Kicking 3 is for cowards Does Number Rugby stuff Also stands on stage and tells jokes for validation
Joined July 2017
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That's a great tackle. Good foot movement to get into position, head on the right side and provides enough force for a big hit.
In a cold cut throat world you can see an argument for this. But the fans probably care more about seeing Jimmy wearing the rose than they do at a long term project.
And Jimmy was still really good last year. He could still help you get promoted.
🗣️ "It does seem harsh on Jimmy, but they've got young guys there who aren't progressing" 🤔
James Anderson took 50 wickets at 17.68 in the 2026 County Championship, so why didn't Lancashire offer him a contract for 2027? 🌹
Watch 👉 youtube.com/watch?v=oCFUfD47…
So much of hitting the ball is tearing the cues of the Pitcher/ bowler. When presented with a way of releasing the ball you havent seen and a different flight path it's so different and difficult to adjust to.
I think baseball players have tried hitting against soft ball players and the angle and action being different just fucks with them.
I think it's probably one of the little things that make guys like Bumrah so good, his weird action must fuck with batters a bit
I just think sacking a coach who won 3 titles in a row and runner up last year because of 1 down year is overly reactionary.
I think teams look to change coaches too eagerly after 1 bad year especially if youve got multiple good years in the bank
How to communicate numbers to coaches in sport is a huge skill
When I talked to @bfsportanalysis about kicking for the corner in rugby he sold it to teams about how many battles they'd have to win to get the same number of points which I thought was a great way to communicate it
I think there is potentially an issue with how the analytics people within an organization communicate w/ the coaching staff. If you are a total dork who just points at a number and says that's it - he's not going to listen to you. But he's not way off here with his thought process.
My guess is there aren't many who can take the model number and have a critical thought process as to how that number isn't a fixed point but actually exists on a spectrum and what factors drag it one way or another.
And how modifying your strategy will cause an opponent to adjust, and so on.
When I was a kid I absolutely loved Iain Balshaw. He was my favourite player.
Sent him a Christmas card and he sent one back.
20yo Frenchman Felix Balshaw, son of a member of the 2003 Rugby World Cup winning team for England, defeats world #56 Jaime Faria 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 to reach the 2nd round in Lyon.
First tour-level win
First top 100 win
HUGE moment for him.
He's inarguably the best ref ball spinner in England. Averaged about 22 the last 3 years which is crazy.
Test match meta means he's probably not in England's best XI in England. But he clearly is in the subcontinent on a spinning track.
🗣️ “We’re focusing in a slightly different direction.”
England selector Marcus North on Jack Leach’s Test future, speaking to the Wisden Cricket Weekly podcast 🏴
Watch 👉 youtu.be/jnu5nUzUehk
Maybe it's because of his health stuff and 35 is not young. But Englands selection policy of going for traits over production has been mostly shit. Turns out it's hard to be good at international cricket if you're not good at county cricket.
Getting a bit annoyed people think this is because defences are bad. These teams would put 100 on defences from 20 years ago.
People don't like it because it feels wrong and that's the argument. But the rugby on show was entertaining and skilful.
There's a bit of a feedback loop of more scoring because of kicking to the corner and teams can score quickly off their own restarts if they get it right.
More tries aren't inherently a bad thing. They've increased constantly through the years anyway.
Last 20 didn't control the field tilt at all but some of what Saints were doing was just incredible and not a lot you can do.
Defence wasn't perfect but far better than the scoreline suggested. Think there needs to be more aggression in trying to win turnovers
People are gonna see the scores and say "sack the defensive coaches" the defensive setups have actually been fine. The attacks have just been marvellous and there's been some missed tackles forced.
It's entertaining high quality rugby
For some reason my timeline has lots of people hating the decision to go for 2 down 8 after a touchdown.
JJ explains why this is a good decision.
Numbers are cool and people don't like it when it changes preconceived wisdom in sport. But the nerds are often right.
