Rugby Union

[invergowrie arab]

2 hours ago, lichtie23 said:

Wouldn’t we have a bonus point?

And what difference would that make if the game is cancelled.

[Salvo Montalbano]

Very sporting of the England and New Zealand coaches coming out and saying that if Scotland are eliminated through the weather then they only have themselves to blame. According to them you shouldn’t solely rely on planning to win enough points over the four matches to qualify. No, you have to also think what will happen if there is a major weather problem during the tournament. What utter crap from two coaches that are probably going to benefit from their final group matches being called off. 

At least New Zealand played their other seeded country; England have had the luxury of playing their easier games then having their only other potential rival and third seed down to 14 men. The schedule has truly shafted Scotland here, and that's before the short turn around before what was always lively to be a shoot out for a quarter final spot.

[Savage Henry]

At least New Zealand played their other seeded country; England have had the luxury of playing their easier games then having their only other potential rival and third seed down to 14 men. The schedule has truly shafted Scotland here, and that's before the short turn around before what was always lively to be a shoot out for a quarter final spot.

Japan has had precisely the same schedule as Scotland. The only difference is that they didn’t wet the bed against Ireland.

[kent_don]

Just now, Savage Henry said:

 

Japan has had precisely the same schedule as Scotland. The only difference is that they didn’t wet the bed against Ireland.

 

Not exactly the same schedule - what if Ireland played Japan first and Scotland had the chance to thump Russia first? it all could have been completely different.

 

Also if people are going to cite the Ireland game as the ‘real reason’ for failure to qualify they should just change the format of the tournament to a straight knockout...

[HibeeJibee]

Eddie Jones statements that "we had an idea it could happen" and accordingly everyone should have "accumulated enough points" utterly avoids the issue. It so happens this has hit the last group games, and England & France had played the 3 weaker sides already and qualified, so of course they've accumulated enough points. Others either still have a likely win to play (e.g. Ireland) or have a likely head-to-head to play with whoever accumulates the points finishing 2nd (e.g. Japan-Scotland - and Italy-NZ on paper).

Nor does the rule only apply to the last group games or do typhoons only hit Japan on second weekends in October. Would he have been similarly bullish if Argentina v England had been washed-out... i.e. Argentina 11pts > England 10pts ?!?!

[come on shire]

11 hours ago, Sergeant Wilson said:

It's only rugby.

That's what I'd say about football if I followed a national team who'd last got to a World Cup when I was winding up primary school but nothing since and I'm past the half-way to 60 mark.

[come on shire]

4 hours ago, HibeeJibee said:

 

Rule is different in knockouts (bizarrely): you can try again 24hrs later. After that it presumably goes to try and discipline countback.

Typhoon of Sat-Sun 2nd-3rd Nov = "no Final"?

It seems quite odd that as it's still part of the same tournament.

They couldn't re-schedule these games and/or potentially won't reschedule Japan v Scotland to the Mon as it's "against the rules". However if that's the case then the rules don't allow for common sense and fairness.

Also, they've had years to draw up contingency plans for games to be played. The weather can't be helped and safety's paramount but there didn't seem to be scope for a reserve date either side of the scheduled date, or for alternative venues to be put on stand-by. If the hosts don't get their final game and they get to the knock-outs coz of a weather phenomenon then it's going to cause huge embarrassment.

[AFCDannyFTH]

The folk organising this tournament should be utterly embarrassed. It's going to go down as one of the most tinpot tournaments in recent sporting history.

If teams are going to be advantaged/disadvantaged by a postponement or cancellation, there absolutely has to be a reschedule. Otherwise, "sporting integrity" goes clean out the window.

 

Also, Eddie Jones can go f**k himself.

[GordonS]

4 hours ago, Savage Henry said:

 

Japan has had precisely the same schedule as Scotland. The only difference is that they didn’t wet the bed against Ireland.

 

I don't understand why people think this argument isn't mental.

Did Ireland "wet the bed" against Japan and now deserve to go out?

At the last world cup, in our group, we lost to the top seed, Japan beat the top seed, then we beat Japan and went through. Did we somehow not really deserve it so much because we got the points in the wrong order? What's different this time?

People seem to feel the need to make up weird arguments to support a line they've chosen to take. I don't understand it. 

[GordonS]

Eddie Jones is an arsehole, he's always been an arsehole, and he gets a free pass from the English media because he always gives good copy. They don't care about a manager who insults every other country, it's pretty much how they do things.

The idea that, with 4 days notice, they couldn't have arranged some accommodation and got a plane with the two squads and staffs down to Kyushu and played the game there is laughable. It's far from ideal, but it's much worse to risk putting Japan through and not playing the match at all.

[Mark Connolly]

Reports this morning that the SRU may take legal action to force the game to go ahead with a 24hr postponement as they think there is leeway in the rules for such an event. If that's the case, then absolutely crack on, though after years of dealing with them, its an odd  feeling to think that the SRU might be the ones who are right in such a clusterfuck!

On the point, about "rules have been in place and should be followed", I'm definitely one of the people who has said this, and while I still take the stance that you shouldn't be changing tournament regulations once the tournament has started, it doesn't mean that I necessarily agree that those should have been the rules in the first place. It is utterly ridiculous that they hadn't set the schedule to allow for situations like this. At the very least, it's a total PR disaster when this should be the pinnacle of the game. The fallout could last for a very long time.

Of course, my feelings are now drifting somewhere between "Why always us?" and "We'll get the game on and get robbed in the last minute".

[peasy23]

reading his tweet and the fact he has a chip on his shoulder about the All Blacks it is probably a load of bollocks 
 

His first tweet on that thread is the most interesting one, as it appears there are no contingency plans at all.

[sjc]

In fairness to the organisers, although it is typhoon season, we have had an unusually high number of them hit the mainland (Honshu) this year. Normally it's Okinawa that gets hit by them. 

Okinawa is a 4 hour flight south of Tokyo btw, so it's not like it's just down the road.

[Mark Connolly]

45 minutes ago, sjc said:

In fairness to the organisers, although it is typhoon season, we have had an unusually high number of them hit the mainland (Honshu) this year. Normally it's Okinawa that gets hit by them. 

Okinawa is a 4 hour flight south of Tokyo btw, so it's not like it's just down the road.

What's that in "football pitches" or "areas the size of Wales"?

[ajwffc]

World Rugby have denied the claim that the All Blacks refused to play on Monday and was never the plan. The All Blacks say they offered to play the game on Friday/today but were turned down. So Brian is talking shit about the All Blacks as usual.

[Dunning1874]

This ‘you know it could happen so you have to get the points on board early’ stuff just makes no sense whatsoever. Every team at the tournament is trying to get points from every game, the knowledge that a game might be called off due to weather at some point doesn’t change any side’s approach to any game. It’s utter nonsense.

[Mark Connolly]

Just now, Dunning1874 said:

This ‘you know it could happen so you have to get the points on board early’ stuff just makes no sense whatsoever. Every team at the tournament is trying to get points from every game, the knowledge that a game might be called off due to weather at some point doesn’t change any side’s approach to any game. It’s utter nonsense.

It's Eddie Jones being a dick

[ajwffc]

What's that in "football pitches" or "areas the size of Wales"?

21253 rugby pitches (2125.3km)

[Mark Connolly]

Just now, ajwffc said:

6 minutes ago, Mark Connolly said:

What's that in "football pitches" or "areas the size of Wales"?

21253 rugby pitches (2125.3km)

Does that include Scotstoun or Murrayfield-sized dead ball areas?

[ajwffc]

Does that include Scotstoun or Murrayfield-sized dead ball areas?

Without dead ball areas