Rugby - The Game They Play In Heaven II

[kittenOFchaos]

I think Leinster - so many quality players, an expectation of winning and vast amounts of experience, resilience and adaptability. Ulster...well, they've Pienaar

And Pienaar was pretty dreadful, but worse was Terrblanche. Only Afoa and Ferris can really hold their heads up high from that squad.

Leinster = quality

Final Score

Leinster 42 - Ulster 14

Deserved winners and soon to be Rabo 14 winners.

[finbar]

Well, Pienaar's job was made a whole lot harder when, surprisingly, Leinster bested Ulster up front and he - Pienaar - had little or no platform. That aside, his game lacked its usual precision. Not that it mattered, Leinster were a class above anyway. A mighty team. On the Ulster side of things, their gamble on starting a 10 barely out of nappies was a mistake. but Darren Cave remains a very bright talent. He has that special something. He's a bit injury-prone, but he could be special.

But I say again, Oirish supporters watching that match yesterday - including some of Ulster's better play, and there were some very good patches - must weep when they watch the Ireland team so often produce such pish rugby. Change the colour of the jerseys and you wouldn't recognise the same players. The problem, of course, lies with the incumbent Ireland coach, a conservative who can't or won't think beyond his Munster roots, hamstringing some terrific talent in the process.

For my sins I sat up and watched the Champions League final won by a team of execrable people in blue shirts. I wasted three hours of my life learning that, given endless luck, anyone can win anything. I'm entering Wimbledon this year. With even half their luck, I'm a dead cert.

[Havak]

I didn't watch it. The remuneration givne to football players passed my sanity threshhold over twenty years ago. Couldn't care less which group of bought in talent wins anything in that code anymore.

In rugger the decision of the IRFU to reorganise into provinces in the Celtic and European competitions has been truly vindicated. Leinster are a joy to watch when they play like that. Ireland remain 'meh' to watch but as I tend to agree Finbar has identified the primary cause there there is not too much I could add.

Goes without saying that right now Tigers would take them.

[kittenOFchaos]

Well, Pienaar's job was made a whole lot harder when, surprisingly, Leinster bested Ulster up front and he - Pienaar - had little or no platform. That aside, his game lacked its usual precision.

Lacked its usual precision? Very generous.

Another poor weekend in terms of my gambling. The Reds didn't beat the Lions by enough to have me win that accumulator...least I'm doing better than the chap who previews the super 15 games.

[finbar]

I'm a very generous soul. Except when it comes to Leicester.

The Reds are going to bother a lot of teams now they have most of their talent back.

[Havak]

A bit unfair on poor Leicester - after all the city gave Engelbert to the world and the county was the last place where an English King died on the field of battle. A nice mixed bag of claims to fame.

[finbar]

If you'd also claimed it as the birthplace of Joe Orton I'd've been impressed. Otherwise ...

[Havak]

I was sadly too ignorant of his work to do so.

[finbar]

Shame. You should recitify that. Fine writer, died far too young. I'm not sure some of his lifestyle habits would have gone down well with the yeomen of Leicester if he'd stayed there.

So Newcastle are safe in the Premiership. Hypocrisy of the highest order, ring-fencing by any other name. And so much for the oft-heard bleating that the fear of relegation is one of the reasons for safety-first Premiership rugby and its subsequent negative flow-on to the national team.

[Havak]

I entirely agree. How is London Welsh being the tenant of a football club (not having "primacy of tenure") any different to various other London franchises that already are in that situation?

I was not keen on their motormouth coach being in the Premiership but if his team earned the right on the field of play I would have swallowed it. What teams do on the field should matter, not what franchises the RFU prefers to stay in the top 12.

Of course it fuels my on viewpoint that some franchises are too highly favoured by the RFU and Premiership Rugby.

Regrettably my knowledge of notable literary figures does shame me. I'm a simple man with simple tastes in many ways. I'm currently reading Raymond E Feists 'Into a Dark Realm' for example. So even when reading mainstream shlock I am five years beghind the curve of the writers current output.

[finbar]

Well, there you go. I had to Google Mr Feist. Never heard of him. And he pens about my least favourite genre too!

[Havak]

And (fairly obviously I suppose) just about my favourite genre.

I'm also playing through the PC version of Alan Wake, a strange game in that the main protagonist is a writer. As I collect the scattered manuscripts in the game and listen to his wordy exposition I keep thinking they could have benfited from getting yourself to revise the script. Unless they were going for pure cheese - and they might have been.

But before kOc gently reminds us to stay on topic - Tigers tomorrow by ten? Please.

[finbar]

Heck, I could give them cheese. More cheese than a truckload of Quarter Pounders with Said Dairy Product.

A big test for Ford tomorrow. Quins' scrum has improved, but it depends on what sort of game they choose to play. I think it will boil down to Tigers' bench strength, as it often does. On the other hand, their history of choking in finals is a rich one.

I suspect Leinster will have too much for the Hairsprays providing there's no drop off from last week.

[kittenOFchaos]

I'm also backing Leceister. Whatever happens it should be a terrific game.

[finbar]

Well, that's two Kisses Of Death. Sounds like a Quins win.