Heck of a game plan by Eddie Jones. Coming into it I figured they'd probably try to slow the game down to stop NZ from controlling the tempo. Instead they came out of the blocks at a 100mph and ran the ABs off their feet. If anything they kept speeding the play up to take time and space away from the ABs. The defensive pressure was fantastic - simply gave them no breathing room. Best England performance I've seen for a very long time.
Ugh. Can't blame you for being upset Taffy - but it's no embarrassment to lose like that. Gutsy effort from your lads. With ten to go I thought Wales might actually do it.
Yeah I did dare to dream for a few minutes, but SA defended fantastically. That was a very tough game. Hard to say now, but I'm satisfied that they gave a good account of themselves in a RWC semi final.
Yep. The Boks turned up tonight. They smashed England at the breakdown all night - dominated the set piece and beat England at their own game. That pack is just monstrous.
Louis Rees-Zammit is 20 years old and having his first few games for Wales. Will definitely be in the Lions squad in the next couple of years.
running away from Jonny fucking May....unbelievable. if he had gotten it, would've been an all-time try. either way, congrats on the Triple Crown
Haven’t watched today’s match. But the turnaround between the this 6-nations and the Fall Amazon Prime League of Extraordinary Rugby Tournament is huge.
It was whatever fall tournament there was that was after the delayed 6 nations happened. I was making a joke because it was sponsored by Amazon and had a dumb name.
When was the last time you loaded up Lomu highlights? Just watched Invictus on Netflix and had to pull these up. He was such a beast.
Why has Wales struggle so much? I’m not super understanding of the nuances of rugby yet, but man it just seems like they have no attack. Why?
Tell me how you got into rugby. I'm always interested to hear how people on that side of the pond are finding it.
My college roommates played club Rugby so that was my introduction but I really got into it by watching Sqidge Rugby videos when the YouTube algorithm placed it in my path right before 2019 World Cup. From there it’s been just watching more and more because it’s an entertaining sport.
biggest takeaways for me from the Six Nations: France are scary. when is the last time that the All Blacks are solidly (at best) the 3rd best team in the world going into a WC year? Marcus Smith is still a year away. Italy is definitely building towards being more than a pushover. Wales need a lot of changes (Alun Wyn Jones ).
The Rugby Championship starts tomorrow. Ian Foster is under ferocious pressure having had to sack two assistant coaches after losing the Irish series at home. The All Blacks have lost 4 of the last 5 now which is pretty much unheard of and there is a national crisis in New Zealand. Two games away to South Africa now is an absolute bitch trying to recapture some form. Interesting times.
firing a coach a year away from the World Cup is insane though likely necessary (they looked so bad against the Irish the last 2 games). it being the All Blacks just makes it all the more fucking insane.
Defeat for the All Blacks. They’ve now lost 5 of the last 6. They looked well short of a SA team not even that up to it. Foster is a dead man walking.
In 2001 Wayne Smith was basically fired half way through the World Cup cycle. He had to “reapply” for the job and wasn’t given it. Smith of course then came back to the All Blacks in 2004 and was the brains behind the operation from 2004 to 2019. When he lost out it was on the basis that they had lost the Bledisloe Cup 2 years in a row. New Zealand and Australian had three games in 2000 and 2001 that were won on the last play of the game. New Zealand game out on top in one game but lost the other two and Australia held the cup. A game of inches and he lost his job….Foster is on a crazy losing streak. The ending of the games versus Australia were great, such a great rivalry at that time. “Game of the Century”- Jonah Lomu magic at Stadium Australia The sight of second row and captain John Eales kicking the winning points with 60,000 Kiwis going apeshit. 2001- Wallaby comeback
Rugby Pass do a series called The Season. It’s been going since 2017 and it has mainly focused on High School rugby in New Zealand and Australia. Would be cool if they expanded it to other places where HS rugby is big like South Africa, England and Ireland. SA is pretty scary.