Your favorite era of rugby

First topic message reminder :

Saw this title on another forum and thought it might be interesting to start one here.

What is you favorite era of rugby?

Probably the Early 90's for me.
Most of my favorite players were from here when i was growing up playing rugby at school and local club.

The days when scouts werent looking for mobile athletes...their slection criteria were quite simple for potential props, hookers, number eights or locks – “Is your son a brute who can wrestle a cow? Rugby is for him then.”

Great old school warriors -
Brian Moore, Mike teague, Dean richards, Fitzpatrick, David Sole, John Jeffries, Finlay Caulder, Scrum Half - Gary Armstrong,
Norm Hadley and a strong physical Canadian team

Great backs like - Rory Underwood, Serge Blanco, David Campese, Michael Lynagh, Tim Horan and Jason Little, Frank Bunce, John Kirwin, Inga the Winga, Gavin Hastings, Phillipe Sella....

Also remembering some of the actual teams....

The brutal Western Samoan team that beat Wales...leading to the famous - "Thank heavens Wales weren't playing the whole of Samoa".
Timo Tagaloa, Frank Bunce, Pat Lam, Brian Lima, Peter Fatialofa, Apolo Perelini

Monstrous Norm Hadley and a strong physical Canadian team that made the quarter finals of the 1991 WC.

What an era....

Whats YOUR favorite era ....and why?

That era of 2000-2003 was a nightmare for SA rugby

First we had Harry Viljoen with his idea of the Boks are a business, there were plenty of egos in the team, Werner Swanepoel who is related to my brother in law told us about the split of senior egos towards the newcomers.

Then Streauli just stuffed everything up.

Yip, horrible era. Players played like thugs, fans behaved like thugs (Piet), management acting like thugs in suits. It was horrible

kingraf wrote:Yip, horrible era. Players played like thugs, fans behaved like thugs (Piet), management acting like thugs in suits. It was horrible

Why though? How the hell did it get that bad? It can't have just happened over night, they just suddenly decide en mass that physically assaulting the opposition is a far better tactic then scoring tries or anything...

yappysnap wrote:

kingraf wrote:Yip, horrible era. Players played like thugs, fans behaved like thugs (Piet), management acting like thugs in suits. It was horrible

Why though? How the hell did it get that bad? It can't have just happened over night, they just suddenly decide en mass that physically assaulting the opposition is a far better tactic then scoring tries or anything...

From what I understood at the time the Bok environment wasn't great. Harry Viljoen broke the squad down into smaller groups with senior players as the leaders of each group.

It sounds like there was no direct line to the coach, and the junior players had to go through their appointed leaders, and these leaders had a bit of an attitude which broke down communications and inevitably I assume broke team spirit etc.

Harry VIljoen brought a whole different game plan, and in between all these issues the players must have been very unhappy and frustrated.

Harry Viljoen was a self made millionaire in the insurance industry, and I think he wanted to employ is business principles on a rugby team, it ultimately failed completely.

By the time Strauli took over and with his Kamp Staaldraad, I think everything just fell flat.

kingraf wrote:Yip, horrible era. Players played like thugs, fans behaved like thugs (Piet), management acting like thugs in suits. It was horrible

Odd that isn't it- it was one of the worst periods for NZ rugby as well- no thugs- just some very poor players, useless coach.... No wonder Oz and particularly England dominated up to and including the WCup 03...

Taylorman wrote:

kingraf wrote:Yip, horrible era. Players played like thugs, fans behaved like thugs (Piet), management acting like thugs in suits. It was horrible

Odd that isn't it- it was one of the worst periods for NZ rugby as well- no thugs- just some very poor players, useless coach.... No wonder Oz and particularly England dominated up to and including the WCup 03...

Really? Both Umaga and Mealamu were playing in that era.

Cyril, Why would you be calling Tana Umaga and Keven Mealamu thugs? What did they do?

emack2 wrote:1953-70 watching the fourth All Blacks in action,the 1958 Wallabies[my first local tour match in Bournemouth,
Listening to matches on the radio,my first Tv match England v France,5Ns Great Lions tours won drawn one
lost.Great British players Jeeps,Morgan,Bledynn Williams,Jackson,Risman,Terry Davies,Ken Scotland,o`Reilly
Kyle,Butterfield.backs,Roy John,Rhys Williams,Bill Mulcahy,ron Jacobs,Bryn Meredith,on and on.Wales and Cardiff
beating the AB`s.

Then the 1960`s the great Bok side 1960-1,All Blacks 1963-4 [THE BEST SIDE EVER},4 AB tests lost in10years
one series.A 17 match 4 year unbeaten run by AB`s first side to do it.Then the wheels came off in the 70`s.

Tremain,Young,Meads brothers ,Nathan ,Graham,Stewart,Laidlaw,and a raft of young backs Smith Davis,Macrae,
Kirton.a 100% run under Fred Allen [forwards Coached on advice of Young Vic Cavanagh a man allen rated as God]
not a bad judge pity NZRFU did`nt.

Interesting, my period of following rugby also spans 60 years but from a different viewpoint, supporting Wales. As a regular Cardiff fan I saw Cliff Morgan play many times and later players like Edwards and John. The 1963-4 touring All Blacks were unique. It's the only time I recall people at the Arms Park singing 'For He's A Jolly Good Fellow' - to Wilson Whineray after the Barbarians game in 1964.

optimist wrote:

emack2 wrote:1953-70 watching the fourth All Blacks in action,the 1958 Wallabies[my first local tour match in Bournemouth,
Listening to matches on the radio,my first Tv match England v France,5Ns Great Lions tours won drawn one
lost.Great British players Jeeps,Morgan,Bledynn Williams,Jackson,Risman,Terry Davies,Ken Scotland,o`Reilly
Kyle,Butterfield.backs,Roy John,Rhys Williams,Bill Mulcahy,ron Jacobs,Bryn Meredith,on and on.Wales and Cardiff
beating the AB`s.

Then the 1960`s the great Bok side 1960-1,All Blacks 1963-4 [THE BEST SIDE EVER},4 AB tests lost in10years
one series.A 17 match 4 year unbeaten run by AB`s first side to do it.Then the wheels came off in the 70`s.

Tremain,Young,Meads brothers ,Nathan ,Graham,Stewart,Laidlaw,and a raft of young backs Smith Davis,Macrae,
Kirton.a 100% run under Fred Allen [forwards Coached on advice of Young Vic Cavanagh a man allen rated as God]
not a bad judge pity NZRFU did`nt.

Interesting, my period of following rugby also spans 60 years but from a different viewpoint, supporting Wales. As a regular Cardiff fan I saw Cliff Morgan play many times and later players like Edwards and John. The 1963-4 touring All Blacks were unique. It's the only time I recall people at the Arms Park singing 'For He's A Jolly Good Fellow' - to Wilson Whineray after the Barbarians game in 1964.  
 

Yes I've seen highlights of that. Ian Clarke kicked the Baa baas 3 points from a marked dropped goal I recall.

Wheels certainly fell off in the 70's Allan. Early 70's was a horror after Meads, Gray etc left. The only classy players were Going, batty, Robertso and BeeGee really. Its noticeable we had no 10- something all our great sides have had- Mac H and Kirton in the 60's and Fox, Merts, and DC through to now.

What kick started NZ rugby into the 80's was the start of the NPC (national prov. championship) in 1976 as before that all we had locally was a bunch of friendly's while everyone waited for their turn to challenge for the Ranfurly shield. Was really odd that Bay of Plenty of all sides won the first one and have never got near anything like it since.

The NPC really got a following and fans started getting behind their now well defined 'bordered' sides and after a few years it really took off, the platform for selecting AB's grew stronger every year.

Taylorman wrote:

optimist wrote:

emack2 wrote:1953-70 watching the fourth All Blacks in action,the 1958 Wallabies[my first local tour match in Bournemouth,
Listening to matches on the radio,my first Tv match England v France,5Ns Great Lions tours won drawn one
lost.Great British players Jeeps,Morgan,Bledynn Williams,Jackson,Risman,Terry Davies,Ken Scotland,o`Reilly
Kyle,Butterfield.backs,Roy John,Rhys Williams,Bill Mulcahy,ron Jacobs,Bryn Meredith,on and on.Wales and Cardiff
beating the AB`s.

Then the 1960`s the great Bok side 1960-1,All Blacks 1963-4 [THE BEST SIDE EVER},4 AB tests lost in10years
one series.A 17 match 4 year unbeaten run by AB`s first side to do it.Then the wheels came off in the 70`s.

Tremain,Young,Meads brothers ,Nathan ,Graham,Stewart,Laidlaw,and a raft of young backs Smith Davis,Macrae,
Kirton.a 100% run under Fred Allen [forwards Coached on advice of Young Vic Cavanagh a man allen rated as God]
not a bad judge pity NZRFU did`nt.

Interesting, my period of following rugby also spans 60 years but from a different viewpoint, supporting Wales. As a regular Cardiff fan I saw Cliff Morgan play many times and later players like Edwards and John. The 1963-4 touring All Blacks were unique. It's the only time I recall people at the Arms Park singing 'For He's A Jolly Good Fellow' - to Wilson Whineray after the Barbarians game in 1964.  
 

Yes I've seen highlights of that. Ian Clarke kicked the Baa baas 3 points from a marked dropped goal I recall.

Wheels certainly fell off in the 70's Allan. Early 70's was a horror after Meads, Gray etc left. The only classy players were Going, batty, Robertso and BeeGee really. Its noticeable we had no 10- something all our great sides have had- Mac H and Kirton in the 60's and Fox, Merts, and DC through to now.

What kick started NZ rugby into the 80's was the start of the NPC (national prov. championship) in 1976 as before that all we had locally was a bunch of friendly's while everyone waited for their turn to challenge for the Ranfurly shield. Was really odd that Bay of Plenty of all sides won the first one and have never got near anything like it since.

The NPC really got a following and fans started getting behind their now well defined 'bordered' sides and after a few years it really took off, the platform for selecting AB's grew stronger every year.

Really? How about 2005 when they beat Auckland to win the Shield?

Jeez Rainbow what have you been drinking that 2005 Bay of Plenty team was pretty ordinary, they wouldnt have been come in the first half dozen teams.

Taylorman's right they won it in the first year and didnt come close again.

aucklandlaurie wrote:
Jeez Rainbow what have you been drinking that 2005 Bay of Plenty team was pretty ordinary, they wouldnt have been come  in the first half dozen teams.

Taylorman's right they won it in the first year and didnt come close again.

Proves how crap Auckland were does it not. Fact is the won the shield that is what it's all about.

rainbow-warrior wrote:

aucklandlaurie wrote:
Jeez Rainbow what have you been drinking that 2005 Bay of Plenty team was pretty ordinary, they wouldnt have been come  in the first half dozen teams.

Taylorman's right they won it in the first year and didnt come close again.

Proves how crap Auckland were does it not.  Fact is the won the shield that is what it's all about.

Yes so crap that I think you will find that Auckland won the NPC in 2005, which somewhat confirms the point that Taylorman was making.

aucklandlaurie wrote:
Jeez Rainbow what have you been drinking that 2005 Bay of Plenty team was pretty ordinary, they wouldnt have been come  in the first half dozen teams.

Taylorman's right they won it in the first year and didnt come close again.

Didn't the steamers push the lions pretty hard?

aucklandlaurie wrote:

rainbow-warrior wrote:

aucklandlaurie wrote:
Jeez Rainbow what have you been drinking that 2005 Bay of Plenty team was pretty ordinary, they wouldnt have been come  in the first half dozen teams.

Taylorman's right they won it in the first year and didnt come close again.

Proves how crap Auckland were does it not.  Fact is the won the shield that is what it's all about.

Yes so crap that I think you will find that Auckland won the NPC in 2005, which somewhat confirms the point that Taylorman was making.

How you work that out? They won the shield fair and square. It also shows what a p*ss poor season it was if Auckland won the competition.

Indeed they did push the Lions at Rotorua, I was at the game and they played well.

rainbow-warrior wrote:

aucklandlaurie wrote:

rainbow-warrior wrote:

aucklandlaurie wrote:
Jeez Rainbow what have you been drinking that 2005 Bay of Plenty team was pretty ordinary, they wouldnt have been come  in the first half dozen teams.

Taylorman's right they won it in the first year and didnt come close again.

Proves how crap Auckland were does it not.  Fact is the won the shield that is what it's all about.

Yes so crap that I think you will find that Auckland won the NPC in 2005, which somewhat confirms the point that Taylorman was making.

How you work that out?  They won the shield fair and square.  It also shows what a p*ss poor season it was if Auckland won the competition.

Indeed they did push the Lions at Rotorua, I was at the game and they played well.  

Simply the difference between amateur and pro rugby rainbow...the best Auckland players don't necessarily play for Auckland anymore. A loss to BOP in the 80's, and even though I havn't checked, would have been unheard of, these days everyone's doing it.

Since BOP won it the once Auckland didnt win it until 82 but then went on the 16 titles since- so selecting a one off match to make a point is rather lame. By the way...did BOP go on to beat Aucklands 63 match run? Can't remember, can you?

Auckland has its challenges like everyone else, but certainly BOP winning the first title was unexpected, but you wouldnt have been around then.

And apologies ebop..didnt mean anything against the BOP side. Being from Te Arawa myself I'm there often myself, sadly mostly for tangi these days it seems. Our maraes out at Owhata. Not sure if you know it but its I'm glad to say a nicely hidden little gem on the shores of the lake.