Advantage England
20 Jan 2008
Three of the European Cup quarter-finals will be hosted by English clubs.
Neil de Kock’s Saracens will meet the Neath-Swansea Ospreys, while Percy Montgomery and Perpignan face a trip to London Irish. Gloucester, who are top of the English Premiership, will take on 2006 champions Munster.
The fourth quarter-final sees the Cardiff Blues, who beat Bristol 17-0 on Sunday, play three-times champions Toulouse in France. The Blues would have had a home quarter-final if they’d scored four tries in their last pool fixture.
Several top clubs have failed to reach the play-offs. Defending champions Wasps were knocked out after their 19-3 defeat to Munster on Saturday, while French giants Biarritz, Clermont Auvergne and Stade Francais also bowed out early.
The quarter-finals will be played on the weekend of 4-6 April.
44 Comments
20 Jan 2008, 21:46 pm
English teams, starring foreigners! Means squat, they still suck.
20 Jan 2008, 21:57 pm
They played in really **** conditions. Although I enjoyed the rugby, the conditions make the standard poor.
20 Jan 2008, 22:25 pm
BH
that young fella at 10, the up and coming chap who is better than saint johnny, cipriani*, is he playing in these games?
20 Jan 2008, 22:44 pm
This all follows the great words of wisdom from Zimmer Dallaglio “who says we cant play good rugby in the Northern Hemisphere”.Half the Southern Hemisphere are playing here,plank.
21 Jan 2008, 01:20 am
“Zimmer Dallaglio”
21 Jan 2008, 01:46 am
I see dead people…
21 Jan 2008, 02:01 am
Ok never mind! Was net ‘n klomp winkelpoppe…
21 Jan 2008, 02:05 am
3
Yep, Cipriani the London Wasps 10 has basically made his name in this competition. Wasps are out now though when they were beaten by O’Gara and Munster.
Smit’s Clermont Auvergne, arguably the most talented team in the competition have also been knocked out on points difference.
There have been many complaints about the flawed seeding system which has put Wasps/Munster/Clermont/Llanelli in one group whilst allowing a weaker team like Mike Catt’s London Irish to top theirs.
21 Jan 2008, 02:15 am
3 Cipriani plays for Wasps. They’ve didn’t make it to the quarters. Some good teams didn’t.
21 Jan 2008, 02:21 am
8. Yeah, pretty strange pools. They really have to sort the seeding system out.
21 Jan 2008, 02:28 am
10
Part of me thinks they do but then again its made the earlier part of the season much more exciting and the ‘weaker’ teams might just be up for it in the quarters.
If Clermont, Wasps, Munster were in different pools it would probably have been a boring procession where they just swept the opposition aside.
21 Jan 2008, 03:25 am
it would be interesting to see what the average percentage of the starting XV of a local side are foreign players???
21 Jan 2008, 04:11 am
Oregan Hoskins as I far as I understand voted for Heyneke Meyer but he is now refusing for Mike Stofile to meet with Meyer over an appointment as Director of coaches in SARUGBY.
What is going on here? What do you guys reckon of Mike Stofile?
21 Jan 2008, 04:26 am
Disa, he is saying he has no mandate to talk to HM and should not create non existing expectations, fair enough.
As for Stofile, he does not seem to have what is best for rugby at heart but still seems intend on becoming the next President of SARU. The untimate aim is a bit confusing because outside of the obvious political backing, he has some very strange bedmates, including Markgraaf! You have to wonder then…
21 Jan 2008, 05:38 am
Howzit Koos,
I dont what to think about Mike because last year he made the right noises with regards to the springbok emblem etc. and like you said above him and Markgraaf is dik tjommies which makes me wonder.
Hoskins really dissapointed me last year with the whole Luke Watson saga and the way he presented himself on the John Robbie show made him lost a few shares in my book
It is going to be an interisting battle for the presidency in April (think its April??)
I would actually like to see what mad Mike has to offer or did i miss something???
Cheers
Disa
21 Jan 2008, 05:45 am
Howzit boys.
Disa, I think you missed something with Mike. He is not called Mad Mike for nothing. We need a genuine rugby man in charge of SA Rugby, not some political maverick with double agenda’s. And Oregan IMO is a limp d*ck. Not looking good for SA Rugger going forward mate.
21 Jan 2008, 05:49 am
Somewhere between the devil and the deep blue sea!
Nah Disa, Mike is a loose canon which can only harm rugby.
21 Jan 2008, 05:50 am
Howzit whatever
I think im missing something with Mad Mike as well but had a look on the net of some past stupid comments from the oke but couldnt find anything like that except that he is the brother of the minister of sport. Now he is a tosser of note
21 Jan 2008, 05:51 am
Maybe oom Louis will come out of retirement
21 Jan 2008, 05:56 am
Spot on Disa. If we could get guys to run rugby in SA cause they genuinely love the game and want to see it flourish and for the Boks to remain no1 then it would be bloody difficult for any country to top us. The problem is that there is so much mistrust, double agenda’s, political interference and political payback in the game that we are stuffed. We may peak every now and again, like last year, but we will never be consistently at the top until all the bullsh*t ends………eish makes me sad boet.
21 Jan 2008, 05:58 am
Hehe, don’t think Oom louis is the answer either…
21 Jan 2008, 05:58 am
Aaarrggg! Just thinking about it sends me up the wall. The problem behind all this is of course the very amateur presidents council trying to run a professional sport. Since the inception of professional rugby the biggest halter has been the very inept president council, each and every person on there just for their own benefit and fark rugby.
Already Mike is making promises to all and sundry for a vote and being the slapgat council they are, they WILL vote for him if they can gain anything. Point in case the numbnut from the Lions who will support him, not for the good of rugby but because he is promised the vice presidency.
Where is Skoppie when you need him because I will say this, the one person who kept the Boks together and managed to achieve something no one else would have was JW. I do not think the next lot stand a change against what will be one dissaster after another come SA Rugby…
21 Jan 2008, 06:01 am
Hey Oom Louis did it for himself but he was clever enough to know to be able to do that he needed a succesful Bok team and he did everything to achieve that. Not sure the rest are clever enough…
21 Jan 2008, 06:04 am
Nail on the head Koos. Everyone pulling in different directions. If they all pulled in one direction, then game over, we would stand proud with the likes of the AB’s at the top of the heap. Now we are (or at least the SA Rugby Administrators) are the laughing stock of the rugby world. Our rise to the top last year, is as I said, just going to be a spike in the graph.
21 Jan 2008, 06:06 am
Maybe I’m being too negative? Just do not have a lekker feeling about our L/T future!
21 Jan 2008, 06:08 am
Whatever, makes two of us then, ek sien swarigheid!
21 Jan 2008, 06:14 am
Eish Koos, I guess I shouldn’t start up on my S14 side then…….hehe
21 Jan 2008, 06:17 am
hehe Whatever, they keep on surprising though but you do feel they will run out of luck at some stage.
You a weepee supporter, right?
21 Jan 2008, 06:28 am
Yip, the Mighty Stormers……..bring on the S14…..or not?
21 Jan 2008, 06:30 am
Hey, you have Looke, it must be good time ahead…!
21 Jan 2008, 06:31 am
lol, and I hear he has bulked up! Does that mean the watermellons have got bigger?
21 Jan 2008, 06:34 am
Gotta run Koos. Got a work mate who only got back to work today (Can you believe!)so have to go for a catch up beer…….
21 Jan 2008, 06:34 am
looke is a better captain than makou,for what thats worth.
21 Jan 2008, 06:37 am
Hahaha good year for the waatlemoen boere…or maybe it is some genetically enhanced variety!
We will have to wait and see what the SA teams dish up. Last years top two teams will have to fight hard to reach the semi finals this year. For the other three teams, lets hope it is a mid table battle and not one for the wooden spoon hey!
21 Jan 2008, 06:37 am
Hehe Fern, at least looke plays on sides! You putting in huge spadework with RP I see?
21 Jan 2008, 06:38 am
Cheers whatever.
21 Jan 2008, 06:38 am
Lets hope so Koos………ok must run, cheers boys
21 Jan 2008, 07:01 am
Heeeey, I watched the boys on Saturday…..No jokes or flippancy – the Stormers backline looked really really potent. I kid you not, if we had sucked, I would have said so. Luke did have a quiet game – but did nothing wrong. These new laws, especially the free kick in lieu of penalty for certain infringements, is going to screw some of the “bigger” okes up bigtime – NO MORE strolling back to the halfway line, drink in hand whilst Liefling lines up to skop……Like 7′s its GO GO GO GO GO GO…Guys like Luke, who are by their very stature are “movers and shakers” will find this a heck of a lot easier than “others”. In the 40 degree Wellington heat – our boys were certainly fit enough to handle this………Rassie made it obvious on Saturday, that the Stormers will be relying on speed, speed and more speed. Speed of thought, speed of hand, speed of boot, and speed in defence…….(And our defensive pattern was impressive….)
So whilst I (unlike the infidels) will not be celebrating a Super 14 title before the season has begun, I will be a damn sight more hopeful than this time last year…..(And with good reason – I have witnessed the beginnings of a revival.) Bar injury, **** refereeing, evil opposition and a 3rd Force, we should be MORE THAN OK THIS SEASON……
21 Jan 2008, 07:01 am
Heeeey, I watched the boys on Saturday…..No jokes or flippancy – the Stormers backline looked really really potent. I kid you not, if we had sucked, I would have said so. Luke did have a quiet game – but did nothing wrong. These new laws, especially the free kick in lieu of penalty for certain infringements, is going to screw some of the “bigger” okes up bigtime – NO MORE strolling back to the halfway line, drink in hand whilst Liefling lines up to skop……Like 7′s its GO GO GO GO GO GO…Guys like Luke, who are by their very stature are “movers and shakers” will find this a heck of a lot easier than “others”. In the 40 degree Wellington heat – our boys were certainly fit enough to handle this………Rassie made it obvious on Saturday, that the Stormers will be relying on speed, speed and more speed. Speed of thought, speed of hand, speed of boot, and speed in defence…….(And our defensive pattern was impressive….)
So whilst I (unlike the infidels) will not be celebrating a Super 14 title before the season has begun, I will be a damn sight more hopeful than this time last year…..(And with good reason – I have witnessed the beginnings of a revival.) Bar injury, **** refereeing, evil opposition and a 3rd Force, we should be MORE THAN OK THIS SEASON……
21 Jan 2008, 07:08 am
Ruck, Boland equates to nothing more than a 3rd rated club team. My local club backline would have looked good against them, measure them against proper opposition before you hail anything.
21 Jan 2008, 07:13 am
no spadework needed with rp whatever.she is pretty much a sure thang.
21 Jan 2008, 07:28 am
#40 – I ain’t hailing them – just saying I like what I see…and that its a damn sight better that what I saw this time last year….YES, the Bulls will determine if I am just being the typical Stormer fan – ever hopeful/desperate, OR my observations are vaild, and we are truly “going places….” We are going to be just fine….
21 Jan 2008, 20:00 pm
This article should read ADVANTAGE SA,NZ,PACIFIC ISLANDS etc…
So many imports
21 Jan 2008, 23:17 pm
#43
lol
English rugby is full of overseas players,just like there football.They need imports to make there game more interesting
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