@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.

@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

@tim said in Japan vs All Blacks:

a halfwit from Canterbury.

way to narrow it down...

@mr-bungle yeah I've seen FNM 3 times. The one in i think 95 at the Logan Campbell Centre is one of the best gigs I have ever been to

Geelong looking good at times, finishing 3rd or 4th, and then imploding in the finals. Set your clock by it

Dangerfield is such a soft downhill skier. If he wasn't quick he'd be in reserve grade. And the commentators pull him off constantly

It's almost football heresy, but if the Cats are serious, G Ablett doesn't play again this year. Father time gets even the very best.

Good win by Port. They are a bloody good side. Their prelim in Adelaide means they can start looking at accommodation in Brisbane for GF weekend

I'm actually surprised the Dogs are favourites

Doubt that would pay much

finals kick off tonight with a cracker. Port v Geelong should be huge. Can Geelong actually turn up this finals series? Are Port as good when finals pressure comes on?

Tigers v Brisbane tomorrow. Lions trying to win that fixture for the first time in a million years. I can't see it happening.

Then the eliminations on the weekend. Saints v Bulldogs should be close as fuck. Weagles v Collingwood you would expect to go West Coast's way.

just another mouthy doolan with a coke problem...

@bayimports said in Re: Movie review thread...:

Watched "The Gentlemen" last night, now on Amazon at least in Australia.

Guy Ritchie movie following in the footsteps of Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. Not my favourite of the three, but having not watched either of the previous two recently was a welcome throw back to both.

4 ganja crews out of 5 gangsters

i saw that it was on Prime, so will watch this weekend with the missus

@Tim said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:

Cripes, I hope Barrett is fit to play soon.

fuck 2020 is a weird year. Who ever thought someone would post this?

we're going to get fucking murdered

@Crucial said in TV Serieseseses:

@Catogrande said in TV Serieseseses:

@mikey07 A great series. I still dip into it now and again. Re-watched the first two seasons a few weeks back.

It would be an interesting re-watch to try and pick the shark jumping moment. IMO they landed the jump but things got quite wobbly.
The whole Irish season (was it 3?) was a waste of time but they pulled back in line for a bit after that.
I just remember watching out the end out of obligation.

i thought the last episode was pretty much bang on. Not many shows that go for that long manage to stick it like that

The Irish series cops a lot shit but i thought it was good.

One of my all time favourite shows