Hope it isn’t his drinking arm.

(Just for Wrecker!)

Agree with all of that mindmap3 (I was there too-cracking day out!!) Quite how Cipriani managed to be so anonymous is scary tbh, don’t think I actually saw him with the ball once in the first half…..Gopperth looked pretty tidy though!

I seem to have woken in an alternative universe where the laws of physics have been repealed

Your mind could be blown in the next RWC given the pools drawn 🙂

Hope it isn’t his drinking arm.

I’m sure he’ll manage!

DanW – Member

I seem to have woken in an alternative universe where the laws of physics have been repealed

Your mind could be blown in the next RWC given the pools drawn [/quote]

beating NZ and then England at the cabbage patch is t5h estuff of alternate reality you must admit.

Kiwi goal posts will be trembling in fear!!

I’m pleased for Haskell to get a place. He’s deserved it over the last couple of years. Faletau to start, but Haskell will be handy on the bench.

Sadly I missed all the semis this weekend, but I wasn’t at all surprised Exeter won. The ECC must have taken a lot out of Sarries.

Faletau, Stander, Warburton is not too shabby.

Gopperth looked pretty tidy though!

He’s been bloody good for them this year.

Big week for Wasps in training – they need to work on a few things that’s for sure. It would be a hell of a story though if Exeter do win the AP.

I’d love Exeter to win. For a few reasons my favourite English side. A few years ago I saw them play Glasgow in the european cup and their travelling fans were really nice and sporting, I like the way they play the game and IIRC they are not just built on buying the best players regardless of cost but on building a team.

deadlydarcy – Member
Billy V has withdrawn from the Lions. Thankfully just replaced with the Hask.

Is Lydiate injured too?

What about Max Boyce?

I saw Exeter in about 2008/2009 playing Northampton at Twickenham in what was then the rugby championship trophy or something (Spreys beat Leicester in the Anglo Welsh that day)

A year later Ex got promoted, and just look at them now!

beating NZ and then England at the cabbage patch is t5h estuff of alternate reality you must admit.

Hats off to the Jocks for an incredible display – winning three knockout matches from unpromising or improbable positions.

On that note, the Telegraph reporting that the Eng/Sco/Welsh 7s teams might be rolled into one GB squad from next year. Makes sense with it being an Olympic sport IMO. Apparently all three programmes make a loss. When you factor in how Wales have improved massively, Scotland have made the last 2 finals and England have mastered the BlitzBokke this year – a GB squad could be the business.

Documentary on BBC iplayer about Ruan Pienaar, very interesting show

On that note, the Telegraph reporting that the Eng/Sco/Welsh 7s teams might be rolled into one GB squad from next year. Makes sense with it being an Olympic sport IMO. Apparently all three programmes make a loss. When you factor in how Wales have improved massively, Scotland have made the last 2 finals and England have mastered the BlitzBokke this year – a GB squad could be the business.

Well, that came as a shock 🙄

The footballers had the right idea all along. I think if you’re a Scottish 7s player you should probably resign yourself to never playing in a big match again.

I think if you’re a Scottish 7s player you should probably resign yourself to never playing in a big match again.

Why? They just won the london 7’s. Eng are pretty good, so if anyone should be worried it’s the welsh!

Because if you squeeze three squads into one then most players are going to find themselves out of a job. How many Scots were involved in the Olympics?

You only have to look at the Lions to see the kind of representation Scotland can expect. It will be England by another name with a few honourary (ie Scottish and Welsh) English players allowed in if required.

The English will be able to support the GB team whilst looking down their noses at the Scots who are supporting ABGB.

GB olympic squad was pretty much just England with a few tokens. It would also add another level of confusion as who would the Northern Irish play for?

In other news I see the joke12 havent managed to book in impartial ref for the final..**** shambles

How come the pro 12 final is always in Ireland? mind you I only remember when the ospreys won and this one being in Ireland,the others may have been out my back garden for all I know:),but that’s besides the point,i’m outraged!!!

How come the pro 12 final is always in Ireland?

Was Edinburgh in Ireland during 2016?

It would also add another level of confusion as who would the Northern Irish play for?

No confusion. All Irish players are under the control of the IRFU and their Olympic body is the Irish Olympic committee. Therefore any Ulster players would play for Ireland – as they do now. That would have been the case at Rio 2016 had Ireland qualified.

I think 7s is now so specialized that’s it no longer the stepping stone to XVs that it once was. This brings into question why Unions would continue funding it.

England have been very consistent this year and have been the only team to regularly beat SA. Although they would supply the largest quota, Scotland and Wales have both shown enough to be represented in more than just name alone.

As 7s shifts away from its rugby roots and morphs into an Olympic sport it’s a no brainer to start running it like an Olympic sport right now.

So the 7’s would be same as oylimpics? Makes sense. But who do northern irish athletes run for?

Was Edinburgh in Ireland during 2016?

Yeah brexshit or some shit

I suspect it’s going to be one of those things where the English fans are fine with it while Scottish and Welsh fans are pissed off.

And the English fans simply can’t understand what all the fuss is about.

But who do northern irish athletes run for?

We can choose Ireland or GB. In the case of Bethany Firth the swimmer she has represented both

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethany_Firth

I suspect it’s going to be one of those things where the English fans are fine with it while Scottish and Welsh fans are pissed off.

Like any other sport where there’s a GB team involved then? 😉

Except tennis obviously. Somebody pointed out that Dunblane could probably win the Davis Cup on its own.

Are you supporting the Lions Bruce? Not having (much of) a dig but I know a few Scottish fans who weren’t supporting the Lions seeing as only 2 Scots were initially picked. I’m not sure if their allegiance has changed now there are 3 or if, in fact, there is a minimum cut-off point required in terms of Scottish squad members for all Scots to be supporting the Lions.

This more or less sums up how I feel about the Lions:

Scotland’s Lost Lions Generation

I do think he lets Gatland off too lightly. Gatland despises the Scots. You can tell from every interview he’s ever given that he’s insulted that his players are being forced to share the pitch with such a bunch of **** losers. With Gatland in charge there was never a chance of any 50/50 calls going our way.

So no, I won’t be supporting the Lions.

Loving this tweet from the barbars

The squad train for first time tomorrow
Time to dust off those play books we don’t have

The Baas twitter feed is one of the best out there!

namastebuzz – Member

England have been very consistent this year and have been the only team to regularly beat SA. Although they would supply the largest quota, Scotland and Wales have both shown enough to be represented in more than just name alone.

Errrmmm – who has won the last two London titles? Who were their opponents this year?

Get it right up ye 🙂

Having said that scotland have struggled with 7s over the years. A drain on funds for scant reward over the years and we don’t have that many good players to split our resources.

I never want to see another GB rugby team other than the lions – and for reasons above its hard for me to get interested and behind the lions. It doesn’t feel like my team

Get it right up ye

Indeed. You did just that at Twickers this year and in the quarter finals last year as well as being our bogey team in other tournaments this year.

That doesn’t change the fact that England have developed an extremely good 7s side who’ve been better than everybody else except the Blitzbokke. If we want to succeed at the Olympics then a permamnent GB team is the most likely way.

On the Scots not supporting the Lions issue TJ – how many of your boys would need to be in the squad/test team for you to consider it “your” team?

I’m not sure if it’s necessarily a question of numbers, it’s more that they are coached by a scumbag who detests our country and only knows the name of one of our players.

So yeah, get a new coach and then we can think about it.

A very youthful looking England team to face the Baa Baas this weekend. And Robshaw is back, but with Ford at 10 and only Brown with caps in the backs, i’d be worried about that backline.

So yeah, get a new coach and then we can think about it.

OK so if Gatland had picked 15 Scots in the tour party you STILL wouldn’t be supporting the Lions?

Whereas if Schmidt or Jones was coaching and they didn’t pick ANY Scots you’d still be supporting them?

🙄

In fairness with lions, Exeter, Saracens and the injuries there aren’t many players left to represent England.
Meaningless game anyway, although it it rains I’ll watch it!

OK so if Gatland had picked 15 Scots in the tour party you STILL wouldn’t be supporting the Lions?

Whereas if Schmidt or Jones was coaching and they didn’t pick ANY Scots you’d still be supporting them?

Your hypotheticals are getting a bit weird and nonsensical. You seem to have a problem with Scots not being happy with the Lions and not wanting to support them. Why is that?

You seem to have a problem with Scots not being happy with the Lions and not wanting to support them. Why is that?

Seems clear to me its your irrational hatred of Gatland he has the problem with.

You seem to have a problem with Scots not being happy with the Lions and not wanting to support them.

I don’t have a problem with it. I’m just curious as to the reasoning behind it. Living amongst the Scots, as I do, I enjoy delving into their national psyche.

I must admit, I read that article you linked to and what you’ve said about Gatland but I can’t say I’ve ever noticed any anti-Scottish sentiment on his part.

I’ve noticed a touch of paranoia from other quarters however…… 😉

Good to see Micky SB still doling out the Barbarians ties at 90 odd.