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Honestly, I just don't see it that way. Throwing a game is definitely cheating & and a despicable act no matter what. Trying to win by a bigger margin is just not - IMO, anyway. If another branch of the tribe benefits, even better. I just cant imagine a Kiwi team would not have had a shot in the same situation. To'omua seemed to want to do it for his mates and I can't imagine Hardwicke, Jooste, RHP & others wouldn't have agreed with him.
Anyway, as others have said, it was good to finish in style. Just shows how vital those 1 point losses proved. Lessons learned maybe, on the evidence.
"The main difference between playing League and Union is that now I get my hangovers on Monday instead of Sunday - Tom David
We needed to beat the highlanders a few games ago to actually deserve to get into the finals. They were the team we were in direct competition with, but we didn't even put up a fight and got thrashed.
Would've been nice for the rebels to have a crack at the end, and thought they might given the number of ex force connections that were on the field for them and in the box, but no complaints for them securing a rare win against NZ opposition for themselves.
Well said!
That's one of the reasons why the chorus of "we played really well and only just lost, I'm not a fairweather fan!" type of BS was totally frustrating to me. We should have come away with victories and now we miss out on the finals because of it. Over the season, the Force never really played to their potential and made numerous silly game-turning mistakes, can one imagine where we would be if we had just managed to correct one of those two recurring problems, let alone both?
Last edited by chibi; 04-06-22 at 05:29.
Japan and the Pacific Islands for Aussie Super 9's!
Let's have one of these in WA! Click this link: Saitama Super Arena - New Perth Stadium?
We lost by less than 7 to the Brumbies twice: Week 1 when they scored with a try in the 79th minute, and Week 6 when we were a point behind for the last ~20 minutes.
We lost to the Rebels by a point in Week 8 when we gave them kickable penalties (which they took).
We lost to the Blues by 4 points in Week 11 when we were battering their line towards the end of the game.
If we'd taken those chances we'd have had a 8-6 win-loss record and been mid-table. Hopefully Cron will shake the team up and banish this 'close is good enough' mindset which seems to inhabit the team (and not just under Sampson - all the way back to Graham it seems!)
Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon
yes it's our own fault we missed out but still, Wayne Smith's take on full-time last Sunday................
Landy’s valour missing six decades later as Rebels leave Force in cold.
Approach Melbourne’s AAMI Park from the city and it’s almost impossible not to notice the impressive statue on the adjoining block of land, the one which freezes in time the moment when John Landy went back to help Ron Clarke in a mile race in 1956 at the Australian titles.............So, it was more than a little unsettling that, on the rugby pitch right next door, the Melbourne Rebels acted on Sunday in a way seemingly totally at odds with those of Landy....................Matt Toomua held the ball in his hands and clearly wanted to play on. But the clock was ticking and, to his obvious disappointment, the call was made. End it..........There is regret at Rebels headquarters today. A wish that they had done things differently. But they have had too few good days this season to realistically expect that they would risk it all for any rival. How many clubs would have taken the gamble, they ask?
That, of course, is why there is a statue just outside their front door. Landy’s actions have stood the test of time.
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-u...30-p5apn2.html
"The main difference between playing League and Union is that now I get my hangovers on Monday instead of Sunday - Tom David
My 5 cents worth ( 2 now with rampant inflation)! Matt Toomua wanted to play on . Not only for the Force but for Australian Rugby in general it would’ve been good to have equal finals representation. However if that had happened and the Landers had turned the ball over then slotted a penalty there would’ve been a chorus of crowing about a win is a win against Kiwi opponents. It wouldn’t have affected the Rebels season to any great extent …… It would be interesting to see who actually made the call . The Landers were definitely better than the Force as a team over the season and deserve to be in there .
So I’m pissed at the Rebels coz I’m a Force fan and I hope that they have some sleepless nights !! …… but you can’t rely on other teams to help you out …. That’s painfully obvious…..
A Top 8 in a 12 team competition is stupid.
I'd like to see the statistics with every try scored within 2 minutes of us scoring was erased.Imho it was one of the biggest issues of our season we'd put all our effort into putting points on the board only to have a little brain break and give them a try under the sticks.I reckon solve nothing but that problem would likely have been good for another 4 or 5 wins.
C'mon the
Well, that only happened once, and it was after we got a penalty against the Reds in the 7th minute and the Reds scored a try in the 8th minute. They beat us by 13, so it didn't make a difference to the match outcome.
Expand it to the opposition scoring within 4 minutes of us scoring, however, and it's a different story.
Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon