Rugby - Six Nations, S14, Lions, Can't Wait

[Havak]

Have you caught Gatlands first salvo in the war of words ahead of Wales 'losing to' ...., um, I mean 'playing' the ABs this autumn.

Pretty disasterous tri-nations for the lame ABs if they lose to Australia again?

No axe to grind with Kiwi fans - just enjoying me old mucker AD being hoist by his own petard on the 'lame' thing given how the ABs failed to test even a misfiring saffie outfit.

[finbar]

How predictable. As I keep saying, the ABs have it over the Wallabies mentally and physically. Thumped at the breakdown, never allowed any decent possession, and even when they found the ball, wrong options and dud handling added to the Wallaby misery. James O'Conner had a defensive nightmare, but that's going to happen to precocious teenagers under extreme pressure. Drew Mitchell, far more experienced, was no better. And George Smith, as great a player as he is, isn't a good enough skipper.

[kittenOFchaos]

Sale lost to Bath...not happy about that, nor the fact so few of these games are on the telly.

[finbar]

Leicester -v- Newcastle was on my telly yesterday. It cheered me up. Leicester were as crap as the Wallabies were yesterday.

[Havak]

Missing almost everything a side needs except a defence, in fact.

Three games, no tries.

Away at Bath next weekend. Also on the television.

[finbar]

The try problem looks pretty obvious, at least to this adopted Italian. With the injuries to your halves and midfield, you've got (a) a makeshift set-up, that (b) is about as inventive as a slab of cement. Staunton is another Hougaard only he stands even deeper. Which I never thought possible. Ellis - Youngs looked sharper when he came on - needs a rocket launcher to get the ball anywhere near him. Allen can step a bit but is otherwise solid straight-up-and-down, a poor man's Hipkiss; and Murphy didn't look comfortable at #13. You'd have to thnk that Vesty, Flood, Hipkiss and Mauger (when match fit) would make a difference. Though history tells us it might not lead to buckets of tries.

That young Newcastle kid, Miller, looks talented, and age and mixing with Geordies hasn't diminished Carl Hayman's talents. His injury cost them.

[Havak]

Yes the kid Hayman is still okay - and at 29 he like Mauger will no doubt be heading home for the RWC season?

I first saw Miller at U20 earlier this year and he certainly does have talent. So much in fact that Falcons let their other England U20 fly half (!) Rory Clegg move to Quins in the close season.

Miller has just turned 20 so it's a crucial period for him to make his mark.

*edit: Hipkiss (as well as Moody, Blaze and Crane) is expected to be fit for Bath.

[LDiCesare]

I only recently realised Wilkinson was now playing at Toulon. I wonder how much money they threw to get the good team they managed to build up... My former coach was from Toulon, I wonder if he recognises the club today, though. I know that some Brive supporters complain that the team is now made of Englishmen only and noone coming from Brive's rugby school and it no longer feels like their club. I wonder how long our championship will be able to afford spending tons of money on strangers (by which I also mean people who come from another region of France) rather than training and raising them locally. It's going to be a disaster for the national team if not for those clubs who lose their oldest supporters when imported players prove insufficient to get good results.

[finbar]

Couldn't agree more. It's English club rugby's problem but multiplied. Though didn't I read somewhere that there's a move to limit foreign players in French club rugby?

[Havak]

Only players from outside the EU - limiting players from inside the EU would be restraint of trade. The English will keep coming as long as the big pay packets are there.

[LDiCesare]

Yes, nothing will ever stop all those Italian top players from playing in French clubs, thereby limiting our ability to win a world cup. South Africans, Kiwis, Argentinans, Australians, however, can be limited but the numbers don't need to be big to cause trouble. If the props and fly half in each club are foreign, that's already a lot we lose.

[Havak]

We can't even restrict the saffies because of the Kolpak agreement, and many of our Aussies and Kiwis are on the books as EU players through 'grannygate' type wriggling.

So maybe France should do what it does with many EU directives and simply not comply with it?

[Legend]

Yes the kid Hayman is still okay - and at 29 he like Mauger will no doubt be heading home for the RWC season?

That is the rumour we've heard. Kees Mews (Hayman's former propping partner) is back, but seems to be out-of-favour.

In terms of other ex-all blacks, there was an article on Nick Evans in the sunday paper this morning, noting that he wouldn't be back. Shame, as we are sadly lacking in first-fives at the moment.

[finbar]

Yes, Nick Evans would have been handy, though I fear his bad leg injury has slowed him down. I'm sure Hayman will go back. Not sure about Mauger at his age. Besides, he's learned too many bad habits at Leicester. Speaking of which, thus spake The Cocker after yesterday's match:

We weren't obsessed with kicking the ball into the air all the time.

He must have been watching the second half of a different match to the one I was watching. Leicester's first half was very promising - aggressive, particularly through the back row - the best I've seen Newby play; good recycling, and even something approaching fluency in the backs. But they left it in the sheds at half time. Kick, kick, kick. And poor kicking at that. Staunton might be able to kick penalties but his field kicking is very average. Bath stuck to their game and deserved to win. Why Leicester don't start Ben Youngs and stick with him is beyond me.

[Havak]

The bottom line Finbar is that three of our first four games have been away and we have taken at least a point from every away game.

I felt a draw was perfectly fair - Tigers defence is actually about the best I've ever seen it. And the Youngs-Hipkiss try was about the best of the weekend.

Grindal has not improved since I last saw him - still firing bullets well above head height.

Once the rested boys are back and a few of the injuries clear up Tigers will be in the mix at the end of the season.

And Mr Mauger will head home as long as his back injury clears properly - who is going to get picked ahead of him for the ABs? He has certainly picked up the bad habit of winning trophies from Tigers. He is also still only 28 which makes him a year younger than Hayman.

Yep, you got me to bite.