Blind side johnny

I hear that Toulouse have requested that we get a load of pasties in for the after match celebration.

True. Sadly you and most others always assume that the fault lies with us. I don't know any more than you do but wouldn't be surprised if we weren't getting the best of assistance from the Giants either. People seem to imagine that SL clubs enter into DR arrangements out of some sort of charitable instinct. They don't; they use them largely to their own benefit first and foremost.

Back to the Doncaster match - Jimmy Beckett went off with 10 minutes to go clearly holding his hamstring. If he is absent then the pack will really look lightweight.

As I have pointed out previously a change of half back wouldn't have affected the points conceded. Rush's absences previously were due to injury, I understand.

He didn't say at which end the fault lay.

I disagree. Where we did improve noticeably was in defensive systems and discipline, the former of which was noticeably missing today. Personally I would have been delighted had he stayed with us, but he didn't for understandable reasons.

If there is someone knocking about willing to invest (spend) substantially in a Championship club I believe there would be a small queue of club chairmen/owners eager to talk to him. RL clubs, especially lower league ones aren't an attractive proposition for anyone. I agree that the squad isn't strong enough but, equally, there don't appear to be a host of suitable players knocking about to recruit. Ex SL players are no guarantee of success - we have had our share of disappointments there and I was watching one today who looked like very dubious value for money. We appear to have taken a bit of a gamble with recruiting young players who require development. Whether they will prove worthwhile and if we have coaching staff with the skills to properly develop them is debateable. I certainly don't think there are any quick fixes waiting to be found.

They have conceded more points than we have. On the other hand they have already played Fev, Wakefield and Sheffield, something we have yet to do.

I will be there, more in hope than anticipation I must confess. Doncaster will be clear favourites and, as has been said, we could be looking at a long run of defeats if we do lose. I am puzzled by the lack of any Giants players although apparently we have had some sickness in the camp, so it might be related to that. On a note of realism I predict: Dons 28 - 18 Rams FTS: Davies Att: 1200

He had a leg injury. I don't think that half back was where our defensive weaknesses were, though. We conceded points right at the end that made the game look more unbalanced than it was and these coincided with Dixon getting a yellow card. I expect him to get a ban for that as well.

A slippery slope there Dave. If you check through the laws (not recommended) you might be surprised by how many aren't "properly" adhered to nowadays. You might also be surprised if you watched any old videos (70's for example) just how much was let go in those rose-tinted days as well.

Many touch judges do this in the Championship nowadays. Some fans get particularly irate about it but I don't really know why, as long as they don't interfere with play. These are often the same fans who complain about the linesmen (sic) not putting their flags up for offside.

Coincidence?

Would "a curate's egg" be a suitable description?

We will lose the series, if it actually goes ahead.