ABs vs Kangaroos?
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@ACT-Crusader said in ABs vs Kangaroos?:
@Bovidae I found footage of a Bath v Wigan game that I remember watching back in 96
Bath showing all the benefits of a year in professionalism...
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@Bovidae said in ABs vs Kangaroos?:
@ACT-Crusader I remember watching that game too. Bath were considered an expansive rugby team during that era. Compared to the other English clubs obviously.
They were a bit of a farce at times but fun to watch and helped break down some of the absurd RL/RU barriers at the time.
Yonks ago, I was at a some dinner or lunch event with a Wigan prop who played in both games (Terry O'Connor?). Great bloke IIRC.
He said after the return Union game at Bath's ground, any thought that RU was a bunch of fat boys pushing against each other vanished within 5 minutes. Said that even though Bath were holding back and there were uncontested scrums, he had never been so physically exhausted. Added that Wigan were taken aback at how physically tough RU forward play actually was.
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@Bovidae that Wigan side ended up having quite a few dual code players - Ofiah, Inga, Paul, Farrell
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@ACT-Crusader Robinson as well. They were a great team to watch back then.
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@Bovidae said in ABs vs Kangaroos?:
@ACT-Crusader Robinson as well. They were a great team to watch back then.
Yep. Scott Quinnell as well.
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@ACT-Crusader said in ABs vs Kangaroos?:
@Bovidae that Wigan side ended up having quite a few dual code players - Ofiah, Inga, Paul, Farrell
Paul positively stank in the 15 Man game. His England career, such as it was, was simply embarrassing.
Other went brilliantly - JR & Scott Quinell - but other were so-so. The games are way too different at teh top level, I guess.
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@Bovidae said in ABs vs Kangaroos?:
@ACT-Crusader Robinson as well. They were a great team to watch back then.
A bit like Leeds Rhino's in the early-2000's. A must-watch when they were playing
Kevin Sinfield was way up there with the likes of Carter & co when it came to ability with the oval ball.
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@Victor-Meldrew said in ABs vs Kangaroos?:
@ACT-Crusader said in ABs vs Kangaroos?:
@Bovidae that Wigan side ended up having quite a few dual code players - Ofiah, Inga, Paul, Farrell
Paul positively stank in the 15 Man game. His England career, such as it was, was simply embarrassing.
I was very surprised when he made the England squad. He was playing okayish for Gloucester, but he never really looked comfortable in Union because I think he didnāt have the ball in his hands enough like when he played league.
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@ACT-Crusader said in ABs vs Kangaroos?:
@Bovidae said in ABs vs Kangaroos?:
@ACT-Crusader Robinson as well. They were a great team to watch back then.
Yep. Scott Quinnell as well.
Quinnell returned not went to union
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@sparky said in ABs vs Kangaroos?:
Freak show. Silly idea. Won't bother watching.
Had a rethink. I think it is an absolutely appalling idea. A disgusting, revolting embarrassment. What is wrong with NZR that makes them come up with such a total crock of s**te?
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@MiketheSnow said in ABs vs Kangaroos?:
@ACT-Crusader said in ABs vs Kangaroos?:
@Bovidae said in ABs vs Kangaroos?:
@ACT-Crusader Robinson as well. They were a great team to watch back then.
Yep. Scott Quinnell as well.
Quinnell returned not went to union
Same for Martin Offiah IIRC
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@sparky said in ABs vs Kangaroos?:
@sparky said in ABs vs Kangaroos?:
Freak show. Silly idea. Won't bother watching.
Had a rethink. I think it is an absolutely appalling idea.
I'm not interested at all. It's a blatant money grab, and good luck to them, but I won't be touching it with a barge pole.
It'll be meaningless, too. Roos better at League, ABs better at Union. What the hell else do we expect?
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@Victor-Meldrew said in ABs vs Kangaroos?:
@Bovidae said in ABs vs Kangaroos?:
@ACT-Crusader Robinson as well. They were a great team to watch back then.
A bit like Leeds Rhino's in the early-2000's. A must-watch when they were playing
We hadn't even mentioned the likes of Ellery Hanley, Dennis Betts and Shaun Edwards. Not to mention Dean Bell.
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If it happens Iāll watch it. In the way Iād watch a train wreck. A few years ago I would have been all over this āunion vs league fuck yeah!ā But now I donāt think itās good for anything. League boys win then union is shit. Union boys win then union boys cheated....the inevitable bogan backlash.
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@sparky said in ABs vs Kangaroos?:
@sparky said in ABs vs Kangaroos?:
Freak show. Silly idea. Won't bother watching.
Had a rethink. I think it is an absolutely appalling idea. A disgusting, revolting embarrassment. What is wrong with NZR that makes them come up with such a total crock of s**te?
I don't think NZR have come up with the idea.
It has been floated in the media to gauge interest. Hopefully they will be put off.A few ABs may be big enough League fans that they wouold want to play but many will look at it as outside of their contracts and optional. Why risk an end of season injury for a meaningless throw around?
I can see it working as a fun charity event but nothing more.
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@Crucial Kangaroos came to NZR to offer it as a money maker, NZR said 'we're looking at it, same way as we are looking a shit ton of things in these fucked up times' (paraphrased
)"It's one of the many different options ... we are considering," Robinson said.
"It's not new. The last time NZR had an approach was in 2017."So NZR are looking at it, Kangaroo Mel and the NRL are the people who are dead keen, they want to get on the ABs fame train, with league being very minor internationally
ARL Commission chairman Peter Vālandys is reported to be considering the match and believes it could be bigger than State of Origin if promoted as a biannual fixture.
"This would take the Kangaroos to the world. There will be global recognition," Meninga told The Courier-Mail.So, yeah, NRL trying to leverage ABs fame. Most international papers that mention it, UK really, say Oz League team want to play All Blacks, just gives an idea of how little known Leagu is outside NZ, Oz and PI. Rugby is tiny, League is miniscule
