Pro12 Final 31/5

by Jenifer McLadyboy Mon 19 May 2014, 1:52 pm

First topic message reminder :

The Ladyboys v The Soap Dodgers
At RDS Dublin, 6.15pm.

Live on RTE/BBC ALBA/ BBC WALES/TG4/Mediaset

Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU, 111th competition game)
Assistant Referees: Leighton Hodges, Ian Davies (both WRU)
Citing Commissioner: Maurizio Vancini (FIR)
TMO: Derek Bevan (WRU)

***
Glasgay

15. Peter Murchie
14. Sean Maitland
13. Alex Dunbar
12. Peter Horne
11. Tommy Seymour
10. Finn Russell
9. Chris Cusiter

1. Gordon Reid
2. Dougie Hall
3. Jon Welsh
4. Jonny Gray
5. Al Kellock
6. Rob Harley
7. Chris Fusaro
8. Josh Strauss

16. Pat MacArthur
17. Ryan Grant
18. Moray Low
19. Tim Swinson
20. Leone Nakarawa
21. Niko Matawalu
22. Ruaridh Jackson
23. Sean Lamont

Cuige Laighean

15: Rob Kearney
14: Fergus McFadden
13: Brian O'Driscoll
12: Gordon D'Arcy
11: Zane Kirchner
10: Jimmy Gopperth
9: Eoin Reddan
1: Cian Healy
2: Sean Cronin
3: Mike Ross
4: Devin Toner
5: Mike McCarthy
6: Rhys Ruddock
7: Shane Jennings
8: Jamie Heaslip CAPTAIN

REPLACEMENTS:
16: Aaron Dundon
17: Jack McGrath
18: Martin Moore
19: Leo Cullen
20: Sean O'Brien
21: Isaac Boss
22: Ian Madigan
23: Darragh Fanning

by **Notch** Wed 28 May 2014, 10:42 am

It seems certain that he is leaving, destination to be confirmed but getting more and more unlikely we'll be seeing him in Glasgow next year.

by IanBru Wed 28 May 2014, 10:44 am

All I'll say is that the Irish Times has a bit of previous when it comes to making baseless claims.

Glasgow final to be played at Ravenhill, anyone?

by **RDW** Wed 28 May 2014, 10:45 am

Have to say though if it all turns out to be false and Hogg was never leaving, it really would come as a massive surprise!

by **Notch** Wed 28 May 2014, 10:47 am

IanBru wrote:All I'll say is that the Irish Times has a bit of previous when it comes to making baseless claims.

Glasgow final to be played at Ravenhill, anyone?

How do you know that was baseless? Glasgow never got a home final, so we'll never know.

by SecretFly Wed 28 May 2014, 10:49 am

Oh you must be talking about 1998. Irish Times "Monkey man Alien calls for Peace talks between Earth and Zarka."

They apolgised for that one though. They apologised for not using his official title but said they did try to but Zarkarian language uses too many vowels.

by IanBru Wed 28 May 2014, 10:49 am

Notch, it was never confirmed in any other media outlets, it was directly contradicted in newspapers in Scotland (stating that Parkhead would be the venue, which surely makes more sense), and the article was taken down after three hours.

Seemed pretty baseless.

by **Notch** Wed 28 May 2014, 10:53 am

Seemed that way but no way of knowing whether it was true or not.

Beside the point however, as in that case the Irish Times were out on their own whereas now they are just reporting what lots of people are saying.

by geoff998rugby Wed 28 May 2014, 11:00 am

Glasgow v Ulster wouldn't have been at Ravenhill
Glasgow formally named Parkhead as their ground to the Pro12
board.

As to Hogg he has an offer on the table from Ulster - take it or leave it, it won't be increased.
He could get caught out because rumours Ludik is dropping his salary demands following Agen failure to get promote.
If, big if, Ulster agree terms with Ludik, Hogg may have nowhere to go.

by SecretFly Wed 28 May 2014, 11:06 am

I say no to Ulster and Hogg linking up as that would then mean Schmidt's arch nemesis, Cotter - would have a spy close to Irish camp with Hogg 'innocently' asking "So what's Paulie's line out calls this year, lads - planetary moons?" Wink

by AsLongAsBut100ofUs Wed 28 May 2014, 11:11 am

Notch wrote:
IanBru wrote:All I'll say is that the Irish Times has a bit of previous when it comes to making baseless claims.

Glasgow final to be played at Ravenhill, anyone?

How do you know that was baseless? Glasgow never got a home final, so we'll never know.

Notch, we will know, we do in fact know, as the police had been consulted on and informed of the decision

by **Notch** Wed 28 May 2014, 11:25 am

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:
Notch wrote:
IanBru wrote:All I'll say is that the Irish Times has a bit of previous when it comes to making baseless claims.

Glasgow final to be played at Ravenhill, anyone?

How do you know that was baseless? Glasgow never got a home final, so we'll never know.

Notch, we will know, we do in fact know, as the police had been consulted on and informed of the decision

The league would still have the power to overrule that decision though. It's a moot point now.

by Pete330v2 Wed 28 May 2014, 11:29 am

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh I'm going to miss the freakin match.
Sky+ is my saviour but nobody tell me the score until sunday please Smile

by Mickado Wed 28 May 2014, 11:33 am

Pete330v2 wrote:Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh I'm going to miss the freakin match.
Sky+ is my saviour but nobody tell me the score until sunday please

Spoiler:

by geoff998rugby Wed 28 May 2014, 11:33 am

Notch the league formally accepted Glasgow's proposal of ParkHead.

The SF teams (who could be at home for the final) have to nominate a ground to the Pro12 Board on the Wednesday prior to the SF's.
Glasgow did that and ParkHead was accepted.
Ravenhill was considered but in the end Glasgow reached agreement with Celtic.
Would have been a reduced capacity of 29000 I believe.

by **Notch** Wed 28 May 2014, 11:43 am

Oh, fair enough.

by **BigGee** Wed 28 May 2014, 11:48 am

I guess the proof about Hoggy will become clear tomorrow when the team is announced. If he is not in the squad we can take it as read thst he will be off.

I don't think we will miss him for the final but longer term it is never going to be good to lose such a quality player so young. You do wonder what has happened here. Has he had a catastrophic breakdown in his relationship with the coaches or has he just been badly advised.

I am not usually against players moving on. It is a fact of life for clubs like Glasgow, probably even a necessity. However he is just a kid and I wonder if he is ready for the big wide world out there where coaches and fans may not be quite so accomodating.

I do agree as well that Scotland fans generally may not be so understanding of this move and golden boy status may not be so easy to achieve in future.

by Mickado Wed 28 May 2014, 11:52 am

BigGee wrote:I guess the proof about Hoggy will become clear tomorrow when the team is announced. If he is not in the squad we can take it as read thst he will be off.

I don't think we will miss him for the final but longer term it is never going to be good to lose such a quality player so young. You do wonder what has happened here. Has he had a catastrophic breakdown in his relationship with the coaches or has he just been badly advised.

I am not usually against players moving on. It is a fact of life for clubs like Glasgow, probably even a necessity. However he is just a kid and I wonder if he is ready for the big wide world out there where coaches and fans may not be quite so accomodating.

I do agree as well that Scotland fans generally may not be so understanding of this move and golden boy status may not be so easy to achieve in future.

According to the IT he's not in the squad.

http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/pro12/stuart-hogg-excluded-from-warriors-squad-for-pro12-final-1.1812315

by jimbopip Wed 28 May 2014, 12:02 pm

Glad to see this thread warming up again.
Here's something that has been nagging at the back of my mind since the semi.
On the coach up to Glasgow I got chatting to a young lad who obviously knew his rugby (Glasgow were brilliant : MFL were keech) and he posed the question, "Why did Toonie get so much grief as Scotland's attack coach when Glasgow are such a good attacking side?"
I duly trotted out the usual glib responses; working to someone else's vision, less time with the players, different players and so on.
however, watching the Munster game a allowed a small nagging voice to join the legion of shrieking ones in my head.
My, limited, understanding of Munster's wide to wide game was that straight from the off they looked to get the ball wide- usually by third phase- to their winger plus one or two others in the wide channel. The first couple of times this happened I thought we were in for a long evening as there was always a man, or two, over. However, Glasgow's defence knew what they were doing and scrambled/ drifted and snuffed it out every time.
Glasgow, on the other hand, played a simple [i]exhaust-rewind[i] all evening. They looked to take the ball up the middle and look for off-loads or quick ruck ball. Obviously with the backs Glasgow has then you only need to breach the line once to score BUT a mixture of heroic tackling and some outrageous illegalities around the tackle area prevented this. There seemed to be no plan B. It was up the middle all night long waiting for the dam to burst.
The nagging doubt it has left in my mind is, is the Toonmeister inherently conservative when it comes to big games or has he so mixed and matched in his selections that players don't feel they know each other well enough to run intricate, complex plays?

Also, I'm beginning to believe that the Ladyboys might get caught up in the BOD/Toner send off party that they take their collective eye off the ball. Either way it should be some game.
WE ARE GLASGOW WE FEAR NO-ONE Braveheart

by SecretFly Wed 28 May 2014, 12:05 pm

Toner was a Great that wasn't recognised. So Long Long Fella and happy retirement.

by pete (buachaill on eirne) Wed 28 May 2014, 12:22 pm

Provided it isn't an attitude problem that he has Leinster will take him! An outrageously talented guy who can play 13 and 15 and isn't Payne or Henshaw.......eh yes please!!!

by demosthenes Wed 28 May 2014, 12:26 pm

jimbopip wrote:Glad to see this thread warming up again.
Here's something that has been nagging at the back of my mind since the semi.
On the coach up to Glasgow I got chatting to a young lad who obviously knew his rugby (Glasgow were brilliant : MFL were keech) and he posed the question, "Why did Toonie get so much grief as Scotland's attack coach when Glasgow are such a good attacking side?"
I duly trotted out the usual glib responses; working to someone else's vision, less time with the players, different players and so on.
however, watching the Munster game a allowed a small nagging voice to join the legion of shrieking ones in my head.
My, limited, understanding of Munster's wide to wide game was that straight from the off they looked to get the ball wide- usually by third phase- to their winger plus one or two others in the wide channel. The first couple of times this happened I thought we were in for a long evening as there was always a man, or two, over. However, Glasgow's defence knew what they were doing and scrambled/ drifted and snuffed it out every time.
Glasgow, on the other hand, played a simple [i]exhaust-rewind[i] all evening. They looked to take the ball up the middle and look for off-loads or quick ruck ball. Obviously with the backs Glasgow has then you only need to breach the line once to score BUT a mixture of heroic tackling and some outrageous illegalities around the tackle area prevented this. There seemed to be no plan B. It was up the middle all night long waiting for the dam to burst.
The nagging doubt it has left in my mind is, is the Toonmeister inherently conservative when it comes to big games or has he so mixed and matched in his selections that players don't feel they know each other well enough to run intricate, complex plays?

Also, I'm beginning to believe that the Ladyboys might get caught up in the BOD/Toner send off party that they take their collective eye off the ball. Either way it should be some game.
WE ARE GLASGOW WE FEAR NO-ONE

Or maybe he has realised that "intricate, complex plays" don't often work, and seem to end up with turnovers giving the opposition scoring opportunities?

With the backs Glasgow have a few variations on a theme should usually be enough, without resorting to cut-outs; cross-overs; multiple miss passes; etc. I also think we could do without the 'Come Dancing' routines at lineouts, which also seem to mis-fire more often than not.

by jimbopip Wed 28 May 2014, 12:43 pm

Demosthenes, we're wandering into what I call the Rob Dewey territory. Whereby a big strong lad can be extremely successful by running straight and hard, until he meets a defender who is just as big and strong as he is and loves to tackle big strong lads who run straight at him. Quite often the Rob Deweys of this world then come unstuck because they've never had to learn a plan B and their skill set now seems rather inadequate.
It's about the right play at the right time. When Munster got into our 22 the wide to wide got ditched in favour of pick and drives; both their tries came from this. If all Glasgow have is first phase up the middle then we could come unstuck against the Ladyboys' "streetwise" defence.

by AsLongAsBut100ofUs Wed 28 May 2014, 12:56 pm

Cullen rather than Toner, J-Pip

by Dorothy_Mantooth Wed 28 May 2014, 1:09 pm

I'm arriving in Dublin early doors and are staying in the Rathmines area. Any idea how far/easy it is to get into the centre of Dublin to do the "tourist" thing from there?

by demosthenes Wed 28 May 2014, 1:09 pm

jimbopip wrote:Demosthenes, we're wandering into what I call the Rob Dewey territory. Whereby a big strong lad can be extremely successful by running straight and hard, until he meets a defender who is just as big and strong as he is and loves to tackle big strong lads who run straight at him. Quite often the Rob Deweys of this world then come unstuck because they've never had to learn a plan B and their skill set now seems rather inadequate.
It's about the right play at the right time. When Munster got into our 22 the wide to wide got ditched in favour of pick and drives; both their tries came from this. If all Glasgow have is first phase up the middle then we could come unstuck against the Ladyboys' "streetwise" defence.

Oh, don't get me wrong, I think we do need more than the 'Rob Dewey' approach, but I think that the Glasgow backs have much, much more than that. It is the overly complicated, scripted, play which worry me. They may go well on the training ground, but in the heat of battle I think they come unstuck too often.

by Mickado Wed 28 May 2014, 1:13 pm

Dorothy_Mantooth wrote:I'm arriving in Dublin early doors and are staying in the Rathmines area. Any idea how far/easy it is to get into the centre of Dublin to do the "tourist" thing from there?

From Rathmines, Stephens Green is about 10/15 mins walk, but there are buses constantly going down Rathmines main street and any of them will take you to the centre. It's a very convenient location. It's probably about 20 mins walk to the RDS too, ideal spot.

by Dorothy_Mantooth Wed 28 May 2014, 1:22 pm

Mickado wrote:
Dorothy_Mantooth wrote:I'm arriving in Dublin early doors and are staying in the Rathmines area. Any idea how far/easy it is to get into the centre of Dublin to do the "tourist" thing from there?

From Rathmines, Stephens Green is about 10/15 mins walk, but there are buses constantly going down Rathmines main street and any of them will take you to the centre. It's a very convenient location. It's probably about 20 mins walk to the RDS too, ideal spot.

Thanks!

by **RDW** Wed 28 May 2014, 1:52 pm

DoT - I was at a stag doo at the weekend and the rest of the guys were staying at the Rathmines Travelodge (I was staying in a youth hostel in Temple Bar).

The Rathmines area itself isn't great for anything, but you can get the 15, 15A and 15B bus into town (Trinity College) for 2.35 Euro a single.

by Pete330v2 Wed 28 May 2014, 1:53 pm

Mickado wrote:
Pete330v2 wrote:Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh I'm going to miss the freakin match.
Sky+ is my saviour but nobody tell me the score until sunday please

Spoiler:

I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for that Mick.

Well up until I lose control of my faculties which may not take long seeing as this is my first evening out in almost 2 years. Pray for me folks angel

by Dorothy_Mantooth Wed 28 May 2014, 1:54 pm

RDW_Scotland wrote:DoT - I was at a stag doo at the weekend and the rest of the guys were staying at the Rathmines Travelodge (I was staying in a youth hostel in Temple Bar).

The Rathmines area itself isn't great for anything, but you can get the 15, 15A and 15B bus into town for 2.35 Euro a single.

Its the travelodge we are staying in. Not planning to stay in the area long, but it looks a good area from getting to the city centre and then to the ground.

Starting to look forward to this game big time now.

by **RDW** Wed 28 May 2014, 1:56 pm

Hope your rooms are better than the ones they stayed in - was a bit of a dump!

Also, watch out for taxi drivers, a lot of the guys were caught out with taxi drivers saying they didn't know where the Rathmines Travelodge was and taking them on weird routes.

I spent £300 in 2 days at the weekend on the stag, so hope you've brought plenty money for a 5 day trip! Shocked

by Mickado Wed 28 May 2014, 1:56 pm

Dorothy_Mantooth wrote:
RDW_Scotland wrote:DoT - I was at a stag doo at the weekend and the rest of the guys were staying at the Rathmines Travelodge (I was staying in a youth hostel in Temple Bar).

The Rathmines area itself isn't great for anything, but you can get the 15, 15A and 15B bus into town for 2.35 Euro a single.

Its the travelodge we are staying in. Not planning to stay in the area long, but it looks a good area from getting to the city centre and then to the ground.

Starting to look forward to this game big time now.

Plenty of restaurants and bars there, but the real action will be going on in the area around the ground.

http://www.leinsterfans.com/visitors/

by Jenifer McLadyboy Wed 28 May 2014, 2:05 pm

Mickado wrote:It's probably about 20 mins walk to the RDS too, ideal spot.

Or about double that for non Olympic athletes.

Temple Bar is a tourist trap that's best avoided. BTW.

by brennomac Wed 28 May 2014, 2:09 pm

Mickado wrote:
Dorothy_Mantooth wrote:
RDW_Scotland wrote:DoT - I was at a stag doo at the weekend and the rest of the guys were staying at the Rathmines Travelodge (I was staying in a youth hostel in Temple Bar).

The Rathmines area itself isn't great for anything, but you can get the 15, 15A and 15B bus into town for 2.35 Euro a single.

Its the travelodge we are staying in. Not planning to stay in the area long, but it looks a good area from getting to the city centre and then to the ground.

Starting to look forward to this game big time now.

Plenty of restaurants and bars there, but the real action will be going on in the area around the ground.

http://www.leinsterfans.com/visitors/

No need to go into town when heading to the RDS from Rathmines - just walk along the canal (turn right at bridge coming from Rathmines), follow canal as far as Baggot St, turn right and walk down Pembroke Rd to Ballsbridge and the RDS - 20 mins max

by Jenifer McLadyboy Wed 28 May 2014, 2:11 pm

Dorothy_Mantooth wrote:I'm arriving in Dublin early doors and are staying in the Rathmines area. Any idea how far/easy it is to get into the centre of Dublin to do the "tourist" thing from there?

I guess that gives you the George Carlin free pint award for being the first Glasgow non armchair 606r then. thumbsup

Available post match in the Ho Show House. Win lose or eh.... extra time.

A Ladyboy and a Mantooth eh? Could be a fight. Whistle

by Dorothy_Mantooth Wed 28 May 2014, 2:51 pm

Jenifer McLadyboy wrote:
Dorothy_Mantooth wrote:I'm arriving in Dublin early doors and are staying in the Rathmines area. Any idea how far/easy it is to get into the centre of Dublin to do the "tourist" thing from there?
I guess that gives you the George Carlin free pint award for being the first Glasgow non armchair 606r then.

Available post match in the Ho Show House. Win lose or eh.... extra time.

A Ladyboy and a Mantooth eh? Could be a fight.

Not sure where we will be going post match (or to be honest pre match), I tend to follow the crowd. If we are in the Ho Show House (or close by) I will give give you a shout!

by Dorothy_Mantooth Wed 28 May 2014, 2:53 pm

Mickado wrote:
Dorothy_Mantooth wrote:
RDW_Scotland wrote:DoT - I was at a stag doo at the weekend and the rest of the guys were staying at the Rathmines Travelodge (I was staying in a youth hostel in Temple Bar).

The Rathmines area itself isn't great for anything, but you can get the 15, 15A and 15B bus into town for 2.35 Euro a single.

Its the travelodge we are staying in. Not planning to stay in the area long, but it looks a good area from getting to the city centre and then to the ground.

Starting to look forward to this game big time now.

Plenty of restaurants and bars there, but the real action will be going on in the area around the ground.

http://www.leinsterfans.com/visitors/

Will be up around the ground most of the afternoon. Just want to kill sometime in the morning.

by Mickado Wed 28 May 2014, 3:37 pm

Jenifer McLadyboy wrote:

Or about double that for non Olympic athletes.

Through Ranelagh, if it takes you more than 20 mins you must be limping.

by Jenifer McLadyboy Wed 28 May 2014, 3:54 pm

Will take your word for it Mick. Takes about 15 from my gaff. It would take me a good bit more to go to Rathmines. Via Ranelagh or any other way.

by tigertattie Wed 28 May 2014, 4:04 pm

Jenifer McLadyboy wrote:
Dorothy_Mantooth wrote:I'm arriving in Dublin early doors and are staying in the Rathmines area. Any idea how far/easy it is to get into the centre of Dublin to do the "tourist" thing from there?
I guess that gives you the George Carlin free pint award for being the first Glasgow non armchair 606r then.

Available post match in the Ho Show House. Win lose or eh.... extra time.

A Ladyboy and a Mantooth eh? Could be a fight.

I've still never found out if Jenifer and Dorothy pee standing up or siting down!

by Jenifer McLadyboy Wed 28 May 2014, 4:11 pm

Why would you like to lie down underneath us? Smile

by **RDW** Wed 28 May 2014, 4:13 pm

Yeah I'm pretty certain Dot is a bloke and the name Dorothy Mantooth is a reference to his fondness of Anchorman....so you can sit underneath him all you want! Erm

Jen on the otherhand, who knows! Very Happy

by funnyExiledScot Wed 28 May 2014, 5:38 pm

Dot is a bloke, talks far too much sense to be a chick.

Schizoid on the other hand......

by **George Carlin** Wed 28 May 2014, 6:59 pm

Nice to see that this thread has wheezed back into life.

I see that the realization has set in that the possibility of a Hogg move is real and has moved from 'unlikely' to 'probable'. Ulster seemed less likely than a move to the Jeff or Top 14 but Hogg is from a small town in the borders and is only 21. Fairly intimidating to move to another country at that age and the fact that he has the support of his relatives in Belfast has got to be a factor.

In terms of his alleged 'attitude', I know people who have met the guy many times (in SRU admin) and a friend of mine trained with him at Scotland U20 and A grade. None of them (and I mean NONE) have reported that he was anything other than a pleasant, ordinary teenager who knew that he was a good rugby player and was confident on the pitch. That's it.

I'm not as close to the club as a lot of other posters here but are we really suggesting that it's beyond the realms of possibility that Hogg has been advised by an agent he is being underpaid for his relative status and he should look at other possibilities? Of course not. It may ultimately mean that the SRU grizzles and forks out a bit more to keep him put but that's very much the nature of modern sport. I don't think less of him for seeing what's out there. Agents sit marginally above plankton, the ebola virus and estate agents on the evolutionary scale, but what's a player to do?

by Dorothy_Mantooth Wed 28 May 2014, 9:02 pm

funnyExiledScot wrote:Dot is a bloke, talks far too much sense to be a chick.

Schizoid on the other hand......

by Dorothy_Mantooth Wed 28 May 2014, 9:09 pm

George Carlin wrote:Nice to see that this thread has wheezed back into life.

I see that the realization has set in that the possibility of a Hogg move is real and has moved from 'unlikely' to 'probable'. Ulster seemed less likely than a move to the Jeff or Top 14 but Hogg is from a small town in the borders and is only 21. Fairly intimidating to move to another country at that age and the fact that he has the support of his relatives in Belfast has got to be a factor.

In terms of his alleged 'attitude', I know people who have met the guy many times (in SRU admin) and a friend of mine trained with him at Scotland U20 and A grade. None of them (and I mean NONE) have reported that he was anything other than a pleasant, ordinary teenager who knew that he was a good rugby player and was confident on the pitch. That's it.

I'm not as close to the club as a lot of other posters here but are we really suggesting that it's beyond the realms of possibility that Hogg has been advised by an agent he is being underpaid for his relative status and he should look at other possibilities? Of course not. It may ultimately mean that the SRU grizzles and forks out a bit more to keep him put but that's very much the nature of modern sport. I don't think less of him for seeing what's out there. Agents sit marginally above plankton, the ebola virus and estate agents on the evolutionary scale, but what's a player to do?

Agents are too easy a target for players to blame.

It's a shame that we are entering footballing realms where a player signs a 3 year deal and less than 2 years into the deal he wants a move!

If he goes, so be it. He's no Berni Stortoni and the club will move on , hope we (SRU) get some cash for him breaking his contract.

Also if his ego is big now, coz he is a lion. Can you imagine how out of control he will be if he gets anywhere near a lions test match.

by **George Carlin** Wed 28 May 2014, 9:40 pm

Dorothy_Mantooth wrote:
George Carlin wrote:Nice to see that this thread has wheezed back into life.

I see that the realization has set in that the possibility of a Hogg move is real and has moved from 'unlikely' to 'probable'. Ulster seemed less likely than a move to the Jeff or Top 14 but Hogg is from a small town in the borders and is only 21. Fairly intimidating to move to another country at that age and the fact that he has the support of his relatives in Belfast has got to be a factor.

In terms of his alleged 'attitude', I know people who have met the guy many times (in SRU admin) and a friend of mine trained with him at Scotland U20 and A grade. None of them (and I mean NONE) have reported that he was anything other than a pleasant, ordinary teenager who knew that he was a good rugby player and was confident on the pitch. That's it.

I'm not as close to the club as a lot of other posters here but are we really suggesting that it's beyond the realms of possibility that Hogg has been advised by an agent he is being underpaid for his relative status and he should look at other possibilities? Of course not. It may ultimately mean that the SRU grizzles and forks out a bit more to keep him put but that's very much the nature of modern sport. I don't think less of him for seeing what's out there. Agents sit marginally above plankton, the ebola virus and estate agents on the evolutionary scale, but what's a player to do?

Agents are too easy a target for players to blame.

It's a shame that we are entering footballing realms where a player signs a 3 year deal and less than 2 years into the deal he wants a move!

If he goes, so be it. He's no Berni Stortoni and the club will move on , hope we (SRU) get some cash for him breaking his contract.

Also if his ego is big now, coz he is a lion. Can you imagine how out of control he will be if he gets anywhere near a lions test match.

Dot - is this based on any particular knowledge of the person? Or just the easy assumption?

by Dorothy_Mantooth Wed 28 May 2014, 10:10 pm

George Carlin wrote:
Dorothy_Mantooth wrote:
George Carlin wrote:Nice to see that this thread has wheezed back into life.

I see that the realization has set in that the possibility of a Hogg move is real and has moved from 'unlikely' to 'probable'. Ulster seemed less likely than a move to the Jeff or Top 14 but Hogg is from a small town in the borders and is only 21. Fairly intimidating to move to another country at that age and the fact that he has the support of his relatives in Belfast has got to be a factor.

In terms of his alleged 'attitude', I know people who have met the guy many times (in SRU admin) and a friend of mine trained with him at Scotland U20 and A grade. None of them (and I mean NONE) have reported that he was anything other than a pleasant, ordinary teenager who knew that he was a good rugby player and was confident on the pitch. That's it.

I'm not as close to the club as a lot of other posters here but are we really suggesting that it's beyond the realms of possibility that Hogg has been advised by an agent he is being underpaid for his relative status and he should look at other possibilities? Of course not. It may ultimately mean that the SRU grizzles and forks out a bit more to keep him put but that's very much the nature of modern sport. I don't think less of him for seeing what's out there. Agents sit marginally above plankton, the ebola virus and estate agents on the evolutionary scale, but what's a player to do?

Agents are too easy a target for players to blame.

It's a shame that we are entering footballing realms where a player signs a 3 year deal and less than 2 years into the deal he wants a move!

If he goes, so be it. He's no Berni Stortoni and the club will move on , hope we (SRU) get some cash for him breaking his contract.

Also if his ego is big now, coz he is a lion. Can you imagine how out of control he will be if he gets anywhere near a lions test match.

Dot - is this based on any particular knowledge of the person? Or just the easy assumption?

Total assumption. Maybe should have bolded or underlined the if part.

by ME-109 Wed 28 May 2014, 10:18 pm

RDW_Scotland wrote:Yeah I'm pretty certain Dot is a bloke and the name Dorothy Mantooth is a reference to his fondness of Anchorman....so you can sit underneath him all you want!

Jen on the otherhand, who knows!

Somebody should change the title of the thread to the "we are a hairy skirt wearing nation/province (delete which is applicable) girlies who cant spell whiskey properly" versus
"Its surprising we can play a manful game like rugby considering we all sound a little like ladies when we talk in those annoying nasal tones"...much more accurate.

by Nematode Wed 28 May 2014, 10:27 pm

I'm missing the GC match threads... Sad

Can we have a proper one for the team announcements with the info?

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