General Rugby Discussion II

Clegg

Exeter sub rushes into the sideline to escalate a brawl. Then gets sent off.

Exclamation Marc

Wayne Barnes has been magnificent today. Such a brilliant referee.

sydthebeat

Exclamation Marc wrote: »

Wayne Barnes has been magnificent today. Such a brilliant referee.

Agreed

sydthebeat

sydthebeat wrote: »

Nothing is getting past that Exeter line today.

Lol

Technically they didn't get past the line

stephen_n

Rob Baxter certainly isn’t pulling any punches when it comes to Sarries. Don’t blame him but he’s very angry.

https://twitter.com/chjones9/status/1211341229427957765?s=21

stephen_n

stephen_n wrote: »

Rob Baxter certainly isn’t pulling any punches when it comes to Sarries. Don’t blame him but he’s very angry.

Exeter are an honest, hard working and well managed team. It's taken Baxter quite a bit of time to build that culture and but for Saracens ignoring the collective rules, Exeter would likely have more silverware both at domestic and European level.

Bridge93

They’d certainly have won a premiership or two. Don’t believe they’d have won a European title. In the three years sarries were champions, the lost a quarter final and were eliminated from the group twice. I suppose there seeding may have changed it I always got the sense that, until this year, they were always just a bit off the top level in Europe

Tigerandahalf

I came across the link below on my news feed earlier.
Former Wales scrumhalf Gareth Cooper was defrauded by his wife and left bankrupt.
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/gareth-cooper-rugby-fraud-wife-17397047

I also see it mentioned on another link that Rhys Webb may be back to the Ospreys or Dragons next summer. It seems his wife and kids are living back in Wales.

Interested Observer

Bridge93 wrote: »

They’d certainly have won a premiership or two. Don’t believe they’d have won a European title. In the three years sarries were champions, the lost a quarter final and were eliminated from the group twice. I suppose there seeding may have changed it I always got the sense that, until this year, they were always just a bit off the top level in Europe

They were miles off winning Europe. Leinster beat them home and away one of the seasons, they played the most brain-dead game I've ever seen against Munster last (?) season. Not a chance. They've been screwed out of a premiership title or three though.

Dave_The_Sheep

Interested Observer wrote: »

They were miles off winning Europe. Leinster beat them home and away one of the seasons,

To be fair, those two games were absolute battles, and Leinster had to be on top form to win them (and perhaps get a little bit of luck with that McGrath try). Barring Racing, they tested Leinster the most that year.

Agreed though they did not perform the year after in that group with Munster.

Interested Observer

Dave_The_Sheep wrote: »

To be fair, those two games were absolute battles, and Leinster had to be on top form to win them (and perhaps get a little bit of luck with that McGrath try). Barring Racing, they tested Leinster the most that year.

Agreed though they did not perform the year after in that group with Munster.

Doesn't really matter, Leinster did win the games and Saracens cheating had no bearing on it.

Interesting chart of player earning power in the three NH leagues.



Poor hookers always getting screwed!

joseywhales

When I think about the suffering a seven endures...

Perhaps this includes a playing bonus and the position is just that attritional

Buer

Flankers are plentiful. They won't command the same wedge as others due to this.

Surprised to see fullback so high in the T14. The likes of NMS and Ben Smith must be skewing that statistic.

I'm surprised to see hookers at the bottom though. It's a specialist position although there are very few hookers about who are really indispensible to their sides in the way that some props are, I suppose.

errlloyd

They release that chart annually and its not all that consistent year to year. I think a few players end up really influencing it.

Eod100

Rhys Webb released early from Toulon due to family reasons

Squidgy Black

London Irish have to have the worst discipline of any team in Europe at the moment, they've gotten at least one yellow card in 6 out of their 7 games so far in the league and a yellow in each of the 4 Premiership cup games at the start of the season.

stephen_n

Squidgy Black wrote: »

London Irish have to have the worst discipline of any team in Europe at the moment, they've gotten at least one yellow card in 6 out of their 7 games so far in the league and a yellow in each of the 4 Premiership cup games at the start of the season.

Deccie going a bit too far instilling pashun in them.

Eod100

Webb back to Ospreys

Bazzo

Jonnie Gray is heading to Exeter. It must be so tough as a Scottish fan, they really struggle to hold on to talent.

OldRio

Nigel Wray retired. Or is that caught out.

OldRio

OldRio wrote: »

Nigel Wray retired. Or is that caught out.

There may be other reasons for it in the background - but I think this is him taking on the blame for the cap breach and walking away from the club with it.

You can see from Rob Baxters comments last weekend that there is plenty of anger within the Premiership and this might be Sarries way of moving things on.

Bazzo

Does this mean he won't be bankrolling them any more? Huge consequences if so

Edit: never mind, I see he says he'll continue to provide financial support

Buer

He has retired as chairman. He hasn't sold the club. He has already stated that he will continue to support the club financially.

sydthebeat

hummm.....

if he provides financial support to players through his financial machines to their companies... and is NOT on the board of saracens.....

is that considered salary boosting???

Squidgy Black

sydthebeat wrote: »

hummm.....

if he provides financial support to players through his financial machines to their companies... and is NOT on the board of saracens.....

is that considered salary boosting???

Yeah he's still a 'connected party' to the club as he still had ownership in it, so any financial transactions would have to be disclosed.

Larbre34

It changes basically nothing. Any new chair has to be approved by him anyway.

Interested Observer

Larbre34 wrote: »

It changes basically nothing. Any new chair has to be approved by him anyway.

I am pretty sure his daughter is one of the most senior people in the organisation as well, runs the commercial arm of Saracens. As I read elsewhere this morning - this is nothing but window dressing.

ionadnapokot

Matt Williams outlines some of the impact of the bush fires in Australia.

My fav line:
“The custodians of the Lucky Country, on both sides of politics, are a bunch of weak, self-serving bastards.”

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/matt-williams-scale-of-the-catastrophe-in-australia-is-like-nothing-i-have-ever-seen-1.4128944

The scale of these fires is so huge that humans cannot put them out. It will take a lot of rain to extinguish these fires. If no rain comes, as it has not for the previous five years, then the fires will keep burning and smoke will still be here when Ireland play the Wallabies at the SCG in July.

Bazzo

Naiyaravoro is some tank