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Anyone who starts with, I didnt see it but...and then uses the term Warrenball and comments on how they played...yep sour grapes
Gatland met his aims.
I'm pretty syre he was aiming to win, I dont think his aim was to justify his selection and coaching to the likes of you
TBF it does read badly. It is worth watching the other two Tests as a rugby fan, forgetting the selection politics for a second and you may be pleasantly surprised
TeeJ, you're talking out of your bumhole mate.
I couldn't give a shite about the Standard Life Investment British and Irish Lions. But it's still fantastic rugby to watch. Compelling even. Seeing a scratch side get inside the heads of the All Blacks after a bit of a duffing in the first test and come close to a most unlikely series win was mad.
You're just lucky that jamba made the embarrassingly dumb "this is embarrassing" statement during the second test. Otherwise yours would have been the silliest post of the Lions part of this thread.
Wrecker - that is a good article. Always nice to see someone admit they got it wrong.
DD said it better than I could - 100% what AA said - you should watch it before commenting TJ.
Oh the ironing!
You are odd chaps - or I am 😉 . What AA and the rest of you read was not what I meant at all. I was answering someone a page or two ago who asked for my thoughts
I was merely acknowledging that Gatland was right both on overall tactics and selection and over Warburton in particular - two things I criticised strongly - and he got an awful lot closer to a series win than I or many others predicted.
I thought you might enjoy me eating a slice of humble pie!¬
Yes, of course TeeJ. 😀
duckman - Member
Oh the ironing!
I'm happy to admit I was proven wrong by Mr Gatland.
We all were k57, to an extent.
Looks like a decent find. Presumably Cockeril picking his staff.CaptainFlashheart - Member
"the opportunity to join a club that’s improved significantly over the last few years"
Errmm - who told him that?
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Pffptp
Zebre are apparently pulling out of the Pro12.
shame. Still we have 3 SA clubs joining us apparently. Gawd alone knows how that will work
Got a source CFH? I can't find anything.
Was a developing story, TJ. Appears they're under the Italian national rugby wing and back in the Pro 12 now.
And....on to Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding. Really don't want to see stories like that in rugby. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-40719803
Ta CFH
It been a fair amount of brinkmanship over the Italians over the years. They can't leave - Edinburgh would be bottom of the league!
Interesting program last night with Nigel admitting he is and has been Bulemic for years.
Some quite sad stories with him admitting he was forcing himself sick between matches in Argentina recently. 🙁
Good on him for putting it in the public domain. A man we can all respect I think both as a ref and as a man
I find it very interesting that both him and Alfie came out a gay and there was almost no backlash because perhaps they are both so widely respected in the game from all sides. Must have made life easier for others
Gareth being gay was the worst kept secret in rugby. Lots of people knew, no one cared. I'd imagine Y Nige was similar. Who cares, really?
The Super rugby finals system to find a winner is somewhat interesting... if extra time and sudden death don't produce a winner after nearly two hours of play then a kicking competition starts. Not penalties, a kicking competition! Sudden death of three kicks in different positions across the 22 per kicker.
I have visions of Martyn Williams-esque grafter having made it through all that rugby scraping one over from in front of the posts and then be facing kicks from the touchlines against a fellow flanker 😆 Sounds kind of improbable but I would have thought the poor guys would be spent after 80 minutes and there's a solid chance of the next 30 not producing a result...
It is different though, being gay is not an issue, being bulimic is a health problem that we hope he conquer ?
[i]The Super rugby finals system to find a winner is somewhat interesting..[/i]
Sounds cool. Some great games in the semis. Really hard to pick a winner out of the 4 this year. Looks like the SA teams (huh, the Lions!) have learned from the B&I Lions how to nullify the NZ attacks, so the Canes will have to up their game tomorrow. Should be a fun watch.
2 fantastic semi-finals. SR final next week will be a great match.
RL Chalenge cup is fun right now. Dave Brailsfiord is reffing
First Super Rugby semi final was a touch average as a neutral and the Chiefs graft wasn't rewarded. They forced the Crusaders in to hundreds of tackles in the first half but just weren't clinical enough. Quite a slow, stodgy game and I switched over to AFL before it finished
Second semi was like another sport all together. Frantic action from start to finish with the first half looking like it was going to end a comfortable win for the Hurricanes. Lions threw the kitchen sink at them in the second half embodied by openside Kwagga Smith- not a big guy but ridiculously aggressive. Really good game to watch on catch up as a neutral is you fancy killing some time
When do we start the 2017/2018 thread ?
First Super Rugby semi final was a touch average as a neutral and the Chiefs graft wasn't rewarded. They forced the Crusaders in to hundreds of tackles in the first half but just weren't clinical enough. Quite a slow, stodgy game
Holy crap. I must've had a completely different game on. It was a superb game. Slow & stodgy? Maybe AFL is more your sport then Dan.
Pete - start it when you like, I think I'll be avoiding it.
I've been bombarded by Aussie rules lately and have only managed to find one person who likes watching Union in Aus and that was a Kiwi who preferred league! To be fair, there have been some cracking games on and what those guys do is bananas.
Watching a soggy, tight affair after all that was a bit of a shock to the system of all I know to be right and good 🙂 I think the main reason I didn't see it out was knowing the Crusaders were going to run away with it despite being second best for most of the game, except at the crucial moments. Kind of felt sorry for the Chiefs after so much graft
I guess the beauty of *proper* rugby is there are many ways to approach a game and many ways to win. It is however eye opening for a Pom to see so little love for Union in Australia and although we know it is struggling in Aus, the level at which the sport is struggling is staggering. A quick Google suggests it is the [url= http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/sport/2017/03/rugby-union-popularity-rates-plummeting-at-alarming-rates-in-australia.html ]26th most popular sport by participation in Australia[/url] and when you see it side by side with the more frantic ball sports, with giant crowds, crazy atmosphere at the ground and free to air then it all starts to make sense.
So no, I haven't lost any allegiances but it is interesting to get a different take on the sporting landscape in Aus
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/behind-the-lines/2016/dec/08/australia-rugby-union-england
http://theconversation.com/four-reasons-rugby-union-in-australia-is-struggling-despite-the-wallabies-success-49741
When do we start the 2017/2018 thread ?
French pre-season starts in a week or two. First games are 26 Aug !
Might be old news but 1/2p potentially playing out West is flippin' exciting 😀
I thought the latest rumour was 1/2p to Tiggers?
When do we start the 2017/2018 thread ?
The start signal shall be the first equisite pass by Henson!!!
Has anyone else seen the Pro14 schedule? Trips to Africa, two conferences it all looks very confusing 😆
Don't know if been discussed, but Prem highlight show has moved to Channel 5 for next season. Said they'll be showing some full games too. Good news for non-BT folk like myself. Flats and Mark DoubleBarrell-Poshbloke still presenting.
So the 1/2p deal is 'partly funded by the WRU',so what does that mean? are they going to pay his wages for a year or something? so are all the welsh regions going to be kept afloat by the WRU? Maybe if they cant afford the players off their own back they shouldn't be signing them.
So the 1/2p deal is 'partly funded by the WRU',so what does that mean? are they going to pay his wages for a year or something? so are all the welsh regions going to be kept afloat by the WRU?
They pay a % of his wages. Loafs of welsh players are on central contracts.
[url= http://www.rugbydump.com/2017/08/5825/guinness-pro12-officially-expands-to-pro14-for-upcoming-season ]Easy, eh?[/url]
Gareth Edwards 70th celebrations (This Is Your Life resurrected) on beeb2 now.
Brings a tear to the eye.
I am English, most of his playing was done before my time, however Sir Gareth is a complete legend and the programme was really fitting although too short. I can imagine the party afterwards would have been fantastic.
any other refs received their global law trial notification email?
most of it not particularly interesting but s7 on law16 looks a bit more interesting.
obviously doesn't change nature of ruck much but creating the offside line earlier....im trying to visualise the impact both in the age grade game that I look after but also elite games.
[i]I am English, most of his playing was done before my time, however Sir Gareth is a complete legend and the programme was really fitting although too short. [/i]
English too, my mum's Welsh, so I have a slight connection, but yep, utter legend. Superstars clip reminded how you had to be good at something to be a celeb back then.
Yeah, seen that Stoner.
Hard to picture how S7/16 will play out on the pitch.
No.6 /15.4 - Most kids didn't really get the old law, so that won't make a lot of difference. Number of times I've said on the pitch "You could've had that ball" to the tackler..!
yes they go charging in looking for a ruck first and ball second. Maybe the change will encourage them to turn that around....
So the new pro 14 format - anyone understand it? two conference of 7 teams each each conference being teams from all parts of last years league. Play the teams in your conference home and away, the teams outside your conference once and all the local derbies will be played still meaning same number of games as last year. IE Edinburgh will play 7 teams twice, Glasgow 3 times ( I think - maybe 4) and the remaining teams once each
Seems a bit peculiar.
While looking for the thread I saw my predictions for this year from a post a year ago
"Well for Scottish rugby its looking like another year of hopeless optimism followed by doom and gloom.Glasgow - in the main event in Europe but with a pool of death so euro glory is likely to be short lived. Should be there or thereabout for the league but not as strong as last year. They seem to have recruited well with a couple of wildcard signings.
Edinburgh in the minnows euro cup- realistic aims of making top six in the league next season. Maybe even top 4. the finally have a couple of fly halves having not had one most of last season including Duncan "Meatball" Weir
National side?
Last season was very much a mixed bag. Next year the team will be older and wiser. We have yet to see the best of this team but its time to start achieving something. Lookout for Peter HorneI don't expect or want many scots to go on the lions tour. I guess it will be based mainly around the english team who I expect to win the 6N Unless of course Gatland is coach again
*pulls pin and retreats*
Fairly accurate bar Edinburgh were shite again.
Solomona and Manu Tuilagi sent home from England training camp......
"Team culture issues" apparently.
Boozing on a Sunday night, with work the next day...not good
Tuilagi was supposed to be the weapon to beat NZ! what a dolt to blot his copybook again so quickly
so pro 14 anyone?
so pro 14 anyone?
Dont understand it and struggling to care.
AA - I don't get this. YOu clearly are a big rugby fan but don't like the pro 12 / 14? Seems common amongst welsh fans - why?
Coz its shit!
The away teams rarely try and who has to finish where to qualify for the Euro Cup depends on what country you are from.
No longer - its now the top 3 from each conference plus the next best team - which I personally think wrong as I want to see representation from all countries in the euro cup
Don't agree about not trying by away teams either - to get to the top 4 in the last few seasons you could only lose a few games.
Its interesting that from what I have heard its the welsh fans who are most disinterested
Seems strange that Leinster Munster and Ulster can be competitive in Europe yet Scarlets win the Pro12 despite being humped in Europe.
Point taken - but once you are in ther top 4 all you need is to win two games? glasgow and Edinburgh have both suffered from squad burnout as a result of euro / minnows cup runs. If you go out of europe early then yo have more resources for the league?
If you go out of europe early then yo have more resources for the league?
Or if you dont try too hard to win the pro12?
I really don't think its that at all. Glasgow tried as hard as they could be too many games for the players.
How many games can a player play? 25 a year? so 8 or 9 internationals leaving only 16 or so club games they can play.
The Irish teams seem to do (did?) a better job of attracting top players at the end of their careers to play a significant role throughout the season without the risk of them being called up and buggering off. Don't they get taxed less compared to in Wales and Scotland too, effectively making their wages higher if all else were the same? Would kind of explain how the Irish teams are always around the top of the Pro12 and also competitive in Europe.
Standard of rugby/ teams/ grounds/ attendances/ etc is poor in the Pro12
Standard of rugby is not poor! well apart from Edinburgh and the Italians. I far prefer watching the Pro 12 to the AP although the ap has become more entertaining in the last couple of seasons.
the top teams have a full squad of players who can rotate, the welsh teams seem to spend all their money on stars so when they are out the replacements are poor
the welsh teams seem to spend all their money on stars so when they are out the replacements are poor
Who are these stars?
The Irish teams seem to do (did?) a better job of attracting top players at the end of their careers
Because they have much bigger budgets.
Thats a well debunked myth AA - the irish have a bit more but spend it more wisely. The Scots let players go further on into their carers ie Grig Laidlaw, Taylor, Gray senior etc and it looks like Hogg is going as well. this means more money for the rest of the squad. The welsh pay over the top amounts to keep the big names in Wales - Warburton, AWJ and the like so have less to spend on the rest of the squad. The problem is the figures we have are not transparent or comparable - for example the Welsh teams have a playing budget of around 3.5 million. Then there are the central contracted players on top. The Scots have a total budget of around 5.5 million - but unlike the welsh that includes all the ground costs, coaching and backroom staff etc etc. Irish around 6 million.
All the unions have the same revenue streams - the Welsh a bit more because of their extra international. the actual amounts spent on player salaries is pretty similar.
Thats a well debunked myth AA - the irish have a bit more
Very convincing...who debunked it?
The welsh pay over the top amounts to keep the big names in Wales - Warburton, AWJ and the like
So us ewer sauces?
Because they have much bigger budgets.
If the link is to be believed then AP stylee budgets which is more than I thought. AFAIK the tax on wages is significantly lower too so they take home more pennies too. If anything the Irish should be doing *even* better 🙂
I may be mistaken but the number of big name internationals from outside Scotland/ Wales/ Ireland seems to be declining in the Pro12 compared to a couple of years ago which also takes away a bit of the interest in seeing a damp scrap in front of a handful of spectators. Could be the extra money in Japan and France but I do miss seeing the likes of Howlett week in week out...
Figures I have seen show the disparity is less - a lot less but the Irish do have bigger budgets. Thing is all the unions have the same revenue streams so why would the welsh have so much less? and no one publishes transparent figures.
Tuilagi WTF. Jones gives him a huge vote of confidence and he goes and gets pissed up
On another note, what do we reckon to the sending off in the Super Rugby final [url= http://www.rugbydump.com/2017/08/5830/kwagga-smith-banned-for-4-weeks-after-red-card-challenge-in-super-rugby-final ]linky[/url]
It was always going to be red but I have a lot of sympathy for Smith. Contrary to first view he didn't just clatter in like a stereotypical flanker with no sense of personal well being. The side view at around 58 seconds shows that the defender jumped very high and very late and didn't leave Smith anywhere to go. You could argue he should have anticipated a jump or his mistake was not jumping himself but that was never going to happen. You could also say he shouldn't have put himself in that position but that is always easy to say with hindsight. It is hard to argue with a red but it wasn't the same time if it were you you would be devastated
I thought it was a red DanW. But it took the edge off the game a bit, so definitely wish it hadn't been!
To my mind red cards should be for deliberate acts of foul play (which that obviously wasn't). But there's a whole world of interpretation there, so refs have to go by the guidelines they've got.
On another note, re that final - how good was the Crusaders' defense of the maul?! Rare to see so many mauls pushed back by the defence.
It pretty much exactly what the la was brought in for. No grumbles
May off to the Tiggers and Slater Gloucs as part of the deal. Interesting move - will May suit Tigers?
Manu is a tit - having been out if the squad for so long, you'd think he'd be on his best behaviour.
Red all day.
His timing was awful and possibly reckless. Even if the player hadn't jumped Smith would have smashed him before he got the ball. He was arriving way to fast and with only the tackle as his intention. Red mist red card.
Lions did really well though.
Edit: mind you if the crusaders retreating player hadn't also had contact it is arguable that he wouldn't have tipped so far and landed how he did.
Yeah, I remember thinking he should have caught him instead of knocking him onto his head!
Don't get me wrong, it was always going to be a red but I did feel sorry for Smith getting trapped in no mans land and jumped on. Compared to all the recent in air collisions he was far less reckless and to my eyes was arriving a touch late rather than early, especially when you look at the first side on view and the path of the ball before the giant leap. Can't argue with it, just feel sorry for the guy
Not sure we have 15 minutes worth of cracking tries in the Pro 12. That said you could also argue the NH tackle occasionally and referees call a forward pass every now and again 🙂 I reckon 50% of those tries have a forward pass in and the other 50% have more than one forward pass 😆
I like the try and 3:13 for sheer audacity and the one immediately after as a cracking example of keeping the ball alive a lot like the SOB Lions try
Superb stuff. Enjoyed McKenzie's break (6mins) and the Stormers one (8:30). No room for Jordie Barrett's miraculous dead ball line try though? 😉
I'd already forgotten the Jordie Barrett try- that was superb! Mckenzie has some serious speed too!
Well interesting day at the rugby world cup
Well done Wales two good tries but New Zealand look good
Spain two cheeky tries against a strong England
DanW - plenty on youtube
5 mins just of Glasgow taking ~Racing apart
It might have been a tongue in cheek comment 😉
Woosh - wtf was that 🙂