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

Enjoy your holidays folks.

Wasps are issuing new season ticket swipe cards this season, but they won't have them sorted out for Sat's pre season friendly against Irish.

They are sending out paper tickets for this game, but they haven't arrived yet. If they don't arrive in tomorrow's post I can see a queue of peed off fans at the ticket office.

Saturday's post will be too late for many fans as they travel a fair way to get to Wycombe and will have left before the post arrives.

3 seasons ago the double header tickets didn't arrive (at Andy's place) until late morning on the day of the game. We had tickets ordered for two mates so he had to wait for the post to arrive.

Jeez was he hopping when he got to the meet up pub in Richmond.

Wasps are just basically useless when it comes to ticketing.

They should make it clear from the outset that they're useless when it comes to ticketing, then people won't get so angry.  

And I'm off to Tenerife in a couple of weeks! Trying to persuade mrs prop but don't think she wants to!

Looks like it's holiday season for the regs!  

I'm drinking rum already!

Looks like I'm coming tomorrow but he isn't. Is it best to go for seating lucky? Rev, you going to be down there?

Luckless Pedestrian wrote:They should make it clear from the outset that they're useless when it comes to ticketing, then people won't get so angry.  

The tickets have arrived.

I still take nothing back from what I said earlier.

Cranking up to the start of the season

Plus the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday. Nice weekend coming up I hope.

Just seen the team sheets for tomorrow - wish I could be there. Umm, that's Ulster v Leinster friendly, btw.

Hound, are there still movements towards moving to a new ground for Wasps? Must be very difficult, balancing HW stability vs difficulty to get there, awful parking etc. What are your thoughts?

Hi pp. The new owners definitely want our own ground. The problem is available land and, wherever it is, getting the locals on board.

Two plans have already been scuppered by local objections.

The latest move is a ground share with Brentford at a new stadium near Kew Bridge. Travel wise, pretty good for me so long as there's no engineering works on London Overground (which there often is).

well tonight is an end of an era and the start of a new one....final night in the flat. basically empty bar some lager and cider so I know what i'm doing tonight!!

Prop, I'm not there tomorrow mate. On days at Brize so won't get back. I'm home to watch us stick 40 on Ulster a couple of weeks after though #revenge.

nice positive thinking rev!! ok cool I may see if I can sneak in by Lucky then instead!

Hound, so difficult to juggle cost v availability - the closer to the centre (and travel facilities) - the higher the cost. Not an easy conundrum when money is limited. Regards to Andy, btw!

pp -

Wasps would get lot of fans back by moving back to W. London. They would not lose too many 'fair weather' Wycombe based fans, who have deserted us during recent seasons.


It would cost me £3 return to Brentford, rather than £15 to Wycombe.

Unless you're talking about the cost of the land to build a new stadium. I would say Bucks is more expensive than Brentford.

As I may have said before.. my cousin is a brentford supporter. yes. as in we're sh1t and we know we are

High Wicka wicka wicka wyckham is not the most exciting place in the known universe. ground and supporters are fine but.....

In oher news. will be doing a road trip to ravenhill in about 13 hrs with another regular. wooooohoooo! Live rugger again!

Bore da pawb / good morning all, happy Friday!  

Really looking forward to the game tonight. Still haven't seen what sort of team Bath are putting out, but we'll 'ave 'em!

Prop, you could try to get a seat near mine, but I don't know how many of them will be season ticket-holders' seats. You could always get a ticket for the Hazell and we'll get a couple of cups and a piece of string stretched across the pitch.

And great news about the move!

which block are you in lucky?

Block D, row E.

GUIDE
 
Saturday info to be added later ..

Weeellll after much deliberation I've decided not to resign .... too much going on at the minute to move jobs .... need to get back to the other crowd today and tell them... which won't go down well....
 
Jammy fiecers going to Ravers tonight.....

It's a shame they're not showing the game on telly, Rodders. I know it's a pre-season game, but still.

Yeah but like in reality, and this will get a few peoples backs up maybe, it is just a friendly.... there'll be a lot of chopping and changing and experimenting with the selection throughout the game.

Hopefully it will be a good one but I wouldn't be expecting too much.

I'd still love to be there though....

Yeah, there's always loads of substitutions in pre-season games. You still want to win them though.  

Well yeah

Hope Big Nick is on a promise not to break any of our kids. Probably worth one of our coaches following him round the pitch with a bag of burgers to distract him at crucial times......

Ulster should win comfortably on the teams that are out. This game is about our new coach getting to see all the fringe and academy players in a competitive game.

And about us christening (or heathening for some) the memorial stand.

The mindgames have begun I see.....

It'll be interesting to see how Leinster go without Joe Schmidt at the helm. This is a big season for them.

Don't forget all the players who've left Luckless - O'Malley, Nacewa, Conway, Sexton. Big pressure down there in dubloons....

rodders wrote:The mindgames have begun I see.....  

Happy to lose this one to you, we lose most of our pre season games.

As long as we keep winning the big ones.

We lost to Northampton in a pre season 2 years ago. Happy to do that too. As long as........

The only loss to Ulster that bothered me was the Rabo one in the RDS. Not good to lose out record of never losing to Ulster outside Ravenhill since the same millennium as the battle of Hastings  

Still. We made up for it in the end.  

Morning all. Just off for a trek to the only decent butchers we have in these parts nowadays. It's 1.5 miles away but it's the only place where I can get decent beef/steak and proper rashers. Every local butcher is halal these days.

I think they'll cope okay without Sexton - Madigan could end up being the better outside half of the two anyway; but Nacewa has been such an important player for them and he won't be half as easy to replace. He was just superb, game after game - and he was available all season.

rodders wrote:Don't forget all the players who've left Luckless - O'Malley, Nacewa, Conway, Sexton. Big pressure down there in dubloons....

We'll see. Rumours of our death have been greatly exaggerated.

Don't forget the players we have left.......

Let's see where we are at Christmas when you get another crack at us in the RDS. Who knows. You could be right...

Can you taste the difference between halal and non-halal, Hound?

Luckless Pedestrian wrote:I think they'll cope okay without Sexton - Madigan could end up being the better outside half of the two anyway; but Nacewa has been such an important player for them and he won't be half as easy to replace. He was just superb, game after game - and he was available all season.

True. Isa is irreplaceable.

Then so was Shaggy, and Rocky etc. etc.

Luckless Pedestrian wrote:Can you taste the difference between halal and non-halal, Hound?

I've never eaten a halal hound.

A bit like can you tell the difference between grass and astroturf. I dunno, I've never smoked astroturf.

Yeah maybe Jen. Theres still plenty of quality there but man....
when I think back to those stellar players Leinster have had - Contepomi, Girve the swerve, shaggy, Nacewa, rocky, Wagga, Gleeson ... halcyon days .... and look at whats left.... it brings a wee tear to my eye....

Jenifer McLadyboy wrote:

Luckless Pedestrian wrote:Can you taste the difference between halal and non-halal, Hound?

I've never eaten a halal hound.

A bit like can you tell the difference between grass and astroturf. I dunno, I've never smoked astroturf.

You should try smoking astroturf. It's stellar stuff.

rodders wrote:Yeah maybe Jen. Theres still plenty of quality there but man....
when I think back to those stellar players Leinster have had - Contepomi, Girve the swerve, shaggy, Nacewa, rocky, Wagga, Gleeson ... halcyon days .... and look at whats left.... it brings a wee tear to my eye....

That's exactly my point Rodser. We were supposed to be focked after many of those left. But I'm still waiting.

We will have a problem next year too. Replacing Bod and maybe Darce.
Ulster have all their NIQs finishing up at the end of the season too. Almost 1/3 of their starting HC team. Life goes on.

Hmm not really Jen only Muller and Afoa. Pienaar and Payne are lifers.

I actually think Ulster are on the slide a bit too, this will be season of consolidation rather than growth. Its about the grassroots and the big picture now, the Heino winning chances are on the wane I think.

Probably the case for all the provinces, bar connacht who are still on an upward trajectory.

Ok I'll try to get one there lucky. Can you pm me your number please! Got the full bond back from flat and should be exchanging today! Managed to drop bleach down my cut offs today though so got a tie dye look!

PM sent.  

rodders wrote:Hmm not really Jen only Muller and Afoa. Pienaar and Payne are lifers.

I actually think Ulster are on the slide a bit too, this will be season of consolidation rather than growth. Its about the grassroots and the big picture now, the Heino winning chances are on the wane I think.

Probably the case for all the provinces, bar connacht who are still on an upward trajectory.

unless you know different, pienaar, muller, afoa, and williams are all out of contract in may.

Sure, some of them may re sign. but as it stands.....

Payne will qualify for Ireland in may amd is signed up to 2016.

On paper Leinster are weaker than last year. Ulster are the same. youngsters will have improved and older players will have disimproved.

I think Ulster's academy is really good. arguably better than Leinster's

I heard somewhere Pienaar may be staying, not confirmed yet though.

Yeah Jen I'm positive at where Ulster are at, I'm not as hopeful about landing a trophy as last year where on paper we looked one of the stronger teams in Europe.

I think that's reflective of where Irish rugby is generally, the french clubs have raised the bar and the marquee signings have dried up a bit.

Thats not necessarily a bad thing though, its good to see the academy guys get the chance.

It's more sustainable, too.

Yeah, I think so. I think Irish rugby will have to suck things up for a while. Its not all doom and gloom but we have to not be so fixated on the past and quick fixes.

Its so serene and calm in here compared to the boards.

Oh turned down the job offer, recruitment agent went bananas the arrogant **** but c'est la vie....

Surely you're entitled to turn down a job offer?

Yeah I'd sort of verbally agreed to take it but changed my mind, wasn't due to start for another month so its not like I've left them hanging.

They can be right pricks at times, threatening to blacklist and suchforth. All they care about is their commission.

Well if you didn't sign anything, fair enough. They've still got time to find someone else.