I can't believe that was 25 years ago.

That's how RL is supposed to be played.

Wingers taking on people on the outside, halfbacks creating chances, sublime passing.


The sport has gone backwards.

i had it on video tape loaned it out never got it back.
great rl

must admit, i watched it about a month ago and i reckon it was a miles better brand of rugby than we see now, forget the close game backwards and forwards etc etc it was just the speed of the ball and passing on show, extremely pleasing on the eye and it makes me wonder where our game is going.......

I've said this so many times on here.

The thing I blame most is the 10 yard rule. Teams had to stand deep, and half backs had to be clever and be able to dictate a game. The half back positions were different, and required a different player, half backs used to link properly. Add to that the 2 subs, players needed to be far more cute than they are now.

Basically, fitness levels have gone up, but the skill level has come down.

Nah, the 10 yard rule is a way of negating the speed of the defensive line. Now the 10 yard is covered in the same time as the 5 was back then.

Skill levels and fitness have rocketed across the park, but significantly the skill level of the defence is what's led the different style of play. There are athletes all over with generally no weak links.

Fantastic game with some wonderful attacking play and great tries.

The modern game is certainly more clinical and lacks the spontaneity of that era.

What an attendance too - just short of 100,000.

What chance a 25th anniversary reunion at Wembley next season?

Power and stamina have improved, skills have not. There's not a player with the ability of Kenny or Sterling in modern Superleague.

Totally disagree, no shock there!



Actually it depends what you look for or how you judge it, on the face of it was a fantastic game and very entertaining and i more than anyone crave that but generally i think the game has come on leaps and bounds although the last few years it has gone backwards. Entertaining games are not always the best quality games.

I do though crave a bit more flair in the modern game, and I have to agree the game in the UK lacks quality entertainers like Kenny who had it all and would be a phenomenon whatever era they play in.

Kenny & Ferguson were awesome in that game, good old days

Don't worry MM is here

Absolutely. We have 17 muscle-bound automatons ploughing their way around the field at full pelt for 80 minutes.

There's not a player with the ability of Hanley, Gregory, Kenny, Sterling, Offiah, Robinson, Dermott, Miles, Bell, Edwards in SL today. Some of those weren't the best in world but they had heart, skill and flair. What some lacked in pure skill & flair, they had in their passion and ability to organise and lift the team. What some lacked in pure power, they had in speed and natural scoring ability. Derms remains THE best ball distributer I've ever seen. I see no-one in today's SL that comes close to these players position for position.

But now we have the scooters.
Roby, Higham etc and decry the craftsmen like Riddell because they LOOK unfit.

Exactly, specialist positions have been removed and a generic back, half back and forward are the norm now. They all pretty much play the same game, just change the name. There's no personalities anymore, no real flair.

I used to love Dermot, he was like an extra half back on the field. He made Edwards and Gregs job easier by either causing confusion from dummy half, or his ability to pass the ball direct from the floor, something most modern hookers fail to do.

No that is wrong on all counts. Riddell not only looks unfit he is unfit as MM has come out and said. It's also wrong because if you think Riddell is a craftsmen you must be going senile

He isn't a scooter that's for sure but neither has he the sublime distribution skills of a player like Dermott. Far to too many times last season his passing was wayward.

Bottom line is that it ought to be time by now for the novelty that he isn't Higham to have worn off and that you judge him for the payer he is, not that he isn't Higham. If you did that then you wouldn't be using words like craftsmen and his name in the same sentence!

Dave

Interesting how you become a critic of distribution now Higham is gone.

Riddell is a craftsman and a very intelligent player, he did not hit the straps last year but was still an improvement on what we had.

MM has said he needs to work on his fitness, but the bit you have missed out is he has also praised him as a player.

I like piggy and I hope he comes good but it's also fair to see why people shoot him down so much.

IF the two teams met tomorrow and the 1985 side was the same age as they was when they won it the 1985 would win anybody agree/disagree ?

Completely disagree. They are nowhere near as fit as the lads are today. The defence would really punish the 85 team and they'd struggle with the physicality of the modern game.

I know weight isn't everything but Brian Case (prop) wasn't as heavy as Lockers. The size of the modern player is a million miles away from where it was 25 years ago.

What about the numbers 1-7 it was a better back line back in 85 u must agree.

Totally disagree, the current team would put a cricket score on them. It would be frightening to see someone like Feka against them even in his spells he would destroy them.

All things being equal training etc you would back the 85 team but put them on a field as they were against a modern SL team they would get smashed.

How about giving the 85 team the same training methods, diets of current SL standards..etc from an early age then putting them on the field together.

For example, would Shaun Edwards, Henderson Gill have been better RL players if they were only mid twenties today? (Forget about their medal wins), just their performances!

Lets not forget 99% of those players in 85 had other full time jobs, smoke, drank, ate the food we (non athletes) do and trained for a few hours a week.

See the second paragraph of the post you quote.

the 85 team had more skill and flair and pace ...no contest they would romp home against the team of now , the team of now are too predictable and lack ideas when in the oppositions 20 yard area.

the 85 team could tire out todays team because they knew how to move the ball around and create chances.
size is not always priority it is your tackling tequnique brian case could knock anyone down.

you are in dreamland. feka would be targated as a weak link and i bet all the tries for the 85 team would come where he was involved...
as a previous post of mine said it is your tackling tequnique which would win the day.