Hosea Gear to Toulouse

[ratsapprentice]

I find it ridiculous that anyone can genuinely believe players go to France for anything other than more money, better climate (for some) and the less intense conditioning (for all bar the top 2-3 teams).
For most players those things combine to create a much easier lifestyle.

Most of the top 14 I have watched has been pretty average, not terrible , but hardly "the best in the world".
For all the talk of the "best" competitions, I always find it hard to enjoy matches if I can't get behind one of the teams.
For me, it's all about how likeable the teams and players are, not so much how good the competition as a whole is.

 

[ZeFrenchy]

well then sorry but **** the average fan. No offense to you in particular if that's your sentiment, but I can't stand these absurdities...Jerome Kaino not eligible to play for his own freaking country after a fantastic RWC just because, basically....OF MONEY.
Fijians can't make a worthy team, not even close in fact...because of MONEY, and damn clubs - European or others.

France before any side in the world will forever take blame for inconsistency in large part due to our calendar. Last game of the year in 2010 against Aus never ever should've ended this way as a main example, and examples are legion in history. Not putting it all on the calendar, of course. But I'll be damned before the league extends to a supposed Top 16 or wtvr, Top 35, why not, with every single All-Black, Wallaby or SpringBok in our league.

And where the fk is the glory when you have every single big name around...?

How did it ever come to this, that the international game where you represent your country, the highest stage by light-years, may be delayed/hindered and generally secondary to any other matches ?! How has this not become an overwhelming priority ? MONEY.

Damn the avg. fan. How sick is this that money comes before your country. It's with your country that you play for Grand Slams and RWC and the thrill of rivaling the mighty Allblacks....not with fkn Mont de Marsan.

I don't necessarilly agree with the average fan, but I refuse to be part of the few "enlightened" that tell the majority that they're wrong, and then do what they think is "best for them".
Club fans are well aware that there is a conflict between their club and the national side, and they prefer their club (at least I feel the majority do). And that's ALWAYS been that way. Way before professionalism.


EDIT:
I don't want to enter the "which competition is better" debate, but I just heard something while watching the Reds vs. Rebels game that illustrates the different mentalities.
There where ~5 minutes of re-set scrums close to the Reds goal line. After the Rebels finally managed to get the ball out, the Reds intercepted a pass, kicked ahead and then there were some seconds of broken play. The commentators then said "Finally some rugby being played!" I was shocked.