Rugby - Hands Off Green!

[LDiCesare]

The latter fixture is practically two French sides taking each other on given the number of French players PSA has brought to Sale (and the number of UK players he has lost to injury recently).

Bullsh*. The Stade Francais certainly sports more Italian and Argentinan players than Sale has English players. Actually, the count is:
French = 15
Argentina = 4
Canada = 1
Italia = 3
Any idea what Sale's figures are?

[Havak]

Well I was only joking there - English Irony at its worst.

But yes I have Sales figures. Keep in mind that the Argentinians on Sales books (and on Stade Francais?) are actually naturalised French men (only two non-EC players can play in Heineken cup teams and only ONE may feature at any stage of an English Premiership match - most Argentinians have therefore ensured they are either French or Italian qualified).

Anyway here are Sales figures for their entire squad:

English 19
French 5
Argentinian (French) 2
Spaniard 1
Welsh 6
NZ (a Samoan and a Tongan but NZ qualified) 2
Scottish 3
German 1 (English lad with an army father!)

Does not sound too bad until you realise that all the French and Argentinian French players are first teamers most of the time.

[finbar]

How would the current backs coach stack up as a replacement for A. Robinson?

[Havak]

Probably worth a go in the short term. He is a former coach of Bath - but from their successful years rather than Robinson's later tenure - and very highly rated by some.

His being a Bath alumni there are limits to how much I can praise him.

[finbar]

... Bath ... Wasps ... Gloucester ... the list's endless, isn't it?

[Havak]

Not totally endless - but there are 11 English clubs on that list at the moment.

[LDiCesare]

I've just read that the FFR and the consortium du Stade de France are arguing over the matches to come, namely France vs. Scotland, for some commercial reasons (ads rights). This doesn't bode well, but I wouldn't mind if the FFR fell back to the old Parc des Princes just to teach the consortium not to ask too much money...

[Havak]

Hardly ideal less than 12 months away from hosting a World Cup though?

[ískallin]

I got an autograph from one Daniel Carter yesterday...

I feel so important :P

[finbar]

Hey Havak, did you get the England fitness coach's autograph before he was sacked? And have you put up your hand for his job? A beer and pork pie diet would probably have got them over the line against the Boks.

[Havak]

I'm still trying to work out who Daniel Carter is.

Yeah I reckon I could knock them into shape with my time proven training methods.

Dave Reddin was the man Steve Walsh physically attacked in that famous "cheating Pommy bludgers field sixteen men" RWC match - now he has gone and the Kiwi Assault 'n' Batterer is still on the A list - funny old game eh?

As Sir Clive has had his two cents this weekend I thought I would quote Francis Baron's response to give you a sense of the ego of the man.

"I am not going to say anything that could be seen as *** for tat. Our working relationship was outstanding - Clive produced great results on the field, and I produced great results off it.

So at a time that Jonno was leading an England side with some truly great players in it that was performing superbly well not only was Clive taking all the credit as coach but the fact that merchandise was flying off shelves and TV companies were falling over to sign big money deals was all down to the genius of Baron then?

[finbar]

Wonder whether F. Bacon's been near any streams in Suffolk recently.

[Havak]

Now there is a news reference I doubt anyone else will get.

[finbar]

With defamation laws, et al, probably a good thing, too.

[Havak]

For similar reasons I avoided pointing out that I haven't been to Suffolk for many years.