Rugby - Hands Off Black!

[Havak]

We were due to play Wasps at our place on Saturday. They didn't turn up for some reason.

[Havak]

Heh Finbar, what have your hosts done to deserve the election outcomes they keep getting? Yet another shambolic election result.

If their spending power going through the floor due to the Euro can't motivate them to give someone a clear mandate what could I wonder?

[Caligastia]

The Western Force almost got their first win in their game against the Highlanders. Highlanders - hang your heads in shame!!

Is anyone watching the Super 14?

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
Heh Finbar, what have your hosts done to deserve the election outcomes they keep getting? Yet another shambolic election result.

If their spending power going through the floor due to the Euro can't motivate them to give someone a clear mandate what could I wonder?

It doesn't work that way here. Having had politicians around the place for 2000+ years, they treat them with utterly cynical disrespect. They don't trust either side, they don't expect anyone to fix the economy. Life goes on regardless of the state of the economy and just about everything else. Italy has one of the highest home ownership rates in the world, one of the lowest personal debt rates, there's a massive black sub-economy and widespread tax evasion. So spending power is sort of irrelevant. Except in terms of Italy having some of the highest public utility charges in the world. Because it's the only way the government can bring in any money. But because so many people aren't paying tax, or the proper rate of tax, the high public utility charges are sort of irrelevant, too. Funny old place, this. Organised chaos sort of sums it up.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Caligastia
The Western Force almost got their first win in their game against the Highlanders. Highlanders - hang your heads in shame!!

Yeah, kick ravagon when he's down! Makes a change from me having to do it all the time.

Is anyone watching the Super 14?

I saw a few matches when we were house- and dog-sitting for some friends here who have Sky. We don't where we are. But I'm going to install it in the place we're buying.

[finbar]

Waratahs cleaned up the Brumbies for the - from memory - third time in a row on the weekend. The truly scary thing is that Waratah pack is being hailed as the strongest of the Oz lot. Guess who? Messers Dunning, et al. Still, at least Adam Freir seems, finally, to be realising his hooking potential.

EDIT. Apologies. Mr Dunning isn't currently in the Waratahs front row. His spot taken by a young, unknown to me, Mr Robinson. But young Mr Baxter is still there. As I said above - scary.

[Caligastia]

The Blues predictably destroyed the Western Force. I dozed off towards the end of the game. Which will be the first team to have the 'honor' of losing to the Force? I'm betting on the Cats.

Or perhaps the Force will be the first 'super' team to complete a season without a single win!

[finbar]

ravagon hopes so. He's bet his house on it.

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by finbar
Then again, I wish I knew why the Western Farce existed.

Because 14 has more of a ring to it than 13?

[ravagon]

Originally posted by Caligastia
The Blues predictably destroyed the Western Force. I dozed off towards the end of the game. Which will be the first team to have the 'honor' of losing to the Force? I'm betting on the Cats.

Or perhaps the Force will be the first 'super' team to complete a season without a single win!

Well, with only a couple of games to go there really aren't too many possibilities left. They don't have a home game against the Cats but their only other option is to beat the Crusaders here this weekend.
I'm just guessing at this stage of course but my feeling is that they might not be favourites to win that one ...

[Caligastia]

Hold onto that feeling.

[Havak]

Well the thing to hold onto with Western Force is that they can only improve after a whitewash season?

I may need to wash my mouth out with soap after this but I caught about 20 mins of Tahs-Brumbies and I thought I saw some pretty decent scrummaging. Perhaps that was because both packs coal faces were well matched though? And yes I didn’t recall seeing Dunning – that cherubic face crammed into a scrum cap is hard to miss (on the wing where he normally plays?).

Tigers were quite amazing against Northampton at their place on Friday night. Howard rested both half backs meaning we had Scott Bemand at scrummy and Austin at Fly Half. He didn’t risk Gibson for a full game so Vesty (a fullback by choice) donned the 12 shirt. And surprisingly it went pretty well. They also abandoned the tight game that failed so dramatically against Bath and that resulted in both sides countering at every opportunity and a pretty decent game to watch. Tigers sneaked the win scoring three tries to one – and all three were shared by our wingers. It is not like the tigers of old. Varndell scored two of the three – the mind boggles how turnip picked lardy Cohen over him for the 6N. Can turnip keep ignoring him?

Mr Spencer was sin binned in the first ten minutes along with Graham Rowntree for a bit of handbags btw.

Organised chaos sort of sums it up.

I knew contempt for authority was widespread in Italy and strongly suspected the tax evasion thing but the bits about debt and home ownership were news to me. A country of strong contrasts. I always found the difference in the way Italians view their government and their church amusing personally – the way they ignore the former and defer totally to the latter that is. It might just be me.

I suspect you chaps may not have noticed but Leeds have been relegated from the English Premiership. I always suspected Marshall had been badly advised in signing for them – just check this quote out “I felt that Leeds were always competitive and capable of beating all the other teams in the competition, but what they couldn't do was win the close ones.”

Here he is talking about them before he signed and I do not recognise the side he is describing – then I have only been watching the premiership since it’s inception.

I would suggest that means Justin listened to people instead of watching any performances by Leeds over the past few seasons. An even balance of wins and losses was the very best he should have expected from them.

And he signed a two year deal with no parachute clause. Who the heck advised him there? Several French sides and Harlequins (to link him back up with Mehrtens) want to sign him but Leeds are sticking to their guns at the moment and saying that Justin Marshall will play National Division One rugger next season. It is a waste of his talent. Hopefully someone will find the money to change Leeds mind. Personally I find the thought of a Harlequins side coming to Leicester that is coached by Dean Richards and contains Marshall and Mehrtens a good solid reason to renew the season ticket nice and early.

[finbar]

It's not even as simple as ignoring the pollies and deferring to the church. They will ignore the latter, too, if it suits them. Italy is, increasingly, a secular country, partly, I think, because the Vatican is seen - rightly - as a major political player as well as a spiritual source. Yet, at the same time, they love their Pope. Or, at least, the office. Which isn't to say they follow his edicts. If it suits them, they will.

You can be quite sure that someone - most likely allied with Quins - is filling his fountain pen ready to sign the cheque to pay Leeds the requisite amount. A. Mehrtens and J. Marshall together in the Quins line up would make for some fun matches.

[ravagon]

Not too sure about that. To date Leeds seem to have been pretty adamant about keeping him on (I guess their chances of returning to the premiership at the end of next season are a bit better with JM onboard). Quinns kept Mehrtens and they came up.

I suppose it could just be the English way of pushing for a cheque with an extra zero or two ...

Tis the time of reckoning in the S14 down this end of the world. The Crusaders vs the might of the Western Force.
I'm almost confident enough to bet finbars house on it. What with elephants being skittish around mice and all.
It could happen ...

[Havak]

If it suits them, they will.

I do like that attitude.

I have some strong views about the RC Church – indeed about all religions – but out of consideration for those posters in the thread who hold strong beliefs I’ll limit it to saying that Dan Brown’s book is not all fiction, particularly when it refers to why the early church was founded and what it did to establish itself as numero uno

A. Mehrtens and J. Marshall together in the Quins line up would make for some fun matches.

I’d love to see it myself.

I suppose it could just be the English way of pushing for a cheque with an extra zero or two ...

You got it Ravagon – yesterday Leeds invited bids for buying Marshall out of his contract.

They did sign him for silly money – an estimated £200K a year. Only Quins or a French side will be prepared to compensate that I suspect.

What with elephants being skittish around mice and all.
It could happen ...

With the same probability of England defending the World cup successfully in France.