LIONS TOUR NZ 2017

[B_Man]

Congratulations on a well deserved win Scotland A clinical performance that was justly rewarded.

As for the Wallabies, that was painful and embarrassing to watch. Clearly the ability to catch or pass a ball is no longer a prerequisite for national selection and the same dumb mistakes are still being made every game. Our Super Rugby teams are a joke and it flows through to the top level. As a Wallabies supporter I have become very accustomed to losing test matches in recent years so that part doesn't hurt, it's the way they lost that stings. Herman has hit the nail on the head, there is no pride in the jersey with most of those players. Win, lose or draw they still get a juicy match bonus and can happily go back to spending their afternoons at the hairdressers and updating their instagram. The Wallabies twitter account posted a photo of Israel Folau proudly posing with his "Australian Player of the Match" award after the game. When did that become a thing in international rugby! Any bloke who walks off the pitch after a loss like that with a smile on their face should be dropped on principle.
Rugby has been a huge part of my adult life and it saddens me to watch it dying a very slow and painful death in this country. A few years ago my local club fielded three senior teams on a Saturday and now we struggle for numbers with one team and we're not alone. Heads need to roll, starting with the useless old boys club who mismanage the game from their north shore ivory tower. The sport needs to be completely restructured in this country or it will die and serious investment needs to be made in developing coaches and players at all levels. Needless to say the next few years are not going to be a happy time for Aussie rugby supporters. /rant

The Lions are starting to come together nicely with a bit of game time under their belt. I still have some doubts about Gatland as coach though and I don't think he will have the game plan to beat the Darkness. That said, if it rains on game day things could get interesting.

[HERMAN BIX]

Im hearing ya Mr B
Our club on the Goldy is in a crisis...............too many players- not enough places.
We have a huge Womens grade, 3 full seniors teams, and another if we want, all the other grades full, but we get absolutely zero support from the Reds franchise, or the ARU.
The wankers cant even send a couple of reserves to any promotional/social engagements to promote the game, yet the clubs that are "connected" are crying for players across the grades & have all the famous faces & radio exposure
I have attended to a GCRFU/ARU event of the highest level & witnessed the debacle of 'private school tie' pole-smoking that was almost an episode of Candid Camera.

who you know, where you schooled, what your parents earn................never to be held in the regard of eternal respect and admiration, but they just dont get it.

That to me is why the Wallabies are no longer the worthy foe, but merely a pseudo-professional gathering of mercenaries with invitation -only slips.
The Ella's, Cornelsons, Campese's, Lynagh's, Little's, Farr-Jones.............what must they think ?
Some boof-head that never played for his country is the coach, and the structure is slanted to place contempt on those that are not of worthy stock, no wonder they are a faded image of a once great and proud sporting legacy.

Robbie Deans could not succeed with a team of contracted has-beens that were owed loyalty, no development structure(the NRC was his idea which came too late) and even less support being a foreign coach (Australians do not like being told what to do by migrants- Im one- I know)but his system is now beginning to work.
The NRL is king, the AFL is Queen, and the poor old ARU is apparently 55th in playing numbers registered to play behind lawn bowls.

Actually, looking at that, they are doing better than they should be

[B_Man]

That's a great problem to have Herman. Maybe all the rugby players are moving north because the numbers sure have been getting thin on the ground in country NSW for the last few years. A couple of clubs in the area have had occasional seasons where they couldn't field a team and others have folded all together. It really just comes down to waning interest in the game locally and less kids coming through over the years. Super Rugby is only on Foxtel so most kids don't watch it but they all have access to league, AFL or soccer who are all much better at promoting their sports than the ARU.

The Brumbies do a reasonable job with local engagement and come out to the schools to run coaching clinics and the like but there's only so much they can do and they are obviously more focused on Canberra. We had Henry Speight roll up to one of our functions one night which was great. He promised a few of the players he would come on the team bus to a game a few weeks later and true to his word he did. He ran the water for them and it certainly raised a few eyebrows among the opposition when he was warming up with the lads before the kick off. That wasn't an official Brumbies thing though, he just did it off his own bat because he's great bloke who loves being involved. I think he might have also been chasing a local girl at the time too.

[HERMAN BIX]

That's a great problem to have Herman. Maybe all the rugby players are moving north because the numbers sure have been getting thin on the ground in country NSW for the last few years. A couple of clubs in the area have had occasional seasons where they couldn't field a team and others have folded all together. It really just comes down to waning interest in the game locally and less kids coming through over the years. Super Rugby is only on Foxtel so most kids don't watch it but they all have access to league, AFL or soccer who are all much better at promoting their sports than the ARU.

The Brumbies do a reasonable job with local engagement and come out to the schools to run coaching clinics and the like but there's only so much they can do and they are obviously more focused on Canberra. We had Henry Speight roll up to one of our functions one night which was great. He promised a few of the players he would come on the team bus to a game a few weeks later and true to his word he did. He ran the water for them and it certainly raised a few eyebrows among the opposition when he was warming up with the lads before the kick off. That wasn't an official Brumbies thing though, he just did it off his own bat because he's great bloke who loves being involved. I think he might have also been chasing a local girl at the time too.

Good on him though...................

Funny this discussion, tonight the Wife went to a committee meeting.
In a surprise attendance was a new development officer for QRU.
Well didnt he get 'uploaded'
First of any official representation from QRU in 6 years
No super-player appearances
No support whatsoever..............

Tonight we get offered a 'Rookies -to-Reds' coaching clinic(me?.....surely we could get a better outcome than the Reds !!)
2- count them 2 actual recent former Wallabies to carry out signings and on-field interaction with all grades(no names yet so we shall see)
Any the handing over of a 2016 signed yellow jersey(no disrespect but that season was a shocker)for fundraising or whatever.
And the news that the Chiefs team of all 40 in the player group that attended the build up for the 10's last year at Hogs, were so impressed, that they told the Hurricanes & Crusaders...........
The Chiefs mind you turned up, coached, cooked the BBQ, signed, assisted, called all the females Miss or Mrs, and spent time scrumming and other relevant disciplines with our coaches & team from all grades............
My hope is that the Kiwi franchises come en-mass & we can give the QRU a rude gesture as thanks for all the effort they have put in to the largest Rugby Club membership in the Southern district.
Hell, if all the Kiwi and South African migrants left the clubs, the poor token locals couldnt put a team on the field most places in Queensland.
Our under 20's had a good win, but to me it was the number of teams, quality of those, and the location of the tournament......
Dont see the League expanding into anywhere near the world demographic that Union has, let alone Soccer/Football, and as for ARL, well, its like the Baseball 'World Series' when theres only one Nation that plays in it !!

This nation has to have a rethink of how this sport is nurtured and promoted here, or it WILL die, and I will shit an 'All Black Rainbow' & yell I told you so's until I am arrested for public disturbance...........

[RobW]

Spotted this the other day, just in case we struggle when Herman gets excited....

[43rdRecceReg]

Spotted this the other day, just in case we struggle when Herman gets excited....

end uf thets no hilp, there's always thus
https://thebigvamoose.wordpress.com/201 ... y-lessons/
All in the spirit of friendly banter, of course. Unless you're attuned to it, the Glaswegian accent (especially around Govan) after a neet's lubrication, can require sub-titles

[jarndice]

It was my first evening in the service I knew nobody I was 18 and a long way from home.
To the bar, and there I was introduced to a man who became a life long friend,,
I was nursing a short glass of rum and coke,
FITS THA ?
I hear over my shoulder.
WHAT!!!
His name is James but in common with everyone else he of course was "Jock",
And that was my first introduction to "Glaswegian", Different postings, but there was always the Mess in Aldershot where we would swap tales, I went to his wedding and he and an army of Children came to mine,
And I can even understand Glaswegian which is quite a boast for an Englishman.
Shaun,
Oh and if you don't know "FITS THA" in received English is "WHATS THAT".

[43rdRecceReg]

It was my first evening in the service I knew nobody I was 18 and a long way from home.
To the bar, and there I was introduced to a man who became a life long friend,,
I was nursing a short glass of rum and coke,
FITS THA ?
I hear over my shoulder.
WHAT!!!
His name is James but in common with everyone else he of course was "Jock",
And that was my first introduction to "Glaswegian", Different postings, but there was always the Mess in Aldershot where we would swap tales, I went to his wedding and he and an army of Children came to mine,
And I can even understand Glaswegian which is quite a boast for an Englishman.
Shaun,
Oh and if you don't know "FITS THA" in received English is "WHATS THAT".

Shortly after service in the N.W Europe theatre of operations, and before being demobbed, My Dad was posted to Glasgow. That's how he met my Mum. He'd been Largs based (in life) before that, and also in later life; but the 'Wegie' accent was still a major challenge In all probability, they relied on sign language to 'court' in the first instance, until he got the hang of good Govan and Bellshill. Curiously, when doing national service, my Mum's baby brother...and fellow Govan speaker
was posted to a remote Ack Ack unit on the Isle of Skye. The gaelic of the islanders, and the mild almost Irish accent took him aback, but not as much as the titters he encountered about his own brogue. The Highlanders tend to look
down upon their lowland cousins, literally- and metaphorically. Luckily our forbears were from Skye and Wester Ross (where I live), and after a dram or 10, the accents tend to blur..as do origins.
Diversity, eh? You can't beat it....

[HERMAN BIX]

Spotted this the other day, just in case we struggle when Herman gets excited....

Well lads..................we can get better, your lot have peaked !!
The first real outing has been had.
Not pretty, no, not at all.

Im so excited, I may have to be put on 'pregnancy watch'


I will calm my exuberance by knowing the next game will be reffed by one that thinks its ok to blow the whistle IN ANTICIPATION OF A TRANSGRESSION rather than an actual one.
We have suffered a few significant injuries, including at least 2 out for the next one or more, but, as we grow quality on trees, we'll be right.

Tough, tough encounter...................and I stand in respect of an actual worthy opponent .

[HERMAN BIX]

Oh, and YES....................we really do speak like that poster
And when fresh off the boat, its quite clear how recent we arrived from the shaky-isles.

Me, Ive got a mild 'convict' accent, but the heart is pure Un- Zud bro