Rugby Union 2013-14

[Antepli Ejderha]

As it says on the tin.

The Heineken kicked off at the weekend with the Pro-12 sides trying to make a statement.

Of the three Welsh sides the Scarlets did that with an away win over Harlequins. Cardiff got trounced and the ospreys lost at home for only the second time in the Heineken.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Rugby Union 2013-14

Cardiff got trounced, but only after a game where they conceded six tries in the first half then came out and scored four of their own without reply in the second (two whilst Exeter were down to 13 men) until a late penalty for the Chiefs finally put it out of their reach. At one point they's reduced a 41 point deficit to 12 and it did not seem impossible they could have gone on to win.

It must go down as one of the most remarkable games of Rugby in the sport's history.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Rugby Union 2013-14

Didn't see the game Rogin but none of the reports I read said that the Blues could have pulled off the great escape.

Only saw the second half of Racing Metro versus Clermont which Clermont should have won but didn't. How many times will we hear that this season?

[Ray de Galles]

Rugby Union 2013-14

I stopped watching at half time. I had been trying to dry out my shivering, wringing wet 6 year old son in the clubhouse of Weybridge RFC following his mini-rugby festival there and while I'd like to pretend I packed the game in to get him home and dry but I think I just wanted to avoid the humiliation.

I won't kid myself that the second half was of any significance because nobody else is trying to. Exeter just eased up and miscalibrated a bit. Cardiff appear to think the HEC has already been ended as a competition so didn't bother.

Employing a coach solely because he is the cheapest option available is looking more and more moronic every day.

Llanelli, on the other hand, were as magnificent as Harlequins were turgid, a very enjoyable game.

.

[Ray de Galles]

Rugby Union 2013-14

I see there's an angry torch-wielding mob following the players shouting "Where are the white shorts?!"



.

[Toby Gymshorts]

Rugby Union 2013-14

I'm off to Wembley tomorrow night for Saracens v Toulouse. Free tickets too, although this slightly worries me that the place will be mostly empty.

[Ray de Galles]

Rugby Union 2013-14

Yes, I considered it as I had a few offers but the memory of the flat atmosphere in a quarter full Twickenham for their HEC quarter-final last season put me off.

That and the fact I hate Saracens and all they stand for.

[Toby Gymshorts]

Rugby Union 2013-14

Which is why I shall be supporting Toulouse.

I think I've probably got some tickets going spare as well.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Rugby Union 2013-14

Round two of the Heineken is over and some great games.

Sunday's scores:

Northampton 27 Ospreys 16
Perpignan 31 Edinburgh 14
Glasgow 20 Exeter 16
Clermont 23 Harlequins 16

Saturday's:

Cardiff 19 Toulon 15
Zebre 6 Connacht 33
Leinster 19 Castres 7
Montpellier 8 Ulster 25
Munster 26 Gloucester 10
Scarlets 26 Racing Metro 26

Friday's:

Saracens 16 Toulouse 17
Leicester 34 Benetton Treviso 3

[Antepli Ejderha]

Rugby Union 2013-14

Only Leinster, Toulouse and Ulster have 100% records after two games.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Rugby Union 2013-14

The Exeter/Cardiff/Toulon/Glasgow group already looks like a winner-takes-all affair (inasmuch the runners-up won't be going through). All teams on 1 win and 1 defeat after today and only separated by bonus points.

[Ray de Galles]

Rugby Union 2013-14

Toby Gymshorts wrote: Which is why I shall be supporting Toulouse.

I think I've probably got some tickets going spare as well.

Well that all worked out well in the end, eh? How was the whole experience?

I'd be interested to hear if you think the 60,000+ attendance Saracens are trumpeting is genuine? I was a watching it on an iPad via 3G so maybe it wasn't accurate but it didn't look anything like that full to me.

Been busy attending and doing other sports in the pouring rain all weekend so only caught snatches of the HEC so far but exceptionally happy with Cardiff's win and the atmosphere at the Arms Park , much needed.

May attend both London Scottish's and Harlequin's games next week (the latter as my son's club is affiliated to them and they have training with their coaches in the morning and then form a "guard of honour" when the teams runout).

Still trying to establish a new regular London side to watch and to get to more live club rugby in general.

.

[Flynnie]

Rugby Union 2013-14

Harry Truscott wrote:

Which is why I shall be supporting Toulouse.

I think I've probably got some tickets going spare as well.

Well that all worked out well in the end, eh? How was the whole experience?

I'd be interested to hear if you think the 60,000+ attendance Saracens are trumpeting is genuine? I was a watching it on an iPad via 3G so maybe it wasn't accurate but it didn't look anything like that full to me.

Been busy attending and doing other sports in the pouring rain all weekend so only caught snatches of the HEC so far but exceptionally happy with Cardiff's win and the atmosphere at the Arms Park , much needed.

May attend both London Scottish and Harlequins games next week (the latter as my son's club is affiliated to them and they have training with their coaches in the morning and then form a "guard of honour" when the teams runout.

Still trying to establish a new regular London side to watch and to get to more live club rugby in general.

I was going to say why the fuck aren't you going to Welsh.

Then I remembered they play in Oxford now.

Then I broke something.

[Toby Gymshorts]

Rugby Union 2013-14

Harry Truscott wrote:

Well that all worked out well in the end, eh? How was the whole experience?

I'd be interested to hear if you think the 60,000+ attendance Saracens are trumpeting is genuine? I was a watching it on an iPad via 3G so maybe it wasn't accurate but it didn't look anything like that full to me.

It did indeed! I missed the very end of the game due to a misunderstanding with my mate and fell foul of the 'no readmittance' routine which the extremely officious staff are more than happy to enforce. The new stadium's alright, I guess, but an oddly soulless experience.

As for the attendance, I think they're playing a little fast and loose there; the number of tickets sold / given away might have been around that number but there were a fair few empty seats dotted around.

[JM Footzee]

Rugby Union 2013-14

Robert Kitson's England first to fourth XVs:

15: Brown/Goode/Tait/Pennell
14: Ashton/Wade/Sharples/Nowell
13: Tomkins/Burrell/Joseph/Trinder
12: Twelvetrees/Eastmond/Hill/Geraghty
11: Yarde/Foden/May/Strettle
10: Farrell/Burns/Flood/Ford
09: Youngs/Care/Dickson/Thomas

01: Corbisiero/Vunipola/Marler/Mullan
02: Youngs/Hartley/Webber/Whitehead
03: Cole/Wilson/Thomas/Doran-Jones
04: Parling/Attwood/Robson/Kitchener
05: Launchbury/Lawes/Kruis/Myall
06: Wood/Johnson/Slater/Clark
07: Kvesic/Robshaw/Fraser/Wallace
08: Vunipola/Morgan/Ewers/Crane

His standby list: D Paice, R Buchanan, J George, N Catt, N Wood, A Waller, C Matthews, T Savage, J Gibson, S Dickinson, R Wigglesworth, J Simpson, S Myler, H Slade, E Daly, J Elliott, U Monye, A Watson, N Abendanon.

His injured list: T Croft, M Tuilagi, B Barritt, J Haskell, L Cowan-Dickie.

The only people he leaves out of the Saxons squad named in August are Anthony Allen (who I believe is injured) and Thomas Waldrom. I note he left out the black sheep that are Cipriani/the Armitages.

Why post this when I only take a very casual interest in rugby? Because I like reading about selection and I'm intrigued to see what you chaps think.

[Toro Toro]

Rugby Union 2013-14

Harry Truscott wrote:

Which is why I shall be supporting Toulouse.

I think I've probably got some tickets going spare as well.

Well that all worked out well in the end, eh? How was the whole experience?

I'd be interested to hear if you think the 60,000+ attendance Saracens are trumpeting is genuine? I was a watching it on an iPad via 3G so maybe it wasn't accurate but it didn't look anything like that full to me.

Been busy attending and doing other sports in the pouring rain all weekend so only caught snatches of the HEC so far but exceptionally happy with Cardiff's win and the atmosphere at the Arms Park , much needed.

May attend both London Scottish's and Harlequin's games next week (the latter as my son's club is affiliated to them and they have training with their coaches in the morning and then form a "guard of honour" when the teams runout).

Still trying to establish a new regular London side to watch and to get to more live club rugby in general.

.

I spent a very pleasant weekend at the amateur London Irish club in Sunbury, rather than the Premiership behemoth in Reading.

Very pleasant, until I was dump-tackled to an audible "oooh" from the stands, about ten minutes in. My first game in sixteen years, and very possibly my last. Tremendous fun, but I'm having trouble walking ever since...

Anyway, a very good atmosphere at the club, though you might find it a bit ethnically specific.

[Ray de Galles]

Rugby Union 2013-14

Ah yes, someone else was telling me about the resurgence of London Irish Proper recently but I didn't realise they were now only one level below Esher who I watch occasionally.

They're only about 15 minutes from my house and their minis have been at all the festivals my son's been playing recently.

What's the "Wild Geese" name about?

[Toro Toro]

Rugby Union 2013-14

It refers to this, primarily, though wiki is kinda myopic; rather than being military-specific, the term is used for the whole "diaspora". So basically, the Wild Geese are the Irish abroad. Appropriate enough for the club.

It was the Geese (ie, the first XV)'s #13 who dump-tackled me, incidentally. He played their game against Cambridge, then played directly afterwards again in our match in memory of my cousin, who had been a team-mate at youths level. And was MOTM.

Ouch.

[Diable Rouge]

Rugby Union 2013-14

The European Cup appears to have been saved - a 20-team proposal would see six teams from both England and France, along with seven from the Celtic League (each of the four nations being guaranteed one team). In the first season, the seventh-placed English and French clubs would play off for the final place, with the two next best Celtic league ladder teams involved in a four-way playoff with them from 2015-16. Certainly, Ireland and Wales should secure two places each most seasons.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Rugby Union 2013-14

Mike Philips sacked by Bayonne.

WRU promising central contracts for those players out of contract at the end of the season.

Looking like they'll be starting this a little earlier than planned and as he has yet to play for the Dragons perhaps he will be placed there.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Rugby Union 2013-14

November sees the traditional autumn internationals, here are some of the fixtures:

Saturday November 2
Japan New Zealand
England Australia

Saturday November 9
Italy - Australia
England - Argentina
Scotland - Japan
Wales - South Africa
Ireland - Samoa
France - New Zealand

Saturday November 16
Italy - Fiji
England - New Zealand
Wales - Argentina
France - Tonga
Ireland - Australia

Sunday November 17
Scotland-South Africa

Friday November 22
Wales-Tonga

Saturday November 23
Italy - Argentina
Scotland - Australia
France - South Africa

Sunday November 24
Ireland-New Zealand

Saturday November 30
Wales-Australia

[Antepli Ejderha]

Rugby Union 2013-14

Then it's rounds 3 and 4 of the Heineken, the back to back pool games which will see a few sides tournaments come to an end mathematically.

Six weeks of tough games for many players.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Rugby Union 2013-14

Phillips says he will take legal action.

So Mike Phillips confirms the end at Bayonne but also says he will take legal action.

With the salary caps in operation in England he realistically will end up back in Wales but can anyone afford him and the baggage that goes with him?

He has already played for three of the four regions, would any of them want him back?

[Toro Toro]

Rugby Union 2013-14

Diable Rouge wrote: The European Cup appears to have been saved - a 20-team proposal would see six teams from both England and France, along with seven from the Celtic League (each of the four nations being guaranteed one team). In the first season, the seventh-placed English and French clubs would play off for the final place, with the two next best Celtic league ladder teams involved in a four-way playoff with them from 2015-16. Certainly, Ireland and Wales should secure two places each most seasons.

Well, this looks a bit previous, it was rejected out of hand by the English and French league clubs, with the Welsh regions going along for the ride.

It's still the most likely option, but only because of Jean-Pierre Lux. Chances are whatever tournament happens will have a structure like this; but while Sky and BT now seem to be in some sort of negotiations, the involvement of ERC is a real sticking point.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Rugby Union 2013-14

England beat Australia and nobody seems to care. Two years before they meet in the group stages of the world cup.