[Closed] 2015-16 rugby, world cup year

Pick a different England team and I might give a answer on that last point of course.

England did exactly as the coach asked them to do - a game plan to win the game -it worked.

Without Billy V then that game plan may not have worked. I reckon we'll see different England teams and tactics for each match. I don't see them at a dead end.

As a Scotsman I'm sad to say we don't have the players to change much - we just need to execute better.........

.........and Straus for Denton would be a change worth considering.

I think Strauss would have started if he wasn't struggling for form himself. Denton is off his gamejust now but Vunipola was England's best player and would have made any of the 6N 8's look poor,even Parisse.

Faletau is the better player imo. Vunipola carries exceptionallywell but Faletau does much more. Faletaus try was also very special he made it look easy picking up a loose ball on the run, getting through the tackle and reaching out to score.

The man who made Parisse look poor every so often on Saturday was Parisse himself. Trying too hard on occasion. That said some of the rest of the time he was inspired.

Can we please consolidate in to one thread? I nominate this one to continue.

Seconded.

I though Wales looked ragged for at least the 1st half. Solid in defence but made a number of errors that brought the pressure upon themselves. Ireland didnt look very threatening in attack other than one or two moment.
Roberts was colossal! Lydiate came on late and didnt appear the Lydiate of old.

Wales lucky not to be penalised for at least 2 clear forward passes and both incidents were tip tackles under the rules and should have been penalised as such.
Warburton must have been livid!!

England didn't look a good side but they were good enough to beat Scotland who really did play poorly
I think the Six Nations title this year is definitely between Ireland and Wales

I didnt see any evidence of that. Neither Ireland nor Wales looked impressive. Early days yet and any of those 3 could could still develop some form.

Let this one die, it isn't world cup year anymore.

But it's not about the world cup, or the 6 nations, it's about this seasons rugby.

Talking of which, Leicester were absolutely bloody awful this weekend!

I enjoyed the opening weekend; the rugby wasn't of the best quality but it was tense with some dramatic finishes.

Italy blew a golden opportunity to win in France; they really need a good kicker. Some of those missed kicks were sitters. France looked a bit at sea, but I think will improve.

The Ireland front row looks lightweight at scrum time and I think they missed Rob Kearney to chase and field kicks. Zebo looked a bit ropey. Wales looked pretty good; I think they'd be better if they tried to use less route one options all the time, but I guess it's tough when North is so out of form. The lack looks good and their defence looks very, very good and will take some breaking down. Biggar will be a loss if he's injured. Priestland will do a job but never inspires much confidence.

Scotland seemed to lose their heads; when it was on they lost composure. Kicking away turnover ball like Russell did was not good. Maitland looked like a liability.

England did what they needed to do; a win buys time and increases confidence making it easier to make changes. The big plus for me was the use of the bench which didn't seem premeditated like it used to under Lancaster (e.g. Taking Care off at 60 mins or so when he was having a stormer last year). The pack seemed to get stronger but were pretty hopeless at the breakdown; too often it was a back and not a backrower. Billy V was very good though and it was good to see him last 80 mins.

Ford was rubbish; did nothing in attack and was a liability in defence. Farrell proved again that he isn't a 12; hopefully Ford will be in the bench with Devoto at 12 and Farrell at 10. Sam Hill looked pretty good for Exeter if we want some power / direct running in the midfield. JJ wasn't much cop either. Hopefully Daly will get a run out soon. The midfield is still a massive weakness and concern; neither Wales or Ireland will be worried.

Farrell's push was tw*tish but he does have form for that kind of stuff when trying to be tough.

Farrell's push was tw*tish

Seemed fine to me, its rugby not tiddly wi ks. Pen was a fair call on it.

anagallis_arvensis - Member
"Farrell's push was tw*tish"
Seemed fine to me, its rugby not tiddly wi ks. Pen was a fair call on it.

Aren't you contradicting yourself there? Surely giving away a needless penalty in the opposition 22 is the definition of being a ****?

I thought the Wales Ireland game, whilst not being the most flowing game in the world, was a compelling arm wrestle; particularly in the 2nd half. The Welsh back row were well balanced and pretty impressive (stand fast one Tips missed tackle which cost them a try) and for the first time in ages the Welsh bench seemed to have a positive impact.

I don't think any of the other home nations will be particularly concerned by England's performance but hopefully EJ has more up his sleeve. Sorting out the breakdown would be a good start...

Oh and I'd vote keep this one too although not overly bothered either way...

I'd vote to keep this one too.

On Wales, I came away feeling disappointed with the performance and result but actually, on reflection there are a lot of positives and some of the replacements who could have been properly iffy were solid enough. Who knew James was actually a reasonable defender?! There isn't the strength in depth of some of the other Nations but considering the lack of rugby half the team have had and recent injuries it wasn't a bad shift to hold a pretty solid and rounded Irish side.

Only Francis really stuck out as being particularly bad I thought. You could also put Lloyd Williams in there too but in fairness to him, coming in at 9 so late in the game doesn't give you any time to get the inevitable mistake out of the way and not feel the consequences (refereeing aside!). Davies didn't play brilliantly and certainly slowed things up but I have to wonder if 10 mins left was an ideal time for a replacement. 9 and 10 are the worries for me in terms of the team as whole flowing well and getting some form (plus points on the board in the form of a reliable place kicker) but I think (hope!) the big names elsewhere in the team will build some form as the 6N progresses.

Aren't you contradicting yourself there? Surely giving away a needless penalty in the opposition 22 is the definition of being a ****

I supoose, but it was ****tish in an aggressive competitive way, idiotic maybe but not a reason for other teams fans to hate him.

Davies looked kackered just before Williams came on Tips was doing more of the 9 work. The lack of clean ball with both teams coming round the side and kicking the ball away didnt help either 9 or the game.
Francis isnt great but is 10 000 times better than Jarvis so he in.

There isn't the strength in depth of some of the other Nations

Other sides might relish the idea of 365 or so caps on the bench!!

120 of those are for Gethin who (these days) wouldnt get near the English, Irish or French squads. Priestland has lots of caps but cant get in the Bath team. Italy probably have more caps on their bench than England due to Castro, doesnt make their bench strong.

Antone else seen this stuff on Japans' Goramaru?
Apparently he's now the worlds highest earning rugby player.
However. of the 200k euro per [i]month[/i] he's earning, only 10k euro are playing wages, the rest sponsorship deals. The Japanese love their heros for sure.

It is with deep regret that I have decided to retire from professional rugby following medical advice. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all at Rugby Club Toulonnais for their understanding and support over the past few months.

Since sustaining the injury at the World Cup I have been fully focused on returning to fitness and starting an exciting new chapter for both myself and my family in Toulon. Unfortunately this will no longer be possible.

I have been blessed to be a professional rugby player for over 14 years and to be part of Munster and Ireland teams that have experienced success.

I have played with some of the best players to ever line out in the red of Munster and the green of Ireland and have had the privilege of captaining my country.

I would like to thank those at Young Munster RFC, Munster Rugby, the IRFU and Lions Rugby who have supported me over the course of my playing career.

Special thanks must go to my wife Emily for her unwavering support through the good and the bad and to my parents Michael and Shelagh.

Lastly I would like to thank everyone who has supported the teams I have been a part of. The support you have shown me is humbling and an immense source of pride for both myself and my family.

Paul O'Connell

Crackin player. Wont miss him 😉

Sad news about POC. I hope he has a long and happy retirement. Great player and leader.

anagallis_arvensis - Member

Faletau is the better player imo

Yes, he's brilliant - but he's Welsh, unfortunately. Billy V did have a very effective game on Saturday though.

Someone who is English (well, Fijian but he qualifies in the summer) is Nathan Hughes. He looks to have, potentially, the qualities of both the aforementioned rolled into one.

mindmap3 - Member
Farrell proved again that he isn't a 12;

Unless, according to Dai Lama, "it's his score, out of 10, on the c**t-o-meter...."

Unless, according to Dai Lama, "it's his score, out of 10, on the c**t-o-meter...."

Davies looked kackered just before Williams came on Tips was doing more of the 9 work. The lack of clean ball with both teams coming round the side and kicking the ball away didnt help either 9 or the game.
Francis isnt great but is 10 000 times better than Jarvis so he in.

Can't disagree with any if that. Timing didn't help Williams but was unavoidable I guess.

Shame about POC- a truly iconic figure of the game

Farrell's push was tw*tish
Seemed fine to me, its rugby not tiddly wi ks. Pen was a fair call on it.

But it wouldn't have been fine if the Scots had been able to work a scoring play from the line out. I agree it's not tiddly winks but stuff like that can really hurt he team.

Good to see Kvesic being added to the training squad with Beaumount plus Itoje and Daly. Hoping for a couple of tweaks.

No doubt everyone is Wales will be signing with relief after it was confirmed that Biggar shouldn't be out for too long.

It's a shame for POC not to get a couple of seasons of the big money at Toulon to add to the retirement fund. An absolute legend and fantastic player.

Just checked him out in the hope of finding some funnies. No luck.

Maybe you were checking out the Dalai Lama?

Here ya go:

Jack Nowell claims Wales "hate" the English. Unfortunately for Jack, it seems his barber is Welsh.

Flightradar24 is like Scottish rugby, in that it mainly caters to people who want to watch a disaster in real time.

Despite the dominant win, I'm outraged that Andy Murray was selected ahead of Brian O'Driscoll for the Wimbledon starting XV. Bloody Gatland

Jamie Roberts was EVERYWHERE today. Of course, he has an big advantage given that his jaw alone covers 37% of the pitch + 3 out of 4 stands

I did see those. Wrong humour for me perhaps? I quite liked the Farrell one.

No doubt everyone is Wales will be signing with relief after it was confirmed that Biggar shouldn't be out for too long.

Webb playing for O's soon too IIRC?

Yes, he's brilliant - but he's Welsh, unfortunately. Billy V did have a very effective game on Saturday though.

Have you heard Mako and Billy V speak. Mako more so.
Here is Mako before he turned to the dark side!
[img] [/img]

I've always thought Billy V ships the ball on a little too quickly and wished he'd just put his head down and run a bit more. Even at the start of the game at the weekend it was much the same then something clicked and he finally went rampaging 🙂 Great to see (but he can revert to old habits against Wales thank you)

Beaumont retained for the England squad, hope he gets his first cap. Daly & Kvesic released back to their clubs.

Shame that Daly and Kvesic have been released. We need a proper seven because I do t recall either Haskell or Robshaw effecting a turnover.

Joseph is a lucky boy given his current form. He didn't free an awful lot on Saturday and his teammate understanding with Ford seems ropey. Daly must be wonder how what he needs to do.

Bath are in terrible shape at the moment, I have a feeling there is something going on that is affecting the form of the Bath players and that's going with them to England.

Maybe they are missing big Sam? 🙂

Yeah, Bath are in terrible shape at the moment. I don't think the Burgess debacle has helped at all.

Ford Jnr seems undroppable despite his poor form. I'd be cheesed off if I was Priestland.

Even the Saints managed to put together some fluid attacks at the weekend.

I'd be cheesed off if I was Priestland.

He knew what he was getting into. Bloody odd move. I thought he was pretty good saturday apart from the not touching down the charge down for a 22 brain fart.

Talking of brain farts, anyone see Ben Botica's howler for Quins on Saturday? Bet he's popular right now!

There was still a lot to do, but yes it wasn't ideal! 🙂

Priestland signed as a back up flyhalf, who had said he wasn't going to play internationals prior to signing. Then he decided to again leaving them without cover in the international Windows. If I were Bath I'd be properly pissed off and ship him on pronto.

knew what he was getting into. Bloody odd move. I thought he was pretty good saturday apart from the not touching down the charge down for a 22 brain fart.

I guess a big fat pay check!

Botica's howler was awful. Foden did well to keep that alive though.

muddydwarf - Member

Beaumont retained for the England squad, hope he gets his first cap. Daly & Kvesic released back to their clubs.

Posted 17 hours ago #

Where are you going to play him?

Where are you going to play him?

The current modern ERFU thinking is of course, full back.