Soldato
You can certainly fast forward through the first half.
Rugby union?
- Thread starter Unseul
- Start date
Soldato
OK up to speed. I was lost for words when three were off on yellows...
Anyway, for me Farrell should be done now. No amount of talent would make up for the discipline issues there. Easy decision really, there's a few older guys in the team that need sacking off, surely there is fresher men in the clubs to pick?
Anyway, for me Farrell should be done now. No amount of talent would make up for the discipline issues there. Easy decision really, there's a few older guys in the team that need sacking off, surely there is fresher men in the clubs to pick?
England are absolutely useless at the moment. Can barely bring myself to watch.
Olly Lawrence should be dropped for a long period.....after getting burned off by a second string booker and jogging back while we concede a try..... simply not international standard.
It would be easy to blame Borthwick, and you have to to some extent, but English club rugby is a mess and we simply don't have the players. Every other team looks stronger, fitter, and smarter.
Farrell should be banned for the WC if the IRB are serious about player welfare. Not a first offence from him.
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Soldato
Agree that English club rugby is a mess and this is a major contributor. The thing that’s still baffling is that the English RFU is the best funded in the world, and yet we’re in this mess. Money isn’t going to the right places for international success.
Many issues. Player pool isn't that great given how few state schools actually play the sport (do any?)....so you're left with mostly private school rugger bugger types.
The culture of rugby clubs is very exclusive, more focused on binge drinking than competition, which puts a lot of people off (don't get me wrong, had fun times with clubs, but not appealing any more).
A pretty crap atmosphere at most club grounds, outside of Derby days. Just general crap stadiums, either too small to have enough people for a good experience, or too big and only a quarter full. Stadiums full of old farts in barbour jackets grumbling about people standing up.
Baffling rules to outsiders, games decided by incomprehensible breakdown/scrum penalties.
Tedious tactics employed by England national teams.
I find Rugby League more exciting than union to watch these days. It's simpler and more accessible, tenser games, less stoppages.
Cricket is absolutely nailing it with the Hundred, getting loads of kids into watching the game.
The rise of the Sports Reality TV show, which has helped massively boost F1's reach with younger audiences, and football clubs have been making great use of. Absolutely diddly squat from rugby.
The CTE issue will bankrupt the game and kill off youth participation. It's a dead sport unless they make some major changes. Part of that needs to be player welfare and Farrell getting a very long ban.
Rugby Union was the game I played as a kid, and I've got a drawer full of England and Quins shirts.....but it's just kinda dead to me now. High level sport is entertainment, and RU in England isn't entertaining.
Many reasons you cited @mid_gen are why in 2020 I didn't renew my season ticket at Gloucester, and nor have a few mates. Huge price rises for tickets, and very few improvements for fans. It's ~£450 for a half decent seat, double that for the wife and add a child and it's ~£1k a year to go and watch 12 or so games and that's before I've bought a £6 pint, £10 burger, or £5 coffee. I do alright, but I struggle to justify that amount of expense, especially when Gloucester are absolute toilet at the moment. Kingsholm is a good laugh, and I will continue to go for the odd game (Bath, Chiefs etc) but I can't see me getting a season ticket again any time soon.
Last time I had a quins season ticket, it was 99 quid! Just got a couple together with a mate. The food and drink were crap and the atmosphere tepid at best. Shame really as we've always played pretty exciting rugby, even when we're rubbish!
I think the first Shed ticket I bought was £120 or so, it then went to over £200 and now I think it's closer to £300. I would check the prices, but it seems they've moved to a new ticketing system and my account has been lost (along with a decent amount of credit in it!).
Soldato
England captain Farrell's red card overturned
England captain Owen Farrell is clear to play in the World Cup after his red card in Saturday's warm-up with Wales is overturned.
www.bbc.co.uk
Nothing to see here lol.
Soldato
Looks like you were right tab...
Wow. That's quite an outcome. What's the point of the whole bunker thing then.
Soldato
That's mental. Clear contact to the head by a player who has done this multiple times before and been pulled up on it. Baffling how that decision has been made considering all the pushes for player safety around head contact. Makes a bit of a mockery of it all.
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Soldato
I want to share that with mates, but it's so niche I don't think I really have any close friends who'd get it! 
I want to share that with mates, but it's so niche I don't think I really have any close friends who'd get it!
Put it on my Instagram. 0 engagement (from my 7 followers) thus far
Soldato
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- 13 May 2003
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I couldn't find the enthusiasm to watch the match at the weekend, these warm ups are a bit of an expensive farce and I gave up after 20 minutes I had gardening to do. So I've only just watched the replay of the red card. It is not like he didn't have plenty of time to line up a legal tackle. He clearly hits head with shoulder and the guy isn't slipping or dipping. It should have been a red on the pitch but I understand the ref using the available bunker system to avoid a mistake that could ruin the match. The Referee and TMO seem to have acted appropriately. The fact the red has been overturned is a ******* disgrace. I have defended plenty of overzealous red cards where I think there are mitigations and the decision making time frame is tiny, Steward in the 6N and SBW during the Lions series immediately come to mind. But that Farrell tackle was either negligently or deliberately bad with no mitigation that I can see. He should be getting a 4 match ban or more. This decision bring World Rugby into disrepute for me.