November Internationals (excluding Wallabies & NZ)
- Thread starter Dctarget
- Start date
waiopehu oldboy
George Smith (75)
drewprint
Dick Tooth (41)
Watching the Scotland vs Fiji match and geez it’s a punishing listen. Tuipulotu chatting to the ref in that broad Australian accent, commentators talking about how great it is Tuipulotu gets to captain his country (he referred to Australia as ‘home’ in an interview last week FFS), it’s all a bit infuriating. Shameless fucks, hope we torch them in a few weeks.
molman
Jim Lenehan (48)
Well about a third of the Scottish team weren't born there, they're pretty good at scouring the world for potential eligible players. It's probably been the thing that's improved their squad more than anything else in the last decade or so.
Duhan Van Der Merwe (RSA), Tom Jordan (NZ), Sione Tuipulotu (AU), Ali Price (Eng), Jack Depsey (AU), Dylan Richardson (RSA), Ewan Ashman (Can), Pierre Schoeman (RSA)... I might be missing some?
Changing to the 5 years to qualify for the country was the best thing World Rugby ever did to cull the tactical imports going on with countries like Scotland and Wales... even Ireland. The 3 year lapse to allow some of the players to represent their often lower tier home nations was also a positive change.
I'm also ok if you have a parent born in the country, but I find the grandparent one a bit of a stretch for some of these players. Especially when the country they're now representing has invested so little in their upbringing and formation with a whole generation between them and the country they now pulling a shirt on for.
molman
Jim Lenehan (48)
re: Scotland v Fiji game. Bit of a hard watch with Fiji looking to have improved in some areas but not others. Scotland ran away with it when they were down a player and then another and then things just feel apart in that last stanza when they looked to fatigue. Just the consistency and focus isn't where it needs to be.
As athletes I find them so enjoyable to watch, but it'd be great to see them be able to marry this with some more rugby smarts. I think overall they were always going to be more impacted by a game not occuring in the International window than the Scots, though I'll be curious to hear/see which of their others players will be actually returning for this series.
Seems that the French clubs in particular of late have been pressing some players to make the choice not to play internationally.
As athletes I find them so enjoyable to watch, but it'd be great to see them be able to marry this with some more rugby smarts. I think overall they were always going to be more impacted by a game not occuring in the International window than the Scots, though I'll be curious to hear/see which of their others players will be actually returning for this series.
Seems that the French clubs in particular of late have been pressing some players to make the choice not to play internationally.
molman
Jim Lenehan (48)
There has been some complaint from Pacifica teams that they don't get refereed the same. These kind of incidents don't look great in the context of that narrative do they.
Dismal Pillock
Michael Lynagh (62)
Shits me blind*. Do they even have passports for their national team, a country they've never even been to but now represent? F****** tourist visas or some shit.
I even started a thread on it back in the day to pack a semi-massive sook
The Residency / Poaching Thing...
YOU have been permitted multiple votes in this most pressing of poles. NZ Rugby bigwig B.Impey reckons players should be able to go play for their birth nation after a stand down period...
www.greenandgoldrugby.com
*my position on this will do a total 180 if Super Rugby Super Player of The Year Hoskins Sotutu switches to England. The Phoenix Rises From The Flames, Burn The Eyes Of The Disbelievers, The Sword Shall Fall Where The Razor Did Not Cut etc etc
molman
Jim Lenehan (48)
I always thought a rule preventing you from playing any test against the country you were born in would be an interesting addition
The idea of Tuipulotu or Hansen etc. potentially being in the Lions squad to face the Wallabies just feels a bit off to me.
drewprint
Dick Tooth (41)
Yeah it’s all fucked. I have far less issue with the five year residency rule - hey at least those players have put in the hard slog to earn that right - although my tune may change shortly when young talents like Harry Hockings and Isaac Lucas soon turn out for god damn Japan. But the cherry picking of players who the union has had nothing to do with in their formative years, based purely on some grandparent bullshit, is seriously screwed up. They’re gonna get all three Tuipulotu brothers and be giggling like shitheads the entire time.
TLDR: Scotland are parasites.
Strewthcobber
Simon Poidevin (60)
How strong was the Fiji side that Scotland demolished?
Highlander35
Steve Williams (59)
I would suggest, excluding injured players for both sides, they were missing at minimum 9 or 10 of their best "available" side, as opposed to 4, maybe 5 for us due to the out of window nature of the game.
As far as I can tell every one of the Fiji players was signed to the Drua or the Fiji sevens for 2025, and the same held for everyone in the Scotland side bar Dylan Richardson.
Strewthcobber
Simon Poidevin (60)
You can only play who is put in front of you. That was a real statement win for your team
waiopehu oldboy
George Smith (75)
He's now officially retired.
Rugby: England prop Joe Marler retires from internationals again
The move comes after the prop faced backlash for saying the All Blacks' haka was "ridiculous".
www.rnz.co.nz
Dctarget
Tim Horan (67)
France v Japan has a fun tidbit. Check out France's starting tighthead and Japan's number 20. He's gonna be a busy man.
France (15-1): Leo Barre; Damian Penaud, Emilien Gailleton, Yoram Moefana, Louis Bielle-Biarrey; Thomas Ramos, Antoine Dupont (capt); Gregory Alldritt, Alexandre Roumat, Francois Cros; Emmanuel Meafou, Thibaud Flament; Tevita Tatafu, Peato Mauvaka, Jean-Baptiste Gros
Replacements: Julien Marchand, Reda Wardi, Georges-Henri Colombe, Mickael Guillard, Paul Boudehent, Maxime Lucu, Matthieu Jalibert, Gael Fickou
Japan: 15 Malo Tuitama, 14 Jone Nakiabula, 13 Dylan Riley, 12 Siosaia Fifita, 11 Tomoki Osada, 10 Harumichi Tatekawa (captain), 9 Naoto Saito, 8 Faula Makisi, 7 Kazuki Himeno, 6 Kanji Shimokawa, 5 Warner Deans, 4 Epineri Uluiviti, 3 Shuhei Takeuchi, 2 Mamoru Harada, 1 Takato Okabe.
Replacements: 16 Kenta Masuoka, 17 Yukio Morikawa, 18 Keijiro Tamefusa, 19 Amato Fakatava, 20 Tevita Tatafu, 21 Shinobu Fujiwara, 22 Yusuke Kajimura, 23 Takuro Matsunaga.
France (15-1): Leo Barre; Damian Penaud, Emilien Gailleton, Yoram Moefana, Louis Bielle-Biarrey; Thomas Ramos, Antoine Dupont (capt); Gregory Alldritt, Alexandre Roumat, Francois Cros; Emmanuel Meafou, Thibaud Flament; Tevita Tatafu, Peato Mauvaka, Jean-Baptiste Gros
Replacements: Julien Marchand, Reda Wardi, Georges-Henri Colombe, Mickael Guillard, Paul Boudehent, Maxime Lucu, Matthieu Jalibert, Gael Fickou
Japan: 15 Malo Tuitama, 14 Jone Nakiabula, 13 Dylan Riley, 12 Siosaia Fifita, 11 Tomoki Osada, 10 Harumichi Tatekawa (captain), 9 Naoto Saito, 8 Faula Makisi, 7 Kazuki Himeno, 6 Kanji Shimokawa, 5 Warner Deans, 4 Epineri Uluiviti, 3 Shuhei Takeuchi, 2 Mamoru Harada, 1 Takato Okabe.
Replacements: 16 Kenta Masuoka, 17 Yukio Morikawa, 18 Keijiro Tamefusa, 19 Amato Fakatava, 20 Tevita Tatafu, 21 Shinobu Fujiwara, 22 Yusuke Kajimura, 23 Takuro Matsunaga.
Brumby Runner
Jason Little (69)
Not sure but wouldn't be surprised if Nic White and Tomas Cubelli might have faced each other at some time.
Wilson
Phil Kearns (64)
For 9s specifically? No idea. But Nonggorr and Peni Ravai packed down against each other at the world cup last year (both from the bench).
Thalium
Bill Watson (15)
2021 would have happened once or twice when Cubelli was at the force and White at the brumbies
Derpus
Nathan Sharpe (72)
Geez that limp dicked attempt at a tackle from the 9 really left him worse off.