The Wednesday Rugby World Cup thread

[Easy 10]

I won't disagree with this, but we've seen a lot worse haven't we? Exhibit A:
[yt]3kQJDEaNXyU[/yt]

Indeed, but that has at least been addressed by the final group games now taking place simultaneously.

I'm genuinely astonished at this Rugby World Cup scheduling. Its a FAR more physically demanding sport than football, recovery time is absolutely crucial, and yet here we have teams playing twice in a few days against other teams who have spent the last week or so loafing around picking peanuts out of poo.

Totally unfair.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I fancy Japan to get close...

Would have fancied Scotland if they were ploughing through the mud today. But weather forecast for Gloucester looks decent enough, and seeing how Japan skipped nimbly round the Amex on Saturday, I'd have to agree with you there.

 

[Easy 10]

Could it be that the top clubs lose their best players to the Six Nations for big swathes of the season meaning that lesser clubs might win games that they might not otherwise have won? Playoffs at the end of the season with full strength sides redresses the balance.

This is complete speculation and could of course be complete bollocks

I think I'd have to go with the 'complete bollocks' I'm afraid.

Its blatantly a half-baked TV-driven exercise just to extend the interest for more teams until the end of the season in case one team runs away with it. Since they brought this in 12 years ago, the team finishing top of the League has gone on to be crowned actual Champions 3 times. THREE.

If we finished 2nd or 3rd in the division, but won through the Playoffs and were declared "champions", it'd only be by default. It'd feel pretty hollow.

Northerners.

 

[Simster]

Well, I wouldn't go THAT far. Rugby is a silly sport. This World Cup scheduling is all over the shop, and domestically what about the Aviva Premiership champions being decided by Playoffs ?? I CANNOT get my head round that. You finish the season top of the league, but that doesn't make you Champions - you still have to beat the winners of a 2nd and 3rd placed Playoff first.

If that was in football, then last season, Manchester City and Arsenal (who finished 8 and 12 points adrift of Chelsea) would have an end-of-season Playoff against each other, and the winner would face Chelsea to decide who are the League champions. Its STOOPID.

A little harsh. Firstly, if you knew you were going to finish top and safely in the top three, you'd ease off to prepare for the play-offs. Not ideal, but it's all there for a showpiece television even isn't it? And secondly, the play-offs. Not a concept entirely alien to football eh? I'm sure Derby fans could relate to the STOOPID nature of them, when they finished miles ahead of that tiresome bung-tastic Bagpuss and his band of overpaid mercenaries (Zamora excepted).

I do feel there are much bigger issues with rugby than this.

 

[Pavilionaire]

I'll be supporting Japan. Salmond and Sturgeon have long since banished any thoughts of Tenko I might otherwise have had.

 

[Yoda]

Absolutely RIDICULOUS that Japan have to play again today after that EPIC game on Saturday, whereas the Jocks will rock up fresh as daisies having not even played yet. 2 games in 4 days for Japan, very unfair on them, given that their opponents haven't booted an egg in anger yet. England got 8 days between fixtures as well.

The competition is so skewed towards the 1st tier nations. Any Finals tournament should be a level playing field, but this so clearly isn't. Just ensures the same old nations will be in the QF's as usual. Piss poor scheduling against the smaller teams.

When did New Zealand get demoted to the 2nd tier? They played Sunday and again tomorrow (albeit against Namibia).

 

[Easy 10]

A little harsh. Firstly, if you knew you were going to finish top and safely in the top three, you'd ease off to prepare for the play-offs. Not ideal, but it's all there for a showpiece television even isn't it? And secondly, the play-offs. Not a concept entirely alien to football eh? I'm sure Derby fans could relate to the STOOPID nature of them, when they finished miles ahead of that tiresome bung-tastic Bagpuss and his band of overpaid mercenaries (Zamora excepted).

I do feel there are much bigger issues with rugby than this.

I take your point, but the prize of the Playoffs in football is promotion, same as finishing 2nd. Actually being declared "Champions" after finishing 2nd or 3rd during the course of an entire League season is daft. It might provide an exciting showcase, but its totally contrived. A bit like Formula 1 a couple of years ago awarding double points on the final race of the season - it may "open up the field" for someone else to steal the Championship, but it makes a complete mockery of the entire season and cheapens the Championship title.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I take your point, but the prize of the Playoffs in football is promotion, same as finishing 2nd. Actually being declared "Champions" after finishing 2nd or 3rd during the course of an entire League season is daft. It might provide an exciting showcase, but its totally contrived. A bit like Formula 1 a couple of years ago awarding double points on the final race of the season - it may "open up the field" for someone else to steal the Championship, but it makes a complete mockery of the entire season and cheapens the Championship title.

It does seem a bit rubbish that the team that finishes 6th in the Championship potentially gets to take part in The Richest Game In Sport aka the Championship play-off final.

 

[Simster]

I take your point, but the prize of the Playoffs in football is promotion, same as finishing 2nd. Actually being declared "Champions" after finishing 2nd or 3rd during the course of an entire League season is daft. It might provide an exciting showcase, but its totally contrived. A bit like Formula 1 a couple of years ago awarding double points on the final race of the season - it may "open up the field" for someone else to steal the Championship, but it makes a complete mockery of the entire season and cheapens the Championship title.

I do agree, but this isn't a problem of the sport as much as the competition. A-League and MLS football leagues do the same. I think J-League and K-League might do too. In all cases, it is purely down to making the competition more attractive to fans - maintaining relevance to the season for teams not quite challenging for first place, and to make it more appealing to television companies.

I still maintain there are far bigger issues in rugby than this.

Talking of competition lunacy, whose idea was it to have four groups of five teams in this rugby world cup? What a stupid idea that is. I understand that limits on the talent pool and global reach of the game prohibits more teams from playing for now, but surely five groups of four would have been better, with five group winners qualifying for the last 8 and have a week off while the five second place teams and one third place team play-off for the other three quarter-final spots?

 

[El Sid]

Going to put a few quid on Japan @ 5/1.

Bag pipes have been banned from the ground. Suguremashita!

 

[Mr Smggles]

I think I'd have to go with the 'complete bollocks' I'm afraid.

Its blatantly a half-baked TV-driven exercise just to extend the interest for more teams until the end of the season in case one team runs away with it. Since they brought this in 12 years ago, the team finishing top of the League has gone on to be crowned actual Champions 3 times. THREE.

If we finished 2nd or 3rd in the division, but won through the Playoffs and were declared "champions", it'd only be by default. It'd feel pretty hollow.

Northerners.

As a supporter who has watched his club win the Aviva Premiership Final, I can promise you is does not feel AT ALL hollow.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Might be torn between Scotland The Brave and the Brave Blossoms today, but both my personalities are agreed that Paloma Faith does INDEED sound like she recorded World in Union while being waterboarded.

 

[mr sheen]

The worst thing so far about this world cup is the playing of snippets from the awful wailing version of world in union at the start and end of every advert. Terrible.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Japan teeing up Scotland for a pratfall same as they did for South Africa

 

[Kuipers Supporters Club]

TRY JAPAN! 7-6 after 15

 

[El Sid]

Steamrollered!

 

[Simster]

TRY JAPAN! 7-6 after 15

Absolutely fantastic kick set that up, just as you were thinking Japan look sluggish after Saturday...

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Absolutely fantastic kick set that up, just as you were thinking Japan look sluggish after Saturday...

They do seem to lull teams into a false sense of superiority.

 

[Simster]

Japan sloppy and ill disciplined.

Nothing like the weekend.

 

[Simster]

Love the fact Japan fancy themselves to score trys rather than kick at goals.