back when rugby was great and not the crap we have today...

[Ken Gargett]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8_VVmExerj/?igsh=NHp2ZnZpZWtwdjk1

 

I believe that this was from the 1979 club rugby final in Brizzy. As many will remember (yes, we are that old), that final between the glorious red heavies of Qld University and the filth had

30 players (about the only thing it had in common with today). Unlike today, all 30 finished the game. Today, 3/4s of the team is off and on oxygen after

45 minutes.

Not only did they finish the game, the same 30 played the full 20 minutes of extra time, as it ended in a draw. Those 30 all finished extra time.

At the end of extra time, it was still even (the filth had cheated all day to stay in it). So, it was replayed the next weekend. The same 30 started.

At full time, it was still even. The same 30 had played the full game. The same 30 then played the full 20 minutes of extra time again and they all finished the game. Not a single replacement in 200 minutes of rugby.

The game ended in a deserved and glorious victory for the red heavies by three points. Though in fairness, on full time of extra time in the replay, the filth (no doubt through cheating and/or refereeing bias) had a penalty in front which would have again levelled the scores. The filth had Paul McLean, the best kicker of his day and still for me, one of the two greatest fly halves ever to play for Australia, the other being Lynagh Snr, so he was not going to miss from in front. However, as many of the players were required for the Wallaby end of season tour, which left during the coming week, it would have meant that many players would not have been around for the 2nd replay. So the filth went for a try to win the game. They failed, proving that despite the events of this week, there just might be a god (I'm talking Origin, of course).

On those 30 players, I believe that 29 of them played for the Wallabies or the Reds. The one who didn't was a fullback or winger from memory and only failed to make the Reds because of club teammates in front of him.

If that ruck happened today, we would stop the game for 15 minutes for the refs to review, assess and discuss every bit of it. There would be about 50 penalties, a dozen yellow cards and probably eight or ten red cards. Anyone left would have been off for HIA or replaced. Instead, we played on and had a brilliant game of rugby.

 

I saw one comment about the bald bloke at the bottom of the ruck (how quickly they forget). Tony Shaw, wallaby captain (and member of the filth), had a rather different perspective of dealing with refs than we see today.

When the Scot Bill (I think?) Cuthbertson had a few words to the local ref which annoyed Shaw, this happened.

https://x.com/ApsmRugby/status/1628852896119898115

So, a penalty and a quiet pat to send him on his way. Today, videos, conferences, red cards upgraded, downgraded, moved sideways.

Is it any wonder that rugby has become such a load of rubbish.

I miss the old days.

[Ken Gargett]

one other thing about this game, many of you might know George Fielding. teams were allowed one replacement in case of an injury in those days. George was Uni's replacement. 

[99call]

11 hours ago, Ken Gargett said:

Not only did they finish the game, the same 30 played the full 20 minutes of extra time, as it ended in a draw. Those 30 all finished extra time.

Great post Ken, reminds me of the 2009 final between Cardiff and Leister, where neither of the teams even knew a penalty shoot out was even an option. I've listened to accounts from the players since, and when the ref said "Okay select your takers!" The players were like "takers of what?"

 

[Ken Gargett]

yep. last night queensland v wales. great game, decided at the very last - fabulous effort for what was effectively a Qld B team. but of the eleven tries, i think six were rolling mauls. i think the first thirty years of watching rugby i saw about that many. when you compare that against the 100 metre classic the reds scored, it is so depressing. 

[99call]

9 hours ago, Ken Gargett said:

yep. last night queensland v wales. great game, decided at the very last - fabulous effort for what was effectively a Qld B team. but of the eleven tries, i think six were rolling mauls. i think the first thirty years of watching rugby i saw about that many. when you compare that against the 100 metre classic the reds scored, it is so depressing.

Ken, whats depressing, is Wales nearly getting beaten by a provincial side!! I despair...That aside.

Yep, rolling mauls, endless scrum half caterpillar box kicks etc etc all massively depressing. That said, I don't enjoy try fests you get in New Zealand either, where nobody seems to be bothered with tackling. There has to be a balance, and the current iteration is most definitely...not it. 

 

[Ken Gargett]

3 hours ago, 99call said:

Ken, whats depressing, is Wales nearly getting beaten by a provincial side!! I despair...That aside.

Yep, rolling mauls, endless scrum half caterpillar box kicks etc etc all massively depressing. That said, I don't enjoy try fests you get in New Zealand either, where nobody seems to be bothered with tackling. There has to be a balance, and the current iteration is most definitely...not it.

third time we have played wales. the 78 game massive. an old style test match. i have mentioned somewhere that we got dudded by the ref - not sour grapes, there was a photo in the paper next day of brendon moon scoring well inside the touch line but the ref ruled him out. perhaps the toughest rugby game i have ever seen. 

for those familiar, went to see max boyce the night after. he is fabulous. 

we won the 2nd game around 91. guys like horan, little and eales in the team didn't hurt.

watched last night this morning. good game, bar those endless rolling mauls. but be fair. wales was not nearly beaten by a provincial side. it was nearly beaten by that province's B side. 

just watched us v Georgia. Georgia great fun to watch and some terrific tries. one from a turnover on the line which they took back into their in goal and then ended up scoring. great stuff. we are swapping players, giving everyone between the ages of 18 and 38 a game in wallaby colours. same mistakes all over again. 

i think one of the reasons for so much attack and such poor defence is that the refs and the administrators have made people leery of tackling. too scarred they'll be suspended if a tough tackle. it is beyond sense.