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'Dombrandt looks a proper athlete now... he's stripped down again'
The Rugby Pod has paid tribute to the incredibly entertaining style that Harlequins have continued to play now that they are defending Gallagher Premiership champions, Marcus Smith, Louis Lynagh, Tyrone Green and Alex Dombrandt all recipients of kudos on the latest show in the wake of last Friday’s demolition of Bristol.
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Having swept to their first title last June since 2012 and having also appointed a new head of rugby in Tabai Matson, it would have been understandable if Harlequins encountered an early-season adjustment to life as champions under a new boss.
However, there has been no let-up following the title-winning drama of last season, Harlequins winning all three of their games so far in the 2021/22 campaign to leave them in second place, three points behind leaders Leicester who have played a game more.
Their most impressive display unfolded last Friday at The Stoop where they sauntered back from being 21 points down to defeat Bristol 52-24 in a fashion that was even far more swashbuckling than their extra-time win over the Bears in last June’s semi-final after they fell 28 points down.
Rugby Pod duo Andy Goode and Jim Hamilton were most impressed and while they have their fears over what the loss meant for struggling Bristol, they giddily doled out the compliments to Harlequins, suggesting Smith should be made England captain, that Lynagh will be a long-term England winger and that Dombrandt has taken his game to another level having finally earned his Test debut cap in July.
'Coming into a professional environment it’s probably a wake-up call' @alex_dombrandt had to shed 10kg when came to @harlequins He talks to @heagneyl ??? about uni, the assaults that nearly ended his career, England and why Gussy is off-limitshttps://t.co/PxmwYDAJOx
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 31, 2021
Goode said: “Quins were a little bit shell shocked and then Marcus Smith, make him England captain, they bring him on. They score 50-odd points from when he comes on. I feel sorry for Tommaso Allan. Poor bloke, he has gone off, they are 21-0 down, Marcus Smith comes on, you ain’t ever playing again Tommy unless Marcus Smith is away with England because he was ridiculous. His touches, ball in hand, going to the line, feeding people, kicking game, absolutely ridiculous. If he ain’t starting for England as first-choice ten in the autumn, Eddie Jones, take a walk straight back to Japan or Australia because he was world-class, out-and-out world-class.”
Hamilton replied: “We love Bristol but there is a problem there somewhere. To go 21-0 up and then to lose a game again off the back of the semi-final from last year, it’s almost as if they have been found out. Play, play, play and there is not much else to their game which there is obviously.
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“Is it back to the drawing board for a team like Bristol? It’s hard because we are still early in the season but momentum is everything. Fair play to Quins, you look at the backbone of that team now, young English players. Louis Lynagh, he might not be English but if he gets capped he will be.”
“He will (get capped),” chipped in Goode about the 20-year-old who was included by Jones in last month’s England training squad. “He has made the decision at the minute that he wants to play for England because he went into the England training squad and all this stuff. I did see last week the Australians are still going to ask him if he wants to have a conversation around coming back to Australia.”
Hamilton added: “His dad, Australian legend Michael, has obviously said to him you need to keep the door open, it’s a professional sport… but the more and more I watch him you think this kid could be playing wing for England for a long, long time.”
The final word on Harlequins went to Goode, who touched on the efforts of Green and Dombrandt. “The only thing I was disappointed in Quins was they took him [Lynagh] off. Leave him on to get a hat-trick because no doubt he would have scored it, but they were phenomenal. Tyrone Green at full-back, very small player, very slight, punches way above his weight. So hard to bring down in the tackle. They are just playing with excitement, with vigour.
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“Dombrandt looks like a proper athlete now as well. People said before he had a uni body, whatever. He has stripped down again and he looks completely the real deal. You saw his offload for one of the tries. They are playing with a ridiculous amount of confidence.
“When your tighthead prop, who ain’t score in 134 Premiership games, throws a dummy and then sprints in from about 25 metres… no one from Bristol tackled him and I’ll be honest about Bristol, they are absolutely f***ed fitness-wise. They didn’t play any pre-season games, they flew out of the blocks and then shot their bolt.”
Great to hear from @URCOfficial's main man @MartinAnayi about the URC's journey, his vision for the future, the potential for a global club competition, what @RocNationSports are bringing to the table and if Jay Z is playing at the final ?
Spotify – https://t.co/yuO1f7dzBH pic.twitter.com/pkWhGvm4y7
— The Rugby Pod (@TheRugbyPod) October 12, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
Absolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
5 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
14 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
14 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
5 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to comments