Scott Barrett had a great game.

@hydro11 I think that mindset is endemic in our rugby. The high risk option or the players ( coaching tactics ) that take them are often rewarded at lower levels where you get more space. However test matches can sometimes be a grind, and we don’t seem to want to do the hard work ( play the % ) for long enough. Whether it be 2 or 3 more phases or playing it tight into the 60th or 70th minute. They have to learn how to do that especially if they are behind on the scoreboard after 20.

How did they leave Sam Cane on the bench last week. Dumbest selection of all time.

Forgot how much I love watching Northland play. Can’t wait for the rest of the season.

Those that talk negatively about NZ provincial rugby ( and individual teams ) don’t understand how great this competition continues to be for NZ rugby - the jewel in the crown. The talent on display is amazing.

But a bit tired of reading articles from hack journalists and listening to ex rugby players acting as commentators who don’t know the players from the opposition team and have no passion for the game they are watching. The comments about Northland before, and after the game on the radio and in print lack any insight into our team.

I guess that’s why this forum is great .

This has been coming for some time. We keep being told that we can play rugby without the ball. Kicking it away. The Wallabies showed that keeping the ball in hand is what matters. Some of our tight forwards struggle with their hands. Tonight they lost the contact as well.

Read has been quality. Captains knock.

@Entertainer15 disagree. We lost it in the forwards an with poor tactical kicking. Their forwards created go forward, won their lineouts and they were tactically miles ahead.

Next World Cup will be more challenging.

Our Junior rugby teams have been beaten up recent years by sides with big forward packs. Development of our tight 5 depth and loose forwards that can win contact will be our challenge. We always have great footballers but size matters as the game gets tighter and defence dominates.

It’s a complete overkill. Franks tried to clean out, made contact with head. Yes red card but accidental, and some coaching on technique required. Unfortunate that refs missed it but with so much happening on field this will happen. No problem with judiciary giving a couple of weeks for accidental contact. It’s not tiddly winks and sometimes stuff happens. This doesn’t make the Crusaders dirty. It does mean any players involved need to take note and work to improve technique.

@booboo yes, those two drop goals were under advantage. Opportunity missed. Reads decision to take 3 when we needed a try to be able to win game. Those last few minutes when we had guys everywhere - in pods, out of pods, running lines, standing still - but we went side to side with nothing happening. Those endless box kicks which left us defending in our own half. Those 3 instances in the second half with running front foot attack ball and the player chose to grubber. In each case we hand the ball over. Something is wrong with our mindset.

@MN5 No Aussie bashing whatsoever. Just mentioned that the great majority of cricket fans will be very pleased with the result as the Australian cricket team are hard to like. It seems that some are overly sensitive.

@NTA only after he was told too. His first up response was nothing to see here.

@NTA said in Australia v India:

@kev said in Australia v India:

After the Aussie cricketers reverted to type, the world celebrates! Love it.

Huh? Explain.

Easy...everyone admires the Australian Cricket team for their skills. But, there is an aggressiveness / need to win that can turn to nasty sledging and recently to cheating. Supposedly they have worked hard on their culture but Tim Paine demonstrated that it is very hard to change and the needless bullshit is still their. When you behave like dicks you can’t complain if no one else likes you - noting that I am sure they don’t worry about that as they are still a great cricket team.

After the Aussie cricketers reverted to type, the world celebrates! Love it.

@rotated To me sub national rugby is everything. You undermine that and in 10-15 years the ABs will be also rans on the field and we will all be watching English football. When the ABs become a team of rich pricks coming back from Europe a few times a year then it’s game over for me as a spectator.

@sparky Investment firms don’t give money away for free. They will want a return that is greater than current owners (Clubs & Provinces). No one can just magic new revenue sources out of nothing - so the plan has to be good and the chosen partner has to add value to that plan. I note the digital media stuff.

For me the worry is that the plan will be non existent and something will be lost.

I worked for Telecom (Spark) when it was sold to the Americans in the 80’s with the same type of story - they would magically bring investment and knowledge and the company would do wonderful things. All that happened is they bought a monopoly for a song - just after the Government had upgraded its network ( to digital exchanges at that time ). So with no major new investment required for the foreseeable future, and a rising share market they just cut costs (people) milked the company (read NZs ) for dividends and sold their shares at the top of the market. Best investment ever for them but they really added no long term value - they were nothing special. Still remember sharing the lift with the big Texan CEO of Telecom Auckland in his boots and smoking cigars - they just came and went.

So when the story is we need the foreign investment I say bullshit to that. Show me first how they will grow our revenue streams and why only they can do that for us and why they require ownership rights? It’s all fairies and unicorns - but with a good (?) chance they will just end up just being blood sucking leeches.

Just waiting for the full story but a little bit skeptical

The shareholders of NZ Rugby are the clubs and the provinces - selling ownership is forever and my starting position is I hate it, but of course I don’t know the detail.

As soon as you put the short term profit motive (as businesses do) in front of longer term goals you will ruin the sport. I can just see the cost cutting discussions now.....Rugby in NZ has always been about participation in a team sport that’s a lot of fun. From that inclusiveness and its support you get an egalitarian sporting model - from club to provincial to S15 to the ABs. The All Black legacy is nothing without Clubs and Provinces. For me the ABs are just the cherry on top of NZ Rugby. If the English and French want to bankrupt themselves buying players they can’t afford let them - we should implement transfer fees though.

They can rationalise to their hearts content Super 15 rugby (or whatever it is now) but they should just leave the rest alone. Provinces are not just some branch office in a banking network.

@taniwharugby Tom was unlucky last night in the awards not to get something. It was great to see Sam talk about how important Northland is to him and how he wanted to make up for what happened at S15 level.

The team prize giving was streamed on Facebook last night. Great to see. Sam Nock was fittingly player of the year.

@taniwharugby agreed far from perfect. The thing our squad has always lacked is continuity and year to year ( or even within a season ) development. We have a much better base with some well performing Super players so this needs to change.