Rugby League 2022

[dr beat]

Cant link right now but I'm sure we all know what I mean.  I should have bet coin of the realm on Nadine Dorries making a mess of things.

[mikeyg27]

Look, it's pretty simple: don't let Tory front-benchers near the RLWC. They don't want to be there anyway.

London Broncos came back from 28-0 at halftime against Sheffield to win 34-28, so that's nice.

[Gulftastic]

It may be petty of me, but I always enjoy an upset Warrington home crowd. They can boo like few others.

I bet they were on fire after the Salford result

[dr beat]

Too many brainfarts from Toulouse so far, but might have a game on.  Gigot needs to sort himself out though.

[Gulftastic]

That aged well, Dr.

Wakefield imploding in spectacular fashion

[dr beat]

;)

Toulouse should have gone for a DG then.

[dr beat]

Belter of an opening game, delighted for David Sylvian.  What a journey from New Romanticism to Rugby League.

[Gulftastic]

Following the trail blazed by Richie Blackmore

[dr beat]

Someone tell the Pies and Saints to get proper kits.

[Schrodingers Cat]

I think that's the game there. We just don't have enough points in us to come back from 2 tries down I don't think. Discipline costing us again. I don't know the official stats, but we but be close to most penalties and set restarts in SL.

[Schrodingers Cat]

This might get ugly now. This is the 1st time a team seems to have noticed that Mamo and Richardson just fly out of the line at random in defence.

[Gulftastic]

Enjoyed that. A decent coach makes such a difference.

Makes me annoyed that hung on with cheap option Agar for so long.

[dr beat]

Kyle Amor to Widnes for 2023.

[dr beat]

Rhinos 24-6 against Wigan half time! A deserved lead but both teams have dropped the ball a lot.

[mikeyg27]

Does anyone know the actual rule about diving through the legs of your team mate playing the ball? Because I first assumed it was obstruction, but I did realize the markers could've stopped that if they had been down low. More people should try it, not just on the goal-line either.

[dr beat]

Someone on TotalRL claims it was given because there was no defensive player marking, and/or the defenders at the ruck were offside. 

Although I generally take everything said on that forum with a pinch of salt at best.

[Gulftastic]

What a pleasant evening. We bullied Wigan pretty much all game.

I was most pleased with shutting down the Field/French show that the Sky commentators have relentlessly hyped as the second coming.

[Gulftastic]

This is shite on a whole new level from Hull. What on Earth is going on over there?

[Old Thrashbarg]

A reasonably competent first half in which we should've been ahead by more, followed by one of the worst second half performances I can ever remember. 6 awful results from the last 7 games (not just defeats, but a combination of losing heavily, losing to terrible teams and/or being nilled), with only the unexpected derby win keeping Hodgson in a job as far as I'm concerned. Toulouse on Friday suddenly becomes a big game.

[mikeyg27]

I feel like it's a recurring trend going back to the Radford days that when things go bad for Hull FC in the second half of the season, they really go bad.

Looks like we've got a fun battle for 5th and 6th for the rest of the season. I thought Cas would be nailed on for 5th after last night but then noticed they've got Saints, Huddersfield and Catalan to come. Still think they probably get there, which leaves FC, KR and Leeds after the final spot. round!

[dr beat]

What a pleasant evening. We bullied Wigan pretty much all game.

I was most pleased with shutting down the Field/French show that the Sky commentators have relentlessly hyped as the second coming.

Yes Leeds did a great job in nullifying the counter-attacking threat that has served Wigan well this season.  Wigan have been good at soaking up defensive pressure and then finding gaps when they have the ball, or exploiting easy kick catches.  The Rhinos didn't let them do either and got in their faces.

Delighted with the Widnes result today, didn't see that coming at all.  I watched Batley play on Monday and they looked very strong in the heat. If anything their intensity levels went up as that game wore on.

[Gulftastic]

I'm beginning to admire the sheer effort it must take for Warrington to devise so many ways to fuck up.

[mikeyg27]

Realised I hadn't been to a live game since pre-pandemic so went along to Skolars vs Midlands today. Bizarre game, Skolars had a 10 point lead at half-time basically because they scored every chance they had whilst Midlands couldn't attack at all, then the second half basically turned into my turn / your turn, Skolars winning 38-34.

The biggest difference between a live game and a TV game (and this is true of any contact / combat sport) is you don't really appreciate the ferocity of contact unless you see it (and perhaps more importantly hear it) live.

[dr beat]

Loved Tez then. 'I was just a fat kid from Widnes and rugby league saved my life'.  Poetic.  Amen.

[mikeyg27]

It's going to be fucking Leeds again, isn't it?

[Gulftastic]

Hope so. Took everything the pies could throw at us, then brushed them aside.

[mikeyg27]

A much better 2nd semi-final, but even if Salford had somehow won that game it would've been a real monkey's paw of a victory because they have no players left standing. 

A real Alien Vs Predator situation for the Grand Final.

[Gurke and Hare]

That should have been a penalty try. Hmph.

St Helens got a penalty with about 15 minutes to go, when Salford were about 20 metres out and I haven't a clue what for. Not complaining, because the commentators just accepted it was a penalty, but they didn't say what it was for. Does anyone remember it and can explain it?

[dr beat]

What do we reckon of the GF so far?

[mikeyg27]

That's the game. It's actually been closer than the scoreline suggests, but Leeds have been utter dogshit inside the Saints 20, whereas Saints have taken pretty much all their chances.