Tokyo Calling - Rugby 2019

[Capybara]

As I've said before, I don't really follow rugby union and in particular I don't understand the points system. A 35-point deduction sounds like an awful lot but is it in reality? For example, a 12-point deduction in football is four wins and if you have a decent team you could still get into a play-off position.

[Ray de Galles]

It's interesting that they haven't had the previous English titles stripped from them, I wonder if there will European repercussions of this too.

As for other clubs, it wouldn't surprise me if some are at it but it's clear that Saracens have been cheating on an industrial scale and they're going to be the poster boys - like Armstrong in cycling.

[Jobi1]

Excellent news :

Saracens docked 35 points and fined £5.3m for breaching salary cap rules

I can't believe for a second they're the only ones who've been at it. Will be interesting to see if any other clubs start getting chippy about their titles over the last few seasons. I slightly suspect they won't.

[Ray de Galles]

Excellent news :

Saracens docked 35 points and fined £5.3m for breaching salary cap rules

[Hot Pepsi]

It would be a success here, presumably cohosted with Canada, if they played it in the summer or spring, but I don’t know if world rugby wants to do that.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

After the genuine success of Japan, it's hard to imagine that 2027 won't be awarded to another "new" rugby nation. I use the inverted commas around new because I was about to suggest Argentina as hosts (possibly joint with Uruguay?) and they are now far from new on the world stage. But then I thought what if the IRB really take a leap and send it to North America? Would it work there (everyone said the football world cup wouldn't, but it did) and would it need rescheduling in the calendar to not coincide with the NFL and World Series?

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

think Rogin's only trying the "But...but...but...it was a forward pass!" line because VT unwittingly beat him to "Aw, we lost because Sinckler was injured. No fair!" excuse.

Well, I wasn't trying to steal anyone's thunder, like.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

No, because it wasn't forward.

The guidance for years has been that a pass is only forward when a player's hands are tilted towards the attacking tryline, because the Galilean Transformation exists and anything remotely close to a flat pass is forward if not.

Funny how those physics things spin faster in the Southern Hemisphere. Like water down the sink and that.

[Ray de Galles]

I think Rogin's only trying the "But...but...but...it was a forward pass!" line because VT unwittingly beat him to "Aw, we lost because Sinckler was injured. No fair!" excuse.

Is that the full set now or are there more to come? We've got four years to enjoy all this desperate grizzling, or maybe another twelve given I actually saw people trundle out Cueto's "try" last week!

[Flynnie]

No, because it wasn't forward.

The guidance for years has been that a pass is only forward when a player's hands are tilted towards the attacking tryline, because the Galilean Transformation exists and anything remotely close to a flat pass is forward if not.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Yeah and another curious stat was their opening try was their first in any of their 3 RWC finals.

And what a try it was too - blindside action, two nifty passes, a cute kick, a good bounce and then a catch and pass in stride.

A try involving multiple passes, a kick, a bounce where the ball sits up pefectly and good support running is essentially rugby nirvana.

Is 'nifty' the new word for 'forward'?

[Flynnie]

The Gwijo Squad is a new development though, and very cool.

You also do have those weirdo Cape Crusaders which is why New Zealand's played one test at Newlands this millennium, although I can't tell if there's a reason behind it other than gloryhunting. Most "black" Springboks have been Cape Coloured, which is the constituency of that fanbase.

[G-Man]

It appears that support for the Boks In South Africa now transcends race and, perhaps, class. That is wonderful to see.

It was like that in 2007, too. Even in 1995, but then we were all still in the afterglow of national post-apartheid love-making. But after 2007 came Jacob Zuma and then the rise of black populism. We had a moment of sports-induced unity in 2010, but that's a long time ago. So now it feels new, but it isn't really new. Of course, we'll soon be back to division.

Black South Africans always support the Springboks. Black South Africans also heartily sing the part of the national anthem that used to be the oppressor's anthem. They've made rugby and the anthem their own.

[G-Man]

Well, the Springboks lost two players two injury in the first half. The game didn't turn on injuries.

Eddie Jones' confusion points to the absence of a Plan B. The only plan was to run at SA who'd try (and fail) to absorb the pressure. You could see the confusion of England's players when SA attacked high from the kick-off. But I reckon what really destroyed England's morale was when SA did absorb the pressure in the attack of endless phases a metre from the tryline.

[Ray de Galles]

I felt dreadfully sorry for Sinckler but his presence wouldn't have affected the outcome one bit. The Boks pack was going to crush whoever was in front of them, having Sinckler at tight-head wasn't going to change that.

[Flynnie]

It was a blow, especially because Cole was just awful, but SA did a textbook "you've got to earn the right to go wide" game plan. And if England's game plan was to dominate the set piece, then they're insane, because you are not dominating a Springbok set piece.

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

Interesting comment from one my most Welsh rugby friends on Facebook ;

Just watched the highlights again and it reminded me of the 30-3 game. Lots of scrum penalties, building the lead and then two tries at the end (even down to one where a flanker releases the right wing to score in the corner).

Until the last fifteen, I think it was a closer game than people are now making out. Sinckler going off early was a massive blow for England - Cole just isn't the force he once was, and with a scrum going backwards all the time, England couldn't dominate the set pieces and get on the front foot.

[Diable Rouge]

He certainly hasn't inherited the balding genes from Charles. hmmmm

Hewitt would have thought it?

[Ray de Galles]

Interesting comment from one my most Welsh rugby friends on Facebook ;

Just watched the highlights again and it reminded me of the 30-3 game. Lots of scrum penalties, building the lead and then two tries at the end (even down to one where a flanker releases the right wing to score in the corner).

[Cesar Rodriguez]

Just read that South Africa are yet to concede a try in three RWC finals.

Eddie Jones also has been quoted as saying he didn't know how South Africa had beaten England which strikes me as an odd thing to say.

Yeah and another curious stat was their opening try was their first in any of their 3 RWC finals.

And what a try it was too - blindside action, two nifty passes, a cute kick, a good bounce and then a catch and pass in stride.

A try involving multiple passes, a kick, a bounce where the ball sits up pefectly and good support running is essentially rugby nirvana.

[Ray de Galles]

[URL]https://twitter.com/theblitzdefence/status/1190992627929354242?s=21[/URL]

[Hot Pepsi]

It appears that support for the Boks In South Africa now transcends race and, perhaps, class. That is wonderful to see.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Just read that South Africa are yet to concede a try in three RWC finals.

Eddie Jones also has been quoted as saying he didn't know how South Africa had beaten England which strikes me as an odd thing to say.

[Satchmo Distel]

He should have ingested some Carling.

[anton pulisov]

He certainly hasn't inherited the balding genes from Charles. hmmmm