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A good result but we were definitely missing the Rapid in this one!
Has anyone seen or heard how long the ball has been in play compared to the normal game?
I thought every guy on the pitch played fantastic our scrum was monstering a much larger scrum. Far to many resets though.
May the FORCE be with you!
I know. The scrums went on too long. I thought they were "one shot"
"12 Years aSupporter" starring the #SeaOfBlue
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?
Yeah, but the HK game and the World 15 were pretty rapid.
Really enjoyed the pre game this match and Lachie Read was less intrusive. Maybe someone is helping him out there. A couple of the "fun cameras" were still a little poorly timed but getting better too. A work in progress.
"The main difference between playing League and Union is that now I get my hangovers on Monday instead of Sunday - Tom David
When you say the cameras were poorly timed I disagree. There is absolutely nothing stopping you from watching the on field action whilst the camera men try and engage the crowd. You are nit picking for the sake of nit picking. If you have a problem with the camera then look away, the field is large enough and wide enough for you to enjoy the action.
GRR is heading in the right direction. Yes there are issues to iron out. But I would say they are more promotional and administrative ones.
The really key questions to be asking is:
"How do we replicate the World Series Rugby crowds we had last year?"
"What lessons learnt from World Series Rugby did we not emulate for Global Rapid Rugby"
"What positives from World Series Rugby did we not emulate for Global Rapid Rugby that may or may not be influencing crowd attendances/ TV audiences"
"How do we make GRR for tradionalists whilst still attracting new fans?"
These are more administrative. What they are doing on the field is fantastic and highly entertaining. Maybe a few law tweaks could help a little, personally I want 40min halves, losing 10minutes and missing out on watching another 2 or 3 tries as defences start to disintegrate due to fatigue would be a catalyst to opening the game up in the last 20mins and wpuld probably turn the game helter skelter which tends to happen in the NZL super rugby games as both teams launch full scale attacks at each other whilst their defensive lines and structure start to disintegrate due to the pace of the game.
Yes much better without the announcers constantly gabbling. But the music is still way over the top - I reckon if they could fade it out just before the scrums & lineouts, otherwise its just deafening. They still managed to fuck up the Force chant tho.
I still maintain a worthwhile variation around the scrum would be to replace the 'hit' with a 'fold'. Would still be powered and require all the aspects of the contest for the ball but would actually require increased technique while nullifying many of the issues around the scrum which are caused by the 'hit'.
Yeah, when the crowd spontaneously starting chanting Force, Force, Force it is fantastic, then the announcer butts in and tries to rev it up. The crowd shuts up. They obviously object to being told to chant, as do I.
My only whinge. Rest of the night was great and I always look around at all the young kids have fun, My grandson and his mate love going to Force games now. GRR is building a good young fan base for the future. It is not about us whingeing old farts.
Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest excited for Global Rapid Rugby’s future
Nick Taylor The West Australian
Saturday, 13 April 2019 2:19PM
Mining magnate Andrew Forrest says his investment in Global Rapid Rugby is a risk worth taking - and he predicts a big future for the new look game.
GRR, played under new "speed-up" laws, evolved when Forrest vowed to keep professional rugby alive in WA after the controversial axing of the Western Force from Super Rugby by Rugby Australia.
"This has been a risk worth taking," Forrest said after watching the Force beat the international-laden Asia Pacific Dragons 42-10 on Friday night.
"The cutting of the Western Force is still a complete and utter joke but I'm so glad it has led us to this doorstep.
"This is a brand of rugby which has been a long time coming.
"This is the rugby we have imagined, not the rugby we have experienced before.
"We have a faster, free-flowing, fantastic game. To see the reaction of the crowd and the joy on the faces of the players has been completely fulfilling."
Forrest said GRR had the full backing of governing body World Rugby.
"World Rugby are delighted by how this has gone," he said.
"They are delighted by the super-speed of the game. All the skills of the game are there in a still physical game."
The Force beat the Hong Kong-based South China Tigers 45-22 in their first GRR game of the season with games averaging just over 8000 and Forrest said: "We are only starting. We are going to build it up from here."
The Force play return fixtures next month before taking on sides from Fiji and Samoa and GRR is set for expansion next year with at least one team expected from Japan and with interest from clubs in Western Sydney, Newcastle and Queensland.
Japan loses the Sunwolves from Super Rugby next year leaving the door open for GRR.
"The fact that the Japanese have been offered a number of alternatives and they are keeping their powder dry for Global Rapid Rugby says a lot," Forrest said.
https://thewest.com.au/sport/western...ng-b881167979z
I wonder who the side interested from Queensland is?from Japan and with interest from clubs in Western Sydney, Newcastle and Queensland.
Japan loses the Sunwolves from Super Rugby next year leaving the door open for GRR
There may be a Club from Western Sydney but I will never betray the Western Force.
Exile
Port Macquarie
"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now if you know what you’re worth then go out and get what you’re worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain’t you! You’re better than that!" - Rocky Balboa
I really, really, REALLY hope they establish a stable and economically viable competition, based primarily in Asia and fulfilling all the grand promises first, before they start looking at expansion. In particular, teams from Australia, NZ, etc will come with their priorities and they will almost certainly not align at all well with those of Asia. It would be very embarrassing to repeat the follies and failings of SR, given how frequently the feeling of being on the receiving end is referenced.
As I've noted previously, the lack of an apparent central vision and ethos is starting to worry me. If it is noise for noise sake, not a problem. But it comes across as there still being no plan and everything about the competition being up for grabs less than a year out from the start. Again - we were saying similar last year, and sure enough it didn't all come together....
One of the opening tenets of this competition was the alignment of time zones. I iked that. If games are scheduled north/south, rather than all over the map, then broadcast schedules are easier and travel is lessened. Jet lag becomes a thing of the past.
Newcastle, Western Sydney and Queensland should play in a seperate conference (hopefully that word doesn't offend) and play in a club challenge finals series with all winners of each time zone.
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