MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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Would have been flippin' disappointed if the Scarlets somehow managed to lose that
I'd say that they need to be concerned that they only just beat a really poor Ospreys side with help from extremely poor officiating. I can't see this Scarlets side getting far unless they improve. (Despite what Jiffy and the Scarlets love-in on Scrum V say.)
Just turned it on to see Webb having about 12 goes at getting his elbow in only to be ignored??? Good game so far or tight and niggly?
Watch that from the start and you'll see Patchell kick the ball away to prevent a tap penalty so Webb pushes him, then Davies barges in with an elbow to Webb's face. Webb starts handbagging then. None of the replays showed that though - I wonder why?
Replays do show it, but yes the focus was on Webb with the extra slomo. Not sure Davies came in with an elbow, more a grab on the front of the collar but I'd literally only just switched by that point so who knows.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/41475271
Scarlets were really poor but still scored 3 tries which is some very minor consolation
Not actually as clean cut as the article suggest and certainly from Scottish point of view they were humped by both owner and RFU.
It was all a bit of a mess at that time, but something had to give. When you look at the premiership now, it has worked out reasonably well, every one of the old heartlands of rugby has representation except Yorkshire. Both London Scottish and Richmond are competitive in the Championship whilst retaining the ethos of amateur clubs. It is always a pleasure to go to the Athletic Ground, it retains the feel of a rugby club from my playing days and they both teach hundreds of kids the game. In many ways I think it did both clubs a favour in the long term.
more a grab on the front of the collar but I'd literally only just switched by that point so who knows.
Well, watching it from the start is pretty clear cut - Davies catches Webb in the face, whether intentionally or not. I haven't heard a mention of Davies getting a yellow, only Webb, who did the same thing to Davies in return. And played at real time neither is worthy of a yellow. But the coverage (and Turks' one-eyed angst) is all about Webb.
So - European cup this weekend. Exeter V Glasgow should be a cracker. ( my fave English team Exeter) What other games are "must watch" ?
off to Hartpury to watch my first match there vs Pirates. B&I Cup
Looking forward to that
Watched the Ulster Wasps game last night; lots errors from both teams but Wasps seemed to forget about the offside rule (Daly pinged three times in the first half) and about the high tackle laws. Le Roux was particularly shit last night. Piatau was very very good for Ulster - Wasps look a lot less effective without him, Beale and Frank H.
Wouldn't be surprised if Wasps more less sack Europe off this year given their injury problems because I doubt they'll make it out of their group.
Looking forward to Exeter Glasgow later on.
Wasps are 3rd from bottom of the AP, having a crack at the Euro cup would be foolish. They are dreadful at present.
I wanted to watch Dai Young junior, looked pretty good first half. Could well be featuring at 6 for Wales this autumn.
AA - dunno if you have been reading the pundits but few of them give Glasgow much of a chance but a good few have Scarlets ( that is your team is it not?) as getting thru to the quarters.
Cant see it myself. 5 day turn aroynd from Toulon to Bath isnt it?
I have a feeling the english based pundits don't watch the pro 14 ad simply put last years winners as "in with a chance"
Scarlets could do well in the euro cup - but I think it would be at the expense of the league as on a pro 14 budget its hard nowadays to compete in both. depends which they prioritise. Glasgow tried to do both last year and basically ran out of steam at the end of the season
Is anyone happy with the scheduling? Glasgow had Cheetahs in SA last week and Exeter away this week - an awful lot of travelling
Scarlets havent the firepower in the pack to compete with the big boys. Scheduling is shit. Scarlets have Toulon on sunday and Bath on Friday.
Krasny Yar beating Stade! Who saw that coming? Who'd heard of Krasny Yar before today? 😉
Flashy needs a reboot!!
Scarlets have no chance in Europe for the exact reason a_a says. If it were just a game of backlines then they'd have a chance on a good day but you still need the piggies to do the hard work first
It just amuses me that most pundits seem to have Scarlets as going thru from the groups but few if any other pro 14 teams
good win for leinster. Bonus point
Edinburgh up at the half! 😯
Edinburgh with a bonus point win away from home 😯
Anyone who likes the game get the Exeter / Glasgow match on - its shaping up to be a cracker. Exeter on top at the half, will Glasgows fitness shine thru in the end or will last weeks exertions have taken too much out of them? Exeter playing like champions. and their lineout drive is very good indeed. Breathless stuff
Cracking match. Rugby is an entertainment business and that was entertaining. congratulations to Exeter. Denied Glasgow territory and thats what got them the win along with Glsgow giving away too many penalties. Great discipline by Exeter as well fine display
Careful TJ - you’re being complementary about an AP team! 😆
On a serious note, a cracking game. I’m not a Chiefs fan but I was in the edge of my seat. Glasgow looked bloody good though and should do well.
One thing that’s stood out in the games that I’ve watched is that the English teams are poo at the breakdown.
I follow Exeter a bit. My fave English team since I saw them play Glasgow at Scotston a couple of years ago and the nearest top team to where I was born. Play the game well, great fans, modest coach who talks a lot of sense.
Glasgow were not up to their usual standard.
Good result for Chiefs. TJ, your magnanimity in defeat is admirable. 🙂
I try to say it as it is. win by playing for penalties and boring the arse of the crowd I don't like. exeter play good rugby and are very tactically aware
I am an Edinburgh fan really - we get used to being beaten. 😉
Scarlets predictions coming true so far
Would be nice if they kicked their points but the lack of forward power has put them under pressure and unnecessarily force things
I wish 1/2p would put in a good old fashioned tackle with the head on the right side especially when up against such a mis match but it would be foolish to think that was the only reason for the that try
... though I'm happy of they can prove us wrong 😀
😯
I gave up watching at 18:3
checked the score - 18:17
should I watch again or will I put the hoodoo on them?
Does anybody know why channel 5 doesn't have the Prem highlights on tonight? It's normally on around 8ish, and I can't find it.
Scarlets battled hard. Losing bonus is a good result.
Does anybody know why channel 5 doesn't have the Prem highlights on tonight? It's normally on around 8ish, and I can't find it.
Euro weekend mate. No AP games.
duhhh of course. Cheers.
Ospreys almost deserved to win. But didn't really. 😆
How lenient was the ref? "Now you've made two high tackles - do another and I'll card you." He managed to miss another four that I counted.
Sarries rather smashed Saints. Team of the round no doubt
Sarries looked pretty damn effective and have laid down a big marker.
Saints were pap; only Lawes seemed to have some fight in him. He had another good game.
Gatland wont be coach on next lions tour.
Webb wont play for Wales again when he goes to Toulon.
Any news on Norths injury. Wales looking very short for Autumn tests. Luckily we only have NZ, Aus, SA and Georgia
North is short term AA...come in off the ledge now.
Howler won't be succeeding Y Gat!
Gatland wont be coach on next lions tour.
Half arsed attempt at toys out of the pram to set up a pre arranged RFU agreement that Eddie Jones will do the job.
No surprises at all.
Te'o could be really crocked. Given how much support, strapping and padding that arm injury needs an injured ankle could mean him effectively immobilised.
About half of the England first team is out. I'd be surprised if we get through the next six months without a loss* mostly playing second string players.
*got my excuse in early,
Out of curiosity, what's the average cost of a seated ticket in at the Welsh Pro14 clubs? (Side of pitch rather than behind posts)
Just wondering what the cost to a punter is v the average Aviva Premiership ticket (which I struggle to afford more than once a month realistically)
Te'o could be really crocked. Given how much support, strapping and padding that arm injury needs an injured ankle could mean him effectively immobilised.
Did he drop his arm protection on his foot?
onehundredthidiot - Member
Te'o could be really crocked. Given how much support, strapping and padding that arm injury needs an injured ankle could mean him effectively immobilised.
IdleJon - MemberDid he drop his arm protection on his foot?
😆
Not been this season but Glasgow and Edinburgh are £20 - 25 unless its gone up this yearOut of curiosity, what's the average cost of a seated ticket in at the Welsh Pro14 clubs? (Side of pitch rather than behind posts)Just wondering what the cost to a punter is v the average Aviva Premiership ticket (which I struggle to afford more than once a month realistically)
£30-40 at Ravenhill. £60 for me and the boy, aged 5
Half arsed attempt at toys out of the pram to set up a pre arranged RFU agreement that Eddie Jones will do the job.No surprises at all.
What are you dribbling on about!
Similar to Sale then I guess 25-35 quid depending on where you sit. I get the coach trip from my local (45 mins away from the Salford city stadium) and it's £40 for bus, ticket and a pint. Always spend at least a tenner on a few beers..... expensive do!
There’s not a team around that hasn’t got injuries, it’s getting bloody awful!
Most of the English first choice team are ok, Teo shouldn’t be anywhere near the squad, he’s clearly Irish!
Not shopped.
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😆
£60 for me and the boy, aged 5
That's not good. Bris are the same unless you get the "kid for a quid" games. Crap.
Wales looking at
1/2p
L Williams
J Davies
S Williams
Evans
Biggar
G Davies
Faletau
Tipuric
Shingler
AWJ
Charteris/Ball
Lee/Francis
Owens
Smith
Bench
God knows
Scotland not looking too bad on the injury front. Barclay is struggling to recover from a concussion tho - possibly career ending and we look a bit thin in the centres with a Dunbar and Bennett crocked. Props could be an issue. Dickinson looks like the end of his career
Ickle Jonny and Hogg back is a good thing
Wee Grieg has broken his leg but I am not sure he would have been in anyway given the SHs we have available
Still need a backup to Russell. Adam Hastings looks plausible but very very young and inexperienced - otherwise its Peter Horne IMO
Barclay is struggling to recover from a concussion tho - possibly career ending
Got it in the same game as Rob Evans didnt he? Both still out.
Against Edinburgh iIRC. Well he was a weegie in the past
Gloucester I think these days starts at £37 for seats. However, terrace is where it's at from £19, £30 for the Shed.
15. Anthony Watson; 14. Semesa Rokoduguni, 13. Jonathan Joseph, 12. Max Clark , 11. Aled Brew; 10. Rhys Priestland, 9. Kahn Fotuali'i; 1. Beno Obano , 2. Tom Dunn, 3. Anthony Perenise, 4. Charlie Ewels, 5. Luke Charteris, 6. Zach Mercer, 7. Sam Underhill, 8. Taulupe Faletau
16. Jack Walker , 17. Nathan Catt, 18. Scott Andrews, 19. Elliott Stooke, 20. Paul Grant, 21. Darren Allinson, 22. Josh Lewis, 23. Matt BanahanV
15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Johnny Mcnicholl, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Hadleigh Parkes, 11 Steff Evans, 10 Rhys Patchell, 9 Gareth Davies, 1 Wyn Jones, 2 Ken Owens ©, 3 Samson Lee, 4 Jake Ball, 5 Lewis Rawlins, 6 Aaron Shingler, 7 Will Boyde, 8 Tadhg Beirne
Replacements; Ryan Elias, Dylan Evans, Werner Kruger, David Bulbring, Josh Macleod, Jonathan Evans, Paul Asquith, Scott Williams
Should be a good game, lots of welsh players in that Bath team.
Boyde v Underhill could be tasty both very physical. Boyde does tend to get a bit "over excited" at times.
Any Bath watchers tell me how Brew is going. Couldnt catch or get a pro contract in Wales but is still hanging around the Bath team. Was bought in as a short term injury cover last season wasnt he?
I presume Andrews is still a good rugby player but a shit prop?
I guess toulon pay is the clincher, at the end of the day it'll make a difference to his life. WRU seem to want an Irish model but without the flexibility.
Any Bath watchers tell me how Brew is going.
Well he's not stalking me anymore, which is good. I used to bump into him and his brother literally everywhere I went. My wife thought I was making it up up until she tripped over him in the Disney store one day.
AA - its certainly inept. The condition was not in place when he signed the deal so he signed it thinking it would not exclude him I( alto he would have to be one of the wild card picks)
Makes the SRU look competent
WRU seem to want an Irish model but without the [s]flexibility[/s] cash to back it up.
FIFY
The condition was not in place when he signed the deal so he signed it thinking it would not exclude him
Gatland says he told him it was coming
From an employment/ contract point of view it really isn't on if there was no forewarning that this is how things would look.
That said, Webb is towards the end of his career and presumably the greatest motivation for the move is earning more money while his body still has the capacity to play top level rugby and that won't change. Realistically, he would have done well to be within the few wild cards picks given the other players playing outside Wales but his chances go from slim to non-existent which of course must hurt.
He's first choice 9 and 28, would certainly be in next world cup squad. Remember North, Roberts, Charteris are not caught by the rules as their contracts predate the rules.
He made a move for money knowing his place could be at risk in the Welsh set up. That was always a given. Webb being one of the two would always be touch and go. Its really poor from the WRU but as a player you have to know such a move puts you at high risk of not playing for your country again.
He made a move for money knowing his place could be at risk
which is very different from knowing it would mean no place.
I bet if they have a rash of injuries a way is found to play him. For me he is the top 9 by a long way
which is very different from knowing it would mean no place.
True, though I'm fairly sure he was quoted before as saying while he would of course love to play for Wales given the chance, he acknowledges now is the time to make money as he doesn't think his body has much rugby left in it. I can't find the interview but the tone was that he knew he wouldn't play again. That is what contracts are for though. Assume nothing and get everything in writing. Toulon aren't known for their love of internationals not being available for the club so you would have thought this would be the very first thing to nail down. Always easy in hindsight but I guess I'm a bit sceptical of him (presumably) knowing the situation and trying to have it both ways
Anyway. This weekends fixtures
Edinburgh away in Krasny Ya who beat Stade Francais in russia. Junior Rasolea in fine form in the centre. Alan Dell first game back in the front row. Pretty much a full strength team
*holds head in hands*
Glasgow Leinster in what is a must win home game for Glasgow. Hogg and Ickle Jonny back for Glasgow but struggling for front row. Likely to be wet tho so which is to Leinsters advantage so might not be a great game but it will still be a mighty battle.
Looking forward to Bath and Scarlets. I would expect Bath to have the power to see them win but are missing some key players so it could be quite close
Toulon aren't known for their love of internationals not being available for the club so you would have thought this would be the very first thing to nail down.
It was. Toulon have a contract in which he is available.
I guess I'm a bit sceptical of him (presumably) knowing the situation and trying to have it both ways
So you are saying he's lying?
I would expect Bath to have the power to see them win but are missing some key players so it could be quite close
Scarlets are missing some key forwards in Rob Evans, Barclay and Davies too. The five day turn around will be tough also. Still it should be close and both teams have some great attacking players.
I'm not sure Gatland would publicly lie about having talked to Webb and his agent about the change in policy but its all such a mess. Webb's wording was not knowing "the full implications" which suggests he knew but if he didn't or was given reassurance that it wouldn't apply to him then it is an awful situation for him. Either way it is poor from the WRU to not handle this more professionally.
Anyway, apparently the bookies have the Scarlets as fairly comfortable favourites which I really can't see myself. Despite Bath being my most local team I rarely keep up with them. I'm working on the assumption they can more often than not play very poorly as a team despite having a strong side on paper
AA - I believe Barclay is OK. Dunno if he is in the squad. That may be the pick of the weekend and Barth is the big nearest to where I was born 😉
Likely to be wet tho so which is to Leinsters advantage
😀
Scarlets have just scored a peach of a try...worth a watch if you can get hold of @btsportrugby on twitter.
Great try but they score tries likecthat all the time.
As Jiffy Junior said when interviewed on the Lions tour about being involved in such a great try. "I play for the Scarlets we score tries like that all the time"
Wasnt the game we hoped due to the weather. Baths superior pack won it fairly easily really