Northern Hemisphere vs Southern Hemisphere?

[Barbarian Horde]

Just when I thought this thread couldn't get any funnier, step up Barbarian Horde.

What an extraordinary contribution...thank you for enlightening us.

 

[TRF_Cymro]

What an extraordinary contribution...thank you for enlightening us.

No thank you.

 

[Barbarian Horde]

no im going to be areally irish fan

Pretty consistent theme from what I've read so far on this thread.

 

[TRF_Cymro]

Pretty consistent theme from what I've read so far on this thread.

You do realize everyone its having a laugh on this thread and you are the only one taking it seriously.

 

[smartcooky]

Super Rugby > Heinekin Cup

OK, I'll bite on this one.

I take issue with comparisons like this because they cannot be easily made. All you can really say is that Super Rugby is different from Heineken Cup.

IMO, Heineken Cup does suffer from a couple of fundamental flaws.

1. Its format is fragmented. It's spread unevenly throughout the year, so it tends to lose momentum. I think it would be better off being played in a single nine-week stretch right after the Six Nations, with the Premiership, Top 14 and Magners Leagues all being played before the Six Nations.

2. Unlike Super Rugby, all of the best players from the nations involved do not participate. Some of the top players play in the European Challenge Cup in any given year because their teams didn't qualify.

3. The six-pools-of-four format means that, unlike Super Rugby (except for this year) every team doesn't play every other team. This means a lot of really good teams might not meet. Unfortunately, there is nothing much can be done about that without reducing the number of teams because there simply isn't enough time in the season to do anything else.

On the other hand, it does have what I consider to be one superior attribute; qualification. For me, this is the big one. I love the idea that teams have to earn the right to play in the European Championship, rather than do what we do, which is grant them the right. I would far rather see the teams in Super Rugby qualify for their positions rather than just be automatically there every year. I think the top five ITM Cup teams should be the qualifiers for NZ, and the top five Currie Cup teams from South Africa, Those teams could then draft additional players from the other teams to bring them up to strength. I don't know what the Australians would do though, since Ol' Possum-head axed their National Championship.

 

[Duckdee]

Would you say all that about the football's Champion's and Europa Leagues?

 

[TRF_Olyy]

ROTFLMAO!!!

I needed to go to the toilet but that's ok because I've just ****** myself.

I too laughed,
To even mention D.C in the same thread as Wilkinson is a great insult to Wilko

Pictured; Proof that Wilkinson is the best:

 

[smartcooky]

Would you say all that about the football's Champion's and Europa Leagues?

I don't follow Wendyball so I wouldn't know what to think, but I can say that I never even know that they are on until I see the goal highlights in the sports section of the 6pm news or Sport 365.

Its the same for the Heineken Cup; I often don't pick up that the games are on until after they are over, unless I specifically make an effort to find out, or happen to be looking through the SkyGuide and notice a game listed there. If the HC was held in a nine-week stretch, I would know there was a match on every weekend

The other thing is that Heineken Cup is very poorly covered here, because its on ESPN. On the opening weekend there were a couple of cracking encounters, Scarlets v Perpignan and I think Leinster v Racing... and what did ESPN give us in NZ? Ulster v Aironi

 

[Duckdee]

Perhaps the qualifying for a knockout cup is a mostly European thing, then. What was rugby between Oz and NZ clubs like before Super Rugby?

 

[TRF_Cymro]

 

[monkeypigeon]

I don't follow Wendyball so I wouldn't know what to think, but I can say that I never even know that they are on until I see the goal highlights in the sports section of the 6pm news or Sport 365.

Its the same for the Heineken Cup; I often don't pick up that the games are on until after they are over, unless I specifically make an effort to find out, or happen to be looking through the SkyGuide and notice a game listed there. If the HC was held in a nine-week stretch, I would know there was a match on every weekend

The other thing is that Heineken Cup is very poorly covered here, because its on ESPN. On the opening weekend there were a couple of cracking encounters, Scarlets v Perpignan and I think Leinster v Racing... and what did ESPN give us in NZ? Ulster v Aironi

Ulster vs Aironi...ouch.

I like the variety of the Heineken Cup, that we get to play against a different English or French team most years and if we get drawn against the same one twice then the rivalry from the previous year is vicious. Great crack.

I really don't like the idea of having the Heineken Cup all in one rush...I don;t know why, perhaps because I like 'form watching', keeps me more interested in what's going on in France and with Them Across the Water. And also like that the Finals of each domestic competition and the european competitions having their finals within the same few weeks- shows what teams can reallly handle the pressure.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Blueberry is a spambot - one of those ones that takes posts from the thread and mixes them together to make it seem like it's a real one (think monkeypigeon joked about how the Lions weren't good because they have no french)

I'd already started deleting before you quoted

 

[lucky number 7]

Buckley and Dunning ...Hot dog eating contest at sundown

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Wales have got that one covered:

 

[Shaggy]

Buckley and Dunning ...Hot dog eating contest at sundown

I'd back Dunning on this one ... any Prop that kicks a drop goal in the final minutes of a match, when your team is trying to get the fourth try bonus point to put them into the super 14 finals, obviously has the tactical nous to win your contest

 

[Duckdee]

A challenger appears!

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Bloody hell, he's a big lump!

 

[TRF_Cymro]

 

[Duckdee]

/thread

 

[Feicarsinn]