Heineken Cup 2007/2008

[1927]

On a more positive note for Welsh rugby, I went and saw the Ospreys/Gloucester clash on Saturday. The Os were absolutely awesome - pragmatic, clinical and destructive. Surprisingly for a Welsh side they played exactly the right game that the conditions and occasion demanded.

Thank fuck that they also proved a point that the gap between GP rugby and the best that Magners can offer is maybe not quite as large as some would like to think.

Special mention has to go to the Os back row forwards. Does any team in Europe boast one that can match Ryan Jones, Tiatia and Marty Holah for mobility, aggression and destructiveness. Put simply they are an awesome unit that genuinely complement the other.

Special mention also has to go to Justin Marshall. The old fox put on a number 9 masterclass the likes of which I have never been privileged to have seen in a live game. He did everything right, and his decision making and game management were utterly superlative.

If the Os can beat Bourgoin away and qualify, I'd fancy their chances away to Sarries in the QFs.

 

[Red Faction]

was a funny old match

we were celebrating so much more than the ASM fans, and they'd won the bloody thing!

it was a bad stamp- what on EARTH was he playing at?

similarly, their openside flanker just lamped quinlan (?) in open play right in front of the referee

an equally stupid thing to do

can we beat wasps at home?
i hope so

Home quarter finalists:

Irish
Sarries
Gloucester
Cardiff

Away finalists:
Munster
Toulouse
Perpignan
Ospreys

i would LOVE a munster v irish game in reading

e2a id prefer a munster v irish game in twickenham

 

[Mr Retro]

e2a id prefer a munster v irish game in twickenham

That would be brilliant wouldn't it?

 

[Red Faction]

fucking. amazing.

where is the final this year?
it was twickers last year
cardiff again?

we might go to twickers if we meet them in the semis

 

[bendeus]

Paul Tito has never played for New Zealand. Fact!

Expect an abrasive, hideously ugly, ginger maori to be playing in a red jersey in about 2 1/2 years' time.

 

[Mr Retro]

fucking. amazing.

where is the final this year?
it was twickers last year
cardiff again?

we might go to twickers if we meet them in the semis

It's on the 24th of May in Cardiff.

Flannery was cited for his stamp. No date set for the hearing yet. Does that mean he can play Saturday?

 

[Mr Retro]

No date for the citings yet. Ibanez and Flannery can play on Saturday

 

[Red Faction]

having looked at the stamp again, its doesnt look that bad
his leg was held, he tried to wrestle his leg out of it and caught bonnaire's head
i say 'doesnt look that bad' he did catch bonnaire quite hard though

 

[ch750536]

Cmoooonnnnn!

Bring on wasps.

Hope its as good a game as last week (and we win of course).

 

[Mr Retro]

Hope its as good a game as last week (and we win of course).

I'll just take the win!

 

[bendeus]

having looked at the stamp again, its doesnt look that bad
his leg was held, he tried to wrestle his leg out of it and caught bonnaire's head
i say 'doesnt look that bad' he did catch bonnaire quite hard though

Have a look again with the other eye

 

[bendeus]

I'll just take the win!

Aye. Hope that Munster do the lantern-jawed, pride of John Bull at Thomond. There's a worryingly high English representation in the competition as it stands. Bloody glad that the Tiggers are out, t'would be mighty fine if Wasps and Brizzle follow them out on the w/e.

 

[Mr Retro]

having looked at the stamp again, its doesnt look that bad
his leg was held, he tried to wrestle his leg out of it and caught bonnaire's head
i say 'doesnt look that bad' he did catch bonnaire quite hard though

I haven't seen it since the match, still think it was a bad one.

 

[Red Faction]

Have a look again with the other eye

seriously, if you were going to stamp on someone with your left foot
you'd plant your right foot on the ground, and that would be your weight bearing leg
the stamping would come from your left knee right?

here, his left leg is being held, he tried to jump out of it
alright, the first time when he nicks the side of bonnaire's head, i would have expected him to look down and stop

but honestly, it looks like he's just trying to do anything he can to free his leg from being held

you have a look again and think about it

think its an amusing co-incidence both hookers have been cited but are free to play

 

[Lakina]

Looks like its going to be an epic at Thomond Park. I wish I was there...

 

[Red Faction]

i wouldnt say epic,
needing 4 tries and a margin of 36 points against the best team in england is an epic match

all we have to do is win comfortably and defend well
i think we'll do it at thomond no problem

 

[sleaterkinney]

Does anyone know any good streams for the match?

 

[Lakina]

Oh well, Wasps are out. Bummer.

Munster were fairly impressive. I'd rather they got through to the second round than Clermont. But can they win away from home?

 

[Red Faction]

Irish v Ospreys
Sarries v Perpignan
Gloucester v Munster
Toulouse v Cardiff

think ive got those seedings right, if so Sarries and Toulouse are laughing

comfortable win over wasps
no surprises there

i've two bad memories of kingsholm, it's a tough ground to go to

 

[1927]

Red I'd like to think you are right , but the Os aren't thru quite yet and I am going to have a nail biter of an afternoon til I see the result!

 

[Lakina]

reckon Irish, sarries, Gloucester and Toulouse for the semis.

Gloucester champions for 07/08.

 

[Red Faction]

well good luck Os, lets hope for another cracking game!

 

[ivebeenhigh]

come on GLAWS!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Lakina]

Home games for all the English clubs.

Anyone want to bet on another all English final?

 

[1927]

Quarter-final draw:
Saracens v Ospreys
London Irish v Perpignan
Gloucester v Munster
Toulouse v Cardiff Blues

Ok, I reckon winners will be

Ospreys
London Irish
Gloucester
Toulouse

Os could have won group at one point today, thank fuck that didnt happen, I'd rather play Saras away than Munster at home, you just never know which Munster is goona turn up!!

 

[Yoj]

i'm happy to see 2 welsh clubs in the quarters! first time since 2001 i think! both had impressive victories yesterday and roll on the quarters!

 

[Mr Retro]

I think they are pretty open quarter finals and anybody could go through. A lot will depend on injuries picked up by key players at the end of a long season.

I'm hoping that Munsters experience in the competition will see us through against Gloucester. They will want revenge for Musnter making them look like mugs in Thomand Park a few years back. It'll be the tie of the round.

 

[ch750536]

Munsters doggedness against claremont and the way they dispatched an albeit poor wasps will get them past gloucester?sp in my opinion.

 

[bendeus]

Blues chucked away a golden opportunity for a home QF yesterday. All they had to do was score one converted try in the second half, and Toulouse would have had to travel to CAP rather than the other way round. As it stands - Toulouse win

Ospreys almost contrived to chuck the game away against Bourgoin. Typical indecision, mental weakness and panic under pressure. The Sarries QF will be interesting, as both sides have tendencies towards flakiness. It'll be a case of which chicken keeps its head best on the day. The Os definitely have the beating of Sarries in their own backyard if they play to their potential, though - Os to shade it.

Gloucester looked shaky for large portions of the game against Ulster, and got steamrollered by the aggressive Ospreys pack the week before. For all their ability to chuck it around, and in spite of their fairly impressive set of backs, I don't think they have the guts or experience to front up to the mighty Munstermen in a pressure match. Munster have been here too many times before, and know how to mix it with the best of them - Munster to win a gritty game.

How London Irish are the first seeds in the competition is astonishing given the fact that they're actually pretty shit. Shades of Northampton last season methinks. A lot will depend on which Perpignan show up, but I reckon a home banker in spite of the hosts' inadequacies - marginal, but Plastic Paddies to win, IMO.

 

[bendeus]

In other news, rumours abound on the Welsh rugby messageboards of the Scarlets going into total meltdown. Problems still hang over their possible move to Pemberton, and whether Stradey will ever be sold. Some claim that the club is unable to pay its players, which would explain the sudden exodus of its stars (Peel, Jones, Popham, possibly Regan King). Rumours also persist of massive dressing room unrest as a result of Phil Davies' inadequacies. I think that the rift with the coach, the death of Ray Gravell, the fact that they're not being paid, the fact that players are jumping ship with alarming alacrity and the fact that there is a real possibility that the Scarlets will cease to exist as a region in the very near future would provide some kind of explanation as to why the most successful club in Welsh history, and arguably the one with the most history, has been so utterly gash this year.

If they do go down the tubes, it'll be a sad day for rugby, both Welsh and European.