The Silver Fern

@ACT-Crusader said in Missing Persons:

Kia ora, I’m new here

Welcome mate. What franchise do you support?

I find Stan great - the platform not the personalities, I mean - easy to work, great functionality and plenty of replays. Not really sure what else I would want tbh

@Mauss said in Wallabies v Lions II:

@voodoo said in Wallabies v Lions II:

I didn’t watch a lot of Super rugby this year, but watching Wilson in this game, it was also noticeable that he was getting smacked on most carries. Has he dropped some weight or lost some power? I don’t recall this from past internationals

Wilson’s game has never really been about dominant carries. There was an interview last year in the Brisbane Times with Scott Higginbotham, where the latter compared Wilson’s style of play to his own.

“Wilso reminds me a bit of myself, him and I are the kind of guys that run holes … some guys don’t like that, some coaches will look at a No.8 and want them to commit defenders and have big contacts and carries.
“When coaches pick teams, it’ll come down to whether he likes a No.8 who is more about attracting defenders … or do you want someone who hits holes, gets offloads and try assists?
“What we have to realise is everyone is different and plays a different style of game in the position they play.
“But I think for Wilso, he’s got a knack for running in between defenders and I think that’s better.”

Nick Wright  /  Mar 28, 2024  /  Rugby Union

Wilson’s axing left him ‘distraught’. A Wallabies star reveals comeback path

A former champion reveals how the man he passed the baton to can regain his national place. But his old club needs to change.

So I don’t anything has really happened to Wilson. He’s never really been a guy that bounces off defenders like Valetini does, so it’s best to play them together like Schmidt wants to. But when Valetini goes off early, like he did yesterday, Wilson’s game becomes much less effective because there’s no one left to create the space to run through.

That all makes sense, thanks

@antipodean said in Wallabies v Lions II:

@NTA said in Wallabies v Lions II:

We gave up control of the game and an 18 point lead. Some dumb fuck penalties like Wilson's clean out past the ruck. Not being able to make simple one on one tackles.

Wilson was remarkably inaccurate at rucks during the game, but what I noticed most (apart from some terribly porous defence) was Australia dictated proceedings whilst they had go forward. That disappeared once Skelton and Valentini left the field.

I didn’t watch a lot of Super rugby this year, but watching Wilson in this game, it was also noticeable that he was getting smacked on most carries. Has he dropped some weight or lost some power? I don’t recall this from past internationals

@NTA said in Wallabies v Lions II:

@Bones said in Wallabies v Lions II:

One that happens at every ruck multiple times.

And we have mauls that are illegal all the time, but only the ones leading up to tries are cross-examined for obstruction.

Whatever. It's gone now. We gave up an 18 point lead and it'll be another barren year as we get pumped by everyone in TRC.

The sky isn't falling; it has fallen. I'm far enough inside the tent to see that we're never getting out of this hole because nobody in Australian rugby really wants meaningful change.

Micro example: I had to referee a game yesterday, because the association didn't have refs available for our game.

Meanwhile, 18 schools games had referees in the Saturday afternoon timeslot. Which sounds great until you realise:
A. they could play midweek because they're fucking SCHOOLS, and
B. schools don't give a flying fuck about any other part of the rugby landscape; they just care about putting names of Waratahs/Wallabies up in gold leaf on an honour board and pumping obscene amounts of money into beating their old rivals.

All a bit doom and gloom mate. Let’s put it is this way - if Valentini had been able to play a full 80 - heck, even 70 - last night, I reckon we wouldn’t be talking about the ref, we’d be getting pumped for a decider in 6 days time at Homebush

@nzzp said in All Blacks 2025:

Reckon Argentina would be a great destination to watch the ABs. Red wine, steak, charming human beings - would be amazing tour

We went 2 years ago, AB’s test in BA, spent a week there

Ate our body weights in beef, drank all the wine.

People were amazing.

Couldn’t recommend more highly

@Mauss said in Wallabies v Lions II:

Lions really targeting Sua'ali'i in the 13 channel, Kinghorn was able to waltz through there. Not sure why you wouldn't just have Ikitau defending at 13.

He’s been so poor

The advantage laws are such a joke

Can’t wait til Manu and Ponga do this for the AB’s!

@Canes4life said in Wallabies v Lions II:

@voodoo said in Wallabies v Lions II:

Valentini is the player Ardie should be

Don’t you mean Finau? Ardie ain’t a 6.

Valentini is the sort of player the ABs need at 6

Nah, didn’t mean Finau.

Ardie and Valentini are similar shapes and are both ball runners - Valentini is just way more direct and abrasive.

But I’d absolutely welcome Valentini at 6 in the AB’s.

Or 7, or 8…

Valentini is the player Ardie should be

Skelton so lazy on that Lions try

Wait, there was a Fern outage?

My only advice is to do everything @gt12 says, and avoid Takeshita St like the plague.

Everything else is as good as it says on the tin - I don't have any non-Tokyo advice as we only did the snow in Nazawa Onsen outside of the big smoke. But once you're in Tokyo, it felt like you can hardly go wrong. Shibuya, Shinjuku, just so much fun to wander around. Easy, safe, never a bad meal. If you play guitar, the 8 floor guitar shop was next-level awesome. The back streets of Harijuku were better than the main street, some great shopping. The old fish markets were good also (GT12 got the skinny here also).

Walk or catch the metro, do lots of karaoke, drink buckets of beer, find the hidden door at the GT12 recommendation. Suica good, Wise also excellent there.

Amazing country, would go again in a heartbeat.

Behind the meter atomic age. Kind of scary

@Bones said in All Blacks v France III:

@sparky said in All Blacks v France III:

@Landers92 said in All Blacks v France III:

Here you go. Very early this week which is nice. Backline for week 3.

9. Ratima
10. Dmac
11. Ioane
12. Tupaea
13. ALB
14. Reece
15. Love

Bench
21. Hotham
22. Tavatavanawai
23. B.Barrett

How about the following then?

1. De Groot
2. Taylor
3. Newell (Lomax)
4. Holland
5. Tuipolutu
6. Finau
7. A. Savea (c)
8. Jacobson
9. Ratima
10. DMac
11. R. Ioane
12. Tupaea
13. ALB
14. Reece
15. Love

---

16. Norris
17. McAlister
18. Tosi
19. Ah Kuoi
20. Kirifi
21. Hotham
22. Tavatavanawai
23. B. Barrett

Jesus, you'd struggle to find a greener bench even in the French team.

It’s not called a “Bench” anymore bro, that’s our “Impact”

@Nepia said in All Blacks v France III:

@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks v France III:

Too many Chiefs

Too many Reece's.

Totally. Why Reece over Narawa? Surely not just “work rate”.

Hate the quantity of changes, totally agree with @mariner4life post earlier. Sets these poor buggers up for failure. Especially if we see a few changes in the forward pack leading to our ball being slow/messy

@Kirwan said in Artificial Intelligence (Previously "Chat GPT"):

WTAF

Hard to know what to make of this. Is it legit in its accuracy? The comments seem to sway between believers and the rest.

If real, man the implications for energy usage are just nuts.

@nonpartizan if you’re planning doing the Luge in Rotorua, make sure you hit the dip perfectly straight as you will get airborne…