Six Nations Thread

Blacktemplar

Greg66 Tri v2.0 wrote:

Why THE ******* fark has the BBC given us a Scot to commentate on a match at Twickenham?

Same reason we usually get Gussett and that annoying little Welsh tw@t.....

Some great rugby this weekend. Glad to see Wales at least fight back in the 2nd half. Thought England played a blinder, even though it's another heartbreaker for Scotland at the Cabbage Patch. They are on fire just now with a good balance between backs/forwards, and Farrell is shaping up to be a world-class 10, something Scotland are sorely lacking.

SJ needs to drop Laidlaw/Jackson and play Pyrgos/Weir against Italy, and whilst I admire Sean Lamont he is too slow at 13. Also Visser is awesome going forward but a liability in defence. What does the likes of Alex Grove need to do to get a call up to the senior squad? We are missing a specialist 7 as well, which is partly why we lost so much turnover ball.

Italy have come on leaps and bounds - last 6N they regularly ran out of steam at 60min, but they kept their tails up against a lacklustre and disorganised French side that looked like it couldn't be @rsed at times. Next week will be possibly be the wooden spoon decider - though I wouldn't put it past Italy to go on and take another scalp - Wales perhaps?

Frustratingly, where other sides seem to be making real progress, Scotland just seem to stand still. Fly half has been a problem for as long as I can remember, so where is the grass-roots coaching plan to bring quality youth through....? Erm......

The Rookie

Azzurie Frogstuffers - Go Italy!

The Passion in the Italian side was obvious from the National Anthem (the French looked bored), and they played all 80 mins like that, thoroughly deserved (yes as it was the French I'd have said that anyway, but that's beside the point!).

An England centre pair of Tualagi and Twelvetrees looks like it could be a real dream team.

clarkey cat

werent they playing together at Leicester last year?

cyclingprop

cjcp wrote:

France to win the Slam.

Wales won't beat Ireland, but should beat Italy and Scotland.

Will be annoyed if England are duller than dishwater.

So, when I transferred funds to the rugby club for my twickenham tickets the only reference I could think which made sense was "{Surname} Frog & Wop Tix". Guess who I'm going to see?

clarkey cat

So I'm going to stick my neck out here and say: Italy by 3.

I also think France will win in a close encounter.

Think Ireland will win in Dublin.

greg66_tri_v2.0

Damn, this is annoying. Italy look completely out of sorts.

The only thing that's worse than the result is having to listen to that cheerleader, err commentator, Andy Nichol, apparently believing that Scotland really are a first class side. It's pathetically rose-tinted.

cjcp

SteppenHerring

France for the wooden spoon anyone?

daviesee

Greg66 Tri v2.0 wrote:

Damn, this is annoying. Italy look completely out of sorts.

The only thing that's worse than the result is having to listen to that cheerleader, err commentator, Andy Nichol, apparently believing that Scotland really are a first class side. It's pathetically rose-tinted.

Welcome to what we have to deal with for every sport year in, year out.
The English think the Scots hate the English. We don't. We just have to deal with the other side of that coin.
PS:- Happy bunny with that performance but can only hope for consistency.

veronese68

clarkey cat wrote:

So I'm going to stick my neck out here and say: Italy by 3.

I also think France will win in a close encounter.

Think Ireland will win in Dublin.

Hopefully you'll be consistent in your predictions.

clarkey cat

anyone want any more hot tips?

walkingbootweather

clarkey cat wrote:

anyone want any more hot tips?

Could you please let me have 42 'winning' lottery balls

veronese68

I was just going to ask that he tip Italy to lose their remaining games.

Wrath Rob

I missed the England game, thanks to Ned Boulting, but having watched in since on iPlayer I'm glad that I didn't put myself through that live. It was a tense but dull encounter punctuated with rare moments of interest and far to many handling errors on both sides.

Still, we're the only undefeated side in the tournament and grinding out a win in Dublin is no mean feat in itself. And we're still on track for the grand slam

Sewinman

Similarly dull encounter between France and Wales. One for the purists really, a bloke I know who played lock for Wales in the 80s declared it to be 'one of the best games he had ever seen'.

According to one of the commentators there is 'now nothing standing in the way of England and a Grand Slam'. Expect this year to be declared 'vintage' too if England win it. :roll:

p.s. the loon who jumped the barrier and bear hugged George North after his try, before getting bungled away by security, was big George's old man! No wonder George didn't look bothered in the slightest.

mr_ribble

Yea it was vintage England for sure.....
Shock. England play 10 man rugby (its the only game they know) and win in atrocious conditions. The only glimmer of hope was the grubber which Manu nearly got on the end of.

I've supported Wales all my life, and yea there were some tough times in the late 90s, but I always think Wales, no matter how bad they are playing, have spirit in their stride and fire in their breath.

clarkey cat

Mr_Ribble wrote:

Yea it was vintage England for sure.....
Shock. England play 10 man rugby (its the only game they know) and win in atrocious conditions. The only glimmer of hope was the grubber which Manu nearly got on the end of.

I've supported Wales all my life, and yea there were some tough times in the late 90s, but I always think Wales, no matter how bad they are playing, have spirit in their stride and fire in their breath.

If you mean sending up Jamie Roberts on the crash ball ad infinitum is "spirit in their stride" then you're more one-eyed than most Welsh. That's why they'd just lost 8 games on the bounce (yes, 8 games) and if it wasnt for a glorious moment of inspiration from Dan Biggar that could easily have gone to 9.

An extremely young England side closed out an immensely mean, experienced and streetwise Ireland in Dublin. Absolutely epic. Best win I've seen in quite a few years (All Blacks 'aberration' aside).

bompington

Absolutely, it's good to see that all that HGH is at last having an effect beyond the obvious facial features

mr_ribble

clarkey cat wrote:

Mr_Ribble wrote:

Yea it was vintage England for sure.....
Shock. England play 10 man rugby (its the only game they know) and win in atrocious conditions. The only glimmer of hope was the grubber which Manu nearly got on the end of.

I've supported Wales all my life, and yea there were some tough times in the late 90s, but I always think Wales, no matter how bad they are playing, have spirit in their stride and fire in their breath.

If you mean sending up Jamie Roberts on the crash ball ad infinitum is "spirit in their stride" then you're more one-eyed than most Welsh. That's why they'd just lost 8 games on the bounce (yes, 8 games) and if it wasnt for a glorious moment of inspiration from Dan Biggar that could easily have gone to 9.

An extremely young England side closed out an immensely mean, experienced and streetwise Ireland in Dublin. Absolutely epic. Best win I've seen in quite a few years (All Blacks 'aberration' aside).

I agree, England are coming good after sometime in the doldrums. I wouldn't say the squad was "extremely young" though. Young in caps, not in age, and I put that down to an over reliance on the old guard.

England havent won a Grand Slam for 9 years, and during that time Wales have won 3. Wales lost 8 games in a row, and they could have gone into the game at the weekend thinking the same would happen again. But they didn't, and deep down they wanted it. I'm not slating England, it's just my observation that 'sometimes' I dont see a hunger and desire that I see in some of the other sides, irrelevant of tallent. Bread of heaven, bread of heaven

clarkey cat

Bread of Heaven.
Bread of Heaven.
Fiji til I want no more
...want no more.

Fantastic hearing 50,000 Welsh singing that at the 2007 World Cup QF in Marseilles between South Africa and Fiji.

Blacktemplar

Greg66 Tri v2.0 wrote:

Damn, this is annoying. Italy look to have gone back to their usual form

FTFY

Remind me how many tries Eng-er-land have scored?.... oh, that's right, the same as Wales. And two less than us.

To be honest I think England are a good side, and will take the Grand Slam, unless the Frenchies suddenly find some form. I don't see Italy or Wales beating them, although the Taffys looked good against Ireland even if they did nearly fluff it in Paris. And with a home game it might just be enough to get their dander up.

It will be interesting to see how injuries to Sexton, Zebo, BOD, McCarthy and Healy's possible ban for stamping will impact Ireland's potency at Murrayfield. Plus they're no longer on the hunt for a GS which might also take the edge off.

cjcp

Very impressed that England ground out that victory in Ireland. Farrell starting 10 for the Lions...?

At the moment, only North and Halfpenny look like they'll get in the starting line up from the Welsh squad. They seemed to have more zip with Williams at no. 9.

daviesee

cjcp wrote:

Very impressed that England ground out that victory in Ireland. Farrell starting 10 for the Lions...?

At the moment, only North and Halfpenny look like they'll get in the starting line up from the Welsh squad. They seemed to have more zip with Williams at no. 9.

Funny how people have different perspectives on the same sport.
Some see the Six Nations as a testing ground for the Lions.
I see the Lions as a post season celebration - Like Criteriums following the Grand Tours.

The order for me - World Cup, Six Nations, Lions, Test matches. And the last two are a close call.

I am not saying one outlook is right, and one wrong. Just different.

clarkey cat

Farrell looks very good and should tour but if Sexton is fit he should start IMO.
I'd agree with your order of priorities Daviesee. Lions and Test matches are fun but they don't stir my ire like WC and 6N.

Sewinman

Lions is way bigger than the six nations. I suppose if you havent won a Grand Slam in ten years it might seem big, but with 3 in the bag over that period it starts to get a bit 'meh'.

Every single player would rather be a victorious Lion than winning the Six Nations. The WC is all a bit nouveau.

Sewinman

cjcp wrote:

Very impressed that England ground out that victory in Ireland. Farrell starting 10 for the Lions...?

At the moment, only North and Halfpenny look like they'll get in the starting line up from the Welsh squad. They seemed to have more zip with Williams at no. 9.

You forget who the coach is. Gatland will definitely pick Mike Phillips and Toby Falateau. Probably Jamie Roberts too if fit. Lydiate too.

sketchley

6n vs test matches vs Lions vs Worldcup

Worldcup comes first.

Lions vs 6n vs Other Tests is an odd one. The lions I will watch, I'd even go on tour with them, but do I care if the Lions lose in the same way that I do if England lose? Well frankly no, besides if the lions do lose it'll be because of the Welsh and Irish (I would say Scottish as well but they won't have anyone starting)..... However, I could say the same about Harlequins, would I take a Harelquins win in the HEC or Premiership over a 6n grand slam, well yes!

cjcp

I only mentioned the Lions. I didn't say anything about prioritising them.

@Sewinman: I'm not convinced Gatland's that sentimental, but I missed out Faletau, and possibly Tipuric.

Sewinman

Frankly, if you rank the Lions below Six Nations/Test matches then you're not down with proper rugby folklore.

ddraver

clarkey cat wrote:

Mr_Ribble wrote:

Yea it was vintage England for sure.....
Shock. England play 10 man rugby (its the only game they know) and win in atrocious conditions. The only glimmer of hope was the grubber which Manu nearly got on the end of.

I've supported Wales all my life, and yea there were some tough times in the late 90s, but I always think Wales, no matter how bad they are playing, have spirit in their stride and fire in their breath.

If you mean sending up Jamie Roberts on the crash ball ad infinitum is "spirit in their stride" then you're more one-eyed than most Welsh. That's why they'd just lost 8 games on the bounce (yes, 8 games) and if it wasnt for a glorious moment of inspiration from Dan Biggar that could easily have gone to 9.

An extremely young England side closed out an immensely mean, experienced and streetwise Ireland in Dublin. Absolutely epic. Best win I've seen in quite a few years (All Blacks 'aberration' aside).

Agreed - there was zero creativity for 79mins 55 seconds of Wales or France on Saturday (watched it in Lille with a group of Welshies who were doing the singing, was great fun! England and Ireland played in atrocious conditions and neither team was able to string any fancy handling moves together. No doubt England ground out the win by playing safe and (crucially given the last few years) not giving away penalties in their own half! But for a young inexperienced team playing against some of the best Northern Hemisphere Talent of the last 10 years, it was a job well done!