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Last season, Ireland lost in Scotland who lost in England who lost in Ireland who lost in Wales who lost in Scotland who lost in France. This season, Scotland lost in Wales who lost in England who lost in Scotland.
Wrecker I’m not sure what Hughes has done to be called a thug either. Probably wearing a white jersey is enough...😉
I do agree with TJ (shudders) he was shit though but he’s played a few minutes for Wasps and been bought back. He’s a big lad but we don’t use him in the correct way; he’s not a replacement for Billy and works better in space. I also can’t help thinking that he’s a good club player but not really international quality.
I dont think that the imports are an issue for the AP; there’s a lot more clubs so it’s harder to have quality spread amongst them all.
Hughes was actually quite good by the team standards, best forward according to the try tracker key influencers. Interestingly, England's number 1 key influencer was Jack Nowell and he only played for 24 minutes!
Hughes did try to rip Ryan Wilsons head off / strangle him miles away from the ball. But seeing as it was Wilson he might well have a good excuse. Wilson was described in the sunday herald as " as abrasive as an angle grinder with no guard" and is well known for starting fights in an empty room. It was Wilson that Farrell got into a scuffle with in the tunnel
Bloody hell! The London Times and Owen Slot don't take losing very well, do they? "RFU to blame SRU for tunnel fracas." Is the first rugby article,which then makes the suggestion it was planned and may well have contributed to Farrell's poor game. Next article is the usual "sack em" piece with a wee bit on Englands costly errors....Which seems to include Scots winning turnovers 🙄
Best stat of the game; Dan Cole...0 passes, 0 carries, 5 tackles.
Re the tunnel fracas. The video seems to show a player barging through and having a go at other players. No matter what or who he needs a talking to.
From what little we can glean from the papers seems like Farrell was provoked verbally and responded physically. Wilson being the provoker
Its a weakness of Farrells - his temper. Been under control more recently but exposed here.
Hmm, is that not a weakness of Wilson and Scotland? Following on from Ireland being apparently held up on the way to Murrayfield last year, it sounds suspiciously calculated!?
Sure. However its not a costly to the team as it doesn't affect his game as badly. Wilson enjoys a ruck but Farrell loses his temper and focus
For a nation with only two professional rugby teams to beat one with far more (not to mention rugby-centric posh schools) is a great achievement.
This is a "golden generation" of Scots players tho. Sometimes these things just happen ( that you get a bunch of good players all appearing at once). academy systems seem to be producing good young players. I have been following Scotland for 40+ years and while we have had a few good teams in that time never have we had such a skilful team and its a generation since we had a competitive team.
Also we have good coaches in all the crucial places - again something that has not really happened before
Everything has come together at once and this team is also very young and will get better and most of them will be there for the 2023 WC as well.
One little incident set the tone for me. At the first scots try Russell put the grubber thru and was hit lateish by Farrell - ( no need to go thru with the hit but no pen) Farrell was snarling at him, Russell bounced up, laughed and ruffled Farrells hair playfully.
I think you'll find Scotland has a fair few "rugby-centric posh schools".
Not sure the Cole stat is that meaningful - playing against opposition who are on the front foot, winning fast breakdowns and playing an expansive game from there are always going to bypass the heavy props. If the weather had been c*** and it had become an arm wrestle up front he'd have played a bigger role.
Look Scotland were great. Everything came off for them. England were poor. Scotland's style will give results like Saturday but also results as they saw against wales. England's more pragmatic approach and depth of squad will ultimately mean they win more games, but not necessarily as entertaining.
Agree that Cole is more prominent in an arm wrestle, then he has the opportunity to give away more penalties. Sincklers absence looks to be more of a loss to England than I previously thought. Cole increasing looks like a throwback as a TH compared to the likes of Furlong and Lee
Very few Scottish rugby-centric posh schools, you could count them on one hand, and those that are a largely made of English pupils.
And few things look more ridiculous on a rugby pitch than square shouldered Dan Cole's beer belly tucked into a skin tight white top, all whilst those wee baby legs scurry about underneath him trying to support him.
Very few Scottish rugby-centric posh schools, you could count them on one hand, and those that are a largely made of English pupils.
15-20 off the top of my head. Maybe you've got few extra fingers.......?
I don't see why they'd be made up of predominantly English pupils. If you're a posh Edinburgh doctor or lawyer you're gonna send your kids to Fettes/Stew-Mel/Watson's/Heriot's/Academy/Merchiston.
Jamie Heaslip calling an end to his career after failing to recover from the back injury that kept him out of the England game last year. Sad to hear but he's had a good career.
More footage from tunnelgate....
Sad to hear but he’s had a good career
Indeed. Sometimes frustrated by looking for the contact instead of the gap and no one had more self-belief than he did. But that try against France with [i]that[/i] step - one of the finest by a No.8. And he kneed Richie McCaw in the head...twice. 🙂
One of the real modern No.8s. Still think that backrow of him, Ferris and O’Brien in their prime was the best Ireland has had and certainly one of the best the 6N has seen.
Standing by for TJ to disagree with you DD.........
Standing by for TJ to disagree with you DD………
Well, when I say “one of the best”, I mean “lucky to be in the same league as the current Scottish backrow”, (they’re number 5 in the world don’t you know?) and obviously only ever any real good in the rain.
😆
Hm, I think I'll reserve judgement on #tunnelgate until more video evidence emerges along with statements from all nearby players, officials, and fans.
I am looking forward to seeing the full analysis and frame by frame video breakdown in the build-up to the France game.
🙂 Nope - they were good - no doubt at all. Scots back row options are good but not complete. No real ballcarrier
On the tunnel incident. New footage.. Make your own minds up
Looks like 2 dicks being dicks.
Yup but only one of them started it from what we can see. Farrell was either trying to push past everyone and Wilson pushed him back then Farrell trys to lamp him or Farrell was trying to catch up with somone to "have a word"
Edit - we don't know if / what happened before than but farrell to me already looks like his temper has gone as he pushes his way thru the players
I can't help thinking tunnelgate is being blown out of proportion, scuffles happen regularly on the pitch and typically all the ref does is say calm down.
Oh indeed. I think a warning to both players is all thats needed.
However of more concern to the England fans I would have thought is that once again Farrell has the red mist descend and did this affect his game?
I'd settle for Farrell getting a 4 week ban, love to see Ford get a chance to shine and run the show 🙂
I have been a bit under the weather over the weekend so I have spent alot of quality time on the sofa and I have watched a frankly ridiculous amount of rugby (all the six nations, Saracens vs Leic, the Highlanders vs Blues and Crusaders vs Chiefs games).
From a rugby perspective, to be honest, the most entertaining rugby has been the 2 Super Rugby games and it wasn't even close.
The pace is faster, the handling is better and vision to play an expansive is there in spades.
The handling from the forwards in particular seems a step above the northern hemisphere, the amount of offload porn in those 2 games was immense.
The Tigers game was pretty good; Bateman is pretty quick for a fat lad and runs some good angles.
Sarries have struggled this season. Injuries and international call ups don’t help but they’re not the force the have been. Not sure what Jones sees in Earl though; he’s a bit of a donkey especially for dropping the ball over the try line
Still cant believe that Worcester blew it against Irish having beaten Exeter and Gloucester. Chumps.
The tunnel thing is getting dull now, but I guess the press life this shit. After they’ve been shot down by Jones a few times you get the impression that they’ve been waiting for something like this.
Wilson cited for contact with the eye area. Haven't seen if Hughes has for the same incident, would be quite surprised if that one cost him a ban bearing in mind what Hughes was doing at the time 😀
I think the citing is fair enough but I really think they should not give him any sanction given what Hughes was up to. I cannot see what Hughes would be cited for.
All possible contact with the eye area should be cited but surely trying to hold off a bigger man who has his hands on your throat is reasonable enough excuse for flailing about. Unfortunately Wilson cannot really pay the " good character" card
Given that Ashton and a few others were banned for accidental contact, I'm guessing he'll be banned. The eye area is the eye area.
Nothing coming from the 6n on Hughes being cited. I can't see how that is in anyway fair. How does the hearing proceed? So he was on top of you with a hand round your windpipe and your hand made contact with his eye AREA. Why did you do that Mr Wilson? If Wilson is guilty of a gouge, Hughes is guilty of foul play...which bearing in mind he is just back from a ban would see him out for longer.
I think the citing is right as there is clear evidence of contact with the eye area. all such cases should be investigated. a long ban or even any ban would be unfair given the circumstances tho IMO
ashton etc are different in that they did not have somone trying to strangle them at the time.
We shall see.
Under rule 10 with the catch all of "contrary to the spirit of the game." I am suprised that only one part of that incident got cited. And for clarity I was being sarcastic, Hughes actions will not be seen as an excuse. It will be put down as reckless and he will get 4 weeks, as he keeps his fighting to kebab shops and has no previous.
a long ban or even any ban would be unfair given the circumstances tho IMO
Those circumstances being "playing for Scotland" in your case I'm guessing.
6 week minimum usually.
low end sanction is 12 weeks with a 50% discount available although it can be reduced further if the citing officer deems the sanction would be inappropriate to the offense.
Kryton - those circumstances being a bigger player pinning him to the ground by his throat. I'd say the same for any nationality of player ( except Farrell who should have the book thrown at him for attacking the sainted Wilson in a despicable cowardly way in the tunnel 😉 )
Is that you accusing somebody else of being one eyed kryton?
Cited for the scuffle on the floor? Anyone got a vid? Nothing in it I thought.
Looks like bollocks to me. Whats he supposed to do lie down and get strangled?
Any possible contact with the eye area should be cited and investigated. Hopefully however he will not get a ban.