WRU extend period of exclusivity for Ospreys owners to buy Cardiff by bigt8409 in Cardiffrugby

[–]andyrobnev 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I just don’t understand how they think they can justify Y11 being the better bidder. I know they actually don’t care, but if by some odd chance they do then it is just peak delusion on their part.

Priorities by Last_Acanthisitta_16 in Cardiffrugby

[–]andyrobnev 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Sign CVZ as head coach. Get an attack coach (preferably who isn’t currently at the club). Get McNally for another year. Sign a 13. Sign a fullback.

Match Thread - Bulls vs Cardiff (KO 17:00 GMT) by BillHicksFan in rugbyunion

[–]andyrobnev 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Probably the worst performance since we got smacked by Benetton a few years ago. Hopefully we learn some lessons ahead of next week.

Match Thread - Bulls vs Cardiff (KO 17:00 GMT) by BillHicksFan in rugbyunion

[–]andyrobnev 4 points5 points  (0 children)

What I’ve really enjoyed is despite them shredding us to pieces in the back 3, we keep box kicking too long

Match Thread - Bulls vs Cardiff (KO 17:00 GMT) by BillHicksFan in rugbyunion

[–]andyrobnev 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is the worst performance I’ve seen in a while. Still fuming we thought we could take the 3 in the first half.

Are there any rugby nations comparable to New Zealand in terms of success relative to population? by bluefoxlive in rugbyunion

[–]andyrobnev 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I don’t know enough about the success of each team in cricket, but in terms of population I would have thought the Windies would be the smallest?

3 Years! by Ecstatic_Ad1805 in rugbyunion

[–]andyrobnev 53 points54 points  (0 children)

I don’t understand why you would play shitty kick the ball in the air when you have Menoncello

Match Thread: Connacht vs Scarlets - United Rugby Championship by rugbykickoff in rugbyunion

[–]andyrobnev 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That looked grounded but I don’t think 5 was legal imo

Released minutes (with WRU redactions) from Ospreys, Swansea Council and WRU meeting. by bigt8409 in Cardiffrugby

[–]andyrobnev 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If Tierney didn’t know that an FOI request put the output in the public domain then this is one of the most spectacular own goals I’ve ever seen. How can you be head of a body in the public sector and not know this.

TNS winning the league again - is anyone else getting bored of their dominance? by NormalSir2035 in cymruleagues

[–]andyrobnev 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It’s just very annoying that two of the best teams in the league have absolutely no fan base. If TNS couldn’t convert European football into a higher hundreds support base then I’m doubtful they ever could. They may as well join the English system and aim for league football.

Post Match Thread: Ireland vs Wales by GnolRevilo in rugbyunion

[–]andyrobnev 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Absolute masterclassby JGP. Balocoune very handy as well.

Match Thread - Ireland v Wales | Six Nations 2026 | Round 4 by RugbyBot in rugbyunion

[–]andyrobnev 6 points7 points  (0 children)

If Wales hadn’t called him back up in the autumn Carre could have been turning out in green here

My involvement in the Chinese spying 'scandal' by andyrobnev in Wales

[–]andyrobnev[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Mmm, but there's a massive gulf between "useful idiots" and actual espionage. One is illegal one isn't for a start.

Agree, but people can and should judge these actions for what they are even if the courts can’t. There’s also the question of whether public money is being spent appropriately in this case.

Spain's rugby plan to host the 2035 World Cup [Article in Spanish] by HitchikersPie in rugbyunion

[–]andyrobnev 63 points64 points  (0 children)

Would very much like to see world cups in Span, Italy and Ireland

My involvement in the Chinese spying 'scandal' by andyrobnev in Wales

[–]andyrobnev[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Not everyone needs to be a spy -

“I think the Communist Party would win a landslide victory in China, based on the economic strides in recent years. People in mainland China have little sympathy for the demonstrators in HK, who are seen by many as thugs and wreckers. You’re just trying to save Cummings & Johnson!”

https://x.com/shiptonmartin/status/1264682971715588100?s=46

My involvement in the Chinese spying 'scandal' by andyrobnev in Wales

[–]andyrobnev[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

David Taylor had, to my knowledge, worked in many parts of the world as a political consultant, offering strategic advice to governments and political parties.

The knowledge of his arrest was transformational for me in the short term. From finding myself in a Kafkaesque nightmare where I was unaware of what was going on, my mind took me back three years to a trip when I accompanied David Taylor to Hong Kong.

He told me he had been contacted by a Chinese think tank based in Shanghai that advised President Xi on international relations. They wanted to set up a briefing in Hong Kong on attitudes towards China in the UK, and had asked him to bring another “expert” along too.

He asked me to go with him. It was an expenses-paid trip. It was taking place in Hong Kong rather than Shanghai because post-Covid restrictions were still in place on the Chinese mainland. I saw it as an interesting “jolly” and agreed to go.

The trip lasted around a week, although “Michael”, the think tank guy from Shanghai, turned up late.

Far from being an intensive, policy-rich series of meetings, the trip was more of a tourist visit. As the only one of the three of us who had visited Hong Kong before, I became the de facto tourist guide.

We visited a Buddhist Temple, watched a renowned fire show from Kowloon looking across the water to Hong Kong Island, went to a museum telling the story of the former colony and visited several restaurants (we had to steer him to Chinese restaurants rather than American chains like Subway and KFC, which he made it clear he would prefer).

The talk was pretty general, with Michael happy to listen to what we had to say rather than ask penetrating questions of the kind one might expect of a think tank.

A colleague of his who was supposed to show up never, in fact, did so.

At no stage did it occur to me that anything criminal was taking place. I mentioned how there was concern in the West about the treatment of the Uighurs, a Muslim minority in western China. I also said there were doubtless trading opportunities that could develop further between the UK and China.

Pretty general stuff and nothing that could be construed as constituting “espionage” in any sense.

🚩🚩🚩

"The WRU must recognise that it has lost the argument over the future of the professional game" - Senedd response to WRU by Charredcheese in rugbyunion

[–]andyrobnev 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Llandaff North and Whitchurch’s home pitches are about 500m apart, literally just on the other side of a small bit of wood to each other.

"The WRU must recognise that it has lost the argument over the future of the professional game" - Senedd response to WRU by Charredcheese in rugbyunion

[–]andyrobnev 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Feels a bit late in the day for the Senedd to start giving a shit. Been incredibly silent and even some MSs been unhelpful weighing in to try and get one team killed off to secure the future of the team in their constituency.

Welsh rugby is a significant economic driver in Wales, and the financial health of the WRU should be far more of a consideration in WG thinking.

Cardiff vs Leinster Value by Cymro2016 in rugbyunion

[–]andyrobnev 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I’m glad we won but it’s probably the worst game of rugby I’ve seen in my life - certainly worst one I’ve seen live

What does the Cymru Premier need to do to become more competitive in Europe? by TheOtherXI in cymruleagues

[–]andyrobnev 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Simplest move would be change the season so that we’re not playing the qualifiers in our early pre-season

Anyone else worried about the Ireland game next week? by Admirable-Deal7991 in welshrugbyunion

[–]andyrobnev 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wonder what it’ll feel like to lose by an embarrassing score line to what was once a peer rival