brilliant news
Massive news for the PI teams. There are a lot of former ABs and Wallabies (and some 7s players) in Europe and Japan who would be a big boost to Island teams. Think 5 years would have been better but I do like it.
What teams have Samoa, Tonga and Fiji in their groups for RWC 2023?
Stander to come back for the Boks for WC2023?
Could you imagine the meltdown in the media here lol! Still wouldn’t be eligible tho, his last cap was this year so the required timeframe in exile wouldn’t be exceeded
Think Ireland have one of them in the group, Tonga I think.
Piutau and Folau potentially available for them.
Eben Etzebeth has been stood down for three months due to concussion issues.
The men's Barbarians game has been called off.
And Fekitoa too. (Tongan born)
Edit: found an article with this as a possible Tongan team,
Charles Piutau (Ex-New Zealand)
14. Israel Folau (Ex-Australia)
13. Malakai Fekitoa (Ex-New Zealand)
12. George Moala (Ex-New Zealand)
11. Telusa Veainu
10. Kurt Morath
9. Augustine Pulu (Ex-New Zealand)
8. Sione Vailanu
7. Mateaki Kafatolu
6. Lopeti Timani (Ex-Australia)
5. Vaea Fifita (Ex-New Zealand)
4. Leva Fifita
3. Sekope Kepu (Ex-Australia)
2. Paul Ngauamo
1. Siegfried Fisiihoi
Lavanini gets 5 weeks for the red card on Healy.
Pretty ridiculous given his disciplinary record.
my esteem for POM went up a lot after that. He really stood up for Healy, in a way that was perhaps unexpected.
“Perhaps unexpected”?? Nonsense.
There is absolutely no tribal **** within that squad. Any provincial rivalry is left at the door. You can see in the way they celebrate and interact with each other.
The notion any player would care less because their team mate plays for another province. Is just pure projection of someone else’s obvious bias.
His next red card is a year away so.
I did find it quite amusing POM was going so nuts, because he was red carded for a - while not malicious at all as obviously was in this case - not dissimilar incident this year.
I think the main differences were 1) POM came from a much further distance so had less control (the exact thing the red cards are designed to reduce) and 2) I think POM was lining up Tipuric, and the prop got turned late.
I’m not saying you were saying this at all, Dave_The_Sheep, but some of the comparisons in the match thread were wide of the mark, POM is not a dirty player.
You would expect any decent forward to be on the wrong side of a card at some stage in their career, its a line they need to play towards without going over it and thats not an easy thing to do.
The difference between lavanini and POM is that there is a level of malicious intent in what lavanini regularly does which is doesnt exist in what POM does.
Watching Saracens Vs Exeter. Saracens conceded a penalty, Billy Vunipola mouthed off at the ref and the referee advanced the penalty by 10 metres. As the referee reached the new mark Vunipola mouthed off again and conceded another 10 metres.
Don't think I've ever seen that before.
Saracens have really on the bad side of Luke Pearce. Just conceded another penalty after three of their players questioned the referees decision to award a lineout to Exeter.
Love to see it yeah haven't seen it in pro game before but see it a bit at age grade level games. Including a game today...
Exeter pounded away from Saracens 10 metre line all the way to their try line. Took 25 phases and it was brutal stuff. Finally they ground them down to the point where all they needed to do was spin it wide to the backs where there was a three on one overlap. Instead they go tight again, get held up over the line and concede a goal line drop out. They're only three point ahead with two minutes left.
Should probably be a YC at that stage.
Here's the clip of Pearse penalising Vunipola twice.
Possible argument that the original penalty came from a player not entering the ruck correctly.
That said, can’t be mouthing off at the ref for it and great to see Pearce not taking any sh1t - especially from Billy V.
Little disappointed he didn’t give him a 10 minute breather for the 2nd offence
Great to see. He also penalised them twice more for back chat. Should have sent one of them to the bin. Saracens are such an unlikeable team.
Didnt realise referee Glen Jackson is assistant coach for the Fijian Drua in the super rugby 2022. interesting appointment
So much for football being better run when it comes to covid and rescheduling....
Uefa cancels Spurs' Covid-postponed Europa Conference League clash with Rennes
https://the42.ie/5627106
Think it was mentioned somewhere here a while back. yeah real interesting. could be real game changer for fijians if he can bring good awareness of what refs want etc from his experience
He's been with Fijian national side for last year or so and this extends from that.
