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Northern Hemisphere Rugby Season 14/15

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BabyBlueElephant

BabyBlueElephant

Darby Loudon (17)
the plastic paddy said:
It was a cracker of a game, well worth a look. Although I was a bit distracted as my wife started her contractions half an hour before kick off. Baby has arrived now so I doubt I will get any time to watch the replay.
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Congrats bud. It was a fantastic game, much more than I anticipated. Henderson ' s red card is going to kick up a bit of a fuss. With that Munster should have a home semi in the bag provided they bag 5 next week which should be a certainty.
 
the plastic paddy

the plastic paddy

John Solomon (38)
BabyBlueElephant said:
Congrats bud. It was a fantastic game, much more than I anticipated. Henderson ' s red card is going to kick up a bit of a fuss. With that Munster should have a home semi in the bag provided they bag 5 next week which should be a certainty.
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Many Thanks. I thought the Hendo challenge was a yellow card myself as it was reckless. But these clearouts, which are contrary to the law requiring players bind onto another play to join ruck or maul, are a hypodermic in a children's play area. I hope Hendo doesn't get a ban but the pro 12 is much stricter than other leagues so I suspect he will. Very impressed with John Ryan, could yet be a bolter for the RWC with his ability to play both sides of the scrum.
 
Shelts89

Shelts89

Tom Lawton (22)
Not 100% sure where this should go.... Tuilagi will miss the world cup this year for England due to assaulting a police officer. Right call by Lancaster on this really, that behaviour can't be tolerated. Bloody good thing Joseph has stepped up for us recently! Though I bet there are a few midfields out there who are quite relieved, he's a big, strong bugger after all.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-32757633
 
the plastic paddy

the plastic paddy

John Solomon (38)
Assaulting two female police officers, fair play to Lancaster although I doubt if he would have been fit anyway. Should think he will be off to Toulon at the end of next season, he will get on well with the Armitage brothers.
 
Shelts89

Shelts89

Tom Lawton (22)
The English Premiership regular season has finished with Saracens just pipping Exeter to the final knock out spot on points difference. A shame as it would have been their first time in the knock outs since being promoted to the premiership 4 or 5 years ago, and a lot of their team seem to be homegrown academy talent. More so than most other premiership teams anyway.

This leaves us with semi-finals of:

Northampton vs Saracens
Bath vs Leicester

Naturally I want Bath to win... we also play the most expansive game out of those 4 teams so that's got to count for something right?
 
mxyzptlk

mxyzptlk

Colin Windon (37)
So Matt O'Connor is out at Leinster, and he may already have a look in at the Queensland Reds. Apparently this was by mutual consent, and MOC was already looking at options back in Australia.

MOC's Leicester-style of forward-grunt rugby didn't play all that well with the Leinster players or fans, and his Richard Cockerill-lite whinging about injuries and selection limitations over gameplan also didn't win him many supporters. But if he's going to the Reds, and Brad Thorn is also leaving Leicester for the Reds to coach, I wonder what kind of rugby Queensland can expect.

Let the coaching roulette begin. Names being shuffled around at the moment include:

  • Leo Cullen, who's the interim coach and not likely to take over anything more just yet.
  • Bernard Jackman, who seems happy enough in the Top 14 for now. He's done very well getting Grenoble to the Top 14, but hasn't had the best season this year, and may want to work on his craft a bit more.
  • Conor O'Shea, who already signed an extension at Harlequins, is rebuilding with some up-coming academy players and new signings, and most likely wouldn't return to Ireland unless it was for the national job.
  • Jono Gibbes, who is under contract with Clermont right now, but may be able to leave if he's offered a head coaching position. Has past success with Leinster and is a known quantity.
  • Girv the Swerve Dempsey has gotten praise from Joe Schmidt for his work with the Leinster academy players -- Dempsey has coached up a number of young Leinster players who are getting national attention and gametime. But it's probably too soon for a head coaching position. .
  • Naka Drotske was just shown the door by the Cheetahs, and at least plays a style that's antithetical to what MOC has brought to Leinster over the past two years. It's an entertaining style, but not always a winning style.
  • Nick Mallet is available and has been mentioned... as being available
  • Ewan McKenzie isn't currently coaching. Not sure how his MBA-like approach would mesh with Leinster or if he'd want to go there, but if that approach would work anywhere in the NH outside of London, it'd be Dublin.
  • Robbie Deans is currently under contract in Japan, and although he has a proven club record, can be a bit rigid when it comes to what he wants vs. what the players can provide. I can envision unhappy moments between him and Sexton if Leinster can't do what Deans wants.
  • Eddie O'Sullivan once had some significant success with Ireland, but that went off a cliff pretty quickly, and he hasn't proven himself since. He was brought in by Biarritz to get them back to the Top 14 this year, and they didn't make the cut.
  • Gregor Townsend's name has been mentioned, and he's talked about using Leinster's past form and the All Blacks as models for what he's brought to Glasgow. But he also seems just fine at Glasgow, and the Pro 12 is probably better off with him in Scotland. He didn't hold on to Maitland or Matawala, and had two big retirements this year, but he's also doing things like bringing over Naiyaravoro. Interesting to think about, but most likely not going to happen.
(This list was compiled off my own reading of a few different sites, and is by no means complete or probably all that accurate.)
 
Shelts89

Shelts89

Tom Lawton (22)
English premiership final will be a Bath vs Saracens affair.

Semifinals scores were:

Northampton 24 Saracens 29

Bath 47 Leicester 10


As a Bath fan I am pretty f**king happy right now!
 
the plastic paddy

the plastic paddy

John Solomon (38)
The pro 12 final will be between Glasgow and Munster. Munster could be without Conor Murray, Peter O'Mahony and Simon Zebo who all went off injured in yesterday's semi final. That said the Red Army will descend on Ravenhill and it looks as though it will be Paul O'Connell's last game for Munster.
 
Highlander35

Highlander35

Andrew Slack (58)
Glasgow could be without Kellock, Brown and Fusaro, all injured in the semi too.

Hope we get up, but even making the final is a great season, shocking injury run that culminated in that makeshift pack against Bath, then as more came back more went out.

Should be a fab final though, and hopefully a better spectacle than last years for the Glasgow fan, the only saving grace of which was that it was BODs last game.
 
waiopehu oldboy

waiopehu oldboy

Stirling Mortlock (74)
Another Dylan Hartley brain fart:

"Northampton hooker Dylan Hartley will appear before an RFU Disciplinary panel after he was cited for striking a Saracens opponent with his head.

"England international Hartley was cited following the Premiership semi-final between the Saints and Saracens, which took place at Franklin's Gardens.

"The hearing will be held at the Coventry Holiday Inn on Wednesday, May 27.

The three person panel includes Mike Hamlin and Tony Wheat and will be chaired by HHJ Sean Enright, with it scheduled to start at 7:15pm."

That's from PlanetRugby. Rugby Heaven also has an article speculating that it may cause him to miss RWC:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/...ld-cup-in-doubt-as-he-faces-a-headbutt-charge

Given what's already happened to Tuilagi, you'd think Hartley's a goner................
 
Shelts89

Shelts89

Tom Lawton (22)
Good thing Tom Youngs has been playing well at least, though Webber and Cowan-Dickie aren't great replacements since Webber is in terrible form right now, and Cowan-Dickie is untested at international level.
 
waiopehu oldboy

waiopehu oldboy

Stirling Mortlock (74)
^^^^^^^^ rhetorical question, surely, given his record* .If he were a Wob they'd be referencing his being NZ-born which as we all know is the clearest indication going that he's fucked for all money........

* & the fact he's a total grub.

EDIT: suspended until 21 September which is a coupla days after England's RWC opener v Fiji:

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3551_51936,00.html

Presumably 15 August is the official start of the ERU's season.
 
the plastic paddy

the plastic paddy

John Solomon (38)
Shelts89 said:
Good thing Tom Youngs has been playing well at least, though Webber and Cowan-Dickie aren't great replacements since Webber is in terrible form right now, and Cowan-Dickie is untested at international level.
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Youngs is flaky as fuck just like his brother. Alun Wyn Jones will be licking his lips at the prospect of Tom Youngs throwing in for England in the RWC.
 
the plastic paddy

the plastic paddy

John Solomon (38)
waiopehu oldboy said:
^^^^^^^^ rhetorical question, surely, given his record* .If he were a Wob they'd be referencing his being NZ-born which as we all know is the clearest indication going that he's fucked for all money....

* & the fact he's a total grub.

EDIT: suspended until 21 September which is a coupla days after England's RWC opener v Fiji:

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3551_51936,00.html

Presumably 15 August is the official start of the ERU's season.
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15th of August is the opening of the RWC international window hence why the womens' areas that run the English clubs are refusing to release non English internationals until that date.
 
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