Reply With QuoteIndeed, but then Wasps blew up. A good weekend for Exeter.Originally Posted by gawkrodger
I note that Richard Cockerill has been appointed Head Coach at Edinburgh for next season.
I think he'll last less than six games before his head explodes at the refereeing (double) standards in the Pro12...
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Jim.
Indeed, but then Wasps blew up. A good weekend for Exeter.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
yeh, we had a shocker of a first half. I reckon the result will come back to haunt us at the end of the season
I'm pleased Gloucester is at home next week!
slightly disapointed with the team for Sunday (though happy T'eo is starting) - was hoping Jones was going to be a little more experimental.
Jones said quite clearly in an interview that he was against experimenting, as the number of games was limited before the World Cup and he valued getting the players to play together at international level more than fiddling around.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
It looks as though Jones is giving a few key players an extended break before we complete a second Grand Slam.
LOL at Bath!
Good win for Wasps, even if our defence has noticeably dropped a level with internationals on 6N duty. Jimmy Gopperth is the man!
This is how a referee should deal with ill-discipline :-)
http://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/39170280
Very good.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
And with a smile to boot. Well done.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
You'll like this SJ.
Nigel Owens is an absolute star. He also catches the players attention well enough. He would be wasted without mikes and camera as only the players would be party to his ... observations.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Brian Moore has had a heart attack:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39537436
Never shy to voice his opinions, particularly on the art of scrummaging. Get well soon, Pit Bull!
Did you also read his post on the number of 'likes' he'd received on Twitter.
Poor guy wasnt sure if they were likes to get well or likes because he's had a coronary.
Get well soon Brian and hope you make a full and lasting recovery.
I did! At least he's retained his sense of humour.
Exactly. Agreed 100%
Hope he makes it and gets back on the front foot. He's marmite but good old school. Well worth listening to if not just to disagree with.
Last edited by Jimmcb; 9th April 2017 at 21:21.
A tour of warren ball coming up.
No Launchbury is a shock, he should have ticket over Saint Alun-Wynn.
A tour of warren ball coming up.
No Launchbury is a shock, he should have ticket over Saint Alun-Wynn.
He could well go anyway.
There are bound to be injuries, both before and during the tour!
Agreed, however I think that Hartley must be very pissed off. Captained two 6 Nation winning teams and did not get the call. As for Warburton for captain - meh!
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
I think Warburton is a good choice...............but ...we all have our opinions!
Gatland and his gang get the money, so they get to make their choices.................be they right or wrong! in "our" opinions!
Hartley is the 2nd choice hooker for England at the moment IMHO George is playing better and it showed in the 6N. I think England could have another skipper next season if George keeps pushing for the 2 shirt.
As for Warburton as Captain, he is not the Wales Skipper and he is currently injured (although he should be back in time) so I do find it a strange choice. That said he would be in my test squad if fit but I am not sure he would start.
No argument about George, he has had a great season to date, however in the Captain you need some who can motivate and who knows the players. 16 of the squad are English, hence I would have thought it would make sense to have Harley in the team. Plus he is robust and less likely to get injured (unlike a few names in the list).
As for next season you might well be right - I can see Farrell becoming captain for the Autumn internationals, but I still think Hartley will captain in the 6 nations, but who knows what Eddie is thinking.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Along with many of the posts on social media, I feel sorry for the Scots. Beat Ireland and Wales, who have 23 players in the squad, and you get 2!!!!
Warburton is a predictable choice given Gatlands allegiance to Wales but it is the same man who stood down as Welsh skipper. I think he is fortunate. Think Halfpenny is lucky to be there too given he isn't as good a fullback as others and there are kickers now ahead of him in Sexton and Farrell. Launchbury must be cheesed off given some of his performances.
Just my opinions
In my opinion only British & Irish born players should be picked for the British & Irish Lions.
What more did Launchbury have to do ?
Hid omission is unbelievable.
Last edited by BadgerUK; 19th April 2017 at 20:50. Reason: add
not too bad - no where near bad as I feared.
Dissapointed Launchbury isn't in (though as an England and Wasps fan I admit my bias).
Thank the lord the whole Roberts in, Joseph out rumours turned out to be rubbish.
The selection of certain Welsh backs is, ahem, 'interesting'
edit: oh, and surprised by the inclusion of Nowell, but not one I have a problem with
Pretty much what you might expect really. Henderson ahead of Launchbury or Gray a bit of a surprise maybe and Te'o selection interesting, but given his cameos in the six nations maybe not too far a stretch. Not a Nowell fan, but I can see why he suits Gabs style of play - would rather have had a Jonny May in there as someone who offers something totally different and possibly unexpected.
Henderson can play back row, in addition he is one of the best lineout forwards out there so I can sort of get the thought behind his selection.
Te'o I think fits in to the warrenball idea. A big lad to be used as a battering ram / defence.
I too would have liked to see May go.
Very disappointed for Launchbury and think Ringrose and Russell have cause to be disappointed. Not a fan of Biggar and Payne is a bit of a bolter than has pipped Ringrose for versatility. Regarding Launchbury listened to an interesting take just now on The Rugby Pod which is worth listening to, where Jim Hamilton reckons it's the fact that he can't call the lineout efficiently that has cost him as Kruis, AWJ, Lawes and Itoje are all 'callers' to a certain extent.
Each player gets £70k for being part of the squad.
The interesting bit is that each home union also gets £70k for each of their players who are selected (plus a 25% share of tour profits).
Twelve Welshmen equals a minimum of £840k to the cash-strapped WRU. Nice!
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Jim.
No wonder the Scots were upset!
YES! Top of the table and home semi against Leicester! Vastly improved performance over recent games. Now, how much are Twickenham tickets?
Did anybody else watch the two European Finals?
Great game today, both Claremont and Saracens played well at times but Saracens were the better side! Stunning run of wins 👍🏻
Yes, agreed. Saracens just had more when it counted, and the last 15 minutes were unmissable. A really enjoyable game, with deserved winners, but there was always the threat that Clermont would do something spectacular. They're not short of star players, are they?
Anyway. Well played, Sarries! Just the Premiership to go, now.
I thought it was a really good game. I thought it would be one sided after the first 30 mins but the French side came back and I though the one point margin was justified
In the end the French had to chase the game and they made silly mistakes. The French open side was a real hand full in attack.
A fitting final.
Totally agreed. I must admit I was getting a bit worried with 20 minutes to go, but sarries made their bench really count. Itoji, Cruz and Wrigglesworth were just immense.
Why isn't Wrigglesworth on the plane to NZ?
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
He's not even first choice for England at the moment. Better box kicker than Care, not as good at sniping?
As a sarries fan with tickets for next week I am rather miffed.
Have to admit Exeter were worthy winners.
No idea whether it will be the Tigers or Wasps, but a cracking match all the same.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Unbelievable ending by Wasps. So pleased as I will be at Twickenham to watch the final next week.
Even more pleased that it is Exeter, as I was thinking that Sarries would have beaten Wasps.
I know nought about Rugby union. Has Wasps already won the championship as they came top of the table, or is it based on the outcome of the Wasps vs Exeter play-off or are they in effect counted as two separate competitions (and if yes, are they of equal prestige)?
Maybe daft question to you aficionados, but at least I'm honest about my ignorance. Football is my game and Manchester United is my team (although my interest is rapidly declining and it's not to do with recent lack of success).
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no, winner of next week's final wins the championship.
Two great games - as a Wasps fan I was screaming at my screen at the end! haha Hope Beale is OK.
I actually felt a little sorry for Sarries. They looked worn out
Thanks.
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I was at Sandy Park yesterday and lost my voice doing the tomahawk chop. It was great to get revenge on Sarries and I can't wait to get to Twickenham next week, it should be a really open, attacking game.
Fundamentally the RFU, several years ago, decided to confuse the difference between a league format and a cup format because, in doing so, they could extract even more money.
I should pay more attention to Rugby, I made the mistake of having to drive through Twickenham today. I bet the Sussex is heaving. Are you in Berlin today?
Went to the Sevens a number of years ago. Very enjoyable.
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I used to enjoy the Sevens though not really for the rugby; I also haven't been for years. The Sussex will do well out of it but probably not that well; the benefit of the Sevens is being able to dip in and out and the Sussex is probably a bit too far for that. It's probably me getting a bit curmudgeonly as I get older but there's a bit about the Sevens, and particularly the fancy dress aspect, that makes it resemble a rather large stag do these days.
About time for a thread resurrection.
Some interesting European matches this weekend, and I've just watched Northampton being very, very soundly beaten by Saracens. To add to Northampton's troubles George North looked to be in some difficulty when he went off.
One thing that's become noticeable during the last year or so is that French rugby no longer seems to be all about individual brilliance and artistry, and now seems to rely on finding the biggest blokes possible to run into, over, and if necessary through the opposition. Harlequins and Leicester came up against this yesterday, both being beaten at home in a competition where the first objective is to win your home games.
Sarries were stunning!
You're right about Quins losing at home to La Rochelle but Leicester were away to Racing so an away bonus point is a decent result.
Full English points after first round
Sarries +5 away
Saints 0 home
Wasps 0 away
Bath +4 home
Leicester +1 away
Exeter +4 home
Quins +1 home
I don’t think we watched the same match between Harlequins and les Maritimes. Doumayrou’s 100 m try was inspired, and the first half was incredible in attack despite the lack of European experience on the French side, 1st time against the Quins’ 75th.
And the second half was all about defending and yes, they can do that as well. They had shown their flair in the first 40 minutes.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
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