The Official Rugby Thread - All Things Rugby

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

High school rugby season starts today in Calgary (at least for us). Rain/snow in the forecast and cold temperatures, should be fun to play in but not quite as much fun to be a spectator.

What High School?

[Lubicon]

William Aberhart

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

William Aberhart

Cool, I have a bunch of buddies that volunteer at school, this ins't one of them.

Hope you son or daughter has fun.

[Lubicon]

Thx. Daughter, and she loves it. Hoping for another great season.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

Thx. Daughter, and she loves it. Hoping for another great season.

Encourage her to keep playing.

It truly is a great game that you can pay for life.

I am finally done playing at 46.

[FireGilbert]

Canada beat NZ at the Singapore Sevens to move into the Semi Finals! I would have preferred a Flames win but this is at least a bit of sports related happy news today.

Canada in the finals now after beating England! Canada has never won a Sevens tournament and this will only be their 2nd final! They play the USA at 20:30 Singapore time. Go Canada Go!!!

Canada wins!!! What a final. Canada blew a 19-0 lead but then made a great defensive stop and scored a late try to win 26-19!

Such an amazing Sevens tournament. I'll do a proper update tomorrow.

[St. Pats]

Canada wins the Cup final. Great game as they had the big lead and then gave it up only to get the winning try.

[FireGilbert]

World Rugby Sevens Series Update Brought to you by HSBC and UCB.

This week:From the Singapore National Stadium, the world's largest retractable dome stadium, the Singapore Sevens!



Last year this event was filled with upsets and Kenya won their first ever title. Would it happen again....

Yes!!!

1st place: Canada
2nd place: USA
3rd place: England

It was Canada's first win in 140 attempts! Also only their second ever finals appearance and the first ever all North American final. Nathan Hirayama was named the finals man of the match. Damn he is a good Sevens player.







How did Canada do?

Win vs Russia 28-15
Win vs Hong Kong 34-0
Loss vs Fiji 35-7
Win vs New Zealand 26-14
Win vs England 17-5
Win vs USA 26-19

Overall: 1st Place!!!

Canada continues their rise up the standings and has now passed Scotland and Argentina into 7th place. There are two more events left for them to attempt to climb higher.

[undercoverbrother]

The rise of Canada's 7's team only serves to highlight the difference between 7's and 15's.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

The rise of Canada's 7's team only serves to highlight the difference between 7's and 15's.

I was waiting for that...

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Slava

I was waiting for that...

I stand by the statement.


Do you disagree?

[Slava]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

I stand by the statement.


Do you disagree?

I don't think it proves anything one way or another. Some portions of the game are transferable and others not so much. That doesn't change just because Canada finally wins at 7's and looks below average at 15's.

[FireGilbert]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

The rise of Canada's 7's team only serves to highlight the difference between 7's and 15's.

Who cares?

Just enjoy it for what it is, the Canadian Men finally winning something at Rugby.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by FireGilbert

Who cares?

Just enjoy it for what it is, the Canadian Men finally winning something at Rugby.

A broken clock is right how many times a day?

[FireGilbert]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

A broken clock is right how many times a day?

I know you are trying to downplay this victory since you don't like Sevens, but the Canadian Sevens team is far from a broken clock. After a slow start they are having a great season.

4 straight quarter final appearances, 1st ever gold medal, can beat any team except Fiji and South Africa, and currently 7th in the rankings ahead of rugby nations like France, Wales, Scotland, and Argentina. Hiring Damien McGrath as coach has drastically improved the team and I don't consider the success this season to be a fluke.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by FireGilbert

I know you are trying to downplay this victory since you don't like Sevens, but the Canadian Sevens team is far from a broken clock. After a slow start they are having a great season.

4 straight quarter final appearances, 1st ever gold medal, can beat any team except Fiji and South Africa, and currently 7th in the rankings ahead of rugby nations like France, Wales, Scotland, and Argentina. Hiring Damien McGrath as coach has drastically improved the team and I don't consider the success this season to be a fluke.

I guess I measure a program (RC as an entire entity) by the results of the 15's.

It appears I am a dinosaur, and should look to change. To my mind the prestige is in 15's.

I don't believe 7's should be used as a yardstick to measure how the game is doing in Canada or how we rank internationally as a rugby nation.

I am proud of their results, but I don't think it indicates, by any stretch, that rugby is healthy in Canada. (which I find sad).

[FireGilbert]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

I guess I measure a program (RC as an entire entity) by the results of the 15's.

It appears I am a dinosaur, and should look to change. To my mind the prestige is in 15's.

I don't believe 7's should be used as a yardstick to measure how the game is doing in Canada or how we rank internationally as a rugby nation.

I am proud of their results, but I don't think it indicates, by any stretch, that rugby is healthy in Canada. (which I find sad).

But 7s and 15s are completely different sports I agree 15s is more important and prestigious, however 7s is growing in importance after the Olympics inclusion.

It looks like Canada for the near future will be like Fiji and the USA, good at 7s and mediocre at 15s. As far as the health of overall Canadian rugby goes I'd say it is somewhere in between, no where near as good as the 7s results but also no where near as bad as the 15s results.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by FireGilbert

But 7s and 15s are completely different sports I agree 15s is more important and prestigious, however 7s is growing in importance after the Olympics inclusion.

It looks like Canada for the near future will be like Fiji and the USA, good at 7s and mediocre at 15s. As far as the health of overall Canadian rugby goes I'd say it is somewhere in between, no where near as good as the 7s results but also no where near as bad as the 15s results.

I am not sure I am willing to put Canada in the same tier as Fiji, not yet at least....

Yeah I don't know if the sport is healthy.

I know a number of clubs are struggling to field teams in Alberta:

Airdrie, Drayton Valley, Red Deer, Calgary Rams just off the top of my head.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

I am not sure I am willing to put Canada in the same tier as Fiji, not yet at least....

Yeah I don't know if the sport is healthy.

I know a number of clubs are struggling to field teams in Alberta:

Airdrie, Drayton Valley, Red Deer, Calgary Rams just off the top of my head.

Well rugby has a bunch of problems at the grassroots level. It's a very small group of people who play and are interested. I don't know the situation with those clubs in particular (although Rams seem to have been struggling for years from my limited view outside), but most of those are basically newer clubs?

I know that I loved playing club rugby, but it's an enormous time commitment for recreational rugby. Like Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday which turns into every weekend all spring/summer/fall. Then there are additional social things on top of that. I did love it, but I also love doing other things and that was difficult while playing.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Slava

Well rugby has a bunch of problems at the grassroots level. It's a very small group of people who play and are interested. I don't know the situation with those clubs in particular (although Rams seem to have been struggling for years from my limited view outside), but most of those are basically newer clubs?

Rams made the finals in Div 1 last year. Red Deer has been around since 70's. I know that clubs are facing a crunch for palyers.

I know that I loved playing club rugby, but it's an enormous time commitment for recreational rugby. Like Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday which turns into every weekend all spring/summer/fall. Then there are additional social things on top of that. I did love it, but I also love doing other things and that was difficult while playing.

I literally have this discussion over coffee today with a buddy that still plays, although he is younger, late 20's.

I actually think the season maybe to long. May to Oct if you go "all the way". That is your summer done and dusted.

For years, my summers were nothing but rugby. I wonder if the playing base would increase if they compressed the season, or reduced the games.

The game is the same (if not smaller) as when I started playing 30 years ago. There hasn't been growth, at least growth in the adult game. More young kids are playing, but as of yet the transition into seniors hasn't been there.