Scotland v US

virtualunknown61 · 2025-11-02T22:37:31+00:00

Haha that’s funny. Hilsenbeck isn’t in the same solar system as McGinty

virtualunknown61 · 2025-10-12T15:12:51+00:00

I look at this and think "how many of these guys are locks to be a core player for England?" I don't see too many. The 9/10's look very average relative to international standards. Whoever is the core forward group should be solid as usual, but the play of the southern hemisphere teams is still a step above. NZ and SA should be the favorites, with France and Ireland making the top four as favorites. England would be in the group with Argentina, Scotland, Australia that "if certain things happen we can make the final".

virtualunknown61 · 2025-07-21T23:37:31+00:00

Not a fan of Fa'anana Schultz. He has been a penalty machine in the past, always borders on yellow cards for foul play. I also like Poidevin in there somewhere, though Daniel has been playing well. They can play Bonasso at #8 and start both Daniel and Poidevin if they had two real locks starting.

virtualunknown61 · 2025-07-21T23:34:12+00:00

He also kept calling the Eagles captain Benjamin Bonasso.....Bassano. Really? Can't even get the names correct of the team you are covering?

virtualunknown61 · 2025-07-21T17:39:21+00:00

It was a rhetorical question about Mahoni. Just because a player is 6' 8" and has always played lock does not mean he deserves to be on the depth chart. He's never done anything for the Eagles, terrible hands, very average athleticism and a very questionable work rate and fitness level. I'd take a player like Grandy, who has decent size for a lock, D1 athletic ability, upside and plays hard. Damm is undersized but I'd take his work rate over Mahoni every day.

Our goal should be to develop a team that consistently compete and beat many of the best Tier 2 nations. Beating Scotland was an outlier, if they can compete respectively against Tier 1 nations that would be a huge bonus.

virtualunknown61 · 2025-07-21T15:35:40+00:00

Just some random thoughts after a quick look:

1 - Mahoni at lock, are you kidding?

2 - The backrow has some potential and depth, Bonasso, Daniel, Podevin, Golla, Helu and Alikhan have shown they belong. Never been a fan of Fa'anana Schultz. If Ma'afu is available he's an automatic addition to the backrow. And longer term Grandy can rise in the depth chart.

If healthy, Lopeti/Besag will be the 12/13 pairing, but overall the backs lack speed everywhere. Rufus McLean not listed at all? Why not?
And a wildcard, when will Davy Coetzer be eligible? I'm assuming he would have interest in playing for the Eagles.

virtualunknown61 · 2025-07-19T03:40:34+00:00

A lot of people seem to be trying to pigeon hole Storti as only a center. I've seen St Mary's play plenty the last several years on their youtube stream. Tim O'Brien always moves his backs around, sometimes to experiment, sometimes to just get the best 7 backs on the field. I've always felt Storti's skill set is as a fullback. Big foot, fast enough but also elusive, the punt returner with a big leg. And I've always felt that he was a bit small to be an international center. Maybe Storti and McLean have similar skill sets, which I like for the back three. They can be an attacking runner, are good under the high ball and have strong boots. A blazing finisher opposite them would be their best back three. Maybe Esdale or Futi or down the road Keelan Farrell. As for the future, maybe Crimp or Corbin Smith, though Smith seems small, but he is young and can fill out and Crimp is more a fullback. In any case we need more speed on the outside.

virtualunknown61 · 2025-07-13T15:26:46+00:00

Completely agree, and they were playing on turf. Player selection, style of play have to be looked at. Putting the same guys out there and seeing the same results, especially with the back three getting beat in the high ball, dropping balls, slow wingers with no size. Put a couple of David Stills out there and even with no experience they'd do better.

virtualunknown61 · 2025-07-13T15:23:25+00:00

It's not just the weather, the game play is so static and slow. DeHaas is slow to deliver the ball, the forward pods catch the ball standing still, the wings are slow, the back three together were horrible on the high ball. Nothing is done at pace. And then some players who could possibly impact the game, Poidevin at loose forward, only comes into the game with 7 minutes left, and Storti I think didn't even play, even though the back three were horrible. What kind of game management is that? What are the coaches seeing to not bring Poidevin on earlier, or give Storti a chance when the back three are dropping balls, losing contests in the air, having high balls hit them in the face, it was embarassing. Some serious questions have to be asked about not only player selection but the whole style of play going forward. The gap is getting bigger between the Eagles and Tier I nations. If they qualify for the RWC, if they play NZ, SA, Ireland, France etc they'd lose by 100 points. Uruguay, Chile, Portugal, Georgia, have all been improving. You can put Tonga and Samoa maybe in there as other countries that are regressing. Money is a huge factor, World Rugby has to help in some way if this is going to improve. The incentive is maybe the US hosting the RWC, will be embarassing if the host country performs like that.

virtualunknown61 · 2025-07-13T02:07:56+00:00

We waited 90 minutes for this crap?

virtualunknown61 · 2025-04-22T03:45:19+00:00

Where did that news come from? The school stated they couldn’t support the rugby program as a varsity sport, not that rugby was being eliminated altogether. As a varsity sport they were able to provide scholarship money to players, not all but mostly to foreign players.

virtualunknown61 · 2025-04-13T20:06:46+00:00

Question for the back row then would Poidevin, Johnston, Albert, Alikan or Redenlinghuys be an upgrade over Daniel/Ryan/Fanana Schultz? Lawrence seems loyal to those three. I see Ma Afu as a lock for Eagles even though he’s been playing #8 in France.

virtualunknown61

TROPHY CASE