Hence rugby is dead as a sport. Used to be able to compete with League, bit that was a long time ago.
The Rugby World Cup Thread
- Thread starter happy_eagle
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Hence rugby is dead as a sport. Used to be able to compete with League, bit that was a long time ago.
well if it's a dead sport a s**tload of people went and watched the funeral!!!
May be on a slight downslide in Australia,but you obviously didn't see how packed the games were, and how big the TV ratings were in France,England and New Zealand.... That's the sort of 'death' that rugby league would be praying for world wide...
- Moderator
- #253
New Zealand might have got good ratings, but have you seen the crowds they've been getting lately?
The new laws can't come quick enough.
The new laws can't come quick enough.
There's no doubt.......Rugby League as a spectacle is leaving Union way behind.....
A great game of rugby is just as good as a great game of league,but a great game of union is far less common than a great game of league in my opinion....
League administrators are fanastic for making rule changes that increase the enjoyability of the game, whilst Rugby administrators seem stuck in quick sand....
But at least they are starting to look at it, and realising they have to try and make some changes to help fight off the challenge from league in a few countries....
- Banned
- #255
There was over 90 kicks in the match, the ball spent more time in the air than in the hands, running Rugby my arse, oh well, the game before it had 9 tries and plenty of running, twas a good game of Rugby, farewell Stacey. 
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How's channel ten's form showing the result of the game in a news break around the 47th minute of the replay?! You have to be ****ing kidding me.
ahahaha did they that is shocking
LukeParkerno1
Post-Human
Save yourself from watching the last 30minutes! They did you a good thing!
I saw one try.
England winning in 2003 should have signaled changes asap.
- Banned
- #261
Thing is in most contries that play union it's never been more popular but we have to change the game just to appease NZ/Aus because they have the threat of league & in Australia I suppose AFL too.
Maybe the rule changes will make the game better but there's always a chance that it will take parts of the game out that make it what it is.
Back in the late 90s when the SH were way ahead of Europe & had coped with professionalism much better there were a heap more tries in the Super 9 or whatever it was then & it was held up as far superior to NH rugby(which it was) but 'continuity' became the trend, teams took the ball into contact & almost invariably came away with it, teams didn't compete on the opposition line out but just set up a defensive wedge & teams stopped bothering to try to scrummage & the scrum became a mere restart, some people liked it but we may as well all have packed it in & played league instead.
Defences dominated this WC especially in the knock out stages & we saw loads more kicking than we've seen for about 20 years but if sides had had the balls to run the ball from deep more rather than kick it they may have had more success.
France kicked to England more than vice versa I bet if they'd had the guts to run it from deep more then they'd have beaten us.
Trouble is in knock out comps coaches & players can became way too conservative.
European rugby is so much more about win or bust games, we have relegation, we have knock out comps & in the 6 nations it's not enough to win it, the only thing that really matters is the Grand slam which means winning every game.
I think NZ & Australia despite playing some great stuff in the pool stages just weren't savvy enough to deal with a sh*t or bust game.
Then you get left with more limited sides.
Look at SA in the final, they deserved to win despite getting done on possession & territory, their line out is so good that they were happy to get in a kicking duel because they knew they could win their own lineouts & disrupt England's but if they'd tried to play a bit more with their extra quality they'd have probably won it easier.
For me it just needs coaches to be a bit less bloody scared of taking risks.
- Moderator
- #263
I still think the pool the All Blacks played in, and some selection question marks, played more of a part in the AB's downfall rather than an inability to play knockout style games. Add in some questionable decisions late in the game against France and they were toast.
If they want to win in 2011, even at home, then they must play against at least one team who will put them to the test in pool play and have them ready for the knockout stage. If not, then I can easily see them losing again.
If they want to win in 2011, even at home, then they must play against at least one team who will put them to the test in pool play and have them ready for the knockout stage. If not, then I can easily see them losing again.
