The Big Combined Premiership Rugby Cup Thread

[Margin_Walker]

Yep, you'd hope so.

One miss is not having the games not being televised on PRTV. I'd have happily paid a fiver to watch the game online tonight and assume a few others would too.

[FKAS]

I suspect they might start doing that or that the club's might start doing a basic live feed on YouTube. I'm guessing they didn't expect the games to be so entertaining. If the virtual attendances are there they'll do more.

[Puja]

Think the move to midweek has been good (albeit possibly not for attendances)

Work much better as a development competition now though, with clubs forced to go full second string rather than the occasional 50:50 squads you'd see even in the pool stages before.

Agreed - it's become a real replacement for the A-league with the midweek move and removes the risk of a side abruptly taking it seriously and half the first team obliterating a bunch of schoolboys by 80 points (mentioning no Gloucesters).

Finally got to watch my recording of the Leicester game. Good fun match and some young players looking good. Thought Hartley lived up to his hype, as did Woodward. Edwards looks like he's a really useful player and should see some Prem time off the bench while Youngs and JVP are with England. Good to see Ilione finish a full 80 without injury - feels like every time I've watched him, he's gone down with something unlucky.

Puja

[Raggs]

Think the move to midweek has been good (albeit possibly not for attendances)

Work much better as a development competition now though, with clubs forced to go full second string rather than the occasional 50:50 squads you'd see even in the pool stages before.

Agreed - it's become a real replacement for the A-league with the midweek move and removes the risk of a side abruptly taking it seriously and half the first team obliterating a bunch of schoolboys by 80 points (mentioning no Gloucesters).

Finally got to watch my recording of the Leicester game. Good fun match and some young players looking good. Thought Hartley lived up to his hype, as did Woodward. Edwards looks like he's a really useful player and should see some Prem time off the bench while Youngs and JVP are with England. Good to see Ilione finish a full 80 without injury - feels like every time I've watched him, he's gone down with something unlucky.

Puja

Wish we could see Hartley at 12. It's nice to see his adaptability, but 12 is a problem shirt for clubs and England, and Hartley has the potential to fill a role nicely. He's big, good hands, good brain. Wonder what's going to go wrong.

[jimKRFC]

Bristol 20 - 35 Exe

Tried to listen on the radio but the commentator was terrible - gave no information on who had the ball, who scored, what was going on...

As expected the more experienced Exe side put Bristol under massive pressure and the youngsters made errors. Bris had a man binned during push over try and Exe scored two more while he (Byrne) was off. Ref wasn't great - linesman (heard over ref link) ruled out two Exe tries but the ref gave them anyyway. So not as bad as the score says really.

The Benz's were solid in the scrums, back row did pretty well and Joe Jenkins (13) getting good reviews as well.

[Puja]

Polledri apparently got through the whole game for Glaws. Good news that. Feel a bit sorry for Bath, as Gloucester put out Ludlow, Polledri, May and a few others needing game time (obviously they have no match at the weekend cause if Worcester), so it was a bit uneven.

Puja

[Peej]

Think the move to midweek has been good (albeit possibly not for attendances)

Work much better as a development competition now though, with clubs forced to go full second string rather than the occasional 50:50 squads you'd see even in the pool stages before.

Agreed - it's become a real replacement for the A-league with the midweek move and removes the risk of a side abruptly taking it seriously and half the first team obliterating a bunch of schoolboys by 80 points (mentioning no Gloucesters).

Finally got to watch my recording of the Leicester game. Good fun match and some young players looking good. Thought Hartley lived up to his hype, as did Woodward. Edwards looks like he's a really useful player and should see some Prem time off the bench while Youngs and JVP are with England. Good to see Ilione finish a full 80 without injury - feels like every time I've watched him, he's gone down with something unlucky.

Puja

Wish we could see Hartley at 12. It's nice to see his adaptability, but 12 is a problem shirt for clubs and England, and Hartley has the potential to fill a role nicely. He's big, good hands, good brain. Wonder what's going to go wrong.

Didn't Hartley play 12 against Newcastle in the 1st round?

[Raggs]

Agreed - it's become a real replacement for the A-league with the midweek move and removes the risk of a side abruptly taking it seriously and half the first team obliterating a bunch of schoolboys by 80 points (mentioning no Gloucesters).

Finally got to watch my recording of the Leicester game. Good fun match and some young players looking good. Thought Hartley lived up to his hype, as did Woodward. Edwards looks like he's a really useful player and should see some Prem time off the bench while Youngs and JVP are with England. Good to see Ilione finish a full 80 without injury - feels like every time I've watched him, he's gone down with something unlucky.

Puja

Wish we could see Hartley at 12. It's nice to see his adaptability, but 12 is a problem shirt for clubs and England, and Hartley has the potential to fill a role nicely. He's big, good hands, good brain. Wonder what's going to go wrong.

Didn't Hartley play 12 against Newcastle in the 1st round?

Nope, fullback again.

[Peej]

Oops, missed that. I know Lee had said he had been training there through preseason. Seems a bit Steward-esque!

[Scrumhead]

Or a bit Henshaw-esque (yes I know he didn’t look good at 15). I was simply thinking of a big centre that had also played fullback.

[FKAS]

Think the move to midweek has been good (albeit possibly not for attendances)

Work much better as a development competition now though, with clubs forced to go full second string rather than the occasional 50:50 squads you'd see even in the pool stages before.

Agreed - it's become a real replacement for the A-league with the midweek move and removes the risk of a side abruptly taking it seriously and half the first team obliterating a bunch of schoolboys by 80 points (mentioning no Gloucesters).

Finally got to watch my recording of the Leicester game. Good fun match and some young players looking good. Thought Hartley lived up to his hype, as did Woodward. Edwards looks like he's a really useful player and should see some Prem time off the bench while Youngs and JVP are with England. Good to see Ilione finish a full 80 without injury - feels like every time I've watched him, he's gone down with something unlucky.

Puja

Wish we could see Hartley at 12. It's nice to see his adaptability, but 12 is a problem shirt for clubs and England, and Hartley has the potential to fill a role nicely. He's big, good hands, good brain. Wonder what's going to go wrong.

Good boot to, the little dink through for Wasps first try was a real touch of class. Perhaps a victim of his own skillset. He had a good game at fullback to be fair and if that versatility can get him on to the bench for the first team and more minutes then it could be worth it in the long run. Bit unlucky for him Wasps have signed a useful looking Saffa at 12.

[Peej]

Although I still don't see why this whole competition couldn't have been played during the International windows.

[Puja]

Although I still don't see why this whole competition couldn't have been played during the International windows.

Cause with the shortened season with the RWC coming, it's mostly midweek. If the PRC was all that was played during the international windows, there wouldn't be enough weekends to fit the Prem and ERC in.

Puja

[jimKRFC]

Just seen that the PRC games are now available on line:

https://video.premiershiprugby.com/cont ... up-round-2

[Peej]

Although I still don't see why this whole competition couldn't have been played during the International windows.

Cause with the shortened season with the RWC coming, it's mostly midweek. If the PRC was all that was played during the international windows, there wouldn't be enough weekends to fit the Prem and ERC in.

Puja

Ah yeah, of course, forgot about that

[Margin_Walker]

Some performance by the look of things (and the highlights) from 17yo openside Henry Pollock last night for Saints.

Was great against SA for the U18s in the summer, but this is a big step up. Looks as close to a sure thing as you can get from a schoolboy rugby player. Back to school this morning.

[Mellsblue]

Alfie Barbeary is dead*. Long live the new Alfie Barbeary

*perma-crocked.

[Margin_Walker]

Nah, we're talking forwards here, not centres.

[fivepointer]

I know its the PRC but to make an impression in the game at just 17 is quite something.

[Peej]

And against a Sarries side too.

[Timbo]

Both of Pollocks’ parents are Scottish….

[Margin_Walker]

LI having fun against Sarries tonight. 7 - 38 up at half time. Loose game, which has suited them perfectly.

Couple of academy wings (Dykes and Harmes) looking very sharp.

Edit - Finished 26 - 43 with a slower second half and the Sarries bench making a difference.

[jimKRFC]

Bristol team to play Bath Rugby in the Premiership Rugby Cup at The Rec (7.45pm KO):

15. RICH LANE!!! 14. Deago Bailey, 13. Jack Bates, 12. Ioan Lloyd, 11. Henry Purdy, 10. AJ MacGinty (c), 9. Tom Whiteley,
1. Yann Thomas, 2. Harry Thacker, 3. Max Lahiff, 4. Ed Holmes, 5. Joe Batley, 6. John Hawkins, 7. Sam Lewis, 8. Fitz Harding

Sub: 16. Bryan Byrne, 17. Jake Woolmore, 18. George Kloska, 19. Morgan Eames, 20. Aaron Tull, 21. Oscar Lennon, 22. James Williams, 23. Harry Ascherl

A strangly strong team from Bristol for this one with pretty every player having a fair amount of first team exposure, apart from Deago Bailey. Decent looking bench to with Kloska getting close to first team squad after his positional switch. Good to see Thacker and Byrne coming back to fitness as well! Just need Radradra, Luatua and Naulago fit now!

[fivepointer]

Bristol dont play Saturday. Bit of a chance to get some game time into certain players. Bath putting out a few youngsters with one of two older heads.

[jimKRFC]

Bath side:
15 Darren Atkins, 14 Will Parry, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Max Wright, 11 Gabe Goss, 10 Sam Harris, 9 Murdoch Lock
1 Archie Stanley, 2 Tom Doughty, 3 Johannes Jonker, 4 Michael Etete, 5 Ewan Richards, 6 Tom Ellis ©, 7 Ethan Staddon, 8 JJ Tonks

Impact players: 16 John Stewart, 17 Scott Kirk, 18 Kieran Verden, 19 Mike Williams, 20 Nahum Merigan, 21 Blake Boyland (guest), 22 Ciaran Donoghue, 23 Thompson Cowan

Have to have Bristol as favourites for this one, the strength of the bench should make an impact as well. Good see Blake Boyland back playing though!