New Zealand 2 will deal a massive blow to NZ rugby

[The Great Dane]

The 3 biggest nations in RU have traditionally been Australia, NZ and SA
Apparently if arguably the 2 biggest RU nations fall off it means nothing...

It depends how how you are defining biggest.

BTW, Australia hasn't been shit in RU for the better part of 20 years now, and if anything that's benefited WR by making the WC more competitive. The All Blacks dominance is already tailing off, and it's only benefited WR so far as well.

 

[Te Kaha]

“Half the good teams”

name them

quarter finals at the last RWC:

England
Australia
NZ
Ireland
Wales
France
Japan
South Africa

I don’t see any of those dropping out of contention

Not to mention Ireland and France being 1 and 2 in the world.

 

[Wb1234]

“Half the good teams”

name them

quarter finals at the last RWC:

England
Australia
NZ
Ireland
Wales
France
Japan
South Africa

I don’t see any of those dropping out of contention

The fact you’ve listed australia as a major union nation given what a joke their competition is says how bad the standard is in union

the wallabies are the dregs of our rugby talent

absolute dregs

 

[The Great Dane]

If there is any doubt that the Australians in this thread have no idea about NZ it's these two posts.

NZ's exact population is totally irrelevant to the point I was making.

5 mil is still nothing compared to the tens of millions in other large RU markets.

 

[Te Kaha]

NZ's exact population is totally irrelevant to the point I was making.

5 mil is still nothing compared to the tens of millions in other large RU markets.

No but it does show plenty about this thread.

 

[Gobsmacked]

It depends how how you are defining biggest.

BTW, Australia hasn't been shit in RU for the better part of 20 years now, and if anything that's benefited WR by making the WC more competitive. The All Blacks dominance is already tailing off, and it's only benefited WR so far as well.

Exactly. The only reason the Northern hemisphere has become as competitive isn't because they got better. It's because Australia and New Zealand are falling away!

You're arguing that, that's progress

 

[The Great Dane]

The fact you’ve listed australia as a major union nation given what a joke their competition is says how bad the standard is in union

the wallabies are the dregs of our rugby talent

absolute dregs

He didn't, he named them as quarter finalists in the last RWC.

If they're 'dregs' (which I think is a reasonable assessment BTW) what does it make the PI's, of which zero made the quarter finals... Are you starting to see the point yet.

 

[Wb1234]

He didn't, he named them as quarter finalists in the last RWC.

If they're 'dregs' (which I think is a reasonable assessment BTW) what does it make the PI's, of which zero made the quarter finals... Are you starting to see the point yet.

Go back to 1987

the pi have been strong in the World Cup

you think many people in Italy or Argentina give a stuff about union ? Lol

 

[The Great Dane]

Exactly. The only reason the Northern hemisphere has become as competitive isn't because they got better. It's because Australia and New Zealand are falling away!

You're arguing that, that's progress

You're completely ignorant of RU if you think that other nations haven't got more competitive in RU.

The Brave Blossoms are a great example. The progress they've made over the last 30 years is astounding.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

NZ has so much depth we’d still be heavyweights if they lost half the player base. Australia might drop back a bit but it wouldn’t be that much that it they’d still not be tier 1.

 

[The Great Dane]

Go back to 1987

the pi have been strong in the World Cup

Not particularly.

In fact this whole discussion started because of a YouTube video where a bloke was lamenting the fact that they haven't been very competitive in international RU.

Mate none of them are even ranked in the top ten anymore, unless we're including NZ...

you think many people in Italy or Argentina give a stuff about union ? Lol

Not compared to soccer sure. But even as a niche sport in those nations, and others like them, it'd be more lucrative than the PI's as a whole.

 

[Wb1234]

NZ has so much depth we’d still be heavyweights if they lost half the player base. Australia might drop back a bit but it wouldn’t be that much that it they’d still not be tier 1.

All blacks disgrace themselves going onto a field against such a team of nobodies

they are an embarrassment to our standards

 

[Wb1234]

Not particularly.

In fact this whole discussion started because of a YouTube video where a bloke was lamenting the fact that they haven't been very competitive in international RU.

Mate none of them are even ranked in the top ten anymore, unless we're including NZ...

Not compared to soccer sure. But even as a niche sport in those nations, and others like them, it'd be more lucrative than the PI's as a whole.

Union is full of a lot of nieches

England included

soccer annhilates it

 

[Gobsmacked]

He didn't, he named them as quarter finalists in the last RWC.

If they're 'dregs' (which I think is a reasonable assessment BTW) what does it make the PI's, of which zero made the quarter finals... Are you starting to see the point yet.

That's right Rugby league has pick the best pacific island talent.
Fiji, Samoa, Tonga have all fallen off the international Union map, Australia is and on this trajectory if the NRL plays their cards right so will NZ.

Union are about to loose the entire pacific.
And despite your ignorance, RU is in massive trouble in England! 2 of their oldest proudest clubs just went bankrupt and there's 2 more close!
An equivalent would be Souths and Parramatta just folded and the Raiders and Newcastle are on the brink. That's where Union is domestically atm

All these comps in Union can fail and the international scene will still be fine because they're all equally shit.

 

[Wb1234]

It’s funny the islanders in union aren’t good now

cause in league they are the elite. The best of the best

maybe the game suits them more. The training is more precise

who knows but talent wise they rule the roost

 

[The Great Dane]

Australia (rip)
Nz
Tonga
Samoa
Fiji

Missed this, and it's a doozy. You're f**king clueless lol.

Let me give you a hand-https://www.world.rugby/tournaments/rankings/mru

 

[Pippen94]

It’s funny the islanders in union aren’t good now

cause in league they are the elite. The best of the best

maybe the game suits them more. The training is more precise

who knows but talent wise they rule the roost

Probably more opportunity & less discrimination

 

[Gobsmacked]

Missed this, and it's a doozy. You're f**king clueless lol.

Let me give you a hand-https://www.world.rugby/tournaments/rankings/mru

‘Dark day’: English rugby in crisis as second club goes bankrupt, 167 players and staff sacked

‘Dark day’: English rugby in crisis as second club goes bankrupt, 167 players and staff sacked

www.foxsports.com.au

 

[Pippen94]

I'm not a Brumbies fan, haven't been for 20 years now, and what fall lol.

I've been here and done this before.

I was laughed at in the early 90s when I said that the Tina Turner boom was a flash in the pan that wasn't sustainable and that NSWRL was driving a wedge between the successful national sides and the NSWRL clubs that would lead to calamity.

In early 00s I was laughed at when I said that the standard of play in RU, the ARU, and Super Rugby were setting Australian RU up for failure.

I was laughed at in 2013-15 when I said that WSW's boom period wasn't sustainable because, rightly or wrongly, the mainstream culture wouldn't accept the active supporters groups, and that the FFA and A-league's continued focus on Sydney and Melbourne would have diminishing returns.

I could go on, but I'm sure you get the point; I'm used to being laughed at.

We're still laughing at you

 

[Wb1234]

General knowledge question ……

Which rugby code had the first World Cup ?

And how many years before the other was it