Rugby

[firehazard]

So to the Lions tour...

AWJ's injury is a big loss for the squad. Was watching the match on Saturday, it looked bad as soon as it happened. Real shame for him too. Not sure about the choice of Murray as the replacement captain - great player, but not much captaincy experience. Maybe Hogg would have been the more obvious choice? And I'd probably have gone for Jonny Gray or James Ryan as replacement at lock.

But with Covid numbers surging in SA now, who knows how much of the tour will happen...

[Welshie]

Well a Lions series win was there for the taking, and i think Gattland made some mistakes during selection. I also think that Stuart Hogg, who i was really looking forward to seeing playing for the Lions did not play well, and sadly when Liam Williams played he looked no better!
Autumn internationals next.
Cheers
Aled

[firehazard]

Well a Lions series win was there for the taking, and i think Gattland made some mistakes during selection. I also think that Stuart Hogg, who i was really looking forward to seeing playing for the Lions did not play well, and sadly when Liam Williams played he looked no better!
Autumn internationals next.

Agree that Gatland didn't have a good tour at all. Selection calls didn't come off this time. I'd prefer to see a different coach next time around.

We have tickets for the England-Tonga match in November. Which would be our first since pre-lockdown times.

[Welshie]

Nice one FH, i hope you enjoy the match. I too feel new Lions coach would be best for next tour.

[Welshie]

Dad and i had a bit of a rugby chat yesterday, all being well we hope to get to the Wales v Scotland match in 2022. O to be in Cardiff singing songs drinking beer, and shouting at a pitch.

[firehazard]

Dad and i had a bit of a rugby chat yesterday, all being well we hope to get to the Wales v Scotland match in 2022. O to be in Cardiff singing songs drinking beer, and shouting at a pitch.

That would be great, wouldn't it? Waiting for the results of the ticket ballot for the England-SA match this November...

Meanwhile, at last local club rugby has returned, after a long Covid layoff. Cambridge promptly lost their first two games of the season. But it's still good to have it back.

[Welshie]

Nice one FH, hoping to watch a bit of local rugby in the coming weeks. Will be watching first class rugby from tonight, Cardiff Blue v Connaught on BBC 2 Wales this evening.

[Welshie]

Autumn international start in Wales this week, versus New Zealand and we are short of a load of players!!

[Welshie]

6 Nations on the horizon, so how are we all going to go this year?

[firehazard]

6 Nations on the horizon, so how are we all going to go this year?

France look like the team to beat this year. They were impressive last year, and the win against NZ was brilliant. And they start with 2 home games, which usually helps. Unless, of course, Ireland win in Paris again, which is never impossible.

And never rule out Wales.

England sort of rebuilding again.

Looking forward to it. We have tickets for England-Ireland, but after missing the two Autumn matches I had tickets for by ending up in hospital, who knows...?

[firehazard]

Good first weekend of games. Ireland and France looking some way ahead of the others. England imploded against Scotland in the end, with some very strange decisions from Eddies Jones.

France-Ireland today looks like the key match of the 6N. Should be a cracker.

[firehazard]

RIP Phil Bennett, Llanelli, Wales and Lions legend. Aged 73. One of the true rugby greats.

[firehazard]

Would have got long odds on a clean sweep for the British and Irish teams against the SH this weekend. That was some day of rugby!

[Welshie]

Well therre has been some interesting rugby this summer. Some victories for Scotland and Wales in the SH, and a test series victory for England and Ireland well done both. Throw in Argentina's recent performance and Australia beating SA, looks like and interesting 12 months with the World Cup on the horizon.

[firehazard]

Well therre has been some interesting rugby this summer. Some victories for Scotland and Wales in the SH, and a test series victory for England and Ireland well done both. Throw in Argentina's recent performance and Australia beating SA, looks like and interesting 12 months with the World Cup on the horizon.

Certainly has been an interesting couple of months.

NZ's loss of form makes the RWC look very open. It would've been interesting to see France on a more challenging tour this summer than the one in Japan, but after the last 6N, and with a home World Cup to come, they currently look like a good bet. But there's 12 months or more to go yet, and anything could happen