The Official English Rugby Thread

[JM2K6]

On Tuilagi - it was pretty obvious Exeter were giving him special attention and Whitten is one of the best midfield defenders around, who just happened to get run over several times. Thought Manu did his job - the Sale pack just fell away after half an hour, Curry(s) aside.

[sockwithaticket]

Come on Quins, gotta do better than that.

[sockwithaticket]

Saracens riding the offside line more than we've seen in the few games since the season's resumed imo.

[sockwithaticket]

Taking the drop there when the pen advantage was only a few metres away seems odd to me.

[SaintK]

Pretty inept last 10 minutes of the first half from Quins
Sarries 20-3 up

[sockwithaticket]

I don't think the second Sarries try should have stood. It was going forwards into Morris' shoulder, that notwithstanding it looked to me like the ball touched Rhodes' hand last rather than Morris.

Quins massively need to pick it up, though. Sarries aren't even playing the well and they're three tries up.

[Kawazaki]

Not watching the Sarries match but just seen the score. Half their squad leave or loaned out, a load of championship players brought in to replace them and they still snot all over Quins.

[sockwithaticket]

I'm going to give Saints - Irish a go, this is tediously one sided.

[Raggs]

Irish snubbing 3 pointers and not coming awsay with anything. Looking good though.

[Akkerman]

so weird to see marler with his normal hair

[Double]

Alex Mitchell has all the skills but he so consistently makes the wrong decision. Needs to become a better game manager if he's going to become an international.

[sockwithaticket]

Absolute butchery from Irish there.

[Slick]

World Class Jonny May has done absolutely nothing tonight

<taps sign about being needlessly dickish>

I know, sorry

Thank you all for your hospitality last night

[JM2K6]

That Sarries/Quins ref was diabolical. Hope that's not the standard we can expect from the new wave - some absolute shockers in there. Particularly loved him ruling on a potential knock-on at the lineout for Sarries 3rd try by watching the reverse view - behind all the Quins players - and deciding that was enough. He looked completely out of his depth. It didn't all go against us but I wouldn't want to see him ref Quins again in a hurry, jesus. [edited to add: it WAS a knock-on from the post match highlights. Nice job ref.]

Missed the first 30 so didn't see what gave Sarries their fast start. Itoje was brilliant. Landajo was utter garbage and Lang at 12 was such a strange choice against Sarries. No surprise that as soon as we hooked both of them we started running Sarries ragged. Nice to see Billy getting absolutely smashed by both Dombrandt and Robshaw, too. Shame about the extraordinarily fortunate final try that killed the game, but them's the breaks, can't say we were the better team and deserved a draw.

Dunno who these Sarries championship players are meant to be. Just the four Lions, a world cup winner, and three other internationals in the starting Sarries team, then some academy grads.

[Saint]

Can't watch this anymore

[Oxbow]

That was 40 minutes I'll never get back.

[sockwithaticket]

Thank fuck for that, someone needed to do something.

[sockwithaticket]

All of a sudden Saints are playing. Ludlam looked like he fucked that one though.

[Double]

Ludlam has no future as a winger. What was that?

[Double]

Should probably be a pen try for that awful challenge from Phipps though.

[sockwithaticket]

Should probably be a pen try for that awful challenge from Phipps though.

I don't think I've ever seen Phipps play without making a slew of terrible decisions. Don't know about pen try because he wasn't the only one tackling, it was definitely an offence, though.

[sockwithaticket]

Regardless of a try being scored, Kepu has to go. Too often refs allow a try being scored to over-rule a binning.

[Double]

'Tempo' is surely the most ironic nickname in the world for a referee with absolutely zero feel for the pace of the game.

[sockwithaticket]

'Tempo' is surely the most ironic nickname in the world for a referee with absolutely zero feel for the pace of the game.

If the RFU offered to bin Tempest, keep Doyle, but ask fans to make up the difference in their salaries, it'd be sorted in less than a day.

[duke]

'Tempo' is surely the most ironic nickname in the world for a referee with absolutely zero feel for the pace of the game.

If the RFU offered to bin Tempest, keep Doyle, but ask fans to make up the difference in their salaries, it'd be sorted in less than a day.

I second that, he’s got the original tin ear

[Oxbow]

Many's the time I've slagged off Tuala, but that was a lovely finish.

[Kawazaki]

That Sarries/Quins ref was diabolical. Hope that's not the standard we can expect from the new wave - some absolute shockers in there. Particularly loved him ruling on a potential knock-on at the lineout for Sarries 3rd try by watching the reverse view - behind all the Quins players - and deciding that was enough. He looked completely out of his depth. It didn't all go against us but I wouldn't want to see him ref Quins again in a hurry, jesus. [edited to add: it WAS a knock-on from the post match highlights. Nice job ref.]

Missed the first 30 so didn't see what gave Sarries their fast start. Itoje was brilliant. Landajo was utter garbage and Lang at 12 was such a strange choice against Sarries. No surprise that as soon as we hooked both of them we started running Sarries ragged. Nice to see Billy getting absolutely smashed by both Dombrandt and Robshaw, too. Shame about the extraordinarily fortunate final try that killed the game, but them's the breaks, can't say we were the better team and deserved a draw.

Dunno who these Sarries championship players are meant to be. Just the four Lions, a world cup winner, and three other internationals in the starting Sarries team, then some academy grads.

Tad salty.

[sockwithaticket]

Not bad for Saints to get 5 points out of that.

[sockwithaticket]

Thought Guy Thompson had hung around at Tigers, but turns out it was Luke Wallace whose arrival had passed me by. Good to see him back in the Prem.

[sockwithaticket]

Tigers being bullied up front at the moment. Bath with a slow, but relentless maul for their second try.

[sockwithaticket]

McConnochie does something useful and gets on the score sheet. Interesting to see JJ being used as much as a distributor as a strike runner.

[sockwithaticket]

Slightly fortuitously (forward pass) Bath wrap up the BP before half time.

Leicester

[Kawazaki]

Not bad for Saints to get 5 points out of that.

Saracens got MoM as well.

Quite an influence they're having on the league.

[Hal Jordan]

Ludlam has no future as a winger. What was that?

He needs to get back to the front row.

[sockwithaticket]

Ludlam has no future as a winger. What was that?

He needs to get back to the front row.

I see what you did there.

[Raggs]

Ulster and Ireland attempted to poach Jack Willis, as he and his brother are apparently Irish qualified.

Cheeky gits!

[Un Pilier]

Slightly fortuitously (forward pass) Bath wrap up the BP before half time.

Leicester

I think I opined earlier that it was an unrecognisably Leicester team selection. Turns out I recognised far too much.

A few half-decent showings amongst the dross and at least SB seems to have improved a few things but there’s a very long way to go.

We’ll see how a stronger team go against LI. Let’s say my expectations don’t appear excessively high

[C69]

A quick question Saes guys, yesterday Johnny Williams played for the Scraglets.I note he has worn the Rose in a non capped game.
is he actually any good? We poached Tompkins and nowpotentially we could for Wales have 2 poaches in the midfield.
Is this a real possibility?

[Raggs]

Potentially a very good 12. We had some hopes for him.

[C69]

Potentially a very good 12. We had some hopes for him.

He apparently had a stormer yesterday for the West Walians, hopefully Jiffy Jnr can partner John Bleddyn Rhys Williams soon.