I didn't know the scrum HAD to collapse for a PT to be awarded? I thought we were trying to avoid collapses these days? I thought there just had to be enough repeated sculduggery (that gets spotted) that would have prevented a try being scored? Just how many times do you want to repeat infingements and not get a score awarded? Is there a limit? Three strikes and you're out?
I only mentioned the creaky scrum because of the "only the creaky line out" claim.
Ah well! Like I said. A game I enjoyed!
Exile Wigstonite living in Wales.
Poet laureate of the "One Eyed Turk".
Bar stool philosopher in the "Wilted Daffodil"
I thought it was one of the best games this season, but goode should've been playing from the beginning. Moody should not have come off either. But despite the condition i thought it was a good game.
Nik wrote:you can't blame any of the players for the loss, I'm sick of hearing burke this burke that, two teams played their part............... oh sorry forgot, and one lovely Celtic Ref, who most definitely made some dodgey decision making towards the end of the match.
Oh just one more thing, TO COCKERS, We as supporters are quite capable of winding the ref up ourselves Cockers, please keep you trap shut because you manage to 'pee' the ref's off more than 17,000 supporters can wind them up and again you didn't help matters much today.
Weather conditions dire, but what an electric atmosphere.
Should Munster have won, well they did but I tell you what the better side lost. Well done lads what a :censored: magic game, well played to you all.
Oh here we go, pointing out that the ref is CELTIC :roll:
Leinster Heineken Cup champions 2009
Ireland Grand Slam champions 2009
[quote="Nik"]you can't blame any of the players for the loss,quote]
Totally disagree. Ultimately they're the ones on the pitch, who actually play the game, so if it's not them that lose, who is it? It's not that we got beaten that bothers me, as it's generally agreed 'you can't win em all', but the manner of the defeat is what winds me up. I don't fault the commitment or passion of the players, but sometimes their baisc rugby sense seems to go out the window. Not back-chatting the ref is very basic stuff. Once is perhaps forgivable, but after that...?
The selection of Burke was nonsensical. His performance was mediocre, but ultimately he shouldn't have been on the pitch as the game was tailor made for Goode, so essentially the 'blame' should go to PH. I wonder about Howard's rotation policy. Under it we've still won nothing, and don't have a settled side to put out. Maybe it's a time to simply pick on form, rather than rotate, and put the best playing players out, rather than ones whose turn it is. Imagine if England (i know it's a different situation, but think hypothetically) rotated and didn't pick on form...not that AR does particularly, but you know what i mean
Marvellous game. I'm such an anorak-wearing saddo that I went home and watched it again on Sky+ We were much better on tv than we seemed to be in the flesh. I think some comments are a bit harsh-we were actually the team who were trying to play creative rugby, and that caused a lot of our problems. The fat prop who is now a Sky pundit said that the team without the ball would do better in these conditions, and he was right (at least I think it was the fat prop). The ref made a mistake with the final ROG penalty, but the real sin was dissent-everyone knows about that rule, don't they? And anyway,when was the last time moaning caused a ref to change his mind?
The one thing to keep in mind through all these calamities is that we're BETTER OFF THAN BATH!! That means a lot to someone who sat through at least 5 years of abject misery. We're about 2/3 the way through our down cycle, the only way is up.
Nik wrote:you can't blame any of the players for the loss, I'm sick of hearing burke this burke that, two teams played their part............... oh sorry forgot, and one lovely Celtic Ref, who most definitely made some dodgey decision making towards the end of the match.
Oh just one more thing, TO COCKERS, We as supporters are quite capable of winding the ref up ourselves Cockers, please keep you trap shut because you manage to 'pee' the ref's off more than 17,000 supporters can wind them up and again you didn't help matters much today.
Weather conditions dire, but what an electric atmosphere.
Should Munster have won, well they did but I tell you what the better side lost. Well done lads what a :censored: magic game, well played to you all.
Oh here we go, pointing out that the ref is CELTIC :roll:
Tiger Eye I was at newport dragons when Austin Healey picked up the ball and this same Ref turned round and said to him 'Our Ball', which was last season!!
If he isn't Celtic then I apologise!!
Life was like a box of chocolates - until I ate them!
Terrific game, great value for money and a good day out. Not even torrential rain could dampen spirits :D
I think it was close but Munster, IMO, were slightly lucky to come away with a win. Could have gone either way but I think Leicester were, only just, the better side. I thought the referee made a lot of very dubious decisions. The penalty try was, without doubt, a penalty try and should have been awarded sooner - 5 consecutive infringements in the scrum! Someone should have been sinbinned 'cos on the very next scrum Munster infringed again giving Goode a penalty attempt. Consistent and persistent infringements should be dealt with by sin-binning someone.
Its going to be interesting in the return match....PH must look at that game take big positives from it...we more than held our own in the scrum and up front, we made some decent breaks in the backs as well, we just need to be smarter. I truly believe if you stop O'Gara then you stop Munster - he is a superb player and very deceptive. I have watched him closely and he lulls the opposition into thinking that he plays the kicking game, which he does superbly...but just when you think you've got him sorted, he goes to kick and makes a break and BANG !...he's through !! I think there is a lot of truth in what everyone has said about Moody....he could really upset ROG's rhythm...but only got a short time to get to him.
I now know how Stade Francais felt last season, when we came back to beat them at the death. It doesn't taste very nice and the fact that we competed across the board is no consolation to me. I expect us to compete at home and I expect us to win at home. Still gutted !!
First time with the exception of prehaps the sale game that I have seen the real passion in Leicester. I thought they did very well in bad conditions with in the limitations of the squod we have.
The forwards were immense Kay is back in WC form, Corry looked like the England Captain./ player we will need in the Autumn INts The fornt Row were out of this world. Great effort.
Bemand was having a great game(yes I know he messed up for the try) but his service in horrible wet conditions meant Burke and then Goode were able to have a fration of a second longer which is vital in the wet. I would not have taken him off.
Sadly though we were playing at ouir maximum and still lost and Munster played badly and still won reminded me of the Leicester team of the late 90s early 0s Munster had more poise and better leaders they looke like champs.
Although Goodde came on and kicked very well and drove us forward we agin lacked any cutting edge from 10,12 or 13. Unless we get some gain line breaks form midfield we are not going to progress. It is a waste of these excellence forwards we have.
just for the record, i didn't mean to say you can't blame any of the players for the loss, what I actually meant to say was - you can't blame any ONE player for the loss.
Life was like a box of chocolates - until I ate them!
Talking back to the ref cost you the game plain and simple.
I am slightly worried about this side of the game that is creeping in more and more.Some refs tolerate it but they shouldnt have to listen to some of the :censored: that is shouted at them especially at rucks.
Back to the old days I say where the captain is the only one allowed contest or query a decision.
We see enough of the back chat in soccer.
as an outsider, the penalty scrum seemed to arrive quite soon on.
Actually, I thought it came at the wrong time. The scrum for which the penalty try was awarded was not Leicester's most convincing, and I guess it was given for repeat offending. And that's not how penalty tries work.
I felt it should have been given after the first scrum whwen Leicester got the shove on well, had control at the back and were a metre short of the line when Munster illegally ended the scrum.
A penalty try should not be awarded purely as a result of a series of offences (as we know from our HEC QF last year) but when a try PROBABLY would have been scored. The scrum when it was eventually awarded looked much less like a scoring move than the first, when the ref made do with a mere penalty. There is no such thing as being too soon to award a penalty try - if the situation demands it (as it did when the first scrum collapsed) then you just award it.
Saves a lot of time if the refs follow the laws.
Though, depressingly, it does make Penalty Try our top try-scorer on 3. Followed by four players on 2 each....