The Dew Drop Inn Virtual Rugby Pub

First topic message reminder :

Welcome to the virtual rugby pub - a place where you can come in for a sly beverage and discuss whatever's on your mind, or just eavesdrop on the regulars if you fancy a break from all the rugby chat.

The only rule in this pub is one of mutual respect for everyone in it, oh and no defacing picture of newly retired Gareth 'Alfie' Thomas.

Also a special picture of Thomas Domingo and wishing him all the best on a speedy recovery.

So pull up a chair....what'll it be?




Pāparakāuta tawhito/Hen dafarn/Old pub: https://www.606v2.com/t16896-the-dew-drop-inn-virtual-rugby-pub

Afternoon guys!! Forgot the Bules were at home too on the friday night may join you @ that Stag

Do definitely Prop more the merrier. I'm actually flying into Cardiff on Thursday. Cost me €23 to fly on Thursday. Costs €79 to fly on the Friday.

Trying to work out how much all of this'll cost me....guessing around £250 which includes tickets, alcohol, petrol etc! That would be mad...watch 3 games and play 1 over 3 days also....if anyone doesn't fancy the Scarlets you can watch a much better team in the Sarries so long as the boys win this cup match....also you'll see a rather good Hooker/Prop in action

Don't forget we'll all be splittling the petrol. Prop I had an intersting phone call at work today from some of your sportign heroes..

I would imagine/suggest that anyone traveling in the car with you would chip in a couple of quid for the petrol Prop no?

oh I really want to go on this trip but so much needs resolving first.

I was on the phone to the boss man today at work. He was saying that he met up with the Toulouse boys and they told him they each got a bonus of €140,000 for making the RWC French Squad and they were whinging cos their HEC bonus is cut. Usually they got €7,000 each for making the final. This year its only €3,000. Serious money in French rugby.

Micky - I wasn't knocking Twitter, I think it's a good way of people keeping tabs on things - especially what well known people are up to (work wise). It's just not for me personally I guess social networking is like everything else - there's always someone who abuses the privilege of having it.

Anyway, O's team has been announced. Andrew Bishop gets his 150th O's cap. Most of the lads are back from RWC duty...and Tommy's starting so that's good enough for me. Should be a good night out

one for the wall

https://www.606v2.com/t17548-warburton-admits-rolland-was-right#647064

Joce has just finished the bottle of Balvenie.
"Who brought that?"she asks
" " I reply
"He can come back any time he likes"

Mick(TEFC) wrote:Joce has just finished the bottle of Balvenie.
"Who brought that?"she asks
" " I reply
"He can come back any time he likes"

At least we shared mine

Yep,
Joce drank that one all by herself;not bad since August

Rava wrote:At least we shared mine

I didn't have any

hughie1986 wrote:

Rava wrote:At least we shared mine

I didn't have any

Normal, you don't like it

"15 Richard Fussell

14 Tommy Bowe

13 Andrew Bishop

12 Ashley Beck

11 Eli Walker

10 Dan Biggar

9 Kahn Fotuali'i


1 Duncan Jones

2 Richard Hibbard

3 Cai Griffiths

4 Alun Wyn Jones (Capt)

5 Ian Evans

6 Joe Bearman

7 Justin Tipuric

8 Jonathan Thomas


Replacements:

16 Huw Bennett

17 Ryan Bevington

18 Aaron Jarvis

19 Ryan Jones

20 Tom Smith

21 George Stowers

22 Rhys Webb

23 Shane Williams

Andrew Bishop becomes the fourth Ospreys player to make 150 appearances for the region, behind Paul James (168), Jonathan Thomas and Sonny Parker (both 153)

Eli Walker makes his first Liberty Stadium RaboDirect PRO12 start

Kahn Fotuali'i makes his first Ospreys start


The following players were not considered because of injury:

Gareth Owen - ACL

Nikki Walker - Medial Ligament

Paul James - Thumb

Adam Jones - Calf



The Ospreys will be without two of their three Rugby World Cup props for Saturday's Welsh derby against the Scarlets after they reported back for regional duty this week carrying injuries sustained in New Zealand."

Three back row subs and two backs subs?

Evening all. Who was that then stag? Yeah not sure how to work it whether I saw petrol or almost time to scare myself silly!!

And another win in the Europa for the Potters

Mick(TEFC) wrote:And another win in the Europa for the Potters

They won then.

Dear BBC,

It is irresponsible to air 'The British Food Revival' at 8pm, i.e. after dinner. No wonder half of the country is obese when a tax payer funded state organisation places culinary temptation of this nature in front of us after we have already eaten. The next thing we know there will be a taxpayer funded advert telling us to lose weight, paid for by the NHS! Lord preserve us from the profligacy!

Yours,

Disgusted,
Tunbridge Wells.

Evening people

Had a lovely surprise today, came home at lunchtime to find my sis had decided to come over with my niece and nephew for a quick visit. Lucky things went off to the pub for a late lunch when I went back to work but they were back in the house waiting for me when I finished.

Just love little surprises like that , I've been all afternoon and evening. They should be back home very soon.

Hope everyone is well.

Evening Swanny, looks like everyone has gone off to do other things. Nice surprise for you, and no wonder you were smiling all day.

You do have a lovely smile I have to say

Oh thank you Rava

Sis did say at the weekend they might turn up but she didn't mention it again so I totally wasn't expecting to see them. They've been to feed the ducks as well so my niece just had to tell me all about it. Now she's learned to talk there is no stopping the child. A chip off the old block... I'm so proud

Where's that 'gooseberry' emoticon?

will have to do instead.

Solution número 2 to the Greek debt crisis.

You can currently get odds of 6/4 that they will leave the euro before next week. They should place bets quietly all over the world, leave and then use the winnings to pay off their debts. Simples.

Question time tonight should be a stormer.

Don't think Paddy Power would accept that bet from Mr Papadraiou myself like.

Everyone's a critic.

9/10 for effort though, innit.

You're so street.

Nah blood

True dat brother

Peter Hitchens, he is so street, ja-git-me?

Word to his mother. Amen.

I know we aren't supposed to bring politics into the pub but Ed Balls is fast replacing Piers Morgan on my list of people I wouldn't stop to help if they were on a gold finger laser type imminent death senario. In fact in his case I'd probably consider slowing the laser down to stretch out his suffering.

Funny eyes. Never trust a man with funny eyes, whatever his politics.

Nos Da GilliamWilliam.

WillyGilly wrote:Solution número 2 to the Greek debt crisis.

You can currently get odds of 6/4 that they will leave the euro before next week. They should place bets quietly all over the world, leave and then use the winnings to pay off their debts. Simples.

Question time tonight should be a stormer.

All explained here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D0VhS8qXT0&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Morning folks,


Big game tonight!!!

Interesting piece here




Team in Focus: Munster



Last season: A curate's egg.  For the first time, Munster failed to make it out of their HEC group, and were lamentable in their pivotal game in Toulon.  The sight of their scrum being shunted around the park and a collective loss of discipline appeared to mean the jig was up for McGahan.  But Munster salvaged a difficult year with a Magners League win, with particular satisfaction derived from beating their rivals to secure it.  The long and painful transition to a new era spearheaded by the likes of Conor Murray, Keith Earls and Felix Jones looks to have begun.

Season so far: business as usual, with five wins from seven in the Pro12. From a rudimentary scan of headlines in the Indo, Peter O'Mahoney appears to have cured the lepers and turned water into wine.

Prospects: This is a huge season for Munster, with one overriding objective: re-establishing themselves in Europe.  The Heineken Cup has always been the lifeblood of the province, and despite finishing with silverware last year, for most fans the season was a disappointment.  Failing to get to the knockout stages of the Heineken Cup just shouldn't happen to Munster, and it never happened to the liginds.


It's an objective that looks increasingly difficult.  Munster have been drawn with Northampton, beaten finalists last year, and travel to Castres (second in the Top 14) in Week Two.  A much-fancied Scarlets side makes up the group.


What sort of Munster team will be put out to face these sides?  A pretty unfamilar one, all told.  Generation Ligind, essentially the pack and halves that delivered two Heineken Cups, has all but passed into the next world.  Quinny has gone, Hayes and Horan will be bit part players, Flannery's future is less certain than ever and David Wallace's injury robs them of their primary carrier.  Dennis Leamy, no longer anything like the powerful, aggressive player of four years ago, may not make the team and Peter Stringer is now third - maybe fourth - choice scrummie. Stalwarts like Donncha are starting to fade, and the production line is not quite what it should be - Munster under-20s are poor, and have been passed out by Connacht.


The front row will likely be du Preez, Varley and Botha.  The success of the scrum entirely depends on Botha staying fit and in form.  His last season at Ulster was marred by injury and mediocrity; Munster will hope they have the 2009 version.  A creaky Munster scrum is nothing new, of course, but they are used to putting out top class second and back rows.


Paulie can still mix it with the best, and is fit and flying - he was missed hugely in the early stages of the HEC last year. Micko has been performing very creditably (and at a level above Donncha) for two years now - his experience will be a useful asset, though he may take a back seat to allow the likes of Donnacha Ryan is and Ian Nagle more gametime. Nagle is a prospect, but still a little underpowered, but is - he's unlikely to feature at HEC level this year, but we are hoping Ludd gives him some Rabo action.


Moving back, the glory days of the Quinny-Wally-Axel axis are a dim and distant memory - the 2012 unit is likely to be Ryan/Leamy-O'Mahony-Coughlan.  Ryan seemed to finally break into the first team last year and played fairly well on World Cup duty with Ireland, but the jury is still out - he has only one HEC start, and that was in defeat to London Irish.  Coughlan is an honest, hard-working journeyman, but struggles against the better sides.  Peter 'the son Hugh Farrelly never had' O'Mahony is the wildcard - Munster fans had better hope he's half as good as Farrelly thinks he is - otherwise they'll be taking on Saints with the ineffectual Niall Ronan at openside. Paddy "Slievenamon" Butler was a barnstorming underage number 8 a few years back, but he hasn't made it past first base yet - we're hopeful he can breakthrough for some Rabo games at least.


At half, Conor Murray will likely own the 9 shirt for big games, unless Tomás gets back to 2009 form - and we aren't optimistic on that front. ROG still has the fire, no doubt there, but he's 34 now. As one of rugby's most forthright, intelligent (and divisive) men, he will be aware managing succession is crucial to sustained success, but don't expect him to be helping Keatley into the 10 jumper just yet.  Munster's hopes will rest on ROG's ability to turn dirty, slow ball into scores. Again. It's not code red yet, but this looks like a potential problem position for Munster in two years' time unless Keatley can prove himself HEC standard.


Outside the halves, it's a huge pity that Felix Jones is injured; he added much to Munster's attack in the second half of last season.  At centre - a problem position last season - Tuitupou has been swapped for Will Chambers, signed from Queensland Reds.  It should be an improvement (lets face it, Chambers would have to be pretty bad to be worse than Tuitupooooooooooooooohh), but a lot rests on the young shoulders of Danny Barnes.  There's Lifeimi Mafi too, who was superb in the ML final last year, but hopeless (and pretty dirty) for most of the campaign. Keith Earls has class with ball in hand, but moving him around is guaranteed to maximise defensive mistakes - Ludd and Axel (and Keith) need to decide what they want him to be - he looks a winger to us, but many in the Cork Con Mafia media are convinced otherwise.


All told, it's not a side to strike fear into top-class opponents the way the 2004-2009 vintage did.  Northampton will fancy themselves in the opening week visit to Thomond Park.  Munster will be relying more than ever on the great warriors Paul O'Connell and Ronan O'Gara to navigate them through the tough games - it may be too much to ask.

Forecast: We think Munster will ultimately come second to Northampton.  The two will probably trade wins, and Thomond Park will remain a fortress, but Munster will probably need to get two wins on the road, and we just can't see it.  In the Pro12, Munster's ability to consistently churn out results against weaker sides will stand to them, and it's impossible to see the semi-finals without them.  Another tilt at silverware is inevitable, but they may come up just short this time.




So that'll be Munster by 20 tonight so

Type "tilt" into Google and see what happens. It's cool



Not sure of if works on a Mac though

Morning

Just saw that Hughie - clever.

I watched an amazing documentary film last night called Life In One Day. I'd highly recommend it. It had everything - poignancy, humour, joy, sadness....and yet the idea sounds overly ambitious - a collage of videos received from people all over the world from 192 different countries showing life on our planet on one day last summer, edited down to an hour and a half film. It worked though.

Morning Cari and Hughie. And anyone else who may be about.

Googled Tilt. Interesting.

Pienaar out for Ulster this weekend. Hamstring injury

Bore da pawb / good morning all, happy Friday!

I Googled 'tilt.' I just got this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilt_(poker)

That tilt thing is Ca-razy!

Day 4 of Movemeber. The results are pleasantly surprising.

Yeah, but you cheated, Willy!

Sorry, I'm just bitter because I can only grow what resembles mousey face-pubes.

How dare you sir!

Happy Friday everyone! It's derby weekend - wooooop!

Willy - and everyone else who's Movembering - PM me a link to your Movember page and I'll make a donation.

Morning all,

Looks like "Tilt" was for one day only.

Happy Friday everyone.

Morning Kiwi, anything planned for the weekend?