The Dew Drop Inn Virtual Rugby Pub, Ealing Broadway

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 back to London where the victorious British & Irish Lions squad will start their 25 day open bus journey across England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland -  being greeted by millions of happy, proud, delirious, tipsy and slightly sunburned rugby fans.

So grab a beer, cider, whiskey or wine.... or a warm beverage and sit back and enjoy their well-earned procession through the streets where it all began.

                     

The only rule in this pub is one of mutual respect for everyone in it, oh and no tampering with the pictures of the legendary
Warren Gatland, Sam Warburton, Alex Corbisiero, Jonathan Sexton, George North, Jamie Roberts and Richie Gray. 

last Pawb: https://www.606v2.com/t44519-the-dew-drop-inn-virtual-rugby-pub-ballycastle-bar-hong-kong

 

 

 

I won't say anything about the Queen of Hearts...

Sounds like she would have a good time in Starbucks too!

I'm so out of touch. I didn't even know they were making an Alan Partridge film. That should be worth a watch.

Only if it has the unintelligible Geordie.

Glas a du wrote:Only if it has the unintelligible Geordie.

Paul Gascoigne?

Evening folks.

Not much going on I take it.

Or loads.

Nah mate, unless we're talking about washing. I have a load to sort out tomorrow.

As a Scarlet, do you think George North's move to Northampton will work for him and Wales?

They are known as a forward dominated team in the AP with a 10 (Myler) whose instructions seem to be to kick the leather off the ball.

My only concern is that he is injury prone. The Saints will want him to play lots and that may mean we see less and less if him for Wales. The experience will be good for him. The Jeff is quite intense.

The move will work for George because he'll be getting more money. Plus as Glas says, he'll be a first-choice player, so game time shouldn't be a problem.

Personally I believe that about a third of the first choice Welsh players should play in England or France.

I've never agreed with the idea that players moving to English or French clubs is a bad thing. If they're playing rugby of a higher quality / intensity, that has to be good for their development, and at the same time, their moving frees up a regional space for an up-and-coming player (unless they sign a NWQ ringer).

The problem that international coaches have is that players based abroad are often not available for training camps that take place outside the IRB international windows. Most of the home nations have these training camps, plus the unions can dictate periods where players in the international squads have to be rested.

It will come down to whether a player has a release clause in their contract. The French clubs are very reluctant to agree to these. Most of the AP clubs are a bit more accommodating, and realise that having international players (esp. Lions after the series win) will put bums on seats when they do play.

International coaches have life sooooo hard...

I had a point to make after Hound's post, but I've forgotten what it was.

And me.

It was something about pineapples.

Plums.

I wanna see your............PINEAPPLE

Cox to that. (Orange pippin)

Berry funny...

Do not like Leinster's new home kit for this season at all.

It doesn't look all that different to me, apart from the stripes. Maybe it's all a cunning plan: to make the players so ashamed of the shirt that they play better to compensate.  

Hmm. It's a theory, Lucky. So, what's the Dragons cunning plan for this season? New strip out yet? Or can they not afford a new one?  

 

Ha, very good, Puma! The kit launch is next Wednesday.

Lucky.

Does the wee insignia for the Dragons represent something specific?

I hadn't noticed it before and wondered what it was?

It's a dragon's tail making the letter G (for Gwent).

Ah ha!

Did the Dragon eat the Newport bit?

It's trying to.  

SUPER WEEKEND !!! ...............  

Newport Gwent Dragons have the strangest name in the Pro12 because Newport is in Gwent, Gwent is the wider county that contains Newport the town in which the regional side is based.

It's as if we had Belfast Ulster or Dublin Leinster... very odd.

Or the Northampton Northamptonshire Saints.

It's a bit of a fudge. When it's shortened to N-G Dragons it's even more ungainly. I'd be happy to see the 'Newport' dropped.

Right, early finish for me.

Laters, alligators! (And Ulster folk!)

Or the Newport, part of the former county of Gwent but now the Unitary Authority of Newport Dragons...

Glas a du wrote:Or the Newport, part of the former county of Gwent but now the Unitary Authority of Newport Dragons...

I like it

The team could be called,

U AND Dragons!

 

perthshirepuma wrote:Do not like Leinster's new home kit for this season at all.

It contains the 12 Counties in stripes. Its old-fashioned. It has 3 Stars.

What's not to like about it? Maybe its not very girlie like other versions? Not buying it mind. I'll stick to me 2009 version. Always. Until it shrivels away in the wash, like  moi.

The shorts.

I've just bought this. It will show off  my ample teets  and bring out the deep, mysterious, blueness of my red eyes. I reckon.

Spoiler:

Leinsters new strip looks like a football kit. Kind of thing you could see John Terry modeling for Chelsea.

That is in no way meant as a compliment.

That is nice alright!

If the shirts were/are that colour but had really dark navy shorts...

I wonder why they have the stripes at a different angle on the change strip?

The ones on the white shirt are more appealling.

Afternoon folks. That Leinster shirt is not the worst I've seen by a very long chalk.
Anyway, 6 weekends to blast off for the new season. I'm nor expecting much from either of my teams.

Wasps have a weaker squad than last season imo (+ no Elliot Daly for the first 12 weeks).

Ealing will do well to stay up as their pack will find life much tougher in The Championship. The backs will be fine though if they get enough ball to work their magic.

Even if you get to join the massed ranks of Ealing supporters in Dublin. We will most likely be in Ospreylia supporting the bigger boys. Even if the game is on the Friday we will have to get up at stupid o clock on Saturday to get there so no going on the lash.

Yeah, so much depends on how the fixtures fall over a given weekend. Wasps have a lot of Saturday (rather than Sunday) home games this season, so I need to go through both sets of fixtures.

I do wish ERC would sort out the dates and times of the first 4 rounds of the Amlin & HC.

They are ahead of the rabo. hc is up but not amlin. our hc and b&i fixtures are reversed. when we are at home in one we are away in the other.

Perhaps the b&i wll change them round?

Hound, I'd heard the Amlin fixtures were going to be announced yesterday. So much for that, and there's nothing on the ERC website either.

Evening All  

Hope everyone's well.  

On the Welsh regional names - NGDs is an unfortunate hangover from the original names given to the regions when they were created. I think the other regions have been trying to shake off their full names, well the Scarlets and Ospreys certainly have.  Why they were given names as Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Cardiff Blues and Newport Gwent Dragons was probably due to the existing clubs being reduced to form the region they are in - each region adopting the name of their principal or biggest club at the time.  I think in hindsight, the full names as they were given has hindered the regions rather than helped them.  They should've just been set up as Scarlets, Ospreys, Blues and the Dragons in the first place.  As for putting the Gwent after Newport that's not so ridiculous.  It's done for a lot of things simply to distinguish it from all the other Newports in Britain, but in particular Newport, Pembrokeshire - it's confusing having two Newports in Wales.  Of course Ireland's provinces have existed forever as they are so there was never any cause for Leinster to be called Dublin-Leinster etc or even the possibility of that happening.  You really can't compare the Welsh regions with the Irish provinces in such a way.

Luckless Pedestrian wrote:Hound, I'd heard the Amlin fixtures were going to be announced yesterday. So much for that, and there's nothing on the ERC website either.

I've just seen the HC fixtures. ERC need a good kick in the arris for the delay with the Amlin. Fans need to book flights and accommodation. Yup, it's the 2nd tier comp and they treat the fans as 2nd tier too.

Dragons were initially just Gwent Dragons but when the Ebbw Vale benefactor pulled out and Tony Brown took over the funding (with the 50% stake), they added the Newport. I don't see the issue with the name really, they are just Dragons in most people's eyes.

Dasaolu v Bolt tonight in the anniversary games. Be interesting to see how fast the Brit can go under real pressure and maybe chasing Bolt down.

Hound of Harrow wrote:

Luckless Pedestrian wrote:Hound, I'd heard the Amlin fixtures were going to be announced yesterday. So much for that, and there's nothing on the ERC website either.

I've just seen the HC fixtures. ERC need a good kick in the arris for the delay with the Amlin. Fans need to book flights and accommodation. Yup, it's the 2nd tier comp and they treat the fans as 2nd tier too.

Yeah it's farcical really. I'm glad I'm only waiting to see when Bath away is. I may do Bordeaux, but not sure.