Rugby - Laissez la balle, Bleus!

[finbar]

I work on the basis that, sooner or later, one of my feed lines will be right.

Queensland are denying the sacking. But there have been rumors all year. Eddie has rubbed people the wrong way. The Sydney Morning Herald's informed sources, which are usually pretty reliable, say it's happening.

The Nose's overall point is valid - obviously players would be better for playing against better oppo - but the HC format means it can't happen. Unless everyone joins a small handful of clubs. It's nonsense. And I've seen The Nose a couple of times this season on Sky. One year too many is right.

[Joe Kick Ass]

Playing half an hour with 14 men
and 5 of that with 13...

Ruined the match a bit that. All stupid and deserved bins too IMO, whatever Dai Young says. Not a great performance at all. I didn't tune in to see Sonny Parker racing through the Blues defence for the corner...

Still better than that first match though. I only saw the first 30 minutes or so, 'cos there was a match at Croke Park I wanted to see...but if there was nothing on any other channel, I probably would've sat in front of a blank screen for the hour or so until the second match...

English rugby

And here's hoping the Os make up for dumping the Blues out with a win over tiggers in the final.

Preferably with a 60 meter penalty from G. Henson in the final minute.

English rugby

Also,
Stephen Jones is fit for the HC next week
Brian Moore tells the Paddies to f*** off
Borders are no more

Running a national rugby union on 2 teams? lol

Never mind, the Magners is coming to Cardiff this year anyway.

[Joe Kick Ass]

Also, @Havak, and your question re: the WC...
Anybody can meet anybody in the final no?

However, we can meet (and beat) you in the second round/QF if we can beat the Aussies at the Mill stad in our group match...

[MOBIUS]

Yeah, I was at the EDF Semis debacle to watch the Blues self destruct...

When they had the ball and actually kept onto it they were really troubling the Ospreys but they seemed more keen to spill it straight into the waiting arms of an opponent. And the lack of discipline...

Oh well, still a good day out...

[Havak]

Drawing Wales in the World Cup doesn't worry me too much - it won't be in Wales after all (care to look up the last time Wales trimphed away from their home crowd?). It aint like the old days of the 70s and 80s (thankfully)

And I'm wary of Ospreys - but no more than that. I think Tigers more than have the measure of them. Tigers would need to self desturct badly (as they did against Saints) to lose this one.

Blues discipline let them down - for Sale it was lack of skill and power. Why did Sale start that decidely average French fly half when they had that talented taffy lad on the bench? In fact Sale were jammed with French and Welsh players with the odd Englishman there for good measure.

At the risk of offending Finbar it was fairly easy to spot Cockbain is really Australian as he either:

a) Has a glass jaw.
b) Deserves an oscar.

Went down like a sack of spuds when the wind from a passing arm blew him over.

[finbar]

If he'd been Italian, you'd've offended me!

[Caligastia]

I just remembered...during the last RWC we all chose avatars of our respective teams - should we make this a tradition?

[Havak]

I've never changed away from it since as far as I know.

How long does it take to become a Naturalised Italian?

[Joe Kick Ass]

Come on the Scarlets

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
I've never changed away from it since as far as I know.

How long does it take to become a Naturalised Italian?

Currently, you can apply for citizenship after ten years of residence. There's talk of reducing it to five years. I have my fingers crossed.

[finbar]

It's going to be fascinating to see how the All Blacks' back three line up this year. I've seen D. Howlett three or four times this Super 14 season and he's playing out of his boots. All the old skill, if a little less blinding speed, but he's added ferocious defence to his repertoire. He singlehandedly stopped a prop rampaging for the try line on the weekend. He couldn't make the AB team last season.

Nice, finally, also to see the Waratahs make some progress. They could have beaten the Crusaders apart from a missed conversion twenty yards out almost straight in front (while, at the same time, the Crusaders missed three relatively easy kicks). Not that the Waratahs would have deserved to win, the Crusaders were better for much longer, but at least the Waratahs took some chances. They've been playing nervous, defensive rugby, too afraid to commit to anything. It happens when you lose confidence. They threw the ball around and counter-attacked instead of kicking the ball away. L. Tuquiri got himself involved with his old rampaging style, and there was an astonishing solo 60 yard try from young L. Turner, winger, star of the Wallaby Under 21s last season. He has a future.

[ravagon]

21-20.

I guess our resident Englishman will be rather inebriated right now, albeit in a rather different fashion as of late.
Leicester sound as though they almost made a meal of it but managed to scrape out a win in the end.

[finbar]

They finally beat someone, did they? I didn't notice.

So did the Western Farce beat someone. Two or three in a row now, I think. They're finally producing the goods. About time. With the money they spent, and the talent on their payroll, about time. M. Giteau is a serious star. Serious, serious star.

[Havak]

I did have a sore head this morning.

The Tigers game was actually cracking - both sides went at it hammer and tongs.

It should never have been as close as it looked - but a superb solo try AND one of the best last ditch cover tackles you will ever see by the Argentine fullback combined with Skrela's boot (and another Goode off day) to make it absolutely nailbiting.

Danny Hipkiss broke the line and popped to Tom Varndell for the game breaking try. Both men are staking a claim for the summer tour with England.

Get past Llanelli in the semi and it will be Wasps or Saints in the final. Both tasty prospects.

[finbar]

How much difference did The Nose make to Wasps' effort?

Was it T. Varndell who made the mistake of making L. Tuquiri look silly last year? And L. Tuquiri repaid him in spades next time out?