Brits abroad

[astralweeks]

Yes, difficult to be enthusiastic, innit, except maybe for a few diehard Sarries' fans.

Sarries have fans?

Convex hull

[francoisfou]

Saturday evening's playoff teams:

Toulon - 6 Lewis Ludlam, 5 Dave Ribbans, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 21 Ben White
Castres - 3 Will Collier


Saturday afternoon's Top14/ProD2 do or die game:

Grenoble - 10 Sam Davies
Perpignan - 3 Kieran Brookes

[francoisfou]

The Top14 semi-final weekend kicks off tomorrow (Friday) evening with Toulouse v Bayonne in Lyon.

For Toulouse, Blair Kinghorn returns fron injury and will wear 11 and Jack Willis at 7.
For Bayonne, sadly no Tuilagi who's not recovered from a rib injury, but Alex Moon, who's now established himself in the starting XV wears 5.

Toulon v UBB will be on Saturday evening, also in Lyon.

[francoisfou]

Toulon v UBB

Toulon - 3 Kyle Sinckler, 5 Dave Ribbans (c), 6 Lewis Ludlam, 21 Ben White
UBB - Jonny Gray on the bench

Yesterday evening, Toulouse had a hard time getting the better of Bayonne, eventually winning 32-25.They're evidently missing Antoine Dupont but their discipline isn't nearly good enough and the Bayonne fly half, Joris Segonds, kicked 6/6 penalties and a conversion too.
Another hard time awaits Toulouse next Saturday evening at the Stade de France.

[francoisfou]

Dave Ribbans, Will Collier and Joe Marchant are France-based Brits invited into the Barbarians’ squad to play South Africa in Cape Town next Saturday the 28th.

[francoisfou]

The Grand Final of the Top14 takes place this evening at the S de F, between Toulouse and UBB.
Blair Kinghorn and Jack Willis start for Toulouse and Jonny Gray’s on the bench for UBB.
It’s the same final as last year when Toulouse ran away with the game 55-3. Can’t see a similar result this evening, particularly as Saint Antoine will be absent.

[francoisfou]

Zach Mercer has begun pre-season training with his new club Toulon.
I wonder if he'll have the same impact with Toulon as he had with Montpellier who were Top14 Champions and he was player of the season?
I can't help thinking that he's a player who slipped through the net when he left Montpellier to come back to push for an England place.
Would he have had and more of a chance by joining clubs like Bath or Tigers instead of Gloucester, where he struggles to hit the heights?
Unfortunately, we'll never know.

[FKAS]

Zach Mercer has begun pre-season training with his new club Toulon.
I wonder if he'll have the same impact with Toulon as he had with Montpellier who were Top14 Champions and he was player of the season?
I can't help thinking that he's a player who slipped through the net when he left Montpellier to come back to push for an England place.
Would he have had and more of a chance by joining clubs like Bath or Tigers instead of Gloucester, where he struggles to hit the heights?
Unfortunately, we'll never know.

Dunno, doubt Tigers would have gone for him. Seemed a bit unenthusiastic in defence and liked to attack slightly wider out letting the Glaws flankers carry hard in the tight. Just don't think he'd have ever fit with what Borthwick wants in his backrow though then again Dombrandt is still lingering around the squad so who knows.