2014 European Nations Cup Division 1: Round Three. 22/02/14

[norcalbuff]

View attachment 2726

Belgian squad to face Portugal.

Berger won't play, La Rochelle don't want to let him go

Just had a look and they're playing the bottom of the table team this week too. Not that is should matter since it's an international window, but it shows how ridiculous the club is being.

 

[dragos03]

While Belgium has indeed improved a lot in recent years, I think that their rugby (and their union) are a bit over-rated. Belgium is the only ENC country besides Russia where the matches of the national team are not broadcasted on TV (only online and the quality is not so good). They host their home matches on a stadium with a terrible pitch. Their union is also known for various dirty tricks, last year they started a fight on purpose against Georgia (being aware of the quick temper of the Georgian players) and did not allow Romania's captain run before the direct match (Romania was redirected to an artificial pitch where the gates were locked and they were told to jump over the fence if they want to train).

They do have a lot of potential for growth though, especially because of their French links. If they stay up, they can surely improve above the current level of the Iberian teams, on and off the pitch.

 

[Tonga_rugby]

XV Spain:

1.Ortiz - 2.Auzqui - 3.Sanz
4.Villanueva - 5.Blanco
6.Rolls - 8.Gibouin - 7.Cook
9.Feijoo - 10.Malie
11.Contardi - 12.Nava - 13.Snee - 14.Goia
15.Sempere

16. Miranda; 17. Pradalie; 18. Roca; 19. Newton; 20. Rouet; 21. Canosa; 22. Gutiérrez; y 23. Aboitiz.

 

[Croket66]

Georgia - Russia live now : http://1tv.ge/live

45 000 spectators

 

[LittleGuy]

Fantastic atmosphere in Georgia....Russia not going away quietly but I think there chances of a victory are quite low. Maybe they can hold the Lelos from getting a bonus point.

 

[dragos03]

Romania - Spain 32-6 FT

Bonus point win for Romania.

 

[LittleGuy]

With that win Romania have qualified for the 2015 RWC in one of the two direct European spots, seeding of course needs to be determined.

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

I just clicked on the link to the Georgia-Russia game at half time in the 6 Nations game. Looks like a huge crowd and sounds like a terrific atmosphere. 24-7 to Georgia at the moment.

Some interesting comments from Bernard Lapasset at this link:
http://worldsport.ge/en/page/eskizi-xatia-foto

He supports getting Georgia into the 6/7 Nations and wants to see their club teams in the Heineken or Challenge Cup. While there's an element of him preaching to the converted (he made the comments on a visit to Tblisi), it's still good to hear. Hopefully there's some work being put in behind the scenes to make it happen.

 

[ratsapprentice]

Rugby is looking very strong in Eastern Europe now, let alone in future.

Getting more non-6N affiliated clubs into the 2nd tier Euro competition is vital.

 

[mihneadds]

Great win by Romania. Now i am really looking forward for the match against Georgia.... i dont think the russians will be able to do much

 

[LittleGuy]

Georgia has won 36-10 over Russia(and the bonus point), the Georgian officials reported an attendance of 54,827 on twitter.

Edit: 9-6 for Portugal in that game at half time, all to play for in the 2nd half.

 

[mihneadds]

Well... i think portugal will win this game

 

[LittleGuy]

Well... i think portugal will win this game

And they have, they really turned the screws in the 2nd half and have won 19-6. Not looking good for Belgium in the relegation battle now, Portugal on the other hand keep their slim RWC hopes alive as they play Russia next week.

 

[mihneadds]

And i dont want to be rude... but i dont think they will score more than 3 points in Romania. However i will go to the match

 

[dragos03]

There is a widening gap between Romania/Georgia and the other 4 teams in this competition. Today both ROM and GEO played below their usual standard and still got bonus point wins by significant margins. Even Spain, with all those French players in their squad, wasn't a match for Romania today. In fact, Romania hasn't conceded a try yet in the competition this season (and only a total of 9 points conceded in three matches). ROM/GEO have also played today on very modern stadiums with quality pitches and good TV coverage.

The IRB really needs to find a solution to include these two teams in a competition of a higher standard. If 6N promotion/relegation is unlikely to be accepted any time soon, maybe a stronger Tier 2 competition with Romania, Georgia, USA, Canada and two more nations would be a good idea.

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

The IRB really needs to find a solution to include these two teams in a competition of a higher standard. If 6N promotion/relegation is unlikely to be accepted any time soon, maybe a stronger Tier 2 competition with Romania, Georgia, USA, Canada and two more nations would be a good idea.

There's a lot to be said for this proposal. Japan would be a candidate for inclusion along with Samoa, Fiji and Tonga. A bridging competition to get these countries closer to tier 1 status should be looked at. Something like this maybe?:
Pool 1: USA, Canada, Georgia, Romania
Pool 2: Japan, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga

Play each team in your pool once (3 games). At that stage the top 2 in Pool 1 play the top 2 in Pool 2 to decide the champion. The bottom 2 in each pool also face each other to decide places 5-8. That gives each team 5 games against teams of a similar standard, the same as the 6 Nations, and can be run at the same time.

This leaves the other ENC teams behind so they need to be looked after. Say the remaining ENC teams (Russia, Spain, Portugal, Belgium and soon be promoted Germany or Moldova) get 3 guaranteed tests against the new tier 2 countries each season. In turn, tier 2 countries get 3 guaranteed tests against tier 1 countries each season.

 

[dragos03]

Your proposal sounds even better and it would create a global Tier 2 competition. I also agree with having some guaranteed tests against both higher and lesser opponents.

Also, removing Romania and Georgia from the ENC would allow Belgium to stay up and both Germany and Moldova to be promoted. The result would be a much more balanced ENC compared to the current version, with more competitive matches.

 

[mihneadds]

Yeah... but it will be a draw back for the pther teams who, like Spain have started to invest some money. Meanwhile, the "real" tier 2 nations do not generate enough media and crowd interest (tell me that Romania vs Tonga would generate a media frenzy at least at half comparing to a Wales vs South Africa ) . Maybe some upsets at RWC or some side to side game against the "heavy hitters " like England or South Africa would bring the IRB some ideas

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

Yeah... but it will be a draw back for the pther teams who, like Spain have started to invest some money.

You're absolutely right and therein lies the toughest issue for the IRB to resolve. How do you improve standards in the best performing tier 2 countries (Samoa and Georgia being the most prominent) without hurting teams of a lesser standard (those in the bottom half of ENC 1A)? Georgia, for example, need to play tier 1 nations more regularly to take the next step up. Likewise Spain, Germany, Belgium etc need to play Georgia to help get up to that standard. Could a third, lesser quality, 4 team pool be added maybe?

Spain, Russia, Portugal, Belgium form Pool 3. The winner of each pool plays each other as do the teams in 2nd, 3rd and 4th position. Once again we have 5 games per country. Promotion/relegation is added to pool 3 so that teams like Germany and Moldova have a chance to step up.

 

[mihneadds]

I find your idea slight better