Rugby Championship 2022

[paddyor]

Deserved red

[riocard911]

Curtley Aronson takes Beauden Barrett out in the air. Both land horribly. Red card for the Bok 14 - much deserved. Idiot.

[OTT]

Deserved red

The terrible thing is if he does that earlier in the match he only gets 20mins for it.

[riocard911]

Try NZ after a breakout by Calum Clarke. Something to spare their blushes, I guess...

[riocard911]

Bok D causes NZ backline breakdown in their own 22. Willie le Roux kicks the ball in under the posts and touches it down. FT: 26-10.

[neiliog93]

SA get so many tries through either hoofing up up-and-unders and then the opposition make a mistake in taking the ball, or through attacking teams making handling mistakes under pressure from the rush defence. Then also add in mauls, and they hardly ever score tries through any other means. They hardly ever score from multi-phase attack, never mind creative multi-phase attack. Such a negative team and really bad for the game that they can dominate under the current rules with fat-boy boring rugby.

[Dave Cahill]

Easy enough win for South Africa without ever having to get into even a middle gear.

Will the ABs even wait til Monday to give Ian Foster his marching orders

[Ruckedtobits]

Anybody who expected any innovation will be disappointed. S Africa still have a strong line-out, maul & scrum. Their defence is highly efficient and they compete very well for kicks. Report ends.

Nothing to see here. But question must asked why referee allows so many breaks for minor SA injuries?

[riocard911]

Agree with all the above. Troglodyte rugby from the Boks. The same old we had to endure against the BIL last summer. All the stopping for breaks is terrible too. Still, I wouldn't call the knee to the head Faff shipped or the crash landing the Bok 14 inflicted on himself after his high-risk interception of BB in the air "minor" -

[cormac]

Commentary on the Argentina v Australia game sounds like two disinterested locals watching the game in a shed while nursing a massive hangover.

[Ruckedtobits]

At one level, it could be argued that the decision by NZRFU, with agreement from it's Provincial Unions, to sell c. 6% of the equity to US firm Silver Lake for approx US$137m looks like an inspired transaction. You own a unique asset which has had an unknown value, but an extraordinary reputation, for a valuation way beyond that of any comparable sports entity and then watch the value of that asset fall from the sky within 3 months, as you bank the proceeds.

It can certainly be argued that if Silver Lake were still in the negotiation of this transaction, they would have grounds for substantially reducing the purchase price as the status of the famed NZ brand declines on the back of the home series defeat to Ireland and their latest performance in S Africa. The probable fall to fifth in the World Rugby rankings will confirm the relative positioning of NZ rugby, just a year out from the Rugby World Cup in France in September 2023.

But, did the prolonged sales negotiation precipitate the fall of the standard in performance of NZ rugby? Or were the signs already apparent that NZ rugby had peaked in 2015 and has been falling ever since and is now in a long-term trough from which it will struggle to recover it's former ascendancy?

The disintegration of the Super Rugby competition, coupled with the filleting of the Rugby Championship and the sharp decline in performances at recent Under 20 World Cups, would all suggest that the challenges faced by NZ rugby are systemic and long-term. The NZ Union have not yet experienced the legal claims of former players suffering the long-term effects of multiple concussions. Some legal experts with strong rugby connections in NZ, are convinced that the proceeds of the Silver Lake investment, coupled with the presence of a new, deep-pocketed partner, will accelerate the likelihood of future legal claims, probable after settlements have been reached in the UK Courts in class actions between the RFU and former players.

Being the best has long been the assumption of NZ rugby. Facing into their current risk assessment will certainly test the NZ Rugby leadership in ways they could hardly have envisioned as they invited the Silver Lake executives to join them at the negotiating table. Beware of what you wish for.

[johng]

https://rawling.github.io/wr-calc/

[Oldschoolsocks]

Deserved red

The terrible thing is if he does that earlier in the match he only gets 20mins for it.

i think the red carded player can't come back, he needs to be replaced:

Red card law trial:
If a player is red-carded he may be replaced after 20 minutes by another player. The 20 minutes from when a player is red-carded to when they may be replaced is measured as “game time”. This follows the same measurement of time already in place for a yellow-carded player in the sin bin (sin bin clock is stopped when the game clock is stopped).
A player receives a yellow card and is sin-binned for 10 minutes. If the same player, then returns to the field after serving their 10 minutes suspension and subsequently receives a second yellow card, which equates to an automatic red card. After a further 20 minutes the red carded player can be replaced.
A player who has been tactically replaced can return to the field to replace a red-carded player. Note if a team has unused replacements (eg #23) still sitting on the bench it does not have to use them to replace a red-carded player before the use of players who have already been substituted tactically (eg #12).
Any red-carded player cannot return to the field under any circumstance.

[hugonaut]

Very effective performance from South Africa, who look well-coached and completely committed. The different strands of their kicking game, their kick chase, the strength of their tackling, and their two primary set-pieces, scrum and lineout, were all first rate.

They're the world champions, and they are still playing this f*cking horrible brand of rugby where their two attacking options are box-kick or go one-out. I'm not sure if they are carrying around a chip on their shoulder [because a lot of their fans certainly are], but they seem like a very unified and motivated group.

It amazes me that they have the discipline and unity to play this reductive style when they're a really experienced team who are already at the top. None of them are going off-script, none of them are looking to play anything other than the very limited gameplan that the coaching staff are dictating to them.

In terms of how to beat them, it's a difficult test. Refs are far too lenient with them faking injuries to break up the game and give their heavy forwards time to get their breath back. The amount they seal off the ball in their one-out carries is very obvious. The first man to the tackle rarely, if ever, attempts to stay on his feet. It's one-out, seal off, one-out, seal off, one-out, seal off, box-kick.

[neiliog93]

Very effective performance from South Africa, who look well-coached and completely committed. The different strands of their kicking game, their kick chase, the strength of their tackling, and their two primary set-pieces, scrum and lineout, were all first rate.

They're the world champions, and they are still playing this f*cking horrible brand of rugby where their two attacking options are box-kick or go one-out. I'm not sure if they are carrying around a chip on their shoulder [because a lot of their fans certainly are], but they seem like a very unified and motivated group.

It amazes me that they have the discipline and unity to play this reductive style when they're a really experienced team who are already at the top. None of them are going off-script, none of them are looking to play anything other than the very limited gameplan that the coaching staff are dictating to them.

In terms of how to beat them, it's a difficult test. Refs are far too lenient with them faking injuries to break up the game and give their heavy forwards time to get their breath back. The amount they seal off the ball in their one-out carries is very obvious. The first man to the tackle rarely, if ever, attempts to stay on his feet. It's one-out, seal off, one-out, seal off, one-out, seal off, box-kick.

It's hard to beat, because if you run it back from of their 57 box-kicks in the match, one of their obese forwards will flop over the ball at the ruck and get a holding-on penalty. If it's kickable they'll take the 3 points. If it's not kickable, they'll get a line-out up the field, set up a maul, and hope to eke out another penalty (often successfully). When World Rugby changed the interpretation of the law a few years ago to give holding-on penalties faster, it was a disaster for the game. Favours teams who like slow play and lots of kicking.

If you try to play them at their own game and resort to a lot of kicking, minimising risk etc., they're probably better at it than you and will win anyway.

I think to beat them you have to take a strong early lead, maybe 15 points, to the point where their fat-boy rugby won't allow them to catch up quickly enough on the socreboard. When they start to have to run it from deep or take risks to score tries, they aren't good enough to do it.

[Oldschoolsocks]

Very effective performance from South Africa, who look well-coached and completely committed. The different strands of their kicking game, their kick chase, the strength of their tackling, and their two primary set-pieces, scrum and lineout, were all first rate.

They're the world champions, and they are still playing this f*cking horrible brand of rugby where their two attacking options are box-kick or go one-out. I'm not sure if they are carrying around a chip on their shoulder [because a lot of their fans certainly are], but they seem like a very unified and motivated group.

It amazes me that they have the discipline and unity to play this reductive style when they're a really experienced team who are already at the top. None of them are going off-script, none of them are looking to play anything other than the very limited gameplan that the coaching staff are dictating to them.

In terms of how to beat them, it's a difficult test. Refs are far too lenient with them faking injuries to break up the game and give their heavy forwards time to get their breath back. The amount they seal off the ball in their one-out carries is very obvious. The first man to the tackle rarely, if ever, attempts to stay on his feet. It's one-out, seal off, one-out, seal off, one-out, seal off, box-kick.

this is a close second to Refs not enforcing the offside line.

[Flash Gordon]

Interestingly, Ian Foster said something that I've been thinking for a while. Have the All Blacks suffered from not playing Saffer teams week in week out in Super Rugby? Conversely this will benefit Ireland over time too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXtodd7VGzo&t=316s

[Oldschoolsocks]

Interestingly, Ian Foster said something that I've been thinking for a while. Have the All Blacks suffered from not playing Saffer teams week in week out in Super Rugby? Conversely this will benefit Ireland over time too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXtodd7VGzo&t=316s

The URC is definitely more competitive with the SA franchises than previous incarnations i think this has definitely been a goos thing for Leinster Rugby, for the league in general and also a good thing for the Irish mens rugby team. I’m not convinced that its because were playing against SA style rugby, i think it’s down more truly competitive games in the calendar.

[dropkick]

Interestingly, Ian Foster said something that I've been thinking for a while. Have the All Blacks suffered from not playing Saffer teams week in week out in Super Rugby? Conversely this will benefit Ireland over time too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXtodd7VGzo&t=316s

That was one of the big talking points when it was announced they were joining. Take munster for example. Since Penney left the munster tactic has basically been all about bullying teams. They throw the ball around a bit more but plan A is always win penalties, kick to the corner, maul, try. In the first season of the South Africans, Munster have been found out. That's good for Munster and Irish rugby.


That's just one obvious example. I don't think it does leinster any good either to cruise through the season. Part of the reason for getting knocked out in Europe is the French teams are more battle hardened and are more used to dogfights while it's a shock for some leinster players. Ross Byrne for example. He's just not used to being put under pressure.

[Flash Gordon]

Interestingly, Ian Foster said something that I've been thinking for a while. Have the All Blacks suffered from not playing Saffer teams week in week out in Super Rugby? Conversely this will benefit Ireland over time too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXtodd7VGzo&t=316s

That was one of the big talking points when it was announced they were joining. Take munster for example. Since Penney left the munster tactic has basically been all about bullying teams. They throw the ball around a bit more but plan A is always win penalties, kick to the corner, maul, try. In the first season of the South Africans, Munster have been found out. That's good for Munster and Irish rugby.


That's just one obvious example. I don't think it does leinster any good either to cruise through the season. Part of the reason for getting knocked out in Europe is the French teams are more battle hardened and are more used to dogfights while it's a shock for some leinster players. Ross Byrne for example. He's just not used to being put under pressure.

Yep, definitely good for us. While it was fun to go through a season winning every game and putting 50 points on teams with our 2nd team you don't really learn and develop as you say. Ross has been playing behind a pack going forward and had time, that's not going to happen in test match rugby or the final stages of the champions cup. I becomes more difficult for some teams and some players if things are tighter and perhaps exposes development needs - I think Luke McGrath's game might fall into that camp too.