Rugby - Hands Off Black!

[Havak]

I was saving telling you that until you had finished praising him.

Matt Cornwell is the skipper - his form has dipped a bit recently but he has talent.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
I was saving telling you that until you had finished praising him.

Are there no limits to the depths of your perfidy! That aside, what grade does he play at Leicester?

Matt Cornwell is the skipper - his form has dipped a bit recently but he has talent.

He was like a spare p*ick at a wedding, as the old Australian saying goes.

[Havak]

Tom Croft is a senior squad member. I don't think he has figured for the firsts yet but he has played for the Devlopment XV and won the A league with them last year (what in the old day would be called "seconds").

One thing my club does do is churn out very handy Locks every now and then.

As for Matt Cornwell - when he is bad he is shockingly so.

[finbar]

It's interesting that some clubs turn out more than the average number of talented players in particular positions. Must be a cultural thing. I mean, Bath obviously have the market in ugly locks cornered. Leicester seems to prefer talented ones. It also makes me wonder how and why you ended up in the front row. I suppose, at 5' 7" and 16 stone, lock was never going to be your natural position.

I also fear that Leicester are playing this Friday night. Worse, that it's probably going to be on Sky.

I also fear that S14 starts this weekend and that Sky covers it. There goes the weekend!

[finbar]

Just discovered that Mrs finbar has organised us to go out tomorrow night. How did she know Leicester were playing?

And Eddie is joining Saracens as a "consultant" until the end of the season before he takes over the Queensland Reds. At least he won't be in Queensland watching over Jeff Miller's shoulder as he - Miller - coaches his final season as a lame duck coach.

[Havak]

Lets be honest - Mrs Finbar is actually avoiding Gloucester as all sensible folks should.

I hope someone has warned Eddie - if he thinks the ARU were unsympathetic in the end they are kittens compared to the idiots running Saracens. Have a look how many coaches Sarries have had in the last decade, they get rid of a few every season.

Eddie needs to be careful it does not stain his CV...

[finbar]

I put it to Mrs finbar that she was only avoiding Gloucester and she looked at me extremely blankly. Women!

Anyway, now we're not going out tonight after all. It looks like I'll be forced to tune in after all!

[LDiCesare]

France - Ireland: 43 minutes vs 31. That's also more or less the number of minutes of play each team had. France played a strong first half, during which O'Gara was busy kicking the ball into the hands of Marty, and Heymans busy bringing all other French tries. The Toulousain winger scored 2 tries, made a pass on the first try, giving an advantage in numbers to his line, and kicked from his 22, leading to Michalak's pass and Magne's try. He also defended everywhere including not on his wing. The French stopped playing earlier in the second half and he Irish started playing. They should have started earlier. The French woke up in the last minutes to defend in order to avoid losing after leading by 40 points. I can't help thinling that Pelous, with 2 missed tackles on 2 Irish tries, should have been replaced or someone else (Pape, Nallet) could have worn the number 4 in his place.
England bet Italy by 32-17 but this doesn't do justice to the Italians as their winger handed the ball to Simpson-Daniels after the end of game time. At 25-17, the Italians decided to play a penalty by hand knowing there was no time left. It may be panache, but it was also useless as at best they would have ended up losing by one point. Instead they lost by 15. Italians played as they often do: correctly for about one hour, and then they gave too many balls back to the English, who scored logically. Hodgson had a good match.

[finbar]

And I didn't see any of it!

But I did see Leicester play what Pat Howard called the worst half rugby since he'd been at the club. I hope he's right, because I couldn't imagine a worse half. It was a very strange game. Leicester seemed nicely in control early on, until whichever Leicester player it was needlessly ended a wonderful Leicester steamroll forwards with a pointless and inept chip kick. End result: Gloucester try. And, from that point, Leicester gradually, increasingly, lost control, until, by the end, they were playing like fumbling, inept schoolboys. Of absolutely no help to their cause was skipper VD, whose own lack of self-discipline was the last thing his younger players needed. With senior players out and youngsters in key positions, captaincy was required. Instead of marshalling his younger players, counselling them, guiding them, he was running around mouthing off and goading oppo players. Poor effort, VD. Still, that Gloucester #8 can play a bit. Who is he?

Oh, and the Waratahs squeaked home against the Queensland Reds in the first S14 round. First time NSW has ever beaten Queensland in Brisbane since S10/12/14 started. A draw, or even a Queensland win, would have been a fairer result. The Queensland players, strangely, succumbed to the outrageous heat and humidity, meaning cramp and weariness galore, with centres and flankers ending up playing as halves. It was the season opener, so presumably the Waratahs will get better, but the Crusaders looked terrifyingly good in their win.

EDIT. I did manage to see an hour package of the 6N matches on one of the Sky channels. Ruined only by the presence of VD as the special comments guest in the studio. No one thought to ask him about his dreadful performance on Friday night. That aside, it must be a rare thing for a player to fall off two tackles in the course of the oppo scoring a single try. C. Hodgson managed it. Spot the defensive weakness.

The France-Ireland match was a re-run of the France-Wales match last season, only this time les grenouilles were sufficiently far in front at the start of the second half. Talk about a schizophrenic back row. They're either destroying the oppo or they're AWOL. And where do they keep finding those centres! Is there a factory churning out quality centres somewhere in the depths of France? Is there a France supporter with any hair left? No other 6N team will live with the French of the first half. The second half is an entirely different thing. But then that was the story last year, too.

Italy seem, finally, to be getting some structure and discipline into their game. I must look around for some Italian rugby merchandise.

[Havak]

Well it was a brave performance by Italy but I think perhaps it is being over played somewhat. The try came from an interception and they didn't threaten the line at any other point.

I think the match was far more clearly defined by just how badly England played given that they enjoyed a total superiority in territory and possession. The ABs would have put a three digit score on them in the same scenario.

Still at least we aren't France. That 40 point lead looked great but if you take the first try out the equation which of those scores did France create (as opposed to simply being gifted by Ireland?). It would worry me how the old malaise of going to sleep still manifests for Les Bleues so close to the next world cup.

[finbar]

Fair point about the number of French tries that weren't of their own actual creation. And Italy wasn't the undisciplined, unstructured rabble of old, that's all. Well, on the last two occasions anyway.

Now what about Leicester?

[Havak]

What about them?

Yes Italy were structured and well disciplined. Next step is for them to pose a threat behind the pack? The wingers they fielded had approx 50 caps betwix them I believe - and not a single try!

Tigers. England writ small - majority territory and possession and still stuffed by rubbish.

[finbar]

So who's this Forrester chap? The Gloucester #8? Is he any good? Or was it a one-off in the absence of, for example, Corry?

[Havak]

Forrester is actually genuinely pretty good and on the fringes of England. He as you have seen is off the slighter and more mobile mode not generally favoured by successive English coaches.

He is no Dayglo or Corry as yet - but in time he could develop into a similar stature.

[Caligastia]

Happy Valentines Everyone!

Bad news - FSC are no longer showing any rugby.

Good news - I can watch the games on www.mediazone.com !!! (for a small fee of course)

Yaaay! This should be a lot cheaper than the expensive sports package I had to pay for to get FSC.

Brendan says hi...