Rugby - Hands Off, Wattle!

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
Their will be more English players in the tests than 6N form would suggest – the squad of 44 gets named in 12 days time.

A squad of 44? Every d*ckhead and his dog will be picked just to make up 44!

I think what worries me about Wales is that their slender back line has not yet met a big one – such as Australia or NZ – and that Jones has not been properly tested by anyone’s loosies yet (only France got their loosies to disrupt Welsh ball consistently – and only for one half!).

That's my concern about them too. They struggled against some sturdy Scots when the Scots suddenly rediscovered the very basics of rugby in the second half. Still, it gives us something to look forward to.

Six days off work not having to deal with the IT-phobic unwashed masses.

Including me.

It’s not long now is it Finbar? Before that radio moves to Italia I mean?

We have the house from May 30th. I booked Sydney-Hong Kong using frequent flyer points today. We're staying with a friend in Honkers for a couple of days, then on to Rome. The frequent flyer points leg means we can afford business class for the 12 1/2 hours from Honkers to Rome.

EDIT. Just noticed this:

Austin Healey has been dropped from the Leicester team to face Leinster in Saturday's Heineken Cup quarter-final.

[Havak]

A squad of 44? Every d*ckhead and his dog will be picked just to make up 44!

Ruddock thinks 22 will be Welsh. Realistically I suspect 11 may travel and 3 or 4 push for Test places.

Still, it gives us something to look forward to.

We use the expression ‘Acid test’ quite a lot – but it remains apt. Wales have beaten poorly performing Irish and English sides and a Schizo French outfit thus far – they need to beat either the Boks or Aussies to announce that they have truly ‘arrived’.

Including me.

Not at all – I am sure your personal hygiene is beyond reproach.

As for the other part of it – well you are a Mac user after all, and they really are computers for people who hate computers n’est pas?

I like that staggered travel plan – taking layovers between flights is something I will always do again if I head down under. And Business class is a very good call wherever you can get it.

As for VD – only dropped from the starting line up onto the bench I am afraid. The BBC has been reporting that rattles were thrown out of prams over it – but I have not been able to trace any comment by Austin himself.

He may still make the Lions despite turnip ignoring him for England – Clive gets on very well with him on a personal level. He may go as PR manager?

The preparation for tomorrow has been awful with a huge dip in form since we trounced Newcastle – so Tigers will either whimper and disappear or blow the paddies away. There is never any middle ground with us in Europe.

Of course Tamerlin will have to find time in his busy schedule to see if Toulouse can despatch Saints as easily as I think they will.

I wonder if the fit (yet) again Wilko be risked against the Parisians?

Also it is worth checking out the BBC sport injury survey – lists the most prominent injuries this season for all clubs (note these are not current injuries in most cases). It illustrates nicely that we simply play too much rugger here.

[Havak]

I am going to miss this kind of straight talking after this season:

"All that matters is winning, It doesn't matter about me or any other milestones for that matter. Winning is our sole aim and our only focus."

Jonno ahead of tomorrows game.

[finbar]

Yep. You could do with another one or two like him. In fact, I might recite his words all the way from Honkers to Rome in business class!

[LDiCesare]

Belated happy birthday...
I read that the Stade Francais beat Newcastle and Toulouse Northampton, but I didn't think these English teams were strong to begin with.

[finbar]

Originally posted by LDiCesare
Belated happy birthday...

Thank you!

I read that the Stade Francais beat Newcastle and Toulouse Northampton, but I didn't think these English teams were strong to begin with.

And I just read that Leicester beat Leinster. Proving my long-held theory that any team's performance will lift by 50% as soon as they drop Austin Healy.

So now it's Leicester -v- Toulouse. Hopefully this will bring Tamerlin back to us from his sojourn in the Real World!

[Havak]

Suffice to say Tigers played superbly on Saturday. And Austin played the last four minutes which will have made him even more angry I suspect.

Smith scored another super try and looks to have a real chance of travelling to NZ ahead of Noon now (and as backup to BO’D). Having said that Noon was one of Falcons few effective players – he made a lovely break in the build up to their consolation score.

Amusement was provided post match by Lynagh’s observation that Back (7)-Corry-Moody (6) made Lewis look far more effective than being shoehorned to seven and “provided a far better balanced back row than England have right now”.

Backy had a towering game – he has been saving up for these games I think.

Toulouse swept Saints away. They made some errors as well but they look a class act. Stade Francais swept away a woeful Falcons side – but failed to register the margin Tigers stuffed them by.

So it has boiled down as expected – three French sides and an English one. Any of the French sides would be favourite I suspect, but you rule out Tigers at your peril. Given our neutral semi-final is due to be played in a ground half a mile away from Welford Road I think we have a great chance of making Edinburgh.

I’m not counting any chickens though – Toulouse will be hard to beat. The big question I suppose is will Tamerlin travel?

[finbar]

The bigger question is - does he even know the match is on?

[Havak]

The Monarchs of European Rugby clash yet again - I think he may just be aware of the game this time.

*edit* Have a hunt on the BBC site for the comments of Chris Mallac the Bath Physio - they poached him from Reds and he has quite a lot to say on the differing demands our excess of rugby places on players bodies compared to S12.

[finbar]

I found it. Apart from S12 differing in style from your league comp, S12 players only play eleven matches with a maximum possible thirteen matches including finals. There's no comparison at all between the two comps. And the ARU's cap on the number of matches a Wallaby can play in a season looks after their welfare pretty well. Under the current international roster, a lot of the Wallabies have to sit out some of their club matches late in the season to stay under the cap. Meaningless by comparison with the English situation. Club rugby here is largely amateur weekend fare and always has been. Over there, it's always been the complete opposite.

I haven't read the article by your Irish full back but the headline gets it pretty right. Rugby is now a money-making machine. Professionalism made it inevitable. And it's a vicious circle. Players can earn a lot of money, the authorities demand more from the players to reap the revenue to pay them. Something has to give. And it's the players' bodies. It also seems to me that English rugby - or its admin - is trying to fit its traditional - pre-professionalism - domestic competition structure into the professional era and the demands of the professional era are too great. Chris Mallac suggests one solution - increase the squads. But where does the money come from to pay the extra players? And wouldn't it only increase the gap between the rich/successful and poor/struggling clubs? I suspect his solution only feeds the problem. The key to it has to be to reduce the number of games. I can't see anyone accepting changes to the traditional league comp, so it could mean re-examining the Heineken Cup, Powergen Cup, and whatever other sundry Cups lurk on dusty shelves in cobwebbed trophy cupboards.

[Havak]

Keith Barwell (Saints owner) also touts larger squads and suggests regional franchises. Both are poorly thought out. Bigger squads would rely more on RFU money which in turn relies on England bringing home the bacon. The RFU would have to get far more serious abut monitoring it's coaches if this became the case.

With regional fanchises, as we have discussed before, there is far too much club history for fans to ever accept this.

I don't think anyone would miss the Powergen Cup now to be honest. Too many sponsorship changes and messing about with it's schedule for anyone to care too much. The days when it was the John Player and then Pilkington cup it had some meaning.

I also think the idea of a split pool Premiership is gaining ground slowly. Fans are becoming more aware that the current schedule is robbing them of the top players through injury more and more.

I'd personally like to see a Premiership of 14 with either single fixtures or a two pool system.

I noticed that last weekend was a bad one for the Aussies? I caught a bit of Waratahs-Crusaders and to my shame enjoyed what I saw. Not convinced by McCaw as a skipper though - one has to lead by example and his conduct at the tackle was a bit suspect?

[finbar]

How many teams are in the current top league? And do they play each other twice?

Crusaders and Waratahs are the two best teams in S12 this year, with Crusaders ahead at this stage. The Crusaders were outstanding against them, but the Waratahs played into their hands to an extent. The Waratahs seem finally to have found some maturity and have been winning recently without Rogers in the team, and with Tuquiri surprisingly contributing not much apart from a vintage last-minute try on the weekend. The Brumbies' injury toll has finally caught up with them. Larkham missed the week before and played barely half a game on the weekend. They got Mortlock back on the weekend, rusty after 4 weeks out, only to lose Rathbone early on with a knee injury and he'll miss at least 6 weeks. The Blues staged a monumental form turnaround on the weekend but I'll wait to see if they can keep it up. You're right, McCaw's performance is hardly an example to his charges.

[Havak]

Suffering from Tamerlin's malaise - work again I am afraid.

12 teams in the Premiership and you play home and away - a 22 game league program with the play offs at the end. Europe doesn't help with six pool games - they could make it a straight knock out cup for me.

The problem is they would expect us to pay the same for way less games on out season tickets.

I thought 'Tahs would go on to close that game out at half time - shows what I know.

[Tamerlin]

Originally posted by Havak
Suffering from Tamerlin's malaise - work again I am afraid.

If it were only work... that would be much more simpler, the illness is fatal doctor.

Finbar, I hope that your wife's daughter has found a husband, you can't count on me anymore on this ground.

Havak, can you tell me why the semi-final will be played at Leicester's home field and not at a neutral ground.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
Suffering from Tamerlin's malaise - work again I am afraid.

Read Tamerlin's very cryptic post. If it means what I think it means, I'd be surprised if you're suffering his malaise!

12 teams in the Premiership and you play home and away - a 22 game league program with the play offs at the end. Europe doesn't help with six pool games - they could make it a straight knock out cup for me.

Well, there you go. Your league season is more than twice the length of S12. Add on the European thing and the 6 Nations and the internationals and no wonder players are falling over. Still, it sounds like it's all coming to a head.

The problem is they would expect us to pay the same for way less games on out season tickets.

Welcome to the professional era.