I've seen about 20 minutes of NZ v. Scotland, because it's so damned inconvenient to watch international rugby here. There are online sources to watch but to be honest, once I know the score, it's harder to care. And I don't really support any team or player other than Ngwenye for US because he's a personal friend. I see more Munster, Gloucester and Sale games than anything because it's conveniently on my tv. I get most of my international rugby news from this thread (and a visit to rugby dump once a month or so). I may also not be a good representative for American fans of international rugby. I've never been much of a "sports fan", I don't follow teams, I've never read the sports pages or commentary shows. I like good games, skillful play and my club. Here's an example: a friend who is runs the Shreveport club, a fun rival of ours, sent me a picture of him standing with a guy with the caption: "Meet my new ringer." I don't know who it is so I made a smart ass comment about how all of his team are ringers anyway. Turns out, the guy was Percy Montgomery. I had to say, "Who's Percy Montgomery?" I'm streets behind.
Australians must be livid. All three teams know they can beat each other ignoring the Welsh failure to actually finish the games. Plus two of the teams are at home, one more than the other. . All you need, really, sorry if I'm being a pest. Plus if you're watching Munster you're watching a good chunk of the Irish team and their tactics in action. Edit: Dan Carter wins IRB Player of the Year. It makes sense as a body-of-work award and he's overdue this (slightly ridiculous) award, so well done him.
You're no pest. My rugby pests are: 1) lack of convenient viewing methods, 2) slackers on my club (I doubt we'll survive another year)
None of yours, then. It makes more sense now, I had it in my head that he was a Scarlet. Faletau will go too when his contract is up, I don't think the Dragons can hold into any senior international team players. Worrying thing about Lydiate is that he may get ridden into the ground by the French. The new board will make little difference, I expect.
I would agree but he signed a contract extension last year, so he's in until 2014 theoretically. Same for North and JD. Not sure about Warburton, Tipuric and Bradley Davies but I wouldn't be surprised if they had been approached. Not that that stops a team poaching, it just makes it expensive. Actually, wasn't Roberts in-contract?
I haven't followed Sevens closely enough to be aware of this guy, but it's an entertaining video: Given that it's an Olympic sport now it'll be interesting to see which teams are performing as 2016 approaches. I expect nothing less than NZ DOMINANCE, of course, but from the looks of things that's by no means a sure bet.
He has some gas! Always enjoyed watching England 7s when Mat Tait and Tom Varndell were playing. Absolute speedsters and wonderfully balanced runners. What I loved about that video is Tait is obviously shifting and Varndell just cruises up alongside him like it's no bother.
He does, he's burning people with no problems. Sevens might be Fiji's best shot at a certain medal- they've been better tournament performers than NZ (two 7WC wins, two 3rd places vs a 1,2,3 from NZ), who have dominated the World Series. That said, Wales are the current holders so apparently anything can happen. Because I have to: Surprised they still haven't moved from the Rec.
I thought that was only for 15s? They've come 4th/4th/2nd in the last three World Series, and they're currently third after three legs which is admittedly not much. Maybe they have fallen from grace. I don't follow Sevens beyond reading the catch-up articles after tourneys, generally.
Wasn't a vintage year last year by any stretch, and Fiji are simply nowhere near as good as they were 5 years ago (or in Serevi-at-his-pomp days).
Welsh team wins Heineken Cup match, Quetzalcoatl pleased. Bad weekend for the Irish teams, compared to their normal HEC form. I wonder why.
Leinster are struggling to click at the moment - the backline isn't as impressive as it used to be. That midfield's not great, McFadden on the wing isn't really up to it either. Add in a lack of grunt in the middle of the pack (and no sign of the rampaging O'Brien we saw a year or two ago) and they look pretty mortal. Admittedly, they were up against one of the two best sides in the competition in Clermont, but they weren't at the races. Munster have been middling for a while and I thought Saracens outplayed them in Thomond and would've walked away with the win there had Farrell not bottled his kicks. I wasn't surprised to see Sarries choke them to death in Watford. Ulster were the big shock, it was Just One Of Those Days where they dropped everything in sight and Saints were just good enough to make them pay. Despite Ulster being utterly hamfisted they still only lost by a single point so it's not the end of the world.
Nothing the Irish are going through can compare to the Blues v Scarlets match last night. Good grief. Many, many comments but none of them worthwhile; I wasn't expecting champagne rugby but that was just abominable. I can imagine that even the Bath vs Saracens match is going to be more interesting. :(
I watched most of that. I wish I hadn't. Bath v Sarries stands a good chance of being postponed - the Wreck is a pretty horrific place to hold a rugby match when it's been chucking down. Tomorrow's Wasps/Sale match is under threat as well.
It's been a few years since I was last there, but the pitch wasn't pleasant in good conditions either. Great setting, mind. Leinster/Ulster was a massive improvement, although Healy was vivisected by Afoa in the first half.
The Bath game didn't turn out too bad after all, Sarries put on a pretty dead-eyed display of wet weather rugby. Charlie Hodgson >>>>>>>> Stephen Donald. Quins beat Saints away which was nice. We outclassed them - Brown was utterly superb at fullback, the sort of display that had people go gooey over Rob Kearney - and stopped them getting even a losing bonus point. It's tight at the top.
Pretty much what they do, no? Say what you want about the South Africans, they get their wins. I'm sure our Kiwi friends have plenty of comments about Donald, too. I didn't catch it; Brown seemed decent when he came on for England, admittedly as a wing (cf Liam Williams; I'll have more to say about that come 6N). I actually don't think I've seen Quins play in a long while now. Ulster got the first penalty try I've personally seen in a while. There have been a few of late, granted, but I do wonder why we don't see a few more. Scrum went down twice on the 5m line and it was clearly Healy both times. It wasn't deliberate, he just doesn't seem to be an effective scrummager; Leinster scrum was really struggling.
There's been a rash of them. Tigers got two today (London Irish got thumped at home, they're in big trouble. I'm blaming Shaun Edwards just because), Tigers conceded one in the HEC against Treviso, from a maul about 15m out (!) thanks to good old Alain "Fuck you, English teams" Rolland before getting one themselves from a rather more obvious set of scrums 5m out... Actually, I get quite pissed off when penalty tries aren't given for foul play in the act of scoring (or stopping a score). The hit on Hape for England v NZ a few years back is a case in point - a clear shoulder charge as he dived for the corner and it caused a knock-on. The Quins game was a case of us showing we had a Plan B, and it was very effective. Pummeled them in the scrum and gave them a tough time in the lineout, dominated territory and possession in the second half and kicked our goals. Not the usual offloading game but all the more pleasing for it.
Play of the weekend. Blues game on Saturday was okay. They didn't look quite as bad as they have previously, although I see why Warburton's struggling to show form: four of the five men in front of him are not very good. On the other side of the coin, grizzled veteran ROG+ was outdone at his speciality by a 19 year old with about 15 games to his name. Addendum: poor Morgan Stoddart. He came back recently from a fractured leg and the pain has forced him to retire. Also the SuperXV starts properly (hey, I love watching the Brumbies but Aussie derbies aren't great) on the third weekend of the 6N. I don't think I can handle that much rugby in a short time period.
Good grief there are some telephone numbers this weekend. Quins ate Connacht (47-8), Toulon battered the Blues (seven tries to four. Wow.), Biarritz reamed Zebre (32-6) and Holy of Holies, Sarries are getting tonked by Racing (19-6 so far)+. Leinster-Scarlets and Ospreys-Leicester should be fun if this is anything to go by. I also found out just now that all four of the first-choice Wales locks are now out. Balls. +Edit: I go out at half-time, I come back after the match has ended and Sarries won 37-28. Racing had been letting them back into the game before half-time, but I really didn't expect that scoreline. Second edit: Scarlets were annihilated up front, and at the moment the Ospreys are dominant. They're going to miss Fotuali'i when the inevitable French offer comes in. They may go after Tipuric as well, he's been outstanding. Third: Poor kicking and a slump in the second half cost Ospreys the win there. Eli Walker vying for the Shane MkII title as well.
The Sarries win was the best rugby of the weekend - they copped 3 tries in the first 20 minutes and looked like they were going to get shredded but kept chipping away and never let Racing get properly out of sight. Then their superior kicking and mental strength kicked in and they dragged it back. Ospreys v Tigers was fun, too. Tigers will take that result given how badly they were being outplayed in the first half, and it means they have to beat an under-performing Toulouse at Welford Rd to progress. Connacht were down to 12 at one point against Quins and it could've been worse; a *lot* of off-the-ball stuff and niggle. Quins weren't all that and it's been a weak group, but they look like being #1 seeds for the knockout stages.
Try of the weekend: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=_lYtILx4Hzg#t=1108s My commentary is "fucking hell". I so hope Quins don't have to face them.
Yeah, good match. Shame I missed the second half of the Sarries game. Racing just let things settle a bit too much after their three-try blitz. Seems about right.
That was a great game. Delighted to see Munster play with such intent again. And of course the bigger incidence in the match, a red card after five minutes.
I'd be happier if I were you too. However Munster have a lot of young players coming into form now. If they kick on in the next two months they could be quite formidable, and still underdogs with no expectation and that would count for a lot.
Yeah, I like the look of the likes of Kilcoyne, though your midfield is a problem at the moment. I don't think Munster could go into a HEC quarter final with no expectations, especially as we're not exactly familiar with the knockout stages ourselves. Although we did turn you over in Thomond not that long ago in the Amlin.
O'Gara received a personal letter of thanks from McCaw, and you have no idea how long I've been waiting for an excuse to post this: Modern Aussie commentators would have had a fairly different response to that. Do Quins have any previous (shush) in the knockout stages? On current form it should be a fairly good match-up for them even given the experience Munster have in the knockout stages. They were turned by the Blues at 'home' recently. Toulon I expect to hand out a beating, Ulster should beat Sarries and Clermont-Montpelier looks like a tasty fixture. I was interested to see that Harinordoquy didn't get cited. I'm struggling to name a breakdown where the replay didn't show him lamping someone.
O'Gara didn't play on Sunday, and the Munster team has bugger all experience. There's only two starters from the 08 final on the team that started on Sunday. 9 of the starting team are 25 and under (and Ireland and especially Munster are slow at bringing through young players.)
No. Our last trip there was the Bloodgate game where we lost to Leinster by the odd point (really should've won that match!). Apart from that, we butchered our last group match last season and lost to Connacht (after beating Toulouse in Toulouse!) to miss out on qualification - we'd have topped the group :( Sarries at home will be tough to beat. I think Ulster are getting a little bit overrated - they're a good side but I'm not sure they're so good that they could be assumed to walk over a really committed Saracens team. Yeah. He's a cock. Quins team is a good blend of ages: Marler 22 Gray 24 Johnston 26 Robson 27 Kohn 31 Faasavalu 33 Robshaw 26 Easter 34 Care 26 Evans 32 JTH 25 Lowe 23 Monye 29 Williams 29 Brown 27
I should have qualified the Sarries comment a bit. They've shown that they're difficult to write off many times. I expected Ulster to win based on their HEC/Rabid form to date, but the Rabbit isn't a great indicator of form. You've got to stand up for Sarries and their grit. Just took a look at the 6N squads and ages. England, France and Wales seem to be fielding younger squads than Scotland, Ireland (who always skew 'experienced') and Italy. Two of those have a number of injuries, granted.
Just so you're all aware, the Six Nations starts on Saturday. I do think this one could go to one of two teams, but there will be surprises (mostly that the Welsh squad are hitting the deck before the Lions take their toll). I'll do a proper run down for the six of us once the remaining teams are announced, although I expect Jam will do England. I actually had a joke there involving the phrase Jam and Jerusalem. No-one but me would have understood it.
SO! Where: Millenium Stadium, God's own bedraggled urban blight. When: 1330hrs, Sat 2nd of Feb. What: the first match of this year's Six Nations, of course! We're starting this one with the annual Celtic grudge match. This has, the last few years, produced some of the better matches of the Six Nations. This year will be very different. Partly because players will be sticking their hands up for Lions spots, and partly because Wales are out of players in key positions. Ireland first. They're starting with most of their team available. Cian Healy's on great form, but every time I see him scrummage he seems to be having his back re-arranged. The other two forwards are decent enough and experience hands, so they'll be safe. Paul O'Connell's not available, but (and whisper this) his form of late ain't been so good. Instead they're covering with Mike McCarthy, who will do the job. Also missing is their back-row talisman, Stephen Ferris. O'Mahony's a faster option and Ferris has been a bit soft for such a huge chap. They'll miss him but probably not as much as you might think. Sean O'Brien takes his adopted position on the other flank; he's been pretty good in the regions although I still seem to have problems rating him. Rounding out the pack is Jamie Heaslip taking his first captaincy. It'll be interesting to see how he does. Heaslip can be accused of going absent during important matches, and he can't afford to do that on Saturday (although Best will provide back-up). Pivots look pretty safe. I seem to remember Murray having a few issues with delivery pace, but Sexton is among the better fly-halves available in the Home Nations at present. Even if Leinster went out and he jumped ship. Midfield, though, ouch. D'Arcy and O'Driscoll are looking a bit creaky now. BOD's still BOD, although lacking some of the sparkle he once had. He's also been injured for ages, which adds extra worry. I'm concerned about the Irish centre pairing, and that there doesn't seem to be anyone to replace them. Back three are as expected: exciting Zebo, racy youngster Gilroy and experienced 26 year old (REALLY?) Kearney. Kearney's been out a while too, so it'll be interesting to see how his form looks. The bench has got some decent cover; knowing Kidney, O'Gara will come on at some point (WHY) as will DOC, a man who will do the job and nothing else. Except shout at the hooker. Keith Earls will add some speed to their midfield but potentially leave massive gaping holes for Gogzilla to trundle through. Irish form is decent. HEC teams performing well as usual- two regions through to the Q/F. They put an admittedly knackered Argentinian team to the sword. Problem is that that was a few months ago, and the Six Nations is a very different prospect. Wales next. Christ. First things first, our coach is missing and the replacement appears to be unable to coach a team sponsored by National Express (I try). So there's hurdle one. Hurdle two is the team. Front row, we've got a man who's been injured for ages and isn't getting regular game time (Jenkins), a man who is looking like a shadow of himself (Rees, because Hibbard is injured) and a man who is coming off injury and isn't quite on form (Jones the prop). Second row we've got a man who's just come back off injury (Evans) and our other three first-choice locks won't be back. Next to him is an inexperienced Dragon who I don't know a great deal about. Cripes. So our engine room is empty; to that end, we've picked up the first decent lock to stick his hand up. Lucky for us, we got a 'Quin. Kohn's a massive lump of a man who will be there to tackle, push and lift (we'll probably see the flankers jumping at the rear). Good-oh, an English poach. Rounding out the pack are the rapid but slightly light Shingler, the off-form Warburton and the reliable Faletau. Those last two, well; Warbs is well behind Tipuric in form, and frankly he's not been a great captain of late. Gatland probably wouldn't have started him and given JJD or Adam the captaincy (AWJ is the stand-out candidate as a real professional, but is injured). Faletau has all the groundwork to be a really good 8 but it seems he needs some bulk and a good mentor to push him over the edge. We'll see what happens, but I wouldn't be surprised if we get massacred with that front five. Backs are basically as expected. Philips is our only choice, Biggar's the only fly-half option we have really (Patchell is too young, Hook too brainless, Priestland too injured+) and the centres pick themselves. Roberts needs to regain his old form but will relish the opportunity to clatter people, and JJD should be usual self. Cuthbert has been on better form than North of late, but North's the more natural (and gifted) player. Halfpenny rounds out the back three, but I would actually have liked to see him on the wing. Drop one of North/Cuthbert (North on form but I think Halfpenny fits Cuthbert's role better) and bring in... Lee Byrne. Clermont have been on storming form of late and I hear Byrne's possibly, maybe, perhaps on his way back to 2008 world-beating form. Bench has okay cover for the key positions; Hook for utility, full front-row, Kohn's starting there because the game's all about the last 20 or whenever Evans falls over. We'll definitely see Tipuric on, if Howley has any brains. Bugger. So, we've got a Welsh team full of holes, players out of form or returning from injury. We've got an Irish team with a few holes but otherwise intact, on decent form, smarting from the previous losses and playing in Cardiff where they typically win. 's not looking good, boys. Ireland by ten. +I actually have to admit to being unfair about RP. He's been on poor form and the team have been playing him as a kicker. He's not really a kicker. If you watched him when he was playing well, his whole game was based around unlocking the potential of the men around him. I hope he gets back into that form, for his own sake; he's lost all confidence.
Roll up! Roll up! For Jam's opening preview of the Six Nations! Featuring a recap of the last 12 months for England and Scotland Team discussion! Endless recaps of individual matches! Way too much text! Coming soon, to a browser near you.
