The Official English Rugby Thread

[JM2K6]

Tom Hardwick gone from Tigers, suddenly. Here's a very terse statement: https://www.leicestertigers.com/news/squadupdate-210311

[Margin__Walker]

That really is a terse release.

What's the story with him selection wise before now. He seemed to be getting gametime, then hardly feature when they brought Henry and the Argie guy in. Injured or just out of favour?

[JM2K6]

There's some rumours about some Instagram-related drama, that's all I can find.

[Oxbow]

Saints side to play Sale tomorrow. Every one of the starting 15 is English qualified, must be a while since that's happened. Six of the replacements are English qualified too, and I think a total of 16 of the 23 came through the academy.


15 George Furbank
14 Tommy Freeman
13 Fraser Dingwall
12 Piers Francis
11 Ollie Sleightholme
10 James Grayson
9 Tom James

1 Alex Waller (c)
2 Reece Marshall
3 Ehren Painter
4 Alex Moon
5 Alex Coles
6 Tom Wood
7 Lewis Ludlam (c)
8 Teimana Harrison

Replacements:
16 Mike Haywood
17 Nick Auterac
18 Paul Hill
19 Api Ratuniyarawa
20 JJ Tonks
21 Henry Taylor
22 Rory Hutchinson
23 Harry Mallinder

[JM2K6]

Bristol looking as bad as expected so far.

[JM2K6]

Oh dear Jacob.

[sockwithaticket]

Only being 3 points behind after that second quarter is the match going better than expected. Very concerned at how quickly we started haemorrhaging pens again after keeping a lid on it for about 15 minutes.

[ASMO]

Uren absolutely stinking this game out

[sockwithaticket]

That went about as well as expected. Scoreline flatters Wasps big time, it was one way traffic after the first quarter.

Uren absolutely stinking this game out

Give over, he was fine.

[JM2K6]

Bad loss for Wasps, that. Bristol looked all at sea with the ball for a lot of that match, and Piutau basically dug them out of trouble.

[JM2K6]

Uren threw the ball to no one multiple times.

[ASMO]

That went about as well as expected. Scoreline flatters Wasps big time, it was one way traffic after the first quarter.

Uren absolutely stinking this game out

Give over, he was fine.

Apart from when he passed to nobody 3 times

[sockwithaticket]

Didn't say he was great, but he was a long way from stinking the game out.

[Ovals]

Bloody Hell - has a team ever imploded as rapidly as Wasps - GP finalists not that long ago - now getting mullered by Bristol's b team.

[fishfoodie]

Bloody Hell - has a team ever imploded as rapidly as Wasps - GP finalists not that long ago - now getting mullered by Bristol's b team.

Meh. It's been a crazy year; I wouldn't be assuming that sarries getting stuffed last week would mean they'll get relegated again this year.

[sockwithaticket]

Bloody Hell - has a team ever imploded as rapidly as Wasps - GP finalists not that long ago - now getting mullered by Bristol's b team.

For me it's not that we're losing, it's how.

We've seen shit patches for Wasps before, but I've never seen us so absent from games. This run since that crazy Bath game, we've barely done anything in attack. With all the penalties and mistakes we spend most of our time defending and failing to get out of our half. There's not much to get excited about as a supporter.

[Saint]

Saints team for Sale

15 George Furbank
14 Tommy Freeman
13 Fraser Dingwall
12 Piers Francis
11 Ollie Sleightholme
10 James Grayson
9 Tom James

1 Alex Waller (c)
2 Reece Marshall
3 Ehren Painter
4 Alex Moon
5 Alex Coles
6 Tom Wood
7 Lewis Ludlam (c)
8 Teimana Harrison

Replacements:
16 Mike Haywood
17 Nick Auterac
18 Paul Hill
19 Api Ratuniyarawa
20 JJ Tonks
21 Henry Taylor
22 Rory Hutchinson
23 Harry Mallinder

Starting XV 100% EQP, 80% academy product.

Will still lose

[Niegs]

Bloody Hell - has a team ever imploded as rapidly as Wasps - GP finalists not that long ago - now getting mullered by Bristol's b team.

For me it's not that we're losing, it's how.

We've seen shit patches for Wasps before, but I've never seen us so absent from games. This run since that crazy Bath game, we've barely done anything in attack. With all the penalties and mistakes we spend most of our time defending and failing to get out of our half. There's not much to get excited about as a supporter.

In all this time, have they ever given the 10 jersey back to Sapoaga? He's had stinker moments, but also was good there for Highlanders.

[Kawazaki]

Saints side to play Sale tomorrow. Every one of the starting 15 is English qualified, must be a while since that's happened. Six of the replacements are English qualified too, and I think a total of 16 of the 23 came through the academy.


15 George Furbank
14 Tommy Freeman
13 Fraser Dingwall
12 Piers Francis
11 Ollie Sleightholme
10 James Grayson
9 Tom James

1 Alex Waller (c)
2 Reece Marshall
3 Ehren Painter
4 Alex Moon
5 Alex Coles
6 Tom Wood
7 Lewis Ludlam (c)
8 Teimana Harrison

Replacements:
16 Mike Haywood
17 Nick Auterac
18 Paul Hill
19 Api Ratuniyarawa
20 JJ Tonks
21 Henry Taylor
22 Rory Hutchinson
23 Harry Mallinder

Superb from Saints.

The usual shite EQP representation from Sale I assume?

[sockwithaticket]

Bloody Hell - has a team ever imploded as rapidly as Wasps - GP finalists not that long ago - now getting mullered by Bristol's b team.

For me it's not that we're losing, it's how.

We've seen shit patches for Wasps before, but I've never seen us so absent from games. This run since that crazy Bath game, we've barely done anything in attack. With all the penalties and mistakes we spend most of our time defending and failing to get out of our half. There's not much to get excited about as a supporter.

In all this time, have they ever given the 10 jersey back to Sapoaga? He's had stinker moments, but also was good there for Highlanders.

No, but this season he's been injured or so dogshit he deserved dropping rather than a positional change. When given his chances Atkinson's not done much wrong and while Umaga has certainly not looked as good as last season there'd be no case for supplanting him with Soapy.

[sockwithaticket]

Care's having an absolute belter down at Sandy Park thus far. Nice try, couple of offloads looked a bit suss in real time, but replays from a different angle showed it was good.

As an aside, is something up with Exeter's pitch? It looks dreadful.

[Paddington Bear]

excellent early try from Quins. Two sweeping breaks from Exeter lead to pens for holding on against them, not convinced that encourages running rugby

[Paddington Bear]

Yeah the pitch is horrendous, amateur club stuff

[sockwithaticket]

That's an abomination of a caterpillar ruck. Karmic justice that it went straight out. CMK isn't being anywhere near quick enough with the use it call. By the point they've positioned 4 players in a line it's long past time that the ball is playable.

[Paddington Bear]

Alex Cuthbert being poleaxed by Marler - now that is content

[sockwithaticket]

Cuthbert and flubbing the high ball, name a more iconic duo.

[Dinsdale Piranha]

Cuthbert and flubbing the high ball, name a more iconic duo.

Daly!

[Hal Jordan]

Cuthbert and flubbing the high ball, name a more iconic duo.

Daly!

Balshaw.

[sockwithaticket]

Shame that, lovely bit of skill from Care.

Cuthbert and flubbing the high ball, name a more iconic duo.

Daly!

Bad as he is in this area, I think he's still a way off plumbing Cuthbert's depths.

[Paddington Bear]

There’s something grimly inevitable about Exeter winning this 28-20

[Paddington Bear]

Meanwhile Sarries are less of a flaming clown car this week, two very good tries

[sockwithaticket]

Big turnover from Chisholm there, the clock is starting to turn against Exeter.

[Paddington Bear]

can’t see them losing from here

[SaintK]

can’t see them losing from here

Quins fluff their lines right at the end when they could have scored!

[JM2K6]

Another day, another Exeter try from pre bound players.

Very aggravating loss. Some absolutely hatstand refereeing during that game too. Ref has worse knock on blindness than Gauzere, gets in the way of any attempts to play flat, made some baffling calls at crucial times.

Really do not think we deserved to lose that.

Also refs can fuck directly off if they're going to scream "use it" several times and still let the scrum half get away with not playing the ball until time is up.

[sockwithaticket]

Franklin's Gardens looks incredible, particularly after Sandy Park.

[Oxbow]

Carley already decided which team he fancies having a beer with later.

[Saint]

Saints under the cosh for the first 18, but finally get some territory and possession and a beautiful line by Freeman leads to a try - evn while down a man.

[Kawazaki]

Meanwhile Sarries are less of a flaming clown car this week, two very good tries

It's it being streamed anywhere?

[sockwithaticket]

That should have been yellow for James. Doesn't matter where you are on the pitch, you don't get a more clear cut example of someone knocking the ball with one hand just to stop the opposition attack.