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The Rugby Thread

E17yid

Well-Known Member
Jan 21, 2013
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General ball skills/hands, that’s what I meant. Not the intricacies of the set piece of course, I’m talking basic playing skills.
League players are undoubtedly fitter on average, by a distance too. Union has a fair amount of breaks and stoppages etc, it’s obviously more power based too so the players will tend to be bigger overall, reducing fitness.

As I say I prefer Union because it has more to the game. I have huge respect for League though

Ok that makes more sense. I don’t think anyone would argue against the fact that you have to have a much broader set of skills to play union. League is just so basic in terms of general play whereas, imo, union id more fluid (breakdown) and the fact you actually have positions in union. In league the props are basically the same as a full back.
 

E17yid

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Jan 21, 2013
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Also union is much more tactical and is more of a thinking mans game so you have to be able to read the game a lot better in union.
 

Deggsy56

Active Member
Aug 17, 2018
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I tried a few minutes of the Bath game yesterday. One player on one side booted up the field, opposition player picked it up and booted it back again, they all piledon then a line out ! 5 minutes was enough for me. Nobody runs with ball !!! It's a wonder they score at all !!
 

E17yid

Well-Known Member
Jan 21, 2013
16,985
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I tried a few minutes of the Bath game yesterday. One player on one side booted up the field, opposition player picked it up and booted it back again, they all piledon then a line out ! 5 minutes was enough for me. Nobody runs with ball !!! It's a wonder they score at all !!

With all due respect you clearly don’t watch much union.
 

E17yid

Well-Known Member
Jan 21, 2013
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30,495
General ball skills/hands, that’s what I meant. Not the intricacies of the set piece of course, I’m talking basic playing skills.
League players are undoubtedly fitter on average, by a distance too. Union has a fair amount of breaks and stoppages etc, it’s obviously more power based too so the players will tend to be bigger overall, reducing fitness.

As I say I prefer Union because it has more to the game. I have huge respect for League though

I think the fact that there’s no breakdown in league means that you can’t really say they’re clearly a lot fitter than union players. In union if you have a ref that lets the game flow the strength and endurance you need to be a forward working at the breakdown for 80mibs is immense and something league players can’t relate to at all.

I have a lot of respect for league to especially from an organised defence point of view but it’s just wash, rinse , repeat in terms of pop run tackle. It’s a shit spectacle. Also, coz the defences are so well organised and there isn’t much variety in terms of attack that you always see players teaming up for double hits, a lot more than in union
 

E17yid

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Jan 21, 2013
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I know it was last week but did anyone watch the SA v NZ and Arg v Oz games. Incredible matches.
 

E17yid

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Jan 21, 2013
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I see B.Vunipola has broke his arm and will miss the Autumn internationals. Guy can’t catch a break (pun not intended)

Hughes is kind of suspended isn’t he? Or awaiting a decision on whether he will be suspended and Simmonds is injured so a chance for someone to stake a claim who wouldn’t usually get an opportunity
 

teok

Well-Known Member
Aug 11, 2011
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England are completely screwed for the upcoming internationals. Off the top of my head forwards injured/unavailable:

Marler
Genge
M Vunipola
Obano
Lawes
Launchbury
Itoje
Isiekwe
Willis
Haskell
B Vunipola
Simmonds
Hughes
 

mpickard2087

Patient Zero
Jun 13, 2008
21,886
32,513
At some point they are going to have to do something about the workload of these players, particularly England but in other countries too. It's just getting a bit silly now going into international games with a constant number of players missing and being unable to build any consistency, and it's not like the standard of the Premiership (at European level especially) is improving at the moment and injuries/minutes played must be having an impact.

I hope at some point quality wins over quantity, seems a long way off though.
 

teok

Well-Known Member
Aug 11, 2011
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33,609
At some point they are going to have to do something about the workload of these players, particularly England but in other countries too. It's just getting a bit silly now going into international games with a constant number of players missing and being unable to build any consistency, and it's not like the standard of the Premiership (at European level especially) is improving at the moment and injuries/minutes played must be having an impact.

I hope at some point quality wins over quantity, seems a long way off though.

The only way to solve the problem is to be like NZ or ireland which we can't so we are fucked. They won't accept less games because of the money. I don't even know what the answer is.

It's completely ruining the sport in my opinion. Just who ever has the least amount of injuries that given week. It's not sustainable as a product.
 

mpickard2087

Patient Zero
Jun 13, 2008
21,886
32,513
The only way to solve the problem is to be like NZ or ireland which we can't so we are fucked. They won't accept less games because of the money. I don't even know what the answer is.

It's completely ruining the sport in my opinion. Just who ever has the least amount of injuries that given week. It's not sustainable as a product.

Yeah the main problem is the power the clubs have, plus that a number of them still rely quite heavily on the gate receipts.

If there was a point in the future where a TV deal would make it viable for the clubs, I'd be very radical - I'd go to a 14 team league (the current 12, plus London Irish and Leeds despite current difficulties) and teams just play each other once a season, and like the Six Nations alternating each year between the extra home/away fixture.

No promotion/relegation and say every 5 years things are re-assessed on various criteria and teams have to be re-licenced and that opens the door to any outstanding Championship club that had put in place the infrastructure/academy etc, either to replace or as an expansion team.

Less games but hopefully a reduction in workload and injury and so players are at somewhere close to 100% most of the time and can show their full ability. Allows for plenty of rest, and also can work around international/European competitions (which I'd also change/cut tbh) and so you don't have players missing because of other commitments.
 

Japhet

Well-Known Member
Aug 30, 2010
19,232
57,392
England are completely screwed for the upcoming internationals. Off the top of my head forwards injured/unavailable:

Marler
Genge
M Vunipola
Obano
Lawes
Launchbury
Itoje
Isiekwe
Willis
Haskell
B Vunipola
Simmonds
Hughes


Great chance for a whole bunch of players to stake a claim though.
 

E17yid

Well-Known Member
Jan 21, 2013
16,985
30,495
Good time to play NZ, though. Obviously sucks to have big players out but there won’t be any expectation on 3rd/4th choice players to beat NZ and always good to see how fringe players perform
In big games.

SA is first up though, right? You need to win that really. Bad loss there and I could see a 30 plus point beating against NZ but go into that game with a bit of confidence by beating the Boks and you could make s good game of it

Having said all that these Autumn internationals aren’t very important at all really (in terms of WC prep) obviously it’s akeays good to get momentum and confidence etc etc but the 6N and warm up games/WC preparations are far more important.
 
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