The Rugby Thread - Part Deux

sand_man said:
World rugby has been trying for the last 50 years.

There are so many reasons why it hasn't worked.

But for me the tell tale sign is how the MRL is imploding.
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I actually agree.

I don't think the American people are asking for this. It's not - as the SABC guy said - a grass roots phenomenon.

More like astro-turf, than grass-roots.

Ofc, it is. They're trying to generate interest, that currently doesn't exist.

It's like the quota system in SAn sport that is designed to give sports like cricket and rugby an advantage over soccer.
 
The field is 65m wide. Narrower than what is the norm (68m-70m)...

That actually benefits the Boks.

Less width for the AB to exploit.

Less grass for the Boks to defend.
 
lexity said:
Oh pah-lease.....

.... RSA runs on Springbok fumes.

Don't worry, I get it.... it's a form of escapism.
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Jirre maar jy's 'n suur p03s.

En dit net toe ek gedink het jy kannie meer irriterend wees nie.

PS> Gaan kla nou maar by die mods...ikkil okkil, ek voel fokkil.

aa416a717d25c325dacf6460e077842e.gif
 
More food for thought....

ABs have won 5 out of 6 matches in the USA.

Last lost 3 straight tests in 2022 (2 v Ireland and 1 v Boks)

SA have conceded 4 tries in 3 tests in a row for the first time since 2002.
 
Last edited:
Let's think about the optics from a marketing perspective, for a minute....

If the series is a draw:

Bad for marketing. So, the media will instead spin the match rather than the series..... remember.... Americans love a winner. They would not like to hear about "a fantastic draw". For this reason they will make it about the 4th match as though it were not a series decider. Instead they will focus attention on the game as though it were a one-off. They'll minimize the series aspect.

Bad for Springbok fans, but still..... "a draw is a better than a loss" will be the SAn media consolation.

Good for AB fans, who would be relieved to have been spared a series loss in front of a new American audience... and ofc in front of the rest of the RU world watching outside the US.

If the series is won by the boks:

Then the media will champion the winner of the series.... as a prelude to the biggest series i.e. the W. Cup. Which as we know will be held in the US..
 
Some stats on test series in RU going back to 1960:

There hasn't been a 4-test series since the one which I mentioned a few posts back i.e. the one played in 1976... except for one in the 1980 (Boks vs British & Irish Lions) tour.

Although there have been a heck of a lot of 2-test series. 2-test series leave room for a draw, too.

But, still, what we have here is a clear and obvious break from RU convention, going back 4 decades.

chatgpt:


Here is the list in the requested minimal format:


1960–1969​


  • South Africa — New Zealand: 4
  • New Zealand — France: 3
  • South Africa — Australia: 2
  • Australia — New Zealand: 2
  • South Africa — Australia: 4
  • New Zealand — British & Irish Lions: 4
  • South Africa — France: 4
  • Australia — France: 3
  • Argentina — France: 3
  • Argentina — Wales: 2
  • Argentina — Scotland: 2
  • New Zealand — Wales: 2
  • South Africa — British & Irish Lions: 2

1970–1979​


  • South Africa — New Zealand: 4
  • Australia — South Africa: 3
  • Argentina — Wales: 2
  • Argentina — Scotland: 2
  • New Zealand — British & Irish Lions: 4
  • South Africa — British & Irish Lions: 4
  • Argentina — France: 2
  • South Africa — France: 2
  • Australia — England: 2
  • Argentina — Ireland: 2
  • New Zealand — France: 2
  • South Africa — New Zealand: 4
  • England — Japan: 2
  • Australia — New Zealand: 2

1980–1989​


  • Argentina — Fiji: 2
  • Argentina — England: 2
  • South Africa — British & Irish Lions: 4
  • New Zealand — France: 2
  • South Africa — New Zealand: 3
  • New Zealand — Australia: 3
  • Argentina — France: 2
  • Australia — Argentina: 2
  • Argentina — France: 2
  • South Africa — South American Jaguars: 2
  • Argentina — Australia: 2
  • England — South Africa: 2
  • England — New Zealand: 2
  • England — Australia: 2
  • Argentina — France: 2
  • New Zealand — France: 2
  • South Africa — New Zealand Cavaliers: 2
  • Australia — New Zealand: 3

1990–1999​


  • Argentina — England: 2
  • New Zealand — France: 2
  • New Zealand — Australia: 3
  • England — Canada: 2
  • England — South Africa: 2
  • Argentina — Australia: 2
  • Argentina — New Zealand: 2
  • South Africa — New Zealand: 2
  • New Zealand — British & Irish Lions: 3
  • South Africa — France: 2
  • South Africa — Argentina: 2
  • South Africa — New Zealand: 3
  • Australia — Argentina: 2
  • England — New Zealand: 2
  • England — Argentina: 2
  • France — New Zealand: 2
  • Argentina — France: 2
  • New Zealand — Scotland: 2

2000–2009​


  • England — South Africa: 2
  • England — Canada: 2
  • England — France: 2
  • England — New Zealand: 2
  • New Zealand — France: 2
  • New Zealand — Ireland: 2
  • New Zealand — Scotland: 2
  • New Zealand — Australia: 3
  • South Africa — Argentina: 2
  • South Africa — England: 2
  • South Africa — France: 2
  • South Africa — Australia: 2
  • Australia — Argentina: 2
  • Australia — France: 2
  • Australia — New Zealand: 3
  • Argentina — Ireland: 2
  • Argentina — Wales: 2
  • Argentina — Scotland: 2
  • France — Argentina: 2
  • France — New Zealand: 2
  • New Zealand — British & Irish Lions: 3
  • South Africa — British & Irish Lions: 3

2010–2019​


  • South Africa — New Zealand: 3
  • Australia — New Zealand: 3
  • Argentina — France: 2
  • Argentina — Wales: 2
  • Argentina — Scotland: 2
  • Argentina — England: 2
  • New Zealand — France: 3
  • New Zealand — Ireland: 3
  • New Zealand — Wales: 2
  • New Zealand — Australia: 3
  • South Africa — England: 2
  • South Africa — France: 3
  • South Africa — Ireland: 2
  • South Africa — Argentina: 2
  • South Africa — Australia: 3
  • England — Australia: 2
  • England — South Africa: 2
  • England — Argentina: 2
  • England — Fiji: 2
  • France — Australia: 2
  • France — Argentina: 2
  • France — New Zealand: 3
  • Australia — Wales: 2
  • Australia — Argentina: 2
  • Australia — Ireland: 2
  • Australia — England: 2
  • New Zealand — British & Irish Lions: 3

2020–2026​


The COVID period makes this period unusually sparse in conventional multi-Test series.


  • New Zealand — South Africa: 3
  • Australia — France: 3
  • Australia — England: 2
  • Argentina — Wales: 2
  • Argentina — Scotland: 2
  • Argentina — Australia: 2
  • New Zealand — Ireland: 3
  • New Zealand — France: 3
  • South Africa — Wales: 2
  • South Africa — Ireland: 2
  • South Africa — New Zealand: 4 *
Click to expand...
 
lexity said:
Some stats on test series in RU going back to 1960:

There hasn't been a 4-test series since the one which I mentioned a few posts back i.e. the one played in 1976... except for one in the 1980 (Boks vs British & Irish Lions) tour.

Although there have been a heck of a lot of 2-test series. 2-test series leave room for a draw, too.

But, still, what we have here is a clear and obvious break from RU convention, going back 4 decades.
Click to expand...
Not sure what that ChatGPT list really means.

This is specifically South Africa vs New Zealand, either here or in NZ.

Code: 
1921    3   
1928    4   
1937    3   
1949    4   
1956    4   
1960    3   
1965    4   
1970    4   
1976    4   
1981    3   
1986    4    * NZ Cavaliers
1996    4


So no, 4 test series really is more common than you think. The only difference this time, is that one of the four tests is played on neutral ground.
 
netstrider said:
Not sure what that ChatGPT list really means.

This is specifically South Africa vs New Zealand, either here or in NZ.

Code: 
1921    3  
1928    4  
1937    3  
1949    4  
1956    4  
1960    3  
1965    4  
1970    4  
1976    4  
1981    3  
1986    4    * NZ Cavaliers
1996    4


So no, 4 test series really is more common than you think. The only difference this time, is that one of the four tests is played on neutral ground.
Click to expand...
Cavaliers probably omitted due to Apartheid.

In 1996, the 10th Aug test was omitted from my list because it was the final of the tri-nations, so wasn't included in the 3-test series that followed.
 
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