Gallagher Premiership 2022-2023 Season

irish rugby fans attend club games, and internationals.

Rugby fans in ireland support their clubs very well (their provincial clubs) and its to the detriment of the AIL club game which is a pity but not a travesty, those fans also attend internationals.

In the UK the fans who support the internationals do so in large numbers but dont turn up in such numbers at club games and its to the detriment of the professional club game in the UK as we are currently seeing.

JvG showing his ineptitude as a coach. A SH returning from injury who is out of his feet at 60 mins and he doesn't replace him until 78 mins, a game there for the taking and he does that.

Wasp's stadium has managed to sell to Mike Ashley for 17 million with bidding closing mere hours before a 25 million pound offer was made.

Buying a stadium that size for 17 million is a steal but for large properties like that its a question of who has the funds in place at the right time.

Everyone knew Ashley was getting the stadium for cheap. Sometimes that just happens in administration sales.

I don't think Ashley plans to turn around and flip the stadium although he does have the option.

A fair value sale would have seen a year long selling process and a value close to 50 million.

No clue! But he did bring Clote over. Maybe John Ryan?

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills when people talk about Finn Russell. How could anyone pay £1m a year for him (in pure rugby terms). I might have every other 6N outhalf ahead of him - bar Italy I suppose.

I wonder more and more about VanGrann. That's a boatload of money for a lad that's so unfocused. Of course, other signings may bump Bath. They need an enema at this stage.

Dan Biggar was also released from his contract with the Saints. It's mind boggling that it's come to this.

A reminder that Marler fondled the penis of Alun Wyn Jones and it was laughed off. He was banned for 10 weeks, but there were a plethora of current players rowing in behind him to defend his reputation. The man is a scumbag.

He's a man who promotes mental wellbeing for himself, but is fine with damaging that of others.

Dont agree with that. From what I've read/heard, it was basically a "your moma" joke. Sledging is part of the game and I don't want to see it removed. As long as it isn't racist or homophobic.

Agreed.

Sledging happens. I'd appreciate some clarity as to what the actual offense is.

Was it the joke. Was it making it multiple times through the game after a Bristol player pulled him aside and said Lay off Jake's Mom she is in hospital (not confirmed but rumoured). Is it that sledging is now like the Italian incest law. Its legal but it becomes illegal if it provokes a scandal.

I think its hypocritical that he goes on social media talking about mental health, the importance of respect and shutting up as you don't know whats going on in someone else's life and sledges someone by talking about their hospitalised mother but its not massively atypical sledging.

I'd love if Marler's mental health charities came out and said this man doesn't represent us. His behavior doesn't fit what the behavior of ambassador for our charity should be or the message that he sends out on our behalf. That's what the sanction should be rather than anything on a rugby field.

Is this a judgement that will see sledging punished going forward or is a one off for reasons I don't understand.

So once its not homophobic or racist then Its fine because its part of the game???

Forgive me for thinking there is a long list of things that should also be left alone and a players family is one of them, unless you think its ok to poke at someones hospitalized mother, maybe wives and children are ok as well so?

Marler is a scumbag, but the media love him and give him a free ride because in an era of media trained simple soundbite chats where only some superlatives are given out joe does something different that gives some ‘personality’ to it.

@lawrencesummers It was trash talk. A players family has always been part of trash talk. In every sport. There have been some great ones in cricket over the years. Including ones involving players' families.

Marler was trying to bait Heenan and it worked. He bought a penalty. It's now back fired on him. That's part of it, sometimes it bites you in the ass.

where do you draw the line? Dying wives? Sick kids?

if you think calling someone mother a whore is acceptable or excusable it says a lot about you tbh.

Its pretty obvious that marler has the maturity of a teenager, he gets away with it somewhat because he is operating in the environment where a lot of that behaviour is ignored / accepted or laughed off.

His problems will start post sport if he doesnt grow up fairly quickly.