Forum Rugby Club - new season, new thread

Well done to Saints today, although I thought they might have blown it by missing all those kicks.

Foden looks a real player, too.

quote:

Originally posted by Chillkram:
Well done to Saints today, although I thought they might have blown it by missing all those kicks.

Foden looks a real player, too.

Yes they were too good for us today - but then most teams vs Tigers have been recently - We have had a very poor first half of the season to be honest - to many bad kicks, no quick ball - we have a lot to do on the pitch, let alone off it with the current coaching issues

Can't believe we rested Moody yesterday and Corry on the bench - lot's of views on Tigers own fourm about way forward -

However we are fifth and still in with a Chance HC this next two weeks - Treviso should be easy - but those Flying birds from Swansea might be a different story and our away form is not that great

A win today for Wasps in the Heineken Cup but it should have been so much more.

Leinster were hardly in the game and resorted primarily to the boot. Wasps were also away and likely to score a try near the end when they were called back for a forward pass that wasn't.

O'Kelly should have been red-carded and why did they spurn the chance of a try at the end to deny Leinster a bonus point?!!

Bizarre.

Interesting. Warren Gatland was seen at Wasps training ground last week but I didn't read too much into it as I thought he was visiting Shaun Edwards.

Oh dear. What has Matt Stevens been up to?!!

quote:

Originally posted by Chillkram:
Oh dear. What has Matt Stevens been up to?!!

...His eyebrows in flake, apparently!

quote:

Originally posted by Chillkram:
Oh dear. What has Matt Stevens been up to?!!

What a pr@*& - I have met Matt a couple of times - nice guy, good singer and not a bad rugby player! pity his has taken the dark path of drugs!

Any way onto more positive issues - HEC this weekend, Glaws lost and are out - Cardiff Blues home QTR final and off to Swansea to see what Tigers are made off - Lewis Moody out (broken ankle in training) I am sure the boy's will be on top form - the Ospery's prob have the best 3/4 line in UK (well if they all turn up) - Will feed in match report

I actually found myself wanting Tigers to win today for the first time ever as it would have meant that Ospreys finished 2nd on fewer points than Wasps (assuming we win at Castres tomorrow).

The b***rds let me down!

Looks like we'll have to score a bonus point win to qualify.

quote:

Originally posted by Chillkram:
Looks like we'll have to score a bonus point win to qualify.

Not going well for us so far - 14-10 down and apart from a bit of Cipriani magic we look rubbish in front of their posts, giving away penalties and knocking on all the time. In contract Castres look like they will score every time they visit our 22.

Well that was shocking and Wasps deserve to be out of the Heineken cup on that showing. The number of opportunities they had to score the four tries they needed was ridiculous and every one squandered. Shaun Edwards needs to go back to basics and teach his team how not to drop the ball in front of the try line I think. Practically every try Castres scored came from a turnover when Wasps were in the Opposition 22.

bugger

quote:

Originally posted by JamieWednesday:
bugger

Exactly.

No Twickenham outing in yellow shirts this year then, James!

I think I'll be wearing mine for the Guiness. Whoever's there. have to keep the faith an all that. (And find a fiver to sub Warren's wage demands...)

quote:

Originally posted by JamieWednesday:
I think I'll be wearing mine for the Guiness. Whoever's there.

Well you may be right but still.....

Did you see the game?

quote:

Originally posted by Chillkram:
I actually found myself wanting Tigers to win today.

Ah, so it was you who jinxed it...

quote:

Originally posted by JWM:

quote:

Originally posted by Chillkram:
I actually found myself wanting Tigers to win today.

Ah, so it was you who jinxed it...

If only I had that power!

quote:

Originally posted by Chillkram:

quote:

Originally posted by JamieWednesday:
I think I'll be wearing mine for the Guiness. Whoever's there.

Well you may be right but still.....

Did you see the game?

Yep, not only did we not nail our point last week but we could have had all our tries in this one...Missing something

quote:

Missing something

Something basic. And leadership, I think.

Tigers' Coach - news as expected under very unfortunate personal circumstances. All the best to HM and family.

Glad to see Steffon Armitage and Ben Foden called up to the England squad, but apart from them and Geraghty on the bench it looks a little boring to me.

Really not sure about Goode, but I'm sure our resident Tigers will disagree.

Is it worth even bringing the Twickenham match up as a topic? I've a feeling that over the next few games we're going to get fkd.

Well the first day of the Six Nations is over and it was a tale of two contrasting games.

I used to enjoy watching England play from '89 right through to 2003 when they won the world cup as it was an era of seemingly constant progress.

Since then, however, watching them has been a real trial and today was no exception.

They should consider themselves lucky that Italy had a pretend scrum half or the game might have gone differently. Just about all of their five tries came from Italian mistakes and, as far as I can remember, they created nothing themselves.

Rucking continues to produce slow ball at second and third phases beyond which they seem unable to progress anyway. They give away far too many penalties and they continue to take out of the game the most exciting set of backs they have had for a generation by constantly employing the boot to give the ball back to the opposition. This is one reason why the stats show that Italy had more possession.

The scrum continues to be a major worry where it used to be a major strength - it was all over the place and Sheridan must surely be dropped for good now.

The bright lights for me today? Harry Ellis had a good game and Nick Kennedy won everything in the lineout. Mark Cueto also played well for what little he saw of the ball.

This is really a management/coaching issue as individually these are very good players. They just seem to be completely lacking in confidence and unable to do the basics right when in an England shirt.

In contrast the Ireland v France game was a joy to watch and the ELVs were embraced and played properly. No ping pong kicking here but a game of flowing, attacking rugby with good rucking from both sides and a display of what European rugby can produce.

Both of these teams will make mincemeat of England as will Wales. England will do well to finish 4th in my opinion.

Yeah, a more eloquent and considered way of stating; we're fkd.

But probably not quite as fkd as the cricket team! At least that made up for the rugby.

Shame about the Irish result, France looked much much better.

quote:

Originally posted by Nick from Suffolk:
Shame about the Irish result, France looked much much better.

Really?

As I was offline yesterday, you all beat me to it. Ireland and France - and thus Wales too - will absolutely cane England, who seemed to be playing at, literally, half the speed.

I'm not totally convinced it's the coaching set-up. The number of fundamental mistakes, handling errors and lack of imagination on an individual player basis was completely woeful. (And not unnoticed by Johnno, who managed not to put his head in his hands at times, but the heavenward rolling of his eyes told its own story...)

In order to deliver any tactical strategy, each player has got to play with sufficient individual skill to at least get the basics right, and they are not all doing that by any means. And some of them, particularly glory-seeking backs, I'm afraid, often tend to hog the ball even when a try is not on for them, or only the most marginal opportunity, rather than pass it to a better-placed team-mate. This has been the case for some years. Too much soccer-style celebrity and ego. Contrast that with the modesty of the Irish, for instance.

No doubt it will be Johnno, though, who takes all the flak for it.