The Silver Fern

I hate reserves warming up behind the deadball line then celebrating their team mate's try in a massive pile-on. You're not part of the game, don't enter the field of play.

@Jaguares4real said in 2019 Rugby Championship:

@KiwiMurph

Fair enough but Aumua not making RWC squad unless there are multiple injuries to hookers

He's likely to be on wok experience, carrying water and holding tackle bags

World Cup is in Japan, not China

With a name like that he should be playing golf

Sualilii defending on the outside as poorly as every other NRL convert who’s attempted to play in the midfield

Seems like Dwayne Sweeney will come in to cover for Charlie Ngatai. Callum Bruce couldn't be released from his Japan contract, Scott McLeod was locked into the Highlanders and Keith Lowen couldn't be contacted because no one could find his phone number.

The Rieko/Blake beef stemmed from early in the evening at the game. Rieko had been knocking back a few drinks in the stands. Then was acting the goose on the field post-match when all the squad gathered. Gibson told him to pull his head in.

Meanwhile Rieko and Akira's dad had to be separated from a fan by security after Dad lost his cool with the spectator who was yelling abuse at 'lazy' Akira all game; unbeknownst to him that Akira's dad was sitting behind him.

Akira saw the scuffle and waded into the grandstand and had to be calmed down himself.

Awful and sad. Playing touch, minding her own business. She wasn't even involved in the action when it happened.

She was on life support over the weekend and the family were waiting for her brother to fly back from the UK to say goodbye before ultimately turning off life support.

NZ Netball ought to name the new ANZ Championship trophy in her honour.

No Bell, Blackadder, Havili and Fihaki. Razor-hater's gonna need new material.

You want me to specifically watch scrums? The reason I have MySky is so I can fast-forward through stoppages until the ball is a the Number 8's feet.

Heads-up for all the Steamers fans on here, and provincial rugby fans more generally, there is a doco on Sky Sport this week looking back at the 2004 Bay Of Plenty side that won the Shield off Auckland... and the three weeks of celebrations that followed.

Some awesome anecdotes from Vern, Schmidt and Jacko amongst many others.

First airs Thursday night 9pm and there's a replay playing between the two NPC semis on Saturday.

Wonderful. We all know how well the Chiefs show up in a finale.

What we've lacked since the South African sides left - and the Jaguares, Sunwolves and Pacific franchises joined - is a viable meaning or context to the competition.

Previously it was the best domestic sides from the three powerhouses (and most successful nations) of professional rugby. The team that won (and, importantly, its fans) could claim to be the best domestic side in the world. That meant something; either side of the equator.

With South African leaving and far-flung franchises joining (and not ignoring the recent downfall of the Wallabies) we now have a competition that crowns a champion of no real relevance or significance.

The old Super 12/14/15 had true sporting context. Yes, there were mismatches and games played at odd times for various sets of viewers but it always progressed to a tangible context at season's end.

People complained about about those viewing times being the downfall of the old Super 12/14/15. I've seen the current ratings and still Kiwi fans won't watch anything outside of 4:30pm and 7:05pm kickoffs - even when NZ sides are involved.. And I'd imagine the equivalent is true of Aussie viewers.

So if no one is watching un-appealing kick-offs in a Pacific-only comp then then South African 3am kick-offs aren't the issue no matter what the alignment of sides within Super Rugby.

I don't know if it breaks a rule but it ought to; what really grinds my gears are reserves running into the in-goal to celebrate a try scored by their team mate.

... you're not part of the game. If you're warming-up then retreat behind the dead ball line and don't come into contact with those who are legitimately playing the game.

Sooner of later there is going to be a post-try scuffle (there seems to be a few of these recently) which involves a reserve and the ref will resort to carding a guy who's not officially part of the game.

@Dice said in AB's v Samoa:

@Tim said in AB's v Samoa:

@Dice said in AB's v Samoa:

Matt Duffie

I thought he was a safe white boy?

Seeing this team actually reminded me that he's eligible for Samoa. I remember seeing his name in a wider team list for the Samoan league team a number of years ago.

That's Rugby League, though - you only have to visit the Otara Markets to be eligible for the Samoan league team.

Pulu strikes me as someone with a bit of a discipline problem, and often seems to have bad rapport with refs. Would be well down my list of potential captains.

Richie Mo'unga won't be feeling so bad after that

The Highlanders would be smart to gift a contract to little-known brother Blake Barrett in the hope it entices Jordie south.

I know the consensus is we need Mo’unga back ASAP but Ardie, Beauden and Cane show the folly of parachuting players into Test rugby from Japan

We won't know the full story until Hoskins makes a sulky post on Insta

Razor picking on Super form was all well and good until the bloody Crusaders went and won the thing. Now we gotta move the goalposts so he can’t select big-game, champion players.