Saracens V Clermont Edinburgh

[Blue not red blood]

Around 15 of us are meeting up in Ryans ( end of Princes St, opposite Caledonian Hotel ) on Saturday lunchtime before the game.
In our Leinster and Clermont colours

Ici Ici Montferrand

[nelly the elephant]

Around 15 of us are meeting up in Ryans ( end of Princes St, opposite Caledonian Hotel ) on Saturday lunchtime before the game.
In our Leinster and Clermont colours

Ici Ici Montferrand

Ten of us arriving early Friday afternoon from parts various. I've booked a table for lunch though pre game @ 2.30. Might check out Ryans on Friday evening so. Will catch yiz anon maybe...

[Twist]

Around 15 of us are meeting up in Ryans ( end of Princes St, opposite Caledonian Hotel ) on Saturday lunchtime before the game.
In our Leinster and Clermont colours

Ici Ici Montferrand

Ha! I was trying to figure out what they were chanting just as I read this!


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[simonokeeffe]

Scott Spedding plays more like Rob Kearney than Rob Kearney does

[Twist]

Clermont ascendant now but they still don't look like scoring.


Side note; Sarries' jersey would be nice if it wasn't a Sarries jerseys


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[Fan with smartphone]

Scotty! Lol. What s try.

[Twist]

Clermont ascendant now but they still don't look like scoring.


Side note; Sarries' jersey would be nice if it wasn't a Sarries jerseys


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Well, they didn't at the time.


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[Fan with smartphone]

Ah you're right enough twist, it still feels like sarries will close this out. But I tell you what, they would be fair glad of the 2 points that Ashton's dive cost them at the minute.

[cormac]

Saracens deserving winners.

[nc6000]

I'm gutted for Clermont. I wasn't expecting them to win but they went a lot closer than I thought. That Lopez missed penalty was a shocker.

7 losses in their last 8 finals must be hard to take.

[Ruckedtobits]

Clermont try from Scott Spedding's counter-attack from 1m from his own line must rank as one of the greatest ever European Cup tries.

Enjoyed the game as a contest and Clermont fought like lions but Sarries were the more complete team and deserved their win.

One aspect which annoyed me intensely was Nigel's total revision of the laws of the game with regard to handling in the ruck. He has now unilaterally decided that the ball can be handled within a ruck, to effect a turnover, in any circumstances where the player is on his feet. This re-interpretation may be good for the game and maybe should be adopted by the lawmakers. But it has not been made law yet!

Nigel's current interpretation is plain wrong under current law. Obviouly Clermont saw clearly in our game what Nigel would allow and Fritz Lee was magnificent today in taking advantage of this interpretation to claim 4 or 5 turnovers. However, currently, once a ruck is formed, two attackers and one defender at a breakdown, the ball cannot be handled. Owens decision to allow players to do so causes confusion and frustration.

Apart from that, if we can find three strong, mobile and ball-handling second-rows and a defensively cohesive back-three, we have a good enough squad to take on Saracens, who look a class above every other side in Europe at present. Toner, Fardy, Ryan and Kearney may be the supply chain in the row and Carbery, Kearney, Byrne, Lowe, Daly, O'Loughlin and Larmour should provide the last line options. Both McGrath and JGP should look closely at the contributions of Parra and Wiggelsworth today and take that as their benchmark for next season.

[footrush]

I'm gutted for Clermont. I wasn't expecting them to win but they went a lot closer than I thought. That Lopez missed penalty was a shocker.

7 losses in their last 8 finals must be hard to take.

The nightmare continues for them, again their support was amazing today in and out of the ground.....as you say gutted !.

[TerenureJim]

Looked like all five of Sarries fans made the trip up, great support for that team of local home grown talent, oh wait....

[kermischocolate]

Looked like all five of Sarries fans made the trip up, great support for that team of local home grown talent, oh wait....

That's unfair there was a lot of Sarries support there- more than I expected. Although in saying that every single Sarries fan I met in London were lovely. A select few in Edinburgh- not so much.

Still gutted for Clermont though.

[Peg Leg]

I get the friendly rivalry we have with Clermont and how welcoming their fans are and so on. I also get that sarries fans are probably on sarries payroll. But I still struggle to muster anything that resembles emotion for either.

[Dave Cahill]

Its easy to be nice to Clermont - they best they will ever really achieve is to stop other teams winning something, they'll never really threaten the engravers themselves. 30 finals, 23 losses. They have a far bigger budget than Toulon or Saracens but that seems to get ignored, not because they don't try to buy success, but because they are just so bad at it. People patronise CA more than we patronise Connacht, and thats saying something.

Perhaps if their fans were less willing to accept this and instead of following the club through thin and thin actually made it clear that being plucky losers is no longer acceptable they might progress. But they won't.

[Dave Cahill]

double post

[wixfjord]

Its easy to be nice to Clermont - they best they will ever really achieve is to stop other teams winning something, they'll never really threaten the engravers themselves. 30 finals, 23 losses. They have a far bigger budget than Toulon or Saracens but that seems to get ignored, not because they don't try to buy success, but because they are just so bad at it. People patronise CA more than we patronise Connacht, and thats saying something.

Perhaps if their fans were less willing to accept this and instead of following the club through thin and thin actually made it clear that being plucky losers is no longer acceptable they might progress. But they won't.

Oooh you contrarian bastid!

[Dave Cahill]

Looked like all five of Sarries fans made the trip up, great support for that team of local home grown talent, oh wait....

Remind us of how many homegrown players were in the that Clermont team...one or two was it?

[Dave Cahill]

Its easy to be nice to Clermont - they best they will ever really achieve is to stop other teams winning something, they'll never really threaten the engravers themselves. 30 finals, 23 losses. They have a far bigger budget than Toulon or Saracens but that seems to get ignored, not because they don't try to buy success, but because they are just so bad at it. People patronise CA more than we patronise Connacht, and thats saying something.

Perhaps if their fans were less willing to accept this and instead of following the club through thin and thin actually made it clear that being plucky losers is no longer acceptable they might progress. But they won't.

Oooh you contrarian bastid!

The kind of people who like Clermont are the kind of people for whom Ringo is their favourite Beatle. Non-threatening, good to laugh at, gets the drinks in, alway up for anything. Relatively mediocre wife beating musician, but never mind that, Thomas the Tank Engine!