'Pointless' All Blacks

[187]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4817315a10295.html

What a muppet this guy is for even writing this in the first place. Yes we may complain about a persons, (*cough rueben thorn *cough) selection and call them a waste of a selection or whatever but this article is a huge insult i think to their memory and as players.

Their selection to the all blacks would've been a very special moment for them, a real highlight in their lives and now their gonna feel ashamed of it maybe. Good on this guy for speaking up about it. Even if they did only play one test or scored no points, it's still a huge achievment to make the ABs or any national side in any code.. unless it's lawn bowls haha jks.

 

[stumpy17]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (187 @ Jan 13 2009, 08:25 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4817315a10295.html

What a muppet this guy is for even writing this in the first place. Yes we may complain about a persons, (*cough rueben thorn *cough) selection and call them a waste of a selection or whatever but this article is a huge insult i think to their memory and as players.

Their selection to the all blacks would've been a very special moment for them, a real highlight in their lives and now their gonna feel ashamed of it maybe. Good on this guy for speaking up about it. Even if they did only play one test or scored no points, it's still a huge achievment to make the ABs or any national side in any code.. unless it's lawn bowls haha jks.[/b]

Have to agree with 187,
to be picked for the national team, any national team is a massive honour and achievement, a player doesn't have to be a try scoring machine or a goal kicking wonder to be a valued part of the team. just because your name doesn't appear on the score sheet doesn't mean you didn't give a valuable performance.

 

[cyRil]

If you get called up to your national squad that means you must be one of the best rugby players in your country. That's pretty awesome. The guy who wrote this article sounds like a total ********.

 

[jawmalawm24]

Gees yeah even getting into teams like the AnzCup or Super14 would be hard but to take it to the next level and go international means you have to be made of something. I think this idiot that wrote this article knew what he was saying and just wanted a bit of attention and this was the only way he could get it.

 

[Prestwick]

Players need to be judged on their performances for their national teams. Nobody knew how good Dan Carter or Delon Armitage could be until they had been tried out. You can't just castigate someone even before they've had a chance to run out there and do something!

I agree, this guy is a numpty!

 

[Gay-Guy]

Rugby is a team game.

To create a team full of players who have not scored any points for the All Blacks is going against the rugby spirit where team is more important than individualism. When Sivivatu scores in the corner from a turnover deep within their own 22 it was probably because Mealamu made a big tackle, Woodcock blew over and took out the support players, McCaw grabbed the ball and presente it on the AB's side.....Cowan to Carter...Carter misses out Williams and Thorne and puts Nonu in the gap....Nonu draws the fullback and offloads to Sivi.......Sivi gets on the scoresheet....the thing is in order for Sivi to get on the scoresheet so many people were involved.

People who place value on a players worth based on the points they have accumulated probably never scored tries when they played in the school playground as an 8 year old. Scoring tries in rugby is not a big deal when you understand the true spirit of rugby.

 

[QLD]

This idiot has probably never played rugby or any sport and doesn't realise any international player has trained their arses off and made plenty of sacrifises their whole lives to achieve their goals of playing rugby union for their respective coutnries.

 

[Hall]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Gay-Guy @ Jan 15 2009, 08:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Rugby is a team game.

To create a team full of players who have not scored any points for the All Blacks is going against the rugby spirit where team is more important than individualism. When Sivivatu scores in the corner from a turnover deep within their own 22 it was probably because Mealamu made a big tackle, Woodcock blew over and took out the support players, McCaw grabbed the ball and presente it on the AB's side.....Cowan to Carter...Carter misses out Williams and Thorne and puts Nonu in the gap....Nonu draws the fullback and offloads to Sivi.......Sivi gets on the scoresheet....the thing is in order for Sivi to get on the scoresheet so many people were involved.

People who place value on a players worth based on the points they have accumulated probably never scored tries when they played in the school playground as an 8 year old. Scoring tries in rugby is not a big deal when you understand the true spirit of rugby.[/b]

Or All Black tries from a few years ago; ball goes to Lomu, Lomu becomes a one man team and scores.

-----

Anyway, back to the article. Its absolute bull. That is all.

 

[Fa'atau82]

It's a joke of an article based on nothing, apart from the guys joke of an opinion.

To play a sport and become part of a team at any level is a great achievement. The highest level is test level, and we can't all make it but like with any sport.. you have the stars and you have the players who make the stars. Just to get there means you are the top of your game.

I do think all sports should have the recognition of assists in the stats like Ice Hockey and Basketball does. There are players in rugby who never get recognition of their immense workrate and contribution they provide to make scores possible, because they did not 'score', like Nili Latu for example. No-one seems interested to sign him which has always puzzled me, yet take a look at any game he plays and he gives 120%.

The ball has to be worked into an opportunity and that involves a pass, kick, turnover etc which i think should be recognised officially on a scoresheet. It'd be interesting to see how many points the prolific try scorers of world rugby would have when you also credit the assisting passer, kicker or creator giving the over the last 10 metres.

I mean, lets make another list. Players who kick goals but are otherwise average at everything else.. Wilkinson (post 2003), Paterson (deliberately gave a tougher kick to Dan Parks in the RWC to maintain his 100%) to name two.

Are they really useful?

 

[Hall]

I'm sure turnover stats etc' are kept these days but just aren't promoted as much as point scoring.

It'd be an interesting thing to look at.

 

[Gay-Guy]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Hall @ Jan 17 2009, 06:53 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

I'm sure turnover stats etc' are kept these days but just aren't promoted as much as point scoring.

It'd be an interesting thing to look at.[/b]

Yep...the top teams and their coaches know the real story....tackle counts and turnovers are important factors when looking at forwards...not so much try scoring. Halfbacks are judged by how fluid they get the team moving. First fives are judged by their field position kicking. Centres are often judged on missed tackles....100% tackling rate is crucial for a top flight centre...Conrad Smith missed one tackle in a test and the next game against Wales he was replaced.....Nonu miss marks BOD in a test and we never hear about him for an entire year.

When I used to play I was out in the centres or wing......I used to score tries and players would say "Wow you the man"....but seriously....scoring tries really has no value for an individual because rugby is a team game. It used to annoy me when people afterwards would talk about the game and "who scored"......it seems that their was a value system based on try scoring which negated the important work of the other 14 players.

Funny when you listen to Samoans talk after they have played a game they do not talk about who scored....they talk about the hits lol! If they do one big hit that is all they go on about all night....even if they lost or even if they missed a few tackles trying to get a hit on someone. The second thing they go on about is if someone outsprinted someone else. Getting points is actually of little value to a Samoan during the game.

 

[all7days]

Turns out at leas two of the squad atually scored tries for the All Blacks.
One alone scoring 11 tries.

 

[Hall]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Gay-Guy @ Jan 16 2009, 08:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Hall @ Jan 17 2009, 06:53 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm sure turnover stats etc' are kept these days but just aren't promoted as much as point scoring.

It'd be an interesting thing to look at.[/b]

Yep...the top teams and their coaches know the real story....tackle counts and turnovers are important factors when looking at forwards...not so much try scoring. Halfbacks are judged by how fluid they get the team moving. First fives are judged by their field position kicking. Centres are often judged on missed tackles....100% tackling rate is crucial for a top flight centre...Conrad Smith missed one tackle in a test and the next game against Wales he was replaced.....Nonu miss marks BOD in a test and we never hear about him for an entire year.

When I used to play I was out in the centres or wing......I used to score tries and players would say "Wow you the man"....but seriously....scoring tries really has no value for an individual because rugby is a team game. It used to annoy me when people afterwards would talk about the game and "who scored"......it seems that their was a value system based on try scoring which negated the important work of the other 14 players.

Funny when you listen to Samoans talk after they have played a game they do not talk about who scored....they talk about the hits lol! If they do one big hit that is all they go on about all night....even if they lost or even if they missed a few tackles trying to get a hit on someone. The second thing they go on about is if someone outsprinted someone else. Getting points is actually of little value to a Samoan during the game.
[/b][/quote]

I am guilty of going on about how many people I ran through/handed off after the game. Also turnovers, I never shut up about them, but that's acceptable I think

 

[Ripper]

Rueben Throne scored more points than Colin Meads... but I know who i'd rather have... and I know who I'd rather have in my team today, even if he has a senior citizens card.