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Lads,
This is such a big year for rugby especially in this country with the world cup and 6N but the Pro 12 is really good at present with all 4 teams fighting in the top 6 but also looking over their shoulders at Scarlets in order in the top 6 for the Champions Cup - Connacht have being unreal so far and next week game is huge against Edinburgh!
Can they keep it going?
Were the English right all along? Making European qualification harder from the Pro12 seems to make it a more interesting league.
It's a more interesting league because all the teams are worse.
I disagreed - Connacht has much improved from previous years! - This is their best year ever .... so far!Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin
Qualification has gotten easier not harder for the Irish teams.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
It's the Welsh regions its going to hurt the most - as it stands now the regions will only qualify 1 team to next years Champions Cup - if that situation continues then it could very well kill off the regions altogether who are dying on their feet as it is. The death of professional club rugby in Wales would have serious consequences for the Pro12. Meritocracy is a bad thing for the Pro12 as it will just help the stronger teams at the expense of the weak. No Pro12 could be catastrophic for Irish rugby, it would be cutting off your nose to spite your face. Good for Connacht needs to be at the expense of another Irish team not a Welsh team.
There was nothing wrong with the system of Pro12 / Heineken Cup as it was.
Well Connacht are better, Ospreys maybe surprisingly better despite a reduced budget, and the Scots have kicked on a little but the rest are worse. Leinster, Ulster and Munster have all regressed, the Italians lost all their players to England and the Welsh are even more of a basket case than before.Quote:
Originally Posted by swinfordfc
Thats a good point but Scarlets could still catch Connacht so we see .... i think its wrong that a Italian side still makes it into the Champions Cup still though .....Quote:
Originally Posted by Real ale Madrid
Only Glasgow is good in Scotland .... Edinburgh have alot of work to do although they did well last weekend! And Ospreys are a very good team in Wales but the rest are poor at the moment.Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin
you sound very convincing, so I'll take your word for it as I haven't been studying the table. But I felt that if Leinster list to Ulster they might face a battle to qualify, no? That'd have been bad for Leinster but interesting for everyone else.Quote:
Originally Posted by Real ale Madrid
Its early days to be looking at the table too closely but the top team from each country gets in and then the next 3 in the table.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
As it stands 3 Irish provinces hold the 3 places allocated to the league itself. Id be amazed if Leinster finished outside the top 6 - but its not impossible.
I reckon Connacht will be in a scrap with Scarlets and possibly Edinburgh for that 6th spot in the league. If you look below them - NG Dragons and Cardiff are hopeless and the Italian teams don't look like they are able to get involved although they both have been competitive at home. Maybe Ulster will get dragged into the play-off battle if they don't improve. Can't see the top 4 changing at all - Ospreys - Glasgow - Munster - Leinster.
It will make for an interesting finish to the season hopefully as the 6th place team will guarantee a Champions Cup slot - while the next team down will qualify for a play-off with the Eng / Fra teams in a similar position.
Neil Francis doesn't hold back on Dylan Hartley here: http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugb...-30891234.html
He's right of course- the guy is a thug.
Thats the first time Francis has wrote something bang on - he's spot on about Hartley!Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr A
Hartley responds via Twitter:
https://twitter.com/DylanHartley/sta...64037480271872
"My downfalls have been on the field for everyone to see. You hide away writing opinion and not fact, never to be held accountable. Snakes."
Not sure what he's on about there TBH.
Well that was the worst i seen Connacht play this year ... slow out of the blocks and that was bad when you had a gale force wind behind you! ... Give away a bad try in the first half and then when they had Edinburgh under pressure, Rodney Ar You and Denis Buckley (2) give them 3 soft pens to clear they lines! ... you wonder is the brain working sometimes!
Pressure is a big thing and its the first time that Connacht are now expected to win a game ..... and they fell down big time!!!!! .... really disappointed with tonight show but their are still 5 pts ahead of Scarlets and Edinburgh after tonight games ...... Roll on February!
Well done to Munster and Leinster in they wins yeastarday! ... Ulster needs 5 points today to stayed with the top 4 or they be in no mans land!
Its Looks like a sixth placed fight among 3 teams for that final ERCC spot !!!
Oh Ulster were very lucky today! 24pts up .. and only win by 4pts!
Well that's Munster and Ulster gone out of Europe for this year! ...... good win by Leinster and they now have a huge game in Coventry next weekend especially as Wasps are 17-0 up at half time now against O'Shea team Harlequins!
watching the Munster game, I thought Saracens gave an early preview of how England are going to play this year's Six Nations - ball in hand, short passes, and power your way through the opposition.
Out of possession it's all about moving up fast and closing down the player in possession. Friend of mine is a coach with one of the clubs in Lucan, and he described it as "anti-rugby"
I think that's underselling Saracens a bit. They play very simple, low-percentage rugby but they do it very well and the skill level is high. They are miles off Toulon, but then again so is everybody. I don't think England have the mixture of power and skills that Sarries have so I'd expect them to play more in the pack.Quote:
Originally Posted by tetsujin1979
Connacht wont win these big games either if they dont sort out they scrum .... it was brutal yestarday! ... they are as good out of Europe as well!