen IMHO.
@Victor-Meldrew said in NH International Rugby:
Liked the fact he picked Rob Howley at 9
Considering the utterly shit packs he played behind, Howley looked world class game after game. A mix of Sid Going's running and bossing the game and Aaron Smith's passing.
Best 9 I've seen IMHO.
Fast as fuck too, with great speed endurance.
@MiketheSnow said in NH International Rugby:
Fast as fuck too, with great speed endurance.
So was Super Sid.
There's a video on Youtube of most of the '72 Wales NZ game. Apart from nicking the ball, seemingly at will, out of Gareth Edwards' scrum put in, he set up a try by sheer pace down the side line - absolutely blitzed the Welsh defence. Had a shit pass though.
@Victor-Meldrew said in NH International Rugby:
@MiketheSnow said in NH International Rugby:
Fast as fuck too, with great speed endurance.
So was Super Sid.
There's a video on Youtube of most of the '72 Wales NZ game. Apart from nicking the ball, seemingly at will, out of Gareth Edwards' scrum put in, he set up a try by sheer pace down the side line - absolutely blitzed the Welsh defence. Had a shit pass though.
And a great Maori side-step!
I may have missed this elsewhere...
@Bones said in NH International Rugby:
I may have missed this elsewhere...
I was always more fucked off with WR for appointing him when he wasn't ready. Good on him for owning his mistake and using it to make him a better ref, Paddy O'Brien could learn a lesson from that.
This poor bastard apparently cried when the pitcher came over to console him after the game
Ben Skeen goooone!
With Rugby World Cup 2019 final referee Jérôme Garcès having announced his international retirement, Andrew Brace (Ireland) makes his Six Nations refereeing debut, while Matthew Carley (England) returns as a referee. Both were assistant referees at Japan 2019.
Mike Adamson (Scotland), Mike Fraser (New Zealand), Frank Murphy (Ireland) and Ben Whitehouse (Wales) return to the squad as assistant referees, while James Leckie (Australia), Glenn Newman (New Zealand) and Brian MacNeice (Ireland) are included in an expanded Television Match Official (TMO) panel after Ben Skeen announced his retirement.
Luke Pearce (England) will kick-off a new decade of men’s Six Nations rugby when he takes charge of champions Wales against Italy at the Principality Stadium on 1 February.
Nigel Owens (Wales) will make his 98th test appearance when he referees France v England at Stade de France the next day, while World Rugby Referee Award recipient Wayne Barnes (England) will take charge of France versus Ireland at the same venue on 14 March, his 90th test as a referee.
@Daffy-Jaffy said in NH International Rugby:
Ben Skeen goooone!
I hope it's not just an international retirement. I don't want him anywhere near NPC either.
Oooh Ireland just keeps on going up on the fluffybunny scale
haha
In what amounted to a PR buck-passing exercise that ensured IRFU high performance boss David Nucifora and incoming head coach Andy Farrell – Schmidt’s assistant since 2016 – were absolved of blame
Irish Rugby to Schmidt
What astonishes me the most is how Farrell got promoted to head coach despite never doing that job, at any level. Tells me all I need to know about the IRFU.
10 days later
Rob Howley found guilty of illegal betting on rugby matches, including Wales matches and Wales players - 18 month ban from all rugby.
Stupid all round from Ollie (Edit: I mean Stan) but this takes the biscuit for sheer idiocy:- "Howley, 49, used his Welsh Rugby Union phone and email account to place bets."
From Stuff:
Howley was found to have placed 363 bets with three separate bookmakers covering a total of 1163 rugby matches over a period of five years.
(Something wrong with their maths. May have mixed the matches and bets around.)
The WRU said Howley lost about £4000 on his bets
@booboo said in NH International Rugby:
From Stuff:
Howley was found to have placed 363 bets with three separate bookmakers covering a total of 1163 rugby matches over a period of five years.
(Something wrong with their maths. May have mixed the matches and bets around.)
The WRU said Howley lost about £4000 on his bets
Likely there were some accumulators going on.
Or decumulators if you take your second point into account :face_with_hand_over_mouth:
@booboo said in NH International Rugby:
From Stuff:
Howley was found to have placed 363 bets with three separate bookmakers covering a total of 1163 rugby matches over a period of five years.
(Something wrong with their maths. May have mixed the matches and bets around.)
The WRU said Howley lost about £4000 on his bets
Great coach - losing 4k
The court heard that a conviction would likely see Mafi lose his lucrative contract in Japan.
Stiff shit.
28 days later
Be an interesting 6N with new coaching staff, rebuild after players retire. fallout from not doing the job etc.
@antipodean said in NH International Rugby:
Be an interesting 6N with new coaching staff, rebuild after players retire. fallout from not doing the job etc.
Same as the RC I guess. Always a bit of frision after the RWC!
I see SexCockWomble is Capt, so more of his sour-puss-grumpy-face action on our screens.
Gotta agree with Mr Lam here
@mariner4life also once your hands are on the ball, it is out (like it used to be) not hands on, roll it back, re-position to make a pass easier, then holding it on the deck for what seems an age, then passing/kicking...
I expect if the 5 second rule was enforced properly, ref calls ball available, 9 knows he has 5 sec to use it - be it kick or pass, then the is less Faffing about at the back, directing the forwards, moving the ball into a better position and angle
Just penalise twats standing as pillars with a finger on the 'ruck', don't allow players to join once the ball is available (i.e. creating a 'snake') and once the halfback has touched the ball they can't reposition it.
All actions should be penalised by strapping tape over the halfback's mouth.
The halfback rolling the ball back and just waiting is probably my most hated thing about rugby at the moment. TBH, I hadn't seen it before the Lions tour.
Refs not pretending the ball is still in the ruck after the halfback has rolled it half a metre away would help too.
@Stargazer newbie Welsh prop Willgriff John played about 15 or so games for Northland around 2014/2015...
Is this guy or his brother ever fit?
And yet they always look like supreme athletes...
@taniwharugby said in NH International Rugby:
@mariner4life also once your hands are on the ball, it is out (like it used to be) not hands on, roll it back, re-position to make a pass easier, then holding it on the deck for what seems an age, then passing/kicking...
I expect if the 5 second rule was enforced properly, ref calls ball available, 9 knows he has 5 sec to use it - be it kick or pass, then the is less Faffing about at the back, directing the forwards, moving the ball into a better position and angle
Liked for bringing a verb into use. Faffing: To extend the game of rugby longer than 85 minutes by continued inaction at the ruck.
@Stargazer said in NH International Rugby:
Jacob Umaga
.
What's your point? Within the rules, his uncle and father played for different countries, he represented England at under 18 and under 20.
@Catogrande Wow, defensive much? If you weren't on the other side of the equator, I'd think you got up at the wrong side of the bed this morning ...
I only mentioned his names because I noticed the young lads name for the first time. That's all.
@Catogrande it's bullsh!t and you know it. It's clearly a massive poach and poor ole Jacob should be representing his country of birth... Tokoroa.