The Silver Fern

@Steven-Harris said in November Internationals 2025 : Wales v Japan:

Huge ramifications for Welsh rugby ,what is this commentator on ?
Its not as if you have beaten a top 5 team ..

But as others have mentioned we’ve given ourselves a fighting chance at the next RWC

A loss yesterday would have consigned us to where Welsh football was for over 50 years

Unable to make the Euros or World Cup because we were the third ranked team in the group and the other 2 of 3 teams were of our standard

Wales blew so many good chances and didn’t utilise our best strengths - LRZ - but there is already improvement in just two matches

In two years time we will be giving Top 5 sides a fucking good game

Thought Mann had another great match and whilst he’s no Jac Morgan cemented his place in the back row

Tomos is rocks & diamonds

Best game I’ve seen from Dan Edwards

But I still prefer Jarrod Evans

Nails to kick that penalty to win the match

Adams can be put out to pasture now

Dumb, dumb, dumb

We’re going to get well beaten the next two matches

The key is to do what we’re trying to do better, with more accuracy

If we can score 3-4 tries against both NZ and SA by opening them up then the rest of it will fall in to place

@Chris-B said in For The Skiers Out There : Return To The Silk Road:

@MiketheSnow It's pretty cool seeing where some of those guys ended up. Rob Des Lauriers appears to have become a realtor and from the videos, he might be well suited to that! 🙂

Went to Cappadocia in 1986 - it was summer - scorching hot - no idea you could ski there and I can't recall the volcano. Probably couldn't see it for the heat haze.

Apparently there's good ski-ing in the various Stans, but I figure I need proximity to decent medical facilities for my ski-ing excursions these days!

Anyway - Dan's a winner from my viewing. I bought his book as a Christmas present for my bro-in-law. I should've asked you if it's any good but fark him (my bro-in-law) - he can like it! 🙂

Yeah, Dan one of the few of that era who's still in the sport.

Cappadocia is perfect in Winter. We had one day of light snow there which made it look really pretty. The rest of the time it was around 10C and sunny. Lovely walking around weather. And far less people than Summer.

There's great skiing all through Turkiye, the former Eastern Bloc, and the old Russian Empire.

Slowly heading further and further East each Winter.

His book is an easy and very good read. Dan's had quite the life.

@Dan54 said in Wales v Argentina:

Thanks Mike, I feeling a bit for all you Welsh supporters etc, but regardless great little write up. I will have a peek at the game today sometime, though maybe just the highlight package.
I keep my fingers and toes crossed that things inprove for Welsh rugby!

Yeah, just watch the highlights

Not 2025 but 1974.

Found the line-ups for the 1974 unofficial test v a “Welsh XV.”
Thinkn it’d be an official test by now if Wales had won.

Brit rugby was on a high and NZ took these three teams on in the space of 8 days!
The red players are BI Lions.

Drew the game against the Baabaas; Joe had a bit of a shocker, 2 of 7 with the boot, and spilt a high ball that led to a late try to tie the game up.
Gareth box kicked the whole game as they played it like a test match.
The Barbarians pack was the same that had just dealt to the boks a couple of months earlier.

d18a6ddc-e58c-4f49-a67a-f969ca4374f0-image.png

d1092c6c-a1b9-4c7d-9eb3-0d470f358926-image.png

Form.

9e38a3be-8d82-4fc1-90be-c6716bcd117c-image.png

@NTA said in Who You Got, Where You At?:

Australia, and fuck I wonder why a lot -living in Sydney

FIFM

Ice hockey is only like 5-a-side isn't it? And on a smaller playing area?

Makes sense for it to be shorter when there's less players (e.g. SVNS). Can't see it having much impact in FFTNS.

The other guy to make a maximum (this tournament) is a Thai player called Thepchaiya Un-Nooh. One of my favourite bits of snooker trivia is that he's missed the final black for a maximum 3 times. His last name seems very fitting! To his credit, he's also the only guy to have a 155 break on camera (albeit in a practice match) so feels like his luck balances out.

@canefan said in Wallabies v Lions II:

Tim Horan had a very balanced view of the game. The Wallabies had it in the bag and let it slip. The final decision could have gone either way, he was disappointed for the Wallabies and their fans, but felt the ref did a good job. Refreshing

He's right, for all anyone screams about the last tackle/ruck, count how many Wallabies are standing there looking and not getting into defensive line. There about 5, that try could and should of been stopped regardless of what happened at ruck.

Hopefully he’ll come back a la Steve Austin

Bigger, stronger, faster

Fingers crossed the NFL have rebuilt him

@NTA said in Mid-Year Tour : Japan v Wales Test 1:

@Catogrande said in Mid-Year Tour : Japan v Wales Test 1:

Odd that his stance with Aussie the second time around was so different.

I'm going with some form of undiagnosed brain worms.

Eddie might. be like John Hart, a large part of their coaching identity to them, deriving from being the ideas guy, continually, and exacerbated as they age. With Eddie, and I'm only guessing, he may have created such turmoil and competition that it eventually alienated senior players (when coaching England?) For Australia, he seemed obsessed with off-field stats.
I complained a lot about early Foster ABs lacking innovation, but OTOH I was impressed by how Farrell kept the Schmidt Irish rugby machine but improved around the edges.

@Tim Great try. It does show the inexperience of Pollock, though. Curry rushes Albornoz to pressure the kick but because Pollock is lax in following up, Albornoz is able to step inside the gap.

I'm sure Andy Farrell will let him know. But fantastic execution by Albornoz nonetheless. One of the best 10s running around nowadays.

Clean sweep for the Aces.

Phoenix lucky to be there in the first place. The Aces v Fever the pick of the series.

Reckon the forward back distinction is too broad. Looking at Sparky’s list it’s mainly loosies, ditto Rassie & Mallet.

Every now and again we loosies allow our natural prey, the large scrotumed ruck rat, to survive to maturity and become solid (though still very annoying) coaches (cf Henry, Galthie and Craven, Doc.)

@Jet said in 6N 2025 : France v Wales:

@Dan54 said in 6N 2025 : France v Wales:

@Jet said in 6N 2025 : France v Wales:

@Dan54 said in 6N 2025 : France v Wales:

I have personally reckoned that any team using the pod system are illegal 5/10 times. France seem to be pushing it, and I put it down to how game has changed. Just know when I played you tried to never have a team mate with the ball behind you as you would get pinged for offside. I did think some of the French ones were extreme, even for whats allowed these days.

Ireland dined out on it for years during their recent golden age. Players ahead of ball carriers all over the place masquerading as bodies in motion.

It’s no wonder a geriatric sexton had an arm chair ride in his latter years.

He was basically walking around out there.

Yep we weren't adverse to using it either, don't know any team that was. Though some seemed to overdo it I agree.

I think rugby peaked around 2003-2007. The 05 lions tour was Rugby as I liked it.

Maybe I’m getting old (40) but the current overly busy refs, and skullduggery such as this du Pont stuff does nothing for me.

I preferred when backs were backs, forwards were forwards, and you could have a bit of a “sort out” without being sent off.

The TMO is a good addition for adjudicating on whether a try is scored but going back a couple of phases to see something technical that was missed leaves me cold.

Camel. Horse. Committee. Etc

TLDR : “games gone”

Old at 40??? But genuinely mate I perhaps 30 years older, but I agree wholeheartedly.

Superb tournament
Superb final

@African-Monkey said in Autumn Test 2024 : Wales v Australia:

Random thought, but how has Gareth Anscombe only played 39 tests! Thought he'd be between 60-70 tests minimum by now. He's been there forever.

Injured and fucked off for a while

https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/articles/cn8g2m4e0jvo

A much improved performance by the BFs to beat France 39-14 but this tactic of running everything from your 22 always proves costly.

@Bones said in Springboks v Wales (Twickenam):

@MiketheSnow said in Springboks v Wales (Twickenam):

@Bones said in Springboks v Wales (Twickenam):

@MiketheSnow said in Springboks v Wales (Twickenam):

PSDT hand on the floor at nearly every scrum

Haven't watched the video so maybe missing something, but not sure I follow what the issue is unless he's moved to prop?

Perhaps I don’t know the laws

Hands on floor allowed during set up

From engagement, no?

I'd always assumed binding on the opposition is only the front row, never considered flankers weren't allowed their free arm to be on the floor.

Same. Would be odd to penalise that. No advantage achieved if a flanker has his hand on the ground.

@Daffy-Jaffy I really can't stand that Irish commentator. Not sure why, but he really grates me. No doubt, he's a massive Ireland fan and commentates exactly as one, but I don't have a problem with other countries commentators who do this (Oz, England, Safa).

I think he just commentates like Ireland are better at absolutely everything and the opposition should almost feel honoured to be allowed to play them.

Maybe it's just me.