Rugby 2020: No Gatland or Schmidt

[Ray de Galles]

Another great game in Super Rugby Aotearoa this morning between the Blues and Highlanders. Worth seeing a rerun or highlights if you can (S4C are showing roundups of the weekend's action on Sunday evenings).

I've watched every game so far and having only NZ teams means the quality of the play and intensity of the rivalries between sides makes for an even more compelling competition than the normal Super Rugby, which seems a little diluted in comparison.

Though perhaps I'm allowing the fact that it is pretty much the only sporting competition in the world being played in normal conditions to colour my view too much.

[ooh aah]

Nah, the NZ sides are just that good, they've been streets ahead of the rest in super rugby for years.

[ursus arctos]

Yeah, this is the highest quality domestic club rugby competition in the history of the sport

[Antepli Ejderha]

Rhys Carre is back at the Blues, he's rejoined after a year at Saracens and signed a long term contract. I don't think he'd have returned if it wasn't for Saracens cheating.

Ellis Genge and George Ford have resolved their differences with Leicester over pay, I presume the others have too.

It's very uncertain times in rugby with the unions heavily reliant on internationals to fund development, lots of talk in Wales of pay cuts but nothing yet.

[Ray de Galles]

Twickenham tickets for England games could be corporate-only this autumn

[Antepli Ejderha]

Rhys Carre is back at the Blues, he's rejoined after a year at Saracens and signed a long term contract. I don't think he'd have returned if it wasn't for Saracens cheating.

Ellis Genge and George Ford have resolved their differences with Leicester over pay, I presume the others have too.

It's very uncertain times in rugby with the unions heavily reliant on internationals to fund development, lots of talk in Wales of pay cuts but nothing yet.

The other six Leicester players are leaving, they include Manu Tuilagi.

[ursus arctos]

Beauden Barrett has signed a two year contact with Suntory Sungoliath in Japan.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Beauden Barrett has signed a two year contact with Suntory Sungoliath in Japan.

Is that counting as a sabbatical?

[ursus arctos]

I see it more as capitalising on the increased money in the Japanese game following the World Cup.

Though it is absolutely possible that he has decided that the level of competition in Super Rugby Aotearoa is too intense for him to have a long career.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Two years means he'll be back for the next RWC so it seems like he's been given the blessing of the federation to make some money.

[Ray de Galles]

Bloody hell, I must have scan read UA's post and spent yesterday thinking you were talking about Brad Barrit going to Japan (as he's leaving Salarycens) and wondered why on earth you were talking about Super Rugby Aotearoa and RWC 2023 for a 33 year old English-qualified Saffer.

It turns out Beauden Barrett will miss Super Rugby in 2021 but play for the All Blacks in late 2021 before remaining in New Zealand up until the 2023 World Cup.

[ursus arctos]

Gatland's Chiefs lose their fourth in a row to the previously winless Hurricanes

[Ray de Galles]

Saw that match this morning, the Chiefs looked like Gatland's Wales at low points in his reign - constantly trucking it down the middle playing a narrow power game but basic errors and bad decision making costing them far too often. The Hurricanes defence and counter-attack were very impressive though.

[ursus arctos]

The Hurricanes are better than their record.

Not so the Chiefs.

[Antepli Ejderha]

I've just been catching up on some podcasts on my commute to work.

I strongly recommend Scrum V with Scott Baldwin.

The ones with Liam Williams and Willis Halaholo are also good but Scott Baldwin comes across really well and talks really openly about his gambling and other issues.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p084zk2x

[Antepli Ejderha]

Tomas Francis has signed a new contract at Exeter, some confusion over is it an extension or a completely new deal. Whatever it is he's only got 48 caps and could be unavailable to Wales. A huge blow if this turns out to be the case.

Manu Tuigali is probably off to Sale, where are they getting their money from?

[Ray de Galles]

Just caught up with the NZ games from the weekend and the Crusaders v Blues one was absolutely amazing. I cannot recall a game of such intensity outside the latter stages of a World Cup or perhaps a 6 Nations decider. Ridiculous levels of all-round skill, pace and brutal defence from both teams.

[ursus arctos]

Yeah, there is no question in my mind that this is the highest intensity club rugby competition of all time.

It is actually too intense for it to become a regular thing. The clubs and players need the opportunity to play the other SuperRugby sides.

[Ray de Galles]

The Lions are sticking to the originally planned July/August dates for the South Africa tour - which doesn't bode well for a new global calendar to be agreed.

In other news, Jamie Roberts is said to be in talks with regard to signing for the Dragons.

[Antepli Ejderha]

The Lions are sticking to the originally planned July/August dates for the South Africa tour - which doesn't bode well for a new global calendar to be agreed.

In other news, Jamie Roberts is said to be in talks with regard to signing for the Dragons.

So bad news and good news.

Roberts has a lot to offer, more as a playing mentor than an actual player. He's only 33 so with proper care he's got 2 or 3 seasons left. I've just listened to his Scrum V interview and he comes across well.

The Dragons need a big second row, a real old school player beef up the pack. Like Gough or Sidoli did for them in the past. Will Rowlands might be able to do that.

[Ray de Galles]

Bloody hell!

https://twitter.com/leicestertigers/status/1283718304255836160?s=21

https://twitter.com/leicestertigers/status/1283719304643477505?s=21

[Ray de Galles]

Been mooted for a while and now confirmed ;

This year's Autumn Tests are set to be replaced by an eight-team tournament involving all four home nations plus France, Italy, Japan and Fiji.

It will begin on 14 November - two weeks after the final round of the 2020 Six Nations is completed.

Wales' game with Scotland, Ireland's trip to France, and England's match in Italy have been scheduled for 31 October after being postponed in March.

The other outstanding tie - Ireland v Italy - will be played the week before.

Scotland's meeting with Wales appears more likely to be held at Twickenham than in Cardiff.

No decision has been taken yet on whether fans will be allowed into the Six Nations matches, but the RFU is hopeful supporters will be able to attend games in the new tournament.

RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney said last month the union is planning for up to 40,000 fans to be able to attend the Twickenham Tests, pending governmental approval.

England will face Wales, Ireland and Fiji in one group, with the latter two fixtures at Twickenham and the venue of the first game still to be decided.

In the other pool, Scotland will host Japan and France at Murrayfield and face Italy in Rome.

The tournament will be staged on four consecutive weekends until 5 December, with each team facing their equivalent in the other pool on that final weekend with the venue to be decided.

Official confirmation of the schedule and the venues is expected in August.

[ursus arctos]

I had completely forgotten that the Six Nations has not been completed.

Presumably this means that the single location version of the Rugby Championship is also on for the autumn

[Ray de Galles]

As far as I've heard, yes - though obviously everything with SANZAAR is in a state of flux at the moment too.

You would imagine it would have to be in NZ. Speaking of which, The Crusaders home defeat to the Hurricanes was a very good thing for Super Rugby Aotearoa but the ever more painful ways of losing games that the Chiefs keep finding are getting beyond belief.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

I like the sound of the autumn tournament. If it concludes with England playing Scotland in one of the concluding playoff games, does that become a Calcutta Cup match?