Damn you. Fortunately, you have an awesome avatar.
Yeah. The girl's pretty hot too.
Missing in action from this thread! Exams and a sick wife take there toll on your life So lets see where rugby stands in Europe.
Munster pulled of back to back wins against the heavily favoured Perpignan. After crossing the line 3 times in Thomand Park and losing by a single point, everyone expected Perpignan to take Munster to task in their own fortress, Stade Aimé Giral, where they have won the last 44 out of 45 games. Munster had a different idea.
With Munster to play Treviso and then Northampton in Thomand you would be forgiven for thinking that this is a done deal.
Biarittz are running away with it. They have some quality players in key positions, Damine Traille for me is one of the best players in the world, and look capable of beating anyone in the knock-out stages. They played the Dragons back to back the last few weekends getting two wins and a bonus point. Highlights here
The Ospreys are flying the flag for the Welsh here. They have done all they had to do by racking up the 10 points against Viadana. However the two heavyweights in the shape of Tigers and Clermont had two titanic battles, first with a 40-30 try fest in France
And then a gritty tussle in Welford
which has left the pool finely balanced. Two will qualify from the group thank to the best runner up slot but we can't tell which two just yet.
The story of this pool will have little to do with the rugby. Eye-gouging, suspension and freak weather will be the narrative over the next few weeks. Ulster went to Stade with a good chance of winning but the game had to be moved due to the abnormal weather here in Europe. Travelling twice in a week takes its toll on a team and we will never now if Ulster had a real chance of doing over Stade. Many would have loved to have seen it given Dupuy cowardice. Can't find a vid of the game as I don't think it was televised due to the change. Stade to progress unless we see an upset.
Toulouse to progess. Do I even need to offer qualify my opinion? Sale are in a good spot to get the other runners up spot. Here they are against the second best team in the group, Sale. When the French play like this it hard to find yourself rooting for them.
A two horse race here between London Irish (Or London South Africa as its called in rugby circles) and my old club, Leinster. Leinster look like the are on form and in the driving seat. Both sides will be playing for a home quarter final or a runners up spot over the two remaining matches. Leinster's last match can be viewed here. Can't find the highlights of the last Irish one but it didn't go well as a game of rugby.
So we take a break until the 15th of January but it looks like the French and Irish are going to compete over the spoils this year.
All is well, thanks for asking
Don't bet on the Northern countries courting the South as much as they did in the past. England has destroyed its rugby by buying in quick fixes and Ireland and France are beginning to favour their own over players you aren't eligible to the national team. The folly of filling key positions such as Tight-head and Out-half with foreigners has really hurt all nations up here and people at the coal face know it. The problem for England is the clubs are not tied to the national rugby union so they do whatever suits them. Ireland, Scotland and Wales players are all centrally contracted and France's civic structure means the national unions can dictate a policy with more coherence.
Very long ball stuff but one worth keeping in mind as the subtext in the run up here in the North to the next world cup. As far as competing goes, France can beat anyone if the fit takes them and Ireland has gone from being plucky losers to offering a real threat anyone. We could even win the next cup if we get a rub of the green, if you excuse the pun.
Round Five of the ERC is now over and it looks as if Ireland and France will dominate the competition. Munster, Leinster, Biarritz and Toulouse look to be those that will command a home quarter final spot while Stade, Clermont, Leicester and London Irish make up those that will travel. The Ospreys will have a big say and still have a chance to get into the knockout stages themselves at the expense of an English side. In other words, the game of the coming weekend is the Ospreys and Leicester.
As for this weekends highlights, the best backline in the world served up a cracking try against Brive
And more importantly....Super League starts soon
And more importantly....Super League starts soon ;)
Yep our beloved Summer game kicks off at the end of January. For us it's a trip to Wrexham a week before almost everybody else.
In rugby league related news Terry Matterson (the Castleford Tigers coach) has lost a finger in an accident in France. He got it caught in a fence while trying to recover a ball.
The best part is his quote "It's not ideal. I'd like to have the finger but a lot worse things happen to you. I was playing table tennis with the boys afterwards."
davet010 wrote:And more importantly....Super League starts soon ;)
League?!?
*hack*
*spit*Actually, I know nothing about league, it simply isn't played here. I must read up a bit.
Well imagine union but with 2 less forwards and all the boring bits taken out, you know, like lineouts, endless penalties and kicking, mauls and generally thuggery. Add in pace, people who can pass without it going to ground 2 times out of 3, skill and entertainment.
There, that's rugby league
Or, as one of my Union loving colleagues described it
"It's the NFL with 6 downs and no forward passing.."
Unfortunately, being in Manchester I'm a little stuck for a team....Salford remind me too much of them from Old Trafford (shudders), St Helens is too far away and I refuse to have the lobotomy which is required to spend much time in Wigan, though I am quite fond of pies. Yorkshire teams are out (obviously), so I guess I shall keep one out for the Catalan Dragons in my usual contrary way.
Interestingly enough, there was a series running on ESPN over Xmas called the History of Rugby, which while concentrating largely on the 15 man game, did have significant portions on the split between RU and RL around the turn of the 20th century, and also a section on the popularity of RL in pre WW2 France and the collaborationist tactics of French RU teams and officials to essentially squash the game during the war and post-war period.
Some sad news today with the death of veteran BBC rugby commentator Bill McLaren. He'd been involved in rugby for so long I couldn't believe it was 8 years since he retired, even for someone like me who's not a huge RU fan. Another voice from my childhood disappears
league is a simpler version about the game. It is more about possession where union is more about territory. There are more tries in league and it seems that the major criticism of rugby union in Australia is the lack of tries vs league. A member of the team I follow in the league was busted for dealing drugs this year and other players are under investigation so I may need to pretend Australia is taking this year off.
i prefer union to league and agbut I think looks can be decieving. The hits in rugby league are harder because there is no thought of need to get the tackled player into position. You just want to knock them back. Also the tackled player doesn't have to think to play the ball back so there is no reason to stop the momentum at any point. Having an interchange also has a big effect on how fast the big men up front can play.
Thats probably true, but all the good dirt happens in the scrums.
Not necessarily, just ask John Hopoate (aka Stinkfist) for details
What's dirty is the golden gloves and cleat fencing you don't see.
I played flanker for 5 years at school - and this was back in the 80's when mauls, clearing out and shoe pie were less obviously policed.
I played flanker for 5 years at school - and this was back in the 80's when mauls, clearing out and shoe pie were less obviously policed.
I LOVE busting mauls. If you just split people and disguise a trip you feel LIKE A GOD.
Not necessarily, just ask John Hopoate (aka Stinkfist) for details
Well rather that happen then this
Six Nations starts today. I have no idea what that is, but apparently it involves Morgan Freeman.
Six Nations starts today. I have no idea what that is, but apparently it involves Morgan Freeman.
I think it's where the 5 most boring union and France, get together to play each other while wishfully thinking that they knew how to pass. Although England and Wales have just taken up the whole quota of tries for the whole tournament with 5 in one game!
So, i've been watching Six Nations games since I signed up for Setanta-i, and I get them. And it's certainly less confusing than Cricket. However, can someone point me to a "Rugby for Americans" FAQ or guide? And how could England have "edged" the game with Wales if they won by 13 points?
The ESPN site scrum.com has some pretty decent info for the beginner, there is a whole section about laws etc. The Wikipedia entry is also quite good.
13 points isn't a huge margin, it's less than 2 scores. It's possible to score 2 tries and convert them quite quickly, so 15+ points is considered a comfortable margin. And I didn't watch the game, but the scoreline can be deceptive if Wales had a bad bounce or two, or a bad pass that prevented a score.
Hopefully you can watch the Super 14, that is rugby.
That, my friend, is debatable. Without wishing to confuse Pred, referees in the two hemispheres have slightly different rules govening the sport, and also differing interpretations of them. To my mind, Super 14 is a bit like limited overs cricket, but that's a personal preference.
Oh, and Pred...there is another sort of rugby as well...Rugby League.
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