Congrats Stoner, things really not good at the Liberty and the natives are getting restless.
cant even say I know what kind of game it was. Only had a twitter feed to follow. Its a real shame they cant find away of sticking up a vt feed online for these minor european matches. Will probably go and watch the home match vs Stade F next saturday with the boy.
Bath v wasps was scratty but tense from the closeness.
Going from North to South...
Well played Ulster.
Well played Connacht.
Well played Leinster.
Well played Munster.
Some smashing individual performances in all four. Standouts for me were Stockdale and Carbery.
My god Leicester are really shit! They’re going to get nilled!
Stoner et al, the ECPR site has a live stream of some games. It's not great, but it's there.
Anyone know anything about this new young lad playing at 8 for the Scarlets? Seems a bit handy. Leicester getting dry humped in to next week!
Given events elsewhere, and the way Embra are playing, I assume TJ has developed tennis elbow...
Anyone know anything about this new young lad playing at 8 for the Scarlets?
No idea, bit chubby for a backrow I thought!
Dan Davies at 7 is starting to impress me a lot!
Wooooooohoooooooo
The luvvies win away in France
'does the happy dance.'
Now let's see if the soapdodgers can win tomorrow
Saints continuing the English tradition of being shit at the breakdown. They’re getting absolutely dicked there by Clermont. In their defence, the have scored a couple of cracking tries.
Good win for Exeter who managed to score some tries through the backs. They looked much better with Nowell back (he played 15 pretty well). Slade has a good game too.
Soapdodgers get their bonus point win. Neither Scots team certain to get through but both have a good chance. By my reckoning if the luvvies beat Montpellier Glasgow will go through as a best loser or of course if the weegies beat saffercens they go through
Who would have thought it.
I wonder what odds you could have got for Edinburgh beating Toulon home and away?
he played 15 pretty well
He did. And he was a class above everywhere also as well. I can’t help wondering if this sorts England’s 15 conundrum. We’ve too many wings, so if we can keep Nowell on at 15 there’s room for May and Daly with big Joe as a finisher.
Sarries did ok but managed not to look very good. Yet another high tackle for Farrel, who seems to recognise he’s doing it now. Billy V does not look up to par at all - by his standards.
Launchbury very good for Wasps this week as week, England forwards starting to look strong again.
Soapdodgers get their bonus point win.
JP Doyle and his random rule book. If the ball crosses the 10m line in the air from kick-off it doesn’t matter if it lands 7m from the centreline. Clasping your hands around a player who is on the ground isn’t the same as tackling a player on the ground. Being onside is exactly the same as being offside if you’re wearing a blue shirt. And, as the commentator said, it’s almost like his decisions are a reaction to the way the crowd shouts.
I enjoyed was it Nicol in the co commentry? Grieg made the right decision when he tackled someone without the ball and got pinged, jesus theyvsayvtyecWelsh are one eyed. Lane looked sharp, World Cup bolter?
Nicolas is awful. No understanding of the laws of the game
Idlejohn. IIRC aa recent alteration to the guidance to refs. Same applies to the touchline. if a kick goes over the plane of the line and curves back infield it's considered to have gone into touch
And the clasping s player on the ground is seen as jackling. Players do it all the time
TJ, they are both examples of the inconsistent way the game works - the bits that infuriate me
You are right that if a ball is kicked 10m at a restart and blown backwards then the ball is playable. Taking your example and twisting it slightly, if a kick goes over the plane of the touch-line and is knocked back into play by a player (who start on field) then the refs are currently ruling it as out of play. Why the difference between a player and the wind?
As to clasping a player on the ground vs jackalling.... the chasing player isn't going to win the ball on the ground by putting both his arms around the prone player. All he is doing is preventing that player from playing the ball, or getting up. And all he needs to do, according to the law, is to reach over the prone player and take the ball. If the prone player doesn't immediately release the ball he should be penalised. We all know this, as do the players, as do the referees. But we get this ridiculous pantomime where players hold on, squirm, move the ball three times, and eventually the defence arrives.
And all he needs to do, according to the law, is to reach over the prone player and take the ball. If the prone player doesn’t immediately release the ball he should be penalised. We all know this, as do the players, as do the referees.
And if everytime the ref shouted "release" he pinged the guy holding the ball on the floor or the player with hands in the ruck the players would soon learn!
Faletau is borked.
Aaargh. Especially seeing his skillz on display at the weekend.
Arse, hope its not the same injury...6 Nations written off!!
AA same injury; broken arm again. Looks like Ken will be playing eight for Wales!
Faletau is borked.
Did he do that during the game? I didn't watch much of that one because it wasn't very interesting.
I did watch the game and strangely didn't notice it. He was another stand out player of the weekend, what a shame.
Seems a bit of a worry if its the same arm. Wales backrow will be without Shingler, Ellis Jenkins, James Davies, Lydiate, Faletau and maybe Moriarty. Could be looking at Navidi at 8, Tips at 7 and Wainwright at 6 v France. Two 6.5's and a 7, very lightweight, hopefully Moriarty will be back then its a choice between Navidi and Wainwright at 6.
Nathan Hughes going to Brizzle
Thomas Young in the squad!
Smith, Moriarty and 1/2p all in despite being injured.
Thomas Young deserves his call up; he’s been the one shining light for a piss poor Wasps team.
I wonder if Hughes will pull his finger out and Bristol or if he’ll take the cash and be poo. He was playing really well for Wasps until he was called up by England. Since then he appears to have gone backwards whilst getting paid a load of cash.
Scotland squad out. No real surprises bar Kerr and even then we have heard of him. Looks fairly strong even though we have 13 first / second choices out injured
England Squad announced.
Jones seems to have selected on form and experience with the exception of an obvious couple. Please to see Devoto back in the mix, he's playing really well. I'd expect to see him & a couple of other s starting vs Italy for experience. But But But.. Mr Angry is back...
So suddenly, England have a lot of depth in the forwards and cor blimey, the centres as well, yet still no chance for Cips and the big news is probably that Care has been omitted.
Forwards
Jack Clifford (Harlequins), Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers), Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs), Tom Curry (Sale Sharks), Ben Earl (Saracens) *, Ellis Genge (Leicester Tigers), Jamie George (Saracens), Nathan Hughes (Wasps), Maro Itoje (Saracens), George Kruis (Saracens), Joe Launchbury (Wasps), Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints), Ben Moon (Exeter Chiefs), Brad Shields (Wasps), Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins), Jack Singleton (Worcester Warriors) *, Billy Vunipola (Saracens), Mako Vunipola (Saracens), Harry Williams (Exeter Chiefs), Mark Wilson (Newcastle Falcons)
Backs
Chris Ashton (Sale Sharks), Mike Brown (Harlequins), Joe Cokanasiga (Bath Rugby), Elliot Daly (Wasps), Ollie Devoto (Exeter Chiefs), Owen Farrell (Saracens) captain, George Ford (Leicester Tigers), Jonny May (Leicester Tigers), Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs), Dan Robson (Wasps) *, Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs), Ben Te’o (Worcester Warriors), Ollie Thorley (Gloucester Rugby) *, Manu Tuilagi (Leicester Tigers), Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers)
When will the announce Tuilagi's latest injury?
What is Englands likely backrow? Scrum half must be a concern?
What is Englands likely backrow?
Lawes/Curry at 7, Shields/Curry/Earl at 6, BillyV/Hugues at 8 would be my guess.
Itoje's a dead cert but who with to start? Launchbury or Kruis? I'd go with the former vs Ireland with Kruis benched, and reverse that for Italy.
Curry, Shields, Hughes.....would be obliterated v Ireland. Vunipola at 8, curry at 7 and Itoje/Shields would be my guess.
Daly at 15 in Dublin could be funny too, will Jones put Brown back in? I hope Ashton plays 15!!
I see him starting having Brown at FB and Daly & May on the wings with Nowell on the bench. I am less sure on how he sees the centre and whether tuilagi can get through a week in Portugal
I'd guess at Farrell 10, Slade, Teo, May and Daly and Brown for Ireland. Manu & Nowell as finishers.
Daly has been shit for Wasps. He’s a lucky boy to be called up.
Farrell as sole captain is a massive worry because having watched him recently for Sarries he still can’t tackle and seems to wind the refs up. Given the form of the English teams in Europe, I’m not expecting too much. We’ll get well beaten in Ireland and middle along from there.
I'd agree mindmap!
Back row, I'd like to see Wilson Curry Vunipola. I think that it'll be Shields over Wilson though.
Also with mindmap on the Ireland front but in think a bit better than middling with the rest.
Id forgotten Wilson was picked, hmmm. A bit rangier and better in defence than shields?
quietly relived to only see a couple of Warriors in the pick, and neither Im too worried about losing either. Warriors need a strength squad to stay up this year and a big hole in the side through feb might have done for us. That's not to say warriors cant royally **** this up anyway, but it makes life easier not to lose too many to the international squad mid season.
https://twitter.com/IrishRugby/status/1085566627050123266
That looks like a nice squad to be choosing from.
@ Stoner agree about the two England call ups but won't they miss Adams on the wing?
Jones is ****ing mad isn't he? Now his telling everyone this is the strongest England squad he's ever had, and how Nowell could shake things up as great 7 with a view to the future being a Forward/Backs kind of crossover.
Can someone please give him a ring and tell him Rugby league is over there >>>>>?
I think he's determined to make us look like a bunch of ****s.
Kryton - he’s a gobshite! He literally has verbal diarrhoea and just spouts crap without engaging his brain first. Nowell is probably slow enough to be a flanker though....
Fair play Edinburgh. I thought they’d ballsed it up when they slipped behind.
Not sure that tea Saints game has much point with them scoring over 100!
Dragons were given a whooping tonight by Clermont.
#Paints myself blue and runs around screaming #
Ha ha. Thought you’d be a happy man TJ because doesntbthis mean that Glasgow are through now regardless too?
I’m just waiting for the next batch of disappointments from the English teams...
