M
@antipodean said in France v Ireland:
PoTM voting and for me it's down to two Frenchmen: Guillard and Jalibert. But I'd go the forward given his work has given Jalibert the room and opportunity to make his backline look good.
Word for word 100% agree
@Dan54 said in France v Ireland:
Enjoying the test, some good stuff, and also showing perhaps what is happening in test rugby these days? There is just no ripping in and causing chaos, looks quite measured in what they doing. Not sure if I explained that well .
Disagree. Loads of chaos, Ireland have no clue what to do with it.
@KiwiPie said in EPL 2025/26:
@Cyclops said in EPL 2025/26:
Awful penalty kick. Mendy didn't so much save it as be the grateful recipient of it.
I think there have been a very few occasions where a team has disagreed with a penalty and passed it to the keeper rather than trying to score it. If it wasn't for Diaz looking so distraught after I'd have thought that was the case here too.
Pretty poor from the ref to not just call the game in Morocco's favour when the Senegalese abandoned the pitch. Whether its a good decision or not, leave the temper tantrums elsewhere.
Incidentally, Senegal now leading 1-0 in extra time.
I was tracking the game on live scoring and did wonder why the game reached over +20 in added time! Craziness.
EPL games are getting increasingly dull, hardly a goal to find across 9 games this weekend. And so many draws that the table appears frozen.
I think the teams posted this on the walls of the changing rooms this weekend ….
Chelsea winning, Liverpool and Arsenal losing. All fantastic matches. I should visit NZ more often!
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
I feel genuinely sorry for all the Robertson-fluffers who jumped on the bandwagon. They must feel like utter dickheads right now. Guess the knives will be out if they feel they've been conned by Surf Jesus.
Just hope we haven't entered into another "sack-the-coach" doom-loop and Kirk and co. make sure the sort of shit we've seem in the last 4-6 years isn't repeated.
Seriously?
I’m no cantab fan, quite the opposite but his pedigree at the Crusaders showed he deserved it.
Having said that, if he couldn’t gel together a team from other provinces to play for him then it’s an issue which needs resolving.
You don’t give up when playing the Boks if you want to win for your coach.
Desperation appointment. Trying to make a Mourinho 2 out of him.
Can't see it working.
Garnacho aside, I actually really like our squad. The problem with it, is that only Reece James is playing even close to his potential. Fernandes is at about 65%, the rest are sub 50%. I didn't agree with selling Madueke and he is thriving at Arsenal.
No, I don't use X. IT's there for anybody to see. People that disagree with him just get belittled, abused, and then blocked so no right of reply. An absolute keyboard warrior with the sole remit of pissing people off. The BSG of the Times .... 
A pal of mine runs a sports marketing agency & knows him. Agrees with every word I've written above!
@Victor-Meldrew said in Where are they now?:
@MN5 said in Where are they now?:
@sparky said in Where are they now?:
Stephen "the Walrus" Jones has retired after 42 years as Sunday Times Rugby Correspondent.
His final piece (behind a paywall) is every bit as self-laudatory as you could imagine.
I tried to read that and gave up.....when he's not trying to wind people up he's actually very boring.
Happy retirement Walrus.
His lack of Rugby insight and knowledge always staggered me. Preferred to write for his own ego rather than the rugby public. Sadly, too many people in England actually believed what he wrote - genuine England fans generally thought him a prize fullybunny.
He was hugely biased to those who kissed his arse.
If you didn’t, he wrote awful things about you. His x behavior was truly abhorrent.
Agree with your last statement entirely. I know not one rugby person that didn’t think he was a fluffybunny.
@sparky said in Where are they now?:
Stephen "the Walrus" Jones has retired after 42 years as Sunday Times Rugby Correspondent.
His final piece (behind a paywall) is every bit as self-laudatory as you could imagine.
Complete fluffybunny and stands for literally everything I hate about so many things.
Can honestly say he’s one of very very few people who if I learned was terminally ill, I would not feel one hint of sadness. Existed primarily to piss people off. Good riddance, go fuck yourself.
Highlight: Norris grtting over the line.
Best event: Abu Dhabi gp. Managed to get paddock access for the morning of the GP with f2 grid walk. Sharing a quick chat with Dave Coulthard in the coffee q pretty cool.
Lowlight: England game. Bok game a shocker of course, but thought our problems more laid bare vs England.
2026 plans? 13yo son is now an avid golfer and has magnificent course etiquette (opposite of general life) so hoping for plenty of rounds with him.
May do Sing GP this year as my pal is working with Audi and thinks he will get pit passes this year. Fingers crossed.
@sparky said in Super Rugby 2026:
@Chris said in Super Rugby 2026:
A couple of things being trialed in SR 2026
A tap kick can be taken within a metre of the referee and does not have been taken on the mark.
50/22s will count even if the ball has been taken back in to the 50.
Like the first one, not keen on the second.
Agree.
One speeds the game up, other brings more game manipulation into it.