Planet Rugby Forum

openclashXX

The biggest risk of a large scale mobilisation (200-300k or more) is the catastrophic effect it would have on the Russian labour market. Unemployment is at an all-time low, and is also disproportionately worse outside of the large metropolitan areas. Regions like the northwest and the far east have ...

openclashXX

So it appears Iran also warned Russia about an impending ISIS-K attack

https://www.reuters.com/world/iran-aler ... 024-04-01/

openclashXX

Flockwitt wrote: ↑Sun Mar 31, 2024 9:22 pm India needs to get its act together and start producing its own stuff. There's plenty of OEM manufacturing that's heading its way at the moment which should help expand the industrial base.

Huh?

openclashXX

Looking at the remaining fixtures - each of the top three still has to play Villa and Spurs, which look the likeliest spots for dropped points. Beyond that, Liverpool have tricky fixtures vs Man U + Everton (both away), Arsenal the same two plus Chelsea, City have arguably the easiest run-in Hard to...

openclashXX

Haaland hasn't become a bad player overnight. There's an element of second-season syndrome: everyone knows how he plays, they see his pace, the lines he runs and the fact he always shoots off his left foot, it's easier to mark him out of the game. VVD did a similar job a few weeks back Other players...

openclashXX

The only players that emerged with any credit from that turgid affair were the two Arsenal CBs and Rice

Doku was absolutely shocking at times today, how he gets a game in a Pep side having such a poor first touch and an inability to cross is beyond me

openclashXX

Kalvin Phillips to West Ham must go down as one of the worst transfers in recent history

openclashXX

Is he any good?

openclashXX

Poland has suspended it's adherence to the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe. So, what does that mean? What actions could Poland take? It's a nothing story. A treaty signed in 1990 between NATO and the Warsaw Pact that put limits on standing armies (the maximum amount of weapons, tanks,...

openclashXX

The English Prem continues to bleed players to France - Sinckler and Ludlam are both now confirmed to Toulon at the end of the season. Neither were starters for England but also not close to retirement, and would've been useful as squad players to keep around for at least a few seasons Bigger pictur...

openclashXX

If you're venturing over the border into Wales and have a car then you might consider heading further and seeing Snowdonia. Also consider a day trip around Chester. Heading to the Lake District is also not a bad idea.

openclashXX

Voting intention in the 18-34 age range: Tories on 3% Reform on 7% In the context of a broader rise in support for right-wing parties among young voters (see Trump leading by 4 points among under-35s, Wilders, Le Pen, Meloni etc being the most popular parties among under-30s in their respective cou...

openclashXX

Voting intention in the 18-34 age range: Tories on 3% Reform on 7% In the context of a broader rise in support for right-wing parties among young voters (see Trump leading by 4 points among under-35s, Wilders, Le Pen, Meloni etc being the most popular parties among under-30s in their respective cou...

openclashXX

So he’s the top scorer in La Liga even though he’s playing out of position? What a player! How comes he’s the only RM player to have won player of the month awards in La Liga? I like Valverde and Kroos/Modric btw. Class players. It's a great run of form, for sure. Let's see how his career goes, wha...

openclashXX

What more does he have to do? 20-year-old player, half a season at Real Madrid, no silverware (yet). Let's give him some time before christening him the best player in the world As I said, he's not even the best midfielder at his club Your final sentence is crazy. He’s carving the league up. He's h...

openclashXX

Hawk97 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 28, 2024 9:55 am What more does he have to do?

20-year-old player, half a season at Real Madrid, no silverware (yet). Let's give him some time before christening him the best player in the world

As I said, he's not even the best midfielder at his club

openclashXX

He also now has arguably the best player in the world in Bellingham. No excuses now. :roll: I don’t think that’s a controversial take at all. He’s ridiculous He's not even the best player at his club, let alone in the world Give him time. England fans need to cool it with this non-stop cycle of hyp...

openclashXX

Hawk97 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 28, 2024 9:38 am He also now has arguably the best player in the world in Bellingham. No excuses now.

openclashXX

MOSCOW, March 27 (Reuters) - Russia has increased gasoline imports from neighbouring Belarus in March to tackle the risk of shortages in its domestic market because of unscheduled repairs at Russian refineries after drone attacks, four industry and trade sources said on Wednesday. Usually Russia is...

openclashXX

Wendigo7 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 27, 2024 9:33 pm They age badly because they don't win.

If they won, or won a few they wouldn't age badly. Chicken and egg situation.

I'm sure if England had won the World Cup in 2018 we'd be sat around debating whether Mbappe was as good a player as Jesse Lingard

openclashXX

Winger_ wrote: ↑Wed Mar 27, 2024 9:19 pm Grealish got a £100m move on the back of his performances and is still a very good player. Rice is £100m, Foden and Bellingham are worth a fortune as was Kane and as is Saka.

Antony is an £86m player, Mudryk is an £89m player...

openclashXX

I agree in the 1st World Cup, the squad wasn't great but it's been decent in the last 2 tournaments. England squads have an unfortunate habit of ageing terribly in hindsight, once the true ability of those players becomes clearer over the course of a few seasons. Most people thankfully now accept t...

openclashXX

This has proven to be a very interesting, uplifting thread, summarising the laundry list of issues that Vlad the Imploder has brought upon himself: https://x.com/prune602/status/1772761991989326091?s=46&t=ftAkKQR9zT6wmu2ZFDX5mw There's more than a whiff of copium about that thread. Much of it factu...

openclashXX

I definitely think Southgate has underachieved with England considering the group of players he had to choose from over the years. Go have a look at the sides that Southgate was starting in his previous tournaments. Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard, Eric Dier, Ashley Young, Jordan Henderson, Kalvin Phillip...

openclashXX

Their win against France was scary to watch - at times in the second half they were just toying with the French midfield. Didn't catch the Netherlands game but by all accounts seemed like another Man of the Match performance from Kroos. They have their deficiencies, particularly at the back (not un...

openclashXX

England probably go into this tournament as either joint favourites or second favourite to France. Got to win a trophy, it’s been a long tenure now (for an international coach) Joint favourites is a massive stretch. I'd take Portugal or Germany (at home) over this England side. Probably Spain too. ...

openclashXX

England probably go into this tournament as either joint favourites or second favourite to France. Got to win a trophy, it’s been a long tenure now (for an international coach) Joint favourites is a massive stretch. I'd take Portugal or Germany (at home) over this England side. Probably Spain too. ...

openclashXX

England probably go into this tournament as either joint favourites or second favourite to France. Got to win a trophy, it’s been a long tenure now (for an international coach) Joint favourites is a massive stretch. I'd take Portugal or Germany (at home) over this England side. Probably Spain too.

openclashXX

Grandpa wrote: ↑Wed Mar 27, 2024 11:19 am When was the last time England beat a team ranked above them in a tournament ? 1990?

Euro 96 (vs Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland), Euro 2000 (vs Germany), World Cup 2002 (vs Argentina)

openclashXX

All is not well in the Ukrainian ranks. Danilov has been fired as Secretary of National Security and Defence Yaroslav Trofimov @yarotrof Zelensky fired Danilov as his national security advisor and appointed instead the head of the external intelligence service, Lytvenenko. Is Zelensky peeved about ...

openclashXX

All is not well in the Ukrainian ranks. Danilov has been fired as Secretary of National Security and Defence

Yaroslav Trofimov
@yarotrof

Zelensky fired Danilov as his national security advisor and appointed instead the head of the external intelligence service, Lytvenenko.

openclashXX

Oh dear. Lukashenko clearly didn't get the Kremlin memo Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Tuesday the attackers who carried out last week's massacre at a Moscow concert hall tried fleeing to his country first, but turned away because of checkpoints. "That's why there was no way they cou...

openclashXX

Guscott was different class on the rugby field. Honestly if he'd worn any other colour than English White, he'd be touted as one of the best ever. Tuilagi was always a "what if?" had all the potential and only ever really showed glimpses of it. Both had roughly the same number of caps for England (...

openclashXX

Guscott loses a thousand points for his career as a pundit

openclashXX

The window for the Ukrainians to take out Russian logistics into Crimea seems to be closing. UK intelligence reports in the last week that the alternative Russian rail route from Rostov to Crimea via Zaporizhzhia (announced in November 2023) has been partly restored past Mariupol and up to Berdyansk...

openclashXX

Keith wrote: ↑Mon Mar 25, 2024 9:11 pm Danny Care confirms international retirement

One has to admire his consistency. As bad on his 1st cap as his 101st

Things are finally looking up

openclashXX

@StanovayaTyaga Putin has just spoken at a government meeting. His words indicate the following: 1️⃣He has no doubt that the performers are radical Islamists. 2️⃣Putin does not believe that this is an independent initiative of ISIS and that these are “pure” Islamists (they would not commit a terror...

openclashXX

I am unsure about that. They can become a huge player on the world stage over the next decade or two. I think they will look at that area of Europe as well. There are too many regional powers vying for influence in that part of Europe, and the Turks lack a meaningful constituency anywhere to carve ...

openclashXX

I think the Turks are pleasantly surprised the Ukrainians are taking the Russian Black Sea fleet apart bit by bit though. It's hard to think of any country that has benefitted quite so comprehensively from this war as Turkey. They've been able to profit from the sale of TB-2s to Ukraine (and their ...

openclashXX

The main question is what is NATO without the US. Today, it would be pretty toothless in a conventional war, starting with logistics. Without the US to move equipment around, our armies would be stuck. Remove the US from NATO what are you left with? Effectively 3 regional blocs - The Russia "hawks"...

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