Rugby - Advantage!

[Tamerlin]

Originally posted by finbar


And your doing, too, I'll bet!

No, this is a popular way of distorting the saying since a few years here...

[Frozzy]

One thing to say before tonight........

















GO THE BLUES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Tamerlin]

As S12 teams are concerned I am not particularly in favor of a given team... I only hope this will be a good game of Rugby.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak


Then they will find a way to make him an All Black somehow. IRB eligibility conditions be damned.

Naturally, they already tried.



And failed!

Fair point. Though with the Blues back line it’s going to head back at pace if he misses touch?

At the speed of light!

The BBC used an interesting still from the Blues-ACT game – Howlett steaming on with a very unhappy Pat Howard in pursuit. Talk about an unfair contest.

Unfair? An understatement. Has to rank for unfairness with your water-buffalo-of a-full-back's pursuit of Elton Flatley at Twickers.

Hope the winners come up to take on Glaws before the next S12 season. Glaws will be a spent force by then and I’d love to see them cut apart the arrogant nonks.

Havak supports SH rugby!

Some successes for Aussie rugby this week – Latham is staying after reds threw cash at him to stop him going to Ireland.

And Munster are less than pleased. Latham had signed a letter of intent. Still, he's a country boy - the backblocks of New South Wales - and I really couldn't see him coping with life up there.

Gray is staying with NSW to help his unfinished goal of winning the S-12 (no laughing there Finbar!).

He was never going anywhere else. Suffers a perpetual case of tunnel vision, our Nathan. Reflected in his rugby.

Oh and Williams is heading back from Quins. It seems the death of Nick Duncombe has had a profound effect on him and made him very homesick for pals and family – he’s going back to Reds I think.

They will welcome him back.

On the other side the rumours are flying about that Gregans agent has contacted several English clubs…

An annual rumor. Last I heard, Steve Larkham had decided to stay here after the WRC. Haven't heard anything about George. He's a proud little bugger. I wonder, if we bomb out of the WRC, whether he would want to leave it at that.

It’s another public holiday weekend here and because I’m extra specially in need of a break I’m not back in until Wednesday. Fortunately Tigers are not playing this weekend so they can’t lose.

Gee, talk about a great quinella.

Good luck to both sides in the Euro final – hope it goes your way Tamerlin.

Mmmm. I still haven't decided. I might have to stay neutral on this one.

Go Blues!

Yes, I think I have to agree. They've played the most exciting rugby all season. They deserve to win.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Tamerlin


No, this is a popular way of distorting the saying since a few years here...

You modest petite grenouille, you.

[finbar]

Blues 21 -d- Crusaders 17

A classic final. Pressure everywhere. The Blues' bits of brilliance won the day. Though I'm buggered if I know why Carlos put up so many bombs early in the match. With the best backline with the best hands in the comp, why so many bombs? All in all, a fair result.

[Frozzy]

Blues almost had two tries from those bombs. Carlos Spencer brilliance, if you ask me

[finbar]

There could have been a couple of opportunities, but I think he overdid them. They looked much more treatening when they spread the ball. Interesting that they chose the bomb tactic in the final having hardly done it all season.

[LDiCesare]

I will leave to Tamerlin the task of telling everyone who is Champion of Europe.
Let's just say the wind was quite important, as one side scored 19 points with the wind in the first half, and the other scored 17 in the second half while a single penalty was scored by the winners in the second half. Only two tries, but both quite nice.
A pleasant match, as it was decided only by the last penalty, which gave the margin of advance the winners needed.

[Tamerlin]

Stade Toulousain 22 - Union Sportive des Arlequins de Perpignan 17





Thanks LDiCesare...

[LDiCesare]

I was quite impressed by Jauzion in this match, and by the performance of Toulouse in the lineouts. Manny Edmonds' kick for the USAP try was a very nice feat.

[Tamerlin]

I must admit I am a bit disappointed by this final, though the Toulousains were impressive in the first half (but the Catalans were seemingly "out of their shoes"), they proved to be unable to do anything else than defending in the second half. Of course, the Catalans raised their play level in the second half but I found my dear old Stade Toulousain clumsy when it tried to attack... and I don't like to see the Stade like this...

The game was entertaining thanks to the suspense and the Catalans' come back... but the quality of the game was rather disppointing to the exception of the Toulousains' defense and lineouts, which were impressive, and some of the attacks of the Perpignanais in the second half.

Manuel Edmond's kick is indeed very intelligent and beautifully executed as the try that is scored...

BTW, I hope you have seen the TV broadcasting about the Boniface brothers just before the game... very moving and interesting... tales from another time...

[finbar]

Originally posted by Tamerlin
Stade Toulousain 22 - Union Sportive des Arlequins de Perpignan 17

I couldn't agree more! OTOH, I couldn't have lost either way!



I actually listened to some of the match on the radio. It was broadcast on the BBC World Service. Unfortunately, the Irish commentators were either too lazy or too stupid to have learned the French players' names. The only player they really identified was Manny Edmonds. The rest of the time, they just called either Toulouse or Perpignan with the ball, meaning it was impossible to know who was doing what to whom and where on the field it was happening!

[LDiCesare]

BTW, I hope you have seen the TV broadcasting about the Boniface brothers just before the game... very moving and interesting... tales from another time...

Unfortunately, I wasn't aware of it. I was too busy playing Galciv.
finbar, those BBC commentators were clearly not doing their job properly. They should also have known Murphy. There were two Irish on the field, after all (one of them being canadian or something, though, I didn't get all the explanations).

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by finbar
Blues 21 -d- Crusaders 17

A classic final. Pressure everywhere. The Blues' bits of brilliance won the day. Though I'm buggered if I know why Carlos put up so many bombs early in the match. With the best backline with the best hands in the comp, why so many bombs? All in all, a fair result.

Bit of a shocker when Carlos dropped that pass which the Crusaders scooped up for a try just before half time eh? Also Havak will be happy to hear that Mehrtens had terrible kicking game and is now in danger of being left out of the ABs.