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Yeah league is pretty popular in New Zealand - particularly around Auckland. The All Blacks will always be the big ticket, but quite a few people prefer the NRL to Super Rugby. A lot of people support both - it doesn't have quite the same split (although there is still plenty of banter)...

Don't think anyone is denying that there are grubs in rugby. It's just that most of them are english:

I was one of those casting aspersions. Apologies if it somewhat derailed the thread - I was just surprised to see Ali Williams still getting raps. This is also a very good point.

This is totally apropos of nothing, but South Africa played Niue in rugby league on Saturday and lost 48-4. Niue has a population of 1,600. I know nobody in SA plays league, but you'd think they'd be able to rustle together a couple of club rugby players just with the promise of representing...

I don't think it's worth bagging out league like that - it just gets people's backs up. It's a perfectly fine sport, it just doesn't have either rucks or swing-bowling so I'm not particularly interested in it.

How do they do that actually?

Depends how they calculate pub viewers. It must have been on every screen.

I'm also curious about this. A kid that size should be a shoo-in for 1sts.

I'm hearing rumours that Joe Schmidt is leaving Ireland on compassionate grounds. Hopefully he and his family are okay. Can anyone confirm the departure? Edit: in case anyone reads this down the line and freaks out - apparently it's not true. Teaches me to believe water cooler chat.

Lee - my opportunities to attend games are pretty limited, but I'll drop you a line if I get the chance to do so. I would most likely be going to Cranbrook games.

For clarity: I would still start Fardy. I'd try to shoehorn Pocock in at 8.

I understand what you mean, and I've even expressed the same view over the course of this thread (my views on this subject are pretty schizophrenic). However, one of the great beauties of rugby is that there are a million and one ways to skin the proverbial cat. I genuinely think you've got...

Yeah, there is an element of 'do what your opposition doesn't want you to do'. I'm sure most oppositions would rather face what is still going to be a fairly average line-out and only have have to deal with one of Pooper, than face a genuinely pretty limited line-out and have to deal with both.

Jesus.

This probably contravenes a few forum rules, but I'd love to punch JON right in the face.

Broadly, I agree - but the real downside is in defending line-outs. If the other team can throw to the back with impunity, you're going to be defending a lot of backline plays off great wide front-foot ball.

I think Fardy and Read are very different players, and in a lot of ways Hooper could more accurately replicate Read's most impressive contributions (being his ball-carrying). Obviously there are still big differences.

My 'McCaw-being-criticised' google alert went off. I think he's building - and I thought he was really strong last night. Back to playing a classic 7 role over the ball, and made Luatua his personal bitch on a few occasions. As regards the Pocock/Hooper debate - I'm not saying anything new...

Hmmm - Argentina, USA, Canada, Uruguay, Chile, Brazil. Pretty big range of quality there. Argentina would destroy the likes of Brazil.

There are a couple of things in life that I will never understand, and one of them is the logic behind kicking away set-piece ball. On about three occasions towards the back-end of last night's game the Force won line-out ball (typically at 2, if memory serves, but still reasonably clean ball)...