The Dew Drop Inn Virtual Rugby Pub, Amaile

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 Amaile on the eastern-most tip of Upolu Island in Samoa - the first place on Earth to usher in the New Year.

So hop on a hammock and let one of the locals pour a kava down your throat as you are trying to read Tusiata Avia's famous poem: "Wild Dogs Under My Skirt" to the sounds of the Yandell Sister's "Sweet Inspiration" blaring in the background.

The only rule in this pub is one of mutual respect for everyone in it, oh and no tampering with the pictures of George Pisi, Census Johnston, Paul Williams, Tony Greig, Christopher Martin Jenkins, Mike Nicholls, Babsy and Jeremy Su'a above the bar.




Previous Pub: https://www.606v2.com/t38437p950-the-dew-drop-inn-virtual-rugby-pub-edinburgh

Glas they prefer to be called ex-paddies.

Morning all.

Stag, why do you feel differently about the Rabo this season than any other? Is it because the league is different this season or just because Munster are not doing so well? HEC qualification is no different this season than last.

MrsP,

I think its just a case of time taking its toll. I also got ESPN and Setanta for first time and am watching far more Premiership and Top 14.

Munster have won the Rabo twice in recent years and honestly while its nice at the time it never really feel like all that big an achievement.

Compare that to the scenes when a team claims the Premiership or Top 14 or Heineken Cup.

red_stag wrote:Glas they prefer to be called ex-paddies.

I bet they do!

There's no more patriotic Welshman than an exile and all that...

How long is it since a non Rabo team has been in with a chance of winning their domestic league and been at the business end of the HEC?

Maybe the French and English teams are so excited about winning their leagues because that is all they have had a chance of acheiving for a while?

Glas a du wrote:

red_stag wrote:Glas they prefer to be called ex-paddies.

I bet they do!

There's no more patriotic Welshman than an exile and all that...

France is full of them these days

This is priceless;

http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/ogara-stakes-lions-claim-with-classy-display-3343851.html

MrsP wrote:How long is it since a non Rabo team has been in with a chance of winning their domestic league and been at the business end of the HEC?

Maybe the French and English teams are so excited about winning their leagues because that is all they have had a chance of acheiving for a while?

Thats not my point.

I know it's not but I was wondering if that is why the French and English leagues seem more intense than the Rabo this season?

Maybe it's just the bigger crowds.

Notch wrote:This is priceless;

http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/ogara-stakes-lions-claim-with-classy-display-3343851.html

That's one word for it!

MrsP wrote:I know it's not but I was wondering if that is why the French and English leagues seem more intense than the Rabo this season?

Maybe it's just the bigger crowds.

This season? Every blydi season...

And another thing, why do you think they get bigger crowds?

When I first read that I was trying to work out who ogara was, thought he was another English 'qualified' player!!

But is it just this season MrsP?

Was the Rabo the most exciting league in Europe in 2010 when we had an all French final?

Was it amazing in 2007 when we had an all English final?

No it was the exact same. Im just getting tired of it and dont find the games exciting this year with a few excpetions.

Glas a du wrote:

MrsP wrote:I know it's not but I was wondering if that is why the French and English leagues seem more intense than the Rabo this season?

Maybe it's just the bigger crowds.

This season? Every blydi season...

I know but it only seems to have annoyed Stag this season.

What are the crowds like as a proportion of population?

MrsP wrote:

Glas a du wrote:

MrsP wrote:I know it's not but I was wondering if that is why the French and English leagues seem more intense than the Rabo this season?

Maybe it's just the bigger crowds.

This season? Every blydi season...

I know but it only seems to have annoyed Stag this season.

What are the crowds like as a proportion of population?

Sorry if the rolly eyes offend but this old chestnut about percentages and proportions just irritates me.

I find it a really poor indicator of how things. What about the popularity of the sport? What about the number of teams? What about the bandwagon that comes from success (6 Nations: Wales. HEC: Ireland)? What about the quality of the players on offer?

It was only a question and a genuine one at that!

BTW sorry if that response was snarky MrsP. Didnt mean it as such.

Just saying that you can't possibly claim that in an established rugby nation as Scotland you have only got 2-4 thousand people interested in watching the Rabo. In Wales where rugby is the national game and they are on a high with three grandslams since 2005 and fill Millennium for every game you only get 10K per game.

There is precious little to do in Limerick on a saturday afternoon or Friday evening. There is no reason why you dont have a full Thomond Park every week.

Getting 20,000 to a rugby game should not be a rarity.

As a league, the Rabo is capable of more and willing to settle for less.

Stag can answer for himself, but nobody I think is undermining Ulster's achievements thus far, honestly, although the 11 changes for Munster is something you wouldn't see in those other leagues.

Are you sure about that Glas?

Castres for one seem to have a home team and an away team.

No if anything I am praising Ulster. They look like they want to win every match whether it is Glasgow in the Heineken Cup or Glasgow in the league.

Same can't be said of most teams.

Well I for one am sick of the higher attendances at Ravenhill because it means going down there and standing the that fiecin hole in the acquinas end.....

Make the Rabo as pants as possible I say!

The English and French clubs (esp. the French) have always been excited about winning their leagues. The French league is the oldest pro rugby league in the world, and the majority of their teams have never really cared about the HC.

It is damn hard to win both leagues and battle successfully in the HC*. I think only Toulouse, Leicester and Wasps have managed a 'double'. And Leicester came close to a treble in 2007.

In fact Leicester are the only English team to qualify for every HC (excl. 1999 when the English withdrew). That does say something about how competitive a league is when you don't have nigh on guaranteed qualification for the Heiny.

And that's without the first priority for several clubs being to avoid relegation.

* Chuck in the salary cap restrictions and it has become difficult in recent years for an English club to have a squad of sufficient depth of quality mount a challenge on two fronts.

Anyway, I'm off to watch my middle child be mutilated!

Laters!

I'll 'pick up' later. Lunch time and then a half hour walk up to the pub.

Hound_of_Harrow wrote:The English and French clubs (esp. the French) have always been excited about winning their leagues. The French league is the oldest pro rugby league in the world, and the majority of their teams have never really cared about the HC.

It is damn hard to win both leagues and battle successfully in the HC*. I think only Toulouse, Leicester and Wasps have managed a 'double'. And Leicester came close to a treble in 2007.

In fact Leicester are the only English team to qualify for every HC (excl. 1999 when the English withdrew). That does say something about how competitive a league is when you don't have nigh on guaranteed qualification for the Heiny.

And that's without the first priority for several clubs being to avoid relegation.

* Chuck in the salary cap restrictions and it has become difficult in recent years for an English club to have a squad of sufficient depth of quality mount a challenge on two fronts.

So what can the Welsh regions point to? Hardly any of that applies to us?

4 Autumn Internationals? Can't help, but it's not the whole story.

Players leaving to play abroad? Can't help, but marginal in effect I think.

Poor coaching at Regional level, general mediocrity, poor management and development? Absolutely.

The question is, would a better domestic competition help? It may not, but at least there would be decent rugby once we were out of Europe.

MrsP wrote:Anyway, I'm off to watch my middle child be mutilated!

Laters!

She plays for Scarlets?

Back to work anyway. Laters!

Glas a du wrote:Stag can answer for himself, but nobody I think is undermining Ulster's achievements thus far, honestly, although the 11 changes for Munster is something you wouldn't see in those other leagues.

Not sure about that, this is quite common from the top sides in the Top14. Of course they have much bigger squads. But many teams do tend to target home games and away games quite differently. Castres are a good example.

I don't think rotation is the problem. It's been established you need about 40 players to get through our gruelingly long league season. Problem is a lack of strength in depth for the sheer volume of fixtures we have when you factor in a simultaneous and increasingly bloated test schedule.

Stoddart forced to retire

prop_lyd wrote:Stoddart forced to retire

Sad to hear. Looks like he and Hendrie Fourie are our 1st 2 pics for next pub

red_stag wrote:

MrsP wrote:Anyway, I'm off to watch my middle child be mutilated!

Laters!

She plays for Scarlets?

Back to work anyway. Laters!

Having her snowboarding I could just about tolerate. Seeing her play in red would definately be a step too far!

That's a shame about Stoddart. Cracking open field runner and the Welsh equivalent to JSD in terms of being unlucky with injuries.

Glas - the Regions have a tougher time of it than our clubs. Your cap is quite a bit lower and there's the restriction on non WQ players. Yes, I know Ireland have a similar restriction but the squad budgets are much higher.

For the Regions to not be able to spend the money to operate competitive squds, begs the question 'Where does all the WRU's money go?'

Ireland seem to have a far better idea of how to spend their revenues constructively.

Mostly on player salaries. I don't think our budget is that much better than the regions- although higher gate receipts, more merchandise sold, more sponsorship money etc. will be boosting revenues- but the IRFU come in and top up the salaries of the international players. Makes it easier to keep them.

Think it's insane the regions pay their internationals 100% of their yearly wage when some of them play more test matches than they play league matches.

For sure the higher attendances for the Provinces' Rabo and HC games will enable a larger squad to be maintained.

Attendances in Wales and Scotland have been the topic of several articles but the fact is, success will bring in more people. So why have the WRU and SRU effectively hampered their Regions chances of succeeding by putting in place such low salary caps.

A more competitive Rabo may help boost league attendances, but it is success in the HC that will help most.

Notch wrote:This is priceless;

http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/ogara-stakes-lions-claim-with-classy-display-3343851.html

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha


Spent an awful day in work with manflu. This has just brightened my day though.

Should also add the mighty Stevie Fez was in work as well today, wearing short shorts. I resisted the urge to take a photo.

Why, not comfortable with your sexuality?

Bore da pawb / good morning all.

No one exciting ever comes into the office here. Well, one of the blokes from the council used to play outside half for Cross Keys, but that's about it.

You're there two hours early that's why.

And I'm having a blast!

playing the flute solo?

the boss must have walked playing his cor anglais

Glas a du wrote:playing the flute solo?

I think that's refer than the word filtered fair play

Glas, it's the only time I get the peace and quiet for it. And I think of mine more as a bassoon.

Do you require a stand for it or do you simply use a strap?

I use a strap-on.

A lot easier. The marks go away after a few hours.

You wouldn't believe how hot it was today. Incredible... it's still mid thirties at 8:30pm (but I've perfected the cooling... and it's probably 24 inside).

It reached 42.3 deg C, 3rd highest temp since records began.
Luckily no fires near Sydney (there were 137 other ones all around us though... very lucky!) otherwise it would have been a disaster for many more people, properties, livestock. Cool change due at midnight.

I saw that on the news this morning, Breaker. The reporter was saying the problem was the wind, which was fanning any flames.

"Sorry Mr Choudry, we're gonna have to close you down for the time being..."