The Tarf V The Baa Baa's

Nobody particularly well known will feature. It's a Wednesday game, for a start. The Barbarians play a few games every season at this level and populate their teams with younger players from around the UK and Ireland or lower division players etc.

I would think Clontarf will be looking to put out as strong a side as possible. Won't be any contracted players, I'm sure, but their strongest AIL side should feature; the season ends the weekend before and I'm sure anyone who is fit to play would love a shot at playing the Barbarians.

Got my tickets :-)

You'd wonder if they're pricing people out of the game. I'd have an interest in going if they were around the tenner mark, 20 turns me off a bit.

This is true. I'm sure they'll get a big enough crowd with the Tarf faithful anyway.

Teferi wrote: »

You'd wonder if they're pricing people out of the game. I'd have an interest in going if they were around the tenner mark, 20 turns me off a bit.

I don't think 20 quid to watch the Barbarians is a lot of money, its a once in a lifetime fixture for Clontarf and there are costs to cover. There are still plenty of people around who take a real interest in club rugby and will quite happily pay to attend. If anything the standard of AIL rugby has risen significantly in the last 3-4 years as the provinces realise the benefits of making fringe players available to the clubs. This time last year (six nations winners) Jack McGrath and Martin Moore were playing AIL, while currently the likes of Jack Conan and Tadhg Furlong are earning their stripes at AIL level before moving onto hopefully long professional careers.

Mike Ruddock is to coach the babaas, Nigel Owens to ref. Clearly wont be an A List lineup for the Barbarians but huge credit must go to the committee in Clontarf who have made this happen.

I would imagine the availability of fringe provincial players to both Clontarf and the Babaas will depend on how the provinces are doing closer to the time. In an ideal world some of Clontarf's wild geese would be involved, the likes of Michael Keating and James Hart, not to mention Downey and Paul O'Donoghue.

In the meantime there's a much more important fixture in Clontarf on Friday night as they host Old Belvedere in potentially a league decided, there'll be a huge crowd for this one.

Teferi wrote: »

As I said, I'm sure the Clontarf faithful will attend en masse but they're probably pricing out potential punters with less invested into this particular game but would still go for a gander.

I think it's largely expected to be a sell out as it stands. But I suppose time will tell.

i was up watching the match tonight tarf v belvo (tarf won) picked up my ticket, ticket number 2427 or close to it!
Im not too sure where the stands are going to go, the mount is still there (as far as i was aware this would be dug out and a stand put in before they rejig the pitches)

Crowd tonight was huge, Cian Healy was down to watch aswell very much looking forward to the baa baas and i think 20 euro is more than a fair price.....double the price of an AIL ticket, its a once off and i wont see the baa baas again more than likely!

.ak wrote: »

Yeah the word was they were putting in new stands for the game. However no sign of them, so I reckon if they haven't started in them yet it won't happen?

But to be fair two diggers would get that up in a day..... Dunno how long it takes to put in a small stand..... Another 3 or 4...still doable

The Lost Sheep wrote: »

Players confirmed to be involved against Clontarf:
Ben Evans [Moseley], Laurence Ovens [Rosslyn Park], Thomas Andrew Bryn Jones [Llandrovery], Lorne Ward [Rosslyn Park], Rob Elloway [Cornish Pirates], Haydn Pugh [Carmarthen Quins], Mike Powell [Moseley], Sasha Harding [Bedford Blues], Peter Synnott [Esher], Ryan de la Harpe [Flyde], James Grindal [Bristol], Ceri Sweeney [Exeter Chiefs], Jason Shoemark [Exeter Chiefs], Fraser Harkness [Selkirk], Tom Cheeseman [Esher].


http://www.thescore.ie/barbarians-clontarf-castle-avenue-mike-ruddock-1419093-Apr2014/

So John Hayes is getting a call up to this yeah?!

Wonder can we expect rest of the team to be made up of Irish players AIL and academy? Any recently retired Irish internationals in good health to play? Mick O'Driscoll played recently for BaaBaas didn't he?

The Lost Sheep wrote: »

In the link(or poss I read it elsewhere) that a considerable few of the remainder of players to be called up will be AIL players. Doubt we'll see any recently retired internationals though never know for exhibition game like this

Sorry on the phone and I hate clicking on the Journal or Score links because it opens the app. It just annoys me! Thanks though.

Dover144 wrote: »

I think the baa baa side is a bit of a let down, compared to some of the players who are playing against England on the 1st of June. Hopefully there will be one current international that is named in the second set of players. Great event for tarf, none the less

But with the greatest of respect to Clontarf, it's not much of an occasion if if the baa baas field a side that will hockey them.

Dover144 wrote: »

I think the baa baa side is a bit of a let down, compared to some of the players who are playing against England on the 1st of June. Hopefully there will be one current international that is named in the second set of players. Great event for tarf, none the less

It's the middle of the season. It was always going to be a weak enough team. The Barbarians play a lot more games than the few high profile games in the summer and they usually have a side of this standard.