The 6 Nations & RWC 2023 Thread

[Comrade 86]

Watched the Italy v Ireland game today. Great game for the neutral. So much good running rugby on show and while this wasn't Ireland's strongest line up, massive kudos to the Italians all the same. They are improving at a rate of knots these days and after years as the whipping boys, it's really good to see. There'll be no more chat about whether they should be part of the 6N for the foreseeable, that's for sure and I doubt too many sides will think they can rest players against them either. On what I've seen thus far, they'll give Wales plenty to think about. 

[Van der MoodHoover]

2 great games this weekend and then England.

It's a win so you have to take it as we don't get many in Wales, but it was turgid stuff in the main.

I'm starting to get irrationally irritated with OFs post match interviews. "We're right at the start of our journey" type bobbins. There's a lot of old hands out there. Surely after all these years they have SOME idea.

Its a pity as the Watson try was really well crafted and i was thinking "now, here we go" - but we kind of just fizzled out after that. The capability was there as we were able to march straight down the field after the intercept try from Rees-Zammit and score again, but we seem to lose our way really quickly.

Echo the views of @86 Hair Islands - we butcher far too many good opportunities and with Farrells unusually poor kicking left a good 20 points out there on Saturday.

Borthwick was pretty measured in his assessment so that bodes well. He was a bit genial towards wales - put them to the sword first SB then damn them with a bit of faint praise!

[Comrade 86]

Watched the France vs Scotland game and to be honest, it just made me even madder about the state of the English game. Two sides, the Scots in particular, who are quite happy putting the ball through hands, who when kicking, did so with precision and purpose and who laid on an astoundingly good game for us neutrals. When I watch games like this one I'm reminded why I honestly believe rugby to be the greatest game ever invented. 

Bravo to the Scots. They ran the ball from literally everywhere and were it not for an intercept, well who knows how this might have gone. They were relentless against a French side with a monstrous pack, never taking a backwards step and out-Frenching the French with ball in hand. They are now perilously close to joining the absolute top table and muich as it pains me to say, it's nothing less than they deserve.

France, for their part, were pretty ruthless, without necessarily showing the flair that we know they have in their armoury. I'm a little disappointed that their progress seems to have stalled a little, but they played their part in an enthralling game and probably just about edged it in the end. Call me crazy but I suspect it will be Townsend who is the happier of the two coaches after the game, despite the loss. 

A last word for the colossal clown that is Mohamed Haouas. As nasty and thuggish a headbutt as you could not wish to see. Accidental collisions and that kind of behaviour should not be treated the same as what was an out and out assault, especially when it's a 130Kg front rower putting the nut on a number 9 half his size. I hope Fabien Galthié kicks this lad into touch until he learns to play hard AND fair, or at least fair-ish. Even his own teammates were giving him stink-eye after the replays went up on the big screens and it's not hard to see why. Man's an immature bully-boy who left a stain on a otherwise wonderful game of rugby.

[BucksRam]

20 hours ago, Van der MoodHoover said:

2 great games this weekend and then England.

It's a win so you have to take it as we don't get many in Wales, but it was turgid stuff in the main.

I'm starting to get irrationally irritated with OFs post match interviews. "We're right at the start of our journey" type bobbins. There's a lot of old hands out there. Surely after all these years they have SOME idea.

Its a pity as the Watson try was really well crafted and i was thinking "now, here we go" - but we kind of just fizzled out after that. The capability was there as we were able to march straight down the field after the intercept try from Rees-Zammit and score again, but we seem to lose our way really quickly.

Echo the views of @86 Hair Islands - we butcher far too many good opportunities and with Farrells unusually poor kicking left a good 20 points out there on Saturday.

Borthwick was pretty measured in his assessment so that bodes well. He was a bit genial towards wales - put them to the sword first SB then damn them with a bit of faint praise!

I've never been an OF fan but he's just getting worse IMO.  Poor kicking choices and now leaving double points out there from "simple" kicks. And now Borthwick has dropped Smith and brought back George Ford, and of course Jonny May - I'd rather see Adam Radwan given a go again; he's been storming it for the Falcons. 

[Van der MoodHoover]

4 hours ago, BucksRam said:

I've never been an OF fan but he's just getting worse IMO.  Poor kicking choices and now leaving double points out there from "simple" kicks. And now Borthwick has dropped Smith and brought back George Ford, and of course Jonny May - I'd rather see Adam Radwan given a go again; he's been storming it for the Falcons. 

I really would like to think that the RFU have given Steve Borthwick free rein to write off this 6N and the WC in order to rebuild properly for the future.

Everything at the moment is screaming short termism.

Actually I've just realized that may not be accurate for the pack which he has brought some decent new blood to.

[Comrade 86]

1 hour ago, Van der MoodHoover said:

I really would like to think that the RFU have given Steve Borthwick free rein to write off this 6N and the WC in order to rebuild properly for the future.

Everything at the moment is screaming short termism.

Actually I've just realized that may not be accurate for the pack which he has brought some decent new blood to.

It's just the Farrell conundrum that has me scratching my head. I'm not surprised to see Ford back in the fold as to my mind, he's the best 10 out there currently and his pre-injury form in taking Leicester to the title was sensational. I think Borthwick has shown the loyalty Farrell's contributions over the years have warranted, but I think in making him the skipper, he's created a rod for his own back. Farrell is an absolute warrior and always has been and he has my respect in spades. That said, this is meant to be a new era for English rugby and I don't see anymore how he fits the brief. He doesn't have the pace needed to set the backs free and you could argue that he never really had the slight of hand. Sadly, the kicking game that was metronomic for so many years has now deserted him too and I hate to see him getting so much flak from the public. He needs to go back to Saracens to see whether he can rediscover some form, but my feeling is that his time is now over. 

Smith's game suffered terribly under Eddie Jones and I think Borthwick has actually made the right call there. He needs to go back to Quins and re-find his flair and the necessary courage to do the stuff that isn't scripted. Others will disagree, but to my eye he's been no better than Farrell for England and whilst I'm certain he will become a world class player in time, he needs to work on his defence and his kicking from hand. The latter skill-set in particular, is some of the worst I've seen from an International 10.

@BucksRam has mentioned the recall of Jonny May. Again, I agree that on the form he was showing when last wearing the rose, it seems a backward step. For all that on his best form he can be lethal, he's never looked a natural to my eye and teams target him as they know his defensive skill set is poor. That said, I see Radwan in precisely the same mould, though he is working hard on that side of the game and still has time on his side. That said, there's a some decent wingers out there in the likes of Murphy, Arundell, Malins, Freeman et al and I'd have all of them ahead of Radwan as things stand. Raw pace is a major asset and Radwan is possibly the quickest of the lot, but in itself it's not enough at test level.

Far more of a mystery to me is the continued absence of Val Rapava-Ruskin. He absolutely monsters every prop he faces and is a proper handful in the loose too and it beggars belief he's not even made a training squad as yet. No disrespect intended to Mako and Dan Cole, but he's an entirely different animal to those old warriors and he's also scoring at a rate of 0.4 per game which is pretty tasty for a fat lad. For context, he's scored more tries than Adam Radwan this season despite playing 20% less games. Come on Steve, give the lad a chance!!! 

On a general note, as I'm waffling on again, I'm a little underwhelmed with the new coaching set-up. I'll practice what I preach and try to remain patient but I'd trade W's for L's if there was some obvious progression. The next two games will show us more about where we currently are, I suppose, but it just feels like we are sticking a finger in the dam rather than building for the future. Time will tell.

 

[Van der MoodHoover]

1 hour ago, 86 Hair Islands said:

It's just the Farrell conundrum that has me scratching my head. I'm not surprised to see Ford back in the fold as to my mind, he's the best 10 out there currently and his pre-injury form in taking Leicester to the title was sensational. I think Borthwick has shown the loyalty Farrell's contributions over the years have warranted, but I think in making him the skipper, he's created a rod for his own back. Farrell is an absolute warrior and always has been and he has my respect in spades. That said, this is meant to be a new era for English rugby and I don't see anymore how he fits the brief. He doesn't have the pace needed to set the backs free and you could argue that he never really had the slight of hand. Sadly, the kicking game that was metronomic for so many years has now deserted him too and I hate to see him getting so much flak from the public. He needs to go back to Saracens to see whether he can rediscover some form, but my feeling is that his time is now over. 

Smith's game suffered terribly under Eddie Jones and I think Borthwick has actually made the right call there. He needs to go back to Quins and re-find his flair and the necessary courage to do the stuff that isn't scripted. Others will disagree, but to my eye he's been no better than Farrell for England and whilst I'm certain he will become a world class player in time, he needs to work on his defence and his kicking from hand. The latter skill-set in particular, is some of the worst I've seen from an International 10.

@BucksRam has mentioned the recall of Jonny May. Again, I agree that on the form he was showing when last wearing the rose, it seems a backward step. For all that on his best form he can be lethal, he's never looked a natural to my eye and teams target him as they know his defensive skill set is poor. That said, I see Radwan in precisely the same mould, though he is working hard on that side of the game and still has time on his side. That said, there's a some decent wingers out there in the likes of Murphy, Arundell, Malins, Freeman et al and I'd have all of them ahead of Radwan as things stand. Raw pace is a major asset and Radwan is possibly the quickest of the lot, but in itself it's not enough at test level.

Far more of a mystery to me is the continued absence of Val Rapava-Ruskin. He absolutely monsters every prop he faces and is a proper handful in the loose too and it beggars belief he's not even made a training squad as yet. No disrespect intended to Mako and Dan Cole, but he's an entirely different animal to those old warriors and he's also scoring at a rate of 0.4 per game which is pretty tasty for a fat lad. For context, he's scored more tries than Adam Radwan this season despite playing 20% less games. Come on Steve, give the lad a chance!!! 

On a general note, as I'm waffling on again, I'm a little underwhelmed with the new coaching set-up. I'll practice what I preach and try to remain patient but I'd trade W's for L's if there was some obvious progression. The next two games will show us more about where we currently are, I suppose, but it just feels like we are sticking a finger in the dam rather than building for the future. Time will tell.

 

I was lukewarm about Borthwick as you probably recall. But he needs to be given a proper chance.

If we ship tries against both France and Ireland to the extent of Scotland,then we won't really have made any significant progress in our new era yet. 

So he's risking (in my opinion) some of the goodwill by some of his selections.

I don't know the prop you've mentioned but am happy to accept that knowledge at face value.

Here's hoping for a decent couple of performances. a heroic home win and honourable defeat by less than 20 points in Dublin would be fine and dandy.

[BucksRam]

10 hours ago, 86 Hair Islands said:

It's just the Farrell conundrum that has me scratching my head. I'm not surprised to see Ford back in the fold as to my mind, he's the best 10 out there currently and his pre-injury form in taking Leicester to the title was sensational. I think Borthwick has shown the loyalty Farrell's contributions over the years have warranted, but I think in making him the skipper, he's created a rod for his own back. Farrell is an absolute warrior and always has been and he has my respect in spades. That said, this is meant to be a new era for English rugby and I don't see anymore how he fits the brief. He doesn't have the pace needed to set the backs free and you could argue that he never really had the slight of hand. Sadly, the kicking game that was metronomic for so many years has now deserted him too and I hate to see him getting so much flak from the public. He needs to go back to Saracens to see whether he can rediscover some form, but my feeling is that his time is now over. 

Smith's game suffered terribly under Eddie Jones and I think Borthwick has actually made the right call there. He needs to go back to Quins and re-find his flair and the necessary courage to do the stuff that isn't scripted. Others will disagree, but to my eye he's been no better than Farrell for England and whilst I'm certain he will become a world class player in time, he needs to work on his defence and his kicking from hand. The latter skill-set in particular, is some of the worst I've seen from an International 10.

@BucksRam has mentioned the recall of Jonny May. Again, I agree that on the form he was showing when last wearing the rose, it seems a backward step. For all that on his best form he can be lethal, he's never looked a natural to my eye and teams target him as they know his defensive skill set is poor. That said, I see Radwan in precisely the same mould, though he is working hard on that side of the game and still has time on his side. That said, there's a some decent wingers out there in the likes of Murphy, Arundell, Malins, Freeman et al and I'd have all of them ahead of Radwan as things stand. Raw pace is a major asset and Radwan is possibly the quickest of the lot, but in itself it's not enough at test level.

Far more of a mystery to me is the continued absence of Val Rapava-Ruskin. He absolutely monsters every prop he faces and is a proper handful in the loose too and it beggars belief he's not even made a training squad as yet. No disrespect intended to Mako and Dan Cole, but he's an entirely different animal to those old warriors and he's also scoring at a rate of 0.4 per game which is pretty tasty for a fat lad. For context, he's scored more tries than Adam Radwan this season despite playing 20% less games. Come on Steve, give the lad a chance!!! 

On a general note, as I'm waffling on again, I'm a little underwhelmed with the new coaching set-up. I'll practice what I preach and try to remain patient but I'd trade W's for L's if there was some obvious progression. The next two games will show us more about where we currently are, I suppose, but it just feels like we are sticking a finger in the dam rather than building for the future. Time will tell.

 

Good response @86 Hair Islands - all very salient points and can't really disagree with any of that.  You use the word conundrum and I think that sums it up.  The whole thing is a conundrum.  Farrell being captain has created an issue but if I read the press stuff right, I think that goes for the WC (possibly Genge as replacement who I really like). Farrell, to his credit got really stuck in last weekend and created a number of breakdowns / penalties. It was just the rest of his game, i.e. the bit a No10 should be doing. For Smith, part of my issue is that he has struggled because of Farrell IMO, and how he has to play with him on the pitch.  Whether Smith is ready now, as a full 10 is the question.  I do get you that Ford is a great 10 - maybe I'm just being a bit of a fantasist in wanting something more radical.  That's probably where my desire to see Radwan comes from - especially in the 6 nations where I want to see him given a go.  

Cole has been a fantastic servant to English rugby, and tbh I still like him.  Mako though - soon as he came on a collective groan went round the table in the pub - "is that the best we can do"?  I agree Val Rapava-Ruskin is the key one who should be given a chance.  He's probably one of the best, if not the best loosehead in the country right now and I think he'd slot right in.  For some reason though, Borthwick isn't picking him.  Maybe we'll see a surprise pick for the WC. 

[Comrade 86]

3 hours ago, BucksRam said:

Good response @86 Hair Islands - all very salient points and can't really disagree with any of that.  You use the word conundrum and I think that sums it up.  The whole thing is a conundrum.  Farrell being captain has created an issue but if I read the press stuff right, I think that goes for the WC (possibly Genge as replacement who I really like). Farrell, to his credit got really stuck in last weekend and created a number of breakdowns / penalties. It was just the rest of his game, i.e. the bit a No10 should be doing. For Smith, part of my issue is that he has struggled because of Farrell IMO, and how he has to play with him on the pitch.  Whether Smith is ready now, as a full 10 is the question.  I do get you that Ford is a great 10 - maybe I'm just being a bit of a fantasist in wanting something more radical.  That's probably where my desire to see Radwan comes from - especially in the 6 nations where I want to see him given a go.  

Cole has been a fantastic servant to English rugby, and tbh I still like him.  Mako though - soon as he came on a collective groan went round the table in the pub - "is that the best we can do"?  I agree Val Rapava-Ruskin is the key one who should be given a chance.  He's probably one of the best, if not the best loosehead in the country right now and I think he'd slot right in.  For some reason though, Borthwick isn't picking him.  Maybe we'll see a surprise pick for the WC. 

Can't disagree with any of that. And yes, Farrell was better last time out, but given he does have his limitations in the attacking sense, he simply has to be making his kicks. 40% is not even half what's required and in tight games, you simply can't be having that. He's not looked right to me for a while. He had the concussion thing and then the injury and I feel like he's been allowed to play whilst carrying more than the typical niggles that all players carry. That said, I'd not want to be the man trying to tell him he's been stood down. On your point, he actually made a couple of turnovers, unless I imagined it and you don't get too many 10 ripping the ball off the fat lads! 

Ref; Ford, I do think folk forget what he can do. He's got that turn of pace that Owen lacks, his place kicking has improved markedly in recent years and he can throw bullets off either hand. He ran the Leicester backline beautifully last season and if he can bring that form to England, he'd not letting us down. He's not the defensive beast that Farrell is, but he's a big step up from Smith on that count. That said, I'd be pretty certain that Farrell will start again. On this note, there are strong rumours swirling that the Baby Rhino will be taking the armband after this 6N, a call not many would disagree with I reckon.

Ref the props, again, I think you're spot on. Dan Cole is THE ultimate warrior and is scrummaging as well as he ever did. I love him to bits but he was never terribly mobile and Mako, who has the best hands I've seen on an English front rower couldn't side-step a bus shelter and he makes no yardage in the loose as he's just too slow. Val always monsters the first 1 or 2 tacklers and we need that forward impetus. In the scrum he's an absolute destroyer, he's surprisingly deft with the little soft hand passes and lay ups and we need to counter other teams' 130KG rucking machines. He can be ours.

It's all about opinions of course and Borthwick will have forgotten more than I'll ever know about the game but all the wizened old gnarly ex-front row types seem to think that he's done enough to at least warrant a look. He's around 30 I think and it needs to be now if ever.

For all my fretting over the state of English rugby, this has been a fantastic 6N thus far. I've literally watched every minute of every game and there's been some absolute belters. Always a dangerous school of thought, but the pendulum does seem to have swung towards the Northern Hemisphere in recent times and that you have to love! 

[BucksRam]

19 hours ago, 86 Hair Islands said:

Can't disagree with any of that. And yes, Farrell was better last time out, but given he does have his limitations in the attacking sense, he simply has to be making his kicks. 40% is not even half what's required and in tight games, you simply can't be having that. He's not looked right to me for a while. He had the concussion thing and then the injury and I feel like he's been allowed to play whilst carrying more than the typical niggles that all players carry. That said, I'd not want to be the man trying to tell him he's been stood down. On your point, he actually made a couple of turnovers, unless I imagined it and you don't get too many 10 ripping the ball off the fat lads! 

Ref; Ford, I do think folk forget what he can do. He's got that turn of pace that Owen lacks, his place kicking has improved markedly in recent years and he can throw bullets off either hand. He ran the Leicester backline beautifully last season and if he can bring that form to England, he'd not letting us down. He's not the defensive beast that Farrell is, but he's a big step up from Smith on that count. That said, I'd be pretty certain that Farrell will start again. On this note, there are strong rumours swirling that the Baby Rhino will be taking the armband after this 6N, a call not many would disagree with I reckon.

Ref the props, again, I think you're spot on. Dan Cole is THE ultimate warrior and is scrummaging as well as he ever did. I love him to bits but he was never terribly mobile and Mako, who has the best hands I've seen on an English front rower couldn't side-step a bus shelter and he makes no yardage in the loose as he's just too slow. Val always monsters the first 1 or 2 tacklers and we need that forward impetus. In the scrum he's an absolute destroyer, he's surprisingly deft with the little soft hand passes and lay ups and we need to counter other teams' 130KG rucking machines. He can be ours.

It's all about opinions of course and Borthwick will have forgotten more than I'll ever know about the game but all the wizened old gnarly ex-front row types seem to think that he's done enough to at least warrant a look. He's around 30 I think and it needs to be now if ever.

For all my fretting over the state of English rugby, this has been a fantastic 6N thus far. I've literally watched every minute of every game and there's been some absolute belters. Always a dangerous school of thought, but the pendulum does seem to have swung towards the Northern Hemisphere in recent times and that you have to love! 

"couldn't side-step a bus shelter" - brilliant! But sadly true. 

I think we agree on most things - and yes it's been a fantastic 6 nations, even if England themselves are stuttering. Feel free to join our table any time you're down in Bucks on a 6 nations weekend ?

[Comrade 86]

5 hours ago, BucksRam said:

"couldn't side-step a bus shelter" - brilliant! But sadly true. 

I think we agree on most things - and yes it's been a fantastic 6 nations, even if England themselves are stuttering. Feel free to join our table any time you're down in Bucks on a 6 nations weekend ?

Hahaha! We can both shout at the telly together! ?

[Comrade 86]

6N Rugby returns this weekend and TF for that! Meagre and / or disappointing fare elsewhere most recently so perhaps the rugger buggers can lift spirits and / or entertain. 

Sadly, Ange Capuozzo will miss the rest of the Six Nations with a shoulder injury incurred during the Ireland game. The Irish said they were going to target him and target him they did. Contentious point maybe, but I didn't like it. The lad is tiny and I think teams cross the line when they are clearly trying to hurt opponents. He's the most dangerous of the Italians, but teams like Ireland should not need to be handing out 'special treatment' to individual players. As it was, the injury was incurred during the game but the lad chose to stay on and will now be out indefinitely. 

More controversy (in my little head, at least) around the two red cards from the France - Scotland game. Gilchrist is I think unlucky to get a 3 week ban. More annoyingly, it's only a week less than Mohamed Haouas received. That to me seems quite ridiculous. I'll leave it there though as I've already had a rant about the latter and I won't let one idiot spoil my love of watching the rest of French lads play.

For anyone unable to wait (I'm looking at me!) for Saturday / Sunday, a quick reminder of the U20 6N games which can all be viewed via the Beeb sport website. Some really good games to date and definitely less cagey then the seniors. The pick of the bunch is very much the England vs France game in competitive terms. The Scots don't look strong at this level and neither do the Welsh,  it would seem. I'm hopeful that Italy can surprise the Welsh, I expect the Irish to be too good for the Scots and I've no idea who will win the final fixture. Fixtures (all on Friday evening) as below:

Italy U20 19:15 Wales U20

Scotland U20 19:15 Ireland U20

England U20 20:00 France U20

In the senior tourny, I'd have confidently picked the Italians over the Welsh with their home crowd to roar them on, but losing their talisman, Capuozzo, is a proper kick in the nads. I still think Italy will edge it, but the Welsh will be desperate to avoid the kitchen utensil and this could be a super close game if they finally show up in Rome.

Scotland at home could well give the Irish something to think about, though the latter clearly remain strong favourites. Much will depend on how the officials ref the breakdown, as the Irish are now as cute as the Kiwis ever were at playing on the edge. If the officials allow the Irish to slow down Scots possession, even a tad, that presents a problem. If the Scots can get quick ball and unleash the backs from deep, this could be a belter of a game. Ireland definitely edge the forward battle, but to my eye, the Scots might be their equals at 9 through 15. Finn Russell has been pretty inspired thus far, the old mind-melt aside, so I'm hoping he again rises to the occasion.

England - France is an odd one and I think much depends on which France shows up for the game. Will it be sulky France, smarting from their humbling at the hands of the Irish, or will it be a wounded and fearless animal out to make amends at any cost? Based on form, it's a tough game for the English, so once again, I'm simply hoping to seem some progression and structure developing. Have to admit that I'm seriously concerned about the front row battle, as I can see our lads getting monstered by their French counterparts and that would make for a nigh impossible task for the English. The game could be over as a contest very swiftly if we can't hold our own in the scrum. Big Val anyone? ?

[Comrade 86]

England squad for the French game as below. Lawes out for the foreseeable as he's now done a shoulder. Big loss against a huge and physical French pack. Tom Curry and Luke Cowan-Dickie unlikely to play again this 6N.

Ford dropped and Smith back in, so effectively the same 5/8th options as the Wales game. George Ford sent back to Sale which would seem to confirm that Farrell retains the 10 shirt.

Manu might have been showing a bit as he's back in. Some reckon he's there for drills and still suspended. Not sure about that as CBA to check whether he's served the full ban as yet.

Watson, Malins and Arundell the wing options and I'd expect Borthwick to go with the more experienced Malins - Watson pairing. Would dearly love Arundell to get 20 minutes rather than 80 seconds, but I'm not holding my breath. In fairness, the other pair are better than decent, so no real gripes as such.

The JVP experiment continues. Harry Randall's return to fitness and him netting another brace at the weekend is not enough to earn him a return. Quirke out long-term, so Mitchell remains as cover. Be nice to see the latter given some proper game-time.

Not seen the French line up but would assume not too many changes. With Haouas on an enforced holiday, I'd expect to see Uini Atonio come back in at tighthead. He's @6' 5" / 155 Kg so the baby Rhino has his work cut-out. It's a worry.

Fingers and everything else crossed! 

England squad

Forwards: Ollie Chessum, Dan Cole, Ben Curry, Alex Dombrandt, Ben Earl, Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Nick Isiekwe, Maro Itoje, Lewis Ludlam, David Ribbans, Kyle Sinckler, Mako Vunipola, Jack Walker, Jack Willis.

Backs: Henry Arundell, Owen Farrell, Ollie Lawrence, Max Malins, Joe Marchant, Alex Mitchell, Henry Slade, Marcus Smith, Freddie Steward, Manu Tuilagi, Jack van Poortvliet, Anthony Watson.

[CWC1983]

Every game this weekend has a fascinating element to it. 

Welsh players being part of a fire sale from after having had a 70 to 80% wage cut from their club.

Cardiff have 30 players out of contract in the summer and a £400k wage budget to replace them.

Italy with a level of expectation that they've never had to deal with before. 

I think Wales might sneak it. 

 

Are the French on a downward spiral? Is England's progress over the last few games genuine or a consequence of playing Italy / Wales

The French have not won at Twickenham since 2005......

It will be brutal up front, but I'm going for a boisterous Twickenham to shout the English home after some ill discipline will leave the French playing with numerous yellow cards. 

 

Can Scotland manage to play their fluid game v Ireland or will the Irish juggernaut keep on rolling? They could go into Sunday's game knowing a win secures the title.

I think the Irish pack have power that we can't match and they will win penalties at crucial moments to put points on the board. 

I'd love to see us get a 10 point lead to see how they react to chasing the game. Ireland have managed the refs really well so far, it will be interesting to see if they loose a few contentous decisions. 

Ireland to win by 2 clear trys, and win the title before week 5. 

[Comrade 86]

15 minutes ago, CWC1983 said:

Every game this weekend has a fascinating element to it. 

Welsh players being part of a fire sale from after having had a 70 to 80% wage cut from their club.

Cardiff have 30 players out of contract in the summer and a £400k wage budget to replace them.

Italy with a level of expectation that they've never had to deal with before. 

I think Wales might sneak it. 

 

Are the French on a downward spiral? Is England's progress over the last few games genuine or a consequence of playing Italy / Wales

The French have not won at Twickenham since 2005......

It will be brutal up front, but I'm going for a boisterous Twickenham to shout the English home after some ill discipline will leave the French playing with numerous yellow cards. 

 

Can Scotland manage to play their fluid game v Ireland or will the Irish juggernaut keep on rolling? They could go into Sunday's game knowing a win secures the title.

I think the Irish pack have power that we can't match and they will win penalties at crucial moments to put points on the board. 

I'd love to see us get a 10 point lead to see how they react to chasing the game. Ireland have managed the refs really well so far, it will be interesting to see if they loose a few contentous decisions. 

Ireland to win by 2 clear trys, and win the title before week 5. 

Really looking forward to this weekend's fixtures. We've had some cracking games already but as you point out, there's some intriguing match-ups. They say in boxing, that styles make fights. I think sometimes the same can be said of rugby.

Wales and England still look a little more metronomic (the politest way of describing it), than inspired. The Welsh face a team that plays without fear and will be up for the physical challenge. The Italians will themselves be desperate for and perhaps confident of a win and I expect them to secure it, though I think it'll be a close call. 

France ought to be overwhelming favourites against an England side looking for identity. I don't feel that the French are on a downward trajectory myself, just being typically Gallic. Even the greatest French sides seemed a tad bipolar and they'll have one eye on the RWC. Seems to me there's a few of them minding themselves a bit, which is not going down terribly well with French fans. My guess would be France will exert enough pressure to win. Their scrummaging will be key.

The game at Murrayfield should probably be the best of the round as both sides are happy to go wide when they get quick ball. Even though I expected Scotland to do well this year and tipped them on here to beat England at Twickenham, they've still surprised me a little. I'd expect Ireland to win the game as they are the best drilled side in the world right now, but will the officials allow them to stifle Scotland ball in their Scot's own backyard? I can't wait for this game as it really should be a cracker.

It's a great time to be an Northern Hemisphere rugby fan, that's for sure, unless of course, you're Welsh. The way those lads have been undermined by their own governing body is nothing short of a disgrace.

I'm heading to the lakes tomorrow for a long weekend on a lad's get together. There'll be plenty of ale drunk and all nations repped, so it'll be a good craic in a wonderful part of the world. It's become a kind of yearly tradition now and we all make sealed predictions for the three games with the loser (or losers if there's a tie) paying for Sunday night's dinner.  I'll wish my fellow egg-chaser fans a good one now and will be back for my weekly moan about England on Tuesday (ish)! 

 

[Comrade 86]

Farrell has been dropped! Was not expecting that to be honest. Here are the teams for the ENG Vs FRA game:

Teams

England: Steward; Malins, Slade, Lawrence, Watson; Smith, Van Poortvliet; Genge (capt), George, Sinckler; Itoje, Chessum; Ludlam, Willis, Dombrandt.

Replacements: Walker, M Vunipola, Cole, Ribbans, B Curry, Mitchell, Farrell, Arundell.

France: Ramos; Penaud, Fickou, Danty, Dumortier; Ntamack, Dupont (capt); Baille, Marchand, Aldegheri, Flament, Willemse, Cros, Ollivon, Alldritt.

Replacements: Mauvaka, Wardi, Falatea, Taofifenua, Macalou, Lucu, Moefana, Jaminet.

[BucksRam]

20 hours ago, 86 Hair Islands said:

Farrell has been dropped! Was not expecting that to be honest. Here are the teams for the ENG Vs FRA game:

Teams

England: Steward; Malins, Slade, Lawrence, Watson; Smith, Van Poortvliet; Genge (capt), George, Sinckler; Itoje, Chessum; Ludlam, Willis, Dombrandt.

Replacements: Walker, M Vunipola, Cole, Ribbans, B Curry, Mitchell, Farrell, Arundell.

France: Ramos; Penaud, Fickou, Danty, Dumortier; Ntamack, Dupont (capt); Baille, Marchand, Aldegheri, Flament, Willemse, Cros, Ollivon, Alldritt.

Replacements: Mauvaka, Wardi, Falatea, Taofifenua, Macalou, Lucu, Moefana, Jaminet.

About time - we really need to try something else.  I really hope Smith pulls it out of the bag. Pleased to see Genge has got the armband - he deserves it.  Be good to see Arundell given a proper go as I think he has so much to offer.  Disappointed not to see Val Rapava-Ruskin and expect Mako to lumber on for the last 10-15 mins, do some deft flicks, roll around a bit and not do much more than that*. 

Will we win? If I recall France haven't won at Twickers for over 15 years, and that was by a point I think,  but I look at their squad and if they turn up, I think we're in trouble.  Very much hope I'm wrong. 

 

*watch him score a winning try now

[Comrade 86]

2 minutes ago, BucksRam said:

Disappointed not to see Val Rapava-Ruskin and expect Mako to lumber on for the last 10-15 mins, do some deft flicks, roll around a bit and not do much more than that*. 

*watch him score a winning try now

Cue the big lad putting both centres on their arses with 4 metre side-steps, then a 40 yard line break with a splashdown under the sticks.

Honestly, I'd wear the price of a Twickers ticket all day to see that ?

[Van der MoodHoover]

will the weather play a part at Billy Williams' cabbage patch tomorrow?

dank, wet and cold.....of lore a day for a trundling england pack and the boot of rob andrew......

 

interesting to see SB trying something a bit different at 9,10,12. It's not THAT different and there's a view that the big french lads could run over smith. Difficult to call result for me if the weather comes into play.

 

i hadnt heard about Capuozzo, but a great shame. Italy have performed better than their results so far. It can only be good for the tournament if there are 6 genuinely competitive teams in the 6N.

 

Im looking for the scots to prevail against the irish - especially after hearing the targeting of the italian. Distasteful. 

[CWC1983]

Ireland u20's showing that there is a conveyor belt of talent on the way. 

82 - 7 v Scotland u20's tonight....?