Comrade 86

Hmmm. I think that was more to do with some mass-induced panic 😂 Ah well, the points are in the bag and that's what matters and as for Wales, I'd fancy England to turn them over. Agree that it's not an easy place to play if they get their tails up and the crowd engaged, but that 2nd half was like England giving up 30 in the Calcutta Cup at Twickenham. Complete brain fade. Anyway, best team won and on we go. Not a bad opening weekend.

Boom, boom, boom, let me here you say Ebou, Ebou...

I've jinxed them, haven't I? 🙈

They've a golden generation right now and I do worry that they may have little to show for it if they keep slipping up in the big games. When they are on it they are unplayable, but too often they are not prepared to earn the right to play, too impatient, forcing things. Dupont and Ntamack are obviously huge losses, but teams have to manage injuries and absences and it doesn't feel like France have done that at all. I'd still much rather watch them play than any other side though! Only the Kiwis come close.

Nah, your lads have got this. They've controlled the game to my eye and they've still got levels. It's sad to see Wales in a mess, but in a mess they are. Not helped by injuries to some key players, but that's every team really.

OMG, it was amazing @Caerphilly Ram asked whether meat and potatoes are the essence of a top pie. I hilariously called him a psychopath. How we laughed! Up stepped @Carnero who then called him a sick bar steward, which on reflection, was more inventive than my effort. The two of them had a duel outside Pride park and suffice to say, spuds are off the menu. High drama.

I think it might be parental stresses being offset by the Mighty Rams, or something like that.

They're just lemon because we didn't even need CBT to beat them 😂

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas! Up yours you bellsniffing cloggers. Thanks for the 3 points.

They've kicked him from pillar to post. No wonder he' dropped off'.

A stuttering performance and normally I'd be annoyed, but there are some positive signs. First though, Italy! Absolutely brilliant today, the best I've seen from them by a stretch. They matched this England side all over the park and are seeing some really handy young players starting to emerge. Yes, they lost again, but the home fans cheered them like champions and rightly so. The beers will be flowing in Rome tonight. England look a different side completely. I thought we were herculean in that SF with SA at RWC2024 where I had no expectations at all. In that same fashion, we again relied on our set piece to drag ourselves back into this game, but we did try to play some rugby today and I thought in the end it was a little more comfortable than it might have been. Very pleased to see some youth given a proper run out. With a lot of new faces and a change of style and tempo, we were always likely to see errors being made, but there were some really good performances from the young 'uns. Root, Cunningham-South and barely old enough to shave, Fin Smith, all looking to the manner born. It's a project, I concede, but thankfully we've now taken those first steps towards a more modern style of play. Long may it continue.

Ref needs to get a fookin grip here 😠

Doh!

Duft?

Red card no? What was that!

Gotham puns flowing already, Stevey lad!

I think that went quite well... 🫢 Brilliant, in fairness, from the Italians, who do play a wonderfully adventurous form of rugby. England's power game is dragging them back into the match on the scoreboard, but in truth, we've been second best and comfortably so. No hint of luck, so far either. The positives; we are at least trying to play a higher tempo, our wingers are being given license to hunt the ball and Freeman has looked a threat and we've still got 15 on the park. Much more required this second half. With the French bombing out last night, credible threats to another Ireland slam seem to be Scotland and err... well Scotland. C'mon England. Prove me wrong. Please!! 😂

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/The+Green+Park,+Green+Park,+London+SW1A+1AA/North+Greenwich,+5+Millennium+Way,+London+SE10+0PH/@51.5046022,-0.203694,11z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m18!4m17!1m5!1m1!1s0x4876052881ff2bd9:0xdb5ab148cad5f1a3!2m2!1d-0.1438484!2d51.5039052!1m5!1m1!1s0x47d8a81c4076216b:0xb56044798d97e04a!2m2!1d0.0035842!2d51.5002452!2m3!5e1!5e2!5e3!3e3?entry=ttu

Tough game ahead I think. Hopeful of a good result, more than confident after the recent dip in performance and energy levels. With Charlton having recruited heavily during this window and playing in their own back yard, I doubt they'll be a pushover. Ryan Nyambe returns and not before time. I hope he's fit as it was suggested he may have had a niggle. I'm hoping those reports prove untrue. I'm hoping to see CBT start and put in a strong performance. He looks a good signing and a player who could develop further yet, but will he be given time if he doesn't land running? Also really interested to see how we set up today. Very divided forum these days, but I think most agree that we needed to bolster midfield and in Ebou Adams we seem to have a man tailor made for the job. Will he start? If so, will he screen the back 4 or be the legs slightly higher up the field? Perhaps the most contentious question, will Max be trusted by the gaffer to put a performance in? I'd assume yes, otherwise why the loan back, but the deluge of criticism may have changed that landscape with a few fans openly threatening to give Max a bit of grief. It's a shame as a midfield 3 of Max, Thommo and Ebou might prove pretty tasty. And will a weary looking Hourihane be rested, or will PW stick to his guns? So many questions and a lot of moving parts. Who'd be an owner / manager?

From the BBC: More than 800 serving officials in the US and Europe have signed a statement warning that their own governments' policies on the Israel-Gaza war could amount to "grave violations of international law". The "transatlantic statement", a copy of which was passed to the BBC, says their administrations risk being complicit in "one of the worst human catastrophes of this century" but that their expert advice has been sidelined. It is the latest sign of significant levels of dissent within the governments of some of Israel's key Western allies. One signatory to the statement, a US government official with more than 25 years' national security experience, told the BBC of the "continued dismissal" of their concerns. "The voices of those who understand the region and the dynamics were not listened to," said the official. Full story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68177357

Mate, it's just folk giving an opinion, it's not personal!

Not sure. Pie related prognostications trump a fair amount of the chat on here these days. How do you feel about pasties, for instance and have you ever had to scrap for the last balti? These are the burning issues I think we all really want to address.

Too late mate. They'll be off their food for days now.... 😔 In all seriousness, it does strike me as wishful thinking, but stranger things have happened. Let's be honest, this forum could do with a lift right now and getting a half decent striker through the door would be just fine and dandy with me. Sadly, I fear that ship may have sailed though.