Free Talk Friday
Yooooo
Posted Aug 6, 2021, 8:06 AM UTC
20151
Rugby really needs a clean up. How does the sport expect to win new fans when a) You need at least 4 subscriptions to watch all tier 1 teams and b) The rules of the game are such a mess that you could show a ruck to 4 different fans and get 4 different interpretations.
17
They definitely need to make things less shades of gray in a number of areas. There are a lot of things that I really enjoy about rugby (like the set pieces) that were really confusing when I first started watching. But now those are good but I need to learn all the finer nuances of the laws.
Might be one of those, make the laws more black and white or at least get all the referee Corp on the same page so the game starts getting called the same.
2
Point A is beyond any rugby body. To control that they would need to have control over every competition on the go
2
World rugby as a whole needs an overhaul.
Simple things like a global calendar and centralised contracts would mean the ability to redistribute revenue. Owning the rights to a stand along streaming service like The NBA is a no brainer
1
Don't know what it is, but ordering pints at the bar is so fucking great. It's something I didn't know I missed, but I'm glad it's back over here. It'll probably get annoying quite quickly when things get really busy, but at the moment it's just such a vibe.
15
Shoulder to shoulder
3
We answer beerland's call
4
Anybody feel like we should get all the props together and have them do some Olympics?
100m, far jump, high jump,gymnastics?
10
Proplympics would be epic.
Just make sure there's a pie eating contest as well
8
Synchronised prop swimming 😳
7
Perhaps a "bomb" event from the 5m diving platform...
1
Since 7s rugby is over so fast they need to just have a second round but with props.
7
This.
3
Pole vault, if we're really going for it. Track cycling might also be quite a laugh.
2
Canny get that Jeff Bezos song by Bo Burnham our my head. Love it.
9
Congratulations...
You did it...
2
Not at all widespread, unfortunately. It is predicted to die out as a community language in the next couple of decades. I believe we are at the ultimate tipping point right now. I agree with your sentiment entirely, and it will be very sad on an intrinsic level.
Come on Jeff, Gettem!
3
My word, race-walking is a really weird sport isn't it.
It should be replaced with cricket or bowling with extreme prejudice
Been watching so many Olympic events that my eyeballs might melt out of my face.
8
Hard pass on cricket. Dull as
4
Darts then?
The world championships look like mad fun with the crowd getting shitfaced at every event
2
I think we need to move away from showing sports that already have a premier country based competition outside of the Olympics.
Realistically there's no need for football to be in there.
Although if we have curling at the winters then surely bowling should be fair game
6
I think football is one of the only examples of an Olympic sport that the olympics isn't the biggest event in that's sport
3
Absolutely agree with Football - it doesn't feel essential to the Games and doesn't need the Olympics to grow.
I found an interesting list on Olympic Exhibition Sports and I'd love to see some competitive pigeon racing
1
bowling with extreme prejudice
The '32-'33 Ashes series then.
3
I phrased that poorly 😂
2
I think it's leaving the games after Tokyo
pedestrianism, race walking's predecessor, was one of the bigger spectator sports before the rise of football codes
2
I cannot understand how handball isn’t a more popular sport outside of Europe. Fuck it looks cool
8
Really wish it was an option while I grew up. It would have been the perfect sport for me
2
I’m not too clued up on actual defending in the sport but outside of that I feel I’d be really good at it too
1
Super popular where I live, but only for school children really. Definitely loved playing it as a kid, though.
1
It was very disappointing to learn that the Japanese guy who called Naomi Osaka, a half-Japanese half-Haitian pro tennis player a gorilla with mental illness after she lost at an early stage of the Olympic tournament was a huge rugby fan. I know every sport fan base has a fair share of bigots but l was pretty disappointed regardless. But the good news is that he lost his job as the writer for a Japanese hobby magazine.
8
ya there's far too many of those people in rugby
5
Ah yes. The rugby incel.
1
I lost my wallet on Saturday and could not find it, searched my house and the car from top to bottom, went to the pub and rang the guards and no sign of it
just walked into my bedroom and it's sitting in the middle of the floor, I'm really confused by it
8
You are slowly discovering that old age creeps up on us, one day you forget where your wallet is, the next you know you need to say a little rhyme in your head every morning before leaving the house so that you don't forget anything.
2
Gonna tell someone to get off their lawn soon
1
And why should they be on my lawn!? Those little shits need to learn to stay off my lawn!
1
I just religiously put things in exactly the same place every single time. Keys in this pocket, train ticket just here, etc. it’s the only way I can do it.
1
For me, left pocket keys and vape. right pocket phone, back pocket wallet and headphones on head. And while home, they all goes into the same hat. If the system breaks down only bad things happen.
4
This is the way.
3
an optimistic metaphor for the lions’ chances?
1
hopefully, at least I'll be able to buy pints for it tomorrow
1
Anyone watched the rock climbing in the Olympics? Definitely my didn’t know it existed as an Olympic sport but I love it for this years Olympic Games
7
Aye, I boulder (to a shit level) and I just watch in awe.
7
It's definitely one of those sports I could get really into, can't wait till the bouldering gyms get open again properly
3
Absolutely silly levels of skill climbing a 15m wall in less than 6seconds.
5
It looks great! It's been a lot more fun to watch as a layman than fencing or something.
Edit: I get the sweatiest palms when watching too!
3
Got my J&J vaccine on Wednesday 🥳
Led to me getting like four hours sleep from shivers and fever that night, followed by 11 hours sleep last night, so I think it balances out
7
I had my second Pfizer on Wednesday and my bones have been aching since! Not quite as bad today as yesterday though.
1
If you get a chance to watch Annika Schleu in the modern pentathlon, try and find it. Clear number one after a few events until the random horse allocation for the showjumping absolutely screwed her. Like an absurd slow motion car crash that you spent 5 years planning to avoid.
https://mobile.twitter.com/JeepneyJulez/status/1423593430207324164
7
Damn that's sad. Got to question the fairness of random horse allocation for that. Surely any of these 3 options are fairer:
- let the penthatletes bring their own horse
- hold the show jumping last and let the leader at that point get first choice on the horse, second place get next choice and so on and so forth
- reduce points for this event
Of course, I know nothing about horse jumping and for all I know she was just really bad at it, but on the surface it just seems harsh.
4
It's something I've been told isn't too uncommon.
It's an event that's supposed to be like what would a 1890's soldier need to be at good to escape from behind enemy lines. Having a limited time with a horse and trying to control them is part of the sport. It's 1890's James Bond LARPing.
Supposedly they both are good at showjumping its just something didn't go right.
3
There are 2 cable machines in the gym. Doing the exact same exercise on both I can do 31kg on the one machine, but only 17 on the other. Something is definitely wrong here.
7
Maybe it’s time to cut back on the masturbation
8
A very specific part of me wishes that was the problem.
8
That is truly the classiest response to wanking joke ever!
Also is one of the machines measuring plates in lb (pounds) and the other in kg?
Edit 35lb = 16kg(ish)
1
Both weight racks have labels showing both pounds and kgs. Although the weight per plate does differ.
2
My wife and kids are off to France for 2.5 months to visit the family. I’m staying back in NZ. I’m both happy for them and worried about the delta variant. Scary, weird times.
6
Awww man. How are things over there (NZ) at the minute?
3
Yeah it’s very good man. Basically been more or less Covid free since the outset. Just scary seeing your family leave the safety of NZ and into the big wide world. Happy for them tho coz been 3 years since they’ve seen their parents/grandparents.
5
That's awesome! Did you get an exception?
How will you get them back in NZ?
Unless their borders are way more lax than Australai?
2
Yeah it is awesome. No exemption needed, they’re free to travel to France, and they’re going via Singapore, which is great.
They will have to do two weeks of managed isolation when they arrive back to NZ (basically locked in a hotel room for two weeks).
None are vaccinated yet, but will do it on arrival to France. Hence the nervousness, but I’m sure they’ll be fine.
Will be the first time I’m alone that long for over a decade, no idea what I’m going to do! Probably just annoy people even more on here lol.
1
Holy shit man. I'm so jealous.
I'm on the verge of moving back to SA because I have not seen my Partner since January and it does not look like Australia will be opening until at least next July.
Enjoy the alone time!
With the internationals starting Bledisloe and RC I can imagine you are super excited for the next few months of Ruggers on the couch
2
Thanks man! Shit yeah i think I’ll be seeing basically every rugby match from now until November.
Sorry to hear about the separation from your partner. It’s just a crazy time huh? Would that be a permanent move back or?
Can’t wait for things to go back to normal. I miss going to Australia and I’d love to travel back to South Africa some day.
1
They will love it, and will see that Europe is not the Covid ravaged continent that NZ media portray it to be.
2
Can't believe that tomorrow's Bledisloe doesn't have a UK broadcaster. There's no way you can watch the game legally in the UK. Madness.
6
Just announced, sky sports have the Bledisloe and the whole rugby championship
5
That’s good but why is rugby so half arsed about this kind of thing these days? Weird, isn’t it?
2
It's probably because (at least somewhat enforced by Covid) a lot of money has fallen out of TV rights barring the biggest sports.
For example, iirc the new Premiership Rugby TV deal is worth less than the old one.
So I suspect what's happened with this is that SANZAAR/whoever sells the rights has set the price at X, and no one has come in for them as they don't really make UK broadcasters money.
(This is what happened with the Top 14 rights in the UK too iirc).
But as game day has come closer, it's embarrassing for a Union to not have their flagship tournament rights sold in a major rugby market, so the price has come down to a point where sky will pay for it.
Also because any money is better than none - if it's like the Australia Vs France series, Sky will just use the host footage rather than have their own studio guests.
1
Phew!
1
viprow.me 🙄😉😇
3
Really looking forward to the Prem starting so I can complain about Wasps fans whinging instead of complaining about South Africa fans whinging whilst doing the same thing myself
5
Since moving to Ireland, I've been making an on-and-off, but nonetheless conscientious, attempt to learn Irish. It's quite difficult, not the language in of itself per se, but because of the amount of really quite bad non-native produced learning material out there. Beyond the learning materials, however, there's lots of great media indeed.
I know a lot of my peers wonder why I'm not learning Chinese because it is more 'useful', but I don't see how that is true for me - the only language I'm exposed to on a daily basis in Ireland other than English is Irish (e.g. radio, work, signage, etc.). It's really hard to learn a language when you really never find yourself using it.
5
Ironically, when I lived in Ireland, I started learning Portuguese because I had a load of Brazilian friends there. In general, a bit easier than Irish, but getting the pronunciation right was a real challenge.
3
Miss the rds pints :-) hope you are doing well
1
Is speaking Gaelic in Ireland still widespread? I have been wondering about Scotland as well. The only two areas where I have heard Gaelic still spoken is of course Wales but also a bit in Britainy France. I love the fact that they still speak the old languages and it would be a shame if these languages just die out. I feel it should be part of their identities.
2
Not at all widespread, unfortunately. It is predicted to die out as a community language in the next couple of decades. I believe we are at the ultimate tipping point right now. I agree with your sentiment entirely, and it will be very sad on an intrinsic level.
That being said, I hear it on the radio (natively) everyday I drive into work. It's all over on information signage on my dog-walks too. At the university, the language is around in 'Pop-up Gaelteachts' and conversation sessions. I'm constantly wondering 'what does it mean???'.
If I become fluent, my opportunities to speak it would be quite seldom, but I'd at least be able to understand, read, and listen to it everyday, which I guess is my aim and it'd be really nice.
I actually went through a phase of learning Afrikaans at the start of lockdown - found music I liked: Early B, Jack Parow...and tried reading about rugby through Netwerk24. But, it was hard to keep motivated to engage with the language when it's just so far out of your normal sphere (esp since Netwerk24 is paywall restricted!). Sounds beautiful though!
2
I applaud your commitment. I have been married to a French wife for nearly 14 years and can only just about get by on my French. That said, she learned how to understand Afrikaans during one road trip to Cape Town and back. Turns out it's not a very difficult language so there is hope for you yet in learning it.
2
Welsh isn't a Gaelic language.
2
And so I learn. What language is it? Saxonesqe? I am quite ignorant on the subject being from SA and never even knowing Wales could speak anything other than English.
1
Welsh is Brythonic. Gaelic is Irish, the Scots were just an Irish bunch that took some other cold hilly place over
7
They are both Celtic languages related at two hierarchal levels above, so it goes:
Indo-European -> Celtic -> Insular Celtic -> Gaelic -> Irish
Indo-European -> Celtic -> Insular Celtic -> Brythonic -> Welsh
Tons of people mix up Celtic/Gaelic terminology, even in Ireland. Difference is one of scale really.
5
I cleaned up the beers in the fridge last night knowing I had to solo look after the toddler, all I know is pain
4
I know that pain all too well. Think about the hair of the dog later (or sooner). Always works for me.
3
Not sure how I cant be fucked working for another 40 odd years.
Jobs a joke. Nobody knows anything but the buck stops with me apparently. Might stsrt job hunting when I hit a year in here, so not that long.
Booked a week and a half off work ages ago and thank god its here now. Taking the boy (dog) for a big walk up a hill this morning and bringing the camera to hopefully get some decent shots off the city/dog.
4
I spent about 12 years feeling that way. Started to really look into the whole FIRE thing but got rather sad when I realised that I would still not have enough money for retirement even if I saved every cent I could for the next 30 years. The wonders of a dead end career.
Then suddenly I got the job I'm in now. Much lower salary, but so far I am enjoying it so much that early retirement isn't even remotely as attractive as it used to be.
3
I had a look at that sub once
"Software Engineer in SF. $225k a year. How do I manage this?"
Disheartening to say the least
3
Or people at the age of 28 with a net worth over a million. If I saved every cent of my salary and escaped taxes I'd reach that several years after dying of old age.
2
My wife is 6 months pregnant, we are basically isolating her (and as much as possible ourselves) as here there are no vaccinations for pregnant ladies. Haven't seen family and friends in a long time as we are desperately avoiding contact with anyone. On the up side we are starting to tile the roof next week, shell of the house is almost done.
4
Mahoosive congratulations! My daughter was born about a month before this COVID shit show started. You're doing absolutely the right thing and oddly we did the whole home improvement thing as well! Good luck to you and your wife.
2
Thank you
2
Yeah absolutely the right thing to be fair. We did the same with my wife. We now have a healthy 8 week old and are so happy we were so stringent with it all.
1
I had two cousins born during covid. Its was a very weird experience with the extra precautions but went without trouble. My girlfriend works in hospitals and clinics often with babies and even in the lower income areas the covid related complications around childbirth are almost negligable. If you have any nerves don't worry everything will be fine. She sees hundreds of kids come out all the time even in these anxious times.
2
So many people go on about not wanting scrums or rucks, wanting more free flowing running rugby, and generally wanting rugby without forwards. Have none of these people heard of sevens?
Watched a couple of games from the late 80s/early 90s recently, and I think people's memory is mistaken when it comes to being a free flowing era.
People say there's a lot of kicking now. There was so much of it then. Unless the break was clearly on, teams kicked as line outs were far more contestable if it wasn't your ball.
Every ruck is a complete mess - multiple infringements, constant knock ons that aren't picked up, never any clean ball for the scrum halves etc.
The reason there's the space for those line breaks and attacking rugby people remember is the rucks used to take up every forward.
I'm really not sure how free flowing rugby can be achieved fully, beyond a psychological switch from every nation to being New Zealand/Japan.
Rugby's appeal is in part due to its forwards games - that's not to say there aren't issues such as every line out taking 20 years - but rugby has never really been as free flowing as people remember imo
Bear in mind that people watch a single famous classic match and think every single game from that era was like that.
Also, we are all so ridiculously addicted to dopamine thanks to stuff like Facebook and Reddit etc that having to go more than 30 seconds without the next fix is excruciating.
I would love to see how "ball in play" or "live" time in today's games compares to games of the past.
I feel like the inevitable conclusion of this chat is rugby League. Guess what? It exists. Guess what? It’s not good viewing.
This is a good argument. Show people what actually happens when everything they want and claim will fix the game happens, and let them realise how bad it is.
I'll admit that I was a proponent of the captain's review. I'm really glad we tried it. It was absolutely horrible and I definitely prefer the game without it. I'm glad we tried it though.
There's nothing like a good ruck
Players should be able to use boots and studs again to clear out opposing players slowing down the ball