This is a very good write up about the sad passing of a great player. Tom Smith really was one of the first breed of modern props, he will be greatly missed.
So, what is this from? Like a tournament? What rugby can I watch now?
United Rugby Championship is on at the moment. That's regional teams from South Africa, Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales. South Africa went there after dropping out of Super Rugby.
I've watched this a million times and I have no idea how this is even possible
Player up in support was in a good spot, carrying player kept his head trusting someone would be there, creating the opportunity. But it was a blind pass that could have gone any way.
A few centimetres and that would get caught by a defender.
Doesn't make it any less fun to watch though.
*edit to add*
There weren't very many defenders up either, so ball carrier either left them in the dust or they fell off when they thought the tackle was inevitable.
Big Euro weekend!
Lyon/Toulon on Friday, and the Irish National Team (er, Leinster) vs Stade Rochelais (aka La Rochelle) on Saturday.
Who you got?
How did Scotland lose that? Ill discipline and an easily missed kick really lost it for us. Never mind back to coaching some 7 year olds tomorrow!
Oooof, commiserations to England's women, who apparently played an all-timer against New Zealand and came up just short.
Oooof, commiserations to England's women, who apparently played an all-timer against New Zealand and came up just short.
I mean they had a player sent off and without that they would have won easily it seems.
Not a good day for English rugby, in the League semi final England lost in golden point extra time in a quite bonkers game. England just weren't good enough though.
One day I will learn to stop hoping during Scotland games. Really we should have beaten the All Blacks here if we had been more disciplined and taken a few more chances. I hope the Finn Russel question is now considered settled, he is by far and away our best choice at 10.
Okay, maybe I'm gloating a little, but I'm ecstatic, I got tickets to next year's rugby world cup!!! Not sure which match I'm going to next, since I got tickets for two dates, and my ex and I are gonna take turns taking our eldest. I'm hoping to snag more since I also want to take my youngest, but... Looks like it's going to be rough getting my hands on some!
Okay, maybe I'm gloating a little, but I'm ecstatic, I got tickets to next year's rugby world cup!!! Not sure which match I'm going to next, since I got tickets for two dates, and my ex and I are gonna take turns taking our eldest. I'm hoping to snag more since I also want to take my youngest, but... Looks like it's going to be rough getting my hands on some!
Congrats! It's going to be a wild tournament. Who's your team?
Okay, maybe I'm gloating a little, but I'm ecstatic, I got tickets to next year's rugby world cup!!! Not sure which match I'm going to next, since I got tickets for two dates, and my ex and I are gonna take turns taking our eldest. I'm hoping to snag more since I also want to take my youngest, but... Looks like it's going to be rough getting my hands on some!
Brilliant news let us know which game and we can keep an eye out for you!
Congrats! It's going to be a wild tournament. Who's your team?
Take a wild guess, we're the ones hosting. 
Brilliant news let us know which game and we can keep an eye out for you!
It's a stadium with 80k people, so the odds are slim, but sure thing!! 
Okay, maybe I'm gloating a little, but I'm ecstatic, I got tickets to next year's rugby world cup!!! Not sure which match I'm going to next, since I got tickets for two dates, and my ex and I are gonna take turns taking our eldest. I'm hoping to snag more since I also want to take my youngest, but... Looks like it's going to be rough getting my hands on some!
Amazing! enjoy.
Okay, maybe I'm gloating a little, but I'm ecstatic, I got tickets to next year's rugby world cup!!! Not sure which match I'm going to next, since I got tickets for two dates, and my ex and I are gonna take turns taking our eldest. I'm hoping to snag more since I also want to take my youngest, but... Looks like it's going to be rough getting my hands on some!
That's gonna be so fun!
Enix wrote:Congrats! It's going to be a wild tournament. Who's your team?
Take a wild guess, we're the ones hosting.
Allez France! It's a fun and terrifying team. I can't believe Ireland (and 80-year-old Johnny Sexton) are ahead of Les Bleus in the world rankings.
It's a fun and terrifying team, but I'm always looking for Chabal, Galthié, Pelous, Ibañez, and Yachvili on the field, and then I remember I'm old and all these guys running around are now younger than I am. 
It's a fun and terrifying team, but I'm always looking for Chabal, Galthié, Pelous, Ibañez, and Yachvili on the field, and then I remember I'm old and all these guys running around are now younger than I am. :D
Chabal… now there is a scary player that’s hard to forget…
Eleima wrote:It's a fun and terrifying team, but I'm always looking for Chabal, Galthié, Pelous, Ibañez, and Yachvili on the field, and then I remember I'm old and all these guys running around are now younger than I am. :D
Chabal… now there is a scary player that’s hard to forget…
Chabal staring down the All blacks like he is going to eat them before doing precisely that in the WC semi is one of my favourite Rugby memories.
On players making you feel old I still think of Gregor Townsend as being incapable of being Scotland coach because he is the man who cut France apart the last time Scotland won the 5 nations (yes it was that long ago) I went to the then very new Stade de France for that game before watching Wales beat England to hand us the title with the last kick of the game in a Paris bar the next day. That is my ABSOLUTE favourite Rugby memory
Love, love the sharing of memories, here, it's nice to be amongst friends! I really do need to brush up on newer rugby info though. ^^
Oh my gosh, the process to get tickets this evening was… a bloodbath. Grueling. Three hours waiting in the queue and tickets selling like hot cakes. BUT! I managed to get tickets for me and both my boys (for… something), so at least my youngest will get to see at least one match live. Phew.
Weeeeeee away to watch Van Der Merwe’s try on a loop for 24 hours
Holy moly, yeah, that try was fantastic! Great win by Scotland!
Watching that France - Italy was downright painful. :') Next week is going to be interesting for sure!
Good luck this weekend Eleima We could win by 10-15 or lose by 1-3. You won't be as bad as last week but if our attack is let cut loose and Bealham can get parity in the scrum we are bang on favourites. Two bigs ifs though.
As an aside I'd recommend people watch Squidge Rugby for a better understanding as to how moderns rugby union teams work. This explainer of rugby for American auidences, which is excellent by the way, popped up in my feed which made me think of this thread. However he did give the impression that it's all a bit choatic which it's not. Most of the time :).
Squidge's last two videos about the Ireland/Welsh game and tactical kicking do a good job of explaining how structured the games actually are at these levels.
Do you folks have a go-to media source for rugby news? Sort of like a cyclingnews.com but for rugby?
ESPN has a tiny bit of sporadic coverage here in the US. Most times, I get big headlines, team announcements and lineups from Reddit's rugby union sub. Any other suggestions?
Do you folks have a go-to media source for rugby news? Sort of like a cyclingnews.com but for rugby?
ESPN has a tiny bit of sporadic coverage here in the US. Most times, I get big headlines, team announcements and lineups from Reddit's rugby union sub. Any other suggestions?
I either use rugby world... or good old bbc sport which has a very good Rugby Union section.
Jesus, the I need rewatch that Scotland Wales game. Was at the Ireland France game and while being one of the best games of rugby I’ve witnessed in person I’d still question how well the French were prepared.
World Cup is shaping up to be a bloodbath.
Jesus, the I need rewatch that Scotland Wales game. Was at the Ireland France game and while being one of the best games of rugby I’ve witnessed in person I’d still question how well the French were prepared.
World Cup is shaping up to be a bloodbath.
I’m sorry, but Lowe’s thought TOTALLY touched the grass in the first half.
Not that it would’ve changed much. ^^
But yeah, the Scotland - Wales also a great match, though I miss bits of it (was multitasking, cooking, feeding, bathing and putting kids to bed).
To circle back to the French team, I’m not sure I’d be so critical. Sure Ireland won, but up to that point, they’d had an uninterrupted winning streak of 18 matches, unless I’m mistaken. There was some moves, with solid defense and great moves. I wouldn’t count us out just yet.
Axon wrote:Jesus, the I need rewatch that Scotland Wales game. Was at the Ireland France game and while being one of the best games of rugby I’ve witnessed in person I’d still question how well the French were prepared.
World Cup is shaping up to be a bloodbath.
I’m sorry, but Lowe’s thought TOTALLY touched the grass in the first half.
Not that it would’ve changed much. ^^But yeah, the Scotland - Wales also a great match, though I miss bits of it (was multitasking, cooking, feeding, bathing and putting kids to bed).
To circle back to the French team, I’m not sure I’d be so critical. Sure Ireland won, but up to that point, they’d had an uninterrupted winning streak of 18 matches, unless I’m mistaken. There was some moves, with solid defense and great moves. I wouldn’t count us out just yet.
France just lost to the best team in the world right now away from home, that is, in my opinion, not a set-back and they are still a frightening prospect for anyone. That said I cant see past an Irish Grand Slam. Scotland played well and showed the England result was not a fluke but a trip to Paris and the Irish will probably be a step too far right now.
Been watching rugby for a while and some of the rules are still opaque to me, but that video was great and clarified some stuff (especially about the ruck). Thanks for posting that.
Also, that Dupont tackle was a thing of beauty.
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