NPR

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 14, 2023 4:20 pm Yup, though in general he's letting anything go when the player goes for the ball. Doesn't matter if they're anywhere near the ball the first time the hands go down. That one was pretty much picture perfect though, incredible steal despite a really good attempted cleanout.

Would like to see a back actually supporting a break, mind

Or anyone supporting a break.

Georgia all over this weak NZ side.

Big upset coming - and fully deserved (although the Georgian captain is a bit of a whiny bugger).

Driving through Franshoek yesterday and French banners and colors all over the farms and town. So big support for them.

He *was* letting anything go at the breakdown...

Fair play to SA for holding out pretty confidently, to England for banging away despite being physically outmatched, and to the commentator for maintaining his erection for 80 minutes.

Chessum looks the most ready to make the step up to the big boys in the very near future.

All done. Well done SA, great backs against the wall display in the 2nd half and a much smarter, more organised one than ours. England had more than enough opportunities to take that, which is reassuring from a certain perspective, but some real issues of decision making in key positions, godawful lineout throwing and starting 9 in general, Sam Harris being Sam Harris, and a generally bizarrely panicky approach for the entirety of the second half killed that one off.

4th seems about right.

NZ being marmalised up front and lucky that the ref didn't pen try and yellow them for a clear pulling down of a maul marching to the line a minute earlier.

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 14, 2023 4:24 pm All done. Well done SA, great backs against the wall display in the 2nd half and a much smarter, more organised one than ours. England had more than enough opportunities to take that, which is reassuring from a certain perspective, but some real issues of decision making in key positions, godawful lineout throwing and starting 9 in general, Sam Harris being Sam Harris, and a generally bizarrely panicky approach for the entirety of the second half killed that one off.

4th seems about right.

Yes, will take that. But only 1 win from 5 matches isn't a good look

Torquemada 1420 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 14, 2023 4:29 pm NZ being marmalised up front and lucky that the ref didn't pen try and yellow them for a clear pulling down of a maul marching to the line a minute earlier.

NZ have been getting scrunched for the last 20 minutes.
Maybe 10 minutes ago Georgia scored the ultimate battering ram try from way back with player after player slamming through our juniors.

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 14, 2023 4:10 pmWould be silly to suggest that the improvement is all Mapletoft's doing, but he had a spectacular role with the U20s last time round and it does seem like coaching has been a big issue for a while for us. Pretty hopeful for the future having managed to get a tune out of this lot.

Just thinking back to this - a lot of England's errors with ball in hand were reminiscent of Mapletoft's early time at Quins, where everyone was trying to throw the magic offload and playing at a level they hadn't really achieved yet. Could be a complete coincidence, but I am a firm believer that you can't just suddenly become a great attacking offloading team and it takes a lot of time and repetition before personal skills, decision making, and support lines catch up with the ambition. We've over-achieved in terms of expectations at this world cup so we'll see how they progress over the next 12 months; it's a very different environment to club rugby, though.

(watching NZ so comfortable with the offloading game makes the comparison pretty obvious)

SaintK wrote: ↑Fri Jul 14, 2023 4:38 pm

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 14, 2023 4:24 pm All done. Well done SA, great backs against the wall display in the 2nd half and a much smarter, more organised one than ours. England had more than enough opportunities to take that, which is reassuring from a certain perspective, but some real issues of decision making in key positions, godawful lineout throwing and starting 9 in general, Sam Harris being Sam Harris, and a generally bizarrely panicky approach for the entirety of the second half killed that one off.

4th seems about right.

Yes, will take that. But only 1 win from 5 matches isn't a good look

Sure. 2 losses from 5 isn't so bad either. A very creditable draw in a game against The Best Rugby Team Ever Seen with the Messiah himself playing against us at 10 where (whisper it) we should've won does change things.

It's u20s, I'd rather we were disappointed about games we should've won rather than despairing about the future like we have been in recent years.

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 14, 2023 4:42 pm
Sure. 2 losses from 5 isn't so bad either. A very creditable draw in a game against The Best Rugby Team Ever Seen with the Messiah himself playing against us at 10 where (whisper it) we should've won does change things.

We'll see if he is the messiah or just another naughty boy in a short while.

What is all that posturing sh*t by Clarke there? Maybe less w*nkfest hakas and posing and more graft and working on skills to earn the right for some of that crap?

Still gotta love Georgia.

PCPhil wrote: ↑Fri Jul 14, 2023 4:53 pm Still gotta love Georgia.

They've been excellent really despite the results. Perfect example of what might be if WR was intent on screwing the smaller nations.

Georgia Captain is smart cookie.

At the end of the interview cut in and said, let us play tier 1 rugby we're ready

Here we go. Hope Attisogbe attempts a tackle and not to be a turnstile in defence tonight.

High tackle? Really?

Never on his feet.

Nice try from France

Stop that one.

Attisogbe

Is there a team sheet for this game?

World Rugby is a crap site and the BBC don't have a listing

That wasn't forward, was it?

Torquemada 1420 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 14, 2023 5:19 pm Attisogbe

Now in front of Fuerte and wrecks a try

Tichtheid wrote: ↑Fri Jul 14, 2023 5:24 pm Is there a team sheet for this game?

World Rugby is a crap site and the BBC don't have a listing

BS call ref. Ire going backwards.

sockwithaticket wrote: ↑Fri Jul 14, 2023 5:29 pm

Tichtheid wrote: ↑Fri Jul 14, 2023 5:24 pm Is there a team sheet for this game?

World Rugby is a crap site and the BBC don't have a listing

I posted it earlier in the thread.

2 BS calls lead to 2 Irish tries. Drouet's challenge was never high and that scrum pen should have been to Fra.

Ireland doing a great job moving this big French side around. Excellent contest so far, though France look very dangerous on the flanks.

I don't understand how that move was legal. You can't run into the defence, put the ball on the floor, and make contact with the opposition en masse. It's just an NFL line of scrimmage at that point - all offside!

Don't think I've ever seen a loosehead as scrawny as that Irish 1.

Cool trick play. Love to see it.

Edit - Shame it wasn't better executed. Live I thought they'd formed a maul and dropped the ball out the back rather than just created a blocking line.

Obstruction, surely?

Irish taking their cue from Sexton and ROG when things not going their way

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 14, 2023 5:40 pm I don't understand how that move was legal. You can't run into the defence, put the ball on the floor, and make contact with the opposition en masse. It's just an NFL line of scrimmage at that point - all offside!

And then the giant ogre just runs into knock a defender out of the way as well

There's like 5 different offences there

That is all on the coaches, it was obviously a pre-planned move.

France rather shot themselves in the pied there

Tichtheid wrote: ↑Fri Jul 14, 2023 5:42 pm That is all on the coaches, it was obviously a pre-planned move.

And a bad one. No need to over complicate when the basic structure is working so well and Ire down to 14. 7pts there would probably have killed the game.

Torquemada 1420 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 14, 2023 5:45 pm

Tichtheid wrote: ↑Fri Jul 14, 2023 5:42 pm That is all on the coaches, it was obviously a pre-planned move.

And a bad one. No need to over complicate when the basic structure is working so well and Ire down to 14. 7pts there would probably have killed the game.

Yup.

Shoulda done that at the end of the first half

How many warnings is he going to give these c**ts for shouting at him before he sends one to the bin?