Rugby Union

[Greenback]

You have to ask though, if the move was planned for some time, why were the STH's not advised before they renewed for 2014/2015? It's a really poor show on behalf of the club and treats their loyal supporters with contempt.

I agree, but I shopuld think that there is an element of discussion and planning that must take place any announcement is made. Quite what happened here and where that line is, I don't know, but the timing of botht he announcement and the move itself seems a bit odd.

David Flatman's old club, Bath, an it's ground at the Rec is in dire need for a revamp. There is no chance of a modern stadium be built at the Rec, (unless it's built in the local stone), so it will have to be built somewhere else, or a ground share might have to be considered. What future is there for Bath Rugby in the city?

All I know that the issues of ground sharing (Blues) and new or improved stadia (Scarlets and Dragons) have been a thorny issue in Wales as well.

 

[WelshBluebird]

You have to ask though, if the move was planned for some time, why were the STH's not advised before they renewed for 2014/2015? It's a really poor show on behalf of the club and treats their loyal supporters with contempt.

David Flatman's old club, Bath, an it's ground at the Rec is in dire need for a revamp. There is no chance of a modern stadium be built at the Rec, (unless it's built in the local stone), so it will have to be built somewhere else, or a ground share might have to be considered. What future is there for Bath Rugby in the city?

The issue with the rec has nothing to do with the stone (not sure if that comment was sarcastic or not, sorry).

It is to do with the fact the ground the Rec is on is technically charity owned land, and the goal of that charity is to ensure the land is used for recreational activities by the general public in Bath (as opposed to, say a professional Rugby club). Obviously that is in direct conflict with Bath Rugby being based there. There have been talks going on for far too long about this, but recently it has started to look more positive for the future of Bath Rugby staying at the Rec, with things like land swaps (Bath Rugby handing some of the land they used for training over to the charity) etc.

 

[Hornet]

The issue with the rec has nothing to do with the stone (not sure if that comment was sarcastic or not, sorry).

It is to do with the fact the ground the Rec is on is technically charity owned land, and the goal of that charity is to ensure the land is used for recreational activities by the general public in Bath (as opposed to, say a professional Rugby club). Obviously that is in direct conflict with Bath Rugby being based there. There have been talks going on for far too long about this, but recently it has started to look more positive for the future of Bath Rugby staying at the Rec, with things like land swaps (Bath Rugby handing some of the land they used for training over to the charity) etc.

The point re the stone is that if Bath were to build a new stand on the East side of the ground, then any new building should be sympathetic to it's surroundings. The buildings around the Rec are built in Bath Stone. There is no way the City will countenance a typical steel and concrete structure at the Rec, although they might be more favourable to a structure clad in Bath Stone.

 

[Hadders]

The plans have sen for the development of the Rec are sympathetic to the surroundings but as WelshBluebird says above the real issues are to do with the charitable status and the involvement of the Charity Commissioners.

I do hope the Rec is redeveloped as it's a fantastic setting for rugby although at present the facilities are totally inadequate.

Out of town grounds such as Sixways, Salford City Stadium etc. don't cut it for me - absolutely useless for getting to, especially on public transport. The best located grounds are those on the edge of town centre eg. Franklin's Gardens, Kingsholm, Welford Road.

 

[Hornet]

The plans have sen for the development of the Rec are sympathetic to the surroundings but as WelshBluebird says above the real issues are to do with the charitable status and the involvement of the Charity Commissioners.

I do hope the Rec is redeveloped as it's a fantastic setting for rugby although at present the facilities are totally inadequate.

Out of town grounds such as Sixways, Salford City Stadium etc. don't cut it for me - absolutely useless for getting to, especially on public transport. The best located grounds are those on the edge of town centre eg. Franklin's Gardens, Kingsholm, Welford Road.

I hope Bath stay at the Rec. The out of town Stadia are soulless places. I've fond memories of watching Leinster play at Stradey Park and the craic with Llanelli supporters there. Parc-y-Scarlets doesn't seem to have that 'X' factor.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Out of town grounds such as Sixways, Salford City Stadium etc. don't cut it for me - absolutely useless for getting to, especially on public transport.

Speaking only about the Salford City Stadium (A.J.Bell stadium) that hosts matches for both Sale Sharks RUFC and Salford Red Devils RLFC, the vast number of the support have their own transport, but for those who wish to use public transport, details are shown below:-

Service 67.....From Manchester and Eccles
Service 100...From the Trafford Centre
Both services run at a 12 minute frequency at peak times and at 15-30 minutes in off-peak times. There will be a 2 to 5 minute walk to and from the bus stops on Liverpool Road, Irlam to the stadium.

 

[Greenback]

I hope Bath stay at the Rec. The out of town Stadia are soulless places. I've fond memories of watching Leinster play at Stradey Park and the craic with Llanelli supporters there. Parc-y-Scarlets doesn't seem to have that 'X' factor.

It hasn't got quite the same atmosphere as Stradey, but on the other hand, it hasn't got leaky, smelly toilets either! P-Y-S isn't far out of town, it isn't actually a lot different from the railway station in distance. In fact it is adjacent to a residential area, but far enough away not to be too much of nuisance.

What P-Y-S also has is the ability to make money via conference facilties, executive hospitality, Christmas parties and the like. In fact Mrs Greenback had her graduation ceremony there a couple of years ago.

I've also attended a few events there that simply couldn't have happened at Stradey.

 

[Hadders]

Speaking only about the Salford City Stadium (A.J.Bell stadium) that hosts matches for both Sale Sharks RUFC and Salford Red Devils RLFC, the vast number of the support have their own transport, but for those who wish to use public transport, details are shown below:-

Service 67.....From Manchester and Eccles
Service 100...From the Trafford Centre
Both services run at a 12 minute frequency at peak times and at 15-30 minutes in off-peak times. There will be a 2 to 5 minute walk to and from the bus stops on Liverpool Road, Irlam to the stadium.

The problem on a match day is that the traffic is so bad that it's often quicker to walk from Eccles than get the bus.

In fact the last time I went to the AJ Bell stadium I walked from Patricroft station - not the best place to wait for a train at 11pm!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

European Rugby Champions Cup...Pool 2

Castres 16...Leinster 21

Leinster's Madigan certainly did well with his kicking today, landing seven penalty kicks in what could have been a difficult away cup match.

 

[Hornet]

European Rugby Champions Cup...Pool 2

Castres 16...Leinster 21

Leinster's Madigan certainly did well with his kicking today, landing seven penalty kicks in what could have been a difficult away cup match.

Happy Days! Castres is not the easiest of places to get a win. Mind you last time we lost there we went on to win the HC. Biggest disappointment was Saracens not putting one over Munster. Not impressed by many of the Prem sides performances. (Leicester losing to Scarlets. Don't care if they have injury woes, we have as well). A win in France is a huge plus. Looking forward to 'Bloodgate, The Sequel' at the Stoop in December now. COYBOB!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

LV=Cup

Sale Sharks 32...Wasps 29

After recent matters concerning Wasps, I was wondering if Sale would react to any sudden team bonding by Wasps to show unity of purpose and as cup matches go, it was quite a tight game, but Sale prevailed in the end


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Australian European Tour

Barbarians 36...Australia 40

The crowd at Twickenham saw a try-fest with the Barbarians scoring five and the Australians scoring six in return.

 

[richw]

What an excellent facility for the referee to ask for multiple repeats of a replay on the big screen to assist him in decision making.

There was a scuffle in the England New Zealand game, the referee asked the TMO his view, then asked for it to be shown to him a number of times on the big screen.
Referee then determined the New Zealand player should be sin binned.

 

[Greenback]

I'm all in favour of referees utilising the big screen. There have been instances in the Pro12 where the TMO had been effectively rendered redundant, although they should remain in case they are required to help out.

Sadly, the innovation won't help Wales beat any of the SH teams...

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Ireland certainly recorded a notable victory over South Africa. Did anyone see any of this match?

 

[Greenback]

Sadly not, I was enjoying the Scots performance instead. They seem to be making some progress under Vern Cotter.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

I don't think England did very well in League or Union matches with New Zealand at the weekend.

 

[Greenback]

I didn't see the England v NZ match, so I can't comment on the performance, but the result didn't go their way.

 

[richw]

I don't think England did very well in League or Union matches with New Zealand at the weekend.

I disagree, although the score went the wrong way, losing so narrowly in both to what is the best team in the world for both codes has to be regarded as satisfactory.
Overall I thought the Union played very well

 

[Butts]

Sadly not, I was enjoying the Scots performance instead. They seem to be making some progress under Vern Cotter.

Steady on , one swallow does not make a summer

 

[Greenback]

That's true but the omission of Duncan Weir form the starting line up is a great start towards long term improvement in my book!

 

[Butts]

That's true but the omission of Duncan Weir form the starting line up is a great start towards long term improvement in my book!

True I suppose, starting from a very low base.

Can I once again ask why next years World Cup is being hosted by England but some of the matches are being played in Wales but not Scotland or Ireland.

Do the RFU consider Wales to be a "province" of England ?

 

[Greenback]

Politics, mate. Some sort of evil deal was done which relied on Wales giving their support to England's bid rather than a joint Celtic bid, or something like that. It was so long ago I've forgotten!

Wasn't it similar in 2007, when the tournament was in France? (I've tried to erase that World Cup from my memory!)

 

[richw]

Politics, mate. Some sort of evil deal was done which relied on Wales giving their support to England's bid rather than a joint Celtic bid, or something like that. It was so long ago I've forgotten!

Wasn't it similar in 2007, when the tournament was in France? (I've tried to erase that World Cup from my memory!)

I watched Fiji against Canada at Millenium Stadium on 16th Sept 2007, cost me £9 entry. Only the bottom tier was open. I was living in Cardiff at the time, and just wanted the world cup experience.
Even the lesser games at next years tournament are looking to be sold out
Wales had a shocking tournament to assist unerasing Greenback's memory!

 

[Greenback]

I don't want my memory unerased! Fortunately I missed the ultimate embarrassment of the Fiji game as I was in Prague and pretending to be Irish! Fortunately, I haven't erased that bit as it was rather pleasant, reality only set in when I saw the newspapers on the way home...

I'd have pretended to be Scottish but I'm not so good at the accent!

 

[Hornet]

Ireland certainly recorded a notable victory over South Africa. Did anyone see any of this match?

Astounding result, seeing as Ireland were missing seven first choice players. 6-3 at half time, with SA turning down a couple of penalties to go for a try through a line out and rolling maul, a tactic that worked against NZ last month. Ireland's line out wasn't great and their scrum was under pressure several times, but the 9/10 channel was immense, and the defence was superb.. SA didn't play badly, they were just beaten by a team whose coach was tactically smarter than the SA's coach.

Really looking forward to the Ireland v Australia game. That, as a Leinster supporter, will be something to savour, seeing as it brings Leinster's former coaches, and the two who brought us our HC success, Joe Schmidt and Michael Cheika, to face each other through their respective teams. It will be a fascinating contest.

Best part of the day was watching one of the RTE (Irish State Broadcaster) pundits roundly humiliated (again), as he started the day rubbishing the Irish team and some of the selections. Conor O'Shea (Quins DOR) who was sat on the panel with the Turnipstani Spoofer (Irish Rugby Joke), looked fit to strangle him. Such a delight to see the stupid old fool having to say he got it wrong, abeit without a hint of contrition.
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Sadly not, I was enjoying the Scots performance instead. They seem to be making some progress under Vern Cotter.

Joe Schmidt, Ireland's coach, and in my view, arguably the NH, if no the world's best coach, worked under Cotter at Clermont, in a very successful partnership. Schmidt rates Cotter very highly, and Scotland have got a coach that will make them a better team. Either could well become the All Black's next coach.
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Politics, mate. Some sort of evil deal was done which relied on Wales giving their support to England's bid rather than a joint Celtic bid, or something like that. It was so long ago I've forgotten!

Wasn't it similar in 2007, when the tournament was in France? (I've tried to erase that World Cup from my memory!)

Was all over the place that year for the World Cup. Saw Wales v Australia at the Millenium Stadium, Scotland v New Zealand at Murrayfield, Ireland v Argentina at Parc des Princes, Paris, in the Group stages. Then for the best game of the Tournament, France v New Zealand at the Millenium Stadium, in the Q/F. 'Seabass' getting into the face of the All Black's during the Haka was a sight to behold. Still have a video clip of that moment. Set the tone for a brilliant game. One of the best that i've seen.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

LV=Cup...Group Stage

Leicester 29...Sale Sharks 13

One might have hoped that the recent Leicester form problem might have given Sale an outside chance of a win and Sale were leading 13-3 at half-time. Unfortunately, whatever was said to the Leicester players during the break must have had the desired effect as they scored no less than 26 unanswered points in the second half.
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Aviva Premiership

Sale Sharks 36...London Irish 8

After recent cup disappointments, Sale Sharks outscored London Irish by five tries to one to gain some needed points in the league.
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Aviva Premiership

Harlequins 12...Sale Sharks 16

Sale captain Dan Braid scored the only try of the night as Sale registered their first win at The Stoop since May 2008. Sale now go over Harlequins into sixth place in the league table.
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On a more parochial and mundane level, even though Macclesfield are the local club nearest to me, I am pleased to see that the terrible slump that saw Manchester Rugby Club go down a number of leagues in relegations that saw many matches with over 100 points conceded, they appear to have found their level in the South Lancs/Cheshire League One and have recorded a number of wins this season. They do have a certain long-distance match, as Douglas (IOM) play in this league.

 

[Hadders]

Saracens 24 Northampton Saints 31

An excellent away win by the Saints to maintain top spot in the Premiership at a rain drenched Allianz Park.

In fact I've only just finished drying out it was so wet!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Aviva Premiership

Newcastle Falcons 13...Sale Sharks 18

Sale recovered from an 8-10 half-time defecit to register their third consecutive Premiership win and to consolidate their sixth league position.

 

[Greenback]

Sale have strung some good results together recently. They appear to be improving!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Reports concerning the injury suffered by the South African team captain Jean de Villiers in the match against Wales last weekend say that it is now felt that reconstructive knee surgery will be required. from which a recovery period of some eight months is said then to be essential.