During the week it was reported that Lord John is on his way to the IRB armed with a DVD of the Reds v Bulls game as proof SANZAR’s new law interpretations (NLI’s) are the best thing to happen to rugby since Webb-Ellis got the shits with soccer and picked up the ball.
It will be an interesting discussion particularly if JO’N is ambushed with the DVD of another game to refute his assertions.
Which game you ask? The Tahs v Brumbies game from last night dumb arse.
These two games were different in every possible way, except for the final score of 19-12, so it really shots a pretty massive hole in JO’N’s assertion that the new interpretations have rugby on the verge of a ‘new-dawn’.
As you would expect the commercial imperative is paramount at the ARU and O’Neill was pretty pumped with the Reds v Bulls game.
‘You wouldn’t see a better game of rugby than the game last week between the Reds and the Bulls.
”There’s an IRB conference on the laws of the game in May and I’m sending them off a copy of that DVD saying: ‘You want to see how the game can be played?’
”We’re not being smart alecs about it but you can’t keep blaming the laws. You really have to take control of the things that are under your power, and the tweaking that we undertook this year and the recognition that we either could keep going south or say ‘enough’s enough’, it’s worked out like we hoped. Better.”
Leave it out, John!
Without doubt the NLI’s have given attacking teams more confidence to retain possession but beyond that there is very little to suggest they promote exciting or indeed entertaining rugby.
Whether or not a game is entertaining is a subjective judgement so we’ll leave that discussion there, but the component that has the biggest influence on this so-called “entertainment” value, is a team’s approach to the game.
In one corner stands the Reds, and to a lesser extent the Force, while in the other stands the Tahs and Brumbies.
It is clear the Reds and Force go into games willing to have a crack at the opposition and score points. It mightn’t always be successful, however that’s the way they go about it.
It is also just as clear the Tahs and Brumbies go into games not necessarily with the intention of winning, but with the intention of not losing.
Why is this?
You can hardly argue the Tahs or Brumbies don’t have the personnel capable of peeling off stunning back-line moves or shifting the ball around with malice. It has become more of a case of both these teams sifting the ball around with ‘malaise’
The Brumbies were at the top of everyone’s must watch list as the season started but they have gone from being labelled to ‘Real-Madrid’ of the Super 14, to the ‘Real-Disappointments’.
The Tahs have always played conservative rugby but this season, as others have broken new ground, the Tahs have stayed firmly rooted to the spot they were at 2 years ago.
People blamed Ewen McKenzie while he was coach for the Tahs lack of endeavour, but he’s moved on, and the Tahs haven’t.
Tahs supporters will point to the fact the Tahs have scored only 1 less try than the Reds as evidence they are playing attacking rugby, but the question remains, who would you rather watch?
As JO’N stated this week, “If you play with passion, play with pride, play as a team – then you play winning and entertaining rugby.”
This is something both the Tahs and Brumbies are yet to do.
So Lord John, make haste and destroy every copy of the Tahs v Brumbies game before you head to Dublin, and on an ANZAC weekend – Lest We Forget.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="11216 https://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/?p=11216">19 Comments
C’mon, the Tahs have played entertaining rugby at times this year & having Horne, Fat Cat, Cliffy & TPN out on Sat night made a huge difference to the way they would have liked to play the game. The weather didn’t help & Steve Walsh also did his best to ruin the game as a spectacle.
It wasn’t great, but not all games can be.
To think that having those players and a change in weather would have lead to an entertaining match is naive.
Agree Batman. Follow this logic and we may as well have given up watching any Rugby since the Wallabies and All Blacks played in 2000. Nothing since has come close since to that mighty epic.
I believe the Reds have been the standout Australian Team this season and though I’m a Tah’s follower if only one Australian Team makes the finals I hope it is the Reds. However there is every chance that there could be two Australian Teams.
There is no argument that the Tah’s play a more conservative brand of Rugby but unlike the Reds much more has been expected of them as well as they are playing with the disappointment of recent seasons failures heavy on their shoulders.
This instills caution, it does not invalidate their play. In recent years they have been the only Australian Franchise that has even come close to being successful in Super 14. If thee Tah’s and Reds make the finals (and heaven forbid one even may win) it augurs well for the Wallabies. After all that is the main game.
Real Queanbeyan? (i.e. shitsville)
C’mon mate, that’s a load. Noone could argue that Reds v Stormers or Tahs v Brumbies were good advertisements for the game. The Reds were let off by a sub-par Stormers.
Walsh was a prat, destroyed any hope for continuity (though Hoiles’ decision to go head-to-head with him was ill-advised), and both teams resorted to “finals football” as per 2007 World Cup.
But all this twaddle about how the Tahs are the same old, same old. You need to actually watch the games, and compare them to last year. Look at the stats on tries scored, and HOW they are scored. If it’d been Cooper to Ioane last night with that try, you’d have been cracking a fat and singing his praises from the rooftops. Get off the hypemobile and recognise the fact that it was a shit game between two teams battling for their seasons.
PS if both are playing their best rugby, I’d like to watch them together!
O’Neill is the one on the Hypemobile Mouse, not me.
The Tahs have scored 33 tries so far this season with 16 of them scored against the two bottom teams (Lions 11 tries, Cheetahs 5 tries) in games played at home.
Unfortunately, I have watched the Tahs games this year..and last year…and the year before that.
Have not gone to one game (especially the last one)…have even walked out on 2 matches at home.
Tah supporter for tooooooooo many years unfortunately!
As much as I cringe at saying it, I thought that the most uninspiring tactics played last night were deployed by the Brumbies. They wanted to kick for no reason at all, except they didn’t know how to run it. Gits, Mitchell and Hux all kicked incessantly for reasons that were beyond me. Maybe the stats could make a liar out of me, but that’s the way it seemed to be coming across.
I think the real issue here is that is if the Tahs make the finals they have no shot what so ever of rolling the crusaders or the bulls. The Reds have shown they have the game to beat those teams and if they get to the finals have a real shot of winning the whole thing.
I am not sure if Phil Waugh isnt an issue with the Tahs…when he was injured they seemed to play a little looser.
Anyway that was rubbish and a real shame to get 40,000 and present that.
With 3 rounds to go, how could deans possibly pick Gits or Barnes….also ACC did himself no favors and is best on the wing, he is becoming very predictible in attack…he doesnt pass the ball, seems everytime dummies out side the goes himself, he had a player outside him when his try was disallowed.
Ben, something is not right in the ACT; team is lacking cohesion. Rumours of discontent?
Ben. Looking at the games left the Crusaders probably are the team in the top 5 that will miss out. The Bulls, Reds, Tahs and Stormers are the most likely finalists on form and taking the final three rounds into consideration.
On current form the Brumbies wouldn’t beat any of them so why would you want them in the finals over the Tahs?
i wonder who said it would be the bulls reds tahs and stormers two weeks ago? yeah home boys it was me
pfft, I said that 3 years ago.,
Juan, I am loving the Reds this season but seriously why stick it to every other Aussie team??? The Reds are playing a brand that is totally FOREIGN to Qld rugby. I recall dour events from Connolly to the point that watching a State of the Union was like watching a thug-fest. Connolly coached 10 man rugby and left the backs to figure it out themselves, when and IF the ball got to them.
Now to get back to the article you butchered and pasted… McKenzie also said that the DVD for the Red V Stormers was to be taken too; not only the Reds V Bulls. FFS man be honest and don’t go off on a tangent.
The Reds are playing great rugby, they are doing what it takes to win and that doesn’t always translate to running rugby.
16 – 13 <<< Need I say more.
When did McKenzie say this?
I think he meant John O’Neill
Ten out of ten for the blog title JC, very clever! I can hear the cannons firing but not sure who they are pointed at.
You cannot legislate for all matches to look the same. That is not rugby. If this is what is you want, well I would go and watch League, Aussie Rules or Basketball. Our Game is very healthy outside Australia. Why should the other countries agree to change it into a type of game that they detest? There are over 2m registered players in Engalnd alone who respect the Game as it is. They get 80,000 for club matches in Europe, for heavens sake. We should GROW UP and stop complaining.
Seems simple to me. The tahs and brums have got some hefty weight on their shoulders. These teams started this year with huge expectations. Everyone got behind them, and although they’re near the top of the table, it’s just not what the fans are after. They’re not playing entertaining football because it’s all about the win and the appeasement. It’s classic older child syndrome.
The Reds and Force on the other hand were no hopers at the start of the year. And just like the third child, we’ve giggled along with their excitable playing and hopping and just let them do their thing. Never thinking they’d get anywhere with it, but wishing them good thoughts none the less. It’s good not to feel too much pressure – a kid can thrive in such an environment.
The brumbies were only ever good when they were ignored, so let’s just close our eyes and pretend they’re not there – you watch ’em play some good footy then.