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The Road to Bilbao and Beyond: Rugby 2018

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    A point a minute for Racing so far. Can they be as dominant as Leinster yesterday?

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      JP Doyle using lots of French to the Racing team. I love hearing the referee telling the players what is going on even I can't understand it. It's what the other English speaking referees need to learn imho, it can't be that difficult to give basic instructions in French.

      Munster with lots of pressure coming to the end of the first half. They need seven points here.

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        As long as they do the double next month, it'll be some consolation. BT obscuring the time display is almost as vexatious.

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          Racing 24 Munster 3 at half time. Munster couldn't get their try, they were held up over the line at one point, despite nearly ten minutes of pressure. It's close to being over now.

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            About an hour gone and Racing have added a penalty to stretch their lead. They've defended well and pinched ball at the breakdown to make the score look comfortable. Munster have thrown everything at them.

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              Racing letting Munster have the second half and bring it back to 27-22 doesn’t bode well for them for the final.

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                It finished 27-22 but it was never that close. Leinster will be favourites against Racing but it will be much closer than both semis were.

                Saturday 12th May is the Champions Cup final and 11th May is the Challenge Cup and both are in Bilbao.

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                  George North confirmed as joining Ospreys next season, joining Scott Williams and Aled Davies who are both making the switch from Scarlets as part of the rebuilding job at The Liberty.

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                    Aaron Jarvis heads to the Dragons from Clermont with eyes on a Wales recall.

                    Allen Clarke becomes Ospreys head coach, a very underwhelming appointment.

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                      Really good Leicester v Newcastle match just finished with a last minute, highly dubious try for the visitors to win 23-25. It puts the Falcons in third and almost cements a play-off spot in place of Tigers. I had no idea Newcastle were having quite such a good season.
                      Last edited by Ray de Galles; 28-04-2018, 10:45.

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                        Connacht surprisingly thrash Leinster, despite having nothing to play for, while Munster draw with Ulster to eliminate the latter.

                        QFs:

                        Llanelli v Cheetahs
                        Munster v Edinburgh

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                          Pembroke 31 Porthcawl 33
                          WRU Bowl Final, Millennium Stadium


                          One of the best rugby matches I’ve seen in years and not just because my hometown club won silverware in their first ever appearance at the national stadium. Even the WRU report called it “...one of the best matches the stadium has ever seen...”.

                          Porthcawl charged in to 5-27 lead around half an hour in playing dazzling running & passing rugby that led to five tries and a hat trick for winger Jordan Fox. They were pegged back to 17-27 at half time and after the break Pembroke got their massive pack rumbling and managed to take the lead 31-30 just after the hour mark.

                          It all went down to the final minute where Porthcawl ran from a scrum on their own line the length of the pitch only to look like they’d blown it with a truly execrable and inexplicable rushed drop goal attempt. They had one more chance when outside half Josh White picked himself up after two minutes of treatment for cramp, hobbled in to position, gathered the drop out and drove at the line but was tackled high by a panicking Pembroke player. That gave him a chance to win the Bowl with the very last kick, which he converted with balls of steel despite the tension and cramp.

                          Absolutely wonderful stuff.

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                            This seems very strange;

                            Scottish Super 6: No Glasgow club in new semi-professional franchise format.

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                              Same deal done with TG4 in RoI. On the pitch, Munster were as flaky as ever, but ultimately ensured an all-Irish semi after edging past Edinburgh 20-16.

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                                Yeah the reason rugby is dying in Aus has nothing to do with the game being boring. The standard of play in Super rugby is really high, the amount of risk taking and offloads, especially by the NZ sides is exceptional. The problem is the Aussie teams are shit, and they keep losing.

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                                  Scarlets played as the Scarlets do and hammered the Cheetahs.

                                  The PRO14 semis are Leinster Munster and Glasgow Scarlets. I'll predict a repeat of the European Cup semi but with the result being the same, Leinster to beat Scarlets in the Aviva.

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                                    Perpignan handly defeat Grenoble in the Pro D2 Final, thereby winning automatic promotion to next season's Top 14

                                    Grenoble will get a second chance in next weekend's promotion playoff against Oyonnax.

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                                      Wales rest all but two of their Lions for their summer tour, excluding the geography call ups.

                                      Wales squad – backs A Davies (Scarlets), G Davies (Scarlets), T Williams (Cardiff Blues), G Anscombe (Cardiff Blues), R Patchell (Scarlets), H Parkes (Scarlets), O Watkin (Ospreys), S Williams (Scarlets), J Adams (Worcester), H Amos (Dragons), S Evans (Scarlets), G North (Northampton), T Prydie (Scarlets). Forwards R Evans (Scarlets), W Jones (Scarlets), N Smith (Ospreys), T Francis (Exeter), S Lee (Scarlets), D Lewis (Cardiff Blues), E Dee (Dragons), R Elias (Scarlets), A Beard (Ospreys), B Davies (Ospreys), S Davies (Cardiff Blues), L Charteris (Bath), C Hill (Dragons, co-captain), J Davies (Scarlets), E Jenkins (Cardiff Blues, co-captain), R Moriarty (Gloucester), J Navidi (Cardiff Blues), A Shingler (Scarlets).

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                                        The Porthcawl bandwagon carries on with Prydie in there.

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                                          In the absence of much other sport on Saturday afternoon, I'm popping down to Ealing v Leinster A in the final of the British & Irish Cup. While I can't imagine the visitors will be making much a fuss about it with the full side playing in the Champions Cup Final just after the game at Ealing, the hosts seem very excited.

                                          What I hadn't realised is that it's the last final of the relatively-unloved competition as it's being scrapped and now the Anglo-Welsh Cup is going the same way. Obviously that competition was originally English only in the days of the John Player Trophy anyway (and Welsh sides have done progressively less well in it) but I'll miss the chance to see Welsh teams in the south-east outside of the odd European fixture.
                                          Last edited by Ray de Galles; 10-05-2018, 10:53.

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                                            Cardiff have Gethin Jenkins and Alex Cuthbert missing through injury for tonight’s European Challenge Cup Final in Bilbao. The replacements are strong though and that is quite an impressive looking side, can’t call how this one will go at all :

                                            Cardiff Blues: Anscombe; Lane, Lee-Lo, Halaholo, Scully; Evans, Williams; Gill, Dacey, Filise, Davies, Turnbull, Navidi, Jenkins (c), Williams.

                                            Replacements: Myhill, Thyer, Andrews, Welch, Robinson, Williams, Smith, Morgan.

                                            Gloucester: Woodward; Marshall, Twelvetrees, Atkinson, Trinder; Burns, Braley; Hohneck, Hanson, Afoa, Slater (c), Galarza, Polledri, Ludlow, Ackermann.

                                            Replacements: Matu'u, Rapava Ruskin, Balmain, Clarke, Morgan, Vellacott, Symons, Hudson.

                                            I’d looked in to going out there with a mate but lack of available flights meant a 3/4 day trip was the only way it could be done and we couldn’t get that time away so stuck watching it on telly, 8pm kick-off and live on both Sky and BT peculiarly.
                                            Last edited by Ray de Galles; 11-05-2018, 10:20.

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                                              Cardiff v Gloucester final throws up memories of mud and punches

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