Rugby - The Lull After The Storm

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by Andydog

Forget it mate, they're determined to bag anything to do with our forwards, and take delight in doing so.

I noticed.

I personally want to see Mitchell stay. If he is capable of learning from his mistakes then it would be, imho, a huge mistake not to continue with the status quo. I've been busy lately and haven't caught up on the last thread but I’m sure someone will have already mentioned the benefits England gained from continuity in coaching staff. Coaches also need experience, and to learn from their mistakes, just like the players.

I mentioned this, and I also think Mitchell should draw on whatever experiences he had while coaching with Clive Woodward.

[Frozzy]

Originally posted by Caligastia
Finbar is funny.

He is?

[Caligastia]

Click it, it's a link.

[Andydog]

Originally posted by Tamerlin
Well, I have a trouble with Civilization 3. Some of its features are great but others are really ill implemented (your allies unable to use your road network for example). As far as I am concerned the combat system is outdated (I really don't like this one unit against one unit fight) and the workers are a real pain especially when you reach the end of the game (I really prefer the Public Work points you can find in Civ: CtP and CtP2). But what I really don't like is the gameplay and the way the AI is cheating as it is spoiling my pleasure. I am not a warmonger when I play Civ like games, I am rather of the Empire Builder kind, and Civilization 3 does not really allow me to play this way. Civ3 has been designed so that the software use all the dirty tricks and flaws found by the Civ2 players to beat the AI, tricks that I have never used and that I am not really interested in using as my goal is to have fun and not to beat the strongest (cheating) AI possible.

I have the same issues with Civ3, the battle system in CtP is vastly superior, and war in CtP isn't essential to win as it is in Civ3. However, the AI in CtP was atrocious and the game kept crashing in mulitplayer, so I stopped playing it yonks ago. I've since been playing Civ3 - I do like the culture and strategic resource concepts, and the civ traits introduce a brilliant dynamic into the game imho.

Give Conquests a go - they've implemented quite a few changes that appeal to me as a builder - for example scientific great leaders, more defensive units to beat off the warmonger, and other small changes that mean that war is no longer essential to win.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Tamerlin
Once again, I am convinced that Napoléon had a great vision for Europe, in which France was the dominant power of course, and that peace and greatness were his two main goals.

A career in spin doctoring awaits you.

[Tamerlin]

Originally posted by Andydog
I have the same issues with Civ3, the battle system in CtP is vastly superior, and war in CtP isn't essential to win as it is in Civ3. However, the AI in CtP was atrocious and the game kept crashing in mulitplayer, so I stopped playing it yonks ago.

I agree that the original CtP AI is weak but I thought that the mods (and especially the celestial mod) greatly improved it, this is the case with CtP2 which remains my favorite Civ like game.

I've since been playing Civ3 - I do like the culture and strategic resource concepts, and the civ traits introduce a brilliant dynamic into the game imho.

I agree about the culture and civ traits but I have been very disappointed with the Strategic Resources as they are the source of one of the worst cheats of the AI in Civ3. The AI civs know where are the Strategic Resources, even if they have not yet developped the required advances, and expand in accordance with this knowledge. Have you ever wonder why the AI sometimes send a settler across the map, create a city in a desolate area and defend it to the death... because a strategic resource will appear in a few centuries at this spot. A major spoiler as far as I am concerned...

Give Conquests a go - they've implemented quite a few changes that appeal to me as a builder - for example scientific great leaders, more defensive units to beat off the warmonger, and other small changes that mean that war is no longer essential to win.

I have already bought Conquest and I think I will give it a try this week end. :wary:

[Tamerlin]

Originally posted by finbar

A career in spin doctoring awaits you.

I am carefully avoiding all the politicians, the air around them is tainted.

More seriously Finbar, war cannot be a goal in itself, as Clausewitz wrote it war is an "extension of policy by other means". True, Napoléon was a conqueror but many of his campaigns were fought because the Coalisés, led and/or financed by England, forced him to do so. I think that his goal what to build a strong Empire in order to build a kind of French "Pax Romana". He would certainly have stopped his conquests earlier if the English had stopped threatening French possessions. But on the other hand, could England accept such a powerful rival at its gate... in my opinion, no!

[finbar]

Originally posted by Tamerlin
At least my English level is enough to tease Caligastia and Finbar...

Listen! Your English is good enough to suggest that you are, in fact, a fat prosperous retired Pom merchant *anker lounging in Provence and taking the p*ss claiming to be a Frenchman from Toulouse!

I suppose the Australian players would have looked far better tootling through Sydney...

Jealous!!!

Nuh. The celebration wouldn't have been anywhere near as hysterical or pompous. Unlike the Poms, we're accustomed to winning things. He said, noting that the England XI scraped a lucky draw against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
Robinson lacks their pace anyway. Only Balshaw and Lewsey possibly have that turn of speed. I still think Robinson is the harder player to defend against – that step may look silly but it’s a huge weapon against a drift defence.

It really only worked for him once during the WRC as I recall. That long, jinking run against Wales. Frankly, I think he causes as much confusion amongst his teammates as amongst the defence. I think I'd also rather defend against him than either of the Kiwi pair. They can make something out of absolutely nothing.

Have I mentioned the young lad Baxter they are trying on the wing – he looks very good, being both big, strong and fast. If they could get some ball to him more often we might score a few more tries.

So is he a local? Or more of the Foreign Legion?

Even your politicians call us ‘Poms’ I note.

It's easier for them to spell.

So the Sun ran a story with terribly brittle foundations. Wish I could say I am shocked. The paper claims over ten million readers daily which is fairly amusing as I think even at it peak circulation it never sold much over four million. Ah but you see each copy is read by 2-3 people. And they know this apparently.

But what percentage of its readers' lips move as they read?

I have a sneaky feeling you might actually get on rather well with Mr J.

Not if he hugged me and tried to stick his tongue down my throat like he did with George Gregan after the final whistle!

Out of their depth perhaps? It was a little disconcerting to me I have to admit – very Imperial in tone as your war office reference hints. A touch of the VA day about it – and somewhat over the top. Not to mention maybe one in ten there knew what shape ball the game is played with!

As I said earlier, a rare national triumph and celebrated accordingly. I heard this morning that Geoff Hurst - s***** World Cup hero - turned 62. Speaks volumes.

As for tea with Gran and the later supper with ‘God’ well that is fair enough. The image of Jonno talking several feet down to Her Madge will stick with me a while – as will the piccies of geriatric incontinent corgies wandering willy nilly throughout.

I was waiting for Wilkinson to cup his hands, go into his trance, and boot one of the corgies over the curtain rail.

BTW, were my eyes deceiving me last night or did I see ads at the top of the page for rugby memorabilia? All Blacks jerseys and WRC stuff? I wonder if the ads are targeted geographically?

[finbar]

Originally posted by Caligastia
Finbar is funny.

And you buggers get it for free!

[Tamerlin]

Originally posted by finbar
Listen! Your English is good enough to suggest that you are, in fact, a fat prosperous retired Pom merchant *anker lounging in Provence and taking the p*ss claiming to be a Frenchman from Toulouse!

I am not fat!

Nuh. The celebration wouldn't have been anywhere near as hysterical or pompous. Unlike the Poms, we're accustomed to winning things. He said, noting that the England XI scraped a lucky draw against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka.

XI, are you writing about S*****?

And you buggers get it for free!

[finbar]

Originally posted by Andydog
Then the NZRFU probably don't like the fact that Mitchell and Deans were out-coached and out-thought by Hansen and Jones. Hansen did his homework. Mitchell and Deans did not.

Graham Henry was out-thought and out-coached by Rod Macqueen in the Lions series.

Then the NZRFU have gone on record in saying they have concerns about how Mitchell and Deans dealt with the media. Rugby is big business in NZ, even our NZ$ took a hit after the semi loss. It must be very concerning when our team becomes the least popular side in the tournament.

The ABs have long suffered being perceived as arrogant. That's from an external - outside NZ - point of view. It was at its peak in the '99 World Cup. The difference this time, I think, was on the home front with Mitchell's (a) selection ruthlessness in terms of Mehrtens, Randall, Cullen, et al; and (b) his public handling of same. I'm sure every Kiwi wanted the ABs to win the WRC, but I gather there was quite a bit of "you'd better be right, John Mitchell, for your sake" going on. It was a course Mitchell chose to take. He didn't have a safety net.

It's also fairly evident that the NZRFU now realises that it allowed Mitchell too much rope. Well, that's their fault. And Mitchell, I fear, will suffer for it.

I personally want to see Mitchell stay. If he is capable of learning from his mistakes then it would be, imho, a huge mistake not to continue with the status quo. I've been busy lately and haven't caught up on the last thread but I’m sure someone will have already mentioned the benefits England gained from continuity in coaching staff. Coaches also need experience, and to learn from their mistakes, just like the players.

That's the bottom line. As Havak pointed out, England is littered with ex-AB coaches. Continuity is crucial in the development of anything.

[Tamerlin]

Originally posted by finbar
BTW, were my eyes deceiving me last night or did I see ads at the top of the page for rugby memorabilia? All Blacks jerseys and WRC stuff? I wonder if the ads are targeted geographically?

I have not seen anything like that yesterday...

By the way, I have just watched a Soderbergh's movie called "The Limey", a good movie full of tunes coming straight from the 60s with bands like Boston, The Doobie Brothers, Steppenwolf, The Who, The Byrds, etc.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Tamerlin


I am not fat!

As the old joke goes, when Tamerlin sits around his apartment, he sits around it.

XI, are you writing about S*****?

No, cricket. Cricket can be freely written about in this thread without resort to ******s. It's a game on a par - okay, almost on a par - with rugby for character, tradition and honour.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Tamerlin


I have not seen anything like that yesterday...

I'm sure it was last night my time. There were two adjacent ads - text links - in the top right corner. The first, I remember, said something about All Blacks' jerseys, the second one referred to WRC memorabilia.

By the way, I have just watched a Soderbergh's movie called "The Limey", a good movie full of tunes coming straight from the 60s with bands like Boston, The Doobie Brothers, Steppenwolf, The Who, The Byrds, etc.

Haven't seen it. It's playing fairly regularly on one of the cable movie channels. I recall that it didn't get terribly good reviews when it was released here a year or so ago. I'll check it out next time it's on.

Did you get my last email? If you want that GFR article, email me your address and I'll send it to you. In fact, there are several very good articles on the Detroit music scene of the '60s and '70s, including a detailed article on Holland/Dozier/Holland at Tamla Motown. If they're of interest, I'll send the whole magazine.