Heineken Cup 2013-2014 Other Pools

[nelly the elephant]

Exeter have started like a house on fire against Cardiff, they might have a bp secured by halftime at this rate...22-3 after half an hour.

[nelly the elephant]

Exeter have started like a house on fire against Cardiff, they might have a bp secured by halftime at this rate...22-3 after half an hour.

Too late...as I was typing that they went over for try # 4....extraordinary.

[artaneboy]

Exeter have started like a house on fire against Cardiff, they might have a bp secured by halftime at this rate...22-3 after half an hour.

Too late...as I was typing that they went over for try # 4....extraordinary.

Jaysus- 5 tries now! That was impressive.

I have to state that I have been very impressed by Exeter as a club. I loved the way they put it up to us in the RDS last year. Even their failures are the type that a genuine clubs must endure- Clermont away... Compared to the Saracens and oligarch-led clubs like Bath, they are a real community effort with team work the prime strength not stardom. But Cardiff are an absolute disgrace- and not for the first time. How can a team with the Lions captain (he is playing there- isn't he...?), the 'Man of the Series', and one of the top try scores on the Tour be so wretched?

[artaneboy]

'Our man' Robin Copeland on now. No a great time to join that car-crash. Hope he has a decent game.

Just as Exeter score another try through Witten. He's the Ulster lad- no?

[artaneboy]

And Copeland scores!!!!! Really great run.

Looked good since he's come on.. A couple of great runs and added energy and grit. Not quite game on- but it makes the last 10 minutes slightly more interesting.

[Vamos los azules]

How can a team with the Lions captain (he is playing there- isn't he...?), the 'Man of the Series', and one of the top try scores on the Tour be so wretched?

Warburton has been Cardiff's best player. One player can't carry the whole team although between the swearing at the teammates and throwing himself into tackles he's trying to and he's one of the few coming out of the match with credit.

Cuthbert has always been as bad in defence as he is good in attack. In a decent defensive system like Wales it's less obvious but he gets shown up badly in a rabble such as this current Cardiff side.

[Grumpy Old Man]

Good try from Copeland 41-17.

[Grumpy Old Man]

Exeter down to 13 men!

[nelly the elephant]

'Our man' Robin Copeland on now. No a great time to join that car-crash. Hope he has a decent game.

Just as Exeter score another try through Witten. He's the Ulster lad- no?

I thought the Blues were very unlucky there when camped on the Chiefs line early in the second half....it looked like a deliberate knock-on to me.
I think Whitten is ex Ulster, yeah.

[artaneboy]

How can a team with the Lions captain (he is playing there- isn't he...?), the 'Man of the Series', and one of the top try scores on the Tour be so wretched?

Warburton has been Cardiff's best player. One player can't carry the whole team although between the swearing at the teammates and throwing himself into tackles he's trying to and he's one of the few coming out of the match with credit.

Cuthbert has always been as bad in defence as he is good in attack. In a decent defensive system like Wales it's less obvious but he gets shown up badly in a rabble such as this current Cardiff side.

Well that's what I call faint praise! He's anonymous. And the proof of that isn't just the score, it's the dominance of the Chiefs at the breakdown. But it's not just about Warburton- Jenkins, Bradley Davies, Rees, all high profile and the pack are a disgrace.

Copeland is probably the best Cardiff player out there now.

As I type Cuthbert scores their 3rd try. 5 minutes left and the Chief down to 13 after 2 yellow cards. Could Cardiff actually get a bonus point yet?

[artaneboy]

Cardiff get the 4th try!

I'm serious on Copeland being the best forward on the Cardiff side- playing really well in the loose and competing well at the ruck.

[nelly the elephant]

How can a team with the Lions captain (he is playing there- isn't he...?), the 'Man of the Series', and one of the top try scores on the Tour be so wretched?

Warburton has been Cardiff's best player. One player can't carry the whole team although between the swearing at the teammates and throwing himself into tackles he's trying to and he's one of the few coming out of the match with credit.

Cuthbert has always been as bad in defence as he is good in attack. In a decent defensive system like Wales it's less obvious but he gets shown up badly in a rabble such as this current Cardiff side.

Well that's what I call faint praise! He's anonymous. And the proof of that isn't just the score, it's the dominance of the Chiefs at the breakdown. But it's not just about Warburton- Jenkins, Bradley Davies, Rees, all high profile and the pack are a disgrace.

Copeland is probably the best Cardiff player out there now.


As I type Cuthbert scores their 3rd try. 5 minutes left and the Chief down to 13 after 2 yellow cards. Could Cardiff actually get a bonus point yet?

Blues have it back to a 12 point deficit.....7 minutes left...could still be an interesting finale. I know there's been a certain amount of garbage time while Copeland's been on the pitch but you're right, he's done extremely well.

[artaneboy]

Forget about Cardiff MOM- if Robin had held that one- he'd have had Toulon on to sign him!

[artaneboy]

Exeter win 44-29. Strange game- 10 tries and three yellow cards and still a bit anti-climatic. Exeter reminded me a bit of ourselves a few years ago. Building up big scores and then giving them away. Frustrating- but they won well in the final analysis.

I've banged this drum before- and got slapped down. But Robin Copeland seems to me to be a good target for us if we lose either Seanie or Heaslip to the French gold. Big, mobile, good hands, not much lacking there.

[Vamos los azules]

That was a bit of a mad match in the end. My eyes hurt after all that pink though.

[simonokeeffe]

with Munsters and Quinns hiccups Glasgow have a big shot at a best runners up spot along with Toulouse/London South Africa

for first have Cardiff were making an argument on behalf of Mccafferty

[domhnallj]

Glasgow being torn a new one at the moment. Toulon have their bonus point after 35 mins.

[Vamos los azules]

Glasgow being torn a new one at the moment. Toulon have their bonus point after 35 mins.

They are making Glasgow look really rather ordinary.

I'd really like to see Leinster v Toulon at some stage this season, preferably the final!

[artaneboy]

with Munsters and Quinns hiccups Glasgow have a big shot at a best runners up spot along with Toulouse/London South Africa

for first have Cardiff were making an argument on behalf of Mccafferty

Yeah- but the rest if the PLR were making a mockery of that case. Sarries crawling to a win over Connacht; Harlequins losing t Scarlets; Gloucester scrapping a win at home, Northampton losing to Castres; Leicester defeated by Ulster. Even that windbag and PRL stooge Stephen Jones will find that hard to spin.

[paddyor]

Glasgow being torn a new one at the moment. Toulon have their bonus point after 35 mins.

Can't watch anymore of this. One game like this is enough.

Their defense is shocking though, haven't seen them leak like that since they played us and Richie Gray was still playing for them. Nothing is going right, terrible decision making.

Perhaps Stephen Jones was right when he said of Glasgow in todays ST that "Theirs a widely held view that playing in a league with no relegation makes them soft blah blah blah". His report of the Castres Northampton game was good too.
"Castres rested players for this one blah blah blah"
Match report
"Castres are likely to rest players against Leinster and should be fined for doing so blah blah blah"