“We are trying to strike a balance between quality of play and ticket sales, and emmigration. If we let in Argentina or Tonga, the risk of a domestic team losing a match is simply too high right now. New Zealanders will not spend $200 to watch these amateurs defeat what’s left of our national side players. On the other hand, if we send our teams to the US, most of them will probably score lucrative contracts and not return. Samoa strikes the balance: the rugby is good, but not great, and who wants to move to Samoa? Have you been to Samoa?”
What really burns my balls is when rugby players and fans start to look a lot more like the hooligans of football (a.k.a. soccer).
Wingers. They can be 11 or 14. They lurk on the far edges of the field, waiting to pounce at any and all half-gaps that open in the defense. They run. They chase. They tackle. They kick away possession to the dismay of their teammates. They are often the last line of defense along [...]
A basic skills breakdown by Australia give New Zealand the gap they need to steal the match in Hong Kong
“I am now in a position to affect rugby in a much larger capacity than I ever could as a national team coach. Expanding the Pacific Nations Cup and raising the level of rugby in the so-called ‘2nd Tier’ nations is critical to the future of rugby, and I expect the locals to be grateful, very very grateful.”
Thursday, July 9, 2009
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