The Rugby Thread

[Dinowolf]

FT Wasps 25-24 Exeter

What a match this was.

 

[Dinowolf]

FT Sarries 29-20 Saints

 

[Donegal Wolf]

Two cracking games this evening, babysitting went a lot quicker flicking between them

Grenoble 33-32 Connacht
Quins 38-30 London Irish

 

[Dinowolf]

Semis in the Challenge Cup:

Harlequins v Grenoble

Montpellier v Dragons

 

[Dinowolf]

FT Leics 41-13 Stade

Easy win for Tigers

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Tigers are looking a good side again

As a Bath fan this is disappointing news but fair play to them.

 

[Dinowolf]

FT Racing 19-16 Toulon

 

[Dinowolf]

Semis in Champions Cup

Saracans v Wasps (at Madjeski, Reading) on April 23rd

Racing 92 v Leicester (at City Ground, Notts.) on April 24th

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Where the hell are Racing playing?

 

[Jabbawolf]

Where the hell are Racing playing?

It's at the City Ground.

 

[Dinowolf]

Looks like Leigh Halfpenny will have to undergo further surgery on his knee so could miss the tour to NZ.

 

[Dinowolf]

Justin Tipuric likely to miss tour to NZ due to concussion problems.

 

[Dinowolf]

Anthony Watson is in front of a RFU Disciplinary Panel tonight after his red card against Saracens for tackling Goode in the air, and for giving the officials a mouthful of abuse.

Hopefully they will only give him a couple of weeks ban at the most due to the interference by Ashton that knocked him off balance.

 

[Dinowolf]

As I thought Watson has received a two game suspension in total.

He'll miss the 2 games against Sale and be available after that on April 25th.

 

[Dinowolf]

Eddie Jones says he's disappointed by 3 or 4 players since the 6N, and they could miss the Aussie tour

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/36056761

Also says that he could take Ben Te'o if he's eligible.

However, Jones says there is one England squad player who may miss the tour of Australia or the Saxons trip to South Africa in order to chase the Olympics dream.

"I have spoken to one player," Jones said. "He was very enthusiastic. It's a back, but we won't go any further than that."

 

[Newbridge Wolf]

I thought I would post a piece about our local Rugby club, those that are lucky enough to live in Wolverhampton that is, Castlecroft

I haven't had a lot to do with them in a long while, and in that time their fortunes have wained somewhat, and the club too with them loosing the base for England youth.

So it was with some surprise that I found out that they have, for the first time in easily 20 years got the prospect of a half decent side again. They have a very young team and have managed to win the Intermediate Cup (Midlands) Something the club hasn't achieved before in their history. They then missed out on a trip to Twickenham after loosing to Whitehaven 12-0 played away on a waterlogged pitch.

Cup report http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/wolverhampton/teams/10313/match-centre/0-2930770

Thought it deserved mentioning as the Club has had some lean years to say the least with most of the talent disappearing to local rivals with so few of the schools in the region playing competitive Rugby it has always struggled to retain a strong base.

 

[Dinowolf]

Eddie Unplugged

http://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/rugby-union/10244371/eddie-unplugged

 

[Donegal Wolf]

This time 10 years ago Munster were probably the dominant side in Europe, had virtually a full team of Internationals who had about 1000 caps between them and many of whom were Lions, a brand spanking new stadium which was full every week and could compete with the richest clubs when it came to attracting players, at the same time Connacht were the whipping boys of the Celtic league, played in a greyhound stadium in front of 3 men and a dog and were told by the IRFU that they would be disbanded as they wanted to save a few quid, after some protests they were reprived but were told they would get bout a quarter of the funding of the other 3 provinces and if they produced anybody decent they would have to pass them on to one of the other 3.

Munster since then thought the good times would roll on forever and neglected virtually everything outside of the first team and of course their golden generation retired one by one replaced by on the whole inferior players and coaches. Meanwhile Connacht thanks to mainly volunteer work went into towns in the west of ireland which probably had never seen a rugby ball in the flesh to find players and set up a serious underage structure, along with that made some shrewd overseas recruitment on and off the pitch

Tonight the chickens came home to roost Connacht 35 Munster 14.

First time they had ever done the double over Munster
First time qualified for H CUp/Champions Cup under their own steam
Virtually certain that they will qualify for the Pro 12 play-offs for the first time

For Munster its quite probable that a team who between 1999 & 2014 reached at the very least the QF of the H Cup this year wont even qualify for it, for the first time in their history.

 

[Dinowolf]

This time 10 years ago Munster were probably the dominant side in Europe, had virtually a full team of Internationals who had about 1000 caps between them and many of whom were Lions, a brand spanking new stadium which was full every week and could compete with the richest clubs when it came to attracting players, at the same time Connacht were the whipping boys of the Celtic league, played in a greyhound stadium in front of 3 men and a dog and were told by the IRFU that they would be disbanded as they wanted to save a few quid, after some protests they were reprived but were told they would get bout a quarter of the funding of the other 3 provinces and if they produced anybody decent they would have to pass them on to one of the other 3.

Munster since then thought the good times would roll on forever and neglected virtually everything outside of the first team and of course their golden generation retired one by one replaced by on the whole inferior players and coaches. Meanwhile Connacht thanks to mainly volunteer work went into towns in the west of ireland which probably had never seen a rugby ball in the flesh to find players and set up a serious underage structure, along with that made some shrewd overseas recruitment on and off the pitch

Tonight the chickens came home to roost Connacht 35 Munster 14.

First time they had ever done the double over Munster
First time qualified for H CUp/Champions Cup under their own steam
Virtually certain that they will qualify for the Pro 12 play-offs for the first time

For Munster its quite probable that a team who between 1999 & 2014 reached at the very least the QF of the H Cup this year wont even qualify for it, for the first time in their history.

Good post

 

[Dinowolf]

Marler in trouble again after deliberately 'shinning' someone's face as he lay on the floor. Not the hardest hit on an opposition player but probably the most stupid.

What is the matter with the man. He was playing well, but he just can't be trusted.

This could cost him his trip to Australia.