Rugby - The Game They Play In Heaven II

[kittenOFchaos]

Well, the previous coach also slammed the players...to be fair, given how naff they've been, he may have a point.

[Havak]

It's too easy for coaches to put such fingers some times. John Wells topped the premiership with almost exactly the same squad that Dean Richards limped into sixth place the previous season.

Would you want to join Sale at this point? Not only have they released 21 players but Diamond stuck the knife in whilst doing so - suggesting none were good enough to win new contract offers. He could and perhaps should have left that as implicit?

Still Tait should be free to announce his joining Tigers now. I note the one time "next big thing for England" Chris Jones is off to Worcester too?

I would have to make Sale favourites for relegation next season along with Falcons (as always). Worcester have the resources to outmatch both assuming they come up.

Sorry to see Backy fall on his sword at Leeds - tough again as the top man he has to carry the can (a lesson Diamond will learn in time?)

[kittenOFchaos]

Who'd join Sale? Goodness knows. Presumably we'll get alot of Leeds players and top up with Welshmen...and do crap. Perhaps we should just blood the Sale Jets early.

Perhaps we can score a few talented rejects: Cipriani, Sackey, Henson and Powell.

[finbar]

Cipriani obviously wants out of Melbourne. Breaks the team-imposed curfew with Richard Kingi the same day it was imposed, does it again the next night, and doesn't turn up for training the next day. The Rebels don't take him on the road-trip to South Africa. Melbourne obviously wants rid of Cipriani. I read an interesting description of him on a Sydney rugby blog: "A charming, alcoholic sociopath". It might not be far wrong. Apart from his diabolical defence, worse than it ever was in the NH, he's played some very fine rugby for the Rebels. I have no idea where his future lies now.

And Gatland calls Orange into the Welsh squad. Good grief. Gatland is the M'sieur Le Coach of the other side of the Channel, LdiC.

[Havak]

The English Premiership has some interesting club owners but none of them come close to Mourad Boudjellal. Either something goes badly wrong in the translation of what this gentlemen says or he sees the club Toulon and all it's staff as his own personal play things?

Much of the media talk on Cipriani here is when he is going to grow up. I think the boy is likely to have regrets in later life - at 23 he is close to missing the boat in terms of international ambitions (though never say never). Of course if he does have sociopathic tendencies then you don't actually grow out of those.

I have a feeling - just a feeling - that Danny may end up at Saracens.

I suppose one has to feel for Sackey - he didn't do that badly at Toulon, plenty of wingers have a 25% strike rate. To be described thus: "As he did not satisfy us, we have decided to release him" seems a bit harsh. Maybe he will go to Sale - though I think they would be better advised going the youth route. Sale has a decent academy side - they lost the A league final to Tigers development side.

[LDiCesare]

Boudjellal is an interesting character. He certainly sees the RCT as his plaything.
At one time, Toulon was French champion. Players like Champ and Dominici, who have many selections with France, were trained and played there, but the club lost them as professionalism arrived: Dominici and all the greatly skilled players of his generation all left Toulon and the club plummetted to second division as the club had no way to keep them. Mignoni, the current scrum half, was one of those. Boudjellal brought in lots of money, first as a sponsor, then as president. He certainly has an ego that rivals those of the villains in James Bond movies, but it is also certainly true that without him, the RCT wouldn't have enough money to be among the top French clubs.

Now, his handling of the coaches, what he says, is really exaggerated. Then again, he is from Toulon. It's a city where people have a hot temper. He is loud-mouthed, and has a temper.
Regarding Sackey, he wasn't used much probably because the coaches thought little of him. Keeping Henson looks silly. The problem with Toulon is that bringing in lots of players who don't coalesce into a team just won't work. Of course, some of Toulon players (van Niekerk, Mignoni, Contepomi for instance) play with their heart and soul, but I'm not sure they all manage to play together as a team, and I doubt their president's bouts help them.

[finbar]

The problem with Sackey might have been his habit of using the big TV screen to straighten his hairband. I saw him do it last time I saw Toulon. I think their fundamental problem is - or problems are - too many journeymen amongst the big names, and, as you say, money can't buy a squad/team culture.

And M'sieur Le Coach has named his first WC squad. No Poitrenaud? And all those injured players? And Traille - still!?

[LDiCesare]

Yeah, Lièvremont selected a bunch of wounded players.
Domingo is indeed the first choice for loosehead. But he won't be able to play.
Barcella was probably as good as Domingo before he got hurt, and he is still hurt too...
Rougerie, apart from the big problem of being Rougerie, is hurt too.

A single player from Castres, a single from the Racing... This is a bit weird considering the various clubs results, but that was expected.

Poitrenaud has many things going against him. He is a true full back who can also play center. Considering there are so many centers who proved they were no longer fit to play at international level and Lièremont still wants to select them, Poitrenaud couldn't be brought in.
Milo-Chlusky is a good surprise. I thought Lièvremont had gotten rid of him, apparently he came to his senses. Papé is more dubious.
Lakafia is surprising. I mean, how many caps does he have? Picamoles is back too but I wonder why Lièvremont never selected him for so long to finally realise he might be a better pick than Chabal.
The centers... Arggg? I forgot to mention Mermoz among the wounded. I mean, even if he gets fit again, he'll get wounded after one match against any physical opposition. Which is a shame because he's an otherwise good player, but still.
Heymans and Clerc are rightly there. With Heymans, Medard and Palisson, the full back is well covered. I doubt the usefulness of Huget, who was found somewhat lacking in his last tests. Maybe he got better in the meantime.

[Havak]

Loud mouthed and with a temper? He would fit in well with some owners of English clubs then.

Well done to kOc for correctly predicting that Powell would join Sale.

[finbar]

Only hastening kOc's support of another club no doubt. Strange decision. Cleaning out so many players who apparently aren't up to it, bringing in a proven one-trick pony doubling as a nutter with an IQ lower than Osama bin Laden's blood pressure these days.

[kittenOFchaos]

A top-up of Welshness and a reject to boot

Powell

"There was a bit of interest from other clubs but I have been really impressed with what I have seen at Sale."

No comment necessary.


Hmm, considering a flutter on the play-off tomorrow. Leceister versus Northampton - fascinating. Probably will put something on Hartley scoring or getting sent off...

[finbar]

Hartley's actually improved his discipline in that regard, though he remains a mouthy cheap-shot merchant.

Interesting contests this weekend. Leicester are going to have to tighten up their game enormously, something one wouldn't normally expect to be saying about them. Leicester have the better halves on paper but Youngs and Flood need to rediscover their confidence and from of earlier in the season. Saints are on a roll, they have the muscle to counter Leicester's muscle, plus the firepower from the back. I'm leaning towards Saints, only because Leicester have more to get right. But who knows with Leicester?

I fear Sarries will grind down the naive Glos. Pity.

Meanwhile, the RFU reveals that nothing has really changed. They couldn't organise a root in a brothel.

[finbar]

Farrrkoff, bot.

[kittenOFchaos]

This game is going to get crazy after some shocking reffing. Havak and Leceister can thank the linesman should Leceister win.

34 minutes in, still 0 - 0 and Leceister should have had Manu redded for 3 big punches on Ashton.

Manu will be cited and won't be playing anytime soon. BTW it looks worse everytime you see it. Ashton needs to learn to fight however, he left himself totally open.

3-0 at half time.

[kittenOFchaos]

Well, £13 staked, £25 come back as I had Leceister to win by 6-10. Pity Northampton couldn't lead the first half...that would have been an extra £30.

Leceister 11, Northampton 3. Leceister played the better game, but had they been down to 14 men, then it'd have been a closer game, that is for certain.