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Right, genuine questions here. I only watch rugby now and again... just the big internationals. With that in mind I may be a bit naive. But I'll ask anyway.
How come there's less skill in the game nowadays?
I remember a game against Scotland in the nineties. Jonathan Davies and Ieaun Evans scored a couple of amazing tries that were all about great skill, speed and great timing. Whenever I watch rugby nowadays it seems to be a bunch of massive blokes running into each other. You don't see any skill anymore.
Why is that?
My instinctive answer would be that players are more 'chemically-enhanced' nowadays. They all seem to be massive. I could be wrong though, and I'm sure the more staunch rugby fans would be furious at the suggestion. But you can't help noticing it. Whenever they show clips of games from the 70s - 90s it looks like I'm watching an under 16 game. They look so small compared to modern players.
Like I said, I'm a part-time rugby fan, so I could be completely wrong. Would be nice to have a well-reasoned response though. :)
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Wales vs Australia on 20:38 - Nov 10 with 1478 views
Right, genuine questions here. I only watch rugby now and again... just the big internationals. With that in mind I may be a bit naive. But I'll ask anyway.
How come there's less skill in the game nowadays?
I remember a game against Scotland in the nineties. Jonathan Davies and Ieaun Evans scored a couple of amazing tries that were all about great skill, speed and great timing. Whenever I watch rugby nowadays it seems to be a bunch of massive blokes running into each other. You don't see any skill anymore.
Why is that?
My instinctive answer would be that players are more 'chemically-enhanced' nowadays. They all seem to be massive. I could be wrong though, and I'm sure the more staunch rugby fans would be furious at the suggestion. But you can't help noticing it. Whenever they show clips of games from the 70s - 90s it looks like I'm watching an under 16 game. They look so small compared to modern players.
Like I said, I'm a part-time rugby fan, so I could be completely wrong. Would be nice to have a well-reasoned response though. :)
Think I know the game you’re talking about, from memory it was the 25-20 game 1988 I think.
It’s true that players are far bigger today but they won’t be chemically enhnanced as the testing is very good today, ironically it’d be more likely for that to be the case in the 80s.
Re the skill in the game, I think you may have be unlucky in the games you’ve watched. True today’s game wasn’t pretty, but there are still some brilliant games out there. The Lions Series in NZ eg was brilliant.
It’s also true that defences are far better now and have specialaist coaches dedicated to that which were not around in the 80s.
If you get a chance watch the Ba Bas or the Southern Hempisphere games. They’re cracking.
I grew up watching Neath play in the 80s. Try feats, but there was also some awful dross served up, especially by Wales.
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Wales vs Australia on 20:41 - Nov 10 with 1462 views
Right, genuine questions here. I only watch rugby now and again... just the big internationals. With that in mind I may be a bit naive. But I'll ask anyway.
How come there's less skill in the game nowadays?
I remember a game against Scotland in the nineties. Jonathan Davies and Ieaun Evans scored a couple of amazing tries that were all about great skill, speed and great timing. Whenever I watch rugby nowadays it seems to be a bunch of massive blokes running into each other. You don't see any skill anymore.
Why is that?
My instinctive answer would be that players are more 'chemically-enhanced' nowadays. They all seem to be massive. I could be wrong though, and I'm sure the more staunch rugby fans would be furious at the suggestion. But you can't help noticing it. Whenever they show clips of games from the 70s - 90s it looks like I'm watching an under 16 game. They look so small compared to modern players.
Like I said, I'm a part-time rugby fan, so I could be completely wrong. Would be nice to have a well-reasoned response though. :)
Right, genuine questions here. I only watch rugby now and again... just the big internationals. With that in mind I may be a bit naive. But I'll ask anyway.
How come there's less skill in the game nowadays?
I remember a game against Scotland in the nineties. Jonathan Davies and Ieaun Evans scored a couple of amazing tries that were all about great skill, speed and great timing. Whenever I watch rugby nowadays it seems to be a bunch of massive blokes running into each other. You don't see any skill anymore.
Why is that?
My instinctive answer would be that players are more 'chemically-enhanced' nowadays. They all seem to be massive. I could be wrong though, and I'm sure the more staunch rugby fans would be furious at the suggestion. But you can't help noticing it. Whenever they show clips of games from the 70s - 90s it looks like I'm watching an under 16 game. They look so small compared to modern players.
Like I said, I'm a part-time rugby fan, so I could be completely wrong. Would be nice to have a well-reasoned response though. :)
My late father played first class rugby and played in the same Gowerton Grammar school team as Welsh international Onllwyn Brace and many other outstanding players.....His opinion?.... The old style Grammar school system had an ethos where attacking play, skills and individuality were encouraged. School kids being able to kick with both feet for example was instilled/coached by many a Grammar school games teacher.
There was a continuation of this attacking play, skills and individuality ethos because many Grammar school kids became teachers themselves carrying on the old tradition. Slowly carriers of that torch/ethos have died out. To add to that the game has changed also where defence, territorial possession and larger physical size have become important whilst eroding rugby qualities of a bygone age. Man-monsters don't side step like Phil Bennett.
BTW, Onllwyn brace weighed under ten stone and despite his attributes would never have got anywhere near a modern international rugby field now.
Argus!
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Wales vs Australia on 20:48 - Nov 10 with 1440 views
Wales vs Australia on 20:38 - Nov 10 by Sirjohnalot
Think I know the game you’re talking about, from memory it was the 25-20 game 1988 I think.
It’s true that players are far bigger today but they won’t be chemically enhnanced as the testing is very good today, ironically it’d be more likely for that to be the case in the 80s.
Re the skill in the game, I think you may have be unlucky in the games you’ve watched. True today’s game wasn’t pretty, but there are still some brilliant games out there. The Lions Series in NZ eg was brilliant.
It’s also true that defences are far better now and have specialaist coaches dedicated to that which were not around in the 80s.
If you get a chance watch the Ba Bas or the Southern Hempisphere games. They’re cracking.
I grew up watching Neath play in the 80s. Try feats, but there was also some awful dross served up, especially by Wales.
The tries in question involved Evans side-stepping half of the Scotland team and Davies playing a cheeky grubber kick which pretty much outwitted an entire team.
I just don't see anything close to that nowadays.
I've always been in favour of football over rugby, but not as much as nowadays. Today was just typical of most games I see. All power, no skill.
As for the chemically-enhanced bit... I remain sceptical. After the Armstrong case, it's clear that there's many ways of getting around the testers. Not that I'm accusing anyone of anything of course!
I thought it was a very boring game. Why oh why do they keep kicking it back to each other. Ridiculous. Whatever happened to good old running rugby. The game is ruined.
Swansea Indepenent Poster Of The Year 2021. Dr P / Mart66 / Roathie / Parlay / E20/ Duffle was 2nd, but he is deluded and thinks in his little twisted brain that he won. Poor sod. We let him win this year, as he has cried for a whole year. His 14 usernames, bless his cotton socks.
3
Wales vs Australia on 20:57 - Nov 10 with 1421 views
Rugby was simply never designed for the people now churned out to play it. Their bodies can’t take it. God help them when they get past 40.
Halfpenny now looks like a mini hulk. No wonder he missed those kicks. No fluency in his body movement.
Swansea Indepenent Poster Of The Year 2021. Dr P / Mart66 / Roathie / Parlay / E20/ Duffle was 2nd, but he is deluded and thinks in his little twisted brain that he won. Poor sod. We let him win this year, as he has cried for a whole year. His 14 usernames, bless his cotton socks.
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Wales vs Australia on 21:01 - Nov 10 with 1410 views
Wales vs Australia on 20:54 - Nov 10 by builthjack
I thought it was a very boring game. Why oh why do they keep kicking it back to each other. Ridiculous. Whatever happened to good old running rugby. The game is ruined.
I thought it was quite absorbing. I always hated basketball though. Keep the same 15 on the pitch and you’d get some space. Not that I imagine Gatso would let anyone try and run into it, or the Idiot Howley could coach an attacking pattern to exploit it.
The defence and contest for the ball today was awesome. For me that’s what rugby is all about.
The tries in question involved Evans side-stepping half of the Scotland team and Davies playing a cheeky grubber kick which pretty much outwitted an entire team.
I just don't see anything close to that nowadays.
I've always been in favour of football over rugby, but not as much as nowadays. Today was just typical of most games I see. All power, no skill.
As for the chemically-enhanced bit... I remain sceptical. After the Armstrong case, it's clear that there's many ways of getting around the testers. Not that I'm accusing anyone of anything of course!
Apparently human growth hormone gets past testers a lot easier (or at least it used to) than androgenic/anabolic products. It's in the human body for a much lesser time I've been told.
My sister worked alongside a Doctor Huw Perry for Neath/Bridgend area Hospital Trust who was various TV companies preferred choice to comment on 'chemical/pharmaceuticals' in sport. He was THE expert with sought after expertise and opinion just like Professor Vivian James, Michele Verroken and Brian Batcheldor etc.
Doctor Perry told my sister that Human Growth Hormone was an extremely potent substance for sports activity.
Argus!
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Wales vs Australia on 21:07 - Nov 10 with 1392 views
Rugby was simply never designed for the people now churned out to play it. Their bodies can’t take it. God help them when they get past 40.
Bang on! It should come as no surprise if many modern day rugby players come down with Chronic traumatic encephalopathy thats affecting many of those American football players.... and they wear helmets. And to top that there's the wear and tear to other parts of the body.
One thing is for sure i.e. rugby players deserve every Pound they earn.
Argus!
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Wales vs Australia on 21:14 - Nov 10 with 1375 views
Wales vs Australia on 21:03 - Nov 10 by Wingstandwood
Apparently human growth hormone gets past testers a lot easier (or at least it used to) than androgenic/anabolic products. It's in the human body for a much lesser time I've been told.
My sister worked alongside a Doctor Huw Perry for Neath/Bridgend area Hospital Trust who was various TV companies preferred choice to comment on 'chemical/pharmaceuticals' in sport. He was THE expert with sought after expertise and opinion just like Professor Vivian James, Michele Verroken and Brian Batcheldor etc.
Doctor Perry told my sister that Human Growth Hormone was an extremely potent substance for sports activity.
Excellent post. With regards to the Armstrong case I did hear a lot about 'glow times'. The glow time being the time in which the drugs would be detectable to testers. Athletes would often have a call when testers were in town and conveniently go missing for a day or two until either their glow time was over or the testers were out of town.
Plenty of ways around it.
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Wales vs Australia on 21:25 - Nov 10 with 1349 views
Excellent post. With regards to the Armstrong case I did hear a lot about 'glow times'. The glow time being the time in which the drugs would be detectable to testers. Athletes would often have a call when testers were in town and conveniently go missing for a day or two until either their glow time was over or the testers were out of town.
Plenty of ways around it.
Thanks! I will not mention his name but there was a highly sought after interventionist during the 1990's that knew all the tricks for evading testing procedures. He even admitted on TV to helping Olympic standard competitors.
*Edit*....He wasn't even a doctor btw.
[Post edited 10 Nov 2018 21:28]
Argus!
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Wales vs Australia on 21:34 - Nov 10 with 1322 views
Wales vs Australia on 21:25 - Nov 10 by Wingstandwood
Thanks! I will not mention his name but there was a highly sought after interventionist during the 1990's that knew all the tricks for evading testing procedures. He even admitted on TV to helping Olympic standard competitors.
*Edit*....He wasn't even a doctor btw.
[Post edited 10 Nov 2018 21:28]
You've probably worked it out by now, but I'm a massive sceptic when it comes to drugs in sport. I won't attempt to reveal the name of that expert, but I'll be willing to bet my house and car that there's at least a hundred guys just like him in the world of sport right now. It's a sad old world. Just like when the old WWF wrestlers were swatted off like flies.
1
Wales vs Australia on 21:37 - Nov 10 with 1313 views
Wales vs Australia on 20:59 - Nov 10 by builthjack
Halfpenny now looks like a mini hulk. No wonder he missed those kicks. No fluency in his body movement.
Nothing to do with physique. Simply a bad day st the office.
Halfpenny has an excellent success rate for penalty and conversion attempts (was in excess of 85% when it was quoted in the press a while back; that’s a figure that is akin with ‘A rank’ status).
You've probably worked it out by now, but I'm a massive sceptic when it comes to drugs in sport. I won't attempt to reveal the name of that expert, but I'll be willing to bet my house and car that there's at least a hundred guys just like him in the world of sport right now. It's a sad old world. Just like when the old WWF wrestlers were swatted off like flies.
Just to show how the U.K has been flooded with synthetic-hormone performance enhancing drugs since the 1990's onwards?
Just look at the more natural physiques on show in 1984 compared to this current era. Go to 46:25 and compare!
[Post edited 10 Nov 2018 21:50]
Argus!
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Wales vs Australia on 08:00 - Nov 11 with 1134 views
Right, genuine questions here. I only watch rugby now and again... just the big internationals. With that in mind I may be a bit naive. But I'll ask anyway.
How come there's less skill in the game nowadays?
I remember a game against Scotland in the nineties. Jonathan Davies and Ieaun Evans scored a couple of amazing tries that were all about great skill, speed and great timing. Whenever I watch rugby nowadays it seems to be a bunch of massive blokes running into each other. You don't see any skill anymore.
Why is that?
My instinctive answer would be that players are more 'chemically-enhanced' nowadays. They all seem to be massive. I could be wrong though, and I'm sure the more staunch rugby fans would be furious at the suggestion. But you can't help noticing it. Whenever they show clips of games from the 70s - 90s it looks like I'm watching an under 16 game. They look so small compared to modern players.
Like I said, I'm a part-time rugby fan, so I could be completely wrong. Would be nice to have a well-reasoned response though. :)
Its the English fault, they brought in rugby league coaches, one out footie, hit high, hit them back in the tackle, high line of defence, 10 man rugby, truck and trailer, up the guts, Johnny drop goal outside half, play for penalties, moan in the press etc etc.
Continually being banned by Planet Swans for Porthcawl and then being reinstated.