Worcester Warriors add another Premiership player to their squad

Thanks for this work, it’s huge.

I have a few points though with nuance:

-last season was a RWC season, which always means more games, along with the Premiership Cup for the English players. And as expected, apart from a few Irish high achievers (especially the Munster ones), Leinster players were overall well rested. And good for them! Could Doris’ last longer season have an impact on his injury that ruled him out of the Lions tour?

And although I didn’t recheck every players on the list, I looked at the ones that had the highest figures. The numbers in the season before and the one after are usually different. So on an average of all seasons time, that might be different.

Again, saying that other nations push their players to the limit doesn’t seem like a flex to me. If players are tired with no gas, get injured and miss half of the next season, that’s not a good input for a game, apart from placing superstars on the poster. In football, the story of superstars coming in the World Cup with no gas is very common.

-there is a cumulative aspect of games: having one season at 30+ games could be balanced with other seasons at 25/27, even with tours.

-many players from the C team were (Baille/Barré) or are injured (Tatafu, Gazzotti, Ollivon, Jalibert). So that quite conveniently lowers the bar, while still being unrealistic, as they would not tour anyway 🙃

James O’Connor replaces Noah Lolesio as Wallabies name squad for Lions

BA 18 minutes ago

How is Joe going to use Skelton ?some interesting combinations can be made across locks and loosies,Canham is a gun went really well against lions

Wales given 2 days off to allow ‘time to grieve’

PS 35 minutes ago

What an embarrassment to international rugby. Resting players to grieve over a loss. Absolutely pathetic. This has to be an all time low for international game

3 Go to comments

JW 44 minutes ago

I don’t think you really have an understanding of budgets, does Toulouse stand out in some way?

They are not even in the same universe to being close! We want players playing every game, that is the perfect welfare perspective (even NZ rugby with SR is not that good, ABs are rested).

French would be halfway there using Galthie’s numbers. As you note though they are made up figures, probably more designed to catch the desired players than drawn from biological data.

As another poster said, France rugby allegedly feels alienated. It can go either of two ways, and you might be picking the right one, it could be better for France if they alienate themselves even further. Going down into the tier two bracket would have them feel more at home, and possibly even willing to tour, and they would be a great asset to world rugby and it’s developing status. The could become a leader in the International game creating plenty of initiatives. Currently they sort of disown that level, so it would be a good flip imo.

Galthie backs yet more youth to topple All Blacks, dropping two 50-cap veterans

Soliloquin 44 minutes ago

Halagahu is Wallisian, so apart from a very unlikely move to another country and getting eligibility after a few years, I can’t see how.

Galthie backs yet more youth to topple All Blacks, dropping two 50-cap veterans

Soliloquin 46 minutes ago

Along with Costes and Akhi, they’re sharing the centres positions (sometimes Delibes comes in).

We need to talk about the Springboks' 'Bomb Squad'

Jacque 54 minutes ago

That’s GREAT. So their “Bomb Squad” & The Boks Bomb Squad are two completely DIFFERENT things.

11 Go to comments

Mark 56 minutes ago

Galthie backs yet more youth to topple All Blacks, dropping two 50-cap veterans

Frances strength in depth, across virtually all positions is insane.

James O’Connor replaces Noah Lolesio as Wallabies name squad for Lions

MB 57 minutes ago

Very sensible, gotta have another 10 in the squad in case there's another injury. It'll be interesting to see if he makes the bench.

Galthie backs yet more youth to topple All Blacks, dropping two 50-cap veterans

J Marc 59 minutes ago

He played with Alun Wyn Jones, but I am not sure for Etzebeth.

Galthie backs yet more youth to topple All Blacks, dropping two 50-cap veterans

J Marc 1 hour ago

Barassi played six nations 2025 until he was injuried by a double hight tackle from Nash and Henshaw in the Irish game.He was in Australia in 2021 and he scored the most beautiful try of the tour…

JW 1 hour ago

You mean it’s a big part of French rugby’s problems. Not seeing their stars in club rugby because their seasons too long would surely have to be the biggest? Not just “big”.

Playing even less at International than they currently do is not going to fix that.

All eyes on the Brumbies' power as Racing-bound Taniela Tupou's Lion dream fades

GrahamVF 1 hour ago

Thanks Nick. Following the above post I got to wondering about the situation regarding the Gainsford Stewart centre combo. Stewart was a real playmaker, quite slight, and played either 10 or as I first thought 13 which I found a bit odd, but then I remembered in those days centres often shifted from inside to outside depending on the field position and situation. Sort of more a left and right centre. Danie Gerber could play either - he played outside to Willie du Plessis sometimes. With the emphasis shifting to versatility a player that could play both equally well could become a big asset.

131 Go to comments

BA 1 hour ago

We need to talk about the Springboks' 'Bomb Squad'

Dagg Jane Kahui had publicly named themselves “The Bomb squad”in interviews and media and was embraced by the coaches snd team it came about because at that time they had to deal with so many kicks especially because everyone was predicting a final with the Boks who had a certain 9 who was absolutely clinical and relentless with kick and kick chase and those boys “diffused” everything thrown at them

11 Go to comments

Mitch 1 hour ago

James O’Connor replaces Noah Lolesio as Wallabies name squad for Lions

Better late than never.

JW 1 hour ago

Yes going back to their old model or removing the finals are the only sensible options I can see.

It’s a good way to get the north involved too, with gaurenteed finals spots.

JW 1 hour ago

You need to think bigger JM, you owe it to french rugby.

JW 1 hour ago

You don’t have to ditch teams.

Thank you for even considering it and going into such depth though.

James O’Connor replaces Noah Lolesio as Wallabies name squad for Lions

TI 1 hour ago

Not a single Randwick player 😕