The Dew Drop Inn Virtual Rugby Pub, Mendoza

First topic message reminder :

Hello and 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 Pub has made its way to Mendoza - the city at the foothills of the Andes and one of the venues for the inaugural Rugby Championship.

The only rule in this pub is one of mutual respect for everyone in it, oh and no tampering with the pictures of Rory McIlroy, Sam Cane, Juan José Imhoff, Eben Etzebeth, Jake Schatz and Rob McCusker.



Last Pub: https://www.606v2.com/t33388p1000-the-dew-drop-inn-virtual-games-of-the-xxx-olympiad-pub-stratford

Right regs: bon voyage...about to have my last proper for a while!! See you in September!!

Morning All

Rodders - lovely pic of you and My Boy. Nice to see him looking so well, but I will have to check for myself at some point, just to make sure. Glad you enjoyed the game too.

PJ - of course Penfro's a legend. Your trip couldn't have been better could it? ...and me turning up clearly topped it off nicely

Prop - have a brilliant holiday. Hope you do actually get to leave the terminal at some point.

Enjoy Prop, it's a great spot and a part of the country, you will enjoy it a lot, remember drink plenty of water there! If you;re with BA you probably have a on demand device in front of you, they're great, free of charge too.


Tipperary v Kilkenny, the clash of the year. Mon Tipp.

Looking forward to that this afternoon Thom. Should be a cracking game.

Fingers crossed RTE 2 HD has been set up here and all, so need a good game. Hurling can be a bit stale a lot of the time but this has been a good year for the Championship and to be honest I think this will be better than the final.

Good article here by Brendan Fanning;

http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/brendan-fanning-amateur-ethos-still-holding-sway-in-professional-arena-3203583.html

If you need to know why the provinces are run so professionally and the national team so amateurishly... What do ex-players who played in the 60s and 70s and have never held any coaching position have that merits them sitting on a committee our head coach must report to?

It's pure nepotism. A professional organisation with amateurs and chancers at the top. What have these men done to get these jobs?

http://origin.irishrugby.ie/irfu/committee/index.php

You should go into politics with that passion notch. Actually scratch that you're far too left wing for my liking, stick to the tunes.

Its a nonsense article about nothing! Meeting Kidney looks more like a courtesy thing than anything else.

Pa Whelan is one of very few Irish men who played on a team that defeated the All Blacks (Hooker for the Munster 1978 win). He was also the Ireland team manager at the start of professionalism. Whelan was very much behind the re-development of Thomond Park.

Tom Grace scored a try in Ireland's best result against the All Blacks (10-10) in 1973. He has also toured with the British & Irish Lions. He is Hon. Treasurer of IRFU and seems to have that brief well under control in that the IRFU finances are in reasonably good shape considering it has just built a new stadium.

Tbh, I don't see anything wrong with an amateur ethos - look at how successful the GAA is and they are mostly amateurs with the elected President of the GAA well in charge (they usually take leave of absence from their jobs for the period).

WillyGilly wrote:You should go into politics with that passion notch. Actually scratch that you're far too left wing for my liking, stick to the tunes.

Too left wing to go into politics, more like. Thats no place for someone with ideals.

Very hungover. Surprisr party went down excellently

Are we allowed to post game links if they are from youtube? I am just wondering in case anyone would like to see the Rugby Championship who may have missed it yesterday.

Bye Prop have a nice holiday

Rory - I think you can but do it as a spoiler.

*whispers* Glad the party went well Staggy. A strong

Respectfully disagree Sin, parts of the amateur game are good, but the whole presenting thing and panel I think is a bit of a joke. The members did a lot of good for Irish rugby in the past but their insight is worthless considering how long they are removed from the game at the top levels.


As for the GAA, one of the things I respect about them is that they go about a lot of things in a professional manner. Organizations like the CCCC are ran well, never mind the fact that the GAA employ several players anyway, or that a lot of players have jobs simply due to being GAA players. It's amateur in name but not practice . Fancy yourselves today? Minors going great guns at the moment, have it wrapped up

Rory, you can post it, I didn't see it but know who to get it of on Youtube. Is it worth watching? Won't get to see it until Tuesday, but full screen HD, on the TV via HDMI is happy days if it's a good game.

Well here are the games:

Spoiler:

Thomond - The NZ/Australia game is pretty poor actually, both teams just looked a bit clueless at times, especially Australia. I was surprised at how bad it was. Just about to watch the SA game now!

No stream for the hurling

Thomond wrote:Respectfully disagree Sin, parts of the amateur game are good, but the whole presenting thing and panel I think is a bit of a joke. The members did a lot of good for Irish rugby in the past but their insight is worthless considering how long they are removed from the game at the top levels.

This- what on earth do these guys know about professional rugby? We indulge amateurism off the field, we'll continue to see an amateurish approach on it.

The best case scenario is these guys are an irrelevant anachronism. The worst case is we're giving important jobs to guys who's only qualification is on-field experience in an era utterly different to the one we're in now.

Afternoon pub, I'm back home from my weekend trip to Penfroshire and I'm already missing the man and his good lady.

Pete organised everything with such detail that literally the only things I had to think of was brushing my teeth and changing my pants.

MrsPenfro was a warm Welsh welcome personified, and her reaction to our late night arboreal carnage was nothing short of indulgent. On our well oiled return from the Bush last night, our two-man rolling maul up the front path to Penfro Towers was illegally brought down just short of the try line by Mrs Penfro's display of potted flora outside the front door. When the truth was outed (just as I left today - yes, I do now when to break bad news ) it was met with a benign smile and a non-fussed "Oh, I wondered why there was soil all over the path."

Thanks for letting us out to play Mrs Penfro.

Pete, you're the perfect host, you organised everything from start to finish, you made sure that every Welsh road I used was newly laid from Monmouth to Llantwit Fadre; you set-up the hottest August day in Swansea since 1892; you fixed it for Bath to win the game (yes pub, the ref - Leighton Hodges - actually lives in Pete's village); you sorted out the meet with Cari (who pulled within the first 5 minutes by the way. Hi babe ); you arranged your mate to have his surprise 50th a week late so I could be there to hear the immortal line "When he first arrived at Sarries he was in that awkward zone where he was too fat to be a winger... and too fat to be a prop."

You even made sure that when we returned to The Bush REM were playing; OK, it wasn't the line up I remember, Michael Stipe was on lead guitar and he'd been replaced on the Mic by the result of a one night stand between Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen, but hell he could sing almost as good as we did.

I love you man, even though you tried to get me run over... in Llantwit, in Cardiff, in Swansea BACK in Cardiff...

Thanks for everything brother, I'll remember and cherish it forever.

Plush? Plusher than a Mink shag-pile carpet.

FACT.

END OF!

Oh, I forgot to mention my crash course in Welsh on Friday night when you taught me which consonants to strangle in my Black Country drone.

Here's a link to Doreen's Story so yow con lern to spake proper, ay it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJYValXrafM

PJHolybloke wrote:Oh, I forgot to mention my crash course in Welsh on Friday night when you taught me which consonants to strangle in my Black Country drone.

Here's a link to Doreen's Story so yow con lern to spake proper, ay it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJYValXrafM

Brilliant.

Yeah man, Penfroon is the best organiser/host amongst us. He pre-paves the way for you to have a good time. Plus, he's not a bad geezer for an O either. I loves im I does.

Would loved to have made it full frontal-row. Delighted ye had a great time.

For Sin, he will need a few more on top of that after that loss. Dominance from KK.

Gibson wrote:

PJHolybloke wrote:Oh, I forgot to mention my crash course in Welsh on Friday night when you taught me which consonants to strangle in my Black Country drone.

Here's a link to Doreen's Story so yow con lern to spake proper, ay it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJYValXrafM

Brilliant.

Yeah man, Penfroon is the best organiser/host amongst us. He pre-paves the way for you to have a good time. Plus, he's not a bad geezer for an O either. I loves im I does.

Would loved to have made it full frontal-row. Delighted ye had a great time.

If you'd been there bud, I doubt I'd have come back... alive.

'Twas brilliance of the highest order from His Eminence the Emperor of Sarries, pure class.

Thomond wrote: For Sin, he will need a few more on top of that after that loss. Dominance from KK.

That was very painful alright!

Penfro is indeed the Carlsberg of trip organisers...or Peej is just one jammy bugga!

Thomond wrote:Respectfully disagree Sin, parts of the amateur game are good, but the whole presenting thing and panel I think is a bit of a joke. The members did a lot of good for Irish rugby in the past but their insight is worthless considering how long they are removed from the game at the top levels.

As for the GAA, one of the things I respect about them is that they go about a lot of things in a professional manner. Organizations like the CCCC are ran well, never mind the fact that the GAA employ several players anyway, or that a lot of players have jobs simply due to being GAA players. It's amateur in name but not practice . Fancy yourselves today? Minors going great guns at the moment, have it wrapped up.

Brendan Fanning is clueless and is just stirring it. Fanning is going on what Gatland said happened 10 years ago. When you think of it, Kidney meets them a few hours before the game - they are hardly going to be able to change anything at that stage!

Fanning claimed last year that the IRFU were thinking of withdrawing from the U20s world cup because the IRFU were stingy, and not player welfare as claimed by the IRFU. Fanning claimed that the provincial coaches wanted their young players playing in the tournament. He even mentioned Brian McLaughlin as being supportive of young players going to it. A couple of months later, Ulster withdrew Paddy Jackson from the U20s world cup squad because they wanted him to be around for the start of Ulster's season! Fanning didn't seem to know that the IRB cover the cost of bringing the players to the world cup so it was down to the IRFU not being happy with the format and young players having to play matches with a 3/4 day turnaround.

Not about Brendan Fannings merits or demerits as a journalist, more about why are these people even involved in any capacity whatsoever?

However, I sense another pointless circular debate coming on so I will pre-emptively yield to your inexorable pigheadedness. Fair enough.

Just a point of order, could we please leave these never ending convos outside the Pub? This place has enough of its own kind of never-ending convos to deal with already.

That's what the Irish threads are for.

Cari wrote:Penfro is indeed the Carlsberg of trip organisers...or Peej is just one jammy bugga!

Well, I do feel blessed after the weekend, but it's entirely down to Penfro "The Fixer" Pete.

All public companies have non-executive directors to look after the interests of the shareholders and the company.

You'll find that Tom Grace who is elected is the one who has to answer the questions at the IRFU AGM.

John O'Shea from the charity Goal had to step down recently (an organisation he had founded) because the Chairman & Board were unhappy about how he was running the organisation)!

Gibson wrote:Just a point of order, could we please leave these never ending convos outside the Pub? This place has enough of its own kind of never-ending convos to deal with already.

That's what the Irish threads are for.

Gibson wrote:Just a point of order, could we please leave these never ending convos outside the Pub? This place has enough of its own kind of never-ending convos to deal with already.

That's what the Irish threads are for.

And the 'pub' was set up by Gibson mainly for Irish fans to get away from the WUMs prior to the 2009 6N.

I'n confused.


PJ - Penfro is one top guy. The HC/ECC weekend in Cardiff last year was cracking, as was this year's final, with Asbo to the fore. They are two of many great people in here.

Hound_of_Harrow wrote:

Gibson wrote:Just a point of order, could we please leave these never ending convos outside the Pub? This place has enough of its own kind of never-ending convos to deal with already.

That's what the Irish threads are for.

And the 'pub' was set up by Gibson mainly for Irish fans to get away from the WUMs prior to the 2009 6N.

I'n confused.


PJ - Penfro is one top guy. The HC/ECC weekend in Cardiff last year was cracking, as was this year's final, with Asbo to the fore. They are two of many great people in here.

And for the English, the Welsh, the French, even Scottish and especially for the much put-upon Proddie/Republican Hindustani Reconciliation Group from Norn-Iron. Not just the bloody Irish. They drive me nuts!

Mate, what this place has evolved into is unbelievable.

Enjoyed some rugby and a real chilled out day with hoog and kiwi yesterday. Down to you my man.

Hound_of_Harrow wrote:



Mate, what this place has evolved into is unbelievable.

Enjoyed some rugby and a real chilled out day with hoog and kiwi yesterday. Down to you my man.

+1 for my weekend with the Penfros.

Front and centre Gibson!!! Take a feckin bow.

Penfro is the man. Just wish he'd include me in a few welsh meets. I know I smell, but if you give me a weeks warning I can change my once a month shower schedule

Yeah blame Gibbo! It's all his fault I met Tommy, and all you lovelies Something good came from all that psychedelic tree huggin', pot smokin', flared trousered hippy movement! Far out!

Ah stop it, ye gobshoites.

Like-minded people made the Pub and the Tours what they are. Then, when we met and were greeted by our respective hosts, one by one, it was kismet. Grand.

Its Penfro & Cari in Cardiff
Portnoy in Leicester (half an hour out of sync)
Hound (1st person I ever clicked with on 606) in London - aided and abetted by the Hugmeister, As & Kiwi Pete.
Notch, MrsP & Rava in Norn-Iron
Kia and Mel in Bath
Stag & Munsty in Munster
Dreamer & Glas in Lllanelli
Mickado & Micky T in Dublin
Swanny in Bollington/ Up Norf
The Chef in France.
Rev & Lucky in Newport.
As, in Exeter, London, Amsterdam and everywhere he goes really.
Large George in the Aegean. We never made it to see him on his boat. But, he was one of us

And all the rest who make it special when we get together.

We need to branch out and Tour in Oz, NZ and SA. So Breaker, Kiwi Pete and Biltong, lock up yer daughters. And grannies. And all animals of a certain age and disposition.

This is not a coincidence. We have real history. Know a lot of each other's strengths, foibles an ting. And it's worth minding and growing.

Now, it time for a spliff. I need to sleep tonight to get ready for a huge week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HZ04FPK0S8

Rev, I'm in the 'Diff for Cardiff RFC v Ealing on Sat. I think we're meeting up with Penfro in the City Arms. Be great to see you if you can make it.

14:30 ko for the game.

Evening all

Scorcher of a weekend, I look like a lobster!!!

PJ, saw your response to Portnoy's thread lambasting my plea for votes. Have to say it did make me chuckle. He's always been eccentric Portnoy, but I am starting to understand where he is coming from less and less these days.

Anyway, hope everyone has had a good weekend.

Hound_of_Harrow wrote:Rev, I'm in the 'Diff for Cardiff RFC v Ealing on Sat. I think we're meeting up with Penfro in the City Arms. Be great to see you if you can make it.

14:30 ko for the game.

See what I mean? Hound has organised and been to, more meet-ups than Henry Kissinger.

Just heard a track that always gets me. 'The wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald' by Gordon Lightfoot.

Great song.

Keep it goin'pub.

Ozzy3213 wrote:Evening all

Scorcher of a weekend, I look like a lobster!!!

PJ, saw your response to Portnoy's thread lambasting my plea for votes. Have to say it did make me chuckle. He's always been eccentric Portnoy, but I am starting to understand where he is coming from less and less these days.

Anyway, hope everyone has had a good weekend.

Portnoy is a curmudgeonly old Tigger Oz

You've more chance of picking up Mandarin Chinese in 5 minutes than understanding him.

Gordon Lightfoot! Man, now he was an interesting Canadian. That's 3 of em now. Including Joni Mitchell and Neil Young.

Brilliant songwriter. Wrote so many great songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbMEb1T8CN0

Gibson wrote:

Hound_of_Harrow wrote:Rev, I'm in the 'Diff for Cardiff RFC v Ealing on Sat. I think we're meeting up with Penfro in the City Arms. Be great to see you if you can make it.

14:30 ko for the game.

See what I mean? Hound has organised and been to, more meet-ups than Henry Kissinger.

Gibbo, we're just rocking up in one of my favourite cities for some rugby and hope to meet up with a few people if poss. Nothing really organised tbh. But thanks.

In'sha Allah - Ramadan is over. I might be able to get a cab home from the pub after tonight.

PJHolybloke wrote:

Ozzy3213 wrote:Evening all

Scorcher of a weekend, I look like a lobster!!!

PJ, saw your response to Portnoy's thread lambasting my plea for votes. Have to say it did make me chuckle. He's always been eccentric Portnoy, but I am starting to understand where he is coming from less and less these days.

Anyway, hope everyone has had a good weekend.

Portnoy is a curmudgeonly old Tigger Oz

You've more chance of picking up Mandarin Chinese in 5 minutes than understanding him.

I understand im. He's an angry young old man who hates all things establishment. The feiced-up articulation of which, yes, its hard to work out the thinking behind it. But Im afraid, I can. Most times.

Weird eh?

Julian Assange has 'urged' the US to cease the witch hunt against him.

What so you ask nicely Julian and expect them to go with it?

What a shameful pr exercise.

Gibson wrote:

PJHolybloke wrote:

Ozzy3213 wrote:Evening all

Scorcher of a weekend, I look like a lobster!!!

PJ, saw your response to Portnoy's thread lambasting my plea for votes. Have to say it did make me chuckle. He's always been eccentric Portnoy, but I am starting to understand where he is coming from less and less these days.

Anyway, hope everyone has had a good weekend.

Portnoy is a curmudgeonly old Tigger Oz

You've more chance of picking up Mandarin Chinese in 5 minutes than understanding him.

I understand im. He's an angry young old man who hates all things establishment. The feiced-up articulation of which, yes, its hard to work out the thinking behind it. But Im afraid, I can. Most times.

Weird eh?

It's Portnoy's logic that fails him bud, his ideals are fine.

He's the type of bloke that would cut a horse in half, bang the two ends together and then write a letter to his MP because it didn't make a noise like someone ridin a feckin' coconut.

And he's a Tigger.

WillyGilly wrote:Julian Assange has 'urged' the US to cease the witch hunt against him.

What so you ask nicely Julian and expect them to go with it?

What a shameful pr exercise.

He didn't say him. He said wikileaks and his colleagues, who are been hunted down also. This is all a set up by the Yanks. Aided by their Anglo-Saxon mates. He hurt Worldwide Corporations and governments - with the Truth. Hang em I say. Lets stay stupid. Stay naive.

To think the British Police were mid-storming the place and stopped, because the World was watching. A Consulate. In a 1st World country?
"If the UK did not throw away the Vienna Conventions the other night it is because the world was watching and the world was watching because you were watching."

Don't like the guy, but I love his actions and their consequences. He is shakin it up big time - with the big boys.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QbUSjnhv6M

PJHolybloke wrote:

Gibson wrote:

PJHolybloke wrote:

Ozzy3213 wrote:Evening all

Scorcher of a weekend, I look like a lobster!!!

PJ, saw your response to Portnoy's thread lambasting my plea for votes. Have to say it did make me chuckle. He's always been eccentric Portnoy, but I am starting to understand where he is coming from less and less these days.

Anyway, hope everyone has had a good weekend.

Portnoy is a curmudgeonly old Tigger Oz

You've more chance of picking up Mandarin Chinese in 5 minutes than understanding him.

I understand im. He's an angry young old man who hates all things establishment. The feiced-up articulation of which, yes, its hard to work out the thinking behind it. But Im afraid, I can. Most times.

Weird eh?

It's Portnoy's logic that fails him bud, his ideals are fine.

He's the type of bloke that would cut a horse in half, bang the two ends together and then write a letter to his MP because it didn't make a noise like someone ridin a feckin' coconut.

And he's a Tigger.

Gibson wrote:

PJHolybloke wrote:

Gibson wrote:

PJHolybloke wrote:

Ozzy3213 wrote:Evening all

Scorcher of a weekend, I look like a lobster!!!

PJ, saw your response to Portnoy's thread lambasting my plea for votes. Have to say it did make me chuckle. He's always been eccentric Portnoy, but I am starting to understand where he is coming from less and less these days.

Anyway, hope everyone has had a good weekend.

Portnoy is a curmudgeonly old Tigger Oz

You've more chance of picking up Mandarin Chinese in 5 minutes than understanding him.

I understand im. He's an angry young old man who hates all things establishment. The feiced-up articulation of which, yes, its hard to work out the thinking behind it. But Im afraid, I can. Most times.

Weird eh?

It's Portnoy's logic that fails him bud, his ideals are fine.

He's the type of bloke that would cut a horse in half, bang the two ends together and then write a letter to his MP because it didn't make a noise like someone ridin a feckin' coconut.

And he's a Tigger.

i think he gets like that when he is bored.