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Author Topic: Domestic and European Rugby 2016 - 2017  (Read 23068 times)

Offline Gareth

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Re: Domestic and European Rugby 2016 - 2017
« Reply #150 on: May 02, 2017, 10:12:09 PM »
Vui off to Bristol which is disappointing, if he isn't loaned out he'll tear up the Championship!  He has brought great options in line out & loose that will take some replacing.

23 released today, mainly squad players including Vuna & Lamb and 2/3 retirements like Betty/Short so would expect 6/7 of Golds signings to join the 3/4 already announced...a quality 10 is a must.

Offline cheltenhamlion

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Re: Domestic and European Rugby 2016 - 2017
« Reply #151 on: May 12, 2017, 06:10:47 PM »
Come on Glaws!

Offline nigel

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Re: Domestic and European Rugby 2016 - 2017
« Reply #152 on: May 13, 2017, 08:43:18 AM »
Great news for Worcester last two days, another year for Donnagh O'Callaghan leading on the pitch & Gary Gold staying on as DoR!

Be very interesting to see what he does in terms of tweaking the squad & whether he can get the club out of that bottom 2 cycle.

Would be nice to see the bottom 2 cycle broken. They certainly seemed to play well enough at the tail end of the season to show that it's possible.

Online manic-road

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Re: Domestic and European Rugby 2016 - 2017
« Reply #153 on: May 13, 2017, 08:44:07 AM »
Come on Glaws!

Best team won on the night.

Offline Dante Lavelli

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Re: Domestic and European Rugby 2016 - 2017
« Reply #154 on: May 14, 2017, 09:03:24 AM »
Usually I dislike a team more when they become successful, but I'm softening on saracens.  Jim Hamilton on his podcast reveals loads of tales and it appears that it is the culture at the club which sets then apart (not the flexible salary cap).  Their coaches emphasise 'making memories' which is Saracen's equivalent of Team Sky's marginal gains.  Andy Goode summed this up as "win or lose, they're always on the booze" (and in the same breathe implying that the trips to NY etc are paid for by the club and a way of avoiding paying the players directly).

They're not just piss-heads though, when Hamilton joined (2014) he was shocked at the close knit culture and how hard they trained, identifying that it was the younger players that are the leaders and best align with the 'making memories' ethos.

Not massively interested, I admit, but it's got to be good for English rugby in the long run.

Offline Dante Lavelli

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Re: Domestic and European Rugby 2016 - 2017
« Reply #155 on: May 20, 2017, 04:30:49 PM »
Wow.  the Chiefs win with the final play of the match versus Saracens.  Only saw the last 5 minutes but looked an incredible match.

Rugby is in a good place.  The Scarlets beating Leinsters adds to the story too.

Online paul_e

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Re: Domestic and European Rugby 2016 - 2017
« Reply #156 on: May 20, 2017, 04:31:20 PM »
Superb finish to the first semi, Exeter leading by 2 until the 75th when sarries got a try but missed the conversion.  From the kick off sarries choked chiefs and looked likely to carry off until they gave a scrum penalty.  From that Slade put in the best touch finder you'll ever see before they drove over from the line out.

Great game and, on balance, the right result.

Online paul_e

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Re: Domestic and European Rugby 2016 - 2017
« Reply #157 on: May 20, 2017, 07:19:14 PM »
2nd semi was equally brilliant, wasps winning it with a 77th minute try to take it by a point.

On top of that Saints won the playoffs against connacht, Apparently Mallinder was superb at 10, I fully expect him to break into the England squad next season.

Offline Dante Lavelli

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Re: Domestic and European Rugby 2016 - 2017
« Reply #158 on: May 20, 2017, 07:31:18 PM »
2nd semi was equally brilliant, wasps winning it with a 77th minute try to take it by a point.

On top of that Saints won the playoffs against connacht, Apparently Mallinder was superb at 10, I fully expect him to break into the England squad next season.

Lawes was the official man of the match, Mallinder was steady from what I saw via Facebook.  Mallinder strikes me as too big to be a ten, I'd guess that he'd be a better inside centre where his strength would be more of an asset.  Saints have also signed that chap from Aukland blues so Myler will have some competition next season.

Online paul_e

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Re: Domestic and European Rugby 2016 - 2017
« Reply #159 on: May 20, 2017, 07:50:00 PM »
2nd semi was equally brilliant, wasps winning it with a 77th minute try to take it by a point.

On top of that Saints won the playoffs against connacht, Apparently Mallinder was superb at 10, I fully expect him to break into the England squad next season.

Lawes was the official man of the match, Mallinder was steady from what I saw via Facebook.  Mallinder strikes me as too big to be a ten, I'd guess that he'd be a better inside centre where his strength would be more of an asset.  Saints have also signed that chap from Aukland blues so Myler will have some competition next season.

Yeah, Mallinder is a 12, it's obviously his best position.  I got it from a friend who went and was raving about him, he also said Lawes was brilliant but I tend to not worry about that because I honestly can't remember the last time I spoke to him about a game where he didn't (he firmly believes Lawes is the best lock in world rugby and is currently the best player in Europe, he's a big fan).

Piers Francis looks a fantastic player.  I heard mention of him being linked about a month before it was announced and started trying to catch their games.  I've seen about 5-6 now and he's been excellent, I can totally understand why Jones has called him into the squad to go to Argentina, looks like one he was hoping would move to England so he could get him in.

Offline Dave Summers

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Re: Domestic and European Rugby 2016 - 2017
« Reply #160 on: May 20, 2017, 09:05:11 PM »
I watched both semi finals and can't remember an afternoon of such high intensity Northern Hemisphere club rugby. All four teams should be extremely proud of their efforts and the final next week should be pretty special. I fancy Exeter to have a bit too much for Wasps up front and win a close one.

Sorry guys, not having Mallinder as an international player. I know he's only young but all I see is Twelvetrees Mark 2. I much prefer the claims of youngsters like Lozowski and Malins. Tin hat on 😬

Online paul_e

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Re: Domestic and European Rugby 2016 - 2017
« Reply #161 on: May 20, 2017, 09:24:04 PM »
I watched both semi finals and can't remember an afternoon of such high intensity Northern Hemisphere club rugby. All four teams should be extremely proud of their efforts and the final next week should be pretty special. I fancy Exeter to have a bit too much for Wasps up front and win a close one.

Sorry guys, not having Mallinder as an international player. I know he's only young but all I see is Twelvetrees Mark 2. I much prefer the claims of youngsters like Lozowski and Malins. Tin hat on 😬

I think all three are very good but I think what you're missing about Mallinder is his work in the tight.  He's big and strong and has a great boot and a solid defence (where the Twelvetrees reference is valid) but it ignores just how good he is at offloading and passing out of contact.

Malins will, in my opinion, be pushing Farrell all the way for club and country in a couple of years but it's worth noting that the best I've ever seen him play was with Mallinder outside him for the U20s.  I think Lozowski is the weakest of the 3, he's decent but nothing more for me.

I honestly believe that the team for the 2020 6N will include Maunder, Malins, Mallinder and Marchant as 9-10-12-13 - I think they're all world class players in the making.

Offline nigel

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Re: Domestic and European Rugby 2016 - 2017
« Reply #162 on: May 22, 2017, 08:04:21 PM »
Superb finish to the first semi, Exeter leading by 2 until the 75th when sarries got a try but missed the conversion.  From the kick off sarries choked chiefs and looked likely to carry off until they gave a scrum penalty.  From that Slade put in the best touch finder you'll ever see before they drove over from the line out.

Great game and, on balance, the right result.

And what a kick it was. It was, literally, an all or nothing kick. Fortune certainly favoured the brave with that kick.
Agree, Exeter deserved it.
Jack Nowell was excellent again. I think he'd be a fantastic open side flanker, too.

Online paul_e

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Re: Domestic and European Rugby 2016 - 2017
« Reply #163 on: May 22, 2017, 08:38:49 PM »
Superb finish to the first semi, Exeter leading by 2 until the 75th when sarries got a try but missed the conversion.  From the kick off sarries choked chiefs and looked likely to carry off until they gave a scrum penalty.  From that Slade put in the best touch finder you'll ever see before they drove over from the line out.

Great game and, on balance, the right result.

And what a kick it was. It was, literally, an all or nothing kick. Fortune certainly favoured the brave with that kick.
Agree, Exeter deserved it.
Jack Nowell was excellent again. I think he'd be a fantastic open side flanker, too.


Agree, I'd love to see him give it a go, might make it slightly easier to work out our best team as well.

Offline peter w

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Re: Domestic and European Rugby 2016 - 2017
« Reply #164 on: May 24, 2017, 07:30:50 AM »
I watched both semi finals and can't remember an afternoon of such high intensity Northern Hemisphere club rugby. All four teams should be extremely proud of their efforts and the final next week should be pretty special. I fancy Exeter to have a bit too much for Wasps up front and win a close one.

Sorry guys, not having Mallinder as an international player. I know he's only young but all I see is Twelvetrees Mark 2. I much prefer the claims of youngsters like Lozowski and Malins. Tin hat on 😬

I think all three are very good but I think what you're missing about Mallinder is his work in the tight.  He's big and strong and has a great boot and a solid defence (where the Twelvetrees reference is valid) but it ignores just how good he is at offloading and passing out of contact.

Malins will, in my opinion, be pushing Farrell all the way for club and country in a couple of years but it's worth noting that the best I've ever seen him play was with Mallinder outside him for the U20s.  I think Lozowski is the weakest of the 3, he's decent but nothing more for me.

I honestly believe that the team for the 2020 6N will include Maunder, Malins, Mallinder and Marchant as 9-10-12-13 - I think they're all world class players in the making.

You just like the letter 'M' don't you?

 


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