The Road to Bilbao and Beyond: Rugby 2018

[Antepli Ejderha]

Challenge Cup quarter-final line-up:
Connacht v Gloucester
Edinburgh v Cardiff Blues
Newcastle Falcons v Brive
Pau v Stade Francais
Ties to be played between 29 March-1 April

[ursus arctos]

The long-running saga of Bernard Laporte allegedly having influenced the league to favour Montpellier in return for unspecified benefits from MHR owner (and new France shirt sponsor) Mohed Altrad (with whom Laporte had a consulting contract) took a new turn today as the fiscal authorities raided Laporte and Altrad's residences and the FFR offices.

[Ray de Galles]

Houston SaberCats v Uruguay - in a baseball stadium.

[Ray de Galles]

Rhys Webb, Liam Williams and Dan Biggar the latest addition to Wales' injury list - they'll miss all or part of the 6N.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Rhys Webb, Liam Williams and Dan Biggar the latest addition to Wales' injury list - they'll miss all or part of the 6N.

I've read that Liam might be fit. We've got half the number of injuries as England.

[Ray de Galles]

And one fifth of the player pool, at best.

I thought Liam was certainly out of the opener against Scotland?

[Flynnie]

Houston SaberCats v Uruguay - in a baseball stadium.

Not the first time that rugby will be played in a baseball stadium, nor the highest profile this year. Home of the 2018 Rugby Sevens World Cup, AT&T Park, San Francisco:

[ursus arctos]

Splash Kick from the winning captain after the horn?

[Antepli Ejderha]

And one fifth of the player pool, at best.

I thought Liam was certainly out of the opener against Scotland?

It has been confirmed now? I've read he may even need an operation with Wales unhappy how Saracens have handled this.

Watching the Anglo Welsh cup tonight. The depth of squads is such a contrast which makes me wonder what the point of it is.

[jefe]

Splash Kick from the winning captain after the horn?

Or ceremonially doused in garlic fries and ghirardelli

[Ray de Galles]

Shocks ahoy! Wales go with Patchell at 10, Adams debuts on one wing and Evans on the other despite his club ban meaning he hasn't played in a month. Shingler and Navidi as flankers with Tipuric only making the bench and Davies not making the 23. Ten Scarlets start.

Wales: Leigh Halfpenny (Scarlets); Josh Adams (Worcester), Scott Williams (Scarlets), Hadleigh Parkes (Scarlets), Steff Evans (Scarlets); Rhys Patchell (Scarlets), Gareth Davies (Scarlets); Rob Evans (Scarlets), Ken Owens (Scarlets), Samson Lee (Scarlets), Cory Hill (Dragons), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys capt), Aaron Shingler (Scarlets), Josh Navidi (Cardiff Blues), Ross Moriarty (Gloucester).

Replacements: Elliot Dee (Dragons), Wyn Jones (Scarlets), Tomas Francis (Exeter Chiefs), Bradley Davies (Ospreys), Justin Tipuric (Ospreys), Aled Davies (Scarlets), Gareth Anscombe (Cardiff Blues), Owen Watkin (Ospreys).

[Antepli Ejderha]

No Owen Williams is the piss take from this squad. He was good enough in the autumn but now they've gone for Anscombe.

[Ray de Galles]

Anscombe’s certainly in form and I always expected he and Patchell to be ahead of Williams, especially as the latter only appears to have made three starts for Gloucester in the English Premiership this season.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Tom James of the Blues is battling depression and is taking an indefinite break from the game.

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/...wsApp_AppShare

[Antepli Ejderha]

Scotland team versus Wales:

Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors); Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors), Chris Harris (Newcastle Falcons), Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors), Byron McGuigan (Sale Sharks); Finn Russell (Glasgow Warriors), Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors); Gordon Reid (London Irish), Stuart McInally (Edinburgh), Jon Welsh (Newcastle Falcons), Ben Toolis (Edinburgh), Jonny Gray, John Barclay (Scarlets, captain), Hamish Watson (Edinburgh), Cornell du Preez (Edinburgh).

Replacements: Scott Lawson (Newcastle Falcons), Jamie Bhatti (Glasgow Warriors), Murray McCallum (Edinburgh), Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh), Ryan Wilson (Glasgow Warriors), Greig Laidlaw (Clermont Auvergne), Pete Horne (Glasgow Warriors), Sean Maitland (Saracens).

[Antepli Ejderha]

Rugby becoming like football as another coach loses their job in mid season, Les Kiss leaves Ulster.

James Haskell announces he'll leave Wasps at the end of the season, Coventry being banned named city of culture obviously not enough to make him stay.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Ireland team versus France

Backs: R Kearney (Leinster), K Earls (Munster), R Henshaw (Leinster), B Aki (Connacht), J Stockdale (Ulster), J Sexton (Leinster), C Murray (Munster)
Forwards: C Healy (Leinster), R Best (Ulster, capt), T Furlong (Leinster), I Henderson (Ulster), James Ryan (Leinster), P O'Mahony (Munster), J Van der Flier (Leinster), C J Stander (Munster)
Replacements: S Cronin, J McGrath (both Leinster), John Ryan (Munster), D Toner, D Leavy, L McGrath, J Carbery, F McFadden (all Leinster)

[Antepli Ejderha]

France team versus Ireland. Neither the Guardian nor the BBC think their clubs are interesting enough to name.

Backs: 15 Geoffrey Palis, 14 Teddy Thomas, 13 Remi Lamerat, 12 Henry Chavancy, 11 Virimi Vakatawa, 10 Matthieu Jalibert, 9 Maxime Machenaud

Forwards: 1 Jefferson Poirot, 2 Guilhem Guirado (capt), 3 Rabah Slimani, 4 Arthur Iturria, 5 Sebastien Vahaamahina, 6 Wenceslas Lauret, 7 Yacouba Camara, 8 Kevin Gourdon

Replacements: 16 Adrien Pelissie, 17 Dany Priso, 18 Cedate Gomes Sa, 19 Paul Gabrillagues, 20 Marco Tauleigne, 21 Antoine Dupont, 22 Anthony Belleau, 23 Benjamin Fall

[Antepli Ejderha]

I presume England and Italy are announcing their teams tomorrow.

[Antepli Ejderha]

‘The day we almost outfoxed England’: an oral history of Italy’s cunning ruse

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/20...y_to_clipboard

Thought this was a good piece of journalism.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Sunday's teams in Rome

Italy: Minozzi; Benvenuti, Boni, Castello, Bellini; Allan, Violi; Lovotti, Ghiraldini, Ferrari, Zanni, Budd, Negri, Giammarioli, Parisse

Replacements: Bigi, Quaglio, Pasquali, Biagi, Mbanda, Gori, Canna, Hayward

England: Brown; Watson, Te'o, Farrell, May; Ford, B Youngs; M Vunipola, Hartley, Cole, Launchbury, Itoje, Lawes, Robshaw, Simmonds

Replacements: George, Hepburn, Williams, Kruis, Underhill, Care, Joseph, Nowell

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

I'm currently reading Adam Jones's autobiography - 'Bomb'. Something I didn't know that I didn't know - Shaun Edwards was married to Heather Small from M People. I mean, wow.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Wales=Scarlets so far.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Wales 14 Scotland 0 at half time.

Very interesting tactics from Wales so far in keeping the ball in play when kicking to Scotland, nobody saw that coming.

[Levin]

Oh Scotland.

Next year it is then?