United Rugby Championship

[LeinsterLeader]

Ulster are very good side, no doubt...... but based on today's performance we'll have plenty of chances next week. Whether we can take them or not is a different question.

[cormac]

Bundee Aki doing himself no favours there

[LeinsterLeader]

Jaysus that was some score from the Stormers!

[Serb]

Some weekend for tries in the URC. Averaging almost 9 tries a game so far.

10 tries in Zebre vs Sharks
10 tries in Glasgow vs Cardiff
7 tries in Leinster vs Benetton
12 tries in Scarlets vs Ulster
9 tries in Bulls vs Edinburgh
5 tries Stormers vs Connacht

[riocard911]

Bundee Aki doing himself no favours there

I'm sick and tired of Bundee giving refs push back. Shoulder charge at high speed to the opposing player's head was a red card all day. I hope the citing commissioners give him extra time for all the lip. FFS, he's a professional rugby player, so he should stop acting like a petulant child and take his medicine for the team.

[paddyor]

Seems like this is trying to will it to happen

https://twitter.com/TheRugbyPaper/statu ... sF3H2cMCgQ

[naraic]

Seems like this is trying to will it to happen

https://twitter.com/TheRugbyPaper/statu ... sF3H2cMCgQ

The English are floating the idea but the Welsh teams are tied into contracts with the URC. If the English want a 14 team premiership (which is their stated goal) they need external clubs to bail them out.

The Premiership aren't going to buy them out of contracts.

[riocard911]

Premiership

Two Welsh clubs lined up to play in England

25 September 2022
EXCLUSIVE
By NEIL FISSLER

Premiership Rugby have had initial discussions with the Welsh Rugby Union about two Welsh regions joining England’s elite club competition from the start of next season.

Premiership bosses are understood to be ready to turn to Wales to fill potential vacancies that will be left if financially distressed Worcester Warriors and Wasps go to the wall in the coming weeks.

The Warriors, £25 million in debt, are likely to be forced into administration and suspended by the RFU tomorrow if, as seems likely, they cannot provide ....

***

That's as much as I could block copy from TheRugbyPaper.

Confirms my/our suspicions: Having run the Prem business model into a wall, the English are now going to try and cannibalise the URC to get their own show back on the road of financial solvency or at least the suggestion thereof, by getting either the Welsh or the Saffers to join in their schemes....

[Serb]

Saw that Frawley had surgery yesterday and won’t travel with Ireland. Expected to be fit again around the Irish game vs Fiji.

Soroka also ruled out of the tour, Ben Murphy has been added to the squad.

[Laighin Break]

Some interesting developments around officiating in the URC:
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rug ... w-25108369

Key points

• Four-man panel of independent assessors to review the performance of match officials along with Head of Match Officials Tappe Henning. These are Nigel Owens, George Clancy, Stuart Berry & Neil Paterson

• Former Scotland hooker Steve Scott appointed as a set-piece consultant

• Referees and TMOs will be paired - "The more they work together the more effective they become..."

[Ruckedtobits]

Some interesting developments around officiating in the URC:
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rug ... w-25108369

Key points

• Four-man panel of independent assessors to review the performance of match officials along with Head of Match Officials Tappe Henning. These are Nigel Owens, George Clancy, Stuart Berry & Neil Paterson

• Former Scotland hooker Steve Scott appointed as a set-piece consultant

• Referees and TMOs will be paired - "The more they work together the more effective they become..."

Very good decisions these appointments. I hope that Union Referee Officials have been told to 'butt out' and not interfere with this process to ensure we get continuity of development of the best available referees.

[JohnB]

Seems like this is trying to will it to happen

https://twitter.com/TheRugbyPaper/statu ... sF3H2cMCgQ

Walesonline reporting that this is unlikely to happen as it would lead to breaking of contracts and to litigation and also reporting that if there have been talks they have not been official.

[riocard911]

Seems like this is trying to will it to happen

https://twitter.com/TheRugbyPaper/statu ... sF3H2cMCgQ

Walesonline reporting that this is unlikely to happen as it would lead to breaking of contracts and to litigation and also reporting that if there have been talks they have not been official.

The kite just crashed, in other words. Good.

[OTT]

Evan Roos being Evan Roos, scummer

[Ruckedtobits]

Looking at the Bulls, Stormers, Sharks & even the Lions, this is going to be a very difficult tournament to win. Defences are very strong and almost every team has two or three stand-out attackers. This could be tougher that Heino.

[OTT]

Munster have got two try’s off their lineout maul. POM has taken both lineouts and both of them Wycherley and Knox have formed the maul ahead of him without the ball. Both very clear. Very harsh on Zebre.

[OTT]

3rd try lineout maul. Wycherley takes it and POM forms maul ahead of him.

The problem will be when they do it in a big game and get penalised, bit like ourselves with men joining formed mauls ahead of the carrier.

[Dave Cahill]

joining formed mauls ahead of the carrier.

Ah but are they joining ahead of the carrier or are they joining and binding on the carrier (no matter how briefly and lightly) before sliding forward? The former is illegal, the latter is an exploit. Luke McGrath, for example, was entirely legal for Sheehans try last night. He joins from behind and binds on the ball carrier. What happens, or should happen, after that is not referenced in the laws.

[OTT]

I think Zebre have lost every single one of their own lineout’s. It’s absolutely killing them.

[Dave Cahill]

Benetton have beaten Scarlets in Treviso 34 -23