The Rugby Thread

[Zapater]

NZ well beaten by SA - I watched it, they looked clueless. They are in the worst place they’ve been certainly in my lifetime. Something needs to change there

Absolutely smashed them, they're weak. We were good, not great and still made plenty of mistakes. I'm surprised Foster is still in the role, hope they don't but would get Robertson or even Schmidt in there ASAP. Their forwards are a huge problem though, toothless.

Obviously still have good players and can be dangerous but think it should be easy at altitude. Marx was a beast. I'm also impressed with how much Willemse has improved in the last year or so. His recovery tackles are immense, what a man. Not the next Frans Steyn like he's been labelled but a serious player regardless.

Difference between southern and northern rules on full display there. Barrett attempts and fails at an intercept, it's a knock and everyone gets on with it. If that happens in Europe, the ref labels it a 'deliberate knock down and he gets a yellow'. Absolute lunacy.

[Irishnev]

Absolutely smashed them, they're weak. We were good, not great and still made plenty of mistakes. I'm surprised Foster is still in the role, hope they don't but would get Robertson or even Schmidt in there ASAP. Their forwards are a huge problem though, toothless.

Obviously still have good players and can be dangerous but think it should be easy at altitude. Marx was a beast. I'm also impressed with how much Willemse has improved in the last year or so. His recovery tackles are immense, what a man. Not the next Frans Steyn like he's been labelled but a serious player regardless.

Difference between southern and northern rules on full display there. Barrett attempts and fails at an intercept, it's a knock and everyone gets on with it. If that happens in Europe, the ref labels it a 'deliberate knock down and he gets a yellow'. Absolute lunacy.

They are rolling the same tired old lads out time and again - this group look done. They are also clearly getting nothing from the coaching staff - one out runners making it tackle practice for you guys and when they didn’t go forward Marx (who was amazing) pilfered the ball at will.

NZ would always match or better you physically and then have the class and accuracy to capitalise on any error. In addition they could run set moves or have so many game breakers who could do stuff off the cuff. All that’s gone - their conference is shot.

It was the same vs us - really basic mistakes that built confidence and momentum in the opposition. All their big players are coming to the end and I don’t know who replaces them……big crossroads in NZ rugby right now.

[Irishnev]

Hard to beat NZ twice in a row eh Zap It was an excellent game, your slow start cost you in the end. Once you changed that hooker you upped your game. I would have bet my house on you guys winning once Barrett went to the bin

Oh and Am is the best centre in the world by a distance

[Buzzo]

Big win for Argentina also.

[ame]https://twitter.com/scrumespn/status/1558559196198617089[/ame]

[Irishnev]

Big win for Argentina also.

https://twitter.com/scrumespn/status...59196198617089

Watched the highlights, some of the defending from Australia was appalling

[Buzzo]

They are in a far worse place than the ABs. They seem to be dropping away bit by bit over the years as an elite team. Even we have an amazing record against them. Michael Hooper removing himself from the squad is a big loss.

Also, illustrates the improvements in Los Pumas getting competitive Rugby.

[Zapater]

Hard to beat NZ twice in a row eh Zap It was an excellent game, your slow start cost you in the end. Once you changed that hooker you upped your game. I would have bet my house on you guys winning once Barrett went to the bin

Oh and Am is the best centre in the world by a distance

Last week I thought it would be a cakewalk but as the week grew on, I felt less and less confident. I didn't trust the selection at all and whilst it's worked in the past, this mass rotation has come unstuck against Wales and the ABs now. As bad as they've been I thought that they had to come to play sooner or later and they did that.

I know what the plan is to keep forwards fresh so they can go hard but I do sometimes wonder if there are some quota targets of starters they are obligated to hit (obviously doesn't apply to Vermeulen who clearly wasn't fit, so a baffling decision to start him after Wiese was so good). If you look at it, in games when the front row are changed in the first half, it often contains the likes of Nyakane, Bongi, Nche, Dweba etc. Not saying that they're not great players because they definitely are but I do sometimes wonder.

It was a great game entertainment wise. I felt the ref wasn't good at all and it didn't help matters. I thought it was ridiculously harsh to rule obstruction and give them the pen infront of our posts. Guess it's what to expect from a Northern ref. He made other calls which I didn't like, which did help them, we may have got a bit lucky with one scrum pen but the opponent definitely received the rub of the green.

Split on the bench with 2 backs doesn't help either when they KO a starter within the first 5 minutes in consecutive weeks. I think it helped us though, Jesse Kriel is a good centre but a **** wing and I've got no idea why he was selected when we have great options at domestic level. In a way getting le Roux on made a huge positive impact. Am is a great player and was fantastic but playing large portions of the match on the wing is a huge waste of his abilities. Unbelievable player though, can't believe how good he has become. He was always a defensive colossus but now he's running and passing like a virtuoso too. Effortlessly runs past players without even stepping.

Did monumentally well to come back but let them off the hook inexplicably when they had 14 men. It was there for the taking, think we should have taken the 3 points at times instead of camping in their 22 without scoring. Fair play to them, they did great, Mounga was superb, their forwards scrummed well, contested great at the line outs and backs were brave under the high ball. Credit where it's due because that wasn't easy to do that after the last month.

Thought Willemse was excellent again. I can't help but being impressed with him, can see why he's starting even though Willie has rolled back the years and is playing like he did at the Cheetahs again. Backline is so strong considering we're missing Kolbe and Arendse who played amazingly well last week. Disappointing result but I think there were positives and hopefully the coaching team will learn when to ring the changes (not against the ABs in crunch games). Atmosphere at both games looked raucous, makes me incredibly homesick, have to fancy us to win against Argentina and Australia but those are always tough games.

[Zapater]

Oh and don't rate Herschel Jantjies at all. So slow to move the ball. He gets sold down the river having to come on at key phases and he is third choice but don't think he's good enough. Get Cobus Reinach back. His running is exactly what you want.

[Irishnev]

Last week I thought it would be a cakewalk but as the week grew on, I felt less and less confident. I didn't trust the selection at all and whilst it's worked in the past, this mass rotation has come unstuck against Wales and the ABs now. As bad as they've been I thought that they had to come to play sooner or later and they did that.

I know what the plan is to keep forwards fresh so they can go hard but I do sometimes wonder if there are some quota targets of starters they are obligated to hit (obviously doesn't apply to Vermeulen who clearly wasn't fit, so a baffling decision to start him after Wiese was so good). If you look at it, in games when the front row are changed in the first half, it often contains the likes of Nyakane, Bongi, Nche, Dweba etc. Not saying that they're not great players because they definitely are but I do sometimes wonder.

It was a great game entertainment wise. I felt the ref wasn't good at all and it didn't help matters. I thought it was ridiculously harsh to rule obstruction and give them the pen infront of our posts. Guess it's what to expect from a Northern ref. He made other calls which I didn't like, which did help them, we may have got a bit lucky with one scrum pen but the opponent definitely received the rub of the green.

Split on the bench with 2 backs doesn't help either when they KO a starter within the first 5 minutes in consecutive weeks. I think it helped us though, Jesse Kriel is a good centre but a **** wing and I've got no idea why he was selected when we have great options at domestic level. In a way getting le Roux on made a huge positive impact. Am is a great player and was fantastic but playing large portions of the match on the wing is a huge waste of his abilities. Unbelievable player though, can't believe how good he has become. He was always a defensive colossus but now he's running and passing like a virtuoso too. Effortlessly runs past players without even stepping.

Did monumentally well to come back but let them off the hook inexplicably when they had 14 men. It was there for the taking, think we should have taken the 3 points at times instead of camping in their 22 without scoring. Fair play to them, they did great, Mounga was superb, their forwards scrummed well, contested great at the line outs and backs were brave under the high ball. Credit where it's due because that wasn't easy to do that after the last month.

Thought Willemse was excellent again. I can't help but being impressed with him, can see why he's starting even though Willie has rolled back the years and is playing like he did at the Cheetahs again. Backline is so strong considering we're missing Kolbe and Arendse who played amazingly well last week. Disappointing result but I think there were positives and hopefully the coaching team will learn when to ring the changes (not against the ABs in crunch games). Atmosphere at both games looked raucous, makes me incredibly homesick, have to fancy us to win against Argentina and Australia but those are always tough games.

Willimse is massively underrated - he was excellent yesterday

[Zapater]

**** White the diving prick and the ref too. The performance hasn't been good but some of the decisions have been very disappointing. Don't know why Kolisi is scared of a taking the 3 pts either. So stupid.

[Buzzo]

That was a great try. Aussies playing well.

22-3

[Zapater]

That was a great try. Aussies playing well.

22-3

They've been okay but it's been so easy. We always struggle in Australia but this performance is particularly abysmal. I can't help but think the game would be close if we kicked the pens rather than persisting kicking for corners. Same thing against NZ last time.

[Buzzo]

Argentina toe to toe with the ABs.

[Zapater]

Kicking has been precise. Think they still have another 15 min of heart to show. Will be a hell of an ending.

[Buzzo]

When New Zealand are desperate they play on the edge and give away a lot of penalties.

They get given these days also!