The Rugby Union Thread

scrumhalf

Great start to the second half, try in the corner. 30-8!!!!

snakemanStoo

I'm watching the Aus NZ league game as I thought the NZ Ire would be a walkover.  Now I don't want to change channels as I don't want to jinx it either.

exocet

Too late...I jinxed it when I tuned in. cracking match though.  

scrumhalf

Maybe not!

exocet

Connor Murray is playing a blinder..one of the best matches I've ever seen.

snakemanStoo

Well, gosh.  Congrats to Ireland.

scrumhalf

What a game.

Well done, Ireland, magnificent.

Two great games of rugby today, first the Boks-BaaBaas and now this.

And this, my children, is how the Great Chicago Beer Shortage of 2016 started.

camf

Wowser!!! Go Ireland... superb.

kjdowd

Just got the result up. Fantastic! Great result, Ireland.

tbm

Holy shit! Was at a David O Doherty gig and trying to avoid the result be he announced it from the stage! To be in Chicago tonight....

Gassage

Unbelievable. And the AB's were not bad either- a fair win.

Thought CJ Stander, Murray, Payne and Henshaw were quite magnificent.

scrumhalf

Looking at the NZ Herald website I'm disappointed at the balanced coverage of the game.

koneguitarist

Congratulations to all the Irish posters I am truly jealous, been a long time covered but well deserved. 

koneguitarist

Regarding Welsh slaughter, it really was a Welsh team bereft of idea, and showed signs of a team playing to orders not what was in front of them and it looked like they did not believe in the plan but still stuck to it for some reason. 
I can honestly say the scoreline flattered Wales, not to take anything away from Australia who were very good, but we were so bad that they should have scored so much more. 

hywelg

The Aussies were indeed very good. But Wales made them look good too. Time for a coaching change methinks. Tired, lacking ideas, no ambition, can't blame anyone else but the management. I fear we will be very near the bottom of the 6N. 

On a more positive note, the scrum did well and Cuthbert seems to have got some sort of form back.

Does anyone notice how Rhys Webb takes a fraction of a second too long every time getting the ball out of the ruck? Compared to the Aussie s/h it was painful. 

koneguitarist

It's not just Rhys Webb, all Welsh 9's seem to do it when they put Wales shirt on. Yet are much faster working when for their clubs, so I can only assume it's down to orders, same as Biggar, "we are not getting the ball? answer, soon as we get it kick it back to them." It's ludicrous.
i think the players are too scared to make decisions for fear of losing their place. 
And that has to be down to coaching set up. 

hywelg

Oh and Jamie Roberts has passed his sell by date. Booorrrriiinnggg 

exocet

hywelg said:

The Aussies were indeed very good. But Wales made them look good too. Time for a coaching change methinks. Tired, lacking ideas, no ambition, can't blame anyone else but the management. I fear we will be very near the bottom of the 6N. 

On a more positive note, the scrum did well and Cuthbert seems to have got some sort of form back.

Does anyone notice how Rhys Webb takes a fraction of a second too long every time getting the ball out of the ruck? Compared to the Aussie s/h it was painful. 

Agree on the change of coaching setup. The problem is that theyou can't afford to offload Gatland (contracted until 2019 RWC - what a Daft plan that was) and for whatever reason Gatland has stuck by Howley and McBride).

Gatland was good for Wales for a few years but that situation ceased to be around 3 years ago.

Pretty sure we'll just have to grin and bear  it for a few more years.

As for "past it" players...yep, I agree on Roberts, his time has passed. can't for the life of me understand why 1/2p was anywhere near the squad, he's a long way from his best and that should have been obvious because he's played next to no Rugby for 12 months. I actually think that 1/2p is also past it, great player, blighted by injuries too many times.

We still don't have a line out......disgraceful situation.

The Ozzy replacement scrum half had an impressive pass on him?

rsvmark

Didn't see the Welsh game but judging from the comments above it wasn't purdy. They do have a habit of raising their game for the 6N though.

hats off to the paddies. Great game to watch. Watching the 30-8 lead get slowly eroded was a bit 'here we go again' but to be fair they dogged it out and sealed it at the end. 

fretmeister

Considering the injury list, the England team still looks strong.