The Official English Rugby Thread

[SaintK]

I may be being colossally dim but why are there four Prem games all on Friday night?

Clubs wanting a long turnaround time for their next fixture? If not everything is televised, they can play when they want right?

Only the Bath v Exeter match on BT Sport Friday night.

[Paddington Bear]

I may be being colossally dim but why are there four Prem games all on Friday night?

I don't know.

There's huge questions for Premiership Rugby to answer in my opinion. It's being marketed dreadfully. It's almost like they don't want anyone to watch it or even know about it.

Appreciate clubs don't always want 1 o'clock kick offs but last season was great in terms of being able to follow so much rugby. This year you can't even get reasonable highlights.

[Raggs]

I may be being colossally dim but why are there four Prem games all on Friday night?

Clubs wanting a long turnaround time for their next fixture? If not everything is televised, they can play when they want right?

Only the Bath v Exeter match on BT Sport Friday night.

Yeah I know, but what I'm saying is if the clubs aren't on TV, then they can choose when they want to play. Given very few have had 1st team players in the prem cup, they're all refreshed, and playing on Friday gives a longer turnaround for the next game.

If all games went back to being televised, then they have to spread out the fixtures.

I doubt we'll see a repeat of the mass friday night fixtures next week.

[sockwithaticket]

I may be being colossally dim but why are there four Prem games all on Friday night?

I don't know.

There's huge questions for Premiership Rugby to answer in my opinion. It's being marketed dreadfully. It's almost like they don't want anyone to watch it or even know about it.

Appreciate clubs don't always want 1 o'clock kick offs but last season was great in terms of being able to follow so much rugby. This year you can't even get reasonable highlights.

Given the amount of lower league football around, it feels so tin pot that rugby can't manage to broadcast 6 fixtures from its top flight.

I know they want fans in stadiums, but I tend to think that those who went in person pre-pandemic are largely going to continue to do so now they're allowed back in. Whereas there are plenty of people who for various reasons live too far afield to get to grounds or commitments that mean they can spare a couple of hours to watch a game, but not the extra time of getting in and out of the stadium.

If they could guarantee I'd be able to watch Wasps each week, I'd pick up a BT sport subscription.

[Margin__Walker]

Yeah, I ditched BT Sport in the summer after having it last season when everything was broadcast online.

Back to business as usual for LI (as a smaller club) means 4 or 5 games a year on TV. Not worth a subscription, given I'm not bothered about the football.

[FalconJock]

I may be being colossally dim but why are there four Prem games all on Friday night?

Traditionally, Falcons preferred day for home matches is a Friday, apparently there is more over the counter income, bars, food etc from a Friday night match. Given the core support Saturday is not a good day, especially as we are competing against local club rugby and those fans that follow the Toon as well as the Falcons.

[FalconJock]

Hello Englishmen,

John Fletcher has been hired by the SRU to over player pathways, is he any good?

Yes. He was part of an excellent U18 setup alongside Peter Walton, and Dean "I steal rugby jobs for a fucking living" Ryan sacked them and butchered the whole thing.

He was also well regarded at Kingston Park when he was in charge of the academy, it could be argued that it is only just getting back to identifying and nurturing young players into the first team after he left.

[sockwithaticket]

Wasps team for Friday:



Not considered due to injury:
Charlie Atkinson, Tom Cruse, Kieran Curran, Malakai Fekitoa, James Gaskell, Ben Harris, Joe Launchbury, Rob Miller, Ryan Mills, Ben Morris, Paolo Odogwu, Dan Robson, Will Simonds, Sam Spink, Theo Vukasinovic, Tom West, Jack Willis.

I guess Bassett's starting in the centre because some of our loan signings have headed back from whence they came, but we're still light there. 6 - 2 split is never ideal, but there's not a lot of wiggle room.

Good to see Frost and Barbeary back on the bench, hopefully that indicates the end of the hooker crisis.

With a bit more depth on the bench now and being at home I'd like to think we've got enough to beat Gloucester.

[inactionman]

I may be being colossally dim but why are there four Prem games all on Friday night?

Clubs wanting a long turnaround time for their next fixture? If not everything is televised, they can play when they want right?

Only the Bath v Exeter match on BT Sport Friday night.

I speak as a Bath fan in wishing they'd show something else.

(although I do love a Friday night game at the rec)

[sockwithaticket]

Bath's takeaways from the recent consultancy are that they need:
- defence coach
- more physios
- more psychologists

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/59414884

[inactionman]

Bath's takeaways from the recent consultancy are that they need:
- defence coach
- more physios
- more psychologists

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/59414884

...more points?

The defence coach makes some sense as we've competed with teams for early parts of matches but there's no intensity and we usually ship a load of points later in games. I, of course recognise we've also had games where we've shipped practically a point per minute from the get-go.

I'm glad they've at last taken a look, but the issues with the coaching setup may be a bit more glaring.

[Slick]

I may be being colossally dim but why are there four Prem games all on Friday night?

Clubs wanting a long turnaround time for their next fixture? If not everything is televised, they can play when they want right?

Only the Bath v Exeter match on BT Sport Friday night.

Am I reading this correctly? For the next round of Premiership matches only 1 is being shown live? On BT Sport?

[sockwithaticket]

Bath's takeaways from the recent consultancy are that they need:
- defence coach
- more physios
- more psychologists

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/59414884

...more points?

The defence coach makes some sense as we've competed with teams for early parts of matches but there's no intensity and we usually ship a load of points later in games. I, of course recognise we've also had games where we've shipped practically a point per minute from the get-go.

I'm glad they've at last taken a look, but the issues with the coaching setup may be a bit more glaring.

I feel like a dedicated defence coach was such a no-brainer that the consultant really didn't need to tell them to pick one up.

The one thing I definitely agree with Hooper on is that their pathway development should be praised, it seems that over the last couple of seasons a lot more academy guys than we're used to seeing for Bath are making their way into the first team. If that's his doing then fair play and maybe he needs to be shuffled more in that direction and the first team on pitch stuff fully handed off to someone else.

[fishfoodie]

Bath's takeaways from the recent consultancy are that they need:
- defence coach
- more physios
- more psychologists

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/59414884

PTSD in the fans getting that bad ?

[SaintK]

Clubs wanting a long turnaround time for their next fixture? If not everything is televised, they can play when they want right?

Only the Bath v Exeter match on BT Sport Friday night.

Am I reading this correctly? For the next round of Premiership matches only 1 is being shown live? On BT Sport?

No
Matches on Saturday and Sunday as well

[Slick]

Only the Bath v Exeter match on BT Sport Friday night.

Am I reading this correctly? For the next round of Premiership matches only 1 is being shown live? On BT Sport?

No
Matches on Saturday and Sunday as well

Ahh righto! You would still think they would find a way to show all games. Even Premier Sports manages that with the URC

[SaintK]

Well fuck you Eddie!!! We know who is the best hooker at Falcons

England’s newest starting hooker Jamie Blamire, however, can only make the bench for Newcastle Falcons’ home game against Worcester Warriors, with George McGuigan handed the starting No 2 jersey.
“George has had a brilliant two or three years for us and would consistently be up there for coaches’ player of the season,” said the head coach, Dave Walder. “We’re delighted for Blammy that he’s had his chance with England and taken it with both hands but on the same note we’re also surprised that George hasn’t been part of the national squad.”

Probably agrre with that.

[JM2K6]

Am I reading this correctly? For the next round of Premiership matches only 1 is being shown live? On BT Sport?

No
Matches on Saturday and Sunday as well

Ahh righto! You would still think they would find a way to show all games. Even Premier Sports manages that with the URC

They don't want to show all the games and the clubs don't want them to either. Traditionally half are televised, but covid changed things for a while.

[Raggs]

Well fuck you Eddie!!! We know who is the best hooker at Falcons

England’s newest starting hooker Jamie Blamire, however, can only make the bench for Newcastle Falcons’ home game against Worcester Warriors, with George McGuigan handed the starting No 2 jersey.
“George has had a brilliant two or three years for us and would consistently be up there for coaches’ player of the season,” said the head coach, Dave Walder. “We’re delighted for Blammy that he’s had his chance with England and taken it with both hands but on the same note we’re also surprised that George hasn’t been part of the national squad.”

Probably agrre with that.

George always struck me as solid prem quality, but not really with much of a higher ceiling. Never looked at him and though, wow, he'll be playing for england in another season or two.

[Margin__Walker]

Newcastle game shifted back to Sat. Weather not Covid for a change

[Margin__Walker]

.

[Oxbow]

Solomona is leaving Sale with immediate effect, going back home.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/59430741

[sockwithaticket]

Late changes for Wasps. Watson and Crossdale pull out, Hougaard and Minozzi into the starting back three, Wolstenholme comes onto the bench.

[Paddington Bear]

Bath looking disturbingly like a rugby team

[sockwithaticket]

Wasps look sluggish and disorganised in defence. Glaws takng advantage.

[sockwithaticket]

We're also coming second best in the scrum and have a team wide case of the dropsies. So many handling errors.

[Tichtheid]

Healy says you can't use the shoulder when chasing a ball

He's wrong, again

[sockwithaticket]

Rescued things a little, only 9 points down at the half.

[SaintK]

Bath looking disturbingly like a rugby team

Done ok so far
Exeter looking a bit disjointed

[Raggs]

That frustrates me. Wasps player just went on top of the maul and was rightly penalised for it. But when Ludlow did it at the start of the match, Wasps were told he'd come through the middle...

[sockwithaticket]

Not seen a double walk back for back chat before!

Big impact straight away from Barbeary.

Edit - very pleased to hear Pearce issue a warning there even though a try was scored. 3 penalty advantages in a short space of time.

[Tichtheid]

Bloody hell, Bath butchered that

[Paddington Bear]

Bloody hell, Bath butchered that

Criminal, butchered that.

Meanwhile my girlfriend could have chosen a better game to watch with me than Spencer’s first game back - ‘who is this Ben Youngs?’

[sockwithaticket]

The fuck was that from Umaga?!

[Kawazaki]

I'm watching this and thinking that Ben Spencer is at least twice as good as Ben Youngs, even after he hasn't played for 3 months.

[Raggs]

Umaga with probably his worst game I've seen. Picked some really nice passes, but blimey some howlers.

[Tichtheid]

Bath were offside there but I don't think Exeter have been pinged for being in the same position

[sockwithaticket]

Umaga somewhat atones for his clearance debacle by claiming a fourth try for Wasps, we'll at least get one point out of being beaten at home.

[notfatcat]

Bath v Exe could be a dictionary definition of cripple fight. I presume Bath don't have an attack coach.

[Tichtheid]

Any Englishers know why Austin Healy seems to be so anti Bath and pro Exeter?