All Blacks

[Hesi]

Alarm bells must be ringing.  Out played against Ireland and France.  I'm not a fan of Ian Foster, a watered down version of Steve Hansen.  They need a new regime, and that will come from the flair that a personality like Scott Robertson can bring, and he can coach.

 

[Gordy]

They should have waited till after this tour before they extended Fosters contract till after the next World Cup.

Maybe it was just the result of being away from home for so long they just got stale and un motivated.

Better to be losing now and not World Cup year, like South Africa did before the last cup.

[pete]

Should bring Razor in but I bet they won't.

[Hesi]

51 minutes ago, Gordy said:

They should have waited till after this tour before they extended Fosters contract till after the next World Cup.

Maybe it was just the result of being away from home for so long they just got stale and un motivated.

Better to be losing now and not World Cup year, like South Africa did before the last cup.

If that is the case, they are a bunch of overpaid, prima donna pussies

Fred Allen would of had them for breakfast if there was any such suggestion

 

[Turny]

Foster a couple of levels beyond his skill set and his 2IC doesn't have a flash record.

Only one choice, but not sure he would be keen to take it.

Just wonder if there are deeper issues within the group, they look flat with no fire within

Changes needed at coach and player level, just maybe Kieran Reid saw it unfolding from within and took the safe path out - just maybe

As for Foster saying it was a great atmosphere and good game to watch, one atom of advice look at scoreboard before you cliche off with ...rugby is the winner shyte...

Edited November 21, 2021 by Turny

[Hesi]

26 minutes ago, Turny said:

Foster a couple of levels beyond his skill set and his 2IC doesn't have a flash record.

Only one choice, but not sure he would be keen to take it.

Just wonder if there are deeper issues within the group, they look flat with no fire within

Changes needed at coach and player level, just maybe Kieran Reid saw it unfolding from within and took the safe path out - just maybe

As for Foster saying it was a great atmosphere and good game to watch, one atom of advice look at scoreboard before you cliche off with ...rugby is the winner shyte...

Who is your only choice

[Midnight Caller]

My opinion  probably  counts for sweet F A, as you blokes are on the ground in rugger land! I'm  not sure what you (and those quality(not) Kiwi journos)are crying about.These autumn end of season tours have always been the "gravy boat" for the NZRU. Results from these matches mean very little but pride.Every Northern Hemisphere team are up for the match, as The AB's are still the benchmark for alot of teams.

Hanson and the squads he had are a hard act to  follow for  Fozzy,  and Robertson has to bide his time(is he the messiah?I'm  not convinced) with professional  rugby the way it is, the World Cup is all that counts and alot of teams work on this 4 year cycle. Ireland were up for it last week and with the unpredictable French, you just don't  know  which team(the good,the bad, or the ugly) is going to turn up on the day.

Personally, the best match experiences I've had were in Paris. Prematch, match and aftermatch! A brilliant  crowd, can be very intimidating atmosphere at times, the old Parc des Prince my all time fav with Cardiff Arms a close 2nd and Edinburgh 3rd

The sky isn't falling yet fellas!

 

Edited November 22, 2021 by Midnight Caller

[Turny]

1 hour ago, Hesi said:

Who is your only choice

Razor

[Hesi]

Just now, Turny said:

Razor

OK was just checking when you said he probably would not want it

5 Super Rugby gongs in a row, so he can coach, but it's not about that.  Robertson is a personality and says what he thinks.  That will translate into the style he trains and the way the game is being played

Rugby in NZ needs that, it needs a personality.  Participation nos dropping

Foster is like watching paint dry

[Maximus]

Max does, surprisingly enuf, have an opinion on the ABs Northern Tour.

• far too many unforced errors
• failure to win enuf of the set pieces
• Perenara too slow to let the ball go and far too full of himself
• A timely reality check for Foster et al -NZR wont chuck him unless ABs lose a lot next year
• If next year we continue to kick the ball away a la Sud Afrique, Max will can watching the ABs and replace it with tiddlywinks

MM

[Hesi]

17 minutes ago, Maximus said:

Max does, surprisingly enuf, have an opinion on the ABs Northern Tour.

• far too many unforced errors
• failure to win enuf of the set pieces
• Perenara too slow to let the ball go and far too full of himself
• A timely reality check for Foster et al -NZR wont chuck him unless ABs lose a lot next year
• If next year we continue to kick the ball away a la Sud Afrique, Max will can watching the ABs and replace it with tiddlywinks

MM

Try watching the NRL from the start of the season, then the preview/review programs  during the week.  I'm finding it a quantum leap up from watching the AB's and the biased NZ review and preview stuff

[Maximus]

38 minutes ago, Hesi said:

Try watching the NRL from the start of the season, then the preview/review programs  during the week.  I'm finding it a quantum leap up from watching the AB's and the biased NZ review and preview stuff

used to love watching the 'Winfield Cup in the 1990s early 2000s ...NRL now though is the prime example of over-hyped ,over-exposed. over-talked-about, over-analysed, over-full of blonde spunky Ozzie girls doing 'serious sports reporting' while accidentally-on-purpose showing off their other significant assets..it's BS, Hesi.
30 mins of game highlights per week is all any genuine sports lover needs.

MM 

Edited November 22, 2021 by Maximus

[Hesi]

Yvonne Sampson is very good at running NRL360 Live, and she is not blonde, but get what you are saying about the presence of other female presenters.  It is to change the image more to a family thing, away from the male macho stuff.  Even in Aus they have to do that sort of stuff, to keep the game relevant

NRL 360 Live has very good analysts, all former players.  Bypass the Matty Johns stuff, unless you want a corny laugh

[barryb]

8 hours ago, Maximus said:

used to love watching the 'Winfield Cup in the 1990s early 2000s ...NRL now though is the prime example of over-hyped ,over-exposed. over-talked-about, over-analysed, over-full of blonde spunky Ozzie girls doing 'serious sports reporting' while accidentally-on-purpose showing off their other significant assets..it's BS, Hesi.
30 mins of game highlights per week is all any genuine sports lover needs.

MM 

Agree entirely, I even went to the Warriors grand final. This yr I haven’t watched a game, the shitful Warriors performances certainly helps put people off.

I have given up on Union as well, used to even bet on it stacks as well.  No one my family is interested so I never get exposed to it anymore.

Same with fishing actually, used to go about 30 times a yr, & have mega $ worth of gear, but since Covid I haven’t even been to a beach. Fishing got boring, nothing left to catch & technology has made boat fishing unskilled and a bore. 
I think Covid has changed many peoples interests & driven people to become recluses.

[JustPlodded]

1 hour ago, barryb said:

I have given up on Union as well, used to even bet on it stacks as well.  No one my family is interested so I never get exposed to it anymore.

I have talked to a few friends and we are not alone in this opinion Barry.
I played rugby from young fella to "should have given it away last year" age. But the simple fact is the game has changed more than any other sport i can think of.
Apart from the odd scrum (that take about 2 years to get through with all the PC crap around them) the forwards arrive at a "breakdown", one puts his finger on the player and the rest spread out along the backline. Then it is "league style" one off runs for another 10 minutes until someone aimlessly kicks the ball away. Yawn!
I switched on at 9.05 Sunday, watched 5 minutes of the game and thought "they have learned nothing from last week" and switched over to watch a College American football match.

[Hesi]

Missed a good game Geoff, the French played wonderful structured running rugby.  We seem to play unstructured 15's(a la 7's) type rugby.  We get away with it most times, as we have players who are fast and athletic.

You might remember a few of the older French legends, like Walter Spanghero, Jo Maso and Pierre Villepreux

[Maximus]

18 minutes ago, Hesi said:

Missed a good game Geoff, the French played wonderful structured running rugby.  We seem to play unstructured 15's(a la 7's) type rugby.  We get away with it most times, as we have players who are fast and athletic.

You might remember a few of the older French legends, like Walter Spanghero, Jo Maso and Pierre Villepreux

 

villepreux remembered for just one kick ...from the Athletic Park mud ...but Serge Blanco was my fave Frenchie!

[Midnight Caller]

1 hour ago, Maximus said:

 

villepreux remembered for just one kick ...from the Athletic Park mud ...but Serge Blanco was my fave Frenchie!

Loving your work Maxi!  Silky Serg  was outstanding at fullback for the French in the 80's/ early 90's.All on 90(ciggies) a day!

That's #15 taken care of, let's fill the other positions with French legends.

#14 Lagisquet- by a nose 👃

[pete]

Prop - Robert Paparemborde.

Sadly died of cancer aged 52 in 2001.

[Midnight Caller]

Just now, pete said:

Prop - Robert Paparemborde.

Sadly died of cancer aged 52 in 2001.

Would be in my front row Pete,we are counting down from 15!🙂

[pete]

Other prop would be Gerald Cholley. Those guys were mean dudes.

[pete]

Just now, Midnight Caller said:

Would be in my front row Pete,we are counting down from 15!🙂

Ok sorry.

[Midnight Caller]

Just now, pete said:

Other prop would be Gerald Cholley. Those guys were mean dudes.

You've  gone to early! #14 and then the hard boys😁

[pete]

#13 Philippe Sella

[Hesi]

Philippe Sella

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39734000/jpg/_39734889_sella.jpg Born: 14 Feb 1962 Nationality: French Position: Centre/Wing Caps: 111 Debut: v Romania 31/10/82 Last Test: v England 22/06/95 Did you know? Sella's record of 111 caps was recently broken by England's Jason Leonard Pick your own dream XV Philippe Sella was the world's best centre for much of the 80's and early 90's, a fact made evident by his presence in the French team for 13 consecutive seasons. He held the record number of international caps - 111- for the best part of 13 years and was as gifted as any player in history. His rugby philosophy ("it's all about running across the turf and passing a ball around with a few friends") was almost embarrassingly simple, but his execution of it often proved deadly. Former French coach Jacques Fouroux described Sella as having, "the strength of a bull but the touch of a piano player", while England's Jeremy Guscott once described being tackled by Sella, "like being hit by a telephone box swinging on the end of a crane."