The rugby

[Dorset Boy]

Bordeaux lucky not get a yellow for a head shot on Alfie B.
Muir just scored. Great finish.

They didn't even review the head shot which was upright, so minimal mitigation. Obviously French TV would never show the replay!

Bath have been too wasteful having played most of the rugby, but struggle as soon as UBB put pace on the game. Silly penalties and knock ons costing us atm.

Big ask now to come back from 12 down

 

[Blazing Saddles]

Bath have to convert all this pressure

 

[Blazing Saddles]

Some serious home town refereeing compounded by Ollie Lawrence again giving away a ridiculous penalty.

 

[Blazing Saddles]

Bath just made too many unenforced errors. They were out muscled too, so the pick and go didn’t go very far.
Bordeaux sharper in attack.
However: All 4 semis end in home wins and we all know what contributes to these results.
It was ever thus, but it is so wrong.

 

[Dorset Boy]

We struggled in the second half having played most of the rugby in the first and failed to take our chances in their 22.
Still think there was a shoulder to Alfie's head in the first half with no mitigation but wasn't looked at, and that could have changed the game.

When Spencer hoofed it 90 m up field it should have been a 5 m lineout, not 10+, but we then over threw it anyway - trhat could have shifted the momentum our way.

I think it was a game we could have won if we had been more accurate and clinical, and UBB were very clinical, that was the difference.

I think Horse broke his arm from the pictures.

gGood thing is the players looked absolutely gutted.

 

[Dorset Boy]

And ERC wouldn't know a neutral venue if it smacked them in the derriere.

 

[Dorset Boy]

Hmm, not even reviewd, but gets MotM
Yellow all day, and that's not the shoulder to the head incident

 

[Blazing Saddles]

Hmm, not even reviewd, but gets MotM
Yellow all day, and that's not the shoulder to the head incident
View attachment 807112 In

I am surprised that Ben Whitehouse missed these contacts as he’s usually a stickler.

 

[Dorset Boy]

Asked if there is a problem with French broadcasters providing footage, Van Graan told BBC Sport: "Yes. All we want is consistency on both sides of the ball right through the competition.
"I believe specifically that three carries from Alfie Barbeary made direct contact to the head.
"I want to make clear that the better team won on the day, but I want to ask why certain things are not picked up when you play away from home in France."

Wow, JvG has never said anything like that before after a match.
EPRC need to be held to account here, their competitions are too biased in favour of certain sides and countries.

 

[Blazing Saddles]

Asked if there is a problem with French broadcasters providing footage, Van Graan told BBC Sport: "Yes. All we want is consistency on both sides of the ball right through the competition.
"I believe specifically that three carries from Alfie Barbeary made direct contact to the head.
"I want to make clear that the better team won on the day, but I want to ask why certain things are not picked up when you play away from home in France."

Wow, JvG has never said anything like that before after a match.
EPRC need to be held to account here, their competitions are too biased in favour of certain sides and countries.

Apparently Austin Healy and Will Carling have been very critical too.
BBC comments are very much about French tv directors reluctance to show their home team’s transgressions.

 

[Dorset Boy]

Clearly the process is a joke and the French broadcasters are utterly biased:
Even match officials frustrated by TV bias

 

[Beebo]

Insert your own joke here.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/articles/ckgpn3pdzr7o

 

[laurentian]

Insert your own joke here.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/articles/ckgpn3pdzr7o

This seems a completely needless change to me . . . was there any "call" for this from women's rugby?

 

[Beebo]

This seems a completely needless change to me . . . was there any "call" for this from women's rugby?

Seems totally pointless.

My son plays with a size 5 at U15s. And he’s much smaller than any of the pro women.

 

[T4tomo]

Its an anomaly that they were using the larger balls - see cricket & basketball. It will be a bit disruptive for the kickers until they get used to it, but better for skills development in the long-run.