Message from discussion
This Innes Bui'ness!
From: math...@math.canterbury.ac.nz (Bill Taylor)
Subject: This Innes Bui'ness!
Date: 1998/02/09
Message-ID: <6bmh9d$h6c$1@cantuc.canterbury.ac.nz>#1/1
X-Deja-AN: 323369893
Organization: Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, NewZealand
Newsgroups: rec.sport.rugby.union
This Innes buiness is really this HART business, of course. Leaving aside
for the moment the player himself, I have to agree with almost the whole
of the AB-supporter part of rsru, that it's *very* impudent of him to
bring in a ring-in who hasn't played union in yonks, and wasn't really
the cat's pyjamas last time he did. I think we all seem to be agreed
on this, (except for Rick Boyd who is obviously unfamiliar with that part
of the rsru charter where it says that no articles supporting Innes may
ever be posted). And also, he's presumably paid out mucho dollars for
the man, which is all our money, ultimately, in a sense, as we're the
game's taxpayers.
BUT. There's just one thing that stops me from giving slimy John a
total rark-up over this incident... results! Since he took over, we
have had only one loss, (a non-counter), and one draw. That's a pretty
damn fine record for any coach, even if he did take over a built team;
after all, he's done waaaaay better then the builder.
And also, Hart has this habit of really riling up all us rsru-ers, then
backtracking when it seems he's made a blunder, and having it come right
after all. Frustrating for the Hart-shooter, as I used to be in the old
days. Frinstance, he pissed us all off mightily by dropping Josh, but
brought him back soon after. (I didn't notice any difference in his
play, but some claimed an improvement.) Then again, he pissed off all
us non-Dorklanders by keeping Carlos Spendthrift for a while, and just
when we were about to explode with it, back comes Merts *just* at the
time when Carlo seemed to be going off! So Slimy John has sure got some
sweet timing, and the results seem to bear it out. Blowers' tour was
seen to have been a good thing; maybe even Mayerhoffler is being kept
in reserve so that the dreaded furriners don't get too good a look at
him before WC99 ! That would be clever boxing, and he's as good as
said that Mayerhoffler will be an AB one day. The only permanent
blunder seems to be the retention of Mark Carthorse, but maybe the
AB's can stand *one* free-loader.
So then, what about this Innes buinnes? I never liked him, but then I
never liked Hart either. I've given Hart a chance, ever since his
appointment, and he has come up trumps, more or less. So maybe I should
do the same for this leaguie as well? IMHO, Innes *always* belonged to
league, always was headed there, lost us the WC91 semi with his leaguie
crash-balling which was *utterly* predictable & thus useless, and he
cheered me up enormously when he buggered off to the drongo game where he
belonged. But still, I'm prepared to wait and see, and give Hart and
his protege' a chance on this one.
Mind you, Hart is rapidly using up his slack, with me. I'm prepared to
accept (grudgingly) a loss away to the Boks in the 3N, by not too much,
if necessary. BUT THAT IS ALL! Any other game lost this year, and I'll
be leading the petition collection for the "dump JH" campaign.
So then, where are we? I think Frank Bumps is on the way out, sadly.
But McLeod and Iremia (if JH shakes off his Laurie Mains disease) look
like good replacements. Waltzer Little looks good still, and Mark
"the spark" Mayerhoffler is waiting in the wings. We have two prime cut
first 5's, and talent to burn in the back 3. Things look good; so maybe
Innes is being thought of as an impact replacement?
As to Innes himself, I think it's been best summed up by my boy Hadrian,
(temporarily off-group), who some may recall used to post in his own name
with a cute "wall" signature. He observes that Innes is the SH equivalent
of Will Carling. Loved by his supporters, (few though they be), yet seen
by everyone else as basically a reliable but unimaginative stand-in; good
speed, excellent defense, loves to crash, not much spark or imagination.
Seems a good analogy to me!
---------------
Bill; (formerly pattern-recognition expert)
---------------
Incidentally, on the topic of play-alikes; has anyone else noticed that
Neil Jenkins is the NH version of Simon Culhane? - excellent game-winner
with his supremely reliable place-kicking boot, pretty tidy defense, but
no great speed or vision - a good competent stand-in at 1st-5 while we
wait for the experts to recover from injury.
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