Rockinnreelininaucklandnewzealand - Rugby 2017

[ursus arctos]

They have been consistently fun to watch since the season they strolled Pro D2.

Depth may be an issue, as it has been in the past, but the ride should be enjoyable.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Exeter beat Glasgow and also deprived them of a losing bonus point.

Tomorrow sees both Welsh teams in action, the Scarlets are away to Toulon and the Ospreys host Clermont. The Scarlets have a chance but I think Toulon are still a quality team, packed full of star players and are at home. As for the Ospreys they have named the biggest pack they have picked Watkin instead of Hook at 12 in a back to basics selection.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Bath beat, but did not hammer, Benetton.

It is way too early to talk of a renaissance in Italian rugby but the two sides are showing some promise as both have ditched many of the average foreign players due to the influence of O'Shea and are looking relatively strong at home.

[Antepli Ejderha]

I'm only following the match in Toulon via live updates but the Scarlets have fought back from 18-0 down to be just a point behind. Is it as good as it sounds?

[Ray de Galles]

Annoyingly, I’ve had to drive various children around for the last couple of hours. When I last got a look at the score it was 18-0 and I’ve returned just in time to see Scarlets go 18-20 up. A combination of their good play and Toulon falling apart, it seems.

[Ray de Galles]

Finished 21-20 with Scarlets still trying to run it from underneath the posts in the 85th minute.

The part of the game I did see was excellently refereed by Luke Pearce. His judgement and communication were excellent, I’ve not heard much about him before.

[Ray de Galles]

Bloody hell, he’s Welsh but referees as an ERFU representative, similar to JP Doyle.

[Antepli Ejderha]

I've just got home so it's a choice of Northampton versus Saracens or Ospreys versus Clermont for me.

As for the Scarlets lots they can take from the match apparently but they've only got five days until they host Bath on Friday night. Hopefully Rob Evans and Will Boyde will be back for that one as I think Bath are beatable.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Bloody hell, he’s Welsh but referees as an ERFU representative, similar to JP Doyle.

I've never heard of him, more correctly I've never noticed him, but he must be in the premiership.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Only eight minutes played but the Ospreys look in trouble.

[Levin]

This could be a long evening for Ospreys.

[Ray de Galles]

Can they see each other in those ‘dazzle ship’ shirts? They look even worse than I expected from the photos.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Saracens already have the bonus point in the bag away to Northampton, I've not watched any of it.

Clermont have Strettle in the bin and haven't added to those two early scores. If they don't leave Swansea with a bonus point they will be kicking themselves.

[Ray de Galles]

Bloody Ospreys, could and should have won that in the end but butchered a shedload of chances and possession.

[Ray de Galles]

Wales change the policy on players with foreign clubs, which rules out Rhys Webb from playing at all from next season.

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

So - Rhys Webb - born and raised in Bridgend, played in Wales all his career now unavailable for selection, yet Wales are considering picking Hadleigh Parkes, a New Zealander who moved here when he was 27. Hmm....

[Antepli Ejderha]

60 caps is also quite a high threshold. It's bollocks.

[Ray de Galles]

It seems pretty clear that Gatland/the WRU are playing a game of chicken with Webb, hoping he’ll cancel his pre-contract agreement with Toulon.

[Flynnie]

He's a full back or winger Flynnie.

The Cheetahs win at home against the Ospreys who were slightly better than in previous weeks.

Scarlets are at home to Connacht tonight, they've already got a try but immediately concede one. Looking like it'll be a decent match.

I had him as a centre, so derp, but an outside back isn't making it any better of a spend.

In a cap system, I think you build up the middle. Back row and halfbacks is where you go big.

[Flynnie]

In American rugby news, Papa Bear is on the rampage.

Clark reacts to a USA Rugby decision not to cite a player who paralyzed one of his players

For those who don't know, Jack Clark is the long-time coach of University of California rugby, a former US national team player, manager and coach, and the doyen of American rugby. He was also offered the Bath job many years ago, but declined as he couldn't bear (wocka wocka) to leave Cal.

I think he's dead right on this one.

[Ray de Galles]

That is horrific, further down his timeline there are stage-by-stage photos of the offence that just make it clearer how bad it was. Any official response yet?

[ursus arctos]

Racing's new domed stadium/arena is opening with a Rolling Stones concert on Friday night.

It will hold 32,500 for rugby in a U-shaped configuration



Racing's first match there will be just before Christmas against Stade Toulousain

[Flynnie]

That is horrific, further down his timeline there are stage-by-stage photos of the offence that just make it clearer how bad it was. Any official response yet?

Not a red card offence according to the citing commissioner. Clark has been on the rampage over that.

The photographs are much better than the video on this, you really couldn't have caught the Arkansas State flanker intentionally trying to pull the Cal player's head down more clearly if you'd tried.

[Flynnie]

Racing's new domed stadium/arena is opening with a Rolling Stones concert on Friday night.

It will hold 32,500 for rugby in a U-shaped configuration



Racing's first match there will be just before Christmas against Stade Toulousain

Reminds me of an MLS stadium.

Is the pitch grass or plastic?

[ursus arctos]

It's synthetic, something that they are calling "soft grass"

The players said all the positive things one would expect them to say when they visited a few days ago



It was originally supposed to have a retractable roof, but that didn't survive a politically-charged approval process.