Search results

And that extended version highlights every possible piece of Wallaby merchandise available. Champagne marketing.

Obviously the NRL (and AFL) didn't allow any of their players to advertise the competition. Mark Schwarzer is nevertheless a good addition to emphasise the appeal across codes for teh RWC - I guess the FFA has no ability to tell him what to do.

If I remember correctly, Louie, the team figured it would be better for him to start as he could be fully warmed up and know when he would be running on, rather than sitting on the bench and possibly needing to run on at a moment's notice. Made sense to me - I don't think anyone was expecting...

Huh? How is this Hickey's fault? Would you have rested TPN in a do-or-die match against a team that was starting to play to its considerable potential?

Whoah, Danix, we're crossing the Rubicon now....claiming that ANZ has better atmosphere than the SFS? Them's fightin' words. Not saying you're wrong, but it does go somewhat against the "accepted wisdom".

Free tickets don't guarantee a good crowd - if you don't pay your own money for the tickets, why care if you miss it? Honestly, people can get into Tahs matches for a pretty reasonable price this year, I don't think that's been holding the attendances down...

And I will be shamelessly enjoying a 5 minute walk from home to a free bus that will drop me by the stadium in 20 minutes, rather than the joy of paying $10 in tolls to arrive somewhere in the region of the SFS in somewhere between 30 and 90 minutes. And likewise after the game.

Not a big deal I reckon. Friday and Saturday are supposed to be dry, mostly sunny, which is plenty of time for the surface to drain. I don't think I've seen problems with the turf cutting up at ANZ ever, really. Perhaps it's the one good thing about the stands being back from the field - plenty...

Well, Barnes has a better league pedigree than any of those - perhaps shows the class of the guy that "offers from league" don't seem to have come up during negotiations with him as much as with some others. I still think it's unlikely either Beale or QC (Quade Cooper) will take a pay cut to go to league any...

Agree in theory, but there's still a lot of head impacts in league - I would have thought more than rugby, actually. Shoulder charges that maybe don't primarily hit the head, but the head still cops some of the blow, guys who cop forearms as a second or third tacklers come in, there's plenty of...

Agree, WB3, defensive players in the NFL view the padding as a means to allow them to hit harder, rather than to protect the tackled player. Whilst they may be cracking down on the most egregious head-first hits, the head is still involved in a large number of those tackles. Also note that...

Must be desparately frustrating for him. Good luck, a wise decision in the circumstances I think - hope we get to see him again on the field sometime in the future.

Hmmm, I feel a McKenzie/Burke moment coming on...

Thomond, thanks for that link, it seems like a good policy and particularly a very thorough examination of the player returning after a concussion. I can see how Berrick was struggling through those middle stages of the recovery process with feeling nauseous after training sessions, etc. It does...

Top-flight neurologists? Bah, who needs 'em... http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/concussion-recognition-response/id436009132?mt=8

Do you mean the ref made that "place the ball, then move it forward" motion with his hands? What is the appropriate signal in that circumstance?

How do you define the way "it's meant to be done?"

Samo should talk to Tatafu about the 'fro's ability to stop concussions...

There's been a few other threads in relation to this this year, but Barnes does raise an interesting point about the back of the head, which is less padded in most headgear designs, where the laces are. The point about the comparison to boxing is also interesting. I would think the most...

I see 9 didn't even show the Origin game in HD - last year it was shown in 3D, this year not even HD. I don't like the RWC's chances of getting HD - perhaps if it clashes with a NRL finals game and has to be "shunted" off to the HD channel.