Given that we can no longer beat the Europeans ...

[convoluted]

... it's time to poach some.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/sup ... blues?rm=a

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/all ... acks-dream

[OomStruisbaai]

Great stories.

[Chilli]

Damn poachers

[FalseBayFC]

That Dutch kid is a unit! Soon scouts will be prospecting the Balkans for 2m plus giants. The Dutch are really big people though.

[Kawazaki]

I toured Holland many years ago. Definitely a potential growth area for rugby much like Germany and Poland. All of the Scandinavian countries produce athletes that would be very good at rugby as well. As a sport, we've actually been piss poor at growing the game.

[JM2K6]

Heartwarming story - always good to see players from big nations helping out the little guys.

[Thor Sedan]

Surely this is going to be the norm.

The rugby infrastructure, high standards of coaching and general knowledge of the game in top tier countries is going to turn average players into world beaters.

I remember back in the late 80's we had numerous exchange students from Holland, Norway, Germany and Austria at our high school. Most of the guys were part of the rugby programme and most improved a huge amount just being in the high school environment alone.

Europe in general is a treasure chest of 'made for rugby' types. They just need the coaching. Walking through the streets of Delft a few years back was just seeing lock after lock after lock. They're all giants.

[Uncle fester]

I toured Holland many years ago. Definitely a potential growth area for rugby much like Germany and Poland. All of the Scandinavian countries produce athletes that would be very good at rugby as well. As a sport, we've actually been piss poor at growing the game.

For sure. Cricket has probably done a better job of it than rugby!

Netherlands produce big lads but the athletes who could be good rugby players are playing pub league level soccer.
Played their national team back in late 90's and they weren't even at AIL standard. Not going to change if potentially good players look to play for tier 1 nations.

[Mahoney]

Heartwarming story - always good to see players from big nations helping out the little guys.

I'm so thick today. Read that three or four times thinking "the tone must mean he's not being genuine, but I can't work out where the barb is..." before it clicked.

[JM2K6]

[Uncle fester]

Also, Europeans tend to play a variety of sports that can have unexpected potential for rugby crossover.
Played with an Italian guy years ago and I couldn't understand how he had an uncanny knack for picking good running lines in both tag and contact rugby. I wasn't much of a passer but he'd pick such a good line that all I needed to do was put the ball in his hands and he either had a line break or the defense was scrambling to take him down.

I asked him about this one night and he explained that he used to play handball and that defences usually congregate around the goalmouth blocking the ball carrier from taking a shot. The best way to defeat this is to pass sideways to a teammate running for a gap in the defense who could then take a shot.
Such a simple skill that a lot of players never learn but this guy had it in his locker from the start.

[JM2K6]

Also, Europeans tend to play a variety of sports that can have unexpected potential for rugby crossover.
Played with an Italian guy years ago and I couldn't understand how he had an uncanny knack for picking good running lines in both tag and contact rugby. I wasn't much of a passer but he'd pick such a good line that all I needed to do was put the ball in his hands and he either had a line break or the defense was scrambling to take him down.

I asked him about this one night and he explained that he used to play handball and that defences usually congregate around the goalmouth blocking the ball carrier from taking a shot. The best way to defeat this is to pass sideways to a teammate running for a gap in the defense who could then take a shot.
Such a simple skill that a lot of players never learn but this guy had it in his locker from the start.

On the same note, it's only a matter of time before all the Indian Kabaddi experts start tearing it up in rugby.

[Slick]

I toured Holland many years ago. Definitely a potential growth area for rugby much like Germany and Poland. All of the Scandinavian countries produce athletes that would be very good at rugby as well. As a sport, we've actually been piss poor at growing the game.

For sure. Cricket has probably done a better job of it than rugby!

Netherlands produce big lads but the athletes who could be good rugby players are playing pub league level soccer.
Played their national team back in late 90's and they weren't even at AIL standard. Not going to change if potentially good players look to play for tier 1 nations.

I played against them as well around the same time. Quite an intimidating sight until they started playing.