Six Nations 2018

crispybug2
crispybug2 Posts: 2,915
edited March 2019 in The cake stop
I think Ireland will win, but without a Grand Slam. England and Wales to push them closest, France will be France, Scotland have too many injuries and Italy will take up their traditional place of holding up everyone!

Could be a experimental time with the Rugby World Cup later on this year

As per usual I can’t wait!
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Comments

  • crispybug2
    crispybug2 Posts: 2,915
    Just reading that France have named the most ridiculously heavyweight pack for the opening game against Wales at the Stade de France tomorrow

    The average weight of the front five forwards is a shade under 21 stone!
  • Wayne Plunger
    Wayne Plunger Posts: 444
    As a Welshman who knows nothing about rugby, I hope we win.

    I have no meaningful insight into tactics / game plans etc but if pushed can down a reasonable quantity of Brains.
  • tangled_metal
    tangled_metal Posts: 4,021
    What did you guys make of the idea that backs playing as forwards? I saw a news piece about Eddie Jones saying it'll happen and suggesting Nowell for such a time. Will he try it? Say against Italy or Scotland? After the game has been won of course.

    I've stopped predicting a few years ago. I enjoy it more.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,593
    Tangled Metal wrote:
    What did you guys make of the idea that backs playing as forwards? I saw a news piece about Eddie Jones saying it'll happen and suggesting Nowell for such a time. Will he try it? Say against Italy or Scotland? After the game has been won of course.

    I've stopped predicting a few years ago. I enjoy it more.

    Sounds like typical Eddie Jones bollox. All positions have their slight specialisms so it would be difficult for even a top class back who has played rugby all their life to switch position and still play like a top class player. Italy did it in reverse with Bergamasco a few years back and it wasn't a success (although not as bad as when they used him at scrum half). Even switching among back row positions isn't easy or alternating between centre and wing unless you've done it a lot.

    As for predictions I think Crispy has summed it up although I think Ireland may take the Slam again.
  • tangled_metal
    tangled_metal Posts: 4,021
    Wasn't there an England league player who switched codes then played as a forward for club but as a centre iirc for England. Wasn't very successful considering his talent in league so he went back to league. Don't think he ever performed as highly in league after that. No more man of Steel etc.
  • Tashman
    Tashman Posts: 3,497
    crispybug2 wrote:
    I think Ireland will win, but without a Grand Slam. England and Wales to push them closest, France will be France, Scotland have too many injuries and Italy will take up their traditional place of holding up everyone!

    Could be a experimental time with the Rugby World Cup later on this year

    As per usual I can’t wait!
    Fairly certain Ireland did win 2018 with a GS, how about this years tournament? ;)

    FWIW if we (Wales) can get off to a winning start tonight then we're in with a great chance.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,593
    Tangled Metal wrote:
    Wasn't there an England league player who switched codes then played as a forward for club but as a centre iirc for England. Wasn't very successful considering his talent in league so he went back to league. Don't think he ever performed as highly in league after that. No more man of Steel etc.

    Yep, Sam Burgess. He was rushed in before even being given a chance to adapt to playing Union. To make things worse he played flanker for club and centre for England, talk about never being given a chance!
  • laurentian
    laurentian Posts: 2,568
    Ireland have that air of invincibility about them . . . like England in 2001 - 2003. Settled, fearless, experienced, calm and very very capable. Favourites by some margin and rightly so. After the 6N, the world cup is on "neutral territory" - a GS this time around would set them up beautifully.

    England are kinda good enough in all positions but never seem to get the "good enough" players on the park at the same time if they do, they don't perform - big fan of England Rugby but EJ in danger of losing his aura. Will do well to achieve parity vs Ireland

    Wales win tonight would set them alight - Italy next, then England and Ireland both in Cardiff they would rightly fancy themselves but I wonder if some of their big guns are getting just a bit past it (not much - just a bit)

    Scotland, I think, will almost do brilliantly in every game they play but I fancy them to beat one of Ireland England or Wales

    France . . . as ever, who knows but think they have suffered from their domestic league pay structure (much like England footy with the last WC excepted)

    Italy - really really hope they win one game . . . just something to take out of the tournament.

    Can't wait for it to start though, it's a very special and very unique competition
    Wilier Izoard XP
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,717
    Pross wrote:
    Tangled Metal wrote:
    Wasn't there an England league player who switched codes then played as a forward for club but as a centre iirc for England. Wasn't very successful considering his talent in league so he went back to league. Don't think he ever performed as highly in league after that. No more man of Steel etc.

    Yep, Sam Burgess. He was rushed in before even being given a chance to adapt to playing Union. To make things worse he played flanker for club and centre for England, talk about never being given a chance!


    He was treated appallingly. Full on sacrificial lamb treatment...

    I never got the chance to watch it for the last few winters but perhaps this year I actually might be able to again...
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • bompington
    bompington Posts: 7,674
    Pross wrote:
    Tangled Metal wrote:
    Wasn't there an England league player who switched codes then played as a forward for club but as a centre iirc for England. Wasn't very successful considering his talent in league so he went back to league. Don't think he ever performed as highly in league after that. No more man of Steel etc.

    Yep, Sam Burgess. He was rushed in before even being given a chance to adapt to playing Union. To make things worse he played flanker for club and centre for England, talk about never being given a chance!
    The thing is, the normal England strategy is to play 7 forwards in the backs plus one pretty boy with a nice quiff whose job is to kick the ball a lot :twisted:
  • crispybug2
    crispybug2 Posts: 2,915
    First try of this years tournament to France, big men truck it up, little guys run through the gaps, not rocket science or great to look at but effective nevertheless
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,593
    Wales are terrible, France surprisingly well drilled.

    Oh, and I've said it before but Anscombe isn't international standard and certainly not a starting number 10.
  • tangled_metal
    tangled_metal Posts: 4,021
    ddraver wrote:
    Pross wrote:
    Tangled Metal wrote:
    Wasn't there an England league player who switched codes then played as a forward for club but as a centre iirc for England. Wasn't very successful considering his talent in league so he went back to league. Don't think he ever performed as highly in league after that. No more man of Steel etc.

    Yep, Sam Burgess. He was rushed in before even being given a chance to adapt to playing Union. To make things worse he played flanker for club and centre for England, talk about never being given a chance!


    He was treated appallingly. Full on sacrificial lamb treatment...

    I never got the chance to watch it for the last few winters but perhaps this year I actually might be able to again...
    Yes, that was my thought. All other code switching players got longer to settle I thought. Never a certain thing he'd perform but I certainly thought he could have given a good performance if given time to develop and given a role he's more suited to. In league he was a real presence, a leader on the field. He never got to show that in union.

    I had a real mental block over his name I could picture him even see a bit of him in a game in my mind's eye but not his name.

    So Ireland, Wales and England are the big 3, would be good to see France show up and stir things up in the first game.

    With England, are they either underperforming considering the talent or the talent isn't able to perform together or they just haven't got that top level playmaker? I just think they should be more of a threat. Are the injuries the cause, the coach isn't right or what?

    Scotland have talent but not enough. If you restrict the talent what are their options?

    I wonder if you pick your tournament team from all the teams at the start if the 6Ns and again after. Wonder what the big changes would be?
  • crispybug2
    crispybug2 Posts: 2,915
    France are starting to implode here, they’ve been as awful in the second half as Wales were in the first!
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,593
    Poor quality game but different mental strengths between the two teams. France very fragile when they get put under pressure.
  • crispybug2
    crispybug2 Posts: 2,915
    France 19-24 Wales

    Total dogshit performance from France in the second half, complete lack of leadership and spirit and anything really, as soon as Wales scored early on then everything fell apart
  • Matthewfalle
    Matthewfalle Posts: 17,380
    rubbish kicking & two handling errors killed France.

    Fair play & congrats to Wales.
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,593
    Cheese eating surrender monkeys.
  • gethinceri
    gethinceri Posts: 1,677
    Some very poor tactical decisions in the first half made Wales look a shambles. 2nd half showed how limited France continue to be.
    Crap game, great result.
  • crispybug2
    crispybug2 Posts: 2,915
    20 minutes in and all Italy’s limitations are fully on view
  • Matthewfalle
    Matthewfalle Posts: 17,380
    crispybug2 wrote:
    20 minutes in and all Italy’s limitations are fully on view

    What limitations? Apart from the 15 dudes on the pitch and their tactics I can't see any ...........................
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,593
    Italy show that if they can get the structure out of the game they can be dangerous. Scotland demonstrate that they will be susceptible to teams taking them on with pace and width.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,593
    England keeping pressure on Ireland who seem bereft of ideas and can't cope with the ball being put behind them. Still close though.
  • crispybug2
    crispybug2 Posts: 2,915
    Pross wrote:
    England keeping pressure on Ireland who seem bereft of ideas and can't cope with the ball being put behind them. Still close though.


    It’s been a considerable step up in quality from the first two games
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,593
    crispybug2 wrote:
    Pross wrote:
    England keeping pressure on Ireland who seem bereft of ideas and can't cope with the ball being put behind them. Still close though.


    It’s been a considerable step up in quality from the first two games

    Not the most exciting though despite what ITV keep trying to tell me. Ireland the worst I've seen them for a few seasons.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,593
    England very impressive, just pressured Ireland out of it with a very aggressive defence and good tactical kicking. A bit of a dull watch but they've certainly worked Ireland out and Ireland had no idea how to adapt.
  • crispybug2
    crispybug2 Posts: 2,915
    Didn’t see that result coming at all, superb performance by England

    Topped off by the Irish guy in the pub screaming “you cheating bunch of f*cking c*nts!” after Slade’s second try before storming out!
  • Dorset_Boy
    Dorset_Boy Posts: 7,610
    Easily the best match of the weekend and the highest intensity by a distance. That was a really top performance by England to squeeze the life out of Ireland and cap it off with the BP.

    Wales were dreadful in the first half and got very lucky in the second. They are very over rated and believe their own hype, but have the easy draw this year with England and Ireland in Cardiff.
    France better than they have been with fewer mercenaries in their team, but mentally are made of china.
    Three of Scotland's first 4 tries shouldn't have been given for various reasons, were easily better than Italy, but still not good.
    Italy dangerous in patches, but quality is lower than everyone else and another wooden spoon awaits.
  • laurentian
    laurentian Posts: 2,568
    Wales France
    Thought Wales showed great character to come back from 16 points behind after the best French performance in a while when "good France" turned up for the first half. Even in the second half, I didn't think Wales played that well to be honest. France blew it spectacularly as "bad France" were as bad as they've been for years but, as I said earlier, great character from Wales. France have only won someting like 4 of their last 18 matches.

    Scotland Italy
    Scotland made hard work of it although Italy played well in parts - same old story with Italy, they need to be able to play for 80 minutes. Same old story wit Scotland being very dependent on a handful of brilliant players (Hogg, Russell, Laidlaw to name a couple) Sergio Parisse is pretty godlike.

    Ireland England
    Not sure whether Ireland were guilty of believing their own hype as others have said. For a change England a) were able to pick from a fully fit squad. b) had selected players who played well at the same time. Front three and back three were outstanding and nobody was less than an 8 out of 10. Best England performace of Jones's tenure in one of the two hardest places to play rugby in the world.
    Wilier Izoard XP
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,593
    Dorset Boy wrote:
    Easily the best match of the weekend and the highest intensity by a distance. That was a really top performance by England to squeeze the life out of Ireland and cap it off with the BP.

    Wales were dreadful in the first half and got very lucky in the second. They are very over rated and believe their own hype, but have the easy draw this year with England and Ireland in Cardiff.
    France better than they have been with fewer mercenaries in their team, but mentally are made of china.
    Three of Scotland's first 4 tries shouldn't have been given for various reasons, were easily better than Italy, but still not good.
    Italy dangerous in patches, but quality is lower than everyone else and another wooden spoon awaits.

    That's complete crap. They've finally got a confidence that they can win any game which comes from being on a winning streak, a bit like England in the early 00s and it's good to see you are hedging your comments with the 'easy draw' comment. I doubt you commented last season that Wales had a difficult draw when finishing second. Good teams manage to eke out wins when playing badly.

    Anyway, as you've written everyone else off I'm sure you are looking forward to an England Grand Slam?

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