Roar Guru
Joined May 2019
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Jason Ryan’s All Black pack has a hard row to hoe. It doesn’t just need to do the usual jobs – ruling the air…
Kiwis aren’t exactly renowned for flying in the very longest or shortest running events at the Olympic Games. In the extreme distance events it’s…
While Scott Robertson has had plenty of judgement since taking over as All Blacks coach, it's time to rate the players in his first year in charge.
Since the 1890s, the story of English rugby has been one of great underlying potential, limited by the long term consequences of a zealous…
Recency bias in strategic planning is dangerous. All of us tend to use our short term memories to understand what’s going on and what…
Three defeats to Argentina in a few short years. A national game under threat from wealthy Northern Hemisphere clubs and recalcitrant provincial unions. A…
Fans call it Evergreen and it was one of the greatest chess matches played during the “romantic” era of the game in the 19th…
For many years the myrtle green jersey of the Springboks was a sight to be feared, worn by huge, granite hard warriors who loved…
Let’s face it, us All Blacks fans are notorious for our stratospheric expectations. We’re used to winning – certainly at home to a country…
We’ve finally reached that moment of truth when the top Super Rugby teams need to find their best form for the playoffs, and Test…
New coach, new World Cup cycle, new players. With plenty of scope for change and three months of Super Rugby behind us, possibilities abound…
They used to be the laughing stock of the Six Nations. Winners of the wooden spoon 18 times in 24 years. Never escaping from…
It was the was the ultimate mix of old and new; and the greatest display of wet weather rugby we’re ever likely to see.…
So many predictions, so many expectations. The game’s greatest stage, to be graced by perhaps the greatest golden generations of its two greatest nations.…
This World Cup is a once in a generation opportunity for a mid-tier rugby nation, ranked sixth or lower in the world. First, it’s…
Rugby nations can’t truly peak for every World Cup. In any country some generations will be better than others and when those generations reach…
Gimli the dwarf and Legolas the elf assess the prospects of their their army ahead of the climactic, existential battle in JRR Tolkien’s The…
First, a burning question. Has Eddie Jones transformed his whole selection strategy based on these golden generation articles? OK that’s pretty far-fetched, but equally…
Centre Court, Wimbledon, Monday 9 July 2001. The gentlemen’s singles final between Aussie Pat Rafter and Croat Goran Ivanisevic is being held a day…
Yokohama, Japan. 7pm Saturday 26 October to 6pm Saturday 2 November 2019. For almost exactly a week, England and their charismatic Australian coach Eddie…
It’s been one of the hidden success stories of this year – we suddenly have a scrum that can match anyone. Not sure who to credit – scrum coach or the front row.
The Wrap: Imagine how invincible the Chiefs would be if they shared players with the Warriors?
Nice one as always Geoff.
Well done for singling out that last Chiefs try an absolutely brutal example of rubbing the nose of a beaten pack into the mud. It’s a mark of respect to the Borg that it was so enjoyable.
The Wrap: Imagine how invincible the Chiefs would be if they shared players with the Warriors?
And flankers. And proper scrums, rucks and mauls.
The Wrap: Imagine how invincible the Chiefs would be if they shared players with the Warriors?
Oh do get a grip. Going from a 52% win rate under Kidney to 72% under Schmidt is a huge “bump.” He took them from a team that had the occasional peak but were otherwise serial losers into a team that had not just the peaks but also the confidence to consistently win and remain near the top of the world rankings. As you say the only thing left is to win big knockout matches.
And you really do need to stop looking for excuses. Injuries happen. Yes we moaned about Barnes and we had a centre at ten because Carter and Evans both broke down during the match but we recognised our weaknesses and did something about it. I’m sure that Ireland and Leinster are trying to do the same thing.
'We punched them in the face': Aussie trio star in epic Leinster takedown, Barrett benching torched
That’s a great story. Sounds like the start of a joke in a British cabaret. An Englishman, an Irishman and a Welshman…
An American Super Rugby franchise? An Australian NFL team makes much more sense
You can try to argue that they didn’t deserve to be top four, but the fact is they were. They were ranked a long way ahead of Argentina in 2015 and Japan in 2019 and also ahead of NZ in 2023. Just like how Australia was elite in the 80s & 90s and England was beating everyone prior to the 03 cup.
These are facts, not silly quotes from nameless people. Australia and England were among the very top teams when they won. Ireland were too the last three times they’ve bombed out in the quarters. That’s a clear r
pattern of underperforming at the World Cup. (NZ also underperformed 1999-2007 but they sorted it out – Ireland need to do the same.)
'We punched them in the face': Aussie trio star in epic Leinster takedown, Barrett benching torched
What I’m saying is that Ireland’s 2014 and 2015 form was good enough to be a top seed but their pre Schmidt form meant that they were a second seed. That should be obvious. They’d proven themselves the best in the NH and also beaten SA, Australia and Argentina. Losing in the quarters to Argentina was a clear underachievement and their continued quarter final failures after then has become a clear pattern.
Btw I had to laugh when I read that “winning the Slam in 2009 and top a WC group in 2011 where much bigger than anything Joe did” considering that he also won a slam and a WC group along with two other Six Nations titles and a superior record against each of the Tri nations giants compared to his predecessor.
'We punched them in the face': Aussie trio star in epic Leinster takedown, Barrett benching torched
Four teams have won the World Cup. Two of them won it for the first time away from home and the other two couldn’t possibly have won it for the first time away from home because by the time they played a World Cup away from home they were already World Cup Champions! No team has won the World Cup at home and not also won it away.
And it’s not like winning the World Cup is the only thing Ireland has failed to do when it matters most. They haven’t even won a quarter final! Every single time it’s really mattered at a World Cup they’ve failed. As I said above, that’s crazy!
'We punched them in the face': Aussie trio star in epic Leinster takedown, Barrett benching torched
So much nonsense there Brendan.
You keep going on about pre-Schmidt history when he clearly had made them a different team. They won the 6n twice in a row AND they beat all the SANZAAR nations except us. Even the All Black loss was the closest we came to not winning all that season and relied on an incredible 80+ minute 70m try and retaken sideline conversion. And under Schmidt you whitewashed Argentina IN ARGENTINA! So to try to claim that Ireland wasn’t “in hot form” and wasn’t one of the favourites in 2015, and couldn’t be expected to beat Argentina because Cardiff is a couple of hundred miles from Dublin, is pretty amusing.
Yes you can make excuses for one bad tournament but three in a row when you’re one of the best teams in the world and can’t win a single knockout match? As I said above that’s crazy.
As for your claim that everyone including me expected Ireland to bomb out in both the pool and quarters, that’s utter tripe. I made Ireland and South Africa my two favourites, with NZ’s best players too old and France’s too inexperienced. Want proof? This is what I wrote about Ireland in my article:
“IRELAND – THE FOREVER QUARTERFINALISTS COULD TAKE IT ALL
“With an average of forty caps each yet most of their best players aged between 27 and 31, it’s hard to imagine a better age and experience profile. Complemented by the wily old foxes Johnny Sexton, Peter O’Mahony & Conor Murray, and the younger Dan Sheehan, Caelan Doris & Mack Hansen, it’s almost the perfect mix.
“They also have outstanding cohesion having played many Tests together, with a well established gameplan. Eighteen of the 33 play for Leinster and most of the others Munster, with the rest from the other two Irish provinces. All clubs in the same centralised system, which makes sure that their players are not burnt out with too many fixtures.
“With everything in their favour this is Ireland’s best ever chance to prove that it has graduated to the ranks of the great rugby nations.”
'We punched them in the face': Aussie trio star in epic Leinster takedown, Barrett benching torched
Harken to reason or shee will bee heard…
Staggering rise of an All Blacks No.10 bolter - 'he could develop into a special player in that position'
Yeah but us kiwis will be brilliant at having runners in front of the ball carrier 😊
An American Super Rugby franchise? An Australian NFL team makes much more sense
It was poor performance considering what Joe Schmidt showed they should have been achieving. Last century is irrelevant to 2015 considering how Ireland’s systems improved with the establishment of the national academy, Celtic League, bringing their players home etc.
Ireland were easily inside the top 4 of the world in 2015, 19 and 23. To convincingly lose to Argentina who struggled to make the top 8, Japan who were nowhere near the top 8 and NZ when they’d just beaten them in NZ. However you might try to spin it they have badly underperformed in the past three world cups.
'We punched them in the face': Aussie trio star in epic Leinster takedown, Barrett benching torched
Your excuses are getting embarrassing. Only 30% of world cups have been won by a home team and 2015’s was a few dozen minutes’ flight away.
'We punched them in the face': Aussie trio star in epic Leinster takedown, Barrett benching torched
To be fair on Hamish, he’s not advocating anything more than a couple of starts at ten from Love before the next RWC cycle. I’m a Chiefs fan and I don’t think JJ looks like being anything special, but Love has huge upside if the Canes continue to let him run the cutter. As was said above, Cameron doesn’t look test material so hopefully that happens.
Next year, with DMac away and Stevenson possibly gone I’d like to see either Harkin or Godfrey up here as the Canes don’t have room for everyone and these lads deserve the opportunity.
Staggering rise of an All Blacks No.10 bolter - 'he could develop into a special player in that position'
I was already on the love boat last year 😂
I think he’s a huge talent and as Hamish says, he’s got a great attitude.
Staggering rise of an All Blacks No.10 bolter - 'he could develop into a special player in that position'
They were second seeds because of poor performance before Schmidt, but that was hardly relevant once Schmidt had them beating everyone except us. And considering that the first seed in their pool was one of the teams they’d beaten in the 6n that’s no great handicap. In any case, it’s not as if they were thrashed by one of the best SH teams in the quarter finals, it was Argentina!
'We punched them in the face': Aussie trio star in epic Leinster takedown, Barrett benching torched
But it wasn’t just that they’d won the 6n, they’d also won their most recent matches against South Africa and Australia and very nearly beaten us too. If they weren’t one of the favourites who apart from NZ were?
'We punched them in the face': Aussie trio star in epic Leinster takedown, Barrett benching torched
I’ve said many times that I’d prefer a SRAU/SRA/crossover model with the current teams. Although the current model is a lot more practical than taking on codes that have always been much more popular by creating a Mickey Mouse version of their leagues.
I’ve already said in the comments to this article what needs to be done with the NPC.
The Wrap: As ever, parochialism in Australian rugby rears its head in battle over Kiss appointment
“Look South”
If you’re looking south from Australia or NZ you’re looking towards Antarctica 😂
Exclusive: Super Rugby considering USA expansion as World Rugby gets edgy over looming World Cup
Didn’t know that – I assumed that they would drop to last seed.
The Wrap: As ever, parochialism in Australian rugby rears its head in battle over Kiss appointment
I don’t think even Steve Tew at the height of his powers sent anyone to a Central Otago gulag 😂
It’s not a useful analogy.
The facts are that in rugby, the better aligned nations tend to over perform in the big countries while the likes of France and England tend to underperform.
The Wrap: As ever, parochialism in Australian rugby rears its head in battle over Kiss appointment
Yes but sometimes structures pass their use by date.
The Wrap: As ever, parochialism in Australian rugby rears its head in battle over Kiss appointment
It would make absolutely no sense to continue SRP when all the best players are away on international duty. If anything you’d want to start early so the best players are exciting fans at the business end
The provincial unions didn’t vote down “any governance changes” but they did insist that three people with provincial experience be included. I think the main issue is the number of NPC teams and money spent but as we both agree any lack of alignment including this hinders the country as a whole.
The Wrap: As ever, parochialism in Australian rugby rears its head in battle over Kiss appointment
The provinces do a good job of supplying new players and coaches to the super teams and it helps that the seasons don’t overlap. Certainly you don’t get the problem of personnel getting prevented from moving up.
Thirteen is probably too many teams though.
The Wrap: As ever, parochialism in Australian rugby rears its head in battle over Kiss appointment
Ainsley leaving can’t help
The Wrap: Imagine how invincible the Chiefs would be if they shared players with the Warriors?