fuck off
Conor OāShea is to become the new Director of Rugby at Harlequinsā¦fair play to him, certainly seems to be held in very high regard over thereā¦doubt we will be seeing toomuch of him in the RTE studio during the Six Nations
[quote=āThe Pukeā]I see Flannery is after having an op on his achilles tendons and could well be a doubt for the start of the 6 nationsā¦
Larry would you say there is any chance of Tomy Bowe returning to Ulster when his contract expires with the Ospreysā¦no doubt the Ospreys will be looking to keep him and the other two provinces would be interested in him[/quote]
His contract is up at end of season and been talk of him returning. Heās also been linked with Munster and Leinster and due to tax system we are going to be at a financial disadvantage. That said all things being equal if he is coming back to Ireland I think we are most likely destination.
Jesus heād be a legend in Munster. Would be delighted to have him.
His improvement over the last 18 months and his current form I would say that there isnāt a team in Europe right now that wouldnāt be delighted to have him
The way the Ospreys have improved him as a player Iād say heās in no rush to leave. Heād be a great addition to any province. Obviously Iād prefer to see him at Leinster but Tommy knows the score and will do what he wants.
Bowe would fit in seamlessly at Leinster given we possess more or less the rest of the Irish backline. Heād ultimately take over Horganās spot on the wing and it would be tremendous.
`you want to replace the in form horgan? 
Ultimately, yes. Great teams like Leinster donāt wait until theyāre beaten before making changes. Weāve evolved quite a bit since that glorious afternoon in Edinburgh as it is.
I read last week that heād started contract renewal discussions already. Heāll certainly get a bump in wages no matter if he stays or leaves. Smashing player and in cracking form.
This came out yesterday, just noticing the language now
A Stade statement read: āThe club deeply regrets this situation which is detrimental to its image in the United Kingdom and wishes to apologise to the Irish province of Ulster.ā
Talk about covering all basesā¦
Conor OāShea is the new director (or something) of Harlequins rugby club
Think Puke posted that above. Its a big deal that I presume, heās taking over the role left vacant by Richards, so I would presume heāll have a lot bigger hands on role in the Club? In the past, to my knowledge, O Shea has limitted himself to the business and management side of things, as opposed to the playing aspects, this seems to be a bit of a change in direction.
Forgot to take Puke off the ignore list.
Its Mike McGurn changed him, who was an advisor at Ospreys, but it was his private stuff with McGurn that done it for Tommy. He has stated this himself.
McGurn is untouchable in this part of the world as a physical trainer, in any sport. His methods are simple and make sense, but are extremely effective.
Leinsters season as champions is almost identical to Munster 2 seasons as champions so far. Playing even better than the pervious year up to Christmas. I wonder will they fade the way Munster did around March/April next year. It will be a huge achievement if they donāt considering the players they have, all the Lions and that. Munster are suffering now due to the Lions, maybe theyāll come strong in New Year, hard to know.
Munster are suffering because theyāre finished. Their back row is spent and we all know how critical the breakdown is in the modern game. The future doesnāt bode well for Munster. I made the point about their back row at the start of the season and what I predicted is happening before our very eyes.
Abusive āfansā not welcome in Thomond
Wednesday December 16 2009
THE atmosphere at Thomond Park last Friday was up there with the best recorded at the famous venue and helped Munster respond to Perpignanās late surge and sneak a narrow victory over the French champions.
Over the last 10 years, Munster have deservedly garnered a reputation for having the best supporters in Europe, which is why the conduct of a couple of those fans last Friday was so disappointing. An 8.0 kick-off meant there was plenty of time for pre-match imbibing and this pair sounded like they had been on it since āThe Afternoon Show.ā A constant stream of howled abuse ā the majority of it directed at referee Wayne Barnes ā was centred around the c-word and f-word and was horrendous to listen to.
However, despite the many younger fans present, every entreaty to cease fell on deaf ears or attracted an expletive-ridden response. One French journalist, sitting directly in front of Tweedledumb and Tweedledumber had the temerity to complain and was roundly abused before being told to āf*** off back to Franceā.
There is no place in rugby for these āsupportersā and their misplaced sense of bandwagon-hopping devotion. Complaints were made afterwards and if the Munster Branch need any assistance for their ban imposition, they can contact Touchlines for identification purposes.
- Hugh Farrellyā¦:rolleyes:
[quote=ātipptops*ā]Abusive āfansā not welcome in Thomond
Wednesday December 16 2009
THE atmosphere at Thomond Park last Friday was up there with the best recorded at the famous venue and helped Munster respond to Perpignanās late surge and sneak a narrow victory over the French champions.
Over the last 10 years, Munster have deservedly garnered a reputation for having the best supporters in Europe, which is why the conduct of a couple of those fans last Friday was so disappointing. An 8.0 kick-off meant there was plenty of time for pre-match imbibing and this pair sounded like they had been on it since āThe Afternoon Show.ā A constant stream of howled abuse ā the majority of it directed at referee Wayne Barnes ā was centred around the c-word and f-word and was horrendous to listen to.
However, despite the many younger fans present, every entreaty to cease fell on deaf ears or attracted an expletive-ridden response. One French journalist, sitting directly in front of Tweedledumb and Tweedledumber had the temerity to complain and was roundly abused before being told to āf*** off back to Franceā.
There is no place in rugby for these āsupportersā and their misplaced sense of bandwagon-hopping devotion. Complaints were made afterwards and if the Munster Branch need any assistance for their ban imposition, they can contact Touchlines for identification purposes.
- Hugh Farrellyā¦:rolleyes:[/quote]
I thought they had banned all Tipp people from Thomond. They must be pretending to be Limerick people or something.
Interesting piece from Bob Casey today, about the daily routine of a pro rugger type-
The so-called glamour of travelling reminded me of a recent conversation with a friend in relation to the daily regimen of a professional rugby player. There are those who think we share a lifestyle with soccer players: do a bit of training in the morning and have the afternoon off to buy another Bentley. Like all misconceptions it doesnt quite hold up to closer scrutiny.
Taking a Saturday game as an example and a starting point to provide an insight into a week of the life of a professional rugby player, I would finish a match and head straight for an ice bath, shower and then its off to a corporate box to fulfil those responsibilities. The latter is important from an interactive perspective just as it is in terms of spending some time with supporters, either chatting or signing autographs or memorabilia.
On the Sunday, the players would come in, have another ice bath, work on the exercise bikes, go for a massage and then report to the medical team so that they can evaluate bumps and bruises. Those knocks have a direct impact on training for both the team and the individuals that week. I did mention a massage, of which wed have three during the week, but Id like to stress this one doesnt involve scented candles and whale music.
It is deep seated, elbow driven, usually painful and inflicted by a girl call Sarah who seems to take a vicarious pleasure in bringing grown men to the verge of tears: I think shes evil but its probably fairer to say, she does a brilliant job.
On Monday we have a gym session and in keeping with the week, there would be various meetings and analysis sessions. These are short and to the point, obviously structured on the basis that most rugby players have a very short attention span.
Its the same with the first pitch session of the week, which lasts about 75 minutes rather than the two hours of a previous incarnation.
Wed eat twice during the day in the club for a stipend of about 7. It allows Allan Ryan to keep on eye on what the players are munching on and stops us heading off for a massive sandwich and a sneaky muffin in the local delicatessen. Losing at the weekend takes its toll and its usually pretty obvious on the Monday.
Wed all try to be positive and professional but human nature guarantees a certain disappointment when you lose and that legacy occasionally seeps into the middle of the week. As captain it is part of my responsibility along with the senior players to try and ensure it doesnt linger.
Tuesday begins with a fat burner on the exercise bike at home. The curtains are closed. No civilian should have to see a man of my frame red faced and sweaty on a stationary machine. Its particularly hectic day because we have two rugby sessions.
The coaches know that we have the following day off so they work us hard.
In the morning there are full-on lineout and scrum sessions, followed by a meal and then in the afternoon there is a second rugby work-out with the added bonus of a conditioning session at the end. People might think that we only do conditioning work in pre-season but thats a misnomer; trust me. Its also media day and as captain Id have pretty extensive duties so Id end up hanging around for an hour or two.
There are always more journalists around in the week of a Heineken Cup match or a local derby in the Guinness Premiership. You might have to take the odd phone call when you get home. Wednesday is our day off so in my case it might lead to a game of golf that masquerades as a lesson or a bit of lunch and a movie with a few of the lads. Its important to be able to switch off.
We do lineouts, a gym session, another pitch sessions and ice baths on the Thursday and then on the Friday before a Saturday game its just the captains run. The forwards do three scrums and three lineouts that we are going to use, at a jog.
There are plenty of moments to lighten the week. We have a joke of the day before a team meeting where a player must entertain his colleagues or face their wrath. A few comedic cameos slips, trips, dropping ball etc can be dropped into video analysis from time to time. One of the most recent involved Steffon Armitage who was interviewed by television after winning a man-of-the-match award.
Now when Steffon is faced with a question he considers tricky, he elects to scratch his head and wait for the ensuing silence to be filled with another question. This time the interviewer didnt back down and the lads were rolling round the place watching Steffon scratch himself as if he had nits.
The same player is the only forward who takes part in a weekly place-kicking competition there are normally 10 or so participants the remainder backs. Steffon fancies himself with the boot.
The player that finishes last has to buy the coffees for everyone else and the last couple of weeks, that person has been Ryan Lamb, the teams place-kicker: enough said.