#NORTHERN HEMISPHERE RUGBY

[postapocalypticromance]

One thing I think can be severely misunderstood about why an area is a centre of excellence, importance, or power within a sport is that geography, and probably population density, seems to play as much of a role as monetary input.

Eurocentrism in football/soccer, South Asian administrative dominance in cricket, the Rugby League powers of England and Australia, and Rugby Union's Northern Hemisphere powers didn't just come about by accident, the proximity of each to each other or another sport plays a massive role.

It's already pretty much codified that the majority of the winning power in football is concentrated in Western Europe, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands are eminent in that regard. If money was the reason, then England would be much more prominent over a number of years, but it's to do with the proximity to each other and the transfer of knowledge between clubs, coaches, players, and countries.

Hell, Joachim Low credited learning different principles from other countries for Germany's World Cup triumph.

In much the same way, there's a chance that Italy's relative isolation from the rest of the 6 Nations contenders contribute somewhat to their more recent struggles in the tournament, though the RFU's stupid 'players based in England' selection policy effectively achieves the same ends at the player level. Both rugby codes, mainly in England and Australia, benefit from the fact that they are so close to each other, so code switching can and does happen. Australia, in particular, can have players move between Aussie Rules as well as the two rugby codes.

India's eminence in cricket administration is also down to a network of information they've constructed in South Asia, with other full members of the ICC in Asia benefiting from an admittedly lopsided knowledge and facility sharing dynamic. (Again, the English are morons because there's the capability of England doing something similar in Europe and helping to improve countries here, damn you ECB)

That's not to say that sports can't thrive in a more isolated or individual sense. American football, basketball, baseball, and ice hockey are all massively popular with a much more limited reach, in terms of the share of the best players around the world.

But at the end of the day, breaking the hold that a region or countries have over a sport is about much more than money and players. The fact that Europe still holds the majority of the power in football is down to much more than the billions or trillions of pounds and euros invested into teams.

[justforbooks]

In the closing minutes of Wales’s Five Nations meeting with France at Cardiff Arms Park in March 1976, the home side were resisting an onslaught by the visitors when the French wing Jean-François Gourdon found some space on the touchline by the north stand. Gourdon was then hit by a shuddering shoulder charge from Wales’s full-back, JPR Williams, that all but sent him spinning into the crowd. Williams raised his fist in triumph and Wales held on to win 19-13 and complete a seventh grand slam.

In truth, Williams’s tackle was far from legal, but the incident remains an indelible image in the minds of Welsh rugby supporters – that and a photograph of the Bridgend No 15 with blood pouring from his face after being trampled by a visiting All Blacks boot. International rugby in the 1970s was not for the squeamish, and JPR survived by being not just supremely skilful, but as hard as nails.

Williams, who has died aged 74 from bacterial meningitis, would forever be known as JPR, the three most evocative initials in the sport. Only France’s Serge Blanco could rival him as the greatest full-back in history. When the law-makers of the international board prevented the ball from being kicked directly into touch in 1968 it gave the opportunity for Williams and others such as Scotland’s Andy Irvine to forge a template for how a modern attacking full-back should play.

The source of Williams’s famous hardness is surprising. Unusually for top-class players in Wales, he came from a comfortable middle-class home. Williams once told of how he turned up at a Wales Schoolboys’ trial in a Rolls Royce. His upbringing, he said served as an incentive “to prove to my mates that I was tough and one of them”.

John Peter Rhys was born in Bridgend to Peter and Margaret, both doctors. Margaret had been born in Rochdale, so young John could have played for England, but that was not a subject much discussed in the Williams household.

It was on the lawns of Wimbledon rather than the muddy fields of Cardiff Arms Park or Bridgend that Williams first made his mark as a sportsman of renown. As a 17-year-old, he won the 1966 British junior tennis title at Wimbledon, beating David Lloyd in the final.

He was gaining a reputation at rugby in Bridgend, where his father was the club president and doctor. By this time Williams had left Bridgend grammar school for Millfield school in Somerset, where future Wales scrum-half Gareth Edwards was a pupil.

From Millfield, Williams went to St Mary’s hospital in London and had a spell at the London Welsh club. He chose to continue playing the amateur sport rather than tennis and concentrate on his medical studies, his father having told him that he would not make a living as a professional sportsman.

He was still a teenager when he was called into a Wales squad to tour Argentina in the summer of 1968. There were great expectations of the new boy John Williams, as he was then known, when he made his full Wales debut against Scotland at Murray Field the following February.

Wales had a new coach, their former captain Clive Rowlands. Barry John at fly-half scored the final try in Wales’s 17-3 win. Something was brewing in Wales and the 70s were a golden age. Once Phil Bennett, alongside Edwards, established himself as Barry John’s natural heir and once JPR was joined by the wings JJ Williams and Gerald Davies, Wales became an unstoppable force in northern hemisphere rugby. At the heart of their team was JPR, instantly recognisable with his Elvis-Presley style sideburns, flowing hair and socks often pulled down to his ankles.

What set him apart was his success as an attacking player which, allied to that rock-solid defensive play, made him a permanent fixture in the Wales side between his 1969 debut and 1981, when he retired from international rugby. He burnished his reputation on the successful British Lions tours to New Zealand in 1971 and South Africa in 1974, playing in all four Tests on each. Williams had been on a Wales tour to New Zealand in 1969 when they were humbled by the All Blacks in two Tests so the 2-1 series win by the Lions two years later came as a big relief.

In Auckland he settled the series with a long-range drop-goal in the final Test. It came as a surprise to his team-mates, but England’s Bob Hiller, his full-back understudy on that tour, had apparently joked to him that he could not consider himself a proper international until he had dropped a goal.

In South Africa three years later, Williams was heroic again as Willie John McBride’s team prevailed in an often brutal series win over the Springboks. The Lions’ call of “99” often signalled all-out punch-ups, and the sight of Williams racing upfield to thump the much larger South African lock Moaner van Heerden was a memorable one, though, as Williams confessed later it was not something of which he was particularly proud.

Williams won 55 caps for Wales, five of them as captain in 1978-79; in 1977 he was appointed MBE. In between those Lions victories he scored the final try in the Barbarians’ famous victory over the All Blacks at the Arms Park in 1973, and after retiring from the international stage played club rugby for Tondu as a back-rower until 2003, when he was 54.

He met Scilla (Priscilla) Parkin at medical school, and they married in 1973. His principal post as a trauma and orthopaedic surgeon was at the Princess of Wales hospital, Bridgend (1986–2004). Williams rarely joined the ranks of retired players who became pundits, but he was always happy to talk about a stellar career, particularly the 11 games against England, in which he always ended on the winning side.

He is survived by Scilla and their children, Lauren, Annie, Fran and Peter.

🔔 John Peter Rhys Williams, rugby player and orthopaedic surgeon, born 2 March 1949; died 8 January 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[ratnurse]

I never realised until going on rugby reddit during this world cup that northern hemisphere fans have a HUGE chip on their shoulder about southern hemisphere teams dominating and this fact alone has made me so happy to see both wales and ireland get knocked out today by argentina and NZ respectively... cope and seethe Europeans

[thaivun]

Munster will play the Crusaders in a novel fixture next February

The inaugural 'Clash of Champions' between Munster and the Crusaders, the Super Rugby champions, is scheduled to take place in 2024. Crusaders Munster Rugby

The New Zealand team, headquartered in Canterbury, defeated the Chiefs in Waikato over the weekend to win their seventh straight Super Rugby title.

It was confirmed this morning that they would play Munster, the URC winners, on February 3rd of the following year.

Although it is uncommon for club teams from the northern and southern hemispheres to play each other, the Gallagher Premiership and the URC expressed support for the notion of a Rugby Club World Cup last year.

Rob Penney, the new head coach of the Crusaders, will be making a return visit to his old haunts for the match in February 2024. The New Zealander coached Munster from 2012 to 2014. Penney will take over as the All Blacks coach following the World Cup, succeeding the phenomenally successful Scott Robertson.

We are delighted to welcome the Super Rugby champions to Munster, hosting a groundbreaking fixture against the Crusaders,said Ian Flanagan, CEO of Munster Rugby.

We hold a proud and rich history of playing touring sides and I've no doubt next February's game will be a special occasion for all involved.

The Crusaders are thrilled to be coming over to Ireland and the UK to face some stiff competition away from home," stated Crusaders CEO Colin Mansbridge.

NZ and Australian clubs have been working on the World Club Competition for years, so when an opportunity for Super teams to play Northern Hemisphere counterparts came up, it was just too good to pass up, Mansbridge stated.

More News :: Super Rugby Pacific Live Game Today

Munster is especially tough competition since they have a reputation of giving visiting teams a difficult time. Additionally, Rob Penney, our new head coach, coached there, so that's a bonus, Mansbridge added.

[talenlee]

The Haka

Thinkin’ about the haka lately.

If you’re not familiar with haka, and I’m saying this before I check a wikipedia page on it it is a cultural celebration perhaps best compared to a dance, from the Maori culture out of Aotearoa, which I more commonly refer to as New Zealand, because it’s a habit and it dies hard. But yes, you may have seen this before, a scene of a group of usually men, usually rugby players, standing before an opposing team and doing a synchronised performance. I’m reluctant to call it a dance just because I know that dance is an English word, and I don’t necessarily want to distract from what haka are by what you might imagine if I call it just a ceremonial dance.

There’s this story that shows up about the haka, and it tends to be how people in the Northern Hemisphere finds out about it. Someone plays against the Aotearoan team in a sporting event, and the Aotearoan team opens by doing their haka. Then you get some early sports headline like:

Ireland unmoved by New Zealand Players’ War Dance

Followed by a headline an hour later like:

Ireland loses 16-2 against New Zealand.

And this is, to me, very funny, because why would you mention the haka and then why would you mention how Ireland was unaffected by that. And I’ve seen this headline structure multiple times! And part of that is a little bit unfair, because the haka is but one part of that story, where the bulk of the story is that international Aotearoan sports teams are made up of people really good at the sports they play. The footnote though, the thing that always hangs around the edges of it is people trying to express in some way of rearranged words that haka is somehow, bad. That it’s not cool as hell, that it’s inappropriate, that it’s being used at an inappropriate time.

This is, of course, racist as hell.

In case you think I’m coming at this and presenting an expert opinion, I’m not. I really, absolutely am not — as much as I personally like the country next door and tend to see them as a Better Version Of Us (which doesn’t erase y’know, the racism and the colonialism and the weird thing about autism diagnoses), I’m Australia, and I have no part in Maori culture, no claim to belonging nor any attempt to express ownership of anything to do with Maori culture. This is not about what haka are or should be. This is more about where I am something of an expert, which is, hanging around white Australian racists when they think nobody’s going to push back on what they say.

If you want a resource that seems more able to explain Maori culture from its experience and practice in a convenient way, you could check out Paaka Davis, over on tiktok, who seems like a lovely person from what I can see, even if the place he’s choosing to put his content is, well, tiktok. Him reacting to an American comedian mad about haka is what put this in my mind.

Haka is a thing that my people — the racist white ones — really get mad about, and then try to come up with a reason for why. I’ve heard it called barbaric, I’ve heard it called uncivilised, I’ve heard it called stupid, unintelligible, incoherent and often, very often, I’ve heard it called unfair. It’s unfair that they get to do that and we don’t get to, don’t get to, don’t get toooo…

tooooo…

And that’s when things trail off, because there’s no coherent alternative. Unstated in this assumption is that the non-Maori participants aren’t getting to express their culture in any particular way, that they’re not bringing their culture to the arena, where people wear their clothes and speak their language and clap the way that their culture does and chant the chants they know and play the game that their culture owns and like, sure, okay, but the Maori players did the haka.

And like, I was around it enough to know that yeah, okay it’s racist, but you know why it pisses us off so much right?

Right?

It’s because … we really wish we had that, y’know?

Haka is fuckin’ cool. Haka is a bunch of the scariest, toughest, most iconically masculine dudes you will ever see in our culture, the people who are capable of doing the things that my family and my surroundings’ men were so jealous of, and they weren’t just doing something cool, they were doing something cool that my people would consider uncool in its face. It’s dance! It’s sticking your tongue out! It’s expressing emotions!

Like, this is going to step into a fraught area, because I’m about to use the term ‘white guy,’ and I’m using it to describe not an actual ethnicity. White guys are a political class, but here I’m using it to describe a type of person that shares that class with me, and crucially, not a Maori. And when you ask ‘hey, how can you be a white guy and a Maori,’ check the above video. The nature of Maori identity is not some cladistic model of DNA dispensation, and, honestly, the way they write about it, it kind of underscores how silly the alternative colonialist perspective is. My mother was born in Britain, her mother was born in Wales, and I’m supposed to make some kind of complicated threading of the fractional math to indicate that this makes me one sixteenth? Or eighth? Welsh?

That’s dumb. It’s a lot easier and a lot more coherent to say that I am connected to Wales through my mother, who is connected to Wales through her mother, who is connected to Wales through her mother. It’s not about a percentage of authenticity, it’s about your connection to the land. The category that includes you and how you can track that and what it means to you. My culture says that no, it’s a percentage thing, and that brings with it ideas of purity and dilution and attenuation towards and away a sort of proper mean which, shock horror, this gets used for a lot of racist stuff.

Anyway.

White Guys.

There are in fact, a lot of white guys who are Maori, and could refer to themselves as Maori, based on Paaka’s video, and they may start that connection in ways that others don’t notice until the tattoos show up. I’m not here to crap on that White Guy. Get in touch with your roots. Especially your actual roots. But, there are other White Guys who do not have that connection to Maori culture, and I’m not going to sit here and ask you to break out the chart to prove you have the right. That’s not my place. But I am going to mention the hypothetical White Guy who does not have that connection and knows he doesn’t and the people around him are aware of it.

So anyway, this is a thing you’ll see if you hang around any modestly common White Guys with tattoos, where eventually, giving it enough time, you’re going to see someone with tattoos filed as ‘tribal.’ And those tattoos are trying to connect to something about an image of a culture that person has, because…

They’re really cool.

Cultural Appropriation is a thing because we do it, and we do it because we see other culture’s stuff and we can recognise it kicks ass. We see it and we want it and we want it in so many cases because we don’t have our own. White isn’t an identity, it doesn’t bring you anything aside from the tools of its own enforcement, which means racism and violence, and its incorporated toolkits. The things that White tells you your culture is is a bland default that doesn’t appreciate your actual connections, your actual cultural origin, the things that make you you and me me.

And so when we see people authentically using their own culture and their own framing to refer to their own ideas and their own state of being we tromp in and try to bring in that big bland default which brings with it the racism. When Paaka Davis talks about the way that a Maori parent means you are Maori, and so it goes, you’ll see in the comments dipshits saying ‘uh, no, you are this fraction’ and like, right there you see how they can’t consider the way the Maori person is talking about Maori identity.

And turns out, White Guyness doesn’t just make you boring, it makes you impose your being boredom on everyone else.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

[dailyrugbytoday]

New Zealand win U20 Rugby Championship after seeing off Australia

New Post has been published on https://thedailyrugby.com/new-zealand-win-u20-rugby-championship/

The Daily Rugby

https://thedailyrugby.com/new-zealand-win-u20-rugby-championship/

New Zealand win U20 Rugby Championship after seeing off Australia

After defeating Australia 36–25 in the championship match, New Zealand has won the first-ever U20 Rugby Championship. The Baby Blacks’ victory meant that they had not lost during the whole competition. They were the only team who failed to lose.

When King Maxwell was singed in the 53rd minute, New Zealand was leading 19–13. Then, Australia took the lead after scoring two tries. Despite Rico Simpson being sent to the sin bin and receiving another yellow card, New Zealand was able to rally and take a 26–25 lead.

But when a player went down, the Baby Blacks discipline held up, and they were the next team to score from a penalty. After that, the team managed to finish the game and score further points to create history. They are the inaugural U20 Rugby Championship winners.

This year was the first time the competition was organised. At the young team level, it was adopted because to the shape of the northern hemisphere. Every year, U20 teams from the northern hemisphere play in the U20 Six Nations.

The TRC U20 Championship is an exciting investment and development strategy that will allow for a more defined pathway for younger players into senior and international rugby and provide a springboard into the annual World Rugby U20 Championship that is currently missing,” SANZAAR CEO Brendan Morris stated prior to the competition.

The players’ experience and ability to adjust to the demands of elite rugby will only increase as a result of their exposure to international matches against elite opponents. Coaches, team managers, and match officials will all have additional opportunities for professional growth during the competition.

New Zealand Baby Blacks hold nerve to win inaugural U20s Rugby Championship

Australia was defeated 36-25 by New Zealand in the final match on the Sunshine Coast to win the inaugural Rugby Championship Under-20 Tournament on the Gold Coast. With their win, the ‘Baby Blacks’ became the only team in the tournament to go undefeated. The 53rd minute saw right winger King Maxwell receive a yellow card for inadvertently clashing with an Australian receiver who was leaping to catch a kick, which put things in jeopardy for New Zealand.

Australian left winger Harry McLaughlin-Phillips scored two tries in the empty area that King would have been defending as the team fell behind 19–13. Australian top five Having played for the Reds in six Super Rugby Pacific matches, Harry McLaughlin took quick use of the opening. He posed a constant menace to the Kiwis Rugby News the daily rugby

After being held up earlier, hooker Manumaua Letiu rumbled over for a try in the 65th minute, which helped to steadie the ship for New Zealand. Johnny Lee, an openside, took the lead by tapping the ball after a penalty. The captain of the Crusaders Super Rugby Under 20 winning team had previously used his mark to influence events. With Rico Simpson’s conversion, the visitors took the lead once more, 26-25.

Simpson received a yellow card in the 68th minute for what appeared to be a harmless “crocodile roll,” which presented another obstacle for New Zealand. A crocodile roll isn’t a modern take on the same-named classic Elton John song; rather, it’s a reckless ruck cleanout.

Simpson assisted in the creation of two tries and made a try-saving tackle in the in-goal area by flipping an Australian player onto his back. His gliding approach is uncannily similar to Stephen Larkham, who won the first five World Cups for the Wallabies in rugby.

The forwards from New Zealand displayed the discipline and rhythm of a symphony orchestra rather than collapsing. Australia lost possession and committed an infraction, which gave reserve fullback Sam Coles the opportunity to chip in a penalty to increase the score to 29–25.

With a commanding march back into Australian territory, New Zealand’s centre Xavi Taele carried three teammates over the chalk after 17 phases. Taele, the fitting centre, ought to use an exclamation point. He’s had a tremendous season and put up Dylan Pledger, the quick halfback, for a try.

Letiu had a huge impact off the bench and was flawless in his lineout throws. Jeremiah Avei-Collins and Andrew Smith contributed more strength as well. Earlier, in the third minute, McLaughlin-Phillips scored the first goal with a penalty. When Simpson, Taele, and fullback Isaac Hutchinson worked together to throw whippet winger Stanley Solomon clear, New Zealand scored the first try.

Australia had many opportunities to score, but Hutchinson stopped Ronan Leahy, a threatening second-five, and Lee tackled fullback Angus Staniforth when it appeared the former Wallabies winger Scott Staniforth’s cousin would make headlines.

Lee’s hustling would result in New Zealand’s second attempt. Maxwell launched into orbit. When Australian winger Xavier Rubens recovered and Lee caught him, he panicked and threw a pass.

New Zealand Baby Blacks hold nerve to win inaugural U20s Rugby Championship

Lee Ekanayake, an Australian blindside, was a real handful who twice kicked the ball more than fifty metres. After a persistent forward attack, openside Dane Sawers bustled over for Australia’s first try in the 49th minute.

With Will Martin and Sika Pole in the forefront, the New Zealand scrum gained prominence. Both teams won the earlier game, which saw South Africa defeat Argentina 30-28, although New Zealand maintained its lead over Argentina, who had defeated Australia in the first round.

In order to win the game, the Baby Blacks had to weather two dubious sin bins in the second half: the first was against right wing King Maxwell for allegedly pulling out a player under a high ball, and the second was against first-five Rico Simpson for reportedly engaging in an illegal cleanout.

After New Zealand dominated the first half to lead 12–6 at halftime, the Australians scored two tries on the open left wing while Maxwell was off the pitch to take the lead. The home team led 25-19 due to short-sidedness, but in the face of adversity, New Zealand’s poise and talent were evident as reserve hooker Manumaua Letiu scored a seven-pointer after being denied what seemed to be a fair try earlier and then reserve inside to give the visitors a one-point lead.

With three minutes to go, centre Xavi Taele converted a try to make it safe for New Zealand. Stanley Solomon, a Kiwi left wing, helped himself to a double in the first half. New Zealand defeated Argentina 43–20 and drew 13–13 with South Africa earlier in the competition.

[lisbetadair]

Personally victimised by the BBC's article on this retreat for athletes, apparently led by what I imagine a certain river god to look...

[thegloriousleaguefreak]

Rugby World Cup Titans: A Look at the Most Victorious Teams

In the thrilling world of rugby, several countries have made their mark, leaving an indelible legacy on the World Cup scene. These titans of the game have battled through intense rivalries, weathered the storm of nail-biting games, and triumphed in their quest for glory. While France and England have both tasted victory and defeat, they stand as the only northern hemisphere teams who have made it…

[mavspeed]

Hello, it’s Chicken anon again :D

BIG mood on the football thing lmao. I’ve fallen headfirst into rugby hell and cannot for the life of me get out

Pls accept my high five for not taking those commentors’ nonsense. Forgive me for preaching to the choir a bit, but you don’t owe them a damn thing. Your writing is incredible, and if they want a story to unfold a certain way, they need to get off their asses and write it themselves.

I hope you have a wonderful day, and thank you for sending your stories out into the world. They are gripping, enjoyable, and beautifully written and any cliffhangers or waits between chapters just makes each one that much more exciting.

Have two fun facts, since I don’t know if you meant American or Soccer Football:

1) though the average length of an NFL game is about three hours and 12 minutes, the ball is only actually in play for an average of 11 minutes total during that time.

2) the stadium Macapá, located in Brazil, has its center line right on the equator, meaning that the two nets are actually on different hemispheres, and players spend the game continually travelling between the northern and southern hemispheres.

HIIII this was so sweet omg I can’t believe I forgot to answer this 😭😭 hope you’re still around chicken anon ☹️

also thank you for the thoughtfulness and those two very interesting facts, love that. one of my besties would def appreciate that macapa fact if they don’t already know it lmfjejdjdk

[askwhatsforlunch]

Regte Braaibroodjie

I first had a Braaibroodje in November, watching Northern Hemisphere teams host Southern Hemisphere sides and offer epic rugby. It wasn’t a proper Braaibroodje, though, because I had cooked it on a hot grill pan. Now, it is Summer (up here) and there’s more exciting Test Rugby to watch (South Africa beat Wales 32-29 at the death last Saturday, France was the only victorious Northern Hemisphere team against a very good Japanese side!) 

And since Jules and I have been spending some nights playing 221B Baker Street since my birthday, I thought sandwiches would make a nice dinner. Not the Luxury Sandwiches of Christmastime, but real, Regte Braaibroodjie, grilled over red embers! And these, vriende, are proper good, eh?! It so happened that, quite à propos, last night’s investigation involved South African diamond mines and jewel thieves!

Ingredients (serves 2):

2 large slices Soft White Bread

1 tablespoon butter, softened

4 heaped tablespoons Peach Chutney

½ large red onion

a large, not too ripe tomato, rinsed

90 grams/3 ounces good quality Edam Cheese

Prepare barbecue: half an hour before grilling, arrange a small layer of coals in the barbecue. Top with a few small branches of dry wood (applewood gives a good taste), and light.

Spread butter on one side of all four Bread slices. Flip them over and spread all sides generously with Peach Chutney.

Thinly slice red onion and cut tomato into slices. Arrange red onion slices onto the Peach Chutney on two of the Bread slices. Top with tomato slices, in an even layer.

Cut Edam into thick enough slices. Remove the red wax, cut slices into bits, and arrange Edam bits in a rather even layer onto the Peach Chutney on the other two Bread slices.

Sandwich laden Bread slices together carefully, and place sandwiches onto a gridiron, preferably one with two grates, to secure and hold them.

Once the flames have died down, and the embers are red, place gridiron over the embers, and grill the sandwiches. It won’t take more than 2 minutes on each side, possibly less! 

Carefully remove Braaibroodjie from the gridiron and cut them in halves.

Serve Regte Braaibroodjie immediately, with a glass of chilled South African Chenin Blanc, or something sparkling if you’re feeling fancy!

[toporod]

Rugby Union dilemmas and procrastination: - "KILLED THE DOG - NO MORE RABIS"!

Rugby Union dilemmas and procrastination: – “KILLED THE DOG – NO MORE RABIS”!

A SIMPLE SOLUTION TO THIS ‘HUGE’ PROBLEM:The RED-CARDED player is replaced by one from the bench.Then the club or selection fines the player USD$5,000.- (for unsportsmanlike behaviour). As we say in Argentina, “KILLED THE DOG – NO MORE RABIS”! https://www.rugbypass.com/news/i-dont-understand-it-dave-rennie-frustrated-with-northern-hemisphere-powers/

[dailyrugbytoday]

Munster vs Crusaders Rugby in inaugural 'Clash of Champions' in 2024

New Post has been published on https://thedailyrugby.com/watch-munster-vs-crusaders-rugby-online/

The Daily Rugby

https://thedailyrugby.com/watch-munster-vs-crusaders-rugby-online/

Munster vs Crusaders Rugby in inaugural 'Clash of Champions' in 2024

Munster vs Crusaders are set to create history in 2024 with a world first ‘Clash of the Champions’ game on Saturday, February 3 (kick-off 5pm).

The inaugural ‘Clash of Champions’ between Munster and the Crusaders the Super Rugby champions is scheduled to take place in 2024. The New Zealand team headquartered in Canterbury defeated the Chiefs in Waikato over the weekend to win their seventh straight Super Rugby title.

It was confirmed this morning that they would play Munster the URC winners on February 3rd of the following year.

Although it is uncommon for club teams from the northern and southern hemispheres to play each other the Gallagher Premiership and the URC expressed support for the notion of a Rugby Club World Cup last year.

Rob Penney, the new head coach of the Crusaders will be making a return visit to his old haunts for the match in February 2024. The New Zealander coached Munster from 2012 to 2014. Penney will take over as the All Blacks coach following the World Cup succeeding the phenomenally successful Scott Robertson. The 2023-24 Gallagher Premiership Rugby fixtures (Live broadcast on TNT Sports)

2024 Crusaders Ireland and UK Fixtures:

Saturday, February 3 –

Munster v Crusaders, venue to be confirmed, 5pm

Friday, February 9 –

Bristol Bears v Crusaders, Ashton Gate, 7.30pm

Munster vs Crusaders friendly set to take place in Pairc Ui Chaoimh

It now appears likely that Munster’s 2024 “Clash of Champions” friendly match against the Crusaders will take place at Pairc Ui Chaoimh, Cork GAA’s home field.

The URC champions, who had just secured the Crusaders’ fifth consecutive Super Rugby championship, announced last week that they would play the giants of New Zealand.

Last Saturday in Waikato, the New Zealand team won their eighth straight Super Rugby Pacific Championship, defeating the Chiefs 25–20 to keep the trophy.

With 14 titles under their belt, they are the most successful team in the competition’s history and are well-known throughout the globe for their track record of brilliance and achievement.

It will be the first-ever meeting between the defending URC and Super Rugby champions after Munster’s recent victory in the BKT United Rugby Championship in Cape Town.

Meanwhile, RugbyPass has discovered that the Crusaders will travel to Limerick, Ireland, for two preseason games in February 2024, including a match against Munster, in order to gauge the interest of fans in watching Super Rugby Pacific teams play in Europe.

How to watch Crusaders vs. Munster online for free

In February 2024, Munster Rugby will play their home game against the Super Rugby Champions Crusaders at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday, February 3 at 5 p.m.

The URC and Super Rugby champions will square off against one another in a world rugby first known as the “Clash of Champions.”

In November of last year, Munster made history by hosting the first-ever Munster vs Crusaders rugby match at the Cork venue. The sold-out match against South Africa’s “A” proved to be a huge success on an unforgettable evening.

STREAMING: Watch the 2024 Munster vs Crusaders on FloRugby.

On Your TV: Now Available on Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast & Apple TV.

Cast: Cast to your smart TV including Vizio, Samsung and LG TVs.

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Along with the acquisition of two other players on short-term contracts, Munster announced on Thursday that the 6′ 5in Jager would be joining them until the summer of 2027. Head coach Graham Rowntree is currently dealing with a number of injuries in critical areas.

Since Australian and New Zealand clubs have been working on the World Club competition for years it was impossible to pass up the chance for Super teams to play their counterparts in the northern hemisphere.

Munster is an especially difficult opponent because they have a history of giving visiting teams a difficult time. Additionally, Rob Penney our new head coach coached there so that’s a bonus.

Details about the Munster venue and tickets will be confirmed soon. Members of the Munster Rugby Supporters Club will receive direct communication about a presale. Purchase a season ticket for Munster Rugby here.

[andrewtillman]

Day 19 Epilogue

The flight from Melbourne to Singapore was 7-1/2 hours long and my cunning plan was to stay awake to try and get onto UK time as soon as possible. That meant that, by the time we boarded the Manchester leg of the flight in Singapore, I’d have been awake for 25 hours😱 Maybe not the best plan, I’ll admit, but I was determined. Alan, maybe more sensibly, decided to have a kip

I was also determined not to know the rugby World Cup final score as I’d recorded it and wanted to watch it at home. More of that later, but I wore headphones or airpods for pretty much all of the journey home so as not to overhear any conversations and therefore, according to Alan, I talked in an annoyingly loud voice for the duration of our journey home.

The Singapore to Manchester leg was 14 hours long so I figured there would be plenty of time for a meal, movie, then 10 hours sleep.

I’d like to report that my experiment was a complete success.

Unfortunately, however, I can’t😟

I managed maybe three hours and arrived to the customary Manchester fog and rain welcome, knackered and still with a two-hour drive home. - Thanks to Thea for providing a life-saving bagel breakfast en route.

On the other hand, my other myth-busting experiment was a complete success...

Everyone knows, of course, that the water goes down Australian plugholes in an anti-clockwise direction, the opposite to the northern hemisphere, where the water goes down clockwise. Right?

Wrong!

Here is an Australian sink, filled with Australian water, moments after pulling out the Australian plug...

... so now we know, it goes down the same way, clockwise. Myth busted!

Except... If you think about it, in Australia, you are looking at the world from upside down so, if you were looking at that same sink, through a hole drilled from England, it would indeed be going down the hole anti-clockwise. In fact it would be going UP the hole anti-clockwise.

So, like everything in life, it depends entirely on your viewpoint so I’ll maintain an air of mystery on the subject and let you all draw your own conclusions.

Anyway, all good things must come to an end, and so we come to the end of our Australian Adventure, and also the end of this blog 😓

We had an amazing time. We met lots of interesting people and perhaps, like the plughole, we saw things from a different perspective once we got out into the wild on our bikes with our biker friends.

All the Aussies that we met were warm, friendly, incredibly hospitable and helpful people. Every one had either an interesting story to tell us, or were genuinely interested in the story of our bike adventure.

Now, I said I’d come back to the rugby. You may remember that we watched the England v Australia rugby quarter final in a club in Merimbula. To add interest, we put a $20 bet on England to win that match at 7.5 to 1.

Well, as we all know, we beat the Wallabies, but they wouldn’t pay out, claiming that I’d placed the bet on England to win the tournament, not the match. 🤬🤬🤬

We then realised that we would be on the plane back to England when the final was played, so we gave the ticket to Charlie before the All-Blacks semi final game, which we won so, all England had to do was win the final and Charlie would be $150 better off!

Unfortunately, as I have just found out, we didn’t win the final ☹️ so Charlie can’t go claim his winnings as compensation for the ordeal we put him through as resident blog curmudgeon and butt of all our jokes for two weeks.

Sorry Charlie, but you’ll just have to accept our thanks for being a great host, showing us your fantastic country, giving us an education in Aussie fauna and flora and putting up with us and our strange foreign ways - (Unnecessary sat-navs, Apple watches full of money, motorcycles with electric starts, tiny wireless telephones that fit in our pockets) 🤣 .In fact, anything introduced after 1967 🤪. I promise you that I will now get a move on, and finish my own Vincent restoration.

For those of you who like statistics:

Here is a map of our journey....

Ignore the mileages on the map. We actually covered 819 miles in the car and 1,541 miraculously incident-free miles on the bike. That’s over 150 bike-miles every day, often in dangerous conditions (thank you Alan and Charlie for leading me through it and putting up with me in general) - so we did 2,360 miles in total.

And that brings us to the end of this blog. I hope you enjoyed it.

Thank you for all your messages of appreciation and support and maybe I’ll do another one, one day.

POSTSCRIPT

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Inspired by their life-changing adventure, our intrepid heroes have all gone on to achieve greater personal success than they could ever have dreamt of before realising the extent of their true capabilities:

Following his encounters with his furry little friends in the wild, Alan has gone on to become the most successful koala breeder in the West Yorkshire area.

Charlie had an epiphany, cast-off his curmudgeonly veil and is now the most tolerant, happiest and most loved Vincent restorer in the entire southern hemisphere.

Andrew went on to win the Motor GP world championship, narrowly pipping Valentino Rossi to the title in the last race of the season and is now widely considered one of the all-time greats.

15.00 3rd November, Kirkby Overblow

[industravelsblog-blog1]

New Zealand - Wikipedia

>>These are rainforests of the temperate and subtropical zone, which differ significantly from the rainforests of the tropical zone in terms of fauna and flora. A comparable vegetation with often evergreen deciduous and coniferous woods and partly tree ferns can be found on the south coast of South Africa, in Tasmania, Chile and along the Pacific coast from California to Canada.

What dangerous animals are there in New Zealand?

Dangerous animals in New Zealand In the countryside there are fewer or, apart from the rare Katipo spider, hardly any dangerous animal species. In New Zealand more than 1100 spider species live from the 40 000 spider species known worldwide so far. Only a few are weakly poisonous.

Until about 200 million years ago New Zealand - like most of today's land masses in the southern hemisphere - belonged to the primordial continent of Gondwana. Since then New Zealand has been able to develop a flora and fauna independent of all other land areas. Read more about campervan hire New Zealand here.

Although the beginnings of rugby actually come from the state schools of England, rugby in New Zealand is the popular sport of the "average Kiwi". Even before Sir Ernest Rutherford split the atom in the early twentieth century, New Zealanders were making groundbreaking discoveries and inventions. Many of them were literally made in a backyard. Today's most famous kiwi inventions are probably frozen meat, the Hamilton jet boat and the bungee jump, but there are many others. New Zealand's European pioneers were courageous, robust and independent.

They live mainly on the Otango Peninsula, where conservationists anxiously check their population.

The tree nettle (Urtica ferox) does the same as all nettles and sheds piercing hairs when touched, which bring the poison into the victim's skin.

These ethnic groups live mainly in the south of the greater Auckland area.

> The rest of the Kiwis live mainly in the big cities Wellington, Christchurch and Hamilton.

The southern movement continued until the Carboniferous and Permian ( million years ) and brought New Zealand close to its present position. In the epoch of the Cambrian, Silurian and Ordovician ( mio. years) New Zealand reached up to the 45th, later up to the 20th New Zealand's friendly and down-to-earth inhabitants are something very special and remain - in the best sense - in the memory of visitors for a long time. This database can then be accessed by the police during a search. This giant snail can grow up to 10cm in size and noisily eats earthworms, insects and occasionally conspecifics. The Kauri snails live almost exclusively in the ancient Kauri forests of Northland and reach an age of up to 20 years. More species of penguins live in New Zealand than in any other country, but their population is endangered.

Also interesting:

New Zealand is home to some of the most active volcanoes on earth. These are located exclusively in the northern half of the country, a large part of them are concentrated in the Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ), which is located in the centre of the North Island. This is a large alluvial plain, which is well suited for agricultural purposes, such as livestock farming. From this plain, the volcanically shaped Banks Peninsula rises into the Pacific Ocean, which is part of the urban area of Christchurch, the largest agglomeration in the South Island and the third largest in the country. Around the free-standing volcano is a broad rainforest belt, which is protected by the Egmont National Park.

[kahurugby-blog]

Fred's Northern Hemisphere Rugby 1st First of 12

Fred's Northern Hemisphere Rugby 1st First of 12 Follow Him On Our Kahu World Sports Group... https://www.facebook.com/groups/allblacksandworldsports/

Bath Rugby

Director of Rugby: Todd Blackadder Ground: The Recreation Ground Captain: Matt Garvey

The West Country club did show glimpses of brilliance under the new stewardship of former Crusaders coaching duo Todd Blackadder and Tabai Matson. Bath boast three Lions, Anthony Watson, Taulupe Faletau and Jonathan Joseph, all will be integral parts of the clubs lineup this season. There is also a…

[askwhatsforlunch]

Provençal Burger

If you’re spending the weekend watching epic Northern versus Southern Hemisphere Rugby clashes on telly, you might want something tasty and hearty to eat whilst enjoying the game. Maybe it is because I was cheering on Les Bleus against fierce Pumas last night, but I feel like this Provençal Burger is the best side to an exciting and intense as rugby match!

Ingredients (serves 1):

200 grams/ ounces beef mince

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or sea salt flakes

1/2 teaspoon freashly cracked black pepper

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

45 grams/1 1/2 ounce Tomme des Pyrénées (or good Mature English Cheddar)

1 Cheddar Dinner Roll

2 tablespoons Aïoli

1/4 red onion, peeled

1/4 small red bell pepper, rinsed

In a medium bowl, combine beef mince, dried thyme, smoked paprika, fleur de sel and black pepper. Drizzle with olive oil. Mix well and gently with clean hands, and shape into a generous patty. Set aside.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the beef patty, and grill, on both sides. Once almost done to your liking, top patty with slices of Tomme des Pyrénées (or Cheddar).

Halve Cheddar Dinner Roll, and place on the grill pan, to warm. Once warm and toasted, remove from the grill, and cover patty with a lid, to allow the cheese to finish melting, about one minute.

Spread Aïoli generously on both halves of the Cheddar Dinner Roll. 

Place bottom halve onto serving plate. Slice red onion and bell pepper thinly enough, and place red onion slices onto the bottom halve. Top with hot beef patty. Scatter red bell pepper slices onto the melted cheese. Finally, top with  Cheddar Dinner Roll top halve. 

Enjoy Provençal Burger hot, with Hot Chips 6and a good (chilled) Pays d’Oc rosé or a robust red, like Malbec.