The Rugby Thread

[PeteC]

5 minute highlights

[PeteC]

They must have read my posts.

Pablo Matera reinstated as Argentina captain as his and team-mates' suspensions lifted

https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/55170028

Pablo Matera has been reinstated as Argentina captain and had his and two team-mates' suspensions for "discriminatory and xenophobic" comments on social media lifted.

Matera, Guido Petti and Santiago Socino were suspended on Tuesday for posts made between 2011 and 2013.

But the Argentine Rugby Union (UAR) now says such measures were "unnecessary".

It said the players' apologies and good behaviour in the years since meant their suspensions could be lifted.

"The preventive measures are unnecessary so we have resolved to lift the suspension of the three players and reinstate the captaincy to Pablo Matera," the UAR said in a statement.

"The disciplinary process continues and the commission will arrive at a final resolution in the next few days."

Flanker Matera, lock Petti and hooker Socino had their social media accounts closed on Tuesday but screenshots of historical posts which disparaged black people and people from other South American nations circulated widely.

The UAR said the posts were "imprudent and immature".

Their discovery had followed criticism of the team for not doing enough to mark the death of Argentina football legend Diego Maradona before their defeat against New Zealand on Saturday.

The trio have not been named in the Pumas' squad this Saturday's Test against Australia to protect them after they received "a lot of hate" since the posts were discovered, said Argentina head coach Mario Ledesma.

"All I can say about these three fine players and great men is that they are great human beings," he said.

"They have been suffering a lot this week, their families have been suffering a lot this week, and it's really sad to see. Obviously they acknowledge what they did and they are really regretful and ashamed of what they did, and we all are."

Matera, 27, who plays his club rugby for Stade Francais, has won 69 caps and led his side to a famous victory over New Zealand on 14 November.

"I can say they are not the same people they were when they were 17, 18 years old," added Ledesma.

"They are great men, family men, Pablo has a kid now, he's a great leader and a great example."

Centre Jeronimo de la Fuente will lead the side against Australia on Saturday, with Matias Alemanno replacing Petti in a new second row with Marcos Kremer. Santiago Grondona takes Matera's spot at blind-side flanker.

[pharvey]

Glad to see Fiji will actually get a game. The backline will be too strong for Georgia, but the forwards could well be another matter.....

Radradra will cause a fair few problems for Georgia ........

"Fiji have been given the go-ahead to make their first appearance in the Autumn Nations Cup when they face Georgia at Murrayfield on Saturday.

Fiji's matches with France, Italy and Scotland were cancelled after a Covid-19 outbreak in the squad.

But after a spell of quarantine and a round of negative tests, Fiji are set to belatedly take to the field.

"What we have lived through is difficult," head coach Vern Cotter said.

"In this kind of situation people grow and become better individuals and they have time to think and reflect.

"I think we have been able to do that as individuals and also as a team."

Cotter has named an inexperienced forward pack, with flankers Johnny Dyer and Mesulame Kunavula, as well as lock Temo Mayanavanua, making their international debuts.

But the backline is fully loaded, with captain Semi Radradra lining up alongside fellow superstars Nemani Nadolo, Josua Tuisova and Levani Botia.

The two sides will compete for seventh place. Georgia finished bottom of Pool A after being beaten by England, Wales and Ireland, while Fiji's three aborted matches all resulted in automatic 28-0 defeats.

Fiji team to face Georgia
Fiji: Murimurivalu; Tuisova, Radradra, Botia, Nadolo; Volavola, Lomani; Ravai, Matavesi, Doge, Ratuva, Mayanavanu, Dyer, Kunavula, Tuisue

Replacements: Ikanivere, Hetet, Tawake, Minimbi, Ratuniyarawa, Kuruvoli, Vularika, Nayacalevu"

[dtaai-maai]

I'm watching Australia vs Argentina. The Aussie commentators are sooo biased!

[pharvey]

I'm watching Australia vs Argentina. The Aussie commentators are sooo biased!

They're renowned for it - and generally they're cr@p

Despite the conditions and handling errors, I'm enjoying the game, certainly not the scoreline I was expecting at this stage. Incredible defence from the Pumas, but can they keep it up for the full 80 with such domination territory and possession-wise from the Green & Golds....

[dtaai-maai]

16-16

A watchable game in difficult conditions. Probably a fair result.

[dtaai-maai]

A good day's rugby. I'd hoped to see at least some of Leicester v Exeter, but buffstream wasn't cooperating.

Scotland played really well for the first 30 minutes, but after that they got thrashed. I liked the look of the new Scotland no. 10. (There were so many Van der Somethings playing in that game, I sometimes forgot which teams I was watching!)

Likewise, Italy were pretty impressive (and ahead) for 50 minutes, but Wales pulled it together in the final 30 mins for a final score that was possibly slightly flattering. Faletau and Tiperic were hugely impressive. So often Italy look good or at least stay within striking distance for 50 minutes and then let the game get away from them. It can't be fitness, surely, in this day and age. Some of their decision-making is questionable and their discipline is always dodgy, but they don't seem to have learnt a few vital lessons over the last 20+ years.

Incidentally, after the Wales game finished I switched to West Ham-Man U - it requires a real mental adjustment!

[pharvey]

Firstly, apologies for the long post - I'm in "Rugby Saturation" mode and have to get things off my chest. For some reason, the LHG is reluctant to listen..

Friday's match between Bristol and Saints was one to watch purely for the finish - Northampton will be completely gutted and must be feeling hard done by..... Big Boy on the other hand will no doubt have been dancing in his jockstrap in Hua Hin's early hours (not a pleasant thought I know..... ). Northampton were on a run of 15 losses from 17, had been stuffed by Bristol on their last visit and were far from favorites.

Both sides were missing key players, but Saints took a 14-0 lead and were looking good at 14-5 at HT. Scrappy 2nd half in cr@ppy conditions, Northampton were 17-15 up in the dying seconds - only for Bristol to be awarded a (very) borderline penalty for a "Deliberate" knock-on (rules are rules)... Last kick of the game, 17-18 Bristol!

A good day's rugby. I'd hoped to see at least some of Leicester v Exeter, but buffstream wasn't cooperating.

Having BT Sports can be a headache in a good way with regards to rugby - all Premiership games being shown yesterday - put that together with the internationals (screened elsewhere) and there was something like 12 hours of rugby to watch yesterday - I only saw +/- 8hrs (still a couple more recorded )...... The LHG was not overly impressed.

Picked the Warriors vs Bath for obvious reasons, which was full of action, provided Bath with a much needed bonus point win.
30 minutes in and Bath were 2 tries up and it could so very easily have been 2 or 3 tries to nil the other way! In the opening 15 to 20 mins, Bath escaped on several occasions mainly due to poor handling or decision making by the Warriors. They also lost "our" Rhys with a clash of heads in a tackle early on. Have to say at this point I was fearing the worst - 2 tries very much against the run of play, a further deserved try through the forwards, and Bath were 21-3 to the good at HT.... Somewhat flattering. Come the 2nd half, Bath were a different team - huge forward pressure and killed off the match being 5 tries up. The Warriors came back with 2 tries after Bath made multiple changes and were yellow carded..... 17-33 Bath

Scotland played really well for the first 30 minutes, but after that they got thrashed. I liked the look of the new Scotland no. 10. (There were so many Van der Somethings playing in that game, I sometimes forgot which teams I was watching!)

It's a worry for Scotland and I truly do feel for them. They had something like 5 or 6 straight victories playing a fairly abrasive style of rugby, which was extremely good for them. Ireland put paid to that in a big way - I just hope Scotland are not going through another of their "False Dawns".

As for the Scottish Flyhalf and the multitude of "Van der Somethings...", personally I'm completely against the whole (3 year) residence thing, or long lost second cousin's once removed auntie who had a cat living in the same town, which qualifies players to represent international sides. All teams are guilty to a certain extent (some more than others), but the rules make it far too easy. I honestly don't have a problem when guys like Faletau (Wales) or the Vunipola brothers (England) who have been brought up in the UK from an early age and have been schooled in rugby here are playing - I think it's superb (especially the way Faletau is playing ).

Likewise, Italy were pretty impressive (and ahead) for 50 minutes, but Wales pulled it together in the final 30 mins for a final score that was possibly slightly flattering. Faletau and Tiperic were hugely impressive. So often Italy look good or at least stay within striking distance for 50 minutes and then let the game get away from them. It can't be fitness, surely, in this day and age. Some of their decision-making is questionable and their discipline is always dodgy, but they don't seem to have learnt a few vital lessons over the last 20+ years.

Christ, Wales...... Let's face it, aside from some positives, we were shite and would have been taken to the cleaners by a multitude of sides (both club and international)

Faletau and Tiperic were in a class of their own - Faletau on current form must be a front runner for the Lions, Tiperic is only an outside bet purely due to the multitude of talented 7's available. That said, the way these two compliment each other is a huge bonus. George North looked good at 13, making big yards every time with the ball - he just needs it more often! A fair portion of the blame there needs to go with Sheedy who (aside from his place-kicking) had a poor game at Flyhalf - poor decision making, poor execution.... poor. His Bristol teammate Ioan Lloyd also had a woeful game - fair enough, he's just 19, but he's a long way off from this display. Nowhere to be seen at times in defence due to poor (at best) positioning and poor tackling. He was chatting to the "waterboys" for the first Italian try when he should have been in the "sweeper" position. Fair enough, he was going to do nothing to stop the 2nd try against an 18 stone Jarpie galloping like a mad giraffe, but an attempt at a tackle would have been nice (and possibly less painful). Must be said, Rees-Zammit was also to blame for the 2nd try - out of position despite George North screaming instructions..... The youngsters need to be a part of the squad and learn from those experienced players, and they have a lot to learn!

Wales' lineout continues to be a disaster - the only positive for Wales in this facet of the game, was that Italy's lineout was far worse! Pivac continues to mess around with selections in the 2nd Row and Hooker which doesn't help and which at times don't really make sense ...... It really can't be expressed in words how much Ken Owens is missed.

Front Row...... Well, we can't do without Francis, we miss Owens and we can do without the confusing "selections" from Pivac - understood about as well as the style of play supposedly being introduced.

Aren't you impressed I didn't mention Wayne Barnes? ..... DAMN!!

[Big Boy]

Big Boy on the other hand will no doubt have been dancing in his jockstrap in Hua Hin's early hours.

Did you hack into our CCTV?

[dtaai-maai]

England 57-0 France
Wow, what a performance from England! Full of exciting running rugby, vigorous defence and complete domination of an inexperienced French side, with a kicking masterclass from Own Farrell, with 6 conversions and 5 penalties.

And then I woke up to find we'd snatched a draw in the dying seconds and extra time was about to start...

[lindosfan1]

Not a good performance from England, poor kicking, gave away to many penalties, handling not good. But the end was better, I almost felt sorry for the French.

[lindosfan1]

Well done Big Boy finished top. Thanks to PHarvey for setting it up. One oddity I have noticed Pharvey a rugby fanatic does not do well in the rugby league. However in the football league which he states he does not know much he is a lot better. Are we being conned.

[pharvey]

Well done Big Boy finished top. Thanks to PHarvey for setting it up. One oddity I have noticed Pharvey a rugby fanatic does not do well in the rugby league. However in the football league which he states he does not know much he is a lot better. Are we being conned.

Being Welsh, I can't bet against the team...... and generally can't bet on England - it is our national sport after all Hence a poor display on the Rugby Prediction League!!

As for the "Football", God only knows what's happened there!! Never fear though, I'm sure all will come right in the end....

BB..

[pharvey]

As for England vs France, well..... Not being biased , but I honestly don't think England deserved to win (bl**dy ref and his so-called knock on) - Mr Jones certainly a relieved man at the end of it, and it showed on his face.

"Europe's best" were made to look average by France's 3rds at the end of the day - despite England having an off day (at best), it's all a bit worrying for the rest of us - Les Bleus have talent in spades (probably can't say that) and are way ahead in building for the RWC in 2023 (IN FRANCE!!) A very talented young group of players, fired up, with a great coaching team - WTF were Wales doing letting Pivac dispense of Edwards' talent.... we've gone back 20 years in the space of one.

England picked a bl**dy strong side and were taken down a peg or two quite frankly. From what many (including myself) thought was going to be a meaningless match beforehand, France will take away many more bonus points than the Lillywhites. That said, it's going to be a long hard 6 Nations for Wales (Scotland, Italy.......).

Man of The Match sorry (being sexist/racist/whatever) "Player" of The Match Billy Vunipola? Not so sure.... That said, it highlights (IMO) how and why Faletau (his cousin) is above him in the pecking order for No. 8 for the British & Irish Lions.... Wouldn't take Farrell as a kicker though..

[Big Boy]

Thanks for the congratulations guys, but I have been doing so badly in all prediction leagues recently, I hadn't looked, and didn't know I was even in contention.