Amlin Challenge Cup 2013/14 Quarter Finals

[TRF_Olyy]

Hopefully Bath can get him to a competent level of scrummaging because there is no way he can start for England with this level of performance.

Considering how much Cobilas has improve over the last 18months, and how well Harrison is playing, I'm not so sure it's a coaching issue as much as he might be the English Tony Buckley.

 

[Patchey]

Considering how much Cobilas has improve over the last 18months, and how well Harrison is playing, I'm not so sure it's a coaching issue as much as he might be the English Tony Buckley.

We should convert him to a hooker, how hard can that be?

 

[TheSaffycen]

Yeah, the future of English scrummaging getting binned against a good but in no way international standard prop? Nice

Alex Waller could be a international prop but still Thomas has to improve, like tom youngs if you don't improve your throwing you ain't getting into the first team.

Considering how much Cobilas has improve over the last 18months, and how well Harrison is playing, I'm not so sure it's a coaching issue as much as he might be the English Tony Buckley.

Don't say things you can't take back :wah:

 

[Patchey]

Meh, I think Waller is a really great Prem player but I wouldn't say he's international quality. Agree though on Thomas. Props are for scrummaging before all else.

 

[ratsapprentice]

As Olyy knows, I've never quite seen what the fuss is about with Thomas - but I'm willing to accept that Wig sees something in him worth investing a bit of faith in.

Sinckler really could take it from him though - in his last two games he's been significantly better (dominant IMO) than his opposition... one of which is an England first team player.
In Thomas' last two games he's been sin-binned at scrum-time... not something that you can ignore very easily.

 

[Big Ewis]

Englished.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

As Olyy knows, I've never quite seen what the fuss is about with Thomas - but I'm willing to accept that Wig sees something in him worth investing a bit of faith in.

Maybe he's just this generation's "WTF?" player? Like how we had Tim Payne before?


Realistically, I think that Henry has gotten to where he has, compared to his rivals, because he was far more experienced at premiership level. He didn't look good in the scrums in that time, but he's in his 3rd season as a senior player, two of which he's been starting/benching every week. I think England would rather take a punt on that than a guy who is potentially better but only has a couple of appearances.

 

[TheSaffycen]

Thomas needs to pack on a bit of weight to start getting better. It's all good that he can get over the ball and carry well but give me Davey Wilson ANYDAY of the week over him. Thomas is about 110kg on a 6'2 frame and he isn't all muscle, I use to believe that he just didn't work with a small lock but he had two massive Russian locks behind him last night and he was ****e. Wilson is said to be 112kg and 6'2 but I can't believe for a second that he is the same size as Thomas.

 

[ratsapprentice]

The "112kg" is just a misprint... he's 122/123kg

Something I've just found recently: http://www.ercrugby.com/matchcentre/bath_rugby.php?section=3

The ERC site has what I reckon to be the most honest height/weight listings anywhere.
And according to that site Thomas is only 96kg - now that seems to be an understatement... but the rest of the weights seem very accurate to me, so I'm not sure whether to believe it or not.
Either way he's way lighter than the vast majority of TH's his height who are usually 120kg+.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Wait, is Sinckler pronounced Sinclair? Or is Stuart Barnes just terrible at talking?

 

[ratsapprentice]

I pronounce it as it's spelt.

Stade's LH is driving straight across Kyle... apparently Hodges is still one of the worst refs in the game.
I seriously do not understand how professional refs can have such poor understanding of the scrum - Hodges just has absolutely no idea what the **** is going on... it's embarrassing and infuriating in equal measure.

 

[Patchey]

Wait, is Sinckler pronounced Sinclair? Or is Stuart Barnes just terrible at talking?

The later.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Christ, this game has been terrible for the viewer.
It's not really been a classic, but these stoppages are killing me.
Bad enough it's taken him 25minutes to pinch a physio to have a look at his calf, now he's decided he wants to have 15mins of TMO.

 

[Aristodemus]

Wow, what a bull**** call

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Brown's fault for the big tough man tackle, a proper hit wouldn't have attracted attention.

 

[Tony Manx]

Hodges has ruined this game for me as any sort of spectacle by his inability to control his linesmen and some absurd decisions......Robson went through the scrum and took out a guy three yards beyond....it gets called back for a slap but what about the penalty for taking a man out by Robson rather than the try for Brown. That was just one blatant absurdity and would agree the penalty against Brown was yet another!

He should be kicked out of the game....he is always C R A P!!!

 

[Groundhog]

Hodges is the kind of ****er who could make midget Tai Kwan Do boring.

 

[ratsapprentice]

http://www.therugbyforum.com/threads/32502-Leighton-Hodges?highlight=hodges

 

[goodNumber10]

Was at the game, and i said to my freinds it was probably a better game to be at than to watch on TV.

LOTS of off the ball stuff, literally every sequence of play had some kind of scuffling going on somewhere (usually with Brown involved).

Steyn had an absolutely shocking game, he ljust wasn't interested at any point and his defence was utterly laughable.

 

[Patchey]

Looks like an all English set of semi finals is possible, has that ever happened before?

Interesting Quins stay, every time they've gone further than the QFs of a European competition they've gone on to win it.