Rugby - The Game They Play In Heaven II

[Caligastia]

The Boks certainly did improve, but Carter had a rough game too. If he'd been at his usual percentage the final minutes might not have been quite as thrilling.

I see that our French contingent is too busy complaining about the new look of the site to comment.

[finbar]

I'm with la grenouille. The whole design breaks most of the acknowledged website fundamentals. Garish, angular, very 2002. White text on black is, in fact, very 1999. As well as being headache-inducing. Astonishingly, the chap who designed the forum layout isn't even a forum user.

[Caligastia]

I agree. And I think it was a mistake to get rid of the old Apolyton logo. Sprucing it up would have been a better move.

[finbar]

And the notification of posts in the tread doesn't work.

[Caligastia]

We can just post everything in quote tags to get around the white on black issue.

[Havak]

Having watched the English ladies in action last night "fatties in motion" is an unfortunately apt description.

I shouldn't be surpised - turns out there are power lifters and body builders amongst them!

And NZ - whom I note for their ladies have to trim the shirts with white to avoid compromising the AB brand - stuffed the Aussies. Some things are traditional?

And at least as I watch the slow trundling fatties I can be sure I'm watching Union and a true contest. It's hard to shake the feeling that it's league sometimes when watching the fast flowing defence free stuff so beloved elsewhere in the world.

[finbar]

Another downside of white text on black - it leads to otherwise sensible posters spouting gibberish.

[Caligastia]

Otherwise sensible?

[finbar]

Charity begins at Rome.

[Havak]

Not sure I ever claimed to be sensible in all honesty.

My thanks to the gentleman who has given us the light skin - much easier on the eyes.

So gents have you actually seen the comments from the IRB's head of game analysis on this years Tri-nations - those concerning the Directives made to make it continuity rugby (my term) or 'attractive rugby' (their term).

Apparently things have swung from the defensive to offensive sides favour big time in the 3N so Wales are hopeful (as always) and now no one can stop the ABs next year.

[Caligastia]

Yeah, God forbid that the sport be attractive to watch.

[Havak]

Their term, not mine.

Attraction is after all subjective. To me total continuity rugby isn't attractive - though I see how it can draw non-fans in. Just be sure to stress to them that it isn't League with two extra players.

[finbar]

Fear not. Whatever policy or guideline that's currently in place will go the way of all others - forgotten, ignored, applied inconsistently, whatever. There is a long history of same.

EDIT. Just to underscore how impossible it will be for any ref to police the guidelines with any consistency:

15.4(c): The tackler who has gone to ground can, when back on their feet, play the ball from any direction.

- 15.6(c): The tackler who stays on their feet has to release that player and then only play the ball coming from the direction of their own goalline.

There will be a much stricter enforcement of the latter law with regard to the release of a player, stopping a tackler immediately bouncing to his or her feet and 'jackaling' the ball free in the manner perfected by Brian O'Driscoll.

Simple enough? Well, maybe not when you also have to factor in new interpretations of who is a 'tackler' and who is an 'assister'.

Under the old directives, an 'assister' in a double tackle was able to play the ball provided they stayed on their feet.

Now, that player has to release the ball carrier and can only then enter the breakdown through the 'gate' - from the assister's team's side, directly behind the ball and tackled player.

To further muddy the waters, in a one-on-one tackle, if the ball-carrier is put down but the tackler does not follow him or her to the floor then the defender is deemed an 'assister' - meaning there is no 'tackler'!

Pick the bones out of that lot in the turmoil of a breakdown, ref.

[Havak]

Truly as clear as mud.

Poor old BOD gets his name in lights from this commentator too? He isn't the only 'jackal'.

[LDiCesare]

I thought I would be able to read the posts with the new skin. But finbar's quote is unintelligible. Finbar, can you change the skin of the law of rugby so we can finally understand them?