The Dew Drop Inn Virtual Rugby Pub

First topic message reminder :

Welcome to the virtual rugby pub - a place where you can come in for a sly beverage and discuss whatever's on your mind, or just eavesdrop on the regulars if you fancy a break from all the rugby chat.

The only rule in this pub is one of mutual respect for everyone in it, oh and no defacing the Tommy Bowe photo on the bar. That's a banning offence

So pull up a chair....what'll it be?

Sometimes Notch, but I find it all rather depressing.

Notch, I'm worried that governments haven't committed themselves to searching for an fuel alternative to oil even though we know it's running out.

Didn't you know it's all a conspiracy? Send as many Scarlets players on Wales duty as possible in the hope they get injured. (That's what they think on the Scarlets fans forum anyway!) I blame the Ospreys myself.

Seriously gutted for Stodds though, how unlucky can you get.....

they would think it's a conspiracy over there!

A bit unfortunate from a Scarlets perspective mind. And yeah, Stodds.....just horrible

I noted Stoddard about 3-4 seasons ago, and thought he was a great talent. One of those players who gets you on the edge of your seat whenever he gets the ball in space. For your sakes I hope he doesn't become another JSD; so much talent but too many injuries.

Yeah Hound, he missed a season with a hamstring injury, then just as he regained fitness he got injured in a Wales training camp in the Autumn (year before last) and was out for like another half season again. This season just been has been the longest he's gone without a major injury (as he's had a few niggles this season as well). Just very unlucky I think.

Terrible news for Stoddart. A good player.

Not bad from Ireland I think didn't expect our backrow to play that well and our forwards fronted up. Our defence was outstanding for most of the game,we didn't give away a hyge amount of penalties either. Wallace did good in defence but he and MCF didn't offer much in attack. Rugby League has been pretty decent too.

luckless_pedestrian wrote:Notch, I'm worried that governments haven't committed themselves to searching for an fuel alternative to oil even though we know it's running out.

I'm worried that the only answer to the string of financial crises is incredibly punitive austerity measures that are going to make life a lot harder for the vast majority of people on the planet and seem set to continue at pace. I'm worried about resource wars over water and fossil fuels, which will become more common place. I'm worried that the rising superpower (in terms of nations that is, the real superpowers are bonds rating agencies and so on) is a very undemocratic, closed society. I'm most worried about the feral financial elite and their preservation of their wealth and influence at the expense of society at large.

Notch,look at the bright side,if global warming occurs at similar or greater rates,we could be dead in 50 years!

Ah yes, I'd forgotten about global warming!

Righty I'm off to watch the Harry Potter film on ITV. Might be back in later, but have good evening's all

Toodle-oo, Dreamer.

Notch, my answer to you is that the world's always been f___ed up. I grew up under the threat of a nuclear winter.

Well, that was surreal. The JCB driver isn't into rugby, but offered to put it on his radio. Problem was I couldn't hear it from outside. When he remembered he gave me snippets. "Donald Stoddart's leg's Flip...Shaun Williams has scored and he's Flip...is Knoyle Welsh...etc"

Mangled Been a long day. No posts for a while; did the server go down?

Think people have been catching up on things they didn't do when the games were on hound.

I'm just rewatching the match as I missed out on the second half earlier.

Pete - If Wales get their 1st XV on the pitch they should have no problems making the knock out stage of the RWC.

England disappointed me a lot today. I thought they would step up a gear in the 2nd half, but credit to Wales because they upped their game.

Nos da folks, I'm all in. zzzzzzzz

Gutted for Toby, but it's a double edged sword for me as I want Ryan Jones to do well too. I'd still take Toby over JT or Powell.

Not too worried about today. Some English people say Wales can't score tries, so I'll bet the tune will change tomorrow. I'll settle for a four point loss up there anyway, especially given our disruptions.

Get well soon Stodds!!!

Nearly 16 hours worth of sleep. Not bad at all. On the downside apparently we had guests round for dinner last night and my parents let me sleep through dinner. Bad times.

It's an interesting evening when you wake and look at your phone and see an Internet search for "Russian Brides".

Bore da

Just watching yesterday's highlights against the All Blacks Not a bad game, but there's some rustiness there - a few loose passes etc. Hopefully Wales can improve on that in the coming weeks. Good to see the younger boys doing well too. Also noticed Mike Phillips has finally had a decent haircut and Rhys Priestland is looking like ROG - I hope his kicking goes the same way

Shame about Stoddart and Moody's injuries as well. Hope they're OK.

Glas - did you leave your phone unattended by any chance?

Penfro - you have mail.

Glas a du wrote:It's an interesting evening when you wake and look at your phone and see an Internet search for "Russian Brides".

Strange feeling turning on the news, hearing about overnight riots, and then discovering they didn't take place in Belfast.

MBTGOG wrote:

Glas a du wrote:It's an interesting evening when you wake and look at your phone and see an Internet search for "Russian Brides".

Let's look at some facts:

1. The JCB driver was late picking you up for work yesterday.
2. You were busy judging the prize pigs at the Show after the JCB driver went to find a parking spot.
3. The JCB driver never looked you in the eye when you returned back from the judging - (I presume?)

So, did your phone fall out unnoticed from your jacket pocket into the cabin of the JCB (between the driver's seat and yours)... and was then mysteriously - and with considerable sleight of hand, returned into the aforementioned jacket pocket - but not before being carefully wiped for fingerprints?

If not; then you may have some explaining to do...

JCB drivers are notorious for their sleight of hand.

Morning all: good day yesterday and enjoyed the rugby. Don't think i'll be leaving my bed today somehow unless it's to eat or it catches fire!! Going to watch the Ireland-Scotland match now and I don't even know the score so good times!!

Rev, Wales can score tries,the just seem to rely on moments of skill from other players rather than on set moves.

I dunno Thom, George North's first try definitely came from a set move. It's the first time in ages I've seen us actually use an overlap we've created!

Dreamer haven't seen the highlights yet(are they still on the red button),but I do think that Wales have depended on a moment from Shane,Hook and others over the past while they seem to hope to score rather than think they will socre.

Ah well I would say both of North's scores came more from a set move and us actually finishing off our overlaps. Can't quite remember Shane's, need to watch the highlights again myself.

His first one especially came after about 13 phases of play, we were really patient for a once and took our chance. Twas good to see

If Wales have turned a corner it's good news. There was was a time when the ball was just shifted from sideline to sideline. Have to catch the highlights soon!

ha yeah don't I know it! there was still some of the lateral movement but there was a definite improvement to our back play - finally!

That's good,Ireland didn't really offer anything yesterday which was a bit surprising.

From the bit I saw of the match yesterday (I wasn't paying it full attention I'll admit) It seemed that it was all Scotland for the most part with Ireland just defending. Guess with so many changes from Ireland's last match it would be difficult to see them being all that cohesive going forward perhaps. Good that your defence was so good though.

ireland had very little ball,but our defence and discipline was excellent. We only gave away about 4 penalties in kickable postions.

I have a link for some highlights of Eng v Wales Thom but it's on the Beeb website and I don't know if it'll work where you are, but here's the link anyway just in case. :

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/14434081.stm


wow really only 4? that's a huge improvement from yout 6N's match against them then. Good to see.

Found an iplayer link as well: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01380kr/Rugby_Union_2011_2012_England_v_Wales_Highlights/

But guessing that only works in the UK too

It's on the red button and I just watched it. Many positives for Wales,they were patient in their build up,using the forwards and sucking in the defence. All 3 tries were similar as Davies would ay it was just " Numbehs" Tuilagi cut through the defence easily but besides that they were solid. Wales could still try and put it through the hands more but a lot of positives. I think Wales have to start with Hook/Priestland,who I thought had a great game.

Just seen the photo on ESPN of Stoddards break.

nottins wrote:Just seen the photo on ESPN of Stoddards break.

Should that have been published? I imagine it must be grim. Yesterday, Sky would not show a replay of the incident, I gathered because it was awful. I therefore repeat - should the photo be published?

Thomond wrote:ireland had very little ball,but our defence and discipline was excellent. We only gave away about 4 penalties in kickable postions.

We didn't give many more elsewhere either.

I know it was a scrappy maych - real pre-season stuff. Leo Cullen was quoted (in The Times, I think) as saying that forwards need three games to get match sharp.

It was good to see Rob K get through the whole game; he didn't set it on fre in any way, but he didn't miss much either. Luke F was a bit better than in the 6Ns.

Interesting comment from Deccie in the pre-match interview. he said he was looking forward to the WC - having a team playing week in week out. He has alluded to this a few times over the past few years while hew has been Ireland coach - how he misses the week in week out contact with a squad, rather than just getting together for a few weeks now and again during the year.

Question - If Deccie is really looking forward to the WC so much, because it the international tournament which most closely reflects the club game, will this make any difference to the mood in the irish camp?

I don't particularly want to see Stoddart's break. I think the TV coverage did him and the viewer a favour avoiding that. I'm not surprised there's a photo doing the rounds though. Some people just really go for that sort of stuff which is horrible.

I don't see why you wouldn't publish it. How is it different to any other photo of anything else that happened on the pitch?

I know some people are squeamish but that shouldn't affect the editorial policy. I don't particularly want to see it, but being a professional rugby player means your image is in the public domain; whether you're scoring a try, missing a tackle or being stretchered off the pitch. A physical game like rugby carries some risks with it and we shouldn't airbrush that out of the media.

I just don't see the point in publishing a graphic photo of that incident myself; but that's the media they like to be as explicit as much as possible.

Cari wrote:I don't particularly want to see Stoddart's break. I think the TV coverage did him and the viewer a favour avoiding that. I'm not surprised there's a photo doing the rounds though. Some people just really go for that sort of stuff which is horrible.

The photo isn't as bad as the photo of David Busst's leg. I don't think it's horrible wanting to see it, just curiosity. I'm actually quite squeamish looking at that sort of thing, so it was a quick look of the injury and close the web page.

I remember when Dragons player Martyn Thomas broke his leg during a match I was watching that game live. I went weak and had to turn away, it just looked too painful to watch.

RWC 1987 is on ESPN Classic at 16:00

Cari wrote:I just don't see the point in publishing a graphic photo of that incident myself; but that's the media they like to be as explicit as much as possible.

I wouldn't term that as explicit, I mean people break bones every day. Someone could get hit by a car or fall off a ladder in front of you on your way to work. It's up to the media to report the world as it is, scars and all. Rugby carries with it a certain amount of risk, and it's up to the media to report the full story.

Off topic on sports reporting, but I remember before the start if the Iraq war the guardian published a lot of photos from the first Gulf War- dismembered bodies, corpses, badly charred human remains. Things in that general vein, the results of modern warfare. And it was essential at that time that they did that, because it's easy to support the idea of a war when you aren't ever confronted with the reality. Sometimes it's essential that the media report things we find unpalatable; not to shock, but to inform.

Indeed Notch. Top Gear last week had a rally team who were all ex servicemen and all amputees, showing their prosthetics and damaged limbs.

Well to be fair, I haven't seen the photo nottins was referring to, and I won't. You can't compare showing a sports injury to a report about a war zone though. I'd say the latter is more in the public interest than a sportsman's injury. I don't think it's essential to show a player's injury to inform the public about it.

Anyway, I'm watching the hurling in Gaelic. Now I know how non-Welsh people feel watching rugby on S4C

If Asbo comes in please direct him to this - https://www.606v2.com/t11039-the-80-minute-game#346714