MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
Japan beat Italy
Yellow card France
Pen NZ
Should have been 2 blacks in the bin on that, ref said just a penalty as the French player was already going down !!!!
Always rated Brown as a winger!! 😀
Lively stuff, to put it mildly. Not sure either coach is going to come away from this looking forward to the WC.
England imploding
Did England’s opening salvo make them overconfident? or did SA just start playing.
What a game.
That NZ thuggery is just typical of them, see also their U20s.
While the rest of rugby is trying to help with player's welfare around concussion etc, the arrogant asshats keep on doing it, and keep on getting away with it.
They play sublime rugby, but so many nasty, cheap shots go either unnoticed or unpunished.
Great game that!
It's not really news to anyone that England are absolute shite at present. Not surprising really.
A wing at full back.
A full back at wing.
A fly half at centre.
A number 8 at flanker.
A flanker at lock.
I wonder why it's not going to plan?!?
Maybe, just maybe, Eddie ain't all that...
Robshaws form has dropped off a cliff too and Itoje has become brain dead.
Still you can all laugh when Wales lose to the Jaguares tonight!
It's been a disaster for NH rugby so far. It's all resting on you now!
Anybody seen Jones confrontation on a mobile phone somewhere?
Cant see this weak Wales team winning tbh
Don't suppose anyone has a link to the EJ post match interview?
Any thoughts on playing at altitude adding to Englands woes? I haven't seen the match just the try highlights.
Any thoughts on playing at altitude adding to Englands woes?
It didnt look like they ran out of puff tbh. Lost it betweem 20-60 mins!
Double skull fracture. Hope a citing puts it right.
Don’t suppose anyone has a link to the EJ post match interview?
Well the young front 5 a doing ok so far..quite positive!
Sheesh. Things don't look good for Argentina do they?
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Shit 2nd half but looks like thevkids have done the job!
<div class="bbp-reply-author">tjagain
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Where is TJ and what have you done with him?
FFS, the Fing quote function remains FUBAR.
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Wales only beat Argentina because Argentina were shit.....I expect
🙂
Phew - you didn't see it. Comment on Wales cynical play
Patchell looking good again - is that him cemented in place now? End of the line for Biggar?
Breakdown work very good indeed
FFS, the Fing quote function remains FUBAR.
I ate him. *rubs tum*
Patchell looking good again – is that him cemented in place now? End of the line for Biggar?
I think Patchel still has to show he can control a game when under pressure. He's much better than Anscombe as back up though. His pace and passing is great to watch though.
Comment on Wales cynical play
As cynical as Jacksons intentional knock on v Canada?
Ah great to see that in some places things never change, Flash bleating about All Blacks thuggery, TJ having a swipe at the Welsh and AA coming back at it.
Is Jones in a spot of bother? I know it was a mad game but england shipping that many points.
Certainly the knives are out for Jones amongst the fans. I think its the old problem for Jones tho - playing last years style and the ap produces players and playing styles that don't cut it in europe / at international level. Nicely put here
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2018/jun/09/england-south-africa
Certainly England seem to be losing their way and for a team ranked 2 in the world clearly above the chasing pack recent results have been dissapointing. Selections seem a bit odd as well but does Jones actually have the players that can fufill the roles he needs? Where are the English breakdown specialists? Where are the playmakers who can create spaces? I know few disagree but I think a lot of their issues stem from Farell at 12.
I didn't see the SA game tho
I think England need to look at how Wales played the breakdown -0 usually two welsh there before any Argentinians meaning breakdown pens all went Wales way
AA - enjoy the rankings - this is how it is going to be on monday
https://servimg.com/view/19612243/17
edit :ruddy rubbish forum linky stuff try this
[url= https://i95.servimg.com/u/f95/19/61/22/43/captur11.jp g" target="_blank">https://i95.servimg.com/u/f95/19/61/22/43/captur11.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
I know few disagree but I think a lot of their issues stem from Farell at 12.
When England function properly Farrell and Ford look excellent. The problem is, of course, when the rest of the team don’t function as happened yesterday.
Youngs allowed de Klerk to run the game. (De Klerk is a very good player but I’ve never seen him have that good a game!) The English back row was bosses by the SA back row. Itoje should have been yellow carded for accumulation of penalties, he was so brain dead.
Put simply, England allowed SA to play.
Id put it as when the forwards give the backs loads of time and space Frrll looks good. Its when space is tight he looks rubbish.
Its not what he does that is the issue cos what he does is good - its what he doesn't do that counts. Look how other players manage to create time and space where there is none.
Another structural issue is the lack of England qualified players in key positions playing regularly for their clubs. Youngs, Care ., Wrigglesworth have been around for ages Are there any other options?. I don't follow the AP enough to know but I don't hear of up and coming SH or 10s being mentioned at all but it seems like that rather than giving youth a chance the AP teams prefer to buy in talent from abroad. Ireland, Scotland,Italy and to some extent Wales use their clubs to develop players for the international side.
Yes its often forced by circumstance ( but also by deliberate intent) but Scotland have youth available in all the key positions and these guys are getting a lot of time playing first team rugby - take George Horne. Would he be getting first team game time if he played in England? How many under 20s players get a lot of first team exposure?
Scotland - George Horne. Adam Hastings, Blair kinghorn, both Fagersons, Bradbury, Ickle Jonny all played first team rugby before they were 21. Now these guys have experience to allow them to step up to the inernational setup
I dont think Faz is the issue, he's a high quality 10/12, the issue is balance. If Faz is at 12 you need some direct runners at either 13 or on the wing. England dont seem to have that Forest Gump and Phil Mitchell dont provide a direct runnig threat and niether does Noddy Holder. The lack of a few grumty runners behind isnt an issue if the pack is on top a creating space but when it doesnt theres no plan b. The backrow is also unbalanced, they played a proper 7 yesterday but he wasnt good enough and Vunipola looked off the pace...unsurprisingly.
Maybe Wales could swap a couple of Cubby, Ellis Jenkins, Tipuric or Navidi for a lock and tighthead?
Grumty? great neologism for a rugby player 😉
I see your point about balance but once again it looks to me like selecting players to make up for the weaknesses in others. don't trust Fords placekicking - pick Farrell in the centre. Farrell not got a good running attack, Pick an outside centre to provide this etc etc. Still leaves weaknesses somewhere
<span style="display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">theres no plan b.</span>
This for me is the main issue. Eddie changed their style of play with a set of above average on form players. They turned up and won a whole bunch of games before they were worked out and some of those consistent players got injured/tired.
Now we have below - international - average players, tired players and players out of position without a plan B. Its a shambles at the moment.
One of my favourite moments of the weekend was when Luke Pearce lost patience completely with Murray shouting at him constantly and penalised him. We need more of this. 😁
International rugby has moved on from the game that it was when EJ took the reins for England but England haven't kept up.
The Pro12 and Super Rugby have kept pace but the Premiership is mired in its own turgidness. As is the Top14.
The one thing we learned from the weekend is that NZ will win the World Cup (again).
France only conceded 6 tries in the whole 6N but conceded 8 to the ABs. Fair enough, the flood gates opened after the ludicrous yellow card but they would have opened anyway, at some point.
Jones seems to have fallen into the trap the likes of Lancaster did, picking trusted players no matter how broken, tired or out of form they are...or out of position. Robshaw is off the pace, tired with shitty form. Why is he winning more caps? Ford has been poo pretty much all year. Itoje should have been left at home as should Mako.
TJ - there are alternative scrum half’s. They just don’t get a shot because Jones has decided that he’ll pick Youngs and Care. Robson should have been given a whirl ages ago.
Still can’t get my head round Brown on the wing and Daly at fullback. Yes we need to ditch Brown, but at least pick a player who has played at full back.
Ho hum. Downward spiral for us now.
Amazing semi-final in the U20s - England v SA. 1 point in it with 3 mins to go!
At least it looks like England will have decent wingers in the next few years (if the international squad actually decides to play wingers)
A really good match with excellent skills. Why can't the senior team play like this. Notable on several running plays was the amount of support either side, for years the seniors are very much one-on-one. Odd.
and (spoiler alert!) ... we [i]could[/i] get France in the final, the way this one's going !
Can't see it going any other way. Very one sidedwe <em class="bbcode-em">could get France in the final, the way this one’s going !
Wilson to be Scotchland forwards coach not going to Wasps...odd one that
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/44458557
Can’t see it going any other way. Very one sided
Was until the last 10 mins when the baby blacks started to play! Kept fluffing their lines though eh? Thrilling stuff. When's the final? That's going to be proper entertaining rugby, that is.
Good video AA. Enjoyed that. Kinda.
English rugby pansies
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/44472867
Welsh players would just give the sharks a tickle!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xel2OMUDjMw
Someone stole one of our coaches so we stole one of someone elses. Blame the dastardly english!
Robshaw dropped for Shields the Poach. Parkes the Poach injured for Wales.
Only just got the chance to watch that Vid AA amused me a few grains of truth in there ( the first one)
" I would tell you the answer but John Barclay stole it"
Scotland team to play USA. this is a real experimental Toonie Toonbola team. George Horne and Adam Hastings get starts at halfback. tiny tim in the back row. Lots of very ineperiencesd and young players
15. Stuart Hogg CAPTAIN (Glasgow Warriors) – 60 caps
14. Blair Kinghorn (Edinburgh) – 3 caps
13. Nick Grigg (Glasgow Warriors) – 4 caps
12. Pete Horne VICE CAPTAIN (Glasgow Warriors) – 33 caps
11. Byron McGuigan (Sale Sharks) – 4 caps
10. Adam Hastings (Glasgow Warriors) – 1 cap
9. George Horne (Glasgow Warriors) – uncapped
1. Jamie Bhatti (Glasgow Warriors) – 9 caps
2. George Turner (Glasgow Warriors) – 3 caps
3. Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors) – 16 caps
4. Lewis Carmichael (Edinburgh) – 1 cap
5. Ben Toolis (Edinburgh) – 10 caps
6. Tim Swinson VICE CAPTAIN (Glasgow Warriors) – 36 caps
7. Luke Hamilton (unattached) – 2 caps
8. Matt Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors) – uncapped
Substitutes
16. Fraser Brown (Glasgow Warriors) – 32 caps
17. Allan Dell (Edinburgh) – 11 caps
18. Murray McCallum (Edinburgh) – 2caps
19. Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh) – 23 caps
20. David Denton (Leicester Tigers) – 40 caps
21. Sam Hidalgo-Clyne (Scarlets) – 10 caps
22. Mark Bennett (Edinburgh) – 21 caps
23. Dougie Fife (Edinburgh) – 6 caps
Cipriani on the bench too. I hope he comes on and plays well. To not do so will be the end of that shirt for him. A good attacking 10 could be a good “finisher” against a tired team.
A good attacking 10 could be a good “finisher” against a tired team.
Yesh, it’s a pity SA played De Preez off the bench last week. 😁
Not many caps in the starting 15 there outwith Hogg and Swinson. Will be interesting to see how they go. Physical USA side against an reasonably inexperienced and youthful but mobile and ambitious Scotland.
Peter Horne has a few as well. I guess Swinson is there for a bit more muscle and thats a very fast team so I guess the aim is to run away from those big nasty Americans
take away the 3 most experienced players and its 53 caps between the rest. 7 players with their first start!
Great news for Blues fans.
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/cardiff-blues-set-sign-dmitri-14787381
Good win for Ireland in spite of some inconsistent refereeing.
Good win for Ireland in spite of some inconsistent refereeing.
Was a good win, but dont listen to Sky Spurts crap about the ref!
Also the commentator constantly banging on about "great latching".. thats illegal surely.
Pleased for Beirne, but he is now dead to me 😉
I don’t need to listen to sky sport crap about the ref I am fully able to make my own mind up.
Yeah, that was some pretty shabby performance from the match officials.
I don’t need to listen to sky sport crap about the ref I am fully able to make my own mind up.
Examples?
Watch it back yourself I’m back watching football now.
Some performance by POM today. He was a machine. Gifted Australia a few points and left around 10 out there - shouldn’t have been as squeaky at the end as it was. Good to see it going to a decider for the 3rd test.
Watch it back yourself I’m back watching football now.
I've already seen it. It looked fine to me, apart from latching on and elbows on the floor POM.
So, onto England. Fun and games with a fire alarm at 5am in the hotel this morning, yet, can they tighten up and bring the win. Shields should outplay Robshaw and snuffle de Klerk, plenty of fire on the bench. Weakness is 9/10 and 13/11 channels IMO.
England to win by 6.
Itoje is going to get an old school ****ing soo if he's not careful!
Penalty after penalty.... ffs
One of those too-painful-to-watch England performances.
Oh well, looking forward to the U20s tomorrow.