International Rugby

[peter w]

And there are very little green spaces available to many comprehensives to play sports such as rugby and cricket.

[paul_e]

And there are very little green spaces available to many comprehensives to play sports such as rugby and cricket.

I'm not sure that's a big problem for rugby.  At the age group and level we're talking about you wouldn't have proper scrums, rucks or mauls; you wouldn't have line outs and you wouldn't be encouraging full contact tackling so actually a 20x20 patch of grass where you can get people passing and running and playing a bit of touch would be fine.  If you went to the rugby fanzone at millenium point (or probably most of the others) you'd see they had touch pitches setup which were that kind of size and they work well for creating that initial interest.

[paul_e]

I'm not a huge follower of 7s but I did catch a bit from the weekend and was hoping one of the tries would appear on the internet:

WHAT. A. CATCH!

[Jon Crofts]

I'm not a huge follower of 7s but I did catch a bit from the weekend and was hoping one of the tries would appear on the internet:

WHAT. A. CATCH!

Big hands!

[cheltenhamlion]

Not many from Gloucester involved for England at whatever level. That said, if you can't get the buggers fit....

[paul_e]

That's been the bring problem for Gloucester, particularly in the backs, the ones that are England quality have either been edged out of the club (Robson) or can't stay fit (Trinder and recently May). After that Morgan is injured but would be with the squad otherwise and Kvesic has been on the fringes for a couple of years so you're pretty well represented in the back row.

It's really the front 5 where you're not represented and, if I'm honest, that doesn't surprise me. The poor front 5 has been the problem for about 5-6 years, it's why you are struggling to make the top half of the league, you just don't have the platform to play from.  Even the little quality you do have isn't english; take away Hibbard and Afoa and there's not much left.

[nigel]

I'm not a huge follower of 7s but I did catch a bit from the weekend and was hoping one of the tries would appear on the internet:

WHAT. A. CATCH!

Scored a very similar try in the prestigious Alcester 7's many, many years ago.
In the final, too.
My team started the game. I sprinted on to the kick off, took the ball on the full, and on under the posts. 5 seconds.

[paul_e]

I've scored one the other way, opposition kicked off, managed to take the catch clean and beat the first tackle and then looked up and there was loads of space so just ran for it, that's the danger if you have too many people rush chasing the kick.  The fly-half did get across but I'm 6' 2 and was about 16 stone at the time so at full pace (100m in about 11 seconds) you had to know what you were doing to stop me.  If I'd ever learned how to tackle I'd have been a good player, just wasn't aggressive enough.

[nigel]

I've scored one the other way, opposition kicked off, managed to take the catch clean and beat the first tackle and then looked up and there was loads of space so just ran for it, that's the danger if you have too many people rush chasing the kick.  The fly-half did get across but I'm 6' 2 and was about 16 stone at the time so at full pace (100m in about 11 seconds) you had to know what you were doing to stop me.  If I'd ever learned how to tackle I'd have been a good player, just wasn't aggressive enough.

Think you and were from the same rugby tackling pod, mate.
Attacking, I was second to none and I could defend, but wasn't the strongest in the tackle.
Even when I was in my mid 40's you heard opposition saying 'Watch the winger, he's fast' That reputation was hard to lose, thank goodness :-)

[paul_e]

I've scored one the other way, opposition kicked off, managed to take the catch clean and beat the first tackle and then looked up and there was loads of space so just ran for it, that's the danger if you have too many people rush chasing the kick.  The fly-half did get across but I'm 6' 2 and was about 16 stone at the time so at full pace (100m in about 11 seconds) you had to know what you were doing to stop me.  If I'd ever learned how to tackle I'd have been a good player, just wasn't aggressive enough.

Think you and were from the same rugby tackling pod, mate.
Attacking, I was second to none and I could defend, but wasn't the strongest in the tackle.
Even when I was in my mid 40's you heard opposition saying 'Watch the winger, he's fast' That reputation was hard to lose, thank goodness :-)

It's the problem with not getting into the game until I was 17, the early basics just aren't there.  I was fine tackling in the fringes but tackling people who were running hard I just never trusted my technique to go low so I'd just try to wrap them instead, just about works at midland 2/3 but step up a level or 2 and you get found out.

[cheltenhamlion]

That's been the bring problem for Gloucester, particularly in the backs, the ones that are England quality have either been edged out of the club (Robson) or can't stay fit (Trinder and recently May). After that Morgan is injured but would be with the squad otherwise and Kvesic has been on the fringes for a couple of years so you're pretty well represented in the back row.

It's really the front 5 where you're not represented and, if I'm honest, that doesn't surprise me. The poor front 5 has been the problem for about 5-6 years, it's why you are struggling to make the top half of the league, you just don't have the platform to play from.  Even the little quality you do have isn't english; take away Hibbard and Afoa and there's not much left.

Given the brutal nature of the home grown pack I grew up watching in the amateur days it us very much a bugbear of mine.

[PaulWinch again]

Quite a surprising squad in some respects for the Aussie tour.

[paul_e]

Genge and sinckler are picks for the future i think, neither is ready yet.

Harrison staying in is important, i just hope he gets a proper run and gives us that extra quality at the breakdown that's been missing.

[PaulWinch again]

I think Jones is basically saying Ashton won't be getting picked.

[DaveD]

I think Jones is basically saying Ashton won't be getting picked.

Or Wade or Rokoduguni. All of whom are far more dangerous than Yarde IMHO.

Tough on Cipriani too, who has played far better than Ford this season.