The Official English Rugby Thread

[Dragster]

Funny old game. Briz appear to have peaked, Bath still not the sum of their parts.

[iarmhí]

Will Tigers beat Sarries tomorrow?

[sockwithaticket]

Will Tigers beat Sarries tomorrow?

I just hope it doesn't turn into a snoozefest. Both teams can play some nice rugby, but they're also immensely capable of going into kick everything mode.

[Torquemada 1420]

Will Tigers beat Sarries tomorrow?

I just hope it doesn't turn into a snoozefest. Both teams can play some nice rugby, but they're also immensely capable of going into kick everything mode.

Faz at 10. Expect nothing else from the crooks.

[SaintK]

Sarries take over!!!

Saracens are set to announce a takeover deal worth £32m as the club owner hands control to an investment consortium that includes Francois Pienaar, the former South Africa World Cup-winning captain.
Nigel Wray has reportedly agreed the terms of a takeover for the former Premiership and European champions by a group of investors led by Dominic Silvester, the chief executive of Enstar Group, a multinational insurance company. If, as expected, the deal goes through it would mark the end of Wray’s 26-year club ownership.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/202 ... s-pienaar

[Paddington Bear]

Probably positive.
Never going to be flavour of the month for obvious reasons but Wray kept serious faith with Sarries through years where it would have been much easier to throw in the towel and clearly had huge passion for the club. When I was a kid and wrote to the club as you do he’d always write back and core parts of his vision for pro rugby were and are clearly correct. I’ll always have time for him.

Shame about the salary cap but as and when others are caught and owners who remain nameless are shown as shameless racists, maybe he’ll be judged a little more kindly.

[Madness]

Just watched the Bristol Bath game and the Bath fans must be raging at silly mistakes, the coaches and the officials.

Ewels not holding onto a simple pass to score

Officials missing Randalls knock on before the try

Officials deciding there was a knock on and blowing up with a Bath player with a free run to the line, why not let the play finish and the review??? Really poor

Bath deciding to take off their best player, Underhill at 53 mins or so and watch the game get away from them.

[Kawazaki]

Thought I'd take a look at Bath's result history. It's even worse than I thought! Throw in the perennially lamentable Worcester, the unceasing underperformance of Gloucester and the soft underbelly of Bristol and it makes you wonder what on earth is going on with an area that used to be the strongest in England. There's not really any football played there either to compete.

There appears to be plenty of rugby money slushing about too.

[sockwithaticket]

Hooper needs to go.

Other than a couple of years with Ford pulling the strings at 10 Bath have been a mid-table team with the players to do better for as long as I can remember, but they seem to be slumping to lower third of the table calibre under Hooper's stewardship.

[SaintK]

Hooper needs to go.

Other than a couple of years with Ford pulling the strings at 10 Bath have been a mid-table team with the players to do better for as long as I can remember, but they seem to be slumping to lower third of the table calibre under Hooper's stewardship.

Two years ago!!!
Best mates with Craig though.

[Kawazaki]

I'm more concerned with the stewardship of that geographical area. There aren't many territories in England where rugby is bigger than football but that area just south of where the M4 and M5 cross is about as close as it gets. They've got wealthy owners, academies and plenty of fans but they're making a right bollocks of it. Even Nancys like Quins have worked out how to win, Wasps keep performing regardless of moving about and Saracens are successful from a base dominated by football.

And what the hell has that fuckwit who plays hooker for Bath done with his hair?!

[Dragster]

Hooper needs to go.

Other than a couple of years with Ford pulling the strings at 10 Bath have been a mid-table team with the players to do better for as long as I can remember, but they seem to be slumping to lower third of the table calibre under Hooper's stewardship.

Two years ago!!!
Best mates with Craig though.

That’s what I heard, he’s done nothing with good squads. Completely over promoted.

[SaintK]

I'm more concerned with the stewardship of that geographical area. There aren't many territories in England where rugby is bigger than football but that area just south of where the M4 and M5 cross is about as close as it gets. They've got wealthy owners, academies and plenty of fans but they're making a right bollocks of it. Even Nancys like Quins have worked out how to win, Wasps keep performing regardless of moving about and Saracens are successful from a base dominated by football.

And what the hell has that fuckwit who plays hooker for Bath done with his hair?!

The "fuckwit" is Tom Dunn and he's raising money for the Doddie Weir charity. So he's probably not a fuckwit at all!!!

[Paddington Bear]

I'm more concerned with the stewardship of that geographical area. There aren't many territories in England where rugby is bigger than football but that area just south of where the M4 and M5 cross is about as close as it gets. They've got wealthy owners, academies and plenty of fans but they're making a right bollocks of it. Even Nancys like Quins have worked out how to win, Wasps keep performing regardless of moving about and Saracens are successful from a base dominated by football.

And what the hell has that fuckwit who plays hooker for Bath done with his hair?!

Regions means sod all in the pro era. The crowds are great in the west country

[Kawazaki]

I'm more concerned with the stewardship of that geographical area. There aren't many territories in England where rugby is bigger than football but that area just south of where the M4 and M5 cross is about as close as it gets. They've got wealthy owners, academies and plenty of fans but they're making a right bollocks of it. Even Nancys like Quins have worked out how to win, Wasps keep performing regardless of moving about and Saracens are successful from a base dominated by football.

And what the hell has that fuckwit who plays hooker for Bath done with his hair?!

The "fuckwit" is Tom Dunn and he's raising money for the Doddie Weir charity. So he's probably not a fuckwit at all!!!

Have you seen his hair?! He's a fuckwit!

Good cause though.

[Kawazaki]

Regions means sod all in the pro era. The crowds are great in the west country

Don't agree with that. Academies will recruit predominantly from areas relatively close.

[sockwithaticket]

I'm more concerned with the stewardship of that geographical area. There aren't many territories in England where rugby is bigger than football but that area just south of where the M4 and M5 cross is about as close as it gets. They've got wealthy owners, academies and plenty of fans but they're making a right bollocks of it. Even Nancys like Quins have worked out how to win, Wasps keep performing regardless of moving about and Saracens are successful from a base dominated by football.

And what the hell has that fuckwit who plays hooker for Bath done with his hair?!

For charity apparently.

it's a fair critique, that heartland is the envy of many clubs in terms of supporters willing to show up and it's not seen a whole lot of a success. Maybe that's the issue? Worcester aside, the fans still turn up even through the mediocrity (and Worcester fans stayed with them through their shiteness much longer than I'd have expected). Despite changes in playing and coaching staff down the years inconsistency and flakiness have remained huge parts of the Bath and Gloucester DNA. Bristol look to be joining them in that. They've made the play offs recently, which is better than the other two, but they do have a soft underbelly and they've been turfed out in the semis both times. I'm not sure how you fix that.

[SaintK]

I'm more concerned with the stewardship of that geographical area. There aren't many territories in England where rugby is bigger than football but that area just south of where the M4 and M5 cross is about as close as it gets. They've got wealthy owners, academies and plenty of fans but they're making a right bollocks of it. Even Nancys like Quins have worked out how to win, Wasps keep performing regardless of moving about and Saracens are successful from a base dominated by football.

And what the hell has that fuckwit who plays hooker for Bath done with his hair?!

The "fuckwit" is Tom Dunn and he's raising money for the Doddie Weir charity. So he's probably not a fuckwit at all!!!

Have you seen his hair?! He's a fuckwit!

Good cause though.

Yep watched the match last night and thought WTF, he should be playing for Exeter
Then the commentator mentioned the charity thing

[sockwithaticket]

The "fuckwit" is Tom Dunn and he's raising money for the Doddie Weir charity. So he's probably not a fuckwit at all!!!

Have you seen his hair?! He's a fuckwit!

Good cause though.

Yep watched the match last night and thought WTF, he should be playing for Exeter
Then the commentator mentioned the charity thing

It's taking the skullet to new extremes of awfulness. I hope it's earning him a load of sponsorship cash.

[inactionman]

Just watched the Bristol Bath game and the Bath fans must be raging at silly mistakes, the coaches and the officials.

Ewels not holding onto a simple pass to score

Officials missing Randalls knock on before the try

Officials deciding there was a knock on and blowing up with a Bath player with a free run to the line, why not let the play finish and the review??? Really poor

Bath deciding to take off their best player, Underhill at 53 mins or so and watch the game get away from them.

Pretty much. The silly errors have been a feature for a few seasons, and just kills any momentum we might build - for example, we were on course to beat Toulouse until Burns missed a pretty simple kick and failed to dot down (still raging about that) and we just stalled completely from that point.

It's odd how reffing errors seem to go against you when you're not playing well.

I've been underwhelmed by the coaching ever since Ford, at least I could see what he was trying to do (not that I agreed with some of his ways and means) and it was both relatively successful and very easy on the eye, I was never sure what Blackadder's vision was (our form notably dipped after Matson returned home early) and there's not really much to suggest any improvement so far under Hooper.

The gutting things is that there's a very decent team in there.

[inactionman]

I'm more concerned with the stewardship of that geographical area. There aren't many territories in England where rugby is bigger than football but that area just south of where the M4 and M5 cross is about as close as it gets. They've got wealthy owners, academies and plenty of fans but they're making a right bollocks of it. Even Nancys like Quins have worked out how to win, Wasps keep performing regardless of moving about and Saracens are successful from a base dominated by football.

And what the hell has that fuckwit who plays hooker for Bath done with his hair?!

One problem is the pathway still seems biased towards public school - Max Clark was Bryanston, Beno Obano was Dulwich, Josh Bayliss Millfield, Cameron Redpath Sedburgh amongst others. Immediately reduces catchment size.

This thankfully appears to be changing, Bath have made some attempts to get more working class/less privileged background players through - Beechen Cliff is a state comp that Bath are working closely with, Tom De Glanville came up through that channel. Miles Reid went to Ralph Allen. Tom Dunn went to Chippenham (boo)

[Paddington Bear]

Hopefully another great game to make up for the crap weather today.

[Kawazaki]

Hopefully another great game to make up for the crap weather today.

I read a nice article yesterday with Lozowski where he said the Sarries players find in hilarious that other clubs' players and fans still hate them, although said he felt the same way when he was still at Wasps and never liked playing against Saracens. If you can't beat them, join them was his philosophy!

[JM2K6]

Hopefully another great game to make up for the crap weather today.

Borthwick appears to have done his mates a favour with that team selection. Large numbers of second choice players starting. Freddie Burns in for Steward, at 15, in this weather, against Saracens? Should be interesting...

[Paddington Bear]

Hopefully another great game to make up for the crap weather today.

I read a nice article yesterday with Lozowski where he said the Sarries players find in hilarious that other clubs' players and fans still hate them, although said he felt the same way when he was still at Wasps and never liked playing against Saracens. If you can't beat them, join them was his philosophy!

It will never fully die for some but would guess people will gradually calm down. We used to be completely ignored by everyone, can’t imagine that will happen again

[Margin__Walker]

Watching Saints v LI (17 - 7 to the hosts at HT). Absolutely pissing it down, so not the most attractive game. Hopefully the spectacle is a little better in the live game today.

[Paddington Bear]

Feel that WR isn’t the bear pit it was since the expansion, used to feel the crowd was on top of the players and the ref, place used to shake. Now, not so much

[sockwithaticket]

Farrell already getting on the wrong side of the ref judging by that little telling off.

[Kawazaki]

We used to be completely ignored by everyone, can’t imagine that will happen again

Hardly ignored, Quins used to offer most of the Sarries players city jobs to leave the club before 1995.

[Paddington Bear]

Pretty sure I’ve met one of the Sarries fans it panned to after the kick a few times at away games. Fair to say if so he’s spent the pandemic eating…

[Paddington Bear]

Billy’s descending right back to being the lump with no hands he was in 2014. Very sad

[sockwithaticket]

That's a big knock on to miss.

[Dragster]

Davies would have been in the shit if Ridley was knocked out by the shove.


Not really impressed tigers have fielded a B team.

[JM2K6]

That's a big knock on to miss.

Davies also knocked it on when tigers counter rucked

[sockwithaticket]

Davies would have been in the shit if Ridley was knocked out by the shove.


Not really impressed tigers have fielded a B team.

B+

At this point in the rebuild Bortwick's clearly decided, probably not unjustly, that beating Sarrries might be a bit beyond his charges, so why bother with the full side? It might not be whast we want to see as fans, but it is the pragmatic use of resources a DoR gets paid for.

[JM2K6]

Davies would have been in the shit if Ridley was knocked out by the shove.


Not really impressed tigers have fielded a B team.

B+

At this point in the rebuild Bortwick's clearly decided, probably not unjustly, that beating Sarrries might be a bit beyond his charges, so why bother with the full side? It might not be whast we want to see as fans, but it is the pragmatic use of resources a DoR gets paid for.

Tigers are top of the league - we aren't talking Worcs here. And Steward is missing out on a big chance to show what he can do.

[Kawazaki]

Youngs and Ford the halfbacks is considered a Leicester B team?

[JM2K6]

Youngs and Ford the halfbacks is considered a Leicester B team?

No, but eight players have been swapped out.

[sockwithaticket]

Davies would have been in the shit if Ridley was knocked out by the shove.


Not really impressed tigers have fielded a B team.

B+

At this point in the rebuild Bortwick's clearly decided, probably not unjustly, that beating Sarrries might be a bit beyond his charges, so why bother with the full side? It might not be whast we want to see as fans, but it is the pragmatic use of resources a DoR gets paid for.

Tigers are top of the league - we aren't talking Worcs here. And Steward is missing out on a big chance to show what he can do.

Do league positions count for anything after two rounds?

Who would Steward be showing and for what purpose? He's clearly in Eddie's thoughts for the national team and we know he doesn't really give a shit about what people are doing for their clubs once he's settled on them.

[Kawazaki]

Youngs and Ford the halfbacks is considered a Leicester B team?

No, but eight players have been swapped out.

If that's the criteria then Saracens have made 6 changes and are missing at least 6 more!