To be fair, Cockers has achieved more than most directors of rugby, certainly more than any scottish coach has ever done....
(hides behind sofa....)
I fear for his health... he gets agitated about refereeing at the best of timse and the Pro12 will really test his blood pressure!
Beeb saying 6 scots passed fit for Wales game...I reckon we will win easy if they only have six players.
Its all we have left standing AA. Be nice to us won't you?
Edwards from BEEB intresting I thought
Edwards revealed the team had not stuck to their normal strategy after claiming possession off England with less than four minutes remaining and while leading 16-14."What happened was we broke our structure," he said.
"From an unstructured turnover where our backs actually turn the ball over we're supposed to go through two rucks to get our backs back on their feet and our kick chasers.
"We didn't do that. We passed it back to the kicker after one ruck which was a mistake. I don't think even Jonathan expected the ball which was probably one of the reasons the kick wasn't as accurate as it normally is.
"But everyone makes mistakes. And if one of us makes a mistake we all make a mistake together so it's not a matter of us and them it's a matter of we.
"Our kick chase wasn't set up because we expected another ruck after the turnover. We didn't have a kick chase in position and that was the issue."
I'm still not convinced May wasn't in touch having collected the pass from Care, then tackled by Williams before giving the ball to Itoje in the corner (around 30 secs before the turnover). Given the lack of chat about it, he mustn't have been. It wasn't looked at at the time so I assume it wasn't even questioned. It's around 1.40 on the youtube link below.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYMSac_9uuM
You might be right but hard to tell from that angle...we'd have lost the lineout anyway!!
Yeah, we'd need to see it from another angle. Just looked very close. Wasn't shown on the day.
we'd have lost the lineout anyway!!
Fair point. (Although with the weakened England line-out, even your mid-week captain might have managed to win it.)
😉 etc
😐
Fascinating insight into how structured the game is now in many phases.
Not sure if that is a good or bad thing, mefty?
DD 😉
Not sure if that is a good or bad thing, mefty?
It is just the nature of the game nowadays, there is still room for flair or "heads up footie".
It is quite instructive watching a game with someone who has gone through the academy structures, they can often predict a couple of phases in advance when watching. With all the tools available now, it is just even more technical. The amount of time spent coaching foot placement at the breakdown even at school level is quite extraordinary. In my day, it was just a question of how hard you trod on the bugger on the ground.
Fair point. (Although with the weakened England line-out, even your mid-week captain might have managed to win it.)
Have you seen our back up pie chu....I mean hooker?!!!?
Not sure if that is a good or bad thing, mefty?
I this particular point Edwards is right though. Biggar wouldnt have missed touch and he was just coming back to his position as Davies shanked his kick. One more phase first and the ball would have gone to touch and the defence would have been better organised if he did miss.
Oh well shit happens.
Shit?!? Miracles more like.... 😉
Is Scott Baldwin your back up hooker? I've always thought that he was a good player whenever I've seen him play. Just what did happen to Hibbard?! Lions first choice to obscurity in a season! (Obviously I know he's still at Glaws)
Hibbard plays in England so might not be available for selection. Had some falling out with Gatland after being injured for Wales and then playing for Glos.
Wales are pretty weak at hooker. Owens is ok but a bit lightweight at international level.
You've answered your own question there Tom B.
Gatlands Law about players outside Wales. Unless they are extra special or extra lumpy.
Garlands law only applies if the player has been offerred a contract so I'm not sure Hibbard fits. Moriarty doesnt nor Owen Williams I think...load of bollocks.
Anyway current Lions 15
Hogg ( token Scot)
Ashton
Teo ( token Irish)
Henson
Solomina
Cippriani
Phillips
Hughes
Hask
O'Stander
?
?
Nel
Kiwi Gouger
The Pikey Hater
question marks in the second row? Got to be room for ickle jonny in there
Nel is broken
Not sure Ickle Johnny is annoying enough!!
Whats the Irish fella with the angry face?
Devon Toner? Looks like a bank manger who has had his chips pissed on
No he's the bean pole one..
Donnacha Ryan
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Lolz at the token Irish 😆
Doubt Ireland will providing the tour with a lock. Mako, Launchbury, AWJ, Grey....then possibly Lawes if 5 go?
Ok I'm sold Mako Vunipola as token prop at lock...team sorted
Hogg ( token Scot)
Ashton
Teo ( token Irish)
Henson
Solomina
Cippriani
Phillips
Hughes
Hask
O'Stander
Donnach angry Ryan
Mako Vunipola ( token out of position prop)
Nel
Kiwi Gouger
The Pikey Hater
Doubt Ireland will providing the tour with a lock. Mako, Launchbury, AWJ, Grey....then possibly Lawes if 5 go?
Definitely a lot of strength but the balance is interesting as already discussed
On the Irish side of things, what is the current form of Henderson? He seemed to be absolutely everywhere at the end of last season
I'd be more than happy with an Irish-less Lions squad.
Ha, bloody auto correct 😳
DD - is that because you feel they need some down-time & don't want them broken?
Wales: Leigh Halfpenny (Toulon); George North (Northampton), Jonathan Davies (Scarlets), Scott Williams (Scarlets), Liam Williams (Scarlets); Dan Biggar (Ospreys), Rhys Webb (Ospreys); Rob Evans (Scarlets), Ken Owens (Scarlets), Tomas Francis (Exeter Chiefs), Jake Ball (Scarlets), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys, capt), Sam Warburton (Cardiff Blues), Justin Tipuric (Ospreys), Ross Moriarty (Gloucester).
Replacements: Scott Baldwin (Ospreys), Nicky Smith (Ospreys), Samson Lee (Scarlets), Luke Charteris (Bath), Taulupe Faletau (Bath), Gareth Davies (Scarlets), Sam Davies (Ospreys), Jamie Roberts (Harlequins).
Lot of talent on the bench there!
Current weather forecast is heavy rain....Back to GATT ball?
Expecting a physical encounter regardless, with a Wales win. Though I hope I am wrong.
I was feeling hopeful about this match ( Scotland / Wales) before the tournament started but injuries have weakened Scotland to the point I am back in private Frazer mode We're doomed!
No Joseph for England..the rise of the magic armband to Lions glory?
England 24-man training squad:
Forwards: Jack Clifford (Harlequins), Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers), Jamie George (Saracens), Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints), James Haskell (Wasps), Nathan Hughes (Wasps), Maro Itoje (Saracens), Joe Launchbury (Wasps), Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints), Joe Marler (Harlequins), Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins), Mako Vunipola (Saracens), Tom Wood (Northampton Saints)
Backs: Mike Brown (Harlequins), Danny Care (Harlequins), Elliot Daly (Wasps), Owen Farrell (Saracens), George Ford (Bath Rugby), Jonny May (Gloucester Rugby), Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs), Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs), Ben Te'o (Worcester Warriors), Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby), Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers)
No Joseph for England..
I failed to spot that yesterday. I wonder if its Ford/Farrell/Daly starting with Farrell/Slade/Teo finishing? I guess theres potential for Teo to start and bash up the Italians in the first half, but whichever it is England need to rack up the points to counter a potential loss against Ireland in the 6N table with point difference.
I expect Watson to wing and Daly to 13.
Joseph has played a lot - I imagine he has been carrying niggles & a week off will do him good. I did wonder if Ford might be on the bench too, in order for Faz to get a bit of 10 time.
I see Solomona, another Samoan rugby international, is being lined up for a white shirt.
May as well just give everyone in Samoa an England cap, get it all over with without needing to bother with all that troublesome residency gubbins.
CFH - he who is without sin may cast the first stone!
Oh, I agree, TJ. Howarth should never have been allowed to change shirts. Once you've played international sport at full representative level, you've made your choice. Code is irrelevant.
Imagine an Aussie Olympic pool swimmer switching to swimming open water, or doing triathlon for New Zealand at the next Olympics. Would be wrong.
I thought the RFU were wanting qualification rules toughened up? He played League for Samoa last year....Or is the union part of him English?
I was hoping to see Daly at 15 for an experiment but agree with AA looks more like 13
(As much as I have sympathy with your view CFH and dislike the blatant abuse such as the one you acknowledge, in practice your concept is unworkable and would ultimately fall on grounds of being descrimatory. )
Discrimination? Hardly.
He/they chose to be Samoan themselves. Can you discriminate against yourself?
CFH - is there not a female runner who has represented 3 different nations at 3 different olympics?
CFH that strategy has worked well for New Zealand for decades. Immigration asistance and schooling for talented Pacific Islander kids.
Hard to know what to make of JJ's omission. Italy game offers a chance to experiment and testing a back-up formation to Ford at 10 makes sense.
TJ, athletics is riven with the same problem. Plenty of Ethiopian and Kenyan athletes jumping ship to Qatar, for example.
Personally I would like to see qualification tightened up significantly - 3 year residency for under 16. 4 for 17 and 18, 5 for over 18
One grandparent should not be enough either. One parent or two grandparents and if you qualify by parentage a short residency qualification and you must take out citizenship
