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Champions Cup - Pool 2, Round 1 (Castres, Harlequins, Leinster, Wasps)

TRF_Olyy

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Round 1 Fixtures

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tough. tou-tou-tou-tough for Castres. Nobody expected them to be bottom of the table at any time past the first 2 or 3 Days...vice-champs who gave Toulon the hardest time in their run last year again...rise and fall of an empire, rate: exponential. Their off-season transfers went awfully wrong. They throw away essential components to Racing in Dulin the best 14 in the Top 15 (or the other way around, I dunno, can't be fkd..) and Antonie Classen and pick up monument Sivivatu who hasn't played a single second yet...(and won't start this weekend). Add to that the guy I consider the co-best centre in France, Rémy Lamerat, is injured for a month...their bad form and terrible confidence levels...yi-motherfuccking-ikes !
shieeeeeeeeeeeeet...
Quins don't seem in such a crisis right now...plus Castres haven't done well at European level, even last year they put up great fights with little against Leinster but, it was only so much...

I think the Harlequins should handicap themselves, for equity's sake, and deliberately lose a couple of their best players and start the game very softly.
 
Even in our current state anything but a home 1/4 is underachieving in this pool.

Don't think so. The Leinster of 2 or 3 years ago yes but not this team plagued by injuries and playing such a poor style of rugby. Quins and Wasps will definitely provide a tough challenge.
 
Why do you think this is such a weak pool...?

1. Castres don't travel well.
2. Harlequins aren't heavy enough up front to mix with the big boys.
3. Wasps are slightly above average... at best.
4. Leinster are but a shadow of their former selves.

Compared to Pool 1 or 3, by dint of having no genuine contenders for the cup in a vein of form, its weak.
 
Amiga, I'm not asking for an objective verdict of the pool, I'm asking why Leinster are going to find it so easy.

Wasps this season by the way are the best we've been for many years. Describing them as at best average is neither up to date nor fair.

Castres may not travel well but I don't see why any of the teams in the pool can actively expect to beat them in their own back yard right now.

Quins have plenty of class but admittedly look lost right now I'll concede.

I think there will be some tight games in this pool though I fear we pack the 80 minute game to win away against Europe's best. We SHOULD be hard to beat at home, though..
 
I'm expecting a tough match, we're not in any great shape and the attacking ability of some of Wasp's players is terrifying.
 
don't expect much from Castres. Dunno how many of you follow Top 14 at all, but they're currently towards bottom of the table and were dead last for a few weekends. They can't even focus on what's essential to them, the French championship, so expect even less than last year's input. They might basically throw games away this year, expect some good poundings when at Leinster or others. Plus they've had huge trouble with injury, smt that doesn't seem to be resolved soon.
 
hope to god Leinster do enough to qualify (yeah, we are playin that bad at the moment) and hopefully in the new year most / all of the injured players will be back. When this draw was made most people would look for two from Leinster / Quins / Castes to qualify. Castres are bottom of the Top 14. quins are so- so and Leinster are pure ****e. what odds on Wasps, who are playing quite well at the moment, topping the group?
 
I'm expecting a tough match, we're not in any great shape and the attacking ability of some of Wasp's players is terrifying.

Its actually our back-row who are the most influential at the moment (and front row) we have pretty much the most physical back-row around and its causing teams big problems. If wasps are able to do well in this pool it will be because of a dominant pack rather than the backs per se ( where we still rely on individual brilliance rather than well drilled strikes and sustained probing)

I still fear for us in Dublin as we don't travel well - despite the irony Amiga points to about us lacking a true home!!
 
Its actually our back-row who are the most influential at the moment (and front row) we have pretty much the most physical back-row around and its causing teams big problems. If wasps are able to do well in this pool it will be because of a dominant pack rather than the backs per se ( where we still rely on individual brilliance rather than well drilled strikes and sustained probing)

I still fear for us in Dublin as we don't travel well - despite the irony Amiga points to about us lacking a true home!!

Oh don't worry I know it's just I back our pack to handle any pack out there except Toulon's. I'm also including Johnson and Hughes' ball carrying in that terrifying attack.

Our backline is one of the slowest out there at this moment in time I would say, so atm it's the ridiculous pace of some of your backs which worry me the most at the moment.



http://www.thescore.ie/nathan-hughes-wasps-1728970-Oct2014/

I have to wonder why players still do that? It's probably mind games but some really **** ones imo.

I mean first off with the amount of video analysis done these days not knowing any of the opposition is criminal. Players are also coached on talking to the media and surely not saying anything to give the other team a chip on their shoulder is part of that.

Not really watching rugby isn't really a viable excuse. Heaslip readily admits he doesn't really watch rugby but he can still at least name the opposition's key players because he's a pro.
 
I still fear for us in Dublin as we don't travel well - despite the irony Amiga points to about us lacking a true home!!

Just on that - whats your take on it? (Ricoh)

Good move for everyone involved? Or good move for the club side only? Or just a bad show all round?


Here is another question - West Ham are moving to the Olympic Stadium - so what happens Upton Park? Would that have been a possible candidate for purchase by Wasps?

edit: Although I suppose the difference of 20 million for Rioch vs ~70 million for Upton Park would have something to do with it!
 
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I thought the owner of Wasps has a big share in the stadium in Coventry. He wants to move Wasps to try make the stadium more profitable.
 
Just on that - whats your take on it? (Ricoh)

Good move for everyone involved? Or good move for the club side only? Or just a bad show all round?


Here is another question - West Ham are moving to the Olympic Stadium - so what happens Upton Park? Would that have been a possible candidate for purchase by Wasps?

edit: Although I suppose the difference of 20 million for Rioch vs ~70 million for Upton Park would have something to do with it!

it's being turned into houses/apartments.
 
it's being turned into houses/apartments.

I gather it was only sold earlier this year - so I'd assume there was some* overlap between it being available and the Wasps Stadium search.

*given that search has been ongoing over many years....
 

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