European Rugby Thread

[Torquemada 1420]

Oh. Sure. Ulster complain so straight to the TMO.

[Torquemada 1420]

Just retire Barnes you w*nker.

[Raggs]

Just retire Barnes you w*nker.

What was wrong with his decision?

[salanya]

Oh. Sure. Ulster complain so straight to the TMO.

Euhm, it was a bad decision which is now corrected?

Barnes is actually having a pretty good game.

[sockwithaticket]

It's the right decision and the sort of thing we have a TMO for. I think Foley was looking at it anyway even without Ulster moaning since he had some angles ready to go as soon as the discussion with Barnes began, so it's not like the players demanded and got a review.

[ASMO]

Just retire Barnes you w*nker.

What was wrong with his decision?

Torq didn't like it

[OomStruisbaai]

Ulster 15 play like Kolbey

[Torquemada 1420]

Just retire Barnes you w*nker.

What was wrong with his decision?

He has sought every avenue to penalise ASM all game whilst looking to ignore all Ulster infringements. Suggest you rewind to the 30 degree sideways lineout from Ulster followed by the blatant scrum pen that he ignored in the build up to that try.

[Torquemada 1420]

What on earth was MOC doing there? Either kick it or pass the ball inside.

{EDIT} Penaud every right to be furious with him.

[ASMO]

Torq, Clermont are the architects of their own downfall, they needed no assistance from the ref to achieve that.

[Torquemada 1420]

Again. Ulster allowed forever to hold on to the ball on the floor at a ruck.

[Torquemada 1420]

Torq, Clermont are the architects of their own downfall, they needed no assistance from the ref to achieve that.

That is not the point. As sh*t as they have been, they've still been in this game and it's taken a totally one eyed performance from Barnes to get Ulster over the line.

[Torquemada 1420]

Penaud needs to f**k off to a decent club before AMS pull down his career.

[OomStruisbaai]

Torq, Clermont are the architects of their own downfall, they needed no assistance from the ref to achieve that.

That is not the point. As sh*t as they have been, they've still been in this game and it's taken a totally one eyed performance from Barnes to get Ulster over the line.

Vok what a sad tosser you are. Get a vokken grip Boet.

[OomStruisbaai]

Clermont players now are as bad as Torc. Want to win the fight.

[Torquemada 1420]

Kerrist. Surprised we didn't have 15 minutes reviewing that whilst Barnes built a case for a hanging.

[OomStruisbaai]

Kerrist. Surprised we didn't have 15 minutes reviewing that whilst Barnes built a case for a hanging.

Barnes help you beat the All Blacks. You should be thankful

[Lobby]

Torq, Clermont are the architects of their own downfall, they needed no assistance from the ref to achieve that.

That is not the point. As sh*t as they have been, they've still been in this game and it's taken a totally one eyed performance from Barnes to get Ulster over the line.

Vok what a sad tosser you are. Get a vokken grip Boet.

TBF, this is relatively restrained for Torq. You should see him lose his shit when a referee dares to penalise France.

[Biffer]

Not sure why Torq watches rugby, it just seems to antagonise him.

[OomStruisbaai]

That is not the point. As sh*t as they have been, they've still been in this game and it's taken a totally one eyed performance from Barnes to get Ulster over the line.

Vok what a sad tosser you are. Get a vokken grip Boet.

TBF, this is relatively restrained for Torq. You should see him lose his shit when a referee dares to penalise France.

Golden rule

Sour grapes when your team losing blaming the ref.

[sockwithaticket]

Slade starting as he means to go on - mixed bag.

Genuinely starting to think that Twelvetrees was a more consistent performer, it's just that when he screwed up it was a big one.

[sockwithaticket]

Hogg had a fair bit of work to do to finish that one.

[bogbunny]

Kerrist. Surprised we didn't have 15 minutes reviewing that whilst Barnes built a case for a hanging.

Barnes kept Clermont in the game and the TMO was a complete homer (two red cards ignored).

Clermont have the best fans in rugby that I have come across in 50 years and deserve a better coach than Gibbes.

[sockwithaticket]

Chiefs much better in the 3rd quarter, really putting the squeeze on Montpellier.

[sockwithaticket]

The Montpol defence is completely disconnected. Do they have a coach?

[Biffer]

Hogg had a fair bit of work to do to finish that one.

Stepped four players at the same time

[ASMO]

How is that giant tub of lard Montpelier prop been given a pro contract?

[petej]

How is that giant tub of lard Montpelier prop been given a pro contract?

The French teams are noticeably bigger. Exeter did the right thing by keeping playing until Montpellier ran out of gas.

[Margin__Walker]

LI put Pau away on the road in the CC. Were never really in any trouble.

[Slick]

Hogg had a fair bit of work to do to finish that one.

Stepped four players at the same time

Then flicked the ball backwards after scoring and caught it as he was standing up!

(See Ryan Wilson Twitter for details)

[fishfoodie]

How is that giant tub of lard Montpelier prop been given a pro contract?

The French teams are noticeably bigger. Exeter did the right thing by keeping playing until Montpellier ran out of gas.

It's always been the best tactic for the non-French sides; against their fatties. Run them until they start flagging; & if you're still within 10 pts, or so; you can still win.

There's still that gap in the fitness in the French sides; & the rest of the NH; & it's dumb not to exploit that.

[Torquemada 1420]

The Montpol defence is completely disconnected. Do they have a coach?

No. They have The Piglet. Even with a full strength side, they are massively less than the sum of their parts.

They are also consistently T14's most anti-rugby side.

[FalseBayFC]

Dupont is such a little powerhouse. His handoffs are ridiculous.

[Torquemada 1420]

Had to laugh after Racing hammered Saints and some of the English press was yabbering on about how it was an ominous portent based on the side's relative positions in their respective leagues.

3 sides now where the management must be under serious threat. All 3 have big budgets and serious player resources but all have in common
- consistent failure to execute the basics
- poor decision making
- terrible discipline

In the frame =
Jonno Gibbes/ ASM
- 5th from bottom but only courtesy of home win against LaR
- jumped ship from LaR into an underperforming ASM and has seemingly made them worse

Watching T14 after NPC is like eating a turd after a Michelin * meal. LOU v UBB a case in point. 2 sides with plenty of intls in perfect conditions:
- the handling is sh*t
- decision making abject
- no-one can catch a high ball
- discipline reaching Arg levels

The incredible thing is decent NZ players come in and you can visibly see their abilities ebb away game after game.

Coaching remains medieval, 3rd world standard. Sides repeatedly getting hammered against 14 players.

After RCT v CAB last night (rugby cancer), all T14v coaches should be forced to watch this:

https://www.provincial.rugby/bunnings-n ... sman-2021/

As an aside, the way all the T14 sides are playing, they are going to get bummed in Europe.

Toulouse struggled against a sh*thouse Cardiff when at full strength and which was missing 30 odd players: if Dupont hadn't showed up, the game would have been a lot closer.

I warned my Saints friends at a curry on Friday night that if they made the mistake of playing their normal running style against Racing, they'd get murdered. Racing pack is powder puff and they had lost 4 out of 5 last T14 games by being beaten up. Their only win was against...... Toulouse..... who made the mistake of playing their normal running style.

I will be surprised if any Fre side other than Toulouse makes the semis.

[Torquemada 1420]

How is that giant tub of lard Montpelier prop been given a pro contract?

The French teams are noticeably bigger. Exeter did the right thing by keeping playing until Montpellier ran out of gas.

It's always been the best tactic for the non-French sides; against their fatties. Run them until they start flagging; & if you're still within 10 pts, or so; you can still win.

There's still that gap in the fitness in the French sides; & the rest of the NH; & it's dumb not to exploit that.

Not entirely true these days. Toulouse, LaR and Racing are all mobile packs and, to some extent, Bordeaux too. Part of the problem is self fulfilling
- T14 season is still too long
- which encourages attrition rugby
- and when most of the sides are engaged in a lard arse, arms race directed at dealing with an attritional season: so you get what you'd expect

What does change it is an artificial pitch. Racing quickly worked out immobile players are no use on that surface. Hence the emergence of mobile back rows like Aldritt, Macalou, Ollivon, Lauret, Woki, Iturria etc

What would really fix the game globally would be an end to tactical subs which would then force the likes of Atonio to play 80 mins. Then the penalty for such immobility in the last 20 mins would be too great.

In regards fitness. That's a mixed bag. There's enough fit players to hammer the ABs. Curiously perhaps, the worst fitness is from players who are non French or non French ancestry. Also, you play too many attritional games, and you get knackered. I remember Hines commenting on what an easy life it was at Leinster compared with ASM. Basically fewer games playing "easy rugby" [/AC] whilst saving yourselves for the biggies i.e. Europe and the odd title challenge game in the league.

[sockwithaticket]

Covid strikes again!

Wasps revised team after the last round of testing.



OUT (yet more seasoned Prem players):
Jacob Umaga, Sebastian De Chaves, Tom Willis, Elliott Stooke, Francois Hougaard

IN (recent academy grads with basically no appearances and loaner):
Luke Mehson, Michael Van Vuuren, Kieran Curran, Tommy Mathews, Cameron Anderson

Tim Cardall is now the only second row in the whole squad.

We're totally going to lose this.

[fishfoodie]

We all love a happy ending at Christmas

[petej]

Curiously perhaps, the worst fitness is from players who are non French or non French ancestry.

I would agree with that.

I don't agree that Racing have a powder puff pack at all. They might be losing out in the battle of the lard arses in the slow attritional rugby of the Top 14 but are well suited to playing English teams who don't have the lard arses either.

[Torquemada 1420]

Covid strikes again!

Wasps revised team after the last round of testing.



OUT (yet more seasoned Prem players):
Jacob Umaga, Sebastian De Chaves, Tom Willis, Elliott Stooke, Francois Hougaard

IN (recent academy grads with basically no appearances and loaner):
Luke Mehson, Michael Van Vuuren, Kieran Curran, Tommy Mathews, Cameron Anderson

Tim Cardall is now the only second row in the whole squad.

We're totally going to lose this.

Thanks. Changing my pick now I've seen that!

[Torquemada 1420]

Curiously perhaps, the worst fitness is from players who are non French or non French ancestry.

I would agree with that.

I don't agree that Racing have a powder puff pack at all. They might be losing out in the battle of the lard arses in the slow attritional rugby of the Top 14 but are well suited to playing English teams who don't have the lard arses either.

Exeter or Leicester would brutalise them.