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

Ulster injury list is looking bad. Rory Best, Nick Williams, Paddy Jackson, Craig Gilroy and Jared Payne all either out or doubtful for next week.

Its frustratring to see so many key forwards out for what promises to be a forwards battle. We could be missing Rory Best, Dan Tuohy, Johann Muller, Stephen Ferris and Nick Williams. Thats a LOT of muscle for any pack to lose!

And its as bad in the back as we'd be missing Paddy Jackson, Luke Marshall, Craig Gilroy, Tommy Bowe and Jared Payne. Injuries to players behind them in the pecking order too mean we might need to go for a 5/2 split on the bench as we don't have the numbers left in our ERC squad. It's not only good players missing, it's leaders in key position on the park. 2, 5, 8, 10, 15 etc.

Its lucky we are already at least through the group stage, because 66% of our top team is now out of the picture or rated doubtful and if we were still playing for qualification instead of a home quarter-final we'd be in serious risk of going out because of injuries which is never nice. Really hope Best, Gilroy and Payne are fit at least. And thank God there's a break after this for a few weeks.

Awh that's a big bummmer Notch.

Well, depends on what team Castres put out too. They've lost two games at home in Round 6 before when they've been out of it.

We really do need one of Gilroy or Payne to play though. There are literally no other options at 15. If they are both out it's going to be either Paddy Wallace or our third-choice 9 Michael Heaney at fullback. Or something really surprising like moving Trimble or Allen there.

So hopefully one or other passes a late fitness test.

With no inside information to go on whatsoever my guess of the most likely to play from those mentioned is Payne.

I think Williams is a goner judging from the distress he was in on the pitch. Gilroy looked like he wasn't sure who he was before he came off but he could recover quickly.

Jackson was hobbling but it's hard to say how much damage he's done. Next week could be a few weeks too soon no matter how "unseriously" he has tweeked that ankle.

Payne looked uncomfortable all night but he played the whole 80 so I'm guessing he was able to manage the pain and was allowed to play on the understanding that he was unlikely to do much further damage. If they were worried they would have hauled him off.

As I say, all educated guesses with a distinctly optimtistic spin.

Evening pub, Cari , Notch .

Ulster have a long list of walking wounded there Notch, but I reckon Castres will be fairly disinterested, the chances of them even securing a drop-down spot in the Amlin are slim.

I'm backing Ulster by 5-10.

In other news, my back is fecked again.

MrsP, .

Payne is crucial. And as much as he was obviously uncomfortable on Friday he was still excellent. If he can play this one game he can have the next three to five weeks off to fully shake off that injury he's carrying.

It's OK PJ, I jammed my thumb earlier, it's twice the size of the other one now and I can't do anything with it.

Hey PJ O'H,

How's it feel to have a team in the KO of the HEC after all these years?



(Safe in the knowledge that he's crocked so he probably wont catch me!)

I love you lot.

Glas, blow on it - works every time.

MrsP, I've had 100mg of Diclofenac and 200mg of Tramadol, butter me arse and call me a biscuit, I'm bulletproof.

It's great to see my newly beloved doing so well to be fair, a home QF is in sight and I'd love to make a trip out for that, I said I'd buy the shirt and go to at least one game, so that would be magical.

Bath look to be in pole position for the same in the Disney Challenge Cup, so it's all coming up roses for PJ O'Holybloke.

The depends on Saracens/Edinburgh and Toulon/Montpellier as well as Castres vs Ulster.

Ah PJO'H, since you're all drugged up now might be a good time to tell you that a home quarter final, whilst still a mathematical possibility is looking unlikely.



Still, we'll just have to do it the hard way.

When will you be fit to fly? (Or even drive to Watford?)

We score more tries than Saracens next week and it's on.

Trouble is, Saracens are playing Edinburgh at home. Got to be the worst side in the Heineken Cup this year on balance. Actually worse than Zebre.

A 4 try pasting of Castres next week will do the business MrsP, I've seen it, it's in the stars. Ulster to finish 4th in the qualifying table.

That'll do me PJ!



Although I am now starting to wonder just how much Tramadol you actually took?

4 tries is possible, but with our injury list? Especially in the backrow and back three... and our two key leaders in the tight five! Leaders at scrum and lineout.

We really messed up if we don't get a home quarter-final. We really messed up this group when we failed to beat Northampton at Ravenhill. We should be in a home quarter-final here with 23 points from 5, just needing a LBP to sow it up for sure. Even if we win the Heineken Cup it'll still have been a painful season in Europe in some ways, because we lost a Heineken Cup game at Ravenhill. Forget qualifying, it's infuriating we let that happen. Losing at Ravenhill to any team is something which is not acceptable.

And it looks like it might haunt us yet

P for plenty, MrsP, P for plenty.

Castres are a busted flush in this competition, they wont have the mental strength to compete with the level of intensity and pace that Ulster are capable of.

OK, as Notch has posted earlier, there are a lot of doubts about the squad, but I'd expect a few of those to make it through the weekend, the majority can then have a rest during the 6N as Elmer returns to type.

I expect Ulster to get after Castres from the off and start putting points on the board, Castres will respond (in typically French fashion) by getting indiscriminately sin-binned and chucking the egg around with total abandon.

I've seen it I tells ya, I've seen it.

In other news, we just got our first valuation right on Antiques Roadshow...

I didn't know you (plural) worked on Antiques Road Show.

Evening All

Peej - sorry to hear about your back...shall I trample on it for you? That's supposed to help...

Now that the O's have bombed out of the Heino again, I'll be following Ulcer to the final. I did want to buy a shirt in Belfast and get a number and name stuck on it but I'm going to have that done online I think.

I totally forgot that Cari!

Mind you, the blooming jersey would have been pink by the time you got it home on Friday night after all that rain!

Cari, thanks for the offer of a trample, but it's just lovely right now, can't feel a thing. Can I take a rain cheque?

Oh, and welcome to the Ulster supporters satellite club. We'll all look grand showing up in Dublin in the white and red.


MrsP, we just do the red button thingy, badly, we actually ended up with 2 from 17 and it called us a "novice", but only because it was the BBC pre-watershed and they couldn't call us a pair of "steaming useless farts", I think.

Have they had Gibbo on that yet?

I mean as an exhibit not an expert.



Actually In honour of the fact that the Cafe Cari and I went to today still had a Christmas Tree up!

Not for another 11 months!!!!!!!!

If Gibbo was exhibited, I would imagine his intricate drawers and shapely Queen Anne legs would raise a bit of a stir.

Ha yes MrsP...the shirt would've most definitely been pink! Think I'll have a squiz around for one online though.

Evening all, nice chilled Sunday and now got the NFL on...good times.

Cari,

If you can wait I'll check out the end of season sale in the Kukri store.

If you can't try these guys. They are a local outfit and their customer service is excellent.

http://www.stylensport.co.uk/

I've found somewhere that'll do it for £9.99 on top of the shirt price. I won't be getting it until next pay day anyway...

I suppose it depends on the price of a shirt.

Can't you buy sheets that you can print yourself and then iron on? I seem to remember Bikkies doing that for a tee sirt for the Ulster quarter final last year.

So glad to hear that you had a fab time in Belfast and Dublin, met up with good friends and avoided any 'trouble', Cari. Great weekend of HC rugby has been enjoyed, even by the couch potatoes, roll on Round 6!

Right, off to Carlisle for a sheep sale despite the snow forecast. Wish me luck.

One for the wall.

(Don't worry Mrs P, I'm not driving)

https://www.606v2.com/t39369-spark-by-electric-eli-not-enough

Good luck on the sheep trail Glas.

Nice article, I think you've got it bob-on with that one, The O's should have had it in the bag and the MOTM was confusing to say the least.

Just a light dusting of snow for us overnight, so I'll add an hour to my short journey to work... cue everyone driving like Miss Daisy.

So Midi Olympique are saying Johnny Sexton is close to agreeing a deal to sign with Racing Metro next season- truth or bulshit?

Maybe he's doing what BOD did when he went to Biarritz to shake out a few extra quid from the IRFU. Maybe he needs a new challenge.

Morning all. No snow for us in Newport. My nieces will be gutted.

Morning all. A bit of a dusting on cars, house roofs and shrubs here, the ground is mostly too wet for the snow to settle though.


I finished 2nd at RiskySport's poker night on Saturday, a good night out.

I never learnt how to play poker. I'm brilliant at snap, mind you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB2yiIoEtXw

Mawnin'!

Hope everyone's well. No snow here either, but I wasn't really expecting any. The British press has to have a story on about the weather at least once a week.

After an epic weekend, I didn't take hardly any photos, and most of the ones I do have were taken from the top of a bus.

They're saying we'll have snow on Friday / Saturday now, Cari. I'll believe it when I see it.

Well if that's the case, as long as I get home from work on Friday I'm not fussed either way. My phone app says different anyway. I'll go by that.

how are you anyway, Lucky? Everything OK?

Morning all, hoping this week flies by as Sarries are off to London on Saturday and I can't blydi wait!!

I'm good thanks, Cari. I saw my nephew again yesterday, he's a smasher.

Are you playing a match down there, Prop?

Yep lucky, we're playing Ilford Wanderers-our coaches brother coaches them! Should be a good weekend, I'd say Penfro'll be in bed by 11

Afternoon all.

Cold, aint it?

Afternnon pub. We have a blizzard here, but the snow is not settling on the roads or pavements. Not looking forward to going out in it.

Put tennis rackets on your feet .

Speaking of dogs, this story is quite amusing...apologies if it's already been mentioned in here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-20990965

How embarrassed would you be to have to tell your coach you couldn't play because your dog ate your passport?

At least it wasn't an important game for Cardiff.

Settled back okay Cari?

Eek - I've just looked out and the snow is settling. Time to don the Cats (boots).

Laters.

Blue skies here.

Blue skies and blue hands here!

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!