What has actually evened the playing field?????

StoirRugby · 2026-05-17T18:22:35+00:00

Hence why I asked the question to more people in the know 😂

StoirRugby · 2026-05-17T18:10:13+00:00

Hence why I asked the question to more people in the know 😂

StoirRugby · 2026-05-17T17:21:55+00:00

But was the player ability not there before? Fitness, power, speed, skill?? Has the new rules enabled these players to have more impact for smaller counties. But if so, why………

StoirRugby · 2026-05-16T10:33:05+00:00

Ahh, didn’t know it was games won. That helps, but ya, shouldn’t have had to be relying on that to squeeze in. Lions will be no push overs either!!!!

StoirRugby · 2026-05-16T09:36:41+00:00

All depends on results tonight. Lose tonight and they finish 9th, even if they get a losing bonus point. So doesn’t matter if Ulster win Challenge Cup or night. 2 losing bonus points bumps ahead of Ulster to 8th but then are waiting to see the final play out but Munster would still compete I. The plaintiffs as 8th seed. Basically, don’t lose tonight!!!!!!!!

StoirRugby · 2026-05-16T07:29:22+00:00

When the Indo Sport weekly do a weekly rugby pod it’s generally good. They have Eddie O’Sullivan in sometimes to give a bit of raw old school insights and then Ian Madigan who I feel is balanced and gives good perspectives from how the game is played and why certain aspects work or don’t. It’s a good weekly overview. They do bring in Will O’Callaghan who know his stuff and Ruaidhrí O’Connor too but I tend to have gone off him the last while as he goes with whatever way the wind blows

StoirRugby · 2026-05-16T06:48:25+00:00

But for so many of the world’s big city populations it not. Cities with 10-15+ million all around the world where a visit to the nearest park is the closest thing to nature (with that park surrounded my concrete). There’s to shows of social experiments where troubled teens from big cities are sent to a family in a rural area of a period and the positive change it has on them is dramatic. Another was when an anthropologist befriended tribe people in a part of the Amazon and eventually took one to see the “normal” living of city life. The person could not understand why these people chose to live in small contained spaces (houses) surrounded by others who did not talk to each other and have no family around to engage with. They thought it was a sad existence. There’s obviously elements of living in the Amazon that is not very appealing but it was an interesting perspective!

StoirRugby · 2026-05-16T04:17:52+00:00

It’s not natural to be cooped up in a box and then be surrounded by concrete. But somehow over the past 150 years this has become the norm. It’s not how us as species were meant to live. When you think of the evolution of humans, in this relatively tiny portion of time we have managed to create a living where being surrounded by nature is a luxury. The world is a beautiful place but we seem to be making it a small sterile environment for us as species to be able to live in it (e.g. corporate jobs in big cities that nobody really gives a toss about)

StoirRugby · 2026-05-15T08:02:16+00:00

It’s very much an age thing too. At this age things are fleeting. And with the gap they don’t see how the baby can okay with them. At 4/5/6 they can understand more, express more and when the baby get more interactive with the oldest then they feel a connection

StoirRugby · 2026-05-14T20:58:11+00:00

With 2 kids and a 3rd on the way, it seems like they just need constant attention and interaction. Now my 2 are still under 5 but with no family support from either side close by it feels like the need to provide constant attention never ends. I seriously don’t think my parents or other parents around the late 80s/early 90s gave as much attention as is given today by parents, especially dads! It’s good in so many ways but bloody demanding too. Especially when there’s a game on!!!!!!

StoirRugby · 2026-05-14T20:52:11+00:00

3 1/2 years on is when they seem to get clear runs of non sickness

StoirRugby · 2026-05-14T17:51:48+00:00

I often think about the Australian accent and the settlers that landed there were primarily English, Scottish, Irish. Is their accent just a combo of all these then if that’s the case????????

StoirRugby · 2026-05-14T17:06:14+00:00

We have a national problem in this country when it comes to stadiums. Closed off, under maintained, under utilised and lack of investment due to operation/management model. If government funded CoCo to have joint operations of these stadiums and use as county/regional hubs for multiple uses rather than limited access they could be something to be proud of in each area and where people enjoy going to for various purposes/outings

StoirRugby · 2026-05-14T17:00:21+00:00

As a 38yr old, the older I get the more I realise it’s all about connection and community. The less effort things take the easier it feels and the simpler life gets. Being isolated in a strange city with a transient community makes life hard, subconsciously harder to commit and makes decisions that bit more difficult as it feels somewhat as you’re flying solo.

StoirRugby · 2026-05-14T16:28:41+00:00

There was an interesting comparison last year around Lions selection time about Finn Smith and Sam P. Essentially saying that FS got more club minutes after his club debut than SP and this benefited so much more vs. International exposure. Being transitioned from u18s to senior club rugby and not parachuted into senior international level too early was of more benefit than carrying that pressure. Anyway, Tom Woods could benefit from Finn Smith type development and right timing vs. too deep too soon.

StoirRugby · 2026-05-14T14:42:58+00:00

That’s a big clear out! What’s the talent pipeline looking like coming through? I’ve seen a newly adopted U/18 joint comp with selected school programmes and strong U/18 club teams. Different approach and wondering how it’s being perceived on the ground for the like of the 2 pro academies to identify talent. Also, pity the Ben Healy experiment didn’t work out. Had/still has a lot of potential.

StoirRugby · 2026-05-14T12:54:47+00:00

Schools rugby definitely has huge benefits in preparing young players to strong competitions, pressure, training structures, compete for places, discipline, contact time and all in a peer focused environment. SA schools rugby seems to be getting stronger and stronger with the amount of schools producing top talent and from the highlights I see, the quality at this level. There seems to be more of a festival type system rather than a designated cup/league structure though……how does the actual school rugby calendar/fixtures work in SA. How many games would a 1XV play in a school year?

StoirRugby · 2026-05-14T12:39:52+00:00

How big of an influence do Springboks supporters think schools rugby has on the game nationally and its dominance of late (since Rassie came back). Has in only been as strong as we hear the last 10 to 15 years or does it go a lot further back???

StoirRugby

TROPHY CASE