NH club rugby
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Good game of rugby. Leicester's fringe defence was woeful though.
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Bundee Aki MOTM as Connacht beat Toulouse.
Nacewa and Gibson-Park got a win over a pretty terrible Castres.
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Toulon showing that you can have all that money and sign world class players, but it doesn't guarantee you wins. Toulon lost at home to Saracens: 23 - 31
Noteworthy is that in all Champions Cup and Challenge Cup games between French clubs and English/Celtic opponents, the French club lost. Still 3 games to play in the Champions Cup (all involving one French club), but it doesn't bode well for French rugby.
There was no mercy where Italian or Romanian clubs were the opponents. Some really big scores!
By the way, most points in the La Rochelle match v Treviso (41-10 to La Rochelle) were scored by Southeners: tries by Uini Atonio (2x), Hikaïro Forbes and Jason Eaton, and Brock James kicked most of the penalties & conversions.All Challenge Cup games of round 1 have been played. Results:
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@Bovidae said in NH club rugby:
@Stargazer Worcester losing to a Russian team has to be a huge upset.
Yes and no. Enisei beat another team at home last season when they were underestimated.
Connacht have a famous trip story from last season when they went to play them in Round 1 of the challenge cup. The game was played at subzero temps and the subs couldn't sit down on the bench for the whole match. Connacht ended up winning the match and then their plane couldn't take off and they spent the whole week,trying to get back home for their game the following week. Apparently it was the best bonding session the team had and forged a lot of their team spirit that helped to the title last season.
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Some good results for the Welsh regions. Ospreys thrashing Newcastle is a bit of karma. The English and French clubs got changes to the cup and competition in 2013/14 because they said PRO12 teams were resting their players before European weekends, and wanted to make qualification harder. So they did, and it has been. Newcastle then put out a weak team against Ospreys who promptly hammered them.
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@Pot-Hale said in NH club rugby:
@Bovidae said in NH club rugby:
@Stargazer Worcester losing to a Russian team has to be a huge upset.
Yes and no. Enisei beat another team at home last season when they were underestimated.
Connacht have a famous trip story from last season when they went to play them in Round 1 of the challenge cup. The game was played at subzero temps and the subs couldn't sit down on the bench for the whole match. Connacht ended up winning the match and then their plane couldn't take off and they spent the whole week,trying to get back home for their game the following week. Apparently it was the best bonding session the team had and forged a lot of their team spirit that helped to the title last season.
Enisei won two of their (home) games last season:
10-7 against Brive, and more spectacularly, 24-7 against Newcastle Falcons.
Obviously, they were smashed in the return games.The home game against Connacht in Siberia (played mid-November) ended in a 31-14 win to Connacht.
I'm getting cold just watching this highlights video (with Russian commentary): -
@Stargazer said in NH club rugby:
@Pot-Hale said in NH club rugby:
@Bovidae said in NH club rugby:
@Stargazer Worcester losing to a Russian team has to be a huge upset.
Yes and no. Enisei beat another team at home last season when they were underestimated.
Connacht have a famous trip story from last season when they went to play them in Round 1 of the challenge cup. The game was played at subzero temps and the subs couldn't sit down on the bench for the whole match. Connacht ended up winning the match and then their plane couldn't take off and they spent the whole week,trying to get back home for their game the following week. Apparently it was the best bonding session the team had and forged a lot of their team spirit that helped to the title last season.
Two things I like about those highlights. The Russians know how pronounce Connacht properly Con-nucked - and the bench shot at the end with lads in their Parkas and rugs wrapped around them. The few Connacht fans who went on that trip said it would be a lifelong memory cos the team took them in for the whole trip. Great story.
Enisei won two of their (home) games last season:
10-7 against Brive, and more spectacularly, 24-7 against Newcastle Falcons.
Obviously, they were smashed in the return games.The home game against Connacht in Siberia (played mid-November) ended in a 31-14 win to Connacht.
I'm getting cold just watching this highlights video (with Russian commentary): -
Sad news from the Champions Cup. The Racing92 v Munster game has been postponed due to the sudden passing (overnight in the team hotel) of Munster Head Coack Anthony Foley.
The other games started with a minute silence and tribute to Foley.
Racing 92 posted these two tweets with videos showing the reaction of Munster fans who had come to the game in Paris:
A minute silence before the Exeter Chiefs v ASM Clermont-Ferrand match:
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News in this afternoon that Anthony 'Axel' Foley, the former Munster No8, who captained them to their first Heineken Cup victory in 2006, got 60 odd caps for Ireland, and was the current coach of Munster, died in in the team hotel in Paris last night. Their game today against Racing 92, where Ronan O'Gara is assistant coach, was cancelled.
Brilliant player, great leader, who got great respect wherever he played. A proper rugby bloke as Martin Corry said today.
He was 42.
RIP Axel.
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Yesterday, I said the results didn't bode well for French rugby with all French teams that played Anglo/Celtic teams losing.
With 2 of the remaing 3 games now played, things look a little bit brighter, with two French clubs beating their Irish/English opponents, beating them well and Clermont even in an away game.These are the results of round 1 of the Champions Cup:
Not sure when the postponed game between Racing and Munster will be played, and whether Munster will play next weekend.
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http://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/37730494
Good summary of a somewhat poignant day in European Cup rugby particularly in Munster and Ireland.
