Roberts/ Davies (Williams) 🙂 I guess Tuilagi/ Slade is close but not defensively ideal???
I think Jones see's Farrel as another kicking option to go with his monster pack. You wouldnt pick that back row and play with a distributing 12.
If Jones sees Farrel as a Gitaux like player you lot have picked the wrong coach.
I did say "for this match".
I'm wondering if he play 10 with deveto at 12 at least for the second half next week.
Right, predictions please.....
With a touch of pessimism, I'm going to say Ireland by 5.
I think Wales by 3 -5 points.
I think Ireland's kicking game will be too much for our back 3 and then they will maul us to death. Expect to see Biggar dropping back to field high kicks a lot.
Sanjay in for Anscombe....
Loopy Liam has played 1 game since the World Cup, mind you Anscombe has only played about 3 and those have been at 10.. I is worried.
Ireland can kick and chase all they want, but without Kearney and some others, I can't see the Welsh back three having any great problems with that game. Meaning the green machine would have to revert to Plan B. There is no Plan B. No O'Brien, no Healey, so the Welsh pack will have plenty of fun and games with their opposite numbers. Man for man, they're way better up front.
In the unlikely event of Wales having to catch up in the second half, they have lots more options on the bench. Ireland have Cronin, Madigan and (maybe) Kearny.D to do something different...but not different enough.
Plenty of pundits predicting Wales by 10-12 with which I'd agree.
The green machine is a bit too broken to repeat last year's feats, apart from losing to Wales, which they will.
Never under estimate Wales abiluty to be shit!
Nor Ireland's. 😆
Game of the tournament so far!
Good gamecso far. Shame about the score!
****ish irish crowd booing their player getting lucky with a tip tackle
Classy booing from the Irish there.
Tips tackle is a penalty. Deal with it.
The Irish treatment was nice done earlier. Good game, this.
Actually, isn't it a card for a tip tackle?
Touchdown! (almost)
Irish scrum getting demolished.
Ireland very lucky not to have someone binned with 3 dropped scrums in a row.
Actually, isn't it a card for a tip tackle?
Warburton will be putting more pins in his Rolland doll again tonight!!!
Well,well,welll. During the Aus v NZ sevens match NZ was 10-17 down and scored a converted try in the dying moments of the game, thus drawing the game.
Turns out they had eight players on the field.
First video shows it clearly.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/did-new-zealand-field-eight-players-when-scoring-try-to-snatch-draw-against-australia/news-story/a14d7b39c1d49478379cc8046081325b
New Zealand? Cheating?
Whodathunkit? 😉
Annoying to see some niggly stuff like high tackles let go and the things already mentioned but I guess the flip side is a very exciting game so far. Very tense!
Surely has to be a card at the next scrum. Ireland getting mullered.
Tense
Fair result
Well after the mullering I thought we'd get, I find myself strangely disappointed. Garces did a poor job, but to be fair, Warbs stepped up manfully and reffed the game really well. 😀
Fair results and perhaps unfairly puts England at top. The big Question is will England improve enough to beat one of those?
Both sets of backs better than England, we'll miss a 7 (again) vs Wales. Pity Biggar is off he looked about to be MoM.
A conundrum, it's all wide open.
Garces did a poor job,
I've just rewound to the last Irish penalty - no18 offside from the kick, it was claimed. He simply wasn't. Well done fotr giving it to the Irish, Garces! Add that to the card that Earls should have had for two tip tackles (he made another after the penalised one), add in the obvious high tackle on North in the first half and the string of scrum penalties that should have been carded. What's he actually watching?
Oh, and the morons on ITV are wrong -the last draw between Wales and Ireland was 1991, 21-21.
You should put a video dossier together IJ.
Interesting interpretation of the high tackle all weekend, but the Welsh boy (Roberts?) was definitely lucky not to get an explanation of the rules from the ref.
Is it wrong to be amused at itv using Martin bayfield to do the post match interviews.
Quite funny to see all of them having to look up at him
deadlydarcy - Member
You should put a video dossier together IJ.POSTED
You always get defensive when an Irish team or Irish ref is involved.
Is DD not Welsh then? 😉
Wouldn't stop me supporting them if I wanted though. Plenty of others don't let it stop them. 😀
Warbs stepped up manfully and reffed the game really well.
He should have pinged the irish for taking out players way beyond or to the side of rucks then.
Roberts tackle wasnt high hit him on the chest. No idea whatvthe video ref was watching for the clear high tackle on North or the second lifting tackke by Keet Earls.
Kryton,should you not put the kiss of death on England at this point by predicting a grand slam? 😈
Should we get the mods to close this? Seems daft having two threads
Kryton,should you not put the kiss of death on England at this point by predicting a grand slam?
No, they aren't good enough. It's a 3 way on points difference in my head, England to be denied becuase I don't believe we are as capable as amassing the points as Wales or Ireland.
anagallis_arvensis - MemberShould we get the mods to close this? Seems daft having two threads
Posted 2 hours ago #Report-Post
The pedant in me feels this is the whole season thread.
Ok the way an admittedly biased Scot saw the weekend overall.
England looked like a poor side playing well - in other words I think they're in a dead end.
A big pack and poor backs might (will) win games in the 6 nations, but if you have aspirations on the world stage forget it. Also their captain didn't look like he had his place on merit when the subs came on. Troubling.
Scotland looked like a decent side (not spectacular) playing badly. They know the England game was theirs for the taking and they didn't. Their backs were in a different class to England's except for the final passes. If Russell had passed to Hogg, or even kicked in field, that was the game - England weren't coming back. How they cope with that mentally after the Australian defeat will be interesting.
Wales and Ireland - look like the teams to beat. Solid performances that kind of cancelled out. Wales didn't panic at 13-0, Ireland didn't at 13-16.
France - who knows? They got the win, but... They could get their act together and improve they might not.
Italy? Well I don't know if I'd like to face them in Rome this year. If they take the performance not the result away from Saturday, then they might fancy England.
He did not want to take risks yesterday and you have to say England got it spot on with their tactics. It was horses for courses. Any win at Murrayfield is a good win
Is the view of another Scot - Geechs knows a thing or two!!
England looked like a poor side playing well - in other words I think they're in a dead end.
I think they were deserved winners of the Calcutta cup. I though the scots lacked accuracy and metal. Once englands injuries clear up, EJ will be able to select the team as he wants it. Dead end is complete nonsense.
they might fancy England.
At least one celtic poster has said that on here for the last 4 years.....
Don't disagree with the comments above on England and their tactics - nor do I think they disagree with my views. Ten man rugby was the way to beat a Scottish side with a pack that never really fired on all cylinders. On the day England deserved the win, but where do they go from here with that side / style of play? Not clear. They certainly won't be troubling the Southern Hemisphere.
Pick a different England team and I might give a answer on that last point of course.
And Billy as I've said was a bit good.
"he pedant in me feels this is the whole season thread."
I agree but now we have two its daft