Broadcast options for Australian Rugby

[Rugbynutter39]

You are missing some wonderful classic replays.

Holding of cancelling fox now announced local derbies as good to also see force involved as well but wonder how they will address force being more nrc level standard (which was find / appropriate for rapid rugby). Maybe force recruit a few Sunwolves oz based players who now have no side. Ie dargaville, schatz etc

 

[Rugbynutter39]

Just watched reds vs crusader final decider game on RA app - gees that was a superb reds side and reminded me that back then Quade was at his peak and very good.

 

[wamberal]

Just watched reds vs crusader final decider game on RA app - gees that was a superb reds side and reminded me that back then Quade was at his peak and very good.

Just like the little girl with a curl right in the middle of her forehead. When he was good he was very, very, good, when he was bad he was horrid!!!

 

[Rugbynutter39]

Sadly after his injury Quade was never the same and generally more horrible than good but too many people were holding onto the 2011 memory of Quade and hoping for a rebirth - it never happened. Quade was past his used by date years ago and thorn made the right decision to shunt him

 

[wamberal]

Sad but true. Thorn seems to have made some pretty good decisions. Quade was capable of doing things with the ball that I have never seen any other player come close to emulating. Unfortunately, his judgement was awry, and he sometimes chose the wrong option, or the right option at the wrong time.


And as for his defence? Words fail me.

 

[Brumby Runner]

Beale-esque or should that be burlesque?

 

[Joe King]

I remember following Beale into the Australian School Boys teams (05/06) and finding out there was some Queenslander he was sharing the 10 jersey with. At that stage, I kept thinking who could possibly be good enough to match Beale (after all the media hype)? Of course, it was Quade Cooper!

 

[Brumby Runner]

I seem to recall Matt To'omua being rated better than the two of them after one year's schoolboys championship.

 

[qwerty51]

That's complete fiction? Beale was the best schoolboy player I've ever seen.

Sadly after his injury Quade was never the same and generally more horrible than good but too many people were holding onto the 2011 memory of Quade and hoping for a rebirth - it never happened. Quade was past his used by date years ago and thorn made the right decision to shunt him

I think Quade had a mini-rebirth in 2013, especially on that EOYT but it was short lived.

 

[Adam84]

Kurtley Beale was the Kalyn Ponga before the social media era

 

[wamberal]

Kurtley Beale was the Kalyn Ponga before the social media era

With the best will in the world, I cannot imagine Kurtley ever being in huge demand in the other code. Just his crappy tackling alone would rule him out.

 

[Joe King]

What went wrong for Kurtley? Why did he not continue to develop as a no 10? Did they throw him in there too early? Was it his tackling? Was it the way they play at seniors level? What?

 

[Italophile]

Many years ago, when the ABC broadcast schools rugby, I watched Kurtley at 10 for Joeys completely demolish the oppo. In skiils and instincts terms, a man against boys. The Tahs signed him straight from school and started him at 10. It proved to be a case of a boy against men. The time and space and subsequent lack of pressure he enjoyed at schoolboy level just didn't exist at Super level. They finally shifted him to 15. His lack of experience understandably caught him out and his defence was always poor but his skills and instincts had a freer rein. I think Kurtley's problem is that he has always relied on skills and instincts. He has never developed a foundation, pragmatism, call is what you want.

 

[wamberal]

Kurtley was playing First XV at the age of 15 or so? Sounds as though he did not really go through the right sort of development arc, his strengths were so prodigious that they masked his weaknesses.

 

[Rebels3]

You’d think you guys are talking about some failed career and not someone that has been nominated for World Player of the Year, has won the John Eales medal and the Waratahs all time caps winner.

 

[wamberal]

You’d think you guys are talking about some failed career and not someone that has been nominated for World Player of the Year, has won the John Eales medal and the Waratahs all time caps winner.

Those of us who were watching Kurtley way back when thought that he would be a superstar. I had a private bet with myself that he would make the 2007 RWC squad!!


He has had some career highlights, but nothing like a Dan Carter, for example. Or lots of other great players.



Some fairly average performers (by world standards) have won the John Eales Medal. At the risk of sounding mean, somebody has to win it.


Ditto, somebody has to have the most Waratahs' caps. That is a function of longevity in the game, not necessarily of stardom.



None of this is intended to demean Kurtley, and his career, which has meant that he has been an almost automatic Wallaby selection since he broke into the national colours in 2009.

 

[Derpus]

Over the last decade every half decent Wallaby team has had an in-form KB (Kurtley Beale) in it. He was in the form of his life in 2015.

He's always been a bit frustrating to watch and he never learnt to defend but he has been among our best for a decade. It's hardly his fault we didn't produce any better, more rounded players to usurp him.

 

[Joe King]

Those of us who were watching Kurtley way back when thought that he would be a superstar. I had a private bet with myself that he would make the 2007 RWC squad!!


He has had some career highlights, but nothing like a Dan Carter, for example. Or lots of other great players.



Some fairly average performers (by world standards) have won the John Eales Medal. At the risk of sounding mean, somebody has to win it.


Ditto, somebody has to have the most Waratahs' caps. That is a function of longevity in the game, not necessarily of stardom.



None of this is intended to demean Kurtley, and his career, which has meant that he has been an almost automatic Wallaby selection since he broke into the national colours in 2009.

Yes, I think it has to do with what we were expecting of him. He was just so good compared to others at a schoolboy level, we expected that to be the case at a senior level as well.

 

[Joe King]

Many years ago, when the ABC broadcast schools rugby, I watched Kurtley at 10 for Joeys completely demolish the oppo. In skiils and instincts terms, a man against boys. The Tahs signed him straight from school and started him at 10. It proved to be a case of a boy against men. The time and space and subsequent lack of pressure he enjoyed at schoolboy level just didn't exist at Super level. They finally shifted him to 15. His lack of experience understandably caught him out and his defence was always poor but his skills and instincts had a freer rein. I think Kurtley's problem is that he has always relied on skills and instincts. He has never developed a foundation, pragmatism, call is what you want.

It's interesting, there's really not a lot of difference between the Aussie schoolboys and NZ schoolboys teams each year. But then something dramatic happens between schoolboys and u20's/Super for players in NZ that doesn't happen (or hasn't been happening) for players in Australia. Is it simply their provincial comp?

And why do all the NZ Super teams play the same high quality/attractive brand of rugby? Is it simply a matter of centralisation?

These two elements I believe, are the key to their success at Test level. Surely we should be doing everything we can to emulate them, and go one better than them, in this regard. How do we do it? Some may say we've already started. What needs to improve?

 

[formerflanker]

Yes, I think it has to do with what we were expecting of him. He was just so good compared to others at a schoolboy level, we expected that to be the case at a senior level as well.

Kurtley was not just a wonderful schoolboy playmaker but his speed and height were in the top 5% of all GPS backs. He was also relatively slender.
Moving to Super Rugby required a little more bulk and that's one reason he came back to the field in terms of blistering pace.
A great athlete to watch in Joeys/NSW schoolboys/Australian schoolboys colours.