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Relive some of the festive action from the Top 14 and English Premiership
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Top 14: Grenoble v Toulouse
Everything about this match screamed romantic sporting epic: Bottom-of-the-league Grenoble, with two wins all season – the last in October – came into the game on the back of a 71-3 European Challenge Cup drubbing in Wales. They faced a Toulouse side fresh from a two-match glorified training session in their back-to-back European Champions Cup matches against Italian whipping boys Zebre and in the hunt for a play-off spot. This match will not go down as a classic but what the action lacked in pure quality it more than made up for in sheer drama – an early surprise; a beautiful move that ended in a disallowed try; and one of those hold-your-breath dying periods that featured backs-to-the-wall defence in the face pounding, churning wave after wave of attack.
Premiership: Wasps v Bath
The pre-Christmas battle between second and third in the Aviva Premiership was always going to be a tasty affair – and to add just a dash of extra spice Wasps were one match away from an unbeaten 2016 at home when they faced Bath in front of a 26,292 crowd on Christmas Eve at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena. What followed was a joyous celebration of running, attacking rugby. It took just six minutes for the first try to be recorded – in truth, it should have been the third or fourth – and the scoring did not let up until the seventh touchdown of the game some 10 minutes from the end.
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Premiership: Exeter Chiefs v Leicester Tigers
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With five wins from six games in all competitions going into this game dating back to the beginning of November, there’s no wonder Exeter were confident ahead of their Christmas Eve outing at Sandy Park. But their opponents were the gritty, determined and very much used-to-winning side from the East Midlands, who had claimed the spoils in seven of the last eight games against the side from southwest England. At stake was a festive place in the all-important top four. Sure, there’s a long way to go before that really matters, but it’s better to hold on to the position rather than chase it.
Top 14: Clermont v Stade Francais
Clermont’s Stade Marcel Michelin is one of French rugby’s great club grounds. And Clermont, for all that they cannot seem to win any silverware, are one of the great modern Top 14 sides. Two nights before Christmas, the Stade halfway up an extinct volcano in the Massif Central was decked out with nearly 18,000 mostly fancy-dressed fans looking for any reason for a festive celebration. And they got it, courtesy of an eight-try exhibition of champagne rugby from explosive start to equally explosive finish.
Comments on RugbyPass
Don’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
9 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
33 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
33 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
33 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
33 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
33 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
33 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
33 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
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