Quins V Saracens Sun 3pm

[Mellsblue]

Again from care.

bit jammy tbh

Pen advantage. Good decision.

[Mikey Brown]

Again from care.

bit jammy tbh

Nah. He spotted Goode and targeted him. Pinpoint stuff.

[Timbo]

Great result for Quins, although as a neutral their tactics were incredibly turgid to watch and largely facilitated by a really poor refereeing performance imo. I usually like Luke Pearce as a ref but he didn’t allow any competition at the ruck whatsoever, and when Quins are almost exclusively playing off 9 it becomes virtually impossible for the opposition to win the ball back. Pearce gives 1 or 2 holding on pens to Sarries (of which there could have been at least 7 or 8) and we see a much more open game.

[Spiffy]

nice from quins, high from Faz.

"its not often you see Farrell missing tackles'? wtf

Made me laugh. Waterboy, as usual, went on to miss a few others too.
Dallaglio really is a poor pundit who misses a lot, seems to have no perception of the subtlties of the game and is a tad limited in the eloquence department.

[Oakboy]

Was Healey right about the big guy that threw the ball off the floor? That happens so often I didn't realise it was a penalty (if he's right). How could the referee miss it?

[Timbo]

Was Healey right about the big guy that threw the ball off the floor? That happens so often I didn't realise it was a penalty (if he's right). How could the referee miss it?

Well you are supposed to place/play the ball straight away, but I thought it was probably within the allowable limit of the modern game, so to speak. But the advantage the ref was playing happened before that anyway, when Care takes out Kruis from an offside position. Should probably have been a yellow for Care tbh.

[fivepointer]

The Faz love in was absurd but i've come round to the view that most of the rugby world do see him in a different way to me.

Quins did well to get the win but Saracens are badly misfiring. Very unusual for them to struggle for continuity and to make so many errors.

Playing the ball off the floor is commonplace. Strictly speaking the tackled player should release the ball immediately but if there isnt a defender at hand refs will allow him to pop the ball up. No drama, this happens in virtually every game and no one bats an eyelid.

[Banquo]

Again from care.

bit jammy tbh

Pen advantage. Good decision.

yes, but jammy outcome. He did play well though, I'd have him ahead of Youngs most days, brain farts aside

[Banquo]

Great result for Quins, although as a neutral their tactics were incredibly turgid to watch and largely facilitated by a really poor refereeing performance imo. I usually like Luke Pearce as a ref but he didn’t allow any competition at the ruck whatsoever, and when Quins are almost exclusively playing off 9 it becomes virtually impossible for the opposition to win the ball back. Pearce gives 1 or 2 holding on pens to Sarries (of which there could have been at least 7 or 8) and we see a much more open game.

agreed 100%. I don't like to slag off refs, but the breakdown is being reffed poorly at the moment for me

[Banquo]

Was Healey right about the big guy that threw the ball off the floor? That happens so often I didn't realise it was a penalty (if he's right). How could the referee miss it?

Well you are supposed to place/play the ball straight away, but I thought it was probably within the allowable limit of the modern game, so to speak. But the advantage the ref was playing happened before that anyway, when Care takes out Kruis from an offside position. Should probably have been a yellow for Care tbh.

agreed again

[Banquo]

The Faz love in was absurd but i've come round to the view that most of the rugby world do see him in a different way to me.

Quins did well to get the win but Saracens are badly misfiring. Very unusual for them to struggle for continuity and to make so many errors.

Playing the ball off the floor is commonplace. Strictly speaking the tackled player should release the ball immediately but if there isnt a defender at hand refs will allow him to pop the ball up. No drama, this happens in virtually every game and no one bats an eyelid.

aye to that.

The faz thing is a mystery- Charlie Hodgson, a far more talented and visionary player, got reemed for every little mistake (and by me, a lot!). Yet Faz, a charmless man, gets let off grassing simple passes, missing straightforward tackles....just, odd.

[Bloggs]

Enjoyed that

Bothma, Robshaw, Care and Lang stood out for Quins.

Marler very petulant when coming off as a sub and didn’t look happy when the team were celebrating. Nobody should be bigger than the club

[Bloggs]

Great result for Quins, although as a neutral their tactics were incredibly turgid to watch and largely facilitated by a really poor refereeing performance imo. I usually like Luke Pearce as a ref but he didn’t allow any competition at the ruck whatsoever, and when Quins are almost exclusively playing off 9 it becomes virtually impossible for the opposition to win the ball back. Pearce gives 1 or 2 holding on pens to Sarries (of which there could have been at least 7 or 8) and we see a much more open game.

agreed 100%. I don't like to slag off refs, but the breakdown is being reffed poorly at the moment for me

Feels like nobody can compete at the breakdown any more, allowing tens of repetitive phases. The game is poorer for it

[Banquo]

Great result for Quins, although as a neutral their tactics were incredibly turgid to watch and largely facilitated by a really poor refereeing performance imo. I usually like Luke Pearce as a ref but he didn’t allow any competition at the ruck whatsoever, and when Quins are almost exclusively playing off 9 it becomes virtually impossible for the opposition to win the ball back. Pearce gives 1 or 2 holding on pens to Sarries (of which there could have been at least 7 or 8) and we see a much more open game.

agreed 100%. I don't like to slag off refs, but the breakdown is being reffed poorly at the moment for me

Feels like nobody can compete at the breakdown any more, allowing tens of repetitive phases. The game is poorer for it

yep, as predicted/able

[Digby]

I guarantee McCaw and Smith would be finding ways to compete at the breakdown, coaches and players are giving up without applying any thought and waiting to copy how someone else does it.

Also Sarries are showing signs of having done something many decent sides have tried to do and suffered from at times, they've tried to improve their play, and that means in practice they're a little more open than they were 2-3 seasons back. And so whilst Sarries at their best are now better they're also more beatable on an off day. And further, Will Skelton is big, and that's it.

[Harvey Quin]

Never in doubt. I flew home from Slovenia this morning and went straight to the game with my case. Arrived just as the game started and by the time I got to my seat we were 7-0 down! After that, never in doubt

[Banquo]

I guarantee McCaw and Smith would be finding ways to compete at the breakdown, coaches and players are giving up without applying any thought and waiting to copy how someone else does it.

Also Sarries are showing signs of having done something many decent sides have tried to do and suffered from at times, they've tried to improve their play, and that means in practice they're a little more open than they were 2-3 seasons back. And so whilst Sarries at their best are now better they're also more beatable on an off day. And further, Will Skelton is big, and that's it.

..hmm, I just thought they did the stuff they usually do well, badly- not as a consequence of trying to do more/better. They didn't retain ball, they didnt tackle well, and they gave away daft pens. Same story as last week, give or take.

Agreed on McCaw and Smith and coaches copping out- mind you guaranteed me they'd be working it out months ago

[Digby]

I guarantee McCaw and Smith would be finding ways to compete at the breakdown, coaches and players are giving up without applying any thought and waiting to copy how someone else does it.

Also Sarries are showing signs of having done something many decent sides have tried to do and suffered from at times, they've tried to improve their play, and that means in practice they're a little more open than they were 2-3 seasons back. And so whilst Sarries at their best are now better they're also more beatable on an off day. And further, Will Skelton is big, and that's it.

..hmm, I just thought they did the stuff they usually do well, badly- not as a consequence of trying to do more/better. They didn't retain ball, they didnt tackle well, and they gave away daft pens. Same story as last week, give or take.

Agreed on McCaw and Smith and coaches copping out- mind you guaranteed me they'd be working it out months ago

I had perhaps overlooked how many coaches are left with any union nous, it'd had already gone a bit league and it's only gotten worse

And the whole Sarries setup is more open now they do actually do more than just kick the ball away

[Banquo]

I guarantee McCaw and Smith would be finding ways to compete at the breakdown, coaches and players are giving up without applying any thought and waiting to copy how someone else does it.

Also Sarries are showing signs of having done something many decent sides have tried to do and suffered from at times, they've tried to improve their play, and that means in practice they're a little more open than they were 2-3 seasons back. And so whilst Sarries at their best are now better they're also more beatable on an off day. And further, Will Skelton is big, and that's it.

..hmm, I just thought they did the stuff they usually do well, badly- not as a consequence of trying to do more/better. They didn't retain ball, they didnt tackle well, and they gave away daft pens. Same story as last week, give or take.

Agreed on McCaw and Smith and coaches copping out- mind you guaranteed me they'd be working it out months ago

I had perhaps overlooked how many coaches are left with any union nous, it'd had already gone a bit league and it's only gotten worse

And the whole Sarries setup is more open now they do actually do more than just kick the ball away

It may be more open- though doesn't look dissimilar to last season- but that's not why they've struggled the last month or so.

(gotten??)

[Digby]

I got a little carried away

[Timbo]

Tbf, Sarries did find a way to compete at the breakdown. I lost count of the number of times a Sarries player was first in, on their feet and hands on the ball, Quins player holding on...and the ref just yelled out to leave it alone.

[Banquo]

Tbf, Sarries did find a way to compete at the breakdown. I lost count of the number of times a Sarries player was first in, on their feet and hands on the ball, Quins player holding on...and the ref just yelled out to leave it alone.

also true....so they didn't find a way, were more denied one!

[Spiffy]

Tbf, Sarries did find a way to compete at the breakdown. I lost count of the number of times a Sarries player was first in, on their feet and hands on the ball, Quins player holding on...and the ref just yelled out to leave it alone.

Yes. But I'm also fed up with the number of "turnovers" awarded to players who just touch the ball with both hands (supporting their own weight or not), do not actually pick it up, or deliver it back to their own side of the ruck. Being awarded possession for something as soft as this should not really be part of the game, but it has become so.

[Banquo]

Tbf, Sarries did find a way to compete at the breakdown. I lost count of the number of times a Sarries player was first in, on their feet and hands on the ball, Quins player holding on...and the ref just yelled out to leave it alone.

Yes. But I'm also fed up with the number of "turnovers" awarded to players who just touch the ball with both hands (supporting their own weight or not), do not actually pick it up, or deliver it back to their own side of the ruck. Being awarded possession for something as soft as this should not really be part of the game, but it has become so.

certainly wasn't the case today. The ref just let the attacking team do what they wanted to keep the ball.

[Raggs]

The ref allowed a huge amount of competition at the breakdown... most of it illegal. But he took the Owens' approach of if no one actually rips the ball away, and he's a bit bored, he'll tell them all to leave it so play can go on. If they do secure it, it doesn't matter too much if it was illegal (like the Sarries turnover). Dislike the approach myself.