The Investec Champions Cup is BACK! Jim Hamilton & Andy Goode debate all the major talking points from round one including Marcus Smith staking his claim for the England 10 jersey, the Ref refusing to speak to James Ryan and Billy Vunipola’s controversial Red Card…
Listen to the full episode now on Spotify 🎧 https://spoti.fi/3GFoERq
0:00 Marcus Masterclass Racing92 V Harlequins
6:40 Arundell Ultimatum
10:00 Glasgow V Northampton Saints
14:00 Replay of Last Years Final
20:00 Co Captain Controversy
24:20 Vodacom Bulls V Sarries
30:30 Leicester v Stormers
33:20 Bath Contenders?
37 Comments
I am a Springboks Fan
Why is no one previewing and reviewing any epcr challenge cup games?
I bookmarked this Jake White video at the end of last season. Bulls looking excellent so far. Third in the URC and very impressive to watch.
Irish BTW.
We've been here before when another ex player was manager and kept playing his mates and 'experienced' 30+ year old players and the RFU should stop influencing team selection.
As a Ulsterman , hence a Ireland supporter. England have the players , overcoached and scared of failure. Suggest you take 2 Stone off everybody.
English rugby isn’t dying, it’s the core values that those of us grew up with (before the new woke, hand wringing liberal entitled prats took over) that’s dying. Respect and honour, it’s starting to go. It’s not like the money is even close to football, so it’s not that. It’s crept in to the support and the fans, it’s the reason why Barnes and some of the other refs have retired
Everyone needs to have a pill and realise Marcus is still a kid. Give him a chance to grow. Patience is the key. Sitting in your lounge room picking the crap out of a team doesn’t make you an expert
Premeirship wont get strong cause you keep a few stars from going overseas its dumb not too let english stars go abroad. In south africa its helped us massively cause it means teams in SA need to develop new stars and young players which makes our national team stronger.
The RFU need to recognise with three clubs hitting the wall, players will go for the cash anywhere they can get it. The supporters want to see these people, but the players need to make the money wile they can. World rugby need to look at the game. It needs to quicken up. The pick and go is boring, why not let the ref start giving penalty tries for being offside at the rack within 5 m. The points are scored and we just restart the game. The game goes back to what people want to see running rugby ?
English clubs did rather well in the first round of the European championships.
Please don’t ever consider Dombrant again. He hasn’t got it in his heart to play at top level, that is obvious to anyone with any discernment.
Just consider where France had been for a few years, and look at them now.
England being England will take forever to get it right, but it won’t have any long term backing.
I think we just have to accept what we get and take it or leave it.
Bulls looking real good this year in the URC so far and have carried it into Europe. Will be there or there abouts.
On players challenging refs, you guys should have a look at what the AFL in oz has done. Anything close to dissent gets penalised. Just raising your arms as if to question the refs call gets penalised. They did it because Aussie rules at lower levels was struggling to keep refs. So they just made refs god again. I think rugby should do the same
Does Goode think he's funny?
Incredibly poor decision from Arundell.
Ford will still start ahead of Smith in the 6N.
Quins were outstanding
I wouldn't say English rugby is dying. It's just that the premiership isn't as exciting as the URC or the Top 14
Borthwick has been appointed to play a brand of rugby that England fans recognise. Sadly we need to move on and we’re looking to an ex second row to be able to coach a team to play a brand of rugby that will win games against the top international sides. Our brightest talents either don’t see the ball or aren’t conservative enough to be first choice because they don’t play enough territory to keep the forwards happy (in Borthwick eyes). Arundell’s voted with his feet and is waiting for Borthwick to get sacked before returning to the country and now Smith finally gets his chance and he’s got one less world class player to pass the ball to. Borthwick has to go for the sake of this generation of players.
England will never win the World Cup again
We are witnessing the managed decline of English rugby
whats the deal with the fall out between rugby pod and marler? he was presenting the show a few years back when jim was away.
The appealing started properly on the Lions tour in 2017. Both sides did it and the powers that be didnt address it. It's a shame.
Arundell….. NRL……
Gotta ring to it !
Bit short ?
English rugby seem to be in a better place than Welsh rugby at the moment!
If Smith HAS been given the keys, Borthwick HAS to release the shackles and let the backs play.
Billy's card was not controversial – he dived in off his feet and hit the guy in the head with his shoulder – dumb.
Rugby is very dangerous. Mum’s aren’t going to want their little kiddies to choose it as a sport as it stands. So fewer people will play it and ultimately it will fade away……. When Webb Ellis picked up a soccer ball and ran he wasn’t thinking about a professional game just having fun. Where’s the fun now?
I agree 100% with AG on the HIA, surely if a player hits another player in the head, both should have an HIA.
It won't be here by the next world cup in its current form.
Where can I watch these games?
Leadership starts at the top of the tree, the RFU have two rotten fruit, Bill Sweeney and Steve Borthwick. Both individuals don't possess the vision or leadership skills to develop a new England team. The England team for the 2024 Six Nations will follow in the footsteps of poor selections dating back to post 2019 World Cup, Eddie Jones and Steve Borthwick, two apples that fell from the same tree, reporting to Bill Sweeney! The result of poor management over the past seven years is reflected in English talent leaving for overseas clubs, poor SN and WC results, and clubs going bankrupt.
I wouldn't say it's dying the English rugby spirit is very much still there first round of the Champions Cup shows even with the financial woes we have we can still compete at the highest domestic level.
We do however need to move with the times. That includes personnel changes in the management of the RFU and relaxing rules around selecting overseas players for international duty.
Ford and Farrell are known quantities. At this point in a World Cup cycle, we need to see Smith and 1 or 2 others get a chance.
Change rugby move it to the summer. More kids will play it and more families will watch. Also you will not complete agianst football. So the kids can play football and rugby. And please dont have the argument the ground to hard…that is BS. Lots of countries play on rock hard ground.
Smith is a different level to Ford on every level and he proved that when Harlequins played Sale..
The RFU love to shoot themselves in the foot. I remember when players like the Armitage brothers and Nick Abendanon were tearing up the french league and didn't get a look in for England because they were overseas. England missed out on some exciting rugby from some of the most in form players in the world at that point. It'll be funny if they make the same mistake again with Arundell
Purely selecting English based players hasn't prevented clubs from going bust, nor has it discouraged top players from venturing to France, some yes, but not all. Open the opportunity for the best English players to earn top money in France and still play for their country, its the only sensible option.
That Marcus Smith ….great player but definitely missing his true vocation as the World Gurning Champion.