pinky wrote:

Diom wrote: Windsor, pop into the Xmas market first if you like. I know I won't be into OCs until about 9, and there will be some finger food from 9:30 as well.

Are many going in tonight? I'll try to get in for one or two after pretending to do some Christmas shopping.

ill be there about 8. if anyone spots me on my own, looking into my pint of heineken come over and say hello.

Diom wrote: Windsor, pop into the Xmas market first if you like. I know I won't be into OCs until about 9, and there will be some finger food from 9:30 as well.

Are many going in tonight? I'll try to get in for one or two after pretending to do some Christmas shopping.

Good point Rossie. Bench is a bit light-weight alright, JOC and Rennie are the only ones I'm 100% okay with replacing the starting players.

thats as good a team as could have been expected. swifty, white and gearge will be
a loss.
on the glass half full side the pack should be very mobile around the park and to the breakdown. if they can survive in the scrum they hsve a chance. id worry about last 10 min if we are still in game as qualter and copney arent tedted at any decent level yet. scrums could be really ropey during this period. heres hoping tho.

Hope McCarthy is fully fit. That's a fairly lightweight second row and Eoin McKeon isn't the heaviest either...

Diom wrote: Swift on Rabo Site

It says

But they will have to do so without the injured Swift, who is joined on the sidelines by captain Gavin Duffy, John Muldoon, Eoin Griffin and George Naoupu - while stand-in captain Nathan White is a <strong>major doubt</strong> with a calf injury.

I thought that he was definitely out.

They said in the interview on Monday that Macca, Ethienne and Nathan were all being tested this week

Gav - 4-6 Wks (Grade 2 Tear)
Nathan - Only Hopeful, he was being tested on Tuesday
Macca - Positive - Tested on Tuesday
Ethienne - Fairly positive - Tested on Tuesday
Swifty - 4 Wks - Abductor Muscle Tear
Mul - January - Medial Ligament

No detail:

Rodney
Griff
Flav

Swift on Rabo Site

It says

But they will have to do so without the injured Swift, who is joined on the sidelines by captain Gavin Duffy, John Muldoon, Eoin Griffin and George Naoupu - while stand-in captain Nathan White is a major doubt with a calf injury.

I thought that he was definitely out.

Windsor, pop into the Xmas market first if you like. I know I won't be into OCs until about 9, and there will be some finger food from 9:30 as well.


Re: lineup - If McCarthy is definitely back then that is brilliant for us. We were missing organisation on the field against Edinburgh and our line was terrible because of it. Not sure how good Macca is at barking out orders but he needs to tomorrow if we are going to produce a decent defensive display.

from erc site.

onnacht Rugby
15Robbie Henshaw
14Tiernan O'Halloran
13Danie Poolman
12Dave McSharry
11Fetu'u Vainikolo
10Dan Parks
9Kieran Marmion
1Brett Wilkinson
2Jason Harris Wright
3Ronan Loughney
4Mick Kearney
5Mike McCarthy
6Andrew Browne
7Willie Faloon
8Eoin McKeon

16Ethienne Reynecke
17Dennis Buckley
18JP Cooney
19Danny Qualter
20Johnny O'Connor
21Paul O'Donohoe
22Miah Nikora
23Matthew Jarvis

Nervous Connemara for BO?
Biarritz Olympique faces Friday (21h) Connacht, the only Irish province he has never met. Only victory will be beautiful, if possible enhanced.


Which is based on the European experience of club, its staff or the fitness of the current team, everything seems clear the logical favorites Biarrots as this first round to face Connacht.
The Irish are only their second test run in the Heineken Cup, unceremoniously removed last year from the group stage. The Basques yet wary of an opponent against Toulouse which had been deprived of the offensive bonus Sportsground. Better or worse, the Harlequins had even lost (9-.

In short, it is never easy to go win in Galway, Ireland or elsewhere, which is BO income once the winner. It was in January 2006, after a successful Ulster (24-9).

And it would be well advised to repeat the performance, lest irreversibly Harlequins - apriori true opponent for qualification - escape the standings. To reassure them, Biarrots can still note that the Connacht lost last Saturday at home against Edinburgh (24-23).

Hope for a final face Londoner end of January, the mission of the BO, and they accept it, will win both games against the Irish. She will not Jerome Thion, Arnaud Heguy slightly affected, nor Dane Haylett-Petty, a groin surgery.

But Jack Issac can count on the return of Imanol Harinordoquy and based on trust built up by two wins in a row (after six defeats!) To fetch a third in Galway

Were looking forward to this, Well with all the injuries it does weaken us but what the hell lets rip into them. Ive always felt that Biaritz do tend to leave some games behind them. If you can sit on Yachvilli and we have to hold our own in the forwards.
Id always rate Toulouse as a far greater side.
Rain the ball down on Balshaw I say

windsorroberts wrote: The Biarritz supporters will be at O'Connell's from 19.00 onwards (flights permitting as we are currently fog bound in Biarritz!!).

Looking forward to the whole weekend!

Enjoy Galway. I wont be around until tomorrow evening, and I think I'm meeting my friend in the Christmas market for drinks.

If you get sick of O'Connells, step outside the door, and directly in front of you is the Christmas market. I think it is open until 10. You can get drinks in there too.
I'll definitely be starting with the Hot Whiskeys.

With regards to the game itself, I'm starting to believe we can win this.
The weather isnt great, and I've been watching highlights of our game against Leinster this season, as well as Munster vs Gloucester from 04. We just need to be hungrier than Biarritz

The Biarritz supporters will be at O'Connell's from 19.00 onwards (flights permitting as we are currently fog bound in Biarritz!!).

Looking forward to the whole weekend!

The Advertiser (who usually have the inside scoop) say only Macca and Etienne to be added to the 23, suggesting the following side:

www.advertiser.ie/galway/article/57133/c...-to-step-it-up-again

Henshaw
O'Halloran
Poolman
McSharry
Vainikolo
Parks
Marmion

Wilkinson
Harris-Wright
Loughney
Kearney
McCarthy
Browne
Faloon
McKeon

Reynecke
Buckley
Cooney
Gannon/Qualter
O'Connor
O'Donohoe
Nikora
A.N.Other

Really looking forward to this now, and while it may not help us, would love to see both Yachvili and Harinordoquy on the pitch (and hopefully not his father!).

Balshaw- Ngwenya, Bosch, Gimenez, Brew - (o) Berquist, (m) Yachvili - Lauret, Lakafia, Guyot - Lund E., Taele - Gomez Kodela, August, Barcella. Les huit remplaçants seront à choisir parmi ces 10 joueurs qui font le voyage : Synaeghel, Genevois, Blaauw, Dubarry, M. Lund, Harinordoquy, Lesgourgues, Peyrelongue, Barraque, Burotu.

We have a very strong bench. We have not been playing well and the first 15 minutes will be crucial. The return of Marcello Bosch is very welcome, he is a high class player.

Change to Connacht HEC squad: in Daniel Qualter; out Mark McCrea.