Winters coming;all inclusive rugby thread.

When is a ban not a ban?

meanwhile Shit DeLuca gets 13 weeks

and Healey gets ban reduced by a week so will be able to face France!!

Wellies announced his retirement today. Great player much underated.

England are bruised after France clash but there is no talk of Grand Slam, says Chris Robshaw. We have not banned any Grand Slam talk in the England camp because I can honestly say nobody in the squad is talking about it anyway.
“Daily Telegraph 25.2.2013”

Joe Launchbury admitted today it would be “awesome” to help England win a first Grand Slam for 10 years.
“Evening Standard 25.2.2013”

They are both possibly right though AA.

No talk in the camp but journalist asks jumped up English player about said GS. Young upstart answers naively etc.
Reinforces jumped up arrogant English player status.

Lol @ surfer. Excited young rugby player playing for his country admits how good it’d be to win a major tournament in style shocker.

Hardly arrogant, hell, I’d be excited, and my mentality – polished by a psychologist or not – would be expecting to win against Italy and shade it against wales.

That’s not arrogance its realism – or do you expect professional players to wander around believing they can’t win?

I also would not believe quotes in the press either, they will twist them to write a story / headline.

And if that is arrogance then nearly every professional sportsman is guilty of it.

Looking for it continually in other teams players is a sure sign of a chip on the shoulder.

or is that too much of a generalisation and reading too much into your comment?

I just think the constant trying to deny the obvious is quite funny.

*cue Welsh patriot society head member*

Entertaining isn’t it, that us English can’t be patriotic or enthusiastic about our sports without being dubbed “arrogant”. Lets look at some other stereotypes:

Aussies – now they are arrogant
Scots – permanant chip vs england
French – bitter over Waterloo
Kiwi’s – smug about being better than everyone else
Welsh – unrealistic most of the time.

etc etc yawn yawn get over yourselves ffs and enjoy the rugby….

AA – I would never believe everything I read in the papers to be the exact words spoken by the person.

If you do you are incredibly naive.

True but sometimes the English go a bit too far in trying not to look arrogant and so lose some of the joy. Nothing wrong with what Launcbury said. Pretty sure North said much the same last year. Its the captains denials that look at bit daft. Obviously a grand slam is the aim. It was at the start of the season and is much more likely now.

Nice edit kryton. By the way where did i use the a word?

Where did I accuse you of doing so?

Er its implied in your post. If it wasnt directed at me who was it directed at? Anyway I make it a policy these dsys nit to argue with idiots so goodnight

It’s a genericism Aa, based in what surfer said. No need to take it personally.

If my country had only won one grand slam in 18 years as a player I’d be talking about it. There again perhaps not with a history of messing things up.

Brilliant, the English are arrogant if they say they want and can win a grand slam, and they try to hard not to appear so and somehow are at fault again….

Wales have beaten a terrible France team and Italy….hardly earth shattering.

If my country had only won one grand slam in 18 years as a player I’d be talking about it. There again perhaps not with a history of messing things up.

It was a similar situation at the RWC. Except of course, Wales had and never have won one. Of course they were robbed by the ref…….
Personally, I wouldn’t swap 1 world champion title (or even RWC finalist) for a million grand slams, but that’s just me.

Wow its amazing how sensitive the england fans are and they accuse the welsh of being chippy!!

England are the best team in the current 6N, fact.

Yeah they should leave the six nations or make it a two tier competition with england and france at the top…… Or something.

🙂

Taking Stoner Jr to his first Aviva Permiership match tonight. WAAARRRRRIOORRRRSSSSSS!!!!!!!

Haven’t Wasps just signed Goode for next season? Could be interesting-enjoy!

some people might not miss him 😉

Any refs able to explain this one to me?

? should be penalty to blue, no?

IINAR

Looks to me like the tackler released Ashton, found his balance by placing his hands on the ground, then legally challenged for the ball. Ashton holds on. Penalty to blue? Question is, had the ref called ruck?

Even wearing white (!) i thought Ashton should have been pinged for that at the time. But (unlike in wendyball and) as Brian Moore likes to remind us, “It doesn’t matter what I think. It’s only what the ref decides that matters.” 😉

The decision was pen to england and it was what finally killed the game. The refs favouring the ball carrier is part of the reason Warburton has lost form or rather the refs have moved the game away from his strengths.

The other reason is that he’s never been that good 😆

Blue 23 doesn’t release Ashton. He is still in contact with him during and after getting to his feet. Ashton doesn’t release or place the ball immediately. Take your pick.

It was an awful clear out too.

Tackler clearly does release both hands off and is on feet.

Blue 23 doesn’t release Ashton. He is still in contact with him during and after getting to his feet. Ashton doesn’t release or place the ball immediately. Take your pick.

+1

Nah he’s still got his hands and arms over him for me.

Doesn’t matter. The best team won, any claim to the contrary is simply incorrect.

Its called a discussion point wrecker if you’ve nothing to add why bother?

Pretty sure the ref said hands in ruck not tackler not releasing which is more borderline as i’m not sure he ever had his weight on his feet.

A discussion point raised to bring an England victory into question, raised by someone with an open bias against England….

Being a little precious arent you love?