RugbyRebels

Scrumhead wrote:

fivepointer wrote:Skinner too?

Exe will be shorthanded in a few areas.

Baxter spoke about blooding players last season with a view to them being better prepared for this one.

Perhaps, but with the exception of Hepburn/Moon, Simmonds and Ewers, their pack is pretty ravaged.

Backs less so with only really Hogg missing.

Slade and Nowell will be missing from their backline as well. They'll still have;

Hepburn, Yeandle, Street
Kirsten, Witty
Armand, Ewers, Simmonds
Maunder, Simmonds
Devoto, Whitten
Woodburn, O'Flaherty, Hodge

Taione, Moon, Van Dyk, Price, Vermulen, Townsend, Walsh, Baldwin.

Considering the players missing that's still a decent team. Obviously weakened but Eddie's refusal to bring back the Simmonds boys baffles me but helps Exeter. There's enough experience there to play the Exeter way but bring in some talented youngsters and develop them still. There's still Hinckley to come in as well. A few injuries could leave them very bare though.

Puja wrote:

Digby wrote:

Puja wrote:
Badly.

Puja

Well yes, it's the IRB, but did they just say the window has moved and expanded and that's just how it is?

I haven't been able to find anything conclusive, but the French clubs are only allowing their players to be selected for three games, which suggests everything's being negotiated on an ad-hoc basis and the English have a better relationship with their clubs.

Puja

In which case what's happening to Scottish and Welsh players at English clubs?

They’ll still be able to put out a good team and it’s safe to say they’ll be very well drilled.

It’s a weird one. Quins would probably feel pretty confident at home against the lineup you posted there, but I could easily see us losing.

FKAS wrote:

Scrumhead wrote:

fivepointer wrote:Skinner too?

Exe will be shorthanded in a few areas.

Baxter spoke about blooding players last season with a view to them being better prepared for this one.

Perhaps, but with the exception of Hepburn/Moon, Simmonds and Ewers, their pack is pretty ravaged.

Backs less so with only really Hogg missing.

Slade and Nowell will be missing from their backline as well. They'll still have;

Hepburn, Yeandle, Street
Kirsten, Witty
Armand, Ewers, Simmonds
Maunder, Simmonds
Devoto, Whitten
Woodburn, O'Flaherty, Hodge

Taione, Moon, Van Dyk, Price, Vermulen, Townsend, Walsh, Baldwin.

Considering the players missing that's still a decent team. Obviously weakened but Eddie's refusal to bring back the Simmonds boys baffles me but helps Exeter. There's enough experience there to play the Exeter way but bring in some talented youngsters and develop them still. There's still Hinckley to come in as well. A few injuries could leave them very bare though.

They’ll still be able to put out a good team and it’s safe to say they’ll be very well drilled. As you say, they have a very specific blueprint and the signings they make are well selected to fit in to that system.

It’s a weird one. Quins would probably feel pretty confident at home against the lineup you posted there, but I could easily see us losing.

Digby wrote:

Puja wrote:

Digby wrote:
Well yes, it's the IRB, but did they just say the window has moved and expanded and that's just how it is?

I haven't been able to find anything conclusive, but the French clubs are only allowing their players to be selected for three games, which suggests everything's being negotiated on an ad-hoc basis and the English have a better relationship with their clubs.

Puja

In which case what's happening to Scottish and Welsh players at English clubs?

Excellent question. One would assume that if the French were only able to get 3 games out of their clubs (which I'd imagine is IRB-mandated in lieu of the AIs) that the Celts, Georgians, and Fijians would probably get the same from the English clubs. But I haven't heard anyone else complaining about having to rotate apart from the French.

Puja

Puja wrote:

Digby wrote:

Puja wrote:
I haven't been able to find anything conclusive, but the French clubs are only allowing their players to be selected for three games, which suggests everything's being negotiated on an ad-hoc basis and the English have a better relationship with their clubs.

Puja

In which case what's happening to Scottish and Welsh players at English clubs?

Excellent question. One would assume that if the French were only able to get 3 games out of their clubs (which I'd imagine is IRB-mandated in lieu of the AIs) that the Celts, Georgians, and Fijians would probably get the same from the English clubs. But I haven't heard anyone else complaining about having to rotate apart from the French.

Puja

The French clubs were most upset the Unions casually ran roughshod over their plans. The organisation of this new international tournament is beyond ham fisted and is a shameless money grab. The French Union seem to have agreed the three game rule as a way to keep the peace with the clubs and manage workload. Is also an excellent excuse to blood lots of new players under little pressure.

FKAS wrote:

Puja wrote:

Digby wrote:
In which case what's happening to Scottish and Welsh players at English clubs?

Excellent question. One would assume that if the French were only able to get 3 games out of their clubs (which I'd imagine is IRB-mandated in lieu of the AIs) that the Celts, Georgians, and Fijians would probably get the same from the English clubs. But I haven't heard anyone else complaining about having to rotate apart from the French.

Puja

The French clubs were most upset the Unions casually ran roughshod over their plans. The organisation of this new international tournament is beyond ham fisted and is a shameless money grab. The French Union seem to have agreed the three game rule as a way to keep the peace with the clubs and manage workload. Is also an excellent excuse to blood lots of new players under little pressure.

The French three match limit is good news for the clubs, but as Dupont and Ntamack have already played two, then other half backs will have plenty of opportunity to prove their worth.

francoisfou wrote:

FKAS wrote:

Puja wrote:
Excellent question. One would assume that if the French were only able to get 3 games out of their clubs (which I'd imagine is IRB-mandated in lieu of the AIs) that the Celts, Georgians, and Fijians would probably get the same from the English clubs. But I haven't heard anyone else complaining about having to rotate apart from the French.

Puja

The French clubs were most upset the Unions casually ran roughshod over their plans. The organisation of this new international tournament is beyond ham fisted and is a shameless money grab. The French Union seem to have agreed the three game rule as a way to keep the peace with the clubs and manage workload. Is also an excellent excuse to blood lots of new players under little pressure.

The French three match limit is good news for the clubs, but as Dupont and Ntamack have already played two, then other half backs will have plenty of opportunity to prove their worth.

Is it three matches including the 6N?! I thought it was just 3 matches in the ANC.

Puja

I'm not opposed to shameless money grabs, the game doesn't have a lot of cash floating around at the best of times and right now is more desperate than usual. I'd just like to know on what basis/authority this latest has been done, exactly what has been done, and thus in part what it says about similar in future

Where does profit come from? Not crowds, surely.

morepork wrote:Where does profit come from? Not crowds, surely.

Amazon are showing the games, so I'd imagine that's where the pretty pennies are coming from.

Puja

Puja wrote:

francoisfou wrote:

FKAS wrote:
The French clubs were most upset the Unions casually ran roughshod over their plans. The organisation of this new international tournament is beyond ham fisted and is a shameless money grab. The French Union seem to have agreed the three game rule as a way to keep the peace with the clubs and manage workload. Is also an excellent excuse to blood lots of new players under little pressure.

The French three match limit is good news for the clubs, but as Dupont and Ntamack have already played two, then other half backs will have plenty of opportunity to prove their worth.

Is it three matches including the 6N?! I thought it was just 3 matches in the ANC.

Puja

In the ANC.