Paul Ackford says "The best two teams in the world at the moment? No debate. New Zealand and Leinster. The rest are playing catch-up..."!

By Paul Ackford

The reason is simple. Both outfits are set up to play, which sounds simple, but isn’t. It requires intention, fitness, understanding, organisation, unbelievably high skill sets across the entire squad, a positive attitude to risk, and courage. It also assumes a commitment to be multidimensional in approach rather than the one-trick pony nonsense which some teams get by on.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/international/england/9576371/England-must-look-to-the-flair-players-if-they-want-to-mix-it-with-the-All-Blacks-at-rugbys-top-table.html

I thought this article was very interesting, the same rules apply to al our teams whoever we support club or country.

Leinster may not have had the best start to the year but they are suffering a good number of injuries and are debilitated because of this.

Odd comparison...what about the Chiefs?

I don't necessarily disagree with his assessment of what he thinks the current formula is, but:

Is Leinster head and shoulders above other provinces/clubs. I wouldn't rate them above the top super 15 sides, I'm not convinced they are equal. I'm sure some fans would debate the assessment in Europe as well (despite their Heinekin Cup triumph).

I think the world cup is to far away to tell what skills and plans will win. We have law changes this year, as well as a bunch of new coaches. My feeling is the powers that be are happy to encourage a much tighter game, where penalties, and therefore, referees interpretation will greatly affect the outcome.

Sure Connacht battered Leinster at the weekend there. What planet is this guy on?.......

rodders wrote:Sure Connacht battered Leinster at the weekend there. What planet is this guy on?.......

Read the Article

I think it means
NZ- best international team in the world
Leinster - best club team in England.

I think it means
NZ- best international team in the world
Leinster - best club team in England.

nganboy wrote:I think it means
NZ- best international team in the world
Leinster - best club team in England.

You might want to edit that after googling Leinster...

Nga

I think its a province, like waikato.

and I think its in Ireland...gaw us kiwi's are quik!

(At least thats what the NZCoach gps-ometer is saying where Schmidt is at the mo...)

taylorman

Dont tell anyone, but until i came onto 606 v2, I always thought Leinster was in England, I was confusing it with another place with a very similar name.

man do I feel bad - sadly I know both those things and managed to send it twice.

The best spreads for toast? Orange marmelade and peanut butter. No debate.

Well hang on, what about strawberry jam...

No, sorry. No debate.

Vegemite - end of.

aucklandlaurie wrote:
taylorman

Dont tell anyone, but until i came onto 606 v2, I always thought Leinster was in England, I was confusing it with another place with a very similar name.

Colonials

Well to be fair Leicester and Leinster have very little difference in pronunciation.

What's the difference between Worcestershire sauce and Gloucestershire sauce apart from one exists and the other doesn't?

I have heard some people in Europe claim that Sydney and Auckland are the respective capitals of Australia and NZ. That is indeed if they realise the two countries are separate.

It's all marketing nowadays. The two teams Ackford mentions have integration and innovation at their core but the rest are playing catch up contradict the latter idea. In order to innovate, you don't play catch up. You find a new way. Imitating NZ and Leinster is not the solution. Finding a balanced approach that works best for the resources you have is the solution. And then branding that as the benchmark for all other teams to follow so you remain one step ahead. That's what Leinster or Leicester need to spend more time on if they're being confused.

He is right.

NZ are consistantly the best team in the world at Int level. Leinster are consistently the best team at European level.

Chiefs, Crusaders, Reds, Blues etc have all peaked and plummeted over the seasons. Consistency is king.

Always enjoy Ackford's columns, and once again, can't argue with much he says in there.

kiakahaaotearoa wrote:The best spreads for toast? Orange marmelade and peanut butter. No debate.

Well hang on, what about strawberry jam...

No, sorry. No debate.

Try Marmite avec jambon. Well good....my mother got me on to it as a young’un in NZ now my son has it on his toast too!

yappysnap wrote:He is right.

NZ are consistantly the best team in the world at Int level. Leinster are consistently the best team at European level.

Chiefs, Crusaders, Reds, Blues etc have all peaked and plummeted over the seasons. Consistency is king.

One of these teams just don’t belong here, one of these teams just isn’t the same....

Consistency? Crusaders have consistency in quantities which no other team on the planet can possess. They have consistently won titles and they have consistently made semi finals. They consistently produce top notch players (or scout...whatever your view is). The other teams in this list have in the past been about as consistent as a dodgy stomach. Yes they’ve won titles but apart from the first 2 yrs of the comp (Blues), none of the 3 has dominated the competition like the Crusaders.

ProMite with a slice of tomato on toast with melted grilled cheese...

Hot tomato in a toasted sandwich is the hottest substance known to man. It attaches itself to the roof of your mouth or your top lip and burns. The US used it in Vietnam.

Try the jam from a heated donut. It's banned in 45 different countries and trying to eat one is considered a crime against nature.

But the jam's heat can be controlled by puncturing a hole in the doughnut. The same cannot be said for the tomato. Through its skin, it retains its heat like a thermos and has the added danger of being able to attach itself like the alien in the ALIENS saga without being able to be taken off. Be afraid.

Ouch. I just imagined some evil b@stards going to La Tomatina armed with a microwave and a catapult.

Of all the history of outrageous unjustifiable self-aggrandisement that has ever come from the NH, comparing Leinster to the All Blacks absolutely takes the doughnut.

You can't even be outraged. It's simply hilarious.

AWOP
No need to kill yourself with hysterical laughter / outrage.
I think PA's point is more of an analogy than a comparison. self aggrandisement ? wtf ?
Point is they are both best 'teams' in their respective ponds.... in his opinion.

Let's start with the fact that the Leinster argument is unfounded because their "pond" is limited.

For instance, the Sharks, Bulls, Crusaders, Chiefs don't get to destroy them by 40 points once per year to remind everyone they are big fish in a little pond...

kiakahaaotearoa wrote:Well to be fair Leicester and Leinster have very little difference in pronunciation.

What's the difference between Worcestershire sauce and Gloucestershire sauce apart from one exists and the other doesn't?

I have heard some people in Europe claim that Sydney and Auckland are the respective capitals of Australia and NZ. That is indeed if they realise the two countries are separate.

It's all marketing nowadays. The two teams Ackford mentions have integration and innovation at their core but the rest are playing catch up contradict the latter idea. In order to innovate, you don't play catch up. You find a new way. Imitating NZ and Leinster is not the solution. Finding a balanced approach that works best for the resources you have is the solution. And then branding that as the benchmark for all other teams to follow so you remain one step ahead. That's what Leinster or Leicester need to spend more time on if they're being confused.

Nah mate we all know its Wagga Wagga...

Leinster in England- lols

I understand the confusion- they are a good team- It would be natural for them to be part of the green and pleasant land. But no they are not

maestegmafia wrote:ProMite with a slice of tomato on toast with melted grilled cheese...

what is promite! the welsh marmite!!- anyway you just need worster sauce

But yes Marmalade is by far the best spread for toast!

Nah Honey is best..

By the way . I really hope Kia doesnt have marmalade and peanut butter at the same time!

But then thats a kinda american thing to do isnt it- PJ sarnies- gross

Peanut Butter (crunchy!!) and jam on toast is the food of kings, do not ever discount it.

Philadelphia cheese & chorizo toastie, plus rocket/pepper

Jam is to sweet for my liking- love bitter marmalade.. Mozerella is the way forward for a med style toasty

anotherworldofpain wrote:Of all the history of outrageous unjustifiable self-aggrandisement that has ever come from the NH, comparing Leinster to the All Blacks absolutely takes the doughnut.

You can't even be outraged. It's simply hilarious.

Where has anyone compared Leinster to the All Blacks,you need to keep working on your English if you interpret it that way.

It can only be crunchy yappy. Smooth or medium is for people who wax or shave. Plus savoury and sweet is a classic example. Goose liver and jam, peanut butter and banana or honey. Don't knock it until you try it. Marmelade and peanut butter on the other hand is asking for trouble.

Med style is tomato and olive oil.

savoury: Vegemite and Tasty cheese on toast. yum.

Sweet: Crunchy peanut butter and golden syrup on toast, double yum.

It must have been awful confusing for New Zealanders when Leinster played Leicester in the Heineken Cup final in Edinburgh a few years ago.

"Why are an English team playing against themselves in Scotland for a European Cup?"

The comparison between Leinster and the All Blacks isn't new. It's been mentioned by pundits for the last two and a bit years. Since Schmidt took over they've gone to another level. They're reminiscent of the All Blacks in terms of the style of total rugby they play. They're the one European team that looks like a Kiwi team in how they play. Not surprising since their entire coaching team are Kiwi's.

That's not to say they're as good as the All Blacks. That's ridiculous. And when it comes to talking about how they'd do against SH teams, it's impossible to know. They can only really be looked at in terms of European rugby. Because there's no international club competition to measure them. I think they'd do quite well personally.

There are some worrying signs of a dip in Leinster rugby this year. We'll see if the comparison with the All Blacks continues and they maintain a very high standard year in year out. They've only lost one knockout HC match in 4 years. Against Toulouse in Toulouse. Which is incredible consistency. No team can keep that up. But the All Blacks really never dip below a certain standard. I hope Leinster can be same.

Nutella is the best spread on toast.

Great post Feckless

asoreleftshoulder wrote:

anotherworldofpain wrote:Of all the history of outrageous unjustifiable self-aggrandisement that has ever come from the NH, comparing Leinster to the All Blacks absolutely takes the doughnut.

You can't even be outraged. It's simply hilarious.

Where has anyone compared Leinster to the All Blacks,you need to keep working on your English if you interpret it that way.

Ok then, well at least it is cringingly parrochial to take something as localised as Leinster and making a sweeping comparison with the global benchmark.

It's like me comparing my new flower planter with the hanging gardens of babylon.

anotherworldofpain wrote:

asoreleftshoulder wrote:

anotherworldofpain wrote:Of all the history of outrageous unjustifiable self-aggrandisement that has ever come from the NH, comparing Leinster to the All Blacks absolutely takes the doughnut.

You can't even be outraged. It's simply hilarious.

Where has anyone compared Leinster to the All Blacks,you need to keep working on your English if you interpret it that way.

Ok then, well at least it is cringingly parrochial to take something as localised as Leinster and making a sweeping comparison with the global benchmark.

It's like me comparing my new flower planter with the hanging gardens of babylon.

Your flower planter has won the highest award in European gardening 3 out of the last 4 years?

If it had, would you consider it worthy of comparison?

Pot Hale wrote:It must have been awful confusing for New Zealanders when Leinster played Leicester in the Heineken Cup final in Edinburgh a few years ago.

"Why are an English team playing against themselves in Scotland for a European Cup?"

Nah not confusing at all, you guys do some pretty crazy things at the best of times.