Watching opening ceremony.

Anyway, have we been lulling everyone into a false sense of security since Borthwick took over?

I know the answer is no btw.

Mad that the world's top 5 countries are in the same group.

Well that came at just the right time

What a kick

That bald front rower England just brought off must be about 50

9 minutes ago, Lt. Aldo Raine said:

That bald front rower England just brought off must be about 50

I thought that. Most look in their 40s

Heartbreak on the horizon here I reckon

But I'd rather be happy than right

Nerve wracking this

Great job against 15 South Africans but when the Kiwi made it 16 the game was over.

5 minutes ago, maaarsh said:

Great job against 15 South Africans but when the Kiwi made it 16 the game was over.

get over it

Fantastic performance from a team that looked like also rans when the tournament started.

Bottle jobs

I won't lie, I'm gutted. The only consolation I get from this, and I thought it was a possibility going into the game, is that we didn't get hammered.

The final can fuck off!

Gareth Southgate would have got us to the final.

It was a great performance. 

Commentators during and after commented about how SA were scrummaging, but I'll leave that to the technical experts.

It changed when they brought on more massive fuckers and our subs weren't quite a strong. Result- scrummaging issues.

Whether we could have played more passing at that point and less kicking I don't know- on more than one occasion we conceded knock ons from chasing those kicks and that handed them scrums.

It had worked for most of the game though.

Tough to take, but they can hold their heads high. Never gave an inch and total commitment. 

6 hours ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

It was a great performance. 

Commentators during and after commented about how SA were scrummaging, but I'll leave that to the technical experts.

It changed when they brought on more massive fuckers and our subs weren't quite a strong. Result- scrummaging issues.

Whether we could have played more passing at that point and less kicking I don't know- on more than one occasion we conceded knock ons from chasing those kicks and that handed them scrums.

It had worked for most of the game though.

Tough to take, but they can hold their heads high. Never gave an inch and total commitment. 

Certainly something to be admired that England rugby tend to turn up at World Cups. Often outperforming their previous form. 

Italy at the Euros another example. Still struggle to reconcile them winning that game, they deserved it too. 

I mean its starting to be more the case but wish England football teams did the same. 

I hope NZ dick 'em 🖤🖤

 

7 hours ago, Lt. Aldo Raine said:

 

Joker poke her?

Former Welsh international Andrew Coombes diagnosed with dementia and probable CTE aged just 39

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/sport/2023/dec/03/former-wales-forward-andrew-coombs-diagnosed-with-dementia

It's difficult to see how rugby survives in its current state 

4 hours ago, Lt. Aldo Raine said:

Former Welsh international Andrew Coombes diagnosed with dementia and probable CTE aged just 39

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/sport/2023/dec/03/former-wales-forward-andrew-coombs-diagnosed-with-dementia

It's difficult to see how rugby survives in its current state 

Going to be a difficult time. And with potential effects on other sports, including football. 

It's a funny one, as it is an impressive sight seeing them clattering into each other, and maybe if that physicality goes, the sport loses its following. 

25 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

Going to be a difficult time. And with potential effects on other sports, including football. 

It's a funny one, as it is an impressive sight seeing them clattering into each other, and maybe if that physicality goes, the sport loses its following. 

It is, but given the spate of neurological problems players are now suffering in early retirement and the life-changing diagnoses, I wonder if since professionalism came in, players are just too big and strong

1 hour ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

Going to be a difficult time. And with potential effects on other sports, including football. 

It's a funny one, as it is an impressive sight seeing them clattering into each other, and maybe if that physicality goes, the sport loses its following. 

I know football certainly gained momentum with Jeff Astle etc but it seems to have died down 

1 hour ago, Lt. Aldo Raine said:

It is, but given the spate of neurological problems players are now suffering in early retirement and the life-changing diagnoses, I wonder if since professionalism came in, players are just too big and strong

Maybe; their size doesn't seem to protect the head!

I suppose modern medicine may also give more insight, whereas previously, such illnesses won't have been recognised and just put down to age etc.

26 minutes ago, DirtySanchez said:

I know football certainly gained momentum with Jeff Astle etc but it seems to have died down 

Aye, not in the news as much.

https://www.englandfootball.com/participate/learn/Brain-Health

Some stuff had happened though.

I think there's probably a fair possibility the lack of professionalism and the slower pace of the sport in decades gone by reduced the severity of the impact

No doubt modern medicine has improved and is capable of shedding a light on the neurological damage, however these men - some of whom were the top internationals of their day - are likely to require full-time care by their early fifties and I don't recall reading stories like that previously

Sadly, I don't think rugby or football is doing nearly enough

I'm not sure either sport can do enough. 

Football requires players to head the ball.

Only way to fully guard against injury is to stop heading.

With rugby, do they stop tackling?

Fundamental shifts in the nature of each sport.

3 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

I'm not sure either sport can do enough. 

Football requires players to head the ball.

Only way to fully guard against injury is to stop heading.

With rugby, do they stop tackling?

Fundamental shifts in the nature of each sport.

Me neither

But particularly in football, they could put in place better concussion protocols

What we have now is far too lax