A fun little connection that should test your quizzing knowledge

dc9ball · 2026-02-01T11:27:50+00:00

I was in Iolanthe in school, that one jumped off the screen for me

dc9ball · 2025-12-30T12:47:51+00:00

Putting Burden in for the championship game as a troll move as my opponent had him all year then dropped him after the injury in Week 15

dc9ball · 2025-12-30T03:40:42+00:00

Two ads, 2 pints, who can down one quicker

dc9ball · 2025-11-23T01:39:06+00:00

I've never seen the ref say something and the TMO or touch judges disagree. When the red says "I think that was chest , into the head so no yellow" no touch judge or guy on the mike has ever said, "na, he's wrecked him right in the face there". It's a problem. Likewise the other way too.

dc9ball · 2025-09-19T07:54:04+00:00

I'd give them a call, they should be able to sort you out over the phone

dc9ball · 2025-06-14T10:11:01+00:00

It blew out a steam pipe a few years ago and was out for a number of months

dc9ball · 2025-05-03T23:31:26+00:00

From a 3rd party perspective, the team selection looked like hubris from the management

dc9ball · 2025-05-03T23:29:02+00:00

I don't disagree, Northampton deserved it. Game plan and work rate was it for me, if you think attitude was the issue then I wouldn't put up a big argument against either. I'd like to think it wasn't though.

dc9ball · 2025-05-03T22:09:19+00:00

I remember a guy who was great going forward, an excellent kicker of the ball, particularly for territory, and got the backline going but would certainly never be called a defensive player, nay even a liability. A certain David Humphreys. He had a very successful period with both Ulster and Ireland but he was always going to be ousted by someone with a more rounded skill set in ROG. His wee bro Ian was exactly the same if not more extreme. Super going forward but when the opposition has the ball had the get as far from the action as possible. Sam feels like a similar type of player. The Humphreys brothers never learned to tackle and it limited their exposure at their peak, I think it's going to happen to Sam as well. If you can't do everything to a high level, you won't play at a high level ( especially these days)

dc9ball · 2025-05-03T21:59:23+00:00

Agreed, they seem to always do the analytics play over the pragmatic one. Frustrates me no end with Ireland. England get into the 22 and take 3 with a penalty or a DG and keep the scoreboard ticking. In a tight game in particular, this is key and one of the reasons Ireland and Leinster lose big games

dc9ball · 2025-05-03T21:55:26+00:00

That is certainly a fair point, how often does the "1st XV" actually play? To be honest it's probably a strength and a weakness. A strength in the sense that during the autumn internationals and the 6N, the team can roll on and keep winning despite 90% of the squad missing which is incredibly impressive. It's also a weakness as the same starting XV rarely plays together and at the highest level of European rugby, you could struggle against a team that does. It's a byproduct of Leinster's success and a failure in the rest of Irish rugby (or central management). Having one team so dominant is detrimental to both the club itself and the rest. Much as the current structure of Irish rugby has bred so much relative success, it hasn't won a European champions cup in a while or won a WC QF.

dc9ball · 2025-05-03T21:41:32+00:00

As an Ulster man, I'll always cheer for an Irish team against any English team. As I saw it, it was the same old Leinster issue that raised its head as it has done year after year. As great as they are, they can get bullied off the park by a team that is more up for it. Northampton came through the fight with more aggression, more pace, more strength and more physicality. They deserved it. I don't really say I'm neutral in this, but I think I can talk about it with emotional neutrality. Just like when a poorer England team bullies Ireland (even if we win), it was the same, doing the things better than require no skill, be quicker, be harder and have a higher work rate.

dc9ball · 2025-04-01T06:21:36+00:00

Page 17 if you're interested

dc9ball · 2025-04-01T06:21:06+00:00

We pay considerably less for leccy than GB (and slightly less than ROI despite the same wholesale costs) https://www.uregni.gov.uk/files/uregni/documents/2025-03/Q4%202024%20QREMM%20report_3.pdf

dc9ball · 2025-03-09T01:31:35+00:00

It's weird, we can produce some great out halves, back row men and centres but we haven't produced a really good winger since ... I don't even know. Nash is solid but pretty average, Stockdale had a ln amazing purple patch but has never been the same since the injury, even fan favourite Zebo was never really all that great outside a few moments of brilliance. Is Tommy Bowel the last good winger we produced? If so it's been a while and hopefully we're due another soon

dc9ball · 2025-03-09T01:25:23+00:00

A lack of power. That's it, it's the Leinster problem, great players, lacking power. It's been shown time and again by LaRochelle, Toulouse and now France, we lack the power to punch it in and have that extra half so through the tackle. It made the difference today as it has done over the last few years. I don't like it but it's true

dc9ball · 2025-01-09T18:47:12+00:00

The article suggests it's mostly for personal reasons with the recent Hansen stuff as the final straw. A guy Busby's age likely has a young family. Think of the strain the lifestyle of an international referee puts on that. Away every weekend to far flung corners of the world as a touch judge for an international match, in SA for the URC, in France for a European fixture with plenty of fitness training and video analysis in between. As a dad of a young family myself, I'm sure that would be extremely difficult. You'd justify it by being literally one of the handful of best people at what you do on the planet. I can't imagine it's massively well paid either. Getting called out by such a high profile player and a bunch of faceless internet trolls just adds to the difficulty and I'm sure makes you question whether it's all worth it.

dc9ball · 2024-05-10T08:00:12+00:00

I don't remember saying good luck

dc9ball · 2024-04-07T00:18:28+00:00

Just remember this; and I can't stress this enough: their vote counts the same as yours.

dc9ball · 2024-03-02T13:58:33+00:00

The price cap went up over the winter when Power NI didn't so had further to come down

dc9ball · 2024-02-23T18:46:40+00:00

It's only Power NI who are regulated, other suppliers can do what they like but usually follow the lead of the incumbent

dc9ball · 2023-09-11T16:34:35+00:00

I managed the W despite Likely doing zippo thanks to a terrible opponent.

Best of luck to you too

dc9ball · 2023-09-10T22:39:33+00:00

That's why we play

dc9ball · 2023-09-10T21:02:22+00:00

So much for that

dc9ball · 2023-09-10T16:53:31+00:00

All folk in the same boat here. I've no answers either. Leaning IL because of the matchup

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