MEMBERSHIP DRIVE - FOXSPORT FANTASY COMPETITION - SUPER RUGBY 216

Foxsport has at last come up with thei Fantasy Competition for this year and members can use the following reference to enter the site:-
 http://fantasy.foxsports.com.au/rugby/super-rugby/classic/#classic/team
Both Rooinek and I could not get into the site using the membership renewal method.  If you encounter the same problem it is suggested that you use a new website address and user name to get into the site.
Please also note e new League has been established by name of Ruckers Forum - League Code - UVZHVN9R 
LAST YEAR WE CAME OUT VERY HIGH IN THE LEAGUE COMPETITION AND I AM SURE WE CAN DO BETTER THIS YEAR!!!!   HOWEVER, WE NEED 14 MEMBERS IN THE ELAGUE AND WE ONLY HAVE 5 THUS FAR.  PLEASE JOIN URGENTLY!!!!!!!!!! 
Please note that I will ease the process of team selection by members by using a special thread on this site to make sure the members know who are playing for the various teams on a weekly basis.

 After checking we now have 8 members - please we need another 6 further members.  However, I could not check the names of people already joined so we need confirmation of the people who already is part of the League.

I have joined our league, strange that it doesn't show the 8 who have signed up. Maybe once the games start it will display names because we will need to know the ranking of the members in terms of results.

 yeah, there's no way of knowing who are the members of the league,..... may be Luke, for being him who creted it, can see who is in,..... anyway, I'm also in

We are already 9, but there's no big problem if we don't reach the 14 players, according to the rules:

"If your League has not been filled by the start of the Round, your League Commissioner will be able to reduce the size of their League and/or add celebrities to complete the league OR we may automatically do both of these for you so that your League is valid and the fixtures can be generated. Alternatively you Commissioner can change the start round to a later date."

 some big changes this year, appart from the horrendous new design with the photos of the players,... I cannot imagine something more ugly

there's no wildcard,.... the option of transfering all the players that you wanted in one round has disappeared

Not sure if we should be adding celebrities to our league. I see only the league creator can add celebrities or see who these "celebrities" are but I'm guessing they're all ex-Kiwi players and - let's be honest - what the heck do Kiwis know about Fantasy Rugby?

Agree ABasque, it's horrible. Whoe ver decided on the format and that ugly font should be fired on the spot. It was much better last year.

 I think the format last year was better - but we still need a further 5 members in our League and I hope we get them.   So come on gentlemen - join our League as a matter of urgency.   

 Format is awful. Its simple I guess. But I.don't know prefereed last one. You cant see who's in league. Just says 9. Yea I created it im Luke lol. Well see how it goes. Good idea to post our teams? We're a team haha. So give tips? Anyway.

 The money is awfully tight - but I could not believe that Marcell Coetzee is the price he is.  He is $152 000.   Willie le Roux is $112 000 - very good as a bench player at that price.
I have provisionally worked out a team of players (also on the bench) whom I think will constantly be in the starting line-up of their teams:-
PR    -  Malherbe, Redelinghuys, Tomaaga-AllenHO   -  Taylor, Mann-RheaLO    -  Etzebeth, De Jager, LewiesLF    -  Kriel. Hooper, Coetzee, Vaea    
SH   -  De Klerk, HallFH    - Sanchez, SchoemanCE    - Fekitoa. Vorster, EsterhuizenOB    - Nadolo, Milner-Skudder, D McKenzie, Le Roux
The above leads me to have a balance of $7 000.
I think the only alternative to not having a wildcard is to make sure the bench players you select are first choice starters and that is very very difficult to achieve.   Will have to tweak that team once starting line-ups have been announced,      

 Provisional. Hows T Du Toit Traveling? Anyway
Malherbe, Du Toit
Coles
De Jager, Tuipolitu
A Savea, A Ione, M Hooper
Tj Peranara
Beaudan Barrett
Jessie Kriel, Ngani Lauampe
Skudder, Le Roux, Beale

 Rooinek
We are still five league members short.  How about getting your pal from Test Rugby joining this one.   I will ask Dave whether I can use his address to join as well - like we did last year.  

 be careful with Le Roux.
The prizes of the players are put usually according to last year's performance and while the prize of Marcell Coetzee is a mistake (he averaged around 35 points per match and his prize should have been btwin 350 and 400K) that of Le Roux is correct, last year he averaged less than 10 points per match.
It's true that he's now in a better team and that their first match is against the Kings where he can handle a good amount of points but after that first round I wouldn't trust too much on him.

On the other hand, the new rolling mauls are going to prejudice Coetzee who last year got some tries that way and he'll probably average less than those 35 points per match but he's still a bargain at 152K.
The most prejudice player with the rolling maul law changes is going to be Poc0ck who last year got 7 of his 8 tries through them. At 457K he's the most expensive backrower and IMO it's not worthy to pick him, if last year he averaged around 40 p/match this season he'll probably be around 35 and his prize will go down to 360-380K.

The other big mistake I noticed, apart from Coetzee's prize, is Skelton's. Last year he averaged around 30 p/match and his prize instead of being 310-330K, is only 112K, a real bargain.

 I would put Le Roux in the bench - not in my starting line-up.
Insofar as the rolling maul story is concerned - I have seen the issue used in practice in the Varsity Cup and it is a very technical one that would have near to zero impact on the real usage of rolling mauls.   Mauls still happen and tries are still scored through such mauls. 
In all the games thus far and in the mauls which took place I have seen one penalty being awarded for a contravention stemming from that change.  Not much to write home about.       

 Stupid technical adjustments to the law that will only put more pressure on officiating....I know it's the wrong thread.

dRaad wrong thread or not - have you signed up with our League on Foxsport. 

 @mike,

what they say about the changes concerning the rolling mauls is that the defending team is going to have more time to stop it while the attacking team is passing the ball till the last man (last year it was the same ball carrier who very quickly was going till the end of the maul) so this season there's going to be less tries coming through the rolling maul.

And the other important change it's said is going to happen is that the usual ball carrier will be the hooker instead of the openside so poc0ck and co. will score less tries, hence less points .

As it's said in the article posted in the thread about the rolling mauls:

“In 2016, teams are training to still have the Ripper take the ball from the Jumper, but then he hands the ball to the player at the back (most probably, in practice, we will see teams use their Hooker to bind at the back and accept the ball),” he wrote.

“This is likely to have two impacts: slower set up and formation (and a less blatant obstruction), and as a result, time for the defence to actually power up and defend the initial maul. With a more deliberate construction of the maul, one would also hope that it becomes easier to referee.”

This is certainly the most important element of the change. The requirement of the ripper to then transfer the ball to the back of the maul by hand, and not via a couple of backwards steps himself, is going to be the opportunity for the defence to get set against the maul."

ABF  
You are wrong I am afraid - the ball must be passed to the last man in the maul - but that does not mean that the maul forward motion has to wait until the ball does get to the last man.  The forward motion in the maul can commence - but the ball must be seen to be passed back to the last man as soon as possible after the process commences - not for instance ten meters further on.  
Ity is extremely difficult to referee that change - because it is a technicality that will cause havoc - looking good on paper but totally impossible to referee I am afraid.  You will find that referees get burned about that one since it leaves a huge question mark on the issue of interpretation.  

 @mike,

no, I'm not wrong,..... I haven't watched any game but I trust what says the SANZAAR Game Manager, former Test referee Lyndon Bray and who it seems has been following in trainings and matches what can happen with the law changes. He's the one cited in the article and the one who says that:

"is likely to have two impacts: slower set up and formation (and a less blatant obstruction), and as a result, time for the defence to actually power up and defend the initial maul."
and that " in practice, we will see teams use their Hooker to bind at the back and accept the ball".

I think he knows better than any of us which will be the consequences of the law changes re the rolling mauls

 ABF
So lets wait and see what happens in practice .  

 yeah, sure,.... we'll see,... but I wouldn't pick Poc0ck for my fantasy team

 Neither did I - would rather have Ardie Savea, Ioane or the Du Preez twins.  

To the top with this one.

 Revised team
Props:: Toomaga Allen, Du Toit
Hooker: Taylor
Locks: Tuipolutu, Retallick
Back row: A Savea, A Ioane, M.Hooper
Sh: peranara
Fh: Barratt
Ic: Fekitoa, Luamape
Ob: Skudder, Nadolo, Mckenzie