HEC Semi-Final: Northampton Saints vs USA Perpignan

[Teh Mite]

Also Myler needs to improve his kicking out of hand abit to put pressure on the opposition back 3 rather than himself.

He needs to keep his head up and stop kicking the ball. When he runs and passes it he normally can create a hell of a lot, but recently he's been like the ******* northern son of Wilkinson and O'Gara hoofing it away for no good reason. Several times on Sunday I noticed an easy overlap with Ashton, Foden, Clarke or Diggin out wide but he chose to kick it up in the air instead.

It's not much to ask..

 

[Logorrhea]

Jesus thats great stuff. The third time Ive been called a troll, in pictures no less, by the TRF clique (well the two remaining members of it) today.

How very creative of you all. Kinda like communicating with my 5 year old ............... though shes funnier, and her pictures are better.

 

[Teh Mite]

Oooh, a Clique. Juicy digs now.

 

[Feicarsinn]

Logorrhea I know you pride yourself on your winding up abilities, but I'd just remind you of some of Ireland's other performances in the six nations which to be honest leave you with little to be smug about.

Ireland vs Italy. You either A: Bottled it or B: were generally ****. Realistically neither option is any better than the crap England served up against Ireland

This could be an incredibly physical game though. Hope Northampton can do it, if Mujati and co can match Perpignan's physicality then I think with home advantage they are favourites. Also Myler needs to improve his kicking out of hand abit to put pressure on the opposition back 3 rather than himself.

When did international teams comes into this? The ability of the England team and the Irish team doesn't actually have all that much bearing on league strength. The fact is that unless premiership teams invest heavily in foreign imports in the same manner as the Top 14, then you would expect the league to be weaker. Think about it; you've got an England squad of 30 spread out over 12 teams as opposed to 12 ML teams having the strength of the Italian, Welsh, Scottish and Irish teams. So I fail to see what our performance against Italy has to do with the strength of the Aviva Premiership.


Oh, and we didn't bottle, hence the win.

 

[lucky number 7]

Oooh, a Clique. Juicy digs now.

 

[lucky number 7]

So who is who then ?

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

When did international teams comes into this? The ability of the England team and the Irish team doesn't actually have all that much bearing on league strength. The fact is that unless premiership teams invest heavily in foreign imports in the same manner as the Top 14, then you would expect the league to be weaker. Think about it; you've got an England squad of 30 spread out over 12 teams as opposed to 12 ML teams having the strength of the Italian, Welsh, Scottish and Irish teams. So I fail to see what our performance against Italy has to do with the strength of the Aviva Premiership.


Oh, and we didn't bottle, hence the win.

Well, quite simply, international teams come into this because of the WORDS LOGGORHEA USED. The reference was to Northampton having England players and therefore the liklihood being that saints will also bottle it in the semis. Perhaps you can spot the reference to a certain England game against Ireland? Incidentally I won't denyfor a minute that England bottled it but my point is just Ireland havent always performed and it is slightly hypocritical.

 

[Feicarsinn]

Well, quite simply, international teams come into this because of the WORDS LOGGORHEA USED. The reference was to Northampton having England players and therefore the liklihood being that saints will also bottle it in the semis. Perhaps you can spot the reference to a certain England game against Ireland? Incidentally I won't denyfor a minute that England bottled it but my point is just Ireland havent always performed and it is slightly hypocritical.

He never said that we have always performed. But our form doesn't factor into this equation. With that in mind it's hard to see how it's hypocritical. Maybe a bit silly, but not hypocritical.

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

But I do agree with you on the differences between premiership and magners. I said some of the same things in my first ever post:

18-04-10 05:12 PM #9
HenryChinaski
Senior Member

Join Date
Mar 2010
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Is he right or is he just being smug?


I think there's some truth in what Williams, Gatland, O'Gara and Marshall all say. The top Magners League teams (Leinster, Munster and Ospreys) are some distance better than the best in the Premiership in my opinion. Others like Cardiff Blues and the Scottish regions are very competitive.

I agree that Munster and Leinster are currently better than the top guiness premier sides, but to me, and you may disagree, the reasons for this are quite straight forward; with magners league being the top competition for Irish teams to compete in, there are very few top Irish club sides( Ulster to me are average, connaught below average, and leinster and munster are obviously very good), but the fact is if you're a top Irish international and you want to play in Ireland for a top Irish club side, you only have a few choices. To me this is why the Ireland national team is essentially Leinster + munster. Similarly with the Welsh teams, I think Cardiff Blues are good and Ospreys great but again they are essentially the welsh national side .

In the Guiness premiership internationals are more evenly spread out through the league, and I do think this has made it a more competitve league, but perhaps thats why there are fewer exceptional teams.

 

[SpanishBob]

Perpignan lost away against Scarlets, almost lost again Treviso and should have lost against Leicester with Twelvetrees playing for his team and not against.
Besides Northampton won in Castres and Cardiff; they are not Toulouse or Leinster but are very tough teams at home and not easy to beat at all.

My point is that Northampton has a better team, but that's not enough againts a solid french side. The Saints have not expereience at all at this stage, and the players are too young. They play home but not at Frankiln Gardens; and Porical is a more solid and mentally strong kicker than Myler.

I hope Northampton wins; I don't like the way Perpignan plays, but I think is 50-50.

Saints need a game with tries, and not just one.

 

[TRF_Cymro]

Northampton did manage to win the 2000 HEC let us not forget so they have been at this stage before. Good enough squad its about clicking on the day.

 

[SpanishBob]

Northampton did manage to win the 2000 HEC let us not forget so they have been at this stage before. Good enough squad its about clicking on the day.

I didn't mean Northampton, I mean this Northampton side. Unexperienced.

 

[lucky number 7]

How are northhamptons back row ? Henri Tualagi is an awesome weapon....when he is on the pitch.

 

[monkeypigeon]

But I do agree with you on the differences between premiership and magners. I said some of the same things in my first ever post:

18-04-10 05:12 PM #9
HenryChinaski
Senior Member

Join Date
Mar 2010
Posts
151
Country
Club

Is he right or is he just being smug?


I think there's some truth in what Williams, Gatland, O'Gara and Marshall all say. The top Magners League teams (Leinster, Munster and Ospreys) are some distance better than the best in the Premiership in my opinion. Others like Cardiff Blues and the Scottish regions are very competitive.

I agree that Munster and Leinster are currently better than the top guiness premier sides, but to me, and you may disagree, the reasons for this are quite straight forward; with magners league being the top competition for Irish teams to compete in, there are very few top Irish club sides( Ulster to me are average, connaught below average, and leinster and munster are obviously very good), but the fact is if you're a top Irish international and you want to play in Ireland for a top Irish club side, you only have a few choices. To me this is why the Ireland national team is essentially Leinster + munster. Similarly with the Welsh teams, I think Cardiff Blues are good and Ospreys great but again they are essentially the welsh national side .

In the Guiness premiership internationals are more evenly spread out through the league, and I do think this has made it a more competitve league, but perhaps thats why there are fewer exceptional teams.

I think either Feic or Log or snoop already alluded to that point. The reason why the Magners league sides are better is because there's better distribution ratio for the top players.

That said, England's playing population is probably greater than the combined total of the Magners teams.


That said, of the national leagues in Ireland and Wales. I wouldn't mind see how the likes of Neath or Pontypridd, Cork Con or Old Belv would get on against Connacht or Arioni...I'd say they'd be well in it untill professional fitness would start showing after 60 minutes,

 

[Teh Mite]

How are northhamptons back row ? Henri Tualagi is an awesome weapon....when he is on the pitch.

Dowson - Not his best form but still consistantly one of the better backrow forwards in Europe.
Clark - Dowsons understudy. Seems to have cooled his temperament recently and looks a good prospect for the future. Likely to be on the Bench
Wood - The best 7 in England playing 6 on the international stage. Richard Hill Mk. 2.
Wilson - Everyone knows about him
Easter - Better then elder brother Nick. Unlikely to feature though barring injury.

In last years group stages it finished 1 a piece between USAP. Nigel Owens was the most influential man on the pitch as USAP mullered Saints in Amie Gral (when Tuilaggi infamously got tore Foden a new one) while Saints bossed and nilled USAP to picked up a bonus point in the process in Franklins Gardens.

Take your choice, place your bets.

 

[lucky number 7]

I don't rate the Hairy perpingnan 7 ..just goes around like a blue arsed fly doing very little...
If wood is as good as you're saying I would back Northampton , I have never seen a human specemin quite like Tualagi however..some pretty fantastic genetics in that family

 

[TRF_Cymro]

I have never seen a human specemin quite like Tualagi however..some pretty fantastic genetics in that family

Rumours have it that they feed them baby rhinoceroses.

 

[Teh Mite]

TBF the USAP team Saints bossed were much weaker then the squad from the 3rd round.

 

[lucky number 7]

Rumours have it that they feed them baby rhinoceroses.

Thats borderline cannibalism

 

[Groundhog]

i dont see northampton winning they havent had one tough game this year in the heineken going through the easiest pool and beating ulster in the quarter and even if they did i would not back them beating leinster or toulouse europes best two teams