Re: The Official Talk About Whatever Thread

[Forza]

Happy Birthday Kick! I know it was secretly your dream to hit 30,000 posts on this forum before turning 22. Having only fallen about 900 posts short of that goal, I'm sure that you will more than make up for it by hitting 300,000 posts by 30.

query whether that figure is exaggeration or a legit extrapolation of Kick's current post rate over the next eight years

[Kick]

All because Shed stopped posting

[beatrixasdfghjk.]

I'm quite late happy birthday, but how do you have so many .

[El Gunner]

One for his real life birthday, one for his sign up date on the old forums, and one for his bio-engineering reconstructive surgery

Robot Kick, the next Terminator

[Juveman17]

Happy birthday kicky

[Kick]

Thanks lads.

Also, I have 8 birthdays a year, just like everybody else

[CBarca]

You have a year to hit 300,000?

[CBarca]

Holy crap I just hit 10k

[Kick]

Easily done.

I'm gonna start spamming Kitchen websites soon

[Red Alert]

Happy belated birthday bud.

[beatrixasdfghjk.]

Being someone with no idea about rugby, why don't teams score field goals more?
(yay Maroons)

[El Gunner]

Being someone with no idea about rugby, why don't teams score field goals more?
(yay Maroons)

you mean drop goals

[Kick]

Because that gives the ball back to the other team with less points.

You always want to play rugby in the other teams half, too. So by scoring drop goals, you are less likely to do that. Even if you don't manage to score a try and the ball is turned over, you're still in the other teams half.

[beatrixasdfghjk.]

Where do you start from if you score a drop goal then?

[fatman123]

In a normal game of rugby league (ie not origin) one point isn't really that significant outside of the last 10 minutes.

Also if your in field goal range, your also in try or line drop out range, both of which are much better alternatives outside of a situation where scores a level in the last 5-10 mins

To answe your question, anytime points are scored the game is restarted the same way

[El Gunner]

Because that gives the ball back to the other team with less points.

You always want to play rugby in the other teams half, too. So by scoring drop goals, you are less likely to do that. Even if you don't manage to score a try and the ball is turned over, you're still in the other teams half.

Not so much as that than teams just wanting to play 'attractive' rugby.

Remember in the early 00s Jonny Wilkinson made the drop goal famous, even more so with the world cup final winner in 2003 against the Aus. After that more teams started adopting this approach of a kicking game. Especially SA rugby. As soon as you get the ball, kick for territory, pin your opponents in their half and win the ball over, doesn't matter how. Drive a few phases with your forwards, make the gap for your 10 and then he attempts a drop goal. Rinse and repeat.

And tbf they have had success with it. Morne Steyn was a beast with his boot in game, and with drop goals and pens/conversions. They of course won the world cup in 07 with that tough, physical approach, don't exactly recall if they used the drop goal that much, but they used in-game kicking tactics a lot. At club level they also had success with SA team the Bulls winning back to back Super Rugby (Super 14 back then I think) in 2009 and 2010 (I think).

However fans always criticised this kicking game over time. At the start nobody minded much, but over time the fans thought it was a sore to the eye, even SA fans. And in addition with the little renaissance of the All Black's brilliant running, pressing game, fans had an outcry for that sort of rugby and ever since 2011 SA rugby have changed their style of play.

Don't know much about European rugby. I know Irish team Munster (which I watch sometimes) also had this approach in their dominating years in the Heineken Cup with legend Ronan O'Gara as their 10. He had numerous last min drop goal winners for them.

All in all, it's not a bad approach because it does earn you 3 points just as much as a penalty. And if you have a very good kicker in the ilk of those I just managed, why wouldn't you want to utilise that advantage then? But I also want 'attractive' rugby. So it's about getting the blend of both right. Also should be said that drop goals are mainly used when scores are tight (within 3 points) late in the game, and seldomly when a team goes 15+ phases without going nowhere with the ball.

[dostoevsky]

I think it's worth noting that Wilkinson was insanely effective in that tournament. I'm not a huge watcher of rugby but I see a couple of matches a year and more during World Cups and especially outside the big sides, such a tactic seems to have a very low efficiency. If you have a freak like Wilkinson who can score from anywhere, then naturally you'd exploit that but most national teams have enough trouble scoring the shots they should let alone taking on riskier opportunities.

If Italy could convert even simple shots they'd win about twice as many matches.

[El Gunner]

Anyway, what do you guys think are Australia's chances for this year's WC?
I honestly think NZ are still a level above anyone else, but they could have just one bad game and then that's all she wrote, you never know.

[Kick]

I honestly hope NZ don't flop at the WC.

We're the best team in the world and have been ranked there since like 2009 or something. We, on paper, should win it.

Aus should get to the Semi's.

[dostoevsky]

To be fair, New Zealand have been the best team in the world in the lead up to pretty much every World Cup in history. It just rarely pans out well.

[El Gunner]

To be fair, New Zealand have been the best team in the world in the lead up to pretty much every World Cup in history. It just rarely pans out well.

+1

[fatman123]

SBW is bae, that is all

[El Gunner]

What?
Izzy Folau is bae

[Kick]

To be fair, New Zealand have been the best team in the world in the lead up to pretty much every World Cup in history. It just rarely pans out well.

I know, which is why we must win it.

[fatman123]

What?
Izzy Folau is bae

Izzy is a qt3.14, but SBW is beautiful

[Kick]

Fitty gonna back the All Blacks in the world cup, you watch

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