Mind The Gap

So every year and particular after such thing as Wales grand slam is coming the statement about "Close The Gap" between the Euro teams and Pacific and South African teams.

My small thought for this morning is we can't say this gap is close until we see the super rugby final team coach by a Welshman featuring play off between Antipodean and South African teams with playing half an dozen 6 Nations winners.

If I close my eyes during the Heinakan cup final and just listen to commentary then it sounded like could have been some trination or superrugby final instead.

LOL van der merwe to who brad thorn picks it up and offloads to nacewa coming on the burst . ohhh that was a big hit by fullback terblanche .Wannerburg is onto the ball in a flash and the captain johann muller completes the turnover.The ball is with Pienaar now who sweeps it on to Afoa .....

Precise. Yes.

To be fair to Leinster, players like SOB, Sexton, Kearney and the Almighty BOD are pretty key too

Pretty sure that there were far more 'home grown' Irish players in the HC final than imports...

Mind The Gap

Yeah that 9-8 thumping by the All Blacks in the RWC final against such a powerful and mighty french side is some GAP

Are you doing a cockney here and what you'r trying to say is Mind The Crap

The GAP can't be assessed in one off games, least of all a world cup final as both teams are tensely motivated in a do or die scenario.

There will be plenty of games during the year where the SH and NH will meet and some will be more successful than others.

The GAP varies from year to year, in my view the only way you can really assess what the actual GAP is, is if all teams field their strongest teams every time, as yet, it happened very seldom.

So that would be the huge 22-21 Gap that SA achieved against Wales in the RWC then

Absolutely Ruby.

Only it was 17-16.

Of course it was. We can all live in the past - Let's face it us welsh remained in the 70's for about 25 years; however lets move into the here and now where it matters. For what it's worth I think Wales have developed well over the past few years and any true rugby supporter of the SH teams will have absolute respect and regard for this side. I talk with a number of them particularly the South Africans and it is always a pleasure to hear their insight as genuine rugby fans. The key on 606 is to sometimes separate the WUM's from the genuine discussions. I love a WUM on occasion and thank god we have them. I also like discussing serious rugby which unfortunately remains thin on the ground on 606, Bilton and Geordie Falcon aside of course, oh and my friend HERSH.

Jeepers AWP! Brave call there fella, many would say it was a tad condescending

Plenty of NH players could hack the s15, just no incentive to, or there are limits on foreign imports.

And there were some very tight NH v SH games in the WC. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the biggest blow out between tier one NH v SH was ABs v France in pool play (20 pts). The next was Ireland's 9 pt win over Oz. Looking at WC results overall, and I appreciate not all teams played each other, but NH did pretty good I reckon. Gap's not that big.

AWOC

AWOC, what's that then, wind of change?

Another World of Crap

Now now Shrink, be nice

Billy, I spent Thursday night in London at an NHS Awards ceremony - Went up on the train from Truro and met a chap from the local PCT (Primary Care Trust) - He happened to be an Irishman from Cork and an ardent Munster fan. No work on the train and banter all the way. Anyways, there was a free bar at the event - have you heard the one about the welshman and the Irishman?. 10 past 3 am we left the hotel bar - Not a pleasant trip back but a great night.

Sounds like a cracking night Ruby. Had many of those open bars, not very good for the head the next day

I asked him about the Ospreys Munster semi final play off and his response was, "like the Murphys I'm not bitter" -

Gap,what Gap?No incentive? you mean no megabucks to play Down South.
There may be a wages cap but there is an awful lot of Top SH players in the NH for cash.Top players and young hopefuls,England will give some idea when they face the Boks.As to a one point win in a RWC final with the winning side down to there 4th choice 10.A first choice 9 and goalkicker straining a groin in the warm up,and a Skipper playing on virtually one leg.Talk about Gaps only 6 NH sides have beaten the All Blacks in the Professional period,only 21 since 1903.Wales have only beaten the Boks once and All Blacks 3 times the last nearly 60 years ago.

emack you're just faling into the GAP by quoting the past - Its completely irrelevant. Try the "here and now" there is a small GAP between the top NH teams and the SH teams

NZ in normal games (not knockout games) are still miles ahead of the NH

Ha haa, he was a good man then Ruby

I am stuck in the middle of the North Sea, outage is done but i have to wait until tomorrow evening to get off this damn rig

anotherworldofpain wrote:So every year and particular after such thing as Wales grand slam is coming the statement about "Close The Gap" between the Euro teams and Pacific and South African teams.

My small thought for this morning is we can't say this gap is close until we see the super rugby final team coach by a Welshman featuring play off between Antipodean and South African teams with playing half an dozen 6 Nations winners.

If I close my eyes during the Heinakan cup final and just listen to commentary then it sounded like could have been some trination or superrugby final instead.

Didn't understand that.

RubyGuby wrote:Of course it was. We can all live in the past - Let's face it us welsh remained in the 70's for about 25 years; however lets move into the here and now where it matters. For what it's worth I think Wales have developed well over the past few years and any true rugby supporter of the SH teams will have absolute respect and regard for this side. I talk with a number of them particularly the South Africans and it is always a pleasure to hear their insight as genuine rugby fans. The key on 606 is to sometimes separate the WUM's from the genuine discussions. I love a WUM on occasion and thank god we have them. I also like discussing serious rugby which unfortunately remains thin on the ground on 606, Bilton and Geordie Falcon aside of course, oh and my friend HERSH.

Ruby, I think we all need some light entertainment on rugby every now and then, like you say there are Wumming with intent to cause grievous mental harm, and then there is wumming because one doesn't know any better the secret is to distinguish between the two

Wummin with intent - I like it

I keep telling you guys to lighten up, you have to remember One Wallow doesn't make a Wummer

That's low Bilton - remove yourself

I had to, it may offend people when I get a little naughty.

biltongbek wrote:

RubyGuby wrote:Of course it was. We can all live in the past - Let's face it us welsh remained in the 70's for about 25 years; however lets move into the here and now where it matters. For what it's worth I think Wales have developed well over the past few years and any true rugby supporter of the SH teams will have absolute respect and regard for this side. I talk with a number of them particularly the South Africans and it is always a pleasure to hear their insight as genuine rugby fans. The key on 606 is to sometimes separate the WUM's from the genuine discussions. I love a WUM on occasion and thank god we have them. I also like discussing serious rugby which unfortunately remains thin on the ground on 606, Bilton and Geordie Falcon aside of course, oh and my friend HERSH.

Ruby, I think we all need some light entertainment on rugby every now and then, like you say there are Wumming with intent to cause grievous mental harm, and then there is wumming because one doesn't know any better the secret is to distinguish between the two

You might say there is some condescending or some AWOC ( ). But there is serious point even if I don't manage to expressing by diplomacy.

It is a true that always the stronger are influence the weaker and in this way we can see that the north clubs looking for the south players to make strengthen. When the north has true player with the class and ability to influence then the wheels will be reverse and see the NH players wanted by the club to the south and in the money arena provide by Japan.

anotherworldofpain, I doubt there is enough money to attrack the NH players to the SH, even if we could, I prefer to keep the SA franchises purely South african where possible.

So maybe true biltonguenek but then is also a true that the players not get offer the moneys from north if they seen as inferior to north players.

True. But as long as NZ, SA and OZ ae seen to be he leading nations, it is doubtfull ou will see many NH players down south.

The question also needs to be asked, perhaps the reason the SH is leading the pack is due to the fact that these "regional" franchises with local talent is a better way to develop local talent compared to the way it is done in Europe, a team has many different nationalities represented.

AWOP - Most of what you say is true and few knowledgeable rugby fans would argue with it - Somethimes it's the way you say it in a wumming/humourously but sometimes patronising way that winds some people up. Personally I could't give a feck and even loved GreyGhosts posts on here. Have some cake

Personally a poster who seems to know a fair bit of the history of posters and their postings on V2 who turns up and starts speaking like Borat isn't enough to convince me this is not a banned user in disguise. He's gone from putting in sly digs at Wales to putting them in against the NH now.

biltongbek wrote:True. But as long as NZ, SA and OZ ae seen to be he leading nations, it is doubtfull ou will see many NH players down south.

The question also needs to be asked, perhaps the reason the SH is leading the pack is due to the fact that these "regional" franchises with local talent is a better way to develop local talent compared to the way it is done in Europe, a team has many different nationalities represented.

Certainly in England i think its even more fundementally a problem that our schools don't encourage sport in general and rugby in particular that is holding us back. Other countries and sports have generated masses of talent through club structures - but the kids need the opportunity to develop core skills and a love of the game at a very early age, that is just not happening over here. Professional regions/clubs just polish the diamond that has already been created and in our case they are often barely good enough for the argos catalogue.

Sometimes we get caught up too much in the SH NH thing. This is exacerbated by the fact that SA, Australia and NZ often make up the top three. To be honest I don't really care who wins between Wales and Australia or England and SA. The only gap I care about is between the ABs and the rest.

You could have aliens in the European clubs playing for all I care, and I don't mean illegal aliens. There have been a few foreign players playing in the Super teams as well. What matters to me is test rugby and the ABs winning all their games, regardless of the opposition.

kiakahaaotearoa wrote:The only gap I care about is between the ABs and the rest.

Long may that gap be there Kia!

Kia, pretty soon you'll be down to third after we white washed you and then you will care whether we win or lose.

Biltong's only talking it up because he knows that Bryce Lawrence can't ref any NZ SA games

I mean Biltong that if the ABs and Springboks aren't playing one another, I don't really mind who the Springboks beat nor if they are beaten.

If a situation like 2009 reoccurs, then for sure I'll be focused on closing the gap. But take a team like France. If they beat the ABs, I never feel satisfied in the sense of having exacted revenge if we beat them in the next game. There is no such thing as closing the gap in terms of painful defeats, which is of course any defeat.

To me the concept of closing the gap is all about not wanting to lose games. It doesn't matter if it's a game in the SH or the NH.

It's why despite King Kong being off our backs we'll still be bitter about the other WCs. Beating France in the pool game wasn't revenge, nor was the final. Revenge would be a 60 point demolition in a knockout game and still the pain wouldn't go away from when they knocked us over.

Exactly chilly. Like the Cat Stevens song, the World Cup is the deepest cut, Baby I know.

but, it is not at all like that other Cat Stevens song "I'm being followed by a moon shadow"....(I just thought I'd put that in there - for clarity)

Like Father like son hey Mr Fishpaste.

kiakahaaotearoa wrote: But take a team like France. If they beat the ABs, I never feel satisfied in the sense of having exacted revenge if we beat them in the next game.

Yeah I'm the same Kia. I think thats because France usually do get beaten. Last years final had a small taste of 'revenge' if only because of the wins they had extracted in previous similar occasions. But overall they've had something like 3 or 4 wins out of last 20 so its much of a muchness.

I'm interested in the SH NH derby's for sure, mainly because I think the other two will be more competitive and because of the emerging players/ new coach from SA. That will be a good time to guage how we'll fare in the 4N or whatever its called now.

Morgannwg wrote:Personally a poster who seems to know a fair bit of the history of posters and their postings on V2 who turns up and starts speaking like Borat isn't enough to convince me this is not a banned user in disguise. He's gone from putting in sly digs at Wales to putting them in against the NH now.

There's no doubt AnotherWorldOfPain is a fraudster !!!!!

Basic grammar errors interspersed with some pretty wellwritten prose....

Ive read all of his posts and am as sure as sure can be that it's Fake.

Don't get it myself, one would think it would become tiresome but hey ho.

anotherworldofpain wrote:So every year and particular after such thing as Wales grand slam is coming the statement about "Close The Gap" between the Euro teams and Pacific and South African teams.

My small thought for this morning is we can't say this gap is close until we see the super rugby final team coach by a Welshman featuring play off between Antipodean and South African teams with playing half an dozen 6 Nations winners.

If I close my eyes during the Heinakan cup final and just listen to commentary then it sounded like could have been some trination or superrugby final instead.

So "antipodean" you have no worries with, but "half a dozen" is too hard ??

BIZZARRE

disneychilly wrote:Biltong's only talking it up because he knows that Bryce Lawrence can't ref any NZ SA games

You read my mind Disney, Kia all good fun mate, I was just pulling your leg.

Oxford Welsh wrote:

anotherworldofpain wrote:So every year and particular after such thing as Wales grand slam is coming the statement about "Close The Gap" between the Euro teams and Pacific and South African teams.

My small thought for this morning is we can't say this gap is close until we see the super rugby final team coach by a Welshman featuring play off between Antipodean and South African teams with playing half an dozen 6 Nations winners.

If I close my eyes during the Heinakan cup final and just listen to commentary then it sounded like could have been some trination or superrugby final instead.

So "antipodean" you have no worries with, but "half a dozen" is too hard ??

BIZZARRE

Oxford Welsh, I edited his article to make it easier to read. I added antipodean. I also changed African to South african, it is just a bug bear of mine.

Sorry I make mistake and speak the wrong kind of bad english.!