European Club Rugby

Billy Tell

So I watched 4 games of European rugby in the weekend
 
Ulster - Toulouse
Racing 92 - Northampton
Munster - Leicester
Toulon - Leinster
 
Kiwis involved: Williams (Ulster), Flynn, McAlister (Toulouse), Tameifuna, Masoe, Carter, Laulala, Rococoko (Racing), Paterson (NH), Saili (Munster), Fitzgerald, O'Connor (Leicester), Nonu, Taylor (Toulon), Boss, Nacewa (Leinster)
 
Fat Nick Williams went OK for Ulster, got a try. McAlister was awful for Toulouse at 10. Carter went OK, but Rococoko was the best Kiwi there, Nonu was well managed by Leinster.

ulsterman

38-0, son! Kiss has reminded them that it's not just down to Pienaar and Jackson to pass. Marshall was spraying the ball about like . . . well not Super Rugby, but the closest we'll get.
 
The prospect of Piutau with front-foot ball arouses me.

Billy Tell

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Conrad leaves his old buddy grasping at thin air

Nepia

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Conrad leaves his old buddy grasping at thin air
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That's a bit rough on Ma'a TBF he did have have two men to mark.

sparky

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Conrad leaves his old buddy grasping at thin air
 
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Great stuff from Snakey. He's an excellent signing for Pau. Not Nonu's fault alone. He was left marking two men and was in the right place for the interception if Conrad had passed. More guilty are Matt Stevens (23) who was marking Conrad Smith on the open side and failed to track his run and Mamuka Gorgodze (6) who was stuck in a offside position.
 
Toulon won the game with Tom Taylor at fullback. Colin Slade was at 10.

mariner4life

I watched a bit of Top 14 on the weekend (SF v someone i had never heard of, played on an artificial pitch?), and some other game, Toulouse i think. The quality i saw was so poor. The game plans were basic, and the skills really lacking. I was actually bored watching rugby, and that normally only happens when i am watching the Brumbies or the Stormers. 
 
For SF Genia tried hard to create stuff, but with Morne Steyn at 10, it was not a match made in heaven.

rotated

I watched most of Toulon vs Toulouse last weekend and had much the same reaction as you all - very dour stuff.
 
I was very impressed with Nonu. He was unspectacular but it must be very hard for these guys heading into their 12th consecutive month of rugby after the biggest mental/physical challenge of their careers and to still be playing at a relatively high level.
 
James O'Connor appears to be a big deal over there while being the same player he was in Super Rugby - occasional attacking flair (I wouldn't go so far as to say "brilliance") mixed in with poor decision making and limited physicality. Tom Taylor impressed.

No Quarter

It's gonna suck not having those two in Black this year.

Tim

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I watched a bit of Top 14 on the weekend (SF v someone i had never heard of, played on an artificial pitch?), and some other game, Toulouse i think. The quality i saw was so poor. The game plans were basic, and the skills really lacking. I was actually bored watching rugby, and that normally only happens when i am watching the Brumbies or the Stormers. 
 
For SF Genia tried hard to create stuff, but with Morne Steyn at 10, it was not a match made in heaven. 
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Pure Brock James standing deep and kicking the ball constantly in an NPC game garbage.

Crazy Horse

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="No Quarter" data-cid="550422" data-time="1451867810">
It's gonna suck not having those two in Black this year.</blockquote>
 
It'll be fine. Slade was only a bit player at best and Taylor hasn't pulled on the black jumper in a couple of years. We will hardly miss them.

Stargazer

I haven't watched any European club rugby this weekend, but I just noticed that French media are saying that Clermont have signed Isaia Toeava on a short-term contract as medical cover for injured fullback Nick Abendanon (out for 3 months). Hasn't been confirmed by Clermont yet.
 
<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.sports-auvergne.fr/rugby/asm/2016/01/31/l-asm-a-trouve-le-joker-medical-d-abendanon_11763058.html'>http://www.sports-auvergne.fr/rugby/asm/2016/01/31/l-asm-a-trouve-le-joker-medical-d-abendanon_11763058.html</a>

Higgins

The exodus to European Rugby looks to be seriously endangering the quality of Presidents Grade rugby in NZ as many of the Kiwis playing there appear to be eligible to be playing Pressies now or in the next year or three!

Stargazer

Update: French paper Midi Olympique writes that Toeava is about to sign not only a contract as medical cover for Nick Abendanon, but also a further 2 year contract.

Stargazer

Confirmed:
 
[media]http://twitter.com/ASMOfficiel/status/694082325567524864[/media]

Catogrande

Exeter Chiefs have signed Dave Dennis from NSW Waratahs. I freely admit I know next to nothing about this guy. What are the thoughts of the Fern cognoscenti? Rob Baxter (Exeter head coach) has made some inspired and under the radar signings over the past few years so I'm quite hopeful Dennis will be the nuts.

Billy Tell

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Exeter Chiefs have signed Dave Dennis from NSW Waratahs. I freely admit I know next to nothing about this guy. What are the thoughts of the Fern cognoscenti? Rob Baxter (Exeter head coach) has made some inspired and under the radar signings over the past few years so I'm quite hopeful Dennis will be the nuts.
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I'm thinking your Tom Croft style of loose forward. He's quite athletic and quick and can be useful in the lineout. Not especially powerful, not really a breakdown threat. A linking sort of player. If you have the balance of your loose forward trio correct, he could be a decent enough acquisition.

hydro11

Time has passed and Connacht are still top of the league. Leinster are second and have a game in hand.
 
Racing Metro are still top in France after coming back to beat Grenoble this morning.

cgrant

David Smith has been ruled ineligible for France, having played for NZ in a seven tournament in 2008. He scored a try against Clermont this week end and was called by French coach Guy Noves to join Marcoussis where Les Bleus are training for the Friday evening game against Wales.

Nepia

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David Smith has been ruled ineligible for France, having played for NZ in a seven tournament in 2008. He scored a try against Clermont this week end and was called by French coach Guy Noves to join Marcoussis where Les Bleus are training for the Friday evening game against Wales.
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Is French rugby in that much of a hole that David Smith nearly made their national team?

Catogrande

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Is French rugby in that much of a hole that David Smith nearly made their national team?
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Guy Noves had a glittering coaching career at Toulouse for many years but has somewhat fallen away latterly. His previous record got him the gig for France. There is a school of thought that anyone could have coached THAT Toulouse side and that maybe he's not the Messiah after all. Anyway his first two match day squads for France showed A) Big changes from the previous regime and RWC squad and Then big changes again for the second game. It sort of reinforces the stereotype for mad French coaches. Perhaps Smith is just another example of this?
 
What i would say in conclusion is do not expect any logic to prevail in the near future.

The Silver Fern

European Club Rugby