Search results

C'mon. You know and I know that there's no need to jump in the air after kicking a grubber. And there's no reason for your arms and legs to be spread-eagled in the air after said jump, other than a soccer diva-worthy dive. Please... That cringeworthy dive didn't win the game for the 'Canes...

As usual, Hoffman stinks up a good game. Also, per usual, Kiwi side infringe regularly and repeatedly inside their 10m: Canes clearly in from the side on a Force maul, to turn it over, offside all day long, pathetic yellow on DHP after some soccer antics by Perenera (that was the TMO), then he...

He definitely has a much more limited set of skills compared to, say, Beale. But he's been great as a midfield playmaker and putting guys through holes, and he's gone through a few himself. Adds a little aggro in defense as well. Haven't seen him throw a wide pass at all, which leads me to...

Clearly, but he's not in the June tests, right?

I doubt it would ever happen, as he's not a fancied player, but Cheika would do well to at least have a look at Meakes in camp. He's been the playmaker in numerous Force linebreaks and a few rare set piece tries - like the one in this match (and remember the try vs. the Sharks?). And he's not to...

I liked the way they finally added a little diversity in their backline moves. Instead of repeatedly running the same "out the back" / second line move, they started using the short option, which proved effective. Much less predictable - other sides were picking this off and shutting it down...

Agreed - but that's the issue, isn't it? One blinder, then one debacle. That's a conversation for another day - he played great tonight, great under the high ball as well. Hands were much better than usual.

I -think- Stander has played 7 earlier in the season. Wondering where Koteka is myself. Burton looked sub-par in his two(?) appearances this season.

True - Hodgo isn't as good at cheating.

He's never been a great ballcarrier, but brings so much more to the table. And if you have a balanced backrow (having, say, Naisarani at 8 and Stander at 6), you have your ball carrying roles covered. FF (Folau Fainga'a), it seems that many people now look to Hooper as the template for a 7, when he's the...

On the feed I was watching (ESPN3 in the US), when Wessels was talking to the physio or whoever was running the comms down on the field, you could hear the audio of the message he was giving them thru his walkie-talkie. The part I saw was when Arnold had the yellow, there was a scrum and he was...

Exactly - akin to sitting on the veranda of a house falling down due to rot, yelling "your house is a disgrace!". Did the Force stink it up agains the Sharks? You betcha. But there's nobody else in Oz who should be throwing stones.

I couldn't agree with you more that they played like crap. But you're missing the point. They've run some of the top teams close, and yes, they need to figure out how to get over the line. But to be fair, this is the first real beating they've taken this season. It was garbage - they know it...

Let's keep things in perspective here - for all the Force's attacking woes, the Tahs have the same amount of losses and only one more win. And they're only two points better on the +/-. Given the state of affairs i Australian rugby, I'd say the Force are about dead average. And, given the...

Should've been a yellow, at the least.

Exactly - that's how many times he was able to get away with it.

that may be the worst ref performance I've seen in a while. How many Cru infringements in the red zone with only one card? Here's a screenshot from the penalty the Cru won after their 25th scrum collapse. Crockett, as usual, angles way in, DIRECTLY in front of Hoffman. What a clown - this...

Wow - I hadn't realized it was that bad. Thanks for the update @chiraag.

Jeez, you guys were swimming in it!

How about Jonno Lance? Was he injured or did he just get a rest? He looked like he was wincing a bit on the bench. Also, does anyone have any info on Cottrell? I hadn't heard anything about him being injured, although I may have missed some off-season news.