Rugby Union Thread

[Dave Summers]

Gavin Henson sacked by Cardiff Blues with immediate effect.

What an absolute tool that bloke is.   Massively overrated by the Welsh loving media as well.  A player who apart from one tackle, which Mathew Tait recycled the ball by the way and one long kick in the same game, has achieved the square root of zero with his career.

Great tan though !!!

[Dave Cooper please]

He did get to throw one up Charlotte Church though.

[paul_e]

Henson is about the most overrated player I've ever seen, carried ok, tackled ok, kicked ok, passed ok but wasn't great at any aspect and yet some how managed to be regarded as one of the best players in the world (remember seeing people compare him to BOD at one point).

[Rotterdam]

What talent he has/had, he has wasted. Berk.

[lovejoy]

I suspect there's more to Henson's "off the field issues" than we are currently aware.

[Dante Lavelli]

He did get to throw one up Charlotte Church though.

What is she doing nowadays?

[Dave Cooper please]

He did get to throw one up Charlotte Church though.

What is she doing nowadays?

Locked in my basement.

[The Left Side]

He did get to throw one up Charlotte Church though.

beautifully put!

[cheltenhamlion]

By the way, after much pissing about, Shed tickets now booked for Newcastle at home.

[lovejoy]

I dare Redpath to lose that one!

[lovejoy]

So Edinburgh beat Toulouse, unbelievable. More predictably Leinster go through at home.

[paul_e]

Toulouse have been on the way down all season, they're a shadow of the team they were, comparitively poor in the lineout and the scrum which makes it hard to get any platform.  Pretty old side as well.

[lovejoy]

but still able to be top of their league, the strongest domestic league in Europe.

Anyway Stand up for the Ulstermen - take that Sky and your Munster love-in.

[paul_e]

but still able to be top of their league, the strongest domestic league in Europe.

Anyway Stand up for the Ulstermen - take that Sky and your Munster love-in.

I disagree, I think the english league is stronger, there's only really Newcastle that aren't capable of beating anyone.  Wasps have been weakened by the off field stuff all season and Worcester struggle to score tries but both are solid packs and can easily give everyone a tough game.

In France you have 3-4 very good sides at the top of the league and then nothing special below that.  The english sides have been pretty poor in europe this season but I don't think our performances this season have been indicative of the strength of the league.  I think englands performances (and the fact that lots of players have a genuine case to be upset they weren't included) in the 6N are a better indicator.

Back to Toulouse, they're still a good side but they aren't a dominant pack anymore they've been successful for a long time on the back of a front 5 that could march through anyone and a lineout which never lost ball on their own throw and stole a fair percent of opposition ball.  They've moved away from that to a more free flowing side in the last couple of years but they're just not up to it yet.

[PaulWinch again]

Farrell turns down coaching role with England. It'll be interesting to see who they go for now, I'd like to see Wayne Smith.