Wakefield Ram

Flat Earth Fev - lucky we are in League One Forum section

Thinking their Academy/reserves but that barely worked with Hull KR. We will probably just get offered odd spare player, but not sure many will want to play League One

Not a fan either but we have a fairly thin squad and for those not selected it gives them some game time.

After 60 point drubbing at Wigan, reckon Paul Sykes could toughen up their defence.

Given we struggled against Ashton Bears, then not taking anything for granted. https://youtu.be/h1IOWyJyNgw

Not a new phenomenon, I was doing it in 80s and 90s

Credit to Ashton Bears for bringing plenty of fans and to the team for a superb kicking game, low error rate and sticking to the task. Rams were poor on attack though, 6th tackles options missed, too many errors, not helped it has to be said by the referee allowing Ashton to be offside most tackles and interfering at the ptb. Into the next round,but we will have to be a lot better to progress any further.

He played in the friendly v Bradford and I remember him playing for Sandal RU.

From the post match interview it sounds like it will be pretty much the same team in the Cup. Famous last words but we should be able to progress to the next round.

Great result away at a team tipped to be play off contenders. Can't remember last time we scored that many points.

Just really sad to hear this. He was my coach at Leeds University in the mid-1980s and he was a really great bloke. Always treated everyone with respect even those new to RL. Used to tell us stories about the players and games he reffed. He even turned out for us the odd time if we were short. This is the measure of John, once I had a lecture and couldn't make the bus for a game in Wakefield so he came and picked me up and drove me there himself so I could play. Not seen him for a long time till Old Boys match last summer and was looking forward to seeing him in a few weeks at the next reunion. Just a great bloke in every way, one of the best. If any details of his funeral are shared, I'd be obliged if you could post them here or send me a message

I reckon it usually takes about 2 pages before posts start going "off topic", think John Drake should consider pinning this topic now but thanks for making me laugh

Memory playing tricks, you're right. Day and Ashcroft on the wings.

And just how much money have Festherstone spaffed up the wall over the last few seasons and they're still in the Championship? A tad early to be gloating, plenty of time for them to end up getting beaten at home in the play-off semi-final by a team on a fraction of their budget. Like last season.

Think Jeff Yoward was in the team wasn't he?

Yes, the risk in this league is one or two poor performances could jeopardise everything.

Think budgets and jobs have been cut as less people buy local papers. Same here in Wakefield. Used to write match reports for my son's rugby team and they be printed with the Sports Editors name on it. Do the same for my running club now. Whoever writes the match reports could just send the copy to the Reporter by email. It will get more views then.

One of the great things about this forum is there's people with some phenomenal memories. I was around in 1980s but no way I'd have remembered a detail like that!

Had Liam Finn been in charge from the start and if we had a class scrum half like Sammut, we would have been mid-table. We also had a number of long term injuries to likes of Ferguson, Ryder, Turner, Peltier, Magrin etc..

I suspect you are right. As gingerjon says there's been some discussion around changing laws to account for late dip. But what's a "late dip"? And the research says there's not much difference between sternum and waist level. Given how RU forwards tend to drive low, hard to see how that would work

Could you post the evidence to show the last UK trial to lower the tackle height increased the number of concussions.

They have already been posted if you back a page or two.

It's here. https://www.bath.ac.uk/case-studies/reducing-injuries-in-rugby-union-through-global-changes-to-make-the-scrum-safer/

Read the research. If the law changes just changed the concussions from ball carriers to tacklers there'd be no point doing it would there? The data is there and that's the basis for the law change.

In South Africa alone, due to controlled scrum engagement laws, the incidence of catastrophic neck injuries has reduced from 3.5 a year to 0.5. That's 3 young men not paralysed for life every year. The proposed RU tackle law is likely to reduce 200 concussions a week in community down to 70-80. Players are bigger, stronger and faster, so the number of bigger collisions has increased significantly since mid 90s when I finished playing. If anyone this is "spoiling the game", they're probably not the ones actually playing it.