The Dew Drop Inn Virtual Rugby Pub, Trebanog

First topic message reminder :

Hello and 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 pub has made its way to Trebanog, the home village of Cliff Morgan.

So grab a beer, cider, whiskey or wine.... or a warm beverage and sit back and enjoy the 2013-14 rugby season.

              

The only rule in this pub is one of mutual respect for everyone in it, oh and no tampering with the pictures of the legendary
Cliff Morgan, Dorothy Squires & Esme Coles, Jason Tovey, Aaron Smith and Monterey Jack.  

last Pawb: https://www.606v2.com/t46425p1050-the-dew-drop-inn-virtual-rugby-pub-ealing-broadway#2269373

America's Cup, Is New Zealand's Cup.

I can't say I've ever been into sailing, Laurie. I hear New Zealanders are pretty handy sailors though.

Bore da pawb / good morning all. Well, yesterday was a proud day for European rugby...

I take it you mean this, lucky...


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/24038523

All I will say is that the English and French gave due notice to quit and advised ERC and the Pro12 unions they would set up their own competition if the Pro12 teams did not agree to rejig qualification and the spread of money. I am not surprised by this move.

There's a meeting today, as I understand it. The PRL and LNR could have waited a day, surely?

I just had the unusual experience of having to dodge rugby balls (and a basketball?) being thrown around a local sportshop by the Ulster lads!

Chris Farrell will be some size when he grows up!

 

You dodged them all successfully, yes?

I did indeed!

I even returned a couple to Robbie!

Still haven't quite worked out why one of our backs was cycling round the inside of the shop though!

 

Well some people react to defeat in strange ways...

 

Brilliant!!!!!

I thought he must have misheard instructions from Mark Annscombe.

After our poor performance at the breakdown on Friday he probably told the guys we had to brush up on our recycling!

Ha, that would make sense!

Luckless Pedestrian wrote:There's a meeting today, as I understand it. The PRL and LNR could have waited a day, surely?

Lucky - in that case the joint PRL/NRL announcement was perfectly timed, from their pov.

This is designed to get the Pro12 representatives to take their heads out of the sand, where they have been stuck since this whole thing kicked off.

Not too sure how you have come to the conclusion that the Pro12 are the ones to blame for the impasse.

 

Sounds like what you wanted was capitulation, not negotiation. There seemed to be a lot of that about.

Shame they seem to have killed the best rugby competition in the NH.

Hound, it was perfectly timed if their aim was to antagonise the parties they haven't made headway with thus far. I'm not sure that's the best approach if you really want compromise.

Unfortunately it's called brinkmanship. I'm not saying I agree with this latest development at all - just that ERC and the Pro12 reps underestimated the resolve of the PRL, and especially LNR, to effect some change in the HC.

The French stance was not expected by the Pro12 imo and this joint announcement should at least see something happen in Dublin today.

It looks like it has, Hound. I really hope this all gets resolved.

How could I not want a pan European HC after all the epic meet ups.

Plus my own trips with Wasps over the years.

Ah, I've just seen the Beeb article, lucky. More dithering, and yet another meeting called by ERC.

Mind you, who knows what was said today. This could be a last chance for all concerned to consider what's at stake.

Another meeting is another meeting. If it's all over, at least it isn't all over yet.

Yeah, true. I suppose that was the only logical outcome. If only to give all concerned a chance to seek agreement (hopefully).

Did you see that the Dragons have given Toby F a lecture about his fitness? Must have enjoyed his hols

I think I know what Lyn Jones is up to there. It wouldn't surprise me if Toby wasn't that unfit at all!

 

Having a bit of a morning of it so far!

The wee fella had to be at the airport at 6am so we set the alarm for 5am.

Woke up and looked at the clock to see how long till the alarm and ...



5:38



 

 

I had a similar thing yesterday morning, MrsP. My alarm went off at 5 as usual and I snoozed it for five minutes as usual; at least, I thought I'd snoozed it. I looked at the curtains and thought it looked a bit light, looked at the clock and it was quarter past six! It wasn't so bad because I usually sit in a stupor drinking tea until 6 anyway, so I was only two minutes late for work.

Just tried to phone a client. It went straight to voicemail. His voicemail is

"Hello, alright? 'Ash key? Where's the 'ash key now 'en..."

Our wee lad does that on a daily basis. We wake him and he goes straight back to sleep.

This morning our alarm just did not go off. The switch was not quite slid far enough. Not sure if the wee one had futtered with it on her way to bed.

I have nearly missed very early flights because I have changed the alarm to stupid o'clock but I have mistakenly set it for stupid:pm rather than stupid:am.

I specifically checked last night that I hadn't done that but didn't check the wee switch was fully home. It could only have been a fraction of a millimeter out but...

Anyway, he has landed in Leeds so he must have been okay. There were plenty of others just arriving when he got dropped off.

How's things?

I'm grand thanks, MrsP. I've managed to wangle an early finish for tomorrow, so today is my last full day of work before my week on the Algarve!

Glas, that reminds me of a story my sister told me. A (male) friend of hers was on a night out and was in the toilets of some bar or other washing hands after a slash; in comes an old friend of his, who, after they'd said hello, saw what he was doing and said, "washing your 'ands, is it? There's posh you are!"

Struggling to see the connection there Lucky!

 

So...Holidays is it then?

 

Maybe it was just the dropping of the H!

Yep, a week in the sun. I can't wait.  

Don't know why you're excited?

Sun, sea, sand, rest....

Sounds horrible!

The only horrible thing about it is that I'll miss our home game against the Scarlets.

Is it my imagination or do those games tend to be fairly tetchy affairs?

We've had some seriously low-quality matches against the Scarlets - and I'm not saying that because they usually win! But yes, the last few at Dave Parade have seen yellow cards handed out.

There is a connection Mrs P, they are a certain type.

Enjoy your holiday Lucky....this time next week I'll be getting ready for a week in tenerife...can't wait! Half board so only booze to worry about too!

Thanks Prop, you too. I like going on holiday this time of year just as it's starting to get autumnal. It means arriving home to autumnal weather, but I've got a weekend in Amsterdam in October to look forward to as well.

I keep meaning to email Gibbo about that. To check he won't be in town.

Sheep sale season is in full swing so I've not had time to think about let alone watch much rugby. Anything momentous happening?

Afternoon all. I've read a good chunk of the HC thread - not had much time for 606 over the last few days. Some fairly strident views on there!

Wasps' Tom  Varndell sidelined for four months Josh Bassett is a useful replacement though.

There's some good points made on the HC thread, but the volume of posts is a bit much to keep up with. But then it just shows how strongly people feel about it.

Oh aye lucky. It's a bit like wading through the BOD/JD2 stuff.



How's the 'Port and the pooch?

The 'Port is okay, Hound - no shootings today, as far as I've heard. The pup (she's a year and a half now, but I still call her the pup) is in fine fettle and zonked out next to me on the sofa. I'll be dropping her off at her grandparents' tomorrow evening - they have three dogs themselves, so she'll have a whale of a time until I come back from the Algarve.

Have a great holiday bud. Glad to hear all is well in Gwentistan.

Have a great holiday Lucky  

Two weeks tomorrow and I'm leaving on a jet plane too! Can't wait!  Another cake to make in the meantime though. Chocolate cake with buttercream and strawberries this time

I'm leaving in a fortnight to Espana. So I will miss the Zebre game on the 5th, but I'll take that one.

Either have a crack on my ribs or a popped cartilage. Haven't been able to breathe properly since Saturday (full breaths) and definitely got impacted in it (by my own team mate) whilst playing. So I have a week off (at least) from playing. Gutted. I also have a kind of constant cramping in my one quad when I run, which I don't really get what's happening. Been happening for a while, but I've been ignoring it.

Never mind, with frigged ribs and breathing issues, at least I have packed the old bonfires in.

Rev - good luck with all of that.

Howya swanny

Sheesh, we had some guy sat at our table in the pub tonight who got all heavy about about religious stuff; very intense, not to mention boring. I went out for a smoke with one of the other people at the table who said "He's 'barking'".

I said "More likely Upminster - further up the line than Barking."

You have to know the London Underground lines to get that one.

I will be making my excuses and moving away next time he shows up. Hard blydi work he was. I don't go out to listen to that rubbish.

Rant over.

The Green Army (Ealing) will be at Allianz Park (Saracens new home) for the London Championship double header on Saturday. I warn anyone who has to go there - it is a long way from a station, and no pubs near it.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151621140995969

I know its not rugby, but, another big day on San Francisco harbour.

Americas Cup is New Zealands Cup.

Glas a du wrote:https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151621140995969

Good for wee Shane but some of the defending from the opposition would be not acceptable on an U14 side here.

 

The attacking strategy seems to be "Give the ball to Shane!".

Are his team running away with the league?

And just as often "4 men to mark Shane" who all end up getting in each other's way!

Glas a du wrote:And just as often "4 men to mark Shane" who all end up getting in each other's way!

I was reading about the game over there... Japanese rugby is basically a vehicle for advertising and brand prestige in Japan. Each term is controlled by a corporation who don't necessarily invest in grassroots or academies, instead they largely look to run invest heavily in marquee players while neglecting spending on all the important things that grow the game. Whilst some European and Southern Hemisphere stars are lining their pension funds in empty stadiums the game as a whole is going downhill in Japan- in terms of attendances, quality of homegrown player and quality of the league- and if the corporations who've essentially bought Japanese rugby decide tomorrow to abandon it, the game will founder and fail altogether.

Bit of a cautionary tale for Europe.

Boom off to blues vs Connacht to see my adopted Irish team for first time!