Wales should hopefully improve
Hopefully!!
I didn’t say are the best, I said regularly amongst the best.
I definitely believe the Celtic nations have benefitted from concentrating their domestic players into a few teams, so playing at a higher level week in week out.
“Celtic Nations”
🙄
I definitely believe the Celtic nations have benefitted from concentrating their domestic players into a few teams, so playing at a higher level week in week out.
😄😄😄😄😄
Have you ever seen a pro12/14/URC game?
When are Italy playing Wales, official updated my status from concerned to worried!! Look far more physical than Wales
When are Italy playing Wales, official updated my status from concerned to worried!! Look far my physical than Wales
Last week, it's going to be a competitive spoon play off.
Sorry DD - if that’s a lazy unpopular description I apologise.
AA, whilst they may play some understrength teams, they train with more high calibre players week in week out. Am I wrong that the condensation of the W/S/I teams was the start of their rises up the rankings?
Last week, it’s going to be a competitive spoon play off.
Last week: Wooden spoon play off for Wales and Italy, Grand Slam decider for Ireland and Scotland.
whilst they may play some understrength teams, they train with more high calibre players week in week out.
This is clearly not true, the English Prem and French Top14 are much stronger.
Am I wrong that the condensation of the W/S/I teams was the start of their rises up the rankings?
Yes
Italy are are having a good stab at this. Wales should rightly be worried that they are facing a drubbing at home and away.
As for rule changes.
50:22 should work to open up defences, although it requires a gamble to to gain territory.
Goal line dropout for a kick over the try line should be only if that kick was taken inside the opponent’s half. If it’s from your own half then a 22 dropout. Teams will just hoof it down field and then potentially get a goal line dropout.
The brake foot of the hooker needs to be sanctioned and reffed strictly. But then the ball never goes in straight either, which is never looked at.
Actually the scrum is still a mess. The latest rules are far better than the high impact engage of yesteryear, but to take away the hit entirely would keep the front rows up and encourage scrummaging.
Crouch, bind, engage (no impact, all front row players are in full contact, shoulders to shoulders) set (taking each other’s weight) with an almost immediate ball feed down the centre, which both hookers can and should be encouraged to hook for.
That would make scrum collapses lees likely from the impact engagements.
I don’t know how we got to the point where the completely skewed put-in at the scrum became the norm.
It makes a mockery of the whole set piece but is never mentioned in the out of season rule changes.
I‘be watched rugby since I was a kid but I’m not wholly invested in the ins and outs of the politics and rule changes but this seems a very odd situation to be in.
Were the put ins as crooked in the early 90s as they are now?
On reflection and having a eye on the stats there are a few reasons why Scotland won:
One big difference is the forwards tackle count. The scots back five forwards did not miss a tackle and the whole pack only 4 out of 82. England 9 out of 58. Scotland negated the england power game by making sure of the tackles and looking for turnovers and won the back row battle. Watson 14 tackles missed none Curry 11 missed 3. I am pretty sure we got more turnovers at the tackle as well
The other is Finns ( and Hoggy) kicking from hand. He moved the England back 3 around and set up that penalty try situation. That was a planned move and both wingers knew it was coming but it had also been set up by clever use of the boot before hand
I’m still a bit lost as to why Smith came off - unless I missed an injury or something? It’s like “we have finishers, finishers must come on!” I can understand replacing, say, Sexton with Carberry when the game’s won. No point risking Jonny at that stage. But Smith looked like the only thing that might unlock Scotland in the last quarter. Young’s lumpen box kicking wasn’t going to do it…
I'm awash with relief that England lost the first match and we will not have to endure the media banging on about a possible England Grand Slam they way they do every year
One big difference is the forwards tackle count. The scots back five forwards did not miss a tackle and the whole pack only 4 out of 82. England 9 out of 58
The flip side of that is that teams tire, the Scottish forwards were out on their feet during those last scrums and we dodged a bullet.
Scotland folded 4 or was it 5 times on that Scrum and weren't pinged, the whole series of play taking 4-5 mins off the clock as well.
Yup, and while the ref had a better picture I was fearing the worst. But that's rugby; pundits, press and fans have been focusing on that rather than why we had taken the lead.
I think Ben O'Keefe gave the benefit of the doubt to the team that was on the front foot.
For the first 60 minutes I thought he was giving England every 50:50 call and then some. After the penalty try I thought we were getting those calls in our favour.
He did say he would favour the team that kept the scrum up.
I think Ben O’Keefe gave the benefit of the doubt to the team that was on the front foot.
I think he bottled it...piss funny mind.
As long as refs are consistent I don't mind, but he wasn't consistent. Compare to Pyper who pinged very little in the Ireland game. Francis, surprisingly, had Porter pulling all sorts of weird shapes and dropping far to lows, pulling down on arm etc and got nothing all game, which didn't bother me tbh as the ball was coming out and it prevents interminable scrum bollocks, it was only when the Welsh "sparkler squad" came on in the second half that he started giving pens, which was fair enough!
South Africa tour: Springboks confirm three July 2022 test dates for Wales visit
Oh brilliant, I can hardly wait...any players not already broken soon will be!
\moan
An interesting perspective from Sam Warburton writing on Sunday that England has 30 eligable Pro-league centres to choose from, yet here we are playing out of position while we wait for Manu Tuilangi and his hamstrings of cheese on the basis we might win the 20 minutes of the six nations he gets to play. Oh, and Farrell.
I've never understood this kind of mentality from Jones, coincidentally we have people baying for him to be replaced again.
/moan
South Africa tour: Springboks confirm three July 2022 test dates for Wales visit
AH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.....draws breath...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
AH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…..draws breath…HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
And you just know the autumn internationals will be NZ,SA, Australia plus another game against Argentina or Fiji 😥😥😥😂
And you just know the autumn internationals will be NZ,SA, Australia plus another game against Argentina or Fiji 😥😥😥😂
Big money to be made selling tickets to 3 out of 4 loses and a struggle to get past a tier 3 team of under prepared club players. (Georgia)
Wales may squeak past a second string, injury ravaged Australia or South Africa team at the end of their season, but Wales haven’t beaten NZ since when, 1645bc?
I was discussing future rugby careers with my two sons aged 6 & 8. I'd mentioned that this would involve drinking lots of beer and getting drunk.
8yr old: "Beer is bad for you. I'm never going to drink it."
6yr old: "Does that mean you can just go round punching everybody? That sounds great!"
(I wonder which one is cut out to be the rugby player?)
Squidge on the calcutta cup
lister
I don’t know how we got to the point where the completely skewed put-in at the scrum became the norm.
It's interesting, cos in age-grade reffing laws, we have this emphasised
"Note to referees: Referees should pay particular attention to ensure that the
scrum half throwing the ball into the scrum is not “feeding” their own players"
You'd think it would be more important the higher up the levels you go 🙂
Apparently Wales are considering playing Jac Morgan at 6 with Moriarty at 8 in another midget backrow. Also Flufbert to wing and and Adams remain at 13. If this comes to pass I know what I'm doing this weekend.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/rugby-union/59833758
Sexweejambucket out of game v France..big blow, although Carbery is very good
Sutherland and Fagerson to bench for Scotland
Wales squad:
Wales: L Williams; Cuthbert, Watkin, Tompkins, Rees-Zammit; Biggar (capt), T Williams; W Jones, Elias, Francis, Rowlands, Beard, Basham, Morgan, Moriarty.
Replacements: Lake, G Thomas, D Lewis, S Davies, Wainwright, G Davies, Sheedy, J Davies.
Christ on a bike!
Wait, Adams dropped?
Adams "injured" so we're putting up cat flap against DvDM. It's going to be a cricket score.
Scotland going for the bomb squad off the bench tactic? Wales to match it with the sparkler squad 😂😂😂😂
The front row starting are probably better in the set piece. ( sorry)
England V Italy:
1. Ellis Genge (VC)
2. Jamie George
3. Will Stuart
4. Charlie Ewels
5. Nick Isiekwe
6. Maro Itoje
7. Tom Curry (C)
8. Alex Dombrandt
9. Harry Randall
10. Marcus Smith
11. Jack Nowell
12. Henry Slade (VC)
13. Joe Marchant
14. Max Malins
15. Freddie Steward
I'm a bit concerned, Jones has gone for the novel method of almost playing everyone in the right place.
Edinburgh and Glasgow are playing leinster and Munster tonight. It will be a double stuffing!. Although both the Irish sides will also lose players it will not be as many
I’m a bit concerned, Jones has gone for the novel method of almost playing everyone in the right place.
🙂
Although both the Irish sides will also lose players it will not be as many
Glasgow 11 players
Edinburgh 13
Leinster 17
Scottish counting again
Saucer of cream? I am suprised tho. Glasgow were Ok but Edinburgh I hadn't heard of most of the forwards! Anyway Edinburgh duly get their cuffing and Glasgow squeak a close and hard fought game
So anyway TJ, the Gilroy ban, just?
Likely to miss today's games, can't say I'm too upset, will be away from here till I've seen them to avoid spoilers.
Predictions:
Wales 18 Scotland 32
France 28 Ireland 22 ( too close to call really, if Ireland win is it the end of the road for Sexwee Jam Bucket?)
Not feeling confident AA? Remember you are out bogey team!
No way I'm predicting a result in Cardiff today. I have real hope of a Scotland win.That scares me. As every Scotland fan will know, it's the hope that kills you in the end.
