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Heineken Cup - General Discussion Thread

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    #1682
    Big Nelly
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,613 ✭✭✭Big Nelly


    phog wrote: »
    Tweeted by @ercrugby



    Who has booked tickets for the final????


    I booked them last year when they went on sale the day of the final in Cardiff, had such a great time in Cardiff we booked them when we got back!!!:D


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    #1683
    cgpg5
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,656 ✭✭✭cgpg5


    tolosenc wrote: »
    Must say, I was very impressed with Gloucester this year. A young team with good quality players.

    Apart from the Toulouse game fri they weren't great at all. Fine they pushed Toulouse close in France but that was Toulouse's second string really. As another poster said they should've been beaten twice by Connacht, which (no disrespect to Connacht) would've been two very poor results.


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    #1684
    Zzippy
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 14,166 Mod ✭✭✭✭Zzippy


    GerM wrote: »

    Originally Posted by CiaranMT View Post
    For the final:

    Munster v Leinster

    That's a game I would dread. Couldn't enjoy anything about it. The build up would be horrible, over the top and see both the fans and the media taking sh*t stirring to new levels. The game would not be a classic. The fall out afterwards in terms of bitching, moaning and gloating would be painful.

    Anything but that fixture!

    I think I speak on behalf of all Connacht fans when I say that would be the dream final pairing! ;)


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    #1685
    .ak
    Registered Users Posts: 30,308 Mod ✭✭✭✭.ak


    twinytwo wrote: »
    The semi final will prob be played in teh aviva.. this is not a home game.

    IT's a double edged sword really. Okay yes it's not exactly home for Munster, but toulose won't have fond memories of aviva from last year, plus it will be a sea of red on the day, the 16th man will defo be in effect.


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    #1686
    Big Nelly
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,613 ✭✭✭Big Nelly


    .ak wrote: »
    IT's a double edged sword really. Okay yes it's not exactly home for Munster, but toulose won't have fond memories of aviva from last year, plus it will be a sea of red on the day, the 16th man will defo be in effect.

    If its Munster v Toulouse in semi in Aviva will be looking for a ticket myself:D

    Do the Munster fan thing and wear the Leinster jersey to the game!!!:eek:


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    #1687
    phog
    Registered Users Posts: 24,082 ✭✭✭✭phog


    Big Nelly wrote: »
    If its Munster v Toulouse in semi in Aviva will be looking for a ticket myself:D

    Do the Munster fan thing and wear the Leinster jersey to the game!!!:eek:

    You must only go to finals when Leinster are playing, you really need to try a neutral one, they can be great fun. :D


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    #1688
    totallegend
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,234 ✭✭✭totallegend


    cgpg5 wrote: »
    Apart from the Toulouse game fri they weren't great at all. Fine they pushed Toulouse close in France but that was Toulouse's second string really. As another poster said they should've been beaten twice by Connacht, which (no disrespect to Connacht) would've been two very poor results.

    I was really impressed by Gloucester this season; fast, exciting rugby with a lot of young players, guys like May, Trinder and Sharples are great to watch.
    I think it's a credit to them that they beat Connacht twice despite not playing well, it at least shows that they can dig out a result (something Connacht might learn from). I don't care what 15 players Toulouse put out in round one, running them close on their own patch was a great result and to get a bonus point win over them in the final round is fairy tale stuff. The only real blot on their copybook was the hiding they got from Quins in round 2 but Quins then needed a fairly flukey try to win in round 5.


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    #1689
    fryup
    Registered Users Posts: 18,067 ✭✭✭✭fryup


    will the munster v ulster be a safe game to bring children to??

    i mean will there be any political/sectarian undertones to it? nasty chanting and that?


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    #1690
    .ak
    Registered Users Posts: 30,308 Mod ✭✭✭✭.ak


    fryup wrote: »
    will the munster v ulster be a safe game to bring children to??

    i mean will there be any political/sectarian undertones to it? nasty chanting and that?

    :eek:

    Definitely not. You don't get that stuff at Rugby matches, at all. You might get one or two eejits, but every time I've been to Thomond I've always had great craic with the 'natives'. ;) Always very welcoming and there will always be banter.


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    #1691
    Big Nelly
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,613 ✭✭✭Big Nelly


    .ak wrote: »
    :eek:

    Definitely not. You don't get that stuff at Rugby matches, at all. You might get one or two eejits, but every time I've been to Thomond I've always had great craic with the 'natives'. ;) Always very welcoming and there will always be banter.

    But of banter at match's that I have seen but that is about it. Was at the Magners final last year and the match's in Aviva this year and last and nothing serious where I was sitting.


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    #1692
    phog
    Registered Users Posts: 24,082 ✭✭✭✭phog


    fryup wrote: »
    will the munster v ulster be a safe game to bring children to??

    i mean will there be any political/sectarian undertones to it? nasty chanting and that?

    It will be terrible, I wouldn't bring my kids there.

    I'll take your spare tickets if you're not going ;)


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    #1693
    Brewster
    Registered Users Posts: 3,093 ✭✭✭Brewster


    fryup wrote: »
    will the munster v ulster be a safe game to bring children to??

    i mean will there be any political/sectarian undertones to it? nasty chanting and that?

    Certainly not, you don't get that sort of behaviour from Irish rugby fans. Munster and Ulster have been playing each other for decades, one must not forget this amid the hype of a European quarterfinal.


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    #1694
    phog
    Registered Users Posts: 24,082 ✭✭✭✭phog


    @ercrugby tweeted
    Dates & KOs for #HeinekenCup & #AmlinCC Q-Fs will be annouced later this week. Follow @ercrugby to get them once confirmed.


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    #1695
    phog
    Registered Users Posts: 24,082 ✭✭✭✭phog


    fryup wrote: »
    will the munster v ulster be a safe game to bring children to??

    i mean will there be any political/sectarian undertones to it? nasty chanting and that?

    I've been to Ravehill for a ML game and been to a load of home games V Ulster and never had an issue


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    #1696
    CatFromHue
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 18,147 Mod ✭✭✭✭CatFromHue


    phog wrote: »
    @ercrugby tweeted

    Leinster Season Ticket holders can buy tickets on Wed 25 from 2pm. So it has to be early in the week then for everything to be confirmed.


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    #1697
    theKramer
    Registered Users Posts: 625 ✭✭✭theKramer


    Dunno if this has been posted on here before. Article in the Daily Telegraph where they mention that the French and English clubs want to change the current qualification format to 8 teams from each league, which means Scotland and Italy would no longer be guaranteed automatic qualification....

    Would it be such a bad thing?

    Obviously not for Scotland and Italy maybe, but could be good for Connacht, for example...

    Article here


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    #1698
    irishbucsfan
    Registered Users Posts: 37,978 ✭✭✭✭irishbucsfan


    It would certainly make the RDP12 more exciting for more teams


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    #1699
    Winters
    Registered Users Posts: 14,761 ✭✭✭✭Winters


    Ownership of the European Rugby Cup is split between the 6 unions so it'll never happen.

    English rugby need to take a big look at their lack of academies and the complete lack of strength coming through. Its a very different and more complicated system over there.


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    #1700
    ray jay
    Registered Users Posts: 881 ✭✭✭ray jay


    theKramer wrote: »
    but could be good for Connacht, for example...

    I can't even remember the last time Connacht placed 8th or better in the Celtic League. In any case, if the English and French want more places in the Heineken Cup, they're going to have a hard time justifying it considering the majority of qualifier for the quarter finals are Pro12 teams.


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    #1701
    irishbucsfan
    Registered Users Posts: 37,978 ✭✭✭✭irishbucsfan


    Winters wrote: »
    Ownership of the European Rugby Cup is split between the 6 unions so it'll never happen.

    English rugby need to take a big look at their lack of academies and the complete lack of strength coming through. Its a very different and more complicated system over there.
    There have been fully professional rugby academies in England for a lot longer than they've been in Ireland. The Leicester one us fantastic, I've seen it myself.

    The quality of English club rugby is not waning because if their young talent. Look at their young back rows, Sam Jones, Luke Wallace and Calum Clark are all young lads who would be doing well at Irish provinces.


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    #1702
    durkadurka
    Registered Users Posts: 6,207 ✭✭✭durkadurka


    ray jay wrote: »
    I can't even remember the last time Connacht placed 8th or better in the Celtic League. In any case, if the English and French want more places in the Heineken Cup, they're going to have a hard time justifying it considering the majority of qualifier for the quarter finals are Pro12 teams.


    THey are sugggesting that because the Rabo is so uncompetitive, and teams are virtually guaranteed their HEC slot every year, that teams can focus all their energies on the HEC.

    Whereas the English premiership is supposedly cut throat, so teams cant afford to focus everything on the HEC.

    The logic of increasing their allocation of slots when only one of their team is in the quarters is fairly daft though to be fair.


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    #1703
    CiaranMT
    Registered Users Posts: 4,092 ✭✭✭CiaranMT


    fryup wrote: »
    will the munster v ulster be a safe game to bring children to??

    i mean will there be any political/sectarian undertones to it? nasty chanting and that?

    Not at all. This isn't soccer.


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    #1704
    fryup
    Registered Users Posts: 18,067 ✭✭✭✭fryup


    .ak wrote: »
    :eek:

    Definitely not. You don't get that stuff at Rugby matches, at all. You might get one or two eejits, but every time I've been to Thomond I've always had great craic with the 'natives'. ;) Always very welcoming and there will always be banter.
    Big Nelly wrote: »
    But of banter at match's that I have seen but that is about it. Was at the Magners final last year and the match's in Aviva this year and last and nothing serious where I was sitting.
    phog wrote: »
    I've been to Ravehill for a ML game and been to a load of home games V Ulster and never had an issue

    thats good to hear, just wanted to be sure


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    #1705
    theKramer
    Registered Users Posts: 625 ✭✭✭theKramer


    ray jay wrote: »
    I can't even remember the last time Connacht placed 8th or better in the Celtic League. In any case, if the English and French want more places in the Heineken Cup, they're going to have a hard time justifying it considering the majority of qualifier for the quarter finals are Pro12 teams.
    Of course they would say that the Pro12 teams are able to focus on the H-Cup, whereas they have to ensure that they have a good finish in their domestic leagues.
    But as someone mentioned earlier in this thread, when they were winning the Heineken Cup in the late 90's and early noughties it was their hard league which made them battle-hardened.
    I dont see any change happening, unless English and French teams threaten to pull out altogether. Im pretty sure Scotland would not like any changes to the existing structure. They didnt even want Italian teams to join the Pro12, and had to be threatened by IRFU and WRU.


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    #1706
    cgpg5
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,656 ✭✭✭cgpg5


    Hard to know whether its good or bad, it can't be good for Scottish or Italian rugby (particularly the latter as its very likely) if they're without any representation in the HEC, on the flipside it makes the Rabo far more competitive.


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    #1707
    irishbucsfan
    Registered Users Posts: 37,978 ✭✭✭✭irishbucsfan


    Don't see how English rugby deserves 8 places. If anything it should be 9, 9, 6.


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    #1708
    overshoot
    Registered Users Posts: 3,213 ✭✭✭overshoot


    cant see how they will get anywhere with this, lets face it, its supposed to be a european competition, so all the top competing countries should be represented. if the italian teams didnt join the league the numbers would be -2 for the pro 12(10) but the italy was usually represented by treviso and viadana so nothing has chanced except the league of 2 clubs.

    ATM if it was reduced to 8, it will take out aironi until they get a bit more competative and edinburgh (ignoring connacht as they are there on the winning rule). would one place loss make the league that much more competive? its the weaker nations of scotland and italy this would hurt, yet the scots have as many in the quarters as england

    they are just have to admit their teams cannot compete at the minute and get on with improving it, if they want more teams they need to show their league is worth something right now and win the amlin/heinekin


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    #1709
    Taco Corp
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,718 ✭✭✭Taco Corp


    Every time the English perform terribly in the HC, they come out with something like this. Does McCafferty want to explain how 11th place Connacht could beat 1st place Quins?


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    #1710
    Iang87
    Registered Users Posts: 3,181 ✭✭✭Iang87


    fryup wrote: »
    will the munster v ulster be a safe game to bring children to??

    i mean will there be any political/sectarian undertones to it? nasty chanting and that?

    where you getting the tickets if you havent been to a munster ulster game before


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    #1711
    jacothelad
    Registered Users Posts: 5,922 ✭✭✭jacothelad


    fryup wrote: »
    will the munster v ulster be a safe game to bring children to??

    i mean will there be any political/sectarian undertones to it? nasty chanting and that?

    Why would the Munster fans suddenly become sectarian? A very strange notion.


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