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O'Sullivan-Trump rivalry

Postby TheRocket

Its fair to say Ronnie O'Sullivan v Judd Trump is the best rivalry we currently have in Snooker. For comparison. O'Sullivan and Selby have played each other only four times since the World final 2014. (not counting the CL)

O'Sullivan and Trump on the other side have had 11 meetings since 2014, 7 of them finals. (not counting the CL). The overall H2H as we know is very even.

How do you think the rivalry will move on from here? Will it continue being a 50/50 match? Or will Trump have an edge over Ronnie O'Sullivan given the age of the latter?

Or will it be Ronnie O'Sullivan who now gets the upper hand as there might be a reversal of roles now with Trump going as the favourite into the matches against Ronnie. With Trump not handling it well.

And a more general question. Would you say this rivalry is already one of the best rivalries we've had in Snooker? Particularly if you consider the age gap between the two players which makes it unique.

Re: O'Sullivan-Trump rivalry

Postby D4P

I suppose that if they retain the top 2 spots in the rankings for a while, they would probably play each other less often than they have been. This is partly why Ronnie and Selby haven't played each other much over the past few seasons: they've frequently been on opposite sides of the draw, because of their rankings.

Judd beat Ronnie in 2 out of the 3 matches they played this last season, and he arguably should have won all 3. I think that as long as Judd continues playing "smart", he will probably have the edge over Ronnie from here on out...

Re: O'Sullivan-Trump rivalry

Postby The Herminator

I think there will always be a rivalry but Judd is coming in to his prime now so I expect it to be short-lived like Hendry and Davis.
I think the real rivalry over the next few years could be Judd and Robertson in terms of talent or Judd and Selby in terms of style (I expect Selby to get back to his best at some point).

Re: O'Sullivan-Trump rivalry

Postby Badsnookerplayer

D4P wrote:I suppose that if they retain the top 2 spots in the rankings for a while, they would probably play each other less often than they have been. This is partly why Ronnie and Selby haven't played each other much over the past few seasons: they've frequently been on opposite sides of the draw, because of their rankings.

Judd beat Ronnie in 2 out of the 3 matches they played this last season, and he arguably should have won all 3. I think that as long as Judd continues playing "smart", he will probably have the edge over Ronnie from here on out...

Would have won all 3 but for that silly yellow!!

Re: O'Sullivan-Trump rivalry

Postby vodkadiet1

O'Sullivan will get humiliated if he hangs around for much longer. He has been used to playing on his own terms. He likes to 'extract the urine' out of snooker. If Trump continues to apply himself he will have the better of O'Sullivan. He will no longer feel inferior having won The World Championship. This is why O'Sullivan's decision to not commit to this year's World Championship will backfire. He would have easily made the quarter finals and if Trump had also made it, O'Sullivan would probably have won because of the pressure on Trump.


Trump will have an extra 20% of confidence now and O'Sullivan will invariably decline incrementally. 'Times they are a changing.'

Re: O'Sullivan-Trump rivalry

Postby Andre147

Reckon Trump might have an edge... and what would you expect? Trump almost 30 against a 43 year old man... in fairness its a testement to how good Ronnie really is at this age that he still can compete with him.

I agree the next big rivarly I'd absolutely love to see would be Selby v Trump. These two havent played often, Trump seems to have edge over him but Selby can easily overturn that, and its a clash of styles just like Ronnie v Selby.

Re: O'Sullivan-Trump rivalry

Postby TheSaviour

Yes, absolutely.

But I would still add Mark Selby in the mix. That´s because how endlessly stylish lad Mark Selby actually is. He never takes on any silly shot, if having a slight trouble with a cue ball he will be playing a spot on safety-shot. Stylish lad all the way, and I mean how we fairs himself while playing also. Never going to be carried away. Just so visibly wasn´t good enough anymore. To be a real top-5 player. But just having the results isn´t all there are.

Ronnie has a very similar break-building as John Higgins has. Splitting the pack with a same spin. No-one else quite does it like that, and both John and Ronnie are basically rampant doing that. But obviously John´s long efforts fell apart against Judd Trump. That was quite nasty. Ronnie probably would had done slightly better, but nothing which would had been enough to hold off Judd. Ronnie still has some eccerentic break-building efforts but those works for his favour. As they are entertaining. More entertaining than John has, or even Judd Trump, and that´s quite visible also. And lacking that entertaining, it causes John to lose his confidence. Which Ronnie hardly never does.

Probably only Steve Davis would had been able to hold off Judd Trump. As because he would had refused those long efforts, of which and where John did succumb. Steve would had refused to take on those on, would had played "just" safety shots and while getting in would had made those solid 40 or 5o breaks at least.

In my mind, the top 5-players of all time are Judd Trump, Ronnie O´Sullivan, Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis and Mark Selby. Ding quite close also, but he´s just happy to wait to get in while trailing a frame or a two. And the most of lads do leak that prospect always to him. There isn´t anything lucky of how he make those frame winning breaks. Or how he even plays the safety-shots. But he is lacking that front-running gear. That´s why he´s slightly out of the pace. He just want´s to get lucky and to get in while trailing a bit and then he does his job. Which he does more than a good. Stephen Hendry was really good making those heavy cannons and getting those correct. While using some creativity also.

No-one should just wait to get lucky. You can play like that also, yes. But it always requires of having a great coach and a "sponsor", eh, and just some person who does tell you some things... But that´s just lucky of having such a person behind you. So let´s make SPORTS great again. We should could and would. As then you would have a full package. You would be having a great family-life also, for example. If making the SPORTS great again. Yes, you can have a great life also if just working with those coaches, scouts, sponsors. But then you owe all of your success into the them. I know, I know, that feels great also. As having a luck, and those persons are the ones of who you should always be an extremely gratefull of. l And very well that´s a good life like that also.

But not quite something I would be looking for, or why I started to motor at the first place.

Many persons just too busy of making the "creative" fortunes. So that´s why lacking all the sense of a humour. Just simply too busy.

And many out there to tell how there now is something which has been realised lol. Yes sure. Unfortunaly the story just never reveals which those things actually are. And that´s a one more reason of why we should be making the SPORTS great again. Surely most of the sports requires some ideas. Of which even those clowns can´t arque possessing. Some truly hilarious comedy-actions surely going on.

But the patience still is the most important thing. And has been noticing there has some more now. The more slowly the window closes, and you are a very, very close of getting it spot on. As close as Mark Selby is matching the current Ronnie O´Sullivan. Judd currently a comprehensive front-runner. Regarding the top-game of where there just isn´t any aswers. BUT there still are those Saint Germains also participating, clapping, dressing and waving..

Or should we now just simple forget that dressing-row ? Stuart Bingham did won the fashion-show, mind you. As Rene did won the comedy-show... Any given comedy-effort is a good one. As most of them are just completely lacking any sense of a humour. That´s how that massively infamous schooling-system of their just works. They are the machines, no clowns at all.