The Official English Rugby Thread

[JM2K6]

Providing in a comp you use players registered for said comp I don't know how you'd police it beyond that.

I can imagine the league sponsors, game sponsors and TV company are a bit pissed off at having to sponsor/show a second rate game. It is this that will drive the money away from the game, why sponsor or show a Mickey Mouse game, who is going to be interested in watching a mismatch?

I don't think discovery+ is an issue here tbh

[Rhubarb & Custard]

Providing in a comp you use players registered for said comp I don't know how you'd police it beyond that.

I can imagine the league sponsors, game sponsors and TV company are a bit pissed off at having to sponsor/show a second rate game. It is this that will drive the money away from the game, why sponsor or show a Mickey Mouse game, who is going to be interested in watching a mismatch?

Depends on the spin one uses. If in the football Man City or Arsenal as the league leaders thrash a side 7-1 you probably don't get too much gnashing of teeth

Rotation is just a thing now, and I'd far rather sides do use than flog their players. Sometimes you get a downside to that, but I'll take it given the upside

[inactionman]

Providing in a comp you use players registered for said comp I don't know how you'd police it beyond that.

I can imagine the league sponsors, game sponsors and TV company are a bit pissed off at having to sponsor/show a second rate game. It is this that will drive the money away from the game, why sponsor or show a Mickey Mouse game, who is going to be interested in watching a mismatch?

I think they showed the Bristol-Sarries and Exeter-Quins matches

[Saint]

Providing in a comp you use players registered for said comp I don't know how you'd police it beyond that.

I can imagine the league sponsors, game sponsors and TV company are a bit pissed off at having to sponsor/show a second rate game. It is this that will drive the money away from the game, why sponsor or show a Mickey Mouse game, who is going to be interested in watching a mismatch?

I think they showed the Bristol-Sarries and Exeter-Quins matches

The Saints match was shown on Red Button

[dpedin]

I can imagine the league sponsors, game sponsors and TV company are a bit pissed off at having to sponsor/show a second rate game. It is this that will drive the money away from the game, why sponsor or show a Mickey Mouse game, who is going to be interested in watching a mismatch?

I think they showed the Bristol-Sarries and Exeter-Quins matches

The Saints match was shown on Red Button

It devalued the league game and whilst understandable from a Gloucester point of view I am not sure anyone will invest in league games when some teams have thrown in the towel and given up before kick off? Not sure I would pay to go watch what was a glorified training run for Saints regardless of who I supported.

[inactionman]

I think they showed the Bristol-Sarries and Exeter-Quins matches

The Saints match was shown on Red Button

It devalued the league game and whilst understandable from a Gloucester point of view I am not sure anyone will invest in league games when some teams have thrown in the towel and given up before kick off? Not sure I would pay to go watch what was a glorified training run for Saints regardless of who I supported.

I think that was probably why it was on the red button.

[inactionman]

I can imagine the league sponsors, game sponsors and TV company are a bit pissed off at having to sponsor/show a second rate game. It is this that will drive the money away from the game, why sponsor or show a Mickey Mouse game, who is going to be interested in watching a mismatch?

I think they showed the Bristol-Sarries and Exeter-Quins matches

The Saints match was shown on Red Button

In the end, a fitting metaphor.

[sockwithaticket]

Brian Moore has apparently opined in the Telegraph that Gloucester might be getting grief now, but it'll all be forgiven if they win the Challenge Cup.

I don't particularly agree, even that abysmal 14/15 London Welsh side didn't lose by 90 points. 71 was their biggest margin. It's an epochally terrible result and the team isn't quite as B as some of the narrative has been trying to convey. Plenty of starters and seasoned Prem players in the pack. The halfbacks were a highly capped international scrum half and someone who's been into England squads and has plenty of Premiership time behind him.

It also made me wonder, how prestigious is the Challenge Cup really? Is winning it actually a big deal? I have it a bit above something like the Premiership Cup and Anglo-Welsh, but it's miles off the prestige of a league or Champions cup win. And context has a part to play. Gloucester winning the second tier of Europe doesn't change consecutive second from bottom finishes in the Premiership.

[Margin__Walker]

Yeah, I'd agree.

Skivs has got away a bit with the B team narrative to explain it away. Sure it's a rotated line up, but there's a ton of prem experience in that starting 15 still. 90 - 0 is an incredibly bad result, even against and in form Saints team.

I watched some awful LI teams in relegation seasons and the results never got into that post code.

[Simian]

Doesn’t winning it still get you into the Champions Cup?

[inactionman]

Yeah, I'd agree.

Skivs has got away a bit with the B team narrative to explain it away. Sure it's a rotated line up, but there's a ton of prem experience in that starting 15 still. 90 - 0 is an incredibly bad result, even against and in form Saints team.

I watched some awful LI teams in relegation seasons and the results never got into that post code.

Bath skirted with it a few seasons back.

[Margin__Walker]

This article is a few years old, but I don't think any of the margins of defeat have been exceeded since (happy to be corrected)

https://www.rugbypass.com/news/premiers ... r-defeats/

That Gloucester result is 14 points worse than the largest defeat on that list.

[Margin__Walker]

Yeah, I'd agree.

Skivs has got away a bit with the B team narrative to explain it away. Sure it's a rotated line up, but there's a ton of prem experience in that starting 15 still. 90 - 0 is an incredibly bad result, even against and in form Saints team.

I watched some awful LI teams in relegation seasons and the results never got into that post code.

Bath skirted with it a few seasons back.

Ironically to Gloucester. 64 - 0

They still managed to keep the margin tighter by a full 26 points though. 90 - 0 is heroic stuff. It really wasn't a team of kids

[inactionman]

Yeah, I'd agree.

Skivs has got away a bit with the B team narrative to explain it away. Sure it's a rotated line up, but there's a ton of prem experience in that starting 15 still. 90 - 0 is an incredibly bad result, even against and in form Saints team.

I watched some awful LI teams in relegation seasons and the results never got into that post code.

Bath skirted with it a few seasons back.

Ironically to Gloucester. 64 - 0

They still managed to keep the margin tighter by a full 26 points though

We lost 71-17 to Sarries, 71-10 to Gloucester and 48-3 to Bristol in 2021. There were far too many hammerings over that period.

Not 90-0, but still pretty dreadful.

[sockwithaticket]

Bath skirted with it a few seasons back.

Ironically to Gloucester. 64 - 0

They still managed to keep the margin tighter by a full 26 points though

We lost 71-17 to Sarries, 71-10 to Gloucester and 48-3 to Bristol in 2021. There were far too many hammerings over that period.

Not 90-0, but still pretty dreadful.

The speed with which van Graan has turned things around is really impressive. And even as a neutral it's good to see, the Premiership as a product needs as many strong teams as possible and it benefits the national team if the average standard is higher.

[inactionman]

Ironically to Gloucester. 64 - 0

They still managed to keep the margin tighter by a full 26 points though

We lost 71-17 to Sarries, 71-10 to Gloucester and 48-3 to Bristol in 2021. There were far too many hammerings over that period.

Not 90-0, but still pretty dreadful.

The speed with which van Graan has turned things around is really impressive. And even as a neutral it's good to see, the Premiership as a product needs as many strong teams as possible and it benefits the national team if the average standard is higher.

There was always huge underperformance and a feeling of complacency in the Hooper era, I think the next man in was always going to get a bounce - even saying that, Van Graan seems to have really grabbed hold of it and you could see the results even relatively early in his tenure.

[Margin__Walker]

You've got a lot in place for you at Bath. Hooper's underperformance was really stark and it ill be interesting to see how far they can go under Van Graan

[SaintK]

You've got a lot in place for you at Bath. Hooper's underperformance was really stark and it ill be interesting to see how far they can go under Van Graan

I think Blackett has made a big difference since he joined the coaching set up.

[duke]

You've got a lot in place for you at Bath. Hooper's underperformance was really stark and it ill be interesting to see how far they can go under Van Graan

I think Blackett has made a big difference since he joined the coaching set up.

I was just about to mention the same thing. We have benefitted more than most from the demise of Worcester and Wasps.

[inactionman]

You've got a lot in place for you at Bath. Hooper's underperformance was really stark and it ill be interesting to see how far they can go under Van Graan

I think Blackett has made a big difference since he joined the coaching set up.

Hugely

There's been some decent recruitment at coaching and playing staff level, and Blackett has got the backs so much more threatening than they've been for a few years previously.

[inactionman]

You've got a lot in place for you at Bath. Hooper's underperformance was really stark and it ill be interesting to see how far they can go under Van Graan

I think Blackett has made a big difference since he joined the coaching set up.

I was just about to mention the same thing. We have benefitted more than most from the demise of Worcester and Wasps.

Aye. Alongside Blackett, Ollie Lawrence and Ted Hill have been excellent. All pretty miserable, the way it happened, but they've certainly all added a great deal.

[sockwithaticket]

You've got a lot in place for you at Bath. Hooper's underperformance was really stark and it ill be interesting to see how far they can go under Van Graan

I think Blackett has made a big difference since he joined the coaching set up.

I think he's better suited to being the attack/backs coach than the head man he ended up as at Wasps.

[inactionman]

As indicated, Mako and Billy are leaving Sarries at the end of the season, a little more surprised to hear Manu is leaving as well. Although can't have been good news to have Louie Johnson and Fergus Burke signed just as Farrell heads off. Is it a case of Manu just not kicking on?

Not yet confirmed where they're off to, although Billy has been linked to Montpellier for a while. Interested to se where Manu ends up

[SaintK]

As indicated, Mako and Billy are leaving Sarries at the end of the season, a little more surprised to hear Manu is leaving as well. Although can't have been good news to have Louie Johnson and Fergus Burke signed just as Farrell heads off. Is it a case of Manu just not kicking on?

Not yet confirmed where they're off to, although Billy has been linked to Montpellier for a while. Interested to se where Manu ends up

Yes, he really hasn't. Blows far too hot and cold in his consistency.

Montpellier look likely to be playing ProD2 next season

[sockwithaticket]

As indicated, Mako and Billy are leaving Sarries at the end of the season, a little more surprised to hear Manu is leaving as well. Although can't have been good news to have Louie Johnson and Fergus Burke signed just as Farrell heads off. Is it a case of Manu just not kicking on?

Not yet confirmed where they're off to, although Billy has been linked to Montpellier for a while. Interested to se where Manu ends up

Yes, he really hasn't. Blows far too hot and cold in his consistency.

Montpellier look likely to be playing ProD2 next season

Sounds ideal for two spent forces looking to cash in at tail end of their respective careers.

[Insane_Homer]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union ... 2pp70l373o

England great May to leave Gloucester

"Great" really?

[sockwithaticket]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union ... 2pp70l373o

England great May to leave Gloucester

"Great" really?

He is second on England's all time try scorers list , that puts him ahead of players like Guscott and Robinson.

Having checked the table again to verify that, its crazy how far ahead Underwood is in the number one spot.

[Raggs]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union ... 2pp70l373o

England great May to leave Gloucester

"Great" really?

In the top twenty for caps, second highest try scorer. Not too much of a stretch to give that accolade.

[epwc]

At his best he was brilliant, which England winger was better?

[Sandstorm]

Plus he played blindside.

[Raggs]

I know it wasn't exactly what we wanted to see from him, but he became one of the best kick chasers out there, managed to get a lot of ball knocked back to our guys.

[ASMO]

At his best he was brilliant, which England winger was better?

Robinson, Underwood, Duckham to name but 3

[Tichtheid]

Plus he played blindside.

That actually made me like him even more, he was terrible at it.

[inactionman]

I find him quite inspiring.

In a game filled with the product of public school scholarships he's demonstrated you can go to a modern comp in Swindon, be thick as mince and still play rugby for England

[epwc]

Robinson, Underwood, Duckham to name but 3

Underwood was the only back allowed to score in that England side wasn't he? Never saw Duckham play but agree the other two were great, since Robinson who have we had that's been as good as May?

[Sandstorm]

Plus he played blindside.

That actually made me like him even more, he was terrible at it.

[Rhubarb & Custard]

For all he's a safe cadet, and he is, he's also really worked hard on so many details with great discipline. Really an excellent career, and for him career as opposed to something he was doing seems apt

[Tichtheid]

Plus he played blindside.

That actually made me like him even more, he was terrible at it.

I remembered he was bad at it, I had forgotten he was hilariously bad

[Tichtheid]

Outrageous

[SaintK]

Robinson, Underwood, Duckham to name but 3

Underwood was the only back allowed to score in that England side wasn't he? Never saw Duckham play but agree the other two were great, since Robinson who have we had that's been as good as May?

Robinson was just about the best winger to play for England in my mind, Underwood not far behind.
I was lucky enough to see Duckham playing in his pomp for both England and Coventry, his side step was a thing of beauty
Reckon May can be mentioned in the same breath as those three.