Rugby last night.

[The Red Baron]

Did anyone else see it? What a terrific game!



St. Helens v Wigan, that is. 

[BillyStubbsTears]

I watched the other one with a mate who's a fan. Bores the shite out of me. And despite memo to self to chill out, I still get marked at the effrontery of calling it the Rugby World Cup. There is still that nasty condescending streak amongst those in charge of the game, that refuses to acknowledge the existence of League.

Kitsons.

[DaveDRFC]

I thought the only thing it did was highlight how much we DON'T need video refs in football. Just spoilt the game going upstairs for every little thing.

[The Red Baron]

I agree about the TMO. It is over-used in Rugby League as well and would be in football. However goal line technology is another matter!

[DRFCSouth]

Enjoy the union. Flows a lot more than league to me. A few have done well crossing from league to union, such as Robinson, Farrell, Burgess. I just wonder if Cameron and gang will support the RL world cup.

[Hounslowrover]

Great game at the Amex today.  Good to see the red and white hoops win there at last!!

[BobG]

The place I'm working right now is full of union wallahs. They spend hours picking their ideal fantasy sides, debating who's gonna do what to oom, searching through the entrails. It makes me doubt their sanity.

BobG

[Donnywolf]

I agree about the TMO. It is over-used in Rugby League as well and would be in football. However goal line technology is another matter!

+1 It just HAS to come in soon !

[DRFCSouth]

Agreed . It might put off those committing sneaky little fouls a bit more. You can hear at the rugby, they often say you need to speak to so and so about this. Could've done with it for Costa yesterday.

[The Red Baron]

Going off topic, but if the referee and his assistants couldn't see that Costa committed more than one yellow card offence they want their eyesight testing.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Christ, that Costa is a narky little Kitson isn't he?

Kind of gives the ammunition to those who criticise the culture of football as being inferior to that in rugby.

Nasty, petulant, cheating, childish bas**rd. No sport is so important that we should bring up our kids to idolise Kitsons like him.

[RedJ]

Kitson of the highest order, that Costa.

[Colemans Left Hook]

i accidentally saw the odds for the rugby union world cup 0f which i have no interest  since the world and his dog knows NZ are always the best team (but somehow until recently not the winners) some team were 100/1 on to win

 and i am sure i saw south africa 500/1   66/1 japan & 100/1 the draw --

i have never ever seen odds like that

put £500 on to win £1 that's

being the person i am it made me think of when the australian cricket players backed England to win a test match at about 500/1 against (i am guessing at those odds) wouldn't for a moment suggest  .........   "foul play" or  "not TRYing"

by the way betting is not allowed in Japan "to win money"  you can win "gifts" that can be sold back to the establishment

yep i was right
"Their World Cup record of played 24, won one, drawn two, lost 21, persuaded the bookies to make the Springboks 1-500 favourites to win. Japan were 80-1 yet they defied the odds."

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/sep/19/rugby-world-cup-biggest-shock-japan-south-africa

[RedJ]

rugby union world cup 0f which i have no interest  since the world and his dog knows NZ are always the best team (but somehow until recently not the winners)

Well what a f**king ridiculous comment this is.

[Colemans Left Hook]

rugby union world cup 0f which i have no interest  since the world and his dog knows NZ are always the best team (but somehow until recently not the winners)

Well what a f***ing ridiculous comment this is.

watch my lips -- to repeat the all blacks HAVE ALWAYS started favourites to win this -- this means the bookmakers believe they were the best team at the start of the competition -- but have continually underperformed (bottled it 3 times in the semi-finals) until they finally won (just) in 2011  -- see the table below

"facts" speak louder than "silly comments"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Rugby_World_Cup

[RedJ]

rugby union world cup 0f which i have no interest  since the world and his dog knows NZ are always the best team (but somehow until recently not the winners)

Well what a f***ing ridiculous comment this is.

watch my lips -- to repeat the all blacks HAVE ALWAYS started favourites to win this -- this means the bookmakers believe they were the best team at the start of the competition -- but have continually underperformed (bottled it 3 times in the semi-finals) until they finally won (just) in 2011  -- see the table below

"facts" speak louder than "silly comments"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Rugby_World_Cup

The fact that they may be the best before the World Cup is evidently shown to mean f**k all in the World Cup, which kind of makes your original statement that the tournament will probably end up with them as the best look a little silly, don't you think?

[BillyStubbsTears]

Well, my take on the Rugby (sic) World(sic) Cup has always been that it is actually a tournament between a few countries from the old British Empire and France, with a handful of Pacific islands, a few never-going-to-be-close Latin countries and several student teams.

I expounded at length on this issue on Friday night. With hindsight, I was a bit daft not to lump on Japan, such is my experience of being proved wrong when I  gob off about something I know nowt about.

[The Red Baron]

It's those red and white hoops that did it for Japan!

Seriously though, that was what the tournament needed.

[The Red Baron]

Huddersfield v Leeds tonight. Amazing. Think Brentford v Rovers for drama.

League makes Union looks pale in comparison.

[roversdude]

Jonny Wilkinsons drop goal was pretty special
Last nights drama was amazing though

[The Red Baron]

Of course Rugby Union can produce some great dramatic moments. Last night's game sounded pretty dramatic, although I didn't watch it.

However therein lies the problem. Too much emphasis on kicking goals as opposed to running with the ball and scoring tries. I can see why Union appeals so much to military types though, because its all about territory.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Just put on the Rugby Union on ITV by mistake. M
I'm struggling to put into words how offensive I find that jingle at the end of the ad break.

"The Wuurr-huh-huurld in Yoo-niii-hi-yo-oh-hon"

f*** me! As if the shit product itself isn't over-hyped enough, they have to drench it in this sort of cod-soulful syrup.

And of course, what they mean by "Wuurr-huh-huurld" is "a couple of serious contenders, half a dozen moderate second-class countries and a dozen sets of plucky amateurs desperately trying to prevent the racking up of cricket scores".

[BobG]

I was so enthralled by that England-Wales thing last night that when half time came I switched the tv off and went to watch some paint dry. seriously. I didn't know, and didnt' care, that Wales had won until Wilts Rover told me at lunch time today.

BobG

[The Red Baron]

I didn't watch the game but I've read a fair bit about it. Seems a bit like a football team throwing away a two goal lead then missing a sitter in the last minute that would have salvaged a draw.

Just as well it wasn't the proper World Cup, or we'd be in national self-flagellation mode and effigies of the manager and captain would be swinging from lamp posts!

[Sammy Chung was King]

 I thought Paloma Faith's interpreation of the song, was trying to modernise an old song, i like it.
The game itself was so unpredictable i couldn't turn over for the football highlights, big decision whether to take the kick for a probable draw, or go for the win, brave to go for the win, i would personally have gone for the kick, and tried with the little time left to get the win.
The draw would have still been a reasonable result, with the bonus point already accrued against Fiji.

[Donnywolf]

IMO an absolutely BRAINLESS call NOT to go for the Penalty ... and here are the main reasons

1) England will forever have to live with LOSING to Wales in arguably the biggest clash between the 2 and for that reason alone the Penalty should have been attempted

2) A draw would have done neither side any real damage - so England if they could not win should have tried the Penalty to get at least a draw. Owen Farrell was kicking brilliantly all night and who knows may have equalised

3) A draw would mean we would have been under less pressure v Australia next Saturday as we have put ourselves in a knockout Match as a result of not getting something last Saturday

4) If Farrell HAD equalised (we will never know*) then Wales with a couple of minutes left on the Clock would have to restart the game and effectively kick the ball towards England. If England HAD recovered the Ball they MAY (*wwnk) have set up a Drop goal attempt OR Draw a Penalty from the opposition and could have actually WON the game (*wwnk)

5) However of Farrell had missed the attempt ... then pretty much the same as above ,,,

Wales with a couple of minutes left on the Clock would have to restart the game and effectively kick the ball towards England. If England HAD recovered the Ball they MAY (*wwnk) have set up a Drop goal attempt OR Draw a Penalty from the opposition and could have actually WON the game (*wwnk)

6) England will forever have to live with LOSING to Wales in arguably the biggest clash between the 2 and for that reason alone the Penalty should have been attempted

There are a lot of unknowns in the above scenarios but one thing we do know imo ... the Penalty was a "shot" to nothing and should have been taken imo

[IDM]

England has no given right to beat Wales.  On the night, Wales won, fair and square.

Going for the win was a brave call, and IMHO the correct one.  It was just badly executed and expertly defended by the Welsh.

I like watching the rugby, but then again I used to play.  I can understand why some don't like it - if you don't "get it" it takes a while to come to accept that a close game with few tries camn actually be an entertaining battle of attrition.

Being English, I want England to do well, but I can appreciate the other teams too.  Always going to be biased against the French, of course..

[BillyStubbsTears]

Well that's a shame.

End of the sanctimonious middle class bigotry in the media for another few years.

[Prez]

Dont tell me you wanted the aussies to win BST?

[BillyStubbsTears]

Prez

I couldn't give a shit about the sport. But I am sick to the back teeth of reading and hearing middle class claptrap about Rugby Union.

On Thursday, a BBC reporter was at the Fan Zone in Cardiff, talking about the wonderful carnival atmosphere and saying "isn't it a credit to the sport that the international feeling here is so good. Why can't this happen in Soccer?"

d**khead. Has he never been to a fan zone at a football WC? I suspect not, and instead, he regurgitates bigoted class-ridden shit like this, just like we ALWAYS get when Rugby Union is in the headlines. M
So, if Australia winning means that we are spared that sort of cack, then grand.