The amount of joy twitter is having about is losing is mad. We are the millwall of world sport and I don’t really know why ( when we are the biggest critics of our teams)
Roll on the euros.
English rugby has more money, players and resourcesthan any country so always going to be seen as the big cheese to be shot down by others.
Plus when you have all those resources and can only play backs to the wall anti-rugby it doesn’t make them the neutrals favourites.
I am surprised we have more than those where Rugby is the main sport or one of two they take seriously?
IIRC England has always (at least in the modern era) had the largest number of registered players, so the pool to pick from will be greater than that of other nations.
With the advent of the professional game, English top tier rugby has, partly thanks to sponsorship and Sky TV money, partly thanks to crazy money being thrown at teams by their new benefactors, when you consider the number of fans in the ground, generally had more cash than anyone else. Or acted as if they had.
The following is very much IMHO, and probably represents my own own bias more than anything else...
Several traditional English club powers were diminished in the rugby gold rush, while some of the the investors in English club rugby make Duchatelet seem reasonable in their cavalier disregard for fans and traditions, such where the bleedin' team plays (to say nothing of the apparent failure to ever grasp the economic realities of the sport). Recent seasons have seen certain fowl coming home to roost with regard to financial matters.
To which I would add an element of hubris (some might say more than an element), on the part of owners and administrators, leading to English club rugby not having the smoothest relations with its brother club structures.
All of which, along with the rise of URC and other reinvented club league structures, even Major League Rugby in USA, as well as the enduring attractions of French Top 14 club rugby, mean that English club rugby is a bit vulnerable right now.
At the moment, I really enjoy watching URC, even on TG4 (which is close to an incentive to relearn Irish via Duolingo), because it's really competitive. And I think it's open to the possibility of growth, the two South African provinces have added a fair bit of extra interest since joining, and new teams (properly set up) could be a really good way of improving the competition and the health of rugby more generally.
Is this just players eligible for England or all pro players in England?
The amount of joy twitter is having about is losing is mad. We are the millwall of world sport and I don’t really know why ( when we are the biggest critics of our teams)
Roll on the euros.
English rugby has more money, players and resourcesthan any country so always going to be seen as the big cheese to be shot down by others.
Plus when you have all those resources and can only play backs to the wall anti-rugby it doesn’t make them the neutrals favourites.
I am surprised we have more than those where Rugby is the main sport or one of two they take seriously?
IIRC England has always (at least in the modern era) had the largest number of registered players, so the pool to pick from will be greater than that of other nations.
With the advent of the professional game, English top tier rugby has, partly thanks to sponsorship and Sky TV money, partly thanks to crazy money being thrown at teams by their new benefactors, when you consider the number of fans in the ground, generally had more cash than anyone else. Or acted as if they had.
The following is very much IMHO, and probably represents my own own bias more than anything else...
Several traditional English club powers were diminished in the rugby gold rush, while some of the the investors in English club rugby make Duchatelet seem reasonable in their cavalier disregard for fans and traditions, such where the bleedin' team plays (to say nothing of the apparent failure to ever grasp the economic realities of the sport). Recent seasons have seen certain fowl coming home to roost with regard to financial matters.
To which I would add an element of hubris (some might say more than an element), on the part of owners and administrators, leading to English club rugby not having the smoothest relations with its brother club structures.
All of which, along with the rise of URC and other reinvented club league structures, even Major League Rugby in USA, as well as the enduring attractions of French Top 14 club rugby, mean that English club rugby is a bit vulnerable right now.
At the moment, I really enjoy watching URC, even on TG4 (which is close to an incentive to relearn Irish via Duolingo), because it's really competitive. And I think it's open to the possibility of growth, the two South African provinces have added a fair bit of extra interest since joining, and new teams (properly set up) could be a really good way of improving the competition and the health of rugby more generally.
Is this just players eligible for England or all pro players in England?
Total number of registered players, both amateur and professional.
One of the problems, for the national team, with flinging around crazy money is that that has increased the numbers in English professional squads, including subs benches, of foreign players, who have no intention of ever playing for England...
Opportunities are often fleeting for potential first team players (the position is better in Ireland, but even then, there are Irishmen playing now for Scotland and the USA, among others).
Is it just me or is the haka a lot longer than it used to be? If I was facing it I’d get the team into a huddle and ignore it completely. Or bare our collective arses at it but I guess that would be frowned upon these days.
A very poor final to finish what, for me, has been a largely poor World Cup. A couple of fantastic quarter finals aside, this has been a long drawn out damp squib that won’t last long in the memory.
A very poor final to finish what, for me, has been a largely poor World Cup. A couple of fantastic quarter finals aside, this has been a long drawn out damp squib that won’t last long in the memory.
Nailed it. Plus the officiating has been the worst I've ever witnessed in a tournament.
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We done well to get 3rd place
One of the problems, for the national team, with flinging around crazy money is that that has increased the numbers in English professional squads, including subs benches, of foreign players, who have no intention of ever playing for England...
Opportunities are often fleeting for potential first team players (the position is better in Ireland, but even then, there are Irishmen playing now for Scotland and the USA, among others).
based on not much)
The Final later could be a classic. My gut feeling (based on not very much) s New Zealand will shade it.
Kolisi very lucky by the way.
Don't think SA deserved it, but NZ only have themselves to blame.
People will say champions find a way to win, but they got the benefit of some very iffy decisions in the knockouts.
Plus they're a pretty unlikeable bunch, especially taking into account the allegation of racism that got dropped.
Plus the officiating has been the worst I've ever witnessed in a tournament.