Re: Did the All blacks Miss Lomu ?

"Alan Luchetti" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message 


> The only yardsticks I have:
> 
> 1. Players who miss out on S12 readily get a run-on ZP start.

Its them pension builders matey!  ;-)

Seelectuon criteria differ though...  S12 is (on the whole as I
understand it) a deliberate step on the ladder to a test spot.  Once a
player is unlikely to gain a test position (retirement/ditched) then
his S12 spot will last for as long as his experience can be passed on
to the next up and coming candidate.  He uis then effectively
redundant although he may still be a good player.

ZP clubs (and French clubs come to that, not to mention even Irish
provinces )
have a different take on it - they are looking at players that can
provide certain thiungs ...  quality for sure, biut possibly
exoperience as well as an asset in itself.  So we shouldn't be totally
surprised that S12 "rejects" comne north to play club rugby - as they
still offer something very very pertinent to the European club scene. 
The crux here being a ZP club (etc) has no direct responsibility to
the national team, not even notionally.

That's not to say that every SH import is worthwhile signing IMO - or
that every S12 "reject" should actually have been rejected.  The
system is even more complicated by the availability of EU passports
amongst S12 rejects that whether we like it or not means such players
are technically and officially (by law) Europeans - its a major bind
IMO, because it allows in arguably the "weaker" of the "rejects" tghat
otherwise wouldn't get a look-in...  bit are sigbed as a stop gap
measure typically  ie off the shelf.

If anything, the situation you refer to may be better levelled at
frecnch clubs as we speak, as that is where it appears English ZP
rejects are gheading for their "pension"  e.g. Perpignan with Stimpson
and ...  somebody else whose name escapes me!  :-)

> 2. ZP player of the year returns to Aus and can't get the S12 starting
> spot that he lost before going to England.

See above.  ZP player of the year is undoubtably a stand-out player,
having been signed for his skills and experience..  possibly wins
award because of imnfluences aside from individual offering.  Returns
to Aus and doesn't get a place because....  ?  Too old now?  Not
likely to win a test cap?  Management of S12 franchises are loyal to
the players they already have?  Because there is a stand-down period
for players that have gone abroad (dunno about this - is there) ?

The point I'm making is that PotY might be awrded for many things
other than just personal stand out abilities "better than anybody else
else".  And S12 rejection may be for factors other than just "not good
enough".

> 3. Aus, NZ & Eng are near enough to level pegging.  Aus talent is
> diluted into S12 3 ways. NZ talent is diluted into S12 5 ways, Eng
> talent is diluted into ZP 2 ways. 

2 ways?  Or did you mean 12?

> 4. I haven't seen that much ZP, but most of what I have seen (with the
> odd honourable exception) has been pretty dreary (some marvellous
> scrummaging though -- breathtaking, scintillating) (also lots of artful
> obstruction just away from the breakdown)

Its a school of hard knocks.  As the RWC has just proved winning on
the wordl stage required more than three electrifying runners.  You
might not like it but its true.

Undoubtably a number of ZP matches are pretty dire - the last one I
saw the home team might as well have never turned up.  But then again
the weather and conditions aren't always great (granted this is true
in NZ too)...  and are you really claimning there are never doughnuts
of games in the S12?

Other arguments that could be aired would include the purposes of each
comp...  S12 is a direct feed for the national team, and so sides will
presumably cater for natiojnal coaches requirements e.g. if Mitchell
was convinced a depowered scrum was the way forward it wouldn't be a
surprise to find S12 franchises playing with depowered scrummaging
packs.  S12 is arguably a media invention so it has perceived
requirements for audiences...  ZP clubs arguably don;t have that remit
at all (games aren't shown on terrestrail, FTA mass TV media for a
start, although one a week does get shown on a commercial channel. 
Generally at a time when rugby supporters are out supporting their own
team anyway!)

In short, the S12 adn ZP fulfuill differing roles within their own
hierarchies and rugby cultures.  As such its daft to try and compare
the two in many ways because its a case of apples and oranges...  they
are bioth fruit, but offer something different.

didds