Ducks, please can you clarify one aspect of current scrummage rule?
One side (a) gets drive on and then scrum turns almost 90 degrees but with momentum still with (a)
Last week (a) was pinged, this week (a) won two penalties. From a distance I couldn't detect any difference.
Can you explain please?
Good luck today - fear France will win by 10. Too strong and home advantage
Nice change to see scrums played and ref-ed well yesterday. Could be wrong but I cannot recall any free kicks or pens at the scrum.
The contact worked. The scums largely stayed up and Garces let it go when it didn't and the ball was coming out. Nice change..,,
Re today's game.....
I suppose I should be supporting the underdog. Does anyone know which team that is?
🙂
In the scrums - Scotland
In the loose - hmmm. Don't know.
THM - Welsh penalised at scrum a couple of times, one of which looked like it happened after the ball was out. Not sure about England - they might have got away clean. Scrums just seem to be a mess these days.
I think Watson will be a miss, quietly impressive last week.
THM, even if you are getting a shove on you have to keep binding legal etc,pens could be that. Factor in a clever loosehead pulling on the TH to make it look like he collapses it and they remain a lottery. You also have individual refs interpretation, I wanted the ball out and would "have a word" during open play, however it gets to the point that you have to ping if players don't listen as somebody could get hurt.
Scotland need to make it a loose game, if they can do it and the front row doesn't fall foul of the ref then we have a chance. Tennants bar on the Byres road for me today, got to love half term.
No one can explain the scrum. It should br Rule #1 of Rugby version of Cycling: The Rules
Of course Rule #2 A pass is not forward if thrown by a player in a black shirt 😉
Garces had a very game, he should take some credit for the wonderful spectacle that the game was - absolutely brutal, I was cackling at the end it was such a relief of tension.
Always enjoy your ref posts Duckers!
Not seen much mention of Warburton-I thought that he was brilliant yesterday, back to somewhere near his best form. I know that he wasn't up against a truly world class backrow, but he caused us all sorts of problems in the rucks.
Looking forward to the Scotland France game later. I'm thinking that with home advantage it should be a French win. They're going to be very nervous though!
The most impressive thing about this England winning streak, is that its continued, despite not deserving to win many of the matches. We are far from the finished article, but a hard team to beat.
Cheers duckman obviously I was looking at this from rose-tinted specs as Eng were pinged for pushing France as described last week and the Ireland did the same thing against Italy but they won the penalty
As you say lots of skullduggery. There was nothing better than "pulling" a fast on on the ref. In my day the wheel was a contentious issue and plenty of opportunity to aggressively pull on the other team and make it look like it was the oppo doing the wheeling. You could only do that about twice a game though!!
(Hope krytrons head is ok this morning. My tennis partner was still pissed from his trip to Cardiff! )
I know 'we" missed two yesterday (IIRC) but the quality of modern goal kicking still amazes me.
Incredible skill under pressure and akin to Wendy penalties. I guess one difference it that rugby kickers believe in practice and routine rather than "bottle and luck"?!?
This is true. That 3rd person shot of Daly preparing to kick, I just thought there is no way an average or even above average human could get anywhere near that. The posts looked tiny!
CFH
Scotland are actually above France in the world rankings!
Nous sommes tous TJ!
I bet those big nasty frenchmen will steal the ball and not let us play with it. Rotters!
Who is the next cab of the rank if Hughes gets banned? Clear contact with eye area and it doesnt matter if its accidental.
https://twitter.com/Smallclone/status/830473038248476674
Is there a cottage industry dedicated to finding alleged English indiscretions?
the quality of modern goal kicking still amazes me
agree, particularly under pressure which in the end is what it comes down to. Most sport relies on 'reaction' - not necessarily speed of (although often it does) but as a situation develops, needing to respond to it. Goal kicking doesn't, it's all controllable and should be easy (a machine would do it perfectly) but add the pressure and suddenly it's not.
I do remember actually seeing I think a grandstand docu piece about kicking. Was donkey's years ago because Dusty Hare was involved, but they were basically saying that (at the time) rugby kickers basically lacked basic kicking skills because it wasn't taken that seriously. They had some Leicester RUFC kickers, and some Leicester City FC apprentices together, gave the soccer players a bag of balls and half an hour to get used to it, and then had a kick off. The soccer boys wiped the floor, but without all the rigmarole of fives steps back, two side steps, all the stuff you (still) see; they'd just spot it (it was back in the days too of kicking up a tee, no plastic ones) walk back, run up and score. Because kicking was their trade.
I think the point was that Hare had employed a football coach to help with his kicking, I guess everyone takes it seriously now. Be interested to see success % nowadays compared to the past. Although that's not always comparable as I suspect as kicking has improved so they now take on longer and harder kicks.
It seems to be a thriving industry 😆
Not sure about that as gouging as the Wales player moved his head into the hand, but these things can go either way. Need a longer clip to see if the hand was removed.
Pages ago we looked at a video of The Blues lock who got a red card from what was clearly accidental eye contact. I saw this incident watching live. No idea how the video ref missed it. **** all in it and Moriarty wasnt bothered but it is clearly contact with the eye.
I'll take yesterday; three fron three for England (U20's, women and men's) plus Worcs beat Sarries!
Our back row is a massive issue; they were schooled yesterday and offer no real impact at the breakdown. Hughes grew into the game but doesn't make the yards that Billy does from a standing start. Clifford didn't really offer much. I wander if Brand H will start against Italy?
Brown's datsas full back must be numbered. He's ok defensively but offers very little going forward other than running into traffic. Thought that Daly was very good. Ford's kicking game deserted him but some of his passing was very good.
With all due respect to Italy, Scotland then Ireland will present us with sone big challenges especially at the breakdown.
Will be interested to see how Scotland go against France this afternoon; can they cope with the expectation that is now on them?
Today will be interesting indeed as France seem a strong team to me. A lot of Scottland hype - ok some from Andy Nicoll which can be discoursed immediately - so will be ntersting to see how they live up to it today. Ireland SHOULD have won last week in which case championship would be looking very different.
Just watching the Beeb clip from yesterday and Brown* made first England try!!!
Farrell's pass gets better each time they show it.
* would still like see Daly tried at #15 against Italy.
These bloody KO times!!
Cooked an early Valentines lunch timed perfectly to finish at 14:23 expecting a 14:30 KO. Settled down with remains of the malbec and still 30 mins to go 🙁
Brown is bloody predictable though; ball under one arm, the other arm outstretched ready to run into traffic. Watson is another option at FB when fit.
Daly's boot would be a huge advantage at FB too. Farrell has developed the passing side of his game.
Not sure about that as gouging as [b]the Wales player moved his head into the hand,[/b] but these things can go either way. Need a longer clip to see if the hand was removed.
Did he now? 😆
teamhurtmore - Member
These bloody KO times!!
Haha yeah almost finished my beer already
captainsasquatch - Member
Not sure about that as gouging as the Wales player moved his head into the hand, but these things can go either way. Need a longer clip to see if the hand was removed.Did he now?
Course he did. He wanted Hughes to be banned for a few games so that England could find a better no8. It was all done for England's benefit. 😆
An extra glass of malbec for me!!!
Got a hot cup of coffees too - hope I don't need it!!!
Oh no, it's Cotter and Nicoll together again, Does the red button give TF1 commentary?!?
Second best anthem after LOMF - top two sung by the home crowds with relish, but Cardiff wins by head!
What a dirge.
Les peres de Noel est arrive...Incroyable
I'm not denying contact with the face and probably the eye but the Wales player is clearly turning his head, as I said needs a longer clip to see what the England players hand does. All I was saying is it is not a clear cut case of player putting hand to face, rather that it was face to hand. It could go either way I'm not defending gouging by any player but if you can't acknowledge that the Wales player turns his head then you are watching a different clip.
I'm not denying contact with the face
You can delete the rest of the post then.
You can delete the rest of the post then.
But clearly the victim was to blame. I've lost count of the number of people who've head butted my fist. Silly them.
I [s]wander [/s] wonder if Brand H will start against Italy
I'd say yes. Jones needs him match fit, he also wants the Italy game won at 60 minutes so England can (continue to) pile on the points to defend the 6N title in case of a potential loss against Ireland.
Hask on for 60, someone else - Clifford? - to finish.
If Hogg stays fit we've got a chance, if not I fear we're gubbed.
CFH - If that is the case then any contact with the face is a citing offence? I'm sure there were plenty of other occasions of hand and face contact in every single game.
Are you denying the Wales player moves his head then?
contact with eyes or the eye area of an opponent
Them's the rules. Moriarty's actions are irrelevant.
Ladies, ladies... 😛
France Scotland game getting a tad feisty....Hogg couldn't help getting involved. Great player but a tit.
Enjoying this so far!
Dull for 10mina but warming up now
This French strategy of offloading constantly looks very effective.
Scotland slowing it down well but need to avoid a yellow.
A long way back from here.
