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'How s*** is some of the ruggers?': The Rugby Pod's blunt weekend verdict
Ex-international out-half Andy Goode has called on England to show a bit more ingenuity in attack after reviewing the latest forwards-dominated display by Eddie Jones’ team, the suffocating 18-7 win over Ireland where they were happy to allow the opposition have the ball and just tackle all Saturday long.
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Having opened their autumn Test programme with a stuttering attacking Six Nations performance against Italy, England are now on course to top Nations Cup Group A and set up a final with France following victories over Georgia and Ireland.
However, former No10 Goode would like to see England threaten more in attack to give the fans watching from home a greater level of entertainment than they have been getting across the entire Autumn Nations Cup, the pandemic era tournament dreamed up to replace the traditional tours to Europe by the big southern hemisphere rugby countries.
“Great England won but I’m just looking at all the games – how s*** is some of the ruggers? England, unbelievable defence performance, but we’re celebrating us not having the ball,” said Goode on the latest episode of The Rugby Pod, the show he co-hosts with Jim Hamilton, the former Scotland forward.
“I don’t know whether it’s because there are no fans. International rugby as it is at the minute, I just don’t think it’s that great the quality of rugby.
Crazy stats. 246 tackles #ENGvIRE pic.twitter.com/6EK1bv8TGA
— The Rugby Pod (@TheRugbyPod) November 21, 2020
“Apart from Jonny May’s try, which was just unbelievable, a lot of the England game there wasn’t much get out of your seat and jump for joy. It was just a calculated, physical training session. It was a bit of anti-climax to us beating Ireland.
“I want to see us attack more, I really do, but then we are very good at what we do. We’re winning games by not playing too much ruggers, booting the leather off of it, letting Maro (Itoje) go around and smash people, and the back row, Underhill and Curry, what did they make, 7,400 tackles or something between them? It’s just madness.
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“We’re very good at what we do. Our kicking game is on point, our kick-chase is ridiculous at times and just putting pressure on teams, it’s very difficult to see how teams can break us down with the physicality from one to 15 and then you bring on boys off the bench as well, the workrate is phenomenal.
“It’s just missing a spark. Apart from Jonny May’s worldie of a try – and by the way, his chip kick definitely came off the shin but a hell of a finish – that’s exciting, that’s what gets you off your seat but England are very… I don’t want to say dour, we’re just damn good at playing the percentages.
“I just see we are good at crash and bash. Sometimes you want a bit more. We could have put 30, 40 points on that Ireland team had we had a bit more ingenuity in attack. But hey, I’m just picking on the fact that we are the best team in the world right now and I just want us to be better. We’re great at what we do but it’s just not getting us all out of our seats and exciting us as much as we want.”
Co-host Hamilton didn’t agree, the former engine room operator instead claiming the physical battle was sufficiently entertaining for him. “I’m the opposite,” he said. “I like the physical aspect of rugby. That is something that I really enjoy watching, even to the point where I put out a tweet about Quinn Roux.
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“People are like what are you talking about? You watch how that bloke was entering rucks, I was loving it. His physicality of smashing England players around the breakdown, I was loving watching it. The scrums, the mauls.
“I don’t know whether there was an element of all of us thinking that because there are no fans we are all a little down on it. We all feel like we should be there, the atmosphere, what is the Autumn Nations Cup – is it an important championship for these players?
“Scotland should have been playing New Zealand last weekend but they were playing France in front of no fans… but how good are England though? That is the point of it, what do you do if you are England, just do what works? The physicality they have got, it’s unbelievable and it was the part I enjoyed watching at the weekend.”
A bit of an Entente Cordiale going on here ?????????#AutumnNationsCup #TriNations2020 #ENGvIRE #WALvGEO #SCOvFRA #ARGvAUS
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 24, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Wasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
3 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
3 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
30 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
3 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
30 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
30 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
30 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
30 Go to comments