La Rochelle n'y arrive toujours pas malgré ses internationaux

I will then be only too happy to share with you my long and chequered history on this wonderful site.

Will have to wait until tomorrow. My working day is done and I have to dash for the bus.

Go well!

+ No mention of the Sharks winning the Challenge Cup with this enforeced requirement for European based matches?

SFM has plenty of gifts. If Rassie sticks with the tried and tested on the back of a tiring rugby championship then I expect Ireland to ambush them in November.

If he shakes it up and gets going with the younger breed then I think it’s advantage Boks.

Lord, we all know you can type and have access to the internet. To our detriment.

E.g. Brian O’Driscoll broke the record for most Irish test caps in 2014, but that wasn’t when he peaked.

“That’s the entire point. It’s how we each manipulate and skew the facts, records and stats.”

So surely the point is to agree on facts that we both think provide a fair indication of quality. Otherwise we will both just accuse one another of skewing things. Will you agree that a 3 (or 5?) year rolling average of match wins and trophy wins would give a fair representation of quality?

That’s the entire point. It’s how we each manipulate and skew the facts, records and stats.

This is going to be enjoyable. It could go either way.

We keep it rugby though until the Lions have finished?

Google that along with the words ‘South African Rugby’ - the Press Association and or Associated Press articles are the best as they actually have integrity and publication standards. They are fact checked.

Run for cover? I’m on here every weekday. Strictly office hours though - 09:00 to 17:30. Happy reading, Eddie.

Let’s see if you provide a direct answer on this point, or run for cover yet again…

I’m stating, with complete factual accuracy, that the Boks were not compliant with the amended WADA code during the last RWC. That’s fact.

Doubtless you’d try to argue with that…

Here’s a hint for ya. Take a lead from the great Richie McCaw - choose which rucks to hit!

Ok that all makes sense - so would you look at wins (matches, trophies, individual awards) per year? Or perhaps on 1 three (five?) year rolling average?

And I am confused by the idea of “collective records”.

To make an analogy with rugby - the record for tries at world cups is 15. Hypothetically someone could score 7 tries at a world cup when they are 23, 7 tries at a world cup when they are 27, and 2 tries at a world cup when they are 31. Technically they would have broken the record aged 31, but in fact they would have broken it by virtue of their performances aged 23 and 27, and it would be clear that their try-scoring prowess at RWCs would have peaked in their 20s. So would you at the mean average of the years in which they scored?

Edit: just for the record, which members of the SA 2019 and 2023 World Cup winning squads are you accusing of doping?