Egg chasers of the SMB

Cipriani has to live down his past but he genuinely looks like he's going to die trying. He still does things on the ball no other Englishman can do and actually defends now. Still question marks.

Out of the current crop. I'd play Ford at 10, Burrell at 12 and Manu at 13.
he's a Charlie hodgson.....club playah.
 


Anyone doing Cipriani down clearly hasn't watched much premiership Rugby. He's been absolutely exceptional and making Sale look a decent outfit. He's the only 10 capable of breaking the usual dreary English back play. Other than that, yes Ford, he's the only other one with a concept of when to pass the ball at the right time.

As Cockney Mackem mentioned, he's improved his defence massively as well. He's never going to tackle like Jonny (who will?) but he never shies away from it now either.
 
Anyone doing Cipriani down clearly hasn't watched much premiership Rugby. He's been absolutely exceptional and making Sale look a decent outfit. He's the only 10 capable of breaking the usual dreary English back play. Other than that, yes Ford, he's the only other one with a concept of when to pass the ball at the right time.

As Cockney Mackem mentioned, he's improved his defence massively as well. He's never going to tackle like Jonny (who will?) but he never shies away from it now either.

and look at the difference between club and international level though. that's the crux.
 
But if he looks a better player (or less of a liability) than he did when he was last an option for England it couldn't hurt to have a look at him again, maybe for the Saxons to start with.
no prob playing him in the Saxons. my issues with him is his kicking. I'm not sure our relief kicker is as good as cips needs as back up.
 
no prob playing him in the Saxons. my issues with him is his kicking. I'm not sure our relief kicker is as good as cips needs as back up.

Well, with any luck SL will tell him his kicking needs to improve and he'll either manage to improve it or he won't

in the prem? think around 44% for sale. owen is over 80%.

He slotted all his kicks at the weekend, albeit in a losing cause
 
Last edited:
It's getting a bit desperate for Scotland. I don't know what the problem is at grass roots level, but it must be in the same state as the grass roots at Murrayfield.

I do know that my son showed an interest in Rugby and some ability, but the set up at his school was so poor that he lost interest. The coaches were basically voluntary, one training session a week which would be cancelled several weeks in a row. Then the moron coach would be berating the players on match day for not looking like a unit. Stupid cunt.

I think a lot of lads who would end up decent local club players to prop up the bottom of the pyramid and support the game as paying spectators are being lost as it all declines. Any really talented players are going south of the border, and English premiership sides have players on the replacements bench who would walk into the Scottish national team.

I can't say it with any certainty, but outside of rugby strongholds like the borders and private schools, I just don't think it's a popular enough sport amongst sporty types. When I was at school the rugby team was made up of a few players who came from "rugby families", padded out with players who were too shit or fat to play football. A real collection of randoms, at every age group. When we had to choose between rugby and football, football invariably won.

Yet my school has produced 3 scotland internationals in the last few years, which would rather indicate the level of player that gets into a Scotland rugby team, than any change in attitude to the sport in my hometown area since I left 10 years ago.
 
I can't say it with any certainty, but outside of rugby strongholds like the borders and private schools, I just don't think it's a popular enough sport amongst sporty types. When I was at school the rugby team was made up of a few players who came from "rugby families", padded out with players who were too shit or fat to play football. A real collection of randoms, at every age group. When we had to choose between rugby and football, football invariably won.

Yet my school has produced 3 scotland internationals in the last few years, which would rather indicate the level of player that gets into a Scotland rugby team, than any change in attitude to the sport in my hometown area since I left 10 years ago.

I think the UK has a problem getting sport taken seriously at state schools. A combination of factors, some from leftist nannies and some from right wing playing field sellers, mean kids don't play enough sport. If New Zealand woke up one morning to find there was a bunch of bored six and a half foot teenagers lacking discipline and something to do, an obesity time bomb and a national sports team wishing it could find more young talent, there'd be f***ing hell on.
 
I think the UK has a problem getting sport taken seriously at state schools. A combination of factors, some from leftist nannies and some from right wing playing field sellers, mean kids don't play enough sport. If New Zealand woke up one morning to find there was a bunch of bored six and a half foot teenagers lacking discipline and something to do, an obesity time bomb and a national sports team wishing it could find more young talent, there'd be f***ing hell on.

I was walking in the park with mrs mt yesterday and the amount of fatties is scary. we've got a huge NHS problem pipelined like it's not bad enough already. if you don't play sport as a yoof, I think future fitness is incredibly difficult to find.
 
I was walking in the park with mrs mt yesterday and the amount of fatties is scary. we've got a huge NHS problem pipelined like it's not bad enough already. if you don't play sport as a yoof, I think future fitness is incredibly difficult to find.

Agree. Competitive sport is what taught me, and forced me to look at my diet and fitness levels. Nobody pays the slightest bit of attention to the healthy eating shit they force down you in school classrooms, but once I realised that it would have an effect on my sporting ability, that's when I started caring.
 

Back
Top