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Canadian Rugby Forums » Tag: Blues - Recent Posts http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/ Canadian Rugby Forums » Tag: Blues - Recent Posts en Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:22:42 +0000 abbyhalfback on "Rock v Blues - Bad Manners" http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rovk-v-blues-bad-manners#post-7774 Sat, 10 Sep 2011 19:59:05 +0000 abbyhalfback 7774@http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/ <blockquote><cite>Bandito <a href="//canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rovk-v-blues-bad-manners#post-7708"">said</a>:</cite> It's called 'game sense' and it's what Canadians are missing most of all. I'm with you, Titan. Our players are too often taught rugby like football and hockey and basketball, where the games are very coach-directed. Rugby's the complete opposite, imo, with the ball in play for much longer, the coach being far removed from the decision makers, and the ever-changing nature of the game hard to call truly effective plays and sequences for (two terms I hate the most!). ... yes, I'm a proponent of "heads up rugby" and constantly work with players on their decision making and awareness in game situations to hone those skills. </blockquote> Well said. Juniorcoach on "Rock v Blues - Bad Manners" http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rovk-v-blues-bad-manners#post-7710 Thu, 08 Sep 2011 07:45:52 +0000 Juniorcoach 7710@http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/ Knower... You actually coach in this century? ...Wow... "there's always hope" winger14 on "Rock v Blues - Bad Manners" http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rovk-v-blues-bad-manners#post-7709 Thu, 08 Sep 2011 05:27:27 +0000 winger14 7709@http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/ Bandito, I agree with you. And it applies to all levels. The more the players make the calls the better off they are. Walking a team through a game while it's on may be good in the short term but it turns that player into mindless robots that are incapable of making the right decision. In my experience, these players will fail when the play against players that can think for themselves. Winger14 Bandito on "Rock v Blues - Bad Manners" http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rovk-v-blues-bad-manners#post-7708 Thu, 08 Sep 2011 03:35:21 +0000 Bandito 7708@http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/ It's called 'game sense' and it's what Canadians are missing most of all. I'm with you, Titan. Our players are too often taught rugby like football and hockey and basketball, where the games are very coach-directed. Rugby's the complete opposite, imo, with the ball in play for much longer, the coach being far removed from the decision makers, and the ever-changing nature of the game hard to call truly effective plays and sequences for (two terms I hate the most!). ... yes, I'm a proponent of "heads up rugby" and constantly work with players on their decision making and awareness in game situations to hone those skills. Knower, if you really want to know ... I've been to adult premier and high school finals in the last two years since returning from overseas, so the players I've coached have done quite well under my philosophies. For both teams, we employed very little of the type of structure seen in North American sports, with game direction falling to the decision makers on the field (upwards of five or six of them who have key roles in different situations), and a lot of 'game sense' instruction at training to allow them to scan for opportunities and make decisions with confidence. For the high school team, we scrapped plays altogether and stuck with a simple game plan of - attack / get the ball to space quickly, and get three players around the ball carrier to keep the ball off the deck as much as possible. For both, we film games and analyse small chunks periodically which typify the things we do well and the things we need to work on. Titan on "Rock v Blues - Bad Manners" http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rovk-v-blues-bad-manners#post-7707 Thu, 08 Sep 2011 01:28:03 +0000 Titan 7707@http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/ Agree with Bandito. Constantly instructing and ordering players around during the game can get out of control sometime. I think this has a little bit to do with our proximity to hockey and football cultures. In my experience, I have not seen quite the same from 'down under' coaches. Of course there are going to be some exceptions but I like to think that most of the coaching should happen during practice. Let the players play the games. knower on "Rock v Blues - Bad Manners" http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rovk-v-blues-bad-manners#post-7706 Wed, 07 Sep 2011 23:45:24 +0000 knower 7706@http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/ Bandito I am guessing your team loses most of their games? In High School part of successful coaching is using game time to give positive instructions on team play. That's another way young players learn. It's all about teaching. No better time than during the game,IMO. I think your use of "the lads" says volumes. Pipp Pipp Old Chap! Bandito on "Rock v Blues - Bad Manners" http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rovk-v-blues-bad-manners#post-7705 Wed, 07 Sep 2011 22:26:34 +0000 Bandito 7705@http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/ Even without swearing, what's the point of constantly yelling from the touch lines. When I played, I never heard a thing from the coaches - just became white noise after a while. As a coach now, the only talking I do during the match is at half or to deliver a rare emergency comment regarding our own tactics if the players haven't already addressed it. These are high school kids, I should add. I trust them to implement what we do in training and let them get on with managing the game for themselves, as it should be in such an open, continuous and dynamic sport. (It also allows me to look at the bigger picture and have some genuine insightful and constructive analysis to offer them later.) Why not just let the lads play the game themselves by keeping their traps shut? winger14 on "Rock v Blues - Bad Manners" http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rovk-v-blues-bad-manners#post-7698 Tue, 06 Sep 2011 05:43:03 +0000 winger14 7698@http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/ <blockquote><cite>chabaleatschildren <a href="//canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rovk-v-blues-bad-manners#post-7697"">said</a>:</cite> colourful language = probably not lethal in adult rugby </blockquote> I think that depends on what you call colourful. If there is swearing involved then in my view that one's easy. Stop it, it hurts the marketability of the game as well as being potentially abusive. Fine the perpetrators, kick them out and don't let them back in. It's even worse if it's a team official. Winger14 chabaleatschildren on "Rock v Blues - Bad Manners" http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rovk-v-blues-bad-manners#post-7697 Mon, 05 Sep 2011 19:53:04 +0000 chabaleatschildren 7697@http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/ <blockquote><cite>Frank <a href="//canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rovk-v-blues-bad-manners#post-7692"">said</a>:</cite> Really so what you are saying is that if a million flies eat Sh!t .... it's Ok to swear like a lunatic on the touch line? <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2033608/Rugby-blows-whistle-touchline-tantrums-parents-fights-foul-language.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2033608/Rugby-blows-whistle-touchline-tantrums-parents-fights-foul-language.html</a> </blockquote> Uh... no not really. I am sure there has been a missinterpretation. I would never say that some upper Canadians are humourless ;)Probably just a case of different regional senses of humour. So instead of asking anyone to re-read, I have to admit I didn't really read any of pages of rule book that were so generously provided, I will re-write in what I hope is a universally understandable form devoid of any subtlety which could be interpreted as offensive. unsportsman like conduct = bad abusive attitudes/actions towards officials etc = bad enforcing stricter rules on abusive conduct = good colourful language = probably not lethal in adult rugby irishlock on "Rock v Blues - Bad Manners" http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rovk-v-blues-bad-manners#post-7696 Mon, 05 Sep 2011 19:20:15 +0000 irishlock 7696@http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/ <blockquote><cite>slackarse <a href="//canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rovk-v-blues-bad-manners#post-7689"">said</a>:</cite> ( Some joker here referred to a "presentation" to a Rugby Quebec meeting citing something like 3,100 "registered" players in B.C., and 2,800 in the "Atlantic." Dream on. If you included the 1st, 2nd and 3rd XVs at 10 universities in NS, NB and PEI you'd still fall far short of the 2,800 figure.) </blockquote> Joker or not, the facts are available in black and white from the registration report from the 2010 RC AGM - which lists the senior players registered with rugby canada by province (amongst other things). NOTE : This does not include college, university or other players not registered throught the RC regisration program, so your assertion there is also incorrect. <a href="http://media.esportsdesk.com/images/leagues/3817/graphics/File/2010_Reports/2010%20AGM%20Report_Registration%20Program%20Report.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://media.esportsdesk.com/images/leagues/3817/graphics/File/2010_Reports/2010%20AGM%20Report_Registration%20Program%20Report.pdf</a> For those that can't be bothered to follow the link; Quebec (1501), PEI (47), NS (694), NB (560) and NL (151) total 2953 registered senior players. It's not broken down by gender, but that's neither here nor there. BC totals 3344 senior registered players. So the Atlantic Rock team is representative of those 2953 players. Surely amongst that number there must be 2 or 3 "raw physical athletic replacements" they could scare up? You do your cause celebre no favours when you choose to ignore cold hard facts. Frank on "Rock v Blues - Bad Manners" http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rovk-v-blues-bad-manners#post-7694 Mon, 05 Sep 2011 18:18:41 +0000 Frank 7694@http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/ Just because you speak in such an offensive manner does not make it correct. From the ARU: Australian Rugby Union Ltd, ABN 36 002 898 544, Level 7, 181 Miller Street, North Sydney. PO Box 188, North Sydney, NSW 2059, Australia. Telephone + 61 (2) 9956 3444. Facsimile + 61 (2) 9955 3299. Website <a href="http://www.rugby.com.au" rel="nofollow">http://www.rugby.com.au</a> Code of Conduct All participants in the game are bound: (a) not to bet or otherwise financially speculate, directly or indirectly, on the outcome or on any other aspect of a Rugby Football match or Competition which he or she is either involved in (whether as a player, official or in any other capacity) or connected to; (i) not to throw or fix a match, try to achieve a contrived outcome to a match or a Competition, or otherwise influence improperly the outcome or any other aspect of a match or a Competition; (ii) not to provide information to a Bookmaker about a match or any aspect of a match which he or she is either involved in (whether as a player, official or in any other capacity) or connected to; (b) not to seek or accept a bribe or other benefit to do anything mentioned in sub-paragraphs (i) and (ii); (c) to report immediately to the ARU any offer of a bribe or other benefit to do anything mentioned in paragraph (i) and (ii) or any attempt by any other person to do anything mentioned in paragraphs (a) ,or (b); (d) to promote the reputation of the game and to take all reasonable steps to prevent the game from being brought into disrepute; (e) not to engage in any Doping Practice as defined in the ARU’s Doping By-Laws; (f) to comply with the ARU’s Safety Directives for Referees, Coaches and Players; (g) not to repeatedly breach the Laws of the Game relating to Foul Play or Misconduct; (h) not to abuse, threaten or intimidate a referee, touch judge or other match official, whether on or off the field, or a selector, coach, manager or other team official; (i) not to show unnecessary obvious dissension, displeasure or disapproval towards a referee, touch judge or other match official, his or her decision or generally following a decision of a match official; (j) not to use crude or abusive language or gestures towards referees, touch judges or other match officials or spectators; (k) not to do anything which is likely to intimidate, offend, insult or humiliate another participant on the ground of the religion, sexual orientation, disability, race, colour or national or ethnic origin of the person; (l) not to conduct themselves in any manner, or engage in any activity, whether on or off the field, that would impair public confidence in the honest and orderly conduct of matches and competitions or in the integrity and good character of participants; and (m) not to do anything which adversely affects or reflects on or discredits the game, the ARU, any Member Union or Affiliated Union of the ARU, or any squad, team, competition, tournament, sponsor, official supplier or licensee, including, but not limited to, any illegal act or any act of dishonesty or fraud. Frank on "Rock v Blues - Bad Manners" http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rovk-v-blues-bad-manners#post-7693 Mon, 05 Sep 2011 18:09:11 +0000 Frank 7693@http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/ Seriously are you going to use that the "REAL Irish" and not some implant tolerate this abusive language. Right from the IRFU: - Remember that as a coach of an "age grade team" you are to act in "loco parentis" and to that extent your duty of care is more onerous than that of a coach to an adult team. - Lead by example - young people need a coach whom they respect. - Be generous with your praise when it is deserved. Never ridicule or shout at players for making mistakes or losing a match. - Teach your players that the Laws of the Game are mutual agreements which no one should evade or break. - Prepare young players for inter-class and inter-school activities. - Be reasonable in your demands on the players' time, energy and enthusiasm. - Ensure that all players participate in matches. The "average" players require and deserve equal time. - Remember that young players play for fun and enjoyment and that skill learning and playing for fun have priority over highly structured competition. Winning is not the only objective. -Develop player and team respect for the ability of opponents, as well as for the judgement of referees and opposing coaches. - Insist on fair play and disciplined play. Do not tolerate foul play, fighting or foul language. Be prepared to take off an offending player. - Encourage young players to develop basic skills and sportsmanship. Avoid over specialisation in positional play during their formative years. - Set realistic goals for the team and individual players and do not push young players into adult-like competitions. - Create a safe and enjoyable environment in which to train and play. - Do not over burden younger players with too much information. - Make a personal commitment to keep yourself informed on sound coaching principles and methods, and on the principles of growth and development of young people. - Be aware of the effect you have on growing children. - Never criticise the referee and touch judges during or after a match in front of players or spectators. - Always thank the match officials and if they have made decisions which require clarification, discuss the problems after everyone has changed. - Seek and follow the advice of a doctor in determining when an injured player is ready to play again. - Ensure that proper equipment and facilities are available at all times. - Be responsible and ensure you uphold the ethos of the game and the IRFU. - Attend coaching courses. - Support the Code of Ethics and all policies regarding Children in Sport. - Ensure you and your players are proud of your team, club and efforts during the season. Frank on "Rock v Blues - Bad Manners" http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rovk-v-blues-bad-manners#post-7692 Mon, 05 Sep 2011 17:58:31 +0000 Frank 7692@http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/ Really so what you are saying is that if a million flies eat Sh!t .... it's Ok to swear like a lunatic on the touch line? <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2033608/Rugby-blows-whistle-touchline-tantrums-parents-fights-foul-language.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2033608/Rugby-blows-whistle-touchline-tantrums-parents-fights-foul-language.html</a> chabaleatschildren on "Rock v Blues - Bad Manners" http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rovk-v-blues-bad-manners#post-7691 Mon, 05 Sep 2011 17:19:30 +0000 chabaleatschildren 7691@http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/ As to sentences being "peppered with f words" I suggest the Ontarians take some cultural sensitivity training.;) This is how we speak in Newfoundland. Now your going to take away our f words? Thats like you telling us we couldn't sing or dance or use verbs anymore. It's the same for many rural Irish or Scots. Accept it as part of the overall charm. Its nothing compared to many kiwi rugby players I know that use the "c word" in a mind boggling variety of ways as their punctuation. They make Newfoundlanders look like boring middle Americans in their ways of speech. Embrace the cultural diversity I say. I know. It's not the language which is really the problem. Ugly behaviour and verbal abuse, disrespect of refs will do nothing to atract people to the game. If that was what happened, and I have no reason not to take this acount as true, then shame on those that were involved. It should be settled easily enough. The officials should let it be known that this kind of behaviour will be penalized in the future and if certain individuals are proven to be particularly susceptible they will be given extra scrutiny. End of discussion. buddyrugby on "Rock v Blues - Bad Manners" http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rovk-v-blues-bad-manners#post-7690 Mon, 05 Sep 2011 14:04:33 +0000 buddyrugby 7690@http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/ That is a very pretty essay slackarse. You clearly have a tremendous amount of pride in your home country. It would however be interesting to hear your thoughts on the original post. The perception is that the behaviour described is not out of character. slackarse on "Rock v Blues - Bad Manners" http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rovk-v-blues-bad-manners#post-7689 Mon, 05 Sep 2011 03:27:43 +0000 slackarse 7689@http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/ Thank you, elbows ... for the only relevant question / comment here, so far! "What was the score?" Score: Blues 21 Rock 19 2 points margin. On the Blues' home pitch. And in temperatures our players haven't experienced in Newfoundland since 1837 ! ( Not to mention 2011 scoring champ Dean Blanks screwing the pooch on a penalty right in front of the posts in the first half! He'll be kicking himself rather than the ball until next season's opener!) Far cry from the 41 -7 result a couple of weeks ago, on the Rock's home pitch (about which so many of you crowed so loudly!) Indeed, rumours of (gleeful, joyous expectation of) the Rock's demise are overblown. We have some very promising young up-and-comers. (Granted, the Blues might not have been as motivated as they could have been, having already sewn up the championship.) And to those who carp about my tendency (still) to think in terms of the Rock as a "Newfoundland" team, let me pay due homage to the contributions of hooker Chris Seyler, locks Jon Phelan and Toni Wodzicki, No. 8 Kyle Baillie, and wingers Rob Turk and Simon Pacey. Not pur-laine Newfs, but (as for anyone with an IQ above Newf average summer-time temperatures [Celsius] ), wanna-be Newfs ! One of the drawbacks of the new CRC structure (still, remember, only in its 2nd season) is that, for some squads, they are deprived of the motivating force of playing for provincial PRIDE. Ontario and BC can still refer to their squads as "the provincial senior men's team" (and I have seen them referred to that way, several times, this season) ... unless of course they lose, and then the excuses are trotted out. But that element of motivation, playing representative rugby for your HOME squad, is denied the "regional" teams. Now you ruggers in the fat, big provinces have to understand that we ruggers in the smaller provinces have a REAL resentment (in ALL aspects of national life, not just sport) of being referred to as "the regions." We are NOT "regions." ('Prairies,' 'Atlantic') There ARE no 'regions'. When we hear ourselves referred to (by the Toronto/Vancouver-centric universe, e.g. the CBC) as "regions," a lot of us see red. There are PROVINCES ... For obvious reasons, with rugby, it makes sense to try to elevate the calibre of competition by fielding teams that are more evenly matched - which is an impossibility if you field provincial sides from a province of 5 mil. vs. a province of 0.5 mil. But for nigh-on 10 years we did just that with the RCSL structure, obliging the bigger provinces to field more than one team, to balance the scales a bit. Perhaps players on the Crimson Tide couldn't feel that they were, really, their province's BEST ... the representative side for BRITISH COLUMBIA. They were deprived of that motivating stimulus, and sense of pride/achievement/status. They didn't really know where they stood, in the overall hierarchy of things. But that stimulus was an important element for the teams from the smaller provinces. It helped elevate their game. It's one of those "intangibles" in sport. We all ignore it ... routinely ... until our World Cup squad (for instance) find themselves playing for their COUNTRY, and discover the little bit extra they have in them, to dig deeper. That's not really something that can be coached, I don't think. That has to come from deep inside the individual player. A part of who he is, and where he came from. (And if it can be "coached" at all, it's deep-level sports psychology.) But it's something Rock players have had, in spades, for over a decade. Where does that come from? (How do you tap it, bottle it and sell it?) It comes from seeing yourselves as a band of brothers, a breed apart, "us against the world," and having a "warrior" heart. Somewhat easier for us in Newfoundland, as an island people, who split pretty well 50-50 on whether we wanted to join Canada at all, in the first place, in 1949. We think we're special. We think we're different. (Don't you all think the same of yourselves? Sure you do!) It's all TRIBAL We're pig-headed, obstinate, ornery, independent, contrary-minded, and always spoiling for a fight ... especially with Mainlanders. That's what adds zest to the game. Even the non-native-born Rock players (Wish, Warden, Blanks, Lovell ... fer Gawd's sakes even Parfrey himself) sense that. Perhaps it's an "islander" thing ... akin to Tonga, Fiji, Samoa. The extra motivation that comes from being, objectively, a minority, and (subjectively) feeling that you are looked down upon by your fellow citizens. But this isn't about politics. Squads with a smaller population base to draw upon HAVE to rely upon OTHER assets ... team spirit and pride, the advantage of being able to practice with each other regularly, getting to know your team-mates' strengths, weaknesses ... something the Ont. and BC squads DON'T have. They don't have the opportunity to practice together as regularly as the Rock squad does. So for a squad like the Rock (not having a large player-population base to fall back on in the event of injuries), injuries can be more devastating than to an Ont. or BC squad. Ont. or BC can scare up 2-3 raw physical athletic replacements, who might not have great rugby skills, or knowledge of their team-mates, ... but that's not an option for the smaller provinces. ( Some joker here referred to a "presentation" to a Rugby Quebec meeting citing something like 3,100 "registered" players in B.C., and 2,800 in the "Atlantic." Dream on. If you included the 1st, 2nd and 3rd XVs at 10 universities in NS, NB and PEI you'd still fall far short of the 2,800 figure.) Now that the national structure has changed from RCSL to CRC, you'll just have to have a bit of patience with us Newfs, as we adjust to no longer being able to take pride in our provincial team, but have to adapt to being a "regional" squad. Faust on "Rock v Blues - Bad Manners" http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rovk-v-blues-bad-manners#post-7688 Mon, 05 Sep 2011 02:52:19 +0000 Faust 7688@http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/ Sounds like Simon. Pat is probably with the National side. Simon was not that bad when he was here with U-18 Newfs. Juniorcoach on "Rock v Blues - Bad Manners" http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rovk-v-blues-bad-manners#post-7686 Sun, 04 Sep 2011 20:03:04 +0000 Juniorcoach 7686@http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/ Why am I not surprised? I'm confused though. What about the new IRB directives on technical zones? This is presumably one of the reasons that these were brought into place... elbows on "Rock v Blues - Bad Manners" http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rovk-v-blues-bad-manners#post-7685 Sun, 04 Sep 2011 15:29:55 +0000 elbows 7685@http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/ What were the scores? Frank on "Rock v Blues - Bad Manners" http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rovk-v-blues-bad-manners#post-7681 Sun, 04 Sep 2011 04:06:15 +0000 Frank 7681@http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/ Not one to throw names around but if I was a guessing man then I would ponder to think for a minute before I would suggest that sounds a awful like F'ing PF or his jolly sidekick SB. Of course this just a guess but it is a educated guess. tb99 on "Rock v Blues - Bad Manners" http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rovk-v-blues-bad-manners#post-7680 Sun, 04 Sep 2011 03:39:41 +0000 tb99 7680@http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/ Attended the Rock v Blues game today. Good, even match. The thing that stood out for me, however, was the astonishingly bad behaviour by the Rock coaches. During the first game, U-20 Rock v Niagara, I was surprised as how much yelling the Rock coaches did. Nothing wrong with that, just unusual. It was non-stop and at top volume for the entire 80 minutes. It was kind of entertaining, really. In the next game, Rock v Ontario, the tone changed. The yelling was still non-stop but it changed from being the barking of instructions to the team and took on a mean-spirited theme. I am not used to coaches swearing so much. I was also surprised by the Rock coach using the F word when addressing a ref. Once to a line ref's face. As the tide of the game turned, the Rock coach amped up the commentary. Again, at the top of his lungs. By the end his earlier clown-like editorials turned pretty bitter. But that was not the worst part. During the late stages of the game, with Ontario attempting a penalty kick, the crowd was silent as the kicker lined up. As soon as he started his move towards the ball, one of the Rock players on the sideline and down near the kick, yelled "SHANK" really loud. The kick was good but it was a pretty embarrassing display of poor sportsmanship. This brought back a conversation I had with someone who was at a Rock U-18 game a couple of months ago versus a touring team from England. On the last play of the game, with a penalty kick to decide it, the English kicker started his move towards the ball, and, surprise, someone (the person telling the story says it was a coach, but who knows for sure) screams to distract him. He made the kick. Same story, tons of swearing and bad sportsmanship. Pretty sure that team won't be stopping in Newfoundland anytime soon. It wouldn't surprise me if word gets around. Losing out on playing touring teams certainly won't help develop game in Newfoundland. Summing up, it's a shame because the Rock is a really good team. Supremely talented. Maybe this coach is a rugby genius. Maybe off the field he's the nicest guy in the world. But, seriously, this guy needs to grow up and realize that his attitude isn't helping his team's reputation. Also, if you want to grow the game in Canada this isn't the proper blueprint. Who's going to take their kids to the game, to get them exposed to it early in life only have some lunatic set this example: crying and whining when penalties go against his team cheering when penalties go against the opposition loudly accusing the ref of favouring one team and all of this peppered with F words. Pretty sad and pretty pathetic. winger14 on "Rock vs Blues" http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rock-vs-blues#post-7598 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 03:21:56 +0000 winger14 7598@http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/ Kyle Armstrong is one to watch. I hope he keeps moving up the ranks and gets opportunities. Winger14 Harry Craig on "Rock vs Blues" http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rock-vs-blues#post-7595 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 03:11:50 +0000 Harry Craig 7595@http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/ Slackarse pile on all you want, I'll take the result. We should do this to you guys all the time when you look at your playing numbers vs ours. We are missing some good players as well, so no excuses. I hear Kyle Armstrong had a good game, how do you think he matched up against Morgan? Like to keep an eye on guys from my club, you know. We won our league gamefairly easily without him. Faust on "Rock vs Blues" http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rock-vs-blues#post-7586 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 18:08:33 +0000 Faust 7586@http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/ The Rock have little mobility in the backs and if you can make them move the forward pack around, then you will have them. Great set forward set pieces, but no mobility and too slow. They have to layoff of the Jigs dinner and start working on mobility. Faust on "Rock vs Blues" http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rock-vs-blues#post-7585 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 17:59:52 +0000 Faust 7585@http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/ Maybe recruiting and developing from other clubs and provinces besides Swilers would help. It is not a knock on them, but the fact that they have a huge pool to pick from yet 1/2 players are from Swilers. Frank on "Rock vs Blues" http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rock-vs-blues#post-7581 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 16:54:46 +0000 Frank 7581@http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/ The Rock have very little depth and got the sh1t kicked out of them. No biggie, they will be back and we all know they are better with age. slackarse on "Rock vs Blues" http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rock-vs-blues#post-7578 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:13:03 +0000 slackarse 7578@http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/ Sorry, rucknmaul ... yes, you did. But in your mentioning only the missing WC players, I thought you might have been unaware of the other players out injured. The St. John's Telegram's senior sportswriter John Browne has an extensive article in today's paper, here : <a href="http://www.thetelegram.com/Sports/2011-08-22/article-2718678/Rock-outfought-outmatched-and-outplayed/1" rel="nofollow">http://www.thetelegram.com/Sports/2011-08-22/article-2718678/Rock-outfought-outmatched-and-outplayed/1</a> or find link to same on the front page <a href="http://www.thetelegram.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.thetelegram.com</a> where there's also a link to a photo slideshow of game pics. Over the last several years Browne has developed an interest in the game, and become knowledgeable. Partly as a result, rugby and the Rock in particular get very good local coverage. Good for the sport. In today's paper (print edition) a full page A4 is given over to 6 photos from the game, in addition to the game report in the Sports section. Too bad the excellent thorough coverage is about a losing effort! rucknmaul on "Rock vs Blues" http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rock-vs-blues#post-7572 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 05:39:24 +0000 rucknmaul 7572@http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/ Slackarse, I acknowledged the depleted team in my post. But the teams nevertheless looked evenly matched to me. There were still a lot of talented players on the Rock squad. slackarse on "Rock vs Blues" http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rock-vs-blues#post-7564 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 03:03:47 +0000 slackarse 7564@http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/ rucknmaul, you left out the other Rock player on the World Cup squad, prop Frank Walsh. We missed him, too. On top of which, the following were missing from the usual Rock roster because of injury : Peter Densmore at hooker, regular squad Captain, out for the season Sean O'Leary, lock Kevin Parfrey, flanker Tyler Wish Geoff Warden One-third of our team's top players missing, exclusive of the 4 WC players. 9 in total, from the squad that beat the Canada Selects early in the season. We certainly don't want to be poor sports and make excuses, nor to detract from the Blues victory, but the loss of those players certainly made a difference, perhaps not to the final outcome, but certainly to the complexion of the game, and the final scoreline. So I have to disagree that, in your words, the teams looked "evenly matched." I was disappointed that the "official" Rugby Canada site's game report, written by Patrick McCarry out of Vancouver, made no mention whatever of the Rock's injury-depleted team. Praise where praise is due, to the Ontario effort, but McCarry's report struck me as unbalanced, to have made no mention of these other facts. rucknmaul on "Rock vs Blues" http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/topic/rock-vs-blues#post-7557 Sun, 21 Aug 2011 22:25:08 +0000 rucknmaul 7557@http://canadianrugby.ca/forums/ Wow, on paper these teams looked evenly matched, with some great talent on display for the Rock. So a shocking scoreline to say the least. Needless to say, I believe the loss of Hearn, Sinclair and O'toole hurts the Rock a lot more than BC or Wolfpack missing it's national team players because of the lack of numbers and depth in that region.