General Rugby Discussion 3

"I believe there is also evidence that lowering tackle height to hips and below resulted in more head impacts, as you end up having more contact between head and knee, head and hip etc."

It's one thing to lower tackle height, and an entirely different thing to have players employ better tackle technique.

Any player who is used to tackling chest to chest just continues to do so at a reduced height and exposes their head to contact with hips & knees.

Interesting that the statement says that there's no permanent red card for deliberate and intentional acts of foul play. Didn't know this was the case.

SA squad to play Scotland, England and Wales:

Springbok squad:

Props: Thomas du Toit (Bath), Vincent Koch (Sharks), Frans Malherbe (Stormers), Ox Nche (Sharks), Gerhard Steenekamp (Bulls)

Hookers: Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Bongi Mbonambi (Sharks)

Locks: Eben Etzebeth (Sharks), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Ruan Nortje (Bulls), RG Snyman (Leinster)

Loose forwards: Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Siya Kolisi (captain, Sharks), Elrigh Louw (Bulls), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), Marco van Staden (Bulls), Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks)

Utility forward: Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Bulls)

Scrumhalves: Jaden Hendrikse (Sharks), Cobus Reinach (Montpellier), Grant Williams (Sharks)

Flyhalves: Manie Libbok (Stormers), Handre Pollard (Leicester Tigers)

Centres: Lukhanyo Am (Sharks), Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Andre Esterhuizen (Sharks), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles)

Outside backs: Kurt-Lee Arendse (Bulls), Aphelele Fassi (Sharks), Cheslin Kolbe (Suntory Sungoliath), Willie le Roux (Bulls), Makazole Mapimpi (Sharks), Canan Moodie (Bulls), Damian Willemse (Stormers)

11 Sharks

3 Stormers

8 Bulls

12 Overseas based players

0 Lions

Wasnt familiar with Jan-Hendrik Wessels myself, but apparently regular position is hooker or prop, so theres at least 1 young guy there in the mix. Ruan Nortje relatively young lock. But yeah, the whole back line its only Canan Moodie thats young, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Fassi, Willemse and Libbok young-ish.

I was caught the same, figured he was a flanker/back row until I googled him.

Scotland squad named.

Sione Tuipulotu is new captain and Ben Healy has been dropped entirely.

He has now withdrawn from the squad due to an injury. He will be replaced by 2 other Bulls players, Hooker Johan Grobbelaar and Prop Wilco Louw.

Hmmmmm Damian Willemse injured in the weekend's URC game, so the Sprinboks replace him with Cameron Hanekom, a loose forward from the Bulls. Makes sense.

Just saw that now and came to post it. Part of Rassie's mind games, keep them guessing, I guess.

(ex)roommate no longer has access to his parents Sky subscription which we previously used to catch games not on terrestrial TV, so where's the best place to go now, legitimately, to catch as many as the upcoming internationals as possible?

He still has access to Discovery+ but I don't think you can get the matches on an Ireland account.

The Autumn Internationals are all covered on TNT sports. A Now TV sub will do the job.