European 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.

@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.