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Another vote for aa. Can't see Tait getting outside Roberts mind,Roberts is very good as showing a gap and then closing it painfully, just like Cueto did at club level three years ago
optimism turns to pessimism when I hear that Jenkins, Rees and 1/2p are injury doubts.
I think I'm going to enjoy watching that game a lot more than you are.
It's always nice to meet a fellow Scotland fan, though I can assure you there are few who enjoy a Scotland victory more than me!
[url= http://www.rbs6nations.com/en/scotland/15652.php ]Lievremont labels Scotland the 'Northern All-Blacks'[/url]
Err.. I think he must have been at the wine before the press conference...
Scotlands problem is that so few of our players improve on early promise. With some ie Simon Taylor I think this has been due to injury but a lot of them just don't seem to deliver consistantly or on the bigger occasions.
Do we not have something like half the number of registered rugby players than even Italy?
Can't see us beating the French.....unless they turn up and give us lots of penalties and Mossy does the business as usual.
We won't score many tries - that's becoming a wee tradition it seems!
My 2pence worth - England, France and Ireland to win this weekend. 2 close games and an easier passage for the Irish.
Tiggs - at least this scotland selection is rather more attacking with both Evans and Mossy as well as Dickinson. robinson has gone for pace and flair over power. I think he knows that Scotland will not win without scoring tries so has gone for an attacking team not a defensive one.
could be a cracker of a game.
Flair? When was the last time we had any flair. How many times do you see someone like Paterson get through a defence and when they do there is no support or they fluff the pass because it is such an alien situation to them. Every year I have high hopes only to be disappointed. Always entertaining to listen to Peter Wright on the radio tho'.
Agreed TJ - was over the moon when I saw Parks wasn't playing which helps our attacking and defensive options.
Still a bit concerned by the lack of "bite" in the back row. AS you say - this could be a belter if we take the game to the French and not sit back and wait for the penalties.
Dickinson could be a revalation if we play a fast and open game. We have probably the quickest pack in the championship and we must play to that strength.
Wales team to face England: Lee Byrne (Ospreys); Tom James (Blues), James Hook (Ospreys), Jamie Roberts (Blues), Shane Williams (Ospreys); Stephen Jones (Scarlets); Gareth Cooper (Blues); Gethin Jenkins (Blues), Gareth Williams (Blues), Adam Jones (Ospreys), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys), Luke Charteris (Dragons), Andy Powell (Blues), Martyn Williams (Blues), Ryan Jones (Ospreys, capt).
Replacements: Huw Bennett (Ospreys), Paul James (Ospreys), Bradley Davies (Blues), Jonathan Thomas (Ospreys), Richie Rees (Blues), Andrew Bishop (Ospreys), Leigh Halfpenny (Blues).
adds an extra to england in the head to head as the dwarf from Cardiff is playing instead of Rees. Interesting that Tom James got the nod over 1/2p. James is a real athlete but not as skillful and can start a fight in an empty phone box.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rJrZdhtJQ4&feature=related
Bloody hell gethin has pulled out injured now to be replaced by Paul James, I'm now on a downwards spiral of pessimism
Wales will beat England. England are truly awful at the moment and Wales have too much class.
Ireland will hump Italy
Scotland and France could go either way. Depends if France turn up really. Scotland to edge it though I could be sooooo wrong on that one!
i love the six nations, the trails and roads are quiet for a few hours
Wales will beat England. England are truly awful at the moment and Wales have too much class.
Problem is a lot of the welsh class is injured and are replaced by shit like Charteris, Gareth (I'm the shittest lions SH ever) Cooper and Gareth the midget Williams
Wales will beat England - the only e****ing welshman I know is back in the office. IME welshmen only turn up when beating England is likely.
From the late 80's to 2003 could I find one post match 👿 (without travelling to Wales...)
Trails are always quiet by me 🙂
Sorry.. that was an utterly unhelpful, pointless and annoying post. I'll get my coat.
Fantasy 6 nations - STW league
Still only 4 teams entered so far.
- Stade Incompétent
- handbags and sadslags
- Shane Williams and Some other blokes
- scarlet pimpernels
Anyone interested can enter a team here [url] http://scrum.fantasyleague.com/ [/url]
Once your team is created you can join the league 'STW' by entering the pin 5171.
AA, I used to think that about wee Gareth Williams, but he's been playing very well indeed for Cardiff recently. Besides, look at Szarzewski, he's not exactly huge!
Losing Gethin is a blow, though.
I reckon the welshish will get the better of england. We have no teeth at present. Lack aggression and penetration IMO. If we have a really good day and the welsh have a mare, we could do em but not otherwise. above all I just want to see a good game.
Having looked at the french team they look really good and will have matured since last year, they're my tip for the tournament.
French Scrum Half Elissalde is out. Michelak has been drafted in to the bench with Parra starting.
Optimistic about Scotland having a good start to the tournament but the french on paper look amazingly good.
backhander, bringing flutey, Tait and Armitage back should help your back line in attack. Centres may struggle if Roberts starts getting some decent ball.
Well, one New Zealander isn't playing! Flutey's injured out! Another New Zealander is taking his place on the bench.
That leaves Toby Flood marking Jamie Roberts. There's a mismatch if ever I saw one! Tait against Hook as well. Midfield is looking tidy! Wonder if Moody or Haskell are going to try the same plan as Worse(ly) and just mark Roberts and ignore everything else. If they do, that might leave a lot of space for Hook's rather hidden pace.
Getting excited now!
and the Times said Cipriani is off to the land down under, who are looking for some more NH signings...... my money is on Henson.
OK I'm back to optimism
at 2 mins
CaptainFlashheart - Member
AA, I used to think that about wee Gareth Williams, but he's been playing very well indeed for Cardiff recently.
+1. Williams is not a bad hooker at all. But, as the papers have pointed out today, Wales have lost 100 caps and 4 stone from the front row...
Despite all the anticipation I am getting very disappointed that we never get to see 1st choice teams playing against each other.
All these players dropping out are being injured while training - it seems mad that Flutey gets injured just a few days before the start of the biggest tournament he'll play this year.
One of the problems of professional sport, I suppose.
Williams aint bad and neither is Paul James but they are replacing a very good and an exceptional player.
Wonder if Moody will man mark Roberts again, it left England in the shit at the breakdown last year. cant see Flood knocking Roberts back much.
cant see Flood knocking Roberts back much.
He'll be bouncing off the good Doctor all afternoon! Jamie should, if he gets any ball, run straigh at him and through him.
So have we got the predictions yet? Getting excited now.
I'm going for
England 9 Wales 17
Italy 6 Ireland 31
Scotland 15 France 10
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.
.
.
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or depending which French team turns up
Scotland 15 France 34
Fluteys out, tait vs hook will suit the welsh as it will not expose hooks weakness in defence too much.
Worseley put roberts and powell out of the game the other year and got man of the match for it. Amazing performance!
Narrow welsh win, french win (diff depends on conditions), irish win but not too convincingly.
I'm not too hopeful of any brilliant diplays of rugby though.
Narrow ENGLISH WIN
Easy IRISH WIN
Narrow FRENCH WIN (sadly)
, tait vs hook will suit the welsh as it will not expose hooks weakness in defence too much.
Care to expand with example on this, as I think your talking rubbish.
Worsleys performance was amazing, amazingly nieve coaching which led to England getting murdered at the breakdown with Tindal and one other I think being yellow carded and a constant flow of pens as the openside was man marking Roberts.
To be fair worsley did as he was told very well, but it wasnt a good idea.
I don't care what you think. Hooks a shit tackler FACT.
Never mind what the professional rugby minds made of joes performance, you're probably right. Nope, you're talking out of your arse.
Joes performance was good, but it doesnt alter the fact that england had no real 7 and were creamed at the breakdown and ended up loosing a match they never looked like winning.
can you give me an examples where hooks lack of tackling ability has shown up. He's not a big hitter but he's no O'Gara thats for sure.
Backhander - what Worsely did was fantastic - marked him right out of the game- but they England did lose the breakdown [i] again[/i] that game. I see the same happening on Sunday. Good tho Moody is he cannot mark a centre out of the game and rule the breakdown
There is no need to be so tetchy - this is the polite thread for gentlemen who play with odd shaped balls.
Worseley was awesome against Wales last year. He did the job he was given and did it superbly
The same will not happen tomorrow.
My confidence in a Wales win has dropped now that Gethin is out (best British loose head since Tom Smith!). Still think Wales will win though. Think they are stonger through the whole 3/4 line and upfront will be nip and tuck.
Fingers crossed for a Celtic clean sweep 😉
I'm worried wales will be bossed at the breakdown so would be happy to see Roberts man marked again.
http://www.justin.tv/twomint/popout/
under 20 match on this link
at least it was seems to have ireland A game on now
He's not a big hitter but he's no O'Gara thats for sure.
😀
Ha, you wish you had an O'Gara - it's a measure of the green machine's superiority that they can win with 14 men all game and bring this mystery ghost with a spotless jersey in for kicking duties 😯
there's a brilliant clip on youtube somewhere of Shane Williams running straight over O'Gara Lomu style!!
They laugh at Rog...but, he has produced some amazing kicking under pressure. I'd rather have his longevity than the fragility of other No 10s. And there are few finer positional kickers in the game, who can continually pin the opposition inside their own 22s for the final quarter of a game. He has continually stepped up and produced after off-days.
I tire of people constantly pulling the piss out of the other aspects of his game. I suspect he's the one laughing with two Heineken cup medals, a grand slam and a couple of triple crowns thrown in (for all that they matter anymore).
And of course, there was [i]that[/i] drop goal....
I would take o gara over hook personally. I'm not trying to pick holes, I just don't think hook is very good going backwards but is a very intelligent player and great going forwards. Tait is another and armitage can be the same.
I wasn't being tetchy but defending my opinion after
so [i]he[/i] started it 😛I think your talking rubbish
I also don't think the breakdown was exposed, england would never have won much ball anyway as they were outgunned/classed. There's rarely more than 5 forwards committed to a single ruck in any case.
Just seen the saes under 20 thump Wales. Score was a bit flattering but the Welsh boys tired badly. Most og the saes lot had played at premiership level. I think an saes lad got a red for stamping but was hard to see, some good skills shown by both sides.
O'Gara is no doubt a better ten than Hook, but O'Gara's lack of ability in contact was a disgrace on the Lions tour I firmly believe that had Hook come on rather than O'Gara the second test result could have been different. O'Gara works well for Munster and Ireland because of the strong pack, wouldnt work for wales. Sexton is a better player though.
Sexton is a better player though.
Given his relative youth, I think it's very promising for the future - it's also a credit to the coaching and development staff that they've been patient with bringing him through. I have no worries where he's concerned. I also think there are always good backs in development. I worry slightly for Ireland's pack in this coming tournament - they have looked weak in the scrum and the maul - while paradoxically strong in the lineout. As long as they can reproduce the form against SA, they'll be ok. But there's fragility there waiting to be exploited - which I predict will happen big style in Paris 😐
Where's everyone watching it today then? I really can't wait for the Wales England game - the tie of the weekend for me.