Winters coming;all inclusive rugby thread.

Scarlets very much answered the critics who said they don’t really deserve to be playing for the Rabo title…. no they don’t deserve to be in the final 4 🙂

Frankers my prediction is that I will be there 🙂

Can’t see past Sarries v Leicester for the Prem with Sarries to win. Hopefully Ulster will beat Leinster in Dublin to win the Rabo. That would be nice. SUFTUM

Tigers looking pretty good. If they had kept there foot in the gas, they’d have put 5+ tries on Hairyquims. Love that they always come good.
Tom Croft was superb, faster than most wingers in the loose and hit Care perfectly to save what I was sure was going to be a try. Mathew Tait starting to show why he was reckoned to be so good 7 years ago, damn that man has good footwork! Tuilagi like another backrow forward, but somehow always comes good in attack.
I’d love Sarries to come a cropper tomorrow, but in reality they won’t then they’ll strangle tigers in the final.

Ps I’m a Tigers fan if you hadn’t noticed!

Aye well done to the tiggers-gutted tbh, me and my old man really wanted to see Robshaw play in the final. He’s a big Toby Flood fan too though so wont be too bothered!

Just watched Leinster squeak past Glasgow on BBC Alba. Pretty exciting game with a lot of running and line breaks. Really enjoyed it but Leinster just squoze the points out. Bugger.

Tries of the season

Winner @30secs

Well played leinster though Matawalu was simultaneously glasgows best attacking option and arguably the man who’s indiscipline cost them the game 😕

Great game at Welford Road today, loudest away fans I ever heard in the Caterpillar stand.

Big loss to Quins when Care got sent off, good for us though 🙂

Old man goes off for a little lie down

How serious, one wonders.

Winner @30secs

You think?

Surprised at today’s result, Farrell had a mare from all accounts.

Farrell was a bit tetchy all game. If I was in the Aussie squad for the Lions tour, I’d be targeting his suspect temperament.

Don’t have espn so didn’t see the game, but I’m surprised at the result!

Tigers have to fancy it now.

Oh, and Farrell is the second best English FH, and that’s just at Saracens…

Wasps have some quality individual tries to pick from this season 🙂

Winner @30secs
You think?

Stating the facts!

Newcastle scraped past Leeds with a 4 point aggt win over the 2 legs in the play offs. Just Bedford Blues to go and I think Leeds are actually a better team than Bedford at present, so I don’t see the play off finals (2 legs) presenting any problems for the Newcastle. Bedford have stated that they don’t want prem rugby though so there is a little gleam of light for LW…but not much.

Bedford have stated that they don’t want prem rugby though so there is a little gleam of light for LW…but not much.

That would be a **** disaster for LW

That’s the way it would work. If Bedford win the championship playoff; no team gets promoted. LW would stay up, although I remember a few seasons ago, a prem side offering money (I think to Bristol) to stay down.

Wow so Newcastle my not make it back??? Why don’t Bedford want Premiership rugby? Ground issues?

In Finland ice hockey the team that wins Mestis plays the bottom team in SM Liga. IE Winners of Chamionship play worst team in Premiership.

The Mestis team 9 times out of 10 get trounced. Who would win between LW and say Bedford or Newcastle?

Newcastle have had a dip in form recently. Unbeaten (although it came close a good few times) until their last game when Bristol beat them, then Leeds beat them in the first play off round. Bedford have been less convincing recently as well. LW would probably do them both on a good day. It isn’t always that way, Leeds came down and stayed down, Exeter went up and stayed up. Worcester are up and down.
Bedford don’t have anywhere near the set up for the prem and they know it.

Judging by the two Newcastle games, they would struggle themselves. A big old gap starting to grow between the two divisions. Brizzle, Leeds,Newcastle all consider themselves prem teams, but don’t look like Saints or Quims did during their seasons in the Championship.. LW showed how hard it is to plan and imagine if they had splashed the cash on a few big names on 3 year deals. Not having notice to prepare may be the best thing to happen to them in light of the withdrawl of their backer.

The same could be said of Sale and Worcester at present. Exeter didn’t even win the league when they went up, and look at them now. I’d disagree that there’s a big gap, certainly between the bigger Champ clubs and the poorer prem sides. LW did better than anyone thought.
Brizzle have a sugar daddy and have made some very good signings for next year. I’d bet quite a bit of money on them/us going up and staying there for a good while.

“I have always found beer is the best thing for these sort of things to be honest. I think people get caught up with team-building exercises but if you lock 35 guys in a bar, I think that is probably the best way.

He soooooo should have been made captain.
http://m.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/22528441

Aye Wrecker, but one of those signings was Andy Robinson,so you could get Carter at 10…and he would be played at full back. Where did Robinson play his club rugby,I forget…. 🙄

Vern Cotter as new Scottish head coach. Now I am fond of using the phrase that “Ye can only pish wi the cock yiv got.” when describing Scotish rugby But if C-A are anything to go by that cock will be bigger,fitter,better organised and more agressive.(sorry for the mental image)

Where did Robinson play his club rugby,I forget….

Good point. The bastard.
More seriously though, I’d be surprised if he’s any more clueless than Middleton was. We started winning as soon as he left!

Is that inside info Duckman? While i am disappointed Scottish coaches are not being given many opportunities, Vern Cotter would be a really good signing.

ijs445ra – Member

No, there has been a bit of chat that Johnston was not going to get it but was going to be involved in some way. I don’t think there are any Scottish coaches that are good enough, Lineen and Townsend aren’t good enough,even though townsend has been a revelation at the Weedgie.

Wrecker, my complaint about Robinson was that he would prepare some parts of the game really well and then some situations would arrive, say a sin-binned prop, and he would take a centre off and move a w/f to centre.

Johnson is now in the newly created Director of Rugby role whatever that may involve.

I agree we dont have any Scottish coachs good enough for the head coach role at present but we have brought in Humphreys as forwards coach, surely with a decent head coach and a director of rudby we should be looking to develop home grown coaches. Will the SRU give Stevie Scott a chance at Edinburgh?

Jo Ansbro and Doug Howlett both forced to quit due to injury. 🙁

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/22537531

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/22527495

Very sad about Ansbro had a few more caps in him.

Howlett is a legend and at least he had fulfilled his potential, hope they can both find someting good to do now that its finished.

Ansbro seems to be very highly thought of and is considered to be somebody who maximised his potential,(even though he isn’t really Scottish. 🙂 )I would hope that our game can find something for him that gives him an opportunity to share his attitude and application with others.

The Galacticos of Toulon win the beer cup, listening on the radio it sounded like a Barbarian team. Have they bought the cup?

Great match, high intensity. Clermont must be gutted. Bastareaud was in tears after the game and said “we stuck together and we did it, no one thought we could do it” so I’m assuming the press had Clermont as strong favourites. Also it was on free tv in France (coverage split between free and paid) something we need in the UK.

@pigface – the owner started putting money into the team some time ago when they were in the second division, he’s always tried to attract players standing down from international rugby, if I recall george gregan and victor matfield went there sometime after the 2003 world cup. Wilkinson, the Armitage brothers, Sheriden plus Matt Giteau and Bakkies Botha, Gethin Jenkins currently in the squad so yes pretty international. Clermont have a ex all black superstar Sivavatu and Lee Byrne of Wales plus a few Aussies amongst their ranks. Many French clubs have international players as do the English. Currently the French clubs have no salary cap which the English are subject too so they have an advantage. So you are right, it’s a pretty international setup.

Headline of the Times sports section “Brit pack rule” Clutching at straws that one.

for a spectacle the heine final was a brilliant match. the intensity of both teams was outstanding start to finish. clermont had all the stats, except tackle count and score !

Moore v Dulun on twatter:

Brian: if a player did to me what Armitage has just done I’d have to chin him after the touchdown.

Delon: anytime you fat prick! Go write another shit book..

Brian: Delon, at least I can write.

Shame Dulun is such a knob as he is a talented player

Its a Dailymail link unfortunately but if his actions match his words we may see a better Danny next season

Danny Cipriani

Shame Dulun is such a knob as he is a talented player

Unfortunately, he’s a lot better now than he was. He doesn’t come to a standstill before contact which used to wind me up and he can tackle now too. He is a weapons grade chopper though.