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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Big Ewis" data-source="post: 620801" data-attributes="member: 57076">the All-Blacks are an anomaly. They're sound in every aspect of the game, first of all, unlike Australia - and then they do what the Aussies do best, even better. They score tries. A try is 7 points, and they score a bunch of them because they're absolute freaks whom I suspect secretly share a brain in common. Never have I seen a team play so harmoniously, in any sport or era, ever, it's simply eerie how they do it. But for every other shhity human team, there's weight and work rate. Aussies are a gorgeous side to watch, that's why I love them, but they got thrashed by South Africa twice this year because South Africa are huge. Period. Period. It's understood I mean work rate and a sound but simple plan along with the weight.There's a couple of games from around 2008 where Australia go up by 25 or 30 or something crazy against South Africa, twice they do it I could get you the reference - and South Africa gradually get back into the game, and actually win one of those. Not because they stringed magnificent plays together; they don't know how. Not because of brilliant ideas by field technicians who found openings and what not - boorish forward work, that's it. Aussies gave away and gave away and gave away meter after meter, penalty after penalty. Pretty flair Rugby from the 60's/80's wouldn't work today, because the guys were tiny compared to now. They'd get hammered down and wouldn't get up, that shhit is over, though it was gorgeous. These days it's not an anomaly to have a 105kg center or winger anymore.It's cool to have a Nyanga on your team, he's agile for a flanker, sometimes looks like an outside back running ball in hand with sidesteps and all...good work rate, powerful in his own right....but he's 100kg. A guy like W. Alberts is 120kg. Vermeulen 115kg and Louw 112kg. When your team is 7kg-per-forward down, what do you think is going to happen at the breakdown ? How is a Nyanga or Dusautoir or Lauret (all around 95/100kg) going to do in the rucks ? How exhausted are they going to be after having to tackle monster after monster, what disadvantage is your team at when you need a couple or 3 guys for each tackle ?I pick South Africa because they're the most perfect example anyone could want for this argument: the only team that beat them was NZ, because like I said they're inhumanly in sync. Every other team needs to meet and even beat them in the physicality department, very hard to do. Or come up with amazingly designed tries like the Aussies sometimes do to them. Is it a coincidence SA only lost to NZ last year ? And yes, okay, there's the occasional LeRoux, or Habana who can run like he's on fast-forward. But think about it...for just one little second. WEIGHT.</blockquote>

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