Is Rugby turning a bit, erm...metrosexual?

[Mich the Tester]

Did I mentioned I was in the same form as Shane Williams at school?

Yes? Well okay, I don't have many claims to fame and that is the best of them.
Not something that people generally care about but it helps in the game of 6 connections.

A very good player indeed.

[DodgyAgent]

A few would, but remember; many of today's players are trained professionally from about age 14 or 15, and not 20 or so as in the past. Also, there's a generational size difference that's quite noticeable, especially if you got used to being one of the bigger guys 20 years ago . Lomu is one matter, but Campese; I'm not sure, I don't think defences are fooled so easily now and Campese didn't have extraordinary speed and power to compensate.Yes, both would be good, but I don't think they'd be exceptional now. Sure, if you want to theorize Lomu being even taller, even heavier and even faster then he'd make a huge impact, but that's stretching it a bit too far. Campese would possibly be an outstanding sevens player though, maybe the best of all, where there's less importance attached to sheer strength and more importance attached to handling and agility.

You are trying to take yesterdays player and yesterdays training and practice standards and lift them into todays environment. Who is to say that Campese et al would have not started playing and training from age 14 or 15?.

Up to 18 rugby players are not that big nor are they bigger naturally than they were 20 years ago. Players like Ryan lamb, Owen farell and George Ford were skinny teenagers who have bulked up. Campese would have done the same. Campese had acceleration and had a natural ability to pick the right lines and move opponents around - these are qualities that made him stand out, and would enable him to create space and finish off tries in todays contemporary game.

[fckvwls]

it's common sense that Lomu would not smash guys like Tuilagi,

Jonah Lomu = 120kg plus, 6'5, 100m in 10.8
Alesana Tuilagi = 117 kg, 6'1, Slower than 10.8.

No contest.

and as for Phil Vickery

Jonah Lomu puts Phil Vickery on his arse! - YouTube

[doomage]

Also I reckon the excessive gym work / training is actually hampering some players. Look at the wales v argentina game. The welsh players looked proper bulked up, like body-builders, whereas the pumas looked like, well, hairy rugby players. The extra weights sessions did not seem to add any value in the tackling or ability to get over the gain line. In fact the welsh backline looked a bit feeble.

[Mich the Tester]

You are trying to take yesterdays player and yesterdays training and practice standards and lift them into todays environment. Who is to say that Campese et al would have not started playing and training from age 14 or 15?.

Up to 18 rugby players are not that big nor are they bigger naturally than they were 20 years ago. Players like Ryan lamb, Owen farell and George Ford were skinny teenagers who have bulked up. Campese would have done the same. Campese had acceleration and had a natural ability to pick the right lines and move opponents around - these are qualities that made him stand out, and would enable him to create space and finish off tries in todays contemporary game.

That's the important bit and I'd agree with you there. Most players can accelerate these days and the differences between the fastest and the slowest (or least fast) at the top level are much smaller than in the past. I think a Campese like player could have an impact creating space for others now, but wouldn't get away on his own so often without exceptional speed.

[Mich the Tester]

Jonah Lomu = 120kg plus, 6'5, 100m in 10.8

He might have run 10.8 but not when he was 120 kgs; possibly when he was somewhat lighter before bulking up, but if he ran 10.8 (which I doubt) then there's probably only two players who'd have caught him from behind and they are Nigel Walker and Patrice Lagisquet, and not the whole range of others in that vid.

[fckvwls]

He might have run 10.8 but not when he was 120 kgs; possibly when he was somewhat lighter before bulking up, but if he ran 10.8 (which I doubt) then there's probably only two players who'd have caught him from behind and they are Nigel Walker and Patrice Lagisquet, and not the whole range of others in that vid.

My understanding is that he ran that at school which I assumed was when he was 18. He turned up at All Black trials at 19 weighing 118kg I thought.