Pre-Season 19/20

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Pre-Season 19/20

Postby The Feral Goat on Fri Jun 07, 2019 3:11 pm

Both at Murrayfield

London Scottish - Sat 31 Aug

Ospreys - Sat 14 Sep

https://www.edinburghrugby.org/the-club ... pre-season
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Re: Pre-Season 19/20

Postby dolf_lundgren on Sun Jun 09, 2019 7:11 am

Is it not a bit odd that we are playing Ospreys and Glasgow are playing Ulster?

Would have thought English or Frenchman teams would have been more logical? Maybe something to do with a RWC year and not wanting to get horses by teams who haven't got as many players missing?

London Scottish game should almost be a standing fixture. Would be good to move these games though, one in Edinburgh and one in the Borders.
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Re: Pre-Season 19/20

Postby The Feral Goat on Mon Jun 10, 2019 10:19 am

dolf_lundgren wrote:Is it not a bit odd that we are playing Ospreys and Glasgow are playing Ulster?

Would have thought English or Frenchman teams would have been more logical? Maybe something to do with a RWC year and not wanting to get horses by teams who haven't got as many players missing?

London Scottish game should almost be a standing fixture. Would be good to move these games though, one in Edinburgh and one in the Borders.


I think I read the Pro14 have delayed the start of the season due to the RWC, not sure other leagues have done the same, so maybe limited to Pro14 opposition. Fairly certain the league had started by end August last season where as we are playing a pre-season mid-September this coming season.
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Re: Pre-Season 19/20

Postby Pitfitter446 on Mon Jun 10, 2019 10:45 pm

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Re: Pre-Season 19/20

Postby Tichtheid on Wed Jun 12, 2019 2:11 pm




What's the bet that we get Connacht, Dragons and Ulster during those first four weeks?
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Re: Pre-Season 19/20

Postby BigD163 on Wed Jun 12, 2019 2:28 pm

With games not until late August, I am sure the lads are thrilled to be back in this week. I imagine they hate the fitness tests as much as the grass roots players.

Tough life as a professional :D
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Re: Pre-Season 19/20

Postby Wottie on Wed Jun 12, 2019 3:33 pm

Tichtheid wrote:



What's the bet that we get Connacht, Dragons and Ulster during those first four weeks?


Nah, won't get Ulster, we'll get Connacht, Dragons and a double header in SA against the Kings and Cheetahs. Fixture list gift wrapped in a gold envelope marked from Dublin with love :lol:
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Re: Pre-Season 19/20

Postby disco on Thu Jun 13, 2019 9:38 pm

New conference setup appears to have leaked to Wales Online. Bit of a look at how the updated groups compare to the originals (I'm assuming this is going ahead this as Simon Thomas is usually pretty reliable and he appears to have confirmed with at least some of the clubs).

https://wp.me/p68WtH-8ep

Overall the conferences are more even but that's mainly because A is top loaded then has more weaker teams to balance it out, whereas B is probably going to be a brutal dogfight among 6 teams.
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Re: Pre-Season 19/20

Postby The Feral Goat on Fri Jun 14, 2019 8:51 am

Even just swapping Dragons and Cardiff/Scarlets I think would be more balanced.

Pretty brutal conference for ER if that is how it plays out, absolutely must take our chances on the road if/when we get them.

The cross conference schedule could be also be crucial with which teams we play home and away and BPs likely to have a say in a tight conference, throw in the lottery of a RWC year and it makes getting a good start in the league really important. Perhaps being in the Challenge Cup for us an advantage this season when the conference looks so tight.
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Re: Pre-Season 19/20

Postby Tichtheid on Fri Jun 14, 2019 10:34 am

The Feral Goat wrote:Even just swapping Dragons and Cardiff/Scarlets I think would be more balanced.

Pretty brutal conference for ER if that is how it plays out, absolutely must take our chances on the road if/when we get them.

The cross conference schedule could be also be crucial with which teams we play home and away and BPs likely to have a say in a tight conference, throw in the lottery of a RWC year and it makes getting a good start in the league really important. Perhaps being in the Challenge Cup for us an advantage this season when the conference looks so tight.



Yeah the home and away draws against conference A teams are pretty crucial, ideally we would get the top sides at Murrayfield
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Re: Pre-Season 19/20

Postby The Feral Goat on Fri Jun 14, 2019 10:43 am

Tichtheid wrote:Yeah the home and away draws against conference A teams are pretty crucial, ideally we would get the top sides at Murrayfield


I was thinking maybe the opposite get the bottom sides and pick up max points and hope to pick up a few points away. Either way is subject to much improving two areas over last season one scoring more tries and two improved away form.
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Re: Pre-Season 19/20

Postby biffer on Fri Jun 14, 2019 10:56 am

Tichtheid wrote:
The Feral Goat wrote:Even just swapping Dragons and Cardiff/Scarlets I think would be more balanced.

Pretty brutal conference for ER if that is how it plays out, absolutely must take our chances on the road if/when we get them.

The cross conference schedule could be also be crucial with which teams we play home and away and BPs likely to have a say in a tight conference, throw in the lottery of a RWC year and it makes getting a good start in the league really important. Perhaps being in the Challenge Cup for us an advantage this season when the conference looks so tight.



Yeah the home and away draws against conference A teams are pretty crucial, ideally we would get the top sides at Murrayfield


Realistically, we'll have Glasgow at home twice, one of Leinster and Ulster at home, one of Cardiff and Ospreys at home and be away in South Africa as we only had one away Saffer game this year (and there's already a supporters competition where the prize is a holiday taking in the South African double header!).

I'll take Ulster at home I think, hope for Leinster away during International windows, Cardiff and Ospreys much of a muchness for me.
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Re: Pre-Season 19/20

Postby Tichtheid on Fri Jun 14, 2019 10:58 am

The Feral Goat wrote:
Tichtheid wrote:Yeah the home and away draws against conference A teams are pretty crucial, ideally we would get the top sides at Murrayfield


I was thinking maybe the opposite get the bottom sides and pick up max points and hope to pick up a few points away. Either way is subject to much improving two areas over last season one scoring more tries and two improved away form.



If were are to be a serious side we should be travelling to the likes of Dragons and Zebre with some confidence, we lost both those games last year and those plus the Kings debacle were symptomatic of our season, these games were lost in the players’ heads.

Leinster don’t send their international players away for regular season games, again if we are serious we should be looking at beating them at Murrayfield, it will take a bit longer before we can target them at the RDS
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Re: Pre-Season 19/20

Postby The Feral Goat on Fri Jun 14, 2019 1:09 pm

Fair point TH, I hope I am wrong but I am not sure we have the depth to make a big enough step in a RWC season. I also think Dragons will be better than they have been with Dean Ryan in and the likes of Sam Davies joining they will be harder to beat.

Will also be interesting to see how Benetton approach and play in the Champions Cup as I think they are a bit like us with a strong first 20ish but lack a bit of depth to maintain two fronts same perhaps with Connacht.
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