Wow, got all excited about this years World Cup but to be honest with you. I’ve been completely put asleep. No, I mean it, I literally fell asleep in both Fra vs NZ and Eng vs Arg. I barely got through the first half. Neither did I have anything to drink. It has become so predictable. Constantly penalties for dumb technicalities. The are several bug bears I have, especially around inconsistencies. 

1. Break down, how many times does players get blown up for not rolling away, but looking closer, the tackled player gets pin by the supporting player. It is simple, the carrier has someone on his back and as the tackler completes, he has 2 or even 3 bodies on top of him. Some refs identify it and others just say roll away and give a penalty. This needs to go
2. Scrum penalty, man this suck up so much time in the game. Just go back from the 80s and further back, the scrum was so quick, no touch pause nonsense. Just give a free kick which you can’t ask for a scrum again, you gain 10 meters as the whole pack is off side. 
3. The human centipede, this annoys the crap out of me, becomes so predictable and dangerous as the scrum half wasted time and nullifies the co test on the ground. 
4. Mauls, it is a powerful weapon when done right but also open to interpretation.how many players concede yellow cards and penalty tries just by being the last or first person to buckle, don’t send players off, just give a penalty or a penalty try. You can get 3 points. 
5. Constant kicking for touch, this has become so predictable, lineout, penalty after penalty and then finally they concede a try, get yellow card, or even a penalty try, but refs let some teams get away with it

You are right about some of those rediculous laws. 

The RWC allows minnow teams to participate in the hope they improve like Japan has. If you are not interested don't watch. 

I very much fear this RWC will be decided by refs. That redcard for Curry shows what can happen. Normally a side can win against a top tier side playing 14 men. 

Also agree with most of your points, Korn.

But if we go back to the 80s style scrumming now...we'll have broken necks all over the place.

For me, the problem starts at the top. If they get officiating to a place where most people are happy, then that would sort most of the concerns.

I don't mind the bunker system, but what good isbit when guys like Curry get a red like the one last night? It smacks of rules overwriting common sense.

What happens if a stupid decision like that is made in a final?

Probably right on the scrumming as those guys back then weren’t as big and protein gym monsters.

I just want games to be competitive, I want there to be cliff hangers , never knowing if you can get the win. Isn’t more captivating when you watch a close contest. 

I remember a while back, think Lomu stil playing, Australia went behind but that Australian team came back to win the game, first time is saw a one on one tackle. Think it was Mortlock hit Lomu on the chest and knocked him backwards of his feet. It changed the game and gave Australia motivation to beat New Zealand. Best game I ever watched and I’m not a fan of either. 

It would also mean that the strongest team will be standing tall because player will have to play for 5 weeks straight against top teams. 

As I recall it from the safety of the flyhalf berth,  the old scrum was not a hit. The two packs engaged without any force and were not allowed to push until the ball came in. The ball had to be put in straight, which meant hooking was a skill….and getting a push on meant you had a chance of winning the ball ‘against the head’, a phrase I haven’t heard for years. .

If the opposing pack was obliterated you got the ball not a penalty. Which was the equivalent of a turnover. Teams with a poor scrum still had a chance….in what other sport do you get penalized because your opponent is too good for you.

The modern scrum has evolved into a game in itself….and I agree the resets and time taken are a pain. Why reinvent something that was perfect?

I am very tired if these skew feeds. We want and need a contest at the set pieces. Union is becoming a worse sport for all of these watered down facets. I also saw the Boks throw 7 skew lineouts against Australia last year. It's just a means to put the ball back in play to the Church of the ELV. 

Very few sports are what they used to be. Rugby is about the only thing I still watch, and then only barely. I watched some US Open tennis the past week but the constant grandstanding and fist pumping for the crowd after every single point in the men's game in particular just ended up irritating me. In the good old days they just got on with business and left the celebrations for when they'd actually won the match, not just a stupid point. Much like rugby, if you think about it. Back in the eighties they barely celebrated a try, now you win a penalty and the whole team starts hugging and ass slapping one another.

Rugby for me has been diabolical for some time. There was a shift post 2015, and the quality has never been there again. The only difference is that now Bok fans are happy with garbage. I believe that 99% of modern Saffers cannot think like a functional adult. 

If anyone gets bored of Rugby...Kendo is waiting for you.

Such a quality sport.

I've been following it for a few years and it always impresses me.

As usual, with anything Japanese, there are levels upon levels to it.

Often times one has to watch it at 0.25 speed to see what happened though.

Haha I hope I'm in the 1%, Deus.

Kendo is indeed a quality and cultured sport. Also, You're definitely not an idiot Plum. I also don't actually know how old your are! I've long assumed myself to be the youngest member.

I'm 43, Deus.

But I've been told I am an immature soul ;)

You?

He's about your age Plum, maybe a few years younger...he's been posting with some of the guys on here from even before I joined the fun in 2008...

Better to accept that the 6Ns  is the world cup.

Yup, the world cup is a joke. 

So world rugby gave Tom Curry a 2 week suspension for his accidental head contact. 

The worst part was that he got a red card in the first place. 

Everyone knew it was ruining the game and the outcome of matches. 

But they are to stubborn or chicken shit to do something about it. 

Wher as you have Owen Farrell that has a history to tackle with the shoulder and he gets off. 

World rugby need to get to a place where players accept the risk but also that World rugby shows that they are putting the protocol in place to ensure players get the care when they do suffer head contact.

I believe there should be 3 grades. 

1. Deliberate Foul play
2. Neglegence
3. Accidental

Watching that 95 final again. What amazes me the most compared to today was scrum speed. I can understand people moving to league. 

it still would be a subjective test, difficult to proof intent..so we would still get bad calls...hopefully less though.

Again, just went through the fixtures for the weekend and there is absolutely no decent games on at all. Looks like all the tier one teams are playing the minnows this weekend. 

You didn't enjoy last night's game between France and Uruguay, KC? Perhaps you should look for another sport to watch. Just a thought.

If you play Fantasy Rugby then you'll not only have an interest in every game, you'll be cheering on individual players within that team.

Both Fantasy comps have a limit on the number of players you can pick from each team so you have to spread your selections out over multiple teams and you generally have a keen interest in just about every game. It will also keep you interested in the one-sided games because those are the games where you can really pick up big points if you choose the right player.

The Superbru fantasy game has no budget but is quite tight on transfers.

The Rugbyworldcup.com game has no limit on transfers but has a tight budget.

Both are very competitive and would have kept you interested through all the games if you'd bothered to join.