Rugby - Tours Tours Everywhere!

[Havak]

The ligaments in my back - tortured through years of top class forward play (or possibly through the odd amateur game with copious ale and pie consumption - I can't recall which is the primary causal factor) sadly rule me out of ever taking the field again.

Otherwise I'd have been glad to help the Azzuri against the Bok brick out houses,

I also thought you were unique as an Italian Australian - surprised to be found wrong.

Angel - and there is a misnoma for you I suspect - sounds like a media chancer. Don't get me wrong touring sides are quite capable of behaving as described. But a Professional International side after a defeat - in a hotel where their entire management is in residence? It rings a little hollow.

Me thinks Angel was after her five minutes. I look at the sentence "We were chatting for a while then all of a sudden one of the players pulled the duvet off them".

Pulled it off them? What a strange thing to say if you were under that duvet semi-dressed yourself? Why it is almost like you heard the story from someone else and then placed yourself in the middle of it don't you think? Then again Angel won't be an English Language graduate I suspect?

I don't place much credibility on Angel's account - and I won't even consider there being any truth to the rape allegation unless charges are brought.

It has certainly brought a sour note to the tour even if it has made it more interesting.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
I also thought you were unique as an Italian Australian - surprised to be found wrong.

If only my mamma had been Italian! Or any relative who could be the basis of applying for citizenship. As it is, I have to live here for 10 years before I can apply. Three down, seven to go.

But a Professional International side after a defeat - in a hotel where their entire management is in residence? It rings a little hollow.

Not necessarily. That they were out boozing till the early hours - which doesn't seem to be in dispute - points in the direction of serious misjudgement. Did management sanction the boozing? Did they even know? Apparently J**** is very seriously seriously p*ssed off about the whole thing.

"We were chatting for a while then all of a sudden one of the players pulled the duvet off them".

She's using "them" in the sense of "us". It's not uncommon.

Then again Angel won't be an English Language graduate I suspect?

"Which side up?" is probably the extent of her vocabulary.

I don't place much credibility on Angel's account - and I won't even consider there being any truth to the rape allegation unless charges are brought.

Either it was rape, or the following scenario, and I may be being completely uncharitable to the lass: she was up for it, with however many players. The boyfriend found out. He was a tad upset. He complained to the police. The fact that she hasn't yet made a complaint seems to give credence to my scenario.

EDIT. Or, of course, it could be a set-up. But I'd be surprised.

But we shall see.

[Joe Kick Ass]

Originally posted by finbar
But then the same can be said of all understrength tours.

Apart from ours.



Sit down, Bryan Habana.

[Joe Kick Ass]

Originally posted by Havak
Ojo-Tait-Varndell is a very talented attacking back line

Think I've said something like this before, but whatever...

Saes: Tait-Ojo-Varndell
Blues: Roberts-Blair-James
Os: Byrne-Bowe-Williams

England's is the weakest of that lot...

I'll give you Tait has talent, but Ojo and Varndell? Scraping the barrel surely...

[Joe Kick Ass]

Oh, and this...

Originally posted by finbar
Who on earth is Stoddart and what the hell was he doing pretending to be a fullback?

Bear in mind Stoddart spends most of his time pretending to be a fullback at Stradey Park. He actually picks decent lines and is a good broken field runner, but I fear that may be due to the same chronic fear of opposition players that screws him up defensively. Still, there were some from Llanelli claiming he'd be a great player on the back of that display, 'cos he put Shane Williams into space in attack. Apparently.

Mentalists.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Joe Kick Ass
the same chronic fear of opposition players that screws him up defensively.

Perfect qualification for a hard-tackling full back.

In other news, Ewen McKenzie, recently-sacked Waratahs coach, will coach Stade Français. Played in France, speaks pretty reasonable French, highly intelligent - for a former prop - and a very decent chap who conducted himself absolutely impeccably during the public farce that was the Waratahs coaching imbroglio. Good luck to him. If I had a choice between coaching in Sydney or France, I know where I'd rather be.

The Sun quoted a source close to the team saying an 18-year-old woman willingly had sex with two players while another two watched early last Sunday.

"Two players admitted three-in-a-bed sex with the girl," the source said.

"She'd pursued them from the start and phoned the Hilton to find out where they were drinking."

The players claim the woman was calm and in good spirits when she left early on Sunday.

Hours later, team chiefs had a call from police revealing a "serious allegation" had been made. It is understood the initial allegation was made by the woman's boyfriend.

Sounds like my theory. I doubt anything is going to come of it. And the legal eagles are right - why are the police pursuing the matter when there has been no complaint made by the alleged victim?

Still, I say again, what sort of management was it that let all of this happen? Hopefully this sinks Rob Andrew for all time.

[Havak]

You really don't have the first clue what you are talking about sometimes do you. It means you fit well into this thread.

Go check the try tallies for this season - not that the ones from the Celtic League matter given it's comparatively far lower standard.

See what I mean Finbar about the Slams doing Wales no favours - even sensible chaps like jka start to buy into the over blown hype around the welsh players. I mean he still thinks Gavin Henson is a rugby player (when he has only been a media personaility for many years now).

God forbid the Welsh talk their way into being the majority of the Lions again - we want to win in South Africa next year after all!

Fortunately the Welsh tend to follow up a Slam season with a disasterous one so there is hope for the Lions yet.

On the advice of the NZ QC they have consulted the four players at the centre of no formal allegation whatsoever have declined to speak to the Police - meaning the two detectives are now free to attend the test without work getting in the way.

On the other hand the four players have to face Martin when they return to the UK - they might have prefered to speak to the Police?

[LDiCesare]

meaning the two detectives are now free to attend the test without work getting in the way.

So was it actually an attempt by mischievous policemen to get free tickets to the stadium?

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
On the other hand the four players have to face Martin when they return to the UK - they might have prefered to speak to the Police?

Esatto, as they say around here. Anche Rob Andrew!

[Joe Kick Ass]

Originally posted by Havak
You really don't have the first clue what you are talking about sometimes do you. It means you fit well into this thread.

I'm going to get some great mileage out of this Varndell thing, aren't I?



Oh, no, wait...his international career will be over by this time tomorrow...

Originally posted by Havak
Fortunately the Welsh tend to follow up a Slam season with a disasterous one

Whereas the English are currently at...5 disastrous follow ups?

[Havak]

Absolutely.

But in those five disasterous years have continued to take a few tri-nations scalps - whereas Wales in their Slam years have majority contributed to the most disasterous Lions tour in living memory and been stuffed by the Boks heavily. Twice.

So for my money a dire England remains a more potent threat to the tri-nations sides than a rampant Wales side ever does. But don't take my word for it - just examine Wales litany of failure againbst tri-nations sides.

I'm getting some mileage out of this over rated Wales idea too.

[finbar]

Lucky I'm neutral and can remain aloof from all this. Even if I think Gav is the most over-rated player on the planet and Wales' 6 Nations triumphs seem to coincide with the weakest tournaments in living memory. But, as I say, I remain neutral.

[Havak]

[finbar]

You've just gotta love The Sun:

A BLONDE has told how she had wild sex with an England rugby ace at the centre of a rape probe – on the night of the alleged attack.

Model Sophie Lewis, 22, known as Angel, claimed the superfit player "went like a Duracell Bunny" for hours.

Okay. "Superfit". Scratch any of the front rowers from the list of candidates. "Went like a Duracell Bunny". Does she mean he played a drum furiously for hours?

Mmmmm. There's more:

"He’s very handsome and was a smoothie, a real charmer."

Definitely not a front rower.

Witnesses have said that while some players hit the booze after England’s defeat by the All Blacks, Zara Phillips’s fiance Mike Tindall, 29, stuck with soft drinks.

Backpacker Adam Hastings, 21, said: "Women were flinging themselves at the players but Mike wasn’t having any of it.

"He told me other women didn’t interest him because he’d got the best girl in the world back home."

Zara arrived in New Zealand this morning to support England in tomorrow's Second Test.

Phew! I couldn't sleep last night for worrying that one of them was Tinders and the Royal poke might have found out.

[Havak]

Well we cannot have English rugby costing Finbar his well earned sleep now can we?

I think LDiCesare you have those NZ Policemen fully sussed.

Ah the quality journalism of the sun.

So Angel is a *model*. Quelle surprise.

I have the sad feeling that whatever player that was will be delighted at the reports that he 'went for hours' the night after a test match. Assuming it was one of the players from the 22. There are 31 lads down there. And lets not forget there is no corroborating indication that Angel's beau is one of the four in the frame for seriously annoying a kiwi boyfriend.