'Listened to our fans': Law variations confirmed for Super Rugby Pacific

(speaking of another ref/TMO in another game)

Right wing could be the spot, but it will need committment from NSW, too..

But the Sheehan try is different to my eye. It starts from a tap penalty, he drives forward, the two WB defenders go low for a tackle in the assumption Sheehan will go to ground. He does not, but seeing the hole now left dives through it. In this case surely there is zero danger there.

Both WB heads are well clear below. There would have been far more danger had Sheehan also dropped low, as he had done on one, or was it two occasions in the game.

I just can’t see his movement as a jump. There is virtually no vertical element, it is say only 5% upwards. Surely at 95% horizontal, that won’t be penalised, not even seriously looked at ?

“It is different to the sideline touchdown on the wing”. You are the only person in hundreds of posts I have read who brings that up. I have been thinking of that as well, but not commented till now prompted by you. And you are correct, it is in most cases very different, being a side on tackle, not head on. But still, it is often more a jump than a dive. I would not advocate for penalising…..some wonderful tries scored that way, and the danger element is generally not excessive, at least not for head injuries.

Agree it would’ve made sense to pick overseas players, when required, e.g. at 12. Do you think James O’Connor would’ve gone alright at 10, or was Lynagh the better option? I would’ve played Tupou and hoped that he didn’t get injured :)

It seems the Wallabies have stepped up a notch in this series. I was expecting them to struggle to keep the score down, rather than being in close-ish touch in the first test and could’ve/should’ve/would’ve won the second test. Especially as the Lions have had a long tour to gel combinations, and have a gigantic player base.

Do you think that the Wallabies will continue to improve in the Rugby Championship? Two tests away in South Africa could make them or break them. I guess how the third Lions test goes will be key.

Si a los franceses les dan poca bola, imagínate!

Otherwise Mr Bishop/ Nick you have yet again proven your acumen as a selector and tactician this series, making calls before not after the event, like any good analyst would. Schmidt was cruelled by injuries this series, more than was apparent initially. In both games injuries to Bobby V and Skelton’s fitness hampered the WBs, and Gleeson in Test 1, and Noah before, and JAS leading in. Picking TT would have been a huge risk after SR form, but yes, seems like it would have been worth taking in hindsight and many were suggesting before. We just don’t have the depth for that not to make a big impact. But Joe seems to have put his chips on Williams as long termer and is investing in him, like he did players in Ireland, when Williams is yet to deliver in this series (although the lineout has been solid when he’s on). Perhaps his time will come. JAS defence is perhaps the biggest issue as Nick you’ve pointed out now on multiple occasions. I just get flummoxed myself thinking about it, as any solution creates another problem, perhaps he just needs time and it just had to be this way….At the very least we need an A/B test and see what the experiment uncovers.

As an Australian I stick to the paradoxical blend of unrealistic optimism and fatalism in reflecting on these decisions that has at once been the blessing and cruse of our culture historically.

PS to be clear, you guys missed out by not getting excited for the contest of this tour. Would have made this match a nice surprise though?

It's a culture thing that started with Michael Cheika and has progressively gotten worse.

I have customers who were Wallaby greats and they will also watch offshore streams in order not to listen to the crap.

Now that doesn’t mean it has to be Australia. They have setup a nice tradition (they needed to make it an annual thing and fit into a calendar) by cycling every 12 years, and this seems like a perfect number, but perhaps it could be every 16 years and a new tour being added?

I guess theres no reason they can’t change what the Lions means for them, they could turn it into a fat juciy paycheck instead.

Pundits expressed liking the idea of playing France, and if you made this work without disrupting the cycle I think receiving a tour by France could be fun. They can cancel a 6N nations every now and then for it.

As a nuetral I didn’t think the comms where that bad, Morgan just added at the end for the aussie viewers that they were robbed and their nation should have won. A fair message to send imo.