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Post by Lukiebakercafc on Nov 21, 2008 20:37:02 GMT
Well yes but his lineout skills are more important than that one moment imo.
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Post by hallmackem on Nov 21, 2008 21:19:56 GMT
That was to do with his lineout skills, he won the ball from it then had the awareness to follow it up and score.
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Post by hallmackem on Nov 22, 2008 16:24:10 GMT
England were awful today.
Danny Cipriani needs to be left out for a while to sort himself out. Flood or Geraghty for fly half against the All Blacks.
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Post by Lukiebakercafc on Nov 22, 2008 21:51:30 GMT
Your prediction of us winning were unfortunately quite a way out Ben, we were shambolic apparantly. I can't bring myself to watch any highlights...
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Post by hallmackem on Nov 25, 2008 10:52:38 GMT
To be honest, it looked like the tight five were frightened of the contact area. That's where the problem lies, we won enough ball and had more possesion than the Boks but it was just poo possesion and our pack were getting pushed pack all the time.
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Post by hallmackem on Nov 25, 2008 12:56:17 GMT
Squad for the All Blacks game has been named.
Sheridan again misses out because of injury so we have the same front row as we did against South Africa consisting of Tim Payne, Lee Mears and Phil Vickery. I could complain about this but won't bother. Tom Palmer is injured so Nick Kennedy will start at lock alongside Steve Borthwick, who for some reason hasn't been dropped. In the back row we see one change from the South Africa game. In an odd and somewhat frustrating decision Tom Rees has been dropped from the openside and replaced with Michael Lipman. So that's our best player gone. Toby Flood replaces the misfiring Danny Cipriani at fly half in the only other change to the starting fifteen.
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Post by hallmackem on Dec 18, 2008 16:46:31 GMT
Otto, you're a Bath fan... What are your thoughts on Matt Banahan? He's been touted as a possible member of the English 6N squad. Sounds good to me... a 6'7 18st winger with serious pace! But what are your thoughts on him?
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Post by hallmackem on Mar 31, 2009 21:32:12 GMT
Mauls are back!
We never stopped using them at college anyway but so!
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Post by Lukiebakercafc on Apr 1, 2009 16:09:36 GMT
Mauls are back! We never stopped using them at college anyway but so! Delighted with that - i guess they thought that by stopping teams mauling they would run the ball instead, thus opening the game up... how wrong they were... Not much is better than a 30m maul, especially when it's roll after roll after roll - awesome stuff. When i was playing for the school a few years ago we drove a maul 80 odd metres down the pitch for the score with every single one of our players in the maul bar the scrum half who was directing it. Ridiculous but possibly my favourite Rugby moment ever... Back to the ELVs, although the maul rule was stupid, some of the others are very good especially the line-out ones and the no ground gained from a ball played back into the 22. A good idea from the IRB to implement them and as long as they make the right changes now then they'll have been a success.
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Post by hallmackem on Apr 1, 2009 22:06:19 GMT
We've always had a good maul, I played Scrum Half for a bit today and we had a maul that wasn't going anywhere, I hit the back of it and we were off. Love doing that and I seem to be quite good at it.
I'm never playing Scrum Half again mind!
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Post by hallmackem on Apr 16, 2009 20:34:23 GMT
Luke! Shane Geraghty has left LIrish!
That must annoy you.
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Post by Lukiebakercafc on Apr 17, 2009 21:00:14 GMT
Absolutely gutted about Geraghty - money must've been the main motivating factor but i would've really liked to keep him if at all possible. Gutting.
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Post by hallmackem on Apr 17, 2009 21:45:16 GMT
Good win for Sale tonight. Secured Heineken Cup Rugby next season and have a chance to be in the play-offs if we beat Northampton next Saturday. Best of all, I'm going to the game!
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Post by Lukiebakercafc on Apr 17, 2009 22:25:37 GMT
Are you going with your almost step-Dad Ben? Bragging rights available and if Northampton cost you the play-offs i imagine it'll be hard to live down for a while eh?
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Post by hallmackem on Apr 17, 2009 22:27:31 GMT
Yeah, and my almost step-Brother.
Its not just that, Newcastle need to beat Bath and Gloucester need less than five points from their remaining games. I don't hold out much hope of that happening.
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Post by hallmackem on May 4, 2009 12:09:49 GMT
Was actually a cracking game and Matthew Tait scored a brilliant try to secure the bonus point. Shame about the other results.
Other Rugby news:
Sale might not be saying goodbye to South African Centre Rudi Keil after all which is great news as he's a brilliant player and we need all the Centre cover we can get with Luke McCallister heading back home.
Former Junior All Black Fly Half (or first five-eighth in NZ lingo) Jimmy Gopperth will be playing for Newcastle next season. Surely an indication that they are resigned to losing Jonny Wilkinson.
The two teams that will contest the Heineken Cup final are the two that very few expected to. Leinster (inspired by BoD) hammered defending champions Munster whilst Leicester Tigers beat Cardiff Blues in a penalty shootout.
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Post by Lukiebakercafc on May 4, 2009 19:51:14 GMT
That penalty shoot-out was crazy stuff - Tom James and Martyn Williams both bottled it for Cardiff.
LIrish made the play-offs in the Guinness Prem, away to Harlequins and i'm going to the match. I saw the same fixture earlier in the season when LIrish made a great comeback to win, hopefully it'll be the same again!
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Post by hallmackem on May 4, 2009 20:56:16 GMT
I'd quite like London Irish to win it, I like the way they play!
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Post by Lukiebakercafc on May 4, 2009 21:00:53 GMT
Glad to hear it Ben.
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Post by hallmackem on May 16, 2009 18:41:56 GMT
Unfortunately - especially for Luke - London Irish didn't win the final. Leicester Tigers edged it.
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Post by Lukiebakercafc on May 17, 2009 16:58:37 GMT
I'm absolutely devastated. A poor game but Irish came so close to overturning the Tigers, if only we could've got some points at the end of the first half when we were camped on their line.
LIrish were arguably the better side although both teams looked nervy in a cagey match and Jordan Crane's try was ultimately the difference. So close but yet so far and now we've got to wait until next season to avenge that loss...
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Post by hallmackem on May 20, 2009 9:17:52 GMT
England's squad to play the Barbarians and Argentina:
Forwards: S Armitage (London Irish), S Borthwick (Saracens, capt), G Chuter (Leicester), J Crane (Leicester), T Croft (Leicester), L Deacon (Leicester), N Easter (Harlequins), D Hartley (Northampton), J Haskell (Wasps), B Kay (Leicester), N Kennedy (London Irish), L Moody (Leicester), T Payne (Wasps), T Rees (Wasps), C Robshaw (Harlequins), S Thompson (CA Brive), J White (Leicester), D Wilson (Newcastle), N Wood (Gloucester)
Backs: D Armitage (London Irish), D Care (Harlequins), M Cueto (Sale Sharks), B Foden (Northampton), A Goode (CA Brive), J Turner-Hall (Harlequins), D Hipkiss (Leicester), P Hodgson (London Irish), T May (Newcastle), O Morgan (Gloucester), J Noon (Newcastle), D Strettle(Harlequins), M Tait (Sale Sharks), S Vesty (Leicester), R Wigglesworth (Sale Sharks)
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Post by Lukiebakercafc on May 20, 2009 18:03:42 GMT
Decent enough squad and i'm glad there's no Cipriani. good chance for players such as Robshaw, Turner-Hall and May to shine. Should be an interesting few games.
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Post by hallmackem on May 21, 2009 16:59:41 GMT
Croft is going to South Africa. Alan Quinlan lost his appeal. I also feel like Matt Banahan should be in this squad. Even if he's just on the bench, imagine being able to bring on a 6ft 7in 18st winger!
From this squad, I'd pick:
15. Delon Armitage - Goes without saying really. 14. Mark Cueto - Still scores tries and we really need the experience there. 13. Matthew Tait - Needs an extended run in the team. When he got that for Sale he started turning it on big time. 12. Dan Hipkiss - Because he's brilliant. 11. Dave Strettle - Still waiting for him to fulfill his undoubted potential. He will, I'm sure. 10. Sam Vesty - Really does deserve it. He's been outstanding for Leicester. 9. Danny Care - Ben Foden is not a scrum half. He never plays well there but always plays well at fullback. That leaves Hodgson, Care and Wigglesworth. I just prefer Danny Care really, despite his antics against Ireland.
1. Nick Wood - Sort of picks himself in this squad, he's the only specialist loosehead with Tim Payne probably cover for both sides. 2. Dylan Hartley - The sort of player you need against Argentina. 3. Julian White - The best scrummager we have. Plus, this side is short on experience. 4. Louis Deacon - I really don't want to pick Borthwick. 5. Nick Kennedy - Should pick himself. 6. Chris Robshaw - Has been superb all season. 7. Steffon Armitage - Another LIrish player who should pick themselves. 8. Jordan Crane - I don't like Nick Easter, James Haskell is not an Eight.
16. Steve Thompson - Might as well. Very experienced and has done well for Brive. 17. Dave Wilson - Probably more of a tighthead but has been playing loosehead for Newcastle because of Carl Hayman being there as well. So he can cover both sides. 18. Ben Kay - Purely because Borthwick is pooe. Kay is a canny lineout operator. 19. James Haskell - More versatile than the other back rowers in the squad so can cover at a stretch. 20. Paul Hodgson - Better than Wigglesworth. 21. Andy Goode - Need fly half cover. 22. Jordan Turner-Hall - Young player of the season.
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Post by Lukiebakercafc on May 21, 2009 17:29:03 GMT
I like you're team there but i feel Johnson may end up picking the old guard which would be awful. Only major dispute i have is hodgson should be scrum-half but that's unashamed bias from me. I think he's the best in the squad but to be fair the scrum-half position is just who each individual prefers really, so i'd have no major problem with Care playing.
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Post by hallmackem on May 24, 2009 18:14:04 GMT
Leinster are the champions of Europe!
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Post by Lukiebakercafc on May 25, 2009 23:27:40 GMT
Good news - i don't really like Leicester, so well done Leinster.
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Post by hallmackem on May 26, 2009 15:13:12 GMT
I quite like Leicester. Mainly because I'm a big fan of Tom Croft, Martin Castrogiovanni and Jordan Crane though.
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Post by hallmackem on Jun 1, 2009 17:30:50 GMT
Beaten by the Baa-Baas. Doesn't bode well for the Argentina series.
Hopefully they can sort it out but unfortunately this side does have a 'thrown together' feel about it with a lot of regulars being called up for the Lions.
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Post by Lukiebakercafc on Jun 1, 2009 19:39:26 GMT
We didn't look great to be fair. Delon Armitage however, was superb. How on earth he didn't make the Lions squad ahead of someone like Keith Earls i'll never know. Dangerous every time he has ball in hand, the best in the world under the high ball imo and good in defence. Plus a massive boot on him as well, shocking decision by the Lions but England's gain for the summer i guess.
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