Heineken Cup 2014 - The Final

[TRF_Olyy]

Binny's second season of senior rugby and people are writing him off saying he's a one hit wonder because of one game?!
Absolutely ridiculous. Especially when you consider the 6N he had, before injury.

 

[jaunard06]

I thought Vunipola was one of the best things about Sarries today, he was isolated far too often though and him not being supported isn't his fault. Toulon showed themselves to be a much better team though, so congratulations to the combined SA, Aus and Eng side Well deserved victory.

Bastareaud, Orioli, Noirot, Suta, Michalak, Chiocci, Tillous-Bordes, Mermoz, and Bruni don't thank you. Not to talk about Laporte and Delmas, and the rest of the staff !
All french players involved did a very good match, even if the MOTM IMO should go to either S. Armitage or Juan Smith.

It's always funny that constant trial to negate a RCT victory because there are foreign players inside the team. We don't read the same when it comes to ASM for example...maybe because they didn't win the HCup yet ? But they are regularly performing well in that competition and many non french people were supporting them last year in final. It's even more funny when it comes to the Vunipolas whose family's "britishness" certainly didn't start during the Plantagenet's reign...anyways.
So as long as a british or irish side won't win it with 100% of local players, this kind of remark, even with an added smiley is just pointless. Thats' a club competition, not a contest between national teams.

I really hope that England will remain with that fairly stupid position of not selecting S. Armitage, I prefer to see that guy watching rugby on TV than see him on the field ! He's such an amazing defender, probably the best english nb. 8 today and even maybe the best in Europe. B. Vunipola is just a brainless truck that may gain a few meters but cannot do much more. Armitage can do the same and defend much more efficiently.

 

[Peat]

But it was still a stupid thing to do, If I was the ref I would have yellowed him for a shoulder charge to a player not contesting the ball. But he wasn't carded and that's that.

Apologies for dragging it on, but if an act of technically illegal play won't get pulled up in 99.99pc of pro games, how can it be a stupid thing to do? It's like feeding into the scrum or holding onto defenders after the ruck has finished last season. The player has about as bad a chance of getting run over on the way into training. It's effectively legal.

One should not let one's opinions on how the ref should run the game colour views on how players react to the actual reffing of games imo.

As for Big Bill... the ESPN stats make him look impressive certainly, although they have been amended. I'm with the everyone who's anti-calling him a one season wonder.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

I really hope that England will remain with that fairly stupid position of not selecting S. Armitage, I prefer to see that guy watching rugby on TV than see him on the field ! He's such an amazing defender, probably the best english nb. 8 today and even maybe the best in Europe. B. Vunipola is just a brainless truck that may gain a few meters but cannot do much more. Armitage can do the same and defend much more efficiently.

He isn't a no 8, he's a flanker.

 

[Big Ewis]

I agree with Tony about Vunipola. Not that he's a one-hit wonder or whatever, just yesterday's match specifically: it really doesn't matter how many meters he ran, and although the 8 defenders stat beaten is a very impressive number, relying on stats here is like playing fantasy sports.
You can't watch a match and see everything as it happened and then retreat to your stats sheet and pull out some handsome numbers. Vunipola wasn't a factor and was defended mightily by Toulon, period. He never looked intelligent or really dangerous as he did the same thing, over and over and over again, and the result was the same thing over and over and over again: he lost the ball. Either from his own grip, or on the ground as Toulon's defense put him down, and put the hands on the ball. Some times he was isolated, sometimes Toulon *made it* so he'd be isolated. It was almost too easy at a point, I remember relishing the idea of seeing the ball in his hands because the exact same thing would happen again.

He didn't play/wasn't played like during the last France England game: there, he was like a moving platform that served as a decoy, where he would command attention from 2 or 3 defenders before offloading it softly to Brown on that first try, or at midfield on the second with Burrell merely needing to run a straight line, and straight under the post uncontested.

 

[Big Ewis]

(not a dbl post)
Here, the shtatsh:





P.S.: again with stats not revealing all the truth from the pitch in mind, hooker Burden's stats are negligible but was an unsung hero for Toulon. He was the only guy playing well for the RCT in the opening 20min when nothing was going their way. An ENORMOUS first half an hour for the Saffa.

 

[ratsapprentice]

It's best to use the ones from the erc site.... they are more accurate IMO.

 

[Big Ewis]

It's best to use the ones from the erc site.... they are more accurate IMO.

why would you think that ?

 

[ratsapprentice]

They aren't as detailed - they only give "turnovers conceded" whereas the ERC ones give both "turnovers conceded" and "turnovers won".

 

[Big Ewis]

They aren't as detailed - they only give "turnovers conceded" whereas the ERC ones give both "turnovers conceded" and "turnovers won".

oh, I thought you were insinuating that espnscrum.......WERE LYING !!!!!! In which case I likely would have given you a theatrical (and very gratuitous) HOW DARE YOU ?!! but that's not gonna happen now, is it...too bad, next time.

 

[Big Ewis]

(noot dobel pust)

And how about a few pics at the festive scene:








Wilko looks just right on that pic by himself holding the cup: proud, but not too proud, humble and humbled, under control...just right. A true champion.

 

[Draggs]

Binny's second season of senior rugby and people are writing him off saying he's a one hit wonder because of one game?!
Absolutely ridiculous. Especially when you consider the 6N he had, before injury.

Has been. Wouldn't have made it in the Welsh squad.
Get rid of him now and save yourself the trouble.

 

[TRF_heineken]

Congrats to the Diver for joining the elite group of winning a World Cup, Super Rugby and now the Heineken Cup trophy.

It was a pretty good game to watch, and I was torn at who to cheer on as I had to basically watch 4 Saffa teams play at the same time (Stormers vs. Cheetahs and RCT vs. Safacens).

for me the unsung hero is Juan Smith. that guy was just tremendous at the defense part of the match. He made the most tackles and only missed 1 (I think). He scored a great try and was always clearing out rucks in a legal way.

also, I wonder if Bakkies Botha taught teammate Craig Burden how to clean a ruck... Bakkies must have felt pretty hard done by as that clearance by Burden was IMHO the same as the one Bakkies did during 2009's B & I Lions tour...

Also, am I correct in saying that it was Referee Allain Rolland's last game?? I thought he handled such an important game pretty well, and I wish him all the luck in his future endeavours...

 

[TheSaffycen]

Yeah it was his last game as a ref and he didn't do too badly all things considered. Also with Smith do you think he could possibly go back out for the Bok ?

 

[Amobokoboko]

Was in Paris yesterday watching the game in a pub filled with locals, great buzzing atmosphere. What an amazing game! The Sarrie fans will be gutted. They seemed to be in control the first 20 minutes but then Toulon showed why they are the defending champions. Wilko will leave an enormous whole to fill. Toulon is the deserved champion.

 

[Jaguares]

Was in Paris yesterday watching the game in a pub filled with locals, great buzzing atmosphere. What an amazing game! The Sarrie fans will be gutted. They seemed to be in control the first 20 minutes but then Toulon showed why they are the defending champions. Wilko will leave an enormous whole to fill. Toulon is the deserved champion.

Are u live in France?

 

[goodNumber10]

Are u live in France?

his profile say Leuven in Belgium (just outside Brussels - about 30 minutes drive).

 

[Amobokoboko]

Yep Belgian born and bred, just went out for the weekend and tried to combine fun with pleasure. About 1H10 min with the highspeed train.

 

[Big Ewis]

Yep Belgian born and bred, just went out for the weekend and tried to combine fun with pleasure.

wow. Well you're REALLY going for it then. Combining these two things, what's that, like....playing video games while getting a blowjob ?

 

[goodNumber10]

Yep Belgian born and bred, just went out for the weekend and tried to combine fun with pleasure. About 1H10 min with the highspeed train.

Big fan of Leuven, used to go quite a lot when i lived in Brussels.