Northern Hemishpere Rugby 2013

[the plastic paddy]

Shattered by that but so proud of the team for that second half display. Zebo proved a few people very wrong today, great strength to stop fatty Armitage and to take his chance. This Munster team is going to get stronger though.

 

[Bardon]

For me the Munster display was encapsulated by the performance of their 2 wingers. Zebo was excellent, scored a try, saved a certain try. Earls made lots of mistakes and got himself a yellow card.

A few more performances like Zebo's and a few less like Earls' and they might have nicked it.

 

[the plastic paddy]

For me the Munster display was encapsulated by the performance of their 2 wingers. Zebo was excellent, scored a try, saved a certain try. Earls made lots of mistakes and got himself a yellow card.

A few more performances like Zebo's and a few less like Earls' and they might have nicked it.

I thought the yellow card wasn't even a penalty. Earls was entitled to challenge the man as he was attempting to kick the ball. But it wasn't the difference between the sides. Earls played like a man who was rusty from being out for nearly the whole season but he still made telling line breaks and was leonine in defence. Zebo proved a lot of the critics wrong with a muscular, super industrious display. He was left out of the national set up for non rugby reasons, Penney and Schmidt have been managing with carrot and stick to get the young fella back on the rails and touch wood it has worked which is great for Munster and Ireland. I am so proud of the players and the wonderful travelling support, I couldn't get to this one but the thousands who made the immense journey by land, sea and air did the province proud.

 

[JSRF10]

Munster will be disappointed, Toulon were there for the taking.

Its a pity that the last Heineken Cup will go to a team of mercenaries albeit with a history and passionate fans, or a soulless franchise who spent most of their years playing in front of a handful of people owned by someone who openly admits he got his money by shady practices with some of the least likeable players in rugby on there side.

 

[the plastic paddy]

Lots of talk about Munster signing a centre from the SH, one of the names that has been mentioned is Tim Bateman, What do you lads think of him or any other potential recruits? EDIT scratch that we have signed Andrew Smith for a year.

 

[qwerty51]

Pretty good result for the Heineken Cup to have the final between #1 in the Aviva and #1 in the Top 14.

 

[JSRF10]

Mils Muliania has moved to Connacht for next season

 

[qwerty51]

Mils Muliania has moved to Connacht for next season

Saw lots of people on twitter applaud this signing greatly.. he's nothing more than an average player atm.

 

[JSRF10]

Saw lots of people on twitter applaud this signing greatly.. he's nothing more than an average player atm.

I think his role as a mentor to the young players will be more important to anything his does in the pitch. Hopefully we'll see his influence on a young generation of Irish backs

 

[Bardon]

He probably won't make the same impact on the field as Dougie Howlett did at Munster, but hopefully he can have a similar influence off the field. Can't be a bad thing to have him around the young guys at training, you don't need to be at your peak to pass on tips or inspire someone.

 

[the plastic paddy]

MM is coming to Connacht as a player coach and generally FBs make good coaches, IMHO.

Very disappointing end to the NH rugby season at every level. The game being hijacked by the Shysters is going to have devastating consequences for the whole game, North and South of the equator. I am genuinely fearful that international rugby is already on the slippery slope at the bottom of which football finds itself mired in the shite. Already the wankers like Bruce Craig are talking about turning the game on its head and moving the NH November internationals to August/ September and reducing the six nations window. The international game would be marginalised, revenues from it would fall with the clubs picking up the benefits.

NZ and Aus are going to have fierce problems keeping hold of players and the emasculation of the unions precipitated by The English clubs and shamefully facilitated by the RFU means there is going to be sweet fanny Adams the IRB can do about it.

Munster ran out of gas in a major way after running Toulon so close but we are a young team and the good times are returning even if the playing field is terribly uneven now.

Still Ireland are six nations champions and I am not sure there will be more than a dozen more of those tournaments so we should enjoy it while we can.

 

[Highlander35]

WOOH! Glasgow!

That is all.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

...Already the wankers like Bruce Craig are talking about turning the game on its head and moving the NH November internationals to August/ September and reducing the six nations window...

I think moving the 6N could actually be a good thing PROVIDED THAT it kicks off 2-3 weeks after the NH nations tours down under (no more 3-week gap in Super Rugby); PROVIDED FURTHER that it runs concurrently with the SANZAR & Pacific nations comps (no more PI players being too injured for int'l duty but fit enough for club footy); AND PROVIDED ALSO that the SANZAR/ Pacific nations tours oop North start 2-3 weeks after the 6N - one big-ass international window with multiple comps & tours instead of the current hodge-podge: fuck me, it'd be like having a Global Season.

I share your suspicion that the suits will fuck it up through self-interest and/or incompetence but imagine if it could be made to work as above...

 

[Highlander35]

So Scotland Has Announced 2 separate squads for the USA/Canada tour and the Argentina/South Africa Tour. Players club based on 2014/15 season ATM (i.e. Stuart Hogg and Al Strokosch still at glasgow and Perpignan respectively)

USA/Canada
Props
Alex Allan (Glasgow Warriors)
Geoff Cross (London Irish)
Moray Low (Exeter Chiefs)
Gordon Reid (Glasgow Warriors)
Kyle Traynor (Bristol Rugby)

Hookers
Kevin Bryce (Glasgow Warriors)
Scott Lawson (Newcastle Falcons)
Pat MacArthur (Glasgow Warriors)

Locks
Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh)
Richie Gray (Glasgow Warriors)
Jim Hamilton (Montpellier)

Back Rowers
Johnnie Beattie (Montpellier)
Kelly Brown (Saracens)
Blair Cowan (London Irish)
Kieran Low (London Irish)
Alasdiar Strokosch (Perpignan)

Halfbacks
Chris Cusiter (Sale Sharks)
Greig Laidlaw (Gloucester)

Fly Halfs
Tom Heathcote (Bath Rugby)
Finn Russell (Glasgow Warriors)

Centers
Alex Dunbar (Glasgow Warriors)
Duncan Taylor (Saracens)

Wingers
Max Evans (Castres)
Sean Lamont (Glasgow Warriors)
Sean Maitland (Glasgow Warriors)
Tim Visser (Edinburgh)

Fullbacks
Stuart Hogg (Glasgow)

Argentina/South Africa
Props
Geoff Cross (London Irish)
Al Dickinson (Edinburgh)
Moray Low (Exeter Cheifs)
Gordon Reid (Glasgow Warriors)
Jon Welsh (Glasgow Warriors)

Hooker
Kevin Bryce (Glasgow Warriors)
Ross Ford (Edinburgh)
Pat MacArthur (Glasgow Warriors)

Locks
Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh)
Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors)
Tim Swinson (Glasgow Warriors)

Back Rowers
Dave Denton (Edinburgh)
Chris Fusaro (Glasgow Warriors)
Rob Harley (Glasgow Warriors)

Halfbacks
Grayson Hart (Edinburgh)
Henry Pyrgos (Glasgow Warriors)

Fly Halfs
Ruaridh Jackson (London Wasps)
Duncan Weir (Glasgow Warriors)

Centers
Alex Dunbar (Glasgow Warriors)
Peter Horne (Glasgow Warriors)

Wingers
Dougie Fife (Edinburgh)
Sean Maitland (Glasgow Warriors)
Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors)

FullBacks
Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors)
Peter Murchie (Glasgow Warriors)

Overall, there are 19 Warriors, 17 Exiles and 7 from the Capital. Those that miss through injury include Matt Scott, Ryan Wilson, Jack Cuthbert and Ross Rennie. More players may be added to either squad. Glasgow Warriors Captain Alastair Kellock finds himself on the outer, while promising young center Mark Bennett also finds himself out the squad, although this may be due to Commonwealth Games Representation. No Ryan Grant either

The Squad almost seems backwards to me. But I'd wager that Vern Cotter is starting with what he knows works, then seeing who's actually capable of making the step up into international rugby. Not exactly what I expected, but a Good side nonetheless. Would be expecting 1 or 2 more players to be joining that second squad, especially in the back row.

 

[GunnerDownUnder]

Would imagine Scottish based players in first squad will stay for 2nd set of games.

We are going to struggle to put out a full squad for the first game, a few guys involved in finals/play offs in that squad.

 

[Highlander35]

They've said that players can be added to both squads. But USA looks ugly.

1. Alex Allan
2. Scott Lawson
3. Geoff Cross
4. Richie Gray
5. Jim Hamilton
6. Kieran Low
7. Al Strokosch
8. Johnnie Beattie
9. Grieg Laidlaw
10. Heathcote
11. Tim Visser
12. Duncan Taylor
13. Alex Dunbar/Max Evans
14. Evans/Maitland/Lamont
15. Stuart Hogg
16. Kevin Bryce
17. Gordon Reid
18. Moray Low
19. Grant Gilchrist
20. Blair Cowan
21. Chris Cusiter
22. Finn Russell
23. Outside back

Given Castres, Glasgow and Saracens are all in their respective finals, that was pretty hard.



Sent from my LG-P713 using Tapatalk

 

[the plastic paddy]

I think moving the 6N could actually be a good thing PROVIDED THAT it kicks off 2-3 weeks after the NH nations tours down under (no more 3-week gap in Super Rugby); PROVIDED FURTHER that it runs concurrently with the SANZAR & Pacific nations comps (no more PI players being too injured for int'l duty but fit enough for club footy); AND PROVIDED ALSO that the SANZAR/ Pacific nations tours oop North start 2-3 weeks after the 6N - one big-ass international window with multiple comps & tours instead of the current hodge-podge: fuck me, it'd be like having a Global Season.

I share your suspicion that the suits will fuck it up through self-interest and/or incompetence but imagine if it could be made to work as above.

They are suggesting the six nations stays in feb/ March time but is reduced to six weeks of competition. The change in timetable would be the SH touring the NH in August/ September. Under that scheme I don't see when the players are going to get a break.

 

[Bardon]

If that's the change that comes in then the NH nations should seriously consider resting top tier internationals for one of the two touring windows.

England and France and by extension Wales will probably be most effected as they have less control over the amount of game time top players play in the Top14 or Aviva compared to Pro12 teams.

I can see a scenario where there is increased instance of injury due to players in the NH not having any real break in a regular season, let alone a RWC year. Some of those injuries are bound to happen while playing for their country and we'll end up with the International teams being subservient to the wishes of the clubs like in football.

Clubs with threaten the unions with law suits for injuries and demand compensation as a device to give clubs control over how much international rugby a player can play. Older players will be encourage to retire from International rugby in order to extend their club playing career.

The international windows will become more like football style friendlies with more 2nd and 3rd choice players running out due to the demand from clubs for their players to play less games.

It's not a future I look forward to but it seems to be what's on the horizon. Most in the SH are blissfully unaware of the in and outs of what happened up here over the past year.

The unions have now passed the peak of their powers and the clubs will grow more powerful and become emboldened by these events.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

They are suggesting the six nations stays in feb/ March time but is reduced to six weeks of competition. The change in timetable would be the SH touring the NH in August/ September. Under that scheme I don't see when the players are going to get a break.

Well that's just plain daft, if typical, innit. Hence my provisos & final para.

At least with my scenario the non-Int'l majority would get an off-season during the International window & the Int'ls during the domestic comps - unless, of course, anyone from either category chooses to chase some extra coin via short- term contacts in the opposite hemisphere - but, yeah, if what you've outlined is someone's idea of a global season it's fucked from the get-go.

 

[Bardon]

The last ever Heineken Cup Final happens today. Any predictions for a winner?

I'm going for Toulon as it would sour the competitions history to have the main architects of it's demise as the final winners of what has been a fantastic competition.

Toulon by 10 points.