The Silly Season

[Caliphi]

Right. It’s the Silly Season and nothing is happening. So, to liven it up here is what is definitely going to happen in the 2018/19 season.
1. Pro 14 finalists. Leinster and Munster.
2. Heineken Cup – or whatever it is called – finalists. Exeter and Montpelier.
3. Six Nations. No Grand Slam winner. Ireland to come first.
4. World cup finalists. France and Australia. Someone will beat New Zealand

[outcast eddie]

Hmm, most would say Exeter are on a downward trajectory and unlikely to feature at the tail end of the Heino.

...although the rest of your predictions lead me to think there is some deliberate mischief in this post.

[CiaranIrl]

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm getting withdrawal symptoms from the lack of rugby now.

[offshorerules]

Right. It’s the Silly Season and nothing is happening. So, to liven it up here is what is definitely going to happen in the 2018/19 season.
1. Pro 14 finalists. Leinster and Leinster B's.
2. Heineken Cup – or whatever it is called – finalists. Exeter and Montpelier.
3. Six Nations. No Grand Slam winner. Ireland to come first.
4. World cup finalists. France and Australia. Someone will beat New Zealand

Fixed that for you.

[johng]

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm getting withdrawal symptoms from the lack of rugby now.

I'm enjoying the break currently. Odd bit of super rugby. Not having to keep up to date all the time. All good.

[riocard911]

I ended up watching the Super Rugby League final on Saturday. The Crusaders were deserved winners. Their D in the first half, with the Lions bashing at the door for most of the 40 minutes, was hugely impressive. What they were able to do with the little possession they had ditto. Elton Jantjies showed again, why he's not a top notch outhalf. His touching down a ball in his own goal area, when it had come to rest just the other side of the try line, proved to be a fatal error. Anyhoos, for anyone who wants a chuckle, here's a somewhat one-sided assessment from NZ of the outcome of a hypothetical Crusaders vs Leinster showdown. https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/sport/20 ... pions.html

[Oldschool]

I ended up watching the Super Rugby League final on Saturday. The Crusaders were deserved winners. Their D in the first half, with the Lions bashing at the door for most of the 40 minutes, was hugely impressive. What they were able to do with the little possession they had ditto. Elton Jantjies showed again, why he's not a top notch outhalf. His touching down a ball in his own goal area, when it had come to rest just the other side of the try line, proved to be a fatal error. Anyhoos, for anyone who wants a chuckle, here's a somewhat one-sided assessment from NZ of the outcome of a hypothetical Crusaders vs Leinster showdown. https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/sport/20 ... pions.html

A couple of biggee oversights in that article.
He didn't compare the relative strengths of the benches.
James Ryan is the best SR in the world and certainly of the four mentioned in the two teams (to avoid a debate about the best in the world)
Scott Fardy would be in the SR.
The Leinster coaching ticket is top class.

[TrapperChamonix]

I ended up watching the Super Rugby League final on Saturday. The Crusaders were deserved winners. Their D in the first half, with the Lions bashing at the door for most of the 40 minutes, was hugely impressive. What they were able to do with the little possession they had ditto. Elton Jantjies showed again, why he's not a top notch outhalf. His touching down a ball in his own goal area, when it had come to rest just the other side of the try line, proved to be a fatal error. Anyhoos, for anyone who wants a chuckle, here's a somewhat one-sided assessment from NZ of the outcome of a hypothetical Crusaders vs Leinster showdown. https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/sport/20 ... pions.html

The Lions must be the Dumbest team on the planet. 1st lineout on the Crusaders line, they threw to 2, got smashed back 15 mtrs in the ensuing mall ( arguably Crusaders didnt wait for jumper to get to ground). So for the 2nd line out in similar position they did the same, with the same result and the same for the 3rd, 4th and 5th lineout all with similar results. I get that the lineout maul is a particular strength, but ffs vary the point of attack by throwing to middle or back or something.

[riocard911]

I ended up watching the Super Rugby League final on Saturday. The Crusaders were deserved winners. Their D in the first half, with the Lions bashing at the door for most of the 40 minutes, was hugely impressive. What they were able to do with the little possession they had ditto. Elton Jantjies showed again, why he's not a top notch outhalf. His touching down a ball in his own goal area, when it had come to rest just the other side of the try line, proved to be a fatal error. Anyhoos, for anyone who wants a chuckle, here's a somewhat one-sided assessment from NZ of the outcome of a hypothetical Crusaders vs Leinster showdown. https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/sport/20 ... pions.html

The Lions must be the Dumbest team on the planet. 1st lineout on the Crusaders line, they threw to 2, got smashed back 15 mtrs in the ensuing mall ( arguably Crusaders didnt wait for jumper to get to ground). So for the 2nd line out in similar position they did the same, with the same result and the same for the 3rd, 4th and 5th lineout all with similar results. I get that the lineout maul is a particular strength, but ffs vary the point of attack by throwing to middle or back or something.

+1

[wixfjord]

I ended up watching the Super Rugby League final on Saturday. The Crusaders were deserved winners. Their D in the first half, with the Lions bashing at the door for most of the 40 minutes, was hugely impressive. What they were able to do with the little possession they had ditto. Elton Jantjies showed again, why he's not a top notch outhalf. His touching down a ball in his own goal area, when it had come to rest just the other side of the try line, proved to be a fatal error. Anyhoos, for anyone who wants a chuckle, here's a somewhat one-sided assessment from NZ of the outcome of a hypothetical Crusaders vs Leinster showdown. https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/sport/20 ... pions.html

A couple of biggee oversights in that article.
He didn't compare the relative strengths of the benches.
James Ryan is the best SR in the world and certainly of the four mentioned in the two teams (to avoid a debate about the best in the world)
Scott Fardy would be in the SR.
The Leinster coaching ticket is top class.

I wouldn't be too worried, that site is the NZ equivalent of Joe.ie. in fact i wouldn't be surprised if it was designed to get rage shared on this side of the world to drive up their page views. the guy that wrote it describes himself as a 'content creator', not a journalist, which should tell you something!

[Degz]

I ended up watching the Super Rugby League final on Saturday. The Crusaders were deserved winners. Their D in the first half, with the Lions bashing at the door for most of the 40 minutes, was hugely impressive. What they were able to do with the little possession they had ditto. Elton Jantjies showed again, why he's not a top notch outhalf. His touching down a ball in his own goal area, when it had come to rest just the other side of the try line, proved to be a fatal error. Anyhoos, for anyone who wants a chuckle, here's a somewhat one-sided assessment from NZ of the outcome of a hypothetical Crusaders vs Leinster showdown. https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/sport/20 ... pions.html

A couple of biggee oversights in that article.
He didn't compare the relative strengths of the benches.
James Ryan is the best SR in the world and certainly of the four mentioned in the two teams (to avoid a debate about the best in the world)
Scott Fardy would be in the SR.
The Leinster coaching ticket is top class.

Retallick > Ryan.


For now.

[arsebiscuits1]

A lot of strange oversights in that article to be honest. Again, it's for New Zealand readers in a hypothetical match that will never happen. Even if it does, it wont be full strength squads.

Giving the edge to the Crusaders centres without even a consideration to the quality and skill that Ringrose and Henshaw brings is just incorrect.

They also bafflingly overlook that Mo'unga has had the largest armchair ride of any Outhalf possibly in the entirety of Super Rugby history. The Crusaders pack wasn't troubled by any other Super Rugby team this year (not a luxury they would have in the NH IMO)

He is undoubtedly a skilled outhalf. But to tie him with Johnny Sexton is the most obvious one sided journalism I think one can possibly fathom.

They even say Sexton is "always in the conversation of the best in the world in his position" and then consider him to be on level par with a player whose only international cap has come against a second choice French XV selection...

I'll happily concede Crusaders superiority in the Second Row, Back row and Back 3. But Leinster more than have the edge in every other department.

[paddyor]

Didn't Stephen Jones write the oppostie article rerently?

[jimbobjoe]

Didn't Stephen Jones write the oppostie article rerently?

He did but somehow managed to make it about Saracens and, even stranger, Leicester.

[Lar]

Didn't Stephen Jones write the oppostie article rerently?

He did but somehow managed to make it about Saracens and, even stranger, Leicester.

May I refer you to the title of this thread....