NRC Rnd 2: Stars v QLD Country

[liquor box]

I think Duncan needs to learn to tackle, he was lucky not to get a card early in the game when he went for a shoulder charge prior to a try.

Paresi looked very good and could be the Kerevi of this years tournament.

My biggest concern is that the outside backs seemed to think that an open rugby plan requires flick passes. QLD country should have won if they just completed normal passes to the wingers. I don't know who they are trying to impress with special passes but scoring tries is impressive too.

 

[RugbyReg]

90 points in a game, meh, these early defense optional opposed training runs get bloody frustrating to me

Pretty hard to judge any of the general play really.

yeah, there was some average defence, but as others have said I think its a sign to the amateur players of what it takes at the next level. That's something else this tournament is about.

Besides, go have a look at some of those scores in those first 3 years of Super Rugby - 96-98. Outrageous stuff. Very similar to this.

 

[rugbysmartarse]

Solid Falcon? That's nothing on the ITM Cup one. It burst the pill open.

That's true. Maybe it proves cfs is not as hard as a Southlander

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Some good exciting young players in the QLD Country team.

Sure they made some mistakes, but it is great that NRC allows them the opportunity to make mistakes while they learn their trade, and make the transition from Schoolboy Footy to Professional Ranks.

I'd rather have them make the errors in NRC than in the pressure cooker atmosphere of a Super Rugby game that would really drain their confidence.

Yeah, Greene and Pirese are really exciting prospects. Hopefully, someone gives them contracts before League comes sniffing about. And I have little doubt they will. Greene has been the form 10 this far and I really cannot see his form falling away so for that to change others will have to lift.

Pirese is potentially electric. Still only 18. The early signs are good.

Another one is Harry Jones for the Stars. I think they under utilized him last night. Big, strong and quick. Matches his physical gifts with good skills.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

yeah, there was some average defence, but as others have said I think its a sign to the amateur players of what it takes at the next level. That's something else this tournament is about.

Besides, go have a look at some of those scores in those first 3 years of Super Rugby - 96-98. Outrageous stuff. Very similar to this.

I didn't get to watch the game live as I had company and out of courtesy we watched League. Watched the game early this morning and now having seen both it has allowed for some comparison. First of all, both crowds were rubbish.

Second, I know they are two different tiers but the NRC in terms of speed of play and ball movement was well ahead of the NRL game. Which I should note had some fairly average play.

I know some are concerned about the score from last night but having watched it of the 12 scored 3 were definitely a little spotty but the others came from good solid build up and pressure. I think we need to come to terms with these kinds of scores but not necessarily due to a lack of effort in defence.

One of the most notable aspects of the NRC is the speed in which the ball is recycled. It's nothing short of amazing. This makes defending a hugely difficult task as you're constantly dealing with a shifting attack and are constantly having to re-align. This in turn regarding of play is fatiguing and honestly even with the best preparation I'm not sure anyone (more so forwards) could ever condition themselves to be able to play a flawless 80 with these demands.

I think we need to look at it from this perspective of competitiveness. No game has been a blowout have they? All teams have still been in it and dangerous late into each game. That's what is important.

I thought it was a highly entertaining spectacle of running Rugby.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Regarding the disparity between pro and amateur I think it's less a skills issue than a conditioning one. So how do the ARU address that? Well, there are two options.

1. Slow the game down and revert back to the regulation scoring set up. This will mean more teams will opt for goal. We tend to overlook that the reason we are seeing more tries is because teams are opting out of penalty goals. Do we really want to see that return?

2. Introduce these variations at the Premier Club level. This will allow the guys playing club Rugby a full season to physically prepare for the rigors in terms of fitness demands in the NRC.

 

[TOCC]

Who cares if the score is 50-40..

As long as the games are competitive, player fitness and conditioning will improve as the competition and teams mature.

People fear the score lines because they are out of the ordinary, yet in other codes like the AFL, teams score points at a much faster rate.

Yes a large reason so many tries are been scored is because of missed tackles, but the missed tackles are because of players been fatigued due to the ball been in play longer.

Is it really so bad for the players development for them to be pushed beyond their capacity?

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Who cares if the score is 50-40..

As long as the games are competitive, player fitness and conditioning will improve as the competition and teams mature.

People fear the score lines because they are out of the ordinary, yet in other codes like the AFL, teams score points at a much faster rate.

Yes a large reason the scores are so great is because of missed tackles, but this is because of players been fatigues due to the ball been in play longer.

Is it really so bad for the players development for them to be pushed beyond their capacity?


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Nope. Some would say that it's a necessity.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Reports of crowd figures at circa 400 according to the blog. Not good.

View from the Leichhardt Oval scoreboard. Count the "crowd".

Pix: @Lou Lou Stanley Twitter

Thursday Night, TV Game, Sydney peak hour traffic, almost no public transport, lack of advertising all impact attendance but really - only 300-400?

A quality game with plenty of excitement deserves better.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

<snip>

Yes a large reason so many tries are been scored is because of missed tackles, but the missed tackles are because of players been fatigued due to the ball been in play longer.
<snip>

Still waiting for the Ball in Play figure from The Buildcorp NRC folk.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Reports of crowd figures at circa 400 according to the blog. Not good.

View from the Leichhardt Oval scoreboard. Count the "crowd".

Pix: @Lou Lou Stanley Twitter

Thursday Night, TV Game, Sydney peak hour traffic, almost no public transport, lack of advertising all impact attendance but really - only 300-400?

A quality game with plenty of excitement deserves better.

Every game thus far has deserved better. Last night was no exception. But I'll put this out there that mid week games seem to have poor appeal particularly in Sydney. As above I watched the Souths v Broncos game and considering the two sides on show the crowd was very poor. Well under 10,000. From the looks of it no more than the Shute Shield final. Which when you exclude rep footy is a third tier comp compared to the NRL which is League premier competition.

 

[dru]

You need to approximate crowd figures at plus or minus 1,000. With that in mind I estimate the crowd number at 12. Hence my little crew was a quarter of the crowd. Rock on!

I really liked the Thursday timetable but there really was no attendance.

Next home game is a Ssturday afternoon I think. Time to pull out a picnic blanket and have a party on the hill. Full strength beer, no queue, entertaining rugby. What's not to like? Get into it guys.

 

[Hawko]

I wonder how much he got thrown off his game by that solid falcon in the 7th minute? Agree though, he was way off his best, with poor passing, catching and positioning

Solid Falcon? That's nothing on the ITM Cup one. It burst the pill open.

But the ITM one was into a piggies head, CFS is a hairdresser.

 

[terry j]

echoing working class rugger here, does it really matter what the score is as long as it is entertaining? I found it hugely entertaining personally. Far better than any drudge fest league game score notwithstanding.

 

[qwerty51]

Yes it does matter. I don't find scoring tries through piss poor defence entertaining, if I did I'd watch the Holden Cup.

The first 20 was good and generally the first half too but the first 20 in the 2nd half was rubbish. Players running straight through and no commitment in defence once the line was broken once. It tidied up a bit in the last 20 however.

 

[Rugbynutter39]

Yes it does matter. I don't find scoring tries through piss poor defence entertaining, if I did I'd watch the Holden Cup.



The first 20 was good and generally the first half too but the first 20 in the 2nd half was rubbish. Players running straight through and no commitment in defence once the line was broken once. It tidied up a bit in the last 20 however.

Glass half full or half empty? Yes was some flakey defence in periods but also some very entertaining and high quality tries scored by attacking flair which was gold e.g. Harry Jones kick grubber to score and inside flick pass for QLD country winger to score are just too memorable pieces of brilliance I enjoyed...

There was some ordinary defence at times but equally some very good attacking rugby....lets not discount the latter as that was definitely the plus for the game.....

 

[Rugbynutter39]

I attended all Stars home games last season....I loved the whole NRC but for a fan who was at a game feeling embarrassed about how many in crowd watching the game was a detraction...Leichardt is great oval to watch rugby so don't get me wrong only problem with crowd numbers - ground is great

I went to Rays versus Sydney Stars vs Rays at Manly Oval last weekend in contrast...which compared to leichardt manly oval is crap game in terms of oval set out / facilities etc to watch rugby but having crowd of 2000 with the atmosphere made all the difference.....

Hate to say it but model for Sydney Stars as stand alone club for short form competition is not a commercially viable proposition

 

[TOCC]

Citv vs Spirit(Rd1)
Tries: 6
Runs: 252
Meters run: 1082m
Linebreaks: 26
Turnovers: 46
Rucks: 183
Tackles Missed: 51
Penalties: 21

Stars vs Country(Rd2)
Tries: 12
Runs: 185
Meters run: 1530m
Linebreaks: 19
Turnovers: 32
Rucks: 141
Tackles Missed: 55
Penalties: 19

Waratahs vs Highlanders(Super Rugby SF)
Tries: 6
Runs: 166
Meters run: 1033m
Linebreaks: 9
Turnovers: 31
Rucks: 135
Tackles Missed: 41
Penalties: 16

Hurricanes vs Brumbies(Super Rugby SF)
Tries: 4
Runs: 201
Meters run: 1589m
Linebreaks: 15
Turnovers: 31
Rucks: 159
Tackles Missed: 56
Penalties: 20
Tasman vs Manawatu(ITM)
Tries: 7
Runs: 182
Meters run: 797m
Linebreaks: 12
Turnovers: 29
Rucks: 127
Tackles Missed: 27
Penalties: 20

Australia vs New Zealand(TRC)
Tries: 5
Runs: 231
Meters run: 869m
Linebreaks: 17
Turnovers: 32
Rucks: 182
Tackles Missed: 37
Penalties: 18

Australia vs South Africa(TRC)
Tries: 5
Runs: 249
Meters run: 863m
Linebreaks: 12
Turnovers: 29
Rucks: 196
Tackles Missed: 43
Penalties: 17

 

[Purce]

I just watched the game, a few thoughts(watching with more emphasis on QC (Quade Cooper)):

A bit of chat about Duncan... I thought his mistakes outweighed the good he did. Some poor passing/handling however his defence stood out as very average. Also had some nice touches. I think he has talent and will make it, shifting to fullback early didn't help him.

Perese looks like he has a bit of talent. Definitely still very raw but looks to have a solid base to work on. CFS often looks completely disinterested, I'm hoping it's just a case of "resting bitch(disinterested) face" because he has a lot to offer.

Mitchell and Sef both had another strong game. Cornelson and Potgeiter had busy games with some very good moments.

Finally Greene controlled the game very well. I like how flat he plays once they're on the front foot. Hope he continues to develop, reckon he could have a big future.

Hanson, Robertson, Harry Jones and Kingston were the Star's best. Chibba in particular after 2/3 sessions a day all week in Wallaby camp was impressive while heavily marked. Kingston was a constant threat. I think one of their centres was pretty sharp as well but I can't figure out which one.

Regarding defence, I think there was plenty of will and intent. Like others have said, the speed of the game is going to contribute to fatigue and miss reads. Once game fitness picks up and the boys play together more I think it will improve significantly.

There is a fair bit of negativity floating around. I think we have to accept it for what it currently is, a development comp. It's not going to be super level or even ITM/CC immediately. The clubs need time to develop as much as the players do. Mistakes will happen frequently but that comes from a desire to play and improve. I'm enjoying it, particularly seeing club players getting the chance to perform at another level against full pro rugby players. A lot of good will come from this comp. It's already a step up on last year.

 

[terry j]

Yes it does matter. I don't find scoring tries through piss poor defence entertaining, if I did I'd watch the Holden Cup.

The first 20 was good and generally the first half too but the first 20 in the 2nd half was rubbish. Players running straight through and no commitment in defence once the line was broken once. It tidied up a bit in the last 20 however.

Holden cup, is that the league one?

We are all after more rugby broadcast, hopefully with an eye one day to more FTA exposure. For that to be a success it MUST be entertaining. We don't get too many bites at that cherry.

I get a purist such as yourself might sniff a little at what you saw. That's completely fine and acceptable.

Personally I loved it, which is neither better or worse than your view. It 'just is what it is'.

BUT, I put myself in (what I think might be) the POV of a casual, non rugby guy who just happened to surf the remote and stumbled upon it.

I could not help but think he had no choice but to enjoy the speed and pace of the game. Further, if he were a leaguie who 'KNOWS' that rugby is slow, won only by penalties, dominated by constantly collapsing scrums....well he would have to challenge his preconceptions wouldn't he?

He might even watch a game later in the Holden cup and start to see how long it takes to wriggle on the ground after each and every boring three man wrestle..oops, I meant tackle.

And hopefully when he does he has this lingering memory of what he had seen earlier.

For all we know, this could be the best way to convert the casual viewer rather than (say) the RWC that is soon upon us. They too will have some large scorelines (NZ v Namibia as an example..dunno if they play) OR will have a scoreline that totals under fifteen between the two teams (made up mostly of penalties) with plenty of scrums loved by the NH.

Which is most likely to convert viewers to this great game of ours? (which when you know and love it has as part of it's richness the very fact that each game can be so wildly different from each other, as opposed to competing bland, homogenised, non varying shoddy substitute codes)