Champions Cup; and the other one if someone wants to comment

First topic message reminder :

Couldn't see another thread on a quick look so sorry if I've missed it.

This weeks fixtures as follows (lifted from the beeb):

Friday
POOL 1
Connacht v Bordeaux Bègles
20:00

POOL 3
Glasgow Warriors v Northampton Saints
20:00

EUROPEAN CHALLENGE CUP
POOL 3
ASM Clermont Auvergne v Edinburgh
20:00

....Guernsey vs Bury St Edmonds as well which is a biggy

Saturday
POOL 1
Bulls v Saracens
17:30

Bristol v Lyon
20:00

POOL 2
Bath v Ulster
15:15

Toulouse v Cardiff Rugby
15:15

POOL 3
Toulon v Exeter Chiefs
13:00

Munster v Bayonne
17:30

EUROPEAN CHALLENGE CUP
POOL 1
Zebre v Cheetahs
13:00

Sharks v Pau
15:15

Dragons v Oyonnax
20:00

POOL 2
Ospreys v Benetton
17:30

POOL 3
Black Lion v Gloucester
13:00

Castres v Scarlets
15:15

Sunday
POOL 2
Racing 92 v Harlequins
17:30

POOL 4
Sale v Stade Francais
13:00

La Rochelle v Leinster
15:15

Leicester Tigers v Stormers
15:15

EUROPEAN CHALLENGE CUP
POOL 2
Perpignan v Lions
13:00

Newcastle Falcons vMontpellier
15:15

doctor_grey wrote:

Geordie wrote:Farrell just isn't woth it mentally....

Just because he was charged down twice in the same sequence about 30 seconds apart?

He just looks beaten...

Farrell playing very badly, Georgian lad being a bit of a knob.

The commentators said Farrell had been charged down 4 times in the match so far (70 minute mark).

That one where he missed touch was odd but I'm not convinced the Lyon player was 10m away?

Cumbrian wrote:Farrell playing very badly, Georgian lad being a bit of a knob.

In the bin for his trouble

The red card for Saints looked like a freak accident. I didn’t see anything reckless. Great win for them, they seem to have come from nowhere and beat everyone in the Premiership, and in Europe.

I will also note that Carre had another good game for Cardiff imo, as he does most weeks. What can he be thinking seeing Mathias in the Wales squad…

That's Gatland for you, isn't it. Obsessed by crossfit fitness. I noted he even said LRZ reported for the Team Wales summer camps unfit. I mean come on ha.

Blow for Dragons having to beat a loaded Sharks at home, to make the last 16. They only have themselves to blame, by throwing away leads against Pau and Zebre though.

Champions cup last 16 looks to be 6 English and 5 each URC and French. Sale could get past La Rochelle tomorrow to make it 7 English teams which would be very impressive

What is it about English sides getting red cards when playing Irish sides ?? It doesn't happen on a regular basis against any others. I am sure there is analysis out there but seems a strange coincidence. This weekends incidents looked pretty harsh, if players are prone off their feet beyond the ball at a ruck, but I suppose refs are under pressure from home crowds too.

The English sides have done pretty well so far but a couple of French sides plus Leinster look out in front for the knockout stages.

Think the Langdon one I'd have gone with red. Ironically the first accidental knee to the head gave him enough time to realise he needed to be careful and just wasn't. The Caulfield one is nothing for me given its caused by his reaction to getting a boot in the face himself.

Recwatcher16 wrote:What is it about English sides getting red cards when playing Irish sides ?? It doesn't happen on a regular basis against any others. I am sure there is analysis out there but seems a strange coincidence. This weekends incidents looked pretty harsh, if players are prone off their feet beyond the ball at a ruck, but I suppose refs are under pressure from home crowds too.

The English sides have done pretty well so far but a couple of French sides plus Leinster look out in front for the knockout stages.

We pay off the refs. I thought everyone knew that

No 7&1/2 wrote:Think the Langdon one I'd have gone with red. Ironically the first accidental knee to the head gave him enough time to realise he needed to be careful and just wasn't. The Caulfield one is nothing for me given its caused by his reaction to getting a boot in the face himself.

When they insist on playing it over and over in super slow-mo it looks that way, but at real speed I'm not so sure ...

carpet baboon wrote:

Recwatcher16 wrote:What is it about English sides getting red cards when playing Irish sides ?? It doesn't happen on a regular basis against any others. I am sure there is analysis out there but seems a strange coincidence. This weekends incidents looked pretty harsh, if players are prone off their feet beyond the ball at a ruck, but I suppose refs are under pressure from home crowds too.

The English sides have done pretty well so far but a couple of French sides plus Leinster look out in front for the knockout stages.

We pay off the refs. I thought everyone knew that

I knew it!

Now the Irish officials pay back the French by letting off LR for a deliberate KO and PT

Lovely try. Who is the Irish man who doesn't know the laws regarding supporting lines on itv though.

Incorrectly backed up but the main commentator too. Another good try.

Ref a trifle inconsistent though - Curry disallowed turnover in the 1st half as a Sale player who wasn't interfering in play hadn't rolled away quick enough and yet he allowed a LR player to just lay there getting in the way of the Sale SH for the turnover that led to the try.

And now he's just pinged Sale for the same thing again - completely inconsistent

Both Sale wingers should really be finishing those attempts.

Yep Sale have had chances but not taken them

Heaf wrote:Now the Irish officials pay back the French by letting off LR for a deliberate KO and PT

ROG makes them honorary Irish

Brain dead carrying that.

But lucky as well as I think his arm was away from his body on contact.

Twice now he's allowed LR to turnover with a LR player lying on the wrong side and twice he's pinged Sale for the exact same thing ...

Think that's correct. The step does take it to yellow. Badnfpr Reed aheadnof the 6 nations after having an iffy game on top of it.

Ospreys have all but closed out the game versus the Lions in Joburg, over in the 'other one'. It was actually Ospreys who were looking dead and buried 10 mins ago. Their first win in SA I think? With the 20+ players missing that's great for them.

Well that's Sale done for sure now ...

Sale manage to make the scoreline look a bit more respectable - could have been much tighter if they'd taken their chances better and the ref hadn't been so inconsistent with his reffing of the breakdown ... sounds like some players had a nasty bout of food poisoning last week which won't have helped either. Shame could have been a better match, but I guess Tigers won't be too unhappy with the result.

Is it Sale dropping down to the other one, so they face Ospreys? Ospreys finish third in their pool but get the home QF. Again, I'm not sure how this all works.

Lovely all round by Toulouse.

mikey_dragon wrote:Is it Sale dropping down to the other one, so they face Ospreys? Ospreys finish third in their pool but get the home QF. Again, I'm not sure how this all works.

Think they drop down but not sure who they face ...

No 7&1/2 wrote:Lovely all round by Toulouse.

Apart from a tackled player getting up and running off again ....

Who’s interviewing Sanderson? She comes across as really stupid.

Heaf wrote:

No 7&1/2 wrote:Lovely all round by Toulouse.

Apart from a tackled player getting up and running off again ....

On the try? Great turnover. Great quick pen and kick though. Volley. Then finish.

No the first try ...

2nd one Dupont is in front of the mark too ...

Think both are fine to be fair.

I think both should have been checked ...

And the French boo and whistle a perfectly good try

How far behind are you? You're going to complain about Arnold.

Just saw it - WTF are the officials doing - how can that be allowed?

Heaf wrote:Just saw it - WTF are the officials doing - how can that be allowed?

That a complaint I've had for a long time. Just ignored in mauls.

So player safety doesn't count if it's a maul - that's another Toulouse try that shouldn't have been allowed and Bath shouldn't be down a man ...

Heaf wrote:So player safety doesn't count if it's a maul - that's another Toulouse try that shouldn't have been allowed and Bath shouldn't be down a man ...

When's the last time you saw it called in any match?

tbh can't remember - but doesn't excuse it ...

Brace now deciding forwards is backwards - he truly is a woeful ref ...

Consistency wise though it's never called. If you're saying the forst should be off then so should that Lawrence one. Again fine for me.

Though the commentators and ref seem to be saying it was placed....which logically means he propelled himself forward with both leg and arm and should have been ruled out. Don't think he was held personally so the right decision with the wrong reason!

Bath gambled and it paid off

Well we finally win a game...

I though the first Toulouse one the player was actually still being held by the ankles after he'd hit the ground which was different but as they never went back and looked properly I can't be sure which is why I said I thought it should be checked.

Just seeing it at the half-time chat looks like he may have released the ball then got back to his feet so all OK ...

Either way so far this looks to be the match of the weekend ...