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It's not like they were from dangerous play or overly vicious tackles. The timing is just terrible.
goatface fucked around with this message at 22:16 on Sep 6, 2015 |
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Sep 6, 2015 22:09
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stavros880 posted:Who do you think is getting called up to replace Webb and Halfpenny? Mike Phillips, Dan Evans.
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Sep 6, 2015 22:12
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Am I able to pick a new nationality for the next 6-8 weeks please? So disheartening to watch. On the other hand, up close there is no hiding from the fact that Parisse is a world class talent.
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Sep 6, 2015 22:20
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JoeSchmoe posted:Am I able to pick a new nationality for the next 6-8 weeks please? Everyone gets one free Nationality Switch, but you can only switch to countries with the same colour flag.
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Sep 6, 2015 22:52
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JoeSchmoe posted:Am I able to pick a new nationality for the next 6-8 weeks please? Only if you switch to England.
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Sep 6, 2015 22:57
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Dual nationality  a shame they are both northern hemisphere...
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Sep 6, 2015 23:07
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Sadly my heritage is stuck with Italy and Scotland... Piss.
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Sep 6, 2015 23:20
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New Zealand.
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Sep 7, 2015 00:07
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Do you have a second team when NZ do the traditional bottling it in the knockout stages? 
Vaders Jester fucked around with this message at 01:55 on Sep 7, 2015 |
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Sep 7, 2015 01:48
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Who's your second team once Scotland capitulate in the pool stage?
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Sep 7, 2015 02:05
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Read the previous posts. I've no illusions about how hosed the teams I follow are.
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Sep 7, 2015 02:08
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goatface posted:It's not like they were from dangerous play or overly vicious tackles. The timing is just terrible. True, but I guess I watch enough contact sports to know that putting your first team out in non competitive fixtures leads to bad things happening. Sucks for the people at the venue to watch players fight over being second rung, but keeping your first team healthy is the most important thing. I'm absolutely not saying that we did anything wrong based on how these games are played, but I think bucking the trend would've been a better choice. And I know hindsight etc etc but I would've said this last week too. Maybe friendlies should have more substitutes allowed so you can give your primary guys some reps while not keeping them on the field for the entire game time where, unfortunately, poo poo happens.
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Sep 7, 2015 02:15
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Any word on Halfpenny's knee? Hoping it's just a sprain and can work through it over the next two weeks.
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Sep 7, 2015 02:39
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EL BROMANCE posted:I'm absolutely not saying that we did anything wrong based on how these games are played, but I think bucking the trend would've been a better choice. And I know hindsight etc etc but I would've said this last week too. Maybe friendlies should have more substitutes allowed so you can give your primary guys some reps while not keeping them on the field for the entire game time where, unfortunately, poo poo happens. Maybe I'm missing something, but is there such a thing as an international friendly in Rugby? I mean, when Wales play Italy, isn't it a Test, and therefore governed by normal Test rules?
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Sep 7, 2015 02:54
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I'm sure I saw these games were referred to as World Cup warm up friendlies, is that not the case? I honestly don't know the rules that govern these things.
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Sep 7, 2015 03:00
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EL BROMANCE posted:I'm sure I saw these games were referred to as World Cup warm up friendlies, is that not the case? I honestly don't know the rules that govern these things. Again, I'm not 100% sure, but I think they're called friendlies simply because they are in preparation for the WC. I know that Taqele Nayarovoro's appearance for Australia against the US locked him in to the Wallabies, and I'd argue Australia vs USA is more "friendly" than Wales vs Italy.
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Sep 7, 2015 03:17
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I always assumed it was like soccer, where 'friendly' matches just mean they aren't part of a larger competition so the results don't count towards anything.
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Sep 7, 2015 03:32
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But they do count. Because rugby is not soccer. If the Eagles had (miraculously) beaten the Wallabies yesterday you can bet Australia would not be ranked #2 anymore, nor would USA still be #16.
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Sep 7, 2015 03:38
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Yeah that was my understanding too and why injuries suffered in those games hurt so much. I don't have good sports brain so shouldn't pretend to have any answers for problems like this, but I just feel if you can cycle more players on and off the pitch in a match where results essentially mean nothing other than pride, you can reduce both overall injuries and especially ones to top tier players. E: well above post answers that then I guess. Just makes it feel even more ridiculous that there's competitive matches mere weeks before world tournaments, especially when there's already problems with rankings changing so much that you have Wales, England and Australia in one group.
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Sep 7, 2015 03:39
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Vaders Jester posted:Do you have a second team when NZ do the traditional bottling it in the knockout stages? Japan. 
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Sep 7, 2015 05:03
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Vaders Jester posted:Do you have a second team when NZ do the traditional bottling it in the knockout stages? Ireland - although they are likely to do similar.
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Sep 7, 2015 05:10
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Unimpressed posted:Maybe I'm missing something, but is there such a thing as an international friendly in Rugby? I mean, when Wales play Italy, isn't it a Test, and therefore governed by normal Test rules? Shane Williams' talked about them in his autobiography, so they do happen behind closed doors. In the run up to a World Cup, everyone wants to practice drills and plays that are developed specifically for use against a certain team in the group, so they'll try and arrange a training match against a team who play a similar style to their upcoming opponents. Shane's experience was being on the fringe of the Wales squad at a time when they couldn't find a suitable team to train against for a Namibia (?) match, so they assembled a crack team of Welsh kids to pretend to be Namibia, and constantly make stupid mis-plays, even when they had the chance to score. A staff member of The Ospreys was trying to explain the Wales vs Ospreys friendly to me a week or two ago. It was a full contact game, but certain things like challenging for the ball in the air were forbidden. Kicks counted for nothing, and points could only be scored by scoring a try. Wales won 3-1
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Sep 7, 2015 10:08
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That's just like practice squad play in American Football, then. They scout opposing teams and try to put together a copy of their playbook, and then train against that team's playstyle. It's not a game, it's just a scrimmage that's part of practice.
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Sep 7, 2015 12:40
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If there's a traditional open trophy between two teams it's still on the line (though playing a match like that as warm-up would be suicidal).
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Sep 7, 2015 13:15
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The problem is that injuries happen at the worst times and you can't predict them at all. I've seen players in the NFL tear their knee ligaments in training sessions without getting touched and what happened to Webb was something of a freak accident. The speed and intensity of matches might increase the chance of injury but they can happen any time and you can't really stop that. 
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Sep 7, 2015 15:06
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Well gently caress, Halfpenny's out. Rhys Webb's injury looked worse, so I doubt he'll be playing either.
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Sep 7, 2015 18:30
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Plucky Brit posted:Well gently caress, Halfpenny's out. Poor bloke, that's awful. Got to hope Liam Williams come back in decent form.
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Sep 7, 2015 18:41
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Does he have enough time to grow some idiotic facial hair? edit - Eugh, ruptured ACL. That is bad times.
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Sep 7, 2015 20:39
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Wales woke up this morning to the realisation that the entire World Cup rests on Liam Williams' shoulders :{
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Sep 7, 2015 20:57
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How many more players does Lone Surviving Rhys need to hex before he's first choice?
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Sep 7, 2015 21:29
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Poor Halfpenny, genuinely gutted for him and the world cup will be poorer for not having one of test rugby's best players playing. There's always a risk of your best players getting injured but it must be better than going into the World Cup cold and unprepared.
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Sep 7, 2015 23:03
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MyChemicalImbalance posted:Poor Halfpenny, genuinely gutted for him and the world cup will be poorer for not having one of test rugby's best players playing. There's always a risk of your best players getting injured but it must be better than going into the World Cup cold and unprepared. Both he and Webb seem like genuinely decent blokes, so it's a real shame for them. I can't imagine either of them not making the Lions in 2017 though (assuming they come out of the injuries as hot as when they went in), so at least once the current heartbreak fades they'll have something to be able to work towards and look forwards to.
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Sep 7, 2015 23:12
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They might be fully mobile in 6 months if the surgery goes well, but they'll be off those legs for a lot of it. Assuming Webb's isn't worse.
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Sep 7, 2015 23:32
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Tyma posted:Wales woke up this morning to the realisation that they won't qualify out of their group fixed it for you.
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Sep 8, 2015 11:41
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Well in fairness, that morning was the day they announced the groups. Yesterday was just the realisation it's now not going to be close. But hey, maybe we'll get lucky on the day(s) and somehow things go our way. We've lost players before, but yeah it's a massive kick in the teeth.
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Sep 8, 2015 11:52
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 Mike Phillips and Eli Walker replace Rhys Webb and Leigh Halfpenny. Let's just revert everything back to Welsh Rugby Plan A : 'Ruin it for England somehow' Tyma fucked around with this message at 13:37 on Sep 8, 2015 |
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Sep 8, 2015 13:22
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Tyma posted:Let's just revert everything back to Welsh Rugby Plan A : 'Ruin it for England somehow' A sound plan!
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Sep 8, 2015 13:24
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The whole country can unite over that one. Didn't people complain about the old BBC Wales adverts that were anti-English? The one time the beeb actually do something good and we're not allowed to enjoy it.
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Sep 8, 2015 14:15
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Obviously Halfpenny's a big loss but not as catastrophic as it's being made out to be. Biggar's a brilliant goal kicker and Liam Williams plays really well in Gatland's team as long as he doesn't get himself cited. I think Rhys Webb will end up being missed more, he was on a whole other level to any of the other scrum halves in the squad.
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Sep 8, 2015 15:04
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Swan Curry posted:I think Rhys Webb will end up being missed more, he was on a whole other level to any of the other scrum halves in the squad. I think Gareth Davies is on par with Rhys Webb, but hasn't had the advantages of playing with Biggar for over 5 years, or being included in as many Wales training camps. I think the real problem *is* Halfpenny, because it forces both Liam Williams and Matthew Morgan into the full-back role, bumping Priestland upto second-in-command, and forcing us to play either Cuthbert or Walker on the wing. Both are in terrible form, and were never anywhere near international quality to begin with. I wish they'd gone with Dan Evans are full-back, and Liam Williams on the wing :{
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Sep 8, 2015 15:23
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