Rugby - 6 Nations, Heineken Cup, You Can't Beat A Northern Hemisphere Winter!

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If there's rugby on, I'm here on the couch watching it. Regardless of where we're meant to be or who has turned up! Stuff 'em!

Auguri a tutti!

[kittenOFchaos]

I am at the start of a five day cycle of visits and hosting, might not even get to see any rugby (for shame!).

Poor you!!!

That said, Sale seem to have capitulated already against Leicester with a less than optimal team selection - a massive boo to that given it is a boxing day game, the club should be giving the fans the best entertainment they can.

Have to say, that is something I don't like about Sale. Too often we don't back ourselves and play our best team...it is really negative and just a slap in the face for fans that have paid alot to come support them.

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Must be frustrating to be a Worcester supporter. They suffer Scotland Syndrome - a complete inability to convert possession into points. They played all over Saints for a lot of the match last night but only really threatened the line once. Exactly like Scotland, they expend all their energy behind the gain line moving laterally. No guile, no commiting of defenders, no openings created. There's some relatively serious talent in the backline - Chris Latham aside, who remains all class - and it's wasted. If Worcester don't have a backs coach, they should get one. If they have one, they need a better one. With their talent, they should be a solid mid-table team.

Saints, on the other hand, had a small handful of scoring opportunities and took them all. That was the difference between the teams. The scoreboard flattered Saints in a big way. I really wonder why they start Myler in front of Geraghty. Myler is, at best, competent. As soon as Geraghty steps onto the field, Saints suddenly look 75% more potent.

[kittenOFchaos]

Alot of interesting results today.

Sale got demolished by Leicester, which is just reward for fielding such a second string team during the holidays against a front-line Leicester team.

There is no justification in my view for this. Sale should be putting forward their best team, not giving up and screwing over fans who buy tickets for our away games. Matthew Tait for example...the boy plays so rarely he can't be tired out, there is no way he shouldn't have been in the line up. Not impressed one bit...but at least we're not Gloucester.

Gloucester, continue to get thrashed...people critised their previous coach. But, Gloucester were always in contention then, now they are a complete joke.

Saracens thankfully got beaten also as the idea of a Saffer reserves team dominating the Premiership is abit grim...

Edinburgh got stuffed by Dan Parks. Now Dan Parks get an insane amount of critism on BBC boards and here. But, he is a very good place kicker and kicker of the ball from hand. When he does run it he actually does that quite effectively (when he does it). If coaches directed him to do so, he'd be a good flyhalf, certainly far better than Godman who is pointless. Glasgow are going to miss him alot.


Tough time to be a Sale supporter...even tougher to be a Gloucester supporter and who would want to be a Worcester supporter. Well, back to beating Quins next week

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Dan Parks' crime is just that he's a limited #10, one of the many lacking vision and imagination who rely on kicking the ball. Of the #10s currently playing in the Premiership, Derek Hougaard is another, Myler another, Staunton another. There are bound to be more. The number of Parks' Scotland caps can only be explained by the dearth of alternatives.

I had to make do with Wasps -v- Quins yesterday. Despite the closeness, it was a rubbishy old match between two misfiring outfits. It's sad to watch Quins as a shadow of what they were. Dean Richards' influence was obviously immense. Now, basically the same players are running around without composure, discipline or confidence. Or, in short, leadership. Cipriani looked tentative and soft, Joe Simpson was achingly slow to clear the ball and was too often swamped, Simon Shaw was excellent.

I was thrilled to see Saracens lose. As I suggested a couple of weeks ago, they're primarily a negative, defensive outfit whose priority is to capitalise on opposition mistakes. Trying to emulate some aspects of the Springbok game, but nowhere near as well. They simply don't create enough of their own opportunities. A team with a quality attack will always find them out.

It beats me why Sale would rest players against Leicester just as they were building some momentum. Their management has a death wish.

[Havak]

I don't think Tait or Cueto would have made much difference to a game that was basically won in the tight - but I would have liked to see both play. I'd be annoyed as a Sale supporter to see coaches writing off games (and why did they - Sale's record at Welford Road is second only to Wasps in modern times, two wins in ten years?)

Sarries away is our next game - hope we can repeat Exiles achievement.

Did you see the young giant Skivington make the break against Quins Finbar? And Steve Borthwick is a better player as far as jonno is concerned?

Deano clearly was Quins - sooner Bloodgate is behind him and we can install him in England colours the better.

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I wholeheartedly agree about Dean Richards.

Yes, Skivington looks like a real talent. I think we've all given up trying to find logic in any of J****'s selections.

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Thought Sale thoroughly deserved the win last night. Much more effective and clinical than Quins. Charlie H is in sublime form. It wouldn't matter if he could tackle. He'd be wasted in the England team because - like Geraghty - his potency is on the gain line, and England halves aren't allowed within 20 yards of the gain line.

That beanpole Gaskell looks a terrific prospect at age 20. Speed, ball skills, the lot. Reminds me a lot of a young Tom Croft though taller and even skinnier. Weight - or lack of - would seem to be his biggest challenge as he progresses. I also liked the look of the young #6, Fearns. Sale have some very talented kids. And how important is Cueto in that back three! Quins were better than last week but the crap defence that allowed the Gaskell try is unforgivable. Identical to last week against Wasps - absolutely no one defending the middle of the ruck. Last week Skivington burst through, last night it was Fearns. Same result. Try. The Quins defence coach should be beheaded.

[Havak]

Well beheading is perhaps a little harsh?

I doubt Gaskell or Fearns can expect more than Saxons rugby this season as the likes of Easter and Worseley keep them out the senior squad. Madness.

By all accounts the Exile-Saints game was a cracker, and you will have noted that Tigers beat Sarries - could be all downhill for the Watford mob now?

There is now a clear split between the top and bottom half of the league with only Wasps muddying the water (by sitting on the game in hand they gained through shennanigans at Sale).

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I don't think beheading's too harsh at all for such fundamental defensive errors. Exactly the same error two weeks in a row. Two tries. Oppo teams will queuing up to stroll through Quins' rucks and score tries.

Typically, yesterday, Sky Italy were content to show several replays of the night before's match on their various Sport channels instead of matches I really wanted to see. Today, I get Wasps-Newcastle live, a match I can live without. Though I suppose I want to see Cipriani again, even at full back.

Saints-v-Irish was always going to be fascinating. They're the only two premiership teams capable of playing penetrating rugby at a considerable tempo. The sort of rugby England can't play.

I notice the Sarries coach is blaming the ref. Che sorpresa. Far be it from me to labour a point, but Sarries have one game plan - kick and wait for oppo mistakes. There's no plan B. They're not set up to create scoring opportunities. Only incompetence from other teams will see them in the finals.

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I take it back. I'm glad I got to see Wasps-Newcastle because I saw one of the great scrummaging efforts from Newcastle, demolishing the Wasps scrum time after time. I've never seen Jon Golding before that I recall but he looks mighty promising. Obviously having Carl Hayman on the other side helps a bit, too. It didn't help that Wasps were fielding a child at tighthead. Only after the new Samoan Wasp tighthead came on and Golding went off was anything like parity achieved.

Wasps were poor, thumped in the set pieces, thumped by massive Newcastle defence, and handling appallingly when they occasionally avoided the defence. Cipriani enjoyed the time and space at full back but too often ran laterally and created very little. Jimmy Gopperth, a tradesman at best, made Walder look very ordinary. When the inevitable happened - Cipriani to #10, van Gisbergen on to full back - very little changed.

Wasps have big problems. Newcastle, if they can achieve some consistency, will be a menace to the top sides.

[Havak]

I thought the U20 fly half (Miller?) was at Falcons? Looks promising. Golding I have not seen much of.

Mr Venter is in trouble - you don't make public the details of conversations with refereeing officials and you certainly don't suggest the opposition 'got to' a ref at half time.

Would you say that having seen two sides overcome his tedious gameplan in two weeks he is getting a bit upset thinking the game may be up?

*incidentally Tigers can play the game at a high tempo - just the penetration is lacking! I think Crane mihgt be our top try scorer....

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Micky Young? The Newcastle scrummy? Must be injured. Someone called Charlton played #9. Very poorly so. Shame, really, with the Wasps scrum going backwards like on ice.

The words Leicester and tempo don't belong in the same sentence.

EDIT. Serves me right for not reading that post properly. Miller was on the bench, came on late but not for Gopperth. The bottom line being that Newcastle were minus arguably their best halves.

[Havak]

Not reading posts properly is my job.

The words Leicester and Champions belong in the same sentence. And we haven't done so bad against the tempo teams - grabbing a bonus point at Exiles and putting Saints away at home.

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I've just realised that my misreading was the result of extreme befuddlement after seeing the words Leicester and tempo in the same sentence.