Rugby - Hands Off Black!

[finbar]

Bristol are relatively crap. Pat Howard chose to rest several of Leicester's better players for the game and paid the price.

Or, in Havak's absence, we can just call Leicester utter crap. He won't read back in the thread when he returns, so we're safe.



Yes, it is good to see Lomu back. Though his dream of using this as a stepping stone back to the All Blacks is just that. In fact, it's utter fantasy. Still, I'm not going to tell him. At least not face to face. By email, from a fake email address, possibly.

[MOBIUS]

Being a Cardiff inhabitant I was privileged to see this game live on Tuesday and was rewarded with an entertaining game!

It was great to see Lomu score his first try and make his comeback, but he wasn't MoM (can't remember who got that) and was pretty anonymous through much of the 1st half. A guy behind me was teaching his kid about Rugby and was saying Lomu was holding back a lot, which I agreed with (I rely on overhearing other fans' opinions at the moment cos I'm still a bit of a Rugby rookie) after he pointed it out.

I guess he's still easing himself back into the game (this is I think his 3rd game) and he did get increasingly involved from the end of the first half when he came charging down the wing to poleaxe a Newport player deep in their half directly leading to a Blues try (my favourite play!).

I couldn't see his try very well, but it seemed a fairly easy run into the corner. In fact he had another chance to score in the same corner but was actually chased down and had to pass the ball away.

I can't compare directly as this was the first time I saw him live, but he doesn't seem as fast or lively as he used to - when he ran down the wing in the first half it was more like the lumber of a charging carthorse than the slashing, sprinting runs I remember of his on TV...

In fact in practically the last play of the game, one of the Newport players actually straight-armed him to the ground!

Either way it's only the start of a comeback and I wish him every success considering what he has had to fight through just to get back on the field! It would be such a fairytale if he made it back into the All Blacks, but he's definitely got a long way to go before they'll even consider him...

[child of Thor]

Originally posted by finbar
Bristol are relatively crap. Pat Howard chose to rest several of Leicester's better players for the game and paid the price.

Or, in Havak's absence, we can just call Leicester utter crap. He won't read back in the thread when he returns, so we're safe.



Yes, it is good to see Lomu back. Though his dream of using this as a stepping stone back to the All Blacks is just that. In fact, it's utter fantasy. Still, I'm not going to tell him. At least not face to face. By email, from a fake email address, possibly.

well i hope Havak doesn't read back - you've left yourself open to some 'Leicster would kick your teams arse' type banter

And as for Lomu - is his plan to play again for the All-Blacks? He must know in his hearts of hearts that this is pretty unlikely, especially with the current AB's and even the second string looking so strong?

@MOBIUS,

congrats on the win
I worry about the game in Wales what with all the restructuring thats been going on. I admit its been a good few years since i was really following what has been going on, but reading stories like the one below makes me concerned.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/international/4565412.stm

ok maybe its just Mefin having some sour grapes to air? But his points on how players were just left with no clubs and were forced to look outside wales is fair i think. Anyway from the outside it seems a bit of a mess.

[finbar]

Mr Lomu's stated aim is to make it back into the ABs by the next World Cup. His time with Cardiff is a stepping stone - or, at least, the first step, he has said. A nice dream, but a dream all the same, I think. His sheer strength and speed were his assets. One or other, or even both, decline with age. And the World Cup is still two years off.

Oh, and feel free to slag off Leicester. What can he hurl back but invective?

[Havak]

Alternatively pick an easier target – Australia for example?

A belated Happy New Year gents.

Gee, your Christmas presents came early.

They did indeed. And then yesterday Ospreys announced they are appealing the Henson ban (the young lock is taking his medicine like a man but clearly the Orange media tart cannot swallow his).

The problem with appealing when you are patently guilty is that the punishment can actually increase.

well i hope Havak doesn't read back - you've left yourself open to some 'Leicster would kick your teams arse' type banter

Ah but you see Finbar falls back on a safety net there – the fact that no one really knows who his team is. A true ‘fan of the game’ is our Finbar. Moderate affection for Waratahs, an interest in Australia and Italy and a healthy disdain for Tigers is about all I can nail him on.

Tigers showing against Bristol was shocking – I would say it lacked ‘heart’. Little commitment shown – widely criticised by fans as a sign that 4th place is seen as good enough by some of the players (but it is not acceptable to us fans!).

It was a better showing on Monday (beating Saracens 34-27) though it should have been a bonus point win. God help the world if Roy Maybank ever helms a big international – the man is one bizarre referee. I don’t know if the two Tigers tries he disallowed were really held up (though I think it unlikely as both were one on one tackles!) but I am absolutely sure that there was crossing in the build up to the last Sarries try that he let go – it took out our fullback and gave them a bonus point they certainly did not deserve to my mind).

Sarries have turned into a hugely niggly team again (a bit like they were when Pienaar skippered them in the late 90s). They have a lock called Chesney who is a red card waiting to happen (he is the one Plank head butted in December incidentally).

Great individual try by Varndell again – skinning the winger and fullback on his own. We will lose him to England for the 6N without a doubt.

A postscript about Lomu – in his next game after the one you chaps discuss above Blues visited Stradey Park on Monday (home of Llanelli and their sour grape of a coach). At some point during the game a Llanelli fan made it onto the sidelines of the pitch and was involved in an incident with big Jonah. All I know is that it involved denying Lomu a ball that had gone into touch (throwing it away from him) and that angry words were exchanged. Allegedly racial slurs were made. Llanelli have promised to ban the fan for life if they can identify him from Video footage.

[child of Thor]

Originally posted by Havak
Alternatively pick an easier target – Australia for example?

edit......

All I know is that it involved denying Lomu a ball that had gone into touch (throwing it away from him) and that angry words were exchanged. Allegedly racial slurs were made. Llanelli have promised to ban the fan for life if they can identify him from Video footage.

Ah yes Australia.

And i hope that fan is found - he's lucky Llanelli weren't touring in the pacific - Lumu is a big fella, like many of the Islanders, and you can only push your luck so far. I'm glad they will ban this guy for life - you just dont need that stuff in rugby imho.

An intersting article on the bbc, not sure if its by a welsh reporter or not

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/welsh/4580480.stm

Stephen Jones getting awarded best outside half in france! He's a good lad+decent player, but that surprised me nearly as much as Bristols win over the tigers!

[Havak]

LDiCesare has previously gone into some detail about the fly half crisis in France.

There is no doubt Jones has grown considerably as a player since moving to France. My fear would be if he moves back to Wales he will revert to how average he was when with Llanelli - it is all about the quality around you and the French top flight is way ahead of the domestic Celtic competitions I would suggest.

The Guardian has reported that Tigers are leading the chase to sign up a certain Tana Umaga should he announce his international retirement.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
Alternatively pick an easier target – Australia for example?

Particularly when they set themselves up for it.

A belated Happy New Year gents.

What are you doing back so soon? I had many more defamatory things to post about Leicester! (But, true to form, people like ravagon weren't around to post, to push my defamatory stuff back down the page. Presumably he went back to Kiwi Land for Christmas. Can't imagine why, when the best Christmas present he ever gave himself was getting out of the place)

Ah but you see Finbar falls back on a safety net there – the fact that no one really knows who his team is. A true ‘fan of the game’ is our Finbar. Moderate affection for Waratahs, an interest in Australia and Italy and a healthy disdain for Tigers is about all I can nail him on.

But decreasing interest in the Wallabies as they manage to screw up. Eddie was told of the performance review, at which he would present his case, but was summarily sacked within days of his return. He was asked to resign. He raised the matter of the review and his chance to present to same. So he was sacked. Why? Because the ARU chief, Gary Flowers, J. O'Neill's replacement, was struggling with an image problem. He was perceived by the powerbrokers to be soft and not in control of things. Particularly after the World Cup voting debacle. So G. Flowers moved against Eddie as some sort of sign of strength. The whole world knows the Wallabies' fundamental problem - lack of manpower up front. And the ARU shoots the messenger. J. O'Neill, I gather, is s******ing up his sleeve from his position running Australian s*****. He's had nothing but success in his new role because, while he can be a pr*ck, he's a top notch administrator. And, it turns out, he was dudded by the ARU board prior to his resignation. He was told by various members that he had lost the board's support. So he resigned. Only to discover, later, that he'd been lied to. There are more than a few people wishing J. O'Neill were back running Australian rugby.

The wicked stepdaughter gave me a Wallabies' cap for Christmas. I've asked her to find me an ABs' cap and send it over. I've been looking for an Italy team cap. Problem is, the team is so crap that they don't bother with merchandising.

The Guardian has reported that Tigers are leading the chase to sign up a certain Tana Umaga should he announce his international retirement.

*coughs* Pound to a penny that would be the last we hear from you about a certain tackle.

[Havak]

No Chance. Along with the rescinded Simon Shaw red card in 2004 it will be mentioned at every opportunity. Tana won't do it in a Tigers shirt after all - I think that lesson is well and truly learnt?

I expect the exceptionally large number of Tigers players who have received bans this season to be recycled a little bit on the forum too?

[Caligastia]

Merry belated Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.

[Caligastia]

[Caligastia]

I was just reading that Justin Marshall thinks there shouldn't be any pushing in the scrums and that rugby should always be played under perfect conditions...what a plonker!

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3529835a10295,00.html

[finbar]

And Leeds are denying that he will be off to Quins next year after they are promoted and Leeds are relegated. Wonder whether he has a relegation/get-out clause in his contract.

Apart from that, Leicester fell over the line against a mob of no-hopers, and Waratahs' coach Ewen McKenzie, formerly hot favourite for the Wallaby coaching job, has pulled out of the race. Apparently the Waratahs crossed his palm with a plethora of gold to stay.

So who knows where that leaves the stupid ARU? "Knuckles"? Scott Johnson? D. Nucifora? The ARU will live to regret axing Eddie.

[Havak]

Only privately. They would have to admit to a mistake to show any public regret - and can you see the ARU doing that?

Yes Tigers fell over the line in a poor old game. What might not be clear is the domestic rugby this last weekend was mainly played on quagmires - conditions were awful.

Henson's appeal takes place today. I hope they increase the punishment myself.

Nice piccies by the way Cal - someone looks happy.

[finbar]

I was only just able to access the picture for some reason. Given my utter ignorance of children and anything and everything related to them, I can only assume that the tot is reacting to the news of Tana's retirement.