The Rugby Union Thread

lloyd

@Rocker ITV have rights for some games this year so it was on there.

Apart from the adverts it was pretty good coverage-some of the BBC guys are horrendous.

Personally I didn't see any high shots by Welsh (I've watched the game back) players and none mentioned on Munsterfans (Ireland's biggest rugby forum) so would be surprised to see any if they haven't mentioned them?

If you can point any out (time on game clock) I'd like to take a look.

If you mean J Roberts hit that was perfectly legal-a superb tackle right on the chest, head in the right place so no risk of a head clash.

As I've said I don't see williams jumping into the first and the second James is clearly lifted.

The gigs are from websites that put up different contentious incidents from games. Vine.com is usually pretty good, these are off somewhere else. Google gifs and the game/incident and you should find some.

snakemanStoo

I think the BT Sports rugby commentary can be good, and also can be amusing when everybody gangs up on Austin Healey.  Mainly because he deserves it.

crunchman

Sometimes you wonder why the other rugby playing nations hate us so much, and then you remember Austin Healey.

eSully

@Rocker are you suggesting the Welsh players didn't obey every law to the letter. Wash your mouth out - You best have some animated gifs to back that up

It was on ITV 1 in the UK if I recall correctly and apart from the ad breaks I thought their coverage was pretty decent. Wilkinson, Drico and Alfie were the pundits. No poetry from Eddie Butler, all good.

The first tackle seen from the other angle could have been a yellow but at the end of the day Garces saw the replay and called it. I wonder did Earls reaction after have a mitigating factor too, he did put his hands up and apologise straight away. 

The 2nd tackle is a non issue, good strong tackle and Tom James momentum brings him upright a bit but there's nothing there worth penalising, I did play rugby up to my late 20's and I wouldn't have taken exception to that. The North tackle, yea it's high, should have been spotted but wasn't. Neither team were saints, particularly at the breakdown so lets not throw stones in glass houses. The games over, we can be Celtic friends again .

lloyd

I think all the platforms have good and bad commentators.

BBC:
Jiffy is shit
Moore is excellent (can be biased when emgland play)

ITV:
Jonny Wilkinson was very good
Shame Williams terrible

BT:
Healy excellent when not trying to wind people up
Dallalgio terrible

eSully

snakemanStoo said:

I think the BT Sports rugby commentary can be good, and also can be amusing when everybody gangs up on Austin Healey.  Mainly because he deserves it.

You should give this a listen then, you'll enjoy it

The story of BOD beating up Austin Healey

eSully

lloyd said:

I think all the platforms have good and bad commentators.

BBC:
Jiffy is shit
Moore is excellent (can be biased when emgland play)

ITV:
Jonny Wilkinson was very good
Shame Williams terrible

BT:
Healy excellent when not trying to wind people up
Dallalgio terrible

Agree with that, I like Brian O'Driscoll and Alfie as pundits as well. As for the BBC, I do like Eddie Butler as a commentator but the poetic montages before games make me cringe.

scrumhalf

Have the Beeb still got Guscott or has he buggered off the The Clothes Show or something similar?

If a pundit is going to be a ny good it often takes time for them to get the measure of things. I think Ben Kay is quite good, but he's taken time to find his feet. David Flatman is a star in the making. Keith Wood should be mandatory regardless of who is playing.

And I'm still waiting for Brian Moore to slot Eddie Butler.

digitalscream

lloyd said:

BBC:
Jiffy is shit
Moore is excellent (can be biased when emgland play)

I think it bears mentioning here that Moore is - usually - only biased against England. I'm convinced that he saves all his best insults and frustration for the England forwards.

lloyd

digitalscream;965747" said:

lloyd said:

BBC:

Jiffy is shit

Moore is excellent (can be biased when emgland play)












I think it bears mentioning here that Moore is - usually - only biased against England. I'm convinced that he saves all his best insults and frustration for the England forwards.

He's very critical of England that's true, he wants them to win-I don't mind that at all. He does slip up for me when he ignores/doesn't see some England infringements-a lot of it is "there's nothing in that" type stuff and he rarely gives credit to opposing scrums. He's still the best for me.

Eddie Butler was great but I think his eyesight is fading as he gets players wrong pretty much every phase of play.

Keith Wood shouldn't be allowed anywhere near an Ireland game, he's so biased it's untrue! He was a favourite of mine when playing but I've gone right off him since he's a pundit.

Nicol sees a different game to me with regards to Scotland but perhaps that's what he's being paid for-put on a positive spin?

I like Kay and Flatman and I find Guscott pretty even handed.

The best analasys I've seen is from Dean Richards on Sky and Gwyn Jones on S4C though Gwyn Jones stuff on BBC has been basic.

I hate ScrumV does anyone watch it? especially the 6 nations stuff which is dumbed down and in the style of Soccer AM but in a pub with fucking terrible "funny" sketches, no real analysis, no real criticism of players-which is needed IMO.

It's embarrassing stuff, you should give it a go.

fretmeister

Everyone is better than Barnes on Sky. Fucking muppet.

Everyone knows Moore is biased and it's part of the fun!

Healey is appalling when Saints are on. He just can't let that rivalry go.

lloyd

fretmeister said:

Everyone is better than Barnes on Sky. Fucking muppet.

Everyone knows Moore is biased and it's part of the fun!

Healey is appalling when Saints are on. He just can't let that rivalry go.

When Healey isn't acting the knob, he's a very shrewd commentator and analyst but he descends into click bait trash journalism a lot, which is a shame for me but that's his thing. Wiz for Barnes, he's terrible.

lloyd

I'd like for once to get some decent analasis that shows some kind of thought or planning. Far too often we get: fronting up, showing heart, leg drives etc etc. I find that recent retirees won't criticise their mates which is understandable but frustrating. This is a great piece on Sunday's game. I'd like a small section like this before a game highlighting scrums or breakdown or defencive systems. http://www.the42.ie/analysis-ireland-defence-wales-six-nations-2016-2591653-Feb2016/

koneguitarist

I think Brian Moore is by far the best as he is so passionate yet, still objective. Plus he actually knows the rules unlike most commentators.

Rocker

Peace brothers. As I made clear, I did not play rugby. Or soccer or Gaeliv football. A little hurling but only Junior level. So I know little about the game of rugby. Except that it has changed a lot in recent years. And not for the better either. And there are too many scores fron penalties. And not enough tries are scored.

lloyd

eSully;965690" said:

@Rocker are you suggesting the Welsh players didn't obey every law to the letter. Wash your mouth out - You best have some animated gifs to back that up

It was on ITV 1 in the UK if I recall correctly and apart from the ad breaks I thought their coverage was pretty decent. Wilkinson, Drico and Alfie were the pundits. No poetry from Eddie Butler, all good.

The first tackle seen from the other angle could have been a yellow but at the end of the day Garces saw the replay and called it. I wonder did Earls reaction after have a mitigating factor too, he did put his hands up and apologise straight away. 

The 2nd tackle is a non issue, good strong tackle and Tom James momentum brings him upright a bit but there's nothing there worth penalising, I did play rugby up to my late 20's and I wouldn't have taken exception to that. The North tackle, yea it's high, should have been spotted but wasn't. Neither team were saints, particularly at the breakdown so lets not throw stones in glass houses. The games over, we can be Celtic friends again .

The laws regarding player safety and tip tackles have changed massively in the last 5 years, so what was ok to you will have changed to be fair.

I've said over and over here that Wales held on at breakdown and are no saints especially at the breakdown-every team cheats at every breakdown.

The dirty high stuff should be cut out though, it's dangerous-I didn't see anything like that from Wales (this weekend!) the Irish stuff was unintentional IMO but should have been penalised more.

It's funny how we both be see different things of the second one-I think its clear cut and you don't-good for a debate and highlights the problem the refs have!

cj73

lloyd said:

I think all the platforms have good and bad commentators.

BBC:
Jiffy is shit
Moore is excellent (can be biased when emgland play)

ITV:
Jonny Wilkinson was very good
Shame Williams terrible

BT:
Healy excellent when not trying to wind people up
Dallalgio terrible

We need a time machine....bring back Bill McLaren 

lloyd

Bill was great, the voice of rugby for me. Like Attenborough and nature documentaries.

snakemanStoo

Bill

tbm

lloyd said:

This is a great piece on Sunday's game. I'd like a small section like this before a game highlighting scrums or breakdown or defencive systems. http://www.the42.ie/analysis-ireland-defence-wales-six-nations-2016-2591653-Feb2016/

Yeah, that's Murray Kinsella. The best rugby Irish analyst by a mile. Long, well thought out, balanced articles that he backs up using gifs and youtube clips. It's required reading really. 

I don't think you can expect much with the medium of TV. These people have to comment on events that they've seen once and maybe haven't properly got their head around. Moore is a good example. He's an England fan, so I can't listen to him commentate when they're playing. But I think his podcast is fantastic. I generally agree with his analysis of games and he always has great guests. Ugo Monye would be one of the best ones. Always has good observations.

eSully said:

snakemanStoo said:

I think the BT Sports rugby commentary can be good, and also can be amusing when everybody gangs up on Austin Healey.  Mainly because he deserves it.

You should give this a listen then, you'll enjoy it

The story of BOD beating up Austin Healey

Aye, I love the idea of all the English lads shouting for BOD!