The Official English Rugby Thread

[sockwithaticket]

The sort of start neutrals want for this game.

[Paddington Bear]

Very entertaining stuff

[SaintK]

35 points in 18 minutes

[sockwithaticket]

What a fantastic half of rugby.

[inactionman]

35 points in 18 minutes

Sounds like a typical Bath game.

[sockwithaticket]

If it carries on like this, then it's going to get suuuuper loose around the 60 minute mark. There's no way all the players on the pitch will be able to match this pace for the duration.

[Tichtheid]

Hutchinson just doesn't get a look in for the Scotland squad, but he is a really classy player

[sockwithaticket]

Northmore is such a quality player.

[Kawazaki]

First I've seen of Mitchell this season. Definitely better than Youngs.

[Sandstorm]

If it carries on like this, then it's going to get suuuuper loose around the 60 minute mark. There's no way all the players on the pitch will be able to match this pace for the duration.

Needs more box kicks

[OomStruisbaai]

What's wrong with English club rugby? The Irish will kill them.

[Tichtheid]

Saints should really have had a penalty at that scrum

[Paddington Bear]

And again scrum resets are allowed to kill the last 10 minutes

[sockwithaticket]

Saints are going to remain a mid-table team for as long as Boyd refuses to spend any money on front row forwards. He needs to shed his stated mindset of the scrum just being a restart.

[Oxbow]

What the fuck was Skosan doing there, cost us the point.

[SaintK]

Saints are going to remain a mid-table team for as long as Boyd refuses to spend any money on front row forwards. He needs to shed his stated mindset of the scrum just being a restart.

Yep Painters not cracked on and Hills gone backwards, Waller getting to his use by date and as for Aurerac

[Niegs]

Joe Marler

[Hal Jordan]

Once again, Quins prove that they are the Most Electrifying Team in Rugby!

One day we'll beat someone 18-6 and wonder what happened.

[JM2K6]

What's wrong with English club rugby? The Irish will kill them.

That's definitely what everyone was thinking watching today's game, yeah

[Slick]

35 points in 18 minutes

Sounds like a typical Bath game.

Underrated comment

[Rhubarb & Custard]

Any decent journalist would let them get their investigation done and presented, not rush a story/rumour out just to claim they broke an exclusive. If after the fact it's then being hushed up, or if the investigation was botched then by all means start writing stories about that.

This would be naive written in 1921, let alone 2021.

Piffle. Okay perhaps there are simply are no good journalists if they're just rushing to put out a story even if it's gibberish, but better to think that than to consider decent journalism is rushing to publish crap on the back of any source being willing to speak with or without attribution

And thinking everyone is crap sounds very 2021

[assfly]

Absolutely fantastic game.

[Margin__Walker]

From today’s Rugby Paper (Fissler):

English rugby is bracing itself for another salary cap scandal after Premier Rugby launched an investigation into a potential breaking of the rules.

Blindside understands that coaching staff and players have been interviewed by the salary cap manager about a potential breach.

The chief executive of the club, who are currently in the top six of the Premiership, has also been implicated and has faced a grilling.

The club under suspicion isn’t Saracens, who are currently second in the Premiership table after spending last season in the Championship after being found guilty of breaching the cap in 2019.

After being deducted 35 points and fined £5.3m in November 2019, they opted for a further points penalty rather than open up their books for a full forensic audit.

We believe this potential breach isn’t on the same scale, and the investigation will continue early in the New Year.

So, the suspects are;

Leicester
Northampton
Harlequins
Exeter
Gloucester

I'll piss myself laughing if it's Quins or Exeter.

It's Leicester. In the Times today. Relates to image rights and third party payments apparently.

[Kawazaki]

From today’s Rugby Paper (Fissler):

English rugby is bracing itself for another salary cap scandal after Premier Rugby launched an investigation into a potential breaking of the rules.

Blindside understands that coaching staff and players have been interviewed by the salary cap manager about a potential breach.

The chief executive of the club, who are currently in the top six of the Premiership, has also been implicated and has faced a grilling.

The club under suspicion isn’t Saracens, who are currently second in the Premiership table after spending last season in the Championship after being found guilty of breaching the cap in 2019.

After being deducted 35 points and fined £5.3m in November 2019, they opted for a further points penalty rather than open up their books for a full forensic audit.

We believe this potential breach isn’t on the same scale, and the investigation will continue early in the New Year.

So, the suspects are;

Leicester
Northampton
Harlequins
Exeter
Gloucester

I'll piss myself laughing if it's Quins or Exeter.

It's Leicester. In the Times today. Relates to image rights and third party payments apparently.

So the same charges as Saracens.

[SaintK]

So, the suspects are;

Leicester
Northampton
Harlequins
Exeter
Gloucester

I'll piss myself laughing if it's Quins or Exeter.

It's Leicester. In the Times today. Relates to image rights and third party payments apparently.

So the same charges as Saracens.

Ed Griffiths been in as a consultant?

[SaintK]

From today’s Rugby Paper (Fissler):

English rugby is bracing itself for another salary cap scandal after Premier Rugby launched an investigation into a potential breaking of the rules.

Blindside understands that coaching staff and players have been interviewed by the salary cap manager about a potential breach.

The chief executive of the club, who are currently in the top six of the Premiership, has also been implicated and has faced a grilling.

The club under suspicion isn’t Saracens, who are currently second in the Premiership table after spending last season in the Championship after being found guilty of breaching the cap in 2019.

After being deducted 35 points and fined £5.3m in November 2019, they opted for a further points penalty rather than open up their books for a full forensic audit.

We believe this potential breach isn’t on the same scale, and the investigation will continue early in the New Year.

So, the suspects are;

Leicester
Northampton
Harlequins
Exeter
Gloucester

I'll piss myself laughing if it's Quins or Exeter.

It's Leicester. In the Times today. Relates to image rights and third party payments apparently.

The Times is behind a paywall

Leicester have confirmed that they are co-operating with a Premiership Rugby investigation into historic image rights payments.

The Tigers have met with representatives from the umbrella organisation for the Gallagher Premiership to discuss the potential breach of salary cap regulations.

The league leaders have responded to a report stating that salary cap director Andrew Rogers is looking into their association with a company called Worldwide Image Management.

https://www.cityam.com/leicester-tig ... -breach/

[Slick]

Reading between the lines of the quotes coming out of the club they seem to know they are fucked.

[Margin__Walker]

Reading between the lines of the quotes coming out of the club they seem to know they are fucked.

Yep, definitely not getting 'nothing to see here' vibes. Potential wrongdoing being on the previous CEO's watch is neither here not there provided it's in the last 5 years (which is how far they can go back I believe)

[Bullet]

How many ex-players here got persuaded into playing Christmas charity games?

Don't do it, wanted 5 minutes but played whole 60 and can't walk now.
Boots went into the bin so never again

[Raggs]

How many ex-players here got persuaded into playing Christmas charity games?

Don't do it, wanted 5 minutes but played whole 60 and can't walk now.
Boots went into the bin so never again

Wanted to, but know I'm not ready yet, will start training again in the new year.

Another question, how many of your lots charity games were reffed by a current premiership and international ref, cos ours was

[Kawazaki]

How many ex-players here got persuaded into playing Christmas charity games?

Don't do it, wanted 5 minutes but played whole 60 and can't walk now.
Boots went into the bin so never again

Played in a few when I was still in my teens.

Anything older than that and you're in trouble.

[Happyhooker]

How many ex-players here got persuaded into playing Christmas charity games?

Don't do it, wanted 5 minutes but played whole 60 and can't walk now.
Boots went into the bin so never again

Played in my last when I was 43, having stopped playing at 41. It reinforced the wisdom of my decision to retire

[Bullet]

How many ex-players here got persuaded into playing Christmas charity games?

Don't do it, wanted 5 minutes but played whole 60 and can't walk now.
Boots went into the bin so never again

Played in my last when I was 43, having stopped playing at 41. It reinforced the wisdom of my decision to retire

Sounds similar but 52 now having stopped at 50.
1st team openside taking my put-in was the final straw.

[Raggs]

Not big news, but apparently 100% of Wasps players are fully vaccinated, which should help with travel requirements.

[SaintK]

News that Anthony Watson will not be renewing his contract at Bath at the end of this season
Don’t think he’s won a trophy since he joined, unlikely to win anything this season either

[duke]

News that Anthony Watson will not be renewing his contract at Bath at the end of this season
Don’t think he’s won a trophy since he joined, unlikely to win anything this season either

Pretty doubtful that he’ll be playing again this season given the mess he made of his knee

[inactionman]

News that Anthony Watson will not be renewing his contract at Bath at the end of this season
Don’t think he’s won a trophy since he joined, unlikely to win anything this season either

Real shame, even with the general malaise in the team he was - prior to latest knee knack - pretty much the only silver lining in some pretty dark clouds.

Thought it would be JJ of the heavily capped backs who would up sticks, suppose there's still time for him to go as well.

If he's opted not to renew it generally means his destination is a done deal, although it's not supposed to happen until New Year (I think there's rule saying players can only be approached from Jan onwards at end of contracts) so I'd assume it's not ben disclosed yet. Any rumours/bets?

On trophy front, it was his concussion that killed any realistic hopes we had of beating Sarries in the play-off final 5 or 6 years back. Clocked by Farrell, groggily gets beaten for opening try, gets subbed as he's clearly not right and that was about it.

[sockwithaticket]

News that Anthony Watson will not be renewing his contract at Bath at the end of this season
Don’t think he’s won a trophy since he joined, unlikely to win anything this season either

Real shame, even with the general malaise in the team he was - prior to latest knee knack - pretty much the only silver lining in some pretty dark clouds.

Thought it would be JJ of the heavily capped backs who would up sticks, suppose there's still time for him to go as well.

If he's opted not to renew it generally means his destination is a done deal, although it's not supposed to happen until New Year (I think there's rule saying players can only be approached from Jan onwards at end of contracts) so I'd assume it's not ben disclosed yet. Any rumours/bets?

On trophy front, it was his concussion that killed any realistic hopes we had of beating Sarries in the play-off final 5 or 6 years back. Clocked by Farrell, groggily gets beaten for opening try, gets subbed as he's clearly not right and that was about it.

Worcester or Bristol are the only ones that spring to mind when trying to think of clubs happy to pay a decent wedge for an older (though still no old) outside back with a history of lengthy injuries who's away with the national team a lot when fit.

[notfatcat]

I think the Jan earliest approach thing was knocked on the head recently.

[ASMO]

He is still in his prime and on his day probably the best winger in the prem.

Reckon Sarries might make a move for him, he gives them options at 15 too.

Lewington and Maitland are pretty jank.