I like it, I’ve thought for a long time we need another complicated layer to the season.
Apparently Justin Marshall and Akira Ioane almost came to blows in a pub/club after the game last Saturday , which isn't great really...
Gloucester forward Ed Slater has been diagnosed with MND and has retired with immediate effect. Just 33 and married with 3 kids. Awful news.
I'm not opposed to the overall idea of a world club or domestic championship, but this structure isn't what I'd go for.
They'll obviously go for whatever brings in the bucks, but is there anything wrong with the 4 finalists from Europe and Super Rugby competing every year in a designated country for 2 weeks in a group format, play 3 matches and the team that finishes top of the pile wins.
I don't know where you'd fit it into the calendar, particularly for the French and English clubs.
Ali Donnelly founder of the scrumqueens website is launching a book about the story of womens rugby
Launch is tonight. Have it ordered. should be very good read!
Absolutely terrifying. I've seen a lot of people on social media linking this with rugby, I don't know if there's been any research done into this so not sure if that link is known but there's been several high profile cases now. Awful for him and his family.
There's no way this could happen they would allow for the teams to be on an equal footing. Just a stupid idea. They'll do anything but create a global calendar.
Ian Foster keeps his job, but his assistants get the sack. I really dislike that move.
Foster sets out the gameplan. If his coaches can't enact that vision, then it's still ultimately the fault of the head coach. Seems like a lot of scapegoating going on.
John Plumtree did an excellent job with Ireland the season he was here too. He's not a bad coach.
Oh dear,
They're all on it. Hard to know if you can believe in the performances you see out on the pitch.
Have to say , I'm a bit confused on this one.
Touhy gets a career ending injury with no chance of recovery (to playing standard) and as part of his rehab he used a steroid to help with building muscle.
Because he was still "on the books" with his club he got a 2 year ban.
The drug is described as "illegal" , but it's not clear if it's actually illegal or just a banned substance for athletes.
If just a "banned" substance , the ban seems very harsh on first viewing.
But I guess if the ban is in place and covers "all rugby" and not just playing , then I guess he can't work in the game until it's over.
i wonder why he didnt apply for a TUE for the substance. Its appears like a very clear cut case that he would have been granted one.
its the same substance that caused the British relay team to be stripped of their silver medal in the 2020 Olympics.
You do talk bollox, but you know that.
What are the IRFU investigating exactly? Whether he's allowed coach Malone or not?
I think so..
Apparently they say that they were not informed of the ban and as such were not aware of any potential issue with his ability to be coaching.
I suppose there may also be the possibility of further sanction for "breaking the ban" or something.
The NZ Herald rugby podcast talked about how under Foster the coaches had become completely invisible to the public and media. It’s true that we don’t see Mike Catt and Paul O’Connell etc in the media much here, but apparently in NZ, they were preciously visible, and this approach was a big change to how it had been previously
It's an illegal drug that he was using to build muscle, what TUE could he have got?
Worth remembering that when Tuohy retired, he made a lot of noise about rugby being "rotten to the core" and that all the old values of integrity and honesty had been forgotten.
At the same time he was using PEDs.
Right so.
I think what is unclear is whether the drug was "illegal" or if it was simply a banned substance for athletes.
If the latter, then a TUE was a potential possibility.
If he had already retired from playing its hardly a performance enhancing drug in his case is it? Theres no performance to enhance.
There are no approved Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs), so whatever it was, it was illegal in all senses.
He had been taking PEDs for several months prior to retiring, per his own admission
If he's still at Malone, he won't be much longer.
Well.. to be accurate he had stopped playing but remained a contracted employee while he was taking the steroids.
He never played while taking the drugs.
SARMS aren’t illegal.
Wow every health food shop and supplement store in the country must be selling illegal drugs so.
Not illegal in the sense that heroin is illegal, no.
However there is no licensed SARM medicine so there was no innocent explanation possible and no way he could ever have had a TUE, which is what I was responding to.
You literally said “illegal in all senses” lol
Tbh, the semantics would seem to be of secondary importance when we have a former Ireland international convicted of doping who subsequently, and while still banned, got a job as the head of the academy of an AIL club.
He should be fired immediately if he hasn't already.
TUE available if you get doctors approval. He bought this on Internet??.
Meanwhile
Rugby is fcuked
I hope he's Better Now and can have a career post-Malone.
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://wd.vanillicon.com/v2/dd23f423fe14831a2a84d9f17c825ecc.svg)
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://w0.vanillicon.com/v2/07abd39dc4f0afde3c391afc78cc920e.svg)
