Force V Bulls

[valzc]

We all hope for a win but we have to be realistic. We haven't been tracking that well since the start of 2015 and losing becomes a habit and exudes a negative mind set through out the whole team and organisation.

Hodgo was on 6PR (local radio) the other night and they asked him about how much work was put into the teams mental preparation (sports psychology). Surprised to hear very little. He actually said when things go bad on-field the younger guys and more experienced guys drop their heads and don't know how to respond. Well lets add that up...the younger guys and the older guys basically means the whole bloody team!

To me that's a red flag to a bull. It's basically telling your opponent..if you guys get us down on the scoreboard early we are cactus and don't have the resolve to come back. Not what you want to be hearing from a supposed professional sporting team.

Its a scouting crap shoot for the rest of the season. Find out who can cut it at Super rugby level now before the broom comes in to sweep the place out at the end of the year. Foley has heard the jungle drums and is playing guys in the hopes of grabbing a couple of wins at the back end of the season.

A loss to the Bulls and the Sunwolves will just about do it for him.

Rain forecast for the game so expect the Bulls to muscle it up in the forwards and maul it over for tries. Only hope for the Force is to find a hidden gem or two among the new talent (Scoble) and hope they have the games of their lives. All planets need to align for us to grab the points here.

At half time last week after those 2 stupid crap ref/Hoff decisions - you could see the team just deflate and seem to almost give up at that point. Indeed the atmosphere in the whole of NIB felt like that, fans AND team, everyone was pissed off. But they really need to learn to brush off those moments. That's one thing with the Kiwi teams - they just bounce back and adjust their game, not sook about it. Probably need a session with sports psychologist to fix the muscle between their ears. But I thought the Force had sports psychologists?

Doesn't explain why they keep kicking the f##n ball away!!

[beige]

Doesn't explain why they keep kicking the f##n ball away!!

Maybe they need to do what the Fijian sevens do before every game... "See this thing? This thing is the most important thing on the field. Hold onto this thing."

[Scozzie]

At half time last week after those 2 stupid crap ref/Hoff decisions - you could see the team just deflate and seem to almost give up at that point. Indeed the atmosphere in the whole of NIB felt like that, fans AND team, everyone was pissed off. But they really need to learn to brush off those moments.

It's at these times you need your leaders and influential/experienced players to step up and pull the rest along. To be honest though, they didn't really have time in the first half to respond to the second crap decision (Phipps' try)...! But even in other games this year, thinking of the Hurricanes and Chiefs games, they folded as soon as the games started to get away from them. Again, they needed their "leaders" to step up.

[SinBin]

Bulls are looking sharp..

[sittingbison]

Fix is in @3030...twi penalties off their try line

And stays in every threat to their try line.... A series of BS penalties

[AndyS]

That right there at 60:00 is the difference between the Force and even the Bulls. The Force slowly labours their way all the way left, then right, then left, then right before being turned over. Every run deeply predictable, so every runner mobbed by three tacklers. The Bulls get the ball and the penalty, then make a bit of a break with support runners, then go wide quickly with deep runners and a two man overlap, walking through the line for the simplest of tries. Chalk and cheese, and it is just the Bulls FFS.

[StimpsonJCat]

Breaking news: Bloke in the blue flashing costume has short circuited and caught fire, rest of shed huddling around him to keep warm.

[GIGS20]

I nearly made the decision, for the first time in 12 years, not to come tonight because of the forecast.

I picked wrong!

[sevenmile]

Nothing you can say positive or negative be thankful there is super rugby in Perth
Start of junior rugby comp tomorrow
Would be better for hodgo to get more support at Brittanna tomorrow than bold park

[GIGS20]

The new management need to do something sooner rather than later. The team is in crisis, even hodgo makes weak decisions now. Second penalty, we're 7 down, on the 22 and we go to post. That's not going to win anything.

Start at the coach and don't stop until you come to the bloke who will die for the ball.

I reckon there will be 4 left.

[StimpsonJCat]

Average losing margin this year is 21.5 points.

[GIGS20]

And the average winning margin.

Actually don't bother

[SNOB]

It's getting worse each week now! What's the answer for next week against the Sunwolves? We might as well recruit the Dockers and send them over.
That must have been one of the lowest turn outs in Force history! They better start publishing next years plans, players and coaches if they want any members! At this time even mentioning next year to the Mrs is bloody stupid if not dangerous!

[GIGS20]

I'm on the same train as you snob, I really don't think I can commit to this broken version of the force any longer. I was planning on contacting the new management and asking them to inform me of their plans now so I don't make the mistake of saving up.

[BeeJay]

It pains me that we start with enthusiasm, but it fades within the first 10 minutes.

It pains me even more that because of our position in the table, we get shit refs.

And God it gives me the shits when refs make assumptions based on the table positions.

But nothing, nothing is as bad than a South African ref adjudicating ONE TEAM ONLY against South African opposition. The breakdown calls, the yellow card, the offsides,.....

Don't get me wrong, we didn't deserve to win that game. I shouldn't detract from another inept performance in attack and defence. BUT many of those decisions changed the momentum in the game immensely, and at crucial times.

And I hate the way they make some token decisions in the last 10 minutes our way, giving a penalty here or there in positions that don't matter, so as to give the impression of impartiality, so they can blow again the following week.