2022/23 Champions/Challenge Cup

[OomStruisbaai]

TBF everyone loved when Man Utd in the 90s/00s lost, when Schumacher fucked up in a GP, when NZ got beaten from 2005 until 2020 etc etc.

Take the hatred as a compliment.

The Springboks are loved by all.

[Jim Lahey]

TBF everyone loved when Man Utd in the 90s/00s lost, when Schumacher fucked up in a GP, when NZ got beaten from 2005 until 2020 etc etc.

Take the hatred as a compliment.

The Springboks are loved by all.

Apart from Comical Ali and referees.

I actually quite like the Boks tbf.

[Guy Smiley]

TBF everyone loved when Man Utd in the 90s/00s lost, when Schumacher fucked up in a GP, when NZ got beaten from 2005 until 2020 etc etc.

Take the hatred as a compliment.

But we're Irish, everyone is meant to like us.

Are you Irish, Biffer?

fuck... I had you down as....

well, not that.

[OomStruisbaai]

TBF everyone loved when Man Utd in the 90s/00s lost, when Schumacher fucked up in a GP, when NZ got beaten from 2005 until 2020 etc etc.

Take the hatred as a compliment.

But we're Irish, everyone is meant to like us.

Are you Irish, Biffer?

fuck... I had you down as....

well, not that.

Scot.

[laurent]

TBF everyone loved when Man Utd in the 90s/00s lost, when Schumacher fucked up in a GP, when NZ got beaten from 2005 until 2020 etc etc.

Take the hatred as a compliment.

The Springboks are loved by all.

dirty by french standards...

[Jim Lahey]

TBF everyone loved when Man Utd in the 90s/00s lost, when Schumacher fucked up in a GP, when NZ got beaten from 2005 until 2020 etc etc.

Take the hatred as a compliment.

The Springboks are loved by all.

dirty by french standards...

There was no sight quite as majestic as seeing a 6ft 7, 125kg Bakkies Botha immacutely executing the perfect missle dive into a prone player at a ruck, on a warm sunny evening with the sun setting over the Cape.

Or Schalk Burger amicably helping getting a trapped bit of dirt out of an opposition player's eye-socket.

A great bunch of lads

[Slick]

There is no Leinster hate ,just respect. They are the URC bench mark, not use to lose That's all.

I think most neutral fans were pleased to see them taken down a peg or two. They don't play the most attractive style of rugby, they've got a couple of rather unlikable players in their team (Sexton, Lowe) and making the Aviva their home stadium was cheeky. They were starting to show Crusader-level dominance, so I'm pleased that this has been stopped (at least momentarily).

I had quite an instructive interaction with a bunch of Irish supporters over the weekend. Got a whole lot of abuse about how Scotland had never won a Grand Slam and always got the wooden spoon. When I pointed out Ireland only have 1 more GS than us and 8 more WS they seemed genuinely confused that anyone would consider pre 6N as being the same game.

For a lot of the younger Irish support rugby only started 15 or so years ago so the entitlement and arrogance is real. They don’t remember 100 years of wild eyed, red haired Irishmen turning up half cut, charging around like madmen for 30 minutes before running out of puff, getting stuffed, shaking hands before going off to wreck a hotel and going back to their nice quiet life back home. The good old days.

We have managed to keep our world dominance to a few months here and there, with decades between success, which has kept us nice and grounded. I think we have taken that attitude a bit far in the modern era, but that’s another story.

Don’t get the Lowe hate to be honest, plenty of other to dislike

[Biffer]

Yeah, it's difficult to have Lowe at the top of the list of disliked players when O'Mahony is still playing.

[inactionman]

I dislike Cian Healy, although not sure why. I can't recall a specific thing.

O'Mahoney looks deranged.

I used to utterly detest Australia, but that's softened to a mild degree of sympathy. Maybe as Campese has finally fucked off out of it - great, great player but utterly graceless twat.

[Biffer]

I dislike Cian Healy, although not sure why. I can't recall a specific thing.

O'Mahoney looks deranged.

I used to utterly detest Australia, but that's softened to a mild degree of sympathy. Maybe as Campese has finally fucked off out of it - great, great player but utterly graceless twat.

Might be the stamping or the biting?

[inactionman]

I dislike Cian Healy, although not sure why. I can't recall a specific thing.

O'Mahoney looks deranged.

I used to utterly detest Australia, but that's softened to a mild degree of sympathy. Maybe as Campese has finally fucked off out of it - great, great player but utterly graceless twat.

Might be the stamping or the biting?

Might have something to do with it

[Uncle fester]

There is no Leinster hate ,just respect. They are the URC bench mark, not use to lose That's all.

I think most neutral fans were pleased to see them taken down a peg or two. They don't play the most attractive style of rugby, they've got a couple of rather unlikable players in their team (Sexton, Lowe) and making the Aviva their home stadium was cheeky. They were starting to show Crusader-level dominance, so I'm pleased that this has been stopped (at least momentarily).

I had quite an instructive interaction with a bunch of Irish supporters over the weekend. Got a whole lot of abuse about how Scotland had never won a Grand Slam and always got the wooden spoon. When I pointed out Ireland only have 1 more GS than us and 8 more WS they seemed genuinely confused that anyone would consider pre 6N as being the same game.

For a lot of the younger Irish support rugby only started 15 or so years ago so the entitlement and arrogance is real. They don’t remember 100 years of wild eyed, red haired Irishmen turning up half cut, charging around like madmen for 30 minutes before running out of puff, getting stuffed, shaking hands before going off to wreck a hotel and going back to their nice quiet life back home. The good old days.

We have managed to keep our world dominance to a few months here and there, with decades between success, which has kept us nice and grounded. I think we have taken that attitude a bit far in the modern era, but that’s another story.

Don’t get the Lowe hate to be honest, plenty of other to dislike

Leinster fans yeah?

[laurent]

Can't say anything bad about 'Tarf Props

They are close to saints

[Slick]

I dislike Cian Healy, although not sure why. I can't recall a specific thing.

O'Mahoney looks deranged.

I used to utterly detest Australia, but that's softened to a mild degree of sympathy. Maybe as Campese has finally fucked off out of it - great, great player but utterly graceless twat.

I’ve always liked Healy to be honest. Also, whisper it, but I actually really like POM….

VdF is the one I’m really disappointed with, quickly getting a reputation for diving, moaning and being a bit of a dick - if any player doesn’t need to do that shite, it’s him.

Always liked the Aussies, probably the team I cheer for after Scotland

[Jim Lahey]

I dislike Cian Healy, although not sure why. I can't recall a specific thing.

O'Mahoney looks deranged.

I used to utterly detest Australia, but that's softened to a mild degree of sympathy. Maybe as Campese has finally fucked off out of it - great, great player but utterly graceless twat.

I’ve always liked Healy to be honest. Also, whisper it, but I actually really like POM….

VdF is the one I’m really disappointed with, quickly getting a reputation for diving, moaning and being a bit of a dick - if any player doesn’t need to do that shite, it’s him.

Always liked the Aussies, probably the team I cheer for after Scotland

A poor man's Jamie Ritchie tbf.

[sockwithaticket]

I dislike Cian Healy, although not sure why. I can't recall a specific thing.

O'Mahoney looks deranged.

I used to utterly detest Australia, but that's softened to a mild degree of sympathy. Maybe as Campese has finally fucked off out of it - great, great player but utterly graceless twat.

Might be the stamping or the biting?

The stamp on Dan Cole certainly didn't endear him to English fans. Worse still was the way many Irish supporters and pundits tried to defend him.

It's not as easy to hate Australia now that they're our bunnies. In the last decade we've played them 14 times and they've won twice.


On the trio of prick fly halves (Farrell, Biggar, Sexton), I don't really care if they're super nice off the field. On the pitch they regularly cross the line where competitiveness becomes being a dickhead. Worse still they seem toescape sanction where other players would at least be marched back for the same outbursts.

[inactionman]

I dislike Cian Healy, although not sure why. I can't recall a specific thing.

O'Mahoney looks deranged.

I used to utterly detest Australia, but that's softened to a mild degree of sympathy. Maybe as Campese has finally fucked off out of it - great, great player but utterly graceless twat.

Might be the stamping or the biting?

The stamp on Dan Cole certainly didn't endear him to English fans. Worse still was the way many Irish supporters and pundits tried to defend him.

It's not as easy to hate Australia now that they're our bunnies. In the last decade we've played them 14 times and they've won twice.


On the trio of prick fly halves (Farrell, Biggar, Sexton), I don't really care if they're super nice off the field. On the pitch they regularly cross the line where competitiveness becomes being a dickhead. Worse still they seem toescape sanction where other players would at least be marched back for the same outbursts.

On the pitch, Biggar in particular really does need to rein it in. I've seen him chase touch judges and refs down and not receive any penalty. Sexton just whines and flaps, so perhaps best to just ignore and let him look a bit ridiculous.

In mitigation, I really do like Biggar's never-say-die attitude and his utter and complete commitment, so it's just a case of harnessing that fire correctly - I'd suggest a few reversed penalties and a couple of cards would surely help with this.

[OomStruisbaai]

I dislike Cian Healy, although not sure why. I can't recall a specific thing.

O'Mahoney looks deranged.

I used to utterly detest Australia, but that's softened to a mild degree of sympathy. Maybe as Campese has finally fucked off out of it - great, great player but utterly graceless twat.

I’ve always liked Healy to be honest. Also, whisper it, but I actually really like POM….

VdF is the one I’m really disappointed with, quickly getting a reputation for diving, moaning and being a bit of a dick - if any player doesn’t need to do that shite, it’s him.

Always liked the Aussies, probably the team I cheer for after Scotland

A poor man's Jamie Ritchie tbf.

Evan Roos also do that shite. Hope Fourie give him a backhand at some stage

[Biffer]

I dislike Cian Healy, although not sure why. I can't recall a specific thing.

O'Mahoney looks deranged.

I used to utterly detest Australia, but that's softened to a mild degree of sympathy. Maybe as Campese has finally fucked off out of it - great, great player but utterly graceless twat.

Might be the stamping or the biting?

The stamp on Dan Cole certainly didn't endear him to English fans. Worse still was the way many Irish supporters and pundits tried to defend him.

It's not as easy to hate Australia now that they're our bunnies. In the last decade we've played them 14 times and they've won twice.


On the trio of prick fly halves (Farrell, Biggar, Sexton), I don't really care if they're super nice off the field. On the pitch they regularly cross the line where competitiveness becomes being a dickhead. Worse still they seem toescape sanction where other players would at least be marched back for the same outbursts.

This is the thing with a certain type of Irish supporter- they'll never admit their guys were wrong. We're perfectly happy to hold our hands up to the times Hoggy was a bit of a dick, or to say Ritchie is a dirty bastard but he's our dirty bastard, but you hardly ever see an Irishman saying that about POM

[Jim Lahey]

Might be the stamping or the biting?

The stamp on Dan Cole certainly didn't endear him to English fans. Worse still was the way many Irish supporters and pundits tried to defend him.

It's not as easy to hate Australia now that they're our bunnies. In the last decade we've played them 14 times and they've won twice.


On the trio of prick fly halves (Farrell, Biggar, Sexton), I don't really care if they're super nice off the field. On the pitch they regularly cross the line where competitiveness becomes being a dickhead. Worse still they seem toescape sanction where other players would at least be marched back for the same outbursts.

This is the thing with a certain type of Irish supporter- they'll never admit their guys were wrong. We're perfectly happy to hold our hands up to the times Hoggy was a bit of a dick, or to say Ritchie is a dirty bastard but he's our dirty bastard, but you hardly ever see an Irishman saying that about POM

Excuse me, but I have never deviated from my POM is karnt stance.

I may have been less vocal about it since he started playing well the last few seasons, but at his heights of making 2 tackles a game for 2-3 seasons, I was yelling it from the roof tops.

[TheFrog]

I posted this on the other place, as I expressed my concern at Leinster's players habit of contesting the referee's decisions all the time. I thought that the below behavior in particular was especially inappropriate. In that case, Jaco had awarded La Rochelle a scrum after Aldritt sneakily tapped the ball put of Gibson-Park's hand at a maul. Gibson-Park complained once, Jaco sent him away, and then he came back at it a second time and actually allowed himself to touch the ref, holding him by the shoulder, Italian mafia way:

[TheFrog]

Get off the stage. We had some key decisions go badly against us. Winning the match decisons. Fuck all people have moaned about them

Only the captain is entitled to talk to the ref.
Nobody should touch him.

Uggly and disrespectful.

That and the constant arm waving is a disgrace to Irish rugby. A shame Bourgarit on La Rochelle side did his bit of arm waving too, but otherwise the La Rochelle lads were well behaved in comparison.

[salanya]

I'm all for maintaining the referee's respect in rugby, and happy for refs to use their authority to do so.

But you can pick players in pretty much every team who push the mark at times. The Leinster focus is mostly due to the team performing so well throughout the year (bar the last month of the season). A bit petty, especially seeing they've lost finals 2 years in a row.

And we all get the irk for players like Sexton and POM, and scrumhalves are always mouthy. Nothing new there, all acknowledged, happy for refs to call them out on it.
To start picking on all/other Leinster players like VDF and Lowe is just very petty again.

[sockwithaticket]

I don't see enough of the URC teams to judge them, but in the 6N Ireland and Wales are far and away the worst culprits as teams for flapping arms, appealing and getting at the ref.

The longet it goes undealt with, the more other teams will start to emulate.

[TheFrog]

I don't know if anybody noticed Ala'latoa checking one of the La Rochelle players prostate at a maul.

[Biffer]

The stamp on Dan Cole certainly didn't endear him to English fans. Worse still was the way many Irish supporters and pundits tried to defend him.

It's not as easy to hate Australia now that they're our bunnies. In the last decade we've played them 14 times and they've won twice.


On the trio of prick fly halves (Farrell, Biggar, Sexton), I don't really care if they're super nice off the field. On the pitch they regularly cross the line where competitiveness becomes being a dickhead. Worse still they seem toescape sanction where other players would at least be marched back for the same outbursts.

This is the thing with a certain type of Irish supporter- they'll never admit their guys were wrong. We're perfectly happy to hold our hands up to the times Hoggy was a bit of a dick, or to say Ritchie is a dirty bastard but he's our dirty bastard, but you hardly ever see an Irishman saying that about POM

Excuse me, but I have never deviated from my POM is karnt stance.

I may have been less vocal about it since he started playing well the last few seasons, but at his heights of making 2 tackles a game for 2-3 seasons, I was yelling it from the roof tops.

I'm more than happy to accept you as an exception, but you'll know what I mean from the reception you probably got from your fellow irishers.

[PornDog]

This is the thing with a certain type of Irish supporter- they'll never admit their guys were wrong. We're perfectly happy to hold our hands up to the times Hoggy was a bit of a dick, or to say Ritchie is a dirty bastard but he's our dirty bastard, but you hardly ever see an Irishman saying that about POM

Excuse me, but I have never deviated from my POM is karnt stance.

I may have been less vocal about it since he started playing well the last few seasons, but at his heights of making 2 tackles a game for 2-3 seasons, I was yelling it from the roof tops.

I'm more than happy to accept you as an exception, but you'll know what I mean from the reception you probably got from your fellow irishers.

Nah you definitely have that wrong - at least with regard to POM anyway. As Jim said, it's been relatively quiet the last 18 months or so with him because he's objectively been playing very well, but before that you had the Munster heads circling the wagons for him with everyone else out for his head. He's probably been the most divisive player amongst Irish fans (or maybe Murray - another who had been playing shite and is currently playing much better).


I should add, his elbow on Hogg was proper filth and he deserves Scots ire for it, but on the whole I don't think he's a dirty player, just spends too much energy looking angry and not enough time tackling/hitting rucks.

[Jim Lahey]

I think Biffer wants my all.time list of useless culchies and nordie cunts. Pull up a chair Biffer as this could go on. I'll start early

1. Jackie fucking Kyle

Wrong forum.
Willie, Winnie and Earl would have your hide for that.

[Biffer]

I think Biffer wants my all.time list of useless culchies and nordie cunts. Pull up a chair Biffer as this could go on. I'll start early

1. Jackie fucking Kyle

See you guys are kind of proving my point. You'll admit to players being useless, but not to them being good AND dirty.

[Jim Lahey]

I think Biffer wants my all.time list of useless culchies and nordie cunts. Pull up a chair Biffer as this could go on. I'll start early

1. Jackie fucking Kyle

See you guys are kind of proving my point. You'll admit to players being useless, but not to them being good AND dirty.

Jackie Kyle may very well have been a cunt, I wouldn't know.
But he doesn't look like he'd have been a thug in the Butch James / Jonny Sexton mould.

[Jim Lahey]

I think Biffer wants my all.time list of useless culchies and nordie cunts. Pull up a chair Biffer as this could go on. I'll start early

1. Jackie fucking Kyle

Wrong forum.
Willie, Winnie and Earl would have your hide for that.

I'd 100% go with it. Say I had a great uncle who played him and said he had a soft inside. Was well know for hiding behind Mullen and uttering obscenities at the opposition

I do miss Willie reacting to any and every imagined slight against Ulster greats like Willie John, Blair Mayne or Davy Tweed.

[PornDog]

I think Biffer wants my all.time list of useless culchies and nordie cunts. Pull up a chair Biffer as this could go on. I'll start early

1. Jackie fucking Kyle

See you guys are kind of proving my point. You'll admit to players being useless, but not to them being good AND dirty.

Meh, there aren't too many players I'd call dirty full stop. Players do occasionally do dirty things (POM, Healy, Knee-slip), but I wouldn't go so far as to call them dirty.

Hogg has done a dirty thing or two but I wouldn't ever call him a dirty player. Even Liam Williams, who was a dirty little knacker in his youth, certainly isn't that any more.

I'd call Farrell dirty, but that's mainly for the lolz - I hold World Rugby's incompetence far more culpable for the state of the tackle and rucks than I would any player.

Callum Clarke was proper dirty. Dylan Hartley of course, but not in the same league as Clarke. Clohessy is the last Irish player I can think of that deserves to be in that company, unless I'm missing someone obvious!

[Jim Lahey]

I think Biffer wants my all.time list of useless culchies and nordie cunts. Pull up a chair Biffer as this could go on. I'll start early

1. Jackie fucking Kyle

See you guys are kind of proving my point. You'll admit to players being useless, but not to them being good AND dirty.

Meh, there aren't too many players I'd call dirty full stop. Players do occasionally do dirty things (POM, Healy, Knee-slip), but I wouldn't go so far as to call them dirty.

Hogg has done a dirty thing or two but I wouldn't ever call him a dirty player. Even Liam Williams, who was a dirty little knacker in his youth, certainly isn't that any more.

I'd call Farrell dirty, but that's mainly for the lolz - I hold World Rugby's incompetence far more culpable for the state of the tackle and rucks than I would any player.

Callum Clarke was proper dirty. Dylan Hartley of course, but not in the same league as Clarke. Clohessy is the last Irish player I can think of that deserves to be in that company, unless I'm missing someone obvious!

Neil Best was a proper scummer. The type of scummer you'd 100% want in your team though

[Uncle fester]

IMG-20230522-WA0002.jpg (201.35 KiB) Viewed 1151 times

[Jim Lahey]

I enjoy a good Four Star Pizza as much as anyone but its a bit down market for Leinster as a kit sponsor shirley?

KPMG already blown their marketing budget for the next few years?

[OomStruisbaai]

Pizza is shite food like Leinster.

[Sandstorm]

I think Biffer wants my all.time list of useless culchies and nordie cunts. Pull up a chair Biffer as this could go on. I'll start early

1. Jackie fucking Kyle

See you guys are kind of proving my point. You'll admit to players being useless, but not to them being good AND dirty.

Jackie Kyle may very well have been a cunt, I wouldn't know.
But he doesn't look like he'd have been a thug in the Butch James / Jonny Sexton mould.

Butch was a thug. Sexton is just a whiny bitch.

[OomStruisbaai]

It's a shit joke from a supporter of a team about to be gaped in South Africa. Stormers if you let me down you are on the list

[Slick]

I just saw a stat from the game that the Leinster 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 didn't give or receive a pass to each other the entire match. That's extraordinary.

[JM2K6]

Slick: "Wow, the Leinster backline didn't pass to each other at all"
EverReady, making it his mission to defend Leinster to the death while maintaining an ever decreasingly convincing facade of ironic detachment: "Yes, La Rochelle are really quite limited you see"