6 Nations

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Tough game for England today. Only a 100 % performance  will do. Discipline is the key we, we need to keep on the right side of the officials.

Edited February 11, 2017 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[JAL]

On 05/02/2017 at 2:26 PM, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I'd love to see him at Ewood even if it was only for a week or two. I was reading an article about him the other day, he's always watching coaching in other sports. He was glowing in his comments about how hard Pep works his players in training. He had good words to say about cyclist's fitness also.

Football seems totally different in that the players are key commodities designed to perform for sale here at Ewood rather than perform to win games and trophies.

[matt83]

Another tough win. The fact every team England come up against treat the game as their World Cup final makes victory that much sweeter.  

[den]

3 minutes ago, matt83 said:

Another tough win. The fact every team England come up against treat the game as their World Cup final makes victory that much sweeter.  

A very good win. There's a bit of toughness to this England squad - and it was needed today.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

They don't panic even when they're behind late in the game. 

[jim mk2]

Alex Ferguson mode - "It's pathetic when teams always raise their game against us".

Wales haven't played like that in years. Well done England though, they made one mistake near the end and we punished them. 

[adopted scouser]

That Welsh scrum half was a tosspot. Shouting for a try and winking at his team mates when the ball was short.

Won't be singing in the valleys tonight 

[yoda]

They will be crying in their cider

[den]

Just now, yoda said:

They will be crying in their cider

They won't know what to make of it. I doubt they could have done more than what they did, but they still lost. England defended lay manfully and when they were asked questions, they always had the answer. This is a special England side.

[JAL]

Great game against Wales whoever put the high tackle on their number 9, was a key moment for me along with their manager subbing a fantastic Welsh number 8. 

Love this Eddie Jones fella who wants England to be the best in the world and states with a wry smile how he wants England to take Italy to the cleaners in the next game .....what a guy.

 

 

Edited February 12, 2017 by JAL

[Baz]

Brilliant last try, but yet another performance built on solid defence. For all the Welsh pressure and possession in English territory they looked increasingly less likely to score. Launchbury in particular was outstanding, high tackle rate, didn't miss a tackle and only the one infringement when he unluckily got pinned in the ruck on top of the ball - a tactic the Welsh tried to employ all match, but without much success.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Oh dear,  just when Scotland fancied their chances. Blown away. That's the best England have played for quite a while. Scotland were really dangerous from a yard out. 

[matt83]

Well bitterly disappointing to lose out on the grand slam and record wins. But at least they're champions. 

[matt83]

Not a great few days from most teams/sporting events I've been touting for. England messed up the grand slam/record. Rovers dropped points very late and most rivals picked up points. Cheltenham was rubbish. Clitheroe lost a semi final. After a winter of hoping Lancs will come good we still look the usual bag of @#/? getting a lesson off UAE. Even the north got smashed by the south in the inaugural North vs South cricket match. Scraping the barrel at the end and still struggling for any positives. 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

It's an old saying but you can't play without the ball in rugby. Any team that needs a try to win the game with less than 2 minutes left yet kicks for touch so the Irish can have a line out deserves to lose.

[jim mk2]

 Ireland were quick to close England down and dominated the set pieces all match. England played exactly the same game in the 2nd half so why didn't  Jones change England's tactics and shape at half time? . 

Edited March 18, 2017 by jim mk2

[Baz]

Disappointed, but Ireland deserved it, took far too long to deal with their rolling maul.

Was a tight game, and one moment of brilliance or a referees call separated the teams. 

No disgrace in losing to Ireland- they where pre-tournament favorites for many people on the back of their win vs the All Black's and good performance vs Australia in the Autumn.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Just now, Baz said:

Disappointed, but Ireland deserved it, took far too long to deal with their rolling maul.

Was a tight game, and one moment of brilliance or a referees call separated the teams. 

No disgrace in losing to Ireland- they where pre-tournament favorites for many people on the back of their win vs the All Black's and good performance vs Australia in the Autumn.

It's not the losing Baz, it's the manner of the losing. England never really turned up. Ireland played exactly like everybody knew they would and yet for 80 minutes we'd no answer. That did me st the end when we had 90 seconds to get out of jail and we kicked the ball away for an Irish line out !  Dumb rugby doesn't sum it up.

[matt83]

Just seen on ssn ahead of tomorrow's lions squad announcement Jamie Roberts is likely to get the nod and Launchbury, Ford, Joseph and brown miss out  

Terrible if true. Launchbury got 3 man of the matches and perhaps should have won man of the tournament over Hogg. Madness he might not be in the squad although second row is a strong area across the board. 

It'd be a joke if Roberts gets selected, especially ahead of JJ. He can't get into the Wales team and struggles to get in the Quinns team so how can he get in the Lions squad. Shows Gatland's lack of invention. Shame Eddie Jones isn't in charge.

[JAL]

18 hours ago, matt83 said:

Just seen on ssn ahead of tomorrow's lions squad announcement Jamie Roberts is likely to get the nod and Launchbury, Ford, Joseph and brown miss out  

Terrible if true. Launchbury got 3 man of the matches and perhaps should have won man of the tournament over Hogg. Madness he might not be in the squad although second row is a strong area across the board. 

It'd be a joke if Roberts gets selected, especially ahead of JJ. He can't get into the Wales team and struggles to get in the Quinns team so how can he get in the Lions squad. Shows Gatland's lack of invention. Shame Eddie Jones isn't in charge.

Regardless of how Launchbury performed against the Welsh he got battered for me, so, only Itoje stood out on a consistant basis throughout the six nations.

Edited April 19, 2017 by JAL

[matt83]

Papers seem to be thinking this is the "likely" squad:

Hookers: Best, Owens, George 

Props: Marler, Vunipola, McGrath, Furlong, Sinkler, Cole

2nd rows: Itoje, Kruis, Lawes, Wyn Jones, Ryan, Henderson 

Flankers: O'brien, O'Mahoney, Stander, Warburton, Tipuric

No8s: Vinipola, Faletau

Scrum halves: Murray, Youngs, Webb

Fly halves: Sexton, Farrell, Biggar 

Centres: Daly, Henshaw, Te'o, Davis, Roberts

Wings/full backs: Hogg, Halfpenny, North, Nowell, Watson, Williams, Earls

 

Will be interesting to see how close that is. In which the case no Joseph, no Launchbury, no Hartley, no Ford, no Brown, no Haskell.

[matt83]

It's still a very strong squad mainly due to strength in depth of English rugby. But I really struggle to understand how can justify having so many Welsh players in there, especially Roberts, given they finished fifth in the six nations and he was on the bench for every game. Even Halfpenny after his 6 nations probably wouldn't be in if he wasn't Welsh.

That's said I am defo biased towards the lads playing for England. But in balancing it out it reminds me of Woodward in 2005 where I think they went for too many English lads considering some of the world cup lads weren't at their best, Andy Robinson was England's head coach at the time and Wales won the grand slam that year.

[dave birch]

Just now, matt83 said:

Papers seem to be thinking this is the "likely" squad:

Hookers: Best, Owens, George 

Props: Marler, Vunipola, McGrath, Furlong, Sinkler, Cole

2nd rows: Itoje, Kruis, Lawes, Wyn Jones, Ryan, Henderson 

Flankers: O'brien, O'Mahoney, Stander, Warburton, Tipuric

No8s: Vinipola, Faletau

Scrum halves: Murray, Youngs, Webb

Fly halves: Sexton, Farrell, Biggar 

Centres: Daly, Henshaw, Te'o, Davis, Roberts

Wings/full backs: Hogg, Halfpenny, North, Nowell, Watson, Williams, Earls

 

Will be interesting to see how close that is. In which the case no Joseph, no Launchbury, no Hartley, no Ford, no Brown, no Haskell.

A few of them coming "home"

[Bigdoggsteel]

Just now, matt83 said:

Papers seem to be thinking this is the "likely" squad:

Hookers: Best, Owens, George 

Props: Marler, Vunipola, McGrath, Furlong, Sinkler, Cole

2nd rows: Itoje, Kruis, Lawes, Wyn Jones, Ryan, Henderson 

Flankers: O'brien, O'Mahoney, Stander, Warburton, Tipuric

No8s: Vinipola, Faletau

Scrum halves: Murray, Youngs, Webb

Fly halves: Sexton, Farrell, Biggar 

Centres: Daly, Henshaw, Te'o, Davis, Roberts

Wings/full backs: Hogg, Halfpenny, North, Nowell, Watson, Williams, Earls

 

Will be interesting to see how close that is. In which the case no Joseph, no Launchbury, no Hartley, no Ford, no Brown, no Haskell.

Couldn't really complain about that selection. 

[matt83]

2 hours ago, dave birch said:

A few of them coming "home"

Well quite. Rumours jared payne may get the nod. He's another antipodean. We may have more than the all blacks.

Gave up watching the live stream of the squad announcement on sky sports app. Christ they do some faffing about. All it needs is one bloke to walk out at 12 o'clock on the dot and read out 40 names.

 

Edited April 19, 2017 by matt83