Hey mate,
Great article re: Spanish clubs' unpaid tax bills, funnily enough not a mention in the Spanish press??! Can you imagine if the UK government, were to consider waiving the Premierships combined tax bill??? Blatter and his gang would be all over it and it wouldn't get past the consultation period.
On a different note, anyone looking forward to the Olympics?
Originally posted by 1984ioc
Waiboy: Lmfao but ye are next up for us in a few months with first test in Christchurch,the first there since the earthqake hit.
LinkFew quotes:
"Tommy Bowe accepts misery awaits in New Zealand this summer if Ireland fail to improve on their dismal end to the RBS 6 Nations".
"We're really going to have to pick ourselves up if we're to avoid being made a joke of in New Zealand,"
It's always different given time. For starters, Ireland will likely have the better of set piece in NZ, plus we always start the season off poorly. Bear in mind a lot of the ABs are only now getting back into playing post their RWC hiatus. We've got a new head coach and coaching team (sure Hansen's been part of the setup a long time, but it's still going to unsettle the team to some degree). Plus Ireland have put up some very strong performances in the 6N, notably against our bogey side (Les Cheating Bleus). Not to mention a win at Eden Park in the not too distant past.
Having said all that, the old chestnut applies, and that is outside of England and France, NZ hasn't lost a test to a team from the 6N since Wales in 1953. Any victory by Ireland on their tour goes into the "history making" list, and would lead to a nationally televised flaying of the ABs team and coaching staff, RWC winners 2011 or not.
I fear the worst.Any chance you could write to the Union representitives or come up with a petition that your U-18 team should be given a shot.Take it easy on us will ye.The defeat at the weekend will hurt for a long time as it is.
One weekly rugby wrap up show last week put together a team of under 23 year olds which looked bloody good (outside of a couple of spots in the forwards) and exluded a couple of ABs who've just clicked over the 23 mark. That'd probably be an interesting match - good battle in the locking department!
Originally posted by Waiboy
Having said all that, the old chestnut applies, and that is outside of England and France, NZ hasn't lost a test to a team from the 6N since Wales in 1953.
Just for all you England fans, I went back and checked England's recent form v the ABs. Since Martin Johnson's RWC 2003 winning side scraped to a win v the ABs in the lead up to that years cup by 15-13 (and that off the back of a Martin Johnson masterclass at ensuring the ball was in play for exactly 0 minutes during a yellow card to one of your ball killing forwards), England are have a less than stellar 0/8 record. In that time, the closest England have come is a 4 point loss at Twickenham in 2005, the rest are all 10+ point losses, and include a couple of hidings. ♠_cool:
Was that win in 2003, the year we won the Grandslam, scrummaged your pack of the pitch with 6 forwards winning the match with 13 men, before going on to win the World Cup?
Originally posted by MarkQuick
Was that win in 2003, the year we won the Grandslam, scrummaged your pack of the pitch with 6 forwards winning the match with 13 men, before going on to win the World Cup?
Honestly, we've scored so many hundreds of points beating your lot into submission over the last decade, the complete detail escapes me (outside of Martin Johnson whinging over and over to the ref during the completion of that match ofc).
And having won consecutive Grand Slams and a World Cup in the last couple of years, it seems hardly worth while remembering back to the odd aberration to the status quo. ♠_cool:
Four more years, boys. Four more years. During which you'll all likely be Wales bitches. Should I go on?
11 Nov All Blacks v Scotland
18 Nov All Blacks v Italy
25 Nov All Blacks v Wales
02 Dec All Blacks v England
No surprises England pulled some strings to get the ABs at the end of the tour after the real competition has had a go. I suppose when that's all you've got, you have to stick with what you know.
Part of me thinks it's way too early to be starting this, then the rest of me laughs and points at that part until it skulks away in shame.
Originally posted by Waiboy
11 Nov All Blacks v Scotland
18 Nov All Blacks v Italy
25 Nov All Blacks v Wales
02 Dec All Blacks v EnglandNo surprises England pulled some strings to get the ABs at the end of the tour after the real competition has had a go. I suppose when that's all you've got, you have to stick with what you know.
Part of me thinks it's way too early to be starting this, then the rest of me laughs and points at that part until it skulks away in shame.
Yep you're right, you have a couple of tough opening fixtures, but I guess you may just about scrape through.
Typical Kiwi, 8 months away and you're already moaning! If you played us first and lost you'd be moaning about the lack of 'warm-up' matches....;)
Mark by the time ye meet the ABs their confidence will still be shattered from the 3 hidings they take off Ire in the June series so we will set the scene nicely for ye.
On a more serious note Jeremy Guscott's team of the 6N.Usual debate scenario but surprising that Scotland who got the wooden spoon have 2 players and England only have one.Of course this is only 1 guy's thoughts on it.
Don't know if one of ye asked but England are hosting the next WC and not Japan who i thought had it.Lancaster was completely right now getting the next team up and running fresh.Better chance of a NH team winning the WC as well up here.Set of stadiums is excellent as well.Wembly,Twick,Millenium in Cardiff and Old Trafford.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Rugby_World_Cup
Crap result last night Mark.2-0 up and everything.No consistency at all from Liverpool all season and not enough goals.
Hey buddy,
Thanks for that, will check Guscott's blog out.
Bang on the money re: Liverpool, did you see the match? The defending was terrible, playground at best. On a separate note, will N'Zogbia ever stop moaning and pull his finger out? Such a waste of talent.
What's your thoughts on next years Lions tour? Based on Six nations form and fitness permitting I went for the following 15:
1. A Jones.
2. R Best.
3. G Jenkins.
4. R Gray.
5. T Croft/ POC (could not make my mind up on this one?)
6. D Lydiate.
7. S Warburton.
8. S Ferris.
9. M Phillips.
10. J Sexton/O Farrell (or this one!)
11. G North
12. J Roberts
13. J Davies
14. T Bowe.
15. R Kearney.
What do you think? and any thoughts Waiboy, on the possible Ockers line-up?
Caught MOTD.As they said on it Liverpool should have had it wrapped up before the fight back.Lacking clinical finisher and Suarez is still rusty after his long suspension.Wonder where ye would be if all that Suarez/Evra stuff didn't happen.Don't think the new owners were too impressed either.Of course Villa are on another scale as the league table tells but similar boat in some ways, when you see a positive win only to lose badly in the next game.That grinds my gears more then anything atm.Hopes raised only to be brought back down again 4 days later.
Lions competition for places is pretty interesting.Alot depends on whether the coach goes with youth or experience really.Alot of old guard there who you wouldn't be surprised to see included but the same the other way around. also.Your team looks very strong but as we know how much can change in a season then it's very hard to tell.Very hard not to be bias as well.Would put POC straight in just for experience and fight in him.Had an excellent tournament up to he got injured.Lot's of Welsh and a good few irish prospects and English players have a year to put themselves alot more into the mix which they have the chance to do.Lydiate was everyone's Player of the 6N so look forward to seeing more of him.Outhalf is crucial obviously so personally would love to see Sexton nail the spot but he's not a cert by any means with so long to go.
Forgot to say as well Waiboy that since the 6N was the main rugby event since the WC alot of the Euro media took the chance to have a look back at it and all were saying that France deserved to win the final and that they were unlucky in the end with a few calls that should have gone their way.Everyone will be gunning for your team now since ye are WC holders.Adds a few % to the oppositon's performances.I see a few upsets or close calls in the Autumn series.Maybe ye get complacent.Or maybe i'm talking shit and ye just crush everyone around but i stick with option 1.
As for Ireland all we should now think about is 4 years time and move the likes of Darcy,O'Callaghan and the likes on their merry way.We have youth options but need time even if that involves us getting a hiding or 3 by our All Black friends in June.Last thing Mark i will tell you that next year at the Aviva Stadium the game between Ire and Eng will be a battle and a half.Citing for biting finger will only inflame it more.Turning into a good rivalry now including the Welsh also.France more at a level playing field in NH also.Interesting few seasons ahead.
G'day all,
Liverpool 2-0 up and you should not lose 3-2 at QPR! Then again, that's football and goes to show if you're complacent then you'll suffer! Everton should have been 3-0 down after 10 minutes so 1-0 was a relief! 
Suarez is a great player and you're right he seems a bit rusty. If he was playing I think a few more of those draws may have been turned into wins.
Might check out the odds for a Villa, Everton & Liverpool treble at the weekend!
Interesting end to the the season anyway 
Very good win for ye against Swansea away pswyatt.Excellent result to win there 2-0.
Can you feel the pain Mark?It's miserable isn't it.At least ye have the FA Cup.Our season ended months ago and just have to put up with this drivel every single ******* weekend.
Lots of anger at King Kenny tonight.Needs more time but my god did he spend badly with Carroll and the summer signings.
Originally posted by MarkQuick
Typical Kiwi, 8 months away and you're already moaning! If you played us first and lost you'd be moaning about the lack of 'warm-up' matches....;)
If we play you and loose I'll be removing one of my eyes with a teaspoon. And by "removing my" I mean "drinking a shitload of", and by "eyes with a teaspoon" I mean "bleach" - or maybe alcohol... would be despondency quotient dependant.
Originally posted by 1984ioc
Mark by the time ye meet the ABs their confidence will still be shattered from the 3 hidings they take off Ire in the June series so we will set the scene nicely for ye.
Going to be an interesting series - bye week for the Chiefs this week so I'm already contemplating what the ABs this year might look like. Too early to make any firm decisions (outside of 10, 7 and 8) and early season form shifts too much come May/June when the real players start to show up. A really good time to get the ABs.
Originally posted by MarkQuick
What's your thoughts on next years Lions tour? Based on Six nations form and fitness permitting I went for the following 15:1. A Jones.
2. R Best.
3. G Jenkins.
4. R Gray.
5. T Croft/ POC (could not make my mind up on this one?)
6. D Lydiate.
7. S Warburton.
8. S Ferris.
9. M Phillips.
10. J Sexton/O Farrell (or this one!)
11. G North
12. J Roberts
13. J Davies
14. T Bowe.
15. R Kearney.What do you think? and any thoughts Waiboy, on the possible Ockers line-up?
Don't hate this line up, but I'd find a spot for Lee Halfpenny - probably slip him on to the wing for Bowe.
As for the West Island team, really hard to say at this early stage. Genia, Pocock and Horwill are the only ones I'd guarantee, the rest will require the rest of the Super Rugby comp to start to sort out. I'm thinking James O'Conner will be the first five/flyhalf. He looks like Justin Bieber's younger brother, but if he can get his ego under control he'll be tough to ignore in that position.
Forgot to say as well Waiboy that since the 6N was the main rugby event since the WC alot of the Euro media took the chance to have a look back at it and all were saying that France deserved to win the final and that they were unlucky in the end with a few calls that should have gone their way.Everyone will be gunning for your team now since ye are WC holders.Adds a few % to the oppositon's performances.I see a few upsets or close calls in the Autumn series.Maybe ye get complacent.Or maybe i'm talking shit and ye just crush everyone around but i stick with option 1.
I think that in NZ, rugby supporters and our rugby media generally accept France had the better of the RWC final, but that the following generally applies: good teams can win well, great teams can win ugly. France had opportunities to win that match they didn't take. We had one real opportunity to kick a goal with our fourth string No.10, and he stepped out of the Waikato River, with his whitebaiting gear hanging up in the change sheds, and knocked over the decisive goal. That and the final 10-15mins of grim defence holding France just within their own half got us over the line.
Besides, France, once again, didn't really have anything to suggest they were the number two side in the comp. They'd struggled to beat Japan and Canada with any conviction, and lost to Tonga (TONGA! we'd insta stop playing rugby if we lost to Tonga and adopt macrame as our national sport).
France got up for one game in the comp and it was a final they were freakishly lucky to have made. Not to mention we'd already beaten them convincingly in the pool stage, despite victory putting us on the side of the draw having to play either Australia or SA, and an Argentinian side that were unlucky not to have accounted for England. France were the better side in the final, we were the best team over the 8 weeks of the competition (and a Warburton brain explosion in the Semis cost us all a chance to really examine that statement closer) - and our worst performance was good enough to win the Cup.
@Ireland in 4 years:
Gatland has set the model. He would have done so for Ireland if he hadn't been restructured. Find rugby players, guys who like to move the ball, have skill and pace, and are too young to know and/or care who Ronan O'Gara is, and let them loose. Rugby will be the better for it!
@June Internationals/Autumn Internationals/Year End Tour:
This year will be THE best opportunity to beat the ABs for the NH sides (and I exclude France from this, because France operate on a completely different planet when it comes to playing the ABs). There will need to be some restructuring of the ABs side, there will be a natural complacency for those players who've lived and breathed winning the RWC since that clusterfuck in Cardiff in 2007, we've got a new coaching regime, and things take time to bed in.
There is a hell of a lot of unbelievable talent coming through from NZ, in multiple positions. Assuming the coaching transition is relatively smooth, and it should be given Hansen's been there for eight years, the ABs will be a LOT harder to beat over the following three years.
I'm not suggesting we'll continue our eight year unbeaten streak v NH teams into a ninth year (excluding Les Dirty Cheating Scumbags LDO), but we'll not be any easier to beat than we will be over the next 12 months.
EDIT:
@NZ as RWC holders will now be targeted.
I'm pretty sure that will be no different - we've been the number one side in the world for most of the last decade. Unless you're suggesting you NH lot have been happy with your record v the ABs in that time? ♠_cool:
Originally posted by 1984ioc
Very good win for ye against Swansea away pswyatt.Excellent result to win there 2-0.Can you feel the pain Mark?It's miserable isn't it.At least ye have the FA Cup.Our season ended months ago and just have to put up with this drivel every single ******* weekend.
Lots of anger at King Kenny tonight.Needs more time but my god did he spend badly with Carroll and the summer signings.
Yes great win for us and we could have had a few more goals too which is good to see!
Not sure what the deal is with Liverpool though guys I must say! Wigan needed the win and Liverpool didn't seem up for it. Maybe winning one cup with the FA Cup to come is causing a bit of complacency which isn't good. A few teams not far behind now in the league! 
7 Liverpool 30 5 42
8 Sunderland 30 5 40
9 Everton 30 -2 40
Even Swansea and Norwich could get into that mix if they finish off strongly.No doubt Daglish will target the FA Cup but if you compare money spent between these clubs then it will be slightly embarrassing for Liverpool to finish behind the likes of Everton (no offense pswyatt but the difference in budgets between these clubs is so huge it isn't even funny and if anything it's a compliment).No doubt the owners weren't impressed with how Kenny handled the Suarez situation either.Very interesting few months ahead at Anfield.Congrats on a superb end to the season though.Moyes would love to lead his team out at Wembly in May and no one would begrudge him that either.
Masters is coming up so how about we do our own little competition.Mark and Waiboy will be in anyway.Psywatt have you any interest in golf and would you be up for taking part.
Each person can pick 3 players,1 each round and see who does best overall.Will put more thought into it in next day or two.Woods seems to have found some form so i reckon this could be a belter of a tournament.Let me know who's in and we decide how to do a picking process.
Originally posted by 1984ioc
Masters is coming up so how about we do our own little competition.Mark and Waiboy will be in anyway.Psywatt have you any interest in golf and would you be up for taking part.Each person can pick 3 players,1 each round and see who does best overall.Will put more thought into it in next day or two.Woods seems to have found some form so i reckon this could be a belter of a tournament.Let me know who's in and we decide how to do a picking process.
In mate, great idea! The Masters is my favourite, I'll get my thinking cap on.
Masters, lowest score per round:
1st Round: Rory Mcllroy.
2nd Round: Phil Mickelson.
3rd Round: Charl Schwartzel.
4th Round: Tiger.
To get us in the mood:
