Return of agent Orange?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/27378354
Shame he may not be released for the game!
Gloucester sack Nigel????? All is not well at Kingsholm
Probables Squad (coach Rob Howley):Forwards: Gethin Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), Owen Evans (Dragons), Rhys Gill (Saracens), Ken Owens (Scarlets), Scott Baldwin (Ospreys), Adam Jones (Ospreys), Samson Lee (Scarlets), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys) (Captain), Luke Charteris (Perpignan), Jake Ball (Scarlets), Ryan Jones (Bristol), Aaron Shingler (Scarlets), Josh Navidi (Blues), Dan Lydiate (Racing Metro), Taulupe Faletau (Dragons).
Backs: Rhodri Williams (Scarlets), Mike Phillips (Racing Metro), Dan Biggar (Ospreys), Sam Davies (Ospreys), Jon Davies (Scarlets), Jamie Roberts (Racing Metro), Gavin Henson (Bath), Alex Cuthbert (Cardiff Blues), George North (Northampton), Hallam Amos (Dragons), Liam Williams (Scarlets).
Possibles Squad (coach Robin McBryde):Forwards: Paul James (Bath), Phil Price (Dragons), Rob Evans (Scarlets), Matthew Rees (Blues), Kristian Dacey (Blues), Rhodri Jones (Scarlets), Scott Andrews (Blues), Aaron Jarvis (Ospreys), Bradley Davies (Blues), Andrew Coombs (Dragons), Ian Evans (Ospreys), Macauley Cook (Blues), Josh Turnbull (Scarlets), James Davies (Scarlets), Dan Baker (Ospreys).
Backs: Gareth Davies (Scarlets), Lloyd Williams (Blues), James Hook (Perpignan), Matthew Morgan (Ospreys), Harry Robinson (Blues), Owen Williams (Leicester), Steven Shingler (Scarlets), Cory Allen (Blues), Jonathan Spratt (Ospreys), Tom Prydie (Dragons), Jordan Williams (Scarlets).
Great to see Matt Rees back and playing well after his cancer scare. James Hook has really pissed on someones chips at some point hasnt he. No idea how Gav is picked in the probables over Hook or Owen Williams or McShingler. Seems Samson Lee is picked over Rhodri Jones as back up 3 which is nice. Gyll ahead of Paul James is odd too. I reckon a few like Hook may be in the possibles to get more game time.
V SA I'd pick:
Gethin
Owens
Adam
Charteris
AW Jones
Lydiate
Baker/R Jones
Faletau
Phillips
Biggar
North
Roberts
Davies
Cuthbert
Hook
All is certainly not well at Kingsholm .
Rumour has it that Charteris is moving up the coast to Montpellier to fill Jim Hamilton's boots. The only question would be who would replace him when he gets injured next time?
Henson back for Wales, Cipriani for England. Who would have thought it, a mouth watering discussion of what might have been ?
@aa was offered a pint of Brains in a Chelsea pub last week, seemed a bit of a bizarre place to find it offered. I didn't realise they sold it outside of Wales.
@aa was offered a pint of Brains in a Chelsea pub last week, seemed a bit of a bizarre place to find it offered. I didn't realise they sold it outside of Wales.
There used to be a brilliant Welsh rugby pub on the King's Road, the Cadogan Arms. Many a day spent quaffing in there!
Pubs serving Brains in SW3 now? Could it have been the Trafalgar, perhaps? Intrigued.
There used to be a brilliant Welsh rugby pub on the King's Road, the Cadogan Arms. Many a day spent quaffing in there!
It's turned into a French Rugby pub now. I believe in keeping with it's traditional kind of punters, they've called it Le Plastique.
@CFH Queens Head just behind John Lewis Sloane Square. First and last time we'll go in there, I can't understand how it is still open. I like a traditional boozer and there are a few good ones in Chelsea/Belgravia but this wasn't one of them.
In fairness, hensons a probable, not picked, and Cipriani will still be behind Daddy's boy 1 and 2, and possibly Marker once the good teams have finished playing.
Tigers looking good so far - I feel the second half is going to be nail biting!
The Queens? Stays in business because it caters very well to a specific market. Only gay pub in the (Chelsea) village.
DD, as predictable as me! Still funny, though.
Glasgow 16 Munster 7 Huge physical game non stop still 33 mins to go
Bugger me backwards - what a semi-final!
Brutal 80 minutes, one of the best games of the season.
Agreed. Bloody excellent game. Ah well, it was always a Saracens final to loose.
Great game at Franklin's Gardens Northampton 21 Leicester 20.
Personally i'd love to see Quins lift the trophy. They are playing some fantastic rugby at the moment.
Two big days to end Johnny's career ?
Toulon eased past Racing to make the Top 14 final (they have never won it) Giteau scored a try and JW kicked conversion, two penalties and a drop.
Roll on Cardiff next Saturday.
Massive win for Saints, what an atmosphere that must have been.
There was an incident in the tunnel yesterday after the class act that is Chris Ashton shouted "miss it" during a quims kick. What a tool,you could hear a pin drop in the crowd,yet he can't behave.
What a cock. Between him, Callum Clark and the kiwi biter I can't decide which one I dislike more!
I wonder what it is / was at Northampton that breeds utter arseholes?!
Yep no love for Saffas of Saints here either.....ah well I'm in Rome when the final is being played-every cloud and all that.
Tinybits Henson isnt a probable or a possible. Gatland said they picked the probable 15 and then the possible 15 then filled the benches. He's way down the list. Wont be allowed to play anyway. Gatland does love though so he may tour.
Cipriani to be fair is still young and did have that horrific leg break...good luck to him.
I think the game would be duller if we didn't have Cipriani type players. Wouldn't like him playing for any team I followed mind...
Duckman - Cipriani has been simply fantastic for Sale this season, a complete turnaround from last season.
I have seen him a few times on telly,it was more the get knocked down by a bus/shag Jordan bit I am worried about.
What he does off the pitch i couldn't care less about as long as he delivers on the field. Having said that, in an interview at the beginning of the season he spoke about his friend who committed suicide (that young cricket player who's name escapes me) and how it affected him & made him reevaluate his life and approach to his job.
Plus, he got to hump Kelly Brook - admit it, you would love the chance 😉
you would love the chance
I believe duckie turned her down. 🙂
I rolled over her to get to DD iirc. 😳
Toulon have won the French champioships three times, although they have not won it under the current owner. Clermont were the "eternal seconds" having never won it until 2010 when they won their first final at their eleventh attempt.
JW announces his retirement
[url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/27467391 ]BBC link[/url] [url= http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,16024_9317427,00.html ]Planet Rugby Link[/url]
Be a good send off winning the cheap lager cup.
Watching the news now. Great drop goal under pressure but dawsons pass was awful, slow and looping!!
really? 15 yards back at about the same trajectory. Wilkinson under no pressure despite the aussie offside. looked ok to me for a bloke who'd played 100mins of a World Cup final, and had just made a 25yard break as well!
True he had just made a good break thats partly why I thought it was a forward who lobbed it the first time I looked!
I remember martin Johnson talking about the and he said the reason he went for a pick and go after Dawsons break was because he knew JW was in the pocket and didn't want anyone but Dawson passing it him. Hence giving Dawson time to get back on his feet and play the ball next phase. Pretty incredible moment one of those sports moments that you couldn't have written. Like Man City's title win in 2012.
My views on Wilkinson have been said often on here, hope he enjoys his retetirement and can get his head around coaching people who are not the same as him.
I remember martin Johnson talking about the and he said the reason he went for a pick and go after Dawsons break was because he knew JW was in the pocket and didn't want anyone but Dawson passing it him. Hence giving Dawson time to get back on his feet and play the ball next phase. Pretty incredible moment one of those sports moments that you couldn't have written. Like Man City's title win in 2012.
Yep the calmness of all involved was amazing, to be able to think so clearly when so tired and under such pressure makes it look so easy but many teams have shown that it is anything but.
@Pigface - that's an interesting point you make. He certainly galvanised the 2007 RWC squad, whether that was just with his presence and the confidence he brought to the squad or whether he had other leadership qualities I don't know. I hope he takes his time with what he does next, he's recently married and he deserves a rest but he's not that type of man. They love him down in Toulon, they have their own Johnny chants. An assistants job to Laporte would be perfect.
My views on JW are equally well known here, it is his ability to perform under pressure consistently at such a high level which makes him a very special winner for me. We all love to see someone making line breaks and running 40m for a score but the more mundane aspects of the game win big high pressure matches and the pressure JW puts the oppostition under is enormous, they know a mistake them from costs 3 points.
Roll on Cardiff.
Scotland squad v USA and CanadaForwards:Â Alex Allan (Glasgow Warriors), Johnnie Beattie (Montpellier), Kelly Brown (Saracens), Kevin Bryce (Glasgow Warriors), Blair Cowan, Geoff Cross (both London Irish), Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh), Richie Gray (Castres), Jim Hamilton (Montpellier), Scott Lawson (Newcastle Falcons), Kieran Low (London Irish), Moray Low (Exeter Chiefs), Pat MacArthur (Glasgow Warriors), Gordon Reid (Glasgow Warriors), Alasdair Strokosch (Perpignan), Kyle Traynor (Bristol).
Backs:Â Chris Cusiter (Sale Sharks), Alex Dunbar (Glasgow Warriors), Max Evans (Castres), Tom Heathcote (Bath), Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors), Greig Laidlaw (Gloucester), Sean Lamont, Sean Maitland, Finn Russell (all Glasgow Warriors), Duncan Taylor (Saracens), Tim Visser (Edinburgh).
Scotland squad v Argentina and South Africa
Forwards:Â Kevin Bryce (Glasgow Warriors), Geoff Cross (London Irish), David Denton, Alasdair Dickinson, Ross Ford (all Edinburgh), Chris Fusaro (Glasgow Warriors), Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh), Jonny Gray, Rob Harley (both Glasgow Warriors), Moray Low (Exeter Chiefs), Pat MacArthur, Gordon Reid (both Glasgow Warriors), Tim Swinson, Jon Welsh (both Glasgow Warriors).
Backs:Â Alex Dunbar (Glasgow Warriors), Dougie Fife, Grayson Hart (both Edinburgh); Stuart Hogg, Peter Horne (both Glasgow Warriors), Ruaridh Jackson (London Wasps), Sean Maitland, Peter Murchie, Henry Pyrgos, Tommy Seymour, Duncan Weir (all Glasgow Warriors).
Anyone explain this. Looks like the best players are split. I'd be worried if I were a Scot.
New manager coming in and wanting to get a good look at the players he's got available to him. Seems like a sensible idea. It's interesting to see the young players moving from the EDP program at Edinburgh to full-time pro contracts at Glasgow.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/27484858
and I'm worried about wales being dry humped by SA. Tbat Scottish squad will be destroyed if SA take it seriously.
Listening to Toulon playing it's like Saracens art taking on a World 15, what an amazing team.
Glad Wilkinson won. Other than him Toulon v Saracens is like choosing between genital warts and herpes.
Toulon were really rather good, there!
Good to see Habana getting a word for the dive, though.
Well that was all I hoped it would be. What a send off JW got, he was magnificent he just does so many things well.
Saracens must have been deflated to have had so much territory, to lead just 3-0 and then see Toulon add a little magic to make it 10-3. Thereafter the crowd seemed to have given up on Saracens, they where really quiet and it was like a Toulon home game. Someone needs to tell Stefon he's a number 8, I was hoping for a Mauri sidestep not a slip, I'm surprised Toulon didn't run up a bigger score as Sarries where as demoralised as Clermont where a couple of weeks ago. The two forwards combining for their second try should be in a coaching manual for the kids.
