Does Dutoni still lurk about on there? It's not often you see such hatred for a sport as he has for rugby league.

I've managed 30 minutes but, in the words of that famous old sailor, I can't stands no more. Clermont v Leinster has been a perfect example of the fear of losing overcoming the desire to win, making for a negative and frankly boring spectacle.

The problem Union has as a spectator sport is that it's possible to win by using negative tactics. A team has to be pretty good to overcome this. The All Blacks say, but even the All Blacks succumbed in 2007 to France's negative tactics. When the game was mainly aimed at the players this didn't matter, but once they started taking the public's money in earnest they need to open up their game. The obvious way is to remove two players from the field - but they couldn't possibly do that - could they? The other way would be to increase the size of the field I suppose - hardly practicable.

The Stade Chaban-Delmas in Bordeaux...capacity 34,500...attendance 32,397...93% capacity...200 miles away from "home"
The Aviva Stadium, Landsdown Road Dublin, capacity 51,700...attendance 45,147...87% capacity...100 miles away from a home tie.
90% capacity...77,544

I would suggest that whilst RL purists would have issues with the way Union is played, the game itself has little problem in getting people to part with their hard earned cash.....even if the "home fans" are faced with 1hr 30mins or even 3 hrs of travel to get there.

Meanwhile, another sport that shall remain nameless, stuggles to get 29,000 to 8 games....less than 28% capacity in it's premier cup competition, whilst fans of that sport criticise Union as a spectator Sport..

You should have continued reading the rest of his thread. Then maybe you wouldn't have got the wrong end of the stick and gone off on one... again. And yet another dig at rugby league GF? Get that chip off your shoulder, it must weigh a ton by now.

I read his post....as a spectacle, there is either something that appeals to fans in Union at the moment or there are a lot of very stupid people out there willing to fork out cash to watch "gash"......union continues to "tweak" rules as a direct result of the whining from O'niell in Australia, but as a [ispectator sport[/i it is doing just fine.......negativity in cup games is not a Union trait only......it occers in pretty much every sport.

...and the wrong end of the stick eh?

Quote The obvious way is to remove two players from the field - but they couldn't possibly do that - could they?'"

the first thirty was pretty boring but the last thirty was great and the game was in the balance up to the last second with CA nearly snatching a one point victory with a disallowed try - great try from Leinster to open the game up though...
A bit like the Parsons Egg this game...

talk about being bored - the Cats v Sheffield game was boring after the third try went in - just a training session for the Cats and no great satisfaction or fun even for the most ardent RL fan...and it cost a tenner to get in plus diesel & hotel etc etc zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Yes Peter, I heard the closing stages were nailbiting with some top drawer siege mentally defence from Leinster. I had Toulouse to win the tournament and backed Clermont and Ulster -6 this weekend. I'm going for Leinster in the final... so put your money on Ulster.

Bloody hell that's a blast from the past.



Not seen him for ages mate,have to say though there are a right few pillocks on there who can't help but slate RL,especially Burke's Boot,an Aussie who hates everything to do with RL,even says Wally Lewis came from union to League.

I was proud of Edinburgh's performance, they were the team that were trying to play all the rugby.

They were done in by the usual Scottish Failings, not taking their chances and the scrum.

Not saying Lewis wasn't league through and through......but, I actually saw that touring Australian schoolboy side in 1977.....they were awesome.
I believe Lewis signed papers with the Diehards in 1978 when he returned from a victorious tour of the British Isles with the Australian Schoolboys Rugby Union side....his arm was, I believe, in a cast at the time.
His background was 100% league...he is 100% League....but his first representative honours were with the other code. Mark Ella and he have a mutual appreciation society

League and Union, different game, different skills, different things to admire.
What I cannot understand is why people who obviously can't stand union waste their time watching a game,then post about how boring it is.
I personally do not like football, so I rarely watch it. Why don't the union haters do the same. 1895 was a very long time ago!

How dare you come on here with your common sense and reason!
Baffling, isn't it? It's the same with the posters who drive every post into a criticism of rugby league. If you want to deride, condemn or praise rugby league, this really isn't the board to do it on.

Correct......except the amount of advice the IRB get on this forum with regard to making their game "more attractive" would point to a lot of posters not understanding what this thread is for.
Catalancs, I repsond to the posts of others.....I don't start the "debates"....that I save for TFC

Quite...
Why on earth are Sky not showing Wasps v Falcons? Northampton v Worcester? Really!

I thought they were showing both

I heard Wasps v Falcons was on ESPN.

Wasps vs Newcastle is on ESPN Classic.

This is my post on the Sale forum on the matter.

I never begrudge bigger teams getting games on the tele. It's common sense. Channels want viewing figures so show the most successful and well supported teams. That's fine with me. However it gets to a stage where you have to ask yourself just why they show certain teams so much. Northampton, Bath and Worcester are 3 teams who haven't been great on the field for a few seasons. Ok, perhaps not Northampton but they're not having the season they would have wanted.

Apparently Northampton have been on the tele 28 times this season, home and away, different channels, different competitions.

Out of the fixtures on the last day this is in my opinion probably the 5th most enticing game. Sale vs Harlequins - Sale pretty much guaranteed Heineken Cup but Bath winning could change that. Harlequins need to win to guarantee top spot and perhaps need a bonus point win as Leicester doing the same could mean they finish top instead of them. Leicester vs Bath - Leicester need to win and hope Quins don't better them to cement top spot. Bath need a bonus point win and for us to get nothing against Quins to get 6th spot. Saracens vs Exeter - Saracens are still playing for 1st or 2nd and hoping on other results, Exeter need to better Northampton's result.

Yet they have gone for Northampton and Worcester. Which given Worcester have nothing left to play for you would imagine Saints would go out and get a bonus point win. I appreciate Saints are playing for 4th, but with it being the last day they will be showing live bits from around the grounds, so surely one of the other 3 would have been better with us being kept up to date on that anyway. ESPN have Wasps and Newcastle which is spot on.

I just don't get it. Nothing against either team, love Franklins Gardens and imagine Sky would prefer a comfy seat than a crumbling stand at Vicarage Road.

you(re telling me that Vicarage Road is falling down ? what is the general condition of it nowadays ? I'd heard it had been revamped since the dark days of he 70s ?

It only has 3 stands now. One of the side stands got closed down due to health and safety. It's generally regarded as the worst ground in the league. They're meant to be moving to Copthall Stadium in Barnet but that remains to be seen. It's far too complex for me to be bothered reading about it on their forum. Lots of different planning stages and permission from important figures in London. It seems they were meant to be moving there for the start of next season, but with most clubs announcing season ticket details by now, I'm guessing they're having another season in Watford.

blimey,would never have believed it !

Vicarage Road holds great memories for Norwich City fans as it was a headed goal by Dave Stringer from a corner that earned The Canaries the point they needed to get to the old first division 29th april 1972 - quite a momentus occasion for the travelling fans and a small club who had hit the big time.......happy days !

on a sadder note many may recall it was the same day that West Germany beat England 1 - 3 at Wembley in the Euros semi finals........boo hoo !

another Kiwi/Ireland connection, just like me

.......if he goes well, expect the RFU to find a "grandparent"....


[urlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/17911265[/url

Heard the sale ad's on XFM manchester making a big deal of the end of Edgeley Park going off the ad you would think they were knocking the place down.

Listened to Talksport yesterday morning and again in the afternoon. A must for union fans. I was genuinely surprised by the amount of airtime the sport got.

the main RU slot on Talksport is sunday evening and lasts two hours - it's well done and just a pity for me they couldn't extend the slot a bit to include some RL...