The Dew Drop Inn Virtual Rugby Pub

First topic message reminder :

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 only rule in this pub is one of mutual respect for everyone in it, oh and no defacing the Tommy Bowe photo on the bar. That's a banning offence

So pull up a chair....what'll it be?

Real Ale Wobble for mountain bikes is a great laugh you get free beer at every check point.

I'm retiring to Cymru

Mad barstewards the lot of you

And it really is 'Nos da' peeps.

Glas, tell him to get rid of the iPhone and get a decent one like a Nokia or Samsung.

Evening all, just a quick check in as I'm knackered. The work softball team got beaten again tonight, we can't bat for Poopie. At least CNN (the oppo) had a few yanks so we can pretend they've had years more practise.

I may regret a couple of dives in the field tomorrow too.

Stag, congrats.

Hobo, Good luck!

Nottins, Samsung sure but Nokia? They haven't made a decent phone in years.

Mick the Chef, Hughie and I have flights booked for August Watch out Bordeaux!

Ka kite ano. (Night all, see you soon)

Kiwireddevil wrote:

Nottins, Samsung sure but Nokia? They haven't made a decent phone in years.

Stiil at least they've made a decent phone, unlike Apple :-) I have a 5800 MusicExpress and it does all I want, makes phone calls, sends texts, geotags photos, browses t'Interweb. Also this week, Apple settled out of court for its many Nokia patent infringements. So much for Apple innovation, Nokia lead, Apple follow.

Evening all.....

if only there was an emoticon for tumbleweed!

Nite all !!! :run2:

Bore da. Something that's been on my mind:

https://www.606v2.com/t7243-plus-ca-change#187715

Kia ora all. please.

I'm off to work, catch you all in an hour or so.

Mornin all. Any chance of a discussion about Irish rugby today? Hasn't been one on here for oh......about an hour or so. :run2:

Morning all

http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/
http://www.irishtimes.com/sports/rugby/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport?mobile-redirect=false
http://sport.scotsman.com/rugby
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/rugby/
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/rugbynation/
http://www.thisisexeter.co.uk/rugby

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/headlines.cfm?c_id=80
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union

What's to discuss? Irish rugby is great, Welsh rugby is rubbish - sorry, I promised myself I wouldn't cry...

Not in as bad a state as Syrian rugby?

Breadvan, lead and we will follow. You've got to get in early with a discussion. Maybe about English rugby. Bath are a team who will make Premiership playoffs and Heineken Cup quarter finals. Gloucester will have a poor Premiership. Discuss

Stag tell me about this telephone interview you did, I've never done one

Breadvan wrote:Not in as bad a state as Syrian rugby?

Or Scottish Rugby!! Morning All!

Hughies, yesterdays one was very straightforward but I've done several telephone interviews. Yesterday the guy rang and explained who he was and where he was from. He asked if we could switch to using German. I agreed. He asked me to tell him where I have learnt to speak German. He then asked if I was working and to tell him a bit about the job. After a few minutes he stopped me and said your German is certainly good enough and we don't need to keep on with this as I had already done a face to face interview.

But telephone interviews are becoming more popular as they aren't as time consuming nor do they put expense on the company or the applicant. Its a quick way to check telephone skills, language or simply whittle down a large number of applicants.

For the job I am currently in I did a phone interview and when I passed that got called for a face to face one. Also my co-op employment I did in college was arranged through two phone interviews.

Bore da/Good morning all.

I've just recalled why I shouldn't take days off in the middle of the week, my head's not in work at all! Could be a long day....

Think I'll actually have a to get me through

Morning all, quick before the chaos starts!

Staggie, congrats on the job, well done you!

Hobo, good luck with the interview

Gotta go, will try and pop in later :run2:

Do indeed Dreamer. I was knackered this morning. Ended up waking up FAR too late. Got myself a nice strong coffee with sugar (I don;'t normally take sugar). But I'm feeling back on the ball today.

My calf muscles are in agony. I've been trying to change the summer correcting my running technique. I have dropped arches in my feet which has led to an awkward running gait that tires me out and slows me down. I've spent last few weeks correcting this. I am run further for longer but its putting pressure on muscles that weren't getting worked on properly for 22 years.

Tbh red...I'm all rugbied out! Gonna be a long season coming in 11/12, what with the WC an all. Every season though, I always predict this and that and who will win what. Yet it always pans out the same. England flatter to decieve sometimes. Wales suffer and their fans are beside themselves. Ireland are brilliant one game then average the next. Who can stop Leinster and Munster winning everything? finally....the enigma that is the Ospreys?

Sounds a bit painful there Stag, just make sure you do proper calf stretches before and after your run to help your muscles recover (which I'm sure you're doing already!). Give it another few weeks and I'm sure your calf muscles will get used to it

It's impossible to predict how the Ospreys will go next season, Breadvan. They could play like they did during the Six Nations now they've got rid of a few complacent / past-their-best internationals - Richard Fussell was much better at full back than Lee Byrne has been for a good while - but they could just as easily frustrate as they did most of this season. Something's not right down at the Liberty and until they identify what it is and rectify it, they'll continue to underperform.

That said, they got to the playoffs, so that's an achievement!

Breadvan wrote:Tbh red...I'm all rugbied out!

I know what you mean. I have intentionally chosen not to referee in any of the IRFU summer games this year as I just needed a small break from rugby.

Also I am backing Ospreys to do wel but maybe not in 2012. It will come though, Have always had big respect for them.

Cheers stag,

Pissing rain in London this morning, and its falling straight down, scuppers me from going to the shop for some milk

Great news for a young Scarlet with serious potential:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/welsh/13784568.stm

littleswannygirl wrote:Morning all, quick before the chaos starts!

Staggie, congrats on the job, well done you!

Hobo, good luck with the interview

Gotta go, will try and pop in later :run2:

What she said

Lucky - https://www.606v2.com/t7222-ken-owens-secures-wales-cover-call

I'm really happy for him although it is a bit of a shock, he's only had about 15mins of rugby since the new year!

red_stag wrote:

Breadvan wrote:Tbh red...I'm all rugbied out!

I know what you mean. I have intentionally chosen not to referee in any of the IRFU summer games this year as I just needed a small break from rugby.

Also I am backing Ospreys to do wel but maybe not in 2012. It will come though, Have always had big respect for them.

Yeh they did well without the 'undropables' in the last 6N. Interesting to see how the O's will do. The new samoan scrum half is supposed to be quite handy.

Thanks for the link, Dreamer!

Is Welsh rugby in a bit of free fall right now? The Dragons and Scarlets seem to be on the up and playing some great rugby but the National Side and the two "flag ship" regions Cardiff and the Ospreys seem to be in a bit of a mess.

I think the English do get a bit carried away at times and a bit ahead of themselves but I do think there are real green shoots in English rugby right now. I've been pretty impressed with Leicster and Saints and think Leicster in particular are real HEC contenders. Saracens are going really well and obviously Harlequins won the amlin. The National side are a bit overhyped for me but there is real talent there and they are well on their way to being a serious force in World Rugby again.

What's the story with the Blues?? They remind me of custard, just bland tasteless and boring

Rodders, I don't get to watch much of the Jeff, but I certainly think the England national team is only going to improve. The experience of being totally outplayed at the new Lansdowne Road could actually turn out to be just what they needed. This World Cup might have come too soon for them, but they could be real contenders at the next.

Who declared the Ospreys and Blues to be the 'flagship' regions?!

Who declared the Ospreys and Blues to be the 'flagship' regions?!


Not me Luckless, I actually said to dreamer the other day that The Dragons are the savours of Welsh rugby, she didn't agree :tuttut:

The Blues basically have no money. They can't buy new players in, and they don't have particularly good links with a lot of their key feeder clubs, so they aren't bringing through as much talent as the others (or so it seems). I think they're where the Scarlets were about 3 seasons ago, so I think they need to prepare themselves for a couple of seasons of not being all that good.

Having said that though they're a bit of a funny side, you'd say they have the player to do well but they just aren't performing...just a bit strange.

Lucky - the WM of course, stupid paper.

Dragons are brilliant. They are the Welsh side that really commands unconditional respect- what they do with what they have is fantastic. Also, they play the best attacking rugby of all the Welsh regions.

Dreamer, how dare you call me a stupid paper!

I read on another thread that the Blues can't afford to sign anyone before next season. I thought they'd struggle next season before I'd read that, but now I really can see them regressing.

And Hughie, you're right. The Dragons are the future!

luckless_pedestrian wrote:Who declared the Ospreys and Blues to be the 'flagship' regions?!

Me. Sorry they're just the two that stand out for me as having been the most high profile in the professional era. No offence intended.

I would have said Scarlets and Ospreys personally and still do.

hughie1986 wrote:What's the story with the Blues?? They remind me of custard, just bland tasteless and boring

I like custard, especially the stuff with the vanilla seeds still in

ha Hughie, as much as I love what the Dragons are doing (which is brilliant!), how could I agree? Scarlets now have 12 players in the world cup training squad, that's more then any other region. Scarlets is where it's at right now

hughie1986 wrote:What's the story with the Blues?? They remind me of custard, just bland tasteless and boring

I'd have said same about Dragons

Don't worry Rodders, I was only half-pretending to be indignant

Notch wrote:Dragons are brilliant. They are the Welsh side that really commands unconditional respect- what they do with what they have is fantastic. Also, they play the best attacking rugby of all the Welsh regions.

No offence to Dragons fans, but that's not true, Notch, surely the Scarlets play the best attacking rugby of the Welsh regions?

red_stag wrote:I would have said Scarlets and Ospreys personally and still do.

Fair enough. Please ignore what was a throw away comment. What I wanted to discuss was the current state of Welsh and English rugby not who the "flagship" Welsh regions are.

No, Scarlets play a certain style of rugby which is positive in intent but doesn;t always succeed. Sometimes the game is broken up and they tear teams apart. Sometimes they come up against an organised defence and run out of ideas and their play becomes exceptionally lateral.

Dragons consistently cause teams problems with the ball in hand and enjoy more gainline success.

But that's just, like, my opinion man

Rodders, why would we ignroe it. Yours is just as valid an opinion.

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:

Notch wrote:Dragons are brilliant. They are the Welsh side that really commands unconditional respect- what they do with what they have is fantastic. Also, they play the best attacking rugby of all the Welsh regions.

No offence to Dragons fans, but that's not true, Notch, surely the Scarlets play the best attacking rugby of the Welsh regions?

As - I'm obviously going to agree with you on this, but I would say that the Dragons have played some brilliant attacking rugby this season, but after watching the video link yesterday of a load of the best Scarelts tries of the season...I honestly don't think the Dragons have scored as many like that. I would say that we are the two regions who consistently play with more attacking flare though which I think is excellent to see.

Do people not think the Ospreys play good rugby. They are well able to score tries.