Rugby Union 21/22/23 Discussion | RWC time!

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I didn't see the post match interviews today but I have been cringing at Sonja McLaughlan for years.

Obviously she doesn't deserve to be abused on twitter, but those idiots don't change the fact that she is an awful interviewer and has been for a long time.

Yeah, that's how I feel, to be honest. The pieces of shit sending abuse on Twitter are just that - pieces of shit. But that shouldn't prevent genuine criticism. I thought she was quite bad in the post-match interviews. She came across as if she was pissed off, to be honest, and she wanted the players to agree with her, hence why she kept going at it despite the fact that they didn't want to know.
 
BBC commentary said not a knock on, according to laws of the game, as it didn’t hit the ground.
Not sure about that. If a player loses control of the ball and it goes forward (he did, it did), he has to regain possession before it touches the ground or another player (he didn't). It might have hit his calf and gone back/hit another player, but I thought that was irrelevant/after the event.

I tend to have a look at what other refs think, especially if still reffing. Nigel Owens said knock on on S4C.

All in the history books now though?
 
I didn't see the post match interviews today but I have been cringing at Sonja McLaughlan for years.

Obviously she doesn't deserve to be abused on twitter, but those idiots don't change the fact that she is an awful interviewer and has been for a long time.
The abuse is just idiots but the people defending her for saying she asked the tough questions are being too generous. Her questions have always been too generic, nothing insightful.

She asked five people (Toby, AWJ, Farrell, Jones and Pivac) the SAME questions and even when they said they wouldn't get into it, asked another similar question (moved from the first try to the second)... they'd said no, move on.

Doesn't deserve abuse but a good interviewer reads the room and moves on to. If they're not going to give true feelings on ref (never going to happen), there were plenty of good things (both sides) to ask about.
 
Not sure about that. If a player loses control of the ball and it goes forward (he did, it did), he has to regain possession before it touches the ground or another player (he didn't). It might have hit his calf and gone back/hit another player, but I thought that was irrelevant/after the event.

I tend to have a look at what other refs think, especially if still reffing. Nigel Owens said knock on on S4C.

All in the history books now though?

Aren’t knock ons a bit like forward passes? If someone is sprinting forward as the ball leaves them then it can travel “forward” out of their hands but still be considered as actually going behind them?

The ball hit the back of his trailing leg on the way to the ground. So you can see why they might think the ball was going backward after he lost control.
 
I was reading some player reviews this morning, and the one for Sexton said "get that contract signed" :lol:

Our RWC is dead in the water, right now.

If Sexton really is so absolutely vital to our team, and none of the other 10s at the moment match up, then we should be finding a new way to play that uses other strengths in the team. It's absolutely no excuse to be still playing someone who'll be 37 at the next RWC in a dead six nations campaign. We'll have to adapt no matter what in about a year's time regardless, it's madness that we're not using a meaningless campaign to push on with the change that is inevitable anyway.

After yesterday, it seems like England have fallen into a similar way of thinking too, and it's hurt them massively also.
 
Great win for Wales. England should have had at least one yellow card. Shocking discipline
 
I was reading some player reviews this morning, and the one for Sexton said "get that contract signed" :lol:

Our RWC is dead in the water, right now.

If Sexton really is so absolutely vital to our team, and none of the other 10s at the moment match up, then we should be finding a new way to play that uses other strengths in the team. It's absolutely no excuse to be still playing someone who'll be 37 at the next RWC in a dead six nations campaign. We'll have to adapt no matter what in about a year's time regardless, it's madness that we're not using a meaningless campaign to push on with the change that is inevitable anyway.

After yesterday, it seems like England have fallen into a similar way of thinking too, and it's hurt them massively also.

Our short term rugby future relies on Joey Carberry staying fit.

Which is a little bit like gambling Uniteds short term future on Anthony Martial's workrate.
 
I told you lot Wales had a decent chance of beating England haha. In all seriousness, while the officiating left a bit to be desired at times, England's discipline is just not good enough. Itoje was lucky to be binned for repeated infrigements.

England should have been given time to set their defence after Farrell gave the message the ref asked him to. I thought Wales 2nd try was Rees Zammit losing the ball straight down as opposed to losing it forward but Nigel Owens explained why the try shouldn't have stood in his column for the mail.

England's decent play seemed to come in bursts and you don't win test matches doing that unless you're playing Italy. On another note, congratulations to Wales and Wayne Pivac on one of the more unlikely triple crowns.

Just on the Welsh coach, my limited knowledge of Wayne Pivac is he's a coach who wants his teams to attack, to score as many tries as possbile. Well, 8 tries in their last two tests is none too shabby. I wonder if Eddie Jones will reach his sell by date with England this year? They haven't looked convincing since the World Cup semi.
 
Apparently there was 22 seconds between the ref telling Farrell to speak to his team and Biggar being told he could play on. Quick thinking as England assumed he’d just go for the easy 3 points.

as for the 2nd try, that was a knock on IMO.
 
its a mad tournament this year.
When you look at Wales yesterday and think they are just getting a triple crown and will play for the chance of a grand slam, this, the same side that barely beat Ireland with a man less for most of the game.

The Ireland v England match will be very interesting. England have yet to get going and Ireland are in transition.
I thought England would have been going for a Grandslam.
 
Our short term rugby future relies on Joey Carberry staying fit.

Which is a little bit like gambling Uniteds short term future on Anthony Martial's workrate.

Hardly Carbery's fault in this case, unfortunately. He's had brutal luck. I wonder would Sexton still be around if Carbery had stayed fit and Paddy Jackson wasn't a scumbag.
 
I told you lot Wales had a decent chance of beating England haha. In all seriousness, while the officiating left a bit to be desired at times, England's discipline is just not good enough. Itoje was lucky to be binned for repeated infrigements.

England should have been given time to set their defence after Farrell gave the message the ref asked him to. I thought Wales 2nd try was Rees Zammit losing the ball straight down as opposed to losing it forward but Nigel Owens explained why the try shouldn't have stood in his column for the mail.

England's decent play seemed to come in bursts and you don't win test matches doing that unless you're playing Italy. On another note, congratulations to Wales and Wayne Pivac on one of the more unlikely triple crowns.

Just on the Welsh coach, my limited knowledge of Wayne Pivac is he's a coach who wants his teams to attack, to score as many tries as possbile. Well, 8 tries in their last two tests is none too shabby. I wonder if Eddie Jones will reach his sell by date with England this year? They haven't looked convincing since the World Cup semi.

It’s an interesting article because the reason he says it’s a knock on was because “Rees-Zammit touched the ball and it went down and forward on to his leg, then backwards” with a picture of what looks like the ball going down and backwards onto his leg.

39841172-0-image-a-24_1614463547981.jpg
 
Aren’t knock ons a bit like forward passes? If someone is sprinting forward as the ball leaves them then it can travel “forward” out of their hands but still be considered as actually going behind them?

The ball hit the back of his trailing leg on the way to the ground. So you can see why they might think the ball was going backward after he lost control.
I didn't think so (not 100% though). I can only think they decided the ball went vertically down off his hand... it didn't.

I'd be surprised if Pascal refs next week. People say it's generalising to say the French refs aren't good enough for test rugby but these things keep happening. Also had Raynal (and Poite as TMO) disallowing the Irish try yesterday.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.ru...ations-officials-off-to-wobbly-start-on-rome/
 
Pascal Gauzere has admitted that Wales' first two tries should have been disallowed.
 
A tainted Triple Crown win against two 14 man teams and with the help of a strange Ref from France. I don’t care if we lose fair and square, as we did against Scotland, but when it’s clear you’re parlaying against sixteen men, it’s hard to take. As for the interviewer getting trolled, that is stupid but for goodness sake why ask such daft questions to a bloke who is really pissed off after being mugged by the officials. Not sour grapes, just the facts. Just look at the expressions on the Welsh players faces, pissing themselves laughing.
 
Connacht Munster in the Pro 14 is looking like it's going to be a great match if anyone's missing out. Back and forth so far.

Edit: Also featuring some incredibly daft mullets.
Was watching Leicester Irish bit stuck this on instead. How’s it gone so far?
 
Feeling proud of them tonight :) It doesn't always come off, but they're always ready to give it a go. Regardless of how it ends up, they've given it everything tonight.
Are you a Connacht fan? Can’t you guys chip in to sort that stadium out? :lol: :lol:
 
Are you a Connacht fan? Can’t you guys chip in to sort that stadium out? :lol: :lol:

We literally can't :D The poorest of the provinces throughout the history of rugby in this country. Nearly disappeared entirely in the early 2000s.

There are plans to do it now on the cards, but I'm not sure what the timeframe is.
 
We literally can't :D The poorest of the provinces throughout the history of rugby in this country. Nearly disappeared entirely in the early 2000s.

There are plans to do it now on the cards, but I'm not sure what the timeframe is.
It amazes me. I’ve genuinely seen non-league grounds with way better stadiums.
 
Do you know that it's actually a greyhound track with a pitch in the middle? :lol:

I'd say it has its charm when you're actually there, but... there ain't much.
No didn’t know that :lol: I watched the home game against ospreys and I swear one of the kicks landed in someone’s front garden :lol::lol:
 
No didn’t know that :lol: I watched the home game against ospreys and I swear one of the kicks landed in someone’s front garden :lol::lol:

And there's a graveyard over one of those walls :)

Has there been a Pro 14 match this season where the ref hasn't been the main talking point? Some awfully inconsistent stuff tonight again.
 
And there's a graveyard over one of those walls :)

Has there been a Pro 14 match this season where the ref hasn't been the main talking point? Some awfully inconsistent stuff tonight again.
It’s every league mate. The rules, particularly around the breakdown, need a serious review. Watching Leicester Irish and even Barnsy making questionable calls and he’s one of the best around
 
It was hilarious how scared they were by the end

We'll never know, but if Munster hadn't gotten that really soft penalty in their own corner from Wooton on Carbery...

Loads for Connacht to be proud of from that match tonight. Fully expect zero players to be in the matchday 23 for the next 6N match, of course.
 
It’s every league mate. The rules, particularly around the breakdown, need a serious review. Watching Leicester Irish and even Barnsy making questionable calls and he’s one of the best around


I started watching rugby very recently and my pet peeve is that the game is decided far too much by penalties. I understand safety reasons but it feels I am just all the time waiting for the ref to give a pen either way
 
I started watching rugby very recently and my pet peeve is that the game is decided far too much by penalties. I understand safety reasons but it feels I am just all the time waiting for the ref to give a pen either way
The inconsistency is killer at the moment. You could say it balances out, but is still infuriating.
 
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