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Also let's be real Leo Cullen was never known for his line breaks
I am not sure. Maybe you're right.Lol BO'D walks into any of those teams!
I am not sure. Maybe you're right.
Just for the sake of an argument: top 5 teams from
Top 14
SR
Premiership
URC
So 5 teams, 4 competitions, 2 starting centres per team. That's 40 centres. How many of them have BOD's height? Weight?
Those are reasonably simple questions. Aki (height)?
Ringose and Henshaw are what, 10 cm higher (at least) than BOD? Aki is what, 10 kgs heavier at least?
It's a different game.
Is Ringrose better than BOD? If you compare by how much they stood above the competition, each at their time, absolutely not. But if you just got GR and send him back in time to 2007 he'd run circles around most.
And yes, i am well aware weight and height are not the only factors, sure. What i am trying to get to is that if 39 out of the 40 (?) current centres are all both taller and heavier than BOD was when he played, well, maybe there's an argument to be made there about how his build would give opposing teams an advantage.
Would he give Ringrose a run for his money? Prolly. Would he walk over GR and be the undisputed 13 at Leinster? I don't think so. Again, different eras.
During Cullen's career Joel Stransky and Jonny Wilkinson were drop kicking world cup ***les, but you would think they were all playing like the barbarians from the article
The article in the OP is a classic example of fawning over a bygone era that only existed in the author's head
Yep mate, but I think the offside is enforced more than a lot of spectators think, I have been at multiple games. where crowd is baying for offside, but not a; in line to see offside line and b; don't know when a player is offfside like not knowing when rucks etc are formed.Enforce the offside line.
There is a bloke with a flag looking straight down the defensive line at every ruck and maul.
Defences have got so much better with all the extra time available to drill the players. We don't need to allow them all to get a 2m headstart at every play.
I would add Bruce, I think the biggest thing that has opened up NH rugby, is drainage,artificial turf allowing players to play a freer style of rugby. etc onI'd argue it was very different up in the NH as professionalism was way behind Super Rugby. For much of 1995-2011 Wales, Scotland and Ireland were awful, England were conservative and dull and France were arguably flamboyant but rubbish until Laporte came along. Plus the Boks were dull and the Pumas and Italy were completely focussed on forward play and scrum obsession. I'm surprised I sat through as much rugby back then as I did.
That's why I'm surprised by a recent post suggesting statistically there is less offloading than say 20 years ago, because I can barely remember seeing any offloading in the 6N between 1995 and 2011.
The hemisphere split played a big role. From a NH/home nations fan perspective it must've been hard to watch NZ, AUS and (occasionally) SA dominate the new pro era with attractive running rugby. Age plays a role as well. If you were an older French fan, maybe the 1980s was the best decade of rugby you ever witnessed.I'd argue it was very different up in the NH as professionalism was way behind Super Rugby. For much of 1995-2011 Wales, Scotland and Ireland were awful, England were conservative and dull and France were arguably flamboyant but rubbish until Laporte came along. Plus the Boks were dull and the Pumas and Italy were completely focussed on forward play and scrum obsession. I'm surprised I sat through as much rugby back then as I did.
That's why I'm surprised by a recent post suggesting statistically there is less offloading than say 20 years ago, because I can barely remember seeing any offloading in the 6N between 1995 and 2011.