EPCR Challenge Cup Final - Gloucester v Stade Francais

Details
Date: Friday 12th May 2017
KO: 20:00 BST
TV: Sky Sports, BT Sport, beIN Sports, FR4
Attendance: Two men, one child and a rooster.


Officials
Referee: John Lacey (Ireland)
Touch Judge 1: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Touch Judge 2: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
TMO: Simon McDowell (Ireland)
Citing Commissioner: John Montgomery (Scotland)





Recent European Form:
22/4/17 La Rochelle 14 - 16 Gloucester
1/4/17 Gloucester 46 - 26 Blues
21/1/17 Gloucester 64 - 19 Bayonne


Tournament Record:
Played 74
Wins 59
Losses 14
Draws 1
Average Pts Per Game 36
Biggest Win 106 - 3
Heaviest Defeat 12 - 62
Champions 2


Team:

Marshall; Sharples, Scott, Atkinson, May; Burns, Heinz (capt); Hohneck, Hibbard, Afoa; Savage, Thrush; Moriarty, Ludlow, Morgan.

Replacements: Dawidiuk, Thomas, McAllister, Galarza, Clarke, Laidlaw, Twelvetrees, Trinder.





Recent European Form:
23/4/17 SF Paris 28 - 25 Bath
2/4/17 Ospreys 21 - 25 SF Paris
22/1/17 SF Paris 27 - 17 Quins

Tournament Record:
Played 61
Wins 46
Losses 15
Draws 0
Average Pts Per Game 34
Biggest Win 83 - 10
Heaviest Defeat 6 - 29
Champions 0

Team:

Bonneval; Vuidarvuwalu, Doumayrou, Danty, Camara; Plisson, Genia; Van der Merwe, Bonfils, Slimani, Pyle, Gabrillagues, Burban, Ross, Parisse (capt).

Replacements: Panis, Zhvania, Alo Emile, Alberts, Lakafia, Dupuy, Steyn, Sinzelle.

I'm on the M6 now travelling up for the game. It's going to be a very tough ask to beat a strong Stade side. However, given our consistent inconsistency we're due a good performance...

HongKongCherry wrote:I'm on the M6 now travelling up for the game. It's going to be a very tough ask to beat a strong Stade side. However, given our consistent inconsistency we're due a good performance...

Hopefully not the driver.

No Hook ?

I can multi-task LT! Not my turn to drive yet so just enjoying the miserable weather oop North.

Hooky is unlucky not to be on the bench, but Marshall is the better FB.

HongKongCherry wrote:I can multi-task LT! Not my turn to drive yet so just enjoying the miserable weather oop North.  

Hooky is unlucky not to be on the bench, but Marshall is the better FB.

Fairy nuff.

munkian wrote:

HongKongCherry wrote:I can multi-task LT! Not my turn to drive yet so just enjoying the miserable weather oop North.  

Hooky is unlucky not to be on the bench, but Marshall is the better FB.

Fairy nuff. hairy muff.

fixed

HongKongCherry wrote:I'm on the M6 now travelling up for the game. It's going to be a very tough ask to beat a strong Stade side. However, given our consistent inconsistency we're due a good performance...

You've won at Murrayfield more recently than Stade, if they ever have.

Also, wee Greig knows his way around it better than most.

It sounds like several thousand Glaws fans have made the trip and hopefully the home fans will support us with Laidlaw and Scott in the ranks. If so the crowd should provide some much needed advantage.

Have we gone back to the 2007 world cup?

Hope this kicking doesn't last all game!

Johnny!!!!

No one was catching there!

Finally something happened!

Stadt getting away with a load of forward passes. Another trend we have to thank the SH for!

Glaws scrum is getting mullered. Stade have looked far more threatening but Glaws have all the points.

Where Stade don't look too clever is defence. If Glaws can go through the phases they'll make yards.

One little run there by Ben Morgan..a glimpse to England fans of what could have been.

Game on!

Lacey is having an absolute mare, which is par for the course with him

Not sure what Heinze was thinking there...

Fair call with that one I think - never a red but there was definite follow through.

Oh why is John Lacey allowed to referee big games. That's never a yellow card, penalty at most.

GF, that's the majority of Morgan's involvement so far. Compared to Parisse he's been played off the park. Ludlow is having a storming game in the Glaws backrow if we're talking English talent.

marty2086 wrote:Lacey is having an absolute mare, which is par for the course with him

Why is he having a mare? Do u out think that was a red?

formerly known as Sam wrote:Oh why is John Lacey allowed to referee big games. That's never a yellow card, penalty at most.

GF, that's the majority of Morgan's involvement so far. Compared to Parisse he's been played off the park. Ludlow is having a storming game in the Glaws backrow if we're talking English talent.

True...if only he brought that side of his game right you the front.

GeordieFalcon wrote:

marty2086 wrote:Lacey is having an absolute mare, which is par for the course with him

Why is he having a mare? Do u out think that was a red?

It was very harsh for a yellow. It's a push it's not a strike or a shoulder. Clumsy and lazy as opposed to cynical or thuggish.

Yellow right call - could have been red if Plisson had milked it.

GeordieFalcon wrote:

formerly known as Sam wrote:Oh why is John Lacey allowed to referee big games. That's never a yellow card, penalty at most.

GF, that's the majority of Morgan's involvement so far. Compared to Parisse he's been played off the park. Ludlow is having a storming game in the Glaws backrow if we're talking English talent.

True...if only he brought that side of his game right you the front.  

Having said that he made a tumping tackle and another big carry. He needs to go hunting for the ball as this is a game where his carrying can come to the fore.

I would agree Sam

I forgot moriarty was on the pitch ....again showing how it's laughable he was taken over Robshaw...

And it's on in Edinburgh now...

GeordieFalcon wrote:

marty2086 wrote:Lacey is having an absolute mare, which is par for the course with him

Why is he having a mare? Do u out think that was a red?

How was it a red? Heinze jumped to block and made contact, unless he could teleport he couldn't do much about it. Plisson though milked it, it was contact no more a penalty at a stretch

His reffing of the scrum has been awful, its a penalty every time to Stade despite the Stade front row going in at angles and pulling it down because they know they're getting the penalty no matter what

He got the penalty before Parisses try wrong and he just botched the scrap there

Can't believe Lacey didn't dish out the cards there.

No I don't think it was a red. I took your post saying lacy was having a Mare to suggest you thought it was. Misunderstanding

RDW_Scotland wrote:Can't believe Lacey didn't dish out the cards there.

Handbags...no need

Lacey hasn't a clue. Gloucester cheating like mad in all aspects, maul scrum offside dirty etc

GeordieFalcon wrote:I would agree Sam

I forgot moriarty was on the pitch ....again showing how it's laughable he was taken over Robshaw...

Moriarty was very good in the six nations. Wales best backrow player by a good margin. People bigger up Warburton too much on reputation in my view. Thomas Young should have come in to give Wales some mobile physicality but we know Gatland has his favourites.

Ludlow very unlucky to have the penalty given against him there, the TMO not so good on that one.

GeordieFalcon wrote:

RDW_Scotland wrote:Can't believe Lacey didn't dish out the cards there.

Handbags...no need

He'd already given a warning for handbags saying he'd dish out yellows the next time - he didn't

Ah I didn't hear that...in that case yes he dhould have.

RDW_Scotland wrote:

GeordieFalcon wrote:

RDW_Scotland wrote:Can't believe Lacey didn't dish out the cards there.

Handbags...no need

He'd already given a warning for handbags saying he'd dish out yellows the next time - he didn't

There also looked to be some elbows or forearms dropped on Billy Burns

Gloucester trying to start a fight every breakdown luckily Stade aren't responding. Only one team playing rugby at the moment

Geen sport voor watjes wrote:Lacey hasn't a clue. Gloucester cheating like mad in all aspects, maul scrum offside dirty etc

How are they cheating at the scrum?

He's penalising them at every scrum and most of the time its Stade committing the offence? Slimani was clearly pulling one of the scrums down and Gloucester were penalised

marty2086 wrote:

Geen sport voor watjes wrote:Lacey hasn't a clue. Gloucester cheating like mad in all aspects, maul scrum offside dirty etc

How are they cheating at the scrum?

He's penalising them at every scrum and most of the time its Stade committing the offence? Slimani was clearly pulling one of the scrums down and Gloucester were penalised

That's ridiculous Gloucester have been marmalised in the scrum

Geen sport voor watjes wrote:

marty2086 wrote:

Geen sport voor watjes wrote:Lacey hasn't a clue. Gloucester cheating like mad in all aspects, maul scrum offside dirty etc

How are they cheating at the scrum?

He's penalising them at every scrum and most of the time its Stade committing the offence? Slimani was clearly pulling one of the scrums down and Gloucester were penalised

That's ridiculous Gloucester have been marmalised in the scrum

When you bore in at an angle that can happen but Slimani clearly dragged a few of the scrums down

If you insist. Commentators on sky seem to think it's Gloucester. What do they know. You should contact them. At least we have an unbiased ref. Useless but not biased

I don't see how it can be classed as cheating if your scrum is 2nd best and going backwards...the definition of cheating is to gain an unfair advantage and there's no advantage in getting pumped in the scrum!

Geen sport voor watjes wrote:If you insist.  Commentators on sky seem to think it's Gloucester. What do they know. You should contact them. At least we have an unbiased ref. Useless but not biased

Well that's an error right there. The Sky commentators have plenty of previous for talking rubbish. Compare that to BBC where you get Ben Kay and BOD.

Geen sport voor watjes wrote:If you insist.  Commentators on sky seem to think it's Gloucester. What do they know. You should contact them. At least we have an unbiased ref. Useless but not biased

Funny that because Ben Kay on BT mentioned Slimani turning in but no one ever mentions him pulling the scrum down, watch him in the future he binds short and pulls his opposite number down

They're English. Therefore they are cheating

marty2086 wrote:

Geen sport voor watjes wrote:If you insist.  Commentators on sky seem to think it's Gloucester. What do they know. You should contact them. At least we have an unbiased ref. Useless but not biased

Funny that because Ben Kay on BT mentioned Slimani turning in but no one ever mentions him pulling the scrum down, watch him in the future he binds short and pulls his opposite number down

Tell me what happened in the first scrum in the second half minus slimani

Stupid few minutes from Gloucester - forcing quick line-outs, kicks that aren't on etc. They've lost their heads a bit.

Geen sport voor watjes wrote:

marty2086 wrote:

Geen sport voor watjes wrote:If you insist.  Commentators on sky seem to think it's Gloucester. What do they know. You should contact them. At least we have an unbiased ref. Useless but not biased

Funny that because Ben Kay on BT mentioned Slimani turning in but no one ever mentions him pulling the scrum down, watch him in the future he binds short and pulls his opposite number down

Tell me what happened in the first scrum in the second half minus slimani

The scrum isn't going down though, they are driving straight through

That's how they have been playing all game

The Stade 12's passing is hilariously bad