Transcript
Jarrod Dyke: Hey everybody, welcome back. It is the Fancy Rugby Yanks. My name is Jared Dyke.
Grumpy Old Prop: I'm Ben Glauser.
Jarrod Dyke: We're here, we're in. It's a day late, but we'll... Actually, that's it's advantageous to our fancy stuff. So but ah that is the upside of it being a day later than the usual.
Grumpy Old Prop: It is.
Jarrod Dyke: but them all But then we'll get things going from there. Anyway, let's crack them while we got them, because while there aren't that many matches to talk about, we do have a lot to talk about.
Jarrod Dyke: yeah
Grumpy Old Prop: And you know the the good news is that um you know there's not really, like you said, not many matches to talk about. And you know by the time this comes out, i we will all know the the Lions roster.
Grumpy Old Prop: So there'll be no like controversies or just you know disagreements or or anything of of that sort going on that that will pretty pretty much negate everything we just talked about.
Jarrod Dyke: yeah
Jarrod Dyke: so
Grumpy Old Prop: Actually, no, that's not true. It won't negate anything. The games will still be will still have been played. And Mara Toji is...
Jarrod Dyke: Although, um
Grumpy Old Prop: We already know it is the captain.
Grumpy Old Prop: That's the only one we know.
Jarrod Dyke: rumored to be heavily rumored to be captain.
Grumpy Old Prop: At the... At when we...
Jarrod Dyke: and
Grumpy Old Prop: It's basically all but confirmed.
Jarrod Dyke: when we hit the record button on this thing. Yeah. That's what I saw too. Uh, right.
Grumpy Old Prop: Oh, you didn't hit the...
Jarrod Dyke: So make sure that you buy our good friend.
Grumpy Old Prop: request Wait. Okay.
Jarrod Dyke: did.
Grumpy Old Prop: Okay.
Jarrod Dyke: Besides that one, um, make sure you buy a good friend, George, or fancy where we keep coffee your coffee or beer busy man around this around these times as usual.
Jarrod Dyke: Um, dont forget to grow out don't Don't forget to share our podcast, by the way. I forgot to say that, but that's okay.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah, please do that too.
Jarrod Dyke: That's not that important, honestly. That's not that important, obviously. um There is a description here on this podcast, nor should they be in sports or in life. Again, plethora of topics to pick, and out of the hat we pull.
Grumpy Old Prop: um So this segment was started back in 2020 with the the um murder of George Floyd by police.
Jarrod Dyke: Right.
Grumpy Old Prop: And every so often we, we return to that topic.
Jarrod Dyke: well
Grumpy Old Prop: And today is a um, kind of a convergence of a couple different, uh, versions of that story. One, um, Tyree Hampton was murdered by police in 2023.
Grumpy Old Prop: And just today his, um, the police, uh, who murdered him were acquitted.
Jarrod Dyke: right
Grumpy Old Prop: So, um, fuck that Jerry. Uh, and you know, fuck the authorities who let that happen um but along with that we have the case of ryan hinton and his father who um upon seeing the body cam footage of his son's murder right ryan's murder um
Jarrod Dyke: Yep.
Grumpy Old Prop: Which proved that police just lied about the whole thing. And that's the other problem with this is that police lie constantly through their fucking teeth. And that becomes the narrative. People like well, don't point a gun at a cop. He didn't.
Grumpy Old Prop: He didn't. They said he did, but he didn't. He didn't even. There's even I even have a question as to whether that was. um Whether the the gun that they found near him was his. The police drop weapons all the time.
Grumpy Old Prop: um And drugs and other things to to frame people.
Jarrod Dyke: Mm-hmm.
Grumpy Old Prop: Um, second off there, Oh, don't be in a car that was stolen. The car wasn't stolen. That was reported stolen. um apparently somebody, whoever owned it had missed a payment or something like that. So the, uh, whoever sold the car, um, decided to report it stolen.
Grumpy Old Prop: Um, so these, there's four kids in a car, kind of know not known they did anything wrong. Um, get basically ambushed by police and they run, which, um,
Grumpy Old Prop: and And which ultimately ended in in one of them being shot a couple times and killed.
Jarrod Dyke: Thank you.
Grumpy Old Prop: Proving that, yes, they were right to run because the police were not there to help. um Well, the father goes and sees the dash cam footage and then is clearly distraught and and justifiably so. um And ends up running over it an officer, like basically the first cop he sees on the street um and kills him with his car.
Grumpy Old Prop: Which is, you know, obviously causing outrage, but this is what I said at the time, five years ago, almost to the day. um You know, if if the system won't hold these police accountable, people will.
Grumpy Old Prop: And will it be the person who pulled the trigger? Not all the time. But you're all part of the system. You all want to claim, oh, we're brothers. Well, then... fucking you know clean house.
Grumpy Old Prop: And for there's people out there who are saying, um well, this was just an innocent cop. No, it was not. Because ah like until the bad cops get rooted out and charged and dealt with accordingly for their crimes, because it's you know the they don't start with murder.
Grumpy Old Prop: um They work up there. Until they get rooted out so that before this happens...
Grumpy Old Prop: you're all You're all the same. you're the part You're a bad person. You're a bad cop if you sit there and and allow it to happen. um So you're all dirty.
Grumpy Old Prop: you're all on the roll You're all oppressive. You're all um bigoted. You're all murderers. So fix it or people, or this is going to happen. Like there's a reason that there's so many people saying he's a hero.
Grumpy Old Prop: And I, ah I side much more with them than the people who were, you know, clutching their pearls about it because it's like, Hey, you only care when people start fighting back, then obviously you don't care about the root cause.
Jarrod Dyke: Mm-hmm.
Grumpy Old Prop: You don't want the cause. You don't want the problem to go away. So people are going to make their own justice. That's the the story of the human race. People will make their own justice. And if you don't like that, well, then fucking be responsible.
Grumpy Old Prop: So um and this is something that other countries don't have. Like, I'm betting that 90 percent of our listening audience is like. Police kill somebody like if they kill somebody, that would be like a story for for you like a whole year.
Jarrod Dyke: Right.
Grumpy Old Prop: um That a police murdered somebody, whereas here it's like a fucking Tuesday.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah. It's just any other day.
Grumpy Old Prop: And it's like, you think there's something wrong with policing and and the way, you know, our our culture is because of that. and or that that Not because of it, but that's... The culture feeds into how the way police operate.
Jarrod Dyke: ye Yeah, we do.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah, we got problems. So... um Stop being bigoted. Stop being like, you know, drop your preconceived notions because your preconceived notions that you might have are, again, i'd say just like so with the result of the murders, like just a result of the culture that if you just really, yeah, like lap it up because it it works for you.
Grumpy Old Prop: Well, you're going to have problems with the people for whom it does not work. So no sympathy.
Jarrod Dyke: No.
Grumpy Old Prop: I just don't know. That's the thing. I'm out of sympathy for people like, you know, especially for obviously for police. i've I've known enough of them personally. I've seen what they do. um No, don't really have much sympathy until you fix your shit.
Jarrod Dyke: Yep.
Jarrod Dyke: Police yourself first, please.
Grumpy Old Prop: Great. That's just like any, you know, any rugby club. Like I just went through that with with my team is we had to flush a lot of people out so that we could then build up something good.
Jarrod Dyke: Mm-hmm.
Grumpy Old Prop: That's the way it works.
Jarrod Dyke: It is.
Grumpy Old Prop: Time to do that with police.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah. but Especially people that carry guns legally.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah, exactly. Mm-hmm.
Jarrod Dyke: All Make sure that you grab our Patreon. I will... i Probably not going anything to it this week, but I should have some time this weekend. So that'll be good. um And I'll be able to update at least the Super Rugby analytics, which is obviously the big one.
Jarrod Dyke: um But yeah. And if you missed last week or the other week when i when we said this, you can buy single posts. So if you just want to buy one of those Super Rugby analytics sheets, I think it's $3 US.
Jarrod Dyke: Pretty good. Not bad. No.
Grumpy Old Prop: That's not a bad deal.
Jarrod Dyke: no
Grumpy Old Prop: Because it's all the whole basically the whole year at this point. And it's unlikely to change drastically at this point.
Jarrod Dyke: Right. You'll at least have a pretty good idea what's going on.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: So. Okay.
Jarrod Dyke: To the Aviva.
Jarrod Dyke: I. but Not that. Not like that.
Grumpy Old Prop: Oh, that's right. Sorry. um I scrolled way too far down. but Yeah, that's right.
Jarrod Dyke: Attaboy.
Grumpy Old Prop: That game was first.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah. who keep Keep it in your shorts there, Chief.
Grumpy Old Prop: Sorry. My bad. I was... Yeah. ah thought I thought was like, wait, aren't we at the Stad... No, no, we're not.
Jarrod Dyke: Nope, nope, nope.
Grumpy Old Prop: we're We're at Viva first.
Jarrod Dyke: we're not there yet. we went' We're going to we're going to the Viva first. And...
Grumpy Old Prop: Yes.
Jarrod Dyke: oh my. I'm...
Grumpy Old Prop: I didn't have this on my bingo board at all.
Jarrod Dyke: No, no. But it... It showed... that attacking rugby rugby can be rewarded and should be rewarded.
Jarrod Dyke: Um, and especially the way, you know, don't, and this is why Ben, I get equally pissed off when we see teams that aren't supposed to win underdogs, whatever, you know, and our, especially our guys, um, just, you know, really don't quite go for it.
Jarrod Dyke: They just, you know, try and hang in there and, and be conservative and whatnot.
Grumpy Old Prop: he
Jarrod Dyke: And then,
Grumpy Old Prop: Look, if we stay close, maybe at the end time something good will happen.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah, if you stay close. Yeah, I mean, it...
Grumpy Old Prop: And usually playing that way does not, it doesn't stay close.
Jarrod Dyke: No. No, it doesn't.
Grumpy Old Prop: It's weird how that works out.
Jarrod Dyke: No. And...
Grumpy Old Prop: Then I said, oh shit, we got to play. Oh, well, we've played 75 minutes of, of shell
Jarrod Dyke: Of shit, and all of a sudden we're going to have to turn it on?
Grumpy Old Prop: ah
Jarrod Dyke: no it doesn't work like that, guys.
Grumpy Old Prop: for five minutes. not No, no, no.
Jarrod Dyke: You going into your shell is little easier than trying to break out of it. Let's be honest about that.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yep.
Jarrod Dyke: And...
Jarrod Dyke: Northampton weren't really in their shell for most of this game. Bar the last five minutes at the at that goal line.
Grumpy Old Prop: They were not.
Jarrod Dyke: that was about it.
Grumpy Old Prop: yeah
Jarrod Dyke: But yeah, I mean, Henry Pollock. Wow.
Grumpy Old Prop: if If he's not a lion by the time you're listening to this, it's going to be shocking.
Jarrod Dyke: Something happened that shouldn't have happened. Like, something fucked up.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah, freeman Freeman's on the plane.
Grumpy Old Prop: Shit went wrong.
Jarrod Dyke: that's That's a given at this point.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yep.
Jarrod Dyke: Played his ass off. Like, obviously, i mean, and, you know people will say, well, and he even he says, like, well, I happen to fail.
Grumpy Old Prop: He really did.
Jarrod Dyke: Like, listen, you did a good job of finishing off those moves. One of them was these the easy. I think it was the first one that he just kind of fell over.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: I was like, well, that that that's a good one. But after the rest of it, like, he put the effort in to get there and put effort in everywhere else, too.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yep.
Jarrod Dyke: So it's not like it's just the try scoring. That's his job, but did everywhere else, too.
Grumpy Old Prop: Right. But he he defends well. he He does all the things a wing is supposed to do, which ah gives him the freedom to express himself and attack.
Jarrod Dyke: Mm-hmm.
Grumpy Old Prop: And he does that really well.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah. While Leinster didn't do themselves a ton of favors, I felt they got really unlucky when Doris came out because he was having a great start to that second half. He scored the try, ripped the ball off. I don't remember who it was.
Jarrod Dyke: Maybe truck. um And then banged down a 50-22 all in like the first, i don't know, 10 minutes or so. ah And then 50... Where did he come off?
Grumpy Old Prop: And unfortunately, Kaelin Doris will not be a lion. Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah, it sounds like the injury's a lot worse, which is sad because I had him nailed on as the captain for sure.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Grumpy Old Prop: Right.
Jarrod Dyke: and
Grumpy Old Prop: Oh, yeah, I think a lot of people did. And that's why i think that was what it was. It was going to be down to him and and Morrow. And because he's hurt and can't make the tour tomorrow.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah, sad.
Grumpy Old Prop: So um that's ah and that's a big loss for that for that team, too, because he's kind of valuable.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah, he's good. and and then the question becomes who... Who do you pick for number eight? And think the answer's still Tom Willis, honestly.
Grumpy Old Prop: I think so too.
Jarrod Dyke: and And I'm not sure that'll be the case, but...
Grumpy Old Prop: I, and I will say that Vander Fleer made a very good case for himself um to get on the plane.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah.
Grumpy Old Prop: Not that he he, like, not that he, I don't think he needs to um at this point, especially with Doris injured. um That can, I think that kind of locks him into a position too.
Jarrod Dyke: Mm-hmm.
Grumpy Old Prop: Unfortunately, that's the, you know, the way these things work, but like, yeah, Tom Willis, Jack Willis,
Grumpy Old Prop: Yes. And, and Vanderfleer and Pollock. Yes. Yes. You know, and then it's a question of who else.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah, it really is.
Grumpy Old Prop: Um, and but then those are questions too. Like, well, well I mean, I don't know how you can leave Tom Willis off. i don't know how you can leave Jack Willis off. So, but people have done things that I don't know how you can do it before.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah, well, especially when they both have shown interest, too. Yeah, that we we found ways to fuck this whole thing up before, too, so that wouldn't be a but't be first.
Grumpy Old Prop: So,
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah.
Grumpy Old Prop: I saw Sam Warburton was talking about Falato. Anyway, we're getting we're drifting away from the game. But come on, give me a fucking break with Falato.
Jarrod Dyke: yeah
Grumpy Old Prop: Get out of here.
Jarrod Dyke: No. yeah ah But yes. it And you know. For Finn Smith to go in. And control things the way he did. In that environment.
Grumpy Old Prop: I think it's hard to keep him off. Like he played outstanding and I don't think people talked enough about it. Um, but there was a lot of talk about, uh, Prendergast and his, um, defensive woes.
Jarrod Dyke: Which did exist.
Grumpy Old Prop: And yeah, he there was a little bit of a soft effort on on Pollock, but I think a lot of that was he just misjudged Pollock speed and then just yeah, he he took a half hearted swipe at him, but he he wasn't doing shit for that.
Grumpy Old Prop: That was the Pollock was gone.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah. Yeah. um
Grumpy Old Prop: Like I know people are going to give him, you know, Pendergrass shit for that, but he's not making that ta like as soon as he missed the angle, he's not making that tackle. So I don't think it's a, oh, he can't defend. I think it's a, okay, he doesn't, there's not of that much film on Pollock and and you don't really know a guy's speed until you see it live. And that, yeah flankers don't move that fast.
Jarrod Dyke: Generally, no. No, he's...
Grumpy Old Prop: So, ah yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: It reminds me of another guy that used to play set that play seven for a lot of teams when he was ah when he was much younger.
Grumpy Old Prop: But I,
Jarrod Dyke: Earl.
Grumpy Old Prop: yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: You know.
Grumpy Old Prop: he's done that so He's done that to a lot of teams and until they realized, oh, no, that guy, he's a runner. we got
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah.
Grumpy Old Prop: got to take a a soft angle on him.
Jarrod Dyke: Then you got to contain him.
Grumpy Old Prop: Maybe, ah you know, yeah. Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: Then to contain him. But yeah, it was a tough... I'm out of work. And then you know i I don't rate Dingwall super highly in terms of his abilities to ah contribute to the attack, but the luscious hands to set up Ram for that try, I was just like, silky soft.
Jarrod Dyke: I was like, o okay, that's that's the quality that people rave about right there. It only comes out in flashes.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: It doesn't come out all the time, but man, that is a hell of a place for it to come out right then and there.
Grumpy Old Prop: It does. No, it's not consistent enough. Right. Right.
Jarrod Dyke: Oof.
Jarrod Dyke: Woof, woof. Yeah, and then they ponied up and and, you know, defended with 14 for, like, 14 minutes.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah, essentially.
Jarrod Dyke: It was like, woof, woof. That was...
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah, because like as soon as Kemeny was back on, Coles was off.
Jarrod Dyke: Yep. Yeah.
Grumpy Old Prop: Like, fuck.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah.
Grumpy Old Prop: And that goal line stand was was something else. And then to win the turnover and...
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: And we talk about guys that... didn't perform like Snaman really didn't perform.
Grumpy Old Prop: No, that was that that's not... You can't lose that ball.
Jarrod Dyke: and And it was, that was like the, that was like the tip of the iceberg.
Grumpy Old Prop: Come on, man.
Jarrod Dyke: That was, he had a lot of problems on, on Saturday. I didn't understand what was going on.
Grumpy Old Prop: He did. He did. that But yeah. um not Not his best. Not the best game we've ever seen him play.
Jarrod Dyke: No. And yeah, it's been said and I'll say it too, because I'm a fan of the guy. What the fuck are you doing sitting Jordy Barrett?
Jarrod Dyke: mean, he was great for 30 minutes when he came on, no doubt.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah, I don't know. Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: But wouldn't you rather have had that for 80? Like...
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah, but who's who is he playing instead of?
Jarrod Dyke: ah Probably Henshaw.
Grumpy Old Prop: I guess is the question. mean, yeah, i I don't mean...
Jarrod Dyke: he's a better He's a better attacker than Henshaw and just as good, if not a better defender than Henshaw.
Grumpy Old Prop: That's what i think, but it's one of these like...
Jarrod Dyke: So so i that's where i would that's where I would have gone.
Grumpy Old Prop: Likely, yeah. um
Grumpy Old Prop: But there's there's a bit of a dance with the girl who brought you kind of situation there. And it's hard because, you know, it's not... I don't know.
Jarrod Dyke: Jordy played the first two knockout games.
Grumpy Old Prop: It's...
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah, I know what Henshaw has like been. that It's one of those. He's been there. i think there was maybe a little bit of ah a taking Northampton lightly because of, ah you know they're you know, this was this is the best we've seen the Saints since maybe that finals against Bath.
Jarrod Dyke: Possibly.
Grumpy Old Prop: So I don't know that there was a little, the expectation on the, the Leinster side that they were going to see this from the saints.
Jarrod Dyke: and Shame on them for taking anybody lightly.
Grumpy Old Prop: So I, yeah, not, not really.
Jarrod Dyke: that Don't take someone lightly in Champions Cup. don't In a semifinal, you like like that's a joke. If that's truly what happened, that's a joke, and Leo Cullen should be fired. Plain and simple. You can't take semifinals like half-assed.
Jarrod Dyke: you know the
Grumpy Old Prop: Well, I don't think, I don't think starting Henshaw is, ah is half-assing it, but I think that's the other thing is like, uh, yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: But youre you ain't whole-assing it if you butt if you have Jordy Barrett as an option. There's question about that.
Grumpy Old Prop: I'm, I'm, I guess ultimately I'm not as high on Geordie Barrett as you are at the moment. I, I've, I haven't seen enough from him lately to warrant being like, Oh, he's got to be in there.
Grumpy Old Prop: Um, So that's, I can see that I can, you know, I can see it both ways, but I'm not sure it's a, it's a, that I'm not sure that that changed the outcome.
Jarrod Dyke: I mean, three-point difference. I think Jordy Barrett's definitely a three-point difference.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: But in the end.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: Much bigger difference on the other day, though. um
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah. That was kind of a,
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah, and as soon as I saw the Toulouse team come out, I'm like, oh, my God, these guys are decimated, right? Well, not decimated, but this is a... As as mighty as Toulouse that is definitely... um And even still, it's a strong team to go out there, but like...
Jarrod Dyke: know, I'm D'Alebe and and no no Kinghorn or Ramos was like, okay, this is this might actually get interesting.
Grumpy Old Prop: no
Jarrod Dyke: yeah Obviously, you know, DuPont was a huge loss as well. um
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: You know, they're missing some of their some of their second row beef as well. They had Flamant and Mayafu, but I wouldn't, I would bet that you would.
Grumpy Old Prop: and Didn't Mafu come off hurt or is that am I thinking of someone else?
Jarrod Dyke: I don't think so. Yeah, and Castro Ferreira as their their next guy into the into the back row is not someone I would be all that excited about.
Jarrod Dyke: Mm-hmm.
Grumpy Old Prop: Right. Jelange came in and it was, it was definitely a force that was a good move, but yeah, Castro Ferret and not so much.
Jarrod Dyke: Nah. Yeah, and Vierge, like, nope, same thing. Like, not all that interested in that.
Jarrod Dyke: Not to say that he hasn't done things before, but this is just a different level, as we were just talking about. It's a semifinal. much It's much, much different.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: So, yeah, I'm not...
Grumpy Old Prop: mean, I definitely was not thinking about Damien Pinot, who I knew came off injured um and that that's going to be problematic. ah
Jarrod Dyke: I mean, that'll be kind problematic for the rest of their season going forward.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: Burroughs coming back actually did him a lot of favors.
Grumpy Old Prop: It did.
Jarrod Dyke: So um I thought he played it. I thought he had a great game personally. Obviously LBB just the the one shortly after half time i was like, there goes that.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: This game is over.
Grumpy Old Prop: That's that's it. We can we can close this book for now.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah, that was the end.
Grumpy Old Prop: I think I. When was that? What time was that? um Because i't I didn't watch the film. I think I probably watched 60 minutes and I'm like, I'm good.
Jarrod Dyke: pick my ass up.
Grumpy Old Prop: because that that can't be right, because I saw the time of food and try. So, oh, maybe it was after that that I was like, OK, I'm done. That was 77 minutes. So it was definitely over.
Jarrod Dyke: That was 77. Yeah. yeah dan too Bentayama from this badass falls over. This game's over.
Grumpy Old Prop: yeah
Jarrod Dyke: This game's done.
Grumpy Old Prop: ah
Jarrod Dyke: As much as I love him.
Grumpy Old Prop: And click.
Jarrod Dyke: But, yep. Goodbye. Goodbye. And, you know, there was a little bit of life sprung into the game with Kazzotti going off for the yellow, but...
Grumpy Old Prop: Mm-hmm.
Jarrod Dyke: And Barassi scored short not too long after that, but, like... Yep.
Grumpy Old Prop: It was not enough time there.
Jarrod Dyke: No.
Grumpy Old Prop: was... Mm-hmm.
Jarrod Dyke: and yeah You still needed two scorers, and there was about 20 minutes left, which is not impossible, especially if you're to lose. But the you just feel like you could just feel like the the sense of belief for this team was gone by by halftime, really.
Grumpy Old Prop: No, it's not impossible.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: And you know partly because of the players were missing, including DuPont, but really just also because Bordeaux came out and smacked him right in the mouth.
Grumpy Old Prop: Right.
Grumpy Old Prop: I
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah. And it like that was, yeah, the Billy Barry tried they right at, right at half, essentially. um
Jarrod Dyke: Ouch.
Grumpy Old Prop: Like, yeah, because I feel like it was at that point, you you think but not, not that point, but going, you know, at halftime, if you're to lose, you're like, okay, let's you're back to that. Okay. If we can just keep this in tight, like we, we if we keep it tight, we we can do something at the end.
Grumpy Old Prop: And then,
Jarrod Dyke: That didn't happen.
Grumpy Old Prop: BDBRA scored. It's like, okay, no, we can't but can keep in in touch with this game. um
Jarrod Dyke: That did not happen.
Grumpy Old Prop: Fuck.
Jarrod Dyke: Can't confirm.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah, it it was... Yeah, this was a great show of attacking rugby once again, and obviously this time from Bordeaux, who have been the dominant force in this competition with... You know, they had some... I'd say they've had some sleepy moments in games, but really they...
Jarrod Dyke: They would have had already done enough to get themselves over the line more often than not. So this was probably the most complete performance so far, which is a pretty good time to do it.
Grumpy Old Prop: right it's that's that's the weirdest thing because i've been like bordeaux they're fun to watch i've loved them for a while and it's just like but they're gettable um if you can catch them sleeping you can catch them on a you know they're they've decided to have a smoke break or something um
Jarrod Dyke: hmm.
Grumpy Old Prop: This team does not look like that, and they haven't this year in Champions Cup. They've looked motivated, and that's a scary thing.
Jarrod Dyke: who
Jarrod Dyke: Well, and I think, and he was he's been here, but don't totally dismiss the addition of Pete Samu into this back row.
Grumpy Old Prop: that's I was just about to say that, too, because it's like...
Jarrod Dyke: Because they've they've had some they've had a back row like this without Samu.
Grumpy Old Prop: Mm-hmm.
Jarrod Dyke: It was just guys like Diaby and Petty that were just big bruisers, and they weren't super dynamic.
Grumpy Old Prop: Right.
Jarrod Dyke: And then Pete Samu comes in and brings a ton of dynamism to this whole thing and really makes life hard on other teams because, yeah, you have four guys there, guys can beat you up, and then Samu comes in and is able to you know make moves, make steps, and and run by you.
Jarrod Dyke: So that's definitely a different level. And obviously 90% of their backs can just blow it right by you as well. So it is ah it is a balance that I don't think the back row had for Bordeaux before he came in.
Grumpy Old Prop: no right and i think that's and and also the the leadership that he brings too of um you know he does have that physical presence as little to go along with the the running so it's like dude get on my fucking level let's go and and so he's one of those he'll put the the the forwards on his back in a lot of ways and demand more from them and that's been to me that's the difference too is that i've always seen seen them as you know and obviously you know i'm not one of the one of these like oh you need the physicality you need the physicality um you need
Jarrod Dyke: Definitely. Mm-hmm.
Jarrod Dyke: definitely
Grumpy Old Prop: like But you needed a little bit and applied appropriately. and I think Samu, which is this is really weird to be saying about Pete Samu. I feel very fucking weird about this.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah, considering what we know about him and previously.
Grumpy Old Prop: Right. this is not's It's so weird that this is not the Pete Samu we saw um in Australia for all these years. It's it's a different different version of him.
Jarrod Dyke: ah you Yeah, you do I mean, you develop things going on with your your style when you go when you when you take these
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah, I like it a lot.
Jarrod Dyke: contracts abroad and know, you make yourself better, and that's that's part. The money is definitely a reason that you do it, but also, like, consider the competition and how hard this playing on these teams is and playing in the top 14 is with, you know, you look across from him in this game.
Grumpy Old Prop: yeah right
Jarrod Dyke: You had Jack Willis, who 90% of people in the world have nailed on as a Lions tourist, let alone probably a starter.
Grumpy Old Prop: Mm-hmm.
Jarrod Dyke: you know And that's not that's nothing to sniff at by any means whatsoever.
Grumpy Old Prop: Right.
Jarrod Dyke: and yeah And Willis has also been one of those guys that's benefited from it and changed his game and elevated himself to make himself better and make you know make life hard on other teams more in more ways than he could before.
Jarrod Dyke: pretty Pretty outstanding from him.
Grumpy Old Prop: I mean, we saw that with Skelton too. But I mean, I know he came to Sari's first, but he's still been a monster um as he moves on.
Jarrod Dyke: Mm-hmm. Yep.
Grumpy Old Prop: And it's... the Yeah. It's like...
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah, this is the other reason guys go to this tournament, and that's because there's some good stuff.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah, we know Australia...
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: Joey Carbiger must be excited to be along for this armchair ride lately.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Grumpy Old Prop: Right. Although, you know, with with Panoa, you know do you think they move Burroughs to 14 and have at
Jarrod Dyke: That's a possibility. Or they plug in that donut fucking Ben Rensberg in there and push Moifana to the wing.
Jarrod Dyke: It's a possibility as well. I'd say both are extremely possible.
Grumpy Old Prop: I would not do that. Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: I like where you're going, and I would prefer to do that myself, but I ain't fucking coaching this team.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: So got nothing to say about it.
Grumpy Old Prop: Right. Who knows what they will choose? Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: So we are going to have Saints and Bordeaux in Cardiff in a couple weeks.
Grumpy Old Prop: Exactly as everybody saw it happening at the beginning of the season.
Jarrod Dyke: ah You know, this is good for this is good for the rugby in general, but especially for this tournament. Really, did we want to see Leinster to lose Chapter 5 or whatever the fuck it is?
Grumpy Old Prop: marria
Jarrod Dyke: No.
Grumpy Old Prop: No.
Jarrod Dyke: i'm I'm glad that at least one of them lost lost and one of these other teams stepped forward. Really, I'm extremely excited that both these teams have said, fuck that bullshit. We need not to have that that happen.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: and We're in We're going to make like everyone... ah All those bookies going to be like, what the fuck? but
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah. Yeah. There is too much in rugby these days that you know you're like you can pretty... reliably predict going into a a competition.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah.
Grumpy Old Prop: And and this is is good for the sport.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah.
Grumpy Old Prop: Parody and and new teams coming along. Like, you know, Saints might not be having the best premiership season.
Jarrod Dyke: no
Grumpy Old Prop: i mean, wouldn't it be hilarious? Now, hold on. Where are they in in the Prem standings? Are they eight?
Jarrod Dyke: Seventh.
Jarrod Dyke: I believe.
Grumpy Old Prop: Okay.
Grumpy Old Prop: they are, yeah, they're seventh tied with, tied with Quinns, but they have, I guess it's what more wins and a high, um, better point differential, but it's like, they're nowhere.
Jarrod Dyke: Mm-hmm.
Grumpy Old Prop: i mean, at the moment they need a lot of help to get into, um, they need, yeah, they need to make up 10 points in three matches to get into knockouts.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah, i was I was reading the percentages on on them, and whoever was writing it was like, yeah, they they are basically eliminated.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: I was like, yeah, yep, yep, Quinn's too.
Grumpy Old Prop: Right.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yep. And so they're going, you know, they're not really going anywhere there, but they're not going to defend their title ah successfully. Um, but they could still win it They could still win even like greater hardware, which, um, good for them.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah. Yeah.
Grumpy Old Prop: i'm I'm happy there. Like it's, it is proof that, you know, they've they've just had a down year, um, in the prem. So it just goes to show you can put things together. Um, anyway and in a different style of a different format competition and their shit it's one of those like on any given Friday Saturday Sunday um they could beat anybody or they could lose to anybody
Jarrod Dyke: Yep.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah. Makes it exciting.
Grumpy Old Prop: yeah
Jarrod Dyke: Makes it exciting.
Jarrod Dyke: But yeah, we are, yeah. Yeah, and any year, anytime you can put silverware together, back-to-back years, especially major silverware like your your domestic competition in the and then Champions Cup, it does good for your club.
Grumpy Old Prop: Mm-hmm.
Jarrod Dyke: So good on them.
Jarrod Dyke: I haven't done it yet, but potential is obviously still there.
Grumpy Old Prop: It's there.
Jarrod Dyke: Let's go, let's do a quick whip around of ah Super and then we can get onto the superlatives. Blues Force.
Grumpy Old Prop: Nah.
Jarrod Dyke: Force is just so much different in Perth as to anywhere else.
Grumpy Old Prop: yeah they are. Right.
Jarrod Dyke: Really.
Grumpy Old Prop: And yeah, the Blues just were it what took them a little bit to get going. It took 15 minutes before they they got it on the board, but then it was just, okay, we're just going to score.
Grumpy Old Prop: you know we'll We'll do it again. oh Oh, Tiz. Yeah, of course. Yeah, of course.
Jarrod Dyke: Tisano, but that's it.
Grumpy Old Prop: um Right. And as soon as currently Beal scored, it's like, oh, that's that's what this is.
Jarrod Dyke: This is how sad we are right now. This is how sad we are.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: and what
Jarrod Dyke: um Over to Fiji, though. Again, another team that just finds its way at home, but cannot buy a goddamn point on the road.
Grumpy Old Prop: No. And that's that that's the big difference between Fiji last year and Fiji this year is that they will defend their castle extremely well. um And it's it's really hard to play there. um But they they do not travel well.
Jarrod Dyke: No, they've traveled quite poorly, say least.
Grumpy Old Prop: Not this year anyway.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah, it's... it's um And I feel... The good news is for the draw, I feel like they found their team that they're going to use more often than not now, which is good.
Jarrod Dyke: um
Grumpy Old Prop: I
Jarrod Dyke: But... um Yeah. It's going to be tough. it's They're...
Grumpy Old Prop: mean, it it also wasn't exactly a...
Jarrod Dyke: theyre
Grumpy Old Prop: The Reds didn't exactly bring their best. Let's put it that way. They brought A-B plus team.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah.
Grumpy Old Prop: So, yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: Yep.
Grumpy Old Prop: mean, no disrespect to Harry McLaughlin Phillips, but um you're not Tom Lina.
Jarrod Dyke: Tom Lyle is better than you, dude. Sorry. just These are just facts. These are just facts.
Grumpy Old Prop: yeah and you know we'll see him later but that you know Dre Pakejo I love you you're not Daogunu it's just facts and Jock Campbell um yeah I'll move on from that we don't need to finish that thing
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah, no. I think they swapped...
Jarrod Dyke: Baddest thoughts. Baddest many thoughts. um
Jarrod Dyke: I did not have this one on my bingo board, truly.
Grumpy Old Prop: No.
Jarrod Dyke: i The Bale and Sullivan show. Like...
Grumpy Old Prop: Dick.
Jarrod Dyke: If you told me that he was going to do that, I'd be like, you're lying to me. Go fuck yourself.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah, well...
Jarrod Dyke: I don't appreciate you lying to my face like that.
Grumpy Old Prop: Right?
Jarrod Dyke: But here we are. It happened. was like, ah okay okay. Especially coming off the bench. I was like, I mean, Kenny Nihalo, like, oh, shit.
Grumpy Old Prop: right
Jarrod Dyke: He's he's definitely done, unfortunately. Yeah.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah, I didn't... Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: yeah it was ah It was an NCI.
Grumpy Old Prop: Which kind of Oh, yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: I was just like, yep, you are done, sir. Yeah, just stepped wrong and went down like ah in a heap.
Grumpy Old Prop: That's right. That's right.
Jarrod Dyke: was like, you're done.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: That's terrible.
Grumpy Old Prop: That's right.
Jarrod Dyke: That sucks.
Grumpy Old Prop: It is. i also feel that they've just been... like I don't think they've been managing him well. And so theres there's a little bit of me being being angry at at Keynes for that. Because it's like... He's a good player.
Grumpy Old Prop: But he's got... a large frame and 20, how, I don't know how he's only 26. Cause he seems like one of these guys who's like 36. thirty six
Jarrod Dyke: Van Rant forever.
Grumpy Old Prop: Cause he's feel, just feels like he's been around for forever.
Jarrod Dyke: hmm. Mm hmm.
Grumpy Old Prop: But, um, I guess he started young, but it's like, he's never been a guy you could just rely on. You could plug in at wing and just keep him there all season. He's been a guy you have to like use a little judiciously.
Grumpy Old Prop: And I, I feel like Keynes have kind of done him wrong a little bit by putting him at 11 and just leaving him be, um, that could be just by need for the team.
Grumpy Old Prop: Cause he's the best they've got.
Jarrod Dyke: This year, it's probably need, I would say.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: Because they they, yeah.
Grumpy Old Prop: um But I would have liked to, you know, it's one of those, i just think they overused him and he broke and that's that, that saddens me, especially when fucking, yeah, the impertinence of his sub to come in and do that.
Jarrod Dyke: Distinct possibility. ah I'm not ruling that out.
Jarrod Dyke: I would not have had that on my bingo board by any means whatsoever. um The good news for the cane's sake is I thought... ah There's been a massive improvement from Callan Harkin. There's been a massive improvement from Pune Vi.
Jarrod Dyke: Billy Proctor is back. He is the same wrecking ball pain in the ass that he has been for most of his career. So that is good news for for them.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah, like, what the fuck? He had a couple warm-up games where he didn't really show up. and
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah, he was a terror.
Grumpy Old Prop: He's like, oh yeah, by the way, I'm i'm i'm healthy now.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah.
Grumpy Old Prop: I'm good.
Jarrod Dyke: Yep.
Grumpy Old Prop: Dick.
Jarrod Dyke: Ruben Ruben love played extremely well. I thought that was extremely impressive with the way he just advanced his game in the last couple of weeks. So great, great to see him in there.
Grumpy Old Prop: Mm-hmm.
Jarrod Dyke: Uh, but yeah, and then, so, you know, some of the forwards rolled up their sleeves and and just got to work and, um, I can't wait. i actually can't wait to have Caleb Delaney coming back. I can't believe I said that, but like he's, he he's actually been very good for them.
Jarrod Dyke: And the two got Gallagher. I thought got away with a couple of big, big high shots. i was like, yeah that didn't look good, but nobody looked at it. i was like, okay.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah, but it's <unk>s Nick Barry. What are you to
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah. it TMO as well. um
Grumpy Old Prop: Hmm.
Jarrod Dyke: But yeah, so I'm, I'm overall very happy.
Grumpy Old Prop: Well, I think I feel like the TMOs in this, in this competition generally just sit in that, um, that little room they've got, the little bunker they've got. And like,
Jarrod Dyke: They hide the button, I swear.
Grumpy Old Prop: they they I don't know if they even watch the game. I think they're just like chilling and they're like, Oh, Oh, you need me? Like if you call me, I'll, I'll, so I'll start paying attention.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah. I swear to God, they just they play hide the but the button in the booth over there.
Grumpy Old Prop: Hmm.
Jarrod Dyke: And that's what that's what's happening. so but yeah, so I'm, quite frankly, Hurricanes hit the points so much more badly than the Chiefs did.
Grumpy Old Prop: They did. They did. The Chiefs are are good. um Yeah, I didn't... that That's something I probably should have seen coming. It's like... At least, the you know, the performance, if not the ah the result.
Jarrod Dyke: the result
Grumpy Old Prop: You know, because, you know, credit to Keynes. They played a lot better, um especially in the second half. um
Jarrod Dyke: yep yeah well rona got that freaking one at the at the end i was like dude eat it eat it eat it and nope i saw it coming a mile away too i was like god damn it like it was sullivan that threw it i was like god
Grumpy Old Prop: I think think Chiefs were like, okay, if we lose this, it's not the end of the world. And they played like that, which is not... You can't...
Jarrod Dyke: was like, no, no, no, no. Well, there's that. That was fun.
Jarrod Dyke: Definitely had me thinking, this is not going to go well today by when that happened at halftime. But, eh, worked out okay.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: Worked out okay.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yep. In the end, was all right.
Jarrod Dyke: Let's go to GIO in Canberra.
Jarrod Dyke: Man, I can't figure out this Waratahs team. The Brumbies are getting back to the way they they usually are. So, goods and bads about that.
Jarrod Dyke: But I can't figure out this freaking Taz team.
Grumpy Old Prop: Right.
Jarrod Dyke: Like,
Jarrod Dyke: I, they should.
Grumpy Old Prop: They should be better than this. They should be so much better than this.
Jarrod Dyke: And they have Gordon back, even though they get carded in this. They have G. Gordon back. Like, I look at their front row, Bell, Parecki, and Tupou, even if one of them's on the bench, is still something that you would just break your hand off, break someone's hand off if they they told you that was their front row.
Grumpy Old Prop: um Yes.
Jarrod Dyke: um
Grumpy Old Prop: Yep.
Jarrod Dyke: Second row is probably the one place that they're really lacking. I feel like Amadisero needs to step forward because he's probably the best athlete of all of them, but he just hasn't done that yet.
Grumpy Old Prop: you No, and he was pretty good last year. um Not so much this year.
Jarrod Dyke: No. And then ah Gordon's back, but and Wilson did okay when he was in there. I'll give him credit. like That was a tough spot to be in. I'm not... sold on Crichton with, apparently neither is McKellar.
Grumpy Old Prop: Well, that that's
Jarrod Dyke: Cause he's playing, he's playing Ed Ben this week. So.
Grumpy Old Prop: Right. And that that, to me, I think that's it, is that Edmet is your best option. and And what the fuck are you thinking sitting in? but then That's to been the the difference for for the Taz. If if there's that one think one specific thing I can point to, it's it's that they're they're playing a substandard 10 rather than the guy who was one of the best 10s in the competition last year.
Jarrod Dyke: Yep.
Jarrod Dyke: Yep. No cutting an argument on me.
Grumpy Old Prop: Kind of, that matters.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah. Midfield's a little lacking when Fuchetti's not in there. When he's in there, he can he can make out he can cover up a lot of gaps, but...
Grumpy Old Prop: Right. Yeah, but... Still, Walden fucking sucks.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah. Oh, yeah. He's terrible. um but O'Donnell's young, so I'll give him time.
Grumpy Old Prop: Mm-hmm.
Jarrod Dyke: um And then, yeah, like, they need to find ways to get...
Jarrod Dyke: Joseph Acuso-Souli into space, because...
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah, i don't I don't know why they're not getting too elite, but...
Jarrod Dyke: he's a monster.
Grumpy Old Prop: ah Yeah, I'm also not sure why he can't play 12.
Jarrod Dyke: Ball in hand.
Jarrod Dyke: I think they could. I think they just wanted it full back whatever reason.
Jarrod Dyke: I, yeah.
Grumpy Old Prop: I mean, he's doing a great job back there, so i'm not I can't really say too much. He scores freaking feels like every other match, but but that's it. that's That's also the thing is he's doing his defensive job. is i don't There's stuff i don't see i don't I don't see and I can't answer those the question,
Jarrod Dyke: yeah
Grumpy Old Prop: um
Grumpy Old Prop: but I would want to get him the ball more than they they they are with him at 15.
Jarrod Dyke: I think when i think if if and when Jorgensen's healthy, you can probably put him, Riley, and Kellaway in the same back three, and that's probably kind of, and Kellaway's shown ah very good competency at playing 15, so that's fine. So is Jorgensen as well, to be fair.
Jarrod Dyke: um
Grumpy Old Prop: Yep.
Jarrod Dyke: And then you can bump Focchetti to 12, and you can put Sewelly at 13, that's how you get that guy into space, and that's how you get that guy the ball a little bit more, and away we go.
Grumpy Old Prop: ah thirteen 13. Yeah, I wouldn't. That's another option.
Grumpy Old Prop: Right.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yep.
Grumpy Old Prop: Especially when I met at 10.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah, you're welcome, Dan McKellar.
Grumpy Old Prop: We fix it for you, dick.
Jarrod Dyke: You need some fixing at Leicester, apparently. That's why they sent you home.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah, right. There's a real, we're starting, I'm starting to see a pattern here.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah, no shit. um And then let's go over to...
Jarrod Dyke: Dunedin. And Highlanders just fall short again. And it's... Oh, man. And it's been so it's it's a guy that's been talked about before and the disappointment around him. And for me, it is Sam Gilbert to a point.
Jarrod Dyke: Like, bags of talent, but... And... Has so many abilities as a back. ah Should be able to put this team you know on his shoulders and say, all right, I can get you guys a little bit further than we have been.
Jarrod Dyke: But he hasn't. And it's disappointing for me.
Grumpy Old Prop: No, it is.
Jarrod Dyke: you know, Tabataba Nawa has done a great job stepping forward and and playing in the midfield for this team.
Grumpy Old Prop: hmm.
Jarrod Dyke: And I give him loads of credit and he is a bastard to play against having with the Hurricanes having already played against him. But yeah, Gilbert just like, you can't be sitting there telling me that the best Sam Gilbert is worse than the best Thomas Humaga Jensen.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yep.
Jarrod Dyke: Sorry, Humaga Jensen, like,
Grumpy Old Prop: do
Jarrod Dyke: i think I think we can agree that, though.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah, that's... That's harsh. But yes.
Jarrod Dyke: So, and then... and Yeah, Tangy Tao and and and Hurley both getting hurt didn't help.
Grumpy Old Prop: Well, it doesn't help that they have no... Yeah, but these forwards, I'm i'm also not...
Jarrod Dyke: Oh, yeah. Talk about it. like I see why the Hurricanes let TK out and walk.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: You know, I'm like, hmm. You had potential, but clearly you have not realized it and you've just kind of plateaued and either refused to get better or just aren't simply not getting better.
Grumpy Old Prop: No.
Grumpy Old Prop: like
Grumpy Old Prop: I mean, your best forward is a prop, which is never a good thing. Yeah. And outside of that, your best forward might be Fabian Holland. And that... Yeah.
Grumpy Old Prop: I mean, look, ah if I'm wrong, I can be wrong. I i just... um' I don't see anybody better in that...
Jarrod Dyke: No. I agree. no I see different weeks where some of the forwards, one forward looks like they could be better than any but any of the others, but no consistency whatsoever.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yes. I'll give you that.
Jarrod Dyke: whatsoever and There's a point where
Grumpy Old Prop: There it is. Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: you're happy to take a different guy stepping forward each week, but you still need the the the the consistency and you need the standard to be a certain way.
Grumpy Old Prop: Right.
Jarrod Dyke: Like you can't be through the roof and then into the floor then, you know, back to back weeks.
Grumpy Old Prop: Right. yeah
Jarrod Dyke: It just, it isn't good for you. You know, you can be through the roof and then back to earth, which is fine.
Grumpy Old Prop: No.
Grumpy Old Prop: Right.
Jarrod Dyke: You know, there's a difference between those two things that happens.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah, no, it's, it's, but right. It's your, oh, you're great. and then you're complete detriment to your team.
Jarrod Dyke: yeah
Grumpy Old Prop: Whereas Holland's consistent mediocrity. um
Jarrod Dyke: terrifyingly quote unquote good.
Grumpy Old Prop: Like, you know what you're going to get from him. It's not right.
Jarrod Dyke: ah
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: oh man. Well, yeah. I'm sorry, Jamie Joseph. You guys are in trouble playing simple.
Grumpy Old Prop: yeah
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah. but's so That's that's a, I mean, it's tight enough down there for that fifth and sixth spot that, ah but you know, even fourth, a lot could happen in in three weeks, but boy, oh boy, the word and they're off this week too. So,
Jarrod Dyke: I think they have two matches left.
Grumpy Old Prop: and i'm I'm sure it was ah an emotional game for you on the other side. and um But for for Jackson Garden, Batch Up must have been.
Jarrod Dyke: Playing in the stadium as his brother used to play in.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: Yep.
Grumpy Old Prop: um Yeah, that that could have that must have been something.
Jarrod Dyke: Yep. As much as we're crapping on Highlanders, Moana have been great. you know they' we've We've talked about it for a little while and obviously having a
Grumpy Old Prop: Right.
Jarrod Dyke: world player of the year type of person like Artie Savella is extremely helpful, but he's, he's made and go ahead.
Grumpy Old Prop: It's...
Grumpy Old Prop: its Yeah. How... How much has he helped Miracle Phylogy achieve his potential?
Jarrod Dyke: Oh, well that's the exact person I was just thinking of. Yeah, and pressure's off Miracle, which is good.
Grumpy Old Prop: Right.
Jarrod Dyke: um And Miracle's now given the space to show what he can do without having to you know be an Artie Savella, because there's there's only one Artie Savella, let's be honest.
Grumpy Old Prop: Mm-hmm.
Grumpy Old Prop: Be the man, right.
Jarrod Dyke: you know That's just how it is. um
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: So he's been given the space because teams are like, we cannot let fucking Artie beat us, but... Now a Miracle's beaten some teams too, so it helps.
Grumpy Old Prop: Right, right. Mm-hmm.
Jarrod Dyke: It helps tremendously. And, you know, there their front row has has made leaps and bounds, I would say.
Grumpy Old Prop: Mm-hmm.
Jarrod Dyke: you know, there the yeah, the back row's really good between Miracle, ah him, and Buck. I can't remember the other guy's name, but you know who I'm talking about.
Grumpy Old Prop: Tai Loa.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah, that's the one. Thank you. And, yeah, and then, you know you have a sensational player like Kyron Tamifalow. Like, you know, we talked about, the play of garden bash of Pellegrini, how they're taking pressure off William Pavilion, how he's able to play with more freedom. Like there are good things going on here for Tana Umaga. And I'm, I'm really happy to see that.
Jarrod Dyke: And if we can continue to have some sort of parody between in this league, between Moana, the Drua, you know, force have shown to be assholes at points and times now, which is good.
Jarrod Dyke: Um, yeah, only makes the only makes the competition better. So,
Grumpy Old Prop: Right. And especially credit to Moana for winning on the road. um
Jarrod Dyke: Yep.
Grumpy Old Prop: that's Just like Fiji, that's been ah you know not easy for them. i mean, it's not easy to win any of these games on the road. um But this is a team that they probably should have beaten going in and they they took care of business. So good really good for them. this is that's ah That's very positive for them.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah, totally. Good stuff for them.
Jarrod Dyke: All right. Let's go to Fort Quince.
Grumpy Old Prop: I mean, wait, how many how many teams make the playoffs in this?
Jarrod Dyke: What's up?
Jarrod Dyke: Six.
Grumpy Old Prop: Is it six?
Jarrod Dyke: Six. And then there's some weird weird thing that happens in the first round, and then they figure it out from there.
Grumpy Old Prop: And...
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah, like Moana, I mean, Moana's in it. they're they're They're at six.
Jarrod Dyke: Yep. Yep.
Grumpy Old Prop: So good for good for them.
Jarrod Dyke: Awesome. Let's go to Fort Quincy.
Jarrod Dyke: You know, there was...
Grumpy Old Prop: Which is something everybody would like to say this weekend except for Houston.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah, I mean, their last two trips to New England have not been awesome for them, unfortunately. It was this and then was the Father's Day game two years ago where they just got absolutely housed.
Grumpy Old Prop: Right.
Jarrod Dyke: That was, yeah, I mean, they started off rough and it didn't get it any better.
Grumpy Old Prop: I mean, they yeah this this game, they pretty much got a house two. So, I mean, maybe not not maybe not quite as bad, but that wasn't good for them.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah, oh yeah, they did.
Jarrod Dyke: No. No. Really hurt their put themselves in the standings, obviously, for the sake of the Free Jacks there. They're just trying to keep pace with everyone and try to stay in front because, you know, there's good teams in the East. There's no question about that.
Grumpy Old Prop: I question it. I mean, no, there are some. hounds are good.
Jarrod Dyke: Hounds are good.
Grumpy Old Prop: um
Jarrod Dyke: um that Is that this weekend?
Grumpy Old Prop: Yes.
Jarrod Dyke: Yes.
Grumpy Old Prop: That is Saturday.
Jarrod Dyke: i
Jarrod Dyke: I got a semi just thinking about that.
Grumpy Old Prop: Mm-hmm.
Jarrod Dyke: Got to semi. um But yeah, there was an just the boys played brilliantly as well. Like there's no question about it. If you didn't watch the match, go ahead and you're welcome.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah, it was it's it was a fun match to watch. Really well played by um but New England. Oh, that sucks.
Grumpy Old Prop: Anyway, um yeah, I'm trying to log in to see, or I'm trying to see the stats for it.
Jarrod Dyke: Oh, yeah, I hate that.
Grumpy Old Prop: but Maybe, ah i they on...
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah, but king of the king of the foot race, as it as it was termed, Paula Velicana.
Jarrod Dyke: Who put it in? Did Rue put the kick in? And he's just like, there's space back here, and I think there's only one person that's going to win this thing.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah, yes.
Jarrod Dyke: Maybe it was Holland's head, but it doesn't matter. It was still...
Grumpy Old Prop: No, it was Rue because it was it was passed out um ah ah past Holland's head to him.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah, so it's like, yep, all right, here.
Grumpy Old Prop: Mm-hmm.
Jarrod Dyke: Paula, you go do your thing, and I'm just going to watch you do it. Because this ball is this ball's yours and only yours. And really, that's just how was going to be. so Yeah, it was just an absolutely ridiculous play.
Grumpy Old Prop: There we go. Oh, it's it is. Oh, they don't have anything on the ah on rugby pass. They don't have, ah can't click through into stats or any or or the team or anything.
Jarrod Dyke: The stats or anything. Lame. Lame.
Grumpy Old Prop: Very lame.
Jarrod Dyke: But, yeah, really good performance, and... thinking we're going to Patras back soon, which is only bad news for the rest of the league.
Grumpy Old Prop: It really is, because,
Jarrod Dyke: So, yeah, if they get him back, then, yeah, well, Holland's head didn't play badly by any means whatsoever, especially this, you know, yep.
Grumpy Old Prop: yeah
Grumpy Old Prop: No, he played amazing. He played out of his mind. um Certainly better than than Houston's 10 who was poop who kept dropping the ball.
Jarrod Dyke: but Yeah, they eventually moved him out to wing. They're like, all right, you're done. We're going to hide you on the wing.
Grumpy Old Prop: Right. And then they they did the same like they the 10 that came in sort the 2022 that came in um still kept they did the same thing.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah.
Grumpy Old Prop: So it's like you guys want to teach your 10s how to catch a highball.
Jarrod Dyke: Nah, you just got to beat people up with your forwards. Don't you know that? Let's see if we can't.
Grumpy Old Prop: Right.
Jarrod Dyke: Sorry, i Ben and I were talking about it on Saturday.
Grumpy Old Prop: Knuckleheads.
Jarrod Dyke: I'm not a huge fan of their coach. He's kind of...
Grumpy Old Prop: No, and as we mentioned, he's the guy who got in a fight with the S&C coach for for new New York.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah.
Grumpy Old Prop: Was that back when New York existed?
Jarrod Dyke: The artist formerly known as Rooney.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: Pass. Anywho.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah, and sadly, Banshees fell too, so they're probably going to come in second, maybe third in the league this week, this year. Woof. Because that...
Grumpy Old Prop: Which is understandable. This is the first year and Onix are extremely good, even without their top line players.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: All their Eagle talent. Yeah. It's pretty ridiculous.
Grumpy Old Prop: Because again, Banshees are without their Eagle talent. So there you go.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah. I you speaks i think it speaks to... You know, the quality of backups that they have and also... What happened with...
Jarrod Dyke: With their coaching. So...
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: Okay. Um...
Jarrod Dyke: Superlatives. Anybody that has do themselves?
Grumpy Old Prop: A couple guys from the Saints, I'd say. um Yeah, I would say that.
Jarrod Dyke: Yep.
Grumpy Old Prop: um They said Pollock and Freeman and Finn.
Jarrod Dyke: Yep.
Grumpy Old Prop: Vanderfleer, I thought, was was immense in the loss um in ways that we just haven't seen in a bit.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah. I think that's an accurate statement.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah. um Yeah. Like you said there. Yeah. yeah We talked about, um we've talked about Miracle a couple of times already. That was, he was, he's quite good.
Grumpy Old Prop: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah. yeah And Ruben Love, got to give him another shout out, like really step forward for the hurricanes and and did well. I think he missed one kick on, on, on the weekend. So yeah, way,
Jarrod Dyke: Way better than what we, like, that's exactly what we need. i don't know if he's going to be able to do that every week. If he can, then I believe in the ability of what this team can do. um he can't, then, know, what we do will be limited.
Jarrod Dyke: But I'm still along for the ride. How about those that spit it a little bit?
Grumpy Old Prop: I mean, Pendergast.
Jarrod Dyke: Yep.
Grumpy Old Prop: Duh.
Jarrod Dyke: Yep, as we saw.
Grumpy Old Prop: Spit it a little bit. um
Grumpy Old Prop: and Shit, who was it? Creighton from Taz.
Jarrod Dyke: Taz. Yep.
Jarrod Dyke: Yep.
Grumpy Old Prop: Clearly not up to snuff.
Jarrod Dyke: Right. I wasn't overly overly impressed. Or I should say, I wasn't as impressed as I usually am with Roman and Tabak. So, sadly, sadly, said he was on my list.
Grumpy Old Prop: Fair. Yeah.
Grumpy Old Prop: yeah ah
Grumpy Old Prop: oh Oh, fuck. Who was it for the Eagles? um The 10.
Jarrod Dyke: Oh, um Hawkins. Hawkins.
Grumpy Old Prop: Oh, she was so bad.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah.
Grumpy Old Prop: It didn't help that the nines were were useless, but um
Jarrod Dyke: No, it doesn't help that. And Canada's really good.
Grumpy Old Prop: she just kept... yeah can and That's the other thing, is that you're playing a top tier team, but that also means that if you're not up to up up to that quality, you're going to get exposed and
Jarrod Dyke: You're going to get found out very fast.
Grumpy Old Prop: Just kidding getting charged down every you know every time you kick the ball because you take too long. You take three steps instead of one.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah.
Grumpy Old Prop: um like
Jarrod Dyke: Get it. Get rid of it.
Grumpy Old Prop: Get rid of it. If the ball gets to you, one step, kick it.
Jarrod Dyke: It's got to be gone, man.
Grumpy Old Prop: There's no, right, I'm going to take three steps back you know out towards the player who's charging me. No.
Jarrod Dyke: Well, as as I tell some of my nines, like tell your nine where you want to be led and then that can be part of your steps.
Grumpy Old Prop: One step away from them.
Grumpy Old Prop: Right.
Jarrod Dyke: That's fine. You know, that can be certainly be okay.
Grumpy Old Prop: Well, I mean, it's no, it seemed like she got the ball right on her. And then i felt like to me, she stepped toward like just the wrong way.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah.
Grumpy Old Prop: And it's like, it doesn't matter. Just step the other like, you you you know, i don't think the past led her either way. think it was she just she's used to having time that she didn't have at this level.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: Probably true. Yep. and Any ref coach, young players you want to point out?
Grumpy Old Prop: um the um well this the saints coaching staff certainly ah that takes a lot to win that game um the canes coaching staff
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah, Dawson. Yep.
Jarrod Dyke: Good old Scotsman Clark lead law.
Grumpy Old Prop: what the fuck um
Jarrod Dyke: I paused it one. I let the play go through on on the replay one day and Catherine and my mom both looked at me like, I thought they were New Zealand. This guy sounds Scottish. shows was like, yes.
Grumpy Old Prop: yeah
Jarrod Dyke: Yes.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: the Yes. ah Yeah, Phil Dowson, big time.
Grumpy Old Prop: That is correct.
Jarrod Dyke: Big time for him.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: great for him Great for him and his coaching staff and giving themselves something to play for at the end of the year. um Yeah, like young player, is it another choice besides Henry Pollock?
Grumpy Old Prop: No.
Jarrod Dyke: Okay. Glad we got that cleared. Glad we got that cleared up. Okay.
Grumpy Old Prop: mean, there weren't many other options, so no.
Jarrod Dyke: No, but still, we i'm sure we could go to I'm sure if we did our homework, we could go find one.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah. I mean, okay, put it this way. Right. There are no other real realistic options. And because, I mean, yeah, the short amount of game time this week.
Grumpy Old Prop: So not many put their hand up. But like, even if there were a lot, it would take a lot to unseat him.
Jarrod Dyke: it Probably still would be Henry Pollack.
Grumpy Old Prop: Right.
Jarrod Dyke: that's That's fair to say. um Try the week.
Grumpy Old Prop: but There's the Pollock try where he like, who does that from, from, from flanker.
Jarrod Dyke: who
Grumpy Old Prop: Like that's
Jarrod Dyke: Absurd. hoable mention Honorable mention to your guy, though.
Grumpy Old Prop: right to have the, yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: Cam Nordley Calametti for the Free Jacks. the The delicious pass that Jack Rees put in to keep that thing alive.
Grumpy Old Prop: That was a sweet fucking true.
Jarrod Dyke: And we were all like, there this going to come back?
Grumpy Old Prop: he
Jarrod Dyke: And it didn't. were like, yes, this is amazing.
Grumpy Old Prop: No, it didn't. Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: Allow it on the on the basis of coolness. Allow it.
Grumpy Old Prop: Right. Because it was... Was it Reeves who who put his hand backwards to catch it? Like...
Jarrod Dyke: Yes.
Grumpy Old Prop: making it look, if it was forward, he sold it.
Jarrod Dyke: the paint The picture painted was good, so it's it's okay.
Grumpy Old Prop: Right. It's like in baseball when you have a catcher who frames a pitch where it's like, you know, it may be just outside, but he pulls it back in.
Jarrod Dyke: Exactly. Exactly.
Grumpy Old Prop: It's like, that's exactly what what Reeves did.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah.
Grumpy Old Prop: It's like, I'm going to make this, it's like a or you know but better example for for rugby is more of like a line out where it's like, oh, I'm going to reach over with my right hand, even, or, you know, my outside hand, even though, yeah, even though I don't have to.
Jarrod Dyke: Oh, i I've taught my boys that. I've taught my boys that. if it feels like If it feels like it might be a little bit borderline, not straight, as you catch it, put it on your inside shoulder just a little bit and then bring it down and but and give it to us.
Grumpy Old Prop: Right.
Jarrod Dyke: ah Just a little bit. Although, less problematic now they put that new line, which I'm okay with. ah Player of the week.
Grumpy Old Prop: Ah, Freeman.
Jarrod Dyke: Mm-hmm.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah, I'm going to give it to Bale and Sullivan because the Hurricanes needed that win in so many ways.
Grumpy Old Prop: Mm-hmm.
Jarrod Dyke: And to get four grand, a couple of them were just right place, right time. But you do the work to get in the right place at the right time.
Grumpy Old Prop: Hey, that's, yeah, 90% of the job is being there.
Jarrod Dyke: So,
Jarrod Dyke: yep. So, take it. um Dick of the Week.
Grumpy Old Prop: Bale and Sullivan.
Jarrod Dyke: ah yeah um I'm giving it to McKell.
Grumpy Old Prop: with an with an honorable with it With an honorable mention to Daffy Jenkins from last week, he was that much of a dick that it carried over to this week.
Jarrod Dyke: Oh, I know, right. Yeah, I'm giving it to Dan McKellar. I think he's really put his team in the wrong spot with – I can appreciate trying to give a young guy time, but there has to come a point where you pull the plug and say, all right, listen, I need you to come back and do these things to improve, and then we'll consider putting you back into that 10 shirt.
Grumpy Old Prop: Fair enough.
Jarrod Dyke: And i think he took too long. So now the Taz are up against it.
Grumpy Old Prop: Well, I mean, again, we we know where he's been. We've seen see what happens when he leaves and you know real coaching comes in.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah. Yeah.
Grumpy Old Prop: So...
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah, maybe maybe that'll happen this year too.
Grumpy Old Prop: i feel like the what what has happened at Leicester and Warataz completely, 100% justifies...
Grumpy Old Prop: Lester's decision when and especially the when when people came out of that, uh, the, you know, futures meeting, whatever, whatever they call it, like shocked and like.
Jarrod Dyke: The meeting or whatever it was. Yep. The planning meeting, I think is what they call it, but yeah.
Grumpy Old Prop: Aghast. Yeah. They're like, OK, that a lot of this is, is you know the reports are adding up.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah, yeah, yeah, no kidding. All right, um we are into the pick of them.
Grumpy Old Prop: Pick them. Fuck.
Jarrod Dyke: So we start with, sorry, lost my place. God damn it. Get back here.
Grumpy Old Prop: We're going to right where we were just talking about.
Jarrod Dyke: Oh, Lester, would you look at that? Hi, would you look at that? um Yeah, Lester and Sale.
Grumpy Old Prop: i can go with the hosts.
Jarrod Dyke: I am too. I am too.
Grumpy Old Prop: And it's just because i think it's just because they're at home. If it was at sale, I'd probably go with them.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah, i'd say we I'd say we're looking at that too. Ceres Newcastle.
Grumpy Old Prop: ah Same thing for the same reason.
Jarrod Dyke: God, I hope so. bri
Grumpy Old Prop: And I say that because we saw what happened when Saracens went to Nuka.
Jarrod Dyke: I know. Jesus.
Grumpy Old Prop: Let's not talk about that again.
Jarrod Dyke: Please don't please not don't let them do a double on us. We'll be screwed. um Bristol and Bath at the Principality. This will be fun. Let's
Grumpy Old Prop: umm I'm going with Bath.
Jarrod Dyke: see. Same. I think Bristle will be up for it, but I think Bath just will still have too much.
Grumpy Old Prop: Too much class. Gloucester.
Jarrod Dyke: Yep. Quinns and Gloucester.
Grumpy Old Prop: Gloucester.
Jarrod Dyke: Same. Same. I'm um um i extremely impressed with the way they've started to just turn it around and turn it on.
Grumpy Old Prop: Right, and I'm unimpressed with Quinns at the moment.
Jarrod Dyke: Yep. Agreed.
Grumpy Old Prop: ah There's something... It's just not... It's not clicking for them, and everybody has a shit year. It's like... To me, it's like... When you have... First off, Danny Kerr... Then you no longer have Danny Kerr.
Grumpy Old Prop: Even when you have him, you no longer have him. um Porter is better than him, but he's not what Kerr used to be. um Smith, Don Brandt, Kenningham...
Grumpy Old Prop: and to lesser extent, Will Evans, all having poop years um along with just the injuries that they've had. is not it's It's just when when so many of you guys just poop it, it's...
Jarrod Dyke: yep yeah I think one I think
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah.
Jarrod Dyke: one foot's on the beach for them already yep um
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah, I think it has been for a bit.
Jarrod Dyke: Exeter and Saints.
Grumpy Old Prop: Saints. I know there won't be the full noise... um but i don't think I don't think they need to be full noise. it's it doesn't It's not the players that are going to determine this. It's the style of play, and if Saints go and just say, look, young guys or other guys, just do your thing, I think that will be enough to beat Exeter.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah.
Grumpy Old Prop: Don't let Daffa Jenkins bait you into punching him, or you know what?
Jarrod Dyke: Hang around.
Grumpy Old Prop: Even if you do, he they're not going to penalize you for it because he's the one who's starting it.
Jarrod Dyke: Exactly.
Grumpy Old Prop: if I swear, if he there's no way there's no way he's on that that team.
Jarrod Dyke: Please, no.
Grumpy Old Prop: i don't know why people what people are I don't even know why he's on... wi who It's just... Are you that dire straits?
Jarrod Dyke: Resist the temptation, Andy. Pick from Ireland, pick from England, maybe from Scotland.
Grumpy Old Prop: Right.
Jarrod Dyke: I'd rather have Gilchrist over Jenkins. That says a lot.
Grumpy Old Prop: Fuck, pick Sam Skinner. I don't care if he's retired. Functionally or whatever.
Jarrod Dyke: Whatever. um Super. if you Only four matches. Druah Blues.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah. Drew, uh...
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah. At home.
Grumpy Old Prop: They're at home. Blues, i'm I'm not convinced by.
Jarrod Dyke: Nope. Taz Reds.
Grumpy Old Prop: And that I don't really like that Blues lineup. Your two best players aren't playing, so.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah. Taz Reds.
Grumpy Old Prop: Reds.
Jarrod Dyke: Yep. Yep. Despite the loss last week, they're still playing better. Crusaders and Chiefs.
Grumpy Old Prop: um The team that Damien McKenzie is playing for.
Jarrod Dyke: Yeah, I'm going to say that as well. I feel like this is, they brought him back into this game for this reason.
Grumpy Old Prop: Yeah, I think there was a little bit of a, we can lose that match. This is the one they have circled on their count, which is crazy. Like, crazy to think of what happened with Crusaders last year. And now they're tied for top of the table.
Jarrod Dyke: I know, i know.
Grumpy Old Prop: What the fuck? i think I think the Chiefs are like, no, fuck that shit. we'rere
Jarrod Dyke: You will not be after this weekend.
Grumpy Old Prop: yeah No, not on our watch.
Jarrod Dyke: No. Force and Brumby's.
Grumpy Old Prop: It's at the force.
Jarrod Dyke: It's in Perth. Yeah.
Grumpy Old Prop: What's that? Yeah, I'm still going with the Brumbies.
Jarrod Dyke: Same. Same. I think the Brumbies i figure have gotten over there their mid mid-year hump and are good to go. i like And I like Stephen Lachlan a lot.
Grumpy Old Prop: yeah Tiz scores but Brumby's win
Jarrod Dyke: So...
Jarrod Dyke: Same. Agreed. All right. That's that. I'm going to pop over fancy stuff and do some fancy things and all that good stuff. But
Grumpy Old Prop: i
Jarrod Dyke: um yeah um we do appreciate you guys listening to us and enjoy yourselves with rugby and we'll we catch you guys next week. Have a good one, everyone.
Grumpy Old Prop: later
Jarrod Dyke: Cheers.
