The Current State of Rugby

NTA

@NTA said in The Current State of Rugby:

That has been going on for - literally - decades, and has always been inferior based on your reasoning when compared to league.

Example: I was at a game of Test Rugby one time, and a couple of locals - league fans - had come along for a look.

I spent the game talking to them and explaining decisions. Some of them I couldn't because I missed the referee's signal.

That was RWC 2003. WIN Stadium in Wollongong for Canda v Tonga. Twenty years ago.

Billy Tell

Rugby league is a niche sport. It’s not that great and will never grow. Rugby will continue to grow.

taniwharugby

@gt12 I wasnt trying to prove/disprove anything, just providing a slightly more independent link

gt12

@taniwharugby

Apologies, wasn't trying to suggest you supported one position or another.

Kiwiwomble

was away for the weekend so only managed to watch the AB's, snuck out of the room and watched my phone....when i got home last night the only game i watched was Otago v Northland....and i enjoyed it more, seeing teams actually building +15 phases is good rugby for me...doesnt need to be the absolute highest actual skill, plenty of fun to be had playing the basics of rugby...ive said before i think my actual enjoyment is inversely proportional to the level

NTA

@Kiwiwomble said in The Current State of Rugby:

.ive said before i think my actual enjoyment is inversely proportional to the level

Often true - I love watching suburban footy because I can relate to it more. Same as I love seeing reserve props come on from Chile or Namibia because they're big fat bastards with a day job. Relateable

Doesn't always have to be that way. The Australia A v Japan series last year was a bloody good set of games, with nothing on the line but trying to prove a point: that you're worth of higher honours.

@mariner4life is right in some aspects about rugby being more like NFL than NRL: there are a lot of people more afraid of making mistakes than willing to take a chance.

nostrildamus

@mariner4life said in The Current State of Rugby:

@sparky said in The Current State of Rugby:

@mariner4life said in The Current State of Rugby:

N I like you and you know that

But that is shit the Sydney private school piston wristed gibbons that you hate tell themselves to feel superior to to the western Sydney bogans

Rugby union has lost its way

And even if I am wrong, it 8s most certainly not the sport I played a little over a decade ago

The Rugby World Cup is the third biggest international sporting event in world behind the Olympics and the Football World Cup.

The sport keeps growing and growing and growing.

I'm sorry but this is complete bullshit

The RWC is not in the top 10 sporting events for either revenue or viewership

https://www.totalsportal.com/list/biggest-sports-tournaments/

8 Rugby Union World Cup $10 million 857 Million

Nepia

@mariner4life said in The Current State of Rugby:

With all due respect I call bullshit Nick

The defence was high quality but was beaten with pace and shape. And then fatigue when half3the team didn't get half the game off

I just watched the game due to the hype in this thread (and due to the fact Kayo don't have the extended highlights available). The defence was shit. That doesn't take away from it being an exciting game but there were lots of soft misses.

It's actually made me feel more confident that the Warriors can stop the Knights roll next week. (Well assuming Webster remembers that props exist).

NTA

Back to France: wondering to what degree the heat is hindering some teams, and what effect it'll play in the second round. The teams who lie in wait - Uruguay, Tonga, Portugal, Samoa - will benefit from not having bashed themselves to date in 30+

Next weekend will be mid/high 20s, and then by the week after it'll be back in the teens.

sparky

The first weekend of the Rugby World Cup was spectacular and a great range of styles on offer from different teams.

Two moans:

Disappointed at how poor the AB’s set piece and decision-making was.
I wish the games were done from kick off to final whistle inside two hours.

Apart from that, great entertainment.

MajorPom

@MiketheSnow said in RWC Week 1: Wales v Fiji:

Had to go radio silence otherwise I would have been banned

Was on a lovely little buzz until the 60th minute where Wales were comfortably in charge of the match

Watched the match in Cardiff Rugby Club and it was a great atmosphere

Last 20 minutes felt like I’d been in / witnessed an accident and I sobered up pretty quickly

Thrilling, infuriating, exhausting

After walking the dog I opened up a bottle of red and watched it again

Carley was absolutely atrocious and should be stood down

Not the required standard for the RWC

Despite his inadequacies Fiji still had the opportunity to win the match but blew it

That’s not Carley’s fault

Should Elias have been YCarded and Fiji awarded a Penalty Try?

Yes

Should Biggar have been YCarded?

Yes

However, prior to Biggar’s offside the Fijians had dummied a tap & go and Carley had called them back and said you can’t dummy and move players

They retook it and did the same thing and Carley waved play on

Penalty Wales

What no one has talked about and no one has criticised is that prior to both Fiji’s 3rd and 4th tries the Fijian hooker popped out of the scrum

That’s an automatic penalty to Wales negating both Fijian tries

We’re Fiji hard done by?
Yes

But so too were Wales

Great game of rugby
Better side just won

Wanna know the state of the game?

Mike has summed it up perfectly here.

Easily the game of the round, and certainly a world cup classic.

First post about it from the biggest Welsh fan is roughly

1/3 talking about the atmosphere / intensity / match
1/3 talking about cards
1/3 talking about the referee

This shouldn't be.

MiketheSnow

@MajorRage said in The Current State of Rugby:

@MiketheSnow said in RWC Week 1: Wales v Fiji:

Had to go radio silence otherwise I would have been banned

Was on a lovely little buzz until the 60th minute where Wales were comfortably in charge of the match

Watched the match in Cardiff Rugby Club and it was a great atmosphere

Last 20 minutes felt like I’d been in / witnessed an accident and I sobered up pretty quickly

Thrilling, infuriating, exhausting

After walking the dog I opened up a bottle of red and watched it again

Carley was absolutely atrocious and should be stood down

Not the required standard for the RWC

Despite his inadequacies Fiji still had the opportunity to win the match but blew it

That’s not Carley’s fault

Should Elias have been YCarded and Fiji awarded a Penalty Try?

Yes

Should Biggar have been YCarded?

Yes

However, prior to Biggar’s offside the Fijians had dummied a tap & go and Carley had called them back and said you can’t dummy and move players

They retook it and did the same thing and Carley waved play on

Penalty Wales

What no one has talked about and no one has criticised is that prior to both Fiji’s 3rd and 4th tries the Fijian hooker popped out of the scrum

That’s an automatic penalty to Wales negating both Fijian tries

We’re Fiji hard done by?
Yes

But so too were Wales

Great game of rugby
Better side just won

Wanna know the state of the game?

Mike has summed it up perfectly here.

Easily the game of the round, and certainly a world cup classic.

First post about it from the biggest Welsh fan is roughly

1/3 talking about the atmosphere / intensity / match
1/3 talking about cards
1/3 talking about the referee

This shouldn't be.

In fairness I didn't feel the need to talk about the wonderful rugby from both sides, it was right there in front of our eyes

Supreme efforts in attack and defence

Wales had to make over 200 team tackles

Fantastic tries, and both teams looking to score tries

So maybe 1/4, 1/4, 1/4, 1/4 would be more apt

Dan54

@MajorRage said in The Current State of Rugby:

@MiketheSnow said in RWC Week 1: Wales v Fiji:

Had to go radio silence otherwise I would have been banned

Was on a lovely little buzz until the 60th minute where Wales were comfortably in charge of the match

Watched the match in Cardiff Rugby Club and it was a great atmosphere

Last 20 minutes felt like I’d been in / witnessed an accident and I sobered up pretty quickly

Thrilling, infuriating, exhausting

After walking the dog I opened up a bottle of red and watched it again

Carley was absolutely atrocious and should be stood down

Not the required standard for the RWC

Despite his inadequacies Fiji still had the opportunity to win the match but blew it

That’s not Carley’s fault

Should Elias have been YCarded and Fiji awarded a Penalty Try?

Yes

Should Biggar have been YCarded?

Yes

However, prior to Biggar’s offside the Fijians had dummied a tap & go and Carley had called them back and said you can’t dummy and move players

They retook it and did the same thing and Carley waved play on

Penalty Wales

What no one has talked about and no one has criticised is that prior to both Fiji’s 3rd and 4th tries the Fijian hooker popped out of the scrum

That’s an automatic penalty to Wales negating both Fijian tries

We’re Fiji hard done by?
Yes

But so too were Wales

Great game of rugby
Better side just won

Wanna know the state of the game?

Mike has summed it up perfectly here.

Easily the game of the round, and certainly a world cup classic.

First post about it from the biggest Welsh fan is roughly

1/3 talking about the atmosphere / intensity / match
1/3 talking about cards
1/3 talking about the referee

This shouldn't be.

But perhaps this also has as much to do with the people talking about the game , rather than the game itself? Or even perhaps how the game is televised/commented on our tvs? Not saying anyone is wrong and shouldn't be noticing these things, just it almost seems we watch game differently now?
There are no more controversial decisions etc made now than ever there were, or mistakes made by refs. Just maybe it's things we notice etchave changed? Look everyone seems to be concentrating on head knocks etc (and understnd why), but in a few years , with changes it won't be such a big thing as we get something else becomes our focus?

Kiwiwomble

a quick thought, and ive been heading towards this for a while, im thinking that some of us that are starting to question if we are falling out of love with rugby.....its because (or at least partially) because we watch so much of it on TV, with endless replays trying to find the tiniest mistake or infringement, with commentators telling us everything we might have missed and how we should feel the actions of players....i think we need to get down the sideline more than in front of a screen, have some beers, chat with randoms and just enjoy

taniwharugby

@Kiwiwomble for me, NPC and club rugby is what I enjoy the most.

I enjoy watching club/age group rugby, I go out most weeks to watch a game, seeing the next generation coming through, where these guys are playing for the love of the game, sure some have aspirations of higher honours, but they are still playing for free and arent in the lanes higher levels often consign them to.

Watching the Northland v BOP dev games on the weekend, the body shapes of some of the players is not what you'd expect to see at higher levels these days, but thier skills are there.

I have never had an affinity to super rugby, but that is largely due to Northland being part of the chiefs, then the blues and the blues largely ignoring Northland, although this has changed considerably in the past 4 or so years.

Kiwiwomble

@taniwharugby agreed, getting involved with the club over the last few years has been great, id go as far as to say id take a Dewar Shield win for Power House over a super rugby title currently

NTA

@Kiwiwomble said in The Current State of Rugby:

a quick thought, and ive been heading towards this for a while, im thinking that some of us that are starting to question if we are falling out of love with rugby.....its because (or at least partially) because we watch so much of it on TV, with endless replays trying to find the tiniest mistake or infringement, with commentators telling us everything we might have missed and how we should feel the actions of players....i think we need to get down the sideline more than in front of a screen, have some beers, chat with randoms and just enjoy

You could just as easily be talking about the issues created by social media distancing. In terms of division, and giving everyone an "equal" voice, this is common to a lot of arenas.

Much easier to have a pop at players, refs, or the game itself when you can do it in a forum like this, rather than having to go to the effort of calling the radio station or writing a letter to the editor

With a couple of hours' work you can get a podcast going, and you'll find your audience - no matter how barking mad!

Whereas pub rules state that you'd get ostracised if you carried on like pork chop you'd be running out of mates pretty quickly

Bovidae

I much prefer watching a game live than on TV and have been at games from 1st XV to SR this year, often on the same day. I don't attend many club games but will often go if there is a game nearby and if certain players are involved, i.e., ALB returning from his injury. As others have said, the players are less cynical at the lower levels so it's closer to the rugby we grew up playing and watching.

Machpants

@Kiwiwomble said in The Current State of Rugby:

a quick thought, and ive been heading towards this for a while, im thinking that some of us that are starting to question if we are falling out of love with rugby.....its because (or at least partially) because we watch so much of it on TV, with endless replays trying to find the tiniest mistake or infringement, with commentators telling us everything we might have missed and how we should feel the actions of players....i think we need to get down the sideline more than in front of a screen, have some beers, chat with randoms and just enjoy

That's a pretty perceptive comment, you're banned

canefan

@Kiwiwomble said in The Current State of Rugby:

a quick thought, and ive been heading towards this for a while, im thinking that some of us that are starting to question if we are falling out of love with rugby.....its because (or at least partially) because we watch so much of it on TV, with endless replays trying to find the tiniest mistake or infringement, with commentators telling us everything we might have missed and how we should feel the actions of players....i think we need to get down the sideline more than in front of a screen, have some beers, chat with randoms and just enjoy

I reckon I watch less rugby than I did 20 years ago. A lot to do with family commitments, so for me it isn't overexposure. As others have said the game is so difficult to understand sometimes, with the state of the rules and the interpretation of the refs. Also the style of the game right now, the slowing down of the game and the muscularisation of the physical nature of the players isn't helping to make it a viewing spectacle

The Silver Fern

The Current State of Rugby