Friday's rant

[Ruckedtobits]

Toulouse win Top14 quarter-final with all eight forwards replaced in second half.

Racing 92 beaten in Top14 quarter-final as they only replace seven forwards in second half.

The game has changed but the French League has made a mockery out of the fifteen-a-side game.

[nc6000]

Do you mean forwards who were taken off being bought back on after a while on the bench?

[hugonaut]

Toulouse win Top14 quarter-final with all eight forwards replaced in second half.

Racing 92 beaten in Top14 quarter-final as they only replace seven forwards in second half.

The game has changed but the French League has made a mockery out of the fifteen-a-side game.

Could not agree more. The eight man bench has been in play for more than a decade and it is taken for granted, but it has changed rugby for the worse.

These are Toulouse's forward changes [alone]:

21' Cros [No6] off, Flament [No19] on
51' Mauvaka [No2] off, Marchand [No16] on
53' Baille [No1] off, Ainu'u [No17] on
58' Ri. Arnold [No5] off, Meafou [No18] on
61' Elstadt [No7] off, Tolofua [No20] on
61' Aldegheri [No3] off, Vallez [No23] on
66' Ro. Arnold [No4] off, Elstadt [No7] on
77' Mallez [No23] off, Aldeghiri [No3] on
79' Jelonch [No8] off, Mauvaka [No2] on

Literally subbed off every member of their pack in an 80 minute game.

[Oldschool]

Toulouse win Top14 quarter-final with all eight forwards replaced in second half.

Racing 92 beaten in Top14 quarter-final as they only replace seven forwards in second half.

The game has changed but the French League has made a mockery out of the fifteen-a-side game.

Could not agree more. The eight man bench has been in play for more than a decade and it is taken for granted, but it has changed rugby for the worse.

These are Toulouse's forward changes [alone]:

21' Cros [No6] off, Flament [No19] on
51' Mauvaka [No2] off, Marchand [No16] on
53' Baille [No1] off, Ainu'u [No17] on
58' Ri. Arnold [No5] off, Meafou [No18] on
61' Elstadt [No7] off, Tolofua [No20] on
61' Aldegheri [No3] off, Vallez [No23] on
66' Ro. Arnold [No4] off, Elstadt [No7] on
77' Mallez [No23] off, Aldeghiri [No3] on
79' Jelonch [No8] off, Mauvaka [No2] on

Literally subbed off every member of their pack in an 80 minute game.

There's a very simple and obvious solution to this sort of abuse.

[IanD]

Bernie Ecclestone

RTE news : Ecclestone would 'take a bullet' for Putin

http://www.rte.ie/sport/motorsport/2022 ... for-putin/

[Dave Cahill]

Bernie is almost unique in that Putin isn't the dodgiest person he's ever met

[John23]

C19. Managed to dodge it until now. The mother of all headaches.

[the spoofer]

C19. Managed to dodge it until now. The mother of all headaches.

Liquids and bed.

[ronk]

Bernie Ecclestone

RTE news : Ecclestone would 'take a bullet' for Putin

http://www.rte.ie/sport/motorsport/2022 ... for-putin/

Putin is in fine company https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/ ... arks_N.htm

[Twist]

Toulouse win Top14 quarter-final with all eight forwards replaced in second half.

Racing 92 beaten in Top14 quarter-final as they only replace seven forwards in second half.

The game has changed but the French League has made a mockery out of the fifteen-a-side game.

Could not agree more. The eight man bench has been in play for more than a decade and it is taken for granted, but it has changed rugby for the worse.

These are Toulouse's forward changes [alone]:

21' Cros [No6] off, Flament [No19] on
51' Mauvaka [No2] off, Marchand [No16] on
53' Baille [No1] off, Ainu'u [No17] on
58' Ri. Arnold [No5] off, Meafou [No18] on
61' Elstadt [No7] off, Tolofua [No20] on
61' Aldegheri [No3] off, Vallez [No23] on
66' Ro. Arnold [No4] off, Elstadt [No7] on
77' Mallez [No23] off, Aldeghiri [No3] on
79' Jelonch [No8] off, Mauvaka [No2] on

Literally subbed off every member of their pack in an 80 minute game.

There was a good discussion about this on some podcast or other this week. The molepod, or the badgercast something ridiculous like that. I agree that the eight man bench as become a blight on the game. But as I recall it was brought in for prop safety reasons(?) I remember a few switch-hitting props were being asked to take too much risk.

But its easy to make rules allowing for that. It won't be long til we see break-glass-in-case-of-emergency type players covering the whole backline from 23 with 7 replacement forwards.

[Xanthippe]

Could not agree more. The eight man bench has been in play for more than a decade and it is taken for granted, but it has changed rugby for the worse.

These are Toulouse's forward changes [alone]:

21' Cros [No6] off, Flament [No19] on
51' Mauvaka [No2] off, Marchand [No16] on
53' Baille [No1] off, Ainu'u [No17] on
58' Ri. Arnold [No5] off, Meafou [No18] on
61' Elstadt [No7] off, Tolofua [No20] on
61' Aldegheri [No3] off, Vallez [No23] on
66' Ro. Arnold [No4] off, Elstadt [No7] on
77' Mallez [No23] off, Aldeghiri [No3] on
79' Jelonch [No8] off, Mauvaka [No2] on

Literally subbed off every member of their pack in an 80 minute game.

There was a good discussion about this on some podcast or other this week. The molepod, or the badgercast something ridiculous like that. I agree that the eight man bench as become a blight on the game. But as I recall it was brought in for prop safety reasons(?) I remember a few switch-hitting props were being asked to take too much risk.

But its easy to make rules allowing for that. It won't be long til we see break-glass-in-case-of-emergency type players covering the whole backline from 23 with 7 replacement forwards.

[Oldschoolsocks]

Toulouse win Top14 quarter-final with all eight forwards replaced in second half.

Racing 92 beaten in Top14 quarter-final as they only replace seven forwards in second half.

The game has changed but the French League has made a mockery out of the fifteen-a-side game.

Could not agree more. The eight man bench has been in play for more than a decade and it is taken for granted, but it has changed rugby for the worse.

These are Toulouse's forward changes [alone]:

21' Cros [No6] off, Flament [No19] on
51' Mauvaka [No2] off, Marchand [No16] on
53' Baille [No1] off, Ainu'u [No17] on
58' Ri. Arnold [No5] off, Meafou [No18] on
61' Elstadt [No7] off, Tolofua [No20] on
61' Aldegheri [No3] off, Vallez [No23] on
66' Ro. Arnold [No4] off, Elstadt [No7] on
77' Mallez [No23] off, Aldeghiri [No3] on
79' Jelonch [No8] off, Mauvaka [No2] on

Literally subbed off every member of their pack in an 80 minute game.

There was a good discussion about this on some podcast or other this week. The molepod, or the badgercast something ridiculous like that. I agree that the eight man bench as become a blight on the game. But as I recall it was brought in for prop safety reasons(?) I remember a few switch-hitting props were being asked to take too much risk.

But its easy to make rules allowing for that. It won't be long til we see break-glass-in-case-of-emergency type players covering the whole backline from 23 with 7 replacement forwards.

I believe it was brought in to end the blight of uncontested scrums

[Schumi]

There was a good discussion about this on some podcast or other this week. The molepod, or the badgercast something ridiculous like that. I agree that the eight man bench as become a blight on the game. But as I recall it was brought in for prop safety reasons(?) I remember a few switch-hitting props were being asked to take too much risk.

But its easy to make rules allowing for that. It won't be long til we see break-glass-in-case-of-emergency type players covering the whole backline from 23 with 7 replacement forwards.

Simply allow a maximum of three substitutions in a game. If you want to sub a new front row on, fine but you've no more subs left.

[ronk]

Uber.

[RoboProp]

George Ezra; boil in the bag banality, for people who like the idea of music

[paddyor]

Sabina Higgins and her Husband abusing the office of president

https://twitter.com/Ballymagash_T/statu ... GOyWotRSdg

[Oldschoolsocks]

Sabina Higgins and her Husband abusing the office of president

https://twitter.com/Ballymagash_T/statu ... GOyWotRSdg

I believe the correct term is useful idiot…

The naivety of some people knows few bounds

[domhnallj]

George Ezra; boil in the bag banality, for people who like the idea of music

I hear ya - but fret not. After VoiVod's excellent release earlier in the year, Megadeth are releasing a new record in September (a couple of tracks already available). Nice

[Ruckedtobits]

Women's football; women's soccer; All Ireland's both over before the end of July; NZ rugby in shreds; Leinster season still 6 weeks away. The world is in chaos.

What are supposed to do in August?

[Twist]

Women's football; women's soccer; All Ireland's both over before the end of July; NZ rugby in shreds; Leinster season still 6 weeks away. The world is in chaos.

What are supposed to do in August?

Couldn't agree more! In particular I think its a bad move by the GAA. It was supposed to facilitate the club season but its been a failure on that front - so many counties aren't even starting their championship until September.

I've heard a load of purists saying "well you can go an support your club." That's not much use if your club isn't playing because all the county lads are over in Chicago.

My own club is playing, and I'll be there watching them, but that's one game every two weeks and no national coverage to speak of. I also have to choose between watching our hurlers and our footballers, because I can't leave the house for the day every weekend.