Rugby - The Game They Play In Heaven II

[kittenOFchaos]

Force beating the Reds cost me this weekend. Really not watched enough Super 15 rugby to justify placing any bets.

I watched part of Munster versus Toulouse and most of Ulster versus Saracens. When you play Ulster, you only play 14 men

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No one would have tipped the Farce over the Reds. It's an extremely open S15 tournament this season. The Sharks are about the only mob you'd tip with confidence.

Missed all yesterday's games. Haven't seen a replay of the Ulster red. I tipped Toulouse but with no confidence. They're a fading power. Got the other two matches right. Toulon today by a score.

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Toulon by a lot, in fact. They can be scary when in that frame of mind. The Ladyboys were overpowered but badly miss the organisation of Sexton. Gopperth is no substitute. They could be coming to the end of an era, too.

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Bloody Leicester. And Ulster, too, for that matter.

[kittenOFchaos]

Bloody Leicester. And Ulster, too, for that matter.

Sale Sharks devastating Exeter 12 - 55 was also rather unexpected. Who knows, Sale could still make the last 5.

Crusaders beating Chiefs did for me more than anything else this weekend.

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Sale are going well. And I tipped Zebre!

[kittenOFchaos]

Oh to have a crystal ball...

Had Saracens at +2 (2 point headstart) for even odds which is abit wasteful given they won 46 to 6.

Sarries had a bit of luck to get them underway (a penalty try should not have been awarded IMO), but they thoroughly deserved their victory. I didn't fancy Saracens as they barely beat Ulster despite the man advantage. That said, Clermont haven't travelled well in the Top 14 and so I expected it to be close...

I think Toulon will have too much for Munster, but upsets seem to be a regular occurance. Point in case was the Highlanders beating the Sharks...it was only by accident that I didn't bet on that.

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I didn't see the match. Reads like Sarries were as good as Clermont were poor. I've tipped Toulon, but who knows?

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Toulon too good, Munster typically gutsy. Poor discipline cost them, particularly in the first half, and wasteful lateral play with ball in hand hurt them in the second half. At one point they crossed the width of the field twice without making an inch of territory. Barnes trusted his assistant's call on the Munster try. I'd've been mighty ticked off if a Toulon supporter, and if the try had cost Toulon the game. Video evidence suggested Zebo only grounded the ball after a lot of wriggling and twisting.

[kittenOFchaos]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/27260546

Sale are signing Luke McLean which is fantastic news - a smart signing in my opinion

Debating whether to splash out on tickets for Sale Vs Leicester - must hurry up, it may even sell out.

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McLean is a great signing. Not the most gifted at Test level but makes the absolute most of his ability. One thing to be said for Diamond, he's made some very good signings - Braid, in particular - after some dodgy ones earlier on.

[kittenOFchaos]

McLean is a great signing. Not the most gifted at Test level but makes the absolute most of his ability. One thing to be said for Diamond, he's made some very good signings - Braid, in particular - after some dodgy ones earlier on.

We needed McLean on Saturday, Arscott was appalling - ended his shift with a pointless yellow card for emphasis.

Maybe I'm being unfair, but I've yet to see Matthew Tait perform particularly well either. He isn't great under the high ball and very rarely if ever scores from 15. Brown, Foden and Armitage (to name a few, there are plenty more I could think of) are not only secure under the high ball, but regularly score tries from 15. I'm just surprised that Leicester persist with him...particularly as his defense is pretty suspect too.

At least he isn't Armitage.

Sale should have lost to Leicester by as much as they did, that was ridiculous.

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I haven't seen a lot of Leicester but Tait has always been very good when I have seen them. The high ball mightn't be his forte but he's an excellent counter-attacker. His real problem remains ongoing injuries.

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Damn Leicester! Serves me right for picking Sarries without having seen the selections. I'd've gone with the East Midlands lot if I had.

[kittenOFchaos]

Damn Leicester! Serves me right for picking Sarries without having seen the selections. I'd've gone with the East Midlands lot if I had.

I always check out the match previews on http://www.planetrugby.co.uk/ to see if the team lineup is unusual.

Having read that Saracens were resting most of their key players I gave Leicester a big handicap - so I lost as Leicester struggled badly

I watched Northampton Vs Leicester last night and it was epic. Following our previous postings about Matthew Tait I kept a close eye on him. Very good tackling, at least one clean break, but not great aerially (but no Balshaw). Not in the same league as Brown. Neither is Foden for that matter and I rate him extremely highly.