The Football Faq!((PLEASE READ BEFORE STARTING A THREAD ABOUT FOOTBALL Q's))

[The_LB_43]

^ well this isnt the internet its bodybuilding.com where are youre credentials you stupid ****

[monatu]

What's holding him back as far as his skills?

A lot of people claim he "dissapears" in the tight games. In that I mean that he is at his most destructive when he has space and can run onto the ball (watch him in any replays of this years 2009 Super 14 tournament - he plays for the Bulls.)

I think that is a little unfair - as the very nature of the #8 position dictates that they are going to have a much better game when their pack is on top and they can get front foot ball. He is already twice the player he was a few seasons ago though - hes only getting better.

[jesustapia]

good info

[BIGMAC3]

Spies is suited to the pace and tempo of Rugby they play over in Super 14. He wouldn't survive in Guiness premiership, sure its an oval ball with 15 men... but the reality is there is a huge difference between rugby up in Europe and down there.

[monatu]

Spies is suited to the pace and tempo of Rugby they play over in Super 14. He wouldn't survive in Guiness premiership, sure its an oval ball with 15 men... but the reality is there is a huge difference between rugby up in Europe and down there.

The number 8 of the World Champions and current #1 IRB ranked team in the world would struggle in the Northern Hemisphere's inter-country provincial competition.

Right.

Once a European country cuts it into the top 3 ranked sides of international rugby, we can start arguing over the quality of rugby played :P

Agreed he is suited to a running game - but to think that a player of his calibre isnt going to cut in the Guiness Premiership (which, to be honest, is at the very, very best is on par with the Super 14 - not above it in terms of quality) is just ridiculous. (Yes, aware it is a much more forward/tight orientated game in the Guiness Premiership).

[ruga buga]

The number 8 of the World Champions and current #1 IRB ranked team in the world would struggle in the Northern Hemisphere's inter-country provincial competition.

Right.

Once a European country cuts it into the top 3 ranked sides of international rugby, we can start arguing over the quality of rugby played :P

Agreed he is suited to a running game - but to think that a player of his calibre isnt going to cut in the Guiness Premiership (which, to be honest, is at the very, very best is on par with the Super 14 - not above it in terms of quality) is just ridiculous. (Yes, aware it is a much more forward/tight orientated game in the Guiness Premiership).

This is truth.

I have had the pleasure of seeing Spies and the Boks play numerous amounts of times, as well as countless amounts of times watching the Bulls/Sharks Derbys as the Sharks play in my hometown.

Spies is a great ballplayer, and yes, he didn't have a great time against the Lions. In fact, I think he was one of the worst during the whole series, but you cannot keep a player of that skill and stature down for too long. For the last few years he has had little competition from the provinces too. Now that Ryan (Kankowski) seems to be in the mood to actually play some rugby, I think we will find both of their games sky-rocket. (Kankowski scored man of the match in their game last night in the Currie Cup.

[BIGMAC3]

The number 8 of the World Champions and current #1 IRB ranked team in the world would struggle in the Northern Hemisphere's inter-country provincial competition.

Right.

Once a European country cuts it into the top 3 ranked sides of international rugby, we can start arguing over the quality of rugby played :P

Agreed he is suited to a running game - but to think that a player of his calibre isnt going to cut in the Guiness Premiership (which, to be honest, is at the very, very best is on par with the Super 14 - not above it in terms of quality) is just ridiculous. (Yes, aware it is a much more forward/tight orientated game in the Guiness Premiership).

Mate I think you misunderstood what I was getting at. I never once questioned his ability over European No.8s I was merely pointing out that the two games are in fact different, and I have no doubt that Harinordoquy or Heaslip would not suit the game played in Super 14.

[Gobays]

Spies is good but will never be as good as Zinzan brooke

[Bignik92]

The number 8 of the World Champions and current #1 IRB ranked team in the world would struggle in the Northern Hemisphere's inter-country provincial competition.

Right.

Once a European country cuts it into the top 3 ranked sides of international rugby, we can start arguing over the quality of rugby played :P

Agreed he is suited to a running game - but to think that a player of his calibre isnt going to cut in the Guiness Premiership (which, to be honest, is at the very, very best is on par with the Super 14 - not above it in terms of quality) is just ridiculous. (Yes, aware it is a much more forward/tight orientated game in the Guiness Premiership).

european countries did better than southenr hemisphere overall in world cup where was austrlalia and new zealand in the semis oh wait they got beat by england and france respectively


and besides that you misunderstood him he didnt say the competition is of high quality its just a completely different style of play because we play in muddy wet condition most games requiring tight forward orientated play whereas super 14 is open on hard ground

[RunningStrong]

I'm not a fan of the new Ospreys kit. Really disappointed with the direction Koogaa have gone with this one.


Oh and Ian Gough modeling it? WTF?

[BIGMAC3]

Ew. I really liked their old one. This blows.

[swolepatrole]

european countries did better than southenr hemisphere overall in world cup where was austrlalia and new zealand in the semis oh wait they got beat by england and france respectively


and besides that you misunderstood him he didnt say the competition is of high quality its just a completely different style of play because we play in muddy wet condition most games requiring tight forward orientated play whereas super 14 is open on hard ground

Good conversation so far. I enjoy watching watching as much of the Spies highlights as I can find. I see a lot of similarities in the way he and I move.

Speaking of hard vs soft ground...let's get some convo on that. What's everyone's preference?

[MiKeOnE29]

Good conversation so far. I enjoy watching watching as much of the Spies highlights as I can find. I see a lot of similarities in the way he and I move.

Speaking of hard vs soft ground...let's get some convo on that. What's everyone's preference?

played a preseason game in wales yesterday and the pitch was horrible. I think it was a council owned pitch because it was in the middle of a park. The grass on the pitch was stupidly long, when i say long i'm talking farm field long, it was probably the longest grass i've played on and with the light drizzle i was forced to wear studs, i would of slipped over in blades. Now here is where the real problem came, because its still summer time despite the rain the ground wouldnt take a stud. So it felt like siht trying to run in wet long grass where your studs arent able to sink into the ground.

Personally aslong as the grass isnt too long and the pitch isnt a mud bath i dont really mind but being a back i guess hard pitches favour me. Best pitch ive played on was baths last season, the ground would take a stud or blade equally well and the grass wasnt too long.

main thing i hate is long grass, just makes running harder

[Bignik92]

Good conversation so far. I enjoy watching watching as much of the Spies highlights as I can find. I see a lot of similarities in the way he and I move.

Speaking of hard vs soft ground...let's get some convo on that. What's everyone's preference?

i prefer hard ground and warm weather because its easier on my chest i used to suffer asthma and cold weather brigs it back out


but i play better in wet weather as a tight forward because im second row

[Schlek]

^ well this isnt the internet its bodybuilding.com where are youre credentials you stupid ****

Google "Nick Schlekeway" you punk bitc*. There are my credentials. GTFO AND STFU.
Last time I checked, this is the internet, or are you one of those punks that think it is real life because its on a screen and looks real.

Nick

[swolepatrole]

I've only played on two kinds of pitches: firm ground (new generation artificial turf), and mud baths. This past season every time we traveled, rains turned their pitch into a mud pit. It was great for the big overweight guys because they could catch the fast forwards that couldn't cut and sprint in the mud. I'm a fan of firm ground.

[xxtwistedxx]

literally i look like a pig in mud every time we get those days. i love it.

hard ground and hot weather piss me off to no end. colder and wetter the better... although playing rugby is the only time thats acceptable haha

[monatu]

european countries did better than southenr hemisphere overall in world cup where was austrlalia and new zealand in the semis oh wait they got beat by england and france respectively


and besides that you misunderstood him he didnt say the competition is of high quality its just a completely different style of play because we play in muddy wet condition most games requiring tight forward orientated play whereas super 14 is open on hard ground

No, I understood his point. What I was saying is that its completely ridiculous to claim that Pierre Spies would struggle simply because of the conditions and subsequent game style that is played.

Im not actually that huge a fan of his, but you have to remember that while his Tight game is his "weakness" - he is still stronger in that respect than many, many other Provincial/International #8's.

And lets not get involved in North v South - the WC tells a tiny tale - its a once off occurence. Go and look at IRB rankings since 2003 and get back to me.


In terms of ground - I prefer to play rugby in a light drizzle or a dry day but on a very well kept, medium length grassy pitch. Theres nothing worse than playing rugby in the heat in Australia on a dying pitch where 75% is dust/dirt a few weeks into the season.

[Gobays]

european countries did better than southenr hemisphere overall in world cup where was austrlalia and new zealand in the semis oh wait they got beat by england and france respectively


and besides that you misunderstood him he didnt say the competition is of high quality its just a completely different style of play because we play in muddy wet condition most games requiring tight forward orientated play whereas super 14 is open on hard ground

It is not so different as you may think... New zealand can get very muddy and wet espcially in club game and provincial competitions the only reason super 14 fields are not muddy is because they groundsmen take very good care of the fields... Trust me New zealand players are very well adapted to playing muddy wet conditions they are my opionion the best conditions to play in because as a forward you get a lot more ball and can work more as a tight unit and control the game.

On current form New zealand and Australia would defeat france and england quite easily. I would say France would be a tougher match than England atm.

[mylesrugby7]

Hey Guys,

Anyway i've been chosen to join my schools 1st XV at a international schools tournament in NZ in March next year. I need some of you to help me out with a workout program to get Fit and Fast in time for next year. I know the NZ and Aus are crazy fast and fit so i'm guessing most other countries players would be just as good or better.

Heres a draft plan of my workout, i'm workingout at home so i do have limited equipment just all the essentials bar, bench, power rack, dip bars, pull ups, dumbells and a home gym.

Basically this is the current template i've thought of:

Monday:

Weights, Speed, Plyos, Quikness

Tuesday: Fitness, Skills, Agility

Wednesday: Weights, Plyos

Thursday: Agility, Skills, Weights, Quikness, Plyos

Friday: Speed, Fitness,

My Weight split is Arms, Shoulder day 1 legs day 2 and Chest and Back day 3.

Any ideas on what i should do in these sessions would be greatly appreciated.

Main thing i need help with is Speed i never seem to be able to gain it and i'm always willing to try anything once.

Thanks in advance

[Bignik92]

No, I understood his point. What I was saying is that its completely ridiculous to claim that Pierre Spies would struggle simply because of the conditions and subsequent game style that is played.

Im not actually that huge a fan of his, but you have to remember that while his Tight game is his "weakness" - he is still stronger in that respect than many, many other Provincial/International #8's.

And lets not get involved in North v South - the WC tells a tiny tale - its a once off occurence. Go and look at IRB rankings since 2003 and get back to me.


In terms of ground - I prefer to play rugby in a light drizzle or a dry day but on a very well kept, medium length grassy pitch. Theres nothing worse than playing rugby in the heat in Australia on a dying pitch where 75% is dust/dirt a few weeks into the season.

world cup before that england won it.


Its not just a fluke that northern hemisphere teams do better in the world cup were just generally more passionate about it.


If england played australia or new zealand now though we'd get spanked :P

[Bignik92]

Hey Guys,

Anyway i've been chosen to join my schools 1st XV at a international schools tournament in NZ in March next year. I need some of you to help me out with a workout program to get Fit and Fast in time for next year. I know the NZ and Aus are crazy fast and fit so i'm guessing most other countries players would be just as good or better.

Heres a draft plan of my workout, i'm workingout at home so i do have limited equipment just all the essentials bar, bench, power rack, dip bars, pull ups, dumbells and a home gym.

Basically this is the current template i've thought of:

Monday:

Weights, Speed, Plyos, Quikness

Tuesday: Fitness, Skills, Agility

Wednesday: Weights, Plyos

Thursday: Agility, Skills, Weights, Quikness, Plyos

Friday: Speed, Fitness,

My Weight split is Arms, Shoulder day 1 legs day 2 and Chest and Back day 3.

Any ideas on what i should do in these sessions would be greatly appreciated.

Main thing i need help with is Speed i never seem to be able to gain it and i'm always willing to try anything once.

Thanks in advance

dont do chest and back or shoulders and arms :/

split it into push pull muscle groups


Push muscles are, calves, shoulders, chest, triceps, quadriceps


pull: back, biceps, hamstrings, abs


but i generally dont do a split in rugby you dont use isolated body parts so why do it in training is leeds carnegie's saying their workout ive got revolves around 4 supersets

[GregNuthurst]

world cup before that england won it.


Its not just a fluke that northern hemisphere teams do better in the world cup were just generally more passionate about it.


If england played australia or new zealand now though we'd get spanked :P

Um...... serious?

World Cups won by Southern Hemisphere nations=5
World Cups won by Northern Hemisphere nations=1

Each hemisphere has held 3 so not home field advantage.

13/20 quarter finalists also Southern Hemisphere. Given there are only 3 southern hemisphere powers, vs 5 northern hemisphere ones, it suggests it should be closer to 7-8/20.


And the real kicker. Head to head matches between a tri-nations side and a six nations side at RWC.

SH=34
NH=8

Or 81% of matches and 83% of World Cups won by Southern Hemisphere. Feel the passion.

[monatu]

world cup before that england won it.

6, almost 7 years ago.

Its not just a fluke that northern hemisphere teams do better in the world cup were just generally more passionate about it.

1987: Nz (SH)
1991: Aus (SH)
1995: SA (SH)
1999: Aus (SH)
2003: Eng (NH)
2007: Sa (SH)




EDIT: Dammit Greg beat me to it

[xxtwistedxx]

6, almost 7 years ago.



1987: Nz (SH)
1991: Aus (SH)
1995: SA (SH)
1999: Aus (SH)
2003: Eng (NH)
2007: Sa (SH)




EDIT: Dammit Greg beat me to it

yea kid doesnt know his history before he was born

[toad1]

world cup before that england won it.


Its not just a fluke that northern hemisphere teams do better in the world cup were just generally more passionate about it.


If england played australia or new zealand now though we'd get spanked :P

sometimes i do wonder where you get your info from, southern hemisphere teams are just better end of.

as for the passion thing, number 1 sport in NZ?....rugby number 1 sport in SA?.....rugby, number 1 sport in England?......football, number 1 sport in france?....football, number 1 sport in scotland....football.

i think that there is a slight pattern to that so how can you say there is more passion for rugby in the nothern hemisphere.



anyway anybody else have their preseason games underway so far my team's played 3 lost 3 but i don't think its that bad as we have been playing teams way way above us in the leagues and we have a team the league below us on sat and i'm expecting a bigger winning margin than we've benn getten beat buy.

[DejaVudoo]

Thanks for all the input guys, I didn't realize Spies didn't have that much international rugby experience. But it looks like he'll only get better, can't wait for the next World Cup and hopefully I'll actually get to see him play a few games.

I'm always amazed by the athleticism of rugby players. To be that big, run that fast, and still manage to compete for 80 minutes non-stop is ridiculous. It's a shame North America doesn't give enough coverage of it.

[Bignik92]

Um...... serious?

World Cups won by Southern Hemisphere nations=5
World Cups won by Northern Hemisphere nations=1

Each hemisphere has held 3 so not home field advantage.

13/20 quarter finalists also Southern Hemisphere. Given there are only 3 southern hemisphere powers, vs 5 northern hemisphere ones, it suggests it should be closer to 7-8/20.


And the real kicker. Head to head matches between a tri-nations side and a six nations side at RWC.

SH=34
NH=8

Or 81% of matches and 83% of World Cups won by Southern Hemisphere. Feel the passion.

you misunderstood, last world cup northern hemisphere teams overall did better south africa was only one that got past quarter finals and won over a controversial try.


If you read my post i even said that sothern hemisphere is better just that northenr hemisphere teams get further than the southern hemisphere teams we jus dont win it.

And there is more than 3 southern hemisphere teams LOL do tey teach you geography?


New zealand, namibia, south africa, australia, argentina, samoa, fiji, tonga i believe thats 7 teams against 8 northern hemisphere. 2 of which are complete ****e usa and canada, then theres italy who is a wooden spoon team and in world cup terms so is scotland.

[Bignik92]

6, almost 7 years ago.



1987: Nz (SH)
1991: Aus (SH)
1995: SA (SH)
1999: Aus (SH)
2003: Eng (NH)
2007: Sa (SH)




EDIT: Dammit Greg beat me to it

and south africa won it 2 almost 3 years ago you reckon they could win again? no teams ever won it twice in a row.


The next one will be close i think wales could win it. New zealand always nesh out on world cups. Australia have a good chance of winning, so do south africa. Argentina finished 3 last world cup they are no minnow team

[swolepatrole]

Gonna have to sit this week out. Rolled the ankle pretty good. My rule on joint injuries: Wait until you feel 100%, then wait three more days.

Nik92...you're talking like an idiot. Stop backpedaling trying to win the argument. Move along.