@Machpants said in World Rugby chairman election:

Ugh nothing like a bit of corruption and nepotism to really help stink the place up

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/all-blacks/121047624/convicted-fijian-killer-nominated-for-key-world-rugby-role--with-french-backing

is there any role Cliff Curtis can't play?

Welcome back Bart

Try this little known website called grindr. I reckon lions fans will be all over it

As New Zealand and Australia get set to do battle on the sporting field once again, this time in the Bledisloe Cup, the one-time pinnacle of International Rugby, i think it is only fair that we, as kiwi fans, take a moment to spare a thought for our Australasian cousins. The realists among them are starting to come to terms with the reality that their star has faded, and they are no longer the sporting superpower they once were.

Around the turn of the century, Australia could lay claim to being the best all-round sporting nation on the planet. Not a huge population, they still managed to excel in a number of discipines:

• Tennis: Their two best players in Hewitt and Rafter spent time at #1, and won multiple Grand Slams. The Woodies, particularly Woodbridge, could lay claim to being the best doubles players ever. It was a golden time

• Cricket: Undisputed kings of all forms, unbeatable at home, nigh unbeatable away, with a host of all-time greats; and in the discussion as the greatest cricket side of all time

• The Olympics: Sydney was a triumph of an event, with the home nation taking home 58 medals, including 16 gold. THis flowed in to 2004, where they took their tallies even higher, across a huge number of sports

• Motor Cycling: Mick Doohan was coming off 5 straight MotoGP championships, while Troys Corser and Bayliss were winning Superbike titles repeatedly

• The Socceroos were assembling their greatest ever side that would eventually get out of the Group Stage of the World Cup, including such luminaries as Cahill, Kewell, Schwarzer, Viduka, Aloisi, Bresciano

• And of course rugby. 3 super sides were always at the pointy end. The Reds topped the table in '99, The Brumbies were tussling with the Crusaders for the claim to be the best team in the comp. And this flowed to the Wallabies. '99 World Cup. 01 Lions. Multiple wins over the All Blacks, legit claim to be the best team in the world.

And this isn't an exhaustive list, their league team was more dominant, it seemed no matter what they played, they won. A true golden age.

Compare and contrast with today

• In tennis, their two best players are a couple of douchebags universally reviled by their own fans, who can't even be fucked playing at Wimbledon

• The cricket side has slipped to 4th in the world records, and closer to little old NZ than the top of the table. Series losses home and away are now the norm, rather than a cause for shock. Players were on strike a week ago because they couldn't afford to buy a 2nd Italian sports car

• In the Olympics, Australia's plummet down the medal table has been stark. Medal totals have halved, and again, they are closer to little old NZ than the top of the table.

• Do they still ride Motor Bikes? Daniel Riccardo seems like a bit of a dude in F1, but hardly in a position to actually win anything.

• The Socceroos are in a fight to qualify for the next World Cup, despite playing a bunch of impoverished nations.

• And of course the rugby. Super teams winless against NZ opposition. One team fighting their death in Court. The Wallabies are unable to bank a win at home against Scotland any more. Grass roots on it's knees. A bad Bledisloe series, and the public could switch off, for good this time.

So, dear All Black fans, while you are having your pints this weekend, celebrating the return of test match rugby, and the opening of the once-revered South Hemisphere competition, take a second and commiserate with our trans-Tasman cousins. They are going through a tough time of it, it's never easy getting used to a new reality.

I am fucked if i would sit in a Ryan Crotty stand. The fucking thing would break just before half time.

@taniwharugby said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:

Getting alot of work done though!

you're among friends here mate. No need for the bullshit

Sorry nick and barb, this isn't really aimed at you, you guys haven't gone full whinge (just sort of half)

But fuck this whinging, bleating and crying from the Australian rugby fraternity this year. They should be embarrassed.

My guess is it's born of frustration. This year was not supposed to go like this. The established narrative after the world cup was of a team on the rise. The all blacks were supposed to be going the other way.

Instead its been a horror year. Their super rugby teams were bent over and railed. They got whitewashed by the poms. They list in South Africa, and tried their hardest to lose the game in aus as well. We have given them a nearly unprecedented 3 game mauling. And along the way they've played some mind-numbingly poor rugby, compounded by some strange selecting.

And what have we heard from the rugby community in aus? Not even excuses, just bleating. This weekend had been the worst, fuck me "we didn't get awarded a tryyyyy. Waaaah" in a game you got gaped by 27, and with even an average international kicking performance it's more like 33.

Your media has lost the plot, your coach can't find answers, and all the focus is external. What happens if you win 2 from 5 on tour? Who are you going to blame then?

We did this to ourselves. And by us, i mean you, because AB fans don't lose. Endless, and i mean, endless social media; sports forum; phone in; fucking smoke signal whinge fests after every single game looking to absolve everything and everyone for any loss, because the ref fucked us.

We are not shit at rugby, we were fucked by the ref. How could the ref miss that minuscule knock on that we only found in super-slow-mo? Isn't he professional? It's a fucking conspiracy against my team/in favour of that team.

Rugby fans are obsessed by referees. Look at any match thread. Who is the ref? Oh shit, really? he hates us. He loves them. He hates breakdowns. He won't let us scrum. He once missed a knock on against my team 8 years ago that i have decided cost us the game. Fuck that guy. He's a cheat. French refs are shit. Aussie refs are shit. Bok refs are shit. English/Irish/Welsh refs are too slow to keep up with the game.

So world rugby listened, and gave you this clusterfuck. Where we have guys who aren't good enough to be refs watching TV and whispering shit in the refs ear "you missed a very marginal thing back there, we better check it. if we don't we will get accused of cheating" so back we go. And then we better find a penalty, or this will look like a farce.

Add in endless replays on big screens to get howls of outrage from pissed up idiots in the stands, and it gets infinitely worse.

We bought this on ourselves. And this toothpaste isn't going back in the tube. The day we got rid of it, someone is going to knock on before scoring against Ireland, no one is going to see it until after it's awarded, and the internet is going to explode. World Rugby will never allow that to happen.

that is depressingly hilarious

so, injury aside, basically last week is all Reiko's fault? Everything else was apples? Fuck me dead

What the fuck is that midfield?????? If it is all about supporting Mo'unga on defense to the detriment of the play at 12 then that is damning

Is that the worst AB forward pack in recent memory? Savea still at 8??? fuuuuucking hell. Patty T has his training wheels on at test level, and the dude next to him has a handful of minutes under his belt. The guy off the bench is limited, and hasn't played in months. These guys need to go up like 5 gears.

What the fuck is DMac doing there?

BB at fullback and no Bridge makes the backline marginally better than last week, but with the muddled midfield it's close...

@taniwharugby said in Has Hansen gone stale?:

so, if we do retain the RWC, are we happy with this loss to get it?

Do we want our unblemished record v Ireland back or a 3-peat? Think I'd take the former TBH...not sure us winning 3 RWC's in a row does the game or tournament any favours.

i want to win everything, all the time, while at the same developing an entire squad of test quality players, and new innovative rugby

Is that too much to ask?

@taniwharugby said in Alternative needed from the absolute crap of stuff.co.nz:

seems everything is news these days...

I just microwaved the leftovers from last nights dinner, it was a bit dry and left me still hungry, I might need to post something on FB to shame my wife!

she's already ashamed

@booboo said in The 'How is Fozzie going?' thread:

@Chris said in The 'How is Fozzie going?' thread:

@mariner4life said in The 'How is Fozzie going?' thread:

@Chris said in The 'How is Fozzie going?' thread:

could take the WC

news flash. we don't hold it.

Sorry I should of said stop us from winning it Thank you for correcting me.

Have

lost without the editor

@Chris-B said in Bledisloe Three: Sydney, 31 October:

@Snowy said in Bledisloe Three: Sydney, 31 October:

I'd still have the midfield swapped around but it went O.K. last week and they seem to be flexible about it on the field i.e the numbers don't matter too much.

Fozzie obviously has a plan though - it's not a trivial move to swap these guys around.

So does Jack offer a bit more size to run hard at the line - i.e. for Aaron Smith's try on Sunday? Or does ALB (and Rieko) offer a bit more speed at centre?

Or is it more defensive?

A and B i reckon. JG fair smacked in to the line a few times on the weekend, and created quick recycle. He's also solid defensively

@Chris said in The 'How is Fozzie going?' thread:

could take the WC

news flash. we don't hold it.

@Hooroo said in The 'How is Fozzie going?' thread:

@Chris said in The 'How is Fozzie going?' thread:

@Hooroo said in The 'How is Fozzie going?' thread:

@Chris said in The 'How is Fozzie going?' thread:

@Hooroo said in The 'How is Fozzie going?' thread:

@Chris said in The 'How is Fozzie going?' thread:

@Hooroo said in The 'How is Fozzie going?' thread:

@Chris said in The 'How is Fozzie going?' thread:

@mariner4life said in The 'How is Fozzie going?' thread:

@Chris said in The 'How is Fozzie going?' thread:

Can we judge Foster on playing an Australian side rebuilding or a very underdone Argentina.
Real test will come against teams like SA and England who have very good defensive systems.
Which we have struggled to unlock recently.
We may live in a false bubble this season until we really get tested.

Chris is Hamish Bidwell!!

Hi Hamish, do you get paid well for the tripe you write?

No idea about Hamish Biddell whoever he is but if he said along the same lines he is right. you can have fluffy bunny moments over Foster but you will fall along with him on your arse.

We will not win a WC under him .Nooooo way Hes Shit always has been always will be.

When you don't know what fluffybunny means.....

Maybe I am using it in another context.

Poorly, if so

Maybe so but Foster is still shit And you cant judge How well he is going on what they are coming up against.

Yes you can. If they go poorly against them, he is doing rubbish and if they go well, he is going well.

HAHAHA. You are in for a rude awakening come real test rugby time not this dross we are seeing at the moment.

So only England and SA are real test rugby now?

durr, keep up. they are the only ones who can tackle. and they have settled sides with the right numbers on the back.

@Chris said in The 'How is Fozzie going?' thread:

@mariner4life said in The 'How is Fozzie going?' thread:

@Chris said in The 'How is Fozzie going?' thread:

@mariner4life said in The 'How is Fozzie going?' thread:

@Chris said in The 'How is Fozzie going?' thread:

Can we judge Foster on playing an Australian side rebuilding or a very underdone Argentina.
Real test will come against teams like SA and England who have very good defensive systems.
Which we have struggled to unlock recently.
We may live in a false bubble this season until we really get tested.

Chris is Hamish Bidwell!!

Hi Hamish, do you get paid well for the tripe you write?

No idea about Hamish Biddell whoever he is but if he said along the same lines he is right. you can have fluffy bunny moments over Foster but you will fall along with him on your arse.

We will not win a WC under him .Nooooo way Hes Shit always has been always will be.

hot take!! and what i like is it's a refreshing and new opinion that his held by no one else on here! this level of individuality of thought is what keeps me coming back

Glad to help ,your thought patterns are outstanding I stand in Awe.

thanks Hamish, coming from a professional journalist that means a lot

@Chris said in The 'How is Fozzie going?' thread:

@mariner4life said in The 'How is Fozzie going?' thread:

@Chris said in The 'How is Fozzie going?' thread:

Can we judge Foster on playing an Australian side rebuilding or a very underdone Argentina.
Real test will come against teams like SA and England who have very good defensive systems.
Which we have struggled to unlock recently.
We may live in a false bubble this season until we really get tested.

Chris is Hamish Bidwell!!

Hi Hamish, do you get paid well for the tripe you write?

No idea about Hamish Biddell whoever he is but if he said along the same lines he is right. you can have fluffy bunny moments over Foster but you will fall along with him on your arse.

We will not win a WC under him .Nooooo way Hes Shit always has been always will be.

hot take!! and what i like is it's a refreshing and new opinion that his held by no one else on here! this level of individuality of thought is what keeps me coming back

@Chris said in The 'How is Fozzie going?' thread:

Can we judge Foster on playing an Australian side rebuilding or a very underdone Argentina.
Real test will come against teams like SA and England who have very good defensive systems.
Which we have struggled to unlock recently.
We may live in a false bubble this season until we really get tested.

Chris is Hamish Bidwell!!

Hi Hamish, do you get paid well for the tripe you write?

@Snowy said in Bledisloe Three: Sydney, 31 October:

@mariner4life Just horny?

wrap it up until March y'all

@bayimports said in Bledisloe Three: Sydney, 31 October:

Already a question mark on availability of Ardie, Reece and Nepo due to baby-watch. If this comes true then match day squad will change.

yes, hello, my name is mariner4life and i have a question

if you are a professional rugby player from NZ, why are you timing babies for mid to late October? in a normal year all 3 of those guys would be expecting to jet off to Europe about now.

@Snowy said in Bledisloe Three: Sydney, 31 October:

the numbers don't matter too much.

alarm! alarm!!