Rugby

Maybe, I just don't get that argument at all. If anything it's more unequal to expect them to perform to the same level without equipment designed for their physical attributes. The women's game is always judged against the men's (rightly or wrongly) and with the balls the size they are they just can't do things the men can.

The goal size argument is harder to justify as it would just be too costly to implement at lower levels. However smaller balls seem so obvious to me. Athletics has got it right javelin, shot, relay batton weights etc all smaller / lighter for women.

I get this and I agree with it (despite asking the question above). It's the same for everyone on the pitch. And I think it works - as today’s spectacle showed. But my opinion isn't the one that matters.

Is this still going spare, please? Bump for this (and I am asking Mrs c00ps permission also)

a desire to make the games equal, and changing the ball, goal, pitch size is seen as diminishing the sense of eq

this is super inetresting as a topic, lots of sports already do it. Prof Ross Tucker on a podcast recently talked about this, and World Rugby had looked into it. the survey from the players came out as pretty clearly in favour of playing with the mens rules for ball and pitch dimensions.

My view is that there is a huge survivor bias here and the people who's view points they should also consider is the girls and women who never got to excel in a sport where the conditions of the game were designed for large men first and foremost.

to butcher a quote from the pod re soccer: there was a point raised that if men played in the same average, relative conditions that women do, the ball would be as big and heavy as a basket ball.

re soccer: there was a point raised that if men played in the same average, relative conditions that women do, the ball would be as big and heavy as a basket ball.

Maybe someone should actually do this as an exhibition game to demonstrate it? Has there been one?

(I don't mean to sound patronising, even though I probably/definitely do. I'd not thought about it in those terms. Not sure it’s required though, if the sport works as-is?)

Sorry, it's gone now

No worries. Enjoy the game!

In football at least those dimensions have been in place for a long time. The average woman is about the same size as the average man when they were introduced.

Makes a lot of sense. It’s a bit of a moving target. I can imagine the average sizes of rugby players in general have increased significantly in recent times.

The Real Science of Sport podcast is great, covers some really broad topics and Ross Tucker is very good.

Italy… bloody hell

Samoa are going to take this, damn.

Oh no

Now that was a game of rugby!

Absolute belter. SA rugby Twitter has imploded in a shower of yellow circles and gifs…

I'm guessing I don't want to know... This makes my morning rerun idea quiet hard

Yeah can't blame the ref for the defeat. Barnes was rattled by the atmosphere though made some odd calls (both ways). Boks did well to stay with France and should have closed it out. As with the Ireland defeat last week I don't think they'll be too disappointed with a WC hat on.

Both reds were clear cut and very similar in being reckless but without malice or intent.

Why can't Eddie Jones just keep his gob shut?
New Zealand are there for the taking?, yeah maybe if they were playing France next weekend, but they're not, they're playing England .

Neither side deserved to lose it. It was an epic contest in a boiling cauldron of a stadium. I just thought it was going to keep going until a drop-goal at the end nicked it. But then there was Moefana at the end pretending to be Michael Hooper... Proper drama.

There were little bits of magic and massive carries/hits/allsorts everywhere. If that's a taster for the 2023 RWC, it'll be fantastic.

8pm kick-offs in France seem to bring it.

RPA has published its paper on head injuries

https://therpa.co.uk/news/2022/11/rpa-funded-research-paper-published/

Is Eddie;

a) Lucky
b) Good
c) Total fucking gobshite and a little bit of column a / little bit of column b

?

a) and the first part of c)

Taxi for Pivac.

RIP Doddie. This shocked me

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/scots-rugby-legend-doddie-weir-28591453

Sad, sad news.