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Cardiff Blues v Northampton Saints

"The Cardiff Blues v Northampton Saints Heineken Cup Round 4 match is still scheduled to go ahead on Sunday 19 December, 3.00pm kick off.

Cardiff City Stadium as a venue will next be assessed on Saturday morning at 11am and with the extreme weather conditions expected to ease off in late morning, 28 hours before kick off, we remain optimistic that the match will go ahead."
 
Quite a bit of "tension" in this one xD yellow card to a northampton player at 30m.. 9-6 so far to the blues..
 
Cardiff had lots of territory but lacking the finishing pass.

Northampton seem to be happy to keep it up the jumper for now and wait for Cardiff to tire.
 
Try for richard mustoe, seems cardiff ahve come out of the chaning room better so far than northampton.. first time this game have stopped the northampton scrum from dominating them.
 
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Cardiff gave been their own worst enemies all season.

Harsh try looked like gethin may have gotten underneath it.

Very disappointing.
 
my bad its richard mustoe.. misheard the commentator.. either way bad result for cardiff.. Rush's sending off was the start of the end. Scrumtime was poor but northampton most ofthe time their front row popped up first and then they got the penalty :| not entirely sure how it works they were going forward and cardiff going backwards slowly sometimes they pop up then the penalty goes their way :/

was a good game though.
 
Dan Parks is a bit ****, isn't he?
Missing touch a few times, one which resulted in Northampton's 'try'. It looked like it was help up.
 
What were he cards for? Missed all the game today driving

First one to a northampton guy was tripping rees from a ruck iirc, he was on the floor and he tripped him. Warburtons was for kicking the ball out of the scrum halfs hands when he was at the floor at a ruck. Then rush's red card was for a high tackle, lawes got the ball and rush hit him with a sholder to the jawish region
 
When playing for Scotland, Parks is used to being the only back option.
Cardiff at least have some good backs...
 
Then rush's red card was for a high tackle, lawes got the ball and rush hit him with a sholder to the jawish region

It was a mistimed tackle which turned into a full on clothesline. Xavier "JBL" Rush with a clothesline from hell, if you will.
 
Right, now I'm very hungover I'll put my analysis on the game:

- Cardiff clearly were more interested in having a scrap then playing rugby - Martin Williams being held at arms length by a laughing Tom Wood & Lawes holding ***o in the same fashion was tantamount to this.
- Does Paul ***o ever get pinged? Horrible gobshite was stamping last week, swinging forearms left, right and centre this week and generally acting the arse. The idea of winding up Hartley backfired as he clearly wound himself and his team up instead.
- Rush can feel very unlucky for what has clearly a dangerous, but completely accidental high shot on Lawes. Was a red card no matter what bullshit the Western Mail try to claim otherwise.
- Ref wasn't brilliant, but purely because he never stamped his authority on the game early enough. If he'd set his stable out early, I doubt nearly as many of the high tempers would have risen if he'd done so.
- The scoreline flattered Cardiff somewhat. A lot of silly penalties given away by Saints made Cardiff keep interest, much the same as last week.
- Tonga'uiha must be considered one of, if not THE, best LHs in the world by now?
- I have no idea why the Saints try was awarded. Clark was well short of the line & Hartley was millimetres away. There would have been a score coming from the move, but it hadn't been scored yet. 2 more phases were required IMO.
- Cardiff should do DGs more often. They'd win a lot more if they took the points whenever they could - Too many times they've got just about up to the 22 then been turned over from what I've seen.
- Dan Parks is utter garbage. Sorry, he really is terrible.
- Anybody see what Downey did to get binned? I thought it was Hartley & ***o who were going to be given their marching orders when Downey left.
- Jamie Roberts clearly improved Cardiffs backline (despite Parks), but he's still a long way off his brilliant best.
- Saints never got out of 3rd gear. I wonder what they can do to improve the gameplan before the KO stages.
- A 5 pointer against Edinburgh should be good enough to see Saints play a 1/4 final in Milton Keynes. Castres should end the Scots interest in the competition completely this afternoon.
 
- Anybody see what Downey did to get binned? I thought it was Hartley & ***o who were going to be given their marching orders when Downey left.

was downey the guy who got binned at the start (30 mins in) or at the end? if it was the start it was tripping if at the end I missed that one :/
 
I felt Hartley was lucky not to be sin-binned. He took out Shanklin off the ball using his elbow and then did not use his arms to tackle Rush but his shoulder. Oh well, hopeully we can get to the Amlin and have a crack at that again. Still possible but we would have to win both matches and get a bonus point against Castres to make sure of second. :mellow:
 
Rush tbh wont get a ban, at least shouldn't looking at the replays just before contact is made lawes is quite low so was accidental as the speed he hit it'd been hard to adjust to hit lower.. Oh and with replays just before the tackle lawes is on his knee.. no way can you justify it not being a red however as I said it shouldn't be a ban

But either way looks like northampton will likely go through to QF's and even further into the competition depending on the draw (and ofc performance on the day)
 
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Richie Rees has been cited for gouging Hartley. Oh, the irony of it all... :lol:
 
I think despite Lawes slipping Rush will get a ban of a few weeks, likely to a few games into the new year.

Be interesting to see Rees incident, seriously disappointed if its true.
 

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