The Rugby Thread

[pharvey]

Well, More games called off this weekend....

Bath vs London Irish
Newcastle vs Leicester
Munster vs Leinster
Glasgow vs Edinburgh

Then again, both Harlequins vs Bristol & Exeter vs Gloucester are still on (for now)
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Not to mention.....
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[pharvey]

Well, not the result I was expecting.....

Wasps 34 vs Exeter 5

The afternoon did not go well for Exeter - they had picked a "weakened" side, but the strength in depth they have in the squad is enviable to say the least. They were poor by their own standards and down to 14 to a yellow card mid-way through the 2nd half but you certainly can't take it away from Wasps. They put 5 tries on the "double" champions where Exeter had only shipped 3 in their first 4 games...

Wasps will be a team to beat this season it seems!

[dtaai-maai]

^^Yes, good game (buffstreams did the business again for that and the Spurs game). Pleased for Wasps and for Joe Launchbury, who's back in favour with Eddie Jones - I keep an eye on him as we went to the same school, though I'm told he was a wee bit better in the scrum than I was...

[pharvey]

Pleased for Wasps and for Joe Launchbury, who's back in favour with Eddie Jones - I keep an eye on him as we went to the same school, though I'm told he was a wee bit better in the scrum than I was...

Yep, Launchbury had a cracking game - he's been playing well of late. Better scrummager than you DM?

The Gloucester (19) vs Sale (22) match was full of incident and IMO I think Gloucester will feel hard done by - they were their own worst enemies at times, but the refereeing was poor. Yellow card given and missed, knock-ons/forward passes/offsides et al missed (for both sides, but favouring the visitors I feel).

Scuffle at the end of the match when Twelvetrees shoved a "Waterboy" for pulling the ball out of reach (and making it dead) - Twelvetrees yellow carded, "Waterboy" sent off, Sale given a penalty....

Another point with this match was that Sale had 6 South African forwards (not to mention 2 backs) playing I had a quick look to check, and apparently there are a total of 44 South Africans on the books of Premiership Clubs..... Can't be good for domestic rugby in SA.

[pharvey]

A useful link for rugby (and other sports) fixtures and broadcasts (although the latter more so for UK/Europe) is: -

https://www.wheresthematch.com/live-rugby-union-on-tv/

[dtaai-maai]

Bath v Wasps... Jeez, what an amazing game!!

[pharvey]

Bath v Wasps... Jeez, what an amazing game!!

I despair at the standard of refereeing (not biased against Bath), I despair at Bath's defence - good God can we do with a defence coach..... Bath's season seems dead in the water, apparently Priestland is also in talks with Cardiff - why in God's name would Bath let him go? Then again, they play one of the best Number 8's in the game at 6.... go figure

And yes DM, quite a game - 96 points in 86 minutes.....

[Big Boy]

Somebody called Simon Elias has invited me to join a pool - Six Nations Prediction League. Is he one of us, or am I being head hunted ?

[PeteC]

AKA the handle. "Selgwent". I've seen that before on one or more of our pools I think.

[PeteC]

He lists as from Wales so I think one of Pharvey's recruits. You going to start your own Pharvey, or just go with Selgwent?

[Big Boy]

Oh, I've zapped the head hunting offer.

[pharvey]

He lists as from Wales so I think one of Pharvey's recruits. You going to start your own Pharvey, or just go with Selgwent?

AKA the handle. "Selgwent". I've seen that before on one or more of our pools I think.

I've started pools as Open rather than Private in the passed and "Selgwent" (why would you want to sell Gwent?) has joined in the past. He is simply starting a pool with members he has played against previously - I've also had an invitation as I'm sure all others who were in the league have. And no, I don't know Simon Elias despite him being a fellow countryman.....

I'll start a league for HHF as normal for those interested.....

[pharvey]

I'd not seen this one previously, but while watching the Newcastle vs Gloucester game this afternoon (ongoing), the Newcastle players were wearing these so called "Xpatches". Tracking devices are a common sight in players shirts used to monitor movement, fitness et al, but had to look this one up....
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Whilst this report relates to Saracens rather than Newcastle, it's the same bit of kit: -

More info and video at link: - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/30671380

"Saracens players wore impact sensors behind their ears in Saturday's win against London Irish as they launched a new concussion research programme.

The device, called the Xpatch and produced by a US company, measures the size and angle of hits to the head.

"We don't want to meet our players in 20 years' time to find them suffering from dementia and reflect we suspected something was going on but didn't really know," said Edward Griffiths.

"We want to know - we want answers."

The Saracens chief executive added: "We feel obliged to ask these questions, however uncomfortable they may be.""

[pharvey]

Well, stuffs the European Cup competitions and doesn't bode well for the Six Nations. Rugby fecked for another year IMO (cancellation of the British & Irish Lions tour to follow shortly methinks...).

"The major European club cup competitions are set to be suspended after the French government advised its clubs not to take part in cross-border matches because of the coronavirus variant that has sent the transmission rate soaring in Britain – but it will wait before deciding if France should postpone its Six Nations matches.

The French sports ministry held a meeting with the organisers of the Champions and Challenge Cups, European Professional Club Rugby, and the body that runs the Top 14, Ligue Nationale de Rugby, on Thursday after some French clubs had called for a boycott of European competitions in protest at the testing regime."

More @: - https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/ ... tish-sides

[pharvey]

Perhaps certain other "ball sports" should take notice....

From the BBC: -

"Bristol Bears and England prop Kyle Sinckler has been cited after allegedly swearing at a referee.

The British & Irish Lions forward was heard using foul language towards Karl Dickson in Saturday's Premiership win at Exeter.

The 27-year-old was spoken to by Dickson on the pitch and will appear before a disciplinary panel on Tuesday.

If found guilty of "failing to respect the authority of the match official", he faces a minimum ban of two weeks."

I think you'll find Liam Williams will also regret comments made after his sending off against Cardiff - they won't help him at his disciplinary hearing that's for sure.....

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rug ... l-19595974