4 for Tuilagi, nowt for Lawes
So is Will Griff John any good? Hope so as the Scotland scrum has been good so far!
And pro14 suspended
Wow, so happy that the tournament I reffed at took place yesterday! Just received this from the RFU:
"the Rugby Football Union (RFU) will suspend all rugby activity in England, at both professional and community level, including club training, league and cup matches plus rugby education courses from Tuesday 17 March until Tuesday 14 April, subject to continued review."
I am hating the world.
Looks like our boys April tour to Great Yarmouth is off. Mixed feelings... 🙂
From the Guardian
A controversial plan to allow England’s Maro Itoje to play in France next season while still being available for the national team has sparked a major row between England’s leading clubs and the Rugby Football Union. Itoje has been offered a seven-figure sum to join the top French side Racing 92 on loan rather than turn out for relegated Saracens in the Championship but the idea has been vetoed by other Premiership club owners.
What should Itoje do? Take the money and run or turn out in UK lower division?
If it were me I would move to France. Given playing life just make as much as you can while you can.
All pretty academic now given the cancellations and lockdowns.
Do you think Racing 92 will allow him to wear a scrum cap?
Are bans in playing weeks or calendar weeks? Wee willie tweaker might be out for longer if playing weeks.
Games, there was the scandal of Sale 3xv v some local team for an England international a few years ago, wasn't there?
Itoje / Saracens have an even bigger issue - the championship teams are proposing a 2.5 million salary cap - so Saracens will have to get rid of a load of players anyway more than likely.
English clubs have no room in their salary caps to take on sarries players. too expensive for pro 14 teams. Some of them are going to end up with no clubs or seriously reduced saleries is my guess
Squidge report on the scotland game is in and as usual well worth watching
Yesterday sky sports mix screened the 1997 and 2002 NZ vs England games. Cor blimey, I last played in 1997 myself but compared to today that seems a dangerous place to be. Plenty of tackles around the neck, people being torpedoed out of the rucks, rucking out of course and Justin Marshall being punched in the face by cockerill with the latter being merely asked to walk away.
Jnr was shocked at the scrums, asking why the dove cult pelt into each other (1997) and at Neil Backs 8 stitches and no head bandage before he gets back on the field.
Great to watch but brutal and more raw skill on show.
I have been watching old games as well. 1990 and 2000 calcutta cups. Its like a different game. The size of the players, the complexity of the backs running lines and what they got away with then
Also from other bits a few good laughs. This by Nathan HInes is superb - especially the look of innocence and disgust when a pen is given against him
The best ypu've seen your team play?
For me the opening few mins of this match v ireland in the 2011 world cup quarter final is awesome!!
From about 29min in
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=WGYk0rnN47s
Second half of the calcutta cup last year or the match against NZ a couple of years before OK we got beat but by 'eck we pushed 'em close. Closer than any other NH team that year IIRC
Don't bother with the first half - its just a load of lucky pish from england 😉
All jesting aside I think that calcutta match is one of the best I have seen. Certainly one of the most entertaining ( even if I did go off in a sulk after half an hour) and the draw in the end seems fair
AA
Darcy Graham ( my current man crush) the new Shane Williams? Its great to see a place still exists for the wee guy who can run around everyone
For those looking for old games - a lot of the european minnows cup games here
https://www.epcrugby.com/challenge-cup/latest-video/epcrtv/live-streams/
Lets have some more rugby chat.
Players who made the best of their talents and players who may never fulfill their promise:
Tommy Seymour ( Tennessee Tam) Not the fastest, not the most skillful but a great international career and never let Scotland down.
Mark Bennett ( the messiah) - looked to have it all when he came on the scene and looked like he was going to be a fixture in the scotland team. Lost perhaps his best years to injury. Now just one option at centre
Yours?
Josh Lewsy, always seemed amazingly fast and sturdy, perhaps didn’t play enough.
On the other side Austin Healey. No doubt talented but ruined potential by being an utter maverick gobshite.
(In other news Jones has signed to Coach England to the 2023 RWC don’t you know )
Classic Lions series’ on Sky today. ‘97 Lions at the mo. I remember the players well, but amazing how much of a free for all it seems compared to now, especially the scrums.
Players who made the best of their talents and players who may never fulfill their promise:
Player who made the most of Talents. AWJ, not the biggest, not the strongest, not the most athletic but an utter ****ing legend
Player who didnt fulfil potential, nope cant think of one!!@
Player who didnt fulfil potential, nope cant think of one!!@
Hahahahahahahahahahaha
Hows your orange man crush doing these days?
Not fulfilling potential for Wales must go to this fella. Had he been born in NZ or Aus or been at his peak in the 70's he would be recognised as one of the best player ever to pull on a 10 jersey, as it was he played for a shit Wales team and then was lost to league.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rt4AIRMzJ2o
Aye - a great player. Shame about his punditry
Josh Lewsey is welsh by the way so he certainly underachieved!!
AA - I bet you are glad the Scotland / Wales game was called off 😉
Whatever else - there is no doubt at all Scotland have the prettiest team.
Josh Lewsey is welsh by the way so he certainly underachieved!!
Ha Ha.
To me he epitomises one of the places Daly makes the current squad weak - Lewsey offered himself into the line 5m inside the winger as the oppo is drift out to cover, Daleys constantly looking out to the wing which is just a predictable pass-up-the-line until the space runs out.
AA – I bet you are glad the Scotland / Wales game was called off
I am, you whining and moaning about us cheating because we pushed in the scrums or something would have done my head in!!!
Al Kellock made the most of what he had. He always seemed to be fighting for his place in the Scotland team but I always felt both Glasgow and Scotland played better than the sum of their parts when he was captaining.
Leadership on the field and consistently playing better than the sum of their parts has been an issue for both Glasgow and Scotland since he hung up his boots.
Bruce - known as "the ruck inspector" inspirational captain for Glasgow
Lolz @ AA
We were on a roll, you guys were broken physically and mentally. Its a moral victory for us!
Its a moral victory for us!
All the best Scottish ones are!!
Its the Welsh that are the masters of the Moral victory!
I'll post this again as it's an impressive watch
Favourite "character" in Rugby? I am going to go for Allan "chunk" Jacobson. The man who ate all the pies! When he retired edinburgh produced a new trophy in his honour - in the shape of his ear! He also saved someone from a burning house IIRC.
Honourable mention for Adam Jones - funny as heck ( but too "clever" in the scrums)
I think it would be a better and more pleasant challenge to name favourite “characters” from the other 5 nations. Doesn’t have to be all five, just not someone from “your” team. 😀
Like it DD -
Wales - Adam Jones. A genuinely funny guy
Ireland - has to be Paul " I'll fight for you all day" O'Connell
England - Austin Healey - has there ever been a more annoying little git of a player
Italy - can't really think of one
France - Ibanez for his comments on Szarzewski. " he is too pretty to be a hooker - but I am sure a few years in the scrum will change that"
Watching first half, christ Moore is a chippy ****, doesnt know Mike Phillips name and Borthwick mocking the welsh pack....looking forward to the "flood gates to open second half" comments from Inver****.
Henson still gorgeous...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000jljz/scrum-v-classics-5-england-v-wales-2008
Itoje goes up in my estimation, good on him for saying like it is, I approve of that sirt of thing!
I know we all like a bit of Squidge Rugby, but there's some very detailed analysis from the RWC Games England V AB's and England v SA which makes absolutely fascinating watching and learning about the modern strategy, coaching and execution:
Who says Rugby's a simple game eh. Very interesting how Jones spent 4 years coaching how to beat the AB's, but SA spent the same 4 years working out how to beat everybody with some alternate interpretations. Opinions on the SA coach on the sidelines will be divided when you see him calling Englands plays, I'm sure...
When does rugby get going again?
Lions bolter for next year, discuss.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DTwSf9FPFPw
When does rugby get going again?
Super Rugby AU and Aotearoa have been running for a few weeks now (NZ close to finishing their comp!). And very entertaining it has been.
England starts tonight.
Pro 14 next weekend.
[i]And very entertaining it has been[/i]
Certainly has.
Crusaders v Highlanders last weekend was superb. That try-saver by Josh McKay... wonderful stuff.
