Domestic and European Rugby Union

[UK Redsox]

Lydney 42 - Bridgwater 0 (abandoned after 60 mins)

This game should never have started because pitch and weather were terrible.

However, conditions were not much worse after an hour than they were at the start.

Therefore we lost out on scoring another 20 or 30 points that could be important if the title or playoff spot comes down to points difference.

[UK Redsox]

However, after the game, conditions did get much worse

https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/gloucester-news/three-sports-clubs-lydney-urgently-3862174

Three sports clubs in the Forest of Dean have been left in a desperate situation after the River Lyd banks burst.

Situated along the river bank are Lydney Cricket Club, Lydney Rugby Club and Lydney Town AFC, which were all badly affected.

The rugby club has so far raised £7,000 towards their total aim of £20,000 in a bid to repair the water logged club house.

Their chairman Duncan Sleeman, 48, said: "We lost about 15 to 20 fridges and freezers, cookers and dishwashers. Our rugby tackle equipment is 90 per cent destroyed.

"Also there's the loss of revenue as we won't be able to use the club house for the foreseeable future."

[UK Redsox]

[UK Redsox]

Jonny May returns to Gloucester.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/52254725


Potential problems with contracts when the season resumes

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/52257511

[paul_e]

Jonny May returns to Gloucester.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/52254725

Potential problems with contracts when the season resumes

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/52257511

Football has the same problem with contracts, for me that's the biggest plus for the idea of voiding the season. However that presents a particularly difficult problem for rugby because they've already granted promotion to Newcastle and there is no chance next season starts with Sarries in the premiership.

[UK Redsox]

How are Saracens funding all these contract extensions within the salary rules?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/53443359

[paul_e]

Who knows with Sarries.

In case anyone missed it the league resumes on 14/08 with a lot of squad changes all through the league. A few transfers stand out, Kvesic back to Worcester is a big one, Manu to Sale is bigger and Radradra to Bristol is massive. More important than all of those though is the truly batshit crazy signing of Ashley Johnson to Moseley.

At the top end of the league I'd say, aside from the Sale and Bristol signings mentioned, Saints have strengthened their weaknesses and lost players where they have depth (although Reinach is a huge loss) so are probably better for it and Exeter, in my opinion, are weakened by the changes. Everyone else hasn't really changed much despite a lot of players moving around.

[UK Redsox]

I suspect that a number of the Saracens international players will be sent out on loan next season (if that's allowed).

They won't need all of them to cruise the Championship and it'll save them a bit of money

[paul_e]

I suspect that a number of the Saracens international players will be sent out on loan next season (if that's allowed).

They won't need all of them to cruise the Championship and it'll save them a bit of money

4-5 of the fringe players have gone out, I don't think the international players are allowed because of the central contracts

[cdbearsfan]

No promotion or relegation? What a load of absolute shite. Hope every single club that votes for that goes bust.

Premiership: RFU considers ring-fencing top flight - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/53608795

[paul_e]

No promotion or relegation? What a load of absolute shite. Hope every single club that votes for that goes bust.

Premiership: RFU considers ring-fencing top flight - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/53608795

Bring it in as soon as this season ends and I'd vote for it. Sarries stuck in the championship for 4 years would be fucking great.

More seriously I'm not totally against the idea. The gap between the premiership and championship is fucking massive, I'd be in favour of changes which mean teams that are promoted don't feel the need to fill their squad with journeymen in the hopes they can cling on for a year or 2. How you do that I'm not sure but I'm ok with them trialling things to see what works. I'm also ok with them reducing the number of games slightly because on eof the reasons for that divide is that the bigger clubs have managed to A and B squads that are 45-50 player, championship clubs struggle for those numbers.

[UK Redsox]

No promotion or relegation? What a load of absolute shite. Hope every single club that votes for that goes bust.

Premiership: RFU considers ring-fencing top flight - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/53608795

They tried to bring this in years ago.

As soon as Gosforth/Newcastle made it back to the top level I think that Rob Andrew and others tried to pull up the drawbridge.

[paul_e]

first game ina very long time tonight, will be really interesting to see how the rule changes are handled and which teams have prepared best for it.

[paul_e]

hard to tell the real impact of the new rules after that game. Both teams were ok without doing anything special and the main point of difference was the most ill-judged cross-field kick from the Sale 10 I think I've ever seen in the professional game.

I don't think I can fairly describe just how poor it was.

[luke:lamf]

Watching Sarries-Wasps idly while doing odd jobs. Farrell just had yet another rush of blood to the head and gone in with an atrocious tackle on a Wasp. First time I've ever seen a ref run in instantly to stop a player from being beaten half to death by absolutely furious team-mates of the guy he just totally poleaxed. Red card, obviously.

I recognise it's an instant reaction, but he has to be binned from the England team. He just doesn't learn.