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Premiership Rugby 21/22 - Grand Final

duncanb said:
Bit of a bore fest for me , interesting only as score was close.
What happened to running rugby?
Do we really want to see Borthwicks rugby by the National team?
Remember he's schooled by EJ,whilst of course it's often a winning formula it's not the greatest thing to watch.
Yes best team on the day won, Sarries regret no doubt Barnes getting in the way looked a very good position.
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I'd taking boring wins over champagne losses any day.
 
duncanb said:
Bit of a bore fest for me , interesting only as score was close.
What happened to running rugby?
Do we really want to see Borthwicks rugby by the National team?
Remember he's schooled by EJ,whilst of course it's often a winning formula it's not the greatest thing to watch.
Yes best team on the day won, Sarries regret no doubt Barnes getting in the way looked a very good position.
Click to expand...
I love watching Saints Quins ect scoring some great tries and playing running rugby but also do enjoy a physical battle too, got to be a balance, seen alot of defence optional games where both teams scoring and no teams seem to be defending and while exciting it also can get boring for me.


Bit too much kicking for my liking i will admit but playing in the wrong areas in a final is rediculous if its just to entertain. Winning is what matters.
 
duncanb said:
Bit of a bore fest for me , interesting only as score was close.
What happened to running rugby?
Do we really want to see Borthwicks rugby by the National team?
Remember he's schooled by EJ,whilst of course it's often a winning formula it's not the greatest thing to watch.
Yes best team on the day won, Sarries regret no doubt Barnes getting in the way looked a very good position.
Click to expand...
How often have you watched Tigers this season? I'm entirely neutral here, but I've seen a good chunk of their games and they've played some nice running rugby at times. Sure, they don't play like Quins or Saints, but they're not solely a pragmatic, set piece side. They're also the side that scored 2 tries to Saracens 0 …

Borthwick is from the Eddie Jones school of rugby, but I think the lessons that teaches are quite different from how they're being painted. You're right that Eddie is all about the 'winning formula', but that's based on his resources/who he is playing. Not ugly 'win at all costs' rugby. His Brumbies and Japan teams in particular played fast, attacking rugby because that's what they were best suited to. I don't agree with his characterisation of the England team/his tactics for us, but if Borthwick is his successor, I'd back him to come up with his own formula.

The 'Baxter for England' calls were way louder despite them playing to a very limited gameplan. For a time, Exeter seemed like everyone's second team based more upon their story and he fact they were a more palatable alternative to Saracens. I think that masked the fact that their actual rugby was for the most part - ugly, boring and pragmatic.

In any case, Borthwick is making a strong case, but one swallow doesn't make a summer. Let's see how they back it up next season without Ford and Genge.
 
Teams naturally make more mistakes in finals anyway. Nerves and better defences cause pressure. Both final winners yesterday played their way but in a more controlled fashion, Leinster and Toulouse both failed to do it this season and came away with nothing. Whilst we'd all love to see all out attack win, unless you have about 10-12 of the best players in the world starting like NZ in 2015 you need to be able to relieve yourself of pressure and put it on the opposition through smart kicking and chasing and being comfortable without the ball.
 
Ragey Erasmus said:
I'd taking boring wins over champagne losses any day.
Click to expand...
Me Too Samesies GIF
 
I agree that after the first 15minutes or so the game became really interesting to watch even as a neutral.

Tactics wise you just need to pick a game plan and players that suit. Winning at all costs isn't even a thing. If your team is a set piece team with a great kicker then yeah play like that. When teams are on top (like Sarries, Exeter, Quins and saints) they were playing to their strengths.

The problem england had was we weren't playing a game plan suited to our players and we weren't actually winning at all costs. We were just playing poorly.
 
Here's a question if Sarries wasn't relegated last season would Quins have won the league?

Anyway so glad Burns of all people kicked the winning drop goal one of the nicest guys in rugby IMO
 
Also I may be misremembering but I think the only time Sarries looked like scoring a try was when Barnes got in the way, which shows just how well Leicester defended and controlled the game
 
LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan) said:
Here's a question if Sarries wasn't relegated last season would Quins have won the league?

Anyway so glad Burns of all people kicked the winning drop goal one of the nicest guys in rugby IMO
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I mean, would Sarries have won the league before that if they weren't cheats?

If Sarries hadn't been caught, would tigers have won this year?

I reckon just kick Sarries out for ever
 
Regarding the boring final comments I've seen batted about, there does seem to be a bit of a sense of entitlement lately in some rugby ranks that every game has to be entertaining, high scoring etc and that low scoring and kicking is dull. Whether that has reared it's head a bit more in the past 12 months because of last year's play offs I'm not sure but I'm started to get a bit fed up of it. If Glos were ever in a Prem final which didn't become one sided like 03 and 07 (not sure how many years before we'll get there again) I'd happily take a 3-0 win if it meant a trophy.

On the whole I'm pleased for Tigers, especially Burns and Tom Youngs.
 
TRF_Olyy said:
If this goes to extra time tigers could be in trouble
Remember Burns said earlier in the season, when he was subbed vs us despite bossing the game, he has an issue in his calves where they start cramping bad after like 50/60 mins, looks like that's kicking in now

Edit: Compartment syndrome, he said he has
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If he can go 60 minutes now it's improved since his Bath days, where he'd struggle to last 40 minutes - whilst complaining that he wasn't first choice starter...


That said, I'm delighted for him on a personal level to have won this thing, and to have been central to earning the win, and on making sure no-one celebrated too early before it was out to bed.
 
Last edited:
Which Tyler said:
If he can go 60 minutes now it's improved since his Bath days, where he'd struggle to last 40 minutes - whilst complaining that he wasn't first choice starter...


That said, I'm delighted for him on a personal level to have won this thing, and to have been central to earning the win, and on making sure no-one celebrated too early before it was out to bed.
Click to expand...
Definitely learned that the hard way.
 

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