Rugby
 

Where are all of my Rugby all-nighter junkies at? C'mon I know you're out there.:D

Six nations for me

I prefer Tri-Nations, go All Blacks!

Super 12 kicks ass

being an aussie, GO THE WALLABIES!!!!!!!

and the brumbies in the super 12



hey the americans made it into this years world cup right?

Being South African, I will abstain from all rugby-related discussion until our whole rugby franchise gets it collective act together.

But on the whole, the super12 is the best tournament.

I guess you guys don't pull the all-nighters that we American Rugby Fans do. I swear, during the World Cup, I am dead to the world cuz I'm always up so late at night. Damn time differences.

GO WALLABIES!!!

i'd have to say that of that list, super 12 is the best comp.
the tri-nations is always incredible rugby, but it isn't enough to satisfy any rugby fans appetite.
the six-nations is northern hemisphere rugby, nuff said - haha.
actually since England has beaten Australia about 3 times in a row now, we can't laugh that hard anymore.

Tri-Nations, GO WALLABIES!! Northern Hemishere Rugby is a joke.

i sheepishly admit that i know very little regarding the comparisons between Tri-Nations, Six-Nations, Northern Hemisphere etc...

i usually have to catch it late to watch where i am here in the US... but try to never miss a tournament here in town...

used to manage a women's team here in Ohio... a number of our players went on to the Midwest Select Side and Nationals...

Rugby is an awesome sport... most people here in the US don't have a clue about it either... sad...

anyway... good to find some fellow ruggers out here! :)

btw... i am a diehard All Blacks fan... :D

Tri Nations is the creme de la creme. The super 12 gets boring after a while, especially if your countries teams get crapped on all the time.

Not watched too much 6 nations but come on: Would you prefer Italy vs Wales or Australia vs SAfrica?

I know. It sucks how not alot of people in our beautiful country know how to play such a fun game. However, at least at Pitt university, alot of college kids play it.

Ireland v England or Australia vs SAfrica?
6 nations all the way, and to whoever said n.h. rugby is crap, yeah I must say Fiji and Western Samoa are fantastic sides. :rolleyes:

The only reason the Northern tonked the SH teams last year was that we toured at the end of our long sason while the NH were fresh and playing at home.

Romania or Fiji?

I'd have to say Super 12. There are only two 6 Nations teams that would have a chance against the likes of Auckland, ACT, Wellington, or Canterbury.

As for the old NH vs SH chestnut... put your best 4 up against Australia, NZ, RSA, and Argentina and see what would happen...

Unbelievable. Being a seppo, I have severely limited knowledge of rugby and the playoff series. But after reading these posts, I feel like an expert.

Thanks.

Well warrrreagl, here's a quick breakdown:

- Tri-Nations is between: Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa... traditionally the 3 strongest teams in the world (but not so true these days, SA isn't that strong, England & France are very strong)

- Super 12 has 5 club sides from NZ, 3 from Australia, and 4 from South Africa. Easily the best club competition in the world, mostly dominated by the Kiwi sides.

- 6 Nations is the best competition in the Northern Hemisphere. It has: England, France, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Italy (i think!). One of the most passionate competitions of any sport in the world.

Exactly. England and france will be good, but who's the next best?

Ireland? Wales? Even though we (SA) suck at the moment and probably would lose to Eng and Fra, we should be too good for the rest of the europeans if playing with a full strength team.

Has anyone else seen the lineups for the World Cup? The U.S. is gonna play FIJI first, man that's gonna be one ass-raping of the U.S. That's gonna be like a 262 to 3 score *cry*. Oh well, at least until the U.S. gets good (hey they did it in soccer, they can do it in rugby) I still have Scotland and New Zealand to root for.

Just thought for all those that abused northern hemisphere teams, didnt England just win all their games against the southern teams?

Roll on the world cup.

But they didn't beat Australia by a record number of points now did they...

They (RWC Ltd) can save themselves a lot of time and hassle and just give the cup to the All Blacks already.

Looks like a clean sweep this season, Bledisloe, Tri-Nations and World.

No matter what anybody says, England ARE the favourites!!

i think tri nationsa is the best. go wallabies!!!!!!!!!!!!! we are the world champions and thats the way its gonna stay. no way will we lose the cup on our home soil

Yeh, you are half right.

You'll lose it on New Zealand soil ;D (Trinations/Bledisloe that is, we'll take the world cup off you the hard way..)

Right on Spartak.

Wow, I had no idea so many Americans followed rugby.

Super 12 for me, I enjoy the inter-provincial rivalry it provokes here in NZ.

PS. Hi Spartak, tis Wolf here :O

Six Nations would be my pick as I have only ever really caught those games on tv. Should be an interesting run for the cup though.

You're doing better than the Ockers at the moment.

Good luck for this weekend!

Hey hey!

i have played club rugby in the us for years and years and have always listened to the funny talkers run thier mouths about how the US sucks at rugby, blah blah blah. and i see a little USA Rugby bashing here and so i must weigh in. the sport of choice in the US is football. Our best athletes play football. preist holmes and ricky williams at inside and outside center? jerry rice or champ bailey at wing? lavar arrington or urlacher at flanker? come on man. if we wanted to get serious about the sport and put our best athletes on it, the rest of the world wouldnt stand a fucking chance. i'm out.

LOL
mate, even with the current Wallaby form, we´d thrash the best of the US... haha...

joking... i´m sure you guys would put up a good fight...
...except that all of your great athletes would be constantly penalised for tackling off the ball, forward passing, and shepherding... and after one of them was tackled, they´d all return to the bench for a 5 minute break while the defensive team took the field... haha..
further joking...


and don´t forget, Australia has 3 major forms of footy (not including soccer). Rugby Union is the smallest. so there are many many incredible athletes not playing rugby over here as well.
but that is not meant as an excuse for our poor form at the moment.

anyway, we all know that America is never ever going to get serious about Rugby, the money will never be enough to entice such athletes as rice and williams to play rugby.

Well, England did, but the referee in the England/New Zealand test match controlled the pace of the game, thus favoring the style of England, which is to slow the game down, whereas the All Blacks play a wide open style based on speed (focusing on guys like Dougie Howlett, Rococo (sp?), and Spencer to provide the speed to break through the defense. Next time England/New Zealand play each other, I want Patty O'Brien to ref that match, because I guarantee you that he won't let England dog the ball so much that the game gets slowed down so much to cater to England's style.

Yeah, Rugby will never catch on in the United States like in the rest of the world, for a number of reasons. Americans love their watered down, very boring version of rugby, football, which I do watch, but it has since been removed as my second favorite sport. The venues for rugby are not large enough in America to hold all the people who would come to see test matches (like soccer does it's American tour). It's sad that rugby will never catch on in the United States, because it's truly a great sport. I'd move to Australia or New Zealand but for the high taxes down there. ;)

I think England won because of the playing conditions most of all. Wet conditions results in a tedious kicking dual and penalties galore, and Johnny Wilkenson is probably the best kicker in the world.

bigoldalphamale - atleticism means nothing if the players in question haven't actually played rugby before...

In any case, that's a pretty damn weak excuse for the USA sucking at a sport. I suppose all your best soccer players are NFL kickers?

I swear Rugby is like the most extreme game ever made.

Well,most extreme short of Russian Roulette or something...

lol, it's funny cos it's true.

interesting points. but then again, rugby is hardly the toughest game in the world to learn. american NFL pros must recall intricasies of plays from playbooks which often are over 100 pages in length. in rugby, ummm...skip 1, skip 2...yeah, its not that difficult. point here, is that NFLers could learn the rules of rugby with absolute ease. the physical aspect? i am sure you were joking about that one. there are no athletes faster, stronger, and tougher than those in the NFL. i am wrong, the NHL's athletes are equally as bad ass. besides, once some poor aussie took a hit from lavar arrington...that would likely be the end of his rugby career. i guess the US has to let the rest of the world feel like it is the best at something. soccer and rugby it is then!

Super 12!!! Super 12!!!

Oh, and just in case no one knew, EA is bringing their Rugby franchise to the States this year on PC and PS2.

Whereas rugby players have to think on their feet. No stopping every five minutes to ask the coach what to do next.

And if you think top level rugby players don't spent huge amounts of time planning plays, you're just demonstrating your lack of understanding of the game.

Moreover, rugby has more areas to master - the scrum, maul, ruck, and lineout have no real equivalents in American football.

I doubt it. Rugby League players have a hard enough time coming over to Rugby Union.

Quite serious. How many NFL players can go 80 minutes with only one half time break? How many NFL players have a physique that can work on offence and defence? How many NFL players have played a game with their testicles torn open, like Buck Shelford did against France?

And just wait until they got caught at the bottom of a ruck.

Wait until an NFL player tries to pack down in a scrum. Bang, broken neck, game over.

playing with a torn open bag isnt anything but downright retarded. arguing the rest of the points could go on forever. i just think it would be interesting to see how the rest of world would fare against a US that took the game as seriously as it takes its football.

Only in America :lol: :lol: :lol:

He's got four kids, so it obviously didn't do any long term damage.

Well I agree with bigoldalphamale to a point. If we got really serious about rugby, we could be really good at it, but the point is that we won't. The end result is.... always getting our ass handed to us in the World Cup, if we manage to make it that is. They oughta make a special grouping where all the weaker teams play each other in the WC, so they can get some confidence and maybe, just maybe upset a big team. Rugby players are just so much more tougher than football players, these guys bleed through phases, they don't run over to the sideline asking for a Band-Aid. What the NFL teams need to do is start recruiting it's kickers from rugby, they're pretty damn good. Doubtful that the rugby guys will do it, but hey, it's worth a shot. Anyways, I side with my international friends on this one, rugby players are more physically adept than football players are, bar none. And plus, Arrington would probably feel really woosy too after getting hit by even, Jonah I daresay, he can lay down some hits too, even with bad kidneys.

Anyone want to speak up now that the All Blacks have smoked the Aussies and South Africans? Anyone want to talk about who is the favorite to win the RWC? Anyone?

That's what I thought. Methinks they're hitting their stride, the All Blacks are...

Oh, and in my opinion, the three events in the poll are equally compelling. Just depends on the time of the year.

rugby is damn fun, and hardcore, but i'd have to say that aussie rules football is the most extreme sport i know of. basically, to my understanding, is that 'aussie' means 'no'

i would love to see NFL atheletes try and play rugby..who wouldnt want to see lincoln kennedy or tony siragusa try and play prop!

oh, and go canada! get beat by the maoris 52-10!
lol

Are these just different leagues or something?

Well, Super 12 rugby can be compared to the National Football League, cept that S12 is international with the Aussies, Kiwis, and I believe some South Pacific Island nations participating. The NFL comparison comes into play, because it's not just nations competing, more like regions or cities competing. Six Nations is Northern Hemisphere Rugby with England, Ireland, Italy, France, Scotland, and one other I can't remember that compete for the Six Nations Championship. Tri Nations is considered the creme de la creme of rugby, with the three world power houses of S. Africa, Australia, and New Zealand competing for the TN Championship. The SN and TN playoff series is basically a tune up for World Cup Rugby. And, Siddhartha, I agree, the All Blacks are finally hitting their stride and are the clear favorites to win the World Cup.

Mwahaaa!! 2003 New Zealand All Blacks- Tri-Nations Champions and Bledisloe Cup Winners and future RWC Champions. (I know a little late, but my international peeps need to post more).

Tri nations. Go the Wallabies!!!!!

Damn those Springboks are dirty buggers.

Yeah. Aussie are angels, though. They'd never get sent off for dangerous tackles.

Did you see it when Griegan tried to tell the ref in the Blacks/Wallabies game (when they were trying to figure out if a play was a try, or if the Blacks player lost the ball forward) what was going on and what happened. The ref just said "We know, we know." and basically told him to shut up.

The best Gregan moment was when Jerry Collins reached over the ruck and picked up the ball. The look on Gregan's face when the ref told him it was legit was priceless!

that was such a strange moment. it was like the whole game just paused for a moment, while jerry reached in and took it.

but my fav facial expression was wendel just after he took muliaini in the air (in their first tri nations clash)... he was like, ´what? what?´ - now that was funny.

archer, its pretty much georgies thing to get in there and tell the ref the rules.

have to hand it to the kiwis... absolutely amazing performance... easily the best team around, by far.

they´ve got easily the best back line i´ve ever seen. and that defence in the second half of the last bledisloe game - rock solid. the all blacks in their stride are going to be impossible to stop this world cup.

even with our full strength wallaby squad they taught us a lesson.

as for dirty bokka tactics... well i think in the first bledisloe match, the wallabies played fairly dirty as well (at one point i thought the only tactic eddie jones had put forward was to take out the kiwi back three)... but everyone knows that the dirty teams are France, England and South Africa.

I know it is, I just love the ref's reactions in rugby, so much better than football, basketball, or hockey, even soccer, I just love it. It's just too funny to see these little tiny referees tell these big huge backs what they did wrong and the backs look like they've been admonished by their mother (looking at the floor, or maybe the ref since they're so short, nodding and saying "I'm sorry,"). And yeah, the dirty teams are France, England and the Boks.

Almost right.

S12 is basically club rugby from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

And now that the All Blacks rightly have the Bledisloe, I really can't care about the world cup :D

But All Blacks look damn hot to win it.

Allblacks would definitely be the favourites going into the cup but I think the Aussies can be quietly confident after their performance the other night. They at least showed they have the potential to do it. England is still a big threat too me thinks...

I think the Bledisloe is the best yearly competition (in the southern hemisphere anyway).

Anyone going to any of the world cup games??? I've got tickets to about 8 or 9 matches and can't wait till October comes around.

Tri-nations has become the one tourney I look forward to each year (except for the World Cup), but with England currently the best side in the World, The World Cup would be the best playoff series (why isnt it in the poll).

I wish.

Because of the stupid NZRFU messing up the co-host agreement, to see the tickets I have to buy some sort of package which includes inflated air fares and accomodation. Apparently they go for NZ$4000 a pop.

Jesus!!!

That's a bit steep aye.

I was lucky and managed to get tickets to all games in my city. Some from as little as $5. Unbelievable! These games might not be that good but there'll still be a bit of atmosphere around.

It's a real shame NZ couldn't get their act together for the cup. Especially considering the form that they have been in recently.

Hey if any mod reads this, can you please place a "World Cup" option on the poll? Thanks.

did just see the latest rugby results correctly?
did France just beat England...?

have the Poms peaked too early??
and are the French coming into dangerous form??

imo, yes and maybe...

Ireland thrashed Italy, and Argentina thrashed Canada... no surprise here.

wish this World Cup would just bloody hurry up!!
i´m sick of all this speculation...

Poms are overrated... which is what we've been saying since June.

They were lucky to beat NZ (in NZ's first "new-look" outing mind you), and Australia knew that this season they were in for a shocker, so there's no surprises really.

Although France love upset wins... /me bitterly remembers 1999

Super 12 has started back up again? And who's ready for some RWC!!!??

Oh god no!

The New Zealand NPC (local rugby championship) has started, with only a couple of all-blacks being released to play, looks like a really good season.

But yeh, bring on the RWC!!

is the current RWC Qantas ad being shown anywhere else?

well, if its not, it has several portraits of one famous player from most of the top competing countries sitting in famous locations of their homeland, with their name written above.

anyway, the point is, with all of these great players like Tana Umaga, Martin Johnson etc... theres one glaring mistake.

with the Canadians, the ad just says, 'the Canadians'. no names.
does qantas not know who plays for Canada..?
i think its pretty unfair. i mean, they even name the Fijian player, and they're just about as competitive as Canada.


anyway... bring it on!

Wallabies vs Pumas to start things off.
that should be a good game.

I'd say Fijians are more competetive than Canadians, perhaps not as a team, but a lot of their wingers play in New Zealand for the Super 12.

But, I agree, it sounds like shabby advertising.

Hmmm, the Fiji team for the RWC may not be as good this year (like it matters for the US they're gonna be everyone's bitch) because most of the Fijian all-stars aren't going to play for Fiji in the RWC, at least, that's what I heard and I could be wrong.

YEA GO ALL BLACKS!!!!!!!!!

The six Nations, just because their are only 6 nations which play good RUGBY!!! The rest has to pratice more often!!!!

An NZ fan

??

those six nations being England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Italy ??

they all play good rugby??

what do you mean the rest need to practice more?

I'm in Australia. I don't see the big deal about rugby, I've tried watching it, but I don't liek it. Same about cricket, boring and slow to me. AFL I don't mind. American football I don't mind either, although we only really get coverage of the superbowl. I like soccer best though. Atleast for you rugby fans, world rugby interest is slowly getting bigger and bigger.