Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Mon Sep 12, 2011 12:57 pm  

Andy Gilder wrote:

The lack of basic skills and game awareness in northern hemisphere players is truly shocking.

Witness Delon Armitage running parallel to Ben Foden but 25 yards away waiting for the pass as an example.

You're absolutely spot on there Andy. I said the same thing pre-tournament. We're light years behind the big three and I fear a real hiding for one of the six nations sides when/if they come up against them.

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Mon Sep 12, 2011 7:55 pm  

Stand-Offish wrote:

From their cheap and nasty shirts, with their cheap and nasty numbers that don't stay on, to their total lack of attacking ideas, England were rubbish.
They won ... the only consolation.

They have been in a training camp since June.
What they have learned seems to be how to give penalties away like freebies, miss penalty kicks, take the ball standing still, kick the ball away for no good reason, etc etc.

Martin Johnson, well done!

They must have been in that Martin Corry Rugby Camp off the adverts, passing tubs of whey protein to each other.

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Mon Sep 12, 2011 7:59 pm  

I'ds argue that the Top 14 is catching up slowly, but the Aviva is utter garbage. Then again, this might be because the French teams are now full of Saffas and the army of New Zealand who got about two caps and will dine out on this in the NH for all time.

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Mon Sep 12, 2011 8:57 pm  

Wildmoose wrote: It's easy to believe that Union has closed the gap in recent years...until you watch some of it. I was channel hopping on Saturday morning, every time there was a stoppage in the Broncos vs Warriors game I'd flick over to ITV & see what was happening...had to do this SIX times before I saw the ball in play...even then the second guy to touch the ball dropped it Reading the Daily Mirror this morning in the butty shop whilst waiting for my order and it was highlighted there. The Welsh Captain, Sam Warburton, was awarded the man of the match after a staggering 20 tackles. Sean O'Loughlin this season (league only) has averaged 38 per match whilst Micky McIlorum who doesn't play the full 80 has averaged 25. http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/sport-fro ... -23414022/

Wildmoose wrote: It's easy to believe that Union has closed the gap in recent years...until you watch some of it. I was channel hopping on Saturday morning, every time there was a stoppage in the Broncos vs Warriors game I'd flick over to ITV & see what was happening...had to do this SIX times before I saw the ball in play...even then the second guy to touch the ball dropped it Reading the Daily Mirror this morning in the butty shop whilst waiting for my order and it was highlighted there. The Welsh Captain, Sam Warburton, was awarded the man of the match after a staggering 20 tackles. Sean O'Loughlin this season (league only) has averaged 38 per match whilst Micky McIlorum who doesn't play the full 80 has averaged 25. http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/sport-fro ... -23414022/

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Mon Sep 12, 2011 11:06 pm  

Completely different sports so you can't really make fair comparisons.

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Mon Sep 12, 2011 11:10 pm  

Catalancs wrote:

Completely different sports so you can't really make fair comparisons.

I know which is what I said earlier, but it isn't exactly staggering in RL terms which highlights the differences in the two codes.

That's the point I was making anyway.

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Mon Sep 12, 2011 11:14 pm  

I get you mate. I think what it highlights is just how much graft league players do and how fit they have to be.

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Mon Sep 12, 2011 11:39 pm  

jonny the leyther wrote:

6 weeks of this dross with people pretending it's good and interesting.

Terrible isn't it.......I mean to say, when compared with the RLWC of 2008 it's shocking how bad Union is.......

Average points scored in RLWC 2008 = 49
Average poinst scored per game in RWC 2011 = 47

Average tries per game in RLWC 2008 = 7 (try every 11 minutes)
Average tries per game in RWC 2011 = 5 (try every 16 minutes.....shocking)

Average attendance at RLWC 2008 = 16,331 (all but 1 games played in RL heartland)
Average attendance at RWC 2011 = 27,757 (games played all over the country)

TV Viewing figures for England games in RLWC 2008 = 350,000 (am KO)
TV Viewing figures for England game in RWC 2011 = 4,000,000 (am KO)

.....God only knows why those 4,000,000 got up so early just to pretend it was good and interesting? Maybe they are all on the RFU's payroll

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Tue Sep 13, 2011 12:08 am  

I realise you're fishing (trolling) but I'll try to reason anyway.

gutterfax wrote:

Terrible isn't it.......I mean to say, when compared with the RLWC of 2008 it's shocking how bad Union is.......

Here we go again. Two different sports so why compare? Of course union is going to come out on top as it's a global game compared to the provincial, Northern, M62 game of rugby league. Why not compare the 2011 RUWC to Euro 96 or the 2008 Olympics?

gutterfax wrote:

Average tries per game in RLWC 2008 = 7 (try every 11 minutes)
Average tries per game in RWC 2011 = 5 (try every 16 minutes.....shocking)

I'd expect that figure to come down once the whipping boys are out and the sides who can actually defend are still in.

gutterfax wrote:

Average attendance at RLWC 2008 = 16,331 (all but 1 games played in RL heartland)
Average attendance at RWC 2011 = 27,757 (games played all over the country)

NZ is a union mad country. It's the national sport which dominates the media from Kerikeri to Invercargill. The whole country could be classed as heartland.

gutterfax wrote:

TV Viewing figures for England games in RLWC 2008 = 350,000 (am KO)
TV Viewing figures for England game in RWC 2011 = 4,000,000 (am KO)

It's hardly fair to compare a nationwide major sport that gets plenty of column inches and is on terrestrial television to a regional sport which is on pay tv.

gutterfax wrote:

.....God only knows why those 4,000,000 got up so early just to pretend it was good and interesting? Maybe they are all on the RFU's payroll

Sarcasm really doesn't work on internet forums.

Re: If you must discuss Union, do it here II : Tue Sep 13, 2011 12:30 am  

Catalancs wrote:

I realise you're fishing (trolling) but I'll try to reason anyway.

All I did was respond to the poster who said people would pretend the RWC was interesting and Good when it wasn't.....I used facts, compared the 2 games in question (this is a Union thread on a League Forum) and showed that Union isn't as boring as some would have you believe.

As you point out, they are 2 different games, but the poster decided to come out with an of-the-cuff comment that had no basis, so I responded.