Rugby Union 2017-18

[bendeus]

Great interview, has always come across as the most decent for of bloke, but that injury profile is shocking. I wonder how much of it is club related, or a result of the beastings Gatland subjected them to in Spala. Of course not taking a break from the game and training in the off season will contribute too.

I think its two major factors - one is the type of player he is. His tackling but also his jackalling. Only Pocock is better at holding a position of strength over the ball and that makes you so vulnerable to clear outs, both legal and non, from massive players.

Second, I think he's made of china, which isn't a good combination with the above, really.

E2A: not club related - he has barely played for the Blues for two seasons or more and was carefully managed before that

 

[flypanam]

Back to pro14 this weekend. I hate 6N off weekends...but the fixture list this weekend is pretty good (considering the season defining game for Ireland next weekend of which I'm not confident with only 2 wins out of 6 against Wales) Blues vs Munster and Leinster Vs Scarlets.

 

[bendeus]

Back to pro14 this weekend. I hate 6N off weekends...but the fixture list this weekend is pretty good (considering the season defining game for Ireland next weekend of which I'm not confident with only 2 wins out of 6 against Wales) Blues vs Munster and Leinster Vs Scarlets.

The Turks are decimated by Team Wales call-ups. Lost by a canter to Treviso last week and, I would imagine will do the same against Leinster, who simply have more depth. I hate the fact that the league trots on during international windows - Scarlets, who have been excellent at full strength, could see their entire season derailed because of it.

 

[bendeus]

Talks about drugs in rugby before. Irish posters - thoughts on this?

'Spare me that hypocrisy' - Paul Kimmage's message to IRFU over Gerbrandt Grobler signing

 

[flypanam]

Aye its a stupid signing, and it's clear that the IRFU officially stink. It's not just Munster that have to answer questions. From my understanding Dave Nucifora would have had to sign off on this signing, he's got a lot to answer for, though I doubt it would cost him his role because a. he's finally doing a good job see Ulster signing both Marty Moore and Jordi Murphy and b. the irfu IS the old school tie network. They protect their own.

Of course Kimmage could have a look at schools rugby in Ireland, where I think use of steroids is rife given the size of the lads who play in the senior cup.

 

[bendeus]

Interesting that this emerges in the same week that the RFU got all self congratulatory after reporting only one positive drug test in the professional game in the last year. Turns out that the testing regime is pretty 'relaxed' insomuch as you can go a year or more without ever seeing a testing official, which tells us very little about the actual levels of usage in the sport.

Still can't help but feel that we're still due a massive scandal at some point.

 

[Nigel Irritable]

Interesting that this emerges in the same week that the RFU got all self congratulatory after reporting only one positive drug test in the professional game in the last year. Turns out that the testing regime is pretty 'relaxed' insomuch as you can go a year or more without ever seeing a testing official, which tells us very little about the actual levels of usage in the sport.

Still can't help but feel that we're still due a massive scandal at some point.

The fact that rugby year in year out has more positive tests than any other sport in Britain, but all of those caught are kids, amateurs or old lads and never active pros is hilarious. It’s right up there with the stance tennis took for many years that there was no need to test for EPO because EPO wasn’t used in tennis, as demonstrated by the absence of positive tests for it, in the “you really do think your fans are thick” stakes.

 

[Nigel Irritable]

Aye its a stupid signing, and it's clear that the IRFU officially stink. It's not just Munster that have to answer questions. From my understanding Dave Nucifora would have had to sign off on this signing, he's got a lot to answer for, though I doubt it would cost him his role because a. he's finally doing a good job see Ulster signing both Marty Moore and Jordi Murphy and b. the irfu IS the old school tie network. They protect their own.

Of course Kimmage could have a look at schools rugby in Ireland, where I think use of steroids is rife given the size of the lads who play in the senior cup.

You will be a long time waiting for the journalists who reverentially cover schools rugby to touch that one. And I doubt any paper would let Kimmage do it.

 

[flypanam]

You will be a long time waiting for the journalists who reverentially cover schools rugby to touch that one. And I doubt any paper would let Kimmage do it.

Sadly, I think you're right.

 

[bendeus]

Looks like the Saints board read my post. Mallinder gone. Good riddance to a violence excusing fuck who essentially oversaw a team of thugs with two blind eyes.

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/42324266

Rumours surfacing that he's in talks with the Blues to be their new coach next year. Hmmmph!

 

[bendeus]

Some now saying it's a done deal. Ych a fi.

Former Saints boss Mallinder linked with Cardiff Blues job

 

[flypanam]

The Pro14: where all AP villains find a home.

 

[bendeus]

The Pro14: where all AP villains find a home.

If he brings Hartley and Callum Clarke with him I'm going to revoke my own nationality

 

[rubbershoes]

Brilliant win by the Chiefs today. 13 points down with 10 minutes to go. The Saints forwards had been as good as the Chiefs' handling had been bad up to then.

But the Chiefs went up a gear and got the winning try in the 82nd minute

 

[Threshers_Flail]

Great try from Ryan Conbeer in the Llanelli v Ulster game.

 

[gawkrodger]

Wow. This is pretty big

NZR partner with Harlequins

 

[gawkrodger]

comedy moment 2 mins into the highlights of the brumbies/reds match

 

[flypanam]

Great game this morning between the blues and chiefs. Right team won and the big city shites remain shite including warren gatland’s boy.

 

[Threshers_Flail]

The Dragons become the first team to lose to the Southern Kings, fucking shambles. The half-tidy young players they've got would be better off plying their trade in the English second tier. Looking forward to seeing how this is spun on Scrum V.

 

[gawkrodger]

I watched the second half of that last night and they were truly abysmal. The SK looked like 'Canes!

 

[bendeus]

The Dragons become the first team to lose to the Southern Kings, fucking shambles. The half-tidy young players they've got would be better off plying their trade in the English second tier. Looking forward to seeing how this is spun on Scrum V.

It's hilarious. The line is still, 'team in improvement...blah blah blah... building for next season... blah blah blah...promising signs...blah blah blah...results don't reflect performances'. They're a shocking shower of shit with a shit brand, a shit coach and mostly shit players who drag their few good players down to the level and consistency of shit. Still, the gravy train riders should not imply criticism of their 50% shareholders, the WRU (who this weekend voted against the modernisation of its own board), one must tow the party line without question. Wales is at times so shit and so fucking cosy. Old players turned 'pundits' who cba to actually call what they see, blazers who won't let go of their little slice of power but who are patently unfit to govern a professional, multimillion turnover sport and a quiescent media unwilling to ruin their access to Team Wales by actually, y'know, reporting on the shit that happens. We get what we deserve.

 

[stavros]

I can't work out if I like C5 moving the highlights to a Monday or not. Massive credit for keeping MDS and Flats to helm it, and they're having a whole stream of Premiership games over the next few weeks.

 

[gawkrodger]

for some reason C5 player has stopped working on my mac so haven't watched the highlights for a fortnight

 

[Threshers_Flail]

Can't recommend this programme enough, a look at the Welsh players who went North to play league. I'll admit as someone who was born in 1990 a lot of this was very knew to me, a massive shame that some of the best Welsh sporting icons of the 20th century are pretty unknown in Wales.

BBC Two - The Rugby Codebreakers

 

[stavros]

What the fuck have C5 done with the Anglo-Welsh highlights? My TV guide said it was on at 7pm today, but I switched onto a version of Crash Bang Wallop What A Video.

At least they've got Sarries-Quins live on Saturday to partially make up for it.

 

[gawkrodger]

What the fuck have C5 done with the Anglo-Welsh highlights? My TV guide said it was on at 7pm today, but I switched onto a version of Crash Bang Wallop What A Video.

At least they've got Sarries-Quins live on Saturday to partially make up for it.

It would have been highlights of the Bath/Exeter final at Kingsholm this weekend which was cancelled due to Gloucester being under 4 inches of snow

 

[stavros]

Thank you. I'd avoided any media on the subject to watch the highlights fresh.

 

[gawkrodger]

Canes for Super Rugby champions this season?

The Barrett and Aso tries!

Excited for Shields and Sopoaga coming over for next season

 

[stavros]

That was some way for Itoje to bounce back after the 6N. The Premiership is a step down in quality from internationals, but nonetheless.

 

[flypanam]

Bit of an inauspicious start:

Ulster's Jackson and Olding face rape prosecution - BBC News

Acquitted. Not sure I want them back at Ulster.