Rugby - Hands Off White!

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
I understand the point and agree the Australian and NZ systems have got it right – but there is club self interest to the English situation as the RFU made a huge mistake a decade ago and is now effectively throwing a hissy fit demanding everyone do as they say (and saying that they should be allowed to throw out all existing legal arrangements that don’t suit them)

I’m quite happy for one organisation to run the whole shebang – I’m just not convinced it should be the RFU. How many of us get to make fatal screw ups in life and then can simply wipe the board, take everyone elses assets away from them and start again?

Yes, English rugby is suffering for its history. But how would the clubs have reacted (at the time) if the RFU had taken a different decision all those years ago?

Your are smarter than that Finbar – you know this threat has been made only because under the current proposals clubs would be producing the English talent at their own expense (not the RFUs!) – and as soon as the lads are good enough the RFU would basically whisk them away and the clubs would never see any benefit. It’s a threat being made to prove a point to the RFU.

I realise they are threats to make a point. OTOH, they reveal the fundamental problem with the notion of the clubs running the game - self-interest will prevail.

Maybe you'd better summarise the current proposals for me. I can't see how the clubs "would never see any benefit".

Well presumably he hid his intentions from them at election time as is traditional? A la Tory ‘hit the second quartile of taxpayers with huge indirect taxes and spare the top earners’ Blair?

Yes, the IR plans were never spelled out. Just as the current proposed "national security" legislation was never mentioned. And the government was refusing to reveal any of the detail of the "national security" legislation before it reached parliament. Though one of the state premiers, who has something of a grasp of democracy, published the details on his state government's website, infuriating the federal government. It turns out that, amongst other things, you can be taken by any of the security services and held for three weeks in absolute secrecy, with no one - not even family - knowing what's happened to you. And, if and when you're released, if you utter one word about what happened to you, it's seven years jail.

I did hear someone say they have averaged one administration as year since the end of WWII?

That's pretty right, up until recently. Changes to the voting system - introducing some preferential voting - stabilised things. Now, of course, Berlusconi is trying to rush through legislation to return to 100% proportional representation voting. On the basis that it usually favours the Right, with its myriad small parties, many of them fronts for the bigger parties of the Right.

And yes about a Stone over his last Wallaby weight I would say – which may have been over weight already?

No, he was pretty fit in Australia. He's a big, big chap. Bigger than he looks. Of course he might have enjoyed one too many of the local brew in the meantime.

Burke (darn him!) was superb – their only real threat in fact. And kicked superbly after golden balls got hurt.

Good player. The Waratahs ditched him at least a year too early. Strange decision that.

[finbar]

Further to the Queensland Reds coaching saga - Jeff Miller has been told he will coach next year but be sacked at the end of the year regardless of how the team performs - it has been announced that the new coach, who will coach the Reds in 2007, will be appointed at the beginning of next season and allowed to familiarise himself with the set up for twelve months. In other words, watch over Jeff Miller's shoulder for twelve months. The CEO of the Queensland Reds sees absolutely no difficulty with the arrangement. Jeff Miller undoubtedly will think otherwise. He tried to quit, demanding a contract pay out. The Reds refused. Presumably the whole farcical situation has arisen because the Reds couldn't afford to pay out Miller's contract a year early. How then can they afford to pay the 2007 coach to sit and watch over Miller's shoulder for a year?

Only in Queensland!

[Havak]

Apologies - technical problems at work this week (lots of errors occuring 'between seat and keyboard' all over the organisation and it's swamped my team).

Hopefully get chance to post properly later - the BBC did a summary of both sides position in the player row that I will try to dredge up too.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
Apologies - technical problems at work this week (lots of errors occuring 'between seat and keyboard' all over the organisation and it's swamped my team).

What? You're having to get out of your chair and get your hands dirty (metaphorically speaking)? Surely that wasn't in your job specification?

[Havak]

It certainly wasn't - but it's a 'needs must' situation.

[ravagon]

I know the feeling.
Left work in a quagmire to go on holiday and came back to a bigger quagmire that somebody'd gone and sown with a minefield.
Working on a Saturday

[finbar]

Look on the bright side. You've got something to do in Perth on a Saturday.

[finbar]

Leicester racked up some points today against some French Under 12 schoolboy team.

[Havak]

At least I don't do Saturdays thank god!

Work is not calming down much so I have popped by not so much to praise Tigers thoroughly entertaining win over Clermont - but to salute Ospreys for downing Stade Francais putting us in a good position to bloody Stade's nose next week in Paris (hopefully!).

And then my weekend is made complete by Robinson admitting he made a mistake is picking Mathew Tait in January - and that it made him doubt his selection abilities (well duh turnip - only nine months behind the rest of England reaching that conclusion!).

And to round it all off Wasps then lost to Edinburgh.

I nearly cried for laughing!

[LDiCesare]

By the way Havak, did you see the pink (yes, pink) shirt used by the Stade Francais? I've never seen such an ugly thing before.

[Havak]

I did - and they were rather strange. They should be back in Blue and red for our visit I hope.

Toulouse had a solid win but the other French sides did not fare too well in round one?

Wasps and Edingburgh have the same shirt sponsors - the former took the field in a very light grey and the latter in white shirts. It was hard to tell them apart at times. Edingburgh changed into a dark blue shirt for the second half.

[LDiCesare]

Changing shirts at half time? What a strange thing to do. They couldn't look at the oppontents before?

French clubs had mitigated results. Stade Francais, Biarritz and Clermont lost, Bourgoin, Toulouse, Perpignan and Castres won.
The Stade Francais, Biarritz and Toulouse are the best clubs, so it's not really bright for French rugby. Bourgoin is a strong team, and Perpignan usually performs well early in the season, but both of them faced weak opposition. Castres managed a win but they are probably not strong enough to last long in the competition. As for Clermont, you judged them yourself, I doubt they can do much.

[LDiCesare]

There's also talk of having Castaignede back in the France XV for the tests this november, which looks particularly likely considering that Traille broke an arm and Castaignede played well with the Saracens during that same match.

[Havak]

Castaignede is playing well and has been injury free for a while - he is still pure class. Saracens now play him at fullback a lot of the time - where would LaPorte look to play him - I have a feeling France have a fly half crisis?

Perpginan beat Calvisano and Bourgoin beat Glasgow so I think we can rule them out as positive results.

Castres beat the Dragons which is a better acheivement.

As for Clermont they arrived reputed to have a powerful pack - but Tigers very much got the upper hand in that area. I don't think Clermont can trouble the tournament much. Tigers prospects will be defined by how they do against Stade Francais this weekend.

I'm grateful Tamerlin is busy elsewhere though because Toulouse look awesome again after their destruction of LLanelli.

[Havak]

Oh Dear - some strategic quotes have been leaked from O'Driscolls book to stoke things up ahead of next month. I think it's fair to say he won't be doing any charity work for NZ causes any time soon.

There's no forgiveness there thats for sure.

It's just a shame that I don't think Ireland are capable of challenging the All Blacks seriously. I hope I'm wrong - it would be great to see the Grand Slam tour become a Grand Zero - unfortunately the ABs are far too good for that to be a possibility.

And please god don't let those huge Samoans/Fijians* injure Murphy - he is far too important to Tigers's chances this year.

(*delete as applicable)

Incidentally Mark Van Gisbergen is English - just in case anyone asks.