Just Hibbard and North you're missing aa?
Saints didn't fancy another fine then?
Saw Lydiate being discussed on the B*** board, along with Duane Vermulen.
Hibbard, James and Hook unavailable, North concussed. Bloody good job Gethin recovered. Not sure what has happened to Tipuric (Edit..Gatlands law again I suppose) I saw that about Lydiate, funny how they didnt think he was good enough! Baldwin is the big worry, his lineouts were rubbish v fiji and NZ. E Phillips is the better player IMO but he's not as big so Gatlands law comes in, always choose the biggest player.
RIP Jack Kyle, the greatest Irish rugby player ever.
I was lucky enough to meet Jack a few times and he was an absolute gentleman. A real loss to the rugby world.
From Ulster rugby:
Jack Kyle, widely considered as one of the greatest players to have ever represented Ulster, Ireland and the British and Irish Lions, has died peacefully in his sleep at the age of 88.
He was born in Belfast on 10th January 1926 and was educated at Belfast Royal Academy and studied medicine at Queen’s University.
He played for Queen’s, North and Ulster and made his Ireland debut during the second world war in a friendly against a British Army XV.
He won 46 full caps for Ireland, scoring 24 points including seven tries.
The highlight of his career was winning the triple-crown with Ireland in the 1948 Five Nations Championship.
Following a try against France in 1953, journalist Paul Macweeney, compared him to the Scarlet Pimpernel:
They seek him here, they seek him there
Those Frenchies seek him everywhere.
That paragon of pace and guile,
That demned elusive Jackie Kyle.
He represented the Lions on their tour to New Zealand and Australia in 1950. He played in 20 of 29 games including all six tests.
After retiring from club rugby in 1963, Kyle embarked on humanitarian work in Sumatra and Indonesia. Between 1966 and 2000 he worked as a surgeon in Zambia.
He returned to Northern Ireland and settled in Seaford, County Down.
He was inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame in 1999 and in 2002 he was named the greatest ever Irish Rugby player by the IRFU.
Following a try against France in 1953, journalist Paul Macweeney, compared him to the Scarlet Pimpernel:
Did someone mention me?
RIP Jack Kyle, sounds like he was a great player and a great man.
Is anyone really going to try and play Burgess in the scrum? He should make his debut today for Bath
He'll come on at centre tonight apparently. Have there been many successful switches from league to union as a forward? I can't think of any off the top of my head.
Was Gibbsy not a prop?
Burgess warming up on the line... Bath are pretty comfortable, so good time to bring him on... should be interesting!
Not looking so comfortable in the second 20. Care looking good, but the quins back line are butchering chances with "safe" play. The best Quins running has been done by the hooker. It's like watching england.
[i]Very[/i] unconvinced about the claims of eastmond and joseph for england.
He'll come on at centre tonight apparently. Have there been many successful switches from league to union as a forward? I can't think of any off the top of my head.
Brad Thorne has done OK...... However, I agree, far easier to learn a less technical, more running role in either format.
Have there been many successful switches from league to union
Nope. 😀
Watching the Cardiff game at the moment. Am becoming a fan of artificial pitches! Looks good, seems a fair, fast, but secure surface for both teams.
Devoto has dropped 7 pts now. Gav wouldn't have dropped 7 pts 😀
Harlequins pack more hollowed out than blutones picolaxed rectum.
Entertaining to see burgess on the pitch.
Currently enjoying watching bt sport on my chromecast as directed by my phone. Tech seems to be working faultlessly.
Burgess on. looks good so far 🙂
Burgess is playing centre isn't he? Replaced the full back.. definitely not a forward anyway!
Not so far. Ford still thinks he could be!
Quins pack should be ashamed of themselves. Dreadful.
Captain that pitch at Cardiff is good. The new Mill Stad hybrid pitch still looks shit but does seem much better too.
"It's taken me about four or five days to recover from the weekend," the inside centre said of the battering he took in the 34-16 loss in Cardiff."It was car-crash stuff on the weekend.
"I take anti-inflammatory medication before most games now just to reduce swelling in knees and ankles and so forth.
"It numbs most things during the game, but when the affect of that wears off.
"Usually the day after a game you feel alright, it's the day after that, Monday or Tuesday, it's pretty horrific!"
Asked whether he worried about his body, the 28-year-old said: "Yes, sometimes, but I have to enjoy the present, that's what it's about, I'll worry about that when my career finishes.
"Certainly for the big games now I load up on a few drugs and that allows me to play on the weekends, so I'm pretty happy with that. Yeah, it's tough but I'll be 100 percent on Saturday."
and he's a Dr too!!
How did Burgess play?
Secret hope that you have Burgess and Tuilaga in the centre with fast wings who can come inside and a fly half who knows how to coordinate this. Could just be the missing link to get England firing for WC15.
Strong pack, solid centres and finesse in the back three - and a kicker. Simple game really!!!
Yep, a doddle. Only we'll have fazlet in the team and nobody outside of him will ever get the ball!
Has anyone read about the homophobic abuse that Nigel Owens received at Twickenham during the Eng v NZ game? I really hope that shit like this isn't migrating from football terraces to rugby. I have to say, the cameras at both Twickenham and Millenium Stadium seem to have picked up on countless people in the crowd screaming abuse a reffing decisionsover the Autumn.....for me the big appeal of rugby, apart from the fact that I love the tactics of the game, is the mutual respect of players and crowd a like. Homophobic abuse, booing kickers etc all needs to naff off imo.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/30254064
Come on Mr Baldwin, aim for Matfield get AWJ
Lacey being a bit rubbish.
Tom, it was disgraceful. Can only hope it's fairly isolated. N Owens gave the after dinner speech at my club dinner a few weeks ago. Funniest evening I've had for years and what an amazing singing voice he has. His stories about Austin Healey were hilarious.
Not one of his tales that night, but I ve heard he once admonished a hooker with the lovely put down : "I'm straighter than that line out". Legend! 😀
England look a different team. Great shot of the Aussie coach losing his rag in the changing room. If England stay awake Aus look like they will fade - must apply pressure now and not leat an easy score in.
Aargh. Like I said...
I hate that. Makes my acl ache just watching. Hope he's ok.
Oof that replay of de Villiers knee makes me squirm. Not surprised he howled like that
Didnt see the replay, had my eyes shut.
End of his career says orthopaedic wife.
The medical term used was he's fu#k3d
Always good to get one over the Aussie. Whoop!
England look a different team.
In what sense exactly?
A pack of forwards who totally dominate and a bunch of backs who couldn't score in a brothel.
True, we kicked and chased better this week but it's not the dawn of a new era.......
Crikey well done Wales. I didn't say that. The backs were far better, based on how Ford was playing but also some much better running than in past games.
Go NH!!
A pack of forwards who totally dominate and a bunch of backs who couldn't score in a brothel.True, we kicked and chased better this week but it's not the dawn of a new era.......
Indeed, we won because of the failure of the Wallabies forwards, and our usual excellent defence. Our backs didn't get any ball to go forward with.
Splendigedig Bach 😆 nice to beat a SH team.
A pack of forwards who totally dominate and a bunch of backs who couldn't score in a brothel.Isn't that how England have always won? 😉
Best thing about Wales winning is that they didnt play very well at all and were missing a lineout. Warburton was superb again today. Baldwin was out of his depth but you couldnt fault his effort.
A pack of forwards who totally dominate and a bunch of backs who couldn't score in a brothel.
Actually, the back 3 are more than capable of scoring as they have proved quite a few times now. We lack centres, and have done for years now.
Youngs was crap. Farrell put Beale in his pocket as soon as he came on. Barritt was a beast. Ford was good. Twelvetrees, once again failed to convince. I have a feeling that may be his last chance.
Poor Jean De Villiers. As someone who's dislocated and smashed my right patella twice I know EXACTLY how much it hurt him - believe me, you scream when it happens!
Watching De Villiers leg bend in the wrong direction made my stomach turn over. Healing vibes for the lad.
Wales not subbing at the 60 minute mark shows how much the continuity gets disrupted when wholesale changes are made. Apart from his arrows Baldwin had a good game. Carried well, tackled, and cleared out. Not the Loony Toons Hibbard Show, but then Hibbard couldn't hit a banjo with a barn door a few years back.
Wales carried too close to the ruck at times, allowed the SAs to hang off the side of the ruck instead of committing players. Lambie and La Roux had a nightmare. Those knock ons will haunt him for a while I reckons.
Actually, the back 3 are more than capable of scoring as they have proved quite a few times now. We lack centres, and have done for years now.
Well they are capable of scoring but they're even better at butchering chances - which they've done brilliantly.
True, the centres are a mess. We do have centres but never the right combination. Barritt is rubbish unless you want to play the type of game we played today - in which case he's brilliant.
I'm glad we beat Australia - a team who also lost to Ireland and France - but I never thought I'd be so glum after a victory over a SH side.
They haven't had many chances to butcher.
I thought the ref was poor today. Pen against Biggar early on was very wrong said he was on his knees when he wasnt. Blew up on a lineout wales had won clean ball on in order to tell off a saffa for closing the gap and then ordered the same lineout that wales duly lost! Then the yellow for Hendriks was just plain odd when he had reviewed 2 others very similar. 1 a pen, next a play on and lastly a yellow. WTF was he doing?
Goodness, South Africa had a shocker. Some really smart play, then dropping the ball or kicking it away. Hougaart was dreadful.
Well done England today. If Australia choose to play 8 ball carrying forwards instead of bringing a proper scrum, that's their lookout.
The fact we best Aus, and still have plenty of room for improvement can only be a positive. Ref had a good game too (apart from 2 suspect knock on decisions, one each way).
