HC final - Saracens vs Toulon - Cardiff - Wilko vs Farrell.....

First topic message reminder :

Should be a cracker (England vs France) with two of the best teams in the NH playing each other in a celebration of rugby, can't wait to get there and soak up the atmosphere before, during and after the game, roll on 24th May.

Advantage Saracens in the scrum but the ground seems to be tearing up easily...

Good old Cardiff pitch

BamBam wrote:Good old Cardiff pitch

feckin embarrassment. If they cannot provide decent turf, they should fit the hybrid pitch they installed next door.

Jaysus, that was close...

How long till Barnes starts getting excited about Toulon?

Toulon are defo there for the taking.

Think there's a YC coming up?

There it is Saint.

Rafael Ibanez thinks that Lobbe is very lucky not to see red for that...

Nachos Jones wrote:Rafael Ibanez thinks that Lobbe is very lucky not to see red for that...

Should have been a red. Extremely dangerous tackle.

Toulon must be living offside

profitius wrote:

Nachos Jones wrote:Rafael Ibanez thinks that Lobbe is very lucky not to see red for that...

Should have been a red. Extremely dangerous tackle.

Agree, really pulled him into a dangerous position. Its why I like watching France TV, Ibanez is so unbiased and calls the game as it is.

Surely Strettle took him in the air there?

You would have thought such an esteemed ref would have seen the tackle in the air and save everone the pain of the tmo......oh no ofcourse its the worst ref in international rugby, given the biggest game of the club year.

Oh what a try

LondonTiger wrote:

BamBam wrote:Good old Cardiff pitch

feckin embarrassment. If they cannot provide decent turf, they should fit the hybrid pitch they installed next door.

They're getting the same one as at Twickenham this summer. This should be the last big game on this turf

The game of rugby is being ruined,if they don't want people to clash in the air then just outlaw jumping cos these yellow and red cards are a joke.

Love watching Botha get clobbered.

asoreleftshoulder wrote:The game of rugby is being ruined,if they don't want people to clash in the air then just outlaw jumping cos these yellow and red cards are a joke.

Lobbe lost the competition for the ball and then dragged him into a dangerous position by not releasing his shirt. It was not a clash it was cynical play. Correct yellow card.

Botha played the ball on the ground there,should have been a penalty to Saracens.

asoreleftshoulder wrote:The game of rugby is being ruined,if they don't want people to clash in the air then just outlaw jumping cos these yellow and red cards are a joke.

There's only been one yellow card in this game and it was pulling a guy down by his shirt so he became completely unbalanced. Really don't see the problem with yellow (although didn't think red)

Chances of Bakkies absolutely annihilating someone in the next 5 mins ?

Nachos Jones wrote:

asoreleftshoulder wrote:The game of rugby is being ruined,if they don't want people to clash in the air then just outlaw jumping cos these yellow and red cards are a joke.

Lobbe lost the competition for the ball and then dragged him into a dangerous position by not releasing his shirt. It was not a clash it was cynical play. Correct yellow card.

Yeah it was correct by the way the rules are currently interpreted.The game has gone soft so it'd be better to outlaw jumping and we could see 15 v 15 more often.

I'm sorry but when has grabbing a guy who's in the air and deliberately pulling him down like that ever been ok?

asoreleftshoulder wrote:

Nachos Jones wrote:

asoreleftshoulder wrote:The game of rugby is being ruined,if they don't want people to clash in the air then just outlaw jumping cos these yellow and red cards are a joke.

Lobbe lost the competition for the ball and then dragged him into a dangerous position by not releasing his shirt. It was not a clash it was cynical play. Correct yellow card.

Yeah it was correct by the way the rules are currently interpreted.The game has gone soft so it'd be better to outlaw jumping and we could see 15 v 15 more often.

I have no problems with competing for the ball in the air, I really don't. But there was no competing in that incident. It was cynical play, pure and simple.

Well that could have gone horribly wrong for Sarries...

Nachos Jones wrote:

asoreleftshoulder wrote:

Nachos Jones wrote:

asoreleftshoulder wrote:The game of rugby is being ruined,if they don't want people to clash in the air then just outlaw jumping cos these yellow and red cards are a joke.

Lobbe lost the competition for the ball and then dragged him into a dangerous position by not releasing his shirt. It was not a clash it was cynical play. Correct yellow card.

Yeah it was correct by the way the rules are currently interpreted.The game has gone soft so it'd be better to outlaw jumping and we could see 15 v 15 more often.

I have no problems with competing for the ball in the air, I really don't. But there was no competing in that incident. It was cynical play, pure and simple.

Meh,I won't argue the point as I'm not really commenting on this incident nor do I feel that strongly against that particular yellow card.The general trend now where every time 2 players compete in the air and someone lands awkwardly means a card of some sort is what I hate,why have a facet of the game where unless your timing is 100% correct you run a high risk of a card.

I'll let it go as this isn't really the thread for a debate on the way the game is ruled.

Well no. Not from what I've seen. If two players compete in the air it's considered fair game. If one is on the floor, they take the fall (pun not intended) for the consequences.

Anyways, back to the game. I feel that Sarries really missed a trick there in the first half, Toulon looked there for the taking and I fear that they will only get better.

Yeah. They came back against Quins last week but Toulon are NOT Quins. Can't see them clawing this back.

Well that's one way they can get back in the game, scrum penalties

Wigglesworth is a horrible dawdler. Useless.

Wiggesworth needs to be replaced.

Hood83 wrote:Wigglesworth is a horrible dawdler. Useless.

Sometimes he is but I think he got a little stamp in on Bakkies Botha's head there so that's worth something.

Not a great advert for European rugby.......

Bad call Alain but guess he couldnt see it

England needs to use armitage.

I would be bringing Hodgson on myself, Farrell has been really ineffective today.

Ashton has been very good again today for Sarries. Giving Lancaster some food for thought.

Game over

That was clearly forward whatever interpretation you use (1st pass to Smith)

That was quality there. That will be it for Saracens. Shame really as their demolition of ASM made me think they might go all the way.

Jaysus, Habana didn't make the most of that did he... That's poor from Habana.

"Hands out" then play on? Usually that's Nigel Owen's play.

Habana deserves an Oscar for that (but a penalty was right)

Habana to get a call up at Liverpool next season. What the heck was that

How can a hate a man I used to love so much(JW)

To be fair to the ref, he did say to Borthwick "he did dive a bit".

I have a lot of respect for Habana, I think he's been a great role model throughout his career, which just makes that all the more disappointing. It was, of course, a penalty but Bryan... sniper in the stand much? Rolland handled that well.

Too late in bringing Hodgson on. He needed to be on after 50mins I feel.

A penalty was the correct call for the offence, however, I would have reversed the decision for the blatant dive. Habana should be ashamed of himself.

Not a Saries fan and defiantly not a Farrell fan, but I hate seeing bad sportsmanship like diving.... Bad show Habana...