Connacht - Harlequins (20/01/2012, 20:00)

[Teh Mite]

Amazing what anyone thinks its a surprise Quins are starting to fall over. 15 players with no decent backup. Fatigue kicking in by mid-season, tough going on a heavy pitch, the cursed "favourites tag, Nigel owens and opposition who had nothing to loose on their own patch. Still glad to watch glaws v toulouse

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

I had a feeling this would happen but Connacht won the game with many thanks to Danny Care who gave an unforgettable amount of bad ball or lost ball away. Anyway well done Connacht you saved Ulsters QF spot.

 

[Daniel Richards]

Lol oh dear who is going to play 7 for England v scotland not robshaw ? who is going to captain England in scotland now wood is not playing and robshaw looks like he's not up to it ? Why the scrums and not the penalties . Reminds me of England wales in wembly . Lol

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Presumably Hartley captain,
Still think Robshaw will play 7 but Clark would be the better choice.

 

[Teh Mite]

Presumably Hartley captain,
Still think Robshaw will play 7 but Clark would be the better choice.

has he ever played 7 before?

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Pretty sure he played the majority of his rugby at Leeds at 7, and Lancaster knows his from then too.

 

[j'nuh]

What's his style of play though (I haven't seen much of Northampton)? It doesn't really matter whether he wears the 6 or 7 shirt for his club, I'm more concerned with having a breakdown specialist in the team - it was the one area we kept infringing at when Wood was dropped from the England team.

 

[Peat]

Lol oh dear who is going to play 7 for England v scotland not robshaw ? who is going to captain England in scotland now wood is not playing and robshaw looks like he's not up to it ? Why the scrums and not the penalties . Reminds me of England wales in wembly . Lol

Quins had Connacht on toast in the scrums all day and that was wind was filthy beyond belief. You can see the logic, it was just wrong.

I'm not sure whether to think Marler is better than thought, or laugh long and hard at the Irish Wolfhounds props getting reamed by Marler.

 

[Teh Mite]

What's his style of play though (I haven't seen much of Northampton)? It doesn't really matter whether he wears the 6 or 7 shirt for his club, I'm more concerned with having a breakdown specialist in the team - it was the one area we kept infringing at when Wood was dropped from the England team.

id tag him more of an enforcer then a fecher, plod-along 6.

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

I'm not sure whether to think Marler is better than thought, or laugh long and hard at the Irish Wolfhounds props getting reamed by Marler.

Brett Wilkinson is a pretty good prop- in terms of looseheads in the Irish provinces, he's pretty close to Tom Court and Heinke van der Merwe and better than Wian du Preez and Marcus Horan in my opinion. Ronan Loughney is dreadful however. Loughney was primarily a tighthead until a couple of seasons ago but shifted to the other side because he kept having his ass handed to him and wasn't as good as either Jamie Hagan or Robbie Morris. The move served him well and he did okay as backup to Wilkinson. The fact that Rodney Ah You and Stewart Maguire have been so poor (and injured) is the only reason he's been starting at 3 again. Decland Kidney is a big fan of tightheads who scrummage with rollerskates on, see John Hayes and Tony Buckley, so Loughney's recent form fits the bill for him in terms of Ireland (Wolfhounds) selection!

I thought John Muldoon and Mike McCarthy were fantastic yesterday. In truth though, Quins blew that game as much as Connacht won it. The away team had plenty of opportunities (Monye's knock on, Evans' miss, opting for scrums instead of an easy 3 point penalty) but poor decision making and execution let them down.

So Leinster winning the Heineken Cup last year allowed Connacht into the competition and Connacht beating Harlequins facilitated Ulster's passage into the last eight. By winning yesterday, Connacht have increased their chances of getting into next season's competition since an Ulster, Munster or Leinster win will grant Ireland a 4th Heineken Cup slot.

 

[CJL]

So Leinster winning the Heineken Cup last year allowed Connacht into the competition and Connacht beating Harlequins facilitated Ulster's passage into the last eight. By winning yesterday, Connacht have increased their chances of getting into next season's competition since an Ulster, Munster or Leinster win will grant Ireland a 4th Heineken Cup slot.

I'd actually disagree that they've increased their chances...okay, they have confirmed ulsters place in the last 8, but i fancied Ulster to do this themselves today...However if they had lost tonight Toulouse could have been knocked out.

 

[Jockstap]

I'd actually disagree that they've increased their chances...okay, they have confirmed ulsters place in the last 8, but i fancied Ulster to do this themselves today...However if they had lost tonight Toulouse could have been knocked out.

I'll say it right now, Ulster haven't a hope in hell of winning today, they won't even get the bonus point, Clermont is probably the hardest place in Europe to get a win, including Dublin and Toulouse.

 

[stus768]

Quins summed up a lot of the problems that team sin the Aviva premiership have. They obviously had a game plan to keep it tight but when this didn't work no one attempted to alter this. I agree with the previous comments about Robshaw lessening his case for the captaincy.

 

[Luimneach18]

Connacht are completely deserving of this they're a much better team then a lot of people give them credit for.

totally agree they deserved win against quins.

 

[gingergenius]

Presumably Hartley captain,
Still think Robshaw will play 7 but Clark would be the better choice.

Why Clark? he's not actually that good, and he's not a 7. Strikes me as a hot-headed, talented 6, but since we've got plenty of talented 6s who aren't hot-headed then... oh well, would help if there was another 7 in the ****ing squad.

Wood's injury makes the EPS back row selection look even worse than it was. Morgan will have to play 8 because he's the only 8, and he'll be making debut. Robshaw will have to play 7, and he'll be out of position and also making debut (for the final time, **** right off handing the captaincy to a debutant). And Croft will have to play 6, and he's out of form. Alternative options are also Clark, would be making debut and not even ripping up the Premiership, and Dowson, who would be making debut and is too old, plus also not ripping up the Premiership.

Makes me pine a little for Haskell. At least he's good, experienced, young enough and you know he'll work his ******** off all game.

 

[Peat]

I'll say it right now, Ulster haven't a hope in hell of winning today, they won't even get the bonus point, Clermont is probably the hardest place in Europe to get a win, including Dublin and Toulouse.

Sir's slice of humble pie awaits him.

 

[Peat]

Why Clark? he's not actually that good, and he's not a 7. Strikes me as a hot-headed, talented 6, but since we've got plenty of talented 6s who aren't hot-headed then... oh well, would help if there was another 7 in the ****ing squad.

Wood's injury makes the EPS back row selection look even worse than it was. Morgan will have to play 8 because he's the only 8, and he'll be making debut. Robshaw will have to play 7, and he'll be out of position and also making debut (for the final time, **** right off handing the captaincy to a debutant). And Croft will have to play 6, and he's out of form. Alternative options are also Clark, would be making debut and not even ripping up the Premiership, and Dowson, who would be making debut and is too old, plus also not ripping up the Premiership.

Makes me pine a little for Haskell. At least he's good, experienced, young enough and you know he'll work his ******** off all game.

Torygraph reckons Saull, Narraway and Waldrom are all about to be added to the squad.