Always a Wasp
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31
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Re: Should amateur days return?
« on: May 21, 2023, 02:27:17 PM »
Appreciate that this is all fanciful, but could we have both?
Let the sugar daddies have the league they want, which would be the Premiership.
Then everyone else can go off and develop a new league structure which can be amateur. We wouldn't need to re-invent the wheel, we could just restructure from the Championship down.
Let the sugar daddies have the league they want, which would be the Premiership.
Then everyone else can go off and develop a new league structure which can be amateur. We wouldn't need to re-invent the wheel, we could just restructure from the Championship down.
32
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Re: It might not be over
« on: May 21, 2023, 01:12:15 AM »
Someone needs to make the RFU make sense!
33
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Re: It?s over?
« on: May 18, 2023, 08:16:19 PM »
I have a different kind of sadness at this decision.
My sadness at Wasps going has been and gone, my sadness now is that, in my opinion, the RFU have made the process of Wasps' return (at the time) difficult at a time when the integrity of the league is questionable at best. I accept Wasps weren't angels and it was them who put the club in this position in the first place. Therefore, my feelings towards the sport entirely has had a massive hit. I'll probably not really bother with English rugby, other than my local grassroots club, again.
I'll probably find a club in the Top 14 to follow, likely Pau as that's where Dobby is.
My sadness at Wasps going has been and gone, my sadness now is that, in my opinion, the RFU have made the process of Wasps' return (at the time) difficult at a time when the integrity of the league is questionable at best. I accept Wasps weren't angels and it was them who put the club in this position in the first place. Therefore, my feelings towards the sport entirely has had a massive hit. I'll probably not really bother with English rugby, other than my local grassroots club, again.
I'll probably find a club in the Top 14 to follow, likely Pau as that's where Dobby is.
34
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Re: RWC 2023 match officials
« on: May 11, 2023, 01:10:41 PM »I don't understand the fast tracking of Karl Dickson, if there is a controversial ref decision being discussed then I am genuinely surprised if Karl wasn't the ref.
As Paul said, it might be that he benefitted from being going straight into refereeing from his playing career. He retired in 2017 on the 6th May (Harlequin's last game of the season - they didn't make the play-offs. I did check, and he did play in that game) with the announcement of his move to officiating coming 4 days later (from the 2017/18 season onwards).
He probably also had the advantage of being able to make the right connections during his time at Harlequins, which may have helped expedite his career. Add onto this that, by regularly being behind Care in the pecking order, he had the relative freedom to gain his officiating experience whilst still playing. He officiated A-League semi-finals just before he retired.
35
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Re: The Buzz is back.
« on: May 11, 2023, 12:51:22 PM »On a quick flick through, it appears a fair bit of the website has been updated.
More like a lot of, now irrelevent, stuff has been removed.
That's right
36
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Re: The Buzz is back.
« on: May 10, 2023, 10:16:49 PM »
On a quick flick through, it appears a fair bit of the website has been updated.
37
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Re: Worcester - Atlas have until 2nd May to complete purchase
« on: May 09, 2023, 02:55:09 PM »As others have said, this is going to cause the same issues the club faced in Coventry. You would have hoped that Wasps would have learnt a lesson there?
Seem ridiculous to be going into a fractious local situation that may drag on for years & potentially affect success if any Phoenix venture.
I don't think Wasps really have the choice if they want to continue. Much the same for the move to Coventry (though buying the Ricoh was probably not the right move in hindsight).
This doesn't discount the idea that, without facts, it does appear to be a shady bit of business.
38
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Re: Article - Salary Cap Broken?
« on: May 09, 2023, 02:51:40 PM »
I think all this really comes down to how the RFU view the game and what areas of it are seen as important.
If we want a truly competitive league, where anyone can honestly beat anyone, then a salary cap is needed and it must ensure that the relatively poorer clubs are able to operate at a level in which they can build a competitive squad. This, however, means that English clubs would probably continue to struggle in Europe. How this translates to the national game would remain to be seen.
If we put the success of the national side, as well as the success of English clubs in Europe, at the centre of everything then we are probably looking at increasing the salary cap as well as other measures such as reviewing compensation schemes for EQPs. This could be great for the national side and a select few of clubs' chances in Europe but you'll see either more clubs falling by the wayside, much like Wasps and WW, or you will see an unofficial two-tier uncompetitive league where you'll have the big spenders (Saracens/Bristol/Bath...) at the top half and then you'll get the rest (Irish/Newcastle...) who are left behind but still able to stay in the Premiership.
By all means, the RFU can go down the second route. That'll be great for the RFU, the richer clubs and the casual fans but I don't think it would bring in the number of fans needed to replace the number of existing fans (like us) who would walk away from the game as well as increasing the popularity of the sport.
If we want a truly competitive league, where anyone can honestly beat anyone, then a salary cap is needed and it must ensure that the relatively poorer clubs are able to operate at a level in which they can build a competitive squad. This, however, means that English clubs would probably continue to struggle in Europe. How this translates to the national game would remain to be seen.
If we put the success of the national side, as well as the success of English clubs in Europe, at the centre of everything then we are probably looking at increasing the salary cap as well as other measures such as reviewing compensation schemes for EQPs. This could be great for the national side and a select few of clubs' chances in Europe but you'll see either more clubs falling by the wayside, much like Wasps and WW, or you will see an unofficial two-tier uncompetitive league where you'll have the big spenders (Saracens/Bristol/Bath...) at the top half and then you'll get the rest (Irish/Newcastle...) who are left behind but still able to stay in the Premiership.
By all means, the RFU can go down the second route. That'll be great for the RFU, the richer clubs and the casual fans but I don't think it would bring in the number of fans needed to replace the number of existing fans (like us) who would walk away from the game as well as increasing the popularity of the sport.
39
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Re: TMO Redirection
« on: April 27, 2023, 09:57:43 AM »I wonder if they?ll change it again when EAs lose an important match and it was because the TMO couldn?t intervene in a controversial pass that everyone believes was forward?
OK, only joking, but there will always be controversial results with so many cameras and mobile phones at games. The authorities have to learn to shrug and say ?rub of the Green? rather than get bogged down in every controversial decision.
Agree 100% though I have sympathy for the reasons why officials got to this point in the first place
40
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Re: Brad On Life
« on: April 21, 2023, 04:13:01 PM »
The way Brad took to Wasps shows how great a man he is. It was to old Wasps' benefit and loved him being at the club but I do really have sympathy for him that it was the national side that brought him here and then left him in the international wilderness after a handful of games. I know professional sport is brutal but you don't do that.
I wish Brad all the best and every success in all of his future endeavors. Hopefully we see him back here in England soon - in any capacity.
I wish Brad all the best and every success in all of his future endeavors. Hopefully we see him back here in England soon - in any capacity.
41
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Re: "Rugby?s rickety structure leaves Championship?s future up in the air"
« on: April 19, 2023, 07:26:09 PM »I have grave concerns at the greed of the PRL and the lack of motivation to protect the game below the Premiership from he RFU. Just when -at long last- the women?s game is growing, its male counterpart is withering on the vine. With playing numbers dropping year on year our game is in serious trouble. Yet the silence from the RFU and the pull the ladder up Jack and sod the rest attitude from the PRL is frightening.
Clubs that bemoan the falling salary cap and its knock on effect in terms of competitiveness seem to ignore that growing beyond our means, and not putting a stop to the serial cheating antics of Saracens and also Bath in driving the cap ever upwards was a core problem they ignored. The removal of relegation and promotion has not only given us a plethora of games without true competition, emotion and jeopardy that only a league with a open trap door can give, it also denies clubs with true ambition to gain a rightful place at the top table. Ealing, a well funded and ambitious club, now looking further afield because their ground does not have a 10,001 capacity. We are sport so small in size the need to have a ground that large seems laughable. But where is the excitement of seeing the same old 10-11 teams play each other every season?.there is none, and as much as BT Sport try to galvanise excitement and emotion, when true jeopardy is not present (relegation) and ambition/hope extinguished (promotion) the game is as good as dead.
The damage done will take at least a generation to resolve. But a start would be the Premiership being merged into the national pyramid, for the ?elite? clubs to remove their egos and selfish desires that are contributing to our sports demise. The RFU putting on some adult trousers, rather than the elasticated ones that currently cover their soft pampered bellies as they ignorantly stroll along enjoying the yearly profits from the 6 nations and HQs hospitality. And start working for all clubs and for all players. Any club should be able to make it to the top of the game, and any player the same. Until we treat this as a game for all, rather than for the few, we are simply counting time until the life support is finally switched off on rugby union for good.
Agree with your entire post and want to add that it's not just the fact that the Premiership will consist of the same 10/11 clubs but also that the trophy is one club's to lose rather than a number of genuine contenders.
42
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Re: Baxter on the Beeb website
« on: April 17, 2023, 01:29:28 PM »As a separate issue classing that as tackling a man on the ground could also be debatable. How do you stop someone who dives for the line 5 or 10 meters out when its wet?
Seen this commented on quite a bit on social media, which is also the only place I've seen the footage. Have to say I agree. Had Woodburn dived on top of Ashton I'd have had no issue with the yellow that became a red as the way some players, and Chiefs are one of the worst for this, dive on top of try scorers is dangerous and at times quite cowardly, we have seen players have to go off after a post try tackle.
In this case Woodburn slides in from the side to try and stop the try and get under the ball, and only ended up on top of Ashton as the tackle progressed.
Lots of people stating the laws which say you can't tackle a player on the ground, in a similar vein when a player is on the ground he should release the ball, the momentum thing is what allows players to slide in from a distance, especially in the wet. We could end up seeing players slide from 10m out as soon as they get close and all the defending team can do is stand there and let it happen.
Although, the fact it was Karl Dickson with the cards says a lot as well.
Don't see anything wrong with players sliding in from 10m. It's called playing the conditions and something teams should be able to adapt to like playing with/into a strong wind.
I don't think that's the point Andermt is trying to make. The point being made with the 10m sliding try is that, within the current framework, there are extremely fine lines between making a successful try line defense and getting sent off. This can apply to any scenario really.
I don't think it would get this far, but imagine a 10m sliding try did happen and the defensive team just watched it happen - because they knew trying to stop it could result in a red card if it went wrong - could there be an argument that the defending team has been disadvantaged, as they are not able to reasonably defend that attack within the framework, and the try should not stand?
I know that going low into tackles, as an attacking player, isn't abnormal but we have seen instances where defending players have got as low as possible and still found that they've made head contact. Do players now have to think harder about whether they can safely make a tackle and, if not, just let the attacking player go by and say "sorry, couldn't get low enough". What would happen if that resulted in a try?
In all instances above, I'm talking about genuine "rugby incidents" not obvious acts of foul play.
43
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Re: Pat Lam's Views on Salary Cap
« on: April 14, 2023, 07:26:11 PM »
I'm almost at the point where I'd say to get rid of the salary cap and once the "poorer" clubs can't participate in the league, these so called top clubs will have no league
44
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Re: Baxter on the Beeb website
« on: April 14, 2023, 05:12:01 PM »
What I hope Mr. Baxter is actually trying to say is that the issue is not the red card itself or the punishment that it carries and that the issue is the interpretation of head contact and the application of the framework developed by World Rugby takes a broad approach with no real consideration to the modern game and how it's played.
The red card must remain the ultimate sanction available to an official. Amending the definition and associated punishment of a red card, in my opinion, may improve the game as a spectacle but it does not have player welfare at the centre of it. A "new" red card would negatively impact the individual sent off but it wouldn't negatively impact the club, as they can go back to the full 15, so would mindsets really change? My answer is no.
The red card must remain the ultimate sanction available to an official. Amending the definition and associated punishment of a red card, in my opinion, may improve the game as a spectacle but it does not have player welfare at the centre of it. A "new" red card would negatively impact the individual sent off but it wouldn't negatively impact the club, as they can go back to the full 15, so would mindsets really change? My answer is no.
45
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Re: Ex Wasps signing for new clubs
« on: April 14, 2023, 12:17:32 AM »
Seems like Jack has found his feet well in Toulouse, I've just seen a cracking video on LinkedIn with him speaking French to announce his resigning.
It of course makes sense to learn the language of the country you live and work in but its still great to see after a relatively short time frame.
It of course makes sense to learn the language of the country you live and work in but its still great to see after a relatively short time frame.