Comments on: Best of the Weekend: Munster majestic, Toulon terrific

By: Don P

Don P — Wed, 09 Apr 2014 15:54:15 +0000

Brighty

‘I don’t watch southern hemi basketball rugby’.

Neither do yr coaches by the looks of things, which maybe that accounts for yr team’s rankings & record v the SH?

By: brighty

brighty — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 09:52:01 +0000

Yeah, let’s get rid of all the rubbish sides. Exeter – played 6, won 2, same as Glasgow forPpete’s sake. How dare they be in it. Racing Metro, played 6 won 1. Montpellier, played 6 won 2, Perpigna, played 6 won 1. But no, you’re right, the Pro 12 has the monopoly on losses in the HC. Buzz, you have a lot of the common prejudices about the Pro 12 – rested teams, rubbish teams, non-competitive (a lot of us disagree that a league needs something external riding on it e.g. qual or relegation to be exciting – I can see it’s your preference, but that’s subjective, not an in arguable truth) rugby, etc. We’d all rather be watching Newcastle play Gloucs or Worcester play Wasps week in week out …

By: Jacob

Jacob — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 09:29:09 +0000

That would be no different for the top English sides. They have huge squads as well, and particularly Saracens, could have a second string side still in the top half if they wanted to.

The Scottish sides have had a team in the Semis just two years ago, hardly embarrassing. And even this year, Glasgow have proved to be a match for the top sides.

Clearly the Pro12 has it’s faults, as does every league, but I’m not sure why you dislike it quite so much.

By: Buzz

Buzz — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 08:09:57 +0000

Fair point………

By: Buzz

Buzz — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 08:08:43 +0000

Look at the results for the Scottish sides in Europe – that proves they’re rubbish.

Super Rugby doesn’t need relegation to spice it up. It’s an end in itself. It’s what the teams in it aspire to win.

The Pro12 is just a place for teams to tread water while waiting for something better to come along. I saw a stat recently where the starting XVs for Leinster, Ulster and Munster on a Heineken Cup weekend were compared to their starting XVs in the previous weekend’s Pro12. Of the 45 players who started in the HC only 10 had started the previous week in the Pro12.

Says it all……

By: Tom

Tom — Mon, 07 Apr 2014 19:38:12 +0000

Would they? I only watched the highlights but three tries to nil away from home is a pretty solid win for me.
Add in the 35 phases defending a 2 point lead without conceding a penalty or territory for a drop goal and it seems pretty conclusive that Sarries were the better side.

By: Don P

Don P — Mon, 07 Apr 2014 17:09:08 +0000

Munster did look good, albeit at home & Toulose ain’t the team they were.

Toulon look pretty hard to beat, but I like Clermont. SJ of the S Times opined that Leicester went down gloriously… but they lost! So wot glory there?

Leinster should’ve kept J Schmidt?

Saracens? Unlucky for Ulster in getting red, esp so early, as they were stretched in ‘D’ & I had to endure more of ‘Splashdown’s’ tedium.

By: Don P

Don P — Mon, 07 Apr 2014 16:56:55 +0000

Never been a fan of Leicester, but pleased for Crane that he got his try.

Had prev thought that he, Haskell & Rees (b4 injury) would have made up an English b row. Gd balance for me, but… things don’t always work out I guess.

By: Don P

Don P — Mon, 07 Apr 2014 16:52:50 +0000

Regds S. Armitage, can’t break those rules to protect English rugger… can you? Esp not with all those ‘foreigners’, keeping out the home growns, already in the Premiership.

Tho I prev argued that SA was the best 7 (I know he played 8) in, er… not in, English rugger, what do I know? Perhaps that plane trip over to Blighty IS too far afterall.

By: Staggy

Staggy — Mon, 07 Apr 2014 16:33:15 +0000

Well my preseason prediction of Sarries for the HC remains alive – just! Not sure how many lives they have left, but they are in the knockouts and anything can happen on the day!

Well glos got a mention this week but probably didn’t deserve one. Kvesic slowly playing himself off the tour to nz at this rate. Stop giving away penalties! Is it ND that is making glos less than the sum of its parts or is it just being bullied up front. Seems to be a combination of the two sadly.

By: Blub

Blub — Mon, 07 Apr 2014 15:22:03 +0000

One other point to consider with both of the Armitages (isn’t Guy also contracted to Toulon and loaned back to L Irish?) is that they grew up in the south of France. In fact I believe that Delon played at some age group level FOR France, so whilst the money is obviously part of the attraction for them – and I do not blame them one jot for this – they both have an emotional link to that part of the world as well.

Also, I do wonder whether Steffon would have developed in quite the same way had he stayed in England. French clubs are very size oriented in their forwards. Far more so than England, so Steffon being as short as he is will have developed in order to match his Top 14 opponents.

By: Matt

Matt — Mon, 07 Apr 2014 14:30:30 +0000

I don’t think it’s a flaw in the system as such, but an expected consequence that when players fall down the pecking order internationally they focus on building their pension pots (lots of ex ABs in Europe who moved as soon as they fell down to being fringe players). I didn’t see that’s where Flood’s career was though.

I can’t recall a match day squad, where Flood was fit, that he did not feature in under Lancaster. He wasn’t always first choice but did have a run of games as a starter in 2012 and clearly part of the England plans going to 2015 and I was very surprised he ruled himself out of that. It is a short career and very few players are making enough to give themselves lifelong financial security so I’m not passing any judgement on a player in their late 20s maximising their income. The sour note for me is that he de-selected himself towards the latter stages of the RWC cycle having consumed many of the precious caps available. It would be great to hear Flood’s side of the story though, e.g. did he feel he was the victim of any nepotism or favouritism within the camp or why he didn’t feel a critical part of the set up.

Cockerill moaning about his guys not starting is a side show, he’s had a good moan about the Youngs brother not being selected as well. Given 2 of the best England prospects have had to move on to get a chance I don’t see he’s got a leg to stand on in the what’s good for England debate. His attempts to influence it and even suggest that players should be given assurances to stay were counter productive. Asking Lancaster (and I presume suggesting to Flood that he should receive it) for something he was never going to commit to was an own goal.