Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Champions Cup 2019/20

Options
1…1516182021…26

Comments

  • Options
    #512
    Dave_The_Sheep
    Registered Users Posts: 7,337 ✭✭✭Dave_The_Sheep


    Burkie1203 wrote: »
    Women.

    Is that actually true?

    Could you not do Man of the Match in a men's game, and Woman of the Match in a women's game, were that the case?


  • Options
    #513
    razorblunt
    Registered Users Posts: 17,300 ✭✭✭✭razorblunt


    corny wrote: »
    'Star of the match'? What’s happened to man of the match?

    Is it not tied into Heineken’s promotion?


  • Options
    #514
    Buer
    Registered Users Posts: 24,184 ✭✭✭✭Buer


    Big advantage to Exeter now with the final being 90 minutes from Sandy Park.

    Regardless of the lack of supporters, they'll sleep in their own beds, have a far more settled build up and will have played in Ashton Gate a number of times before unlike Racing.


  • Options
    #515
    BonnieSituation
    Registered Users Posts: 18,923 ✭✭✭✭BonnieSituation


    corny wrote: »
    'Star of the match'? What happened to man of the match?

    Heineken sponsorship


  • Options
    #516
    Sheep Shagger
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators Posts: 6,249 Mod ✭✭✭✭Sheep Shagger


    corny wrote: »
    'Star of the match'? What happened to man of the match?

    as in the Heineken star.....


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #517
    Jizique
    Registered Users Posts: 1,847 ✭✭✭Jizique


    Dave_The_Sheep wrote: »
    Is that actually true?

    Could you not do Man of the Match in a men's game, and Woman of the Match in a women's game, were that the case?

    Some of the women mightn’t approve


  • Options
    #518
    jacothelad
    Registered Users Posts: 5,911 ✭✭✭jacothelad


    Dave_The_Sheep wrote: »
    Is that actually true?

    Could you not do Man of the Match in a men's game, and Woman of the Match in a women's game, were that the case?


    I have always felt that there should be a forward and a back of the match. Often a 10 is given it for kicking a lot of points etc when a forward may have been the most pivotal player. Room for both.


  • Options
    #519
    Dog Botherer
    Registered Users Posts: 1,641 ✭✭✭Dog Botherer


    Burkie1203 wrote: »
    Women.
    Jizique wrote: »
    Some of the women mightn’t approve

    give it a ****ing rest lads


  • Options
    #520
    Digifriendly
    Registered Users Posts: 4,020 ✭✭✭Digifriendly


    Dog Botherer wrote: »
    give it a ****ing rest lads

    No need to swear. It's all a bit of banter.


  • Options
    #521
    Dog Botherer
    Registered Users Posts: 1,641 ✭✭✭Dog Botherer


    Digifriendly wrote: »
    No need to swear. It's all a bit of banter.

    oh sorry, didn’t realize it was BANTER, and therefore the misogyny was fine. crack on LADS, let’s have some more LEGENDARY BANTER.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #522
    BonnieSituation
    Registered Users Posts: 18,923 ✭✭✭✭BonnieSituation


    BonnieSituation wrote: »
    Heineken sponsorship

    Should I be worried about posters who thank my posts?

    527527.JPG

    :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:


  • Options
    #523
    BonnieSituation
    Registered Users Posts: 18,923 ✭✭✭✭BonnieSituation


    Eod100 wrote: »
    Seems a random enough venue choice
    Buer wrote: »
    Big advantage to Exeter now with the final being 90 minutes from Sandy Park.

    Regardless of the lack of supporters, they'll sleep in their own beds, have a far more settled build up and will have played in Ashton Gate a number of times before unlike Racing.

    As soon as FT went in EXE-TOU BT had the venue.

    Do we have any notion as to the choice?

    I was due to fly from Paris to Bristol after the Ireland game, as it was in March and I was being a cheapskate, but I can't imagine, links between CDG and BRS are the main reason. :O


  • Options
    #524
    Squidgy Black
    Registered Users Posts: 21,609 ✭✭✭✭Squidgy Black


    BonnieSituation wrote: »
    As soon as FT went in EXE-TOU BT had the venue.

    Do we have any notion as to the choice?

    I was due to fly from Paris to Bristol after the Ireland game, as it was in March and I was being a cheapskate, but I can't imagine, links between CDG and BRS are the main reason. :O

    Have heard it's because Exeter were the higher seed so they get a home final, sort of makes sense since the Challenge Cup final between Toulon and Bristol is going to be played in Aix-en-Provence. And since Marseille was scrapped as the venue early on it looks like they just took a leaf out of the Pro14s books.


  • Options
    #525
    Dave_The_Sheep
    Registered Users Posts: 7,337 ✭✭✭Dave_The_Sheep


    BonnieSituation wrote: »
    Should I be worried about posters who thank my posts?

    tenor.gif


  • Options
    #526
    ElisaAtWar
    Registered Users Posts: 1,015 ✭✭✭ElisaAtWar


    I believe Ulster taught Exeter a valuable lesson. Do not kick the ball away to a team who like playing ball in hand. Suspect Dan Mcfarland may be a better coach for that lesson. It's not that he should need that lesson. Rugby isn't exactly rocket science, you play what is in front of you. You play to a teams weaknesses. You do not play to a teams strengths. The naievity of Ulster was not a positive reflection on their management


  • Options
    #527
    BonnieSituation
    Registered Users Posts: 18,923 ✭✭✭✭BonnieSituation


    Squidgy Black wrote: »
    Have heard it's because Exeter were the higher seed so they get a home final, sort of makes sense since the Challenge Cup final between Toulon and Bristol is going to be played in Aix-en-Provence. And since Marseille was scrapped as the venue early on it looks like they just took a leaf out of the Pro14s books.

    That makes perfect sense I guess.


  • Options
    #528
    irishbucsfan
    Registered Users Posts: 37,978 ✭✭✭✭irishbucsfan


    ElisaAtWar wrote: »
    I believe Ulster taught Exeter a valuable lesson. Do not kick the ball away to a team who like playing ball in hand. Suspect Dan Mcfarland may be a better coach for that lesson. It's not that he should need that lesson. Rugby isn't exactly rocket science, you play what is in front of you. You play to a teams weaknesses. You do not play to a teams strengths. The naievity of Ulster was not a positive reflection on their management

    Meanwhile, Saracens against Leinster decided to give a quick lesson in why exactly the opposite can be true. But yeah, not exactly rocket science!


  • Options
    #529
    jacothelad
    Registered Users Posts: 5,911 ✭✭✭jacothelad


    irishbucsfan wrote: »
    Meanwhile, Saracens against Leinster decided to give a quick lesson in why exactly the opposite can be true. But yeah, not exactly rocket science!


    If you have an iron clad defence kicking the ball away to the opposition is often a good plan. Defending in the oppositions half can make sense. Ulster couldn't tackle a tailor's dummy.


  • Options
    #530
    awec
    Administrators Posts: 53,439 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭awec


    ElisaAtWar wrote: »
    I believe Ulster taught Exeter a valuable lesson. Do not kick the ball away to a team who like playing ball in hand. Suspect Dan Mcfarland may be a better coach for that lesson. It's not that he should need that lesson. Rugby isn't exactly rocket science, you play what is in front of you. You play to a teams weaknesses. You do not play to a teams strengths. The naievity of Ulster was not a positive reflection on their management

    I think the main lesson that Dan McFarland got last week was that Toulouse are a better team than Ulster in every facet of the game.

    I do not believe there were any particular tactics available to Ulster that would have saw them win that game. We do not have the quality of player available that would allow us to bully any team up front.


  • Options
    #531
    Paul Smeenus
    Registered Users Posts: 4,368 ✭✭✭Paul Smeenus


    I don't think the last few weeks have provided a positive reflection on the management of any of the provinces.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #532
    UAEguy2020
    Registered Users Posts: 2,098 ✭✭✭UAEguy2020


    awec wrote: »
    I think the main lesson that Dan McFarland got last week was that Toulouse are a better team than Ulster in every facet of the game.

    I do not believe there were any particular tactics available to Ulster that would have saw them win that game. We do not have the quality of player available that would allow us to bully any team up front.

    Henderson and Coetzee are better than anyone in that Exeter pack, unlike Ulster I bet Exeter didn’t go into the game thinking they had already lost though.


  • Options
    #533
    awec
    Administrators Posts: 53,439 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭awec


    UAEguy2020 wrote: »
    Henderson and Coetzee are better than anyone in that Exeter pack, unlike Ulster I bet Exeter didn’t go into the game thinking they had already lost though.

    Yes but as I am sure you are aware a pack is 8 players, not 2.


  • Options
    #534
    UAEguy2020
    Registered Users Posts: 2,098 ✭✭✭UAEguy2020


    awec wrote: »
    Yes but as I am sure you are aware a pack is 8 players, not 2.

    Firstly I apologize as I read your comment wrong, I thought you meant ANY player rather than simply having enough players of the required standard.

    Secondly while Ulster wouldn’t have a pack capable fo bullying a team like Toulouse I’m sure looking at the player Ulster have they can put together a pack of forwards that can avoid getting thrown around like a rag doll. If you look at that Exeter pack man for man it really isn’t that impressive a pack (LCD and Gray being the only really top players imo) but if you look at them as a pack they just work so well as a unit and everyone knows their roll and because of it they can punch well above their weight. Ulster at times it does fee like a bunch of headless chickens. Even if size is an issue you can get over a lot of those problems with abit of game smarts which Ulster appear to have been lacking also. Hopefully that can improve this season and some new guys (McCann hopefully) can come in and give Ulster that boost.


  • Options
    #535
    StackSteevens
    Closed Accounts Posts: 873 ✭✭✭StackSteevens


    Indo reporting:

    Champions Cup final in turmoil as Racing 92 report nine positive Covid-19 tests

    Racing 92's entire squad and backroom staff have been placed into immediate home isolation after nine positive tests for coronavirus plunged preparations for their Champions Cup final against Exeter into turmoil.

    The club are implementing a series of emergency measures to halt the further spread of Covid-19 ahead of their clash with the Chiefs in Bristol on October 17.

    On top of sending all players, management and support staff into quarantine, the Parisians' training centre is being closed for a minimum of five days to undergo "complete decontamination of the site".

    New tests will be carried out next week with the results dictating when individual and team training can resume, according to a statement released by Racing, who have not disclosed the identities of the nine.

    The Top 14 league match against La Rochelle on Saturday has been postponed, but the hope is that they will be able to undertake their fixture against Toulouse a week later before facing Exeter at Ashton Gate.

    Although there is no suggestion the Champions Cup final is under threat, were more positive tests to be returned next week then tournament organisers EPCR would consider activating their two-step resolution process a week early.

    First a match assessment panel made up of a medical advisory group would judge whether the game is safe to go ahead. If the answer to that is no, then a match resolution panel would convene.

    It is the same process that led to the cancellation of Leicester's Challenge Cup quarter-final against Castres last month after three players and one member of staff from the French visitors tested positive. That decision was made 24 hours before kick-off.

    Three positive tests amongst the playing squad triggers an automatic postponement in the Top 14, but that rule is not in place for European action.

    Even if Racing report a clean bill of health next week, disruption is a major setback as the big-spending French heavyweights attempt to win their first Champions Cup title after finishing runners-up twice.

    "EPCR has noted the announcement of several positive Covid-19 tests at Racing 92 and sends its best wishes to the club and to each person affected," a statement issued by tournament organisers read.

    "EPCR will be following its full, robust protocols regarding the Heineken Champions Cup final on October 17 and will remain in contact with Racing 92, Exeter Chiefs and the French league throughout."


  • Options
    #536
    sydthebeat
    Subscribers Posts: 41,095 ✭✭✭✭sydthebeat


    Nigel Owens to take charge of the ERC Cup final

    with our own Andrew Brace to take the Challenge cup final.


  • Options
    #537
    BonnieSituation
    Registered Users Posts: 18,923 ✭✭✭✭BonnieSituation


    sydthebeat wrote: »
    Nigel Owens to take charge of the ERC Cup final

    with our own Andrew Brace to take the Challenge cup final.

    Sake.


  • Options
    #538
    yerrahbah
    Registered Users Posts: 1,366 ✭✭✭yerrahbah


    https://twitter.com/ChampionsCup/status/1317063237771448320

    A start for Zebo, Ryan on the bench

    Allez Racing


  • Options
    #539
    Boscoirl
    Registered Users Posts: 2,232 ✭✭✭Boscoirl


    Cant see past Exeter in this one, but would like to see Racing win for Zebo and Ryan, (and that Indian chant Exeter do is more annoying the guy that does the announcements in the RDS)


  • Options
    #540
    Paul Smeenus
    Registered Users Posts: 4,368 ✭✭✭Paul Smeenus


    Would like to see Exeter win for Steenson and Whitten. And in fact, 'cause they're just simply the good guys.

    Someone pointed out on the 42.ie comments that when Steenson joined, they were in the English championship. He (and later Whitten) have been at the heart of that team's journey. Clearly given their heart and soul to that team and slogged, season in, season out.

    Fair play.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #541
    lawrencesummers
    Registered Users Posts: 8,495 ✭✭✭lawrencesummers


    That racing bench is scary.
    Very very scary.

    Could be one hell of a game.
    Racing well able to play a physical game, Exeter well able to take the pain.

    Some exciting players in the backs.

    I see this being neck and neck with 10 minutes to go and the team with the most accurate kicking wins.


Advertisement