The Rugby Union Thread

Gassage

Australia are a very very good side.

Don't discount them.

lloyd

Gassage;1106571" said:

lloyd said:

Gassage;1106521" said:koneguitarist said:







Gassage said:



Kone and Lloyd have a lot of explaining to do.







let the side down they did.





































No we didn't, ours went perfectly to script, play well for an hour then let NZ pull away for last 20 to retain our plucky loser title.











Taff, how many times do they do that to a side?







It is incredible. They are relentless.







As an example, Aaron Smith goes off, Perenara comes on and ADDS to the tempo. Cane goes off and Savea Jr is suddenly the best player on the park.







I have to say I thought 'Not Toby' was every bit as good as the Kiwi forwards. Exceptional. I also thought Melon had a very good game for once.







As you would say, 'fair do's like'!

Harsh on Melon, he's been one of the best forwards the British Isles have ever produced (scrummaging aside).



Toby immense as always.





Call me old fashioned but I like props who can prop.

Test lion in the Welsh front row that destroyed the SA scrum in SA over and over again, I think that for large parts of his career he more than held his own.

For a couple of years under the old rules Wales had an unstoppable scrum too, he was 1/3 of that front row.

Over the last few years he's waned, but who doesn't in their 30's, and the new rules have come in but again, today our scrum was legal and never under any pressure from the worlds greatest ever team.

125th cap today, not many better world loose heads, never mind British, on their respective days I'd pick over him.

Gassage

Hmmm, I could think of around 20. But I'll agree he's been a fabulous ambassador for Welsh rugby and he's great around the park.

lloyd

20? British? Please. Name them.

tbm

It's not about having Andy Farrell lads, it's knowing how to use him.

What day for NH rugby! Ireland under 20s beat BNZ too. 

Gassage

lloyd said:

20? British? Please. Name them.

OK:

Ian McLaughlan*
Fran Cotton*
Jason Leonard*
Charlie Faulkener
Trevor Woodman
Tom Smith*
Phil Orr*
Alex Corbisiero*
Jim Aitken
Stack Stevens*
Nick Popplewell*
Andy Sheridan*
Jeff Whitefoot*
Cian Healy*
Sandy Carmichael*
Paul Rendall

lloyd

Lol for that one gas

Gassage

lloyd said:

Lol for that one gas

I will always say, the best scrummaging LHP I've ever seen is the tiny Tom Smith.

Incredible power- he destroyed Adrian Garvey, 5 stone heavier than him, 97 Lions tour.

I'd put Trevor Woodman right up there- but for his injury he'd have been a 100 capper.

Corbs is also incredible when he fancies playing. Which isn't often.

But Jase is the man. Johnson said he never went backwards in his career. He was a rock. Mind you he's 27 stone at the moment, so he says.

eSully

tbm said:

It's not about having Andy Farrell lads, it's knowing how to use him.

What day for NH rugby! Ireland under 20s beat BNZ too. 

The tries are available at the tournament site, they have highlights of all the games

http://www.worldrugby.org/u20/video/168715

lloyd

How many of those were test lions mate? I'll give you a few of them but the list in its entirety is just a random list of loosies.....and googling some of the older ones there's at least one tight head in there....I don't claim him to be the best ever but on his day for a few years he was up there as one of the best we've produced. Top 5 without a doubt.

Gassage

lloyd said:

How many of those were test lions mate? I'll give you a few of them but the list in its entirety is just a random list of loosies.....and googling some of the older ones there's at least one tight head in there....I don't claim him to be the best ever but on his day for a few years he was up there as one of the best we've produced. Top 5 without a doubt.

Those I've edited and asterisked.

All played tests at LHP although Carmichael was predominatly a TH, I will admit. Cotton, Stevens and Leonard were capped on both sides though.

And not random-I didn't include Lions Ian Stephens, Cooch, Staff Jones, Peter Clohessy or Graham Rowntree as didn't think they were quite good enough.

I did miss David Sole though- ironically a Jenkins clone almost but a maginally better scrummager I'd suggest.

tbm

Seen the Stander incident. No complaints really. Hindsight is a great thing after a win, but it's a red for me. Very reckless. He clatters into him.

Gassage

@lloyd

THe single best performance by a prop I've ever seen in test rugby was Corbisiero in the 3rd 2013 LIons test.

he was incredible. He is just a bloody sick note though.

I think you guys have a future great in Rob Evans. He is special.

exocet

lloyd;1106677" said:

How maony of those were test lions mate? I'll give you a few of them but the list in its entirety is just a random list of loosies.....and googling some of the older ones there's at least one tight head in there....I don't claim him to be the best ever but on his day for a few years he was up there as one of the best we've produced. Top 5 without a doubt.

I'm with you there Lloyd.

Melon has had the odd spell when he's not competitive, usually when returning from injury but when on form, he's a decent loose head. His real strength is his speed and work rate around the field. I can recall one Wales v AB match a few years back when he really hit the gas and caught Joe Rocket (however you spell that name) and hauled him down.

lloyd

Let's be fair then and automatically remove the non-test Lions, one or two might remain if they had gods in front of them but if you're not your generations dominant loosie, you shouldn't really be included in the discussion.

Gassage

@exocet

I think Melon is great around the park and at ruck.

He is also one of the deepest intellects and thinkers on the game you'll ever speak to. A real professor of the game and a great ambassador too. I've spent time with the guy and he is an incredible tactician in all facets of the game.

But I do think he gets away with murder at times. But then you could also argue he's streetwise.

Reminds me very much of Bill Young, the Wallaby. Shite scrummager, brilliantly streetwise.

Gassage

tbm said:

Seen the Stander incident. No complaints really. Hindsight is a great thing after a win, but it's a red for me. Very reckless. He clatters into him.

Back in my day you'd get Clubman of the Year for a hit like that.

lloyd

Corbs and Leonard I'd put in front of him in a heartbeat. You talk about streetwise in the scrum, Cian Healy never contested one scrum legally in his career yet you put him in. Jenkins was never the strongest scrummager but shit he was not as evidenced in our world dominating scrum circa 2010-13. A. Jones was a big part of that but you don't dominate like we did with passengers, yeah the laws benefitted him as a loosie but you can only play the laws of your time. To put Sheridan ahead of him is just ridiculous, Sheridan wouldn't pick himself before Melon.....

Gassage

lloyd said:

Corbs and Leonard I'd put in front of him in a heartbeat. You talk about streetwise in the scrum, Cian Healy never contested one scrum legally in his career yet you put him in. Jenkins was never the strongest scrummager but shit he was not as evidenced in our world dominating scrum circa 2010-13. A. Jones was a big part of that but you don't dominate like we did with passengers, yeah the laws benefitted him as a loosie but you can only play the laws of your time. To put Sheridan ahead of him is just ridiculous, Sheridan wouldn't pick himself before Melon.....

One thing I will grant you, when Bomb and Melon played together, they hit brillaintly as a unit at the engage. Both were never quite the same when the new laws came in.

Jase....if ever you get the chance to meet him, do. He is the most honourable and genuine person I've ever met in sport.

Gassage

Re Sheridan, he's won a world cup quarter final almost singlehandedly.

I will admit, he was a power scrummager and when he came up against technical props, he struggled.

Rowntree is actually a better candidate. Technically brilliant.