Rugby

All down to the quality of the match I think. Don't watch much of the egg chasing but follow the international's. Last night was excellent with the Gooners beating the Spuds. Japan have already won their World Cup, so all we need is England to beat the Aussies in the final and it'll have been a blinding year.
 
Half watching the NZ Namibia game and the most striking thing I've noticed and I wish all teams would adopt is to include same colour boots as part of the uniform or strip. NZ players have identical black footwear to match the outfit and it looks ace, military-esque even and they look like a unit. I think all sports teams should do this, the pink, yellow and orange boots kicking about are bad enough imo but even worse when each team member wears a different gaudy colour - Namibia are in all colours and its visually disturbing!!
 
Half watching the NZ Namibia game and the most striking thing I've noticed and I wish all teams would adopt is to include same colour boots as part of the uniform or strip. NZ players have identical black footwear to match the outfit and it looks ace, military-esque even and they look like a unit. I think all sports teams should do this, the pink, yellow and orange boots kicking about are bad enough imo but even worse when each team member wears a different gaudy colour - Namibia are in all colours and its visually disturbing!!

NZ probably have the same boots to match their kit otherwise they wouldn't be "All black". But that aside I agree with the "visually disturbing". Good description.
 
NZ probably have the same boots to match their kit otherwise they wouldn't be "All black". But that aside I agree with the "visually disturbing". Good description.

Believe it's the first time they've done it, and is purely because Adidas are paying them too (I think, or whoever their kit sponsor is)
 
The qualification criteria for international rugby appear to be all wrong to me. So many kiwis playing in the Scotland v Japan match it's not true.

Seems that any kiwi who isn't good enough for the all blacks just needs to move to another country for a couple of years and then they are eligible to play for them? That can't be right?
 
The qualification criteria for international rugby appear to be all wrong to me. So many kiwis playing in the Scotland v Japan match it's not true.

Seems that any kiwi who isn't good enough for the all blacks just needs to move to another country for a couple of years and then they are eligible to play for them? That can't be right?

I don't actually mind in, if it's a quicker way of improving the national team. It forces the kids growing up in Scotland, to get better. I do think they need to make it 5 years, rather than 3, but that's not a massive change.
 
The qualification criteria for international rugby appear to be all wrong to me. So many kiwis playing in the Scotland v Japan match it's not true.

Seems that any kiwi who isn't good enough for the all blacks just needs to move to another country for a couple of years and then they are eligible to play for them? That can't be right?

Andy Nicol was talking about it on the radio before the match

Scotland are ok with it at the moment when they were talking about a South Aftican that is playing but they see it right now as a necessary evil to help Scotland catch up

They believe they created the two professional teams far too late and it's going to take over a decade for that to fulfill into the national

The issue I think is the residency rules and what team they can play for before swapping - If someone plays for NZ under 20's he can then play for another country via residency rules but if someone plays for day Argentina U20's they are counted as the Pumas second team so they then can't play for another country ?! It sounds a right mess
 
The qualification criteria for international rugby appear to be all wrong to me. So many kiwis playing in the Scotland v Japan match it's not true.

Seems that any kiwi who isn't good enough for the all blacks just needs to move to another country for a couple of years and then they are eligible to play for them? That can't be right?

Totally agree.

I'm not a fan of the residency rule, but they're all at it so we might as well take advantage.
 
Since all the teams seem to be fishing in the same pond for players without some 'national' identity mechanism it can hardly be called a competition between nations.

Away from the stupid politics - the games have been great rugby.
 
Really waiting for the England v Wales game tomorrow. Going to be pivotal in the group and hoping it will be an absolute classic. The quality of the rugby, even from the so called lesser nations seems much higher than the last WC.
 
Really waiting for the England v Wales game tomorrow. Going to be pivotal in the group and hoping it will be an absolute classic. The quality of the rugby, even from the so called lesser nations seems much higher than the last WC.

You could be right but it also could be cagey however if England cant beat a depleted Wales team at home we wont win the world cup.
 
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