big gap between sevens and full 15-a-side internationals though.

Yeah but best to judge them as 2 sepearte sports, build up enthusiasm for 7s and if that leads to a decent 15 a side team so be it.

one of the areas where union's golbal game played by 192 countries kind of falls down.
only a handful of countries can compete competitively.
did enjoy the union sevens from san diego. think it was last year.

If you thought the Lions were unconvincing, you should have seen the England side get beaten by the Barbarians.

Never mind Cipriani, put a call out for Kelly Brook. I'm led to believe she has excellent ball-handling skills.

I can't get that image out of my head.

Oh man how bad were England? Just the basic skills of being able to catch, hold on in contact or deliver an accurate pass were completely missing.

A sad indictment of what the 10-man rugby favoured and perfected by the likes of Leicester and Munster and now copied by everyone else is doing to skill levels in the Northern Hemisphere.

I would have backed either of the Super 14 finalists to beat England on that showing.

Strange goings on at Bath RU

It's even shut down the forum on the official site

Damn. I was hoping to score some gear. Allegedly.

too fkin right, three resignations - stevens ban and Justin Harrison's quick departure, most strange indeed.


[urlhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/my_club/bath/8055662.stm[/url

[ian alleged failure to take drug tests on three occasions[/i
wonder if that will be big news in the daily mail

[url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/rugby_union/article6409354.ecethe times is on it[/url



[url=http://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/Sport/Rugby+Unionsplattered all over news now[/url

And at the moment it is only alleged, although it seems odd it should all come after an off-field fracas in which the three were involved?

Talks of the high court, missed drugs tests, defamation...

Piecing together the bits of this that have come out in the press, it looks like the club wanted to test the players concerned after their involvement in the fracas and for whatever reason it hasn't happened.

Leaving aside the legal issues over whether your employer can demand you take a drugs test at random, and whether failing to do so is a dismissable offence, I suspect there is more of this to be leaked into the media over the coming days by both parties.

Without a doubt. Was interesting to hear BBC Radio 5's union man saying that the players were saying to 'friends' that the club had wanted rid of them for some time.
Money problems? Three leading players off the wage bill?

in their line of work I would guess it is - but i would have thought it would have to be in your contract.

Lions looking better. 14 - 0 up after 10 in the midweek game vs Golden Lions.

Awaits complete turnaround.

25 - 3 Lions after 21. Scoring at will - this can't be right.

tom croft is abit quick for a big lad is'nt he...



stick him on the wing

Lions 32 - 10 approaching HT.

some of the stuff the lions played out there in 97 was utterly brilliant, there was a healthy smattering of league boys in the team though

Lions 74 - 10. Result.

thought the golden lions were more like tin foil. very poor and some of the defensive holes were huge. job still needed doing though and all credit to brian O' and co.
over 22,000 thousand on and things looking a lot better than they did a few days ago.

The BBC radio rugby union chap was saying at the weekend there would be 60,000 on.

an average of about 18,500 for the two games so far. that will pick up dramatically for the real games. the SARU have taken a leaf out of the SA cricket's book and made a lot of the tickets very, very reasonable.