@duckman, only in Ireland, Wales and Scotland 🙂

Edwards was a head coach at club level before he moved into first the England (I recall, could be wrong) then Wales setups. Andy Farrell isn’t daft he’s keeping his head down and his mouth shut. I’d like to see Catt stay involved but its too early for head coach.

As I posted before all expectations for England should be put aside for 2 years while we focus on a style of play rather than results, I honestly couldn’t care how we do in the next 6N

I respect Lancaster/RFU for the stance on Tuilagi but had he been picked I don’t think we would have had the same Burgess distractions. We’d have still had the Farrell saga at 10.

@Pigface, Argentina made Ireland look poor. My 2 cents is they where better than any of the 6N sides at the RWC.

Wasps.

He’s been injured so wouldn’t have been able to play – Hartley on the other hand – forgot that Edwards was at Wasps, can’t remember how he did there.

At last Lancaster has finally made a good decision.

I just hope someone decent comes in. Eddie Jones, Wayne Smith, Dave Rennie or even Jake White who seems to be favourite but hasn’t coached at international level since 2007.

Don’t know if they’ll try and poach existing international coaches like Cheika, Gatland, Schmidt or Cotter.

Ian Ritchie seems to be absolving himself of any blame. Funny that…..

Are you saying he was a success as a head coach? By stressing how good a second in command he is?

It’s a shame Lancaster couldn’t have stayed on as a ‘sporting director’ as I think he’s good for the England set up as a whole but not from a coaching/technical point of view. Even more of a shame that that wasn’t his original appointment of course…

Is it really AA? I thought Wales used their back row to play a zonal game and only rushed when stretched on multiple phases.Especially against England. Wasps finished 9th the year he was head coach.

Why all the talk of a foreign Coach? You have already had one… 😈

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/international/england/9035995/Six-Nations-2012-revealed-the-picture-that-proves-England-coach-Stuart-Lancasters-Scottish-roots.html

Woodward spouting again, reckons that there is enough knowledge in the english game that you dont need to go foreign, says people like Dillydaygo and Dawson should be involved 😆 lets get a average scrum half and a bloke who will tell you he can score some coke for a shag in the mix. What can possibly go wrong? No body seems to be looking at the elephant in the room here, england have not got the players or the players aren’t committed enough to do the job. Love the adulation and rewards but not good enough on the field.

Tuilagi informed Lancaster he was injured and wouldn’t make the squad. 24hrs later there is a press release saying he’s been dropped due to the court case.

Again, not the same thing! On the rest of the coaching setup, Catt hasn’t added any attack, Wiggo (who’s also silent) seemed to have done a good job on the forwards, right upto the world cup when they were bloody awful and I simply can’t think what Farrell ever added, other than being “an inspirational leader”

I think I’m saying a clean slate, and with any luck, a number of decent, internationally experienced coaches!

AA,against England and Oz I thought Wales used a man to man defence from set pieces/first couple of phases relying on Roberts as a big target to avoid/push attackers out.Wales only used one centre to rush or press the midfield,catch the 10’s eye,and on later phases switched to relying on the back row more and the players having an area to cover as the game breaks down.This worked well against England as they had a dominant back row,and could rely on the 6/7/8 to then plug holes/turnover tackled player.Oz play the same way,so it was less effective.

One of those two teams has finished third twice in a row in a competition considered second rate, and scraped past a team which hasn’t won a GS for over 10 years…….
The other was quite comprehensively beaten in a QF by one of the weaker SH sides.

Is none of us beating the RC teams “good enough”?
I’d suggest not.

England are shocking at present, but none of us can consider ourselves good enough.

I don’t think we are apart in our descriptions of the Welsh defence,the original rush was that you pushed up the oppos inside shoulder forcing him out. Edwards Wasps got away with it for two years,then it’s success was diluted a little each year as teams introduced the menace of the crossing/dummy runner. I wonder how much input chin and Williams had,I rate the Dr as at least as clever as Greenwood or BoD. And the best centre in Europe now Burgess has gone. 😀 One of the failings of a rush as teams tire is that the line doglegs. They would move up with Roberts in front and I suspected at the time that was a really KISS way of unfamiliar,tired backs in position.If that is all Edwards,then fairymuff. But back to the original point,the rush defence is ten years old now and I don’t think we see it much from anybody.

Mini Jiffy back to the Scarlets

Ospreys win which surprised me and the Dregs get past Sale.

The same as happened to Leicester – the head coach Matt O’Conner) left and went to Leinster. Look what happened!

On that note, good results in all round for the AP teams in the European. As well as Wasps, good wins for Saracens and Tigers.

My wife woke me with the news earlier. Very sad. One of the few players I ever made an effort to see play. (Ieuan Evan’s commemorative game at Stradey, years ago.)

Looks like McCaw’s called it a day.

😀 I do hope so
RIP to Jonah 🙁
McCaw has been a great player but I can imagine that 14 years as a top international takes it’s toll