General Rugby Discussion II

Clegg wrote: »

This is an interesting award, but the idea is flawed. McCaw and Carter are the two best players I've ever seen. But both were finished as test players in 2015, halfway through the decade. Same with Dusautoir. The winner really should be Read or Retallick. Consistently great performers over a decade.

https://twitter.com/WorldRugby/status/1316666222260506625?s=19

Doesn't Tudor also sponsor the ABs?;);)

errlloyd

They're just this decades POTY winners I think.

SA won't be playing in this seasons Rugby Championship. https://www.sarugbymag.co.za/boks-opt-rugby-champs-report/

Cookiemunster wrote: »

SA won't be playing in this seasons Rugby Championship. https://www.sarugbymag.co.za/boks-opt-rugby-champs-report/

Hummm

step closer to participation in european rugby??

sydthebeat wrote: »

Hummm

step closer to participation in european rugby??

No it because the players haven’t been playing due to South Africa’s lockdown.Tassie has come out and said each player needs 400 minutes to be able to be ready for test rugby.

Rugbymad2020 wrote: »

No it because the players haven’t been playing due to South Africa’s lockdown.Tassie has come out and said each player needs 400 minutes to be able to be ready for test rugby.

Nothing more than a paper thin convenient excuse.

Argentina have no problem playing with no hint of 400 mins game time.

This is all about sanzaar and super rugby.

sydthebeat wrote: »

Nothing more than a paper thin convenient excuse.

Argentina have no problem playing with no hint of 400 mins game time.

This is all about sanzaar and super rugby.

No it’s not,it’s about protecting players.Something Nz and Aus don’t have to worry about as they have been playing for ages and have a test match under their belts.

If you want to believe that go ahead

Brief_Lives

Interesting comments from Corne Krige... they are looking at money from the North definitely.

sydthebeat wrote: »

If you want to believe that go ahead

I think u are deluded if u think otherwise,everyone in SA knows why and approves that decision.they not going to risk players 8 months out of a lion series.but I guess u know everything dont u

Seems like a mistake now not having a round of PRO14 fixtures this weekend, with ever increasing cases, changes in lockdowns, a packed calendar and some momentum in the league having a break after two rounds seems like a waste.

lawrencesummers wrote: »

Seems like a mistake now not having a round of PRO14 fixtures this weekend, with ever increasing cases, changes in lockdowns, a packed calendar and some momentum in the league having a break after two rounds seems like a waste.

It's Champions Cup final weekend. That's always kept free. When the fixtures were released Leinster and Ulster were still in the Champions Cup and Edinburgh, Scarlets and Dragons were still in the Challenge Cup.

Related to your point on lock downs, I heard on the radio yesterday that NPHET have said that elite sports could continue to play behind closed doors even in Level 5.

Rugbymad2020 wrote: »

I think u are deluded if u think otherwise,everyone in SA knows why and approves that decision.they not going to risk players 8 months out of a lion series.but I guess u know everything dont u

lets just recap what you are arguing here:

sydthebeat wrote: »

step closer to participation in european rugby??.

Rugbymad2020 wrote: »

No .....

so youre saying this move isnt a step closer to european rugby... when all commentators are saying it is.

i never said player welfare was not an issue, i said that its a convenient excuse. Relations between sanzaar are at an all time low and SARUs sights are most definitely focused northwards. Again, argentina do not have an issue.

SA could have played 2 green v gold games, and had 3 rounds of SR Unlocked under their belts if they really, really wanted to pull out all the stops to try to take part in TRC....

Nienaber and Erasmus said they wanted the players to have 500 mins under their belt before taking part... for a lot of players that would be close to half a season!

They were arranged to fly out to australia tomorrow, 3 weeks before their first game against an equally 'match game lacking' argentina team, and their first real physical test, against Australia on the 14th November.... 29 days away.

OldRio

[QUOTE=Cookiemunster

Related to your point on lock downs, I heard on the radio yesterday that NPHET have said that elite sports could continue to play behind closed doors even in Level 5.[/QUOTE]

NPHET? It doesn't matter what they say.

Leo will decide, after a leak or two.

(Sorry, couldn't resist)

It's not as simple as this being a move to the NH. There's no space for them to play in an expanded 6N this season, which means no test rugby until (if) the Lions arrive next summer. This decision is costing them a lot of money.

https://twitter.com/BrendenNel/status/1316967375925895170

Cookiemunster wrote: »

It's Champions Cup final weekend. That's always kept free. When the fixtures were released Leinster and Ulster were still in the Champions Cup and Edinburgh, Scarlets and Dragons were still in the Challenge Cup.

Related to your point on lock downs, I heard on the radio yesterday that NPHET have said that elite sports could continue to play behind closed doors even in Level 5.

“Always“ went out the window around paddy’s day.

They could have fixed some games for this weekend.
Not every club has to play.
Seems like a wasted opportunity to me.

NPHET have said sport can continue, and the other countries involved have allowances for pro sport, but rising cases across the countries involved in the league make it Only a matter of time before a club gets badly effected and has to postpone or forfeit a game.

OldRio wrote: »

NPHET? It doesn't matter what they say.

Leo will decide, after a leak or two.

(Sorry, couldn't resist)

Has he got a kidney infection?

SA will certainly be looking North, however there are a lot of issues there: travel distance, seasons, player welfare concerns, safety, COVID etc. Dublin to Rome in under 3 hrs, Dublin to Cape Town in over 12 hours.

A Western European comp taking place in the winter will now be considering a far South African participant playing in the summer with all of the various challenges of the country for players and supporters. It's a big risk for SA if they are putting all their eggs in this basket.

Cookiemunster wrote: »

It's not as simple as this being a move to the NH. There's no space for them to play in an expanded 6N this season, which means no test rugby until (if) the Lions arrive next summer. This decision is costing them a lot of money.

https://twitter.com/BrendenNel/status/1316967375925895170

its costing them 15 million euros, so its absolutely not a decision taken lightly.

however the demand for lions tickets are over 3 times what will be available (for the test games), and they are more than a little wary of what would happen to that demand should the boks be squarely beaten by the aussies and kiwis in TRC 2020.

sydthebeat wrote: »

its costing them 15 million euros, so its absolutely not a decision taken lightly.

however the demand for lions tickets are over 3 times what will be available (for the test games), and they are more than a little wary of what would happen to that demand should the boks be squarely beaten by the aussies and kiwis in TRC 2020.

Somehow I doubt them losing will dampen the desire much. Multiple injuries much moreso, and COVID much, much, much moreso. It's still very much up in the air if there will be spectators, or worse.

sydthebeat wrote: »

its costing them 15 million euros, so its absolutely not a decision taken lightly.

however the demand for lions tickets are over 3 times what will be available (for the test games), and they are more than a little wary of what would happen to that demand should the boks be squarely beaten by the aussies and kiwis in TRC 2020.

The main demand for tickets is coming from the UK and Ireland. Their results in the rugby championship would have no affect on that. But even if they did get smashed, they're still world champions and the Lions are a draw.

But at this moment in time there is no guarantee that the tour will even go ahead, or whether any fans would be allowed to attend if it does go ahead. That's a huge gamble for them to be taking to fit into your theory.

Cookiemunster wrote: »

The main demand for tickets is coming from the UK and Ireland. Their results in the rugby championship would have no affect on that. But even if they did get smashed, they're still world champions and the Lions are a draw.

But at this moment in time there is no guarantee that the tour will even go ahead, or whether any fans would be allowed to attend if it does go ahead. That's a huge gamble for them to be taking to fit into your theory.

it absolutely is not.

The governing body held an online ballot for local fans to register their interest for tickets, which will be allocated on Friday, with 323,964 applications received for the tour.

Supporters from outside South Africa had a separate ballot, but no figures have so far been released on the number of applications received.

SARU could sell out the tour 3 times over without ANY travelling fans.

There will be nowhere near the colour of 30,000 uk and irish lions fans travelling to south africa in july next year, which some are suggesting. Covid will certainly keep the travelling numbers down if things do not dramatically improve in the next 6 months.

SA is a basket case, can't see them getting it under control by mid next year.

Zzippy

NPHET recommend Level 5 for 6 weeks. If the government go with that it would mean no sport, including elite sport. They would have to modify their own Level 5 (which, let's face it, wouldn't be a stretch) to allow for elite sport. They would also have to be far more specific on what elite sport is - when Dublin went to Level 3 recently the GAA considered all adult games elite sport. My old club played a Junior F hurling final (Division 10!). Now that's elite alright!

hahashake wrote: »

SA is a basket case, can't see them getting it under control by mid next year.

But like urselves then

If SA join the NH competition it will really diminish my interest in the lions tour.

The novelty of the lions is based in part on the scarcity of fixtures against the SH teams.