'Orns

Wouldn't worry too much lads, this has got Worcs 120 all out, before COP tonight, written all over it

1 minute ago, Super said:

Whole family in Hampshire apparently!

- do you think Mrs Hampshire hates me as well? I rather suspect she would be on Team Woodsy......if 'she' even exists 

4 minutes ago, Tomarse said:

Tres out early LBW.  County Cricket is officially back. 

Imagine given the conditions this morning it was hellish to bat.

From the pics I've seen it's difficult to tell the strip from the square!
Going along quite nicely now, Hildreth has taken a few chances, but makes for good listening!

2 minutes ago, MichaelRobartes said:

This is why nobody likes you Woodsy...

 name one person on here who doesn't like me, young Michael. Bet you can't

Just let me have my moment in the sunshine, before we're relegated sometime early August!

2 minutes ago, Super said:

ball is going all over the place! 200 would be a great score although that seems a long way off!

Uncontested toss - Worcestershire will bowl first. Words I was glad to see this morning! We'd be about 27-7 by now if we'd have lost the toss, I have no doubts about that!

11 minutes ago, Woodsy said:

Somerset 1-1, ta ta Banger

#COYP

7-2 

Somerset 1-1, ta ta Banger

#COYP

2 hours ago, Super said:

Standard Woodsy derailing another thread! Think Hampshire Red was right all along! 

To be fair, if Afoa and his lad threatened me I'd probably back down on this one 

20 hours ago, MichaelRobartes said:

Some of the signings for next season should turn around Bristol's fortunes in the scrum, notably John Afoa. I saw plenty of him before and during his time at Ulster but @Woodsy will have seen him play considerably more than me for the last few years. You don't get 101 Super Rugby caps and 36 New Zealand caps for being shite though! Lam is also bringing in a few guys up front that he he had at Connacht and obviously trusts like Muldowney and Heenan so that shouldn't hurt either.

Not that surprised to see Scarlets wanting a bit of back three cover with players on international duty and injuries mounting up. They're a seriously good side now so I'd be surprised to see Varndell there beyond the end of the season. Probably one of the best English finishers in the last while, but serious question marks over the defensive side of his game for me.

I haven't heard anything about the Premiership being ring fenced for a few years, so it will obviously happen when I didn't expect it to after it didn't materialise in the years I believed it was inevitable!

Wonderful player, MR. Been fantastic for Gloucester. As you say, you don't tot up that tally without being a little special

He also bought my in-laws house, so if any of you want an autograph I can point you in the right direction! Often see him in the local Tesco, he doesn't smile much - not much of a people person, I suspect! Biggest calf muscles I've seen in my life!!

Enjoy him

19 hours ago, Super said:

@Woodsy???

Ha - I'd love to help, but I haven't watched it in years. Just because I work there, doesn't mean I watch it!!

One plus point for you Somerset fans, now the mighty Pears are back in the big time, you big boys are only playing for one relegation spot next season

We've got bottom place in the bag already!

Not going to go through the whole thread, but wanted to add my thoughts

Pato - I can't love this bloke any more. Said at the start of the season he'd be key this year, thought he was superb

Leko - had me out of my seat everytime he had the ball. Give him 2 or 3 years and he's going to be a hell of a player

Bobby - always wanted him to succeed, being one of our own. He looked like he owned the Gate today. Love seeing how he's come on

Flint, Wright, Baker - superb

Pack - he ain't flashy, just does what he's told to do. And does it well

Korey - Shelton-esque, must have touched every blade of grass on that pitch today

An excellent performance. If you had told me we'd have 7 points from Reading and Wolves away and Derby at home I'd have laughed. I had turned on LJ after Preston last season, but I can't tell you how much I want the man to succeed. After today I might just start believing. Took my two eldest today, first time all 3 of us had been to a game together, will live long in the memory. Thank you all, without being over dramatic about it all, I will remember this afternoon for a long time. Having 3 girls I always worried they wouldn't be interested, days like today make it easier for me to keep their interest in football going

1 hour ago, Super said:

Ha, Mrs Woodsy actually called me Victor last night!!

1 hour ago, robinreliant said:

You're not supposed to have fun at your age Woodsy.

That's what I tell Mrs Woodsy. When she's not around I have a brilliant time though 

Just now, 1960maaan said:

But do you know the answer, you didn't say 

Ha, about 6 years ago I'm sure I went root and branch on this (purely from playing way too much FM in my younger days!)

I just find it odd that it causes surprise every season, how long have we had Bosman and the transfer window in place? I remember the good old days when you'd fill up with petrol, walk past the EP in the newspaper stand and find out we'd just shelled out good money on Martin Kuhl or Richard Dryden (oddly these two stick in my memory), and it was a complete surprise

God, I hate the transfer window

And the internet

And all the ITKs on here

Ruining my fun

9 minutes ago, Kotsy said:

I know @Woodsy enjoys answering this question

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Kotsy - I've not had the best start to today, you've just trebled my misery. Thank you

1 hour ago, MichaelRobartes said:

I have. Paulie obviously taught him all he knows about goal kicking as well. It's going to be really weird seeing the Lions in NZ without the great man.

Ha, I'm sure Farrell was all ears during that training session....!!

1 hour ago, MichaelRobartes said:

Haha, I'm sure he'd enjoy a session in the Shed. Shame it'll be another year at least before we meet in Europe again. Love the guy. Goes to show what you can gain by welcoming people with open arms. I imagine he only ever thought about playing for the Bulls and SA as a kid, now he bleeds red. I always enjoy when Munster are on Sky and CJ has the player mic as well, he's from the Paulie school of manic aggression.

That's good to hear. It's easy to criticise sportsmen on huge wedges for pretty much anything, but I'm sure plenty are doing things in their communities that we never get to hear about. 

I hope so too. Great to see local guys making it. Shame it won't be with Bristol for now though.

On about Paulie, only seen it this week....his speech on last Lions tour, bigging up Farrell. Have you seen it? 

What a bloke!

2 hours ago, MichaelRobartes said:

https://www.limerick.ie/council/newsroom/news/cj-stander-made-honorary-international-ambassador-limerick

Nice touch! Wait until the contract offer from the mighty Glos lands on his table though....I'll stick a blue plaque on my house for him!

Good to see stuff like that, as you know, I'm a massive NFL fan and the players there have very little (in fact 0%, unless you're a choosy **** like Eli Manning) during the draft process, but the one thing they promote from day 1 is giving back to the community where you now live and work. Fair play to the man

On 5/9/2017 at 14:06, MichaelRobartes said:

That's fair enough Woodsy. I just look at someone like CJ who wasn't wanted in SA and gambled on coming to Ireland to play. I see a guy like that putting it all on the line for Munster and Ireland and nobody can convince me that he doesn't have as much right to tog out for us as anyone born on the island. When they change the qualification period to five years instead of three that's fair enough. I'm convinced that it won't make a big difference, most lads come to play for the club first and foremost. If international caps follow then so be it.

And that's the other side of it. Anyone who hasn't watched CJ play, and didn't know his name, wouldn't know he wasn't Irish through and through

Agree about the qualification period. No one is going to vote against it, but it needs to be a little harder to attain. Wasn't it 7 years at one point, maybe in cricket??

19 hours ago, The Bard said:

Rugby is laughable in this respect.  Samoans playing for the All Blacks, Kiwis playing for Samoa. Italians called Luke McLean and Dries Van Schalwyk.   South African Irishmen, Kiwi England captains. 

19 hours ago, MichaelRobartes said:

I actually don't mind at all. It was more of a not to subtle dig at the Irish granny complaint in football. Anyone willing to fly halfway around the world, start a new life and put their bodies on the line for anyone is alright by me.

You need to keep an eye on MR, Bard - he's always picking on me!

I'm with Bard on this, if the parents are a particular nationality, or the player in question was born in a different country to their parents I'm ok. Anything passed that and it all gets a little daft. I just couldn't imagine moving to Australia, for example, marrying an Aussie, playing their for a certain number of years and then putting that shirt on and singing their anthem. On saying that, I'm hardly likely to be in that position, so an easy choice for me to make!

They can piss around with T20 as much as they want, but the weather rules the game here

Who wants to sit there in the freezing cold and rain to see if there's a chance of watching a ball being bowled? Unless we have a belting summer (please God!) then it's a complete waste of time

1 hour ago, MichaelRobartes said:

No experience of Chiefs fans but totally agree about Saffacens. Glaws or Bristol (preferably both) need to get back into the Champions Cup so that they can draw Munster.

Might take a while mate.....!

2 hours ago, Mike Hunt-Hertz said:

Rugby fans tend to be a load of Timothys, Piers and Annabels. Gloucester fans are Waynes, Terrys and Shazzas! 

Ha, there is a lot of truth in that!!

16 hours ago, MichaelRobartes said:

 

That's shocking for a team with their squad and resources. Long may it continue.

Baff aren't my favourites either. Actually there's not many English clubs I like, particularly after the Anglo-French collusion which led to the bastardisation of the Heineken Cup. Bristol and Gloucester are top of the 'like' list though @Woodsy

Gloucester are the Kings, obviously, but give me Bristol over everyone else. Anyone else who can despise Barf like we do are ok by me

Can't stand Exeter or Sarries fans either - nobs, the lot of them

Jeez, Middlesex can't win it, surely? Yorkshire are imploding here.....