Category Archives: Rugby

6 Nations: 7 Nations #6Nations @The_Six_Nations

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Last year’s Six Nations was won before the final round. And so it really put the case forward for adding bonus points to the series. As you know, that has since happened. Another thought struck me, though. It’s a simple proposal. Tell me what you think.

  • The winner of next year’s Rugby Europe Championship is promoted to a new “Seven Nations” tournament.
  • Teams will then play three home and three away matches in the Seven Nations tournament, thereby making it more balanced.
  • The bottom-placed team in this new Seven Nations will have to play a play-off against the European Championship winner, maybe over two legs or maybe one leg in a neutral place, e.g., Twickenham; if the 7th placer wins, they stay up, if they lose, they go down and are replaced by the European Championship winner.

What are the advantages of this?

  1. There’s even more to play for in the Seven Nations as relegation becomes a factor.
  2. There’s even more to play for in the European Championship as promotion becomes a factor.
  3. It gives the smaller nations a chance to break into the big-time and thereby develop Rugby in those countries by playing against the top European sides.
  4. Teams do not automatically go up/down, and so we don’t have yo-yoing. Particularly, relegation is often seen an effective punishment for Italy — or would be for Georgia in an expanded Seven Nations format. The play-off means that the bottom team, probably now Georgia, will have to prove they are better than the Euro champ. Furthermore, Italy are unlikely to finish seventh any time soon, and thus are unlikely to be relegated.

Honestly, I think this, along with the new Bonus Points system, would mean perfection for Europe’s/the Northern Hemisphere’s premier tournament.

© 2016-2017 Bryan A. J. Parry

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6 Nations: Bonus Points? #Rugby #6Nations

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I wrote this post on the 19th March 2016. Never got round to posting it! But glad to see I was right. I post it now for interest’s sake — and to clear the massive amount of post “drafts” I have pending!

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I reckon it’s time for the Six Nations to introduce bonus points. This year [2016] was first ever when the winner (swing low, sweet chhariot! ;-D) won before last round of fixtures. Although I’m surprised that hasn’t happened before; with only four or five nations, it’s easy to see how things can go to the last round, but the more teams then the less chance of this happening. Maybe the tournament needs freshening up.

Bear in mind that, under a Bonus Point system, it is technically possible for the team that wins a grand slam to not win the championship:

Team A: 5 wins x 4 points = 20 pts

Team B: 4 wins with bonus point = 20 pts, and Bonus Points for tries scored and losing by less than seven = 2 = 22pts!

Unlikely, but mathematically possible. Maybe they can fix that with some kind of bonus points per team beaten.

[Note, they have brought in BPs and said that anyone completing the Gram Slam will get additional Bonus Points]

© 2016-2017 Bryan A. J. Parry

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Introduce Sin Bins in Football #SoccerSinBin @FA @FIFAcom @UEFAcom

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In Rugby they have this great thing called the “sin bin”. If you get a yellow card, you are sent off for ten minutes. I think this must be introduced into association football. ASAP.

First, there’s too much nonsense in football nowadays. Players just gob off to the ref and act like proper plonkers on a minutely basis. The Laws of the Game give referees the power to give out yellow and/or red cards for unsporting behaviour or dissent. But refs seldom do.

LAW 12
… A player is cautioned and shown the yellow card if he commits any of the following seven offences:
* unsporting behaviour
* dissent by word or action
* persistent infringement of the Laws of the Games …
A player … is sent off if he commits any of the following seven offences:
* using offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures

But second, even if refs did book every wally, like, whatevz. A yellow card does nothing. What’s that gonna discourage? Send those players off for ten or fifteen minutes, on the other hand… Might learn ’em good. Might straighten out football a bit.

FOOTBALL. SIN BIN. YES.

#SoccerSinBin

© 2015 Bryan A. J. Parry

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