European Club Rugby

@Disgusted-of-TW I agree, it was a swinging arm tackle and he got what he deserved but it was only SOB falling that made it head high. Still a red in any event. If a lengthy ban ensues he can kiss his Lions chances goodbye, but in any event, like you I don't see him as skipper material, mainly because he is not nailed on first choice anyway. For the 6N we have fatty George, Tommy Taylor and the former mullet-boy Cowan-Dickie who must be coming back soon, so we should be OK hooker wise, but I think that Hartley has become something of a talisman for this England team particularly when the chips are down and we could miss his influence in this way.

For me, Hartley's unlucky. His arm was originally swinging well below the line of SOB's shoulders. Looking at the commentary online, he's being judged by history here.

@antipodean said in NH club rugby:

For me, Hartley's unlucky. His arm was originally swinging well below the line of SOB's shoulders. Looking at the commentary online, he's being judged by history here.

I agree. The problem was that he was swinging in the first place.

Thing is that if that was anyone else the credit they would get for it being more reckless than deliberate would probably make the ban quite short.
Because he will get no credit at all for good previous and get extra for repeat offending any other mitigating circumstances will get wiped.
He simply has to be extra clean given his past record. He knows that and so, obviously, does Eddie.

@antipodean said in NH club rugby:

For me, Hartley's unlucky. His arm was originally swinging well below the line of SOB's shoulders. Looking at the commentary online, he's being judged by history here.

Which is only right and proper.

He had shown himself to be a consistent thug in his rugby career to date, so when viewing any of his actions that is the only prism to use. The idea that he was swinging his arm to do anything less than cause maximum damage is laughable; that's just the type of rugby player he is.

Irish teams on fire so far this weekend. Ulster faded a bit against clermont but hung on at the end, but so far Munster just smothering leicester.

Just watching European Champions Rugby show on Sky.
Brought up Hartley incident and his 'charge' sheet.
A total of 54 weeks banned from the game for eye gouging, biting, punching, elbowing, headbutting, verbally abusing the referee.
Doesn't include the anticipated 8-12 week ban for last night's brain explosion
Question asked was has this blown his chance of Lions place / captaincy?
My question is how the f*** is he still allowed to play rugby?
Hartley is a dirty, dirty repeat offender. The game is better off without him

Awful talent spotting by the blues to let Nathan Hughes go.

Kurtley beale Motm on debut for wasps.

@Billy-Tell Did you watch the game Billy? Beale was solid and had a couple of very good moments but how he got MoTM ahead of Launchbury I don't know.

@Catogrande

Yep, I think Stuart Barnes has a low attention span and likes new shiny things. Beale was decent and unfortunate to be yellowed for a high shot. Launchbury was immense though. All over Connacht in the tight and took his try well.

@Catogrande said in NH club rugby:

@Billy-Tell Did you watch the game Billy? Beale was solid and had a couple of very good moments but how he got MoTM ahead of Launchbury I don't know.

Yes, I did watch the game (all 4 games involving the irish provinces actually), and I share your opinion that Launchbury, or even the connacht 9 marmion were probably better.

Wasps didn't really have to do too much - just watch the Connacht lineout implode and their goalkicker miss, and then they took well the few chances they created.

wasps scrum was pretty poor though - leinster dodged a bullet by losing moore to wasps and keeping furlong.

@Billy-Tell Connacht were good all over the field except line-out, goal kicking and composure in the red zone. Cost them points in this fixture. Marmion was all class wasn't he?

@Billy-Tell said in NH club rugby:

@Catogrande said in NH club rugby:

@Billy-Tell Did you watch the game Billy? Beale was solid and had a couple of very good moments but how he got MoTM ahead of Launchbury I don't know.

Yes, I did watch the game (all 4 games involving the irish provinces actually), and I share your opinion that Launchbury, or even the connacht 9 marmion were probably better.

Wasps didn't really have to do too much - just watch the Connacht lineout implode and their goalkicker miss, and then they took well the few chances they created.

wasps scrum was pretty poor though - leinster dodged a bullet by losing moore to wasps and keeping furlong.

His agent, of course, believed Ireland was losing the best TH in the country. Not many people agreed.

@Catogrande said in NH club rugby:

@Billy-Tell Connacht were good all over the field except line-out, goal kicking and composure in the red zone. Cost them points in this fixture. Marmion was all class wasn't he?

Marion is improving by the game which is great to see some possible depth appearing at 9 - Ireland are paper thin beyond Murray.
Don't know if it's just me but I think Aki has gone off he boil completely this season and looks disgruntled out on the pitch. The recent news about Lam's departure probably hasn't helped either. He's just signed himself up to a 2-year extension with Connacht in April, but I get the feeling that he'd prefer to be elsewhere. He doesn't look happy at all.

@Pot-Hale Odd that PH. Aki seems to be revered in Connacht and life in Galway cannot be all bad as it is a lovely, friendly city.

@Pot-Hale said in NH club rugby:

@Catogrande said in NH club rugby:

@Billy-Tell Connacht were good all over the field except line-out, goal kicking and composure in the red zone. Cost them points in this fixture. Marmion was all class wasn't he?

Marion is improving by the game which is great to see some possible depth appearing at 9 - Ireland are paper thin beyond Murray.
Don't know if it's just me but I think Aki has gone off he boil completely this season and looks disgruntled out on the pitch. The recent news about Lam's departure probably hasn't helped either. He's just signed himself up to a 2-year extension with Connacht in April, but I get the feeling that he'd prefer to be elsewhere. He doesn't look happy at all.

I haven't seen too much of his play but I did see one game earlier in the season when he was seemingly put on the bench to have a short run around on an injury comeback. An early injury in the game meant he had to play n unexpected 70 o minutes or so and he was well off the pace.
I suspect that also aggravated whatever injury he is carrying and he hasn't been anywhere near 100% ever since.
That would be incredibly frustrating but is also part and parcel of accepting the big bucks in the NH. Investors want their pound of flesh and players seem to have to play carrying niggles that would see them have time off back home.

No word on Hartley yet, but the RFU see nothing wrong in his action or record

"Dylan Hartley should continue as England captain despite his latest disciplinary issue, according to Rugby Football Union boss Ian Ritchie.

Hooker Hartley, 30, will find out on Wednesday if he will be available for the Six Nations next year after he was sent off for the third time in his career while playing for Northampton.

In total, Hartley has served 54 weeks of suspension during his career.

"I think Dylan's got credit in the bank," Ritchie told BBC Sport."

Christ on a bike. Very, very disappointing.

@MiketheSnow Yeah Mike but please bear in mind this is from the mouth of that twat Ritchie. He has a habit of spouting off, making grand statements that are just his view not that of the RFU. How the fuck he's kept his job is beyond me.

Anyway, back on to the Hartley issue, it wouldn't altogether surprise me if he was banned up to the week before the 6N. Call me cynical but...

@MiketheSnow Aaaand yes. 6 week ban. Back in time for the 6N. Quelle surprises.

Without the mitigating circumstances of Hartley's horriffic record, the offence is only a 1-2 week maximum. So 6 weeks I think is quite harsh.

@MajorRage but his record must come into account when handing down any sentence.

@taniwharugby yeah, my original post not clear. Taking all into account, I think the 6 week ban is fair. As the incident in itself, is not worthy of a 6 week ban.

Also, the use of mitigating was a malapropism.

@MajorRage said in NH club rugby:

@taniwharugby yeah, my original post not clear. Taking all into account, I think the 6 week ban is fair. As the incident in itself, is not worthy of a 6 week ban.

Ah yeah. Poor Hartley was just a bit unlucky. It could have happened to anyone really. It was just a coincidence that it was him that did it. And of course lets not forget, it was an accident like his other accidents. Swinging arms to the back of a head happens all the time.

@profitius ha, I remember a client of the company I used to work for several years ago, had had 8 car accidents in a bit under 18 months, yet none of them, based on the rules in the road code, were his fault.

@profitius Whoosh!!!!!!!

@profitius said in NH club rugby:

Ah yeah. Poor Hartley was just a bit unlucky. It could have happened to anyone really. It was just a coincidence that it was him that did it. And of course lets not forget, it was an accident like his other accidents. Swinging arms to the back of a head happens all the time.

Well to be fair, Hartley's swinging arm (not sure why that's an issue) was going to hit SOB about diaphragm level until SOB, unfortunately, fell in front of him.

@MajorRage said in NH club rugby:

@taniwharugby yeah, my original post not clear. Taking all into account, I think the 6 week ban is fair. As the incident in itself, is not worthy of a 6 week ban.

You'll love the new rules then. Minimum entry point of 6 weeks then other factors.
But then, as the Irish will tell us, kiwis are thugs anyway.

@Catogrande said in NH club rugby:

@MiketheSnow Aaaand yes. 6 week ban. Back in time for the 6N. Quelle surprises.

More chances than a game of Monopoly.

Let's hope Hartley's head goes in the shed when playing against Wales

According to the report I read this morning he had two weeks added for being a recidivist dickhead and one removed for pleading guilty.
How you only add two weeks after numerous and lengthy previous bans is beyond me. He must be the most banned person currently playing at international level yet he get two weeks? So someone half as bad gets one week added? Someone with a quarter of his record (which would still be substantial) gets nothing?
To then reduce that because he admits he is a dickhead is crazy.

If he was a dangerous driver with his record he would be at the point of jail time (or further jail time). No judge would reduce his sentence because he fronted up and said 'yes, I know I did it again, I just can't help myself'.

The messages sent out are of weakness in the system.

Has anyone seen the footage of a player in Italy tackling the 23 year old female ref?
Fucking nasty incident. Hits her in the back with a flying shoulder. The ball is nowhere near them either.

But the most outrageous part is he only got a 3 year ban. and a YELLOW card.
Should be a life ban and a visit from the police for assault IMO.

Agreed. Dirty bastard.

Great home win for the Scarlets against Toulon

@MiketheSnow said in NH club rugby:

Great Rare home win for the Scarlets against Toulon
There you go mate. Got your typo sorted.

I just watched the replay of the Clermont v Ulster game. It was a good, entertaining game. Great to see Toeava score the opening try in the first minute! Toeava's season so far has been plagued by injury - it was only his 3rd start of the season (his 5th game overall this season, scoring his first try); it was also his first game (ever) in the European Champions Cup.

Clermont was dominant during the first 55 minutes of the game, scoring 28 unanswered points. Ulster wasn't that bad during that period, but just couldn't get through the French defence and couldn't quite handle some of the elusive Clermontois backs (including Abendanon, Lopez and Fofana) and some strong performing forwards (particularly, Lapandry, Vahaamina and young lock Iturria) , who kept the Ulster defence busy. From the 55th to about the 68th minute, the game seemed to turn and Ulster scored 3 tries in that short period. They were the better team during about 20 minutes, when the Ulster forwards showed how powerful they can be (Franco vd Merwe scored off a driving maul) and Tommy Bowe's first of his two tries came after strong scrummaging of the pack. At the end of the game, Clermont took control again and were deservedly awarded a penalty try when Ulster first-five Jackson knocked down a pass to the Clermont wing that would certainly have resulted in a try (as it happened close to the Ulster try line). Charles Piutau had a quiet night and didn't have much impact.

In pool 5 of the Champions Cup, Clermont now sits firmly at the top of the pool with 8 points more than Bordeaux and Ulster. [Saracens top Pool 3, also 8 points ahead of the next (Toulon), and Leinster have a 5 point lead over Montpellier in Pool 4. Pools 1 and 2 are much closer.]

Stand-out player was again Nick Abendanon, who scored a beauty of a try after an awesome cross-kick from Lopez. That was Abendanon's 2nd try of the game.

Does anyone know whether Gatland is allowed - and inclined - to select players for the B&I Lions who are playing in France? It would be madness not to select Abendanon if he can!

Saturday's Connacht v Wasps game was a pretty good match, with Connacht having the better of the earlier exchanges and then Wasps clawing their way back into the game and eventually controlling things for most of the second half. Wasps were ahead by 5 pints with the clocking ticking down and were playing keeps ball deep in their own half after a good turnover. They then conceded a penalty on the stroke of fun time, which Connacht booted into the corner, rumbled over for the try. The Connacht 10, who had a poor game from the kicking tee converted from the touchline to take the game away from Wasps after 82 odd minutes.

EPRC have since stated that the replacement referee was in error when he allowed Connacht to take the line out after time was up, so the try was awarded in error; however the result will stand. Wasps appear to have taken this on the chin without complaint but we might see a different view if they subsequently fail to qualify.

Marmion was all class again.

@Stargazer said in NH club rugby:

Does anyone know whether Gatland is allowed - and inclined - to select players for the B&I Lions who are playing in France? It would be madness not to select Abendanon if he can!

I saw one report that stated he may be considering Cipriani despite him not being in a national squad so that aspect is obviously not part of the criteria. It could be though that you need to be eligible for one of the BI & I teams which would exclude some overseas players depending on their 'home union'

@Catogrande said in NH club rugby:

Saturday's Connacht v Wasps game was a pretty good match, with Connacht having the better of the earlier exchanges and then Wasps clawing their way back into the game and eventually controlling things for most of the second half. Wasps were ahead by 5 pints with the clocking ticking down and were playing keeps ball deep in their own half after a good turnover. They then conceded a penalty on the stroke of fun time, which Connacht booted into the corner, rumbled over for the try. The Connacht 10, who had a poor game from the kicking tee converted from the touchline to take the game away from Wasps after 82 odd minutes.

EPRC have since stated that the replacement referee was in error when he allowed Connacht to take the line out after time was up, so the try was awarded in error; however the result will stand. Wasps appear to have taken this on the chin without complaint but we might see a different view if they subsequently fail to qualify.

Marmion was all class again.

Did Connaught ask the ref if they could go for the lineout? If he said yes then the error is solely his and it would be quite unfair to not let it stand.
As a replacement ref he possibly wasn't in tune with the time keeping.
Isn't this one of the law changes coming in?

Oh @Catogrande I din't see the game but saw that Bundee Aki was player of the match and had a good return to form. What was your assessment?