The Rugby Thread

laurentian

Pross said:

Laws is fecking massive! .

I've played against him (although he wasn't anything like as big then!)

david37

Dorset_Boy said:

MattFalle said:

MattFalle said:

shirley_basso said:

Why?

Because they are utterly totally arrogant, they think that everyone should just roll over and hero worship them.

No sportsmanship, not cool, no personality. Nothing. Not even a dog as a mascot.

Crowds full of cheering middle class Daily Mail readers all singing the first 4 lines of Swing Low because thats the only ones they know.

Every time they lose is sheer joy.

The Man Utd of rugby.

Everyone associated with england rugby is also an incredibly bad loser - fans, team, management, whoever.

Utter, utter pathetic drivel. Take the chips off your shoulders.
Every England fan I know thinks Scotland thoroughly deserved their win.
Likewise the World Cup final - but then you wouldn't know what it's like for your country to get to a final would you!

I do however totally agree that there are far too many corporate tw@ts in the Twickenham crowd who don't know rugby exists outside the internationals.

Totally agree re the corporate twats at Twickenham. Now a day out in Cardiff, tickets or not is a great day out. Easy to get to, compact area, great atmosphere and good beer. plus if youre into cycling a great place for a weekend break.

EDIT dont bring your bike if the game is Saturday and youre planning on riding on Sunday. It wont happen.

elbowloh

Dorset_Boy said:

bompington said:

johngti said:

Dorset_Boy said:

MattFalle said:

MattFalle said:

shirley_basso said:

Why?

Because they are utterly totally arrogant, they think that everyone should just roll over and hero worship them.

No sportsmanship, not cool, no personality. Nothing. Not even a dog as a mascot.

Crowds full of cheering middle class Daily Mail readers all singing the first 4 lines of Swing Low because thats the only ones they know.

Every time they lose is sheer joy.

The Man Utd of rugby.

Everyone associated with england rugby is also an incredibly bad loser - fans, team, management, whoever.

Utter, utter pathetic drivel. Take the chips off your shoulders.
Every England fan I know thinks Scotland thoroughly deserved their win.
Likewise the World Cup final - but then you wouldn't know what it's like for your country to get to a final would you!

I do however totally agree that there are far too many corporate tw@ts in the Twickenham crowd who don't know rugby exists outside the internationals.

However, I'm yet to meet an England supporter who, when beaten by Wales, has ever acknowledged that they lost to a better team. There's always an undercurrent of "well, we gave it to them didn't we".

Well, I'm sure you'd never get an England supporter writing off a defeat to Scotland with things like "England played as badly on Saturday as they have for the last 20 years. They were woeful."

I guess you just have to remember that the default is that England are the best and, all other things being equal, deserve to win every time. Please understand that of course that's not the same as "english arrogance"

Well given England's playing resources they really, really should win a lot more than they lose.
I'm not sure the worst performance in 20 years bit is necessarily true, but you cannot deny England were very poor, particularly in comparison to the RWC semi!
Whether that was Scotland making them look poor, or the reality that as good as Scotland were, England were undeniably poor too.
None of that takes anything away from a deserved victory by Scotland.

I'm sure when Scotland were humped at TW1 4 years ago there will have been plenty of Scots stating how awful Scotland were that day, and how they made England look good.
Or the first half two years ago.

However it tends to be fine for celts to say they were poor in defeat but the English can't do the same as it is arrogant.


You can say that about a lot of sports with regards to England, football, rugby, crickets we should have won a lot more bearing in mind population and funding ratios compared to say Australia, New Zealand etc.

I mean, New Zealand are currently the no.1 ranked test team in cricket and by far the most successful Rugby Union team, but have a population less than London (at 5 million). Why does New Zealand do so well (no just limited to these sports)?

pblakeney

Schools in NZ surrounded by playing fields of all sorts instead of new build houses might be a clue. And quality facilities at that.

Pross

Unfortunately it's very rare for two teams to play at their very best in any sport and obviously it is often the team that plays badly that loses. However, a team playing really well often makes the other team look bad and I think that was the case with Scotland on Saturday. It's very difficult to get the balance right between being a gracious winner and sounding condescending whilst losing having been the better side always sounds bitter.

Dorset_Boy

Pross said:

laurentian said:

Pross said:

Meh that's been the problem with the attitude in Welsh rugby my entire life. I've been as guilty of it as anyone but these days I'd sacrifice losing to England to finally see Wales beat NZ.

Thanks Pross - saved me typing that. As soon as Wales got out of the mindset that beating England was all that mattered, they progressed massively. I love watching the Welsh play Rugby (unless they're playing England).

I've never understood the "english arrogance" thing held by some Welsh and Scots. I've always assumed it to be a vehicle for some odd paranoia. There are some properly annoying home counties pr1cks that support England but there are far, far more normal working class supporters (often players or ex-players) - there will be the same demographic in Wales and Scotland - but that doesn't fit the stereotype I suppose.

England played as badly on Saturday as they have for the last 20 years. They were woeful. Scotland were excellent by comparison but, it should be noted, England were within a score of winning all the way through the game until the final whistle. As awful as they were, they could still have won. Scotland did not "put the game away" even though they seem to have a pretty sexy midfield now.

For all the Welsh and Scots revelling in an England defeat, fill your boots!!

Enjoy it if you want - (the meme with the chariot with a broken wheel is really, really funny btw) although you won't find me on here doing the same should England beat you any time soon. There's little class in that.

In the last 18 months England have won the Six Nations, won the Autumn Nations Cup, smashed the All Blacks and played in a World Cup Final . . . I can't get too upset over a loss to a very good Scotland side.

I suspect it stems back to the amateur era originally but I don't think that Carling / Guscott era endeared them to many outside England. I met a few of the England lads (and Welsh / Scots) at George North's wedding and they seemed a decent enough bunch. Hartley seemed a bit of a character and Laws is fecking massive! I've found the Irish players more annoying in recent years to be fair other than Mike Brown who I suspect even the most ardent England supporter thinks is a Grade A c0ck. No doubt a few of the Welsh players come across similarly to non-Welsh supporters.

Totally agree about Pikey Brown.
I don't think Fazlet is overly popular either.
Mind you Sexton and Alun WJ are the biggest Whingers around.

blazing_saddles

Dorset_Boy said:

Pross said:

laurentian said:

Pross said:

Meh that's been the problem with the attitude in Welsh rugby my entire life. I've been as guilty of it as anyone but these days I'd sacrifice losing to England to finally see Wales beat NZ.

Thanks Pross - saved me typing that. As soon as Wales got out of the mindset that beating England was all that mattered, they progressed massively. I love watching the Welsh play Rugby (unless they're playing England).

I've never understood the "english arrogance" thing held by some Welsh and Scots. I've always assumed it to be a vehicle for some odd paranoia. There are some properly annoying home counties pr1cks that support England but there are far, far more normal working class supporters (often players or ex-players) - there will be the same demographic in Wales and Scotland - but that doesn't fit the stereotype I suppose.

England played as badly on Saturday as they have for the last 20 years. They were woeful. Scotland were excellent by comparison but, it should be noted, England were within a score of winning all the way through the game until the final whistle. As awful as they were, they could still have won. Scotland did not "put the game away" even though they seem to have a pretty sexy midfield now.

For all the Welsh and Scots revelling in an England defeat, fill your boots!!

Enjoy it if you want - (the meme with the chariot with a broken wheel is really, really funny btw) although you won't find me on here doing the same should England beat you any time soon. There's little class in that.

In the last 18 months England have won the Six Nations, won the Autumn Nations Cup, smashed the All Blacks and played in a World Cup Final . . . I can't get too upset over a loss to a very good Scotland side.

I suspect it stems back to the amateur era originally but I don't think that Carling / Guscott era endeared them to many outside England. I met a few of the England lads (and Welsh / Scots) at George North's wedding and they seemed a decent enough bunch. Hartley seemed a bit of a character and Laws is fecking massive! I've found the Irish players more annoying in recent years to be fair other than Mike Brown who I suspect even the most ardent England supporter thinks is a Grade A c0ck. No doubt a few of the Welsh players come across similarly to non-Welsh supporters.

Totally agree about Pikey Brown.
I don't think Fazlet is overly popular either.
Mind you Sexton and Alun WJ are the biggest Whingers around.

This does seem to be the common counter claim to England being arrogant.
Everybody does it, but not everybody is a subtle as Sam W used to be.

MattFalle

Pross said:

laurentian said:

Pross said:

Meh that's been the problem with the attitude in Welsh rugby my entire life. I've been as guilty of it as anyone but these days I'd sacrifice losing to England to finally see Wales beat NZ.

Thanks Pross - saved me typing that. As soon as Wales got out of the mindset that beating England was all that mattered, they progressed massively. I love watching the Welsh play Rugby (unless they're playing England).

I've never understood the "english arrogance" thing held by some Welsh and Scots. I've always assumed it to be a vehicle for some odd paranoia. There are some properly annoying home counties pr1cks that support England but there are far, far more normal working class supporters (often players or ex-players) - there will be the same demographic in Wales and Scotland - but that doesn't fit the stereotype I suppose.

England played as badly on Saturday as they have for the last 20 years. They were woeful. Scotland were excellent by comparison but, it should be noted, England were within a score of winning all the way through the game until the final whistle. As awful as they were, they could still have won. Scotland did not "put the game away" even though they seem to have a pretty sexy midfield now.

For all the Welsh and Scots revelling in an England defeat, fill your boots!!

Enjoy it if you want - (the meme with the chariot with a broken wheel is really, really funny btw) although you won't find me on here doing the same should England beat you any time soon. There's little class in that.

In the last 18 months England have won the Six Nations, won the Autumn Nations Cup, smashed the All Blacks and played in a World Cup Final . . . I can't get too upset over a loss to a very good Scotland side.

I suspect it stems back to the amateur era originally but I don't think that Carling / Guscott era endeared them to many outside England. I met a few of the England lads (and Welsh / Scots) at George North's wedding and they seemed a decent enough bunch. Hartley seemed a bit of a character and Laws is fecking massive! I've found the Irish players more annoying in recent years to be fair other than Mike Brown who I suspect even the most ardent England supporter thinks is a Grade A c0ck. No doubt a few of the Welsh players come across similarly to non-Welsh supporters.

"Hartley seemed a bit of a character"

Isn't that code for "nob"?

blazing_saddles

MattFalle said:

Pross said:

laurentian said:

Pross said:

Meh that's been the problem with the attitude in Welsh rugby my entire life. I've been as guilty of it as anyone but these days I'd sacrifice losing to England to finally see Wales beat NZ.

Thanks Pross - saved me typing that. As soon as Wales got out of the mindset that beating England was all that mattered, they progressed massively. I love watching the Welsh play Rugby (unless they're playing England).

I've never understood the "english arrogance" thing held by some Welsh and Scots. I've always assumed it to be a vehicle for some odd paranoia. There are some properly annoying home counties pr1cks that support England but there are far, far more normal working class supporters (often players or ex-players) - there will be the same demographic in Wales and Scotland - but that doesn't fit the stereotype I suppose.

England played as badly on Saturday as they have for the last 20 years. They were woeful. Scotland were excellent by comparison but, it should be noted, England were within a score of winning all the way through the game until the final whistle. As awful as they were, they could still have won. Scotland did not "put the game away" even though they seem to have a pretty sexy midfield now.

For all the Welsh and Scots revelling in an England defeat, fill your boots!!

Enjoy it if you want - (the meme with the chariot with a broken wheel is really, really funny btw) although you won't find me on here doing the same should England beat you any time soon. There's little class in that.

In the last 18 months England have won the Six Nations, won the Autumn Nations Cup, smashed the All Blacks and played in a World Cup Final . . . I can't get too upset over a loss to a very good Scotland side.

I suspect it stems back to the amateur era originally but I don't think that Carling / Guscott era endeared them to many outside England. I met a few of the England lads (and Welsh / Scots) at George North's wedding and they seemed a decent enough bunch. Hartley seemed a bit of a character and Laws is fecking massive! I've found the Irish players more annoying in recent years to be fair other than Mike Brown who I suspect even the most ardent England supporter thinks is a Grade A c0ck. No doubt a few of the Welsh players come across similarly to non-Welsh supporters.

"Hartley seemed a bit of a character"

Isn't that code for "nob"?

I think Pross may be referring to his choice of apparel for the wedding.
Nothing outlandish, just a bit different.

MattFalle

blazing_saddles said:

MattFalle said:

Pross said:

laurentian said:

Pross said:

Meh that's been the problem with the attitude in Welsh rugby my entire life. I've been as guilty of it as anyone but these days I'd sacrifice losing to England to finally see Wales beat NZ.

Thanks Pross - saved me typing that. As soon as Wales got out of the mindset that beating England was all that mattered, they progressed massively. I love watching the Welsh play Rugby (unless they're playing England).

I've never understood the "english arrogance" thing held by some Welsh and Scots. I've always assumed it to be a vehicle for some odd paranoia. There are some properly annoying home counties pr1cks that support England but there are far, far more normal working class supporters (often players or ex-players) - there will be the same demographic in Wales and Scotland - but that doesn't fit the stereotype I suppose.

England played as badly on Saturday as they have for the last 20 years. They were woeful. Scotland were excellent by comparison but, it should be noted, England were within a score of winning all the way through the game until the final whistle. As awful as they were, they could still have won. Scotland did not "put the game away" even though they seem to have a pretty sexy midfield now.

For all the Welsh and Scots revelling in an England defeat, fill your boots!!

Enjoy it if you want - (the meme with the chariot with a broken wheel is really, really funny btw) although you won't find me on here doing the same should England beat you any time soon. There's little class in that.

In the last 18 months England have won the Six Nations, won the Autumn Nations Cup, smashed the All Blacks and played in a World Cup Final . . . I can't get too upset over a loss to a very good Scotland side.

I suspect it stems back to the amateur era originally but I don't think that Carling / Guscott era endeared them to many outside England. I met a few of the England lads (and Welsh / Scots) at George North's wedding and they seemed a decent enough bunch. Hartley seemed a bit of a character and Laws is fecking massive! I've found the Irish players more annoying in recent years to be fair other than Mike Brown who I suspect even the most ardent England supporter thinks is a Grade A c0ck. No doubt a few of the Welsh players come across similarly to non-Welsh supporters.

"Hartley seemed a bit of a character"

Isn't that code for "nob"?

I think Pross may be referring to his choice of apparel for the wedding.
Nothing outlandish, just a bit different.

So code for "dressed like a nob trying desperatly to get attention", yah?

Pross

Nah he seemed a decent bloke whereas I always had him down as a bit of a d1ck. Sam Warburton seemed pretty down to earth and was quite happy helping the staff put chairs out for the congregation. I was just there as the hired help though.

blazing_saddles

Absolutely gutted for our George.
Foot injury means that he will have to wait to hit the magic 100 caps.
Hopefully, that will not happen in Cardiff against the boys in white.

MattFalle

.

ddraver

Jack Willis has had a day eh?

🙂😁😥

Pross

Don't hear a scream like that on a rugby pitch very often. Nasty one for Willis after getting a try on his 6 Nations debut. Looks like a leg break rather than knee injury judging by how it was covered. ITV having enough class to not show replays but Monye making a but too much of what is just an unfortunate issue.

Cracking finish by Jonny May for his try.

ddraver

When did it become a thing?

My rugby career can certainly not be confused with anything...good, but I was s never taught to "roll" anyone..?!?

Pross

Probably an upshot of the size of players and being banned from going in hard with a shoulder. I used to hate being the one over a ball like that you are vulnerable to any contact. I don't see rolling someone being much different to just being smashed. In either situation if your foot stays in one place and your body doesn't you have a problem.

Dorset_Boy

It's a form of Judo roll.
Sadly I think it was just one of those things. You have to be allowed to get the man off the ball, or make him release by putting him off his feet.
Hopefully Willis won't be out for 'too long'.

Pross

Keystone Cops defending by Wales there. Yet again kicking away every bit of possession they get when they have a very strong counter-attacking back three.

Pross

Scrum feeding needs to be sorted out. Both sides are bad but the one Scottish scrum just now the ball got thrown in so sharply to the blindsides feet he had problems getting it out from under them. I guess the officials just like anything that gets the scrum over with quickly before it collapses.

Dorset_Boy

I agree Pross. One of the easiest laws to apply and would encourage front rows to stay up, but persistently ignored by the officials.

Pross

It's not even subtle anymore. I'm going to sound like Brian Moore but lineout throws going slightly off line in the wind get picked and but a feed at 45 degrees or more into the scrum is left alone. It takes some doing to feed the ball to a flanker's feet.

pblakeney

Pross said:

It's not even subtle anymore. I'm going to sound like Brian Moore but lineout throws going slightly off line in the wind get picked and but a feed at 45 degrees or more into the scrum is left alone. It takes some doing to feed the ball to a flanker's feet.

I think this was discussed by the commentators during the last 6 Nations and they've pretty much decided to let it slide.

Pross

This looks like being harsh. Francis was pulled into the line of contact there. Should have been yellow.

Dorset_Boy

Pross said:

This looks like being harsh. Francis was pulled into the line of contact there. Should have been yellow.

I agree, it was harsh, but hard given the guidelines to them to give anything other than red.
So Wales to beat 14 men for the second week in a row.....

Game has turned on its head since the (rightly) disallowed Scottish try.

blazing_saddles

Pross said:

This looks like being harsh. Francis was pulled into the line of contact there. Should have been yellow.

A very harsh decision against Scotland, but it's the way things are these days.
Head protection trumps everything to the point that refs are almost making knee jerk decisions which have a huge impact upon games.

Dorset_Boy

Alun WJ is really struggling with where the back foot is at the defensive breakdown. He's living offside.

ddraver

Scotland have certainly been eating their greens over lockdown...

Dorset_Boy

Good game. Not sure the better side won, but the Wales scored 4 tries to 3.
Hogg's slip, and the break at the end .....

johngti

Dorset_Boy said:

Good game. Not sure the better side won, but the Wales scored 4 tries to 3.
Hogg's slip, and the break at the end .....

A wins a win! Scotland have been one of two form teams (France is the other IMO). Wales played better on both weekends than they did in the autumn though.