England vs South Africa 20 / 11 / 2021

[BPM]

You do realize I am not South African, correct? I love entertainment. I love a bit of drama. It's a bunch of grown men playing a kid's game for a king's ransom.

The reason Rugby has the names of companies on the front of the kit is because they cannot figure out that sport is about entertainment first, then everything else second. The reason rugby is begging for private equity money stems from an inability to monetize their product effectively. Meanwhile over here, we are building $5B stadiums that are designed in conjunction with shopping, dining, entertainment, and the sport itself. The sport is a part, not the full experience.

A few things on this …

If you think 'sport is about entertainment first' I think you might be watching the wrong team.

I'm just really confused as to why someone who 'loves entertainment' and has no apparent ties to SA would ever choose to support the Boks? If you're a neutral, surely you'd go for France (as you also 'love a bit of drama' or NZ. Each to their own and all, but SA rugby seems to be the absolute antithesis of what you profess to love?

Also rugby players do not earn a 'king's ransom' - far from it. They actual earn peanuts in comparison to most other major/global sports.

 

[ncurd]

You do realize I am not South African, correct? I love entertainment. I love a bit of drama. It's a bunch of grown men playing a kid's game for a king's ransom.

The reason Rugby has the names of companies on the front of the kit is because they cannot figure out that sport is about entertainment first, then everything else second. The reason rugby is begging for private equity money stems from an inability to monetize their product effectively. Meanwhile over here, we are building $5B stadiums that are designed in conjunction with shopping, dining, entertainment, and the sport itself. The sport is a part, not the full experience.

Football/Soccer is the richest and most popular sport on the planet by a country mile and they play with names on the front of their kit....

 

[Geordie]

Do we actually need one?

Manu's a one off, but we can't rely on him.

In the backs I prefer rapier to bludgeon and we showed on Sat that we have that if we let it loose. If Slade could actually perform with a 12 on his back that would be ideal. Slade and Marchant have the passing and running games to cause any team problems and while they're not huge they shouldn't be bullied either.

In the front 5 give me bludgeon all day long.

Yes i firmly believe somewhere in the backs we need a power option...be a winger coming through the midfield...or a centre..

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Honestly Sale Sharks best crowds was when they had the Moam girls there.

So maybe rugby does need cheerleaders.

Your court order says you're not allowed within 300ft of a real life woman, though, so you'd never be able to go again

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Yes i firmly believe somewhere in the backs we need a power option...be a winger coming through the midfield...or a centre..

If only we had a 6'5" 17 stone full back who could hit the line at pace.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Your court order says you're not allowed within 300ft of a real life woman, though, so you'd never be able to go again

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

If only we had a 6'5" 17 stone full back who could hit the line at pace.

So you are saying play Steward at 15?

 

[Jer1cho]

If you think 'sport is about entertainment first' I think you might be watching the wrong team.

I'm just really confused as to why someone who 'loves entertainment' and has no apparent ties to SA would ever choose to support the Boks? If you're a neutral, surely you'd go for France (as you also 'love a bit of drama' or NZ. Each to their own and all, but SA rugby seems to be the absolute antithesis of what you profess to love?

What a crap post.

 

[Crash Hamster]

So you are saying play Steward at 15?

That's crazy talk

 

[Not Mike Brown's Sock]

What a crap post.

It's pretty accurate imo.

SA are far from a "neutrals" team to watch in terms of pure entertainment

 

[Welsh Exile]

It's pretty accurate imo.

SA are far from a "neutrals" team to watch in terms of pure entertainment

Yeah but, tbf, it's totally subjective though, init.

 

[ncurd]

Yeah but, tbf, it's totally subjective though, init.

Its subjective but I can't imagine any rugby fan suggesting to anyone if they want to get in the game to watch South Africa unless they have links with the country. Your pretty much in current state picking France, a traditionalist would say NZ but then its pretty much do have natural affinity to support.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Watching this thread like

That being said most of my fav players have been boks

 

[Welsh Exile]

Its subjective but I can't imagine any rugby fan suggesting to anyone if they want to get in the game to watch South Africa unless they have links with the country. Your pretty much in current state picking France, a traditionalist would say NZ but then its pretty much do have natural affinity to support.

It depends on what that person is like, though. I agree with you in the main but we're all different and like different things. Would be rubbish if we all liked the same aspects of the game. Personally speaking I agree but for all we know scrums and high balls might have been the thing that got Chicago kid into the game.

 

[Jer1cho]

It's pretty accurate imo.

SA are far from a "neutrals" team to watch in terms of pure entertainment

Rugby is far more than just glorified 7's. Seeing opposition scrums crumble and reverse at a massive rate of knots? Entertaining. Seeing structured defense, and big men getting smashed backwards over and over? Entertaining. Having X factor players over the years who scored individual tries like nobody else could (players like Kolbe, Habana, Jean de Villiers, Jacque Fourie). There is a certain beauty in the way we kill teams by just being stronger than them. Many different forms of rugby are entertaining, and world rugby would be worse off with a crappy Bok team who tries to play 7s like in 2016 and 17. The Big Show aint as entertaining as Ray Mysterio, but that doesnt mean its less fun to watch when Mysterio gets thrown out of the ring.

 

[Geordie]

If only we had a 6'5" 17 stone full back who could hit the line at pace.

Yes and he's been a wonderful find. I still want one other option....but clearly you know more than me.

 

[ncurd]

Rugby is far more than just glorified 7's. Seeing opposition scrums crumble and reverse at a massive rate of knots? Entertaining. Seeing structured defense, and big men getting smashed backwards over and over? Entertaining. Having X factor players over the years who scored individual tries like nobody else could (players like Kolbe, Habana, Jean de Villiers, Jacque Fourie). There is a certain beauty in the way we kill teams by just being stronger than them. Many different forms of rugby are entertaining, and world rugby would be worse off with a crappy Bok team who tries to play 7s like in 2016 and 17. The Big Show aint as entertaining as Ray Mysterio, but that doesnt mean its less fun to watch when Mysterio gets thrown out of the ring.

But that's neutral's from an experienced fan perspective there's a reason we use phrasing like "one for the purists". I like a good arm wrestle (with some backs play) between evenly matched sides who's ambition is thwarted. The issue with watching SA currently (and the Lions and England) is they play with zero ambition and just kick the ball away. Its very hard explaining to anyone who doesn't know rugby why you like rugby watching then play. Stick on any France game currently and its instantly obvious.

Also Scrums are literally the biggest turn off for anyone in the game currently because whilst its fun to watch scrums go backwards and collapse they take 5mins of scrum resets to get there, or a penalty is called that only die hard fans have any chance of understanding.

 

[MikeTheNative]

I'd agree with that, a big physical battle upfront in the rucks and close carries is entertaining, even when you get mauls going on. However scrum dominance just involves one team flopping down each time slowing the game down even more. Scrums at pro level aren't the fastest in first place either.

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

Lol at all the idiots on this thread. I guess SA fans are just all salty at the moment, no neutral would want to watch SA, they spend more time resting than an American football team. New Zealand play good right, they also showcase the best tactical kicking out there and mostly their forwards dominate as well.

Any neutral would be better watching NZ normally. No one enjoys watching collapsed scrums, or re sets, or fake injuries.

 

[MikeTheNative]

It's a bit unfair to criticise SA's more conservative game plan, they are playing by the rules and maximising their current talent pool, agree again about them slowing the game down a lot though. I think refs let them do it too much sometimes.