Rugby Union (was 2014-15, now an ongoing thread)

[paul_e]

Right, it's because of the 7s being in the olympics, basically if france select him for a 7s event that is covered by the IOC he'dd then become eligible to play for France in the 15-a-side format.

[richard moore]

Cipriani looked right on it in the highlights tonight, very impressive. Johnny May looking bang on form too. And James Haskell. So much competition now for England places, I don't think the standard has ever been higher

[paul_e]

Freddie Burns was (sorry glaws fans) the best I've ever seen him in the chiefs vs tigers game, his kicking from hand is spectacular and he's now under a lot less pressure behind a pack that is doing the basics right.  It's very early on but I can see him forcing himself into first place in that battle, particularly with Farrell struggling to make the starting line-up at sarries.

Saints were poor yesterday, the pick and drive around the fringes just didn't happen and their whole game is built around the space that it creates so they just made very little.  However I think the crowd got to the ref, he gave 3-4 decisions to wasps that were completely wrong, 2 of them in their own 22 just as saints were building a bit of pressure.

On top of that the yellow cards were pathetic, Corbs should never have gone and Johnson going when he did meant the ref was unwilling to do anything in the 2nd half when he gave 3-4 pretty cynical penalties away in a fairly short spell, so the yellow he deserved instead of coming at a time when it gave saints the advantage came when they had a bigger loss to deal with and meant Johnson was pretty comfortable killing the breakdown in the 2nd half.

If wasps play like that regularly I can see an experienced ref really losing his patience with them.

[richard moore]

I think we can all agree that London Welsh look almost as doomed as the Tesco Bags! 100 points + conceded in just two matches, dear me. And there is almost no let up if you are not much cop in the Premiership, the big teams just keep coming at you week after week

[paul_e]

I agree they do look doomed, they're so weak in defense, they've missed a lot of one up tackles in the middle of the pitch in both matches so far and you really can't allow that if you want to play at this level.

[cheltenhamlion]

I get the impression that Gloucester are in massive transition after the player turnaround in the summer. They might come strong at the end.

[richard moore]

I agree they do look doomed, they're so weak in defense, they've missed a lot of one up tackles in the middle of the pitch in both matches so far and you really can't allow that if you want to play at this level.

Dodgy strip too Paul, though I do wish almost all of the Premiership teams would just tone it down a little. There's far too much going on with most of the kits with even wording on backsides in the case of the Chiefs

[paul_e]

Right, it's because of the 7s being in the olympics, basically if france select him for a 7s event that is covered by the IOC he'dd then become eligible to play for France in the 15-a-side format.

The IRB have clarified the requirements and the only chance of this happening is if Toulon bomb in europe, which doesn't seem likely.

I do feel for the guy though, he really should have a lot more than 5 caps.

[richard moore]

Saw and smiled at a couple of Bath fans when I stopped at the petrol station for a paper on my run yesterday near where I live. Wondered where they were heading off to and thought it might be somewhere nearer than Leicester. That's dedication for you. Mind you, they would have thought the trip round the M25 and up the M1 entirely worth it yesterday, what a win and to nil as well

[lovejoy]

Bath fans tend to come out of the work work when they're doing well. How a team can pay players so much but continue to operate in a substandard shack of a ground that they don't even own is a mystery.

[richard moore]

Saw and smiled at a couple of Bath fans when I stopped at the petrol station for a paper on my run yesterday near where I live. Wondered where they were heading off to and thought it might be somewhere nearer than Leicester. That's dedication for you. Mind you, they would have thought the trip round the M25 and up the M1 entirely worth it yesterday, what a win and to nil as well

My bad as they say these days, the game was of course at Bath!

[paul_e]

Didn't see much rugby this weekend, was out on saturday and sunday and only caught half of friday's game, I've seen extended highlights of the saints game and glaws game and I'll watch the rest later.

From what I've seen:

Burrell was superb for saints and Hooley looked very good as a deputy 10.
Glaws vs Exeter was decided, by and large, by a very harsh yellow for Kvesic and a lack of an equally harsh yellow for Nowell.  I don't think either deserved a yellow but if you give one you really have to give the other.

As a general observation I think the league looks vrery strong this year, newcastle are a little behind and Welsh are poor but the other 10 sides all look capable of putting a run together and pushing for the playoffs.

[UK Redsox]

Not a very good weekend for the Gloucestershire teams in the National Leagues.

Following Gloucester's defeat on Friday, there were also losses for Zindyferrrd, Hartpury (honest were not a college team really) College and the not-so-mighty Lyd.

[Jon Crofts]

I watched the ITV4 highlights program last night, that Saracens win was a huge effort, Bath were unplayable and the Chiefs just get better & better (my adopted team since the outlaws moved to Lympstone).

London Welsh could end up doing a Bedford this season.

[PaulWinch again]

Lancaster has been given a new deal through to 2020, I think that's deserved he's really bringing England back to being one of the top sides in world rugby. He still needs to address a few issues, but the side has continually developed year on year.