New Zealand

lawynd says...

Dear Editor, whilst I appreciate it isn't possible to vet every single comment posted to these pages, how on earth did jonesrp's shameful comments get through?

jonesrp, you're a complete tool and I think if anyone here actually met you in real life, we'd deck you for comments like that. Go and troll on 4chan or under whatever other internet stone you crawled out from.

Posted 15:39 24th June 2012

tha_mai says...

link to this page says "ANZAC test on the cards"

been waiting for some comment from anyone other than John O'Neil. Silence from the four home unions and British and Irish Lions management.

Nothing from New Zealand until today: "Steve Hansen has poured cold water on the suggestion . . . it isn't practical to arrange an extra game into an already overcrowded fixture calendar . . . already we're asking our top players to play more rugby than their bodies can handle . . . we'd be better off working through the IRB to get a global season"

So, as for 'on the cards' this idea is nothing more than John O'Neil on a whim, flying a kite etc.

I didn't know this: 'an Anzac team played the Lions in 1989, tagged onto the end of the Lions' tour to Australia, Lions winning 19-15. Only three New Zealand players started.'

Posted 01:48 24th June 2012

bigb6969 says...

Unfortunately 2015 is a world cup year, so if could only be a festival game, maybe in December.

ANZAC day is 25 April, that would be the day to play it, but that would be in the middle of the Super Rugby season, so it just is not feasible. Rugby League I have no doubt could do the concept on ANZAC day. I love the idea. I also love the idea of a Rugby Championship team playing a 6 nations team at some stage. We do not have to tie to memorialising a war. I think it should be one off or ad hoc occasions. Domestic and other international competitions have to take precedence.

PS: I love the idea of NZ Aus or SAF playing against European countries outside the 6 nations on tour. They could be mid week matches...my too biggest fears are that these countries got crushed by 100 points and set the game back in that country, or because it is a mid week we field a 2nd string team, so really should it count as a test match ? Maybe as a warm up test on the way to the UK.

Posted 20:23 23rd June 2012

strody says...

What about ANZAC v Afghanistan to commemorate bin laden

Posted 11:07 23rd June 2012

Miladiou says...

@Jonesrp

Son that is an utterly shameful comment. Very very low. Can I ask did your local town ever have over 100 men & boys ( some as young as 12) hung from lamposts in front of their families? Does that sound like time off you idiot?

Posted 08:29 23rd June 2012

melkdave says...

@LionShark

I for one have no problem with SA being included, they also lost men during the wars but i still feel it should be a SH version of the Lions,and be a touring side like them ,rather than playing the Lions ,otherwise it devalues Lions tours and vice versa in the end ,as the only match everyone wil want to win is the Lions Vs the combination side,whatever name it has.

Posted 01:37 23rd June 2012

jonesrp says...

The french had 4 years off in the second world war...remember ??

Posted 23:50 22nd June 2012

LionShark says...

I was under the impression that the idea was for the BIL to play a 3N combination team, not too long ago. What happened to the Bok¿s, why forget about us?

Let me guess, would this mean that John, greedy O¿Neil would then have to split the profits 3 ways?

Quite alright to demand better financial terms from the biggest Supper Rugby earner, South Africa, but quite another to share, isn¿t it.

But I detract, the winner should be rugby at it¿s best, and therefore, in the interest of rugby, we should be included, as this would mean the best of the Home Nations, competing with the best of the Tri - Nations.

Now doesn¿t that sound more enticing as a Rugby fan?

Posted 19:34 22nd June 2012

melkdave says...

The idea of a combined New Zealand and Australian team is mouthwatering,But in a RWC year,Not realy viable imho.,now if it was like the Lions touring every 4 years.Thats a different kettle of fish,and as the international calander continues to grow ,definatly a viable propasition.Soon the IRB will be asking the major nations to tour more and more countries .At the moment the NH have been asked to tour the pacific islands ,and north america,to help the game grow ,and to improve those teams standard of play.Hence Italy going to the USA and Canada,and Scotland to trhe islands ,soon Ireland ,Wales and England,France will be doing the same Followed im sure by New Zealand ,Australia and S.Africa.It wont be long either before they ask the majors to tour Georgia ,Romainia ,Russia and Japan imho if those nations keep improving as they are now.An ANZAC team would mean that every 4 years New Zealand and Australia could tour those nations ,while still generating income from a major tour to annother major nation Like France or apart of the UK.I say part of the UK as it should be to a specific rugby nation imo ie Scotland ,Wales ect. So that union only gets the income ,god knows the SRU and WRU could do with a boost in income a tour would generate Even in Scotland you could have 6-7 games 3tests 2 against the pro12 teams 1 against Scotland A and maybe a barbarains match.They really should never actually play against the Lions though.Lets leave something for us fans to argue about ok

Posted 13:02 22nd June 2012

tha_mai says...

terrible idea. Money money money and contempt for history.

more French died than Australians or NZers - some stats have their death toll higher than Oz-NZ combined. But they don't count. Maybe they can supply the referee and TMO in recognition of their losses.

Sure the Turks would be thrilled; suppose they can play football v Germany on the same day? They suffered over 60,000 deaths.

Next up, ANZAC v USA, in Ho Chi Minh City perhaps to commemorate Vietnam War dead.

Posted 10:31 22nd June 2012