Sarries v Clermont postponed

[Banquo]

seriously sarries, what the fck, chucking game away

[morepork]

What a pointless passage of nothing. They need a try but all they do is try and milk penalties off a scrum. Dull and stupid.

[Mellsblue]

If this is Farrell’s audition for Eng capt post Hartley I think he’s failing.

[Banquo]

What a pointless passage of nothing. They need a try but all they do is try and milk penalties off a scrum. Dull and stupid.

been a weird side for yonks now. Dominate sides utterly, but somehow never have ambition beyond grinding down.

Good on faz, but rubbish kick

[morepork]

What a pointless passage of nothing. They need a try but all they do is try and milk penalties off a scrum. Dull and stupid.

been a weird side for yonks now.

Good on faz

Parra sucks the joy out of life.

[Banquo]

What a pointless passage of nothing. They need a try but all they do is try and milk penalties off a scrum. Dull and stupid.

been a weird side for yonks now.

Good on faz

Parra sucks the joy out of life.

Parra-site

[morepork]

The whole of Clermont should be binned on principle.

[Banquo]

The whole of Clermont should be binned on principle.

Hostile place to play. Heavyweight contest to be fair.

[morepork]

The whole of Clermont should be binned on principle.

Hostile place to play. Heavyweight contest to be fair.

Yeah, nah. What was that flick it to Strettle so he can kick it straight to Goode?

[Banquo]

Sarries bogged that a bit, too many penalties really.

[Spiffy]

What a pointless passage of nothing. They need a try but all they do is try and milk penalties off a scrum. Dull and stupid.

been a weird side for yonks now.

Good on faz

Parra sucks the joy out of life.

That's just Parra-normal.

[Banquo]

been a weird side for yonks now.

Good on faz

Parra sucks the joy out of life.

That's just Parra-normal.

very good

[p/d]

Sarries defence has lost something organisationally, both wide and fringe

Brad Barritt

yes in the backs, but something up front, maybe Wiggy is better at nagging the pack

Having watched Spencer this season I can now understand why Wigglesworth has been first choice for so long.

And Sarries really miss Barritt. Move Loz to 10 and the Iceman out to 14

[fivepointer]

Parra is an irritating little tit whose play acting is footballesque.

That aside, Clermont the better side and deserved winners. Saracens restored a bit of pride and earned a valuable BP but they still look well short of their best.

[Digby]

What a pointless passage of nothing. They need a try but all they do is try and milk penalties off a scrum. Dull and stupid.

been a weird side for yonks now.

Good on faz

Parra sucks the joy out of life.

I like him

[Banquo]

Brad Barritt

yes in the backs, but something up front, maybe Wiggy is better at nagging the pack

Having watched Spencer this season I can now understand why Wigglesworth has been first choice for so long.

And Sarries really miss Barritt. Move Loz to 10 and the Iceman out to 14

Spencer was pretty good today, bar an iffy if a little unlucky kick; but Wiggy controls the game when he plays, Faz doesn't need to do much.

Dead right on Barritt, not a good enough runner for intl, but a class club player.

[Banquo]

been a weird side for yonks now.

Good on faz

Parra sucks the joy out of life.

I like him

Good player to have on your side, but a dick.

[Banquo]

Parra is an irritating little tit whose play acting is footballesque.

That aside, Clermont the better side and deserved winners. Saracens restored a bit of pride and earned a valuable BP but they still look well short of their best.

Yep, different side without Barritt, Billy, Brits, Itoje. Mind....who wouldn't be! Their bench is a big downgrade at present.

[Timbo]

Feel like there were definite signs of Sarries turning the corner today. Not many go to Clermont and keep them tryless. All depends on who they get back for Ospreys; Barritt, LWilliams, Itoje, Rhodes and Billy...would back them to get the points they need to go through.

[Mellsblue]

Parra sucks the joy out of life.

I like him

Good player to have on your side, but a dick.

This

[Digby]

I like him

Good player to have on your side, but a dick.

This

Hardly an unusual quality in a stand out sports person

[Timbo]

Could be well wide of the mark, but looking at the injury return dates, I feel that Sarries are still my favourites to win the Champions Cup again.

[Puja]

poor by sarries twice there. Let Toeava go and dumb penalty...

In fairness, the tackle was so completed that the referee actually shouted "Release! Roll away, White!" before Toeava got up and started running again. I really hate the current state of affairs where you need a signed affidavit from the ref before a player is considered properly tackled - whatever happened to it being a completed tackle if your ball-carrying arm hit the ground? It's particularly bizarre when you consider that refs now call for a tackle if a player in a choke manages to brush one knee against grass.

It's infuriating, because refs will also ping anyone who gets trapped on the wrong side of a tackle with the idea that they should've released and rolled away before the ruck was formed. So if you release immediately, then the player will spring back to their feet and run off like you only tap tackled them, but if you hold on to make sure they're down, you get an 18 stone prop flopping on top of you while a scrum half slaps at your back and whines to the ref. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Puja

[Which Tyler]

Has this ref heard of the laws on taking a man out in the air?
Opening minute, no realistic chance to get the ball, player lands flat on his back - penalty only
60 minutes, no realistic chance to get the ball, player lands on his arse - yellow.
70 minutes, full-on tackle in the air (albeit with a perfectly safe landing) - not even looked at.

Mind, Sarries definitely had the runoff the ref in those opening minutes anyway.

Good player to have on your side, but a dick.

This

Hardly an unusual quality in a stand out sports person

Has there ever been an international scrum half that doesn't fit this description?

We'll, okay Shaun Perry was technically an international scrum half, but still...

[Banquo]

poor by sarries twice there. Let Toeava go and dumb penalty...

In fairness, the tackle was so completed that the referee actually shouted "Release! Roll away, White!" before Toeava got up and started running again. I really hate the current state of affairs where you need a signed affidavit from the ref before a player is considered properly tackled - whatever happened to it being a completed tackle if your ball-carrying arm hit the ground? It's particularly bizarre when you consider that refs now call for a tackle if a player in a choke manages to brush one knee against grass.

It's infuriating, because refs will also ping anyone who gets trapped on the wrong side of a tackle with the idea that they should've released and rolled away before the ruck was formed. So if you release immediately, then the player will spring back to their feet and run off like you only tap tackled them, but if you hold on to make sure they're down, you get an 18 stone prop flopping on top of you while a scrum half slaps at your back and whines to the ref. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Puja

its a very fair point, and now I am even older and grumpier, I find laws interpretation is making me enjoy the game a lot less as I shout at the TV. Contests at the breakdown are random, forward passes routinely missed, TMO trivia interventions, as you say when a tackle is a tackle, when a maul is a maul......and actually again as you say, players being pinged for not rolling away when its physically impossible to do so. Then you layer on the increasing dissent levels. Needs a good clean up.

TMO's boil my pi55 with their unbidden nonsense, just thought I'd say that again.