Viewing 40 posts - 1,521 through 1,560 (of 2,190 total)
  • Rugby 2020 – 2021 Season
  • scotroutes
    Full Member

    Well I think the answer is in psychology. I think it is a bigger thing for Wales to beat England than NZ.

    Alternatively, the English just don’t try hard enough against Wales. Probably from a feeling of superiority.

    anagallis_arvensis
    Full Member

    I don’t think it’s that the Welsh raise their game to play England as much as they (of recent) have been a tournament team. They generally to crap in AIs and tours but play better for the 6N and last couple of WCs. The times they play the southern hemisphere teams is generally in the AIs, and they lose whereas the times they generally play the NH teams is 6N when they’ve done better/more consistent. Add in that Wales can’t beat Aus, seem to have played them about 100 times in the last 10 years been beaten in all of them but the total points difference is about -1.

    This, although we beat AU’s in the world cup when it mattered.
    We also beat England more than NZ because England are shit and NZ are not.

    duckman
    Full Member

    We also beat England more than NZ because England are shit and NZ are not.

    Weird, us too!

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    rhys
    Free Member

    Love Duckman’s last comment.

    A couple of points.

    1. Wales vs SA or Australia is very different if you look at the more recent meetings.

    2 like in tennis there seems to be better match ups. Federer never dealt well with Nadal’s extreme topspin especially to the backhand (before he changed racquets) yet could beat other players who could trouble Nadal.
    Similarly Wales NZ is a shit match up for Wales, NZ just do the things better. England on the other hand have a point of difference to NZ and can bully them and impose themselves. It seems the opposite with SA, Wales seeming to be fairly competitive. A lot of people conveniently forget just how close the WC semi final was.
    Similar with Australia, England able to bully them, Wales /Aus games in the last 10 years have been entertaining with Wales only very recently able to not hand victory over in the last seconds.

    3 ultimately 5 of the 6 nations teams can beat each other given momentum in a game.

    4 it’s a shame some people see fit to talk of England as the NH superpower

    Kryton57
    Full Member

    it’s a shame some people see fit to talk of England as the NH superpower

    In my experience that’s mainly the press and Eddie Jones.

    sprocker
    Free Member

    Depends how you measure success, on world cups, S hemisphere thump the North with just a single win this side to England and only France making a final out the rest. The English claim of superiority on this stage on the home nations but it is much closer in the 6n, autumns etc as it is between SA, AB and AS in tri nations, each hemisphere having far more exposure to each others game. I have watched every England game live since 2001 a painful journey at times with the games against Wales often the most painful to watch and lose. No idea why maybe my Welsh relatives or its just the daffodils.

    5plusn8
    Free Member

    Depends how you measure success, on world cups, S hemisphere thump the North with just a single win this side to England and only France making a final out the rest.

    well I was trying to have a conversation about rugby, not a pissing contest, I would measure it like this I guess:

    In 9 world cups so far England have been in 4 finals, winning once, coming second the other 3 times, plus a bronze final coming 4th.
    Which means we have been the the best team in the world 1/9 of the time, 2nd best team in the world 1/3 of the time. England are currently 3rd in IRB rankings and are consistently higher. As mentioned above we have beaten NZ, Aus, SA more times than any of the other NH teams.
    France have come 2nd three times, a 3rd and two 4th places.
    Wales have had 4 bronze finals with a one 3rd and two 4ths.
    Scotland a 4th and Ireland none at all?

    5plusn8
    Free Member

    If you look at the number of appearances in WC finals we made it 4 times, are joint top with NZ and Aus. SA only made it to 3 finals (winning every time) , along with France.

    Plus we won more 6N than anyone else 7, vs Wales (Who have more GS’s though) and France on 5. More 5N’s etc.

    loum
    Free Member

    Thanks CJ
    Legend

    IdleJon
    Full Member

    Lets not beat about any bushes, 5plusn8, this

    Which means we have been the the best team in the world 1/9 of the time, 2nd best team in the world 1/3 of the time.

    is nonsense.

    Wales have had 4 bronze finals with a one 3rd and two 4ths.

    We get bonus points for those, (check the VERY small print!).

    If you look at the number of appearances in WC finals we made it 4 times,

    Raymond Poulidor was nicknamed The Eternal Second. NZ were accused of choking, by their own press, when they couldn’t repeat their WC win. England are constantly touted by their press as The Greatest Ever.

    vs Wales (Who have more GS’s though)

    We get bonus points for that as well. (Check the smaller print. It’s really small.)

    😀 (If I could get emojis on this keyboard I’d stick my tongue out..

    5plusn8
    Free Member

    You can have your bonus points, I’ll even campaign to get them and the really really close losses included in wikipedia for you.

    TBH you can ask same the question about England vs Aus, our record is 50/50, but Aus are demonstrably better, world cup twice, better record against NZ.
    Consistently higher than us on IRB rankings. Its interesting, and might have some value to study.

    loum
    Free Member

    anagallis_arvensis
    Full Member

    Stander has been good this six nations tbf. I’d certainly have him and Faletau for the Lions rather than B Vunipola

    5plusn8
    Free Member

    Um no 7 contact with the head..

    Kryton57
    Full Member

    5plusn8, can I suggest you stop rising to them. Very few people in here are going to agree with if England are the best NH team, because of Eddie Jones, and Colonialism.

    It’ll take quite a few hundred years for both of those to be forgotten, so just sit at home and enjoy a beer when we have the occasional win, its so much easier that way.

    5plusn8
    Free Member

    Ha ha, I’m not rising, just ticking along.

    5plusn8
    Free Member
    anagallis_arvensis
    Full Member

    Just saw that about Stander, a very good playernot that old is he?

    5plusn8
    Free Member

    31, you’d think he would eke it out. Loads of older players out there.

    gauss1777
    Free Member

    gauss1777
    Free Member

    Kryton57
    Full Member

    England team to beat Ireland:

    15. Max Malins
    14. Anthony Watson
    13. Elliot Daly
    12. Owen Farrell
    11. Jonny May
    10. George Ford )
    9. Ben Youngs
    1. Mako Vunipola
    2. Luke Cowan-Dickie
    3. Kyle Sinckler
    4. Maro Itoje
    5. Charlie Ewels
    6. Mark Wilson
    7. Tom Curry
    8. Billy Vunipola

    FINISHERS
    16. Jamie George
    17. Ellis Genge
    18. Will Stuart
    19. Jonny Hill
    20. Ben Earl
    21. Dan Robson
    22. Ollie Lawrence
    23. Joe Marchant

    Surprise Surprise!

    anagallis_arvensis
    Full Member

    Wales as before except Beard back in to start and Tomos Williams onto bench. Still unconvinced by J Davies, would prefer Halaholo to start but happy enough. Game on, not convinced we will win but it’s going to be fun.

    5plusn8
    Free Member

    Slade injured I think. Be interesting to see Daly back at 13. Ford Farrell Daly were starters when we beat SA in 2016, but then so did Italy that year..

    IdleJon
    Full Member

    5plusn8, can I suggest you stop rising to them.

    BORING!

    😀

    CaptainFlashheart
    Free Member

    FINISHERS SPAM JAVELINS

    bob_summers
    Full Member

    What’s likely the best match for a neutral to watch on Saturday?
    In theory I could watch all three, but I have to go to the pub (they’re not on Spanish terrestrial telly) and that’s an all day sesh which I’d rather avoid!

    sofaboy73
    Free Member

    What’s likely the best match for a neutral to watch on Saturday?

    france v wales has the potential to be the most exciting – gallic flair vs welsh grit & cunning

    Wales as before except Beard back in to start and Tomos Williams onto bench. Still unconvinced by J Davies, would prefer Halaholo to start but happy enough. Game on, not convinced we will win but it’s going to be fun.

    I reckon JD2 is there for the big game experience. him and north seems to work well together too. also had some lovely offloads in tight space last week. france favourites, but we’ve got every chance on the day. should be a brilliant game

    IdleJon
    Full Member

    What’s likely the best match for a neutral to watch on Saturday?

    Well, straight away you can rule out any game involving Italy – they are pretty much universally dire.

    England v Ireland should be interesting, but Wales and France are both going for the championship and are arguably more entertaining to watch as well, at the moment.

    I’d just watch the last two. (But I will be watching all three and Milan-San Remo!)

    loum
    Free Member

    Bob s

    The last one.
    It has the most riding on it.
    The two best teams.
    And the two most try scorey teams.
    You’ll get any highlights from earlier too.

    Ireland fan, but tbh that’s not the main event this week.

    CaptainFlashheart
    Free Member

    france v wales has the potential to be the most exciting – gallic flair vs welsh grit & cunning

    Yep. The two bestest teams in the tournament, with everything to play for.

    Also, with talent like Dupont, LRZ and Tips on show…

    5plusn8
    Free Member

    They all have the potential to be excellent. I will be watching all three.
    I agree with the others that the best chance for excitement will be France vs wales.
    However I wouldn’t write Italy off, every blue moon they pull something awesome out of the bag. More likely though Scotland will score loads of tries, which will still be good to watch.
    Ireland vs England will either be thrilling or very dull, both sides just close each other down, I can’t see any high score.

    loum
    Free Member

    However I wouldn’t write Italy off, every blue moon they pull something awesome out of the bag.

    That would set the day up very nicely please.

    After all this unusual level of agreement happening, we’re going to get a 3 all draw for the last match aren’t we?

    IdleJon
    Full Member

    we’re going to get a 3 all draw for the last match aren’t we?

    Other than the loss of a Grand Slam title, that would be acceptable. Wales would take the championship.

    duckman
    Full Member

    Hogg starting at 10 for us which is “interesting.”

    IdleJon
    Full Member

    Hogg starting at 10 for us which is “interesting.”

    I’m sure it won’t be a Bergamasco event. 😀

    Kryton57
    Full Member

    The two bestest teams in the tournament, with everything to play for.

    You might beat France with the same bending of the rules ref, shame he’s French and therefore not available.

    5plusn8
    Free Member

    Ref is Luke Pearce. Wales are doomed.

    CaptainFlashheart
    Free Member

    gauss1777
    Free Member

    Ref is Luke Pearce. Wales are doomed.

    Why is that?

    My head tells me that Wales have a 1 in 3 chance of winning. But I have a gut feeling that we’re going to do it.

    So I’m crossing my fingers for 3 underdog wins: Italy, Ireland and Wales. How exciting would that be!?!

Viewing 40 posts - 1,521 through 1,560 (of 2,190 total)

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