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Not talking about favorites, who should still be Leinster because of your present level and history in HCup.Originally Posted by TRF_Feicarsinn
But I think you should prepare like if playing in Stade MICHELIN, and not in a pseudo neutral stadium, because it will be exactly the same in terms of ambiance.
For Irish supporters Bordeaux should just be an advantage in terms of airlines connections.
Last edited by Mr.cyclopede; 08-04-12 at 06:18 PM.
It's never quite the same, not the same feeling of ease, every pitch is slightly different and so on...
If these games were to be played in Stade Michelin and Ravenhill, I think you could close enough just skip to the final.
Ah, there's that rule where "home" teams don't get to play at their home, isn't there?
I think Leinster will win, tbh.
Ulster vs Edinburgh will be interesting
Yup. Although they do get to play in their own country.
I'm slightly curious as to which Embra turns up. I might, they've taken their HC chances very well this season, but they're 11th in the Rabble Pro, and so far Ulster's record against them this season is 2 bonus point wins, with 80 points scored against 36. I hate feeling this confident tbh, its rarely well advised...
Agree that players won't have the same marks like if they are at M.Michelin, but in terms of ambiance, it will be like playing in the "chaudron".
Club has already booked coaches, 20€/seat with sandwich included. For the drink I suppose supporters will only have to manage by themselves !!
Yeah, but it's not essentially the atmosphere I'd be worried about. We've won in hostile places this season, but I think mentally there's a big difference for both sets of players between playing in Clermont and playing in Bordeaux. While Clermont are still at home, they're not in their fortress, so you'd imagine that'd play on their minds very slightly.
Well seems that we won't never agree here, keep on thinking that every spirit (players and supporters) will act like being at home, and only players who need precise marks (kickers, game organizers) will have to find theirs here.
I suppose the team should come early in the week before the match to invest the stadium that way.
Reading french forums let me think that as a lot of people here are already projecting on this semi, like Clermont's 2nd place doesn't seem to be in danger up to this date.
congratulations to that idiot of a commentator Dewi Morris for calling Zirakashvili ... Yachvili
That "rule" will probably cost us the final...I have no doubt we would have won at home, but in Bordeaux...?!
Understand it, but when I think back of how Clermont's supporters invaded the british stadium yesterday, no doubts that they will consider Bordeaux as a fortress.
It's a long time now that I didn't hear The Marseillaise in a club match, especially not at home. Moreover Clermont is the last French club running for the title, this semi will more look like a France vs Ireland for French people as Irish are still divided in their difference province.
Now we don't forget Leinster is the favorite.
Why Bordeaux and not Lyon? Their stadium doesn't host a soccer match that weekend and it's much closer to Clermont.
Last edited by Nielsch; 09-04-12 at 08:45 AM.
Looks like Lyon (the city or the foot club) refused the rugby date
Edit: It's the football club who refused, the same usual pretext of the field conditions after a rugby match...
Last edited by Mr.cyclopede; 09-04-12 at 03:55 PM.
I didn't get to see the game but it's clear Saracens have some head-scratching to do and Clermont don't... I thought even before the match that Leinster looked about a mile better than any other team in Europe, so I doubt we could have turned them over at Twickenham anyway.
It's clear that the salary cap has a detrimental effect on the depth and quality of English squads. It's also clear that this did not have anything to do with the Clermont match.
Saracens are still a good team, they're still English champions, they've done very well in 5 out of 7 Heineken games this season and they're still well-placed to defend their trophy. Panic stations it is not.
But this defeat (and the one to Quins & Saints earlier in the season) shows us several things., mainlly that we don't seem to have a plan B.
Saracens win big games with dominant forward displays, dogged defence and efficient kicking.
I've no complaints about kicking, but there's several times this season our defence has been stretched. We can cope with missing Kelly Brown, and we can cope with missing Jacques Burger, but we can't cope with missing both of them. Missing Saull isn't too helpful either, and considering Joubert's been off colour this season, it leaves our back row looking like a major weak point.
A dominant scrum is also essential, and Saracens have lost this. Gill has come on leaps and bounds, and with an in-form Nieto, that's a good prop pairing. But Nieto's off form and I personally don't want to see Stevens near our starting lineup for the rest of the season, because he leaks penalties and is as consistent at scrum time as Cian Healy. Saracens really need to get rid of Nieto/ Stevens over the summer and sign a quality tighthead.
The backline is not so much of a problem. Yes our attack is blunt, but it's better on paper than we had last season... any half-decent backline looks good behind a dominant forward pack, and I feel its the lack of the latter that has exposed our poor cutting edge. It would help, of course, if Strettle was in form, but he's been shite for the last couple months. Maybe signing someone like Matt Tait or a younger Ratuvou might give us other options at 13.
Steven's looks like he's packed on a load of weight since the RWC as well.
It's as if he was working incredibly hard to get back in to the England squad/to the WC, now he is/has he's let it go and he's got a bigger belly than Caucau...
I was there and took a very nervous young nephew who was immediately freaked out by all the noise before getting into it with gusto, maybe something for child psychologists to research: do Rugby crowds help shy kids?
Anyway he may have enjoyed his day out but I certainly didn't. Possibly the poorest performance by Sarries I've seen for a while now and I'm worried it goes beyond missing guys like Brown, Burger, Saul, etc.
For about 60 minutes or so until Nieto, Wray, etc came on there honestly did not seem to be any major urgency that you see with the Leinsters or Ulsters or...well...Clermonts of this world! The way passes were bouncing out of hands or the lazy passing at times from both De Kock and Wiggy was worthy of multiple facepalms and no matter how hard Hodgson tried (and to his credit he bloody tried his hardest) out of that back line only Strettle (worth every penny btw) really looked interested in making any headway.
We may have complaints about the salary cap but I honestly don't think it is valid when you have teams like Leicester and Saints who with clever purchases and stringent regimes have either made it to finals or won the damn thing. On a budget. Against teams with spending power far outstripping their own.
I think if we had a full strength team on Sunday with a plan B or even a plan C that would have been irrelevant because the overall attitude would have cost us the game anyway and that is immensely disappointing. Its something I sincerely hope Farrell, McCall and Venter have stern words for these guys today because if they keep playing like that whoever we get in the Premiership semis will be seriously entertaining thoughts of an easy route A to Twickenham...
EDIT: Also if the match is in France with a massive Clermont crowd then well...heh Leinster better get ready for some noise...haven't seen a foreign contingent raid an English ground so successfully since Munster sacked the Shed at Kingsholm....
Last edited by Prestwick; 10-04-12 at 08:08 AM.
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