Celtic League Thread 05/06

[loratadine]

well sorry to dissapoint but the blues won 21-10 and the dragons beat munster

 

[Black-Monday]

I watched the munster game and the welsh actually looked quite clinical, munster we ragged and looked like that perpignan game took alot out of them.

Ian Gough stood up and played well, if only we can get that from English ball carriers on big stage.

I actually back Scarlets, after wasps put out such an average team.

BM

 

[edinburgh_gunner]

Edinburgh lost the game tonight, Cardiff didn't win it. We couldn't use all of our possesion and lacked any creative spark. We gifted them 14 points with two very careless interception tries and our backs were just cack. Infact, only Hogg, Murray, Lawson, Southwell and Webster looked interested. Careless mistakes cost us the game, we were dominating the game for large spells but just didn't have that killer touch. Still, onwards and upwards. We should use our last few games to build for next year now I think.

 

[edinburgh_gunner]

victims of their own carelessness[/b]

Just saw that on the BBC site, and that sums up the Gunners tonight.

 

[edinburgh_gunner]

Leinster scrapped a win tonight against the Borders, 35-34.

Not a good night for the top teams I don't think.

To be fair Munster and Leinster did have H Cup semis last week. We were just cack.

 

[Cymro]

Getin Cardiff, we did not deserve a win but a win is a win

 

[edinburgh_gunner]

Originally posted by Cymro@Apr 7 2006, 10:23 PM
Getin Cardiff, we did not deserve a win but a win is a win

Aye....we got lucky against you down there and you got lucky up here.

Fair's fair I suppose.

 

[el_tk]

Leinster kept handing the Borders points, I'm just glad we got out of there with a win to open up some distance between us and Munster. And now according to celticleague.com we're on top of the table for the first time ever, having won the inagural one in a final.

Munster were pretty bad but at the same time the Dragons were clinical and played well.

 

[SmokeyMonkey]

Looks like it's still very close and maybe any one of the top 6 or 7 teams can still win it!

 

[PeeJay]

Originally posted by SmokeyMonkey@Apr 12 2006, 06:29 AM
Looks like it's still very close and maybe any one of the top 6 or 7 teams can still win it!

Perhaps mathematically, but not plausibly. I'd say it's between the top three Irish teams, personally. The Gunners are possibly out of it, but who's to say after recent results. Even the Scarlets could pull through and win it, but we'd have to win all four games in hand, and they're all against teams in the top four.

 

[edinburgh_gunner]

Originally posted by SmokeyMonkey@Apr 11 2006, 06:29 PM
Looks like it's still very close and maybe any one of the top 6 or 7 teams can still win it!

Well not unless the Gunners get thier act together, but I'm sure they will.

Though I'm a little miffed at so-called 'fans' who are saying we could loose every match from here on in. Apart from Munster, we've already beaten all of those teams already! Jeesh, talk about paranoia!

 

[An Tarbh]

Whether they'll challenge for the ***le I'm not sure but a win on Saturday isn't out of the question especially as Munster will have 1 eye on the following Sunday's fixture. 2 games against the bottom sides are easily winnable and their home fixtures are always a realistic target so Llanelli and Leinster will certainly travel with caution.

 

[edinburgh_gunner]

Originally posted by An Tarbh@Apr 11 2006, 09:08 PM
Whether they'll challenge for the ***le I'm not sure but a win on Saturday isn't out of the question especially as Munster will have 1 eye on the following Sunday's fixture. 2 games against the bottom sides are easily winnable and their home fixtures are always a realistic target so Llanelli and Leinster will certainly travel with caution.

Yes well it seems like i'm the only Gunner who still has faith in Mossy & Co and does my nut in with 'fans' turning their back on the side cause they're not winning every week. Let's not forget that this has been a very good season for us, and 2 bad games doesn't mean your a crap team (I refuse to count the Ulster one...that was almost our reserves that played their first team) Though Munster are like Edinburgh in a way - completley shafted by the internationals and have also lost 3 in a row, to lesser opposition. I don't think we'll be challenge for the ***le of the last day of the season, but I'd hope for a top 3 or 4 finnish.

 

[loratadine]

big game tonight with the scarlets travelling to leinster.

i cant see the scarlets winning this, but one thigs for sure - it should be full of tries as both teams like to attack.

 

[Black-Monday]

Ah good, this one is on bbc 2 wales so I should be able to pick it up on sky digital. Is it the full teams or are some going to be rested?

BM

 

[edinburgh_gunner]

Edinburgh's side to play Munster on Saturday night:

15 Hugo Southwell

14 Francisco Leonelli
13 Marcus Di Rollo
12 Peter Jorgensen
11 Simon Webster

10 Duncan Hodge
9 Mike Blair *

1 Alasdair Dickinson *
2 Andrew Kelly *
3 Craig Smith
4 Alastair Kellock *
5 Scott Murray CAPTAIN
6 Allister Hogg *
8 Simon Taylor
7 Alasdair Strokosch *

Substitutes

16 Allan Jacobsen
17 Dave Hewett
18 Dave Duley
19 Alan MacDonald *
20 Rory Lawson *
21 Phil Godman
22 Nick De Luca




Paterson is rested, so Leonelli returns from injury. Hodge is playing at 10 again, but I'd hoped he'd be dropped, though I presume that is for his kicking abillity. Hall is injured, so Craig Smith will act as a replacement hooker if need be (incidently, this is his 150th appearance for the Gunners). Murray takes captaincy, a good move. I would like to see him skipper for next year. It would allow Paterson to concentrate on his game more. We've now got nothing to loose, so we'll probably go hell for leather. Should be an interesting match, both sides on a loss of form (though according to our 'fans' we're utter rubbish now). I don't know if we can win this, but it's certainly not out of the question.

 

[edinburgh_gunner]

Is it possible to stream the game live? That's what I did with the Scarlets v. Wasps match.

 

[el_tk]

Originally posted by Black-Monday@Apr 14 2006, 12:17 PM
Ah good, this one is on bbc 2 wales so I should be able to pick it up on sky digital. Is it the full teams or are some going to be rested?

BM

Leinster are at pretty much full strength:

LEINSTER:

15: Girvan Dempsey
14: Rob Kearney
13: Brian O'Driscoll CAPTAIN
12: Gordon D'Arcy
11: Denis Hickie
10: Felipe Contepomi
9: Guy Easterby

1: Reggie Corrigan
2: Brian Blaney
3: Will Green
4: Bryce Williams
5: Malcolm O'Kelly
6: Cameron Jowitt
7: Keith Gleeson
8: Jamie Heaslip

Replacements:

16: Emmett Byrne
17: David Blaney
18: Niall Ronan
19: Eric Miller
20: Brian O'Riordan
21: John Hepworth
22: Kieran Lewis

LLANELLI SCARLETS:

Lee Byrne; Dafydd James CAPTAIN, Matthew Watkins, Regan King, Mark Jones; Ceiron Thomas, Clive Stuart-Smith, Iestyn Thomas, Matthew Rees, Craig Dunlea, Vernon Cooper, Chris Wyatt, Dafydd Jones, Gavin Thomas, Alix Popham

Replacements: Martyn Madden, Aled Gravelle, Francois Lowe, Gavin Quinnell, Liam Davies, Gareth Bowen, Barry Davies

 

[edinburgh_gunner]

For the Leinster fans, you can watch the game live on BBC online. Go to the ScumV website. I wish BBC Scotland was as good for sport as BBC Wales is.

 

[loratadine]

thats because rugby's our national game.

im predicting

leinster 36
scarlets 23