Famous ex, good looking, tanned, tv appearances, plays a now fashionable sport, oh and he can kick.

Sounds like Rob Andrew, apart from the ex, looks, tv & tan.

yes,yes,ok - but,apart from that ?

That Exeter/Bourgoin game was sh*te

Cavalieri Prato 16 - 48 Harlequins
Rovigo 7 - 55 Gloucester
Brive 52 - 3 Cetransa El Salvador
Sale 54 - 0 Petrarca


Bath 55 - 16 Aironi Rugby
Benetton Treviso 9 - 44 Perpignan
Northampton 37 - 0 Edinburgh


European rugby union provides another round of embarrassing scores.

He'll be missed. That is one thing for sure.

A few months ago whilst he was injured I said I would rather have Nick Mcleod playing. When Charlie was out we played a running game that I'm sure you League lovers would prefer to see, rather than the kicking game you like to tag us with. However we were still losing games and there didn't seem to be much leadership. In the 2 games he's played since coming back he has looked like the best player on the field by miles. His strategical kicking is second to none and he just brings something that can't be put into words. He completely dominated the field in our win against Saracens the other week.

I'm a little gutted he's moving to them. They're a bit of a joke and a bit of a nothing club in my opinion. All they seem to do is talk. Sure, they made it to The Premiership final last year but what they're trying to achieve off the field doesn't seem to be working. They've played 5 games at Wembley or something now, the most recent getting a 38k crowd which was the lowest of the lot. This was down to tube strikes but it was still a derby game on Boxing Day and you'd expect more.

The big games don't seem to have helped their home attendances in which crowds have reached the 6k mark recently which is only higher than Newcastle and Leeds and some of ours. They've made a loss on promoting these games and in 2 years nothing seems to have been achieved.

On the note of Sale - we've now sold 12,000 tickets for our Reebok game. I was hoping it would be higher with 3 months to go. I can't see it being a sell out at all now.

Good move for Charlie tho' I would have thought a money move to france was on the cards - good to see Sarries getting well and truly stuffed (as a Wasps fan) but I have to take issue with you over the wembley crowd - the Tube Strike plus the busiest shopping day of the year in London plus the bad weather,my mate a Sarries fan was still stuck at his house in High Wycombe because of the snow and couldn't get out !
Some good games yesterday with Ulster turning the clock back a bit with a hard fought slogging match in the difficult conditions with Humphreys performing miracles with his boot in front of 10,500 hardy souls.The Leicester game was the opposite with open running rugby with the Scarlets playing better than the scoreline suggests IMO - Toulouse march on with some of the regulars back after the disaster in Paris with a comfortable looking win in front of 17,000ish crowd which is about 10% of thte crowds we get for the TO13 games ..............

Surely plucky novices?

As long as you don't start playing like Newcastle and Leeds you've little reason to worry


Speaking to a couple of people this morning who are planning on going to the game at the Reebok but haven't yet got their tickets. I'd be surprised if mighty Mick Hogan and the Sale Sharks marketing team can't make it a sell out. The money is obviously there so radio and especially television adverts could and should boost ticket sales.
As for S.A.racens, how many more loss making trips to Wembley will they have before they change their plan or just give it up?

Fewer women and young men keen on rugby union, crowds down generally, an issue with trust in the sport, a reduction in the number who consider that what they are watching is “excellent” — just some of the less favourable findings emerging from a recent survey which asked 12,000 regular rugby union watchers what they thought of the Premiership.

[url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/club/8260799/Paul-Ackford-shrinking-pool-of-support-could-leave-Premiership-high-and-dry.htmlShrinking pool of support could leave Premiership high and dry[/url

Perhaps they are starting to see the light.

Could it be that thanks to the European Cup the league simply doesn't have the same attraction?

I love The Heineken Cup. I'm quite happy to do nothing when it's on the box.

The one thing that es me off though is Sky's love of the Irish. They can't say enough good things about Munster and Leinster. I'm not anti-Irish but they take it to a level that isn't needed.

The Heineken Cup is basically Rugby Union's version of Football's Champions League. I think that bit is quite obvious. But yet when The Champions League is on Sky and ITV prioritise the English clubs. Barcelona and Real Madrid could be playing but they'd still but even the smallest of English clubs on their main channels.

Pretty much every Munster game has been on as one of the main games. Ok, today London Irish were already out of the cup but they were on the red button whilst a French team and an Irish team were playing on the main channel. The commentary team were even in a studio in Toulon!

It really annoys me. It's not like Munster and Leinster are house hold names and so there'd be uproar if they didn't get shown.

But there were some great games this weekend. Ulster and Biarritz doesn't sound great at 9-6 but it was a traditional game of Rugby and you'd struggle to play a running game in the wind and rain in Belfast! Toulon tore Munster apart today which was refreshing to watch.

I can't see it happening. We'll probably give a load out to school kids towards the end and if it's somewhere between 15,000-20,000 then it will at least look respectfully full.

The one thing that makes our game difference to the Saracens one is the stadium appeal. Wembley is such a well known ground and even non Football fans would love to visit. Plus, when Saracens have played there will have been a lot of away support. I think Worcester took 5,000 when they played, Leinster had a lot of blue in the crowd, Wasps was local so could have had a few. London Irish who we're playing play at a ground which is pretty much a replica of it. So I can't see their being much appeal for many Irish fans.

I also imagine when the game was booked that we didn't expect to be in a relegation battle and for us to be in a bit of a crisis with managers and what not.

Saracens are apparently moving stadiums next season to an athletics stadium in Barnet with a 10,000 capacity. I don't really know why as it doesn't sound very ambitious and Premiership criteria is soon to be 12,000 seats, with Heineken Cup knock out games needing a 15,000 capacity ground. A lot of the fans might not like Watford and so they're speaking with their bodies and not turning up to the home games.

could well be - you can have too much of a good thing sometimes ! I now the Amlen Cup isn't exactly setting the world alight - the Brive game against the Salvador lot only attracted 3000 people on a pleasant winters evening - usually it's a struggle to get a ticket for a Brive Top 14 home game - can't afford a season ticket i'm afraid

regarding the interesting link on diminishing crowds etc in the uk You have to remember we are going through a tough period and maybe people don't have enough disposable income available - times are tougher nowadays for the average family so luxuries like RU & RL etc may have to be sacrificed.And,as I said,mybe people can be given too much of a good thing sometimes...

USAP rugby union visit Barca. Both boards looking to strengthen ties. yfrog.com/f/h384gksj/

USAP rugby union visit Barca. Both boards looking to strengthen ties. yfrog.com/f/h384gksj/

Please remember that SKY is not an British channel it is a British and Irish channel which is why they big up the Irish.

of course,and so they should IMO - it's great to see the scots teams as well

Would love it if Munster can progress and make the Heineken Cup Final again, classic when the commentator said a few years ago about how the final (Munster v Toulouse IIRC) was technically at a neutral venue (Millenium Stadium), as 65,000 Munster fans sang their hearts out.

Where are those Munster fans when they play at home?

Fair points. However you know what I mean. Sky is based in England, most of the viewers are English and most of the neutrals who are checking out a game on the off chance won't have heard of Munster or Leinster. There should be a better split and the likes of Stuart Barnes on commentating make it ridiculous with the talk of how good they are.

Munster sell out most of their home games. Most games, even in the Magners League get at least 20,000 but usually around the 26,000 sell out mark. Now and again they play a game in Cork at a smaller ground but mostly they sell their games near capacity.

I have not heard from you in a while.
Where have you been,although in saying that I heard it does take quite a while to sew them leather patches on your jackets.

Yet another night of one-sided games. A couple of really embarrassing games tonight and expect a few more this weekend.

couldn't beleive Agen could roll over and cave in like that - they seem an overwieght,unfit bunch of carthorses - no flair or invention - full credit to Gloucester