The Silver Fern

@frugby said in RWC SF: England v Springboks:

@Victor-Meldrew said in RWC SF: England v Springboks:

@mooshld

No, but you can imagine a context where "wit kant" could be used - e.g, having a pop after contesting a breakdown - "You're the white side/jou die wit kant"

To me this just seems a convenient cover-up. I don't speak Afrikaans of course, but at least as an English translation this makes zero sense. It also depends on the context of course, what words were said around it.

Yeah, for me it either happened or it didn't. The lost in translation thing doesn't make any sense in this case.

The conversation with the ref happened as a Farrell was lining up a pen around 23 minutes after kicking away advantage. In the play before Bongi tackles Curry. As they are both on the floor with the ball now gone they both get up slowly and either did or didn't exchange words. The two don't come together at any time in the previous plays since the last Bok score. There was never a situation where Bongi saying 'white side' would make sense.

Really not a lot to be gained from making a circus of it though, so hopefully it dies a death. It's he said, she said and I'd guess Curry won't really want any part of it post game.

@Machpants said in NH club rugby:

@Derpus said in NH club rugby:

@Machpants it can't have been that much? Maybe dollars. It was reported that Arnold earning 1.5m dollars in Japan made him the highest paid Aussie. 800 pounds is about the same no?

It was in the Guardian article, so it could be wrong. But that is the number they used

There are a myriad of reason for LI's implosion and overspend in the season prior to covid (when they were trying to avoid a third successive relegation) is certainly one of them.

That said, I would be stunned if Coleman was on that much. It was a figure thrown out there at the time by the Ruck or Rugbypass and reported as fact ever since.

@Higgins said in Exodus:

@margin_walker said in Exodus:

Anyone know anything about Chandler Cunningham-South? Back row, played a bit of North Harbour and Canterbury age grade apparently. Signed an academy contract with London Irish a few weeks ago.

He's straight into the England U20s team (at 6) for their 6N game against Wales tomorrow.

Not really but he was in the Canterbury Under 19s last season out of Lincoln University RFC
https://www.canterburyrugby.co.nz/newsarticle/106283?newsfeedId=1043163
and think he might have originated from Hamilton BHS (a bit of a longshot on this). With a name like he has got it sort of indicates he must have at least one pommie parent/grandparent for him to walk into the RFUs Under 20s.

He's making an impression. Has been getting plenty of Prem and Champions Cup gametime off the bench. Got on the end of a try here to clinch a big win against Saracens a few days ago. Still just 19, so expect to see a fair bit more of him in future

@Bones

Nice. Well the bloke certainly did pretty well for himself. Best name in the league too.

@Bones said in The Current State of Rugby:

@Higgins you got connections at Irish? I used to play with Lovejoy.

He seems like a great guy. Came late to rugby (and to the front row) iirc. When did you play with him?

Hugely entertaining game last night as a LI fan. Made a few of the tight losses this season worth it, if that was the pay off.

@mariner4life said in NH International Rugby:

Eddie lost to South Africa, Argentina, should have lost to us.

Lost a game in Australia. Lost to the Barbarians

Lost to Ireland, France and Scotland.

That's just this year. That should get you fired as a head coach, World Cup in a year be damned.

Pretty much. There's been a mountain of revisionist takes on his departure.

Ultimately performances on the pitch outside of that Oz series victory have been very poor. We've won a total of 4 games in the last two 6N (2 of those were against Italy). That's just not good enough. His record is padded by the excellent start he had and we've not looked a good team since 2019.

You can put up with Eddie's shtick whilst he's getting results, but it gets tiring when you're dealing with the mediocrity on display at the moment.

Is Borthwick the right man for the job? Time will tell, but for me, it was time for a change despite the timing.

@Nepia said in All Blacks v England:

@Damo said in All Blacks v England:

BB's stupid drop goal did not help but it was the defence out wide that let us down.

Huh? If he missed the kick we likely would have gone for the penalty anyway.

@sparky said in All Blacks v England:

Eddie Jones has done us an enormous favour there. Our current defence is no where near good enough for the last ten minutes of a RWC knockout. A big rethink of that area is needed.

Yeah, I think this last 10 minutes might be beneficial for next year as we'll have a rethink and focus on it. Kind of like 2009 when we had to rethink our wing style to combat kicks.

I don't think Smith is going to a popular guy in the changing room, Farrell and the nearest prop looked pissed when he kicked that out.

Not so sure myself. Watched it back and Youngs, Vunipola and George at the ruck are all pointing to the touch line for him to put it out.

Disappointed from a game point of view, but taking the ball on our 22 with the clock dead and a ref not afraid to make big calls, I'd give us more chance of getting isolated and conceding a pen than going upfield and winning.

Odd game, as plenty for both teams to be unhappy with at the end of that.

This is all small fry compared to the major outrage here.

21 years or these men's awards and there has never been a single nomination for a prop. If that's not discrimination against our bigger boned brethren, I don't know what is.

0/109 nominations for props 2001-2022
Prop = 0
Hooker = 5
Lock = 10
Flanker = 25
No 8 = 10
Scrum-half = 11
Fly-half = 19
Centre = 14
Wing = 9
Fullback = 6

Initial England training squad for the upcoming games. The likes of Lawes and Itoje are out with short term stuff as far as I'm aware. Tuilagi is fit, but no doubt wont be by the time the games start.

FORWARDS

Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers, 5 caps)
Alex Coles (Northampton Saints, uncapped)
Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs, 37 caps)
Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, 41 caps)
Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears, 39 caps)
Jamie George (Saracens, 69 caps)
Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers, 5 caps)
Jonny Hill (Sale Sharks, 15 caps)
Lewis Ludlam (Northampton Saints, 14 caps)
Tom Pearson (London Irish, uncapped)
David Ribbans (Northampton Saints, uncapped)
Bevan Rodd (Sale Sharks, 2 caps)
Patrick Schickerling (Exeter Chiefs, uncapped)
Sam Simmonds (Exeter Chiefs, 14 caps)
Will Stuart (Bath Rugby, 23 caps)
Hugh Tizard (Saracens, uncapped)
Billy Vunipola (Saracens, 64 caps)
Mako Vunipola (Saracens, 70 caps)
Jack Walker (Harlequins, uncapped)
Jack Willis (Wasps, 4 caps)

BACKS

Henry Arundell (London Irish, 3 caps)
Joe Cokanasiga (Bath Rugby, 12 caps)
Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints, uncapped)
Owen Farrell (Saracens, 97 caps)
Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints, 2 caps)
George Furbank (Northampton Saints, 6 caps)
Will Joseph (London Irish, 1 cap)
Jonny May (Gloucester Rugby, 69 caps)
Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints, 1 cap)
Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs, 42 caps)
Guy Porter (Leicester Tigers, 2 caps)
Marcus Smith (Harlequins, 13 caps)
Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers, 13 caps)
Manu Tuilagi (Sale Sharks, 46 caps)
Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers, 3 caps)
Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers, 117 caps)

Unavailable for selection due to injury: Alfie Barbeary, Nic Dolly, Alex Dombrandt, Charlie Ewels, George Ford, Sam Jeffries, Maro Itoje, Nick Isiekwe, Courtney Lawes, Sam Underhill, Anthony Watson.

Backline still looks all kind of wrong for Eng, but we muscled up and got the win. They all count.

JvP and Lawes the best players for me. Really mature debut (start) from the former and Lawes would be my MOM, his best game for a while.

Honourable mention for Billy V and Nowell.

Oz have been super unlucky with injuries this series. Just one after another.

@ARHS

Sure, and defending Rugbypass definitely isn't a hill I'm willing to die on. They do at least seem to have staff writers and columnists. As well as a paywalled section with original longer form content etc.

It's a (small) step above the Ruck approach which is any number of articles like:

'Top ten worst signings ever' - Low effort, have to click through ten pages to view the full list
'Guess what Nigel Owens said about this decision!'
'Player X will be moving to Club A' - Completely made up
'Player X will be moving to Club A' - Stolen exclusive from somewhere else

@Catogrande

Rugbypass do at least have some original content and break some stories here and there. Albeit that's a very click baity piece.

The other two mentioned are total junk though. No redeeming qualities at all.

@Catogrande

Agree on the back row. Eddie's given himself a real issue on that front by having Lawes as captain. Lots of calls for him to play lock, but he just doesn't do that any more, so you're trapped with a Billy V / Lawes combo.

I've got a lot of time for Cokanasiga, but unless he's in proper rampaging form, you do lose a bit when he's involved as he's not got the most rounded game. Freeman's a big guy although probably not someone you'd be bringing into midfield too much on the crash ball. Interested to see what Porter offers on this stage, as I've not seen a whole lot of him. Probably picked as a more direct option than Marchant.

@MiketheSnow

Ha. I'm a LI fan, so would prefer to roll the dice and play Arundell as well. Love watching the kid play. I just don't hate Nowell being in there. May have changed my stance on that by Saturday afternoon though.

@Bones

Yeah, he's an interesting one. I really like him. Looked great in age grade rugby and has slotted in well in a good Leicester team when he's played. I think he's better than Randall anyway.

Amusingly though he failed to make the 23 for Leicester in the Premiership final the other week with Youngs and Wigglesworth (who's about 47 now) preferred.

Think he'll go well all the same.

@MiketheSnow said in Australia v England - 2nd Test:

Nowell? Really?

I actually thought he did okay last week, despite having reservations about him originally (well the 2022 version anyway).

Bit of a backline shake up for England with a couple of 21 year olds coming into the 15 (JvP and Freeman). Porter also gets a first cap at 13. Underhill in for Curry who's on a flight home. 6:2 bench

On the other point, sanction entry point reductions always make me laugh. You have to go to some serious effort to actually cop the 'entry' point. Be a repeat offender and plead not guilty ect. Even then they sometimes still drop a week or two anyway.

It's a yellow for me. You don't tend to pick up reds for open hand pushes like that. TMO and officials clearly asleep at the wheel though.

It was the hair pull that got me. Up here Creevy was (rightly imo) cited and banned for pulling Etzebeth's hair in May. It either is a red card offence, or it isn't.

Agustin Creevy suspended for one week | European Professional Club Rugby

The London Irish hooker, Agustin Creevy, has been suspended for one week following an independent Disciplinary Hearing arising from his club’s EPCR Challenge Cup quarter-final match against RC Toulon at Stade Félix Mayol.

*Law 9.27 A player must not do anything that is against the spirit of good sportsmanship

Under World Rugby’s Sanctions for Foul Play, Law 9.27 relating to hair pulling or grabbing carries the following sanction entry points – Low End: 2 weeks; Mid-range: 4 weeks; Top end: 6 to 52 weeks.*

@Smuts

Yep, one constant in Eddie's tenure is that no one can stand working for him for too long. There's been a huge turnover in the rest of the coaching team and you get the feeling they aren't managing to recruit the best candidates because of it.