Guinness has retired for the evening.

@sparky said in RWC squad. Who's in, who's out?:

Sparky's All Black RWC squad

Props: Nepo Laulala, Joe Moody, Atu Moli, Angus Ta'avao, Ofa Tu'ungafasi

Hooker: Dane Coles, Liam Coltman, Codie Taylor.

Locks: Scott Barrett, Brodie Retallick, Patrick Tuitupolou, Sam Whitelock

Back Row: Sam Cane, Luke Jacobson, Kieran Read, Ardie Savea, Matt Todd

Half Backs: TJ Perenera, Aaron Smith, Brad Weber

First Fives: Beauden Barrett, Richie Mo'unga

Midfield: Ryan Crotty, Jack Goodhue, Anton Leinert-Brown, Sonny Bill Williams

Back Three: Jordie Barrett, George Bridge, Reiko Ioane, Sevu Reece, Ben Smith

Some very tough decisions ahead for the selectors to get it down to 31..

Proof that a stopped clock is right sometimes.

His name is spelt "Ma'a Nonu" but it can be pronounced as "Living Legend".

This is a guy who made his NPC debut in 2002 and his Super Rugby debut in 2003. In his distinguished international career he donned the famous Black Jersey for 104 Tests, contributing to two World Cup wins with tries in the 2011 Semi Final and the 2015 Final.

Tonight he set up Tom Robinson for the first try with a superb pass, he set up Caleb Clarke for the second with another superb pass and had the instincts honed by nearly two decades playing and training at an elite level to be in the right place to take the offloaded from Reiko Ioane to run in and score a try himself.

A great signing for the Blues. Their young players must be learning so much from playing with perhaps the greatest ever 12 to play the game.

New Zealand have won the Netball World Cup!!!!

Classic Ted:

My happy life has been turned upside down to be honest. Worst thing I've been through apart from the death of immediate family. Missing Rugby and Cricket. Missing the normal routine. Really tough to be working fulltime away from place of work and trying to home school the kids at the same time. Lots of people I know are sick. I'm worried about everyone.

Really proud of the resilience of my kids. The dog seems really happy to have us around more. Listened to a few good podcasts. Able to go for a run around the park as a family each day. Great banter from 2 metre plus from neighbours. Heard from a few friends I've not heard from in ages. Glad not to have the constant background rumble of motorway traffic. Those are the postives.

We'll get through all of this, but it feels like a prison sentence. I go to sleep each night hoping normal will return very soon.

Ngani Laumape re-signs with the Hurricanes and NZRU until 2021:

A star-studded Saracens team lose their first game in the Championship

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.skysports.com/amp/rugby-union/news/12572/12237960/saracens-suffer-17-25-defeat-by-cornish-pirates-in-first-game-in-greene-king-championship

Congratulations to the Cornish Pirates. Arrrhh-some result!

@catogrande I was thinking of setting up a Safe Space thread (if the Mods allowed me), but it sounds like even my Safe Space thread wouldn't be a Safe Space from me.

@catogrande Yeah I wrote that based on the BBC's coverage. Then I chatted to a couple of people, saw the more complete footage from Squidge Rugby a few days and changed my mind.

Three games into SRA and this looks to me like the pecking order.

1. Crusaders (Favourites for the title once again)

2. = Blues/Highlanders (The battle to make the final, the Blues could even challenge for the title if their gun players get going)

3. Daylight

4. Daylight's siblings

5. Daylight's cousins

6. Daylights's friends

7. Daylight's acquaintances

8. People Daylight once met

9. People Daylight has heard of but never met.

10. = A tight battle between the Chiefs and Hurricanes to avoid last place.

@canes4life said in Chiefs v Highlanders:

I think the Chiefs are really missing someone like Rettalick. Someone that takes no shit, takes the lead and just gets stuck into his work.

Seems like the Chiefs are the new Blues and just can’t buy a trick.

I think every side in the world is missing someone like Brodie Retallick.

Stay safe, everyone, some big waves on the way.

@catogrande said in NH International Rugby:

@sparky said in NH International Rugby:

@catogrande said in NH International Rugby:

@sparky said in NH International Rugby:

@catogrande said in NH International Rugby:

@gibbonrib said in NH International Rugby:

@sparky said in NH International Rugby:

I like that. Can't see how anyone can say the first try was bogus after watching that.

Something of a different perspective but still a shit show. Did England have enough time to get the message across? Of course. Did some of their guys fan out? Yes. Did the ref tell England that time was going back on? No. Did he tell Biggar that time was going on? Yes. Did he check that England were ready for time going back on? No.

Farrell had stopped speaking to his players. Ten seconds later the ref blew his whistle and said time on. May had jogged to his wing. The Welsh water carriers were moving from the field of play. Watson and Ford were incredibly slow cover the wing. The kick was to perfection exposing their tardiness. Seeing all the angles, nowt wrong with that try and what the ref did.

Nope. That's just wrong. He said time on to Bigger. Blew this whistle, Biggar took the kick and he then said "time iron" with the ball already in play. Have another look at the video.

I have seen the video, thank you. Time is on when the ref blows his whistle. Elliot Daly was already on the other wing by that point. The ref doesn't have to wait for all the defending team to get back in position when the attacking team awarded a penalty want to play. The game goes at the speed of the ref's whistle.

Yeah I assumed that you'd seen the video, hence me saying have another look. Once you have, if you care to that is, answer whether what I'd said is correct, that he

1. Said time is on to Biggar.
2. He then blew his whistle.
3. He then said in general time is on when the ball was already in flight.

For what it's worth I can see most of your points of view and agree to one degree or another with some. But taken as a whole that decision was just plain wrong. Ask yourself if your team was on the receiving end of that decision whether or not you'd be fuming. No ifs and buts, would you be fuming?

If those had players of a team I support I'd be absolutely fuming with the defenders for being lazy and not reacting to what was going on in front of them. School boy stuff. More generally, with the exception of John Dallas and the 1905 Try That Wasn't (Deans scored!), I've only ever complained about Rugby refs a handful of times here or anywhere else.

The ref did his job, perhaps not to absolute distinction. He could have waved away the England water carriers, but the Welsh ones were already leaving the field of play when Biggar was good to go and their side was in attack with a penalty, the England water carriers had no right being on the park at that point.

You are not disagreeing with what are the key points here. Farrell had finished speaking to his players as the ref told him; Ford wasn't invited by the ref to speak to the players so why he decided to address the huddle is beyond me, he isn't the captain and tactical Time Outs are not a feature in Rugby; the Ref checked to see some of the England players moving; he said play on; then blew his whistle; the game is alive at that point.

I assume you've heard the expression at some point "Play to the whistle"? England only have themselves to blame for not doing that on Saturday.

@catogrande said in NH International Rugby:

@sparky said in NH International Rugby:

@catogrande said in NH International Rugby:

@gibbonrib said in NH International Rugby:

@sparky said in NH International Rugby:

I like that. Can't see how anyone can say the first try was bogus after watching that.

Something of a different perspective but still a shit show. Did England have enough time to get the message across? Of course. Did some of their guys fan out? Yes. Did the ref tell England that time was going back on? No. Did he tell Biggar that time was going on? Yes. Did he check that England were ready for time going back on? No.

Farrell had stopped speaking to his players. Ten seconds later the ref blew his whistle and said time on. May had jogged to his wing. The Welsh water carriers were moving from the field of play. Watson and Ford were incredibly slow cover the wing. The kick was to perfection exposing their tardiness. Seeing all the angles, nowt wrong with that try and what the ref did.

Nope. That's just wrong. He said time on to Bigger. Blew this whistle, Biggar took the kick and he then said "time iron" with the ball already in play. Have another look at the video.

I have seen the video, thank you. Time is on when the ref blows his whistle. Elliot Daly was already on the other wing by that point. The ref doesn't have to wait for all the defending team to get back in position when the attacking team awarded a penalty want to play. The game goes at the speed of the ref's whistle.

@catogrande said in NH International Rugby:

@gibbonrib said in NH International Rugby:

@sparky said in NH International Rugby:

I like that. Can't see how anyone can say the first try was bogus after watching that.

Something of a different perspective but still a shit show. Did England have enough time to get the message across? Of course. Did some of their guys fan out? Yes. Did the ref tell England that time was going back on? No. Did he tell Biggar that time was going on? Yes. Did he check that England were ready for time going back on? No.

Farrell had stopped speaking to his players. Ten seconds later the ref blew his whistle and said time on. May had jogged to his wing. The Welsh water carriers were moving from the field of play. Watson and Ford were incredibly slow cover the wing. The kick was to perfection exposing their tardiness. Seeing all the angles, nowt wrong with that try and what the ref did.