Rugby - The Lull After The Storm

[LDiCesare]

Were you a player at that level? At that time?

At that level, unfortunately, no. My uni team went on a tour to Ireland in 1993 (I think, maybe '92), and we were supposed to play colleges teams but the Irish Colleges Rugby Union was looking for a sparing partner for their team in order to prepare the next match of the 5 nations. So our best team played them (I was in the second XV), and got crushed. But since then, I've got a nice tie. The best we did was forwards play, where our scrum managed to push the Irish and gain some terrain. Our backs however were inexistant, so the Irish just sent the ball behind and we took about seventy points. I played winger at the time. Afterwards, I played scrum half and ended hooker...

[Tamerlin]

You would please Bernard Laporte as he is looking for polyvalent players...

By the way, I have seen two French Championship games this afternoon and I can only tell you that the poor quality of our Championship will not prepare our national team to play at the highest level.

The first game saw the defeat of the Stade Toulousain against the Biarritz Olympique playing at home (37 - 20). Beyond the result, and the usual abysmal performance of a referee named Didier Méné, I was amazed by the weak level of Rugby played by both teams. Knock-ons, stupid fouls, crumbled mauls and rucks... all this makes me think that it is not the best team that won but the least bad. A Stade Toulousain that had not planned to win today has thus been beaten by a Biarritz Olympique that did not show much skill though its players made a lesser number of fouls than the Toulousain. The kicks are really the weakest spot of the Toulousains...

The second game was so poor I did not look at the second half-time, poor quality and players quarelling while the referee (Mister Gastou) was on the verge to lose the control of the game.

A sad day for Rugby...

[finbar]

Originally posted by flipside

A hard knowledge to obtain and one worthy of further research, although not by me, I have given up for this year .

I gave up - at that level - years ago. I once spent a couple of weeks staying in London with the European Correspondent for Sydney's broadsheet newspaper. I remember he nicked off to Romania to cover Caucescu's downfall. But while he was around, all I can say is ... good grief.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Tamerlin
A sad day for Rugby...

Remember this: if les poules bleues don't beat England in the 6 Nations, I'm holding you personally responsible!

[flipside]

Originally posted by finbar


Remember this: if les poules bleues don't beat England in the 6 Nations, I'm holding you personally responsible!

Poor bugger.

[DAVOUT]

I may be wrong Tamerlin, but I am under the impression that your natural sincerity is seen as a mischievous attempt of intoxication.

[finbar]

Originally posted by flipside

Poor bugger.

Nothing more or less than he deserves for raising my hopes for his poules bleues so many times only for them to crushed. My hopes, that is. Along with his poules bleues.

[finbar]

Originally posted by DAVOUT
I may be wrong Tamerlin, but I am under the impression that your natural sincerity is seen as a mischievous attempt of intoxication.

DAVOUT, hang around here long enough and you'll realise, as we've all realised, that Tamerlin is Rasputin with a new engine and a fresh coat of paint.

[flipside]

Originally posted by finbar


DAVOUT, hang around here long enough and you'll realise, as we've all realised, that Tamerlin is Rasputin with a new engine and a fresh coat of paint.

Oh Christ.
Finbar is now invoking demons from the Australian threads.
*flipside hurriedly crosses himself*

[Tamerlin]

Originally posted by DAVOUT
I may be wrong Tamerlin, but I am under the impression that your natural sincerity is seen as a mischievous attempt of intoxication.

Unfortunately I am not trying to deceive my unfortunate little comrades... at least I am not today.

I know that France can beat England at the Stade de France but I fear that we will see the French team reproduce the sad things I can see in the French Championship since the 2002-2003 season... :cryallthetearsofmybody:

[Tamerlin]

Originally posted by finbar

DAVOUT, hang around here long enough and you'll realise, as we've all realised, that Tamerlin is Rasputin with a new engine and a fresh coat of paint.

Never give an inch!

[Tamerlin]

Originally posted by finbar

Remember this: if les poules bleues don't beat England in the 6 Nations, I'm holding you personally responsible!

Remember this: I still have an elephant gun charged with .600 nitro rounds and a load of semtex...

[finbar]

Yes, but as you proved on Christmas Eve, you haven't got a clue what to do with them!

[Havak]

Good morning Gentlemen. I see you did well enough without me.

I'm flexible these day. On December 27th, I'll be a Leeds supporter. On January 3rd, I'll be a Glaws supporter!

So you were happy once then? All I have left to look forward to is next season and the prospect of more freedom to move on the terrace.

Sadly Glaws were crap but even that is good enough to beat Tigers at the moment. Rochards is unphased saying we can still finish top three if other clubs help us.

Get real Dean – do the honourable thing and fall on your sword!

So Havak has the Prussians to thank for saving his arse. Not to mention the Scots - the Scots' Greys and the Gordon Highlanders were major players for his team.

After Toulouse the veteran Army of the Peninsula was de-mobbed. Wellington went into Waterloo the next year at the head of a totally ‘green’ allied force that included a large amount of Dutch. The Dutch nearly broke if I recall. Yes the Prussians were an important factor but there was something else in play – Napoleon met a better General. He deployed the old guard late, and he advanced them in his favourite column formation against English Infantry. No French column ever broke an English infantry line in the entire Napoleonic wars that I can recall – why Nap thought he could do so we can only guess?

Good point about Deano being forced to abdicate though.

Jason Leonard could drink David Boon under the table any day.

No Wilko, no Tindall. Now all we need is for J****'s jaw to develop dry rot and Tamerlin's mob of poules could be in with a chance.

Tindall is no huge loss as Ollie Smith is on fire right now – and a much more multi-dimensional player than Tinders.

Wilkinson is fine – he just doesn’t want to play club rugby I suspect. And Jonno looks as keen as ever even if he has only won one game since the RWC final.

Havak, tell the Sieur Finbar we are not talking about poules but about Coqs... there are big differences.

Take the high ground Tamerlin – Finbar was fishing deliberately with this…

Paris in march will be a huge game whoever we have missing I suspect.

I agree. The French made it much easier for England than they should have.

Ditto the English for the Aussies in the final.

Pity the bugger's not around to duck and dodge all these withering bon mots!

There have been far too many to duck and dodge to be honest. Bon Mot fatigue has set in.

If a coach wins a world cup in England he gets knighted. Even luckily fluking a European cup win in Soccer can get a SCOT knighted.

More importantly it is now Martion Johnson CBE.

England's most successful year ever is behind us now. Who will make the running in 2004? Can Graham Henry confound critics everywhere and prove he is not a useless chump? Will Clive stick around if England lose the six nations? Can Eddie keep his job now O’Neil has gone? The answers to all these and more in due course…

[Tamerlin]

Welcome back Havak, I can already see Finbar preparing is fishing rod...