Boks "Bomb squad" in doubt as ex-players target substitutes - again

[inactionman]

Yup, and the amateur game

The amateur game is long dead. School kids are targeted nowadays.

Tier 2 sides must change their thinking and look for ways to compete. You do not take the lowest common demoninator to set your standards.

On the first point the last time I looked the number of amateur players, teams and leagues in every country vastly outnumbers their professional counterparts, it’s not even close.

On the second point, that’s fine if you want to run a protectionist hegemony where there are only ever two real contenders at a world cup, perhaps three depending on location, with cricket scores being rattled up in the pool stages.

Undoubtedly true, it's probably the case there's more amateur rugby players within a couple of miles of my house in Edinburgh than professionally in Scotland.

A word of caution re numbers however - just taking the RFU as example, for some reason they appear to include anyone with any passing association to a rugby club as a playing member. I wonder if this is something to do with tickets for HQ, as they're divvied up usually by lottery to clubs and into members. Anyway, the numbers of amateur players in England is grossly misleading and assume this is the same elsewhere.

[Tichtheid]

A word of caution re numbers however - just taking the RFU as example, for some reason they appear to include anyone with any passing association to a rugby club as a playing member. I wonder if this is something to do with tickets for HQ, as they're divvied up usually by lottery to clubs and into members. Anyway, the numbers of amateur players in England is grossly misleading and assume this is the same elsewhere.

It certainly used to be true for the SRU, they included anyone who'd had a couple of hours of touch rugby in the Highlands as part of an outreach programme to whip up interest in the game.

However, as you say there are many clubs across Scotland, over 200, and even if they don't run as many sides as they did when I played, they are still sending out one or two teams every week

[SaintK]

The amateur game is long dead. School kids are targeted nowadays.

Tier 2 sides must change their thinking and look for ways to compete. You do not take the lowest common demoninator to set your standards.

On the first point the last time I looked the number of amateur players, teams and leagues in every country vastly outnumbers their professional counterparts, it’s not even close.

On the second point, that’s fine if you want to run a protectionist hegemony where there are only ever two real contenders at a world cup, perhaps three depending on location, with cricket scores being rattled up in the pool stages.

Undoubtedly true, it's probably the case there's more amateur rugby players within a couple of miles of my house in Edinburgh than professionally in Scotland.

A word of caution re numbers however - just taking the RFU as example, for some reason they appear to include anyone with any passing association to a rugby club as a playing member. I wonder if this is something to do with tickets for HQ, as they're divvied up usually by lottery to clubs and into members. Anyway, the numbers of amateur players in England is grossly misleading and assume this is the same elsewhere.

That isn't quite the case
Clubs have to fulfill ssome pretty strict criteria and report into the RFU via the Game Management System which is a pretty onerous task in itself particularly for a club with multi-playing sections.

[inactionman]

On the first point the last time I looked the number of amateur players, teams and leagues in every country vastly outnumbers their professional counterparts, it’s not even close.

On the second point, that’s fine if you want to run a protectionist hegemony where there are only ever two real contenders at a world cup, perhaps three depending on location, with cricket scores being rattled up in the pool stages.

Undoubtedly true, it's probably the case there's more amateur rugby players within a couple of miles of my house in Edinburgh than professionally in Scotland.

A word of caution re numbers however - just taking the RFU as example, for some reason they appear to include anyone with any passing association to a rugby club as a playing member. I wonder if this is something to do with tickets for HQ, as they're divvied up usually by lottery to clubs and into members. Anyway, the numbers of amateur players in England is grossly misleading and assume this is the same elsewhere.

That isn't quite the case
Clubs have to fulfill ssome pretty strict criteria and report into the RFU via the Game Management System which is a pretty onerous task in itself particularly for a club with multi-playing sections.

I've been out of loop for a while on this, but I still get a few tickets off my old man who is a member of his old club - not sure how it's actually allocated, think they have a ballot of some sort and you request specific tickets and then it's a name from hat. He's in his 70s and hasn't worn a rugby jersey for getting on 40 years. My statement was misleading re how RFU allocate to clubs, I've not a scooby on how that's done

[SaintK]

Undoubtedly true, it's probably the case there's more amateur rugby players within a couple of miles of my house in Edinburgh than professionally in Scotland.

A word of caution re numbers however - just taking the RFU as example, for some reason they appear to include anyone with any passing association to a rugby club as a playing member. I wonder if this is something to do with tickets for HQ, as they're divvied up usually by lottery to clubs and into members. Anyway, the numbers of amateur players in England is grossly misleading and assume this is the same elsewhere.

That isn't quite the case
Clubs have to fulfill ssome pretty strict criteria and report into the RFU via the Game Management System which is a pretty onerous task in itself particularly for a club with multi-playing sections.

I've been out of loop for a while on this, but I still get a few tickets off my old man who is a member of his old club - not sure how it's actually allocated, think they have a ballot of some sort and you request specific tickets and then it's a name from hat. He's in his 70s and hasn't worn a rugby jersey for getting on 40 years. My statement was misleading re how RFU allocate to clubs, I've not a scooby on how that's done

Ah, I see!
I manage the international tickets for my club and know the hoops that junior clubs have to jump thgrough to maintain their allocations which have been gradually reducing over the years as the RFU increase the amount of tickets they keep for corporate hospitality which is far more profitable for them. Just one of the many continual slaps in the face for the community game.
We also ballot but have some pretty rigid criteria as to who qualifies to enter the ballot

[OomStruisbaai]

Boks bomb squad backfire heavily tonite. Will the farts change their tune now?

[Sards]

Boks bomb squad backfire heavily tonite. Will the farts change their tune now?

Tell me which bomb squad member bombed

[boere wors]

Boks bomb squad backfire heavily tonite. Will the farts change their tune now?

Tell me which bomb squad member bombed

bomb squad member bongi bombed

[OomStruisbaai]

Boks bomb squad backfire heavily tonite. Will the farts change their tune now?

Tell me which bomb squad member bombed

bomb squad member bongi bombed

Vok how many 5m line lineouts did he over throw? Cost us four tries minimum.

The bom squad backfire because we end up playing 14 players for the last 10 minutes.

[Blake]

Ending up with no subs left is always the risk when you clear your bench. Hope Nienaber learns from this.

Always leave one player on the bench; maybe if there’s 3-4 mins left it’s okay to give them a cap. But emptying the bench with 15mins on the clock was, in hindsight, stupid.

Go 6-2. By all means, swop out the tight five, but leave some utility players in it our pocket in case you need them.

[boere wors]

Tell me which bomb squad member bombed

bomb squad member bongi bombed

Vok how many 5m line lineouts did he over throw? Cost us four tries minimum.

The bom squad backfire because we end up playing 14 players for the last 10 minutes.

Think it was 3 or 4 in a row indeed. Painful to watch.

Re the bomb squad, the game was already won, so we could afford to lose a player to injury. In a tight game I hope we empty the bench more wisely.

[sorCrer]

bomb squad member bongi bombed

Vok how many 5m line lineouts did he over throw? Cost us four tries minimum.

The bom squad backfire because we end up playing 14 players for the last 10 minutes.

Think it was 3 or 4 in a row indeed. Painful to watch.

Re the bomb squad, the game was already won, so we could afford to lose a player to injury. In a tight game I hope we empty the bench more wisely.

It was clearly a tactic to throw to the back and setup a driving maul deeper infield to allow more options. It's too risky. When it's done on the opposition try line it's "broek besoedling tyd" for me.

[Enzedder]

I think we should still have subs - but no more than 3. Use them to cover a tired player at your peril

[Sards]

Boks bomb squad backfire heavily tonite. Will the farts change their tune now?

Tell me which bomb squad member bombed

bomb squad member bongi bombed

Bongi. Ok. Yes I can believe his throw ins are irratic. I would have to watch that second half but have no pluck for it. What about the rest.

[assfly]

I don't think we can put it all on Bongi. There was definitely a communication issue and quite a lot of new faces in the pack. Probably should have kept the jumps towards the front.

[OomStruisbaai]

Kolbey had a good run in 9. Much beter then Reinach.

[Sards]

Kolbey had a good run in 9. Much beter then Reinach.

Keep your Sharks hate for this week's Currie Cup

And excuse me but Mapimpi is a much much better wing than Kolbe.

[Blake]

I don't think we can put it all on Bongi. There was definitely a communication issue and quite a lot of new faces in the pack. Probably should have kept the jumps towards the front.

Agree. Neither of the traditional lineout captains (Etzebeth or De Jager) were on the field so the lineouts were bound to suffer.

But that being said, it’s disappointing that Bongi and Mostert who have some experience didn’t take control and simplify things.

[sorCrer]

Kolbey had a good run in 9. Much beter then Reinach.

Keep your Sharks hate for this week's Currie Cup

And excuse me but Mapimpi is a much much better wing than Kolbe.

[Sards]

Kolbey had a good run in 9. Much beter then Reinach.

Keep your Sharks hate for this week's Currie Cup

And excuse me but Mapimpi is a much much better wing than Kolbe.

Strike rate....its that simple....Kolbe only has 9 tries in more starts.....Mapimpi is almost double that....Fassi given game time will chase Mapimpi..who realistically could become our best winger ever..

Unless you think getting the most likes on fb counts towards being the best