HC Quarter Finals - Discuss

by brennomac Mon Apr 01, 2013 5:07 pm

First topic message reminder :

Clermont Auvergne v Montpellier
Saracens v Ulster Rugby
Harlequins v Munster Rugby
Toulon v Leicester Tigers

With our blues out, sadly for the first time in years I can look at the HC quarter-finals through the eyes of a neutral. The bookies have it that Clermont, Saracens, Quins and Toulon will make it an Anglo-French semi-final line up of Clermont v Quins in Montpelier and Sarries v Toulon in Twickers. Bookies usually call it right but I don't see it as that clear cut.

OK, Clermont should stuff Montpelier - especially after they put 60pts plus on Agen last week with Fofana getting 3 tries, Nalaga another 2 tries plus 4 more tires. Only Agen, but still Clermont seem to be in awesome form and this QF is probably the easiest to call. Montpelier a decent team but that's about it.

Saracens on a very good run although they were hardly stellar in beating an almost-relegated London Welsh at the weekend. Ulster were on a poor run but were excellent in beating Leinster at the RDS. Pienaar taking the kicks released Jackson as a playmaker, great defence - Leinster were barely in with a sniff of a try - and Ulster probably should have had more than the two tries they scored. Maybe I'm looking at this through green-tinted glasses but I sense a bookie upset here and this is the game where my pitiful few euros will be going on Ulster. At least, this is the one game where there might be an upset.

Munster are in dire straits and the game in Glasgow wass probably the worst performance I've ever seen from a Munster team. No passion, no confidence, feck all skills. Hard to see beyond Quins but then when Munster are being written off they have a tendency to make all of us who wrote them off look like eejits. Still, hard to look beyond Quins.

Don't see that many AP games but Leicester looked very good against Northampton at the weekend. Toulon scoring like there's no tomorrow but they did lose to Bayonne (!!!!) a couple of weeks ago. Love to see Tigers stuff this moneybags outfit - would mean there would be at least one Irishman in the SF's (Niall Morris) but all logic points to Toulon.

Overall, love to see Ulster and Leicester get through but if they don't then like to see Clermont go all the way.

by SecretFly Tue Apr 02, 2013 8:24 pm

UlstermaninGlasgow wrote:Hearing rumours of Tommy being fit to be on the bench... If so that could be a big boost for Ulster!

Poor Tommy, he can drag himself to a bench now... his recuperation is coming on in leaps and bounds.

Sorry, Ulsterman, that just made me laugh for some reason. It's just the contrast of words..fit enough...to be on the bench.

by Standulstermen Tue Apr 02, 2013 8:41 pm

BBC reporter tweeted he is back training but won't be fit. Not sure if this is the game to be bringing him back given the form of our two wingers and bearing in mind we may go with an extra forward on the bench.

Who knows. He may be thrown into the squad announcement cheekily but I suspect he won't make the 23. If he was in shape to play (and I very much doubt he is) I would be delighted to see a bench of

Black, Best, Fitz/Lutton, Henderson, Wilson, Marshall, Olding, Bowe

by ME-109 Tue Apr 02, 2013 10:58 pm

Clermont
Sardines
Toulon
Harlyquins

Munster will get hammered by the London ladyboys...

Although...a one score win and loss to the silly red hat wearing crowd might just suggest something a little closer...ah shure 'tis all a bonus from now on

Oh I do hope leinster do well in the ld vans trophy..

by SecretFly Tue Apr 02, 2013 11:19 pm

It's grand to see Leinster getting a mention in a discussion of Ye Great Old Euro Competition of Olde that's about to Be Dumped.... even when they're not involved.

Their Influence is gigantic Wink

Forget us, lads...put our noble cause in Amlin out of your minds. We feel the love but we'd much better you two just look after yourselves. Concentrate...don't lose focus and we'll be able to shirt-tail.

by ME-109 Tue Apr 02, 2013 11:26 pm

Ah now, and I know I speak for a large percentage of Munster supporters in wishing you nothing but the best..

by yappysnap Wed Apr 03, 2013 8:28 am

I hope Leinster lose Wink

by yappysnap Wed Apr 03, 2013 8:30 am

Manu's Boxing Coach wrote:You dont think Robshaw will start Yappy?

Oh I do, I'm just going to call him Wallace and force him to grow his hair in to locks...

by red_stag Wed Apr 03, 2013 8:49 am

DOD wrote:Clermont
Sardines
Toulon
Harlyquins

Munster will get hammered by the London ladyboys...

Although...a one score win and loss to the silly red hat wearing crowd might just suggest something a little closer...ah shure 'tis all a bonus from now on

Oh I do hope leinster do well in the ld vans trophy..

Don't be an effing clown. Kidney has some spare time on his hands this week. He'll come down to Limerick and give us a kick in the arse, we'll beat Quins and Conor O'Shea will be shown up. He won't get the Ireland gig and is forced to live in the land of the Sasnaigh forever and a day. The IRFU offer Kidney the job back but he politely calls em all langers and orchestrates a stunning win in the Montpellier where Clermont have got 5,000 fans and Munster have got 27,000 of them. We take on Ulster in an all Irish final and ROG shows up Paddy Jackson by scoring 8 penalties and a last minute winning drop goal. Ulster score 5 tries all from South African players but Paddy Jackson misses every single kick and Munster win 27-25. Declan Foley becomes full time Munster director of rugby with Anthony Foley, Doug Howlett and Jim Williams as his deputies. Duncan Williams turns out to be the biggest hustler in rugby by claiming man of the match in the quarters, semi and final (its all been an act up to now!). You may be wondering what happened to Rob Penney in all of this? Well himself and Casey Laulala are both still missing presumed dead after agreeing to do some guest speaking at Thomond RFC. They have not been seen nor heard from since.

Have a little faith DOD - I see exactly where our happy future lies thumbsup

by ME-109 Wed Apr 03, 2013 9:07 am

Last time I saw Casey he was pretending to be a rugby player (not very successfully). As for O'Shea he really wants to get the gig of Senior Football manager for Kerry (god knows he bangs on about Ciarrai and his father enough).

I believe you are completely incorrect in your view. Frankie Sheehan with DOC will take over Munster. They will instigate a new approach that will include wearing clown noses and flowers that squirt water. Frankie will have a big banner put up in Thomond that says "I was better than Flannery, he just got lucky I got injured". JJ Hanrahan will be cloned with Peter O'Mahoney to produce a slightly horrible but super rugby player who will be offered €4million a year by Clermont to beat up Johnny Sexton every time they play.

Jimmy Barry Murphy will be the surprise appointment to the Irish job and will make Darren Sweetnam captain and will drop everyone and play the full U20's surprising Kilkenny in the World Cup Final.

by red_stag Wed Apr 03, 2013 9:11 am

I think you forgot the clicher DOD!

Ireland losing the 2015 RWC Final by 3 points. Sweetham uses a hurley to assist a drop goal and the IRB impressed by his "disregard of the rules just like William Webb Ellis" award a 4 point drop goal to mark the occasion.

by **rodders** Wed Apr 03, 2013 9:13 am

With respect lads I think you are overestimating Munsters problems...... there's nothing wrong there that a few more Saffers won't fix thumbsup

by red_stag Wed Apr 03, 2013 9:20 am

The Ulster Foreign Legion is currently recruited at both flyhalf and centre.

01 Tom Court (Australia)
02 Rob Herring (South Africa)
03 John Afoa (New Zealand)
04 Johann Muller (South Africa)
05 Dan Tuohy (England)
06 Robbie Diack (South Africa)
07 Sean Doyle (Australia)
08 Nick Williams (New Zealand)
09 Ruan Pienaar (South Africa)
10
11
12
13 Jared Payne (New Zealand)
14 Tommy Bowe (Rep of Ireland)
15 Adam Darcy (Australia)

by ME-109 Wed Apr 03, 2013 9:20 am

We don't need Saffers Rodders we need people in Limerick to get back to what they do best and start breeding big lumps of ugly violent creatures for the team. They clearly haven't been doing that enough. Let the real rugby players come from Cork as they always have done....

by red_stag Wed Apr 03, 2013 9:22 am

Cork "rugby players" are nothing but GAA lads who are bored in the winter.

by ME-109 Wed Apr 03, 2013 9:23 am

Jebus wept Stag, Bowe is from Ulster its not a frickin foreign country

by ME-109 Wed Apr 03, 2013 9:25 am

red_stag wrote:Cork "rugby players" are nothing but GAA lads who are bored in the winter.

While Limerick Rugby players are ones who are Shiite at Hurling.....( and everything else as it is). Tipperary Rugby players are ones who are just to violent to be allowed on a GAA pitch (and that's saying something).

by red_stag Wed Apr 03, 2013 9:28 am

DOD wrote:Jebus wept Stag, Bowe is from Ulster its not a frickin foreign country

by **rodders** Wed Apr 03, 2013 9:29 am

Less of the limerick and cork and more Johannesburg I say

by red_stag Wed Apr 03, 2013 9:29 am

DOD wrote:
red_stag wrote:Cork "rugby players" are nothing but GAA lads who are bored in the winter.
While Limerick Rugby players are ones who are Shiite at Hurling.....( and everything else as it is). Tipperary Rugby players are ones who are just to violent to be allowed on a GAA pitch (and that's saying something).

Alan Quinlan
Tommy O'Donnell
Donnacha Ryan
Denis Leamy
Sin É . . . . .

by beshocked Wed Apr 03, 2013 9:30 am

rodders wrote:With respect lads I think you are overestimating Munsters problems...... there's nothing wrong there that a few more Saffers won't fix

Agree with that. South Africans help but having an Irish head coach/DOR helps too. thumbsup

by Poorfour Wed Apr 03, 2013 10:18 am

yappysnap wrote:Expected Quins team if all are fit:

1.Marler
2.Buchanan
3.Johnston
4.Kohn
5.Robson
6.Fa'Asavalu
7.Robshaw
8.Easter
9.Care
10.Evans
11.Monye
12.JTH
13.Lowe
14.Williams
15.Brown

Not a bad team but I feel we'd be better suited to playing Robshaw at 6 and Wallace at 7 for this one. It's a 50/50 between Casson and JTH for the 12 shirt, Casson can kick but JTH is better defensively. I'm also seriously torn between Williams for his all round game and Chisholm on the right wing.

Robshaw will play. He's fully fit but COS insisted on him having a holiday last week to be ready for this match. The question among Quins fans is whether now is the time to start with Wallace at 7 and Robshaw at 6, but in reality I think we are more likely to see Robshaw at 7 and Guest or Fa'asavalu at 6, with whichever of Tom and Mo doesn't start being on the bench. That said, I think there's an outside chance that Wallace will be on the bench and could be a real game-changer.

Looking at Yappy's team, that contains 7 full England Internationals, 4 other Internationals (NZ, Samoa and, erm, Wales), 3 England Saxons and Tom Williams as the sole player without international experience. Of the Saxons (Buchanan, Robson and Lowe), all three have a reasonable chance of touring to Argentina (given that at least some of Youngs, Hartley, Launchbury, Parling, Manu, Barritt and Twelvetrees will go with the Lions) and picking up their first caps there (Buchanan is probably the furthest away, but most Quins fans would say he's overtaken Joe Gray - who's been the Saxons starting hooker - for Quins in the last year). The bench will likely contain 4 more Saxons (Gray, Guest, Dickson, Hopper).

We could not have dreamed of a squad of that quality and experience 3 or 4 years ago.

by **LondonTiger** Wed Apr 03, 2013 10:22 am

While it was fun for Kohn to get his ~~15 minutes of fame~~ welsh cap, it does seem absurd that a guy you have developed through the ranks is suddenly a foreigner.

by beshocked Wed Apr 03, 2013 10:23 am

Poorfour how much experience does Robshaw have at 6?

I think Quins should be tempted to play Wallace. I thought he played well for you vs Gloucester.

Personally I would back the youngsters like Chisolm,Casson,Lowe etc to produce the goods. I think they've performed better than their more experienced counterparts recently.

by **LondonTiger** Wed Apr 03, 2013 10:29 am

Tom Williams, it pains me to say, has been playing very well - and deserves a start. If Chisholm is to play then really it should be at the expense of Monye.

I would say Lowe, though younger, is a more experienced option compared to Hopper.

by Standulstermen Wed Apr 03, 2013 10:33 am

beshocked wrote:
rodders wrote:With respect lads I think you are overestimating Munsters problems...... there's nothing wrong there that a few more Saffers won't fix

Agree with that. South Africans help but having an Irish head coach/DOR helps too.

Humph is a legend right enough Cool

by **LondonTiger** Wed Apr 03, 2013 10:35 am

Standulstermen wrote:
Humph is a legend right enough

Aye, he was just a right foot Very Happy

Daughter: Daddy what do you call legends
Me: Dunno
Daughter: Feet!

by Poorfour Wed Apr 03, 2013 10:52 am

beshocked wrote:Poorfour how much experience does Robshaw have at 6?

I think Quins should be tempted to play Wallace. I thought he played well for you vs Gloucester.

Personally I would back the youngsters like Chisolm,Casson,Lowe etc to produce the goods. I think they've performed better than their more experienced counterparts recently.

Robshaw played at 6 from 2005 until COS arrived in 2010, replacing Andre Vos (without a murmur of disgruntlement from the fans) and with specialist 7s as his club captains (Volley and then Skinner). It was only when COS made him captain that he was able to make the 7 shirt his own. And most of his detractors accuse him of being a 6.5 anyway - so it's fair to say that he has decent enough experience at 6.

LT is right about Lowe - although he's still only 23, he's notched up 99 games for Quins. I'd prefer to see Chisholm as a bench option if all three of Monye, Williams and Brown are fully fit. Casson vs JTH is probably the most difficult choice. Casson offers more vision and variety, and doesn't give away much in defence (I thought he contained Twelvetrees very well on Friday) but is less experienced and is unlikely to last a full 80 minutes. JTH was coming into some form back in January but has looked a bit flat in recent matches (but then, so has the whole team).

by Standulstermen Wed Apr 03, 2013 11:09 am

LondonTiger wrote:
Standulstermen wrote:
Humph is a legend right enough

Aye, he was just a right foot

Daughter: Daddy what do you call legends
Me: Dunno
Daughter: Feet!

I'm more impressed with him as a DoR truth be told! Am convinced he could all into a river of Poopie and come up smelling of roses. This time last year plenty of people were calling on him to resign too!

by yappysnap Wed Apr 03, 2013 1:57 pm

Poorfour wrote:
beshocked wrote:Poorfour how much experience does Robshaw have at 6?

I think Quins should be tempted to play Wallace. I thought he played well for you vs Gloucester.

Personally I would back the youngsters like Chisolm,Casson,Lowe etc to produce the goods. I think they've performed better than their more experienced counterparts recently.

Robshaw played at 6 from 2005 until COS arrived in 2010, replacing Andre Vos (without a murmur of disgruntlement from the fans) and with specialist 7s as his club captains (Volley and then Skinner). It was only when COS made him captain that he was able to make the 7 shirt his own. And most of his detractors accuse him of being a 6.5 anyway - so it's fair to say that he has decent enough experience at 6.

LT is right about Lowe - although he's still only 23, he's notched up 99 games for Quins. I'd prefer to see Chisholm as a bench option if all three of Monye, Williams and Brown are fully fit. Casson vs JTH is probably the most difficult choice. Casson offers more vision and variety, and doesn't give away much in defence (I thought he contained Twelvetrees very well on Friday) but is less experienced and is unlikely to last a full 80 minutes. JTH was coming into some form back in January but has looked a bit flat in recent matches (but then, so has the whole team).

Agree with all of that.

I do hope we go for the Robshaw/Wallace combo, it just screams potential.

Do Munster have an out and out fetcher, or do the pack share the work with two 6's?

by ChequeredJersey Wed Apr 03, 2013 2:10 pm

THe difference between 6 and 7 is predominantly artificial and it is more correct to say that different flankers have different attributes that need to be combined with another flanker's complimentary attributes. Robshaw can play 6. Most 7s can play 6, and work-rate, taking the ball on for a few inches and tackles are what Robshaw has always been good at anyway. Robshaw-Wallace is a perfectly valid flank combo

by Poorfour Wed Apr 03, 2013 2:26 pm

CJ - I agree (other than pointing out that it's "complementary" you want in that sentence) and have no problem with a Wallace/Robshaw combination. Quins regularly start with Robshaw and Mo, both of whom prefer to play 7 and it doesn't do them any harm, and Conor has stated that he doesn't see a role for specialist 6s or 7s - though Wallace seems a more natural 7 than he does 6.

So I will look forward to a Wallace/Robshaw combination in the future - but I am not sure an HEC QF is the place to try it for the first time.

by ChequeredJersey Wed Apr 03, 2013 2:35 pm

Poorfour wrote:CJ - I agree (other than pointing out that it's "complementary" you want in that sentence) and have no problem with a Wallace/Robshaw combination. Quins regularly start with Robshaw and Mo, both of whom prefer to play 7 and it doesn't do them any harm, and Conor has stated that he doesn't see a role for specialist 6s or 7s - though Wallace seems a more natural 7 than he does 6.

So I will look forward to a Wallace/Robshaw combination in the future - but I am not sure an HEC QF is the place to try it for the first time.

Ashamed of that error

by Kingshu Wed Apr 03, 2013 3:46 pm

red_stag wrote:The Ulster Foreign Legion is currently recruited at both flyhalf and centre.

01 Tom Court (Australia)
02 Rob Herring (South Africa)
03 John Afoa (New Zealand)
04 Johann Muller (South Africa)
05 Dan Tuohy (England)
06 Robbie Diack (South Africa)
07 Sean Doyle (Australia)
08 Nick Williams (New Zealand)
09 Ruan Pienaar (South Africa)
10
11
12
13 Jared Payne (New Zealand)
14 Tommy Bowe (Rep of Ireland)
15 Adam Darcy (Australia)

Ah now Stag, T Bowe is a born and bred Ulsterman, and I don't see how he could be ever be considered Foreign

by Artful_Dodger Wed Apr 03, 2013 4:13 pm

red_stag wrote:The Ulster Foreign Legion is currently recruited at both flyhalf and centre.

01 Tom Court (Australia)
02 Rob Herring (South Africa)
03 John Afoa (New Zealand)
04 Johann Muller (South Africa)
05 Dan Tuohy (England)
06 Robbie Diack (South Africa)
07 Sean Doyle (Australia)
08 Nick Williams (New Zealand)
09 Ruan Pienaar (South Africa)
10
11
12
13 Jared Payne (New Zealand)
14 Tommy Bowe (Rep of Ireland)
15 Adam Darcy (Australia)

You've got as many South Africans as Ulster with Du Preez, Botha and Stander on the books. You've also had enough foreign centres to fill an entire provincial backline over the past 6 seasons. Tipoki, Tuitupou, Mafi, De Villiers, Lualala not to mention Howlett on the wing as your captain and Paul Warwick. Maybe one of these days you'll be able to produce your own backs instead of signing Leinster's Wink

by red_stag Wed Apr 03, 2013 4:27 pm

Artful, now now we have our deal with Leinster. We send them the likes of John Fogarty and Eoin Reddan and Sean Cronin and Mike Ross and Jonny Sexton and Luke Fitzgerald and they send us a few ladyboys that we turn into men.

You lot wouldn't get it. No players want to join Ulster Cool

by yappysnap Wed Apr 03, 2013 7:29 pm

Poorfour wrote:CJ - I agree (other than pointing out that it's "complementary" you want in that sentence) and have no problem with a Wallace/Robshaw combination. Quins regularly start with Robshaw and Mo, both of whom prefer to play 7 and it doesn't do them any harm, and Conor has stated that he doesn't see a role for specialist 6s or 7s - though Wallace seems a more natural 7 than he does 6.

So I will look forward to a Wallace/Robshaw combination in the future - but I am not sure an HEC QF is the place to try it for the first time.

If Guest is fit i'd agree with that, if not though i'd go with the Wall/Shaw combo as Mo's form has been pretty dire so far this season. I honestly can't see us losing anything by playing Robshaw at 6 and Wallace at 7. Especially with Kohn back in the side to bring the beef (and sausages).

by Maddog Wed Apr 03, 2013 8:14 pm

red_stag wrote:The Ulster Foreign Legion is currently recruited at both flyhalf and centre.

01 Tom Court (Australia)
02 Rob Herring (South Africa)
03 John Afoa (New Zealand)
04 Johann Muller (South Africa)
05 Dan Tuohy (England)
06 Robbie Diack (South Africa)
07 Sean Doyle (Australia)
08 Nick Williams (New Zealand)
09 Ruan Pienaar (South Africa)
10
11
12
13 Jared Payne (New Zealand)
14 Tommy Bowe (Rep of Ireland)
15 Adam Darcy (Australia)

Munster foreign legion is currently recruiting at second row

1. Du Preez
2. Henry
3. Botha
4.
5.
6. Dougal
7. Ronan
8. Stander
9. Sheridan
10. Keatley
11. Barnes
12. Downey
13. Lualala
14. Howlett
15. Jones

Very Happy

by SecretFly Wed Apr 03, 2013 11:00 pm

Enough of this childish nonsense. Grow up the lot of you!!! "We have less than yous have" Never heard such a carry on....

Now, I'm taking Bowe out of Ulster's foreigners because he's Irish...but I'm going to put every blasted 'foreigner' into the mix (whether he is Irish qualified or plays for Ireland already..so O'Gara, Court, Boss and Heaslip etc are foreigners too for this exercise)

So in no particular order but starting with last place! Connacht is the most exotic squad on this island. There are New Zealanders, Tongans, South Africans, Englishmen, A German, a Scot, a Welshman and maybe a few others... 40 squad / 16 foreigners

3rd place is.......... Ulster with 12 from 40 (that I could count at least.. I might be wrong though! So don't hang me just correct me) Anyway, I knocked Bowe off Stag's list but added Callum Black to it? Am I right?

Second place with 9 foreigners from 40 (including Heaslip and Boss) is Leinster

First Place and most proudly Irish is Munster with 8 from 46.

Congratulations Munster...no small feat. But I have no time for pedantic people who'd look up sites to find all this out.........

by **LondonTiger** Thu Apr 04, 2013 7:49 am

pfft - we are all foreigners.

And mongrels.

by **George Carlin** Thu Apr 04, 2013 8:28 am

Maddog wrote:
red_stag wrote:The Ulster Foreign Legion is currently recruited at both flyhalf and centre.

01 Tom Court (Australia)
02 Rob Herring (South Africa)
03 John Afoa (New Zealand)
04 Johann Muller (South Africa)
05 Dan Tuohy (England)
06 Robbie Diack (South Africa)
07 Sean Doyle (Australia)
08 Nick Williams (New Zealand)
09 Ruan Pienaar (South Africa)
10
11
12
13 Jared Payne (New Zealand)
14 Tommy Bowe (Rep of Ireland)
15 Adam Darcy (Australia)

Munster foreign legion is currently recruiting at second row

1. Du Preez
2. Henry
3. Botha
4.
5.
6. Dougal
7. Ronan
8. Stander
9. Sheridan
10. Keatley
11. Barnes
12. Downey
13. Lualala
14. Howlett
15. Jones

What? You mean that there are no native Lualalas in Limerick?

by red_stag Thu Apr 04, 2013 8:36 am

Maddog wrote:
red_stag wrote:The Ulster Foreign Legion is currently recruited at both flyhalf and centre.

01 Tom Court (Australia)
02 Rob Herring (South Africa)
03 John Afoa (New Zealand)
04 Johann Muller (South Africa)
05 Dan Tuohy (England)
06 Robbie Diack (South Africa)
07 Sean Doyle (Australia)
08 Nick Williams (New Zealand)
09 Ruan Pienaar (South Africa)
10
11
12
13 Jared Payne (New Zealand)
14 Tommy Bowe (Rep of Ireland)
15 Adam Darcy (Australia)

Munster foreign legion is currently recruiting at second row

1. Du Preez
2. Henry
3. Botha
4.
5.
6. Dougal
7. Ronan
8. Stander
9. Sheridan
10. Keatley
11. Barnes
12. Downey
13. Lualala
14. Howlett
15. Jones

by ChequeredJersey Thu Apr 04, 2013 12:51 pm

George Carlin wrote:
Maddog wrote:
red_stag wrote:The Ulster Foreign Legion is currently recruited at both flyhalf and centre.

01 Tom Court (Australia)
02 Rob Herring (South Africa)
03 John Afoa (New Zealand)
04 Johann Muller (South Africa)
05 Dan Tuohy (England)
06 Robbie Diack (South Africa)
07 Sean Doyle (Australia)
08 Nick Williams (New Zealand)
09 Ruan Pienaar (South Africa)
10
11
12
13 Jared Payne (New Zealand)
14 Tommy Bowe (Rep of Ireland)
15 Adam Darcy (Australia)

Munster foreign legion is currently recruiting at second row

1. Du Preez
2. Henry
3. Botha
4.
5.
6. Dougal
7. Ronan
8. Stander
9. Sheridan
10. Keatley
11. Barnes
12. Downey
13. Lualala
14. Howlett
15. Jones

What? You mean that there are no native Lualalas in Limerick?

Sounds like that could be a quote from Pokemon infrared and ultraviolet or whatever the new games will be called

by SecretFly Thu Apr 04, 2013 2:14 pm

LondonTiger wrote:pfft - we are all foreigners.

And mongrels.

Pity that my passport still gets checked when I cruise through my world then Wink

by **LondonTiger** Fri Apr 05, 2013 2:14 pm

Well after all this talk about all foreign teams, interesting to see how many of the starting line-ups are not qualified to play for the country that team is from:

Clermont: 6 NFQ (Byrne, Sivivatu, Nalaga, Zirakashvili, Cudmore, Himes)
Montpelier: 7 NFQ (Amorosino, Nagusa, Fernandez, Creevy, Bustos, Gorgodze, Tulou)

Saracens: 3 NEQ (Brits, Hargreaves, Brown)
Ulster: 5 NIQ (Payne, Pienaar, Afoa, Muller, Williams)

Harlequins: 3 NEQ (Evans, Johnstone, Fa'asavalu)
Munster: 2 NIQ (Laulala, Botha)

Toulon: 11 NFQ: (easier to name the French - Basteraud, tillous-Bourde, Pallison, Bruno)
Leicester: 3 NEQ (Morris, Ayerza, Salvi)

by geoff999rugby Fri Apr 05, 2013 4:26 pm

Other than Clermont these are 3 games that could go either way

by SecretFly Fri Apr 05, 2013 5:20 pm

Monpellier 22 - Clermont 16

...... Shocked

.......... someone has to go against the grain.....

by geoff999rugby Fri Apr 05, 2013 5:25 pm

LondonTiger wrote:Well after all this talk about all foreign teams, interesting to see how many of the starting line-ups are not qualified to play for the country that team is from:

Clermont: 6 NFQ (Byrne, Sivivatu, Nalaga, Zirakashvili, Cudmore, Himes)
Montpelier: 7 NFQ (Amorosino, Nagusa, Fernandez, Creevy, Bustos, Gorgodze, Tulou)

Saracens: 3 NEQ (Brits, Hargreaves, Brown)
Ulster: 5 NIQ (Payne, Pienaar, Afoa, Muller, Williams)

Harlequins: 3 NEQ (Evans, Johnstone, Fa'asavalu)
Munster: 2 NIQ (Laulala, Botha)

Toulon: 11 NFQ: (easier to name the French - Basteraud, tillous-Bourde, Pallison, Bruno)
Leicester: 3 NEQ (Morris, Ayerza, Salvi)

What about the other significant figure - how many came through the club ranks.

I'll start with Ulster 9 starters and 5 bench players

by Artful_Dodger Fri Apr 05, 2013 5:26 pm

geoff999rugby wrote:
LondonTiger wrote:Well after all this talk about all foreign teams, interesting to see how many of the starting line-ups are not qualified to play for the country that team is from:

Clermont: 6 NFQ (Byrne, Sivivatu, Nalaga, Zirakashvili, Cudmore, Himes)
Montpelier: 7 NFQ (Amorosino, Nagusa, Fernandez, Creevy, Bustos, Gorgodze, Tulou)

Saracens: 3 NEQ (Brits, Hargreaves, Brown)
Ulster: 5 NIQ (Payne, Pienaar, Afoa, Muller, Williams)

Harlequins: 3 NEQ (Evans, Johnstone, Fa'asavalu)
Munster: 2 NIQ (Laulala, Botha)

Toulon: 11 NFQ: (easier to name the French - Basteraud, tillous-Bourde, Pallison, Bruno)
Leicester: 3 NEQ (Morris, Ayerza, Salvi)

What about the other significant figure - how many came through the club ranks.

I'll start with Ulster 9 starters and 5 bench players

0 - thats right a big fat ZERO of Toulon's starting 15 came through their academy. The 4 French players they have came through academies including Stade Francais, Brive and Castres.

by SecretFly Fri Apr 05, 2013 5:33 pm

And we say it don't matter where players come from, especially at club...and yet we all have our fingers ready on the stats anyway in case some wise guy makes it an issue Wink

I remember doing the same a while back when Leinster were accused of winning because of their 'foreign' contingent...I did the maths and came back with a platoon full of 'foreigners/non-French players at Clermont...and quite a herd of them at Leiscester as I recall. We were outgunned 2 to 1 on the 'foreign' horde front many times.

Yep, it don't matter where players come from..... Whistle

by ChequeredJersey Fri Apr 05, 2013 5:40 pm

Quins-

8 starters and 4 bench I think from academy ranks, but of the others, Care, Easter, arguably JJ, all very much grown through being Quins

by Sponsored content