General Rugby Discussion 3

Yeah, was reading that thread this morning.

For a while you could get rugby on Amazon so it had me wondering if the rights for the Autumn's changed again.

There is a nice article in today's Indo about my old friend and King's Scholars team mate, Stewart McKinney. He was a great and utterly fearless player indeed and a great man to go on a night out with. I can almost feel the hangover down the decades. Interestingly, there is a picture with the article among which is included 2 of Ireland's greatest ever players in the imperious Mike Gibson and Dick Milliken. It also shows my old school scrum half, Colin Grimshaw. He was a mightily talented athlete and scrum half and was very unfortunate to play at the same time as other top 9s. His older brother Mike Grimshaw was also a wonderful player and it was a constant mystery in rugby circles why he was never capped. I suppose also at that time Ireland had a great set of backs. It brings back many happy memories. I would love to do it all again.

Yes.Colin Grimshaw came on to replace Roger Young who had also been the MCB scrum half ……when I was in the Under 12s…Roger was a dentist, played for the Lions and then went to SA think.

Brett Robinson announced as the next incoming chair of World Rugby, succeeding Bill Beaumont.

It could have significant implications - I would expect some of the more rugby league-esque developments and law changes (the 20 min red card) etc to get an even bigger push forward now.

Amazingly - he’s the first ever chair from the Southern Hemisphere.

With the greatest respect to Bill Beaumont the sport needs some new and perhaps more modern leadership so it will be interesting to see what happens. If the UK media is to be believed tonight there are rumblings of a LIV style breakaway Rugby competition on the cards which might be his first major challenge.

Had a look at the current nominees and the history of the competition.

On the World Player of the Year - Ox Nche is probably the most unlucky guy to be overlooked. He was almost ever-present this year for the Boks, and is a cornerstone in an area they are considered dominant. Widely acknowledged as the best in the world in his position.

It underlines something kind of incredible - no prop has ever even been nominated for World Player of the Year. This is the 22nd year of the award (no award in 2020), and there have been a cumulative 117 players shortlisted, of which front rowers have by far the lowest representation (4% - 5 total players, all hookers: Keith Wood, Steve Thompson, Dane Coles, Malcolm Marx, and, ludicrously, the American Joe Taufete'e in 2019).

By far the highest representation of shortlisted players for this award is back row - 32% of all nominees (38 total). Rest are split: Second Row - 10% (12 nominees), Scrum Half 10% (12 nominees), Out Half 17% (20 nominees), Centre 12% (14 nominees) and Back three 14% (16 nominees).

Back row also has the most winners - 41% (9 of 22), followed by out half (32%, 7 of 22), and then only a smattering for other position groups. No centre has ever won the award.

3 SA players and 1 Irish, is that right?

Has to be either Etzebeth or PSDT who gets it. Probably Etzebeth.

While this may figure in his 'thinking', he may be envisaging more 'wrap around content' so audiences with 15 second long attention spans don't lose interest in the main 'content' (the actual rugby)

This might be a ridiculous question but how have the S&C and Nutrition teams at Leinster allowed Sam Prendergast to remain so skinny? Is that not poor player development. I know putting on the right type of size takes time but I've seen plenty schoolboys transform in the space of 2-3 years.

Yea, the dude is 1 of 1 levels of elite. If Ben O'Keefe wasn't such a **** ref, he'd have led France to their 1st WC win, at home and an Olympic gold medal at home. That's nuts.

Rumour has it that Bisto want to purchase naming rights to Twickenham railway station. Apparently because that's where the gravy train stops.