Also it was good to see Twelvetrees come good again. I've always believed a centre pairing should be one creative one battering ram (or both if you're BOD). Wales centre pairing is just an extension of the pack and it showed when Roberts attempt at a grubber through was both poorly conceived and executed.
Hmm, I thought that Parking had played in the LV for tiggers, maybe not. I'm far from a fan of his and IMO he'll be behind Attwood too when fit.
Gethin was terrible today wasn't he....he was almost at 90 degrees in one scrum! Recon either him or Adam will play at Twickenham in the rwc?
Tom B - Member
Hmm, I thought that Parking had played in the LV for tiggers, maybe not. I'm far from a fan of his and IMO he'll be behind Attwood too when fit.
Doubt that will happen...
Parling controls the line out very well, and is very good in defence. I don't think he has played this season as he came back broken from the Lions tour... the one that Attwood wasn't invited on 😉
Vunipola seemed to be really struggling at the scrum when he came on.
🙂 I love the Parling 'lineout guru' tag.....England had the worst lineout stats of the 2013 6n's, when he played every game.
The great England teams of recent times won games off the back of a very dominant pack. This current team is winning games with intent, often without scrum superiority and that gives me great cause for optimism. Burrell, Lawes and Brown are real game changers. May and Nowell are exciting, but naive and inexperienced sometimes.
Considering we have Corbisiero, Cole, Croft, Tuilagi, Yarde and Wade to come back from injury, I'm feeling pretty happy with where we are at.
Tom B - Member
I love the Parling 'lineout guru' tag.....England had the worst lineout stats of the 2013 6n's, when he played every game.
What worse than Scotland or France, i doubt that very much
Yarde and Wade improve everytime they dont play 😉
Yhat clip sells Geoghegan short,I remember him as the punchiest winger ever.
Didnt he once score a hat-trick v england or was it scotland?
Tom B - Member
I love the Parling 'lineout guru' tag.....England had the worst lineout stats of the 2013 6n's, when he played every game.What worse than Scotland or France, i doubt that very much
Worse than Scotland actually Frankers, same percentage won on own ball (82) lower on Opp throw in.
Two words, Tom Youngs.
Parling was excellent for Lions, having said that he's going to struggle to get passed Lawes and Launchbury when he's back.
So Wales next week:
What I'd like:
Hook
Cuthbert
Davies
Roberts
North
Biggar
Phillips
Faletau
Warbs
Lydiate
AW Jones
Ball
Lee
Owens
James
Gethin
Hibbard
Adam
Charteris
Tipuric
Richie Rees
Priestland
Liam Williams
what will happen:
Liam Williams
Cuthbert
Davies
Roberts
North
Prirstland
Webb
Faletau
Warbs
Lydiate
Aw Jones
Charteris
Adam
Hibbard
Gethin
Jaems
Owen
Rhodri Jones (can anyone explain why a scarlets second choice loosehead is Wales tight head cover?)
Ball
Tipuric
Phillips
Biggar
Hook
Can't really disagree on either team prediction a_a. Not sure about Samson Lee starting but Owens and James should definitely be given a proper chance. Perhaps keeping Lee in there keeps the continuity but he doesn't look up to scratch yet.
I like the significance of Hook being listed very last in the realistic team 😀
What comes across in the Welsh selection process (and even in substitutions during the game) is a lack of trust in the guys that aren't the big names. Almost at though they'd rather have a team firing at 50% but know what they're getting than mix things up any take any risk at all. Frustrating... but nothing new sadly.
Wales centre pairing is just an extension of the pack and it showed when Roberts attempt at a grubber through was both poorly conceived and executed.
JDavies effort was no better. And the passing was about the same standard too.
Imagine how dangerous North could be with a decent centre inside.
JDavies effort was no better. And the passing was about the same standard too.
Imagine how dangerous North could be with a decent centre inside.
Easily the best centre pairing in NH over last few years, its not Davies fault he was picked with only and hours rugby under his belt since Nov and at that time he'd only played a couple of games since the Lions.
Agreed, Davies is class and any team would want to have him. However, he's simply too rusty to be in form, and it showed.
Anyway:
😆
A very good win for England, two highly important pressure games won back to back, all solid work in the RWC build up process. Wales didn't feature and weren't allowed to by an excellent performance. Farrell had his best game In a long time, kicked for position very well and kicked his goals and conversions. Aside from 1/2p I didn't see a single Welsh performance which matched their England equivalents. The first try was fabulous Wales standing around like bewildered baby rabbits in car headlights.England have some work to do as some poor decision making kept Wales in a game which they should have been truely buried in.
I don't subscribe to the logic Ireland are somehow better/more worthy than England as potential 6N winners. They lost the head to head and beat a Welsh team who had a very poor day. I'm personally glad England lost to France as a Grand Slam could have allowed them to believe they are better than they are, more work to do.
I wonder if 1/2p will sit out the season now and rest ahead of his move to Toulon. Doesn't seem much to play for internationally and for "club". He was outstanding again yesterday.
Edit: will read back on the BOD discussion later, he's been an outstanding for sure. Best Northern Hemisphere player ? Over the longer period he's been operating internationally he's had his highs and lows (he wasn't very good on the Lions tour) yes he's been the most consistent high performer but he hasn't reached the heights Wilkenson did and he hasn't delivered a RWC winners medal and runner up to his country in the way Johhny has done, indeed neither has Carter.
I thought Warburton was very good in defeat, that England allowed a shambolic wales to stay in the game for so long should be a worry. England didnt comprehensively dismantle Wales like Ireland did.
Not sure 1/2p will have much choice as he will most lkely need surgery. England could do with working on the breakdowns out wide too, the larger Wales backs did very well in that repect by pushing the english off the ball. I reckon that my have been the thinking behind kicking the ball so long and allowing the back three to run it back. I was impressed with Nowel's kicking game, May is a headless liability though IMO.
Yep. Yarde for May IMO. I wish Nowell had backed himself to run that ball tbh but to be fair that's probably lack of confidence given his experience to date.
that England allowed a shambolic wales to stay in the game for so long should be a worry
Wales were never in the game.
duckman - MemberTom B - Member
I love the Parling 'lineout guru' tag.....England had the worst lineout stats of the 2013 6n's, when he played every game.What worse than Scotland or France, i doubt that very much
Worse than Scotland actually Frankers, same percentage won on own ball (82) lower on Opp throw in.
Fair enough you can't argue with the stats... though wasnt it last year that Tom Youngs through-ins were a bit rubbish ??
yet they scored so many points 😆Wales were never in the game.
A lucky try at any point and poor as they played they made a few chances, and it would have been squeaky bum time for sure. Conceding 18 points of pens would worry me. Do that against an inform team and they would be screwed. You have obviously forgotten the 2008 game.
I'm with AA pm this one. Wales were there for a proper dismantling, yet stupidity kept Wales within a few points for a long period of the game. It only needed North to get the ball in a one on one, and Wales would have been in the lead.
The dirty kiwi biter needs a good hard look at himself, although I thought the one for taking out Tongan in the air was pretty unfair - he wasn't a lineout jumper, he just tried to jump the tackle!
English wings need a bit more aggression. I could see Tuilagi coming back onto the wing - he's not a 100m player, but over 30-40, he's fast enough. May needs to learn which way forwards is as well
ok, so we let 1/2p practice his kicking a bit.
It only needed North to get the ball in a one on one, and Wales would have been in the lead.
don't bet on it - he had two opportunities and fluffed them both.
I thought three of the penalties were pretty unlucky, although two were definitely correct. Lawes must have felt the tackler's hands slipping and thought he had been released so carried on only for the tackler to just maintain his hold on his foot. It is immensely difficult to avoid touching a knocked on ball when it is coming straight at you - it is an instinctive reaction, so I have some sympathy for Hartley there (although Morgan managed it a few minutes earlier). And I am still confused how the Falateu tackle was a penalty as he wasn't a jumper so again Hartley seems to have been unlucky - would appreciate a better informed view.
I was at the game and England were very dominant, seemed to be a yard faster, with great line speed in defence. (Whilst the dominance did not open a gap on the scoreboard until the second half, the crowd did not seem in the least bit nervous.) I thought it was very similar to Ireland's performance against Wales, neither team gave Wales enough time to play and they became rattled, but Ireland were slightly more clinical. These two teams have been the best and I think either would be a worthy champion.
Jonny Wilkinson did not win the World Cup for England alone, he played behind one of the greatest packs in the history of the game, and had some pretty handy talent alongside in the backs too. Whilst BOD has played in some very fine Irish sides, they never quite had the weight of quality and form at the right time to win a World Cup and that can't be held against him. He is certainly the most complete NH back I have seen in the modern game.
And I am still confused how the Falateu tackle was a penalty as he wasn't a jumper so again Hartley seems to have been unlucky - would appreciate a better informed view.
Not any better informed, but I agre with that.
The scrums were my bug bear, one case wales going forward English front row pop up wales pinged for driving up, next Wales going forward Wales front row pop up, wales pinged for popping up. As for Gethin I have no idea how the ref knows if it was Gethin driving in or Wilson turning in, having said that Gethin should have been able to sort it out but once Wilson had the protection of the ref he could just turn in surely.
As was said by Gareth Llewellyn said on Scrum V Wales scrummaged strongly but not intelligently.
England wee the better side regardless but it would be nice to see scrums finished. I cant helped thinking that if refs stopped bloody giving pens so often it would help.
Sir Clive gives us his amazing insight into why Wales lost. I expect he thinks Gatland should have taken a spin Dr to Aus with the Lions too
The former British Lions coach was also concerned when watching Wales in the warm-up.He said: “I was pitchside during Wales’s warm-up and I cannot believe the colour of their tracksuit. “It is the most awful grey and whoever chose it needs to be taught a few things about professionalism.
“It reminded me of when Manchester United were losing 3-0 at half-time to Southampton and Sir Alex Ferguson ordered his players to change out of their dreadful grey strip.
“That afternoon in April 1996 was the fifth and final time United wore that strip and they failed to win a game in it — losing four and drawing one.
“Wales have an amazing colour and it is called red. This is a professional sport and you need to look the part.
“England looked totally professional in the warm-up — all the players, coaches and staff were in the right colours.
“Wales looked awful and it was not helped by the sight of [b]Jake Ball warming up in grey with a 2ft long red beard. It just doesn’t look professional.”.....
sauce is the Daily Flail so I havent included a link
Looking to the future.
Wales Under 20's 7 - England Under 20's 67 😆
Did Paul Moriarty's kid play for england? Beat wales in the world cup final last year didnt they?
Don't forget that England U18 beat their Scottish counterparts 28-6 yesterday as well.
Woodward should of been run out of rugby after the Lions tour he ruined, the man is a twunt of the highest order
To be fair to Sir Clive he's ok on the beeb but obviously has to say something for Daily Wail clickbait.
What was up with Farrell making a Gareth Bale-esque (heart shaped?) hand gesture every time he kicked a penalty?
What was up with Farrell making a Gareth Bale-esque (heart shaped?) hand gesture every time he kicked a penalty?
No doubt it'll be something to do with him being a massive cock.
Anyone just see the LV highlights?
Not really vintage Gavlaa was it 😯
First time I've seen him play for a while. Can't imagine that we'll see him again anytime soon!
That was my first thought DD 😀
A quick Google suggests he dedicated the Wales victory to an ill son of a friend. I was curious if he does the hand gesture thing all the time so we can lambast him for being a knob or if it was a one off thing with good intentions behind it despite outwardly appearing like a knob...
Zach Kibirige try for England U20 against Wales:
(Sorry if this has already been posted, I had a quick look but couldn't see it!)
[url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-26498496 ]Plaid Cymru MP questions warbs being captain as he described himself as british[/url]
Anyone seen that? why can't politicians stay out of sport.
Nice try! He looks pretty handy.
Oh and genuine lol
deadlydarcy - Member
What was up with Farrell making a Gareth Bale-esque (heart shaped?) hand gesture every time he kicked a penalty?
No doubt it'll be something to do with him being a massive cock.
That is a cracking try, would have been outclassed by the Burrell one yesterday if 1/2p hadn't made such a suicidal but awesome tackle
Re Farrell's gesture:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/owen-farrell-dedicates-win-terminally-3225046
Worth googling before comments are made perhaps.
I'm sure it was a heartfelt gesture on his part. He's still a massive cock.
I can't deny the latter statement 😀
Did the itv 4 highlights show the reverse angle for Gavs yellow card? It was a very good tackle and he ripped the ball during it an Exeter player kicked it on and the ref guessed wrong on the tail of lots of bath infringements. Hardly a vintage display but he didnt do much wrong, him and that saffer 7 missed a crucial tackle. Heathcote was the one who started the rot mind with a daft chip and chase combined with getting run over by the return. That Tongan fella is bloody fast!! The Bath pack got bummed especially in the lineout.
