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 pictures of John Hayes, Craig Gilroy,
Niall O'Connor, Ben Skirving and Jonny May above the bar!




Last Pub: https://www.606v2.com/t22243p950-the-dew-drop-inn-virtual-rugby-pub

Balotelli and Twitter

When you are unbelievably impulsive sometimes you randomly defend school children from bullies and sometimes you kick people in the face. Maybe it all evens out in the end.

Yellow cap for me in the Amlin SG this week! I thank you!

Well done Swanny.

Morning all,



On the way to basingstoke already, really getting into the swing of this Monday to friday malark.

Bore da pawb / good morning all. It's cold and dry as a bone here this morning, beautiful weather. I'm pleased that the Blues made the quarter finals, but I'm happier for Edinburgh, who play a much more attractive (and no less effective) brand of rugby.

Morning Lucky and Hughie and any lurkers

Great weekend of Rugby. How did the journo job go Lucky? Any big scoops?

No big scoops, Rava, but it was a great experience and I'm looking forward to the next home game now. Hopefully there'll be more Press there next time and I can 'network' a bit, as they say. I did have a bit of a chat with the BBC's Phil Steele on Saturday, he's a good bloke. But I've never had to write so fast in my life!

When do we get to read your work?

Why limit yourself to Home games? Would there be sufficient expenses to get you to an away fixture, say in Belfast?

Ha, I'll see if I can wangle a trip to Ravenhill, Rava!

I'll be posting the finished match report this evening and then once the other 606v2 writers have had their input we'll be posting it for general consumption.

Morning all!!! Great weekend for me and I actually have energy in work! Squash tonight too so think I'll keep hold of this energy!

Morning Prop, I'm feeling pretty chipper this morning too. I don't know what's wrong with me!

Morning all, hope everyone had a great weekend. I had the mother of all hangovers Saturday (drinking with my flatmate is dangerous).

I've set up a Super XV Sportsguru pool if anyone's interested https://www.606v2.com/t16366-heineken-cup-amlin-challenge-superxv-sportsguru-tipping-comps#883142

Lastly, my flatmate's going to be in Dublin the weekend of the Ireland vs Scotland game. Given that it's too late to apply for tickets via her parents' local club, do any of the Irish regs know what her best bet would be for getting a couple of match tickets? She was offered a corporate box ticket by her work for England vs Ireland but will be in Ireland for a friend's hen do so had to decline.

Kiwireddevil wrote:Morning all, hope everyone had a great weekend. I had the mother of all hangovers Saturday (drinking with my flatmate is dangerous).

I've set up a Super XV Sportsguru pool if anyone's interested https://www.606v2.com/t16366-heineken-cup-amlin-challenge-superxv-sportsguru-tipping-comps#883142

Lastly, my flatmate's going to be in Dublin the weekend of the Ireland vs Scotland game. Given that it's too late to apply for tickets via her parents' local club, do any of the Irish regs know what her best bet would be for getting a couple of match tickets? She was offered a corporate box ticket by her work for England vs Ireland but will be in Ireland for a friend's hen do so had to decline.

Kiwi, the only way there will be any available tickets will be through the Clubs. Any surplus will go on sale through the Supporters Club but you need to be a member to apply. I have promised my allocation (usually 2) to Micky T if and when they go on sale, sorry .

https://www.606v2.com/t22378-scarlets-castres-side-demons

one for the posh wall.

Glas a du wrote:(*pssst* nobody tell Asbo, but Rory was visable from Mallin Point last night)

Anyone notice the tiny error in there?

It's Malin Point as well Breaker. What amazed me is that nobody picked up prostrate v prostate in my match report.

Glas a du wrote:It's Malin Point as well Breaker. What amazed me is that nobody picked up prostrate v prostate in my match report.

So in the Amlin we are shouting for (in no particular order) Scarlets, Chiefs and Wasps. Looking at the draw, both Chiefs and Scarlets have massive tasks if they are to make the semi-final/final. Wasps will have to improve their form but with a home QF and potentially a home SF, they could just make it.

Dai Young was coaching the Blues when they won it, so why not?

afternoon all.

hope everyone is well after a great weekend of rugby.. really is the ultimate rugby competition in teh world.

Kiwi, I was looking at joining a sports guru one but they were soo hard to predict last year I reckon it would be pot luck. I have been checking squad updates and news etc so maybe I might wing the first 2-3 rounds until the teams decide to start defending

Why so quiet today?? I was hoping for some reading to entertain me during lunch

For all who sent good wishes (especially Rava thanks for the text mo chara )
Will have a better idea of how they'll operate when I ring later. May not risk a general anesthetic, as Mam's heart may not take it so it'll be an epidural

Great news on the and Mrs front

Heres a question. Ill put it in here as its probably unsuited to the outisde boards. Which team had the most disappointing HEC campaign?

- Northampton Saints
- The Ospreys
- London Irish
- Leicester Tigers
- Racing Metro
- Bath Rugby

Hope your mum gets sorted out soon Penfro.

It is common to do this type of op under epidural/spinal (although it isn't common for your mum!)

Stag, I have had a look at your list there and its very hard to pin point who could be most disappointing. I think with regards the French outfits, they just give up after a certain point and focus on the Top14. So it's hard to know if Racing where particularly bothered by the whole thing of going uot.

In terms of pedigree then you would have to imagine that Tigers or Saints would want to be most frustrated with their endeavours this year. Last years finalists to just do nothing in the cup this year will be most dissapointing.

And with Tigers past in the cup they must be annoyed not to make it any further but Irish surely would have been fancying getting out of their group when the draw was first made. There was nothing daunting at all there for them..


Anyone heard about Steven Sykes going back to the Sharks and leaving Leinster?

It's on the Leinster forums so just wondering if anyone had heard anything.

red_stag wrote:Heres a question. Ill put it in here as its probably unsuited to the outisde boards. Which team had the most disappointing HEC campaign?

- Northampton Saints
- The Ospreys
- London Irish
- Leicester Tigers
- Racing Metro
- Bath Rugby

Jeebus Stag, a question on splitting the Atom would have been easier

Anyway for what it's worth I would say one of Saints or Tigers, simply because as top Premiership teams the expectation of progress would have been high. That's not to say there was any less ambition from the others.

MrsP wrote:Hope your mum gets sorted out soon Penfro.

It is common to do this type of op under epidural/spinal (although it isn't common for your mum!)

You wouldn't be calling me Mam common now, would ya MrsP ? Sure, she only watches "Mrs Browns Boys"

thanks for the info, what would the 'recovery' time be on this ? I've been hearing 12 weeks before she can put any pressure on that leg. Couldn't ask the consultants yesterday

I would actually say the Ospreys and London Irish.

Ospreys had a very beatable Biarritz team in their group as well as an Italian team. They only won 2 of their 6 matches which is nowhere near good enough.

Similarly London Irish had Edinburgh, Cardiff and Racing. Very beatable opponents and they crash to defeat in 5 of their 6 matches.

However the team who I would fear for most is Saints and how they will bounce back from it. They will feel the hit hardest.

I thought Saints and Tigers would be serious contenders this season and we might see an English resurgence. I've been very surprised at how poor they've been. Only Saracens have fronted up from an English perspective.

Ospreys, this feicin season and every feicin season

Penfro,

Is it her hip she has broken?

Were Saints and Tigers actually all that poor.

Tigers capitulated in one match but otherwise they actually did ok. Beat Ulster, beat Clermont, did the double over Aironi. The defeat against Ulster was very disappointing for them but overall they did fine.

Saints is an interesting one. They were excellent against Munster in Thomond Park. However O'Garas drop goal knocked the stuffing out of them and that week Mallinder announced he was applying for England Coach. They ended up losing What did impress me was their never say did attitude though. They may have shipped 50 against Munster. However they put 30 points on them. They lost the first game by a single point. Even if they conceded 4 tries against Scarlets there was only four points in the scoreline.

Apparently, it's ball at the top of the femur so they may just replace that. However, the complete replacement is also an option

Stag

To assess disappointment you have to have an understanding of what those teams expectations were.

For London Irish, as fans we always expect to do well as we know that we can produce amazing performances , but we are realistic enough to know that we struggle for consistency and depth. Ultimately we know we are not going to win the Heineken Cup with this team, and in reality with the pool we got, we knew that any one from 4 could qualify.

Saints I feel will be most disappointed, as their expectations as a club would have been of making the quarter finals as a minimum.

red_stag wrote:Heres a question. Ill put it in here as its probably unsuited to the outisde boards. Which team had the most disappointing HEC campaign?

- Northampton Saints
- The Ospreys
- London Irish
- Leicester Tigers
- Racing Metro
- Bath Rugby

The Scarlets. Had three games for the taking and (as Huwie says) failed to see any of them home. Having so many other teams do you a favour so you get a chance at the little sister does not ease this disappointment.

Penfro,

I sent a wee PM there but she should be starting to mobilize a day or 2 post op. 12 weeks is the time for the bones to "knit" themselves but she will be up and about while that is happening.

Usually a week in hospital after a hip replacement.

Yellow cap in the HC for me this week.

And I was also the top performer in the Leinster pool.

BOOM!

Bikkies,

I'll pm you the name of an ointment that should help!

MrsP - pm'd you back. For all your posh crisps and 'funny' soup your a wonderful lady

Hmmm. The most disappointing campaign... probably the Ospreys. They'll have felt when the draw was made that they were just as good as anyone in their pool but hammered in Biarritz, only scraped a draw in Treviso and lost the double header against Saracens; a very poor return.

Munster probably the happiest. After last season they needed a big campaign and to go unbeaten is quite the achievement.

Penfro, sorry to hear about your Mum hope she recovers soon pal

Honestly I would have said the scarlets myself, not taking the pi$$ honestly believe it

Notch wrote:Penfro, sorry to hear about your Mum hope she recovers soon pal

Seconded. Hope everything goes as well it as it can for her.

hughie1986 wrote: not taking the pi$$ honestly believe it

I wonder what odds would you have got before the campaign started for Munster to win 6/6.

Ah feic! Sorry to hear your about your mam Penfro.

My mam had both of hers done a few years ago and she’s flinging grandchildren from one hip to the other while she answers the phone, stirs the mince, knits them a cardie now.

I thought before the group stages began that Munster weren't the side they were. I still think that, but they're still one hell of a tough side to beat.

beware the cuuuuuurrrrrrsssse of 6 from 6!

The aura is still gone somehow isn't it? Used to be a certain fear factor that comes from playing them now there isn't.

Given they've just swept the board with six wins, that doesn't make a whole lot of logical sense as you'd be quite right to point out. But there it is, it is what it is.