STW 2014/15 Rugby Thread

Go on then Tom. Its traditional at this time of year. Usual ends in a vigorous discussion!!Based on form now not what might happen in a few years.

1/2p
Bowe
Joseph
Roberts
North
Ford
Murray
Healey
Token Scot
Cole
AW Jones
OConnel
Robshaw
Vunipola
Warburton

Marler
Youngs
Ross
Lawes
SOB
Other Youngs
Sexton
Watson

Cole 😯 planning on giving the oppo’s kicking practice?

Hogg
1/2p
Joseph
Roberts
North
Ford
Murray
Healy
Ford
Cole
AWJ
O,Connel
Robshaw
SOB
Warburton

Marler
Best
Ross
Lawes
Armatige
Webb
Sexton
Davies

anagallis_arvensis – Member

Who is second to Sexton for the 10 shirt?

Cipppers, obviously.[/quote]

The English bench warmer? Third in line behind Farrell and George “I can’t hit a banjo with a barn door” Ford?

Two hookers on the bench?

Armitage? Really? Fitness would be a massive issue I would think.

The only definites for me on any team sheet now are AWJ and POC. Utterly superb performances from both throughout the tournament.

If only there were three second rows, I would also put Girafferis in there as well. Defensively he was fantastic.

English bench warmer? Third in line behind Farrell and George “I can’t hit a banjo with a barn door” Ford?

twas a joke. I reckon Biggar has been Wales best player this season. Just think Ford offers more in attack. Sexton I picked on reputation. Hasnt been much cop this season.

Youd need to be a certain kind of special to put biggar before ford.

,

I would also put Girafferis in there as well. Defensively he was fantastic.

Proper tackles too not blindside hits on midget tens.

A fit Armatige is a seriously destructive player!

Not wanting to name a team then wrecker?

Never seen a fit Armitage he’d be blowing like an asthmatic hippo after 10 mins.

A lions team?
Ireland plus JJ and North. Maybe robshaw and warbs.
Far too early though. The RWC will be the test.

Devon Toner?? Rob Kearney?? Ross??? Many better options.
OMahony is it me or does he go missing in big games?

Yeah I know but to the victor the spoils. Plus I hadn’t thought about it, as I said it’s too early.
A 6n team could be fun though.

Fickou and Joseph would be fun.

Healy, mas and ghiraldini front row?

Goujon looked very good. Well, in pieces, anyway. (Overdone joke!)

He did look very good though.

Healy was only just getting back to fitness for the last game, still not sharp.
Mas only played about 100 minutes total.
Giraldino played for Italy.

I’d have Debaty at 1 – mainly for That Try .
Overlapping A quick Fijjian wing after an hour of mental rugby is more than any prop can offer. Marler and Mcgrath were decent over the tournament and would be fair picks, as was Eddy ben Arous – played a bit like a younger GJenkins but could scrum.

Guirado at 2 , for the offload for the Mernoz (i think) try.
And generally being the least bad . The main candidates all had good patches, but all seemed to contribute to their teams losing their only matches by throwing bad darts at bad times. Or being a fat knacker and knocking out their own star player. Or both

Ross at 3, for surprising everyone and somehow making the Irish scrum a strength. Cole , lee (till he got broked) and Murray- for his caps record – were all worthy 3’s but you’d have to have that 25 stone Frog on the bench for the last 20 minutes just for the craic. antonio

CaptainFlashheart – Member
The only definites for me on any team sheet now are AWJ and POC. Utterly superb performances from both throughout the tournament.

If only there were three second rows, I would also put Girafferis in there as well. Defensively he was fantastic.
I totally agree. Don’t know how that happened. First time on a rugby thread, I think. 😉

SOB at 7. Finally fit for the last match. Beats players. Tackles, rucks, turnovers and 2 tries to win the tournament. The Best.

6 – Warburton – not cheating ‘cos he played there and scored. Made some yards too, for a change , and may be a better at 6. Anyway, deserves a place on the team. probablly.

8 – Heaslip. for the Hogg tackle. Otherwise Vunipola for being England’s best forward. And becoming an 80 minute player.

I’m aware who ghiraldini plays for and mas still got more game time than Castro didn’t he?

Backs

9 Murray. Webb and youngs close ish.

10 Ford. To feed JJ. Sexton played like he’d been out for 3 months, which was still as good as any other FH, such is his quality. But he wasn’t up to his top standards, so Ford is in for the link with JJ. Biggar was on a par with both of them too , so would be unlucky to miss out. And Finn Russell looks exciting.

11 Fitzgerald. For turning Ireland from a dull boring kicking team into a running, try scoring team of champions. After missing 4 years.

12 Henshaw. Biggest impact in the biggest games. Roberts would be worth a place only if I could move Henshaw to 15.

13 Joseph. “twinkle toes” and tries.

14 halfpenny. ‘cos he needs to be in the team. And he shouldn’t be allowed to play full back ’till he learns to tackle with his head on the correct side.

15 Hogg. Loads of yards, dangerous runner, and scored (and dropped) great tries. If I’m not allowed 1/2p on the wing, then he’s (1/2p) FB and the big Fijian Frenchman can have a run on the wing. Noa Nakaitaci – played like Teddy Thomas was supposed to before it all kicked off.

Dont see the Henshaw thing. Roberts is limited and bit of a one trick pony but if you are going into a tight battle there is only one choice.
SOB and his backrow mates got taken tobthe cleaners by Wales.

Disagree. They lost a tight match by 7 points away from home.

Despite having 64% possession and 66% territory.

In nobody’s book is that a back row “being taken to the cleaners”.
Sloppy Finishing and breakaway try more like.

If you need a reminder of how a back row “being taken to the cleaners” looks, try the Vajazzle Friday match.

I’d have Sexton at 10, otherwise I’d go with what AA said.

AWJ as captain.

I’m till to be convinced by Sexton, he is either very good or rubbish, there is nothing inbetween. He has choked a few times as well.

Ford did well against France but the english pack had the slight edge how would he do if the pack was going backwards? Wouldn’t have Farell full stop.

I always thing you have to look at players who are outstanding in a team that is rubbish, Howley and Jenkins spring to mind.

Despite having 64% possession and 66% territory.

In nobody’s book is that a back row “being taken to the cleaners”.
Sloppy Finishing and breakaway try more like.

I think you need to go take a look again. The Irish front five was well on top, but the irish backrow went nowhere carrying and made little impression at the breakdown. To summarise, they got owned.

Hey , if you think you can make a case for welsh back row in your team of the tournament, go ahead.
Otherwise, just looks like trolling others’.

I’ll stick with the one that got the results that matter.

If we are playing that card then Ireland may have won a grand slam if Wales hadn’t beaten them 😆

It’s been an interesting tournament, with very few players on top form for the whole tournament.

AWJ, POC & JJ were the stand – out players for me. The biggest failure has to be Saint-Andre. He has amazing players at his disposal, but just can’t get a proper team on the pitch.

Players coming back from injury who should be on top form for the WC – SOB, Lawes, Sexton, JD.

Biggest surprise – Wales 3rd string front row holding their own against Italy. I was expecting a massacre, but they had parity, which allowed the welsh backs to play the way they did.

To be fair the welsh front row was getting a thorough kicking until Castro ran out of puff and went off.

Hey , if you think you can make a case for welsh back row in your team of the tournament, go ahead.

Warburton, Robshaw and Vunipola would work for me. SOB was below his best, understandably, Vunipola carries better than any other option. Robshaw can do the graft at 6. OMahoney was blown away v wales, Heaslip was up and down, him and Faletau are on a similar level.

I was hanging all my hopes on the Wales Front Row being pushed off the park, denying their backs quality ball. I thought we could beat France by 16. After Ireland took Scotland to pieces I always thought 26 points was too much. If there is one team you do t really want to play fast and loose against I the NH, it’s France. Once they got broken field possession they looked a different team. He hasn’t been mentioned, but I thought Spedding had a great game against England.

Looking fwd to the WC – is Wales v Aus at the millennium?

dantsw13 – Member
Looking fwd to the WC – is Wales v Aus at the millennium?

Twickers

Working from home is going to be a “challenge”…

I thought Spedding had a great game against England

He was good going forward but his positioning for kicks looked a little suspect, that may have been due to the nature of the game though.

Its on ITV isn’t it? so will be crap coverage, Brian Moore said on Twitter he has been told he is to controversial so wont be involved.

Warburton,SOB and panda-cola for me, with the craveat that Warburton needs to be unbroken/not just back from injury,SoB has had another month and the “Wales saw him first” no8 has been told he has to make say,half a dozen defensive tackles a game.

forgotten how funny this was.

How come he played the best game of his career against us and reverted back to being a penalty giving away yellow card for tripping oaf the other games?

Pigface – Member

How come he played the best game of his career against us and reverted back to being a penalty giving away yellow card for tripping oaf the other games?

Because he is the “Archbishop of Banterbury” and needs everybody to notice him,including the ref?