Rugby Union

[UP13]

As a Quins fan I'm completely and utterly over the moon. Really did think we were staring down the barrel at 28-0 down. Shades of the England v Scotland game from 2019.

Shame I won't be able to get a ticket to the final due to Covid restrictions (only 2,500 tickets and season ticket holders will get priority). I went to both the 2012 Premiership final and the 2011 Challenge Cup.

To be fair I suspect Exeter will beat us next week (as I imagine Sale would too) and I don't have any complaints - Harlequins clearly aren't the best team in the country (in 2012 we were). At the start of the season I would never have seen us finishing in the top 6, let alone top 4, let alone knocking out one of the title favourites to reach the final...

 

[EbbwJunction1]

Peter Jackson in today's edition of The Rugby Paper has selected a "World Beating Place-Name XV".

The criteria is that everyone was born in the country that they represented, and the spelling of the surname must be the same as the spelling of the place. The latter meant that Mick Galwey couldn't be selected because of a mis-placed vowel, and Dan Scarbrough couldn't be selected because of a missing vowel.

The team is as follows:
15 Andrew LEEDS (Australia)
14 Zac GUILDFORD (New Zealand)
13 Nick PRESTON (England)
12 Scott HASTINGS (Scotland)
11 Alan MORLEY (England)
10 Paul HULL (England)
9 Jon PRESTON (New Zealand)
1 Ben DARWIN (Australia)
2 Matt CAIRNS) England)
3 Mike BURTON (England)
4 Jack MANCHESTER (New Zealand)
5 William WAKEFIELD (England)
6 Ronnie GLASGOW (Scotland)
7 David PICKERING (Wales)
8 Tommy BEDFORD (South Africa)

Coach: Stuart LANCASTER (England)
Assistant Coach: Crocodile DUNDEE (Australia)

Does anyone have any other suggestions - maybe to fill the bench?

Let's start with
16 Gavin HASTINGS (Scotland)
17
18
19
20
21
22
23

 

[UP13]

I think there used to be a Quins number 8 but I can't remember if he was York or Yorke.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Gallagher English Premiership...Play-off final

Exeter Chiefs 38 ...Harlequins 40

Well done, Harlequins. Not just satisfied with beating top of the league Bristol in the play-off semi final, they followed it up by beating second-place Exeter Chiefs in this play-off final.

 

[UP13]

I'm still getting over my shock. In 2012 we were clearly the best team in the league but this time has come out of nowhere.

A month ago we weren't even certain of finishing 4th. Back in January we were thinkin thank heavens there is no relegation this season....

To go from 28-0 down 28 minutes into a semi final to being champions is incredible.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I'm still getting over my shock. In 2012 we were clearly the best team in the league but this time has come out of nowhere.

A month ago we weren't even certain of finishing 4th. Back in January we were thinkin thank heavens there is no relegation this season....

To go from 28-0 down 28 minutes into a semi final to being champions is incredible.

Since Sale Sharks beat you 45-12 in the league match at the end of May, your improvement has been amazing.

 

[UP13]

Our improvement was long before the Sale game and being honest we rested most of our first team players for that match so they would be fresh for the Bristol game. Throwing the Sale game worked massively in our favour.

 

[Butts]

After winning the first Test, can The Lions secure the Series with a second victory today in South Africa ?

 

[Furryanimal]

After winning the first Test, can The Lions secure the Series with a second victory today in South Africa ?

Comprehensively outplayed in the second half.Difficult to see how the Lions can turn around the way the forwards were taken to the cleaners.
Major rethink on tactics for next week i think.

 

[UP13]

Garland made the mistake Eddie and others have made. You can't play South Africa at their own game. You can't simply defend your way to victory.

You don't see New Zealand changing their selections or tactics for them. They don't pick their biggest players and try to get on an arm wrestle. They rock up and play their regular game. Yes sometimes they lose but more often than not they win and sometimes comfortably. They are the only nation with a positive record against them.

I'm not so sure about the selection for the third test.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Gallagher English Premiership

Bath 17 ... Saracens 71

Saracens put this game safely away early in the match and led 45-0 at half time. They won the try-count by 10 to 3.

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International Match

USA 14 ... New Zealand 104

Very much the one-sided match, with New Zealand 59-7 up at half-time. Whilst the USA took consolation that they did score two tries, New Zealand scored 16 tries.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Womens Autumn International

England 89 ... USA 0

England included some of the newer players in the team squad and it took time for them to gel in the first half and the score was 29-0 at half time, but the second half saw England totally and utterly ruthlessly dominate the match, scoring 60 points in that period, ending with a try count of 15. If the try conversion attempts had been better, the 100 point mark would have easily been surpassed.

In the four Autumn 2021 internationals that England have played, they have scored 239 points and only conceded 39 points.

 

[JamesT]

Womens Autumn International

England 89 ... USA 0

England included some of the newer players in the team squad and it took time for them to gel in the first half and the score was 29-0 at half time, but the second half saw England totally and utterly ruthlessly dominate the match, scoring 60 points in that period, ending with a try count of 15. If the try conversion attempts had been better, the 100 point mark would have easily been surpassed.

In the four Autumn 2021 internationals that England have played, they have scored 239 points and only conceded 39 points.

England Women are looking a class above everyone else. This was against the team ranked 6th in the world whilst having several players either out injured or rested. We’ll see in next year’s Six Nations if the French can keep up, but otherwise there may be rather more one-sided games to come.

The pandemic has been massively disruptive to women’s rugby. Outside of Europe, many international sides haven’t had a game in two years. After several abortive attempts to schedule an Asian qualifying tournament for next year’s World Cup, World Rugby have given up and allocated Japan as the highest ranked side in the region. They’ve probably got little choice as there’s no time to reschedule, but it’s hard to believe such a situation would be allowed to develop in the men’s game.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Gallagher English Premiership

Sale Sharks 35 ... Leicester Tigers 26

Leicester came to the A J Bell stadium as league leaders with 11 wins from 12 games and in the first half, co-ordinated team work saw them leading 18-5 at half time, soon increased to 21-5 with an early converted penalty. Suddenly, Sale began to play like the team in the previous season and really pressed hard, much to the surprise of those Leicester staff on the bench and shortly afterwards, Leicester found their lead was only two points. Sale kept up the second-half pressure and ran out worthy winners having scored 30 second-half points, earning them a bonus point win. Sale won the try count 5 to 3.

 

[Butts]

Scotland v England at Murrayfield on Saturday in The Calcutta Cup.

Who is favourite for this Years Six Nations ?

 

[LOL The Irony]

Who is favourite for this Years Six Nations ?

Not England until eddie jones buggers off.

 

[Butts]

Not England until eddie jones buggers off.

Well you got that right Scotland retain the Calcutta Cup with a 20-17 win over England at Murrayfield.

 

[ungreat]

Was forced to watch the rugby game yesterday in the messroom.
Football with a bit more violence
Vaguely entertaining..nothing more

PS..hate football and most sports so don't take it personally!

 

[VauxhallandI]

Well you got that right Scotland retain the Calcutta Cup with a 20-17 win over England at Murrayfield.

It was a nail biter for sure, we never make it easy.

 

[UP13]

Not a food weekend to be an English Quins fan.

Mad statistic - England have only won 20% of their games against Scotland since 2018. We have at least 50% win rate against everybody else including South Africa and New Zealand.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Not a food weekend to be an English Quins fan.

Is that because Sale Sharks devoured them 36-14?

The previous match, Sale had beaten Leicester Tigers, the league leaders.

 

[Butts]

Not a food weekend to be an English Quins fan.

Mad statistic - England have only won 20% of their games against Scotland since 2018. We have at least 50% win rate against everybody else including South Africa and New Zealand.

Unfortunately it's all the others except Italy that Scotland have probably got a similar win rate hence our lack of success

 

[Cheshire Scot]

Should Luke Cowan Dickie be renamed Luke Cowan Dickhead?

 

[Wynd]

I was thinking he might make a good volleyball player?

Happy with the result. Team is showing huge depth to have taken 140 tackles and still come out ahead despite paltry possession and very limited attacking opportunity.

 

[75A]

Should Luke Cowan Dickie be renamed Luke Cowan Dickhead?

I think it's Eddie Jones that need to be called the Dickhead.
England were doing fine until he took off Marcus Smith,he really needs to go before the next World Cup.

 

[LOL The Irony]

I think it's Eddie Jones that need to be called the Dickhead.
England were doing fine until he took off Marcus Smith,he really needs to go before the next World Cup.

Hear hear! Although, he should've been binned off after last years 6 nations. He only plays one style of rugby and its novelty quickly wears off and everyone then knows your game and how to counter it.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Gallagher Premiership

Sale Sharks 36 ... Worcester Warriors 12

This match was a return to the north-west for the former Sale supremo Steve Diamond and the first half saw Worcester with a 12-10 lead at half-time, but Sale really moved into a higher gear after the break, scoring 26 unanswered points. Sale won the try count 6 to 2.

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It really is a pain when a posting made a week after the last one, gets tagged onto the previous one

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Gallagher Premiership

Northampton Saints 21 ... Sale Sharks 22

A well-fought close game with Sale 15-14 at half-time, but Northampton missed a penalty right at the end. Both sides scored three tries.

This fifth win in six league matches confirms the Sale revival and has moved them up to sixth place in the league table.

 

[Butts]

Unfortunately it's all the others except Italy that Scotland have probably got a similar win rate hence our lack of success

As I predicted normal service was resumed last week with defeat to the Welsh in Cardiff !!

Dreading playing the Irish and French

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Guinness Six Nations

Wales 21 ... Italy 22

In the words of Victor Meldrew....."I just don't believe it".

 

[EbbwJunction1]

Guinness Six Nations

Wales 21 ... Italy 22

In the words of Victor Meldrew....."I just don't believe it".

Sadly, I believe it very much.

I was totally unsurprised that Italy won and, in fact, thought as much during last week. The facts are that Wales picked the wrong team and have the wrong coach. We were extremely lucky to win the Championship last year - playing against fourteen men a few times did help - and we don't seem to have developed during the season. Wayne Pivac doesn't seem to know what his best team is, and the idea of making so many changes for yesterday was never going to work.

I genuinely don't know where Welsh rugby goes from here. Our regional rugby is a mess, and the Worse Run Union don't seem to understand that. They're much more interested in their vanity projects - what, for heaven's sake, has spending a sizable amount on a hotel got to do with rugby? There has to be a complete reform of rugby in Wales, but I can't see it happening because the Union don't seem to be interested in doing it.

Rant over ... !