European Club Rugby

In more interesting NH club rugby news: the French Top 14 season is now 4 weeks underway and there have been some surprising results.

La Rochelle, the club of Victor Vito and Jason Eaton has won 3 and drew 1 of their 4 games. This sees them top the table, but they have only played one of the stronger teams - Clermont. That was the draw at home.

Clermont comes 2nd, with two wins and two draws. One of their wins was away against Nemani Nadolo's Montpellier, and the two draws were also in away games, including a game against 2015 Champions Stade Francais. On Sunday, they smashed Racing 92 (without Carter who has taken up sailing) 47-10. Hosea Gear and Isaia Toeava haven't played yet this season because of injury (knee and shoulder, respectively).

Stade Francais and Toulon come next on equal points, but Toulon already having lost two games, against lowly Bayonne (promoted from Pro D2; NZ players incl Tanerau Latimer, Adam Whitelock, Thom Donelly) and -at home- against Brive, and two away wins against Pau and Toulouse. Ma'a Nonu started for Toulon in all four games.

Racing 92 (Dan Carter, Chris Masoe, Ben Tameifuna, Casey Laulala) sits 8th on the table, also with two wins and two losses, but with fewer bonus points.

He's been given 13 weeks on first biting charge. Second charge was dismissed.

Some media saying he might appeal but that's conjecture for the moment.

Jaysus he seems to get into a lot of wierd trouble

Unlucky or perhaps a bit not right in the head (maybe just rugby gods karma for those ridiculous dives)

@Siam said in NH club rugby:

Jaysus he seems to get into a lot of wierd trouble

Unlucky or perhaps a bit not right in the head (maybe just rugby gods karma for those ridiculous dives)

He combines being very stroppy & excited on the pitch, with being a little bitch. So he gets done for cheap shots, eye gouges, biting, talking back to players / refs etc.

I've given up on my number 1 wish in rugby which was him swan diving in to win the world cup & dropping the fucking ball mid dive.

The video was not really conclusive and you could well ask questions of Waller with his hand and arm all over Ashton's face but to me it just looks like a rugby incident and nothing much to be concerned about. Having said that though, Ashton's growing rep as a tool cannot help him in circumstances like these and he is unlikely to get much sympathy. FWIW I thought the eye gouge last year was questionable too.

@Catogrande If that was the case, you'd think the other player would say it didn't happen?

@Bones
Not sure if you mean the biting or the gouging incident? Assuming it is the former, you would need to add context - the match itself was pretty brutal and there was a lot of niggle. Both sides were up for it and there was plenty of bitch play going on. In the context of the match it wouldn't surprise me that someone had got bitten or that someone could claim a bite when another time they might just wash it off as something and nothing. But yeah I would like to assume that if a guy had claimed he'd been bitten that there was some sound reason for doing so..

During the game Waller (not alone by any means) was playing the tool card at every opportunity and got yellowed himself for a stupid off the ball dump tackle at one point. In itself the tackle was not much of anything other than being plain stupid. Does that have a bearing on his claims? Who knows but the video posted below doesn't show much to me - certainly not 13 weeks.

@Catogrande It's a dirty filthy bite! 13 weeks is pretty sweet.

@Bones Well the judiciary certainly thought so and they're never wrong

you cant really accidentally bite someone, and having been bitten, you know you've been bitten, so I don't think you would confuse some other niggle with a bite.

The rumour on PR from someone who likes to think he is in the know is that Ashton is going to head back to league after the suspension.

@Smudge said in NH club rugby:

The rumour on PR from someone who likes to think he is in the know is that Ashton is going to head back to league after the suspension.

That's already been reported in media before today - e.g. Guardian newspaper

"“What I am hearing is absolutely not the Chris Ashton I know,” said the club’s chairman, Nigel Wray. “I very much hope that Chris is not forced out of English rugby because he is a very well-liked and respected member of our family, one of the hardest workers in the game. I am not a lawyer, but if this were a legal matter the case would not come to court.”

The implication was that the 29-year old Ashton would, once his suspension was completed, look at finishing his career in France or return to rugby league having left Wigan for Northampton in 2007."

Don't these guys have lawyers at their trials, and they are treated as legal matters?

Mourad Boudjellal contemplates selling Toulon

God I had the miss fortune of watching the Toulon v Clermont and the Toulouse v SFP games. For teams with high profile stars in them the passing, ball control, and running lines were of the standard to would expect to see at amateur level, because most of the team were on the piss the night before.

Jake White gone from Montpellier,Vern Cotter to take over. I wonder what side hes going to be "fully committed to" next?

@Stargazer said in NH club rugby:

Mourad Boudjellal contemplates selling Toulon

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My heart bleeds!

"There is a strong chance that this will be my last year," Boudjellal said on AFP. "I do not have a huge fortune but it's reasonable.

"I am much depleted by the club and I don't know if many presidents do this.

Scotland coach Vern Cotter to join Montpellier for season 2017/18

By IAIN MORRISON

Wednesday 28 September 2016

Scotland coach Vern Cotter has, as was widely anticipated, found himself a post with Montepllier in France’s Top 14 from the end of the current season when his contract with Murrayfield expires.

Cotter was controversially replaced by Glasgow boss Gregor Townsend just a few short months ago despite taking Scotland to within a whisker of the World Cup semi-finals in 2015, losing to Australia in the last minute thanks to a incorrectpenalty.

Cotter made his name in France, first as a player and more recently as the head coach of Clermont, who he led to the Top 14 Championship in 2010 after innumerable failures in the final. He moved to Scotland in 2014, one year later than expected after the Scottish Rugby Union failed to inform Clermont of their signing and the club duly held Cotter to his contract rather than release him one season early.

The current Montpellier coach, World Cup-winner Jake White, is leaving the club to make way for Cotter. What is less clear is just how many of the South African counterparts that White signed are leaving with him.

After failing to make much of an impact in the Six Nations to date – two wins in ten attempts – Cotter has one final season of Six Nations rugby to make his mark in Europe before a return to the club game.

The official announcement by Montpellier: http://www.montpellier-rugby.com/news/communique-officiel-0

Not in the official announcement, but according to the French paper Midi Libre, Cotter has signed a deal for 3 seasons (so until June 2020): http://www.midilibre.fr/2016/09/28/rugby-montpellier-l-ancien-clermontois-vern-cotter-a-signe-au-mhr,1400186.php

This weekend, the European Club Rugby competitions kick off and the first game has already been played.

Aviva Premiership team Harlequins absolutely smashed 2014-14 Top 14 champions Stade Français Paris, scoring 7 tries to 3, in a 43-21 bonus point win.

This weekend's games:

From Sky's FB page:

Get your European Rugby Champions Cup fix on the Rugby Channel!

Saturday: LIVE - 7.40am: Glasgow Warriors v Leicester Tigers

Sunday: LIVE - 7.40am: Scarlets v Sale Sharks
Delayed - 9.45am: Wasps v Zebre
Delayed - 11.45am: RC Toulon v Saracens
Delayed - 1.45pm: Connacht v Toulouse

Monday: LIVE - 12.55am: Bordeaux-Begles v Ulster
LIVE - 3.10am: Racing 92 v Munster
LIVE - 5.25am: Exeter Chiefs v ASM Clermont Auvergne

European Rugby Challenge Cup

Monday: Delayed - 11.30am: Pau v Bath

Watching Glasgow Warriors v Leicester Tigers and it's an awesome game. Never thought Glasgow would be so dominant.
It's 22-10 to Glasgow at the moment.

That Leonardo Sarto chap (Glasgow) is a very handy player if this Glasgow v Leicester game is anything to go by. Scored a try and almost a second in this first half. He's in the Italian squad for the November internationals.

Leicester is getting smashed by Glasgow. 35-13 with 10 minutes to go. Toomua had a nightmare debut for the Tigers, including a yellow card that could have been red if they'd had another ref.

Bloody hell, Leicester are really bad. Another intercept try for Glasgow, scored by the Italian Sarto. This is going to be a very good bonus point win for the Warriors.

And it's all over. Glasgow Warriors beating Leicester Tigers 42-13. Well-deserved bonus point win from the Scottish club.

Good game of rugby. Leicester's fringe defence was woeful though.

OK, sounds like A Mauger isn't the coaching messiah just yet then.

Bundee Aki MOTM as Connacht beat Toulouse.

Nacewa and Gibson-Park got a win over a pretty terrible Castres.

Toulon showing that you can have all that money and sign world class players, but it doesn't guarantee you wins. Toulon lost at home to Saracens: 23 - 31

Noteworthy is that in all Champions Cup and Challenge Cup games between French clubs and English/Celtic opponents, the French club lost. Still 3 games to play in the Champions Cup (all involving one French club), but it doesn't bode well for French rugby.

There was no mercy where Italian or Romanian clubs were the opponents. Some really big scores!
By the way, most points in the La Rochelle match v Treviso (41-10 to La Rochelle) were scored by Southeners: tries by Uini Atonio (2x), Hikaïro Forbes and Jason Eaton, and Brock James kicked most of the penalties & conversions.

All Challenge Cup games of round 1 have been played. Results:

@Stargazer Worcester losing to a Russian team has to be a huge upset.

@Bovidae said in NH club rugby:

@Stargazer Worcester losing to a Russian team has to be a huge upset.

Yes and no. Enisei beat another team at home last season when they were underestimated.

Connacht have a famous trip story from last season when they went to play them in Round 1 of the challenge cup. The game was played at subzero temps and the subs couldn't sit down on the bench for the whole match. Connacht ended up winning the match and then their plane couldn't take off and they spent the whole week,trying to get back home for their game the following week. Apparently it was the best bonding session the team had and forged a lot of their team spirit that helped to the title last season.

Some good results for the Welsh regions. Ospreys thrashing Newcastle is a bit of karma. The English and French clubs got changes to the cup and competition in 2013/14 because they said PRO12 teams were resting their players before European weekends, and wanted to make qualification harder. So they did, and it has been. Newcastle then put out a weak team against Ospreys who promptly hammered them.

@Pot-Hale said in NH club rugby:

@Bovidae said in NH club rugby:

@Stargazer Worcester losing to a Russian team has to be a huge upset.

Yes and no. Enisei beat another team at home last season when they were underestimated.

Connacht have a famous trip story from last season when they went to play them in Round 1 of the challenge cup. The game was played at subzero temps and the subs couldn't sit down on the bench for the whole match. Connacht ended up winning the match and then their plane couldn't take off and they spent the whole week,trying to get back home for their game the following week. Apparently it was the best bonding session the team had and forged a lot of their team spirit that helped to the title last season.

Enisei won two of their (home) games last season:
10-7 against Brive, and more spectacularly, 24-7 against Newcastle Falcons.
Obviously, they were smashed in the return games.

The home game against Connacht in Siberia (played mid-November) ended in a 31-14 win to Connacht.
I'm getting cold just watching this highlights video (with Russian commentary):

@Stargazer said in NH club rugby:

@Pot-Hale said in NH club rugby:

@Bovidae said in NH club rugby:

@Stargazer Worcester losing to a Russian team has to be a huge upset.

Yes and no. Enisei beat another team at home last season when they were underestimated.

Connacht have a famous trip story from last season when they went to play them in Round 1 of the challenge cup. The game was played at subzero temps and the subs couldn't sit down on the bench for the whole match. Connacht ended up winning the match and then their plane couldn't take off and they spent the whole week,trying to get back home for their game the following week. Apparently it was the best bonding session the team had and forged a lot of their team spirit that helped to the title last season.

Two things I like about those highlights. The Russians know how pronounce Connacht properly Con-nucked - and the bench shot at the end with lads in their Parkas and rugs wrapped around them. The few Connacht fans who went on that trip said it would be a lifelong memory cos the team took them in for the whole trip. Great story.

Enisei won two of their (home) games last season:
10-7 against Brive, and more spectacularly, 24-7 against Newcastle Falcons.
Obviously, they were smashed in the return games.

The home game against Connacht in Siberia (played mid-November) ended in a 31-14 win to Connacht.
I'm getting cold just watching this highlights video (with Russian commentary):

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News in this afternoon that Anthony 'Axel' Foley, the former Munster No8, who captained them to their first Heineken Cup victory in 2006, got 60 odd caps for Ireland, and was the current coach of Munster, died in in the team hotel in Paris last night. Their game today against Racing 92, where Ronan O'Gara is assistant coach, was cancelled.

Brilliant player, great leader, who got great respect wherever he played. A proper rugby bloke as Martin Corry said today.

He was 42.

RIP Axel.

Yesterday, I said the results didn't bode well for French rugby with all French teams that played Anglo/Celtic teams losing.
With 2 of the remaing 3 games now played, things look a little bit brighter, with two French clubs beating their Irish/English opponents, beating them well and Clermont even in an away game.

These are the results of round 1 of the Champions Cup:

Not sure when the postponed game between Racing and Munster will be played, and whether Munster will play next weekend.

LOL