Ten week carney camp next year

sewa · Post by **sewa** » March 3rd, 2006, 3:33 pm

Double blow for Saracens
Friday March 03 2006
Skirving out while Bartholomeusz signals departure
Saracens, currently free-falling down the Guinness Premiership, have suffered two further blows with the news that number eight Ben Skirving is out for the season and that Mark Bartholomeusz is about to leave for Ulster.

Skirving will have a shoulder operation after sustaining a nasty A/C injury in the match against Northampton a fortnight ago, and will only be ready for pre-season training next July.

Meanwhile Bartholomeusz, the experienced utility back, is ready to leave at the end of the season as Ulster seek cover for the players missing to Ireland's World Cup preparations.

"We have been talking to Mark," said Ulster's chief executive Michael Reid to the Belfast Telegraph.

"He is leaving Saracens and I would be hopeful that the deal will be done soon.

"Players who are involved with Ireland in the summer tour and World Cup preparation are likely to miss up to eight to 10 Celtic League games next season.

"Mark has the ability to come into the side at a number of positions in the backline, positions he has played in both the Super 12 and English Premiership."

The 28-year-old former Brumby has played most of his rugby at full-back for Saracens, but has also played centre and fly-half.

He also has an Irish passport which means he will not be regarded as one of the two foreign players allowed in the Heineken Cup.

CM · Post by CM » March 3rd, 2006, 4:52 pm

Source for that?

CM · Post by CM » March 3rd, 2006, 4:59 pm

Doesn't matter, found it.

Don't see where it says anything about the ten week training camp. You can never say never but I'd be very surprised if the players missed that amount of time next season. The CL are meeting very soon to iron out next year's schedule etc. and this is not something that will be allowed.

All the Irish players who went to Japan were allowed play from the first CL match and while some might be held back for a game or two I can't see any side being affected badly. We'll see but I'll wait for a more official announcement. For starters how is the WC affecting next season? It doesn't take place till the following season.

Flash Gordon · Post by **Flash Gordon** » March 3rd, 2006, 5:02 pm

Well, it happened last world cup year, so no reason why it wouldn't happen again.

epaddy · Post by **epaddy** » March 3rd, 2006, 5:08 pm

Flash Gordon wrote:Well, it happened last world cup year, so no reason why it wouldn't happen again.

Next season isnt a world cup season

CM · Post by CM » March 3rd, 2006, 5:21 pm

Flash Gordon wrote:Well, it happened last world cup year, so no reason why it wouldn't happen again.

What happened?

If he's referring to the 2007/2008 season then there's no way to avoid the fact that a lot of players will miss a lot of CL games. It's the nature of the beast and will happen to every league in the NH. But next season shouldn't be any different to this season. I imagine that some key players like BOD and POC may be given the first couple of CL matches off if they're not fully recovered from the summer tour but I doubt all the players will miss all the opening matches.

Flash Gordon · Post by **Flash Gordon** » March 3rd, 2006, 5:35 pm

epaddy wrote:
Flash Gordon wrote:Well, it happened last world cup year, so no reason why it wouldn't happen again.
Next season isnt a world cup season

No but the world cup is beginning the season after. Hence the article talks about the 10 weeks being next season as a preparation for the world cup.

Leinsterman · Post by **Leinsterman** » March 3rd, 2006, 5:39 pm

We'll be fine .... Electric Eddie will probably only take Mal, D'Arce, BOD and Shaggy with him for the 10 weeks so we'll be fine.

Anyway, we had this camp last year and if I remember correctly, players were released back to the provinces in some cases before the 10 weeks were up, depending on how they felt they had progressed. The last to arrive back had only missed about 4 CL games I think......

CM · Post by CM » March 3rd, 2006, 5:39 pm

Flash Gordon wrote:
epaddy wrote:
Flash Gordon wrote:Well, it happened last world cup year, so no reason why it wouldn't happen again.
Next season isnt a world cup season
No but the world cup is beginning the season after. Hence the article talks about the 10 weeks being next season as a preparation for the world cup.

There is no referrence to 10 weeks in the article. Indeed there is no referrence to any Irish training camp. The 10 week 'camp' from last season had nothing to do with the world cup but was simply trying to condition the players to be stronger down the line. It was meant to take place every year and the 10 weeks refers to a period that encompasses 6-7 weeks of the off season. I can't see how the CL will be affected by anything to do with the WC next year. I honestly can't.

Flash Gordon · Post by **Flash Gordon** » March 3rd, 2006, 5:43 pm

It says that they are likely to miss 10 games. Assuming a game a week, that's ten weeks.....my recollection is that Leinster's season was decimated by the world cup. Here we have a situation where we could lose players next season AND the season after for the world cup tournament itself......

CM · Post by CM » March 3rd, 2006, 5:44 pm

Leinsterman wrote:We'll be fine .... Electric Eddie will probably only take Mal, D'Arce, BOD and Shaggy with him for the 10 weeks so we'll be fine.

Anyway, we had this camp last year and if I remember correctly, players were released back to the provinces in some cases before the 10 weeks were up, depending on how they felt they had progressed. The last to arrive back had only missed about 4 CL games I think......

Last season I think we were missing nearly all our players for 3 matches. Some were released for the Munster match, which I think was the third match, and some more for the Borders match. All were available after the 4th game. But that's still not good enough. I can accept maybe the first match but if we get into the region of 3-4 matches plus the other 4 they miss because of the November and 6N matches, that's too much.

CM · Post by CM » March 3rd, 2006, 5:47 pm

It says that they are likely to miss 10 games. Assuming a game a week, that's ten weeks.

Flash, you're missing the point here. The 10 week training camp doesn't actually take place in the first 10 weeks of the season. What it refers to is giving the internationals a proper 10 week pre-season so the 10 weeks starts when they resume training. It runs at most till the 4th CL weekend.

You can't just say that because the guy mentions 8-10 games that that's because the 10 week camp is back. We abandoned it this season and until I see an official announcement I'll presume it's still abandoned.

Leinsterman · Post by **Leinsterman** » March 3rd, 2006, 5:50 pm

Last year though we had Reggie, the Mullet, Mal, Gleeson, Miller, BOD, D'Arcy, Hickie, Swerve, Easterbunny, Shaggy all involved in the first 22. That number has dropped significantly so just my point that we would still be fielding a team close to the team for Sunday for the first 2 or 3 CL games next season.

However, I agree that we need ALL the internationals available if there are no 6N or Autumn games to attract the fans and also show our commitment to the league itself.

CM · Post by CM » March 3rd, 2006, 5:56 pm

Leinsterman wrote:Last year though we had Reggie, the Mullet, Mal, Gleeson, Miller, BOD, D'Arcy, Hickie, Swerve, Easterbunny, Shaggy all involved in the first 22. That number has dropped significantly so just my point that we would still be fielding a team close to the team for Sunday for the first 2 or 3 CL games next season.

However, I agree that we need ALL the internationals available if there are no 6N or Autumn games to attract the fans and also show our commitment to the league itself.

LM, yeah we probably won't be affected as much. But don't forget that the training camp wasn't just for the 22. It was an expanded number of players who might play for Ireland that season. So Gleeson and Heaslip along with Dempsey, Hickie, Kearney and maybe Lewis might also be included.

To be honest though the camp is only valid as a theoretical concept and has no place in the season as long as the CL is 20 matches. I can just about accept that we need to keep players like BOD and POC wrapped up but that should only mean a couple of games less than the rest of them who ideally would be playing all 20 matches. That won't happen till they streamline the season though.

epaddy · Post by **epaddy** » March 3rd, 2006, 5:58 pm

Pretty odd wording of that sentance. Up to 8 to 10 games??? So in other words dont have a clue

CM · Post by CM » March 3rd, 2006, 6:04 pm

epaddy wrote:Pretty odd wording of that sentance. Up to 8 to 10 games??? So in other words dont have a clue

It's what you were saying before on PR epaddy. The CL are meeting up to discuss next season's schedule so how anyone could know how many matches people are missing is beyond me yet this idiot from Ulster has done even more damage by making a wild statement that he doesn't know the truth of. You'd think he'd be clued in enough to not devalue the competition in one sentence. He could simply have said they need cover when their internationals are unavailable.

CM · Post by CM » March 3rd, 2006, 6:06 pm

As an aside, has this guy been capped? My feeling is that he has, can someone confirm. If not Ulster might be losing him, especially is he can cover FH!!

epaddy · Post by **epaddy** » March 3rd, 2006, 6:07 pm

CM wrote:As an aside, has this guy been capped? My feeling is that he has, can someone confirm. If not Ulster might be losing him, especially is he can cover FH!!

I think he has

epaddy · Post by **epaddy** » March 3rd, 2006, 6:16 pm

CM wrote:
epaddy wrote:Pretty odd wording of that sentance. Up to 8 to 10 games??? So in other words dont have a clue
It's what you were saying before on PR epaddy. The CL are meeting up to discuss next season's schedule so how anyone could know how many matches people are missing is beyond me yet this idiot from Ulster has done even more damage by making a wild statement that he doesn't know the truth of. You'd think he'd be clued in enough to not devalue the competition in one sentence. He could simply have said they need cover when their internationals are unavailable.

People are on an anti EOS anti CL crusade at the moment. The press are picking up too many nasty tips from their British counterparts

CM · Post by CM » March 3rd, 2006, 6:19 pm

People are on an anti EOS anti CL crusade at the moment. The press are picking up too many nasty tips from their British counterparts

Agree.

Checked on Barth. According to ERC he's played for Aus. Oh well, thought that was the case anyway.