The Official English Rugby Thread

[Torquemada 1420]

Ford off. Burns on. Game over.

[Kawazaki]

And the sum total of interest in the GP final is..................

Probably the right choice based on the 20 mins so far.

The stadium has got 80,000 people in it.

[sockwithaticket]

Real shame for Ford and Leicester are up against it now. Burns is good, but he's not in the same class.

[Dinsdale Piranha]

And the sum total of interest in the GP final is..................

Probably the right choice based on the 20 mins so far.

The stadium has got 80,000 people in it.

Poor bastards

[sockwithaticket]

That's a bad shot from Davies.

[Oxbow]

Another red/yellow lottery.

[Biffer]

Lucky lucky boy

[Kawazaki]

The way Davies way playing, I think Saracens might be better with him off the pitch.

[sockwithaticket]

I no longer understand what should be a red. I heard every word the ref team said and I don't see how they can conclude there was any mitigation there.

This whole rigmarole around level of danger needs to go in the bin. It's led to a complete lack of clarity.

[ASMO]

Sarries 9 is fucking dogshit

[Tichtheid]

Lucky lucky boy

They are definitely rowing back on the headshots being red cards now, there was one last night in the T14 game too that should really have seen the player sent off for the rest of the game

[OomStruisbaai]

Donkey scores for Tigers.

[Kawazaki]

I no longer understand what should be a red. I heard every word the ref team said and I don't see how they can conclude there was any mitigation there.

This whole rigmarole around level of danger needs to go in the bin. It's led to a complete lack of clarity.

He said that the ball-carrier was dominant. That was the mitigation.

Davies was lucky though.

[Lobby]

I no longer understand what should be a red. I heard every word the ref team said and I don't see how they can conclude there was any mitigation there.

This whole rigmarole around level of danger needs to go in the bin. It's led to a complete lack of clarity.

They decided there wasn’t a high degree of danger so their starting point was yellow. Mitigation didn’t come into it.

[Slick]

Tompkins is a nice player

[sockwithaticket]

I no longer understand what should be a red. I heard every word the ref team said and I don't see how they can conclude there was any mitigation there.

This whole rigmarole around level of danger needs to go in the bin. It's led to a complete lack of clarity.

He said that the ball-carrier was dominant. That was the mitigation.

Davies was lucky though.

What I mean is I don't understand why that counts as mitigation. He still got smacked forcefully in the head by the shoulder of a player who was always high.

It also seems to mean scrum halves can never receive a red. Faf's been bailed out of clear headshots due to supposed lack of force before and there was the Gibson-Park incident from this year's European Cup. The point is supposed to be stopping players from hitting high in the first place.

[OomStruisbaai]

No Barnes.

[OomStruisbaai]

This time it's Wiese.

[OomStruisbaai]

Lots of Tigers support.

[Slick]

Leicester always seem to be outflanked on the outside when Sarries move it wide. A couple of accurate passes could put them in trouble

[Kawazaki]

Tompkins is a nice player

Yep. Eddiot ignored him. Didn't even bother to contact him according to reports.

[Slick]

Tompkins is a nice player

Yep. Eddiot ignored him. Didn't even bother to contact him according to reports.

I thought I’d heard some rumblings about that. Looks to me what England need in the centre, skilful, elusive

[petej]

Tompkins is a nice player

Yep. Eddiot ignored him. Didn't even bother to contact him according to reports.

Very good defensive player which was noticeable when looking at the Welsh and English centres during the 6n. Much better than Slade.

[Torquemada 1420]

I no longer understand what should be a red. I heard every word the ref team said and I don't see how they can conclude there was any mitigation there.

This whole rigmarole around level of danger needs to go in the bin. It's led to a complete lack of clarity.

Utter nonsense last night as Arnold was a blatant red and the ref tried to ignore the incident entirely before talking it down to yellow.

This one was a red. No idea WTF Barnes was doing other than a repeat of last night i.e. if it's the big team, it's yellow. If it's the underdog, red.

[Torquemada 1420]

What I mean is I don't understand why that counts as mitigation. He still got smacked forcefully in the head by the shoulder of a player who was always high.

Yup. Utter sh*t. The laws were brought in to penalise dangerous play out of the game. So now
- if the victim just manages to save his own neck by getting an arm down first on a tip tackle, it's not red
- if the ball carrier still goes fwd, even if his jaw is broken, it's yellow too. There was one in the Soup final this morning which was similar.

[sockwithaticket]

What I mean is I don't understand why that counts as mitigation. He still got smacked forcefully in the head by the shoulder of a player who was always high.

Yup. Utter sh*t. The laws were brought in to penalise dangerous play out of the game. So now
- if the victim just manages to save his own neck by getting an arm down first on a tip tackle, it's not red
- if the ball carrier still goes fwd, even if his jaw is broken, it's yellow too. There was one in the Soup final this morning which was similar.

I have seen a couple of those given red on the basis that the action is dangerous and the tackled player saving themself from worse injury shouldn't mitigate what the tackler has done, but it's variably applied.

Too much weight given to the 'red cards ruin games' and 'what else are they supposed to do' brigades. There's been a notable shift this season to award yellows for things that were being given (deservedly) as stone cold reds and the level of force/danger part of the framework is usually how it's justified. Farce.

As you say, the point was to penalise the actions out of the game. Yellows aren't going to do that.

[Biffer]

What I mean is I don't understand why that counts as mitigation. He still got smacked forcefully in the head by the shoulder of a player who was always high.

Yup. Utter sh*t. The laws were brought in to penalise dangerous play out of the game. So now
- if the victim just manages to save his own neck by getting an arm down first on a tip tackle, it's not red
- if the ball carrier still goes fwd, even if his jaw is broken, it's yellow too. There was one in the Soup final this morning which was similar.

The one in the soup game was ridiculous. Did he even give a penalty?

[Slick]

Leicester need to start trying to play a bit here. They can’t go through the whole game being this negative and constantly kicking

[Jock42]

Leicester need to start trying to play a bit here. They can’t go through the whole game being this negative and constantly kicking

Mailins disagrees.

[Torquemada 1420]

What I mean is I don't understand why that counts as mitigation. He still got smacked forcefully in the head by the shoulder of a player who was always high.

Yup. Utter sh*t. The laws were brought in to penalise dangerous play out of the game. So now
- if the victim just manages to save his own neck by getting an arm down first on a tip tackle, it's not red
- if the ball carrier still goes fwd, even if his jaw is broken, it's yellow too. There was one in the Soup final this morning which was similar.

The one in the soup game was ridiculous. Did he even give a penalty?

Yes. But no card.

[sockwithaticket]

Tigers are on top, but they need points.

[sockwithaticket]

Not sure Reffell coming off is good for Leicester, nor Youngs coming on.

[Oxbow]

That was a pretty grim passage of play.

[Kawazaki]

Saracens tactics have been dogshit. Whatever they are.

[sockwithaticket]

Every one of Youngs' box kicks have been too long.

[OomStruisbaai]

Saracens to win this.

[Oxbow]

Every one of Youngs' box kicks have been too long.

This match or his whole career?

[sockwithaticket]

Every one of Youngs' box kicks have been too long.

This match or his whole career?

Yes.

[fishfoodie]

Just flicked over because it's half--time in the GAA ... I think i'll break the habit of a lifetime & listen to the HT analysis

[sockwithaticket]

Leicester have been bad at keeping the ball available at the maul or pulling it out when in danger of getting wrapped up.