Shy are our Super 14 teams so bad????

The decline of NZ professional rugby continues at an alarming rate... Our Super teams teams are so poorly coached compared to the top Aussie and South African teams one scarcely knows where to begin in recounting our failures... No wonder the All Blacks start so slowly these days, they are coming from shambolic coaching environments.

Where is the accountability at the mangement level of the game for this coaching disaster?

What have Mitchell, Gatland and Deans got in common? Answer: They are all better coaches than the boozos running the Hurricanes, Highlanders (a bloody Australian, for God's sake!), Blues and Chiefs. We produce plenty of players, but none seem to be kicking on. Why not? What role in this non-performance does Neil Sorenson (head of professional development at the NZRFU) and the Super Coaches play? How is Sorenson's performance measured? We all know that Colin Cooper hasn't produced a decent result (dispite having arguably the most talented pool of players in New Zealand to pick from) for years, why is it he has been allowed to linger on until a time of his choosing to depart? Who is to blame for the failure of N.Z. rugby to produce a single new genuine star in the two-three seasons?

What would Alex Furguson make of it all?

Who should be held responsible for New Zealand now having precisely one good, international quality coach left in the country?
Who shall replace Graheme Henry post 2011? Everyone knows Steve Hansen is a poor international coach, yet it seems that the medicocre "muggins turn" culture pervading the NZRFU will probably see him get the nod as AB coach in 2011.

Where is the NZRFU's coaching development? We are fucked if we can't sort out our coaches!!!

Shyness probably.

Maybe it's a reflection on the ANZ Cup.

I think people (public) stopped caring fishy.

i thnk you are right about the growing disninterest in rugby... Christ almighty, the hurricanes can't even seem to compete with a bunch of no-names in a third - no make that fourth - rate Aussie soccer competition.

Rugby is massively over exposed with a massive supporter burn out problem.

Bloody hell, I won't watch any winter code (including soccer) from the beginning of December to Easter in order to avoid burn out.

I agree with the amount of rugby on tele. But I also think if the quality of said rugby was watchable, more people would actually go to the games etc.

The problem for teams these days is growing number of people choose not to go to the games. I think it's to do with a mixture of high quality tvs and the fact that you can enjoy a rugby match in the comfort of you own place, and ticket prices to these matches. I mean the whole marketing compaign is pretty crap in all honesty. Maybe it's because people in charge of NZRU are ex rugby players who know nothing about running a business.

Theres plenty of business acumen @ NZRFU headquarters, the simple fact is rugby is a pretty stodgy and stupid game that was much more relevant in the 1950's than it is now. There are too many players on the field. There are too many rules. There are too many stoppages. There is too much kicking ....I could go on

Simple solution, don't show matches live in the region they are played in unless they are sold out. Sky woul never agree to it though and because sports in this country is ransomed by Rupert Murdoch it would never happen.

It's also that Rugby is usually rubbish to watch live. Ref blows a penalty and everyone scratches their heads as they don't know what it's for. Also, the atmosphere at games is fairly underwhelming. Large portions of the game with no crowd cheering etc.

Watching rugby at home is preferrable, as you can change channels when nothing much is happening ...which is every two minutes.

Don't forget the front rower kneeling down at every stoppage so the trainer can come on and pour water on his boot to give everyone a rest.

Pretty difficult to market a crappy product.

Basically, rugby is the #1 sport in NZ because of inertia

I have to be honest and say that there has been some pretty decent rugby played this year. I still like League way more obviously, but I think the current tackle rules allow the attacking team a lot more roll on and freedom, which has flowed on to a way more entertaining spectacle than what I remember.



gc.

Let's be honest team - this S14 poor form is going to translate directly to another All Blacks failure at the next WC.

We don't have the talent, depth or energy to beat France, Aus & South Africa all in a row within 2 weeks of each other. Our forwards are being outmuscled, our backs are being outwitted. We lack originality and creativity these days... we will merely front up with another 'solid' team. Our front row will be pretty mediocre. No returns for Hayman and Summerville.

Carter is hardly setting the world alight, and there is all of zero depth at #10. No doubt we will have some ineffective combination of Donald and McAllister to jump in if DC falls down, but we all know full well that the two of those lads put together still don't make one complete WC winning champion.

While the new rules have served the overall game pretty well, they have definitely detracted from Richie McCaw's effectiveness.

I just can't see a world in which we are the the 2011 WC holders.



gc.

The worst thing is half the guys in contention for an All Black spot are players that shouldn't be anywhere near the team. The depth is shokcing right now.

Talk to the TAB supermuff...who installed us as decent favourites and South Africa 3rd?

pretty agree with all you said fwiw

btw. I smashed that round in Jumingo. 44 points. All results picked right just missed a few margins . What a total sicko! Look out supermuffy Im coming after my $20...

I know and now REACTION is ahead of me ffs. What a fucken shocker.



gc.

Yet more One Game (or One Season) Syndrome

Since the S12/S14 started, we've won MORE titles than the other 2 countries combined.

Relax. It's a blip. We can't win it every year, can we?

Like I've saidf before... if you're losing 50-0 and score the last 20 pts of the game, you haven't won

TBH I couldn't give a rats arse about the S14, but that doesn't change the fact that we're pretty much fucked for the RWC.



gc.

I don't think we're fucked. NZ rugby just looks tired and old. They need something fresh.

SBW maybe?

Perhaps fucked is the wrong word. We're certainly no further ahead than South Africa, Australia and maybe even France. There is no sensible reason to think we're actually capable of winning the world cup at our current standard/rate.



gc.

Newslfash:

the 99, 03, and 07 wcs were not won by countries whose team had won s14 the year before

Let's get real here for a second bro, there is a very slim chance that's gonna happen.