@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?

@voodoo said in All Blacks Vs Ireland - 2nd Test:

@mariner4life said in All Blacks Vs Ireland - 2nd Test:

3 weeks ago we picked 5 locks, now we have 2, after 1 game. That's quite the attrition rate.

One assumes Patty T will come straight on to the bench. God help us if one of the starters goes down early.

Didn't you play lock bro? Time to book a flight...

Lol considering even at my playing weight I was about thr size of Ben Smith this place would fucking erupt

I mean, even I would log in to rubbish my selection

@canefan said in NBA Season - now 21/22:

@mariner4life said in NBA Season - now 21/22:

@canefan said in NBA Season - now 21/22:

@ACT-Crusader said in NBA Season - now 21/22:

@canefan they don't want to play for the Nets.

Bit of a bitch move by Durant after they stood by him during his rehab. That's the danger of putting your trust in a superstar mercenary. Sean should have stuck to building in the draft

nah every GM in the league makes that play if it's available.
It's gone very wrong (unless they get a good return) but a few very specific things had to happen for it to blow up.

And, lets not forget, they were a KD toe from knocking the Bucks out last year.

Of course hindsight is a wonderful thing. And no one will blame Marks for making that deal. We'll see what the market is like for Irving now. LBJ might be the only guy who can keep him straight. KD certainly couldn't

i keep reading about Kyrie to the Lakers, how the fuck do they even make that happen?

@canefan said in NBA Season - now 21/22:

@ACT-Crusader said in NBA Season - now 21/22:

@canefan they don't want to play for the Nets.

Bit of a bitch move by Durant after they stood by him during his rehab. That's the danger of putting your trust in a superstar mercenary. Sean should have stuck to building in the draft

nah every GM in the league makes that play if it's available.
It's gone very wrong (unless they get a good return) but a few very specific things had to happen for it to blow up.

And, lets not forget, they were a KD toe from knocking the Bucks out last year.

the NBA is so good at staying relevant

It's what, 3 weeks since Golden State won? A pretty big story in itself, throw in a Steph MVP and it was huge. I feel like that is almost forgotten already!

The Nets blow up and it's fucking all on.
An interesting tweet from Jeannie Buss yesterday and it's rumours in Laker Land

The soap opera never stops.

3 weeks ago we picked 5 locks, now we have 2, after 1 game. That's quite the attrition rate.

One assumes Patty T will come straight on to the bench. God help us if one of the starters goes down early.

what. a. Dumb fluffybunny.

@taniwharugby said in Stupid shit you see on the internet:

@mariner4life you visit the wrong thread to post that?

no? it's apt

apt i tell you

yes!!

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

squealy kid from reddit

fuuuuck the rugby reddit makes this place look like a meeting between Graham Henry, Wayne Smith, Fred Allen and Rod McQueen.

@Chris said in All Blacks Vs Ireland - 2nd Test:

@mariner4life said in All Blacks Vs Ireland - 2nd Test:

@Chris said in All Blacks Vs Ireland - 2nd Test:

@mariner4life said in All Blacks Vs Ireland - 2nd Test:

@Chris said in All Blacks Vs Ireland - 2nd Test:

@mariner4life said in All Blacks Vs Ireland - 2nd Test:

@Chris said in All Blacks Vs Ireland - 2nd Test:

@mariner4life said in All Blacks Vs Ireland - 2nd Test:

@Chris said in All Blacks Vs Ireland - 2nd Test:

Last thing from me on the Scott Barrett non offence. The Ref saw it as Shoulder on Shoulder so no card,the judiciary didn't see it as a citing offence.
So the debate about an incident that was deemed Ok by the people who really matter is a complete waste of time.No one can change the facts it was not a penalty,But the offside by SB was.

holy shit uncircle the wagons cantabs

absolutely no one here is saying it was a fucking red card. no one.

plenty of reasons it was dumb. and it was a penalty. So there's your first proof it was dumb.

Well we have a poster way up this thread saying SB should never be picked in the ABs again and should have been Red carded,massive over reaction so scroll through the whole thread.

quote it so we can have a laugh

Scroll through and see it, I had my say on it I don't want to call the dude out,Its not in my nature to squeal on people.

i've read the whole thread and you are talking shit

Read it again actually it was in the First test thread where all this started after the game.

so no this thread, talking shit, gotcha

Here you go champ
@hydro11 said in All Blacks v Ireland - 1st Test:

I don't think Scott Barrett can play for the All Blacks again. He should have had another red card. He is just a bit of a dog. With no 20 minute red card he is just a liability.

ooh i got champed!

so not this thread, and that was hydro TBF, he's big on hot takes.

The boy does skate the line though, that much cannot be dismissed. He's far more of a risk than should be dismissed with the usual red and black "nothing to see here". He's indiscriminate with that shoulder, and his target areas are, shall we say, on the reckless side.

And it's not like he's some newbie who can have his rough edges sanded.