The Silver Fern

The dumb thing about these long term appointment, "project coaches" is that football doesn't run on 4-5 year cycles. It is a month by month sport.

Your stock and the entire operation can go from good to toxic and untenable in less than a month. If you look at how this sport plays out a manager can come into November in some good form with everything going in a positive direction and be out of a job by the new year, as has happened here. I mean think of it, winner of that tournament in the summer beating PSG 3-0 in the final no less, then you don't even make it to the end of the next season.

If rosenior struggles he might not make it to the end of the season. That is the reality of how football actually works.

The other problem Chelsea have is that if I am not mistaken three of the firings of the new owners have all boiled down to personality clashes between the owners and the coach. Tuchel, Poch and Maresca all seem to have fallen out with the owners or been at loggerheads with them in terms of what their vision is for the club. Whereas Abramovich got rid of coaches in a ruthless fashion it was almost solely down to results. These owners cannot find a coach that they are able to work with and that they see eye to eye with. There are ego battles going on here

He's an interesting dude. Would love to sit down with him over a beer to talk scrums, or have him at our club to run a session

@Bones said in Six Nations Wrap Up:

@Catogrande said in Six Nations Wrap Up:

@Bones

There are already enough reasons for me not to go to Twickenham.

Right? Women, eugh.

You too eh?

@MajorRage said in 2024 Rugby Championship ... The Real Deal OR Not.:

Something occurred to me watching the EOYT games this weekend.

All 3 teams seemed to put into play their best squads and play to their strengths. The teams seemed quite settled & knew exactly what they were trying to do and on the whole, were pretty impressive.

Made me wonder, was TRC only there this year for teams to try things out?

Years gone by, you'd see best teams in TRC and then quite a few random selections for the EOYT. New players would be selected to tour & then tried out in these games. But it seems like it was the reverse this year. Which made me wonder just how much effort was put into winning TRC this year. There were some excellent games, and it's not lost on me that it was the first tournament in a WC cycle, but should it still not be that the best players/plays should be in TRC with the experiments left for the EOYT?

So, has the global axis shifted so much with rugby that the South think winning the EOYT match are far more important than TRC?

Or am I just massively over thinking it.

Maybe they are all using the EOYT as a dry run for bigger tournaments / tours coming post-2024?

Had a great afternoon in Cardiff watching Wales lose to France. Scoreline did not reflect the match.

Some very good skills on show. Also some abject ordinariness.

@mariner4life agree to disagree on Isa.

@MajorRage said in Weekend Wrap Up:

Quite a lot to talk about after this weekends games, outside the official window.

Firstly, Wales vs Australia. Wales should have waltzed this. They looked like it for a while too. Aussie team shorn of all its stars, most of its decent players and filled up with bit parts. They didn't stand a chance and for most of the game, it showed. They were shit. They were pushed around, they were man handled they were terrible. But, this is 'straya. The country that never dies. The country that never gives up. Their second half comeback was immense. Yes, it's easy to say Welsh were shit (they were), poorly coached (they are) and struggling for form (agree). But they should have destroyed this Aussie team. Destroyed them. Instead, they lost. Pivac is fucked, deservedly, & this EOYT, despite a mere 2/4 record has saved Rennie. Because in they 2 they lost, they could have won. And those 2 are 1 & 2 in the world. Fair play to them Rennie. Enjoy your summer chaps, it's deserved

England vs South Africa was brilliant for both sets of fans. SA played their best game in yonks, and England showed the world why Eddie Jones needs to go. I can't see him lasting the summer. Yeah, they may be short of cash, but it's tough to see a team so hated but so many of it's own fans. I genuinely enjoy getting in the faces of opposition fans, but I don't with this current England mob. They are just so resigned to being shit, and they blame it all on Eddie. And on today, you can see why. They weren't in the same class. Scoreline flattered them. Horrible.

I cannot write this up without a proper mention of Doddie. I'll be honest, I'd never heard of the guy before he got sick. Since, Ive seen endless clips of a proper hard nosed cheeky chap. As funny as he was hard. I found seeing him on the pitch a couple of weeks ago very tough watching. He announced it bravely, as he stood strong. He updated often and you could see a drop in many physical things, but never a drop in the determination. Then he went quiet. And 2 weeks ago, we saw why. He had it all taken from him, and it was fucking heart breaking. It was soul destroying. It was god damned awful. In many ways, it would have been great for him to see Scotland beat us. I would take huge comfort in knowing that he saw it . Our records have been falling away recently, what's another one for Doddie. A physical man mountain, who showed how much of a man mountain he really was in his weakest hour.

RIP to a true inspiration.

What a horrific disease.

He was never Eben Etzebeth but seeing him pitch side before the AB game his arms literally looked like matchsticks. It’s ghastly how the human body can break down like that.

Seems like he would have been absolutely brilliant company over a beer or a dram. Fingers crossed a cure can be found one day for that horrible disease.

You’re right, a Scots victory would have been terrific given what Ireland and Argentina have done lately.

@Joans-Town-Jones said in All Blacks v England:

@TheMojoman said in All Blacks v England:

@nostrildamus said in All Blacks v England:

@TheMojoman Stevenson or Lam?

I'd love to see Stevenson in the mix but IMO he would be competing for the 14 spot with Jordan, Telea and Reece potentially as 15 cover. Lam is a maybe, not sure he has the same impact as Clarke though as a power winger.

Foster (rightly IMO) clearly wants to play a power winger/finesse winger combination with his 14 also an extra FB with kicking etc. Leads me to believe Jordan will be the first choice 14 when fit. Telea has been the find of the northern tour.

I'm on the Shaun Stevenson bandwagon. He needs to be and AB.

an

England winger Lydia Thompson appeared before an independent judicial committee on Monday, 21 November having received a red card in the Rugby World Cup 2021 final on 12 November, 2022. The red card was awarded for an offence pursuant to Law 9.13 (Dangerous tackle).

The player accepted that she had committed the act of foul play and that the offence was worthy of a red card. Having considered the player’s evidence and reviewed the clips, the Committee applied World Rugby’s mandatory minimum mid-range entry point for foul play resulting in contact with the head. This resulted in a starting point of a six match suspension.

The Committee took into consideration the mitigating factors and decided that the player was entitled to the full mitigation available (three matches). The Committee decided there were no aggravating factors and therefore the final sanction was a three-match suspension.

The player is therefore suspended for the following matches:

Worcester Women v Wasps Women – 17 December, 2022 Worcester Women v DMP Sharks – 31 December, 2022 Worcester Women v Gloucester-Hartpury – 7 January, 2023*

*The player may apply to take part in the World Rugby Coaching Intervention Programme to substitute the final match of the sanction for a coaching intervention aimed at modifying specific techniques and technical issues that contributed to the foul play.

https://www.world.rugby/news/777779

Wow. That DDT by the 1970s Balmain player was literally shocking. I think "holy s&!t" was my reaction while viewing that.

Could have, and I mean really could have, broken his neck.

@MajorRage said in Foster GOONNNNNEEEEE!!!!!!:

@Bones said in Foster GOONNNNNEEEEE!!!!!!:

To BP for some pies. Hur hur

I was tossing up between the above and “To KFC”

Late night Sunday is always the 24hr BP

Three out of three so far, c'mon Scotland

@MajorRage get in bro
https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/get-involved/find-an-event/push-up-challenge

Funny ole thing. Was moving two yearling fillies to get handled and they wouldn't go down the race into the yards and all I could think was 'I need Mark Todd here helping'

Yeah if you living there with parents it is different to being there on your own before you are 18

As far as students are concerned, particularly those that are not financially independent, being resident, as a full time student, in another country, is likely to be considered as a series of temporary absences from the parental home. It is anticipated that in the majority of cases involving students the parental home is likely to continue to constitute the student’s permanent and primary home..

@KiwiPie said in EPL 2021 / 2022:

@bayimports said in EPL 2021 / 2022:

no not Mane, we are not bayern

but Bournemouth have their first transfer signature - Ryan Fredericks

It seems more about how much you can pay players now rather than transfer fees given Fredericks (and Rothwell from Blackburn) have come in on frees. Forest have bought Awoniyi, a striker from Germany who I saw a bit on the Bundesliga highlights, built like a fridge.

Meanwhile Gareth Bale looks like he is going to MLS and not Cardiff.

Bale signed for LA

@billy-tell said in Sport Sense of Humour Failures:

@bones said in Sport Sense of Humour Failures:

@billy-tell said in Sport Sense of Humour Failures:

Not funny at all.

Just like your favourite comfy armchair huh?

I'm thinking whoooosh

It's hard to tell who is doing irony - except for Markram.

@allblackfan2 said in Peleton:

Looking to buy a stationary bike and wondering if any recommendations re make, models, basic requirements etc from Ferners who know about these things?

do you have a bike at all?
do you want to do programmes / virtual riding i.e. hook up to a computer?
budget?
will more than one person be using it?

I'd recommend at least a 'smart trainer' - programme controls the trainer e..g if you're riding a road course when it goes up a hill it makes it harder or in erg mode when doing a programme it controls the power you have to put in.

riding on a 'dumb' stationary trainer will drive you insane very quickly.
most basic option if you have a bike is a 'wheel on' smart trainer
https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace/sports/cycling/bike-accessories/indoor-trainers/listing/5053097050
$250 plus bike plus monthly sub for whatever platform you use.

from there you step up to a 'wheel off' direct drive trainer - more expensive but very quiet and a much nicer feel.
https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace/sports/cycling/bike-accessories/indoor-trainers/listing/5047331987

if you don't have a bike and you want a stationery smart bike - they're up there in cost.
https://domestique.nz/collections/smart-trainers

I'd always struggle to buy one of those full bike setups as you can buy a bloody good 2nd hand bike plus trainer for less - then you've got a bike to use outside if you ever want to.

but if you're say a couple then they're got as easily adjustable
https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace/sports/cycling/bike-accessories/indoor-trainers/listing/5048966927

have a yarn to the dude who runs that site - they hire stuff as well - always a good option in case it doesn't 'take'!

@nzzp 👍