Rugby - Club, International, 7s, Union, even a bit of that league

A new thread for all things Rugby! Simply because I'm a Rugby Union and 7's nut! In september when the new English and Celtic/Italian seasons start it'll be great to a few lively discussion on what my partner calls "egg chasing"!

Well looking foward to next season my club London Irish RFC have made whole sale changes to the side that finished a disappointing 7th in Aviva Premiership 2011/12
with Retirements and defections to france being the main reasons

Players Out:
Bob Casey (Ire) RET
Clarke Dermody (Nz) RET
Kieron Roache RET
Faan Rautenbach (SA) RET
Delon Armitage (ENG) Toulon
Guy Armitage Toulon
Nick Kennedy (ENG) Toulon
Paul Hodgeson (ENG) Worcester
Richard Thorpe REL
Dan Bowden (Nz) Leicester
Adam Thompstone Leicester
Other players who have left the Club include Tom Alexander (1 appearance); Mark George (3 appearances); Shontayne Hape (12 appearances); Adrian Jarvis (18 appearances) Ross Samson (14 appearances) and Jonathan Spratt (11 appearances).

London Irish Academy players Freddie Clarke, Ben Pritchard and Ed Siggery (4 appearances) have also moved on to continue their careers.

Players IN
Halani Aulika (Som)
Jon Fisher
Shane Geraghty (ENG)
Cai Griffiths (Wales)
Ian Humphreys (Ire)
Scott Lawson
Tomás O'Leary (Ire)
Setaimata Sa (Fiji)
George Skivington (Eng)
Shaun Malton
Michael Worrincy
Conor Gaston.
Academy signings: Tom Smallbone, Ludi Hopkinson, Jack Ramshaw, Gerard Ellis and Luke Peters

Whoop London Irish beat Gloucester 31-28 to win the JP Morgan (Boo hiss) 7's tournament!

Aviva Premiership Rugby
Sunday

London Welsh 13-38 Leicester

Saturday

Exeter 43-6 Sale
Gloucester 19-24 Northampton
Saracens 40-3 London Irish (this result did not happen...)
Wasps 40-42 Harlequins
Worcester 23-24 Bath

Cant wait for the six nations, apart from the world (Rugby) cup the six nations is the best competition in the world.

My wife isn't that keen on rugby so in an attempt to get her interested I suggested we go and watch one of the games at this years six nations. To my surprise she said OK. I looked at the fixtures and thought the England France game on 23 Feb would be a cracker. However, after seeing the ticket prices I'm afraid we will be watching it on the TV.

http://www.viagogo.co.uk/Sports-Tickets/Rugby-Union/RBS-Six-Nations-Tickets/E-369124

Tickets (if you can get them) are ridiculous! Especially at Twickenham it costs less for me to see Ireland in Dublin than to spend 25mins on the train to london to see them every two years!

Predictions for Six Nations:
1) Ireland (but no Grand Slam) So no embarressing tears in the pub unlike 2009)
2) France
3) England
4) Italy
5) Scotland
6) Wales (too many injuries)

Top Try Scorer: Manu Tuilagi (England)
Most Points: Jonny Sexton (Ireland)
Best Moment: The Fields of Athenry sung at Lansdown Road

In BO'D we Trust, I suspect for the last time. I think the nearest thing to a "god" I know (other than Karl Marx) will bow out of Irish Rugby after the Championship and International Rugby after the Lions Tour.

"Its so lonely around the Fields of Athenry"

Just a thought. If Scotland becomes 'independent', should any Scots be allowed to represent the British Lions. I guess the Irish Republic-born players are still involved ( inc luding in the 'Home International Championship). Funny how these guys actually want to be British when it suits them...

"... should any Scots be allowed to represent the British Lions."

"Allowed?" Surely the question is whether a Great Britain Lions team will be allowed to select Scots?

In 2006, the RFL announced that after the 2007 All Golds Tour the Great Britain team would no longer compete on a regular basis, and that players would be able to represent England, Wales and Scotland at Test level. It is planned that the Great Britain team will come together in future only for occasional tours.

Well on the selection issue of the Scots, are any good enough to wear the Lions Shirt? I'd say 2 are maybe, Second Row Ritchie Gray and winger Tim Visser (Who's Dutch). As for Irish Province players (Leinster, Munster, Connaught and Ulster (in its traditional borders including the 6 counties and those over the border) the last two captains of The British and Irish Lions have been Irish in Paul O'Connoll and the Rugby God Brian O'Driscoll, how will I'm sure captain the 2013 Lions to.

Well what an opening weekend of the 6 Nations!

Wales 22 Ireland 30
England 38 Scotland 18
Italy 23 France 18.

Moment of the weekend: Simon Zebo's (Ireland) fancy flick up and catch at full pelt.

Ireland v England at Lansdown Road next Sunday will decide the Championship now I think.

" Ireland v England at Lansdown Road next Sunday will decide the Championship now I think"

I am sure that's right. And I cannot see anything but a suitably sympathetic refeeeing appointment to assist the home side. That's how it always works in Dublin. Watch those mysterious penalties stack up within kicking range for Sexton or O'Gara...

Phil Hornby wrote:" Ireland v England at Lansdown Road next Sunday will decide the Championship now I think"

I am sure that's right. And I cannot see anything but a suitably sympathetic refeeeing appointment to assist the home side. That's how it always works in Dublin. Watch those mysterious penalties stack up within kicking range for Sexton or O'Gara...

I do hope so Although beating wales and scotland makes me happier than beating England. A wounded France in Paris will be tough though. But as ever in BOD we trust!

KnarkyBadger wrote:Well what an opening weekend of the 6 Nations!

Wales 22 Ireland 30
England 38 Scotland 18
Italy 23 France 18.

Moment of the weekend: Simon Zebo's (Ireland) fancy flick up and catch at full pelt.

Ireland v England at Lansdown Road next Sunday will decide the Championship now I think.

I used to play for my town team and loved the game as a player, but haven't watched much as a spectator for a few years. So, my question is...

Italy beating France!? What the hell's that about? lol Typical French melt-down or have Italy suddenly become a serious team while I haven't been looking?

Italy have beaten France twice on the bounce in Rome. The Italian game plan is finally developing into a 15man game not just the fat boys and half backs. Having two sides in the Pro 12 League will help too. Also have they found a reliable goal kicker for the first time in a decade since Diego Domingez retired.

KnarkyBadger wrote:Italy have beaten France twice on the bounce in Rome. The Italian game plan is finally developing into a 15man game not just the fat boys and half backs. Having two sides in the Pro 12 League will help too. Also have they found a reliable goal kicker for the first time in a decade since Diego Domingez retired.

Excellent - the Italians could do with a bit of cheering up!

This weeks results:

Scotland 34 Italy 10
France 6 Wales 16
Ireland 6 England 12

Only the bloody english can win a Grand Slam now

So Dylan Hartley has lost his chance of playing for the British & Irish Lions on the upcoming rugby union tour to Australia. It appears that he called referee Wayne Barnes a "f**king cheat" during the course of a match on Saturday.

In rugby such a episode brings the harshest of punishments, since abusing a match official is a most serious offence. For Hartley an 11-week suspension has been ordered. How refreshing it would be if soccer followed the same principle. Refreshing , that is, if only more soccer referees warranted the same respect as their rugby counterparts and were less deserving of the description unwisely selected by Hartley...

Woohoo, the Llanelli Scarlets beat Harlequins in their opener in the HC. Brilliant game, and about time after last seasons HC and not a single win, I have to say it took me completely by surprise though.

After Twickenham yesterday, I am taking up tiddlywinks!

Good to see normal order reinstated, Penderyn...!     

Nice to see England playing an expansive, exciting form of the game too. First Triple Crown since the year we won the World Cup as well.

I fear we can banish from our minds any thoughts of World Cup glory residing in the Northern Hemisphere...       

It will be tough enough getting out of the group for England. After that though - who knows?

My worry is always about refereeing interpretation around the scrums. There seems so much variation, depending upon the origins of the official. And even in the Six Nations the decisions about 'who collapsed the (set)scrum' are incomprehensible...

Aye, fair point. It's a big thing for England playing their games at Twickenham though, where their record is very good. I think all their games are there, in theory, should they top the group and get all the way to the final. I agree the Southern Hemisphere teams will be hard to beat as well, as they always are.

Phil Hornby wrote:Good to see normal order reinstated, Penderyn...!     

Normal, as you know, is that we beat England. Enough of this ironical crap!

Phil Hornby wrote:My worry is always about refereeing interpretation around the scrums. There seems so much variation, depending upon the origins of the official. And even in the Six Nations the decisions about 'who collapsed the (set)scrum' are incomprehensible...

Entirely. I begin to wonder whether senility has got me whenever I try to follow. The commentators pretend to understand, but I don't believe they do at all!

It's not that difficult to understand sometimes , Penderyn.

 For example, if the scrum collapses at the Millennium Stadium within kicking distance of the English posts , it was the visitors who were guilty...!     

Phil Hornby wrote:It's not that difficult to understand sometimes , Penderyn.

 For example, if the scrum collapses at the Millennium Stadium within kicking distance of the English posts , it was the visitors who were guilty...!     

Well, obviously. The rules are the rules!

And there was me thinking that no Welsh pack could ever involuntarily be taken down by mere Englishmen. What is the world coming to...?  

Never mind - Long live Scotland!   I only wish I could have been there on Saturday!.

Fantastic tournament and a fitting ending in Paris. And I don't think it's such a bad thing for England to have came 2nd, although they're probably kicking themselves about the end of the first match v France.

The luck of the Irish.

So much depends on who plays who at home ( and at what stage of the season)in the tournament. There are some years when it is very difficult to win the thing if the fixtures don't fall 'conveniently'.

Add to this that there are some years when the French are world-beaters and others when they are...well...French...!      

Phil Hornby wrote:The luck of the Irish.

So much depends on who plays who at home ( and at what stage of the season)in the tournament. There are some years when it is very difficult to win the thing if the fixtures don't fall 'conveniently'.

Add to this that there are some years when the French are world-beaters and others when they are...well...French...!      

Where people play matters hugely - I hadn't realized before Twickenham how much the venue does matter. It would be nice, given that, to have some less chauvinistic commentators than turn out in the England jersey on these occasions, ranting.

I amagine that the strictly non=partisan Jonathan Davies , Shane Williams and Eddie Butler ( all of whom grace the BBC coverage ) would suit...     

Phil Hornby wrote:I amagine that the strictly non=partisan Jonathan Davies , Shane Williams and Eddie Butler ( all of whom grace the BBC coverage ) would suit...     

Depends on the game. England matches always have national-fronters, in my experience.

One of the great players of our generation will retire after his final match for Toulon on Saturday.

Well Johnny Wilkinson. 

My nerves are shot and my liver is properly sulking with me, but it was worth it as I genuinely didn't think we'd get passed England at HQ in a world cup game. Especially with so many of our first choice 15 injured before the game.

Hope the players injured last night make a speedy recovery as well. Two more Llanelli Scarlets players injured, bugger. Liam Williams looked like a concussion, but Scott Williams was stretchered off, and Hallam amos looked like a dislocated shoulder.

So well done Wales anyway, bring on the Aussies.