<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (KZNSharksFan @ May 20 2009, 12:50 PM)
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Quote(Teh Mite)
1987 - Past
1991 - Past
1995 - past
1999 - Past
2003 - Past
2007 - Nearest to now;
All Blacks: Out in 1/4s
Australia: Out in 1/4s
England: **** but still further ahead of Oussie and ABs
Boks: Win a mismatched group game against England, Squeek past a still **** England in final
France: No chuffing clue about selection, still beat All Blacks despite McAlistairs try from a forward pass.
Argentina: Finish 3rd with a squad entirely based in the NH.
(End Quote)
World cups never acurately depict the balance of national rugby power and if this isn't clear to you then you shouldn't blast your poorly thought-through points of view across the internet. Blaming the national sides woes on selection is getting old, just like your annoying, incessant rants about the "superiority" of the English club scene, why do you think so many SH posters feel they have to set people like you straight?[/b]
Tell that point to tommowins. I was doing as what's known' in many circles as "taking the ****".
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>
Quote(Teh Mite)
In the mean time:
Northampton Wanderers 23 - 3 Western Force - 23/8/2008
Northampton Wanderers 24 - 6 NSW Waratahs - 2/10/06
Ah, the SHs finest, spanked by academy players and reserves...
(End Quote)
Again, you show all the intelligence of a four year old by basing the calibre of a team on pre and post season games against
weakened opposition.
Anyway, this is not what I was originally alluding to. You can argue all you like about the superiority of your clubs but frankly, people down here
don't care, this is because we
know you're wrong and any one with an IQ above that of a grapefruit can see this.[/b]
Really? So you didn't noticed the WANDERERS are a reserves/academy team? Nor that most of that Tah' development team has gone onto the full squad or higher while the team who mullered them were so **** that they were relegated a few short months later?
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Quote(Teh Mite)
Damn right, but I'm
pretty sure the original point made was "the NH are all ******* blah blah chip-on-my-shoulder blah...".
I think that means
I'm not the only stirrer... Maybe the original point and 'witty' responses should have been worded better!
(End Quote)
The original point, as Jericho so easily surmised and eloquently expanded is that we hate you people stealing (and I will keep on calling it that) our players simply because you cannot produce equal talent at home and happen to have massive bank balances. As for the "chip" on my shoulder, maybe you should examine how you rant at people all the time from no position of authority or even with a proper basis to your arguments.[/b]
Anyway, for all of you who hate all of those dastardly moustache-tweaking NH clubs, the chairmen of whom (in between "stealing" the amazing SH players that grow on trees) like to tie fair maidens to train tracks while wearing top hats, let me enlighten you to a few home truths;
- In the Northern Hemisphere we have what are known as PROFESSIONAL RUGBY CLUBS. These are similar to those organisations you yourselves may be members of and play as an amateur at weekends (although debatable, considering the opinions of some people on how the game is played). Self run and self funded, not a subsidised franchise parent owned by the union of that particular country.
- These 'clubs' compete in "leagues", a season long divisional ranking system in which every club will play against each other from a particular division home and away to determine a final position. Teams at the top of these divisions get promoted to the next flight for the next season (unless they are already in the Premiership, when they are crowned champions), benefiting from the financial rewards this brings and the teams at the bottom subsequently get relegated. This can, and has in the past, led to financial difficulties and the dispersion of said clubs. (see: Richmond RFC & London Irish)
- Clubs in the Premiership have to adhere to what is known as a "wage cap", a set figure of approx £3m which limits the total salary of all a clubs playing staff members, superstar internationals right through to 16 year old academy products. The Magners League and Top 14 have similar systems in place based on turnover meaning NO CLUB CAN SIMPLY BUY EVERY PLAYER IN THE WORLD nor monopolise the league structure. Unless the players were willing to move halfway around the world and only get paid £25,000 P/A for the privilege. Some of the clubs may be minted, but the league does not allow them to pay massive wages willy-nilly.
- Clubs in the NH competitions have to play competitive league matches at the same time as pointless international exhibitions against SH opposition who think they actually mean something. This means club resources are drained as the home unions line their coffers in the November Tests and larger playing squads of high quality players which wont be lost for 50% of the domestic season are required to maintain the needed standards to keep up a ***le challenge or stave off a relegation dogfight. Due to the need for larger squads, combined with the wage cap, drives average salaries down.
- Clubs in the Northern Hemisphere all have huge development academies and are producing players year after year. However, these players are allowed to come from further afield then 10 miles to be classed as a home developed player for the club; At Leicester for example, all of the Tuilagis were brought up by Tigers and are considered their academy products. At the same time however, they won't religiously stick to bringing in local players just because they're local; These teams want to win and will bring in who they feel are the best for the club in the long term. That said, it's still rare for a club to have less the 75% home grown talent on board... Not bad considering how densely packed in those 12 top flight clubs are in England.
- Clubs in the NH are CLUBS. Fans buy THEIR shirts, sing THEIR songs, cheer THEIR players and RAVENOUSLY SUPPORT THEIR CLUB. Teams in the SH are NOT clubs. In the SH, people go to watch some rugby and don't really give a toss until a final bandwagon or the international tests come along. The gulf in the ethos is huge.
But then again, I expect nobody south of the equator will take on board any of that lot and still harp on rubbish about NH club rugby as if they have the first f***ing clue what they're talking about.
