The Tight Five - Handpicked Stories From The World of Rugby

JB 18 minutes ago

Sorry Ben but just saying BB is great on repeat doesn't make it so. He has been a passenger for 4 or so years and it's time to move on.

'It’s harsh saying it but I’m speaking facts and truths on El-Abd'

CB 30 minutes ago

Having a defence coach who is Head Coach of a team that lies 13th out of 16 in the French 2nd Division hardly inspires confidence.

What impact does it have mentally on a team when you lose two acknowledged world class coaches and get replaced by one second rate?

Steve Borthwick is morphing into Eddie Jones before our eyes. I wouldn't be surprised to find that the World Cup semi final is the high point of Borthwicks tenure with England finishing 4th in the6N next year

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Easy_Duzz-it 53 minutes ago

We need mounga . Barret will be too old come 2027 and dmac doesn’t have the brains to manage the All Blacks 2 years isn’t going to change that …

Easy_Duzz-it 55 minutes ago

🤦‍♂️🤣 boy oh boy I hope razor gets his way . Mounga struggled behind a forward pack that was consistently going backwards , except for Savea .

2017 mounga made B.Barret and the All Blacks look like a 1st15 team when the Barbarians and All Blacks played each other . Embarrassed barret so much they had to put him at full back so he wouldn’t cop the criticism.

that’s what mounga can do when the front row do there job sufficiently . That was also his first year in super rugby . So doing what he did that day at international level at his age will be a game I will never forget .

If we look at the All Blacks loses under careful scrutiny . There are only 2 major areas that need fixing . The centre paring but most all the fly half .

By 2027 B.Barret will be expired & dmac still won’t be as good as 2017 mounga . What happens next is yet to be seen . But if razor gets his way , I’m excited to see what the All Blacks can really do . Even more , I’m excited to witness mounga reach his full potential…

The emerging nations team of the year 2024

gg 58 minutes ago

Agree with mates, good team

Why Antoine Dupont was a worthy winner of Sevens Player of the Year

BeegMike 1 hour ago

So he is Olympics Sevens Player of the year. Nothing more.

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SK 1 hour ago

Can Will Jordan avoid the All Blacks curse of turning 27?

Jordan is a fantastic player no doubt. I reckon he could easily play into his 30's with great effectiveness. The problem is the All Blacks discard wingers at a very young age in favour of the next hot talent off the block. This is because the skillset, finishing quality and standards set by backs in that country is very high. The good news for him is he has found a new home at full back and with his physical attributes could play there for years to come. Lets see how his career unfolds but I reckon he will easily bust that record.

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SK 1 hour ago

Tadhg Beirne’s latest feat puts him among the modern-day greats

Great player, deserves all the credit and certainly the best 5 out there right now.

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Mzilikazi 1 hour ago

'Welsh regional rugby has failed conclusively and there is no way back'

I would debate that with you, JD. As a TH lock, and then a coach(long ago now), I learned fast that it the prop in front of you that is the stable base of any scrum. It is angle of the inside leg(of the prop) that gives both the prop and his lock the stability needed to build a scrum around. It is more complex than that one single element. There is a full article on this topic...one day I'll get round to writing one.

But you are correct in in saying the co-ordination of the eight is important. I do realise I am making this comment based on my views and experience, and many may disagree to an extent with me. And I don't know what your experience of scrummaging is either...always dangerous ground !

The winners and losers from the All Blacks' Autumn Nations Series

GL 1 hour ago

Vs Ireland not entirely but he was terrible va England too. He will benefit and still young and should be #2 HB anyway

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Bull Shark 1 hour ago

If the game was about winning player of the year awards - well done NZ. You win!

I wonder why Razor would want to change eligibility rules? The guy with the actual job to do putting a team together to win games, RCs and RWCs?

Unless he’s changed his tune re: changing eligibility rules?

'Welsh regional rugby has failed conclusively and there is no way back'

OJohn 2 hours ago

This will be Schmidt's 13th game as Wallaby coach ..........

Eddie Jones only coached the Wallabies for 9 games in his last stint.

'Welsh regional rugby has failed conclusively and there is no way back'

OJohn 2 hours ago

"England has one of the best defences in the world ...."

Where are you guys making this stuff up from ? We are entering bizarrro world.

18 debutants but Australia's core looking ‘more settled than ever’

OJohn 2 hours ago

What a complete load of .......

And black is now white.

“Somehow, Schmidt has selected more debutants than ever but the team seems more settled than ever.”

"The Wallabies have used a lot of players, they have made a number of changes from game to game, yet fans have a strong feeling of stability around Schmidt’s selections.

"Schmidt has spoken all year about incremental improvements, and his consistency of selection has really seen the combinations and confidence build within the squad over this northern series."

Where do make this stuff up ? Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory ?

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SK 2 hours ago

Jean de Villiers: ‘Next year will be the acid test for this group’

It seems to me that a core of players will make it to 2027 if they stay fit. Siya, PSD and Eben are all part of that core. The question is who else? De Allende may not make it which is why Rassie has started playing Am at 12 and has Moodie as his back up at 13. Also Esterhuizen is an established 12 already in the mix. Even Pollard has played 12 so Rassie keeping all his options open. Willemse can play 12 but his defence is sometimes lacking. Mgomezulu can also play there and he is a good physical player who makes his tackles. De Allende though is so hard to replace. He tackles, he turns over, runs over players and he distributes. Rassie is making plans for all positions in a similar way. At tighthead and loosehead we have seen the Bok depth this year with injuries to multiple players and yet the scrum stood strong and dominated. At hooker he has used 4 or 5 different players. Bongi will not likely make 2027 but the young guys are coming through. Willie has been tapped as a future coach and right now is a player coach. His swansong will come next year but Fassi is now a solid option at 15 to complement Damian and challenge him. At wing there is endless depth right now. In the loose forwards there are already some established options for 2027 and Louw has now stepped up with Hanekom coming through. At lock injuries to multiple players saw Nortje step up and Moerat is now an established player. Ruan Venter also a good back up and some good youngsters coming through at the Bulls. Springboks finding solutions but question is will this squad be experienced enough come 2027. Lots of change still to come and lots of learnings still to be had for many of these young players.

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SadersMan 2 hours ago

'Let's not sugarcoat it': Former All Black's urgent call to protect eligibility rules

The only drops indicated were in referee numbers. Yes, impressive 15% increase in women & girls, increase in teenage boys, & increase in juniors. High school participation rates are impressive as well.

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SK 2 hours ago

Ofcourse they dont. They have a strong core of experienced internationals in NZ who are all contracted to NZR and they are building a side towards 2027. Many players have stepped up this year and will only improve. They are not losing their experienced internationals and they are producing good players. So right now there is no need to change the eligibility laws.