I've had an epiphany!!! (Pro12 R12)

[Amiga500]

We're *****.





[TABLE="width: 800"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TD]Friday[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Dragons[/TD]
[TD]vs.[/TD]
[TD]Treviso[/TD]
[TD][19:15][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Leinster[/TD]
[TD]vs.[/TD]
[TD]Zebre[/TD]
[TD][19:35][/TD]
[TD]TG4[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Scarlets[/TD]
[TD]vs.[/TD]
[TD]Ulster[/TD]
[TD][19:35][/TD]
[TD]BBC2NI, BBC Wales[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Saturday[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Ospreys[/TD]
[TD]vs.[/TD]
[TD]Connacht[/TD]
[TD][13:30][/TD]
[TD]SkySports[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Glasgow[/TD]
[TD]vs.[/TD]
[TD]Blues[/TD]
[TD][19:35][/TD]
[TD]BBC Alba, S4C[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Friday (3rd Feb)[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Edinburgh[/TD]
[TD]vs.[/TD]
[TD]Munster[/TD]
[TD][19:35][/TD]
[TD]SkySports[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

Munster aren't playing this week, I assume due to the HEC fixture with Racing92

Previews

Dragons vs. Treviso --- big chance for the Romans to slay some dragons.

Simply a question of how early do Leinster get 4 tries and I suppose how J10 performs, will he be a king delivering a 5-point shaped gift? Or crocked and hooked?

Ulster, missing Pienaar go to the Parc y Empty with bombscare at 9. Could be a long night. Kiss, Doak and Clarke looking decidedly un-wise at this point in the season.

Os to beat up the Connacht U8s (their injury list is that long, they ran out of U-12s against Munster last week). The IRFU put a halt to Pat Lam's kid bailing them out - stupid.

Glasgow will beat the Blues, who are still powderpuff up front.

Edinburgh v Munster is too far away to guarantee the usual 100% prediction accuracy - but likely a Munster win as Edinburgh are unlikely to become un-dung in that time.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Crap. Patchell out for the Scarlets for 12 weeks (if surgery is successful). Opens the door wide open for Glasgow and maybe even Ulster I reckon.

Fantastic try saving effort from Paddy Jackson! Scarlets not clicking without Patchell (who I rate very highly) and have a 20 year old at 10.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

The Scarlets match swung on the penalty try and yellow card high tackle decision. However, given it was a double high tackle (one of which was an unintentional hit to the face) then I don't think there should be too many complaints. The welsh commentators were doing their nut in about both yellow cards for high tackles but I wish they'd shut up and leave the debate about that to the post match analysis. If Ball had aimed to tackle under the armpits he'd have stayed on the park, no questions asked. Personally I'd have preferred a penalty only for both clashes but they were definitely at the very least borderline yellow given the regulations.

 

[Groundhog]

Leinster beat Zebre 70-6..... Ah lads, it's time for Zebre to call quits.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Rory O'Loughlin for God!

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Leinster beat Zebre 70-6..... Ah lads, it's time for Zebre to call quits.

It's apparently already happening and may explain any lack of heart from them. Someone has thought if you just change the shirt and name and relocate the club a couple of hundred miles south, then it'll make everything better. Maybe 68-6 instead.

 

[munstermuffin]

It's apparently already happening and may explain any lack of heart from them. Someone has thought if you just change the shirt and name and relocate the club a couple of hundred miles south, then it'll make everything better. Maybe 68-6 instead.

I agree here. They'll transfer to Rome. Same players same structures etc and think it'll improve.
They need more of a 'root and branch' approach

 

[welshglory]

Hopefully if they take it to Rome they can attract more sponsorship and outside investment. The Zebre experiment was never really implemented well to represent the whole of its "region/province" and the politics with the clubs didn't help that. Luckily there aren't major clubs in Rome which have bargaining power like the north. Still if they're playing in a large stadium like the Flaminio I can't see the situation being much different from say Edinburgh besides the supposed advantages of being placed in a large capital city. They really need to have a good plan going forward.

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

Had Leinster's handling been better, they could have scored 100 last night. Zebre offered nothing but you can only beat what's in front of you and, to that end, Leinster were ruthless.

Loved Rory O'Loughlin's running lines. His support play in being at the right place at the right time to accept an offload got him 2 tries in the second half.

 

[munstermuffin]

Had Leinster's handling been better, they could have scored 100 last night. Zebre offered nothing but you can only beat what's in front of you and, to that end, Leinster were ruthless.

Loved Rory O'Loughlin's running lines. His support play in being at the right place at the right time to accept an offload got him 2 tries in the second half.

Has he always been eyed as a potential star. Like I've heard of him in past when youngster but not in same way as others coming through systems.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Cuthbert looking almost like a broken man. Two awful knock-ons including one at the try line. He won't be winning over the Welsh on this evidence.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Despite being broken and **** this year Connacht are still ****ing us! Cheers lads...

 

[higgik]

Totally agree on the change of approach.

Firstly I would try really hard to move the 2 pro teams into an expanded French Pro Rugby, (32 teams, Top14, ProD2 plus, Treviso and Il Lupi from Roma) playing a NFL style season, with reduced fixtures.

From the Italian perspective, it would reduce costs dramatically and also be able to 'sell' tickets easier to travelling fans.

The franchise idea could also extend to allowing mergers of French clubs, or even moving them to bigger cities, such as Barcelona or San Sebastián. It would also allow for a third Italian franchise and even Spanish, or other European team to join. Effectively it would become a Continental European League.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

When do Munster find out which players they get back? Hoping a much less depleted Embra team take points off them.

 

[munstermuffin]

When do Munster find out which players they get back? Hoping a much less depleted Embra team take points off them.

Are confident that Kilcoyne, Tommy Billy and Niall Scannell back. Other than that it unlikely.
Will be looking at
Kilcoyne
Marshall
Archer
Kleyn
O'Callaghan
Holland
Tommy
Jacko
Williams
Tyler
Ronan O’Mahony
Saili
Jaco
15 and wing could be few options.

Also Chisolm back training and Sweetnam but won't be playing.

 

[munstermuffin]

Munster: Jaco Taute; Calvin Nash, Francis Saili, Dan Goggin; Ronan O'Mahony; Tyler Bleyendaal Capt, Duncan Williams; Peter McCabe, Rhys Marshall, Stephen Archer; Jean Kleyn, Dave Foley; Dave O'Callaghan, Conor Oliver, Jack O'Donoghue.

Replacements: Kevin O'Byrne, Dave Kilcoyne, Brian Scott, Darren O'Shea, Billy Holland, Tommy O'Donnell, Angus Lloyd, Rory Scannell.

 

[munstermuffin]

Very sloppy out of us here. Winning but don't deserve it

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

How'd Nash go?

 

[munstermuffin]

How'd Nash go?

Not great. Not bad. Learnt alot about squad. Defensively unreal. Billy Holland and Tommy made huge impact