Six things we learned from finals weekend
Before the Lions bonanza consumes us all, Lee Calvert takes one last look at the domestic season in the Northern Hemisphere.
1. Traditional northern hemisphere rugby won’t win you trophies anymore
For years, the likes of Munster and Leicester won titles playing with a massive pack and a simple game plan. It was like a toddler winning a game of Monopoly by eating the money – no one liked it, but you couldn’t deny it was effective. If the finals last year suggested this era was over with the enterprising Connacht and the all-court masters Saracens victorious, then this season’s offering confirmed it. Both Exeter and Wasps played a game through the hands, kicking less than twenty times in play, and Scarlets completely marmalised the hitherto solid Munster defensive line with fast hands and pace.
2. Always take the points!
Five minutes to go and three points down, a kickable penalty awarded just to the right of the posts. You kick the penalty, level the scores, receive the kick-off and go again, right? Not if you’re Exter you don’t. If you’re Exeter you go for a scrum and, as inevitable as a Dan Lydiate handling error, get no points. The long road of rugby history is littered with the carcasses of teams that didn’t take the points. When will they learn? Exeter can count themselves very lucky they were given another marginal penalty to finally do the sensible thing.
3. Gareth Steenson is the most undervalued player in Europe
If they made a rugby version of the film Moneyball, Exeter out-half Steenson would be the player that Brad Pitt would be signing first. Unfussy and incredibly effective, the Irishman has acted as an unflappable guide for the entire Exeter journey, from promotion seven years ago to now finally a championship. The fact he has no Ireland caps during this period is a mystery of Sherlockian proportions.
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4. Exeter Chiefs really need to change their branding
The Exeter story is what rugby is all about. A provincial club made great that still has strong ties to its local community with fans that are loud and friendly and dedicated and their excellent squad has a refreshing humility despite their achievements. However, their insistence on continuing to use Native American iconography in their branding and apparel is borderline disgraceful and takes away from everything that is brilliant about them. Twickenham was awash with people in war bonnets on Saturday and each time they score their “tomahawk chop” song boomed out of the stadium speakers. Let’s not forget that this game was broadcast live on NBC in the US and also on Canadian TV. If rugby wishes to be the global game it professes have ambitions towards, they need to address this very quickly. Call yourselves the Chiefs by all means, but maybe look to your own tribal history in Devon for your icons, rather than perpetuating the Disneyfication of an entire race of people from a foreign land.
5. If Wasps had a kicking game, they would have won
Exeter had nearly 70% territory and possession in the Aviva Premiership final and the game was screaming for Danny Cipriani to put his team in a better field position but it never happened. The Wasps attack, when it has platform and position, is deadly – as they showed with their two tries. But no attack can go through hands from their own half consistently and Cipriani as their 10 should have identified this and dealt with it. Added to his general lack of kicking, when he did kick it was either the wrong one or poorly executed.
6. Rhys Patchell should play for Wales soon
The young Scarlets 10 was calm, classy and inspirational in his side’s forensic dismantling of Munster. He did everything and showed a varied and intuitive kicking and passing game that Wales desperately need.
Comments on RugbyPass
late hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 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 Crusades , you can keep going.
1 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
4 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
24 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
24 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.
24 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.
24 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
24 Go to comments