6 Nations **Spoilers**

the_brainaic said:
Henson is on the bench for Wales, which will probably make a big difference if (when?) he comes on.
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Yeah, the game turned when he came on. Wales well on top right up until Stephen Jones got injured.
Wales looked rudderless (or Ruddockless perhaps) after that.

Lots of mistakes on both sides though. In fact every game so far has been won by the side that made fewest mistakes, rather than the side playing the more positive rugby.
 
I'm well dissapointed with Hensons rugby today. I thought he would at least have some of the old talent but as soon as he came on Ireland took the match in their stride. I'm not complaining, I'm part Irish and was supporting them, I just thought that he would have some flair.
 
Be fair, he shouldn't have even been in the squad.

If Johnson was a half decent coach he would've looked past the glamour and realised this guy has been off for 7 months, and only played once last wek.

Anyone who expect anything but a rusty performance from him is expecting the impossible imo.
 
from irish point of view,ireland started slow and with kick ass attutude,last few gamws been slow to get into to them,same in french game,can do it if they get there act together
last two games for ireland will be toughest,specially againest scotland as they are good playing form as they have good hunger for it,if ireland start better than they have ,they have good chance,if they dont,will be uphill battle,ireland always play better as under dogs.a irish 2 cents or 3
 
Mattius said:
edinburgh was the place to be last night, i've never seen a pub erupt so much as when the final whistle went, then the streets erupted, awesome night, and i must compliment the england supporters for there attitudes they were not bitter at all.

england are suffering the downside of the lifecycle of players, after winning the world cup half the winning squad either retired or got seriously injured.
scotlands squad has an average age of 26 or something, it is a young squad who are on the up, we do have the players they just don't have the confidence to be unique.

But there is no doubt in the score last night (my hangover is testiment to that) scotlands defense was second to none and we beat england in there own game panalties. it wasn't a fantastic game but it shows the potential of this young squad over the next few years.
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I have to say the atmosphere in Murrayfield was superb. My first time watching England away from Twickenham and it was good (bar the result!). Three of us had gone - two English and one Scot, so plenty of good natured banter between us three and other spectators close by. The gent behind me (who was a complete stranger) offered a hand shake after the match.

The tackle count from the match is interesting - England 36, Scotland 112 (IIRC). As the second half progressed, I couldn't help but feel somebody like Jason Robinson would have added a much needed spark to England. The ability to beat the first tackler and turn the defence was much missed IMHO.

Also some better decision making on the field. With just a few minutes to go (in normal time), we had two penalties inside the Scottish 22 and both were taken as quick taps. Try one tap but the second should have been drilled into the corner for a five meter lineout IMHO.

I'm a bit worried about the France and Ireland games now.
 
Good to see englands stupid style of rugby shown up by someone. They won't do anything just trying to bully teams into submission upfront, as defences are so well drilled these days, its difficult to just stuff it up your jumper and rumble up the pitch with it. If a teams puts its tackles in round the fringes, and can slow the ball down, as scotland did, then england just won't go anywhere, however much ball they have.

Also, when will andy robinson realise that playing bash boys at 12 and 13 is pointless, you need someone with a bit of guile to unlock the blitz defences teams play these days.

Whilst I think charlie hodgson is a good player, he just doesn't give the impression hes bossing the game at all, he should be calling for the ball to be given wide to him, rather than let the forwads keeping it tight, yet there just isn't much evidence of it.

Ultimately, with strike runners like lewsey and cueto england should be getting the ball wide, and back them to break the gain line.

BTW, england are my second team (ireland being my first), so i'm not just laughing at them. I like them to do well(just not against ireland), but not playing the style of rugby they are at the moment.

I might dislike guscott, but his opinions of england sum it up for me.
 
Well done Scotland, you deserved to win fair and square.

This weekend has been a disaster for me on the rugby front, The Glorious Glos were pants against Barf and the mighty England were humbled (although that result will certainly make the closing weeks of the championship interesting) The only saving grace was watching the Taffs get a right good spanking from the Bog Trotters. :)
 
Rubbish from England really on Saturday, typical ill-discipline and sloppy errors cost us that match. Fair play to Scotland though they were very strong defensively. If only Cohen hadn't dropped the ball at the end of the first half :(
 
Mad old tory said:
Rubbish from England really on Saturday, typical ill-discipline and sloppy errors cost us that match. Fair play to Scotland though they were very strong defensively. If only Cohen hadn't dropped the ball at the end of the first half :(
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I've seen a quote from a pundit somewhere who claimed Cohen wasn't expecting the ball.

Hang-on, he's stood outside the scrum half at a scrum and wasn't expecting the ball :confused: :rolleyes:
 
Tremendous result for Scotland at the weekend.

Got to disagree with those who said it was an awful game, I know there wasn't a lot of free flowing fast rugby but it has to be one of the most tense and compelling games I've seen in a while.

Really looking forward to the Ireland game in a fortnight, that's going to be a another real tough one for us.

:D
 
Ode To The English Rugby Team

Ye come up here tae paradise, tae beat us at yer game,
Aw'wind and **** and full o' ****, Yer aw the bloody same.

Ye caw yersels World champions, the nations most elite,
But Scotland are the greatest noo, Cos Yuv just been ******* 'beat.

A Game that was invented, fur English gentlemen,
No Highland Jocks wi tartan frocks, well bluddy think again.

A baw that's shapit like an egg, it's jist a stupit farse,
Bit A suppose it makes it easier, tae ram right up yer ****.

So git back home an lick yer wounds, yer a bunch o stupit fools,
It's time fur you tae cheat again, and change the *******, rules.

Rugby, fitba, cricket tae, yer jist a shower o chancers,
Stick tae whit ya dae the best, You Morris ******* dancers!!!

-------------------------------------------------------------

Just received in my email, thought some of the fellow scots would approve. To all the englanders, tis just a joke, dinnae get upset noo :)
 
Is Robinson going the way of Sven and just playing the same old guys no matter how they get on or what else is happening in the World.

The new England Team is a bit of a disappointment to be honest.

England team: Josh Lewsey (Wasps); Mark Cueto (Sale), Jamie Noon (Newcastle), Mike Tindall (Gloucester), Ben Cohen (Northampton); Charlie Hodgson (Sale), Matt Dawson (Wasps); Matt Stevens (Bath), Steve Thompson (Northampton), Julian White (Leicester); Steve Borthwick (Bath), Danny Grewcock (Bath); Joe Worsley (Wasps), Lewis Moody (Leicester), Martin Corry (Leicester, capt). Replacements: Lee Mears (Bath), Andrew Sheridan (Sale), Simon Shaw (Wasps), Lawrence Dallaglio (Wasps), Harry Ellis (Leicester), Andy Goode (Leicester), Tom Voyce (Wasps).

Apart from Dawson for Ellis the backs are unchanged yet we have seen little spark from them in the last 6 months. Hodgson is plainly the real deal but Lewsey and Cueto aside if that’s the best line up we can manage I despair. Forwards look ok but are Moody, Corry and Worsley a balanced set of loose forwards? You have to ask questions about Robinson’s selection criteria because what he seems unable to do is drop “established” players. If you are a first class goal kicker or a potential star centre you can, like Henry Paul or Mathew Tait for instance, expect to be dropped during the match. If you’re Tindall or Cohen you can expect to keep your place even if you are playing very average rugby.

Injuries not withstanding where are Varndell, Simpson Daniel, Abbott, Barkley or Smith, nowhere near the England team as far as I can tell. Some of these guys need blooding now in the highest class of match if we are to see if they can make it as first choices for 2007, leave it too late and you may not have any choice if it doesn’t work out. Then we’ll be stuck with the same lumpen one dimensional back line we’ve suffered these last few months.

Oh yeah and we still need a back row ball winner in the Back mould.
 
i don't see what robinson is doing. The ultimate aim has to be for the world cup in 2007. For that to happen england should be blooding young exciting players now in the six nations to get used to test match rugby.

They don't want to try and blood players against NZ and SA in the autumn as they'll just get their confidence shot and might not recover by the time the world cup comes round.

Glad to see dawson coming in, as harry ellis just doesn't look to be a world class scrum half, and the position is something to worry about going towards the world cup.

Tindall and noon, its one or the other imo, not both. england will not beat NZ playing to bash boys at centre, why are ollie smith and stuart abbott not being given their chance. Cohen I've never rated, i'd rather see voyce or varndell playing.

in the forwards, why is julian white playing? I clearly remember him not being selected for the autumn internationals as he wasn't in robinsons plans for the world cup, is he now?

sheridan should be given a run in the team, and actually use his size, by getting him to stand inside of 10 as a pop pass option at speed to break the line, which i think he'd be great at.

back row, moody i've never thought that great, he misses too many tackles and doesn't carry the ball enough imo. Worsely i've never understood the fuss about him.

England in my mind look somewhat heading for disaster at the world cup, as the games changed since 2003, teams are scoring tries for fun now, and england just don't look like they can do that at the moment.
 
Who ever said there was logic behind Robinson's selections. And I agree, they have to find a way of utilising Sheridan more, he could be the best prop in the world if he could get more involved outside of the scrums.
 
BUSH said:
in the forwards, why is julian white playing? I clearly remember him not being selected for the autumn internationals as he wasn't in robinsons plans for the world cup, is he now?

sheridan should be given a run in the team, and actually use his size, by getting him to stand inside of 10 as a pop pass option at speed to break the line, which i think he'd be great at.
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elroberto said:
Who ever said there was logic behind Robinson's selections. And I agree, they have to find a way of utilising Sheridan more, he could be the best prop in the world if he could get more involved outside of the scrums.
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Robinson's worried by the French front row's scrummaging. White is a steadier scrummager than Sheridan, hence he gets the nod.
His work in the tight has improved beyond measure since he first switched to loosehead at Bristol, but he's not a world class scrummager. Yet.

I agree there should be some big lumps of meat hitting the 10 channel more often. Any of the front five could do the job though.

The rucking has been that poor recently though that we'd probably get turned over by any capable backrow looking after his fly half. :(
 
Apart from the back row and centres the England team is pretty solid, but Robinson really needs to sort these two areas out. Moody isn't a natural openside, but he is probably the best option for 7 atm seeing as Sanderson is out injured and players such as Lund/Rees are too inexperienced/young and need to be brought in gradually. Worsely is a good player but is a bit inconsistant in the England shirt imho. This 6N corry hasn't been playing to his usual standards and I'm not sure if it's because of Dallaglio, he's getting too old or just out of form. While Dallaglio is a good player, if we don't start giving a young no.8 some experience we could end up at the Wold Cup with two back rowers who are past it and performing poorly and an inexperienced, young no.8 which would be a disaster.

The centre problem is a bit easier to solve. Drop Tindall and put either Barkley or Abbott and IC and leave Noon at OC for the moment.
 
Half time in Ireland, Scotland are being given a run for their money. Ireland are playing a very quick fast game, shifting the ball out quickly to the backs and running it. Scotland being put on the back foot frequently and lacking posession but defence is solid and are gradually getting some breaks. Typically poor Scottish lineout, turning into an interesting game. 12-9 at half time. Scotland have the capability to win this if they step up their game after half time, otherwise i think Ireland might edge it as they're having a better game at the moment but are so far failing to break the Scottish defence.
 
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