Yeah French team have something like 3 days together go back to clubs plat match then back to camp, hardly conducive to winning.
E. Jones is an arse, why is he having a pop at Wales when playing France?
No point winding up the French before the game - plus I bet he's livid over the whole Marler thing. Aussies take a very different stance on racial slurs than we do here - note that interview a few pages back.
why is he having a pop at Wales when playing France?
Dont know but he may find he has under estimated things when England roll into Cardiff with Lions places up for grabs next year.
This has just appeared on my timeline which kind of puts into words how I feel about EJ these days, after what seemed like a breath of fresh air during the RWC. 😐
In what has been something of an incendiary episode from the start, it was probably fitting that Eddie Jones ended up having his eyebrow-raising tuppence worth.Ahead of departing for Paris where he hopes his England side will claim a first Grand Slam in 13 years against France on Saturday night, Jones said the Welsh Rugby Union’s hard-line stance against racism in the wake of the Joe Marler-Samson Lee ‘gypsy boy’ furore had an ulterior motive.
“Everyone is keen for England not to win the Grand Slam, let’s be real about it,” said Jones.
“Wales will be happy if we don’t win the Grand Slam and they’ll do anything to upset us in our preparation. It’s as simple as that.”
Don’t flatter yourself Eddie. A sizeable contingent of Welsh supporters may like to see Les Bleus derail England, but the WRU and the Wales squad couldn’t care two hoots.
But that’s hardly the point.
For the England boss to equate an organisation’s condemnation of racism with some conspiracy to influence the outcome of a game was just beneath contempt.
And to cast doubt on the integrity of people like WRU chief executive Martyn Phillips and chairman Gareth Davies – for that’s what Jones has effectively done – was crass and unforgivable.
There will be those who titter at the remarks, brush them off as having come from a canny Australian on a wind-up.
Well, if Jones was indeed trying to wind everyone up it was deeply irresponsible.
He taunted Wales by claiming they ‘don’t know if they are Arthur or Martha’, in reference to apparently contradictory stances on the affair.
But this ignored the fact that Warren Gatland, who described Marler’s comment as ‘banter’ is just one employee of the WRU – albeit a high profile one.
It was one errant remark from someone who has since issued an apology. The WRU’s position has been consistent from the outset.
Continuing his assault on rational thinking, Jones added: “This is why you have citing commissions. Once they have made their decision you get on with - you don’t say it (the decision) is wrong.”
Why’s that Eddie? Why do we have to accept the bizarre ruling of anonymous and misguided Six Nations officials?
With this saga having dominated the run-up to the final Six Nations weekend, there have been calls from some quarters to ‘move on’.
But move on to what? To an acceptance that it is OK for players to sling this sort of insult at opponents? To the fact that some junior players will now take the field thinking that if they do what Marler did they shouldn’t be punished?
Jones is experiencing his first Six Nations and may yet repeat the trick Gatland performed in 2008 by doing a clean sweep at the first attempt.
But it appears he still has much to learn about the respect which has always underpinned the tournament, and relations between the competing sides.
Meanwhile, if England win at Stade de France there will certainly be the usual angst about their success among the red clad hordes. T’was ever thus.
Yet nobody this side of the Severn Bridge who knows anything about the game will, deep down, begrudge them.
They will be deserving champions, deserving Grand Slammers.
Genuine rugby fans will applaud the achievement. Jones will be entitled to puff out his chest and talk excitedly about the future of English rugby.
But when the dust has settled, when we all go back to work on Monday morning, the stain of an unsatisfactory outcome to a matter of grave importance will remain.
That’s because players hurling around jibes like ‘gypsy boy’ is about so much more than one match alone. It’s about the very future of rugby union.
How incredibly silly of Jones not to realise that.
So todays game? Wales21 italy 9 in an error strewn shit fest of dullness, ireland 15 Scotland 32 in the game of the day and then France 15 England 18 in a tight squeaky bum fashion.
Ireland - Scotland will be closer I reckon. Can't see Scotland winning by 17. (But I can see them winning.) Think England will beat France, but they probably will need to be a good few scores ahead going into the last twenty (unless France are completely out of puff by then which is entirely possible). As for Wales Italy, I couldn't give a shit really. Italy have been woeful apart from the first game against France.
Wales by 25
Ireland by 5
England by 15
Wales get better and Italy worse as tournaments progress. 60 point win.
Ireland and Scotland to put on a bit of a show and share a few tries each with Ireland sneaking it by 5.
Billy smash France. 9-0
DD the noises coming out of ireland dont sound good with Schmidt considering his position in the summer
Yeah, been reading about that this week. Hard to know what exactly is going on there. Hope he stays till next RWC to be honest.
I'd like to see Schmidt coach the Lions.
Anyway, today....
Wales to win. Scrappy first half, then a 15 point win.
Scotland to win. Sorry, DD. Only by five or six.
England by twenty. Sadly.
Scotland to lose.
The mindset is we're winners and will win. In reality we'll sit back and let Ireland run at us. 10 will kick but not find touch. We'll all wish Horne was at 10 with hoggy kicking from hand.
I can see them winning.
Scotland to win. Sorry, DD. Only by five or six.
Naah. Ireland in Dublin? Irish win. Much as I'd prefer it the other way.
Well, Wales have certainly come to play!
My wife saw this ref in Krispy Kreme this morning buying a coffee.
Harsh yellow there. Right by the laws, but a bit of leniency at this stage of the game wouldn't have gone amiss.
Wales look like they're trying too hard - not playing well and only leading thanks to poor refereeing and a very poor Italian side.
edit: better now!
Piss poor from Italy
Wales21 italy 9 in an error strewn shit fest of dullness
I am Mystic Meg!!
anagallis_arvensis - Member
Wales21 italy 9 in an error strewn shit fest of dullness
I am Mystic Meg
😀
I think that this is worth going back to...
Amos is a quality very young player. I'm happy to see him start.
He played like a blind three legged llama. Completely out of place in that team. Over-running passes, being in completely the wrong place, dropping the ball.
Crikey: Toner! 😯 😆
Moriarty was excellent for Wales.
He played like a blind three legged llama. Completely out of place in that team. Over-running passes, being in completely the wrong place, dropping the ball.
Amos will come good he's only 12. Davies flapping the ball in his general direction all game didnt help.
Hogg can really light up a game, can't he?
Give him a shit kick and a bad defensive alignment and yes he can. Poor from Murray and no pressure with the chase.
Is Sexton auditioning for Dynasty with those shoulder pads 😆
And not before time.
Looks like a long afternoon for Scotland. They look flustered , scrappy and ill disciplined.
Can't decide how England will get on this afternoon. France have been poo for ages now but I wonder if we have the cutting edge / mental resilience to do the job needed.
good game so far
Do Scotland think they get points for running everything out from their 22?
**** all wrong with sexton the cheating ****
Ffs wendyballer behaviour from Sexton there.
I agree, he sat up to complain, then collapsed like a wendyballer.
Perfectly able to claim the penalty before rolling around.
You don't "claim a penalty".
Oscar worthy.
Card was the correct decision though.
* wendyball recerence 😉
It's one of my pet hates recently - players claiming things from the ref.
Haha I had to come on here to vent my anger about wendyball behaviour from Sexton. Glad to see others feel the same. Commentators didn't say anything.
Well deserved win. Should have been by plenty more I reckon, which is a worry.
Reckon Stander might be in the radar of some NFL teams after that performance. Was outstanding today. And Sexton will be on the radar of some EPL teams. 🙂 No need to milk it, penalty and yellow card were always coming after that.
Good win by Ireland - good game too.
Well France have as always won the battle of the national anthems.
That england guy should have been yellowed, blantant fingers in eyes
should have been yellowed, blantant fingers in eyes
Contact with the face and eye area....
Quite! 🙂
Bloody hell. They've done nothing really and they're ahead by seven.
Judging by recent events,he will say sorry and Eddie will unload on the French coach.
