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Moody posted:So I've been following this thread, and the OP is fantastic, but is there any love around these parts for the English Domestic game? I know we're well behind the times with things like relegation and salary caps which mean we can't just sign players to massive contracts on a whim and then operate our clubs at massive losses (not that it stops some clubs) but on its day I think it's up there with Super Rugby in terms of quality and intensity. Count me interested. e: I watched a bit of the aviva premiership when I was subscribed to foxsoccer.tv but then they raised their price and made it impossible to watch games live, so there's that. ee: Pro 12 in 3 days. Maybe this season I'll find a side to support. artshavin fucked around with this message at Aug 28, 2012 around 22:28 |
| # ? Aug 28, 2012 14:13 |
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edinbro rugby 
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| # ? May 19, 2013 23:54 |
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The English Domestic game is better than the Australian Domestic game...
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| # ? Aug 29, 2012 02:39 |
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Schlesische posted:The English Domestic game is better than the Australian Domestic game...
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| # ? Aug 29, 2012 03:06 |
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NPC in NZ and Currie Cup in SA are light years ahead of anything anywhere else i'd say. NPC (aka the ITM Cup) just kicked off here, into it's second week and it's awesome so far. Love watching awesome games on weeknights... in fact Canterbury is playing Auckland tonight which should be amazing. Hawke's Bay v Wellington was here last night, somehow predicted the exact margin (15). And Tasman getting a shield challenge on saturday against Taranaki!! YUSSS. TASMANNNNNNN
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| # ? Aug 29, 2012 04:26 |
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Plucky Brit posted:I'll be amazed if Wales win any of their SANZAR games. I'm going to guess a draw in one, then two agonising last minute defeats in the other two. It's ok! We've solved The Fly-Half Problem, by converting an existing player to replace Rhys Priestland! 
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| # ? Aug 29, 2012 11:17 |
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Just watch Pro 12 and support Munster/Leinster or indeed Ulster (if you like watching a team properly dominate the top teams and then meekly roll over against mid-table/bottom feeders)
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| # ? Aug 29, 2012 18:07 |
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 All kick-off times are GMT, all games are airing live on free-to-air Sky TV / Freeview channels for your streaming pleasure. The iPlayer links usually show up the morning after the game, so watch it live! Friday 31st 19:00 - Dragons vs Zebre 19:00 - Ulster vs Warriors (BBC Northern Ireland / BBC Alba / iPlayer) 19:00 - Treviso vs Ospreys (BBC 2 Wales / Sportitalia / iPlayer) Saturday 1st 17:00 - Connacht vs Blues 18:30 - Scarlets vs Leinster (TG4 / S4C) 20:00 - Edinburgh vs Munster (BBC Alba / RTE) -  Fantasy LeagueIt's 'Fantasy Football' format. Choose either Dan Biggar or Duncan Weir, and then 14 other guys to make up a team! http://www.fantasy12.com/ League : Goons Password : 3d1949a4 Tyma fucked around with this message at Aug 30, 2012 around 16:22 |
| # ? Aug 29, 2012 19:47 |
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Tyma posted:Choose either Dan Biggar or Duncan Weir, and then 14 other guys to make up a team! Sorry for being thick but is this a rule? Also, lol at that website julian assflange fucked around with this message at Aug 30, 2012 around 18:13 |
| # ? Aug 30, 2012 17:57 |
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I can't pick a full squad of Edinburgh players, so I'm out.
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| # ? Aug 30, 2012 20:57 |
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Ok, unfortunately I couldn't use the template as I haven't got around to sorting out Photoshop on my new PC, so you'll have to settle for some slightly more amateurish designs. Nonetheless, I present to you... The 2012/13 The Aviva Premiership is England's top tier rugby competition, and one of the most competitive worldwide. Whilst the format is similar to the Pro12 competition, with a Round-Robin Format culminating in a 4 team playoff in May, a key difference in the English league is that the team finishing bottom of the pile after the 22 match regular season gets relegated to the Championship*, and get to play the likes of Moseley, Doncaster and other teams you haven't heard of. This means there are no meaningless games late in the season, as the teams at the bottom of the league have just as much, if not more, to play for than the teams at the top. This in turn means that teams will usually play their strongest available teams in nearly every game, and conversely this has been highlighted as one of the reasons for England's sub-par performances on the international stage, as there is a significant conflict between club and country scheduling which does not exist in the Pro 12 or Super Rugby. (* - Unless the RFU decides on some baseless criteria not to let the winners of the Championship get promoted** ** - Unless the team which the RFU decides on some baseless criteria not to let get promoted appeals the decision and then the RFU on some further baseless criteria reverses the decision) - Rule Changes The Aviva Premiership will be adopting the new law changes relating to scrum sets, rucking laws and video replays (for televised matches only) from the start of the season. - The Salary Cap English clubs have operated under a Salary Cap for some time now, which has been highlighted as a reason for the lack of English success in the Heineken Cup in recent years. The Salary Cap this year is set at £4.5 million (some of which is only available for Junior Academy players) and will be completely ignored by Leicester. Another change for this season sees the introduction of a 'marquee player' rule, where one player's wages can be excluded from the Salary Cap. This should allow English Clubs to attract bigger name Southern Hemisphere players in years to come. - Where To Watch Half of all Aviva Premiership matches are now broadcast live on UK TV, with an average of 2 Matches per week broadcast on ESPN and 1 Match per week on Sky Sports. A weekly 1 hour highlights program (which is actually not terrible) usually airs on Sunday evenings on ITV. I can't speak for the rest of the world, but I believe coverage is available in most rugby-conscious areas, and where games are broadcast live on UK TV, it is usually not too difficult to find coverage on the internet. There is also an official website at http://www.premiershiprugby.tv which offers a subscription service providing full highlights of every game the day after it is played. Last year it was £10 per month, they haven't put any pricing up for the new season yet. - The Teams Bath Rugby   Home Ground: The Recreation Ground, Bath 2011/12 Finish: 8th Nickname: Bath Once a dominating force in English Rugby, Bath suffered once of their worst seasons last year and never looked in contention for the playoffs. Stephen Donald arrived from the World Cup to much fanfare but suffered some niggling injuries, expect an improvement in his first full season. Bath still play at an absolute dump of a ground but they have assembled a strong coaching squad for the upcoming season and if they can get a few early victories under the belt they could show a major improvement this year. Exeter   Home Ground: Sandy Park, Exeter 2011/12 Finish: 5th Nickname: The Chiefs Exeter continue to confound the critics, after being written off in their debut premiership season 2 years ago, they came agonisingly close to a playoff spot last season, losing a tight game against Northampton in Week 21 which was effectively a playoff game. They have made more shrewd signings this off season, building upon a solid team. On paper Exeter are barely a top half team but having punched above their weight for several years now there is no reason they can't do so again. Gloucester Rugby   Home Ground: Kingsholm, Gloucester 2011/12 Finish: 9th Nickname: Glawwwwwster / The Cherry & Whites Gloucester started strongly last year but went into freefall late in the season as former coach Bryan Redpath was effectively headhunted by Sale. The team is still young, and has an extremely pacey backline which will strike fear into defences if they click. New coach Nigel Davies has a reputation for developing young talent, and if Gloucester make a strong start then they could well contend at the top come season's end. Harlequins   Home Ground: The Twickenham Stoop 2011/12 Finish: 1st, Playoff Final Winners Nickname: The Mighty Quins Harlequins made the most of other teams' weaknesses during last year's World Cup, going unbeaten until just before Christmas, and whilst they did not dominate after that, they held on to top spot and recaptured their form in the playoff final to dispose of Leicester and pick up their first Premiership Title. Unsurprisingly the squad has changed very little, and the greatest threat to Quins success may well be the knock on effect of their success as players such as Brown and Turner-Hall attempt to establish themselves more regularly in the England team. Leicester   Home Ground: Welford Road, Leicester 2011/12 Finish: 2nd, Playoff Final Losers Nickname: The Tigers English rugby's most successful team are in something of a slump by their standards, having lost the Premiership Final 2 years running. They have strengthened with some good signings in the backline and without the decimation of the squad they suffered due to the World Cup last year, expect them to contend for the top spot throughout. London Irish   Home Ground: The Madjeski Stadium, Reading 2011/12 Finish: 7th Nickname: The Exiles / Irish Having disappointed once again last season, the departure of some key names means it may be a transition year for Irish. Their biggest signing may well be Shaun Edwards as defensive coach, as a combination of solid defence and the reliable kicking of Tom Homer may be enough to pick up several wins. A lack of true star power coupled with a number of losses in key matches in recent years means it is unlikely Irish will be contending for the top spot this year though. London Wasps   Home Ground: Adams Park, Wycombe 2011/12 Finish: 11th Nickname: Wasps Wasps enjoyed a period in the Mid-2000s where they sat on top of not just English rugby, but all of Europe. Since then, the fall from grace has been harsh, with the club playing in front of dwindling crowds at a small ground, they have simply not been able to keep up with other larger clubs. The club remains up for sale, and the fact that they only confirmed their Premiership survival on the final day last season doesn't make them the most attractive purchase. Wasps have managed to hold on to some of their young talent and have recruited both Stephen Jones and James Haskell, so in spite of everything Wasps should at least avoid the relegation scrap this year. London Welsh   Home Ground: The Kassam Stadium, Oxford 2011/12 Finish: 4th in Championship, Promoted as Playoff Final Winners Nickname: The Exiles / Welsh In a story which will probably be the subject of a book in the future, London Welsh won through the Championship's somewhat convoluted playoff system to secure the promotion spot despite only finishing 4th in the League, and despite being told on the eve of the playoff final that as they did not meet the promotion criteria, they would be denied entry to the Premiership even if they won. After a lengthy appeal which only concluded in early July, they were finally admitted to the league at Newcastle's expense, but finding themselves several weeks behind their peers in the recruitment race, their squad looks weak. Furthermore, in order to meet the promotion criteria, they have had to relocate their 'home' stadium some 30 miles away to Oxford. Establishing a new fanbase in a small city with few marquee names is a tall order, and it would take a brave man to predict anything higher than a last place finish for Welsh this year. Northampton   Home Ground: Franklin's Gardens, Northampton 2011/12 Finish: 4th, Lost in Semi-Finals Nickname: The Saints It was yet another what-if season for the Saints last year, as they threw away their Semi-Final against eventual Champions Harlequins, having lead with less than 10 minutes to play. Recruitment has been solid if unspectacular, with no clear replacement for the departing Chris Ashton, but as they were another team hurt last year by World Cup absentees, that difference alone may well be enough to push them higher up the table. Sale Sharks   Home Ground: The Salford City Stadium 2011/12 Finish: 6th Nickname: The Sharks Sale made a successful transition last season from bottom half strugglers to top half success, fuelled by their often controversial coach Steve Diamond, who has now moved into the front office to make way for former Gloucester coach Bryan Redpath. Sale have recruited aggressively in the off-season, although their success could be heavily dictated by whether mercurial fly-half Danny Cipriani delivers the form that he showed in flashes for Wasps and England. Moving to the Rugby League stadium in Salford should help the club establish a stronger identity, and they could be ones to watch this year. Saracens   Home Ground: Who Knows 2011/12 Finish: 3rd, Lost in Semi-Finals Nickname: The Men In Black Saracens are probably starting to drop the 'Saffacens' tag now but I like to hold a grudge. Having worked their way to the title in 2010 on the back of numerous Springbok signings and a dull but effective game plan, teams began to work them out last season and they slipped to 3rd in the league before being well beaten by Leicester in the Semi-Finals. Saracens were supposed to be moving into a new stadium this season, but as it will not be ready until February, they will be playing home games in their old ground at Watford, as well as Milton Keynes, Wembley and even Belgium before arriving at their new home. Their only marquee signing is England winger Chris Ashton, but they will need to adapt their style of play if he is to see much of the ball. Worcester   Home Ground: Sixways Stadium, Worcester 2011/12 Finish: 10th Nickname: The Warriors Worcester survived relatively comfortably on their return to the Premiership last year but their recruitment suggests they may be content to repeat last year's performance. Worcester simply didn't score many tries last year, and the departures of Garvey and Benjamin will not help this problem. The big pack combined with their always passionate fans may help build Sixways into a fortress once again, but they do not look to have the strength in depth to challenge too many teams away from home. - What To Expect The Aviva Premiership is always a tremendously physical league, but one of the main criticisms is that the 'win at all costs' mentality brought about by the closeness in quality of many sides and the looming threat of relegation can result in some games becoming wars of attrition which aren't particularly exciting for the neutral. This season may see something of a change, as there are very few people giving newly promoted London Welsh any chance of winning more than a couple of games. As a result, teams will have a bit more licence to take risks and be creative, and all teams have had the benefit this year of a full pre-season with all their star players. It is likely to be the usual suspects occupying the Top 3 spots - Leicester and Harlequins will probably be there, and unless Saracens tour of home grounds upsets their form they are likely to take 3rd spot. The remaining playoff spot could be any one of Northampton, Sale, Gloucester, Exeter, Irish, Wasps or Bath, depending on how quickly new signings gel and who hits a run of form. Worcester and London Welsh are the only two teams who won't have realistic expectations of a top half finish. Having followed Northampton through thick and thin for 15 years now, one thing I can say is that following a team through this league is a fantastic experience - the fans at most clubs are superb and there is a real sense of community about the clubs. Rugby is very much a professional sport now, but the clubs are still accessible. If you don't wish to join me in supporting the Saints, your options would be: If you like winning and being hated by everyone else - Leicester/Saracens If you like multi-coloured shirts - Harlequins If you like watching Rugby in half empty stadiums designed for other sports - London Irish, London Wasps or Sale If you don't really understand the rules of the game and just want to express blind outrage at referees with no justification - Gloucester If you enjoy tribal chants - Exeter If you want to watch games in fear of the stand you're sitting in collapsing during the game - Bath If you like the plucky underdog - Worcester or London Welsh I hope this helps you get into the new season!
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| # ? Aug 30, 2012 21:44 |
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First off, I don't understand why Exeter has a Native American mascot, and second off is that guy wearing lipstick.
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| # ? Aug 30, 2012 21:46 |
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julian assflange posted:Sorry for being thick but is this a rule? Also, lol at that website They're the top 2 points scorers in the history of the league, neither of them ever play international competitons, and they both end up playing every single match of the season, so you'd be kind of silly not to pick one of them at #10 :{
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| # ? Aug 30, 2012 21:57 |
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dog days are over posted:They're the top 2 points scorers in the history of the league, neither of them ever play international competitons, and they both end up playing every single match of the season, so you'd be kind of silly not to pick one of them at #10 :{ Thanks for clearing that up (I had forgotten the international call up aspect). I'll stick with Sexton though...
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| # ? Aug 31, 2012 17:20 |
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Watching the Treviso-Ospreys game, and it's one of the worst games I've ever seen. Edit: To put that into context I've been to Gloucester vs. Bath games. This game is still worse. Plucky Brit fucked around with this message at Aug 31, 2012 around 19:27 |
| # ? Aug 31, 2012 19:23 |
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Plucky Brit posted:Watching the Treviso-Ospreys game, and it's one of the worst games I've ever seen. One of the new rules is that the ball is made of Jelly 
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| # ? Aug 31, 2012 19:40 |
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On the other hand, you know what was fantastic? The Hawkes Bay-Counties Manukau game last night.
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| # ? Aug 31, 2012 19:44 |
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AHAHAHA Ospreys! What a terrible game. Treviso won through luck and terrible Ospreys finishing. No tries scored, no finishing, Rugby at its worst. Also Ian Evans is a muppet, and Treviso should be worried they didn't do anything with a man advantage for such a long period.
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| # ? Aug 31, 2012 19:54 |
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It was like watching two team re-enact the Wales vs France World Cup Semi-Final, but without any of the excitement :{
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| # ? Aug 31, 2012 20:22 |
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Vagabundo posted:On the other hand, you know what was fantastic? The Hawkes Bay-Counties Manukau game last night. Eh. I felt that counties were far better and completely bottled it.
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| # ? Aug 31, 2012 20:52 |
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Ulster beat Glasgow 18-10 in a rather lovely match too. Any Kiwis here know anything about Nick Williams though? He started at 8 for Ulster tonight, and while he might not be as durable as Pedrie Wannenberg he looks like a massive upgrade as a ball carrier. Our other Kiwi, Jared Payne, made his first competitive start since he blew out his Achilles. With most of the International players still out the games could be of a lower quality for a while, but I'll be happy as long as Ulster keep winning. That'll be until next week when they lose against the Ospreys then
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| # ? Sep 1, 2012 00:36 |
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MyChemicalImbalance posted:Any Kiwis here know anything about Nick Williams though? He started at 8 for Ulster tonight, and while he might not be as durable as Pedrie Wannenberg he looks like a massive upgrade as a ball carrier He was a very promising prospect at 8 after bursting on to the scene for North Harbour back in the 2000s. Basically, after getting hosed around by a succession of Blues coaches and seeing Harbour get hosed over by an incompetent administration and a coach that didn't understand the team, he decided enough was enough and went overseas. He could have gone a hell of a lot further in New Zealand if he'd left the Auckland region.
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| # ? Sep 1, 2012 00:42 |
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Tyma posted:It's ok! We've solved The Fly-Half Problem, by converting an existing player to replace Rhys Priestland! Is that Johnny Vegas? 
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| # ? Sep 1, 2012 04:27 |
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Mister Chief posted:Eh. I felt that counties were far better and completely bottled it. was a savage first 20 minutes by Counties, and some moments of brilliance by both their backs and forwards but they failed to identify the style of the ref, who was quite strict and when Lemalu got binned they lost a bit of their spark. Counties are definite contenders for promotion this year, I can't see many teams getting past them at home and they should upset a few teams away. shot for the Premiership write up, interesting stuff.
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| # ? Sep 1, 2012 05:09 |
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This Waikato v Northland game is crazy, all sorts of counter-counter-attacking. Northland fullback looks great, apparently he's a Samoan international.
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| # ? Sep 1, 2012 05:46 |
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Been pretty good so far, i'm surprised at the Taniwha looking pretty competent in most areas. A mate of mine is on the bench for Waikato so i'm looking forward to seeing how he goes. got a birthday dinner on during Tasman's shield challenge against Taranaki, i'm legit gutted haha.
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| # ? Sep 1, 2012 06:25 |
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Taranaki up 24-17 after 22 minutes in the shield game  edit: crazy game but it looks like Tasman will fall short due to some rather rash decisions about taking their penalties
Smorgasbord fucked around with this message at Sep 1, 2012 around 09:07 |
| # ? Sep 1, 2012 08:00 |
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They should have taken the points.
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| # ? Sep 1, 2012 10:17 |
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fuckkkkk watch this vid on this http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/...ht-for-Taranaki
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| # ? Sep 1, 2012 15:18 |
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Just caught the Dragons / Zebre highlights on the Leinster pre-show, and it looks like it wasn't a case of "The Zebras are terrible", but "Tom Prydie has been possessed by the ghost of Barry John".. Who isn't dead. Dragons look really exciting this year!
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| # ? Sep 1, 2012 17:24 |
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I heard the Quins v Wasps game was pretty good.
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| # ? Sep 1, 2012 23:59 |
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What's the source of this image? I can't find it anywhere
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| # ? Sep 2, 2012 04:56 |
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Mister Chief posted:I heard the Quins v Wasps game was pretty good. Oh yes. Brilliant tries, offloads, runs, ect. Both sides were running it out of their 22's and taking quick taps whenever they could. It was a bit imprecise at times, and I genuinely feel sorry for Wasps. Wasps apparently have a backs coach from NZ, and for most of the game looked like a super rugby team. They were so fired up for the first 60 minutes that they started falling off tackles, so I think it was superior fitness that won out in the end.
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| # ? Sep 2, 2012 09:09 |
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Warren Gatland named British & Irish Lions Coach I actually like Gatland, but that's because his managerial invention and creativity gave us this innovative Wales line-up, for his opening match as manager. 15. Lee Byrne (Ospreys) 14. Shane Williams (Ospreys) 13. Sonny Parker (Ospreys) 12. Gavin Henson (Ospreys) 11. Mark Jones (Scarlets) 10. James Hook (Ospreys) 09. Mike Phillips (Ospreys) 01. Duncan Jones (Ospreys) 02. Huw Bennett (Ospreys) 03. Adam Jones (Ospreys) 04. Ian Gough (Ospreys) 05. Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys) 06. Jonathan Thomas (Ospreys) 07. Martyn Williams (Blues) 08. Ryan Jones (Ospreys) It gave us a hell of a loving game, though : England vs Ospreys (2008 Six Nations) I guess now we can rename it 'The Welsh And Leinster Lions', and Rhys Priestland can book that ticket to Australia that he's had on hold for 12 months :{ artshavin posted:What's the source of this image? I can't find it anywhere It's from Edinburgh's kit launch!
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| # ? Sep 4, 2012 16:56 |
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My prediction for the 1st test line up: 1. Jenkins 2. Best 3. Jones 4. O'Connell 5. Gray 6. Lydiate 7. Warburton (Captain, even though he's lost to the Aussies four times in a row as captain) 8. Faletau 9. Phillips (So he can make plenty of pointless runs that make -0.5m) 10. Priestland (His form has to return some day, right guys?) 11. Bowe 12. Roberts 13. JD2 (The centres need to be familiar with each other) 14. North (Commentators are paid per mention, after all 15. Halfpenny (How else will they kick points?) 
Plucky Brit fucked around with this message at Sep 4, 2012 around 18:09 |
| # ? Sep 4, 2012 18:06 |
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I'd put Sexton over Priestland. And gently caress Mike Phillips. It's strange though, there seems to be a dearth of talent at the same posistions across all 4 nations, looking at 9/10 and the front row is slightly depressing.
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| # ? Sep 4, 2012 23:31 |
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MyChemicalImbalance posted:I'd put Sexton over Priestland. And gently caress Mike Phillips. I know I'm biased, but I think the entire England front row is good, especially Dan Cole, who's been part of several scrum demolitions against the Wallabies. Also Youngs and Care are good scrum-halfs, certainly better than Phillips. Fly-half is a problem, Sexton is the best but still not that good at international level. Personally I think Rennie should be at number 7. Edit: To clarify my team selection above is what I expect Gatland to pick, not what I would like the line up to be. Plucky Brit fucked around with this message at Sep 5, 2012 around 07:15 |
| # ? Sep 5, 2012 07:06 |
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The only good thing about the Lions tour, is that it's next year. If you'd played us (Australia) next week, I'd be predicting a curb-stomping. Now, we've got a chance to pick a decent team. It's highly improbable that we will (if Quade Cooper and the NSW scrum are in the team you'll win by triple digits), but we might.
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| # ? Sep 5, 2012 08:06 |
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Are the Lions those blokes in red that toured NZ in 2005? They were awful.
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| # ? Sep 5, 2012 08:11 |
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Mister Chief posted:Are the Lions those blokes in red that toured NZ in 2005? They were awful. They aren't normally that bad. Also, consider how bad Australia has been playing recently.
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| # ? Sep 5, 2012 08:31 |
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| # ? May 19, 2013 23:54 |
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Mister Chief posted:Are the Lions those blokes in red that toured NZ in 2005? They were awful. Yeah, they should've just spear-tackled Carter off the ball.
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| # ? Sep 5, 2012 08:52 |
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