[Closed] Rugby thread 2016/2017

😆 every could an' all that.

Bookies have Hovis as fav, Hartley second fav and AWJ in third.

I'm not sure any of those are cast iron test starters. Warburton and AWJ were very ordinary last season and Hartley is no more than solid, strong set piece but not much else. Mind you other options dont stand out.

For me Hartley is the stand out 2.....although Jamie George could be a good outside shout for that shirt. I was quite impressed with the Welsh 2 (Baldwin?) also.

Hovis.....I reckon he'll be in the back row, although it's a lot more open than 4years ago.

Agree on AWJ......although inexperienced, I'd have Jonny Grey and Itoje ahead....and a few other England players on a par. That second row is going to be very tough to get a starting place in!

Talking up the kiwi biter today - surely not?

I'm interested to see what team comes out this time. As much as I derided Gatland for the last Lions selection, in fairness the Welsh team were outplaying most of the rest of the other nations so should have been in the majority.
Not sure it'll happen this time although I'm not as up to speed on the Irish and Scottish individuals as I could be.

Hartley is no more than solid, strong set piece but not much else

I think he brings more than that - he's an exceptional competitor and leads by example. Besides, the first thing you want from your hooker is to be rock solid in the set piece. He's a nailed on starter as test hooker. Other teams don't like playing against him which says it all.

Gats might decide to go with Warburton as captain if the party has a predominantly English make-up just to get a better balance.

Gatland as the only option really - it'll be interesting to see who he picks as his coaches. The tour schedule looks a bit manic and I can't see anything more than a pasting unless the AB's have a serious loss of form.

Was surprised to see Lancaster go to Leinster - as has been said, I'm not sure he's really a coach plus he comes with a lot of baggage.

The scuttlebutt is that Townsend is, depending on his new job, attack coach. I'm not sure I want him working with the other home nations players! 😮

Same old same old in Scotland for the first games of the season. Glasgow look the real deal ready to compete with anyone, Edinburgh look mince. 🙄

As for Gatland - he may have een the obvious candidate but he is not the man the lions need to beat NZ. too conservative in his approach, no room for mavericks and I bet he picks mainly welsh players. One bonus is he shouldn't take many scots so we shouldn't have our players mucked up by this.

Will the "tokens" be in the coaching staff or on the field or both?

too conservative in his approach, no room for mavericks

Then please explain Matthew Morgan and his place in the Wales squad, or why he picked Shane whenever he could.

Shane was a must pick. We shall see when he makes his selections but my interest in the lions just went down several notches as I simply believe Gatland does not have the ability to coach a team to beat the ABs. Proven by the fact that in the last decade Scotland have beaten SH teams, wales have not despite Wales being a better team over the period. Gatlands tactics do not work against SH teams ( forget the last lions tour - that was a very weak Aus side and we should have beaten them 3 nil and would have with the right team and tactics)

Gatlands tactics do not work against SH teams

Despite being a Lions series winning coach. Come on you need to at least make a stab at basing your opinions on fact..having said that this is a post brexit thread

As I said - that Aus team were very poor and we only just made the series win when it should have been easy.

How many victories do gatlands wales have against SH opposition? How many do scotland have? which is the higher ranked team?

That to me is the telling stat.

Off to Sixways tonight with Jr to watch Wuss tear Gloss apart in the Derby. Ahem.
Here's hoping.

At least that maniac Donncha O'Callaghan is back in the Wuss side. As long as he only costs us 6 or 9 points he's good entertainment value 🙂

Unfortunately Lamb is still at 10, with Tom "I can only run in a straight line" Heathcote on the bench. Oh joys.

Japan doesn't count 😆 ninja (see what I did there) edit oooops 😳

World rankings as end of August have Scotland at 9 Wales at 5 😆

Ha ha is that where Dynamite Donnacha has ended up? Him and Moriarty on the same field, what could possibly go wrong? 😆

Especially as it is not in SH

Stoner - Member
Unfortunately Lamb is still at 10, with Tom "I can only run in a straight line" Heathcote on the bench. Oh joys.

You should complain! Imagine if your national side was so bad he was being touted as the Great White Hope.

How many victories do gatlands wales have against SH opposition? How many do scotland have? which is the higher ranked team?
That to me is the telling stat.

I've been over this at length previously. Wales have many more game v Aus, NZ and SA. Most autumn we have 4 games 3 against the big 3 one of which is outside the window so see's us field a weakened team. We dont get the luxury of building up slowly against weaker opposition and targeting one match. Its due to money. Gatland has a Lions series win and some Grand Slams under his belt not sure who else is better qualified to do the job that wanted it.

Ooooh, forgot about the new pitch here at Sixways. Shiny.

Wonder if Glaws will go through their full repotoir on how to loose a game from a winning position?

So - Edinburgh against the scarlets tonight. Dare I watch? Edinburgh's performance last week was pure mince. Is this going to be another ritual mauling for the MFLs? (metrosexual festival luvvies as our friends in the west call us)

We do have a ten now - Duncan "meatball" Weir ( tovey is injured) but he had a bit of a mare last week. Inexperienced 9 as well with the well groomed SHC out of favour. No Dickenson in the front row but surely we won't get pushed around again. Our new Fijian lock is not yet on the teamsheet so we have the fragile Gilcrest and the luxuriant coiffured Toolis in the boiler room and a lightweight back row with the tackling fool Hardie playing - dunno where Bluto is ( strauss).

Time to hide behind the sofa I think. My hopes for this season dissipated in one game

Wonder if Glaws will go through their full repotoir on how to loose a game from a winning position

Worcester will be playing for a late Gloucester collapse obviously...

Is double agent Hook playing?

Cracking crowd in Edinburgh!!! The fan has bought both his dogs!!

Hook on the bench.

Edinburgh 20 scarlets 6 at the half with a scarlet in the bin! 😯

Dunno is wuss are looking good or Glaws are looking bad!
Fair play to them though, nothing wrong with that try.

Very well worked tries TBH.

But wuss only in the lead thanks to a lot of luck that gloss haven't finished any moves properly despite overlaps. And despite lambs conversion his kicking is dire.

More importantly I'm jeffin' fed up with Sixways inability to serve more than a dozen pints a minute to a crowd of 10k

FFS I'm bringing my own booze next time. Huge queues even during middle of the half. I'm resigned to being sobre when we lose and nobody deserves that. 🙁

Actually I agree having watched a bit more, wuss look the better team in pretty much every area. I'd be disappointed if they lose this.

Oh shit Teo concussed.

Agree ref the beer serving at Sixways, although upstairs in the south stand is ok.

Healy talking shit, Alfie has to walk for that.

Another gloss tackler leading with his head. Hopefully he can walk himself to the docs. Oof. Sitting up now

Edinburgh win 😯 shome mishtake shrly

Edinburgh win. shome mishtake shrly

It's because you're back. 😀

😳

Oh shit Teo concussed.

By his own arm guard?

Some lovely rugby from Cardiff and an away win over Munster.

By his own arm guard?

😆

I know I shouldn't laugh at someone being injured, but this makes I larf!

That prick heathcote nearly cost us the game with that stupid punt. We'll take the points but we should have won that.

Not sure about Teo but Alfie put in a superb elbow onto a glaws players jaw. Caught him right on the button, poor bloke dropped like a sack.
Wuss would have won had he not done that, but if I were glaws I'd feel a bit hard done by for some of those pens. people were diving into rucks all day, and he randomly blows one 2m from the line?
Same **** who ****ed bris over last week.

Good result for Sale last night. get well vibes to TJ and thuggery by Luamanu on Beaumont rightly receives Red. fortress AJ

Wonder where that Wuss player learnt to use his elbows?

Wonder where that Wuss player learnt to use his elbows?

He was a bit of a hero when he was at bris, then bath turned him into a thug 😉

Yeah I saw it on the btsport app thingy I got woth my ee phone. Just reminded me of Teo!
St Gav still injured for tomorrow which is a shame. Ian Evans back though.

Blow the final whistle Craig! 7-0 Argentina 🙂

Wuss need to find a bit of killer instinct - Gloucs were there for the taking even with 14 men. They were poo and started to loose there heads (Heinz getting penalised for backchat etc). They payed a fair bit better than last week which is good. Gloucs were awful....so inaccurate despite creating opportunities. Humphrey's must be well cheesed off.

I think the fact that Alfie moved the ball into his other hand before leading with his elbow was his undoing listening to the commentary.

Quinn's were pretty poor last night and it sounds like a citing is coming their way.