Ref mike?

[Shugs]

In no way making excuses for another loss but just intrigued. With the naked eye from the other end of the ground it looked to me like almost half the Quins team were on the wrong side following our third line out on their five metre in the last couple of minutes. Did Barnes say anything which explains how they got away with it?

[Chunky24]

Nothing said on ref mic as play moved on upfield quite quickly. I am in that corner just looked to me like the front of our maul rolled round and split off at pace leaving the ball carrier behind to be robbed.

[NellyWellyWaspy]

Barnes was not so focused on the game as he was chatting with his team and the players and cracking joke after joke. Let me give you an example.

Lineout 5m out from the Quins line. TT is down, on the 22m line and out of the way, receiving treatment. Barnes takes time off. Sinckler complains that TT is not really needed, so can't we just get on?

Barnes quips, Tommy is the hooker and needed for the lineout, unlike you Kyle, at that last scrum.

Or, half way through the first half. Barnes says, 20 minutes in and I have already had more fun than the whole of last week's game.

It just went on most of the match.

[WickedWasp]

What annoyed me most was the constant silly niggle from Marler. He was either talking to Barnes or holding someone on the ground or dropping sly shoulder. I find him funny to listen to but and I know some niggle can be good but I think it's too much of a big part of his game now for a great player. I dont want to put him in the same box as Itoje.

[Chunky24]

I thought Barnes' interactions with his two ARs was brilliant, at every stoppage in play they all shared information so they had a clear  picture of what was going on and could have a quiet word with players to sort anything that had been noticed.

[Rossm]

Barnes made one serious howler. Maul and Launch was pulled down by his neck. Barnes gives a penalty to Quins (I think it led to a try) because (he said) Joe collapsed the maul!

[WickedWasp]

I agree the call that Launch brought down the maul was wrong he was pulled down by his neck by I believe marler. But the call came either from touch judge or the TMO.