The Official English Rugby Thread

[petej]

Saints attacking on the line and getting smashed backwards because the 9 takes forever to pass and then stops his runners with the pass anyway

He's taking a fucking age. My nan could get the ball away quicker and she's been dead about 40 years.

Probably still faster than Ben Youngs.

[Stranger]

Youngs needs to retire now, in his head I think he has.

[JM2K6]

Shit from tigers against Gloucester. At some point you have to actually fucking play rugby. Nice to see jvp who even after a long time out is a definite improvement on the rubbish played/served up by Youngs. Not sure where we found him but shillcock is rubbish like Paul Burke without the goal kicking ability. The problem with dropping so much cash on pollard is it leaves you in trouble when he is injured. I had thought Dan mckellar would be a more attack minded than the previous coaches.

Shillcock is ex Worcs. Not the finest player they've produced.


Everyone looking forward to Saracens' regular ritual disembowelling of Quins at the Spurs stadium today?

[Paddington Bear]

Waiting for the tube, very much so

[JM2K6]

Nice day for it

[JM2K6]

So far this is a lot like the performance against Munster. Just incredibly slack. The only thing Quins are doing well is giving away penalties and butchering their own attacks.

Ah well.

Hope the club can find a good defence coach soon...

[JM2K6]

Saracens just edging it at half time, I reckon

[Margin__Walker]

Saracens just edging it at half time, I reckon

It's just a flesh wound.

Marcus' script writer getting creative before the inevitable come back

[JM2K6]

Saracens just edging it at half time, I reckon

It's just a flesh wound.

Marcus' script writer getting creative before the inevitable come back

Hah

He hasn't given up, at least. Quickest to the loose ball around the ruck than any of his teammates. Extremely flat performance from the first minute.

[Margin__Walker]

Ah. forget it. Quins are fucked

[JM2K6]

[ASMO]

Quins have been poor 1 - 15 but Care has been spectacularly dogshit.....You know you have been terrible if you manage to make Daly look good.

[JM2K6]

Beginning to think we might not win this

[JM2K6]

Fair to say that was quite one sided. Don't think there's another side in the country more keen to feast on half arsed opponents than Saracens. Hell of a performance, some outstanding individuals and great teamwork and intensity. Daly motm, I thought Dan was the best player on the pitch, Farrell superb, Maitland also very good considering he wasn't even in the squad 5 minutes before kickoff, and Gonzalez dominated that second half.

Quins, well, hilariously predictable given the performance earlier in the season against Saracens. Our record against them is awful but there have been several great contests in recent years and it was clear from the first few minutes that Saracens were up for this and Quins looked like they had only found out they were meant to be playing that morning.

Hopefully not a taste of things to come in the post Flannery era.

[Paddington Bear]

Took a friend from work to her first ever live game. She asked after 50 minutes why they’d gone to such effort for a friendly. About summed that up

[JM2K6]

Took a friend from work to her first ever live game. She asked after 50 minutes why they’d gone to such effort for a friendly. About summed that up

Hah, said something similar elsewhere. Hope Quins weren't paid full whack for that one.

Congratulations, hell of a beating and the stadium looked incredible.

[Margin__Walker]

Not a great look from whoever the TMO was. Didn't review the Lewies/Farrell incident solely because Austin suggested it needed to be looked at on comms.

https://x.com/TFinnKelcey/status/177157 ... OyNHA&s=09

[Stranger]

Not a great look from whoever the TMO was. Didn't review the Lewies/Farrell incident solely because Austin suggested it needed to be looked at on comms.

https://x.com/TFinnKelcey/status/177157 ... OyNHA&s=09

I heard that whilst watching, it was a really odd thing to say

[JM2K6]

That's appalling.

[Margin__Walker]

Got the feeling it will have some legs. You always suspect some replays aren't shown on purpose etc, but not reviewing potential foul play based on ego/dislike of the commentator is properly dodgy.

Not sure why they even let them listen to a feed with the comms

[JM2K6]

Yeah, this should have been sorted out years ago as soon as it became clear that Austin was influencing things by his feed being heard - he's been trying to referee from the comms box for years.

[Margin__Walker]

Yep. Really shouldn't be a thing from either end. They should be watching a clean or silent feed

[Hal Jordan]

Well, I was at that farce, great stadium, terrible game.

Quins were second best across the park. Tight five had no impact, Lewies and Evans were waaaay slower and lacking impact compared to their opposite numbers, every pass just shuffled down the line, or the player ran diagonally towards the touchline, eating space. We also had zero luck, every bounce went Sarries way and the ref rode us hard, but we were poor. Lynagh is a defensive disaster and Green is good going forward but fucking clueless under the high ball and in defence.

Dombrandt and Smith did what they could with what they had, at least.

[JM2K6]

Murley: 120m from 15 carries, 2 clean breaks, 8/1 in defence
Lynagh: 11m from 2 carries, 5/5 in defence

Thanks for coming along, Louis


Lewies should have the captaincy taken off him, he was that bad. I half hope he cops a ban for the cheap shot on Farrell. Just a useless dead weight in the squad at the moment, rarely fit and rarely effective.

[el capitan]

Went along to this today, no skin in the game. Sarries played some nice stuff but could relax and have the freedom to do it. Quins defensive efforts were absolutely disgraceful for large parts of the "contest". Defensive line seemed to move up in reverse gear most of the time, and there were more holes in it than my socks.

[sockwithaticket]

Danny Care confirms what was rumoured, he's retiring from international rugby.

Hell of an innings

[inactionman]

Danny Care confirms what was rumoured, he's retiring from international rugby.

Hell of an innings

Sensible decision, and a great career.

[Raggs]

So we've got Mitchell and JVP with OK numbers of caps? Then Quirke as a backup? Not necessarily a lot of caps, but not a bad selection of 9s. Him retiring also gives Borthwick more choices to change the EPS.

[SaintK]

Danny Care confirms what was rumoured, he's retiring from international rugby.

Hell of an innings

Remember first seeing play as a junior, outstanding prospect.
Thanks Danny, always seemed to play with a smile on his face

[Hal Jordan]

So we've got Mitchell and JVP with OK numbers of caps? Then Quirke as a backup? Not necessarily a lot of caps, but not a bad selection of 9s. Him retiring also gives Borthwick more choices to change the EPS.

And Randall, so purely in World Cup cycles we have 3 years. In normal Test rugby, they are bedding in with caps at the teens for Mitchell and JVP, and single figures for Randall and Quirke, but given Jones' shithousery over the position, that's a good start.

[Oxbow]

Alex Waller is retiring at the end of the season. Fantastic servant to the club despite being absolutely run into the ground by Dorian West. Will always be remembered by Saints fans for that try in the final against Sarries.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/68664998

[SaintK]

Alex Waller is retiring at the end of the season. Fantastic servant to the club despite being absolutely run into the ground by Dorian West. Will always be remembered by Saints fans for that try in the final against Sarries.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/68664998

Local lad and fantastic servant to the club indeed with over 300 games under his belt
Not sure anyone will beat his 150 consecutive Premiership appearances which is an almost unbelievable record.

[sockwithaticket]

Alex Waller is retiring at the end of the season. Fantastic servant to the club despite being absolutely run into the ground by Dorian West. Will always be remembered by Saints fans for that try in the final against Sarries.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/68664998

Local lad and fantastic servant to the club indeed with over 300 games under his belt
Not sure anyone will beat his 150 consecutive Premiership appearances which is an almost unbelievable record.

It's insane for any player, let alone a front rower.

[Oxbow]

Storming start for Saints. Sleightholme can't be far off an England call up.

[ASMO]

Daly, normal service has been resumed

[Oxbow]

Fuck off Austin.

[Oxbow]

That was glorious.

[ASMO]

Farrel been pretty gash tonight too, his passing and distribution has been shocking.

[SaintK]

Enjoyed that

[sockwithaticket]

Big result for Saints and a performance bounce after last week.