The Official English Rugby Thread

[sockwithaticket]

Today's main event, Wasps vs. Quins.

[JM2K6]

Good test of Quins squad depth at the moment. I know wasps are missing a ton of people and we have more first choice players than I was fearing after last weekend.

First appearance for Nick David, with Lynagh injured. Good youngsters on the bench. Great to have Symons back with Lewies not fully fit yet. Surprised Louw isn't starting. But ultimately it's all about whether Edwards can actually run a game from fly half.

[sockwithaticket]

McHenry aside, our starting XV looks reasonable. The bench is certainly not ideal. Only Cardall and Young really add anything there. Hougaard has looked well off the pace so far.

Crossdale has earnt the right to start ahead of Watson imo. Surprised to see Fifita up and about, his leg injury last week looked bad. Porter continuing to start is a validation of his form, Robson's misfortune is his opportunity.


The half back battle should be fascinating. Care's probably going to need to babysit Edwards a bit, but Umaga often isn't at his best without Robson there holding his hand. If he's not performing we've got a near novice to pull off the bench.

[Kawazaki]

Do Wasps and Quins both claim the same year of inauguration?

[Raggs]

So Farrell has apparently been confirmed to be a false positive, and will be back for next week.

[Oxbow]

So Farrell has apparently been confirmed to be a false positive, and will be back for next week.

That's great news

[Woddy]

So Farrell has apparently been confirmed to be a false positive, and will be back for next week.

That's great news

Despite failing two consecutive PCRs…

I really don’t think it’s a good look to give Farrell such special treatment, let alone my cynicism of the check. Would any other player have had the same support to get around Covid regs? It shows Jones to be completely dependent on Farrell. Which is a shame, as I’d like to see how we’d get on against Oz without him in the side. I suspect Jones is worried that we’d do ok and leave him with a massive dilemma.

[Raggs]

Did he fail two pcr tests?

[JM2K6]

We know he failed two tests in a row.

Word is he's being lined up for the Ofcom job after this...

[sockwithaticket]

Crossdale sparked out trying to take down Esterhuizen. Been down for a while and the stretcher's out.

[JM2K6]

Nice score by wasps. Edwards is gonna have to go some to convince me he's premiership quality, though. You can't miss that tackle.

[sockwithaticket]

Biggest thing with that is Oghre showing enough toe to keep up in support and be there for the offload.

[Raggs]

Someone needs to tell Oghre he's not a back, letting the front row union down with that turn of pace and step...

[JM2K6]

Baffling penalty

[JM2K6]

Barnes telling Quins to stop counter rucking - fuck off.

[sockwithaticket]

Oof, Porter maybe should've given that a nudge rather than pin his ears back.

Some nice interplay, though.

[JM2K6]

It's wasps defence that's winning this, though. Our carriers are getting gang tackled and we look clueless.

[Raggs]

Porter will have enjoyed that handoff. Shame his box kicking hasn't been great, always a bit too long.

[sockwithaticket]

Your lineout's also given us some decent posession.

[JM2K6]

Jesus fucking Christ Barnes maybe if you didn't wait twenty minutes between "crouch" "touch" and "bind" these scrums might work

[sockwithaticket]

Porter will have enjoyed that handoff. Shame his box kicking hasn't been great, always a bit too long.

Doesn't seem to be much of a chase either. Possibly because of the length, but it looks deliberate.

[JM2K6]

Your lineout's also given us some decent posession.

Yeah, Walker was bad in the opening couple of matches and then turned it round completely, but he's reverted back to those performances. Shocking.

Can't see how wasps lose this.

[JM2K6]

Watching this from a Quins perspective is agonising, it's felt like an hour of us fucking up and we've had 28 minutes

[sockwithaticket]

Your lineout's also given us some decent posession.

Yeah, Walker was bad in the opening couple of matches and then turned it round completely, but he's reverted back to those performances. Shocking.

Can't see how wasps lose this.

We're kicking straight to Green a lot, I'll be amazed if that doesn't come back to bite us at some point.

[JM2K6]

Your lineout's also given us some decent posession.

Yeah, Walker was bad in the opening couple of matches and then turned it round completely, but he's reverted back to those performances. Shocking.

Can't see how wasps lose this.

We're kicking straight to Green a lot, I'll be amazed if that doesn't come back to bite us at some point.

You're also smashing him, though. Your defence is working really well.

Ah, the scrum is back.

[Hal Jordan]

How many chances pissed away now?

[JM2K6]

Shields was never onside for the intercept. Always a step in front of the rest of the defensive line. You win some you lose some.

Esterhuizen is having to be our playmaker today and it's going very badly.

[JM2K6]

Magnificent offloading and passing by half the wasps team there. Butchered by Oghre.

[sockwithaticket]

He had to give that. Butchered just barely covers it.

[JM2K6]

If Chisholm wasn't such a fucking moron he'd be so good. That was so, so stupid.

[JM2K6]

Esterhuizen is having to be our playmaker today and it's going very badly.

Yeah

[JM2K6]

I'd say there's a forward pass in there but the refs have set their stall out early with some of Edwards "flat" passes

[sockwithaticket]

Last pass definitely a bit suspect and we seemed to try out hardest to make it easier for the defence there.

Willis did very well at getting the ball out of the scrum.

[JM2K6]

Willis is having a stormer yeah.

[JM2K6]

An hour to play forty minutes of rugby. Sheesh.

The commentators were wanking on about how it's not as one sided as the score suggests. I don't know what game they're watching.

[sockwithaticket]

Whoever blatantly left their hand on the ball in a lost ruck to give Quins this oppportunity is a moron.

An hour to play forty minutes of rugby. Sheesh.

The commentators were wanking on about how it's not as one sided as the score suggests. I don't know what game they're watching.

Is that including the injury break?

[JM2K6]

Ends with a fucking appalling lineout. Just give wasps the bonus point now.

Any analysis of this at half time better not hide from the fact that Quins have picked a 10 who can't kick, can't pass, and can only run fast, while making a big lummox of a 12 our primary playmaker, while the hooker has a meltdown at the lineout.

We're a shambles, no shape at all and no real idea how we want to win this game.

Edit: apparently Edwards has missed six tackles too. Just amazing stuff. Without sudden improvement I can see the academy kid Benson getting a fair bit of premiership cup time...

[JM2K6]

Whoever blatantly left their hand on the ball in a lost ruck to give Quins this oppportunity is a moron.

An hour to play forty minutes of rugby. Sheesh.

The commentators were wanking on about how it's not as one sided as the score suggests. I don't know what game they're watching.

Is that including the injury break?

Yes, but it's not just that - been a lot of stoppages for various things.

[Raggs]

Ends with a fucking appalling lineout. Just give wasps the bonus point now.

Any analysis of this at half time better not hide from the fact that Quins have picked a 10 who can't kick, can't pass, and can only run fast, while making a big lummox of a 12 our primary playmaker, while the hooker has a meltdown at the lineout.

We're a shambles, no shape at all and no real idea how we want to win this game.

Edit: apparently Edwards has missed six tackles too. Just amazing stuff. Without sudden improvement I can see the academy kid Benson getting a fair bit of premiership cup time...

It was Nearchou, I think he had lost his balance and was trying to support himself up on it, not realising it was the ball, or just not fancying faceplanting. Frustrating pen regardless.

[JM2K6]

Wasps were asleep there, never had the numbers.

Esterhuizen taking conversions, lol