Rugby - The Lull After The Storm

[Tamerlin]

Originally posted by Havak
Monsieur Dume allowed Tigers to look a semblance of their old selves by employing some decent refereeing that allowed us to dominate the breakdown without having Dragons lying all over the ball.

Mister Joël Dumé is the only good French referee...

Now what have I missed...?

le petit ophrys' case is about to be solved.

[Havak]

Although he ignores his linesmen Tamerlin – ands therefore we had Dragon loose forwards entering rucks from the wrong damn side half the game. Fortunately they were not very good loose forwards (in comparison).

So you are having to sort Finbar’s order out for him then? I suspected that you might have to.

Well, at least you'll always be able to point back to 2003 and say "You wouldn't have beaten that team!"

I can at the least safely say that no side beat that team in 2003.

The Baa-baa line up doesn’t look that impressive actually…

Mmmm. I sniff an inherent contradiction in there somewhere.

Well I always wanted to be a winger as it happens…

A modern Australian family coping with living in an 1840s house in 1840s conditions.

It does sound rather familiar doesn’t it?

Remote Umbria – or Remote Cumbria? Myself I would prefer the latter.

We await Havak's clarification with bated breath. Not to mention his justification of the signing on the basis that Johnny Zhang is entitled to a Leicester passport because, at some point during the Boxer Rebellion, a Leicester-born soldier, spraying his seed around, found fecund local ground.

I have no idea why they have singed a Chinese loose forward. One thing the squad did not need was loose forwards. I can’t see him playing unless there are numerous injuries.

He is entitled to play for Leicester because Leicester are not England. But then you may be right about his ancestry.

O’Neill going has to be good for the ARU. It’s time for a diplomat rather than a hard headed businessman as you seek to rebuild relationships internationally.

USAP really will not get their season going until Stimpson shakes off his injury. They were quite poor against the Warriors – failing to convert a clear forward superiority into points on the board. Manny had a bad game too and he has become crucial to how they play.

Worst team of the weekend? A choice between Leeds and Borders. Borders went down heavily at home to a Llanelli side hardly at it’s best.

No surprise that England Rugby swept the board at last nights BBC Sports Review of the year – best team, best coach and young Wilko made Sports Personality of the year. His acceptance speech will give Finbar nightmares for years to come as it started “"I've been massively honoured to be part of a wonderful England team. To play under and be led by Martin Johnson is also such a humbling experience.”

Jonno of course played against Dragons yesterday then sped to London for the awards. He therefore accepted team of the year with a hult red welt on his left cheek. Neil back beside him had three stitches just under his right eye during the game and also looked a sight. It was probably the least pretty team ever to win the award.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
Zhang was not seen at the ground.

That's the best you can come up with in defence of - or explanation for - this bit of rugby exotica?

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
I have no idea why they have singed a Chinese loose forward. One thing the squad did not need was loose forwards. I can’t see him playing unless there are numerous injuries.

Or this?

USAP really will not get their season going until Stimpson shakes off his injury. They were quite poor against the Warriors – failing to convert a clear forward superiority into points on the board. Manny had a bad game too and he has become crucial to how they play.

One would also assume they will lift when Herbert and the Kiwi turn up.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak

So you are having to sort Finbar’s order out for him then? I suspected that you might have to.

Only because French Amazon has gone AWOL. Probably off near the Russian border waiting for a heavy snowstorm before they launch their invasion.

[Havak]

One of the most admirable things about the French is that they will not be rushed by such minor considerations as your having paid for the items some months ago.

The Zhang situation is very strange - not least because he is actually a Wing/Fullback not a forward as I said

He is also only here for a month as he is still contracted to a Hong Kong club next year - though I hear he may rejoin us after that.

There's a puff piece on the Tigers site here

[Tamerlin]

Originally posted by Havak
One of the most admirable things about the French is that they will not be rushed by such minor considerations as your having paid for the items some months ago.

I must admit that I am myself very bothered by the way the customers are treated in France. They are here to pay and once the price has been paid the seller usually don't care at all about the satisfaction.

He is also only here for a month as he is still contracted to a Hong Kong club next year - though I hear he may rejoin us after that.

Acclimatization?

[Havak]

Possibly so. I'll try to find out more.

As for the other point - France is joined by England on that one.

Robinson, Tindall, Hill, Thompson, Cohen, Corry, Woodman. These are the seven of the RWC winning 22 named in the England squad for Saturday. So it's stronger than I expected.

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by Havak
I can at the least safely say that no side beat that team in 2003.

The Baa-baa line up doesn’t look that impressive actually…

I don't think I'll get to see it anyway. Fox Sports World don't have it on their schedule. The next thing I have to look forward to is the Super 12.

[Tamerlin]

Originally posted by Caligastia
The next thing I have to look forward to is the Super 12.

I thought we were talking about Rugby!

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
One of the most admirable things about the French is that they will not be rushed by such minor considerations as your having paid for the items some months ago.

If that were the case, I'd've accused them of theft rather than incompetence. Amazon operates on the basis that they charge the credit card when the product is dispatched, not in advance of it being dispatched. So my order is sitting somewhere in French Amazon limbo. In fact, I wouldn't have been in the least bit surprised if the Yanks found it in the hole in the ground with Saddam.

The Zhang situation is very strange - not least because he is actually a Wing/Fullback not a forward as I said

The report in the paper here called him a backrower. But that's not surprising. It's a well known fact that they all look alike to Australians.

He is also only here for a month as he is still contracted to a Hong Kong club next year - though I hear he may rejoin us after that.

But why? The answer, methinks, lies in a Leicester denial that appeared in the report in the paper here. They said he'd been signed on his merits and not as a means of sourcing revenue from China. Mmmmmmmm.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
Possibly so. I'll try to find out more.

Ask the club's Finance Director. And if he's not forthcoming, check on his desk for notes on the conversion rate between the yuan and the pound. And if he's hidden that, check the club books for an entry something along the lines of Extra Revenue - Sponsorship ex-China.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Tamerlin


I thought we were talking about Rugby!

Listen, you! You're disqualified from expressing any opinions on rugby until your poules bleues ever produce the goods under pressure!

[finbar]

Originally posted by Tamerlin
Acclimatization?

A z? Are you American?

[Tamerlin]

Originally posted by finbar

A z? Are you American?

My English/French dictionnary only cites acclimatization for acclimatation and does not state it is an american spelling.

Listen, you! You're disqualified from expressing any opinions on rugby until your poules bleues ever produce the goods under pressure!