Winters coming;all inclusive rugby thread.

Mongo is meant to be a good lad but as AA says prone to rank stupidity 😆 I think he is a good player but not a great player. Gatland likes his players to be professional and Mongo can’t be trusted.

He’s not got into too much bother at Sale has he? Actually was it hin that stuck his fingers up at some fans?

Garin Jenkins was a loon in the front row and could actually play 😆

Mark Perego on the flank utterly barking 😆

I remember watching a game where Trevor Brennan came on and someone said “oh watch out this guy is a nutter” about 30 seconds later he was heading back to the side lines.

We’ve forgotten Calum Clarke in all of this!!

See wreckers post tom 😉

Unsuprisingly Bradley is to leave Edinburgh at the end of the season.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/21431483

Ah bollocks, the lions is going to be shit. Gatland is now saying he’s worried to pick too many English players as he’s worried that the papers follow to closely and people want to beat them. Sod form hey? What an utter pillock.

Actually, I think he’s AA in the real world. Think about it, same team selections, same refusal to see English talent and you’ve never seen them in the same room have you?!?!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/21435112

An English core is always important for the Lions as England (sadly) are the only home nation that really have the world beating mentality. Put it this way, of all the home nations you would have to favour England as the ones to beat the AB’s regardless of squad on the day. Just based on belief and the expectancy within themselves to win just because they are England 🙂

Add the that the exciting talent from the other home nations and you have a solid squad with a lot of potential.

Another question for the Lions discussion:
Who are the game changers for each nation? Not the good players, but the guys with the real power to pull out a moment of brilliance and change a game.

England: Farrel? Wilkinson! Morgan, Brown, Burns, Care, Varndell? Wade?
Ireland: BOD, Boss?
Wales: 1/2p, Phillips, J. Davies, Hook, Tipuric, Walker?
Scotland: Hogg, Maitland? Denton, Laindlaw? Visser?

DanW. Game changers?

For Ireland: O’Connell, A bit long in the tooth now.
After this weekend to prove he’s back on form: Ryan Jones. He was immense. And a true leader.

Agree with Phillips. His inability to deliver from the breakdown without taking a step is his biggest weakness. His ability to wind the opposition up within minutes of the first whistle is his biggest strength. Plus he can tackle.

Hook is a bit like Michalak, being mercurial (often crap).

BOD changes games.

Wilkinson and ROG mean you play the game where they want it to be played. Masters of closing out a game.

I think North could be considered a game changer and dont underestimate a forwards ability to do that with a turnover or big scrum. Ryan Jones will captain the midweek team imo and do a fine job of it too.

Oh and Gatland always talks crap to the press. Mostly just for a laugh I think. You’ll learn to ignore him.

An English core is always important for the Lions as England (sadly) are the only home nation that really have the world beating mentality. Put it this way, of all the home nations you would have to favour England as the ones to beat the AB’s regardless of squad on the day. Just based on belief and the expectancy within themselves to win just because they are England

thaqt worked so well for Lord Bald didnt it! when did you start watching rugby?

An English core is always important for the Lions

Important for Adidas to sell more shirts 😀

I was searching for info on Thomsons ban for stamping last autumn and found this article on rucking:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/international/newzealand/9673255/Ban-on-rucking-to-blame-for-All-Blacks-Adam-Thomson-trampling-on-Scotland-forward-Alasdair-Strokoschs-head.html

Basically Cleary is saying that banning rucking was a mistake and it should still be allowed in order to stop players laying over the ball and slowing it down. I have to say I agree with him. There was nothing worse than knowing you ended up wrong side and the opposition pack were about to trundle over you. You certainly made and effort to get out of the way.

Agree with Phillips. His inability to deliver from the breakdown without taking a step is his biggest weakness. His ability to wind the opposition up within minutes of the first whistle is his biggest strength. Plus he can tackle.

To be fair, youngs delivery is even slower. Phillips and care for me.

Agree BlindM rucking needs to be brought back. It is arguable (if you watch the earlier ruck that there were white shirts slow in getting out of the way (for white read green, blue and red in other matches) that teh Cian healy stamping would not have happened. English prop makes absolutly no attemptto roll away a bit of old school rucking, as opposed to stamping, would have sorted that.
It’s now neccessary to ruck to make teh ref actually referee the prone no-rolling bodies.

Onehundred Healy was clearly a stamp, albeit not as bad as the BBC are making out IMO. But yes most teams are generally all over it now. Mr McCaw would certainly have a few more marks on him after most games!

Except for the fact that the Irish SH already had the ball in his hands when the stamping occurred, cole had no contact with the ball (and certainly not with his legs) and any attempt to roll out the ruck would have been obstructive.

BlindMelon – Member
I was searching for info on Thomsons ban for stamping last autumn and found this article on rucking:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/international/newzealand/9673255/Ban-on-rucking-to-blame-for-All-Blacks-Adam-Thomson-trampling-on-Scotland-forward-Alasdair-Strokoschs-head.html

Basically Cleary is saying that banning rucking was a mistake and it should still be allowed in order to stop players laying over the ball and slowing it down. I have to say I agree with him. There was nothing worse than knowing you ended up wrong side and the opposition pack were about to trundle over you. You certainly made and effort to get out of the way.

Posted 1 hour ago # Report-Post

Except Thomson has a look and stamps on his head,foot and studs going forward that has always been illegal. I have been recycled more times that I can remember,oh the joy as you flop over and kill the other teams momentum…the fear as the tight five arrive at the breakdown… especially in the good old days before yellow cards. With my yellow jersey on; that wasn’t rucking a player killing the ball,that was one deliberate targeted stamp.

I am all for proper rucking (grew up playing in its hey-day under the All Blacks and Scotland) but that was not rucking. The ball was on its way out and this has all the hallmarks of a deliberate and premeditated attempt to cause real harm to another player – look where the stamp was targeted? It has no place on the rugby field and deserves no justification.

Never really saw the Gatland mystique. Comes across merely as an awkward bu&&er and cant see how those comments help future teams/touring parties. Too early for a less-than-subtle attempt to unsettle the English pre-Cardiff, and even so he should have learned from Telfer’s error.

I agree that rucking should be brought back….I wonder how McCaw’s career would have panned out were it allowed! Then again I’ve never really played, can’t say that I’d relish being on the receiving end of a slice of shoe pie.

To be fair to Gatland if you go the evening standard interview what he actually said is fair enough. He doesnt actually say he wont pick lots of english just that it causes more hype and annoys the aussirs.

True – so lets leave it that he is not the most media savvy guy in the world!!!

Tom B – Member
I agree that rucking should be brought back….I wonder how McCaw’s career would have panned out were it allowed! Then again I’ve never really played, can’t say that I’d relish being on the receiving end of a slice of shoe pie.

Posted 1 hour ago # Report-Post

Nothing like having your club shirt sticking to you in the bar afterwards,sign of good back row play. Worst are the Welsh, a London Welsh hooker once pointed out a boot print on my back in the showers and claimed ownership because one of his rear studs was missing 😀

Just watched the BBCs video and although the SH does have the ball in his hands Coles knee is blocking its path out. watch this at full screen at about 15seconds His leg is raised and it’s a deliberate block.
Ref should have penalised Cole then reversed the pentalty and binned Healy.

Just to be clear Healy stamped on Cole. The article I posted on rucking is not trying to justify what Healy did. Just a related subject. onehundred I agree, his knee was definately in the way.

Oh i agree Healy dserved a red/his citing, but i would be surprised if a citing commision didn’t look at the cicumstances.
It’s the situation that is going to cause real problems. No rucking and bodies on wrong side not being penalised.
On a couple of occassions this weekend eth ref gave clear indications for a player to “hold” in open play, and yet did nothing when teh player didn’t.

Sounds like you’ve played to a pretty high level duckman! I keep toying with the idea of going to my local club….at ten and a half stone and earning my money playing guitar I’ll probably steer clear though!!

Always try and avoid welsh hookers in showers duckman.

Gatland update;

“I am extremely disappointed that anybody should try to misinterpret what I said and try to say that will count against English players, that’s absolute b——-,” Gatland told Telegraph Sport.

The media stirs it up again………
I like gatland. Always have, and I also trust his judgement. Whatever the lions XV, ill be cheering them on.

The media stirs it up again………
I like gatland. Always have, and I also trust his judgement. Whatever the lions XV, ill be cheering them on.

Perhaps he should engage Alastair Campbell’s services, to be honest I would prefer a coach from one of the home unions. Maybe the media did stir it up a bit but he has history.

Advice noted A-A. Tom, it was 15/20 odd years ago, Welsh were crap then,if A-A- will allow me to be so bold… They were just over the back from us so we viewed that as our derby, sharing a ground with Richmond kind of meant that you knew most of them.

Gatland is a winner…but it would have been nice to have a Brit/Irish coach.

Some would say the are still crap.

Not at all, they are crap again

3 weeks for Healey and 7 for Moriarty… **** joke imo.

For those that missed it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2RNrSdvZBQ

That isn’t a tackle by Moriarty, its a judo throw, te-guruma to be precise.

Not a nice thing to see being done out of the dojo and although it was reasonably executed if it had’nt gone as well he could have broken the 9’s neck, 7 weeks seems fair to me.

3 weeks for Healy feels a bit soft as that was a deliberate stamp.

You know the Healy stamp reminds me of Jamie Joseph, did he do time for that? Also,at club level it is games NOT weeks you are banned for.Healy should have got 4-6 tbh, but having sat on panels at prem club level in Scotland it kind of goes on precedent. Example; When A-A broke the restraining order and was found inside Gav’s bedroom wearing nothing but baby oil and a winning smile,sentencing was based on previous treatment of stalkers. Eg, restraining order tightened/compulsory medical help for A-A.
Same goes for rugby, if there is a tarrif,then it is hard to go out on a limb.

The restraining order has expired and the medication isnt working!!!

I think that is fair given that Cole was wrong side, no damage was done and Healy doesn’t have form. The 6N committee set a precedent in the autumn with Thomson.