RugbyRebels

Any favourites?

https://www.premiershiprugby.com/watch/ ... the-season

I think Smith's is pretty special, even as a Wasps fan.

Not a great selection this year - some very basic tries in there. I'd say it's between Smith and the second Hassell-Collins one. I'm tempted by OHC, if only because he has the confidence to eschew the 90% try scoring chance of the 2-on-1 and instead back himself. If he wasn't as good as he thought he was, it would've been a terrrible mistake, but he had the step, speed, and strength to back up the decision.

Puja

Smith, Ashton, or O'Conor for me. You're right, most of them are just meh.

Stom wrote:Smith, Ashton, or O'Conor for me. You're right, most of them are just meh.

Pretty much with this, with the 2nd Hasell Collins one. Probably plump for the Asthon try as the winner.

Quite a few were just not cocking up putting a man away on an overlap / managing to move the ball down the line once the defence has been sucked in.

I’m broadly in agreement, but I do like Smith’s try and Sheedy’s kick-pass to Leiua was delicious.

16th man wrote:Quite a few were just not cocking up putting a man away on an overlap / managing to move the ball down the line once the defence has been sucked in.

The first O'Conor one being the prime example - literally only just not messing up two 2-on-1s to score a regulation try. The Hogg one was nothing too special either - just going through a basic passing move against a callow defence that's offering no line speed.

Puja

Puja wrote:

16th man wrote:Quite a few were just not cocking up putting a man away on an overlap / managing to move the ball down the line once the defence has been sucked in.

The first O'Conor one being the prime example - literally only just not messing up two 2-on-1s to score a regulation try. The Hogg one was nothing too special either - just going through a basic passing move against a callow defence that's offering no line speed.

Puja

On second thoughts though, it's not really that long since we were watching Noon and Tindall in partnership and wondering of we'd ever see that sort of basic passing at speed again.

To be fair the clip there doesn't show the whole build up to the POC try against Bath:

jimKRFC wrote:To be fair the clip there doesn't show the whole build up to the POC try against Bath:

So just one forward pass and one drop forward in a tackle then?

16th man wrote: So just one forward pass and one drop forward in a tackle then?

Not accorrding to the people that matter.

16th man wrote:

jimKRFC wrote:To be fair the clip there doesn't show the whole build up to the POC try against Bath:

So just one forward pass and one drop forward in a tackle then?

refs with dark glasses, alsatians, white sticks and tin cans

I’ve resisted saying it so as not to excite those posters from the colonies, but I reckon you could compile a list of similar quantity but better quality from two weekends of Rugby Aotearoa.

Mellsblue wrote:I’ve resisted saying it so as not to excite those posters from the colonies, but I reckon you could compile a list of similar quantity but better quality from two weekends of Rugby Aotearoa.

TBF, we lost a quarter of the season to post-RWC rested players and general malaise and the second half has been largely nonsense as most of it has been 1st team vs 2nd team with the rotations. The whole season's been a complete disaster and I stand by my opinion that they'd've been better off cancelling the regular season and running an expanded play-offs across maybe 4 weeks before resetting to start again in September.

Puja

Puja wrote:

Mellsblue wrote:I’ve resisted saying it so as not to excite those posters from the colonies, but I reckon you could compile a list of similar quantity but better quality from two weekends of Rugby Aotearoa.

TBF, we lost a quarter of the season to post-RWC rested players and general malaise and the second half has been largely nonsense as most of it has been 1st team vs 2nd team with the rotations. The whole season's been a complete disaster and I stand by my opinion that they'd've been better off cancelling the regular season and running an expanded play-offs across maybe 4 weeks before resetting to start again in September.

Puja

I agree with the second sentence of your post.....

Puja wrote:Not a great selection this year - some very basic tries in there. I'd say it's between Smith and the second Hassell-Collins one. I'm tempted by OHC, if only because he has the confidence to eschew the 90% try scoring chance of the 2-on-1 and instead back himself. If he wasn't as good as he thought he was, it would've been a terrrible mistake, but he had the step, speed, and strength to back up the decision.

Puja

Those odds might flip for OHC, he's got the ability to go himself more than he's confident in making a pass

Puja wrote:

Mellsblue wrote:I’ve resisted saying it so as not to excite those posters from the colonies, but I reckon you could compile a list of similar quantity but better quality from two weekends of Rugby Aotearoa.

TBF, we lost a quarter of the season to post-RWC rested players and general malaise and the second half has been largely nonsense as most of it has been 1st team vs 2nd team with the rotations. The whole season's been a complete disaster and I stand by my opinion that they'd've been better off cancelling the regular season and running an expanded play-offs across maybe 4 weeks before resetting to start again in September.

Puja

And have bt cancel their contract, not just pull the plug on a potential bbc game.

Stom wrote:

Puja wrote:

Mellsblue wrote:I’ve resisted saying it so as not to excite those posters from the colonies, but I reckon you could compile a list of similar quantity but better quality from two weekends of Rugby Aotearoa.

TBF, we lost a quarter of the season to post-RWC rested players and general malaise and the second half has been largely nonsense as most of it has been 1st team vs 2nd team with the rotations. The whole season's been a complete disaster and I stand by my opinion that they'd've been better off cancelling the regular season and running an expanded play-offs across maybe 4 weeks before resetting to start again in September.

Puja

And have bt cancel their contract, not just pull the plug on a potential bbc game.

I wonder if BT feel the same now. I’ve definitely watched less rugby since the novelty of the first couple of weeks wore off. Last Sat was the first time I’ve planned my day round Prem rugby since the the second/third week post lockdown. One sided matches and 2nd XVs didn’t come far up my priority list on weekends and evenings.
Given the Prem clubs were losing money by staging matches and BT doesn’t have much live sport beyond football, I wonder if PRL might have been better off playing hardball.

Mellsblue wrote:

Stom wrote:

Puja wrote:
TBF, we lost a quarter of the season to post-RWC rested players and general malaise and the second half has been largely nonsense as most of it has been 1st team vs 2nd team with the rotations. The whole season's been a complete disaster and I stand by my opinion that they'd've been better off cancelling the regular season and running an expanded play-offs across maybe 4 weeks before resetting to start again in September.

Puja

And have bt cancel their contract, not just pull the plug on a potential bbc game.

I wonder if BT feel the same now. I’ve definitely watched less rugby since the novelty of the first couple of weeks wore off. Last Sat was the first time I’ve planned my day round Prem rugby since the the second/third week post lockdown. One sided matches and 2nd XVs didn’t come far up my priority list on weekends and evenings.
Given the Prem clubs were losing money by staging matches and BT doesn’t have much live sport beyond football, I wonder if PRL might have been better off playing hardball.

Wouldn’t have sat well with their vulture partners...

I’m not very positive about the future of top flight rugby in England since they signed that deal, terrible company.

Stom wrote:

Puja wrote:

Mellsblue wrote:I’ve resisted saying it so as not to excite those posters from the colonies, but I reckon you could compile a list of similar quantity but better quality from two weekends of Rugby Aotearoa.

TBF, we lost a quarter of the season to post-RWC rested players and general malaise and the second half has been largely nonsense as most of it has been 1st team vs 2nd team with the rotations. The whole season's been a complete disaster and I stand by my opinion that they'd've been better off cancelling the regular season and running an expanded play-offs across maybe 4 weeks before resetting to start again in September.

Puja

And have bt cancel their contract, not just pull the plug on a potential bbc game.

Would BT really have cancelled their contract if presented with one month of competitive, meaningful rugby, as opposed to two months of uncompetitive nonsense? If the new season started in September, basically all BT would've lost is August's rugby and I don't know how many subscriptions those pointless games drove.

Puja

Mellsblue wrote:I’ve resisted saying it so as not to excite those posters from the colonies, but I reckon you could compile a list of similar quantity but better quality from two weekends of Rugby Aotearoa.

Hello my name is Bity McBitebite. Does this bait come with chups.

Mellsblue wrote:

Stom wrote:

Puja wrote:
TBF, we lost a quarter of the season to post-RWC rested players and general malaise and the second half has been largely nonsense as most of it has been 1st team vs 2nd team with the rotations. The whole season's been a complete disaster and I stand by my opinion that they'd've been better off cancelling the regular season and running an expanded play-offs across maybe 4 weeks before resetting to start again in September.

Puja

And have bt cancel their contract, not just pull the plug on a potential bbc game.

I wonder if BT feel the same now. I’ve definitely watched less rugby since the novelty of the first couple of weeks wore off. Last Sat was the first time I’ve planned my day round Prem rugby since the the second/third week post lockdown. One sided matches and 2nd XVs didn’t come far up my priority list on weekends and evenings.
Given the Prem clubs were losing money by staging matches and BT doesn’t have much live sport beyond football, I wonder if PRL might have been better off playing hardball.

I've actually watched more rugby since the restart. Prob because I'd been jaded by our performance in the WC final, that and just a general growing boredom from a long period of a lot of rugby. You need a break from things sometimes. Also Wasps' remarkable resurgence and younsters' development has put a spring in my step. I find myself back at the beginning of the WC cycle now, getting slightly excited at the prospect of Eddie possibly looking at one or two younger players in the near future possibly. Did I say possibly? Ok, I'm getting a bit carried away now....

Without the forced rotation from the schedule it is pretty unlikely you'd have seen players like Barbeary get near the first team pitch this season.

For me it has been really interesting, partly because it is actual live rugby again. Yes many one sided games, but a chance to see players get an opportunity to play.

Stom wrote:Wouldn’t have sat well with their vulture partners...

I’m not very positive about the future of top flight rugby in England since they signed that deal, terrible company.

There's a fairly decent argument that they did a good job by signing that deal when they did - looks like they sold at the peak of their market value, just before a crash.

Puja

they've made worse attempts