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Northern Hemisphere Rugby Season 15/16

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waiopehu oldboy

waiopehu oldboy

George Smith (75)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^ yes but after halving the 24-week entry point he did add two weeks for prior naughtiness, that'll learn him & send a strongish message to would-be ref-shovers everywhere.
 
Shelts89

Shelts89

Tom Lawton (22)
CZgYcMQXEAEP1xD.jpg
 
Shelts89

Shelts89

Tom Lawton (22)
Leicester vs Stade must be the first time two teams were in the same pool and then got each other in the QFs surely.... I can't really remember it happeneing before.

Racing have easily been the team to beat this season. Wasps probably the next best team, though they had a really tough pool so unsurprising that they weren't hugely dominant.
 
KevinO

KevinO

Geoff Shaw (53)
Disappointing day for Irish and Pro 12 rugby. Hope Toulon or Stade can go on to win it, think they will struggle against Saracens.
 
KevinO

KevinO

Geoff Shaw (53)
^^and Murray, massive for Munster. Really need another big signing for next season. Hope we can hang onto Zebo. Have really missed O'Mahony this season to.
 
LMU

LMU

Allen Oxlade (6)
Came across the Montpellier game on the weekend which was refreshing after all the 7's. Nic White has lost the beard but kept the stash, looking very smooth and European ala Borat. ;)
 
KevinO

KevinO

Geoff Shaw (53)
Zebo has resigned for Munster and Ireland. Now just to sign Henshaw from Connacht and out back line will be solid.
 
the plastic paddy

the plastic paddy

John Solomon (38)
KevinO said:
Zebo has resigned for Munster and Ireland. Now just to sign Henshaw from Connacht and out back line will be solid.
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I hope Henshaw stays out west. With lads like Scannell, Bohane, Goggin and, potentially David Johnston I think Munster should be looking to utilise their own youngsters in the centre.

All the recent contract renewals have certainly renewed my faith in Ireland's ability to compete at club level with the money bags in England and France.
 
Lee Grant

Lee Grant

John Eales (66)
Hawko said:
We pedants are screaming! Zebo has re-signed for Munster and Ireland.
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Once I wrote that somebody was singed and some smart arse replied that he hoped the guy had recovered from his burns.

There is a preview of Six Nations here:


Give it a click.

We're intending to write some brief reports of the three games every week - just 400 words apiece because our core readers are more interested in SH rugby.

That's not a lot of words; so if anybody is interested in doing some writing send me a convo. We have a couple of Ireland fans so their games are well-covered.

Also - we will have a piece coming out after the weekend - 5 things about 6 Nations - Round 1.

If anybody thinks about a topic - it could be a referee decision or a new trend - or how the new coaches had their teams performing - a streaker - anything - just drop your thoughts in here and we may use them.

Thanks in advance.
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mxyzptlk

mxyzptlk

Colin Windon (37)
Lee Grant said:
If anybody thinks about a topic - it could be a referee decision or a new trend - or how the new coaches had their teams performing - a streaker - anything - just drop your thoughts in here and we may use them.
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A stat from the World Cup to keep an eye on:

During the World Cup, southern hemisphere teams scored 50% more tries than penalties, while northern hemisphere (European) teams scored 50% more penalties than tries.

It'll be interesting to see if that trend holds during the 6N, especially since the entirety of Europe seemed resigned to the fact that they were playing great rugby for 2003, but not 2015. There was chest-beating, there were howls, there were petitions and columns and gallons of ink spilled on how the northern sides were going to have to open up, learn some more skills, and learn to play a more complete game if they ever wanted to be relevant on the world stage again.

But in recent weeks, that kind of talk has been walked back: They have to play the conditions. The 6N is a different beast and every game matters, so sides can't take chances. Props don't need to be able to run or off-load. Off-loads are over-rated anyway, especially when the receivers have feet for hands. Possession and territory is what matters in the sleet, not core skills like passing and catching and running. Rob Howley even said on the BBC show Scrum V that since the teacher's strike in Wales (1985?), they stopped teaching skills at the school level (as if they couldn't work on skills some other place).

Ireland are weakened in the pack and lacking their past leadership; France and England are all brand new and untried and untested; Scotland are hopeful but will have to return to type in the snow; and Italy shouldn't even be there, so they'll have to play attritional 8-man rugby to keep the game close since they have no backs and no one who can kick. Which is to say we should expect a lot of scrum resents, kicking for territory, and playing for penalties, which will only re-affirm the southern hemisphere's lock on creative, attacking, scoreboard-dominant rugby that's also entertaining to watch.

And if this is the case, Europe will be beating their chests, howling, petitioning, and spilling gallons of ink in columns when the southern hemisphere dominates the 2019 World Cup and Japan makes it to the knock-out rounds. "Why can't our forwards off-load?"

Also got a kick out of this George North bit from ESPN:

"For me it would be nice to step away from Northampton now, get a different stimulus. [Wales] want to play a quick game and an open game and that suits me down to the ground.


"I want to be on the wing, I want to have that space to run at people and have the opportunity, rather than carrying straight into a [defensive] wall.

"Sometimes you need to be that guy, which I don't mind doing. But when you've got the opportunity to have 50 metres of space and you can open the taps, there's nothing better in the world than doing that."
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So you're saying you want space and don't run into defensive walls in a Wales jersey? Let's look at the recent record:
CoarseWaterloggedAmericancicada.gif

North runs about 30 meters out of his way and out of an open channel into a defensive wall in the middle of the field. That's probably like what we can expect more of, no matter what they claim. That and more HIA's for North and Sexton -- who'll probably knock each other out by the 7th phase of play in their 6N opening fixture.

Another angle to consider during the 6N is how a bonus points system might figure into the tournament. People were wild about the final day of the 2015 6N because of how wide-open and high-scoring it was. Some have argued that if there were bonus points, we'd never have had that day. But how many days like that have occurred in past 6N? And with a bonus point to play for, would we see more games approach the level of the 2015 final day?
 
Lee Grant

Lee Grant

John Eales (66)
Wow - interesting stuff in there mxyzptik - so are you able to watch 6N rugby in your neck of the woods??

6N are against bonus points because teams either have two games at home and three away — or vice-versa.

They think that the teams with three home games in any year have an inherent advantage and that a bonus point system would only magnify that.

Just saying …

OK mate - so tell me that you are putting your hand up to write on 6 Nations this year. You could write 400 words no problem at all.

Anybody else ??
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