6 Nations

[simoan]

As an England supporter, I'm increasingly concerned about Jones' inability to develop a playing style and his confused selection policy (Daly?) it's almost as if he makes selections hoping to chance on some winning combinations. Of course that might still happen but ...

I agree. I'm getting really bored watching England now. Even the 33-0 win against Italy was painful to watch. It's time the RFU got on the blower to Shaun Edwards, a new head coach is needed. The current England setup has no chance of winning the next World Cup. I know they changed the coaching staff after last years awful 6 Nations campaign but it's clear now that was just re-arranging the deckchairs on the Titanic.

[didds]

[
Lucky you! England and Wales are two bang average teams. Yes, they have some good individual players but when you watch England in particular, you just feel they could play for a month without an outside back scoring a try. If Elliot Daly is the answer at centre then Eddie Jones must’ve asked himself a very strange question.

without defending Jones at all, Daly played at #13 because quelle surprise Tualangi didnt lastr even a week having been selected at #12, forcing Slade inside leaving #13 open... and apparently there are no other #12s in England it would seem [ irony alert ].

summary: daly played cos of an injury elsewhere allied to Jones hasnt anybody else in his head and . Thats all

[Leothebear]

England - you have to keep asking with all that talent why are they not firing? If they get hammered by France, it maybe the end of Eddie.


I really hope they do. I find it very hard to support my country with their dour, ugly, juggernaut rugby. The sooner that changes the better but it won't with EJ in control.

[terminal7]

When I mentioned above the sub-standard refereeing in the England v Wales match balancing out in the course of the game - I was not expecting it to get worse. Today's match between Ireland and Italy was completely ruined by the referee - totally inexperienced at this level and a hatful of ridiculous decisions.

T7

[didds]

When I mentioned above the sub-standard refereeing in the England v Wales match balancing out in the course of the game - I was not expecting it to get worse. Today's match between Ireland and Italy was completely ruined by the referee - totally inexperienced at this level and a hatful of ridiculous decisions.

T7

I think you'll find that is a hatful of decisions completely following the law and regs as applicable. The man-off stuff has been around since around 2016. The forceful impact to the head stuff =red card at least two years. He applied the laws as they are written and by interpretations published and instructed. His team of three fully agreed with him, and I would expect any referee to have done the same as they are the laws.

Clearly Italy didn't know the laws over man-off - yet again we see professionals that don't know the very laws under which they operate. Can you imagine HGV drivers being so blasé about the laws that surround their profession?

This isn't to say I don't sympathise with Italy because the man-off stuff wasn't intended for this scenario but for those sides that manipulated the uncontested scrum laws when under the cosh (I'm looking at you Australia, France and Windsor3rd XV). If you want to blame somebody, blame those sides that abused the uncontested scrum situation as was, leading to such man-off laws.

[Moosehoosenew]

Well Irish player Baird? Took out Italian shoulder to head on 63 minutes, not a peep from anyone.

Rugby in spite of having multiple refs and tmos is fast becoming unwatchable

[didds]

Well Irish player Baird? Took out Italian shoulder to head on 63 minutes, not a peep from anyone.

Rugby in spite of having multiple refs and tmos is fast becoming unwatchable

this incident Ive seen discussed (and have discussed) in other forums/realms outside of LF... but indeed. Its difficult to square the two incidents.

Im sure we could go through most games and find similar situations that never get reviewed - which is after all one of the remits of the TMO during play.

I've seen suggestions that its deliberate ie Italy get a worse deal out of it - all id say on that is that Id like to see some hard stats evidence to support that overall as I wonder that maybe its merely a perception. But again that would require some serious reviewing on many games over time

[didds]

https://twitter.com/i/status/1498062431691722759

the video should still run even without a twitter account AIUI (and works for me in a browser where im not logged in)

[terminal7]

2 mighty tussles Friday/Saturday.

Wales v France - heart over head Wales to inch it

Italy v Scotland - surely Scotland to win by 20 points margin

England v Ireland - my money is on the Irish

T7

[Rhyd6]

T7 I'm with you on the heart over head situation re Wales v France but I wouldn't place a bet on it. The Wales/France games are usually exciting matches so here's hoping that it will be a fast flowing game. I still can't understand the WRU decision not to use players who play for clubs outside Wales. A professional's playing life is not that long so they need to take all opportunities offered to secure a decent financial future and I'm amazed that the WRU can't understand this and most people I talk to in N Wales are totally against this decision.

R6

[Leothebear]

The BBC gave England credit for a fighting display against Ireland. That's the sort of praise you give a minnow in an FA cup 4th round, against a top side.

From what I saw Ireland were better all over the field in scoring 4 tries to England's none (as usual).

[simoan]

The BBC gave England credit for a fighting display against Ireland. That's the sort of praise you give a minnow in an FA cup 4th round, against a top side.

From what I saw Ireland were better all over the field in scoring 4 tries to England's none (as usual).

Obviously you missed the fact England played all but the first two minutes with 14 men then! In that respect, they did well because I don’t feel the score would’ve been much different 15 v 15.

[Leothebear]

Obviously you missed the fact England played all but the first two minutes with 14 men then! In that respect, they did well because I don’t feel the score would’ve been much different 15 v 15.

Yeah! You got there before I could delete my post.

Let's see how they get on against France.

[terminal7]

2 very exciting matches:

Wales v France: a second half with one penalty proved utterly absorbing. Wales should have won but lacked clinical composure that a Alun Wynn Jones would have brought to the team. Wales clearly on an upward trajectory and France not as good as we all thought

England v Ireland: England finally buckled in the final quarter but showed their best form of this season particularly given their one player disadvantage - bit disappointed that the Irish took so long to put 14 players away

Italy v Scotland: always thought Scotland mediocre and their performance has not changed my mind. The only reason to keep Italy in this tournament - apart from financial reasons - it allows the other teams to 'blood' a few new players.

Ireland and Wales both will win easily in the final round. France with the home advantage should out think England making sure that Macron wins the imminent presidential election.

T7

[BigB]

Interested and puzzled by what happened in the ENG and IRE front rows.

Does anyone here have any insight into why a 7.5 man pack destroyed the Irish 8 and their front row time and again, Furlong in particular. Genge and George laughing, referee ping Ireland multiple times but we heard no warnings, no advice, and no threat of a yellow for persistent offence.

Furlong previously considered one of the best TH in the world. Why wasn't Genge the MOM, why wasn't Furlong given yellow?

Very odd.

[didds]

The BBC gave England credit for a fighting display against Ireland. That's the sort of praise you give a minnow in an FA cup 4th round, against a top side.

From what I saw Ireland were better all over the field in scoring 4 tries to England's none (as usual).

Obviously you missed the fact England played all but the first two minutes with 14 men then! In that respect, they did well because I don’t feel the score would’ve been much different 15 v 15.

Id say - failure to cross the white line aside - this was probably the best England performance of the 2022 6N.

[didds]

Interested and puzzled by what happened in the ENG and IRE front rows.

Does anyone here have any insight into why a 7.5 man pack destroyed the Irish 8 and their front row time and again, Furlong in particular. Genge and George laughing, referee ping Ireland multiple times but we heard no warnings, no advice, and no threat of a yellow for persistent offence.

Furlong previously considered one of the best TH in the world. Why wasn't Genge the MOM, why wasn't Furlong given yellow?

Very odd.

I thought i did hear a brief conversation between the ref and the Irish skipper about how the front row situation was becoming difficult etc - but as usual the ITV commentators were busy talking over the ref comms so it was difficult to pick up what was said.

WRT the scrums the one thing i didn't really follow was with England having already won two scrum PKs, when they shortly afterwards got a scrum FK, why did they kick it long/poor Garryowen, rather than opt for a scrum and seek another PK?

didds

[didds]

Was it really only last autumn that the media were making claims of NH superiority over SH nations?

There is clear blue water between Ireland (2nd) and the rest in the 6N table. England have been poor for two years now and this campaign has highlighted several issues not least that there are only two #12s of test class available, both who will likely retire after the next RWC and one who probably won’t make it anyway. The back row balance is messed up, and there is no clear plan of succession, tactics or selection. There are some rays of sunlight… Randall and Smith for sure and Stewart looks decent enough. But somebody has to relieve Smith of line kicking duties.


Scotland continue to frustrate as a one opposition team turning up only once every campaign. Usually against the same opposition each year.

Wales… well. Currently yo-yoing between success and failure, relying on a couple of squiffy results. The same squad and coaches have since 2019 come 5th, 5th, 1st, and 5th. There’s something very wrong there.

That leaves Italy. May yesterdays result be a stepping stone if not to glory then at least a little self belief. Two games in a row I’ve thought they were starting to get there, and yesterday they came through. May Capuozzo be the real deal because in two games he’s looked a potential match winner, and yesterday he was. And then we can finally bury these promotion/relegation ideas of replacing a team that is weak with an even weaker team in the desperate hope five matches will mean the promoted team will become tier 1, but instead come up with meaningful and real ways of developing Tier2 with full time strategies not some whimsical notion that losing by 50 points each year for years on end will really help. Italy have improved THIS year because of recent successes at U20 level, not by losing in the 6N for seven years. A lck of public exposure isn't helping for starters - I wonder how many actually know Spain qualified for RWC2023 this week?

[Leothebear]

Perhaps a word of congratulations to France. Exhilarating to watch and a well deserved GS.

[didds]

Perhaps a word of congratulations to France. Exhilarating to watch and a well deserved GS.

100% agreed.

No.

200% agreed.