Heineken Cup Round 2 (Pool 6) - Cardiff Blues v Toulon

Sunday 21st October 2012
Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff
Kick off: 12:45pm
Referee: George Clancy

Must win Game for the Blues after the disappointment v Sale.

Could another Former England No10 put the boot in? talk about hitting a man when they're down.

Team news to follow

Referee: George Clancy

Assistant referees: Michael Black (Ireland), Jonathan Peak (Ireland)
Television match official: Marshall Kilgore (Ireland)

Think there may be some 'interesting' SportBru predictions

From www.cardiffblues.com

Cardiff Blues take on a formidable Toulon side this Sunday, at 12.45pm. The Blues profile three to watch
A galaxy of rugby stars will descend on Cardiff on Sunday when the Blues take on Toulon in Round 2 of this year's Heineken Cup. With a proud rugby history having had a resurrection over recent years and reached the final of the Amlin European Challenge Cup twice, narrowly missing out on to Biarritz last season at Twickenham.
However, Blues supporters are more likely to remember the great final in Marseille in 2010 when the Blues came from behind to win by 28 points to 21.

Toulon currently stand at the top of the French Top 14 having only lost one game this season and faced Toulouse in last year's the Top 14 final, narrowly losing 18-12.

John Philip 'Bakkies' Botha

Unquestionably 'Bakkies' Botha is one of the hardest locks in world rugby and his partnership with Victor Matfield in the Springboks second row is legendary. He has boundless energy, is fleet of foot and a natural footballer. Physical and mental strength, technique, stamina, bravery, resiliance, a fighting never-say-die spirit, endurance, commitment - all of these could be applied to Botha. He won his first cap for South Africa against France at Marseille in 2002, a match the Springboks lost by 30-10. He is known in his native South Africa as 'The Enforcer' as a result of his physical qualities. He has always courted controversy and was banned for a dangerous charge on Adam Jones which left the British and Irish Lions prop forward with a dislocated shoulder. However, Jones came out in defence of Botha stating that he had no complaints over the incident.

Matthew 'Matt' James Giteau

Matt Giteau has every reason to be at home in Toulon because his great grandfather was born and bred in France. Remarkably the Australian represented his country in three different positions - at fly half, scrum half and at centre threequarter. He won 92 caps for his country and scored a total of 684 points. Matt has always possessed an innate ability to create the unexpected, to mesmerize as well as entertain. He is a powerful, skilful footballer who has become a Boy's Own hero at Toulon. He varies his angles of running intelligently, always looking to release players in better, more threatening positions. Matt Giteau is certainly an integral part of the Toulon set-up.

Delon Armitage

Delon is the first native West Indian to play rugby union for England. Think Trinidad and Tobago in a sporting context and images of Brian Lara, Dwight Yorke and Ato Boldon spring to mind but don't forget the Armitage brothers, Delon and Steffon, who were born in San Fernando, Trinidad. Between 1996 and 2002 the brothers lived in the French Riviera but Delon was rejected by the French Under 16's who considered him too small and skinny. He's since won 26 caps for England! From the moment Delon runs onto the rugby field one can sense his charisma and confidence. The bigger the occasion and the larger the crowd, the better his performance. Pace, power and precision - three elements which make full-back Delon Armitage a rugby player to be respected.

Crickey,
That Toulon team is stacked.
In the match Sunday they lined up at 9, 10, and 12 with Freddie Michalak, Jonny Wilkinson, and Matt Giteau. Props were Andrew Sheridan and Carl Hayman, and they still had Gethin Jenkins coming off the bench.

They were all good players 4 years ago.

I guess we'll see what the Blues are made of.

The wage cap at the Blues is £3.5 Toulon's wage budget apparently fifth biggest in France at €19m...!

If teams like Toulouse €29.53m, Clermont Auvergne €20.89m, Stade Francais €19.28m, Racing Metro €18.94m and Toulon.

And France think that the RP12 teams have an unfair advantage....?

French salary cap is something a little over £7m. There's been a lot of lazy journalism quoting total turnover, or other numbers, as French playing budgets.

Still quite an advantage, though.

7 million is and always will be double 3.5 million

blah.

The Blues are bad at the moment because they have been mismanaged both on and off the pitch.

Stop playing the 'they have more money, thats not fair card'

maestegmafia wrote:The wage cap at the Blues is £3.5 Toulon's wage budget apparently fifth biggest in France at €19m...!

If teams like Toulouse €29.53m, Clermont Auvergne €20.89m, Stade Francais €19.28m, Racing Metro €18.94m and Toulon.

And France think that the RP12 teams have an unfair advantage....?

The French do not. They want out of europe and a new Top 16, as they have done for years. It's the English that believe the RP12 have an unfair advantage. Takes a new level of thinking for that one I know.

So if there are any Blues season ticket holders on here, my advice is don't go and spectate this match because it's not going to be pretty. Unless you'd like to be up close and personal with the class brimming in the Toulon ranks, I can't think of any other reason to be in the Arms Park. Sad but true, HERSH is right.

Under the new ERC agreement, hopefully they bring in limits on non-national players in HC squads. If the T14 clubs want to play "spot the Frenchman" in their league matches, that's fine by me.

Pot Hale is right too.

Score predictions?

Blues 12 Toulon 43.

Ouch!

https://twitter.com/samwarburton_/status/257498965229060096/photo/1

pfft, should have reset it in the pitch and carried on playing

They couldn't reset it, that's why he went to hospital

Anyone know if this is a sellout? Might wander in on the way back from Llanelli.

It'll be a brave Blues supporter going to watch this at 1pm on a sunday. It'd be daunting enough at all but to have to sit through the whole thing sober

HERSH this must be making your day, watching a poor welsh club play the best in the T14, no wonder you started this thread, you must be wetting your pants with excitement. Well some HC rugby has to excite you this season I suppose

HERSH wrote:blah.

The Blues are bad at the moment because they have been mismanaged both on and off the pitch.

Stop playing the 'they have more money, thats not fair card'

WE'll stop playing that card when we are winning, when the Jeff sides stop using it, and when the Jeff and T14 sides stop the easy qualification arguement. So realistically, you can expect to hear it for however long the HEC runs.

Morgannwg wrote:

maestegmafia wrote:The wage cap at the Blues is £3.5 Toulon's wage budget apparently fifth biggest in France at €19m...!

If teams like Toulouse €29.53m, Clermont Auvergne €20.89m, Stade Francais €19.28m, Racing Metro €18.94m and Toulon.

And France think that the RP12 teams have an unfair advantage....?

The French do not. They want out of europe and a new Top 16, as they have done for years. It's the English that believe the RP12 have an unfair advantage. Takes a new level of thinking for that one I know.

So if there are any Blues season ticket holders on here, my advice is don't go and spectate this match because it's not going to be pretty. Unless you'd like to be up close and personal with the class brimming in the Toulon ranks, I can't think of any other reason to be in the Arms Park. Sad but true, HERSH is right.

Lovely advice, no wonder the regions are struggling when there are opinions like that out there. Surely it would be better to think of it as turn up and you never know you could be saying to your grandkids that you were there the day the Blues managed to put it to Toulon (and they did do them in france a few year ago).

RCT team announced :

D.Armitage ; Martin, Bastareaud, Giteau, Smith ; (o) Wilkinson, (m) Michalak ; S.Armitage, Masoe, Fernandez-Lobbe ; Suta, Botha ; Kubriashvili, Ivaldi, Jenkins.

subs : Orioli, Sheridan, Hayman, Gunther, Mermoz, Lapeyre, Shaw, Durand.

whole new front row + fernandez-lobbe + Bastaraud are the changes from their usual 1st XV. decent bench though with 5 international capped players.

Jenifer McLadyboy wrote:Anyone know if this is a sellout? Might wander in on the way back from Llanelli.

I gave up waiting and rang the ticket line. Might see youse there. Will be sober as I have to drive to Bristol afterwards.

Neutral though. So I reserve the right to enjoy it no matter who is winning.

OK I'll be up for the Blues then. Neighbours, underdogs and co leagueists.

Also reserve the right to not go if Leinster lose or I drink too much in Llanelli.

ScarletSpiderman wrote:

Morgannwg wrote:

maestegmafia wrote:The wage cap at the Blues is £3.5 Toulon's wage budget apparently fifth biggest in France at €19m...!

If teams like Toulouse €29.53m, Clermont Auvergne €20.89m, Stade Francais €19.28m, Racing Metro €18.94m and Toulon.

And France think that the RP12 teams have an unfair advantage....?

The French do not. They want out of europe and a new Top 16, as they have done for years. It's the English that believe the RP12 have an unfair advantage. Takes a new level of thinking for that one I know.

So if there are any Blues season ticket holders on here, my advice is don't go and spectate this match because it's not going to be pretty. Unless you'd like to be up close and personal with the class brimming in the Toulon ranks, I can't think of any other reason to be in the Arms Park. Sad but true, HERSH is right.

Lovely advice, no wonder the regions are struggling when there are opinions like that out there. Surely it would be better to think of it as turn up and you never know you could be saying to your grandkids that you were there the day the Blues managed to put it to Toulon (and they did do them in france a few year ago).

Lucky for us I'm not a Blues supporter then. There's supporting your team through thick and thin but there's only so much playing like absolute sh t one can spectate. Fans should boycott games until the Blues put more professional players on the pitch and/or get rid of Phil Davies.

Fantastic first half from the Blues and they lead 8 - 6

Leigh Halfpenny's try in the second minute gave them an early lead. Halfpenny missed the conversion and a further penalty (unusual for him) but recover with a kick from 50+m to put the Blues in front.

Blues doing all they can in attack and defence and giving everything. Kicking game is poor atm though.

Set piece is going a lot better than expected. Bourrust held the scrum ok and his replacement Scott Andrews is doing just as well (only the second time ive seen him this season and he has done a LOT better than Filise at THP)

blues fans hijacking the toulon fans chant with "no french play-ers" not popular with the travelling suppport...

Both teams playing crap. That tackle was never a penalty offence.

North DNA + Lomu DNA = Bastareaud.

Yet he is about as quick as a flanker, North is far quicker and agile, and Lomu wqas twice as effective, also they can both defend.

Too often this weekend the 'favourites' have all the one-eyed referee's going in their favour. Today is no different. Just not acceptable at this level.

Morg I disagree unless your talking about the scrum, I think the refs got the wrong mindset on there.

wales606 wrote:Fantastic first half from the Blues and they lead 8 - 6

Leigh Halfpenny's try in the second minute gave them an early lead. Halfpenny missed the conversion and a further penalty (unusual for him) but recover with a kick from 50+m to put the Blues in front.

Blues doing all they can in attack and defence and giving everything. Kicking game is poor atm though.

Set piece is going a lot better than expected. Bourrust held the scrum ok and his replacement Scott Andrews is doing just as well (only the second time ive seen him this season and he has done a LOT better than Filise at THP)

Cheers for the update

James out of position and up in the line defencively and he's exposed by Gits boot.

Why is Delon Armitage being booed so badly? genuine question

He made a big hit on Evans, who slipped into his head and had to leave the pitch.

Crowd think it was high.

Because of the high tackle on Gavin Evans, which was not Delon's fault because Evans slipped into it.

Laugh penny...

He's doing a "Priestland" today.

Why cos he missed one from halfway touchline, one from touchline and slipped???

Thats the average performance for most kickers.

Ah ok, thanks guys

Tovey recovered quick from a broken leg?

Is warburton fit, because Navidi is out performing him game after game!!!

Shaw and Sheridan on, lots of bulk very little brain.

First thing shaw does is throw himself in at the side... thanks!

Great try, what a couple of runs from Hayman and Giteau

Just got off the phone from my bro and told him not to bother turning on the Blues are looking like they are running out of steam after a good 60 minute effort and Armitage rolls over.

Again Cuthbert in the line and big space behind him...

What's the score?