The Silver Fern

@No-Quarter said in England Vs All Blacks:

That's not even fair on the ref, let alone the players and paying fans.

I stopped paying to go to rugby matches because of the card lottery about 15 years ago. Used to go to matches all over the world but just had enough of the inequality of contest with uneven numbers on the field. It changes the whole flow of a match. Watching on TV I can just turn it off when the card inevitably comes out. Sad, but life is like that. I'll probably be back next year, but I don't think rugby does anything for me anymore, except piss me off. I really just watch to see the result rather than actually enjoying it.

Really pleased the cricket is starting.

@No-Quarter said in England Vs All Blacks:

@Dodge said in England Vs All Blacks:

It didn’t ruin the game is my point. Don’t do it. Sometimes the ref will ping you. (Same goes for Earl).

Could not disagree more. Cards have been ruining games for years now and I am sick of it.

Yep.

Having said all that, well done England, you play the cards that you're dealt. I just think that we need better croupiers if they want me to return to their casino. The odds of winning by seeing an equal number of players contest (even if my team loses) aren't good enough for me to invest in tickets at the moment,

Rugby as a sport hit a new low with that yellow to Taylor. Disappointing all round.

@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2025:

@Chris-B said in All Blacks 2025:

@gt12 Well, it's not often the captain gets dumped - you have to go back to about 1989.

And it's a boring question if you allow Scott to be dumped, since a fair proportion of non-Crusaders fans will advocate for it.

Aren't there any Crusaders fans who don't prefer Scott B as captain/automatic lock pick?

@nostrildamus said in England Vs All Blacks:

Any Freudian analysts ready to have a look at this sentence?

@mariner4life 's mother was a halfback?

@nostrildamus said in England Vs All Blacks:

I guess they can double as spare bar stools

Which makes "can I push your stool in" even more of a "do not say this in a gay bar" thing.

One of those inappropriate jokes (that term used very loosely) that you just can't unhear.

We need this rugby match to start this thread is really diverging.

@pakman said in England Vs All Blacks:

Diversity rules on the Fern!

The vast majority of posters are polish chicks, so generalized opinions are somewhat biased in that that direction.

Some Polish chicks also seem to confuse their opinions with facts...

@canefan said in England Vs All Blacks:

TSF is essentially an island of rugby reason in a sea of idiots

Or the very definition of groupthink::
"a psychological phenomenon where the desire for harmony and conformity in a group leads to irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcomes."

That falls down on TSF with the "harmony and conformity" bit though. "You can all go fuck yourselves because I disagree" tends to hold more sway around here.

@voodoo said in England Vs All Blacks:

@Bones said in England Vs All Blacks:

@pakman said in England Vs All Blacks:

Wondering based on training coverage if Lord will get start with Farbian as super sub.

While I'm at it, Lord Farbian is surely a Blackadder character.

Nah, he was the short guy in Shrek

Well they had Blackadder's lord Percy in Shrek.

@hikastags said in All Blacks 2025:

Considering Rassie plays high percentage rugby and to SA's strengths... i'm not so sure.

He obviously considers the lineout a strength, given that they can do them all over the field. Not sure about high percentage, but it probably is when they are the only ones in it.

@W32 said in England Vs All Blacks:

@Snowy said in England Vs All Blacks:

While we're on nicknames, that Netflix show "Baby Reindeer", has had me calling the Spring Boks that ever since.

Seems annoy Saffa mates, so I will continue with it.

Note to self: never watch that Netflix show Baby Reindeer

That is actually very good advice.

@canefan said in Scotland v All Blacks:

I recall Holland being described as anonymous in a game or two

Be careful of your sauces:
"Awful analysis, incorrect conclusions, zero insight
Wrong about pretty much everything"

While we're on nicknames, that Netflix show "Baby Reindeer", has had me calling the Spring Boks that ever since.

Seems annoy Saffa mates, so I will continue with it.

@hikastags said in All Blacks 2025:

Doubt Rassie Erasmus is wasting his time doing falling offload drills.

Really? That sounds like a very Rassie thing to do.

I'm told, (repeatedly), that he's quite an innovator.

@Nepia said in Ireland v All Blacks - Chicago2:

@Richie8-7 said in Ireland v All Blacks - Chicago2:

Anyway, not saying we're playing well. Just saying some "supporters" have lost the plot.

Did you wake up from a coma in 2024? The plot was well and truly lost in the Fozzie era, there's not even close to the same vitriol towards Razor despite the Saffa loss.

And probably correctly so. Robertson had to have a little time to get into it. Foster had years of below acceptable results. Personally, I think that time is now over for the new regime, but I was prepared to cut him some slack he had / has a lot to fix from Foster. At least Razor has won things before, Foster couldn't even win Super and yet Rennie did it at the same franchise as soon as he left. (My attitude towards the Foster years would have mellowed only slightly had he pulled off a miracle at the end there, but only slightly).

That loss in Welly for Robertson though, fuck me...

Happy with the Chicago win, winning ugly is winning, which is fine by me (for now).

@LABCAT Impressive isn't it.

There was also some mention of the number of losses in Welly though (now 4 losses from 5 in last 10 years I think). The place is a graveyard for the Caps as well as the Blacks. Should go the way of Carisbrook when we started losing there too (or we just play at the Basin and rebuild Athletic Park). Sky stadium is as good for our teams to play at as their app is to watch them on.

@frugby said in Ireland v All Blacks - Chicago2:

Went under the radar, but Ratima got about three minutes. I get they rate Roigard, but the All Blacks aren't in a great place when a halfback has to go 77 minutes when, what is in theory our #2 halfback is on the bench.

Turned out to be a pretty good call to leave him on ay?

@KiwiMurph said in Ireland v All Blacks - Chicago2:

Given the narrow/small dimensions of the pitch (I believe Solider Field actually does't meet the required dimensions of a field but receives an exemption?) I wouldn't mind Leicester getting another start - his power could be particularly useful.

Well, with the dimensions of the field as they are, we could use some commonsense this time and assume that line outs might be even more important than usual (and quick throw ins unlikely). With that in mind, not selecting our 6 as a lock would be a good start. Pat T wasn’t exactly a line out specialist either. In fact just thinking about the ramifications of that field would be good. Actually with this team I could leave it at that “just thinking”.

Aside from 111 years of history we were on an 18 game streak at the time too. It still pisses me off.

@taniwharugby said in All Blacks 2025:

@ShaquilleOatmeal so all the Crusaders he worked with over those successive championships were dummies

Not “all”, some weren’t from Canterbury.

@taniwharugby said in Rugby Championship scrapped?:

@MN5 I dunno, some abs that lost that first series to Ireland didnt know it was the first time...the age of professionalism, it is thier job, I dont think some are.as invested in 'the jersey' and legacy type stuff (which is ok)

Maybe they should be reminded that their "job" / income, is dependent on the value of the sponsorship money that comes from the AB "brand" (much of which was built before them). Every time that they lose, that brand is diminished, along with their own value. That is the age of professionalism.

@pakman said in All Blacks & All Blacks XV EOYT Squads 2025:

@Snowy 12 hours diff at the mo?

12 hours on BST. BST ends late Oct. 13 hours on GMT/ UTC which was what you mentioned. BST is only the same as GMT when UK not on DST.

Let’s go with the team is announced in 1 hour and 5 minutes from now ( which is still not a Thursday).