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I agree our only hope
Are you a real welsh fan? 😉 You sound more like a scot with your pessimism. Most Welsh fans seem to think they will marmalise us
Most of the scots fans seem to think our chances have gone with the disappearing front row
I’m concerned that all the England players seem knackered or crocked. My only saving grace is that everyone else seems the same way! Except our nemesis Ireland 😥
Are you a real welsh fan? You sound more like a scot with your pessimism. Most Welsh fans seem to think they will marmalise us
Without
Faletau
Warburton
Davies
Only just back fit and no form for Moriarty, Loopy Liam, North, Ellis Jenkins and Stef Evans has been banned
Biggar looks crocked too.
Scotland are improving and Wales are going backwards.
Ireland will be the team to beat really won't they. All there top players are playing well.
Traditionally post Lions year, France always do well....if their national structure wasn't such a shambles then you'd say they'd be up there. As it is god knows how they'll play, I'm not expecting them to be in the top 3 though.
TomB - the upside of the scots being ignored for the lions is the france effect might help them. I ruddy well hope so. Be very nice to poke a finger in old cement heads eye
Jones is OK I think. Dunbar probably out
I am reasonably OK with our starting front row given the injuries. Welsh, McInally and Reid are decent international standard and the two props have experience but the subs are a real step down
We should get a couple of props back for the second game but no Nel 🙁
Nel's been out for a while hasn't he? Didn't he miss the last 6n's too?
Yes - different injury. He just came back from a back injury and was playing nicely into form and broke his arm. fagerson dropped a bench on his foot and put himself out for 8 weeks,
We're back to having real issues at centre again aren't we! If Farrell wasn't at 12 who'd be there? I'm guessing we'll be starting with JJ at 13.....he hasn't had much form for a while.
Thank goodness for that tom - after the hammering you gave us thru the centres last year 🙂 Masterpiece of analysis by Jones that was allied to adopting great tactics to exploit the flaw he spotted in the Scots defense
That was JJ's only real stellar performance in the last two seasons really.....he really did make you guys look crap 😆
I'm expecting a hell of a game at Murrayfield this time though!
Slade has pulled out
He never really lit my fire internationally anyway. We do have Daly, Mallinder and Lesowski to sit outside Farrell, and an experienced back 3.
Of course there's always Manu...
Daly out for the tournament
and Mallinder is a revolving door in defense!
Bring back Brad Barrett?
Biggar confirmed broken so with Priestland out its going to be a big opportunity for Anscombe, Patchel or O Williams.
I'd pick something like
1/2p
Whichever of North or Williams are fittest
S Williams
Parkes
Evans or Adams
Patchel
G Davies
Moriarty
Tips
Shingler
B Davies
AWJ
Lee
Owens
Evans
Smith
Dee
Francis
S Davies
Ellis Jenkins/Navidi
Webb
Anscombe
?Watkin
Daly is a huge loss for us, as is Biggar for Wales. Anyone else starting to feel a bit 'meh' about the 6n's now? I know there's always injuries, but the likes of Warburton, Billy V, Daly, Nel, Biggar etc are some of the world's best players....feels a bit of a let down not to have them. If you think of some of the battles around the park. The battle of the tens takes a bit for anyone versus Wales, god only knows what happens to Scotland's scrum? Wales and England's backrows are diminished (Wales more so) Daly is probably the best broken field player in the 6n's at the minute and we won't get to see that.
Add Sinclair to England’s list of broken.
Something is wrong, really wrong when there this many injuries (in all sides, it’s not an England or AP problem). It’s a reduced attraction for sure, but who the hell would want to play knowing you’ll spend 25-50% of your life on the physio table?
How about going back to replacements for injuries only so players have to run around for a full 80 and bring back tucking so the massive driving impacts are lessensed at the breakdown as the only way to try to clear out, maybe remove player ‘fitness aids’ that also have a G meter so players are incentivised to make stupid hits to get the smash score up.
I don’t know what the answer is but I’m actually starting to think I don’t want junior playing rugby. I might even want him to play (whisper it, it feels dirty) [i]football[/i]
Apart from the front row I am feeling pretty good. The rest of the team are pretty much first team and a bit of depth left ( thank goodness we have loads of centres tho as a few are broken)
I am really looking forward to seeing what the Scots backs an do to show they should have been on the lions tour. I just hope I don't end up with egg on my face. ( more than a possibility)
If scotlands pack get anywhere near parity I think the backs will score a lot. Look at the near miss to NZ and the demolition of Aus - and also Glasgows game against Exeter where they didn't have much ball but scored freely when they had it.
I'll make a couple of ( non cash) fun bets with you all
Scotlands backs will confuse Farrell and leave him chasing phantoms sitting on his backside having missed tackles and he will get rattled
Russell will be taken out late in every game
Ickle jonny will have the best tackle stats of anyone and will miss less than 2 tackles all championship making more than 40
scotland will knock the ball on with the try line at their mercy more than once
Scotland will kick into the corner from a pen - a beautiful kick from russell then the forwards will bolloix it up completely at least twice
Zander Fagerson will come in for the later games and get into a bit of handbags with someone within 10 mins of getting on the field
Grant Gilcrest will get a yellow card for stupidity at least once.
I don’t know what the answer is but I’m actually starting to think I don’t want junior playing rugby.
Same here, I want to get him into cyclocross!!
You forgot about intercept tries hitting double figures TJ 🙂
I'll take your Farrell bet TJ....I bet he scores at least 15 points against you and make 10 successful tackles.
I'll take your Farrell bet TJ....I bet he scores at least 15 points against you and make 10 successful tackles.
OK - forfeit to be................?
But we both could be right 😉
The loser has to have a two page debate on any rugby subject with a_a 😆
🙂
"The loser has to have a two page debate on any rugby subject with a_a "
You'll lose twice!!
Looks like loopy liam is confirmed broken too
Robshaw and Brown are both touch and go for the Italy game. Both bring a lot of experience to the team, so losing both is an issue. Jones better have something up his sleeve!
Loopy liam is a big loss.
Saracens seem to have waited until the international window to decide he needs surgery
There is a pretty good 2 part interview with Donnacha O'Callaghan on the Sky Sports website if anyone is interested
Rhys Webb out.
Urgh.
Rhys Webb out and uncapped Tomos Williams in. How many decent scrum halves with experience did they bypass to get to Williams?
The way things are going the debate about replacements/finishers will be irrelevant. Looks like Ireland are the only team confident of finding 23 players without including anyone's granny.
"Rhys Webb out and uncapped Tomos Williams in. How many decent scrum halves with experience did they bypass to get to Williams?"
Not many. Tomos has passed Brynmoors boy for cardiff I'd have had him ahead of Aled Davies to start with.
My Wales Team with who Gatland will pick in brackets.
Patchel (1/2p)
S Evans (North on one leg)
O Watkin (Scot Williams)
Parkes the Poach
Adams (Fluffbert)
Anscombe
G Davies
Navidi (Moriarty)
Tips
Shingler (Navidi)
S Davies (B Davies or Cory BIL Hill)
Lees ( Fatty Francis)
Owens
R Evans
Six Nations is or should be merely a development tournament for Wales now.
Well I'm happy to report that whomever England win or lose too this year, its with the B team, so it doesn't matter. 😉
Forgot to add AWJ!!
Forgot to add AWJ!!
Thought it was a bit odd you'd only picked 14.
No room for Gav then?
Gav is being held in reserve for the next world cup. This six nations is about blooding some new players! We all know what gav can do.
Kryton57 - Well I’m happy to report that whomever England win or lose too this year, its with the B team, so it doesn’t matter.
Eddie Jones is doing his best to make England look as though they are underdogs isn't he?
They are missing these players, according to the BBC:
<table class="sp-story-body__table">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><b>Forwards: </b>Tom Curry, Charlie Ewels, Ellis Genge, Nathan Hughes, Matt Mullan, Beno Obano, Kyle Sinckler, Will Spencer, Chris Robshaw, Billy Vunipola.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b>Backs:</b> Mike Brown, Elliot Daly, Piers Francis, Jack Nowell, Semesa Rokoduguni, Henry Slade. (Ben Te'o is returning to fitness with England but has not played since October)</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
There aren't so many first choice players in there, other than a missing back-row, that a nation the size of England would struggle..
On The Great Orange One - I reckon that Patchell will get injured early on, Anscombe will look like an amateur and Big Gav will be drafted in at last minute to win the 6N for Wales, having picked Teo up, ripped his arm-guard off with his teeth and carried him 40m down the pitch before scoring... 🙂
I think England should be ok, Ireland injuries not too bad at present Sean O Brien is at least as big a loss to us as Billy V is to England. Robshaw isn't even the best flanker at Quins. Brown missing is a blessing, I know he made a mistake at the weekend but Alex Goode's continued omission for England is a mystery.
Also for Ireland it will be interesting to see how many injuries we pick up versus France in our first game, I can't remember the last time Sexton finished a game against them. If it is anything like the world cup game a few years ago we could be in a very different position for 2nd game.
Away from the 6N and the inury discussions, Tigers appear to be bolstering their pack by Spencer from Worcs and Thomson from Wasps. Spencer has looked good this season and will provide some much needed grunt in the pack.
El Vino - anyone but bloody Goode. I think he's a very very good club player but a poor international. He's been shown up whenever he's been capped. I think Brown has gone backwards (he looked pretty good a few seasons ago) but he is solid.
Not looking forward to the 6N much with Wales injury list 😲
At least get to give some new players a go I suppose
North pulled out of Sinners game just before kick off...sounds like he's out for next week with no gametime since october.
So
Loopy Liam
North
Amos
J Davies
Tyler Morgan
Biggar
Priestland
Webb
Faletau
Warburton
Lydiate
Ball
All out
Makings of a good team that
Big Ritchie out for Scotland. Fortunately Gillcrest and Toolis both are in fine form so not the disaster it might have been. Looking forward to the battle of the back rows. Watson and Barclay with points to prove. centres is a bit " who knows" My guess is Jones and Horne with Bennet to come on as sub. Losing Dunbar Taylor and Scott is harsh
Alex Goode’s continued omission for England is a mystery.
He's never shone internationally, and Watson's far better and has age on his side. I too though think Brown omission will allow the team to move on. WC back three will likely be Watson, Daly and Nowell if he recovers.