Tokyo Calling - Rugby 2019

[ursus arctos]

Glad to see someone commenting on the NBC highlights. They are tragic, for.exacrly the reasons noted.

[ooh aah]

The official RWC highlights ususlly put up a more extended video a day or two after the initial upload. But its still usually less than 10mins. I've been using Bein Sports highlights on youtube, which are typically 12-15 mins long, and uploaded within an hour or two, but whether they are available for every region, I don't know.

[Ray de Galles]

Are all these highlights packages coming with Eddie Butler commentary? He seems to be doing a lot of the main games for the international feed. I've heard him on the Japan v Ireland and Australia v Wales commentary in the last couple of days. I may have to get a DVD of the full games from the same source that got me one with his commentary on for England v Wales last RWC.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

I think it's great, in terms of the top tier - second tier competitiveness levels we talked about at the start of the tournament, that no-one is taking Scotland - Samoa as a foregone conclusion today.

[ooh aah]

Are all these highlights packages coming with Eddie Butler commentary? He seems to be doing a lot of the main games for the international feed. I've heard him on the Japan v Ireland and Australia v Wales commentary in the last couple of days. I may have to get a DVD of the full games from the same source that got me one with his commentary on for England v Wales last RWC.

A lot of them, yes. But also Andrew Cotter, the Scottish guy the Beeb use during the 6N, who I've always felt is very even handed, and a very annoying Aussie commentator who just screams all the time, for every single try, even if its a total drubbing like Eng USA.

[Ray de Galles]

Strange, right after I read your post I looked at the BBC Athletics Worlds text updates and Cotter was mentioned as commentating there. I presume he has gone from Japan to Doha for the week.

[Nocturnal Submission]

He's quite an intense-looker chap:





Dammit. He really reminds me of someone, (and not just ubiquitous Scottish sports commentator Andrew Cotter).

[Antepli Ejderha]

He looks very Gallic.

No games today after Scotland getting their bonus point win over Samoa yesterday.

Chieka and some Australians continue to whine about Poite and his decisions, this won't stop until they know Hooper is in the clear.

Steve Hansen has told all, but clearly directed at Australia, to stop their whining and whinging about the referees.

For me it's simple, any tackler who hits a player on the head in the act of making a tackle deserves a straight red plus a month's ban. This will stop many of the incidents that we are seeing. I know it's draconian and people will disagree but the amount of players retiring due to head injuries is high and we've yet to see the long term effects of professionalism but we do know about head injuries in other sports. It seems naive at best to ignore this.

[Uncle Ethan]

Australia never stops whinging about referees in rugby. Ever. They could win 56-0 and come up with a whinge about the officials. Any loss is always the referee's fault. Every. Loss. Not sure about the class divide in rugby. I went to a bog standard comp and we played rugby every year.

[Ray de Galles]

Yeah, my normal warm feelings towards Australian sport have been tested in the last few days. They certainly didn't piss and moan about defeat like this when I was out there for the Lions tour in 2013.

The latest bullshit is Samu Kerevi talking about rugby's status as a "collision sport" (as opposed to a contact sport) as if it was a sacrosanct pillar of the game and talking about going to play League instead. You know what, mate - if the ability to lead with a forearm smash is so important to you then go ahead and fuck off to the other code.

[Duncan Gardner]

What's the difference between Michael Cheka and Qantas landing at Mascot?

Qantas stops whining when they cut the engines...

(Other recycled Jimmy Anderson gags are available)

[Flynnie]

They haven't stopped whinging about Davies's try either, despite the fact he arguably should have had a second interception try and despite the fact Genia has done the Gregan Two-Step for years now. Do a Gregan and throw a looper to your forwards in channels four and five and I could intercept the pass, because that's how badly you've telegraphed it. And Wales knew it was coming, they had Davies flanked by a few forwards so he could run up and go for it without leaving a hole in the defence.

To be fair to Aussie rugby, Cheika is a baby and Australia's faults clearly emanate from him*, and the media's whinging is the kind of whinging you get in the UK when the chief sportswriter who dips into rugby every four years decides to turn up. Well that and known fuckwit Phil Kearns. The Green and Gold podcast guys have been pretty even-handed and thoughtful, looking more at Cheika and the squad than the ref. They weren't happy about the Kerevi penalty but also admitted Hooper was bloody lucky not to at least end up in the bin.

The bigger problem is Australian rugby is arguably back to where it was before the 1991 World Cup. The crowds for Super Rugby are just abysmal, the average was about 10K. I know that league is always going to be the big fish, but union has a decent USP which is it can offer regular international footy that league can't really match.

[Ray de Galles]

Is League really the "big fish" over there? I thought both codes suffered due to ARL's dominance.

[ad hoc]

No, it's more regional. RL is definitely the big fish in NSW and QLD. AFL more or less everywhere else.

(The AFL has done a much better job of making inroads into the traditional RL heartlands than the NRL has in attempting the opposite, but still the dominant sport in both those states is RL)

[Ray de Galles]

How anyone could still be complaining about Davies' try when there are dozens of examples of video and stills available that show he was in an onside position when the ball was picked up and passed, such as here.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

New Zealand v Canada later on - what's the record score in a World Cup again?

[Uncle Ethan]

Ad Hoc as ever has nailed it. Union lumbers way behind ARL and AFL in crowd and TV viewing figures. Football leads them all in participant numbers.

AFL dominant in Victoria, WA and South Australia. Melbourne has a successful ARL club. ARL in New South Wales (which has two AFL clubs) and Queensland (one and a half, the half being Gold Coast Suns).

As an occasional watcher if union doesn't sort out the scrum situation soon the decline might be terminal.

[Ray de Galles]

USA are still in this at 12-6 down and really should have made more of their earlier territory and penalty count in their favour, possibly via a penalty try and yellow cards.

France constantly seem about to pull away but are blowing chances to do so.

[Ray de Galles]

Ad Hoc as ever has nailed it. Union lumbers way behind ARL and AFL in crowd and TV viewing figures. Football leads them all in participant numbers.

AFL dominant in Victoria, WA and South Australia. Melbourne has a successful ARL club. ARL in New South Wales (which has two AFL clubs) and Queensland (one and a half, the half being Gold Coast Suns).

As an occasional watcher if union doesn't sort out the scrum situation soon the decline might be terminal.

Anecdotally, the situation with time spent on scrums seems to have significantly improved since it was a constant complaint about 5/6 years ago.

I don't know if there are any stats to back that up but I certainly find myself muttering less about constant resets.

It's still used as a bit of a time-wasting tactic (Japan did so against Ireland the other day late on) but every sport is prone to having its set pieces exploited that way.

I do wonder why Australia seems to be having such a problem with growth which, as far as I'm aware, isn't shared by any other major nation. I suppose the fact that its roots have always been less broad and deep than their peers and, uniquely, they have two other similar codes to compete with.

[Flynnie]

USA are still in this at 12-6 down and really should have made more of their earlier territory and penalty count in their favour, possibly via a penalty try and yellow cards.

France constantly seem about to pull away but are blowing chances to do so.

I mean, it would have helped if the Kiwi ref actually bothered carding a Tier 1 player.

[Ray de Galles]

France finally secure the win and bonus point but have played garbage rugby for large parts of both matches so far.

It seems both Frances are turning up for games.

[Flynnie]

I do wonder why Australia seems to be having such a problem with growth which, as far as I'm aware, isn't shared by any other major nation. I suppose the fact that it's roots have always been less broad and deep than their peers and, uniquely, they have two other similar codes to compete with.

I don't think the ARU does much for community rugby in Australia, their preferred strategy for a long time seems to have been to buy rugby league players and chase headlines that way. They also played a major role in the ensuckingment of Super Rugby by pushing for its expansion as a de facto domestic competition and thinning the talent pool dramatically.

[Ray de Galles]

I was watching the start of NZ v Canada on my phone so didn't quite see what the first penalty try was given for at the scrum, offside?

Academic of course, with the All Blacks 21-0 up in the 19th minute.

[ad hoc]

28 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half. The first half must have just been some experimental thing

[Ray de Galles]

Canada played very well in the second quarter, with a little luck they'd have picked up a couple of scores. No surprise that it can't be sustained