Yup I too felt a bit sorry for Dupont. He was trying to go for the ball. But I think you are supposed to have a duty of care for players in the air. So I guess given how the SA player landed the referee had little other option. Great game though!
PSDT unlucky - he was shoved by Kwagga - his disciplinary record is excellent and not that of a reckless player. Still horrible impact though…
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Wrong - watch it again. Kwagga only puts his hands on PSDT’s backside with very little force and he still dives foward at an almost horizontal angle with the other player alongside him. An obvious no arms tackle and certainly not unlucky to get Red.
It doesn’t take much force to tip balance and alter trajectory tbf. The result either way was an illegal challenge for which red was appropriate but some of the outlandish criticism seems misplaced - just IMO
‘Like’ the first four sentences 
The only good news this week is Rassie getting another ban. He is toxic.
Much to agree with here IMHO, not just from the perspective of entertainment.
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Sums up what I’ve been saying for while, Aussie rugby is in real danger. I agree some of these stupid rules are making it worse, what happened to good old running rugby that was the stock and trade of NZ and Aus game. We use to whinge that you guys up north kick too much now we’re just as bad.
I can honestly say I know very few people who watch or care about the game. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see it merged with league and only played as 7s.
The changes in the laws over the years, especially around the breakdown and offside (enabling the kicking game), have created the soup we are seeing now, and why coaches like Jones direct the way to play as they do. It’s akin to a tax regime, where more rules are added, to the point things get so complicated the original objectives get lost/obscured.
To your point re the SH teams, unquestionably, the law changes have levelled the playing field between NH and SH e.g. where SH rucking (esp the ABs) was fearsome and a proper competition for the ball, we now have the breakdown where the laws and construct favour the attacking team.
Many of the law changes were made for player safety but you’d be hard pressed to see why given what’s happening in many games now – and going in to breakdowns head-on-head/shoulder and low-down is, not surprisingly, creating a multitude of health issues.
We could laminate all day about what’s going wrong and still have no answers
How do you think this weekend games will pan out, I am tipping the Wallabies to surprise Ireland although I’m not overly confident. Also think the ABs will defeat England
I think Ireland will be too organised for the Wallabies. The spark the Wallabies 3/4 line once had appears to have gone now, save Koroibete’s efforts.
I suspect England v ABs will be close, with ABs winning – but it won’t be a good game to watch, as England will slow things down and avoid open field play, the ball in play time being low. I’d love NZ to play fast rugby off 9 and show what 15-man rugby is all about.
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I’d quite like England to do that actually, but pigs might fly. I agree with your predictions for those two matches. When I watch the Wallabies I see some really talented players and if they all ‘clicked’ they then have a chance but Ireland are a very solid and smart unit now.
Scotland need a performance against Argentina to avoid another ‘almost’ autumn.
Bruce
Aaaaaand … … … it’s back to “proper” rugby, sithee, as the Aussies take on Samoa in the RL World Cup final.
Feet are up, and the beer’s poured, this should be a cracker. 
Congratulations to Georgia on their historic win.
I had a funny feeling about the game and took the less painful option of listening to some newish hi-res Spandau Ballet tracks on Qobuz. 
Disappointed to hear the home crowd were booing the winning kick.
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Wow. I didn’t see that happening. I thought England were dead and buried.
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Booing is my pet hate and especially when someone is having a kick at goal.
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They’re both losers. 
Now the main game.
I hope England pick up the lessons of that match. Outclassed for much of it they never stopped scrapping then actually used their creative players. Smith taking the ball flat, Slade in the line, Steward and May making yards. I swear I saw an England forward make an offload but might have been imagining it…
Pretty tough day for JVP, but he will come again I hope.
Smith kicking it out at the end felt negative, but maybe forgivable. Focus on what he does when given opportunities.
ABs went from ruthlessly effective to a bit ragged, sign of their patchy season perhaps.
Scotland v Argentina pretty chaotic. The cards were probably all justified but hard to judge a result when at times it was 14 men v 12!.
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The draw is good for NZ in the long term. It will foster a steely resolve for next year. Well done England for coming back so we’ll after a creaky start. Amazing turnaround but NZ can take heart from a good 70 minutes.
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How good is that coach, don’t think he’ll be coming home soon.
Great fight back and just shows how close all these teams are now. Not sure kicking the ball was the right thing to do but the way the AB play I wouldn’t blame them.
Watching the start of Ireland v Aus I’m not surprised to learn that the Wallabies are the most penalised tier 1 team almost 14 per game. You can’t win games with that kind of discipline (or lack of it). Also you get referred on reputation.
Hoping for a good game.