Rugby - New Year, New Coaches, New Laws

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The lad has quite a smart rugby brain - better going forward admittedly.

Vis a vis the latter, you master of understatement, you.

[MOBIUS]

Wales autumn home series this year are Australia, New Zealand and South Africa...

[Joe Kick Ass]

Originally posted by Havak
No faster than the dump truck Mark Jones ? I think that proves my point about actually watching the lad (rather than trusting third person stats?).

I don't rate Jones, but he's clocked at 10.8 over 100m.

He's the fastest in the Welsh squad, and that's not a third person stat.

Originally posted by Havak
Let’s be honest I think the only way Tom will prove anything to you is by having a great game against Ospreys. Assuming he gets picked.

He'll need to do a lot more than that to match Shane in my estimation.

Originally posted by Havak
No comparison twixt our centres however – Danny has played an RWC final and Gavin never will.

Poor Gavin and his Grand Slams.

What odds on Hipkiss being a test lion?

Originally posted by Havak
Hodgson is a fly half – as is Geraghty (he also plays 12). Flood is a good option at 12 which is his preferred position.

And they're all better 12s.

Especially that last couple.

Originally posted by Mobius
Wales autumn home series this year are Australia, New Zealand and South Africa...

And Canada, remember.

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Irish looked good, but heck, they were allowed to look good. Early, I thought Perpignan had turned up to play. Very ordinary, moribund effort. Didn't get to see Munster -v- Gloucester but the reports suggest things went as I expected they would. So I'm 1/2 thus far.

[MOBIUS]

Apart from Chris Paterson missing three penalties in a row for Gloucester...

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Serves him right for that ridiculously freakish record at international level. Gloucester have been off the boil for weeks.

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The most remarkable thing to come out of the Sarries-Ospreys affair is Alan Gaffney's coaching - not only did he lift the team after the disaster in Cardiff, he organised the perfect game plan to shut down Ospreys. And to Sarries' credit - given that I don't rate them that highly - they executed the plan to the letter. Good for them. Ospreys a team headed for greatness? Mmmmmm. The interesting thing is that the Boks will execute pretty much exactly the same game plan against Wales.

At least the Blues showed ticker against Toulouse, even if the result always looked inevitable. Toulouse on song are a joy to watch. Has poor Tom Shanklin ever had such a shocker before?

[Havak]

And for me the nice little irony now is that Shane needs to step us his game to match Tom next weekend.

Should Henson be selected at 12 for the Lions next year the Lions will lose 3-0. The Boks will eat him alive. Whether Danny gets a cap is up in the air - but if Gatland gets the coaching gig he will select who he thinks is the best fit (despite being Welsh coach).

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The question next weekend is whether Leicester can match Sarries' (extraordinary, for them) discipline. It hasn't been one of Leicester's greatest strengths.

The England management circus gets murkier and murkier and sillier and sillier. Though I did enjoy SCW's bake of Rob Andrew.

[Havak]

Discipline and power are certainly the keys for us. I simply don't know which Tigers side will turn up though - it has been a bizarre season so far.

*edit* That bake was so good (and so accurate) that I will include it here:

"Any relationship between Martin and Rob Andrew will be a forced marriage," added Woodward. "At a time when Martin needs support, how supportive will Andrew be given the disgraceful handling of poor Ashton of late?

"Andrew has never coached or managed Test teams, and he was voted by my coaching team in 2003, when he was still at Newcastle, as the worst director of rugby, and by some margin.

"He and his teams seemed ill-prepared and boring and he was, to me, a million miles away from the profile of a successful coach, let alone an international one."

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I suspect the key to Leicester's success will be to make sure that Sonny Parker gets as much ball as possible.

[Havak]

And Henson.

[Joe Kick Ass]

Good news is Gavin should be fit for Saturday.

Originally posted by Havak
but if Gatland gets the coaching gig he will select who he thinks is the best fit (despite being Welsh coach).

(more) Bad news for you is that Gatland's had a Henson love in ever since his age grade days...

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Gatland and Henson, Ashton and Balshaw. What is it with these chaps who go to all-boys schools?

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All I can deduce from the England rugby management farce is that they want to be rid of Brian Ashton but don't have the bollocks to sack him. It seems J**** is a couple of days away from a job for which, according to reports, he wants total control of the team. And they're talking about appointing a backs coach, too. Leaving Ashton with no position and no other option but to resign.

And SCW wants Eddie to mentor J****. How much fun is SCW having knifing Rob Andrew, the man who beat him to the top role?