Forum Rugby Club - 2009-2010 Season

Oh well, at least he will be with us when we win the Guinness premiership at HQ AGAIN

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Originally posted by JWM:

As an aging player who has been pretty injured in recent years...

Paradigm shift alert!

quote:

Originally posted by deadlifter:
Bath Rugby have announced the signing of England International and British and Irish Lion Lewis Moody on a three-year deal.

As one of the most abrasive, dynamic and destructive flankers in the country, the 31-year-old will join the West Country team in the summer having completed many years as a Leicester Tiger.

"I am really looking forward to an exciting new challenge at this stage of my career," said Lewis.

"Bath Rugby's values perfectly suit my own, it is a great City and Club, with a real family feel and a close knit and impressive squad.

"I have always known that if I was ever going to leave Leicester, the only club I would consider in the UK would be Bath. They play an exciting brand of rugby and having spent time with both Steve Meehan and Nick Blofeld I am sure that there are exciting years ahead."

A tireless flanker of the highest order, Lewis has arguably been one of the stand out players this SixNations and during his England career has notched up an impressive 59 international caps.

Well known for his professionalism and his apparent lack of pain and self-conservation, he will dive in where others fear to tread and it is this style that Bath's Head Coach Steve Meehan believes will be such an asset to the team.

"Lewis is a proven winner and he brings vast experience, a fierce determination and great attitude with him," said Meehan.

Just found this though it still does not explain why the move

How long were the Tigers offering an ageing player?

Never mind the ageing that does not seem to count with Moody,he is a quality player and i cannot see him slowing down for some time yet.Still what is done is done and i will follow his progress at Bath and see what he can do for a down but not quite out team

Worsley to start instead of Moody on Saturday
Flood still on the bench
Ben Youngs on the bench for the start, but hopefully on the field PDQ and Care on the bench

Just found that Moody left for Bath because Tigers were only offering a two year deal and a possibility that the pay was related to games played [ bearing in mind the world cup next year and the chance that Moody will be in the EPS ].And he has said that he will retire from international duties after the world cup.

I did read it, very good.

Not hysterical though, am i

Gazing at the ceiling are we, does that mean you are out of action

5 weeks and counting. Awaiting alleged 'urgent' referral to specialist. Ho hum.

Have you been to a chiropractor. [money well spent in my book] I could not squat or deadlift more than 100kg till i got sorted then i got up to a 250kg squat and a 255kg deadlift [ no steroids,no belt and no wraps ]

Scotland v England

An awful game between two awful teams. Scotland probably deserved victory overall for marginally more attacking venture and nous but this was shocking rugby.

England under Martin Johnson are the most frustrating, dull, inept, clueless, undynamic and ambitionless team it has ever been my misfortune to watch in the white jersey. There are good players in there made to look awful through what can only be shockingly bad coaching and direction. There are also a lot of players who should not wear the red rose at all.

It is frustrating because there are lots of exciting young players in the Premiership and they are not being given an opportunity or are being stifled in the sterile environment that is the current England set up.

I can't stand to watch them any more, even in the vain hope that they might actually craft a move of some vague enterprise without dropping the ball or playing a stupid miss pass that goes into touch, or failing to nail a 3 on 2 because they haven't got the intelligence to straighten and fix the last defender before playing in the overlap.

To sum up, they can't tackle, they can't pass, they can't scrum, they can't run past defenders and they can't kick properly out of hand.

The only bright light was Foden when he came on.

Horrible, horrible, horrible rugby.

I concur but which players would you have out ????

Munch, Martin Johnson is on a learning curve at the moment and there are plenty of ex players at the top at the RFU that should be guiding him and at the end of the day [to coin a phrase ]the players on the pitch should be making the decisions [ this is not football ]

quote:

Originally posted by deadlifter:
I concur but which players would you have out ????

Tim Payne, Steve Borthwick, James Haskell, Nick Easter, Dylan Hartley would be straight out.

I would also want to know if Delon Armitage, Ricky Flutey, Matthew Tait and Jonny Wilkinson were rubbish because of loss of form or because the instructions from the England coaching team on how to execute effective back play were written by a 10 year old.

I am so depressed.

In fairness, is MJ and MJ alone in charge of selection policy - of players and coaching staff?

I agree with everyone of Mark's 'choices' - tired yesterday's men the majority, and the one or two newer seem more like rabbits in the headlights.

I know I'm biased and all, but I thought that in addition to Foden when he came on, Youngs horribly out of position and Flood did well in the ground play (apart from that once when they were superbly counter-rucked over) and Cole was again very solid.

Amongst other things, Care is too slow at the offload, often seeming to do a double movement before getting the ball away, making his play predictable.

Having succeeded with a couple, Flood was unfortunate to miss those two kicks, which were slight kicks to nothing - place kick attempt pretty much half the length of the field which just lacked 1/2 yd of legs, and a drop goal attempt before positionally it was quite ready (needs must) right at the end. No doubt the tabloids will cane him, but not entirely fairly.

His positional kicking was good, including a clearance from the England line to halfway, something Wilko hasn't been able to do for ages. And that and his ground play for me would have him starting next time.

All of those that came off the bench have got to start next time. The has beens need to be got rid of, and some Saxons brought up. The trouble is, if he'd done it earlier on, MJ would have been called either adventurous or foolhardy, depending non success! And now, either way, he's likely to be accused of acting out of desperation.

Back to MJ ... are they actually doing what he's telling them?? He looks so frustrated at their mistakes...

quote:

Tim Payne, Steve Borthwick, James Haskell, Nick Easter, Dylan Hartley would be straight out.

I would also want to know if Delon Armitage, Ricky Flutey, Matthew Tait and Jonny Wilkinson were rubbish because of loss of form or because the instructions from the England coaching team on how to execute effective back play were written by a 10 year old.

I would fully agree and i would also concur with JWM.
Let us see what happens against the French BUT things must change in anticipation of the world cup otherwise we will get slaughtered
P.S can`t knock the Jocks

I would like to see:

Shontayne Hapi
Nick Kennedy
Courtney Lawes
Tom Croft
Jordan Crane
Matt Mullan
Ben Youngs
Danny Cipriani
Ben Foden

All given a long run at starting positions.

Not sure about Cipriani.
I also think his sojourn to Australia will do him the power of good, if he gets his attitude in check

Well a complete drubbing of Italy by France was narrowly averted by two nice try`s late in the second half.The French half pint Marc Andreu is certainly a pocket rocket.
I watched the game with a close eye on Martin Castrogiavanni [ obviously because he is a Tiger ]and it seems to me like his work rate for Italy is not on a par with the effort he gives for the Tigers

The first half Italy looked totally over-awed. I'm glad they got some points back, because they're not really a 50-0 side anymore. That having been said, their couple of Tries were better than anything England did yesterday.

quote:

Originally posted by JWM:
because they're not really a 50-0 side anymore.

England might be next week!

Great game 'twixt Northampton and Saracens this afo, far more exciting than Scotland v England and some great rugby from young English players. How can they play like this for their clubs and be so utterly clueless when they play for England.

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England might be next week!

Would you put your wealth/house on that statement

quote:

Originally posted by deadlifter:

quote:

England might be next week!

Would you put your wealth/house on that statement

I'd put yours on it!

Then we would both be in the shit