The Official English Rugby Thread

[sockwithaticket]

Mitchell's tap and go there was mad. Completely the wrong decision.


Bruce Craig's boy looks like a real mini me.

[Oxbow]

Get the fuck in!

[sockwithaticket]

Redemption for Mitchell. What a run by Hendy.

[geordie_6]

Great work from Hendy for the try.

[Oxbow]

Redemption for Mitchell. What a run by Hendy.

Runs like a drunk giraffe, but he's electric once he gets going.

[Torquemada 1420]

What was Redpath thinking there?

[sockwithaticket]

What was Redpath thinking there?

Complete brain fade.

[Torquemada 1420]

Russell to kick it dead.........

{EDIT} Russell not to kick it at all?

[Tichtheid]

Well done Saints, bit of a nailr-biter

[Oxbow]

Unlucky Bath, we were dog shit today and I think you would have won that but for the red card.

[Big D]

Bath let down by a player not being able to keep his head.

The law isn't the problem. The player is.

[Oxbow]

Having said that, fuck it, we're champions! So pleased for people like Lawes and Waller.

[sockwithaticket]

Saints did enough and it's probably just reward for being the best team in the regular season.

Bath ran them bloody close though and their future looks very bright. 2 seasons ago they finished bottom and here they are contesting and almost winning the final.

[SaintK]

Saints did enough and it's probably just reward for being the best team in the regular season.

Bath ran them bloody close though and their future looks very bright. 2 seasons ago they finished bottom and here they are contesting and almost winning the final.

Too bloody close for comfort for this old un

[Slick]

Nah. Seen too many games with a red, even an early one, go down to the wire or even result in the team a man down winning.

It's only game over when there's a quality gulf between the teams and I don't think there is here.

Not this nonsense again…

*Ahem*

Yeeeeaaahhhh, think I’ll take that one on the chin

[petej]

Congrats to Saints. Been fun to watch for a few seasons but real progression this season. Really pleased for vesty and the rest of the Saints coaching set up with a positive attacking philosophy paying off.

[tc27]

Happy to see Northampton win but without the card I think Bath take it. Much stronger in the tackle and breakdown.

[Oxbow]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union ... gg7ejxq1po

Ford out of the summer tour. Smith, Smith and ?

[sockwithaticket]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union ... gg7ejxq1po

Ford out of the summer tour. Smith, Smith and ?

Hopefully F. Smith is alright after coming off in the final yesterday.

Charlie Atkinson's been in at least one Borthwick squad, so maybe him? Furbank to be viewed as emergency fly half cover perhaps.

Don't think Orlando Bailey has had much game time this season thanks to Russell's presence. Louie Johnson is a fetus and plays for Newcastle. Harvey Skinner's a bit meh. Are there other EQP fly halves in the Prem getting any game time?

[Oxbow]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union ... gg7ejxq1po

Ford out of the summer tour. Smith, Smith and ?

Hopefully F. Smith is alright after coming off in the final yesterday.

He said afterwards it was just cramp, so hopefully he'll be okay.

[sockwithaticket]

That's a relief.

[JM2K6]

Finally watched the final.

Crikey, not sure I can remember a final where the 9/10 combo were so comprehensively second best and their team still won. Fin Smith was pretty poor, Mitchell extremely poor, but Bath were let down by the drop off outside of Russell.

Swap the halfbacks and this is a thumping.

Huge display by Underhill who probably did not deserve to end on the losing side. But major credit to Furbank, my MOTM, and the other Saints outside backs did not do badly either. Pleased that Saints, best side in the league for most of the season.

On the red card... We saw another great contest, which is nice. Pretty disgusting that Kitson in the guardian tried to make out it wasn't a red card, followed by this abortion in the observer by Aylwin, who has dedicated most of his rugby output to screaming about red cards:

Another final tarnished as Obano’s red card a blight on rugby’s integrity
Northampton also suffer in the reckoning as questions linger over whether they would have won with 15 v 15

Pathetic stuff from absolute dinosaurs waging a campaign in favour of massive headshots

[Big D]

Finally watched the final.

Crikey, not sure I can remember a final where the 9/10 combo were so comprehensively second best and their team still won. Fin Smith was pretty poor, Mitchell extremely poor, but Bath were let down by the drop off outside of Russell.

Swap the halfbacks and this is a thumping.

Huge display by Underhill who probably did not deserve to end on the losing side. But major credit to Furbank, my MOTM, and the other Saints outside backs did not do badly either. Pleased that Saints, best side in the league for most of the season.

On the red card... We saw another great contest, which is nice. Pretty disgusting that Kitson in the guardian tried to make out it wasn't a red card, followed by this abortion in the observer by Aylwin, who has dedicated most of his rugby output to screaming about red cards:

Another final tarnished as Obano’s red card a blight on rugby’s integrity
Northampton also suffer in the reckoning as questions linger over whether they would have won with 15 v 15

Pathetic stuff from absolute dinosaurs waging a campaign in favour of massive headshots

It's a clear red card. The journos are just looking for clicks at this point.

Seen more people want 20min red cards but that's bollocks too.

[Slick]

Finally watched the final.

Crikey, not sure I can remember a final where the 9/10 combo were so comprehensively second best and their team still won. Fin Smith was pretty poor, Mitchell extremely poor, but Bath were let down by the drop off outside of Russell.

Swap the halfbacks and this is a thumping.

Huge display by Underhill who probably did not deserve to end on the losing side. But major credit to Furbank, my MOTM, and the other Saints outside backs did not do badly either. Pleased that Saints, best side in the league for most of the season.

On the red card... We saw another great contest, which is nice. Pretty disgusting that Kitson in the guardian tried to make out it wasn't a red card, followed by this abortion in the observer by Aylwin, who has dedicated most of his rugby output to screaming about red cards:

Another final tarnished as Obano’s red card a blight on rugby’s integrity
Northampton also suffer in the reckoning as questions linger over whether they would have won with 15 v 15

Pathetic stuff from absolute dinosaurs waging a campaign in favour of massive headshots

See also Walrus

[SaintK]

Pleased to see Carpenter, Roebuck and Sleightholme selected.
Langdon misses out.........criminal!!!

England squad to tour Japan and New Zealand

Forwards: F Baxter, D Cole, A Coles, C Cunningham-South, B Curry, T Curry, T Dan, A Dombrandt, B Earl, C Ewels, J George (capt), J Heyes, M Itoje, J Marler, G Martin, G Oghre, B Rodd, E Roots, W Stuart, S Underhill

Backs: J Carpenter, F Dingwall, I Feyi-Waboso, T Freeman, G Furbank, O Lawrence, A Mitchell, L Northmore, H Randall, T Roebuck, H Slade, O Sleightholme, F Smith, M Smith, B Spencer, F Steward

[Oxbow]

Must have pissed in Borthwick's cornflakes, he should definitely be on the tour.

[Oxbow]

Also disappointing that we haven't been able to move on from the likes of Cole, Marler, Stuart and Ewels yet. The tighthead cupboard looks empty.

[sockwithaticket]

Without Chessum in the mix, lock looks incredibly bare.

[Oxbow]

Without Chessum in the mix, lock looks incredibly bare.

Didn't notice that, presume he's injured?

[Margin__Walker]

Pleased to see Carpenter, Roebuck and Sleightholme selected.
Langdon misses out.........criminal!!!

England squad to tour Japan and New Zealand

Forwards: F Baxter, D Cole, A Coles, C Cunningham-South, B Curry, T Curry, T Dan, A Dombrandt, B Earl, C Ewels, J George (capt), J Heyes, M Itoje, J Marler, G Martin, G Oghre, B Rodd, E Roots, W Stuart, S Underhill

Backs: J Carpenter, F Dingwall, I Feyi-Waboso, T Freeman, G Furbank, O Lawrence, A Mitchell, L Northmore, H Randall, T Roebuck, H Slade, O Sleightholme, F Smith, M Smith, B Spencer, F Steward

Isn't Langdon injured?

[Oxbow]

Isn't Langdon injured?

Not sure. He did come off on Saturday with a dodgy arm/shoulder but they kept saying it looked like a stinger and I haven't seen or read anything about it since.

[Margin__Walker]

Isn't Langdon injured?

Not sure. He did come off on Saturday with a dodgy arm/shoulder but they kept saying it looked like a stinger and I haven't seen or read anything about it since.

I'm assuming it's an issue. Can't see him not being involved otherwise.

[sockwithaticket]

Without Chessum in the mix, lock looks incredibly bare.

Didn't notice that, presume he's injured?

Yup, he had surgery at the start of May.

[Hal Jordan]

Ethan Roots over Ted Hill seems a stretch.

[Raggs]

I've seen Langdon was injured. Might not be correct.

Oghre is an attacking skillful hooker. I like the fact we're constantly bringing in attacking players.

Sleightholme is a good player, wondering if we try Freeman at 13, and really stack the attack.

[JM2K6]

That's my preference.

[geordie_6]

I've seen Langdon was injured. Might not be correct.

Oghre is an attacking skillful hooker. I like the fact we're constantly bringing in attacking players.

Sleightholme is a good player, wondering if we try Freeman at 13, and really stack the attack.

Certainly looked it on Saturday. Might have just been a stinger, but his arm was hanging useless for a couple minutes.

[geordie_6]

That's my preference.

With Lawrence at 12?

[Raggs]

That's my preference.

With Lawrence at 12?

If we have Furbank at 15, we can have less creative centres. Lawrence is easily good enough to keep a move going.

[inactionman]

Isn't it nice to feel like we have options.

I've still not watched all the game, gutted by the red but Obano has got it all wrong. We're still a long way away from getting this sorted - although anecdotally it seems we're seeing fewer reds ,they're still occurring far too frequently to think we're solving the issue of high shots just by putting players on the naughty step.

I'm inclined to think of reds in the same way I think of scrum penalties - the difference between 'that was great' and 'that is a penalty/red card' is too fine.

Still, some excellent performances and I'll watch the second half when I'm a little less sore.