Northampton's 2025/26 Champions Cup draw hinges on Top 14 result

No… Next topic…

At one point when I flicked over to the rugby, I caught the 30th minute scrum featured in this column, and my immediate thought was ‘gee, Taniela got away with scrumming on an angle there’.

What I’ll say about Skelton is that his presence and want to get stuck in physically in Melbourne and Sydney enabled the other players in the Wallabies side to believe they belonged on the same field as their opponents.

As a result of the Wallabies being ranked where they are and the Lions historical record of success here, the tourists needed to win the series 3-0 and dish out at least one hiding in the Tests to be considered great.

Barely beat a team ranked 7th in the world?

The reduction next year from 7 weeks to 6 weeks makes it MORE likely to accommodate an extra 5 games? Please be kind enough to walk us all through that one, Ed.

How would it be a cracking series? Their players meet every year at test level and multiple times in Euro club comps.

Really looks the part in his waxy jacket talking about ‘bandwidth’ and ‘closing the loop’ while ‘seeking alignment’? Striving for some emotional investment in their shared goals?

NB was fired from a job in France? That’s very salty of you and actually spiteful. Still, it would have been a job more in France than you ever had…

They might not all come home.

The central contracts only cover 14 players at the moment but they tend to be 3 year contracts. Say a typical one is €1 million, it will pay €300k in year one and two then €400k in the final year which is the pay dirt. If you’ve a handful of 32-34 years olds still to hit their final year, they will be tough to shift. Even if their form nosedives, the IRFU isn’t going to pay them to sit out 5-6 tests per calendar year. There were a few lads - warriors in their day - who stayed a year too long recently.

We could live with a loss to SA in Nov but it would still need to be close. I think they could blow us away and if it’s another loss to the ABs, then the recent closeness of that fixture is dust.

We still need to settle on a starting/benching #10, adjust to benching JGP rather than starting, at least 2/3 new prospects for the centres and back younger wingers. Up front we are at crisis point with our lack of depth at prop and Porter will now have to change how he scrums. All of his set piece work is now back to square one.

We need to get going with it, JW! We’ve a quarter final to lose in 2027!!!!

I just feel the damage done should result in a stiffer sanction. Maybe that’s unrealistic.

Where can we see what data WR might be collecting or holding onto regarding disciplinary records?

If the AB can win a RC now that the Boks are properly going for it, with an improved Wallabies and a more consistent Argentina, then it would be a serious achievement.

I don’t dislike Foster by the way. He always came across as likeable and uncomplicated. It has no impact on his coaching record either way.

Any wonder you boys lost wars!!!