The Hillsborough Memorial Dew Drop Inn Virtual Rugby Pub, Liverpool

Glas a du wrote:I would love to be in on this negotiation.

"it would assist me greatly if you could tell me what are your problems with the Status Quo?"

"the Irish teams rest their best players in the Pro 12"

"forgive me, but aren't we here to discuss the Heineken Cup?"

rugbydreamer wrote:The HEC means a lot to I would say a fair few of us in here Hoog

Would just say there's no point getting to so het up about it before anything's been discussed or that there are any solid facts on the table. Speculation doesn't help anyone. No one knows what the French are going to do, so may as well just wait and find some real facts before upsetting yourself is all

Hoog wrote:

rugbydreamer wrote:The HEC means a lot to I would say a fair few of us in here Hoog

Would just say there's no point getting to so het up about it before anything's been discussed or that there are any solid facts on the table. Speculation doesn't help anyone. No one knows what the French are going to do, so may as well just wait and find some real facts before upsetting yourself is all

Ah it means more to us who's teams have actually won it :bazinga:

On behalf of the entire Ulster Rugby squad, I would like to extend my heartfelt sympathy to the Spence family at this time.

Nevin’s loss will be felt deeply by us all. We are equally saddened by the tragic deaths of his father Noel and his brother Graham. The thoughts of every member of the squad are with Nevin’s mother Essie, and his sisters Emma and Laura. We would also like to pass on our condolences to Graham’s wife and children. We wish Emma a full and speedy recovery.

Nevin Spence was a highly skilful and gifted rugby player. He was utterly committed to Ulster and was enormously proud to represent his Province. He was determined to be the best that he could be and I have no doubt that he would have gone on to play for Ireland on many occasions. He was the kind of player that inspired others with his attitude in training and sheer will to win in matches.

His positive outlook on life brought a smile to people’s faces. He was kind, polite, generous and courageous, and we were blessed to have him in our team. The one comfort for us as a squad is that we have each other for support. It has been a difficult time for the players and coaches but I believe that through this tragic loss, we will have a new sense of togetherness.

I and the rest of the Ulster Rugby squad would like to thank the many people who have sent messages of support to the club, not only from within the Province, but throughout Ireland, Europe and the world. It is clear from these messages that Nevin was highly regarded by players and fans of many different sports, in many different countries.

I would like to thank the organising committee of the RaboDirect PRO12 for postponing this weekend’s game with Zebre and for allowing us the space and time to begin to come to terms with Nevin’s loss.

In the coming weeks, the Ulster Rugby team will return to the pitch. Over the course of the rest of this year and in future seasons we will experience wins and we will no doubt suffer defeats. Players will move on or retire and new players will come in and represent the Province. But going forward, at Ulster Rugby, one thing will never change. As long as this great club exists, the person and the player, Nevin Spence, will never be forgotten.

Rava wrote:He will be a significant loss. So who will fill the No.8 position Stag?

Hoog wrote:NEWS



Rugby: Today’s meeting of ERC stakeholders in Dublin to discuss a new accord for the structure and format of European rugby for the 2014/15 season and beyond has seen “productive discussions” towards a new agreement according to a statement released this afternoon.
Representatives of all six European rugby unions and the English, French and Welsh clubs met against the backdrop of a new €234 million TV deal signed between English Premiership Rugby and BT Vision, for rights to the Aviva Premiership and, from 2014 onwards, matches involving English clubs in any European competition.
Complicating matters further is that both ERC and the English RFU dispute the legality of Premiership Rugby’s deal with BT, while Premiership Rugby chief executive Mark McCafferty likewise disputes the legality of ERC’s four-year deal with Sky, which is rumoured to be worth around €70 million over four years, from 2014 onwards.
A statement released after today’s five-hour meeting at the Westbury Hotel was short on detail, but did announce that all parties would continue the consultative process at a meeting in Rome on October 8th.

Cari wrote:I try to avoid too much current affairs because it is usually depressing. More's the pity. There are some great things happening in the world too, but they're boring as far as the news channels are concerned. I used to like that bit Russell Howard did on his news show called "It's Not All Doom & Gloom". He always used to find lovely stories that made you laugh or go "Awww that's lovely!"

I'm good ta. Although my voice is going - I sound like I've smoked twenty fags, and I gave up four years ago...Just been working and pottering about really. I've found myself on the editorial team for the work's mag. It's nothing fancy and doesn't go further than around the organisation, but it keeps me busy, and I used to do a lot of that stuff before in my old place and at uni.

Gibson wrote:Can you get electric joints tho Rev?

MrsG "Oi Gibbo what the hell are you doing, ya eejit ya? "

Well... I'm just errm... just rechargin me electric joint, dear. Tank you for askin"

Hope everyone is happy, healthy and being loved.

P.S. I love work.

Hoog wrote:I can give up whenever I want, just smoke when in drinking now really. Havnt bought fags (when I wasn't drinking) since Ireland played Croatia in the euros





I drink every day haha