The Official English Rugby Thread

[Happyhooker]

Yea, foot up

That's just wrong

[Margin__Walker]

Wasps loosehead driving in at right angles there to win that pen.

[sockwithaticket]

Tom West has put in a real shift, he's not long back and he's still going in the 68th minute. Gopperth with the points to perhaps make the game safe?

[Happyhooker]

Wasps loosehead driving in at right angles there to win that pen.

I thought your tight head folded and he followed him in.

Bias is great, innit

[Margin__Walker]

Wasps loosehead driving in at right angles there to win that pen.

I thought your tight head folded and he followed him in.

Bias is great, innit

I clearly know more about front row play than you. So zip it

[Happyhooker]

Wasps loosehead driving in at right angles there to win that pen.

I thought your tight head folded and he followed him in.

Bias is great, innit

I clearly know more about front row play than you. So zip it

Fair enough. I hadn't a bloody clue what I was doing for the 33 years I played

[Margin__Walker]

I thought your tight head folded and he followed him in.

Bias is great, innit

I clearly know more about front row play than you. So zip it

Fair enough. I hadn't a bloody clue what I was doing for the 33 years I played

I once stood near a scrum. I've a pretty good handle on it

[sockwithaticket]

I'm actually really impressed with how composed Wasps look at the moment. We've fluffed our lines towards the end of games frequently enough that this is a refreshing change.

[Happyhooker]

I clearly know more about front row play than you. So zip it

Fair enough. I hadn't a bloody clue what I was doing for the 33 years I played

I once stood near a scrum. I've a pretty good handle on it

You're Jonny may and I claim my £5

[Happyhooker]

Oof, that looks bad at first glance.

He dipped I suppose. Yellow at least, probably red

[sockwithaticket]

Balls. Looks like a red. As much as I'd love there to be mitigation, Shields doesn't change anything there.

Bye bye Jacob for another 3 - 4 weeks I guess.

[Happyhooker]

Nah. Red

[Happyhooker]

Wtf is the commentator doing bringing shields into the conversation. Ludicrous

[Margin__Walker]

You're Jonny may and I claim my £5

Guilty.

[Margin__Walker]

Ah well. Fair result. On to the next one.

Edit - really could have done with one of those conversions going over for the LBP.

[Happyhooker]

Decent 2nd half from us (missed the 1st).

LI stuck at it, probably would have well deserved the 2nd bonus points.

[sockwithaticket]

Jeez, Irish never stay down.

Can't argue with a bonus point win to finish off the year.

[Happyhooker]

I really don't like Bath, but it upsets me how fucking shit they are right now

[Margin__Walker]

I really don't like Bath, but it upsets me how fucking shit they are right now

Meh, it upsets me that there's no relegation this season...

Edit - They'll still beat us next week. Guaranteed. Or more annoyingly end up with a covid 0 - 28

[fishfoodie]

Watched my first bit of Bath play this season ....

Fur coat; no knickers rugby.

[Margin__Walker]

They have been terrifyingly bad. Something seriously wrong in the setup, as that's not the worst squad in the league on paper.

[Happyhooker]

I really don't like Bath, but it upsets me how fucking shit they are right now

Meh, it upsets me that there's no relegation this season...

Edit - They'll still beat us next week. Guaranteed. Or more annoyingly end up with a covid 0 - 28

That's the spirit

[Kawazaki]

Saracens looked like they destroyed the resurgent Worcester though conceding nearly 30pts will be a concern. Saracens are due to play Bath at home next month.

What's the odds on the Bath squad getting covid?

[geordie_6]

What on earth is going on with Bath, they are abysmal...

[OomStruisbaai]

What on earth is going on with Bath, they are abysmal...

Buying Curwin Bosch isn't going to help

[Kawazaki]

From today’s Rugby Paper (Fissler):

English rugby is bracing itself for another salary cap scandal after Premier Rugby launched an investigation into a potential breaking of the rules.

Blindside understands that coaching staff and players have been interviewed by the salary cap manager about a potential breach.

The chief executive of the club, who are currently in the top six of the Premiership, has also been implicated and has faced a grilling.

The club under suspicion isn’t Saracens, who are currently second in the Premiership table after spending last season in the Championship after being found guilty of breaching the cap in 2019.

After being deducted 35 points and fined £5.3m in November 2019, they opted for a further points penalty rather than open up their books for a full forensic audit.

We believe this potential breach isn’t on the same scale, and the investigation will continue early in the New Year.

So, the suspects are;

Leicester
Northampton
Harlequins
Exeter
Gloucester

I'll piss myself laughing if it's Quins or Exeter.

[sockwithaticket]

We believe this potential breach isn’t on the same scale, and the investigation will continue early in the New Year.

Key phrase.

Clubs other than Sarries have slipped up in the recent past, but it's been a one off breach of low value and a clear oversight/accident rather than chronic systemic abuse.

I'll be amazed if this isn't another minor issue resolved with a small fine.

[Kawazaki]

We believe this potential breach isn’t on the same scale, and the investigation will continue early in the New Year.

Key phrase.

Clubs other than Sarries have slipped up in the recent past, but it's been a one off breach of low value and a clear oversight/accident rather than chronic systemic abuse.

I'll be amazed if this isn't another minor issue resolved with a small fine.

Not that you'd ever know.

The year where Itoje's image rights were undervalued by at least £1m given developments since should be acknowledged as a 'clean' year also if we're discussing 'slip-ups'.

[sockwithaticket]

We believe this potential breach isn’t on the same scale, and the investigation will continue early in the New Year.

Key phrase.

Clubs other than Sarries have slipped up in the recent past, but it's been a one off breach of low value and a clear oversight/accident rather than chronic systemic abuse.

I'll be amazed if this isn't another minor issue resolved with a small fine.

Not that you'd ever know.
The year where Itoje's image rights were undervalued by at least £1m given developments since should be acknowledged as a 'clean' year also if we're discussing 'slip-ups'.

Well, Wasps being several thousand pounds over because an agent changed which country they're registered in, for example, isn't much of a story. None of the other minor breaches are. 'Salary cap breach' in the headline is the most noteworthy thing about them.

[Kawazaki]

I'd suggest that if the Premiership salary cap manager has felt it necessary to interview the playing squad, coaches, managers and CEO then the suspected beach is unlikely to be a few thousand quid over the cap due to an admin error.

[Happyhooker]

It's exeter innit

[geordie_6]

It's exeter innit

That would be my guess, may explain why they are losing the likes of Hill and Gray.

[SaintK]

It's exeter innit

That would be my guess, may explain why they are losing rhe likes of Hill and Gray.

I hope so! Tony Rowe is a sanctimonious arsehole at the best of times.
Though we need to factor in the "Fissler effect" so the whole story has a more than 50% chance of being complete bollocks!

[sockwithaticket]

It's exeter innit

That would be my guess, may explain why they are losing rhe likes of Hill and Gray.

Possibly, but Baxter gave an interview shortly before those players were publicly announced to be leaving in which he stated players didn't quite seem to get that the cap was coming down which suggests to me that they're moving on as much because of their wage demands for their next contracts as anything.

[sockwithaticket]

It's exeter innit

That would be my guess, may explain why they are losing rhe likes of Hill and Gray.

I hope so! Tony Rowe is a sanctimonious arsehole at the best of times.
Though we need to factor in the "Fissler effect" so the whole story has a more than 50% chance of being complete bollocks!

Neil 'even stopped clocks' Fissler.

[Kawazaki]

If the salary cap manager has spoken to as many people in the club under investigation as the report suggests, that total must be at least 50 people, likely nearer 70.

Any half decent connected journo should be able to get at least a few from a group that size to leak the story.

[Rhubarb & Custard]

Any decent journalist would let them get their investigation done and presented, not rush a story/rumour out just to claim they broke an exclusive. If after the fact it's then being hushed up, or if the investigation was botched then by all means start writing stories about that.

[Kawazaki]

Any decent journalist would let them get their investigation done and presented, not rush a story/rumour out just to claim they broke an exclusive. If after the fact it's then being hushed up, or if the investigation was botched then by all means start writing stories about that.

This would be naive written in 1921, let alone 2021.

[Kawazaki]

Smith has got Covid. Pity.

[Oxbow]

Cracking start from Saints. Lol's commentary is already annoying me.