The Dew Drop Inn Virtual Rugby Pub

First topic message reminder :

Welcome to the virtual rugby pub - a place where you can come in for a sly beverage and discuss whatever's on your mind, or just eavesdrop on the regulars if you fancy a break from all the rugby chat.

The only rule in this pub is one of mutual respect for everyone in it, oh and no defacing the collage of pub regulars. We've got the big group pic from the HEC final in Cardiff, plus insets of ll those who couldn't make it

So pull up a chair....what'll it be?



Last Pub: https://www.606v2.com/t15430p950-the-dew-drop-inn-virtual-rugby-pub#560300

Scrum V is on later. Quite late on I think.

Afternoon/evening all! Somehow got up for NZ match, been to Ikea and my sisters and now time to crash!!!!

Evening. I've been in bed most of the day. Not feeling well at all. I hope it's not going to get any worse. Still, better to get illness out of the way now if I need to go sick. Going to watch Pobl, then back to bed for me.

Scrum V is on BBC1 at 10:25. There's a good U2 documentary on straight afterwards I'd recommend as well. Hope I can wake up for that, I really want to see it. Typical BBC stick good programmes on late on a school night

Well I personally didn't awake until after noon and I don't regret a thing about it. I've been up before 8 the last three weeks and I'll be up same time for another five days.

(I'm sure some farmer is going to come in now and say "you know I blah blah etc." But I'm not actually complaining. I'm not a martyr to the routine I myself have imposed. Its just nice to have a lie-in for once thats all.)

Rugby vs Sleep has been the defining match in this World Cup for me. Rugby started very strongly, but now sleep is making a good comeback. Pundits are dumbfounded trying to pick the winner but the absence of Ireland and the continuing influence of ITV player could be decisive factors in the last moments.

That's fair enough Notch. I slept in this morning myself rather than set the alarm. I did catch the tail end of the game. I'm glad the semi's are on at a more sociable hour.

I had a lay in this morning, twenty past seven!!!

I managed to get up for the rugby today but I had a bit of a lie down on my bed earlier and before I knew it I'd been asleep for almost 2 hrs. Really hope I can still get to sleep later now

Hope you're feeling a bit better Cari

Still aching a bit Dreamer, and have a bad chest, but I'll be OK. Just drinking some hot orange juice to dose myself up.

I'm wide awake too, so I'll probably watch the U2 documentary later if I'm up.

ah well that'll be good then

I'm actually really looking forward to Scrum V later, hopefully they've got some more up to date news on the injuries etc

I was listening to the AB game on talksport this morning and they had Brian Moore as the co commentator. He was talking about Wales as being a potentially great side, and said that he felt that they were the only NH team who could match the SH sides intensity. He said that if France beat Wales they would not be able to beat NZ or Aus, whereas Wales could beat them in the final.

ah that Brian Moore, I always knew I liked him


(in all seriousness I actually do like him).

With the intensity thing I was a bit worried that it was a one off thing against SA but we backed that up against Ireland. We've got to do it again with interest against France now before we even start thinking of the final.

I think if Wales reached the final I would support them against Australia, but not New Zealand. I think my order of preference for winners now is this;

1. New Zealand
2. Wales
3. France
4. Australia.

But I'm not sure whether I want France or Wales to win more? 2 and 3 are interchangable. I'm not a good neutral. I always have to pick sides. Sometimes it's difficult and so quite arbitrary.

Either way if New Zealand are in the Final I'll support them, otherwise I'll support the NH team.

Notch wrote:Well I personally didn't awake until after noon and I don't regret a thing about it. I've been up before 8 the last three weeks and I'll be up same time for another five days.

(I'm sure some farmer is going to come in now and say "you know I blah blah etc." But I'm not actually complaining. I'm not a martyr to the routine I myself have imposed. Its just nice to have a lie-in for once thats all.)

Rugby vs Sleep has been the defining match in this World Cup for me. Rugby started very strongly, but now sleep is making a good comeback. Pundits are dumbfounded trying to pick the winner but the absence of Ireland and the continuing influence of ITV player could be decisive factors in the last moments.

Yup, that will get him up and running. Baaaaaaaaaaaa.

Evening all,

Oh dear.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/15234032.stm

ah yeah there's a thread on that on the international section MrsP, all I can say is:



what's wrong with them?!

I just imagine the England management like a group of school teachers that have taken a crowd of unruly school kids on a trip and can't control them.

I bet they just can't wait to get home and hand them back over to their parents.

I didn't need to open the link to know that would be about England.

Cymro - 3 games out, 3 losses. Robinson back and we win; he does make a huge difference to us. He missed a sitter of a penalty at the end, but it was the last kick of a game already won.We missed Wentzel too, and he was back to add to the set piece.

the title of this article just game me a shiver of fear:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/international/wales/8816952/Rugby-World-Cup-2011-Wales-must-now-deal-with-the-pressure-of-expectation-after-victory-over-Ireland.html

I blydi hate the word expectation when it comes to Wales and rugby.

Not sure why it's taken this long for journalists to realise that Wales would benefit from playing outside of the goldfishbowl that is Wales though, it's always seemed so obvious to me!

Hound_of_Harrow wrote:27-24 to my lot. Relieved!

Went for a spin in the car to listen to that one on the radio. Robinson played well according to the commentators.

Evening all, good rugby day today. I was up at 6 for Aus vs SA, then watched the ABs then out to Wycombe to watch Wasps with Hound and Andy. Bed time isn't far off.

sounds like a fab day Kiwi

Tis almost Downton Abbey time for me, I love that programme. Lovely ending to the day too, I've really enjoyed all the rugby today.

I am quite often amazed by your rugby watching stamina Kiwi.

Nos da. Miss G in bed and I've hit the wall.














P.S. Notch, don't think I didn't see that.












P.P.S. Nor you Gibbo!

Glas a du wrote: I am quite often amazed by your rugby watching stamina Kiwi.

He fits in a fair few games of netball too.

Good to have you with us today kiwi

Actually, for 'rugby stamina', dreamer has benn up and posting on most of the 6am games. Fair play!

I don't quite know how I've managed it Hound, I'm usually rubbish in the mornings. Tis a running joke with my friends that I'm never really fully functional until it's about 12 noon.

Cities of Gold been over a month, only 10 episodes left.

Evening people

I'm the same Dreamer, definitely a night owl. But when I do have reason to get up early I can do it and I love it. Guess it means you're rather more motivated by rugby than you are by work!

ha, who'd have thought it eh Swanny?

Bizarre indeed Dreamer

Ligind dreamer, for your stamina. And at least you have two more games in the competition.

Considered opinion amongst Wasps fans was that England did't deserve to go any further (and I spoke to a fair few today), but Johnson should stay. Then get shot of the coaches bar Rowntree.

Did a couple of posts get deleted back there. I'm sure I responded to (yet another negative) story about England. We are hounded incessantly by the press, no need to rub it in ok!

ah you know what the press is like, they're just as bad here when Welsh players do something stupid. Just think back to when Phillips was excluded from the squad just a few months back!

And my Dad is of the wame opinion as those Wasps fans. He's just pretty disappointed with the whole thing really bless him

I think Johnno should go. He seems stuck in the past, and has made some very poor decisions in terms of team selection.

I wonder what they will talk about on Scrum V tonight

Cymroglan wrote:I wonder what they will talk about on Scrum V tonight

Sheep

he has a bit I guess Pete, that was one of the things my Dad wasn't so sure on. I think what baffled him most was that England changed their game plan from what was working for them so well. Just couldn't understand what happened. Is it more down to the players, or the coaches?

Don't think any rushed decisions should be made anyway.

American football can make you a lot more frustrated than rugby. I feel like ripping up my Wembley tickets!

Pete my understanding is that his contract is up in December anyway so not extending it may be the best option for him and the RU.

He spent 18 months selecting Hape at 12 despite it being clear he is not an international class 12 (decent AP player though), took him to the World Cup and then decided to play Tindall at 12, and when Tindall was injured played Flood there, who has not played there for England for about 3 years.

That makes no sense.

Matt Stevens got his head shoved up his arse in the scrum by Scotland and is a tighthead, whereas in the 6 Nations Alex Corbisiero took Mas to the cleaners, so he plays Stevens at loosehead against Mas and wonders why he again gets his head shoved up his arse.

It is not rocket science.

I could go on, but we would be here all night. Johnno has to go.

well. when you put it like that....

I dunno, there's lots of things for England do decide I guess.


Ooo Scrum V time. I think I'm going to get annoyed with this, they're going to say we can blydi win the thing when we haven't even played France yet! I hate looking ahead.

What song, influenced you, affected you, altered your view - more than any other in your Life?

And why?

This is one of a few for me.

It has resonance for a reason.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSZcK48cTiU&feature=player_detailpage

dreamer, I agree with your dad. England's coaches seem to have stifled the players. We can play good rugby, and have shown that.

To see us not using our attacking threats to maximum effect was disappointing. Our lack of respect for possession - with high risk offloads- was not professional.

I'm over the fact that we're out, but am massively fecked off that we should have done better.

you and my Dad need to meet for a Hound.

Aaah Gibbo, that's an impossible question for me to answer. Too many songs.

Come on girl. You probably have 100's. But, give us one anyway.

This one's for adolescent Lueerve. This is a filim and song moment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=-3lKbMBab18

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=bE1dz6_u2JI

I'm torn on the Johnson issue. I have 2 conflicting views on it.

1 - I think Johnson with the right coaching team can deliver for England. I think he is a man manager, a delegator, a decision maker, a selector and a motivator. He is neither a coach nor tactician and is only as good as the men he surrounds himself with. I think there is still large scope to utilise these skills in the future.

2 - Johnson has made some serious blunders in personnel selection and has not developed any real leaders in the team. He has failed to instill a big game temperament in his side and has not made good on the skills he has. Why should he get another chance?

Could we not not also say that about Kidney?

Gibbo - I was waiting for someone to say it and I agree 1 million per cent.

However, I think that Kidney has already surrounded him with the right team and I believe this is only going to improve with a new backs coach. For now Kidney is still the right choice. Maybe in two years he may step aside.

http://www.itv.com/rugbyworldcup/2011/matches/new-zealand-v-argentina/

Click on the Felipe gracious vid.

I love Felipe.

"Rugby gives you values. They aren't written, but they are for life. "

Agree with you Gibbo. He was always happy to be the pantomine villain when it came to Munster and we loved to hate him. He was so eager to play the role we wanted him to. But when asked this year about Munster (before Toulon played them in HEC) he said:

"The key to Munster Rugby is that they don't have one crucial player whom you can target. Whoever gets into that red jersey does the job. That is what makes them a very good team; it is not about one player you can name. For example if Paul O'Connell is not there, Mick O'Driscoll can play and will produce an outstanding performance. That is what makes them so very special.

Whenever I played against them, it was always the biggest game you could get. It didn't matter whether it was the Heineken Cup or Magners League; it cannot get bigger than a match against them. Playing against them has been one of the best things I have experienced in my rugby career. They are the best memories. Those were very happy times for me."