I have so much admiration for Afghanistan cricket. Can you imagine the size of their budget vs the ECB? Rashid Khan is world class and this young opener Gurbaz could be special.
The ultimate minnow story.
As for the rugby, some great quarter finals has restored some of my faith in the game as a spectacle.
I still think the way the rules are structured we are going to see some serious referee intervention that will decide a game. I hope I'm wrong!
Great All Black performance but did Smith really have to put a box kick up with 2 minutes to go? If we are going to kick it in that scenario then surely as far as possible down the field is the way to go?
Interesting that Faf De Klerk kicked as well with 1 minute to go South Africa v France.
Completely agree about Afghanistan, delighted for them. That they are more than Rashid Khan is brilliant. Technically they shouldn’t be playing because there isn’t a women’s team and I understand that teams don’t have ICC approval if they don’t have both a men’s and women’s team but the circumstances are obviously, well, complicated.
My BYC colleague Paul Ford highlighted the ambiguity of the situation when he said that the ICC have completely bottled it and there is no way Afghanistan should be allowed at the World Cup and... yet... he loves watching them play and win.
I agree with the 2nd footnote - did you spot that SA subbed Kolisi for a front rower, and then as front rowers were “injured” this permitted a substitution to bring a player back on to ensure scrums remain. It gave some of the loose forwards time to bench and catch their breath, then return for the final minutes of play.
Felt like they pushed the rules to the limit didn't it? I think the SA bench was cleared around the 55 minute mark - I wonder what the final number of changes was by the end?
I might go digging, but it was surely planned - because if you empty the bench with 25 to go, you don’t have any back up for a traditional injury. This also slows down the clock because your medics spend more time trying to keep players on the field and use that as justification for taking extra time. I’ve seen some levels of this at club rugby - but never at international level... another one of Rassies ideas I can only assume!
Correct. He's been taking a bit of heat for it this week, but he won't care. What can you actually do? The one time the refs step in and say, 'No dice, we don't think he's taken a head blow,' will be the one time you leave a concussed player on the field and then all hell is going to break loose.
Exactly - and medical interventions have been used in many different sports to get extra advantage. It’s the same as the old prop ‘taking a knee’ or tying a shoe lace. It’s just more pronounced on the world stage!
After all the talk of a 6 nation's only final four and a "powershift" to the north I imagine there are quite a few commentators enjoying some humble pie...came across as rather arrogant.
Good article and like ur coverage of IRE VS ABs, enjoyable to soak up. Yes, this RWC has turned it on, even given the shocking draw. Is it just me, or is this version of RWC so much more intense than any of its predecessors?
Your question re deliberate knock-ons I found confusing. You quote Etzebeth, Smith and Farrell in the same breath, but my reading of Etzebeth's action was interpreted as knocked back, thus no infringement. Had it been otherwise, it would have probably been a penalty try. This and the Boks choosing a scrum option following a mark are new to me. These Boks are not the boring team of years gone by. Respect
Definitely noted the scrum option. Hadn’t even occured to me, but a great tactic to slow down and also their dominance at the time. Tactically very switched on. Should be a good test come finals if we meet them
I have so much admiration for Afghanistan cricket. Can you imagine the size of their budget vs the ECB? Rashid Khan is world class and this young opener Gurbaz could be special.
The ultimate minnow story.
As for the rugby, some great quarter finals has restored some of my faith in the game as a spectacle.
I still think the way the rules are structured we are going to see some serious referee intervention that will decide a game. I hope I'm wrong!
Great All Black performance but did Smith really have to put a box kick up with 2 minutes to go? If we are going to kick it in that scenario then surely as far as possible down the field is the way to go?
Interesting that Faf De Klerk kicked as well with 1 minute to go South Africa v France.
Completely agree about Afghanistan, delighted for them. That they are more than Rashid Khan is brilliant. Technically they shouldn’t be playing because there isn’t a women’s team and I understand that teams don’t have ICC approval if they don’t have both a men’s and women’s team but the circumstances are obviously, well, complicated.
My BYC colleague Paul Ford highlighted the ambiguity of the situation when he said that the ICC have completely bottled it and there is no way Afghanistan should be allowed at the World Cup and... yet... he loves watching them play and win.
I agree with the 2nd footnote - did you spot that SA subbed Kolisi for a front rower, and then as front rowers were “injured” this permitted a substitution to bring a player back on to ensure scrums remain. It gave some of the loose forwards time to bench and catch their breath, then return for the final minutes of play.
Felt like they pushed the rules to the limit didn't it? I think the SA bench was cleared around the 55 minute mark - I wonder what the final number of changes was by the end?
I might go digging, but it was surely planned - because if you empty the bench with 25 to go, you don’t have any back up for a traditional injury. This also slows down the clock because your medics spend more time trying to keep players on the field and use that as justification for taking extra time. I’ve seen some levels of this at club rugby - but never at international level... another one of Rassies ideas I can only assume!
Correct. He's been taking a bit of heat for it this week, but he won't care. What can you actually do? The one time the refs step in and say, 'No dice, we don't think he's taken a head blow,' will be the one time you leave a concussed player on the field and then all hell is going to break loose.
Exactly - and medical interventions have been used in many different sports to get extra advantage. It’s the same as the old prop ‘taking a knee’ or tying a shoe lace. It’s just more pronounced on the world stage!
After all the talk of a 6 nation's only final four and a "powershift" to the north I imagine there are quite a few commentators enjoying some humble pie...came across as rather arrogant.
Good article and like ur coverage of IRE VS ABs, enjoyable to soak up. Yes, this RWC has turned it on, even given the shocking draw. Is it just me, or is this version of RWC so much more intense than any of its predecessors?
Your question re deliberate knock-ons I found confusing. You quote Etzebeth, Smith and Farrell in the same breath, but my reading of Etzebeth's action was interpreted as knocked back, thus no infringement. Had it been otherwise, it would have probably been a penalty try. This and the Boks choosing a scrum option following a mark are new to me. These Boks are not the boring team of years gone by. Respect
Definitely noted the scrum option. Hadn’t even occured to me, but a great tactic to slow down and also their dominance at the time. Tactically very switched on. Should be a good test come finals if we meet them
Some stats to back up ‘the best ever weekend in rugby’
https://x.com/jaredwright17/status/1714632114564481105?s=46&t=SpjNJ8aWZkGs2aJi6wNQ9Q
Interesting, thanks Nick!