Waratahs sign Wallabies bad boy Latu

Still as good a game as I've had the privilege of watching.

We’ll likely hold our rather flattering position of 3rd in the world rankings until the draw for the next RWC. Even a Nov loss to AB or SA should be alright.

So we should avoid a group of death. With the 24 team format and round of 16, we should finally win a knockout game against whichever tier 2 team it is.

Then comes the belief!

We’ll just play the Leinster team in the quarters and semis. Gets those 62 and 52 nil scorelines.

Yes!!!!!!!!

2023 was a different story and the Crusaders stole that final.

But this whole “choke” tag is a disease that needs to be cured because it’s rooted in grubbiness from nasty opposition fans who are keyboard warriors that don’t like that their precious team (see Crusaders, Canes, and Blues) gets beaten from time to time by a little brother team.

In Ulster it's only Belfast and a bit of Fermanagh and Armagh were they even have schools rugby at a decent level.

Even Munster with their proud and resolutely working class ethos only really play in Limerick and Cork.

Connaght is Galway. And the odd prospect from Mayo but even Doris got hoovered up and into the Dublin schools system before mid-teens.

Even Leinster is basically Dublin and a few lads from Wicklow. Again, straight to Blackrock.

Your still only talking 8 counties out of 32 that have rugby as a stronghold.

It will still take a good few years and at least a RWC semi-final to get more kids playing and engaged.

World Rugby need to just hand us a semi-final! I demand it!!!

It's for the kids.

Thanks for your completely objective view from up there on there on your high horse

I got into rugby late at 16 and used to nip across town to train in the evenings. It was the late 90’s but even then, had my school peers rumpled me, I'd have been ripe for a kneecaping! Not quite that extreme, but my school life would have been hell.

Belfast has changed drastically and participation is up big time. There's just still a complicated legacy.

Other provinces still have GAA as their religion, rugby a distant second or third.

The major success with Leinster is that they have grown the game, particularly in Dublin, at a time when the Dublin Football team has dominated the GAA. That's a huge reflection of rugby growing. The irony is that the GAA - despite being amatuer games - have thrown more money and funding at the dubs than the IRFU has at Leinster.

However they've done it or however much it's cost, I think Leinster should be praised.

It's still vital learning for big Sam particularly when it doesn't always go well but Jack got it bad. And did very little wrong.

Basically had to play hard ball and threaten to level Ireland to even get his new contract.

I suppose most test teams have civil wars over their 10’s but it's a level above over here at times.

I'd to take a little break from the internet!

I reckon his in-ear comms kicked in. The higher ups reminding him to stop being an onion and penalise the correct player.