NH club rugby
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Petulant or embarrassed?
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@Daffy-Jaffy said in NH club rugby:
Petulant or embarrassed?
Depends on how you'd think they'd react to coming second...
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@Daffy-Jaffy sensible decision to keep the players away from the media. They aren't in a position to say anything really. Also it would have and is a bit overshowdow the day
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I don't follow NH club rugby that closely. But Saracens are clearly not liked by other clubs!
Loads of clubs welcoming the punishment. Some more than others.I have now seen 2 articles quoting Harlequins players putting the boot in to Saracens. Chris Robshaw and Danny Care.
Guess there is no love lost there. The word "cheating" seems to be part of the script - all of which has a tinge of irony coming from the "Bloodgate" club - where both Robshaw and Care played at the time of that particular cheating scandal. -
@Billy-Webb said in NH club rugby:
I don't follow NH club rugby that closely. But Saracens are clearly not liked by other clubs!
Loads of clubs welcoming the punishment. Some more than others.I have now seen 2 articles quoting Harlequins players putting the boot in to Saracens. Chris Robshaw and Danny Care.
Guess there is no love lost there. The word "cheating" seems to be part of the script - all of which has a tinge of irony coming from the "Bloodgate" club - where both Robshaw and Care played at the time of that particular cheating scandal.That's quite a considerable difference in scale though.
This cheating means that Saracens have been able to maintain a much stronger squad, pushing up the costs of players at other clubs (as all players are benchmarked), win more trophies which in turn means higher gate revenues, and more and more advantages to the club which others didn't get.
I don't believe in punishing the fans or the players for the actions of the top brass, so I'm not quite of the same drag them through the coals as others. But the top brass should be fired with immediate effect and never allowed to return to rugby administration.
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@MajorRage said in NH club rugby:
@Billy-Webb said in NH club rugby:
I don't follow NH club rugby that closely. But Saracens are clearly not liked by other clubs!
Loads of clubs welcoming the punishment. Some more than others.I have now seen 2 articles quoting Harlequins players putting the boot in to Saracens. Chris Robshaw and Danny Care.
Guess there is no love lost there. The word "cheating" seems to be part of the script - all of which has a tinge of irony coming from the "Bloodgate" club - where both Robshaw and Care played at the time of that particular cheating scandal.That's quite a considerable difference in scale though.
This cheating means that Saracens have been able to maintain a much stronger squad, pushing up the costs of players at other clubs (as all players are benchmarked), win more trophies which in turn means higher gate revenues, and more and more advantages to the club which others didn't get.
I don't believe in punishing the fans or the players for the actions of the top brass, so I'm not quite of the same drag them through the coals as others. But the top brass should be fired with immediate effect and never allowed to return to rugby administration.
My initial inclination is to concur @MajorRage
Although, what Bloodgate had laid bare, was that Harlequins back in 2009 had a well documented plan and practice in place to cheat, by faking blood injuries. It wasn't just that one instance. And they were doing it to, and I use your words here: "win more trophies which in turn means higher gate revenues, and more and more advantages to the club".It may well not have delivered as good a set of results as Saracens flouting of the salary cap, but should we cut them more slack simply because their cheating was less effective?
Can't remember Harlequins being docked any points? Maybe they did. Dean Richards got a 3 year ban, and the player involved got a 1 year ban which was then reduced to 4 months.
So Sarries will have to suck up what's coming their way, although I think your proposed punishment is a touch harsh.
And I bring up Bloodgate only because it feels like a case of pot and kettle here. If I were Robshaw, Care and in fact anyone with anything to do at Harlequins, I'd keep references to cheating very far from my lexicon.
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@Billy-Webb said in NH club rugby:
the player involved got a 1 year ban which was then reduced to 4 months.
Tom Williams. I worked with his Dad. Top bloke and knew his rugby, but it was always a bit awkward talking with him after that.
Also worked with David Millar's (the Scottish doper cyclist) dad, but he was a complete jerk so I mentioned it all of the time.
In both cases the cheating really affected the fathers, very public and very humiliating.
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Leone Nakarawa is potentially facing the sack at Racing 92
Leone Nakarawa is one of the world's most coveted second rows but his club Racing 92 are reportedly furious that he has yet to report for training in Paris following the World Cup.
Oops
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@Duluth Luatua pulled off a tremendous cover tackle to stop that carthorse Cuthbert scoring in the corner. A pivotal moment.
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@Catogrande said in NH club rugby:
@Duluth Luatua pulled off a tremendous cover tackle to stop that carthorse Cuthbert scoring in the corner. A pivotal moment.
Yup, the game would have been unwinnable if the Chiefs scored then.
About 2mins into this video. Just a good early decision and hard work
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Not sure if that game/ref is indicative of current rulings but man there are loads of players just diving over rucks and the refs letting it go.
I know that materiality plays a part but those players often take up space behind the ruck making it harder for defences to get set in close. -
Highlights from that LI v Leicester game. Naholo had a pretty decent first game. Several other Kiwis (or NZ raised anyway) also featuring for LI in Hepetema, Matu'u, TJ Ioane, Rona and Blair Cowan. Taufua made his debut for Leicester. Failed a HIA just before HT and was only really notable for getting warned by the ref on a few occasions, including a reversed pen for the 2nd, for screaming at him.
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Sarries can't help themselves -
Saracens set to sign South African forward.
The Stormers could be set to lose another player as promising young lock Cobus Wiese is reportedly in talks over a long-term move to Saracens.
Wiese is in advanced negotiations with the defending Premiership and European champions and has been offered a five-year deal.
That would have him qualifying to play for England at the end of his contract.
The 22-year-old is one of the Stormers’ most promising players and was seen as someone who could fill the void left by Eben Etzebeth’s departure to Toulon.The rumoured deal comes in the midst of Saracens facing heavy sanctions for breaking the Premiership salary cap. Saracens are set to appeal the suspended 35-point deduction and £5-million fine imposed on the club.
