Rugby

Yeah he definitely was mercurial. I think you need a bit of that when you have a steady eddy like Myler. Sort of a Grayson/Catt situation or rather Andrew/Barnes.

I'm off to the HC tomorrow. Can't find my favourite Firm Security Saints shirt.

I dare to dream but Leinster are a quality outfit and will be huge favourites.

Would BoD retire if they won?

(obviously after world cup)

Don't think he'll be taking part sadly, he took a big knock in the Magners semi-final.

I'll be there too, and feel the same way, but remember being at HQ in 2000 and clinging on to that 1 point lead against Munster. Cried my fucking eyes out at full-time!

At the Mill stadium. Oh well! They smashed us in that half. Didn't have much hope going into the game so good to have been ahead. They just showed their aggression, maturity and class in that half. I love BoD. Can't complain. Great atmosphere (90% Irish). Great game. Proud of Saints.

Big Up to my cousin Shane Jennings and Co-what a result.Done us proud again!

That really was a game of two halves..

Well done to Leinster for the way they came out of the half-time break. They were ferocious and their performance showed their will to win.

Great second half, well done Leinster.

Time for the salary cap to go in England if English clubs are going to be genuinely competitive in the competition though...

^Agreed

Just got home. Have no voice. MM Stadium is awesome, had never been before but will definitely try to get there again, plus being right behind the main pub street gives it a real festival atmosphere; there were fans from Toulouse, Stade, Perp, Munster, most Aviva prem sides, was good to drink with them all.

The game though, I knew there was no way Leinster were going to let thet stand in the second half. Saints were flattered by a very poor Leinster showing and having had a thorough talking to at h/t they came out and showed us what pedigree is.

Well done Leinster and fans, had an awesome day.

The benefits of the salary cap (namely survival within your means for most of the prem teams) outweigh the problems (difficult to judge, the French spend far more on player's wages than the Irish teams and yet had no representative in the final).

The reason Irish teams do well is not because they don't have a salary cap but because their best players are centrally contracted and can be better managed. The Magners league is a far lower quality tournament than that Aviva premiership though and the main targets for Leinster/Munster is the H cup.

Apples and pears.

I've played in France and still have friends involved - it's chaos in many, many ways. I agree with your reasoning for Irish success, it doesn't mean abolishing the salary cap wouldn't give English teams a better chance of success in the Heineken Cup - it would. Leicester and Northampton have spread themselves very thinly this season, as they do most years. Leicester went to Leinster with no locks to speak of and, unsurprisingly, lost. The best team in English rugby, in recent years since the Irish have sorted themselves out, has regularly struggled to comfortably qualify for the later stages of the HC. An inadequate squad and the demands of the national team is the main reason. No salary cap, wold be very different. At the expense of smaller clubs? No doubt, but who really cares about Exeter or Leeds?

Ooh you are ruthless, Markyboy. You're right, the lower order clubs would suffer with furthering england's european success by way of raising the salary cap, but this is not something to be dismissive of.

I happen to feel a great affection for the likes of Exeter, with whom our fans had a couple of great days in league one, and their impact on the premiership has been an inspiration. As a premiership season ticket holder, in the standing terrace where visiting clubs take much of their ticket allocation, I would hate to see clubs without big funding fall off the map. Matchday, and the sport as a whole would be all the poorer for it.

I want to see english sides being more competitive in europe, but the answer is a complicated one.

I remember the days when the likes of Moseley, Nottingham, Coventry, Fylde and even Preston Grasshoppers were a force in English rugby. Times change. It would be tough on the likes of Exeter, but there's plenty of quality and competitive rugby at a lower level in England. Supporters of clubs like Northampton and Leicester deserve to be able to see their teams compete on a proverbial level playing field with the rest of Europe. They turn up in large numbers, pay good money, show great loyalty...it's time to catch up.

Add Blackheath, Richmond and a few others to that list Markyboy..

As for cutting your losses with the smaller teams, I'd raise the salary cap up to £6million (around where the French salary cap will be within a couple of seasons) and scrap relegation for a couple of seasons at least.

The problem for smaller clubs is that recruitment takes place around Christmas, if you don't know whether you should budget for the prem or the championship then you're either over-stretching yourself or not competitive when the dust settles.

First game of the season went better than expected. Fielding 14 men (2 of which had never played before) against the countrys best side, meant we were garanteed to lose. Only when we were down to 12 after 60 mins did the opposition remove some of its own players to make an even game. The team battled pretty well, and we only lost 41-13 (I think).

I was all taped up and practising line-out throws, when I was told I could play flanker. Brilliant! Lasted about 15mins, then the prop we'd borrowed went off. There was talk of uncontested scrums. So I stepped in to prop, without a flanker. Unbelievably hard work, but kept the game going. I feel royally fecked today.

Right, so Saracens finished 2 points behind Leicester over the course of the season but could still win the league today. I wonder how many Rugby fans voted No in the referendum?

In fact Northampton finished 13 points behind but still could have won the league? Erm

Yes, this has been the format since 2002/3. The uproar has somewhat subsided over the 8 years.

Don't you mean 'uprah'?

Do you have anything interesting to contribute to this thread?

If not, do jog on.

Sarries going well but needed to have converted more of that territory into points, they should be out of sight by now.

Hope I'm wrong but Leicester by 9 points

Wow.

That was fucking awesome, well done Sarries, deseved win.

Great stuff from sarries. They played with more adventure, more heart & deserved the win the end. It was amazing to be there & amazing to hand out some slices of humble pie. Ben youngs didn't expect us to play much rugby but we were far sharper & more positive.

As for the discussion above about having less points but winning, look at which team won the most games.

After initial doubts, i think the playoff system works a treat now, especially when you take into account that many of the top teams loose key players to internationals for a large part of teh season.

Gret stuff from Sarries, Farrel showed nerves of steel for his first time out at HQ

charity touch rugby competition this saturday 16th July 2011 at Linford Christie Athletic Track, home to the London Nigerian RFC.. 6-a-side mixed team comp.. all welcome, esp girls that can play.

PM'd for more details if you are interested. This is a construction industry social event teams from

Arup
Gensler
Sheppard Robson
RHWL
Norman Disney Young
Gardiner and Theobald

or just turn up and be entertained..
http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=217510311616404

Samoa 32-Aus 23

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/welsh/14175299.stm