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Another weekend coming, hopefully another step closer to Garlands sacking...picking a backline of midgets including a guy at 15 who has never played a pro game at 15(and is a midget) v SA is.........bod
Meanwhile Scotland Aus looks like game of the weekend. I hope Scotland can throw off their perennial underachievers title and get a win. Two exciting teams, could be a classic.
France Argentina was a good watch last night, shame it's only Ireland Fiji today..looking forward to Scotland Aus tomorrow...nothing to see here, move along....
SA at a point per minute so far.
SA at a point per minute so far.
Who they playing?
Can I just say now though, before it gets lost Dewi Lake is some ****ing player.
Who they playing?
I don't know but whilst they are fighting hard they are also starting to tire and make stupid choices
Wales 12 South Africa 45 . It could have been a lot worse.
Hopefully enough to see Gatland go...shame he has bought some great times to Welsh rugby but his time has passed.
If you want Tandy you can't have him
you want Tandy you can’t have him
Don't won't him thanks
The Welsh system is broken.
This.
Not enough done at grass roots to encourage kids to play. Too many stupid rules that stifle their enjoyment when they do play, especially at age grade, and an academy system that appears to be designed to destroy players rather than help them.
25% today’s squad don’t play for Welsh regions. That must tell ‘the system’ that something is wrong.
A change of coach isn’t going to make a rat’s arse of difference.
It would make a bit, not a massive amount but some.
Meanwhile complete lack of class from Tuipoloto, coming in to float over Nd start a bundle with the injured player...
Scotland are always going to score tries but that was a really good defensive showing from them
was a really good defensive showing from them
Superb, amazing what a settled team, with a cohesive gameplan and good coaching can do.
A change of coach isn’t going to make a rat’s arse of difference.
Bloody hell, regardless of the scoreline, England and especially JVP are so slow I don’t know how they are getting away with it.
amazing what a settled team
Thats whats made the most difference to Scotland. Until recently the entire team played for two club teams in the same league (almost). They were used to playing with or against each other weekly. Now thats beginning to break down with players moving 'abroad' will they keep it together? I hope so as I do enjoy a trip to Murrayfield!
Thoughts to Tom Voyce (Wasps/England) friends and family as it appears Tom has been carried away in a flooded Ford attempted crossing presumed dead.
Sad times.
Bloody hell that's awful
1 week out from the Welsh quest for another wooden spoon and look who's back. (Actually it's a really interesting interview)
Nothing to see here, move along, move along....
Glad it's back.
Jings,bit of a shoeing for Wales so far...
Ahhhh DuPont
The only reason I’m not enjoying Welsh disappointment too much is the realisation that everyone else is going to have to play the French
Jings,bit of a shoeing for Wales so far…
I don't think they'll be the only ones on the showing so far.
By the new rules is that a full red (as in, they now play with 14) or would a replacement come on after 20 mins?
Of course makes no difference here as <20 to play anyway.
Man for man it is difficult to criticise Wales' effort. But if you offer precisely zero in attack you have to try to defend for 80 minutes. Which is basically impossible.
Worrying as France really didn't get above 3rd gear.
Fair play to the Wales team, they never stopped trying.
…never started trying either! 🙂
When Wainwright went off we effectively had 3 7's in the back row. Morgan is a good ball carrier for a 7 but he can't do the job of and 8 and a 6. Combined with Watkins at 12 getting injured and leaving a 10 at 12 and a 21 year old 10 making his debut we effectively had no carriers.....I mean we'd have lost without those injuries but would at least have had chance of doing something on the rare occasion we got the ball.
Daft red card silly behavior that.
Not sure what more wales could have done tbh.
France far too strong but thought their attack was a bit seat-of-the-pants. Half their players can make something from nothing, but it might take more structure to crack Ireland. Possibly a conscious choice for tonight's game, but dangerous to rely on Dupont's magic touch all the time (although fabulous to watch). And Ntamack, wonder how costly that red card will be. Jalibert is a great replacement but still a blow to lose first choice fly half to a sanction.
Shame for Wales who I thought were half decent in defence but sadly a bit blunt and predictable in attack. No doubt they'll get it together to put Scotland through the ringer!
No doubt they’ll get it together to put Scotland through the ringer!
Given that was our 13th loss in a row, it seems unlikely!
By the new rules is that a full red (as in, they now play with 14) or would a replacement come on after 20 mins?
I think the 20 minute red is an option for technical offences? So deliberate foul play, violent conduct, etc can still attract a straight red, down to 14 for the rest of the game. Ntamack was really silly.
From the way the pundits were talking "it was a cheap shot, we've all done it, we all knew what we were doing" it sounds like that would have been a full red then.
It was the definition of technical offence which I wasn't sure of - are all 'rugby' offences including high tackles and head contacts etc. considered technical and the full reds are reserved for eg: punching or gouging. But seems not and a deliberate high tackle is still full red.
Not sure if the intent of the authorities is going to work.... the aim I think is to reduce / remove dangerous (head) contacts and for players to mitigate their style accordingly. So even the non-deliberate, but still reckless if you like (ie without considering the 'what could go wrong' element as they go into a tackle) disappears from the game. I know some will say that it's a game of split second decisions and hard to relearn but it was managed very quickly and easily in football where the ball and man all together tackle is now pretty well out of the game, and even the most ingrained defenders learned very quickly. If the sanction is only 20 mins, the impetus for change is not as severe.
It was the cheapest of cheap shots and he should be banned for a few games I would hope.
That was a painful watch as a Welshman. It looked like a training session for France at times.
…never started trying either!
Harsh. It was probably the best they could do. Liam Williams didn't look like he thought it was worth risking injury, mind.
If French rugby culture allows, I reckon Shaun Edwards might have given them a bit of a bollocking after that. Their line speed wasn't great. But it didn't need to be.
Wow The bbc graphics look cheap & trashy. Scotland look good though
France off to their usual slow start: I think it’s lucky their first opponents were utterly contemptible. They’ll likely get better as the championship goes on.
20 minute red cards got off to a bad start with a filthy foul in the Ireland England men’s under 20 game, but the player replaced after 20 minutes. It’s hard to defend the concept if there’s any hope of taking those dangerous fouls out of the game.
Scotland doing a great job of throwing this one away...
I'll take that, although it wasn't very convincing at times, brilliant at others though.
Cant see Wales beating Italy next week.
For all England's great defence it's missed tackles that are killing them
Game plan for anyone playing against England...
Engineer a one-or-one for someone, anyone against Marcus Smith.
FFS.
They are a bit rubbish.
Anyone been following the discussions around the 6N tv rights. Lots of talk about it being lost from free to view TV
Anyone been following the discussions around the 6N tv rights. Lots of talk about it being lost from free to view TV
Not a new thing. It’s been on Sky only before. It is typical Rugby Governance shooting themselves in the foot. For an extra £10 million (total guess) they get to be on subscription TV only, to a far smaller audience, then , in 5 years time, when grassroots rugby has fallen further into collapse, they will come back to terrestial TV, as the subscription service realises there isnt enough advertising revenue to keep paying the infalted fee to keep it exclusively subscription.
Grass roots rugby is dying a slow death. So much so that it is becoming difficult to run even a reasonably well run Club, as they just cannot get opposition. In Leics., my old County, around 40 Clubs have ceased to exist since the early 90’s. ‘Old’ Clubs that were the best in the County are now struggling to get one team out occasionally, and that team is usually made up of a load of over 40’s. Last week, my old Club, who have always been in the bottom tier of Rugby, played Rugby Lions. Not their 3rd or 4th team, but their firsts. This is the Rugby Lions who used to be a premiership team, now putting out one team at the lowest level. We also play South Leicester, who played, 5 years or so ago, in Level 4 (could have been 5), 3 or 4 promotions from playing Bath/Quins/Saracens etc. We beat them recently. Not because our level has increased, but the other Clubs are dying, and just cannot get Players.
What do the Rugby authorities do about it? Nothing as far as I can see. So long as the crowds turn up for the Internationals at the National Stadia, they are happy, but where are the new Players coming from? It’ll just be an elite game if things continue as they are.
I reckon professional/elite sport is the enemy of grassroots sport.
The stuff about inspiring people to take up sport is, beyond a couple of weeks window, nonsense.
Folk out playing rugby doesn’t pay for the professionals. Spectators, TV rights and advertising does.
I can remember when rugby went professional. I was running the third team at my local club and we went from being able to get four teams plus a vets team out week in week out, to struggling to get three teams total out.
Thirty plus players just disappeared. They were still in the area, but they were watching not playing.
We can’t ban professional sport, but it might be better if we could.
PS - I’m in my 50s now and carrying 25 years of rugby injuries, so I’m allowed to be a rugby spectator. And grumpy.
Rugby in the UK is in a weird place really. It seems to think that it's bigger than it actually is. There's a limited fan base for it, which we be further eroded by pay walling it. Take my club Sale Sharks, I've not been for a few seasons, but it was over £40 per ticket last season I think. The whole match day experience there is diabolical, awful food, awful beer, awful service and awful traveling to the ground. I just don't bother these days.
I'd be gutted if the 6 Nations went as it's genuinely something that I look forward to watching every year. Like other things that I used to follow though such as F1, Cricket and even the DH MTB.....I'm not paying as don't watch religiously, and you soon move on.
I reckon professional/elite sport is the enemy of grassroots sport.
I would agree, there used to be much more support from the national associations but money has become more important than interest in encouraging the amateur scene. It been like this for decades in the competitive sailing world in my experience for example, particularly dingy sailing.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/articles/cqld7vzln1ko
Second time done for gouging and gets 3 weeks Joke ban from joke league,how the video ref avoided seeing it on the night is beyond me.
Can perennial losers Wals upset the odds today? Wales not helped by losing Lam Williams and Dafydd Jenkins before kick off. Useless NZ midget to play 15 is a worry he was like the opposite of 1/2p v SA, if there was a right position to be in v SA he wasn't in it.
Wales imploding
Wales' attack is non-existent....they'd be better off without the No 10
Can I ask a serious question from someone who never watches rugby, but happens to be in the pub when it’s on….
Why do Rugby refs have crap whistles that don’t actually whistle properly?
It’s not all bad for Wales. Still in contention for the Triple Crown. 😀
This is like the AI version of France where the bot accidentally put their feet on the end of their arms.
- How did France lose that. Kudos to England for hanging in there
That’s some win for the World Beaters. Good result for Ireland too.
- How did France lose that. Kudos to England for hanging in there
Is it working now?
Anyway not seen the game but well done England
Other good news
Warren Gatland has vowed to carry on as Wales head coach
I'd love to know who you think will do a better job, given the chaos in the Welsh domestic game? In other words, how does changing the coach help?
Feels to me like Wales didn’t bring any young players through when they were one of the top sides. NZ stay so good because they blood promising young players early so they’re ready to step up. It also doesn’t help that the WRU and the Welsh domestic game is really struggling. It’ll be a while before they get back.
In other words, how does changing the coach help?
Some semblance of an attacking strategy built around the players, not picking people seemingly at random. Today when Tompkins went off for a hia we had a 9, two 12's and 4 wingers as a backline. Thomas is clearly not a ten, he was beyond awful but the only ten in the squad has 1 cap and is 21 (or maybe 22).
Harsh on the captive Saffa that
Scotland getting a lesson on forward control here 😕
Fun game this.
Scotland did well to fight back but before that were lucky to be second. Great try though by VDM
Deserved yellow for VdM.
Prendergast looks good for the future.
Hope Darcy Graham makes a full recovery. Typical Irish control especially at the breakdown meant Scotland really struggled to get into the game. Losing Finn so early didn't help but the Irish ability to select the right choice to either attack the breakdown or not commit people to it is the reason they are so dominant.
Deserved yellow for VdM.
Prendergast looks good for the future.
Thought the yellow was harsh, pen yes but yellow...not sure
Prendergast was brilliant, although he had an armchair ride from the Irish pack.