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Yeah but the good ones wouldn't, and particularly not for another top tier side. McCaw would never pull on a Scotland jersey, Cooper would never play for NZ, Rathbone would never play for SA. You'd just see temporary/occasional reps going off and strengthening weaker sides, spreading rugby nous...

Enforcer, I couldn't agree more. I think the way around excessive poaching is to have a requirement of a few years international inactivity, and pre-existing eligibility (e.g. Grandmother rule). You'd still get some unsatisfactory results where big teams picked up players from smaller teams...

I'd be pretty interested to know who Andy Ellis pissed off and how.. Good luck to Kerr-Barlow, regardless. Good young player, and I'm certain he won't be a one-cap wonder.

Haha, cummins. Man I'm glad he got a chance. Good luck to him.

As a New Zealander who lives in Bondi, I resent but completely concede that.

Shag Hansen has had a bit of a dig at the ARU for poaching kiwi players - some examples are listed in the article, and frankly they're pretty few and far between. For the sake of not starting a shit fight, and for an example of a much bigger culprit, England (Tuilagi, Waldrom etc.) might be a...

Just out of interest, who are the mods? There's a list in the rules thread, but it seems slightly out of date.

Over-reaction isn't the exclusive domain of any one country mate.

You banned that Randalf guy, so the system works enough to keep me happy.

Are there any other restrictions during a suspension? Can't train with the team, etc.?

What surprised me was how rattled Richie was after the incident. The obvious send-off that he gave Woodcock after his yellow was really out of character.

Ah really? I thought the decision to fight Geale again was an interesting and out of character one. He's going to get a sound beating.

I think aside from the back-row they have a great deal of depth, and even there I thought all the various 7s they used last year were pretty reasonable. And remember hoeata can play 6.

Then, genuinely, good on him.

And on burgess, don't pick him. Kingi is an under-rated footballer.

He could have a bit of a wait ahead of him... I reckon Perenara v Smith is going to be the defining ABs positional battle of the next couple of world cup cycles. Very good player though, like a Cowan in defence without all the convictions, and I'd love him to get a shot.

Is that current? One of them looks like Barnes, and surely he can't do stair runs with a punctured lung? Particularly since he was really smashing it out.

It would be an incredible signing. He doesn't do those ridiculously awesome self-passes and stuff any more, but he's still one of those players who make everyone around them look better. And, as one of the most popular rugby players in the world, the crowd might even stop booing their own team.

Fuuuck. Who would have picked this a couple of years ago?

You're being a touch unfair there mate. The other leading scrummies are who? Mike Phillips is a bit of a basket-case, Ben Youngs isn't in the form he was (as far as I know, don't watch that much northern club rugby), Pienaar isn't great, Aaron Smith is in his first year in tests... Genia is...