The Official English Rugby Thread

[JM2K6]

Finally Irish get a penalty, though Barnes didn't see it.

[JM2K6]

I do think the endless battering at the line from a foot away is a bit of a blight on the game at the moment. Proper refereeing of players staying on their feet / not sealing / not pre binding and proper tackling should help that.

[JM2K6]

Christ alive that's appalling from Hepetema and and Ben Kay is immediately defending him! He launches into a shoulder to the face. Absolutely shocking. Clear red.

Players are so fucking stupid.

[Margin__Walker]

Now that was a red card...

[sockwithaticket]

Fair fucks to Irish for salvaging two points from that.

Both teams may well wonder how it was only a 1 point margin in the end.

[Margin__Walker]

Yeah didn't think we were leaving that game with anything so will take it. Bit of a mess of a performance though.

Onwards and upwards

[SaintK]

Christ alive that's appalling from Hepetema and and Ben Kay is immediately defending him! He launches into a shoulder to the face. Absolutely shocking. Clear red.

Players are so fucking stupid.

Nothing to defend there. Stone cold red. The more it was showed the more it looked like deliberate foul play and not accidental.

[Margin__Walker]

Christ alive that's appalling from Hepetema and and Ben Kay is immediately defending him! He launches into a shoulder to the face. Absolutely shocking. Clear red.

Players are so fucking stupid.

Nothing to defend there. Stone cold red. The more it was showed the more it looked like deliberate foul play and not accidental.

Red mist following that obstruction call I reckon.

Easy decision for the officials.

[Paddington Bear]

Championship getting underway today. Most games streamed at a tenner a game

[Saint]

Championship getting underway today. Most games streamed at a tenner a game

Interesting challenges in the Championship as clubs aren't producing away kits this season in order to save cash. As a result we have Pirates in red shirts and black shorts playing Sarries in red and black shirts with black shorts

[Paddington Bear]

Championship getting underway today. Most games streamed at a tenner a game

Interesting challenges in the Championship as clubs aren't producing away kits this season in order to save cash. As a result we have Pirates in red shirts and black shorts playing Sarries in red and black shirts with black shorts

Quite old school. Sarries break down stout Piratws defence by shockingly passing it in the end. 5-0

[sockwithaticket]

Wasps - Glaws a bit of spack fest in the opening 15. Error strewn and very little flow. Wasps look the better team thus far, but most of the good play is happening outside the 22 before breaking down.

[Raggs]

Wasps - Glaws a bit of spack fest in the opening 15. Error strewn and very little flow. Wasps look the better team thus far, but most of the good play is happening outside the 22 before breaking down.

We're playing a little like England. Good attack, not quite firing perfectly, but just giving away penalties for fun.

[sockwithaticket]

Wasps - Glaws a bit of spack fest in the opening 15. Error strewn and very little flow. Wasps look the better team thus far, but most of the good play is happening outside the 22 before breaking down.

We're playing a little like England. Good attack, not quite firing perfectly, but just giving away penalties for fun.

Yeah, don't know what's up with our discipline in recent weeks, but haemorraging pens has been a huge contributory factor in being unable to maintain any field position or possession.

That try was somewhat inevitable if you give them that many chances to drive a lineout from 5m.

[notfatcat]

Bath looking really good at 13-0 up against Exe. Some enjoyable rugby on display.

[Paddington Bear]

Two very different games being watched here. Arm wrestle in Penzance, Pirates take the lead with a well worked try, and Bath chucking it around nicely in the sunshine.

[Jock42]

Redpath still injured?

[fishfoodie]

Refs going to fuck this up, isn't he ?

Wasps game ..

[Saint]

Two very different games being watched here. Arm wrestle in Penzance, Pirates take the lead with a well worked try, and Bath chucking it around nicely in the sunshine.

Fairly typical Mennaye arm wrestle to be fair, but at least it's dry.....

[Paddington Bear]

Excellent from Exeter. Shaping up to be a very good game

[Paddington Bear]

Two very different games being watched here. Arm wrestle in Penzance, Pirates take the lead with a well worked try, and Bath chucking it around nicely in the sunshine.

Fairly typical Mennaye arm wrestle to be fair, but at least it's dry.....

I think this is the first time that I’ve either watched rugby or holidayed in Penzance and seen the sun...

[Raggs]

Interesting call in Was/Glo. Upright tackle leading to a hard head on head collision. This is actually what I want to see. Maybe not red/yellow, but we need players not tackling upright, as that is the big risk factor.

Think we're seeing a card though.

EDIT - Red card. Wow. Big call, but I don't think he's wrong, and I think it's what's really needed.

[fishfoodie]

Refs going to fuck this up, isn't he ?

Wasps game ..

Yep, the twat is red carding Thorley for a nothing tackle

[sockwithaticket]

Carley's spot on there despite the TMO's reluctance to call it foul play and Atkinson (Glaws player) in the comms box attempting to talk it down as a non-incident. Thorley goes running into contact fully upright and his head hits Rob Miller's. It's the first point of contact.

The whole point of the current push is for players to be tackling lower and Thorley has every option to do so.

[Raggs]

Dislike the commentary team saying that TMO should be able to overule the ref. TMO can advise all he likes, but it's the ref that makes the call, not the TMO.

[sockwithaticket]

Yellow for Feiks over that feels like a bit of make-up call...

[Raggs]

Yellow for Feiks over that feels like a bit of make-up call...

Nah, Fekitoa absolutely earned that yellow. Glad they didn't check again to see where he lands the push.

As for the red, I think it's the right call. It's the upright tackle that needs to be removed, especially in high speed situations like that.

[sockwithaticket]

Yellow for Feiks over that feels like a bit of make-up call...

Nah, Fekitoa absolutely earned that yellow. Glad they didn't check again to see where he lands the push.

As for the red, I think it's the right call. It's the upright tackle that needs to be removed, especially in high speed situations like that.

I reckon without the red having been given, it's only punished with a pen.

[fishfoodie]

Carley's spot on there despite the TMO's reluctance to call it foul play and Atkinson (Glaws player) in the comms box attempting to talk it down as a non-incident. Thorley goes running into contact fully upright and his head hits Rob Miller's. It's the first point of contact.

The whole point of the current push is for players to be tackling lower and Thorley has every option to do so.

I think Carleys suggestion that he could have tackled him lower is BS. The Glaws player was caught between two stools; he couldn't compete; he couldn't tackle him in the air; & he'd need the precision of an atomic clock to execute the tackle Carley suggested he should have; so he ran in & tried to clamp the other player as he landed.

[Raggs]

Go low into the landing players ribs and you absolutely smash them, there's no chance of an offload then either. And you don't dip 10m out, you dip in the last step when you already know he's on the floor. Commentator is annoying me a bit here. I can understand Atkinson entirely, but the commentator seems to be behind the laws.

[sockwithaticket]

We're shit.

Carley's spot on there despite the TMO's reluctance to call it foul play and Atkinson (Glaws player) in the comms box attempting to talk it down as a non-incident. Thorley goes running into contact fully upright and his head hits Rob Miller's. It's the first point of contact.

The whole point of the current push is for players to be tackling lower and Thorley has every option to do so.

I think Carleys suggestion that he could have tackled him lower is BS. The Glaws player was caught between two stools; he couldn't compete; he couldn't tackle him in the air; & he'd need the precision of an atomic clock to execute the tackle Carley suggested he should have; so he ran in & tried to clamp the other player as he landed.

Nah, he could've gone lower. Easily. Doesnt need to go down by much to be safer.

[Raggs]

Carley's spot on there despite the TMO's reluctance to call it foul play and Atkinson (Glaws player) in the comms box attempting to talk it down as a non-incident. Thorley goes running into contact fully upright and his head hits Rob Miller's. It's the first point of contact.

The whole point of the current push is for players to be tackling lower and Thorley has every option to do so.

I think Carleys suggestion that he could have tackled him lower is BS. The Glaws player was caught between two stools; he couldn't compete; he couldn't tackle him in the air; & he'd need the precision of an atomic clock to execute the tackle Carley suggested he should have; so he ran in & tried to clamp the other player as he landed.

If you can't tackle legally, don't tackle? He could have slowed a step if he needed, before hitting legally. Personally I don't think he needed to, I don't understand how if he dips to tackle he's suddenly making the tackle whilst Miller is in the air. He didn't stop and wait for Miller, he went and smashed him when he was on the floor already.

[fishfoodie]

We're shit.

Carley's spot on there despite the TMO's reluctance to call it foul play and Atkinson (Glaws player) in the comms box attempting to talk it down as a non-incident. Thorley goes running into contact fully upright and his head hits Rob Miller's. It's the first point of contact.

The whole point of the current push is for players to be tackling lower and Thorley has every option to do so.

I think Carleys suggestion that he could have tackled him lower is BS. The Glaws player was caught between two stools; he couldn't compete; he couldn't tackle him in the air; & he'd need the precision of an atomic clock to execute the tackle Carley suggested he should have; so he ran in & tried to clamp the other player as he landed.

Nah, he could've gone lower. Easily. Doesnt need to go down by much to be safer.

We'll agree to disagree

I think this is one of those situations where the slow-mo isn't helping

[Raggs]

We're shit.

I think Carleys suggestion that he could have tackled him lower is BS. The Glaws player was caught between two stools; he couldn't compete; he couldn't tackle him in the air; & he'd need the precision of an atomic clock to execute the tackle Carley suggested he should have; so he ran in & tried to clamp the other player as he landed.

Nah, he could've gone lower. Easily. Doesnt need to go down by much to be safer.

We'll agree to disagree

I think this is one of those situations where the slow-mo isn't helping

It's the type of tackle that world rugby are trying to get rid of. They're the really bad ones, that lead to 2 potential concussions, not just one. It's what needs to be punished.

[Paddington Bear]

10-8 Sarries in Cornwall at half time. Pirates very stout without offering a lot, Sarries very one dimensional. Could be a tougher season than perhaps anticipated

[sockwithaticket]

Oh would you look at that, we sustain a bit of pressure in the 22 and get the opposition conceding penalties.

edit - should be another advantage. Glaws player clearly in shot with hands and feet over the line as the pen tap's being taken having just explicitly been told not to do that...

[Raggs]

Love the variation on the 5m tap from Wasps, Oghre has quick enough hands to give that out to the backline who send it one out to Fekitoa on the crash I believe. Might not be visible grounding, but very nice.

[sockwithaticket]

We're shit.

I think Carleys suggestion that he could have tackled him lower is BS. The Glaws player was caught between two stools; he couldn't compete; he couldn't tackle him in the air; & he'd need the precision of an atomic clock to execute the tackle Carley suggested he should have; so he ran in & tried to clamp the other player as he landed.

Nah, he could've gone lower. Easily. Doesnt need to go down by much to be safer.

We'll agree to disagree

I think this is one of those situations where the slow-mo isn't helping

I get that it's all happening pretty fast, but he's had time to make a decision to go high to tie up Miller's arms and grapple to keep him upright, he's got time to dip his head 30 degrees and still hit miller in the chest.

[Saint]

Two very different games being watched here. Arm wrestle in Penzance, Pirates take the lead with a well worked try, and Bath chucking it around nicely in the sunshine.

Fairly typical Mennaye arm wrestle to be fair, but at least it's dry.....

I think this is the first time that I’ve either watched rugby or holidayed in Penzance and seen the sun...

I can remember a match in early Jan being sat in tge stand with rain driving into my face and being joined by sea spray swing round from behind the stand. Stand sea water on the pitch meaning virtually no scrum took place on the correct mark

[Paddington Bear]

That’s a hell of a day out. Good try from Pirates, lots of work for Sarries to do here