@cantab79 said in AB Test Team v France.:

Can't believe people are seriously suggesting that Steve Hansen has not called up Akira Ioane because he is saving him for the Maori team. Is there any precedent to back up this theory? Luke Whitelock has outplayed Ioane at both Super Rugby and Mitre 10 Cup levels this year, and that's why he's been selected.

How does that pie taste?

Look. Tana and BOD have buried the hatchet and are sharing a laugh.

Next on Tana's list are @Kirwan and @Duluth

@jegga said in RWC: Japan v Ireland (Pool A):

@booboo said in RWC: Japan v Ireland (Pool A):

@jegga said in RWC: Japan v Ireland (Pool A):

@Victor-Meldrew said in RWC: Japan v Ireland (Pool A):

@jegga said in RWC: Japan v Ireland (Pool A):

Apparently BOD was a pundit on the Irish coverage and didn't take the result well. If anyone has the footage and can post it I will be eternally grateful

Was on the ITV coverage.

He had the look of a man who's swallowed a wasp during during a live TV interview and that distracted him from the fact he's also having a severe bowel spasm.

Excellent.

A quarter final exit is an Irish tradition isn’t it?

Planet Rugby’s Ireland fans are still delivering gold

“We knew all of this in advance.
That’s why Joe player what he felt was his best team.

In cooler weather, better ref, neutral location both teams given the same amount of rest and our B team puts 40 points on them.

Do we really think that Japan making the quarters wasn’t just what WR wanted?

At this rate Japan might make the semis or better.

Reminds me of Korea/Japan WC in the football.”

Also a whole thread about how bent Gardner is

http://forum.planetrugby.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=91481&sid=5594db999ca625c55956a0becc14a9dc

I don’t remember bok fans being this graceless at all and their team came back and gave ours a hell of a game in the semis.
I hope Heneke Meyer had a smile on his face last night .
The only downside for Japan is no one in their pool is going to take them lightly so they’ll be playing their top side if possible.

As a neutralish observer (I was obviously backing Japan) I didn't notice any obvious issues with the officiating. Did anyone? (Haven't read the thread.)

What are their specific whinge? Or is it just victim mentality?

Some of them have been saying Japan had an advantage because they play in the super rugby comp and are more used to the way Gardner refs .

Victim mentality, delusions of grandeur or just ungracious arseclowns? Take your pick

According to comments on the42 Ireland were beaten by some fella called Hugh Middity.
He wasn’t on the team sheets but must have been there because everyone is saying “Hi, Hugh Middity”

@allblacksfan72 said in Are there any All Blacks wildcards left ?:

How about George bridge? Has all the qualities needed for test rugby

A red and black jersey?

Can someone please correct this thread title. It is doing my head in.

@Catogrande said in Are you watching the death rattle of all authentic sports?:

@MajorRage said in Are you watching the death rattle of all authentic sports?:

@Victor-Meldrew said in Are you watching the death rattle of all authentic sports?:

@Crucial said in Are you watching the death rattle of all authentic sports?:

Freedom of speech still exists - anyone (in most countries) - anyone is free to say anything. What happens as a consequence is the debated point

A society where you can lose your job for legally expressing an opinion is not a society which has freedom of speech.

Sportsmen and woman who express an opinion and speak out for gay rights (rightly) aren't dropped from their teams - but those with an opposite view are.

As you say, sport reflects society.

Legally, I can call my boss a fucking piston wristed gibbon. I can shout it from the rooftops if I want, legally.

Freedom of speech means I can’t lose my job?

It would help us enormously if we knew who you worked for.

Self employed?

SBW is there over Laumape for a number of reasons (experience in general, experience at RWCs) but most importantly he is the better player for the gameplay and structure.
He is there to be in pod one which involves bending the line and recycling quickly out to the second playmaker.
NL is great at bending the line but his ball handling is not at SBWs level.
I probably would have had NL there over Crotty but concede that loses some squad flexibility.
NL is just unlucky not undeserving

@NTA said in RWC Final: England v Springboks:

As for Sinkcler and Itoje not wearing their medals: I have no problem with that. They're young men who just lost the biggest game of their lives. They were hurting, but tomorrow they'll look back and appreciate what they learned.

My comparison is getting a silver at the olympics. Would be all sorts of shit thrown at someone that refused to have their silver medal put around their neck or to rip it off straight away.
See the Olympics are respected as the pinnacle. What Itoje and Sinkcler did was disrespect the very competition they were aiming to claim glory from. 'If we don't win it then it is shit' was the message they gave.
Sport means sucking up your disappointments as well as revelling in successes. It also means respecting the oppositions achievements.
Petulant cocks, both of them.

The arrogance meter has reached new heights in these last few pages.

@Baron-Silas-Greenback You made a statement that 'Brexit remorse is a myth' then accuse others of believing only what they want to believe!
As quite a few on here that are currently in the UK have stated clearly. They have had and heard these discussions first hand, have talked to remain voters that regret either their vote or the outcome of it. No one has said that these numbers are big nor representative but they do actually exist. They are not a myth.
If your original statement was meant to mean that a re-vote would not be different then actually say that. To deny other peoples own personal experiences and demean them as 'quaint' is incredibly arrogant.
I'll state it quite clearly. I have spoken to many people on this subject both before and after the referendum. Conversations that I would not belittle as 'quaint'. Among those discussions were not only leave voters that are not happy with the direction things have taken but leave voters maintaining their position, remain voters accepting the will of the vote and remain voters that are disgruntled.
These are not figments of my imagination from the other side of the world. These are real conversations with a random cross-section of British society. For you to sit and call them quaint and bullshit is frankly an insult both to myself and to the intelligence of the people who made the comments.
There are people that voted leave that regret it. Fact. Would they number enough to swing the result the other way if we all went back in time? Don't know. But that does not equal Brexit remorse being a myth as you have ascertained many times.
Funniest thing about your posts on this matter is that you fail to see the irony in calling out remain voters as maintaining that they are right and everyone else is wrong.

@taniwharugby said in All time Super Rugby XV (all teams):

any backline that doesnt include Rupeni in it, is wrong haha

Shame we never saw more of him, nor did we probably even see the best of him.

I think we saw the best of him. It was just that his best only appeared in short bursts.

That Blues game against the Brumbies back whenever showcased freakiness.

@taniwharugby said in Lockdown Check In:

@Crucial yeah is a tough time, we lost a 14 year old pet last year, and you are right, leaves a big hole!

This time around I think we will make sure we have some overlapping life expectancies. If we end up in the right place I might even take on a retired working dog as well as a pup.

@JC said in Lockdown Check In:

@Crucial Yeah it’s a shit time to be between jobs. What do you do for a crust normally?

A variety of things in the project world really. Specialise in analysis and reporting system setups for large PMOs although usually when engaged within a programme of work that expands to all sorts of things that the skillset suits. As an example in the UK I found myself modelling user impacts of TV Frequency changes to feed into support planning. That started as I went there to set up consolidated reporting to the Govt departments and install a Continuous Improvement process.
Trouble is that what I do can be hard to define with a simple job title and therefore in the public service (as most Wellington work is/was) no one has put a role to do these things into a resource plan. That means no budget to pay for this expertise even though they realise they have a gap. Hoping for a bit more activity in the private sector post Covid.

@Hooroo said in Lockdown Check In:

@Crucial said in Lockdown Check In:

I'm not too bad. Just trying not to get pissed off at the situation as that won't help the mental state at all.
Since coming back from UK I have been doing bits and pieces work wise. Some consulting back to the UK, some farm sitting here, a few short task based contracts. Trouble now is that everything has dried up. I have already had months of filling in time with online training courses, gardening, house jobs etc and was really looking forward to a more interactive 'normal' job. Guess I'll have to wait out longer.
Didn't help that our two little dog companions of the last 16 years both died and the house was feeling very empty. Didn't get a chance to find a new pup before lockdown.
I'm consoling myself with the hope that this break gives a lot of businesses a chance to step back and see what changes they should make for the coming years and possible new world we will be in. That could open opportunities for someone like me in the business of implementing change. The other advantage in NZ could be that remote working becomes far more accepted by businesses and work becomes task based rather than just clocking in. That would be great for me as I'd love nothing more than a move to a more remote place (with good connectivity) out of Wellington. We have only ever been here for work purposes and have no great connection.

Gutted to hear about your dogs. That must have been heartbreaking.

Was expected at their ages but still leaves a big hole. Just weird to not have any animals around the house.

I'm not too bad. Just trying not to get pissed off at the situation as that won't help the mental state at all.
Since coming back from UK I have been doing bits and pieces work wise. Some consulting back to the UK, some farm sitting here, a few short task based contracts. Trouble now is that everything has dried up. I have already had months of filling in time with online training courses, gardening, house jobs etc and was really looking forward to a more interactive 'normal' job. Guess I'll have to wait out longer.
Didn't help that our two little dog companions of the last 16 years both died and the house was feeling very empty. Didn't get a chance to find a new pup before lockdown.
I'm consoling myself with the hope that this break gives a lot of businesses a chance to step back and see what changes they should make for the coming years and possible new world we will be in. That could open opportunities for someone like me in the business of implementing change. The other advantage in NZ could be that remote working becomes far more accepted by businesses and work becomes task based rather than just clocking in. That would be great for me as I'd love nothing more than a move to a more remote place (with good connectivity) out of Wellington. We have only ever been here for work purposes and have no great connection.

@taniwharugby said in Lockdown Check In:

I have a networking zoom meeting today, bit sad that I am looking forward to it

What should I wear? Where should I go...spare room, deck, lounge...these are the big decisions!

Anywhere but the bath.

@R-L said in Lockdown Check In:

@MajorRage apologies I was being over dramatic, I'm good for stuff but that's really kind thanks. It's more the work environment getting me down to be honest and constant stories of friends having coronavirus.

Kia kaha @R-L. I’m pretty sure the purpose of this thread is to have a rant/cry/laugh if you need to. No judgement.
Can’t say we can offer qualified support but you are bound to find someone in a similar boat.

email rubbish seems to have slowed down to the point where going through old emails and hitting unsubscribe may cut down crap in the future.

@taniwharugby said in Lockdown Check In:

@Crucial yeah he is very much in the use it or lose type attitude.

As I'm 'must keep doing things cos if I stop I may as well give up'?

Had a mother in law like that. Chipping thistles up the top of the farm until she keeled over.

It's a tough one. Any jobs around the place you could ask him to do because he knows how (you can pretend that you don't)

@taniwharugby said in Lockdown Check In:

@JC our 79 yr old neighbour who we have a lot to do with (none of his family are that interested, wouldnt be surprised he he hasnt heard from any of then in the past month) who constantly amazes me with his life stories, knowledge, resilience and positivity given all life has thrown at him (healthwise} is really struggling with this.

Usually we go for 9 holes on a Saturday arvo, or he buggars off on his yacht for a couple of weeks, or just go up for a few beers and he brings out the whisky....not now, and I am a bit suprised at the turn around in his attitude, really negative and down on everything.

We have chatted over teh fence everyday since lockdown, had a beer over the fence with him and the other neighbour on the other side of his drive on Saturday too...which seemed ot perk him up for a couple of days.

He wants to do his own shopping, just to get out and about, although hasnt been in yet, we have offered pretty much every day...

Sounds similar to how my parents are trying to cope. They are in their 80s but when I stopped to think about it, their whole purpose is based around being independent. They want to trot of to the gym, down to the shops, a drive up to the granddaughters etc.
Take away that ability to be independent and even though their day to day life hasn't changed too much, it has a big effect on how they think. They don't have work to fall back on and I can empathise as this is exactly how you start to feel when looking for work for longer than you wish.
All we can really do is try to keep social contact up. Luckily they do have good internet and dad is tech savvy so I might change up the phone calls to maybe a zoom doing the quiz or something. Maybe just sharing a drink via video.
If you r neighbour is used to upping off and going sailing that seems to be his way of proving to himself that he is still functional?