Rugby - Laissez la balle, Bleus!

[LDiCesare]

I must confess it'd be hard for me to try and speak English the way Havak managed to torture French.
O'Driscoll said he was afraid the French clubs wouldn't play. I somewhat wonder what the English clubs are going to do. And what the RU reaction will be (well, I may not wonder a lot for that one).

[ravagon]

Rugby - Hands over of the bowl, the blue girls!

Mmmm. That might've actually been a good thread title.
We wouldn't really know what it was supposed to mean but neither would anybody else.
The Jason Robinson of thread titles, so to speak.


Incidentally, as a matter of interest, just how much money is actually involved in the Heineken Cup?
Have the French sides considered the financial hit they'll take after dropping out?

[Havak]

O'Driscoll said he was afraid the French clubs wouldn't play.

Whilst your English is certainly far better than my French you have somewhat disproved your own point here.

You see in English there is a world of difference between expressing concern and expressing fear – and what he actually said is a French boycott would be a “worry” and that falls firmly into the former category.

Have the French sides considered the financial hit they'll take after dropping out?

That’s the hub or the argument Ravagon – there is plenty of money in it but the clubs allege it is not fairly distributed (and they have a point IMO). ERC ltd does very nicely out of it. Finbar being a man of leisure might be able to find the figures.

[finbar]

I'm too busy trying to translate your original French title!

I must confess it'd be hard for me to try and speak English the way Havak managed to torture French.

A couple of litres of La Fée Verte might do the trick.

[Havak]

Anyone who drinks several litres of Absinthe might end up believing Andy Robinson can coach - or possibly even that New Zealand might win a world cup eventually.

[Caligastia]

We already did.

[finbar]

I noticed a headline in BBC Sport online to the effect that Leicester had cracked some sort of record. For one second, I thought they might have fielded a team of England-born players. No. A Paddy helped them to a win over a Paddy team. Irony of ironies.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Caligastia
We already did.

How long ago? Let me count the centuries. In those days your son wasn't even a twinkle in your eye. In fact, in those days, you wore jim-jams with bunnies on them, too.

[LDiCesare]

A Paddy helped them to a win over a Paddy team. Irony of ironies.

And a French helps the Wsps beat a French team. Although Castres didn't field that many French when you think of it. The only French front row in that match was Ibanez... I want French props in our clubs!!!

[ravagon]

Originally posted by Havak
Anyone who drinks several litres of Absinthe might end up believing Andy Robinson can coach - or possibly even that New Zealand might win a world cup eventually.

Heh.
If you're equating the two then I may have cause to remind you about this remark later this year ...

[finbar]

Originally posted by LDiCesare

And a French helps the Wsps beat a French team. Although Castres didn't field that many French when you think of it. The only French front row in that match was Ibanez... I want French props in our clubs!!!

Bulk up and the job is yours!

[Havak]

I missed the word “another” out Caligastia.

Not that the 87 one really counts given only NZ and Australia were Professional back then?

A Paddy helped them to a win over a Paddy team. Irony of ironies.

A Dublin boy helped them beat Munster – and that adds to the irony quite nicely. Howard fielded 5 Irish players in the 22 – 3 are Leinster men, 1 a Munster man and the young fly half is an Ulster boy.

The only French front row in that match was Ibanez... I want French props in our clubs!!!

For our Kiwi friends Ibanez is the French hooker who plays for Wasps.

I wish I had got to see the Ulster game this weekend – not only did plank and Brennan square up (with Justin coming off worse) but big reckless Trevor then belted seven bells out of a member of the Ulster crowd! The excuse I had heard was that “they insulted his pub”!!!!

I think Toulouse are about to lose a forward for the rest of the season!

If you're equating the two then I may have cause to remind you about this remark later this year ...

They are both forlorn points of view – but one is clearly more forlorn than the other.

We can dig this up again after NZ have either stormed the RWC or gone out gloriously in the semi?

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
A Dublin boy helped them beat Munster – and that adds to the irony quite nicely. Howard fielded 5 Irish players in the 22 – 3 are Leinster men, 1 a Munster man and the young fly half is an Ulster boy.

He might also have fielded John Merrick, the Elephant Man, if he'd still been alive. Havak, why have you never let on that John Merrick was born in Leicester?

I wish I had got to see the Ulster game this weekend – not only did plank and Brennan square up (with Justin coming of worse) but big reckless Trevor then belted seven bells out of a member of the Ulster crowd! The excuse I had heard was that “they insulted his pub”!!!!

Judging from the photo, M'sieur Brennan - ho, ho - might plead provocation. I'd be tempted to knuckle sandwich anyone wearing a red hat as stupid as that one.

[Havak]

You don't need me to feed you with such ammunition.

Provocation might possibly work if the 'fan' had invaded the pitch and attacked you. The 'fan' in question was in the stands and Brennan went for him whilst warming up ready to come on as a sub. Even though the guy is clearly a bit eccentric (Santa hat in late Jan?) I can't see that Brennan has any out clause on that one?

Ulster are citing Brennan for the incident with Plank. They have also reported the assault on the fan (strangely not covered by player citing procedures).

The French Police may end up being involved. Over to Aunty Beeb again:

Brennan runs a popular bar in Toulouse and eyewitness, BBC Northern Ireland journalist Julian Fowler said that a number of fans had made disparaging comments about the Irishman's premises.

"A number of the Ulster supporters started to chant, 'Your pub's a load of rubbish'. 'Rubbish' wasn't exactly the word they used but it wasn't that much more offensive that that," said the BBC journalist, who also spoke to the supporter after the game.

"He (Brennan) turned towards the crowd and climbed over a barrier and walked up the steps towards the eighth row where this fan was sitting.

"There was a sustained, repeated attack and I saw at least half a dozen if not more punches using both fists, being rained down on this Ulster supporter.

"The supporter was just a young fellow with a group of friends and I wouldn't have said that he was in any way drunk or aggressive."

The BBC reporter added that the incident had left the supporter's face bloodied and swollen.

"I also spoke to him at the airport six hours after the incident and he said that he was still in a state of shock.

"He didn't know why he had been singled out. He watched Brennan comes towards him and he actually thought he was going to shake his hand.

"The fan told me that he had made a statement to (French) police after the game but he wasn't sure last night what if any action he was going to take because he was still in a state of shock."

[finbar]

I'd've thought the player citing procedures only covered rugby matters. From what that article says, he'll be very lucky if he isn't charged with assault. Even if the red hat was idiotic.

I watched a doco on Agincourt on Sky the other night. Your King, if not dead, might have made a better replacement than B. Ashton.