STW 2014/15 Rugby Thread

Six Nations games shouldn’t be on a Friday evening, end of story.

Six Nations games shouldn’t be on a Friday evening, end of story.

England have tough draw this year, Wales away (so they have to be favourites) then an equally tricky trip away to Ireland. I see another championship won without a grand slam and as has been said it’s shaping up to be one of the best 6N in a long time.

Anyway some key not the Henekin cup fixtures coming up.

Funny, its always shaping up to be a good six nations when england might do well and its a poor year if england dont!!

Who is saying that A_A?

The population by the grace of God of the Principality
The good burghers of Scotlandshire

The long men from the green land of rain and moss

The hommes from the land of wine and shrugs

The mummys boys who love their pasta and Vespas

I think they all say it 😉

it’s shaping up to be one of the best 6N in a long time.

I disagree I think recent ones have been great!!

I certainly didn’t say that @aa, my comment was echoing what others have said as with each of England, Wales and Ireland having beaten a Southern Hemisphere team this autmn and with the RWC looming large the tournament is nicely set up.

each of England and Wales beaten one and Ireland having beaten a two Southern Hemisphere teams this autmn

That’s better 😉

Don’t forget France beat a SH giant as well.

The 6N shapes up well when all the sides look capable of bringing something to the table – which they do this time (except Italy).

Scotland have been so poor for so long that the championship has suffered for it. Hopefully they’ll contribute more this year.

Hopefully they’ll contribute more this year.

I’m sure they will. They seriously look like they have got their shit together.

I just hope Italy dont get left too far behind.

Autumn internationals (and rankings I believe, but haven’t checked) suggest Ireland favourites among home nations. Wales have better draw that England and France and Scotland proved they could catch and even score. Missed the Italians. But overall should be a great 6N, very close with Ireland starting as the team to beat IMO.

Bookies have England as favourites for 6 nations.
And second fav’s for WC behind ABs.

Six Nations games shouldn’t be on a Friday evening, end of story.

Quite enjoy the Friday night games, as long as it’s a “neutral” one – bit like a little starter before the main course on Sat.

Ospreys getting outgunned up front by Racing M 🙁

Hardly a shock that!

The shock is rescuing a draw 😯

Not sure what the Italian is ranting about but it is a good rant 😆 a bit sweary 😀

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/dec/07/martin-castrogiovanni-leicester-richard-cockerill-toulon

@pigface – Cockerel accused him of leaving Leicester for the money, he didn’t like that.

Nice win for Leicester, the return (to be played in Nice I think) will be interesting.

Quite a surprise to see Tigers beat Toulon. Can’t for one second think that there is going to be a repeat perforce in a weeks time, would love it to be the case though…

Nice rant from Castro – thoroughly enjoyable!

Along with the fantastic Castro rant nice to see Felon Armitage proving once again that he’s just a nice guy unfairly maligned by the press, other players, supporters and anyone else who knows him………

On a less savoury note, bloodandmud have an excellent discussion on England’s midfield conundrum here.

PS I actually typed “Delon” but my spell checker changed it to “Felon”. Seemed more appropriate.

We where talking at the weekend about how good Will Greenwood was, you really noticed after he retired when things just generally didn’t work so smoothly any more. The piece is right to say we’ve been searching for a midfield ever since.

Delon seems to have said something to the crowd, hard to imagine he wasn’t provoked though. I can’t imagine he cares too much about what the British press has to say about him anyway.

Delon seems to have said something to the crowd, hard to imagine he wasn’t provoked though.

Why? The bloke is a weapons grade bellend.

Excellent!

He’s a professional rugby player. Its not a personality contest, its a contact sport. He wouldn’t even feature on a bell-end league table if you included wendy-ballers

He’s a professional rugby player.

Exactly the reason he shouldn’t be behaving like a bellend. Starting fights with fans? assaulting officials? That’s not having a crap personality, it’s being a crap professional.

The thing I dont get is in the absence of a passing, kicking, play making 12 why not just stick two hard running lumps in there. Its whay Wales have done since the loss of Henson. Pick players and play to their strengths. Burrel and Manu or Burell and Barritt with some fast wingers and a bit of a game breaker at 15 and 9 and you’re sorted. Or give Eastmond a proper run of games but just stop pissing about.

Lydiate signs for ospreys

Agreed AA, but Lancaster is convinced you need a wilkinson and a Catt (to be fair, the fact Catt is one of the coaches may have something to do with this) and a noshing Tindall. That’s farrell, ??? and Barrett / Butell / Tuilagi.
Would love to see Burrell and Tuilagi, but it’s just not going to happen. Eastmond is too small for a centre, and would only be really good plying off ford (who’s too small) and Cips who’s too, well I’m not sure what he’s doing wrong but it’s clearly something bad that nobody else can see. With Farrell there no point playing a good running, carrying 12 as they’ll either never get the ball or it’ll be another bloody terrible hospital pass.

Is Eastmond really too small? Sure, he’s smaller than some of the other contenders but does that matter? Against SA he didn’t miss any tackles whilst against NZ he made 9 and missed 1. The much vaunted Barritt made 14 but missed 3. I seem to recall 12T being run over against Australia in a particularly embarrassing way a couple of years ago and he’s a big lad.

You can either defend or you can’t. I don’t recall anyone worrying about whether Shane Williams could tackle. I do recall that RWC warm up game where 6’7″ 18st Matt Banahan had the line at his mercy and only SW to beat – he never even looked like scoring.

Fair enough, the 12 channel needs some solid defending but picking a small fly-half like Ford shouldn’t then dictate that you have to pick a huge lump at 12 to compensate.

As a_a rightly points out they should:

“….stop pissing about.”

I think it’s obvious to most except SL:

Attacking game : Burrell/Eastmond
Defensive game : Burrell/Barrit

Subs: In both scenarios Manu on at 60 for impact, the boy wonder covering 10.

IMO SL needs to start & play his rwc15 team in the 6n. The time for testing the back line is over.

Fair enough, the 12 channel needs some solid defending but picking a small fly-half like Ford shouldn’t then dictate that you have to pick a huge lump at 12 to compensate.

It does if you play a blitz defence, England would need to switch to drifting more if Ford and Eastmond were at 10 and 12.

Manu will be our RWC centre even if he hardly plays in the 6N. I still think 10 is the key position to watch, I have a bad feeling daddies boy is going to be back as first choice in the 6N. If we don’t get 10 right it doesn’t matter who is at 12 and 13

If Tuilagi is fit he will play I agree but at 13 he wouldnt have the defensive nous to run a drift defence I wouldnt think. Maybe he is part of the problem?

That’s why I commented he should be the impact sub. He’d be a very good one. And could add points to the board later in the gam by scoring and committing the defense but he is relatively one dimensional.

Eastmond alone isn’t a problem. Eastmond alongside ford worries me. Two 13st blokes in the middle of the field? Not for me thanks, and before anyone references bath, they aren’t playing test rugby, got torn apart by Glasgow and have leaked a good few tries this season. For all the kudos their back line gets, it’s their pack who wins games for them. KE/GF means that you HAVE to play Barritt. Burrell is one of our best centres, of this I’m sure. The other? I’m not even sure we have tried him yet. My gut says slade needs a go.

For me it’s Ford along side a Burrell, Tuilagi, Barrit mix. I’d happly have Burrell at 12 as that’s where he plays his games for Northampton, and he’s a solid defender as well as an attacking threat. 12T should be nowhere near. He has moments of greatness followed by his mind going awol. As I said earlier, Slade looks a really good bet when I see him pay, and I’d love to see him at test level. He also managed to contain Tuilagi very well so I have no doubts on his defence!

^^ I agree with tinybits. Well put.

I think my 10, 12 13 would be Ford Burrell and Manu if they were all fit. Is it too late in his career for Barritt to switch to a 6/8? 🙂