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Starts tonight, with the Amlin.
Proper comp starts tomorrow evening.
So who is supporting who, which teams look strong, and who can lend a Scottish team a number 10? 😀 (Just getting there before TJ!)
My local team, Ospreys, look decidedly weak at the moment. Biggar at 10 doesn't seem to be able to control the game, Morgan the 19yr old is very good at that, (plus kicking from hand, getting the backs moving and making breaks) but even his coaches question his defence.
Add in new signings (Fotuali'i (sp?) and Stowers) who don't look integrated yet.
Biarritz at home though? I wonder if Biarritz are still playing as conservatively as they used to? A win for the O's hopefully.
But......I can't see any of the Welsh teams getting very far.
Support London Irish (for my sins). Suspect we will end up third, after Racing Metro and Cardiff Blues. Start on Saturday with Edinburgh, who I expect will end up bottom.
My team, Worcester are up against Stade Francais this evening. Not very confident they will get anything other than a good stuffing.
I will be following/supporting Stade Toulouse in the propoer competition.
Allez Toulousain!!
Support Edinburgh, just stuck a few hopefully £s on them to beat London Irish will pay for some new tyres for winter if they do!
Have not look at the draw but I think Clermont A, Saracens or Northampton for the cup this year.
Without a local (except b**h) prem side, I'll be going for the quins this year. I like the rugby they're playing at the moment.
Gloucester season ticket holder. Its going to tough - opening up with a trip to Toulouse, then Quins at home which will be my 8 week old Son's first game! Home wins at Kingsholm are a just about a given as they can be, Glaws away is a different matter.
The clue's in my name 🙂
chopped in my season ticket two years back
Not entirely sure how far we'll go this season - I'm think getting to the final 2nd year on the bounce will be a difficult ask?
Not sure on The Saints chances to be honest, saw them play Ospreys in Bridgend the other week and they looked a bit off pace if you ask me, played well in the second half, but feel a bit unsure if they face a team who'll play them from the off, that said, will still be cheering for them, especially as I work in an office full of Welshies!!
Originally from Northamptonshire so it's the Saints for me. Have high hopes of going deep in the knockout stages again.
Quins fan here! What a start to the season we have had! Just hope the form continues in Europe and we can stay in the top four come the end of the season .
Sale.
Also Irish supporter (for no other reason than I know someone involved with the club) so always look out for them and would love them to do well in a comp this year.
Worcester season ticket holder here, we'll get stuffed by Stade tonight but so long as we stay in the Prem i'll be happy.
Well, Worcester didn't do too badly. Just a pity that they didn't have more idea behind the scrum - too much lateral stuff, not enough go forward! And of course far too many mistakes allowing Stade to kick penalties.
ron jeremy - Member
Not sure on The Saints chances to be honest, saw them play Ospreys in Bridgend the other week and they looked a bit off pace if you ask me,
The Brewery Field used to be a difficult ground for away teams, mainly because it was so heavy going. Any team that was used to playing on a decent pitch struggled. Not sure what it's like these days. (I think they've put some decent lights in now, ones that actually illuminate the whole pitch...)
COYS - (The Northampton lot will know)
Half Scouser / Half Irish, Munster is the families team
I went the final last season though, great match!
Dragons, may do ok if our world cup heroes perform, but the rest of the team need to shape up.
bloody rain last week, and bloody rain now!
Ulster Rugby here in Belfast hosting Clermont in a mighty tough Pool 4. History suggests a home win, just!
Scottish teams, Embra are going well just now,Irish were poor a couple of weeks when I saw them,so potential for an upset.A couple of gutless losses at home for both Scottish districts followed by ruining somebody else's chances away. I suspect the perceived malaise may affect the English teams this year, and even if it didn't: Clermont look VERY good. Glaws the game of the first weekend for me.DD will be along in a min to talk about the Irish. I-Jon I saw the Anglo Welsh Ospreys game the other week, good young side, but will struggle in Europe. Is seabass playing this year?
Guys, can we keep this one clean/civil please.
Great result for Munster last night, wasn't it?
😈
Duckman, sorry brain not working. Who is seabass?
Standing up for the Ulstermen here. Very tough group and can't see us progressing to be honest, I'll happily eat my words though!
Well done Sexton shutting up the booing French crowd
IdleJon - Member
Duckman, sorry brain not working. Who is seabass?
Sebastian Chabal.
European Cup Rugby O'Flashearty you muppet. 😆 Clue: it's in the thread title.
Great result for Edinburgh duckie against the notnots. 🙂
Open competition this year...well it is if you're Munster, Leinster or French. If you're Scottish, Welsh (plastiques included) or English, the best you can hope for is that you get to see some class sides with European pedigree come to visit your ground. 😆
Well somehow we managed to get the win, didn't deserve to if I'm honest.
Good result for Edin as well, didn't see that one coming. If only all crowds were as silent for the kickers as Munster
Great result for Edinburgh duckie against the notnots.
Bollards! Just in from my reffing and was just about to start watching..DD you git!
Oops, misread the paper this morning! 😳
Duckie, I'm sorry man. I didn't mean to do a spoiler on you. 😐
DD what province do you follow ?
Bristol. 😈
Pay O'Flashearty no heed BM. He's never really been pleased about being outed as a plastic Wales fan. Apparently, though I was born and raised in limerick, and am a keen fan of Munster and Ireland, but happen by dint of economic circumstances in the early nineties, to live in Bristol, I'm now plastic, in his skewed opinion anyway. 😆
Thank goodness for that for a minute I thought you might be a Dublin 4 nice boy!
No chance. Yaw. 😆
good results from the welsh teams!
Seabass is broken isnt he?
I'm just popping some humble pie into the oven to heat up. 😳
Just got back from the Ospreys scrapping past Biarritz, pretty dire game to be honest, Tommy B took his chance very well and just managed to slide in. Harry Ordinary was immense and full of gallic gallicness 😆 injured shrugging and being everywhere at once it seems. Nice bit of petulance as well 8)
Two old boys in front of us were like Waldorf and Statler, everytime anyone kicked the ball they would moan and groan 🙂 brilliant entertainment.
Cancel that humble pie DD what a fantastic game, unlucky saints you should have had it in the bag. Well played Munster, epic last 6 mins
I've been frantically updating the live scores page on beeb while I've been on the train BM. Couldn't believe they pulled it out of the bag at the end.
It was awesome, try to catch the highlights. Something like 35 phases in the last 6 mins
Harry Ordinary was immense and full of gallic gallicness
He's hardly Gallic. He's Basque.
Great pic on the Beeb website... 🙂
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Arrrghhh! Game I still have to catch up on? Munster;scroll down to bottom of thread and DD is at it again 👿
Five mins in and I have decided that I am going to use one of my international passes next year to watch Munster in the EC,what an atmosphere.Eldest son is awake early,do you think 9 is too young to make his Dad a bacon roll?
Flash are you in full pedantic mode? He plays for France and as Goscinny and Urderzo taught me he is a Gaul therefore Gallic 😀
Let's be fair now duckie, if you don't want to see results, then don't log on to this thread.
I'll give you that.Would have posted earlier but fell asleep watching 1st half of Weedgie/bath game. ZZZZZZZZZZZZ
There is something special about watching Munster in Thomond duckie. If you have a chance to do it, I would. If only for the silence for the kickers - it's almost intimidating at times.
When you're headed that way, let me know and I can give you some tips on Limerick and what to do and see. 🙂
There is something special about watching Munster in Thomond
Would love to get to a game there!
Pigface, pedantry is an art! 🙂
He he he he - two good wins for the scottish teams - who'd a thunk it :-0
IdleJon which teams look strong, and who can lend a Scottish team a number 10? (Just getting there before TJ!)
Nah - its OK - we have a couple of youngsters who look good in the club game and might just get there for the International game
Finished watching the Glasgow game before work this afternoon and it got me wondering if the coaching teams prepared their squads in any particular way for playing on narrow pitches like Firhill?
Obviously it has an effect on teams that play an expansive game.
And then I started wondering whether the Ospreys are really an expansive team who unfortunately play on a narrow pitch? 😉
Some nice games this weekend. I wish that the Ospreys could play with the intensity of Munster or N'hampton.
Ospreys were very ordinary on Saturday.
scarlets murdering Northampton at the moment.
scores a plenty at murrayfeild but no tv covrage 🙁
Blues winning as well.
You would think a player who many england fans think is world class would know to play to the whistle, useless prick. Christ North is fast!
dragons were epic, crowd was mental, edwards signed new contract aswell!
happy chappy!
Crazy score in Edinburgh 😆
😯
48-47 Holy crap !!!!
Holy bovine! Embrafurracup! So what TJ, £10 for a seat at Embra games...97 points for that and a 30 odd point comeback!
Edinburgh had the early lead 17-3 it went to 44- 20 to racing and for edinburgh to win?
😯
Duckman - I was thinking of going - wish I had done
Well that has certainly slowed North down, well done Ashton 😈
A-A; still think North is a defensive liability?
I was actually thinking he has improved a huge amount in his positioning recently, it was never really that he was beaten or run over just that he seemed to get sucked in and drawn out of postion. I expect he was on the receiving end of a lot of coaching at the world cup. Just hope he can retain his pace as the inevitable injuries come and go. Looked like Ashton twisted his leg quite nastily last night. His pace for Priestlands try was breath taking for such a big bloke.
Scarlets on the up?? My patients will be pleased. That saints coach showing hed do a great job at twickers!
Ashton, Hartley and Lawes were all complete garbage last night, what was Johnson feeding them in NZ methadone? The Scarlets 8 looks good, get him in the Welsh set up quick I say. Just hope Norths injury isnt too bad, I was only watching on an internet feed so couldnt be sure but it looked like a bit of a cheap shot from Ashton who seems to have an ego bigger than his ability, he's very good coming off the shoulder in broken field but is poor at most other aspects of wing play based on last nights evidence.
another citing for Lawes coming? In a wee fracas the camera caught him punching a guy on the ground
doubt Lawes will be cited, although for the life of me I couldnt work out what upset the Scarlet's Tongan lock. Northampton are a very niggly team though.
Watching the scrums was fun, evertime Tonga wee er got a bind he destroyed Thomas but Thomas did a great job of not letting him bind.
Lawes should be - came into to two guys having a bit of handbags on the ground and gave the scarlets player a punch / forearm smash to the head. Aston for the off the ball incident on North as well that led to his injury.
Dirty niggly game from Saints
Tigers playing Ulster tonight at Welford Road, hoping for a good result......
Although current form and results would point to a bit of kicking 😥
Was at the Blues/Irish game last night. Overall the blues deserved to win, Irish were rubbish for the first 60 minutes but improved for the last 20 minutes. Blues threw away at least 2 tries - and given that they had an extra man for the last hour - it should have been an easy victory. I suspect both sets of coaching teams will have a lot to do in the next few weeks.
My first visit to Cardiff City Stadium. Very similar to the Mad Stad - a bit soulless for rugby
Ospreys draw in Italy 😕 can't make up my mind whether that is a result or not.
Baconface; Treviso have improved out of sight,result IMO. Watching Glaws/hairyquims game....How are Glaws behind?
Exactly man of quack, Treviso aren't push overs anymore.
Holy crap Rog does it again. Now for Ulster to do the same.
Nice one ROG 🙂
Tigers up so far 17-9
Come on Tigers!!!
Well played tigers definitely deserved that on the second half performance. Humph lost it a bit as well, a bonus at Ravers in the new year and we will be sweet!
Hartley really is an odd one isnt he: