Official June 2016 Tests Thread

[DWPTA]

Where is the next SA "A" game being played?

 

[APoc184]

Here are a few stats

 

[netstrider]

Willie is our Quade Cooper. He had one great season but I think it's over for him now. We should move on.

Mapoe is an excellent player with excellent running lines, but those same structures are not employed in the Bok side. de Allende is dreadfully out of form and even when he was on song he had a tendency to hold on to the ball too much, stifling his outside backs of possession.

There are a myriad of options for 15 given we have 4 flyhalves (Jantjies, Pollard, Lambie and Goosen), two of whom can play 15 in Lambie and Johan Goosen. There's also Kriel. I don't like moving players around, but we have to make do with what we have. Given we have 4 flyhalves I think we can afford moving one to 15 (Goosen has said he doesn't mind where he plays in the team). Then there's Frans Steyn as well.

 

[DWPTA]

Is it just me or is a lot of the media coverage from Warren? Nothing against Adriaan, but Warren is the more natural leader than Adriaan ever can be.

 

[FoXtroT]

Is it just me or is a lot of the media coverage from Warren? Nothing against Adriaan, but Warren is the more natural leader than Adriaan ever can be.

Yeah, I've noticed that too. Strauss has hardly said a word apart from the official press conferences.

 

[Fulcrum29]

Is it just me or is a lot of the media coverage from Warren? Nothing against Adriaan, but Warren is the more natural leader than Adriaan ever can be.

Yeah, I've noticed that too. Strauss has hardly said a word apart from the official press conferences.

It is not exactly up to the players to engage with the media. Strauss is not phoning to make an appointment, plus interviews are also normally covered under the contract.

 

[Fulcrum29]

Where is the next SA "A" game being played?

George.

 

[netstrider]

I also think Warren should lead, heck even play Duane at 7 if you really have to accommodate him. He has played too much rugby since the RWC though so that's why he's off the boil.

 

[netstrider]

Don't we have quick and big wings? Where's our Naholo or George North or even someone who remotely can cut open a defensive line like Folou, Kuridrani etc?

Combrink is the best we have and by the sounds of things he's not getting game time at Ellis Park either...

We have not had an established 13 since Jacques Fourie went to Japan. Instead we've had Taute, Kriel, JdV, F Steyn even at times.

 

[OrbitalDawn]

Now its almost certain what type of rugby we will be playing. Stampkar it is.

If he had called up Goosen it would have been a different kettle of fish. You can tell AC is rattled already with this selection.

Goosen is another player that excels lower down, but not at the top level. He sucked pretty much every game he played for the Springboks. Excellent at Racing 92, though.

I'm actually okay with them picking calling up Steyn... He's got a cool head, and the team needs some experience and solid players to get them on track. And I say that as one of his biggest critics (more his play style)...

Just hope we don't get stuck in between a running/stampkar game plan on Saturday...

 

[Solitude]

I use the Vodacom rugby app.

Thanks will download it.

 

[netstrider]

Goosen is another player that excels lower down, but not at the top level. He sucked pretty much every game he played for the Springboks. Excellent at Racing 92, though.

I'm actually okay with them picking calling up Steyn... He's got a cool head, and the team needs some experience and solid players to get them on track. And I say that as one of his biggest critics (more his play style)...

Just hope we don't get stuck in between a running/stampkar game plan on Saturday...

Goosen was only about 20 though and he wasn't half bad actually. Just happened to get injured a bit much back then. Not unlike PSdT in recent times.

 

[thestaggy]

Flame suit on

Very disappointing, although I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for now (unlike a lot of you guys it seems). They're a new unit at the start of the international season (whereas Ireland are at the end of theirs and have been together for several months now). I think we'll see a marked improvement in the next game.

No excuse.

An All Black side, starting its post-McCaw/Carter/Nonu/Smith/Mealamu era, beat a powerful Welsh side. We couldn't even beat a 14(sometimes 13)-man second-string Irish side.

SA Rugby is sick. First time losses to Argentina and Japan last year, first home loss to the Irish on the weekend. What ''milestone'' are we setting next?

 

[Fulcrum29]

http://www.worldrugby.org/rankings/mru

Men's Rankings

Updated: 13 June, 2016

1 (1) NEW ZEALAND 96.10
2 (2) AUSTRALIA 87.56
3 (4 - 84.60) ENGLAND 86.37
4 (3 - 87.66) SOUTH AFRICA 85.66
5 (5) ARGENTINA 82.59
6 (6) WALES 82.49
7 (7) IRELAND 82.33
8 (8) FRANCE 78.36
9 (9) SCOTLAND 78.32
10 (11 - 76.96) FIJI 77.13
11 (10 - 77.05) JAPAN 77.07

Japan only made 0.02 points increase with a marginal win against a #18 home team (Canada).

 

[Agent_Smith]

England could very likely end up second by the end of their Australian tour and Ireland could be up to fifth. Think we'll only just hang on to fourth. Just wondering if ranking points are affected by the margin of victory? So if Ireland smash us by 50, does it have the same effect on the ranking as beating us by 1?

 

[Fulcrum29]

England could very likely end up second by the end of their Australian tour and Ireland could be up to fifth. Think we'll only just hang on to fourth. Just wondering if ranking points are affected by the margin of victory? So if Ireland smash us by 50, does it have the same effect on the ranking as beating us by 1?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Rugby_Rankings

Rules

The system ensures that it is representative of the teams' performance despite playing differing numbers of matches per annum, and the differing strength of opposition that teams have to face. The factors taken into account are as follows:

- Match result
- Match status
- Opposition strength
- Home advantage
- Match result

For each match played points exchanges are awarded for the following five outcomes and was developed using results of international matches from 1871 to the present day:

- a win or loss by more than 15 points
- a win or loss by up to 15 points
- a draw

Match status

Different matches have different importance to teams, and World Rugby has tried to respect this by using a weighting system, where the most significant matches are in the World Cup Finals. Points exchanges are doubled during the World Cup Finals to recognise the unique importance of this event. All other full international matches are treated the same, to be as fair as possible to countries playing a different mix of friendly and competitive matches. Matches that do not have full international status do not count.

Opposition strength

A win against a very highly ranked opponent is a considerably greater achievement than a win against a low-rated opponent, so the strength of the opposing team is a factor. Thus match results are more important than margins of victory in producing accurate rankings. This is because when a highly ranked team plays a lowly ranked team and manages to beat them by over 50 points, it does not necessarily indicate how either team will perform in the future.

Home advantage

When calculating points exchanges, the home side is handicapped by treating them as though they are three rating points better than their current rating. This results in the home side gaining fewer points for winning and losing more points for losing. Because of this, any advantage that a side may have by playing in front of their home crowd is cancelled out.

New and dormant nations

All new member nations start with 30.00 points, which is provisional until they have completed ten test matches. When countries merge, the new country inherits the higher rating of the two countries but when they split (e.g., the planned 2010 breakup of the Arabian Gulf rugby union team into separate teams representing its current member countries), the new countries will inherit a rating at a fixed level below the rating of the original country.

Before 1 December 2012 new member nations were given 40.00 points.

Countries that have not played a test for two years are removed from the ranking system and the list. If they become active again, they resume their previous rating.

 

[Fulcrum29]

Lol,

[video=youtube;QvwDoJnO484]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvwDoJnO484[/video]

Aussies...

 

[FoXtroT]

Lol,

[video=youtube;QvwDoJnO484]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvwDoJnO484[/video]

Aussies...

Bloody arrogant convicts!

I love listening to their commentators when they lose, they show their true colours. I actually hope the English beat them just to see the smirk wiped off their faces

 

[DanDango]

Lol,

[video=youtube;QvwDoJnO484]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvwDoJnO484[/video]

Aussies...

:crylaugh:

 

[Fulcrum29]

[video=youtube;eOyGHEao1bk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOyGHEao1bk[/video]

Scotland has a very good team in Japan. Japan is going to be no match, Leitch, Goromaru, Tanaka, Broadhurst, Yamada, Fujita and Fukuoka are unavailable. They essentially have no 1st selection locks or wingers, and their captain is out. All Scotland has to do is target the Japanese forward set pieces and play the Japanese backline off their feet.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Japan decides to rest their better players, from injury, to stay ‘competitive’ in their Super Rugby campaign and to have Mafi play off the bench.

Pity though... would had liked to see Japan give their best.