Rugby League thread

[Deleted member 77198]

In the last decade or two some pundits claimed that the game would become dominated by big muscle men. The top players are tremendous athletes but I think it’s good the predictions haven’t come true in the main.

Many of the best players of the last 15 years come in different shapes and sizes including Billy Slater, Cameron Smith, Kevin Sinfield, James Roby, Sam Tompkins and Rob Burrow. Obviously, top teams need their power houses too like James Graham, Jamie Peacock and numerous South Sea Islanders that we could name.

With the introduction of “Six Again” and the demands of the game on players’ stamina going up, there will be a bit of a change in the way teams train and fitness will have to be top priority.

While “Six Again” has been superb since it came in and has changed the sport already (one game had 14 minutes more ball-in-play than the average), in about five years’ time the sport will be so fast and have about 82-85% ball-in-play stats (making it the world’s top B-I-P code of football) that players are going to look different.

I don’t think Chris Hill (not that he’ll still be playing in five years), for example, in his current physique... or players like the Fafita boys... would be able to sustain the pace of the game in years to come.

They’ll all look like Cross Fit athletes (like many of them already do to be fair).

 

[Tim of the Oak]

With the introduction of “Six Again” and the demands of the game on players’ stamina going up, there will be a bit of a change in the way teams train and fitness will have to be top priority.

While “Six Again” has been superb since it came in and has changed the sport already (one game had 14 minutes more ball-in-play than the average), in about five years’ time the sport will be so fast and have about 82-85% ball-in-play stats (making it the world’s top B-I-P code of football) that players are going to look different.

I don’t think Chris Hill (not that he’ll still be playing in five years), for example, in his current physique... or players like the Fafita boys... would be able to sustain the pace of the game in years to come.

They’ll all look like Cross Fit athletes (like many of them already do to be fair).

I agree mate. I think the new rules have contributed to Cuthbertson going from a starter to a fringe player for the Rhinos. In contrast, Janes Donaldson has excelled.

I can still see a game for the extremely powerful forwards like Tonga have selected in recent years as long as they balance that with athleticism.

 

[MillionMilesAway]

Also restricting the behemoths was the reduction in interchanges. That meant they had to be able to play longer and run more. The shot clock also keeps things moving along, and the elimination of the shoulder charge probably helps too.

as @Psychedelic Casual says, the six again will make it even more obvious.

Generally, the RL rule changes seem to make it quicker and more open.

 

[Tim of the Oak]

Also restricting the behemoths was the reduction in interchanges. That meant they had to be able to play longer and run more. The shot clock also keeps things moving along, and the elimination of the shoulder charge probably helps too.

as @Psychedelic Casual says, the six again will make it even more obvious.

Generally, the RL rule changes seem to make it quicker and more open.

I agree mate.

I think the very best players can adapt so Sean O’Loughlin (albeit close to retirement) and Alex Walmsley are still amongst the best forwards in Super League. Teams with less dominant forward lines like Salford and Leeds do seem to have upped their games in the context of the new rules but it took a few games. That said Nicolai Oledzky put in one of the forward performances of the season in the semi final but the wet conditions helped with stamina.

 

[Deleted member 77198]

I agree mate. I think the new rules have contributed to Cuthbertson going from a starter to a fringe player for the Rhinos. In contrast, Janes Donaldson has excelled.

I can still see a game for the extremely powerful forwards like Tonga have selected in recent years as long as they balance that with athleticism.

Oh yeah, power is directly associated with speed and strength. And they’ll all be in conjunction with fitness.

“Fittest on Earth” is branded to Cross Fit athletes but I’d bet RL players will be up there in a few years.

Addin Fanoua-Blake is one of the younger Tonga props. In a few years his speed, strength and power will still be a big tool but he’ll be much leaner (he’ll have to be) and he’ll look different to this:

 

[Deleted member 77198]

Also restricting the behemoths was the reduction in interchanges. That meant they had to be able to play longer and run more. The shot clock also keeps things moving along, and the elimination of the shoulder charge probably helps too.

as @Psychedelic Casual says, the six again will make it even more obvious.

Generally, the RL rule changes seem to make it quicker and more open.

It does indeed. And while RL is speeding up, far fewer stoppages and ball-in-play minutes increasing; frustratingly, football is going in the opposite direction.

VAR and now in England with the introduction of the refs going off the pitch to watch video replays (very very bad move for me) is going to slow everything down and have a great deal of time during a game where fans are stood watching nothing, watching players stood around in a pitch doing sod all.

RL is positively moving with the times and getting better and slicker, while football is going backwards!

 

[MillionMilesAway]

I agree mate.

I think the very best players can adapt so Sean O’Loughlin (albeit close to retirement) and Alex Walmsley are still amongst the best forwards in Super League. Teams with less dominant forward lines like Salford and Leeds do seem to have upped their games in the context of the new rules but it took a few games. That said Nicolai Oledzky put in one of the forward performances of the season in the semi final but the wet conditions helped with stamina.

The catch-up has been quite quick really, and that's good. The Wakefield-Saints game on Friday was pretty close, and HKR still manage to catch people out - that's a very good thing for the game. The idea that players are making 50+ tackles in a match is pretty mad.

I haven't seen much of O'Loughlin recently, but he's looked shot for a couple of seasons when I have. The injuries seem to have taken a heavy toll so I don't know much about him. Walmsley is just a bulldozer when he gets moving. I assume the Wigan forwards of late-Wane are unrecognisable to now, and are now allowed to pass occasionally!

I think the serious clampdown on head hits has also helped, as defenders have had to learn to tackle properly again, and attackers are less concerned about where the first headshot was coming from.

 

[MillionMilesAway]

It does indeed. And while RL is speeding up, far fewer stoppages and ball-in-play minutes increasing; frustratingly, football is going in the opposite direction.

VAR and now in England with the introduction of the refs going off the pitch to watch video replays (very very bad move for me) is going to slow everything down and have a great deal of time during a game where fans are stood watching nothing, watching players stood around in a pitch doing sod all.

RL is positively moving with the times and getting better and slicker, while football is going backwards!

Yes, I compare it to RU as well who seem to be unable to solve the problem of the scrum being (a) awful to watch usually and (b) just a mechanism to get a penalty.

On field, I'm still baffled as to why RL kickers aren't as good as RU kickers (oddities like Botica aside).

Super League refs still seem a bit useless, but they've streamlined the video calls on tries and it's better than it was.

Football refs are often equally poor, and video checking is definitely not working as smoothly as hoped for, but some of that is the laws not VAR. Miking the refs would resolve a lot of the irritation, I think - I think the commentators get fed info from overhearing the 4th official as much as anything direct from the ref's circuit.

 

[tweety]

Not a dig at you this mate at all,as we all blues on here,but I despise Warrington I’m afraid,and again takes me back to my youth when Wigan played you at Maine Rd in challenge cup semi final,ripping seats out and launching them at us,scum,I’ve always hated St Helena more like,plastic scousers,but I’ll never forget the seats coming at us,made me more upset as that was my football teams ground as well,scary shit when you’re a kid.

But even now years on I still hope they lose every time they play,so last night was a pleasing result

As a home and away warrington fan of the 80s and 90s who was at that game, stood on the kippax I don't recall anything like that happening.
Rugby league to this day is a sport where rival fans have got on well together. Virtually every game the supporters would change ends at half time and segregation basically didn't happen.
Your comment is a poor one, put your bitterness behind you and be happy that you've got a sport that is respected by virtually all.

 

[Manc in London]

Yeah.
Martin Offiah

Met him a couple of times. Aloof would be a kind description of him.