@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?

@gt12 said in Argentina Two: Newcastle, 28 November:

Scott Barrett (39)

fuck off

@gt12 said in Argentina Two: Newcastle, 28 November:

Ardie Savea (48)

fuck off

@gt12 said in Argentina Two: Newcastle, 28 November:

Jordie Barrett (22)

fuck off

@gt12 said in Argentina Two: Newcastle, 28 November:

TJ Perenara (68)

fuck off

Welcome back Bart

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

Well done Ireland that was awesome. I loved watching you play. Hard, physical, inventive. Absolutely dominant everywhere except the scoreboard which flattered us all day. The constant ball in motion was confusing the AB defence all day, and your breakdown work was friggen excellent. A deserved dominant win built on good work both sides of the ball.

As for the ABS, fucking LOL. Talk about hammered boy. Picking an entire side of guys who can't make a dominant tackle, or get over the gain line, or be physical at the breakdown is certainly one way to play. Was the plan to confuse them by letting them have too much ball? We could not stop them doing what they wanted. Conversely when we had the ball we could do shit because we couldn't get past the gain line

So we kicked it, poorly. Over and over again. Because that's all that Ireland gave us.

Scored a couple of really pretty tries though. Jordan's a fucking star. The first was a hilarious piece of defence we ruthlessly exploited. The 2nd came out of absolute nothing.

The loose forwards were shit. They should be embarrassed the only guy who put a hit on was fucking TJP. Savea is just a non-entity in a game like this. Just a waste of space. The other two tried but just didn't have the ability.

This is humbling and shows exactly where we are. Which is nowhere.

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.

Loooool

Here's a new one

Henry was a shit coach but Laumape was the answer at 12 and an asset we needed to keep.

Keep delivering Fern

fuck i love All Black fans

Not 7 days ago this site was awash with how good the selecting was, how maybe we needed to come around on Fozzie based on the improvement in play, and in players, and the new depth we had created

A week later, after a game we fucking won, and it's "get rid of the guy who last week was the long term answer at 6" and "oh we all knew this was coming with Foster he's shit"

We are fucking insufferable. Well, not me, mainly yous

@duluth said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:

Just try not to be a retard

is that, like, a rule? 'cause...

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?

The fucking Lakers man

Fuck their roster up. Have no picks. No trade value. Absolutely shit the bed. Miss even the play in

And yet, somehow, they are going to talk thr Nets in to giving the Kyrie.

Fuck this franchise. The Spurs are burning it down to start from the bottom. These fluffybunnies just have to wait for shit to fall in to their laps.

@barbarian said in Australia v England - 1st Test:

I couldn’t give a flying fuck if you all think it was a bad game.

We haven’t beaten the Poms since 2015. More than that, we haven’t gotten close to beating the Pons since 2015.

We lost Quade in the warmup, then lost Banks, AAA and Swain inside the first half.

And we FUCKEN WON. By rolling straight over the top of them.

So it might have been ugly but I’m grinning from ear to ear today, no matter what all of you miserable Kiwi bastards think.

10/10 game. A classic for the ages.

Dude chill out i actually yelled out loud and fist pumped when Samu scored. Loved it.

@Crazy-Horse said in Coronavirus - Australia:

@antipodean I did hear Victoria has said they are not likely to go backwards but I don't trust the bloody Qld government not to.

Agree, reintroducing any sort of mandate will piss a lot of people off.

Qld government is under pressure from a damning report in to culture and oversight

What would make a good distraction?

This was a dull game of two teams bereft of attacking ability

But you know what? Don't give a shit

Warriors completed set after set, won the field position, and never looked like losing.

Great occasion and a great result.

Love yous bros

Lol these teams fucking suck!!!!

Come on fuckers give me something to believe in

Marcus Smith is Danny Cipriani from wish by the way

@ACT-Crusader said in Australia v England - 1st Test:

If Sonny Bill is getting paid to conduct these interviews, then it must be the easiest money in sports TV history.

He’s having a laugh!

Love being able to use "yous" in a professional setting

Before the complete jerking off.of the 14 men

It was 46 minutes with 14 v 20 minutes with 14.
Still good, but hardly thermopyle

England get the bonus point against 13. Well done them