Search results

Another thing - if the Shute Shield can get itself on FTA once a week, then surely some sort of similar deal could be done to get 1 game per week of NRC on FTA. I don't even think Fox would mind. The NRC is not a premium product, and they can only benefit from more people starting to watch...

I reckon it'll be no less open. It may even be more because we'll play with more adventure than Ireland did. That doesn't mean as many tries will be scored but I can't see either team turning into England like South Africa and New Zealand did.

I said it in the ideas thread, but start the season with a NSW double header. Make it a celebration of grassroots rugby with people encouraged to go in their club jerseys or colours. Cheap tickets, various food and craft beer tents, maybe a band, perhaps a high quality sevens match between the...

Juan Martin Hernandez has signed too.

So what? That doesn't change anything about what I said. Rain doesn't excuse everything. Rain didn't cause the AB's to give away so many soft penalties. It didn't cause South Africa to offer nothing in attack besides kicks and mauls - sure, it made it harder, but they were playing the same way...

I thought it was a pretty poor game, only interesting because it was close and the context. The Springboks offered absolutely nothing in attack besides the maul and up and unders, while the All Blacks kept them in it through stupid, unnecessary penalties and by kicking the ball away too many...

Fair enough. Guess they'll stop using the same name for their national A team then.

Yeah I don't necessarily see them as being stronger than a team like the Brumbies next year, but they'll be among the strongest in the competition. I assume they'll probably rotate their squad more than other sides too. It'll be interesting to see what they call it. They already use the...

Didn't realise Argentina's locks are 22 and 20! Crazy. They'll still be a relatively young lock pairing at the next world cup! Guido Petti was 12 and in the stands when a few of his now teammates made the semi final in 2007.

The positive for Japan of having guys in other teams is that it will allow them to build more depth for the national team. But those next players have to be good enough to compete and maybe they aren't yet. From the sounds of it the JRFU really have to make some serious reforms from...

Fingers crossed that the risk of playing Folau and Pocock pays off and that they'll still be right to play in the final should we make it.

It'd be a real shame as Goromaru would probably be the most recognisable player in Japan after the world cup. The SunWolves need players like him, not just to be competitive, but to draw crowds and media interest etc.

Bosch is like their Conrad Smith, he'd always start when fit. Plus, his ability to kick goals from over 50 is a pretty big plus in a knockout game.

Well they were missing Matera and Hernandez, who are two of their most important players IMO. They'll also have Bosch back this week and he is an excellent defender and kicks goals from 50+. But more relevant is that Argentina have been playing better in this tournament so far than they did in...

The scariest thing about this game IMO, is that for the first time in the tournament it's not a game I feel is 'on our racquet' - to use a tennis term. Against Wales, England and Scotland we dictated most of the play, took on the risks, and the result was determined by how accurate we were...

Everyone's starting to get very optimistic now that it's late in the week and the anguish of the performance against Scotland has faded into a vague memory.

If Folau were to miss this game, and we win with Beale playing another really good match, what are the chances of Beale usurping Folau for the final even if Izzy is fit?

I hope the Wallabies really go out and try to win the anthems. We're against the best in the world, but we thrive on underdog status. If we can win the anthems it will really throw Argentina and I think it'd be worth a couple of tries in the first 5-10 minutes.

The way I see it we have better discipline and defence while attack and the set piece is fairly even. Breakdown dominance may well come down to whether Pocock is fit and firing. I think they have more good pilfering / counter-rucking players than we do, but no one in Pocock's league. Kicking...

Yeah, but Figallo is world class (he was named tighthead prop of the tournament in 2011 and that was when he was 23). He'd be lacking match fitness though so might not be so strong at the moment.