European Rugby Thread

[Tichtheid]

Glasgow scrum has been good, even before Brace realised it

[sockwithaticket]

Game's done. That was Exeter's chance to get something and get back in and Glasgow slammed the door in their face.

[Torquemada 1420]

Just turned this one on. They can't be serious playing in that!

[OomStruisbaai]

Exeter bit lucky.

To be only 9 points down

Getting close now.

[OomStruisbaai]

That's the game

[Torquemada 1420]

That's the game

Get the impression Exeter's ability to brutalise sides is on the wane.

[Tichtheid]

Glasgow have been the better side in every department tonight

[Dogbert]

A proper Glasgow shoeing

Dempsey was a real beast tonight

[Biffer]

Very good win from Glasgow. Add that to Edinburgh well deserved win over Saracens last week and the Scottish sides look pretty good.

[SaintK]

Glasgow have been the better side in every department tonight

Definitely a well deserved win

[Ovals]

Glasgow have been the better side in every department tonight

Definitely a well deserved win

Yep - Exeter were dire.

[Slick]

Very good win from Glasgow. Add that to Edinburgh well deserved win over Saracens last week and the Scottish sides look pretty good.

Honestly don’t know why anyone is surprised by this at the moment. They are 2 good teams packed with good players and shouldn’t fear anyone

[Biffer]

Very good win from Glasgow. Add that to Edinburgh well deserved win over Saracens last week and the Scottish sides look pretty good.

Honestly don’t know why anyone is surprised by this at the moment. They are 2 good teams packed with good players and shouldn’t fear anyone

I’m not, but I’m sure some of the English rugby media will be looking for excuses.

[Slick]

Very good win from Glasgow. Add that to Edinburgh well deserved win over Saracens last week and the Scottish sides look pretty good.

Honestly don’t know why anyone is surprised by this at the moment. They are 2 good teams packed with good players and shouldn’t fear anyone

I’m not, but I’m sure some of the English rugby media will be looking for excuses.

Sorry, not directed at you at all. There is no doubt the GP is a great competition but I do sometimes think the quality is vastly overrated and on any given year the top 5 or 6 Pro14 (whatever) would do just fine and get underestimated

[Slick]

The report in The Times about the Glasgow game is very amusing. Alasdair Reid makes no bones about the fact he saw very little and most of his reporting is based in heresy and crown noise

[sockwithaticket]

I don't understand why Castres have even bothered taking the field, they clearly couldn't give a flying fuck and just want to amble around the pitch to see out the 80.

Honestly don’t know why anyone is surprised by this at the moment. They are 2 good teams packed with good players and shouldn’t fear anyone

I’m not, but I’m sure some of the English rugby media will be looking for excuses.

Sorry, not directed at you at all. There is no doubt the GP is a great competition but I do sometimes think the quality is vastly overrated and on any given year the top 5 or 6 Pro14 (whatever) would do just fine and get underestimated

The competitiveness of the Prem and it's overall standard of play are definitely two things that shouldn't be conflated.

[sockwithaticket]

Well Castres are doing nothing but slow down the game and go through the motions, until it comes to defending their try line, yet it's enough to be a one score game.

If it weren't for the lack of other quality rugby thsi weekend I'd probably have turned off. It's dull.

[SaintK]

The report in The Times about the Glasgow game is very amusing. Alasdair Reid makes no bones about the fact he saw very little and most of his reporting is based in heresy and crown noise

Pardon?

[Tichtheid]

The report in The Times about the Glasgow game is very amusing. Alasdair Reid makes no bones about the fact he saw very little and most of his reporting is based in heresy and crown noise

Pardon?

I like how you bold the heresy, but crown noise is okay

[Slick]

The report in The Times about the Glasgow game is very amusing. Alasdair Reid makes no bones about the fact he saw very little and most of his reporting is based in heresy and crown noise

Pardon?

I like how you bold the heresy, but crown noise is okay

haven’t even had a drink! Arriving at my mums after a long drive with the kids has rattled me. I’m sticking with that!

[Tichtheid]

I think that's a try

[Torquemada 1420]

The most amazing thing is some fans paid to come all the way from the Tarn to watch Castres field a secondish string side in a game they have no interest in.

{EDIT} And that finish sums it up.

[sockwithaticket]

Munster need to take a hard look at themselves. This Castres team are shit and have been taking the piss all night barely putting in the effort, but Munster still let them in LBP range.

[Torquemada 1420]

Munster need to take a hard look at themselves. This Castres team are shit and have been taking the piss all night barely putting in the effort, but Munster still let them in LBP range.

Potentially within a score of winning!

[sockwithaticket]

Munster need to take a hard look at themselves. This Castres team are shit and have been taking the piss all night barely putting in the effort, but Munster still let them in LBP range.

Potentially within a score of winning!

What could they have achieved if they actually tried?

[Torquemada 1420]

Munster need to take a hard look at themselves. This Castres team are shit and have been taking the piss all night barely putting in the effort, but Munster still let them in LBP range.

Potentially within a score of winning!

What could they have achieved if they actually tried?

Hence my comment previously. Castres have always made it clear that they don't have the budget for Europe and T14. That said, I did say in the Quins game that they have a habit of being cussed even when not trying to win.

[Tichtheid]

Potentially within a score of winning!

What could they have achieved if they actually tried?

Hence my comment previously. Castres have always made it clear that they don't have the budget for Europe and T14. That said, I did say in the Quins game that they have a habit of being cussed even when not trying to win.

They have a budget of 22.8M Euros.

That's not too far short of the entire budget for the professional game in Scotland, the international side, two pro teams, their academies, the Super 6 (6 teams on a player salary of about £1500 each per year, that's not a typo), the Sevens teams, the women's teams at these levels, the U20s, and all the staff that go with them.


My heart is breaking for Castres.

[JM2K6]

Very good win from Glasgow. Add that to Edinburgh well deserved win over Saracens last week and the Scottish sides look pretty good.

Honestly don’t know why anyone is surprised by this at the moment. They are 2 good teams packed with good players and shouldn’t fear anyone

I’m not, but I’m sure some of the English rugby media will be looking for excuses.

Exeter are fifth in the league and have lost 40% of their matches in the league this season. They have a dreadful scrum, the worst starting scrum half in the league, a 97 year old empty shirt at 12, no openside, and their 10 can't find any form.

They have some good players but some serious weaknesses, and have been (rightly) depowered by the latching law changes. Right now they are incredibly reliant on their big names doing something special.

Not sure why anyone would be looking for excuses.

[Slick]

Honestly don’t know why anyone is surprised by this at the moment. They are 2 good teams packed with good players and shouldn’t fear anyone

I’m not, but I’m sure some of the English rugby media will be looking for excuses.

Exeter are fifth in the league and have lost 40% of their matches in the league this season. They have a dreadful scrum, the worst starting scrum half in the league, a 97 year old empty shirt at 12, no openside, and their 10 can't find any form.

They have some good players but some serious weaknesses, and have been (rightly) depowered by the latching law changes. Right now they are incredibly reliant on their big names doing something special.

Not sure why anyone would be looking for excuses.

Is this a joke?

[JM2K6]

I’m not, but I’m sure some of the English rugby media will be looking for excuses.

Exeter are fifth in the league and have lost 40% of their matches in the league this season. They have a dreadful scrum, the worst starting scrum half in the league, a 97 year old empty shirt at 12, no openside, and their 10 can't find any form.

They have some good players but some serious weaknesses, and have been (rightly) depowered by the latching law changes. Right now they are incredibly reliant on their big names doing something special.

Not sure why anyone would be looking for excuses.

Is this a joke?

No. It's not a shock defeat - Exeter aren't that good this season and Glasgow are a better team. You still have to beat what's in front of you and the conditions certainly suited Exeter more than Glasgow, but I'm not sure *why* the media would be looking for excuses as to why a middling team lost away from home to a good side.

Sometimes I feel like you guys are a little too keen to invent something to be unhappy about!

[Tichtheid]

Exeter are fifth in the league and have lost 40% of their matches in the league this season. They have a dreadful scrum, the worst starting scrum half in the league, a 97 year old empty shirt at 12, no openside, and their 10 can't find any form.

They have some good players but some serious weaknesses, and have been (rightly) depowered by the latching law changes. Right now they are incredibly reliant on their big names doing something special.

Not sure why anyone would be looking for excuses.

Is this a joke?

No. It's not a shock defeat - Exeter aren't that good this season and Glasgow are a better team. You still have to beat what's in front of you and the conditions certainly suited Exeter more than Glasgow, but I'm not sure *why* the media would be looking for excuses as to why a middling team lost away from home to a good side.

Sometimes I feel like you guys are a little too keen to invent something to be unhappy about!

Glasgow have been a bit pish by their own standards, too. Played 7, won 4 lost 3 in the league.

We're just used to English clubs changing rules when they feel they can't qualify by merit and all sorts, and their media bleating on and on.

[JM2K6]

Is this a joke?

No. It's not a shock defeat - Exeter aren't that good this season and Glasgow are a better team. You still have to beat what's in front of you and the conditions certainly suited Exeter more than Glasgow, but I'm not sure *why* the media would be looking for excuses as to why a middling team lost away from home to a good side.

Sometimes I feel like you guys are a little too keen to invent something to be unhappy about!

Glasgow have been a bit pish by their own standards, too. Played 7, won 4 lost 3 in the league.

We're just used to English clubs changing rules when they feel they can't qualify by merit and all sorts, and their media bleating on and on.

Going back a few years here.

Bit of a shame you can't just enjoy a decent win without worrying about some hypothetical English media nonsense, mind!

[Tichtheid]

No. It's not a shock defeat - Exeter aren't that good this season and Glasgow are a better team. You still have to beat what's in front of you and the conditions certainly suited Exeter more than Glasgow, but I'm not sure *why* the media would be looking for excuses as to why a middling team lost away from home to a good side.

Sometimes I feel like you guys are a little too keen to invent something to be unhappy about!

Glasgow have been a bit pish by their own standards, too. Played 7, won 4 lost 3 in the league.

We're just used to English clubs changing rules when they feel they can't qualify by merit and all sorts, and their media bleating on and on.

Going back a few years here.

Bit of a shame you can't just enjoy a decent win without worrying about some hypothetical English media nonsense, mind!

oh come on, I was just have a wee bit of fun there.

I actually don't give a monkey's beyond the teams I support doing well.


I like seeing your team Quins doing well because of how they play, I've been a champion of Marcus Smith since his debut.

[JM2K6]

Glasgow have been a bit pish by their own standards, too. Played 7, won 4 lost 3 in the league.

We're just used to English clubs changing rules when they feel they can't qualify by merit and all sorts, and their media bleating on and on.

Going back a few years here.

Bit of a shame you can't just enjoy a decent win without worrying about some hypothetical English media nonsense, mind!

oh come on, I was just have a wee bit of fun there.

I actually don't give a monkey's beyond the teams I support doing well.


I like seeing your team Quins doing well because of how they play, I've been a champion of Marcus Smith since his debut.

Was more the royal "you" really!

That's Singapore-born Marcus Smith, as our papers keep calling him Shame the tournament appears headed for disaster this season. Would be nice to see if we can make the knock outs and play against much bigger teams, see what we can do...

[Tichtheid]

Something that Quins did, they made a rugby player out of Tim Visser.

He could only score the two against the All Blacks for Scotland on (I think) his debut, but he was not a good rugby player, try scorer par excellence (record scorer in the league, tons of times), but not a good rugby player.

Quins taught him where to position himself defensively and how to catch a ball.

[Slick]

Exeter are fifth in the league and have lost 40% of their matches in the league this season. They have a dreadful scrum, the worst starting scrum half in the league, a 97 year old empty shirt at 12, no openside, and their 10 can't find any form.

They have some good players but some serious weaknesses, and have been (rightly) depowered by the latching law changes. Right now they are incredibly reliant on their big names doing something special.

Not sure why anyone would be looking for excuses.

Is this a joke?

No. It's not a shock defeat - Exeter aren't that good this season and Glasgow are a better team. You still have to beat what's in front of you and the conditions certainly suited Exeter more than Glasgow, but I'm not sure *why* the media would be looking for excuses as to why a middling team lost away from home to a good side.

Sometimes I feel like you guys are a little too keen to invent something to be unhappy about!

You reply defensively to a post about making excuses by listing a load of excuses then finish by asking why anyone would make excuses.

That’s why I thought it might be a joke. Should have known better

[Biffer]

Is this a joke?

No. It's not a shock defeat - Exeter aren't that good this season and Glasgow are a better team. You still have to beat what's in front of you and the conditions certainly suited Exeter more than Glasgow, but I'm not sure *why* the media would be looking for excuses as to why a middling team lost away from home to a good side.

Sometimes I feel like you guys are a little too keen to invent something to be unhappy about!

You reply defensively to a post about making excuses by listing a load of excuses then finish by asking why anyone would make excuses.

That’s why I thought it might be a joke. Should have known better

Yeah, the response to a 'cue the excuses' post was to immediately roll the excuses out.

[sockwithaticket]

Or it was someone providing context around Exeter's current form and why an away loss to Glasgow wouldn't spur rugby writers to expend energy making it out to be anything other than it was - a significant defeat at the hands of a team who outperformed them.

[Biffer]

Or it was someone providing context around Exeter's current form and why an away loss to Glasgow wouldn't spur rugby writers to expend energy making it out to be anything other than it was - a significant defeat at the hands of a team who outperformed them.

Without taking into context Glasgows average form. If you want context you can’t ignore a bit of it.

[Kawazaki]

Maybe Glasgow just played above themselves a bit? Teams do this. Exeter raised their game a few weeks ago when Saracens went down there. It happens.