Better Rugby Rules

Source: Injured Sonny Bill’s skiing trip irks Canterbury bosses

Extract..

Sonny Bill Williams is on a slippery slope with Canterbury rugby bosses after an unauthorised ski trip while on the injury list.

The star signing has been reprimanded by the Canterbury Rugby Football Union (CRFU) for going skiing last Saturday.

Williams has not yet played for Canterbury in the ITM Cup because of injury. He had been ruled out of the match against Tasman, being played in Nelson the day of the ski trip.

A CRFU spokesman said yesterday Williams had skied at the Mt Hutt Ski Area during a sightseeing tour for “overseas guests”.

“I believe he put skis on a couple of times, did a couple of runs, and then took them off and watched,” he said.

“He needed to get clearance [first], but he didn’t do that.”

The spokesman said the matter was handled “internally”.

“He’s been talked to and reminded of his responsibilities in terms of letting people know what he’s doing.

“He taken that on the chin and realised he’s made a mistake in this instance.”

Williams resumed full training this week, but the transgression did not result in his non-selection.

Boks were Dagged !

The NZ rugby media are (and rightly so) spewing with congratulations for the ABs performance at a packed cauldron of 94000 in Soweto.

And most of it I agree with.

Henry has put a lid on his critics for now, we know he can coach, so maybe next years RWC will be his year, lets hope so!

However, you cant sell me that Joe Rokocoko is better than Zac Gilford. Joe still cant catch the high ball, his work rate is still poor and defense covered up by the other back three.

How to win the world cup 2011, is the same formula as winning the 2010 TriNations. Lose to the Boks 3 times (or England or Australia)  the year before ! Get the feeling we may be sailing into another RWC as red hot favorites only to choke against France again !

Rugby as a game to watch is on the up and up, good stuff, maybe the moons have aligned to set up the RWC 2011 as a great spectacle.

Carla Hohepa ( 3 tries vs Boks) : Try Scoring Machine !

links:
http://www.rwcwomens.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LNj-J5WK0E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALwTka1iofs

These ladies have skills check it out !

Names to watch..

Non Evans (Wales)
Carla Hohepa (New Zealand)
Heather Moyse (Canada)

Note:  Heather Moyse is a an winter olympic gold medalist.

SBW is broken again…jes wayne…!

Source: Sonny Bill out with injury again

Midfield back Sonny Bill Williams, who made his New Zealand rugby debut last weekend when turning out for his Belfast club in Christchurch, is not available for selection due to a tight hamstring.

COMMENTS: The story of this mans life, on for one game, off for two ! Not worth the NZRU dollars !

Jolie Boobs Yellow card, its just not the same ! 

Source: A severe case of yellow card madness

Extract..”If rugby stays on this track, not only are the days of 15 v 15 over 80 minutes over, but there will be heavily reduced contests if referees like Joubert really have the so-called courage some are lauding him for. My guess is the referees will start backing off if a couple of players are already off, fearing they will have orchestrated a farce. Which is what it is.

Just imagine if a World Cup final was skewed, or wrecked, by the rulings which saw Mitchell dismissed.

Rugby needs a decent old pow-wow to sort this yellow card madness out after a rash of dodgy decisions in just four Tri-Nations matches.

Tests are supposed to be tough places where 15 blokes take on 15 other blokes. Yet referees are now dismissing players on suspicion and for non-events.”…

COMMENTS: I agree, I agree.

Whats RIP from the game:

1) Rucking
2) Push over tries ( from scrums, well nearly)
3) Mauls (just saved from ELV attack)
4) A true 15 vs 15 contest (currently under threat with heavy yellow card use).

We have had three ABs game this Tri Nations, every game has been seen the use of the yellow card, and 14 v15 has proven that going to a LIVE GAME is a pure waste of hard earned CASH. I mean its like going to the movies and and seeing Angelina Jolie boobs covered up with a BLACK censorship box, its just not the same. Rugby must insist of being 15v15 at all times.

Rugby League has a reporting system
Basketball has a foul system
Boxing has a point reduction system

BUT PLAYERS STAY ON THE FIELD  (or court), rugby must wake up and fix this !

Whats different this year compared to last year 3-0 white wash by the Boks over the ABs.

1) Boks only play with 14 players, gives 10 pts to ABs

2) Game is faster, ball recycling is faster, Boks too slow and missing their number one half back

3) Home games allow, home town refs to prosper.

4) ABs players are getting better with their combinations.Loose forward are the heros of the games so far.

5) ABs can catch better. Boks didnt change tactics.

ABs winning 3-0 is a big ask, as Suzie will working that late shift in South Africa

Well done ABs!

The great boxing matches in the past between Ali and Fraser, Ali and Forman, Hagler vs Sugar Ray are a rare things these days. To get large men beating the crap out of one other in civilized way ( yes boxing is civilized) is very rare. Today boxing contests like other contest are major flops, and rarely do you get contest like the days of old.

BUT every now and then you get a rugby game like last week ABs vs Boks were the tight five contest was exactly that, large men beating the crap out of one other in a civilized way ( notwithstanding Botha’s performance) . Such fantastic demonstration of rugby skill and physical expression explains why rugby is one of the last great sporting contests out there for MEN. Let is so remain.

Roll on ABs vs Boks : Wellington

   ABs Coach Smith….

I mean are you serious you blonker !

Source1: All Blacks: Ranger at Superman fitness, says Smith

Source2: Winning could be All Blacks’ worst enemy, warns Smith

This guy has so much computer charts and stats he cant see the forest for all the trees he looks at.

Older ABs coaches must be laughing so loud, after all the ABs have won games for 100 years before computers, and IT’S NOT DIFFERENT THIS TIME as rugby players are just lads to like to chase a pig skin ( ask Laurie Mains) .

Smith has been in charge of sputter of a ABs back line for 10 years, and he still has not go the ABs backs working like the Aussie back line some years back ( ie Gregan, Larkham, Giteau, Mortlock etc , thats the best backline in 10 years, yes shut it up, it is !)

Smith should bugger off to coach rugby in Alaska !

Source: We shouldn’t count too many chickens, but…

Fitzy Extract..

..”We saw that the All Blacks got tremendously quick ball; recycling it very fast. We saw in the Super 14 that the sides who recycle ball quickly can now get over the advantage line and behind the defensive line – and that’s what the All Blacks did last night.”..

COMMENTS: Remember the days when Aussie had the Bledisloe cup, well Aussie had one asset that we didnt George Gregan, and George was lightening fast with recycling the ball, a lot faster than our Justin Marshall.

The point is, when has slow ball been any good in rugby at the break down, when, I tell you when NEVER, most teams that lose suffer slow ball at the break down. Fitzy da !

Classy Conrad is Number ONE !

Well done ABs..

The tight five won the day, the tight five cleaned up in scrums,  line outs and the breakdown. Does this mean I have to eat humble pie and say coach Hanson has got the forward rolling in the correct direction. Guess thats a big fat YES ! Well done..

Gob Smack.. the ABs even completed a rolling maul, coach Hanson has stated he hates the maul, I guess he has seen the light, praise the lord !

However Richard Kahui showed up Joe Rokocoko, and I believe if you favor Kahui then you must favor Zac Guilford, Zac Guilford was very unlucky not to be the starting number 11 for the ABs. I believe Joe Rokocoko short cummings will be shown up in future Tri Nations games.

Ma Nonu selection after a long spell off worked just great, in a NON KICKING game plan Ma Nonu is the ideal 2nd five. This is the position that either MacAlister or Sonny Bill Williams will also compete for. But Ma was great with the distribution to get the ball wide. Also with Ma Nonu connection with Conrad Smith I cant see MacAlister or Sonny Bill being nothing more than bench fodder.

UPDATE: Jimmy Cowan obviously broke game plan rules, his passing and option selection faded as the game went on, he was subbed early, on came Peri Weepu and things began to flow again. Note to Jimmy, stick to game plan !

In the end ABs 4 tries to the Boks zero tries. Cant argue with that !

Just goes to show that sitting players on the bench for a few games gets there blood boiling to get back on the pitch to perform. Ma Nonu and Woodcock are testimonies to that approach.

Roll on Wellington ! ABs hope to make 2-0 vs Boks !

 Bakkie Botha rugby skill set..

I head butt
I hit
I bite
I eye gouge
I commit professional fouls

I say BYE BYE you cheating dirty mongrel !

NO place for this rubbish in rugby !

Ooooh he is a born again christian as well, WTF !

Source: Rugby: Bakkies Botha suspended for headbutt

Why the harsh name you say ?

Well how can a WIN like the above be anything but bullshit !

So what has this guy done apart from take his shirt off !

Guess we will find out in the New Super 15 !

Source: All Blacks rejects among sevens trialists

I was amazed that Zac Guilford didn’t make the ABs Tri  Nations squad!

Then again he and Hosea Gear are just the folks you need to defend the ABs Sevens gold at the Commonwealth Games..

Sneaky Plan by the NZRU, tactical selections going on here, hmmmm !

Haka, haka is every where you look !

It’s getting longer, and more theatrical.

It used to be only done on away games, know its done every game, what a bore !

The haka should be limited to 3 minutes, and only for away games.

The Maori vs England game, the haka went on and on and on, for about 7 minutes. Seriously this just over the top.

Lets tidy this up, and keep the show ponies in their box !

Source: All Blacks: Tialata, Thomson, Guildford axed for Tri Nations

You gotta be kidding me..

After Zac Guilford effort vs Wales (Sat 26th), you leave him out for these fellows:

Joe Rokocoko
Benson Stanley
Rene Ranger
Richard Kahui

Stanley and Ranger have done NOTHING, they have been selected on ‘potential’, so you can bet Sonny Bill will get the same easy entry card.

Joe, Ranger, Stanley all missed tackles and butchered sure thing tries!

Zac save two, set up another !

Joe is not there as an international wing, and the selectors will soon realise this…he is too slow, lazy and cant catch !

We shall see !

UPDATE: There is further evidence that G Henry is rotating the squad, so that come RWC time the bench is strong, as he remembers the last RWC when the bench failed the ABs in that horrible french match !

Little Peter was in his junior school class when the teacher asked the children what their fathers did for a living. All the typical answers came up:
Fireman, policeman, salesman, politician, etc.

However, little Peter was being uncharacteristically quiet, and so the teacher asked him about his father. Reluctantly he replied, “My Dad’s an exotic dancer in a gay club, and takes off all his clothes in front of other men. Sometimes, if the offer’s really good, he’ll go out with a man, rent a cheap room and let him shag him.”

The teacher hurriedly set the other children to work on some colouring and then took Little Peter aside to ask him, “Is that really true about your father?”

“No,” said Peter, “My father plays rugby for England; I was just too embarrassed to say.”

Call me !

Well done ABs !

The Welsh put up a stern resistance for 40 minutes, then ran out of puff.

Why: IRB Rule Change Aholics.

Extract…

…”The southern hemisphere teams now have one thing that the northern teams dont have. Six months more conditioning to a much faster paced game. And that folks matter, dont believe me, just wait for the northern versus southern hemisphere clashes this winter, the English and Welsh boys will be knackered 30 minutes in…and that could mean 30 points.”..

Exception: England vs Aussie (Aussie fell into poms game plan !)

I still dont understand the selection of Joe Rokocoko. Twice on a line break he could NOT keep up with either Dan Carter or Conrad Smith. The pace is gone from his legs. He dropped one catch, caught another, the Boks will see that ! Dunno Zac Guilfords lost favor but hes my first choice.

The new laws or application of them seams to be working out just fine !

Go the ABs !

Source: All Blacks: Vito gets starting spot

Dear Wales.

The AB selectors have made a huge mistake with the selection of Joe Rokocoko as wing. I suggest you send him lots of high balls under pressure. The Boks did this in 2009, and managed to get several tries down his wing, as poor old Joe can NOT catch. However change this tactic if Zac Guilford replaces Joe Rokocoko on the field, as he can catch just fine !

Thats your only chance !

Cheery O boy O !

Forecast Score: ABS 30+, Wales less than 15

Blonker sent off, what the hell was he thinking, doesn’t he know there are about 50 cameras watching him !

Well as soon as the Irish was reduced to 14 men and then 13 men, I switch channels to Tv2 to watch Shrek 3. That was more entertaining.

Why anyone pays good hard cash (and its not cheap) to watch a test match in the freezing cold at night in the rain when the game can resort to a farce.

Easy money for the NZRU, but really rubbish customer service to a kiwi loving rugby public.

All the jurno cheer-leading accolades for the All Blacks performance when the score should have been 100-0. The ABs were rubbish in the 2nd half (after all they were up against 14 men). Guess they were bored as well !

Did ya see the Boks, get the feeling we arnt so sh*t hot !

Source: Conrad Smith will put the All Blacks first

Extract..

And as far as Smith considering a similar code switch, you get the feeling the chances are remote at best.

“League? I don’t know. I played a bit at school when the first XV used to transfer and play a bit. I don’t know, it’s not quite me. I love the physicality of it, but I think it’s a bit too simple.”

COMMENTS:  That is exactly my point why Sonny ‘BullShit” Bill will be a very poor choice for the role of ABs Centre. He is used to a simple game, rugby is more complex and you need the sharpest rugby brains in the correct place at the right time, when the pressure is intense.

The above is exactly why the ABs have NOT been in a RWC final for two decades. Rugby Smarts is lacking.

I would target Sonny at 2nd five eight. He is the same mold as MacAlister, both would run great off Dan Carter.

This means: MacAlister, Sonny Bill, Ma Nonu are battling it out for 2nd five. Notice the common traits then !

However, what’s their kicking game like, well you dont get everything I guess !

The Media

Current All Blacks

His Manager

Current ABs Coach

Are ALL talking this lad up. Hes a great athlete, hes strong, he has great skills.

But he has done nothing, but pose in picture for the girls. Rugby Union is not suited to those that can not think on their feet, or have a low work load. Rugby Union will expose Sonny ‘BullShit’ Bill as just average.

He will have a chance in Super 15. But he is years behind Conrad Smith as centre. I would be watching Sonny for 2nd five eights, and not centre or wing. A center must organise the attack and help those fickle wings, just ask Frank Bunce!

Well hes got 12 months to prove himself, at the moment he has a head start on media beat up.

       Winston Peter’s, had a little trouble with his signs !

Andy Hayden, had better put up the evidence or shut up !

You cant call some one a racist without the evidence ! Or maybe he has been in one too many scrums !

           
Zac Guilford

Whats the difference between a rugby league back and and rugby union back?

One Name : Zac ‘Zig Zag’ Guilford.

A rugby union back must LOOK for work, he must read the game and find the gaps, more so than a league back. For the simple reason there is less room on a union field, and when space comes available you must be ready.

Tana Umaga also new this. The best example today is Zac Guilford of the Crusaders fame. You watch his work load, he seams to find space all over the field. Rugby league players who move to union and complain about the space, or lack of it, just dont have rugby mojo, and should stay in league.

Another reason why Sonny Bill we be a Dud, Dudley, Doodle…

Source : Sonny Bill Gets rugby contract offer.
ref: Sonny Bill doesn’t have rugby mojo.

NZRU dont waste your money, here is why…

1) If he is gonna be in the backs, can he catch, just ask Joe Rokocoko how important that skill is ?

2) Big game experience: Sure he looks great when he’s playing the mino’s of a competition, under pressure in a Bledisloe cup, that is a whole different story.

3) We have Kahui and Conrad Smith, so why spend money on a guy who will sit on the reserve bench.

4) He breaks down: He has not eaten enough WeetBix, he breaks easy, and the South African boys will make sure of that !

5) He is just not that smart, we need leaders and rugby smarts not just brawn (this is G Henry weakness, brawn or body, he normally picks brawn).

6) Consider the path Brad Thorn took, he is the only league play who has ever proven he was worth every cent to switch codes at a late stage in a players career.

Henry is desperate, so he  his motivating NZRU cheque book once again.

Hmm I wonder will selected players be rested from the 2011 Super 15 ???