2022/23 Champions/Challenge Cup

[Jim Lahey]

Nothing beats seeing a lock galloping in open field and throw a dummy for a try.

Great game

[Tichtheid]

Nothing beats seeing a lock galloping in open field and throw a dummy for a try.

Great game

[Torquemada 1420]

This Leicester FB is sh*te.

[petej]

This Leicester FB is sh*te.

Not a fullback. TBF I think Atkinson has been alright.

[Torquemada 1420]

We have 2 Sarcelles' lads on the pitch with Cancoriet and Slimani.

[Torquemada 1420]

This Leicester FB is sh*te.

Not a fullback.

So why is Steward playing out of position to accommodate him?

[petej]

This Leicester FB is sh*te.

Not a fullback.

So why is Steward playing out of position to accommodate him?

Injuries and I guess they think Atkinson would do better at fullback than wing.

[Torquemada 1420]

Not a fullback.

So why is Steward playing out of position to accommodate him?

Injuries and I guess they think Atkinson would do better at fullback than wing.

Just weird to shift the incumbent intl FB out of position to fit in someone else who doesn't play there. FB far more important than wing.

[Torquemada 1420]

Never supporting his own weight there.

[sockwithaticket]

So why is Steward playing out of position to accommodate him?

Injuries and I guess they think Atkinson would do better at fullback than wing.

Just weird to shift the incumbent intl FB out of position to fit in someone else who doesn't play there. FB far more important than wing.

He played a little bit at fullback for Wasps when we were trying to get both him and Umaga in the starting line up. It wasn't a great idea and quickly saw the two swapping, which still wasn't a particularly good idea, but Atkinson was a better 10 than Umaga so it was an improvement.

[fishfoodie]

1) This is a surprising good game

2) WTF does Gopperth have as a training/health regime to keep playing ?, because if he writes a book, he'll earn more than he did his entire career

[Brazil]

That's just a silly advantage

[Torquemada 1420]

1) This is a surprising good game

2) WTF does Gopperth have as a training/health regime to keep playing ?, because if he writes a book, he'll earn more than he did his entire career

On 2, was wondering if he'd been at the 'roids when he came on!

[Torquemada 1420]

FM, Healey is a tedious, one-eyed tw*t as a commentator.

[petej]

That needs checking.

[Tichtheid]

That's a good win in the end for Tigers.

[Brazil]

Well deserved for tigers, and props to the ref, absolutely spot on

[petej]

1) This is a surprising good game

2) WTF does Gopperth have as a training/health regime to keep playing ?, because if he writes a book, he'll earn more than he did his entire career

Very impressive to be playing pro rugby at 39 considering how physical the game is.

Clermonts coaching team must be the worst in Europe to not get more out of that squad.

[SaintK]

Well deserved for tigers, and props to the ref, absolutely spot on

Yep
Well played Tigers

[Torquemada 1420]

Clermonts coaching team must be the worst in Europe to not get more out of that squad.

Not like I've not been pointing that out for 3+ seasons now alongside Quesada (who seemingly has turned Paris around this season). The squad had aged badly and become complacent but guys like Jedrasiak, Iturria and Fisher are symptomatic: should be pressing for intl selection but more often looking like Pro2 players. Penaud somehow bucked the decline and has decided to do a runner.

[Paddington Bear]

Blimey. Congrats Leicester, hell of a win

[lemonhead]

Clermonts coaching team must be the worst in Europe to not get more out of that squad.

Not like I've not been pointing that out for 3+ seasons now alongside Quesada (who seemingly has turned Paris around this season). The squad had aged badly and become complacent but guys like Jedrasiak, Iturria and Fisher are symptomatic: should be pressing for intl selection but more often looking like Pro2 players. Penaud somehow bucked the decline and has decided to do a runner.

Was wondering when Gibbes and ROG parted ways at La Rochelle which one of them would do well.

Seems he's had more joy with the forwards than the top job

[fishfoodie]

Clermonts coaching team must be the worst in Europe to not get more out of that squad.

Not like I've not been pointing that out for 3+ seasons now alongside Quesada (who seemingly has turned Paris around this season). The squad had aged badly and become complacent but guys like Jedrasiak, Iturria and Fisher are symptomatic: should be pressing for intl selection but more often looking like Pro2 players. Penaud somehow bucked the decline and has decided to do a runner.

Was wondering when Gibbes and ROG parted ways at La Rochelle which one of them would do well.

Seems he's had more joy with the forwards than the top job

All is not lost; we've seen as many coaches fail at their first attempt, as we have players !

Coaches are entitled to be given time to get their feet; you wouldn't judge a prop in their 4th year; would you ?

[OomStruisbaai]

Cheetahs losing in the end.

[Torquemada 1420]

Clermonts coaching team must be the worst in Europe to not get more out of that squad.

Not like I've not been pointing that out for 3+ seasons now alongside Quesada (who seemingly has turned Paris around this season). The squad had aged badly and become complacent but guys like Jedrasiak, Iturria and Fisher are symptomatic: should be pressing for intl selection but more often looking like Pro2 players. Penaud somehow bucked the decline and has decided to do a runner.

Was wondering when Gibbes and ROG parted ways at La Rochelle which one of them would do well.

Seems he's had more joy with the forwards than the top job

Gibbes says it was a shameful performance:
https://www.rugbyrama.fr/2023/01/14/cha ... 925562.php
Well, he got one thing right.

The situations were a bit different though. ASM were already in decline: just nobody had noticed other than Azema who jumped ship knowing clearing out an old guard of favourites coining their pensions (Parra, Vaahaa, Lopez, Gougerie, Lapandry, Fofana etc) was a tough gig. He went before they did. LaR were the reverse: under-achieving. TBH, I was sceptical about ROG but he finally worked out the 1/2 backs were the problem and addressed it.

[Torquemada 1420]

All is not lost; we've seen as many coaches fail at their first attempt, as we have players !

Coaches are entitled to be given time to get their feet; you wouldn't judge a prop in their 4th year; would you ?

Not dissimilar to Toulouse when Mola inherited the mess Noves left behind. He was forced to bring through younger players before ST managed to find a new way around the cap. It's whether
a) Gibbes last long enough. If they go down, he's toast.
b) Gibbes really is any good.
plus ASM does not have the money that ST does.

Just noticed: that's the most points ever conceded by ASM at MM



{EDIT} Rumour mill inside the club is they are looking to drop Gibbes and trying to tempt Ledesma back.

[SaintK]

Saturday, January 14:

Gloucester v Leinster
(Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester – Kick-off: 13.00; 13.00 GMT)
Prediction
@rugby365com: Leinster by 10 points.

Teams:

Gloucester: 15 George Barton, 14 Jonny May, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Seb Atkinson, 11 Ollie Thorley, 10 Santiago Carreras, 9 Ben Meehan, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Lewis Ludlow (captain), 6 Ruan Ackermann, 5 Matias Alemanno, 4 Freddie Clarke, 3 Kirill Gotovtsev, 2 George McGuigan, 1 Val Rapava-Ruskin.
Replacements: 16 Seb Blake, 17 Harry Elrington, 18 Ciaran Knight, 19 Cam Jordan, 20 Jack Clement, 21 Stephen Varney, 22 Billy Twelvetrees, 23 Tom Seabrook.

Leinster: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Jordan Larmour, 13 Garry Ringrose (captain), 12 Jamie Osborne, 11 Jimmy O’Brien, 10 Ross Byrne, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Ryan Baird, 5 James Ryan, 4 Ross Molony, 3 Michael Ala’alatoa, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Andrew Porter.
Replacements: 16 Rónan Kelleher, 17 Michael Milne, 18 Cian Healy, 19 Brian Deeny, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Nick McCarthy, 22 Harry Byrne, 23 Liam Turner.

Referee: Pierre Brousset (France)
Assistant Referees: Vincent Blasco Baqué (France) & Flavien Hourquet (France)
TMO: Denis Grenouillet (France)

Glaws in for a long afternoon
How strong is that Leinster side ffs

[fishfoodie]

Leinster ticking along nicely at more than a point a minute, & now Glaws have a YC to deal with

[inactionman]

Bath's match vs Toulon off as the Rec is in danger of being underwater.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/64264148

I can't decide if God hates us or has sympathy for us.

[Lobby]

Sale down to 14 after deserved red card and have already lost 2 props to HIAs. Going to be a difficult game for them with an hour left to play.

[sockwithaticket]

Dumb red card from the other Wiese in the Sale - Toulouse game just before the first quarter concludes. Steams into a ruck with his shoulder tucked and smacks a player in the head.

Two ex-player commentators lamenting how difficult it is when a defender is so low in the ruck until one concedes that leaving the ball go is an option. Nick Mullins asks the question that isn't losing the ball a better option than trying to clear out and conceding the red card? This point needs to be made more often.

[Lobby]

Don’t tell Torq, but N’Tamack just butchered a certain try.

[Tichtheid]

Ref did the right thing, they should stop the clock every time a team down to 14 takes a knee

[sockwithaticket]

Can someone check on Torq? Ntamack just blew what looked like an absolutely nailed on try by passing to his inside rather than out. I fear our bored curmudgeon might explode.

Edit - I think Lobby and I are sharing a brain right now, but he may be 30 seconds or so ahead...

[SaintK]

Jonny May really is busted flush these days. Just seems to run into contact every time he gets the ball!!

[Tichtheid]

There's an idiosyncratic law, the ball was touched in flight miles down the pitch in a kick, but counts as being carried back into the 22 for the purposes of the clearance kick.

[Tichtheid]

Brutally efficient, I think is the summing up of that.

[Jim Lahey]

Brutally efficient, I think is the summing up of that.

They are used to hammering shite teams in the URC, a piss poor Racing team and a shite Glaws team.

The real tests will be against the likes of LaR, Sarries and maybe the Saffers. Packs that they can't bully.

[Tichtheid]

Brutally efficient, I think is the summing up of that.

They are used to hammering shite teams in the URC, a piss poor Racing team and a shite Glaws team.

The real tests will be against the likes of LaR, Sarries and maybe the Saffers. Packs that they can't bully.

Aye, I said something very similar on another bored.

The Bulls did them over last year in the quarters

[Paddington Bear]

Tuilagi ineffectual again, seems increasingly past it sadly