2018/19 Challenge Cup Pool Stages

[TRF_Olyy]

 

[Tooting Carmen]

Methinks there'll be home wins in all those matches except for Timisoara.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Tom Curry back from injury

I didn't think he'd be back until after Christmas.
Reignites my sordid dreams of an Underhill Curry flank partnership for England

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Timisoara Saracens reportedly fined 30,000 Euro for having to cancel a match due to heavy snow. This is the second time for them I think, and they can't afford these sort of penalties.

The sooner this awful year for Romanian rugby ends, the better (Lievremont also stood down as international coach after two games).

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Seems ridiculous that they've been fined because of the weather

Did they fail to prepare in anyway?
Like it was a frozen pitch that got it called off and they didn't put covers/heaters out or something?

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Seems ridiculous that they've been fined because of the weather

Did they fail to prepare in anyway?
Like it was a frozen pitch that got it called off and they didn't put covers/heaters out or something?

Apparently the EPRC are claiming they could have made a better effort to put down covers and make better use of under soil heating. But weather conditions inland in Europe are a far more severe in winter than we get in the UK and there is a reason why the Russian and Romanian leagues don't play in the depths of winter.

Apparently Timisoara's English stablemates Saracens were allowed to cancel a match due to negligence in not gritting a footpath and reschedule it to Monday (without penalty?).

A Tale of Two Saracens!

An article on the weather below.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/46584808

 

[TRF_Olyy]

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Sale Team: 15.Chris Ashton; 14.Denny Solomona, 13. Sam James, 12.James O'Connor, 11. Arron Reed; 10.Kieran Wilkinson, 9.Faf de Klerk; 1.Ross Harrison, 2.Rob Webber, 3.WillGriff John, 4.Bryn Evans, 5.James Phillips, 6.Jono Ross (capt.), 7.Tom Curry, 8.Josh Strauss.

Replacements: 16.Curtis Langdon, 17.Tom Bristow, 18. Joe Jones, 19.Andrei Ostrikov, 20.Ben Curry, 21.Will Cliff, 22.Luke James, 23.Cameron Redpath

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Challenge Cup have finally joined the 21st century and are actually streaming a bunch of games on their site via Daily Motion,
No comms but it's actually pretty interesting hearing just the ref mics at full volume/hearing the players so loudly


Edit: Never underestimate Sale's ability to **** the bed when there's a possibility of knock out rugby on the horizon.

 

[Tooting Carmen]

Ospreys lost at home to an understrength Worcester due to a last-minute drop goal!

 

[TommiG88]

Not going to change the result but Clermonts 2nd try was offside. How can an interception not be looked at when it leads to a try.

 

[TommiG88]

That should be a penalty try. 2 high tackles to stop him going over...

Edit: Lacey is f****** useless.

 

[TommiG88]

Down fall; poor defending out wide.

Lacey was only refereeing one side though

 

[FrenchFan]

Just saw the highlights 13 tries ! Northampton came out to play and gave Clermont a right game.
Clermont are going to take the Cup hard to see who's going to stop them.

 

[Groundhog]

Sounds like Connacht grabbed a huge comeback win in France to make the quarter finals. Great to see. ill be interesting to see how far they go, they're always reliable to make the quarters and then seem to fall short of the occasion.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Sounds like Connacht grabbed a huge comeback win in France to make the quarter finals. Great to see. ill be interesting to see how far they go, they're always reliable to make the quarters and then seem to fall short of the occasion.

Without actually looking it up properly it sounds like we're playing them again (in Sale) as our quarter final.
Apparently Bristol are playing someone from their group in their quarter final as well.

What a shithouse competition that they can't even make the quarters interesting.

 

[TommiG88]

Without actually looking it up properly it sounds like we're playing them again (in Sale) as our quarter final.
Apparently Bristol are playing someone from their group in their quarter final as well.

What a shithouse competition that they can't even make the quarters interesting.

And Saints are going to Clermont-Auvergne again