posted Jun 3, 2008

Its the greatest news that could happen to RUGBY UNION,stopping teams like England Munster walking on the field with THE MOST BORING TACTICS.
And by the way:
Blacks 51 Ireland+Munsterseven 9,Ireland scoring after A maul one try
vv

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posted Jun 3, 2008

Your angel I'm figuring you're either very young, a wendyballer newly converted to Union, or a WUM.

NZ have built a record of being the dominant team over the past 100 years on strong packs. In the mid nineties Brown, Fitzpatrick and Dowd were the best frontrow in the world. NZ is known for having great backrowers. You obviously have a knowledge of the game that goes all the way back to... the late nineties.

NZ had a technically decent, but soft pack(when the French went pulling testacles) in the late nineties which had become a very mobile technically flawed and soft pack by the time 2003 rolled along. Otherwise, historically AB pack's have been very good. Certainly not as lightweight as most NH teams (Argentina after all are SH as are SA).

Scrummaging is more dangerous than rucking, I don't want to see the scrum banned, I want rucking back. It promotes fast ball, penalises cheating and negative play and empowers players over refs.

The ELV's are an attempt to correct an imbalance in the game between DEFENSE and ATTACK, or NEGATIVE play and POSITIVE play. They are not about switching the game in favor of backs as opposed to forwards seen they have not changed any of the fundamental roles of either sets of players. If you think this benefits only 2 teams that says something about the state of the game.

Bring back rucking and most of the problems would be solved.

The ELV's were pionered in SA, why would they propose law changes which favor their arch rivals?

They were also trialled in some of the Celtic countries and SA BEFORE the last WCup. That very obviously makes your assertion that they are a knee jerk reaction to Australia and NZ's early exit, false.

Incidently, I don't agree with half of the proposed ELV's it's just I don't use them as an excuse to raise the profile of a less popular sport (NH media), as an excuse to remain conservative, as a way to snipe at opposing teams with much better records of performance, or as an excuse for jingoistic rants. I attempt to look at each of the law changes to see how it actually impacts the game.

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posted Jun 3, 2008

I played rugby at Grammar School but now have difficulty watching it.
In comparison to Super League it is woeful. Who wants to see grown men pushing and shoving each other in the mud?
Let us reduce the game to 13 a side and concentrate on running and passing.
Maybe then we can create a truly national "classless" sport that can rival Association Football,

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posted Jun 3, 2008

It's those soft SH sissies - Wht should Nh teams play without ELVs and then be expected to forget everything on tour? Why should the NH have to follow the SH? Stuff 'em, let's just play our game and leave the softies to their touch rugby.

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posted Jun 4, 2008

IF SUPER LEAGUE IS BETTER THEN JUST WATCH THAT YOU CLOWN !!!

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posted Jun 4, 2008

Hermit: as a SH fan, Im looking forward to the NH showing us how hard they are and how to play the game this weekend!

Should be quite the spectacle I imagine!

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posted Jun 4, 2008

I appear to have touched a raw nerve as far as beefbeerandbaps is concerned.
After watching the recent St Helens/Warrington & Leeds/Wigan league matches and the HC & Premiership union finals,I sadly felt embarrassed for the union game.How anyone can say union is a more entertaining game is beyond me.Once, many years ago OK but not any longer.
We need a more liberal attitude as far as union is concerned and need to get away from the "Tom Brown School Days "era of beefbeerandbaps and and start living in the 21st Century.

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posted Jun 4, 2008

The ELVs are all designed to reduce the impact of scrummaging on the game, an area where Australia has been particularly weak in recent years.

As for changing the game in favour of the forwards, Im not sure that is the case, but in case anyone's missed it a rugby union team comprises 8 forwards and 7 backs!

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posted Jun 4, 2008

And don't forget union is turning into league!

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posted Jun 4, 2008

They are percieved, by me atleast and im sure by many others, as a knee jerk reaction to the defeat of NZ and aus by northern hemisphere teams who ultimately performed better on th day. there is not safety element involved and so they can only have been developed to, as people constantly point out, make the game more like rugby league where those two SH teams dominate.

The owner of the above statment is a tube.

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