Six Nations 2014

[Cardiffblue]

If France had any organisation at all they d be dangerous. Why can't we have comment from lord bald

 

[Bardon]

Was a nerve wrecking game that one. Especially as I had my sister and her family over for her birthday. Place was full and one of her daughters just kept saying I can't watch this and made everyone else more nervous haha.

It's very rare that we beat France in Paris and even rarer to beat them when they actually turn up. Schmidt is doing great things with this group of players. For me Trimble is the most improved Irish player since Schmidt took over. I used to cringe when I saw his name on the team sheet because I just knew he'd blow a try or two along with giving a number of turnovers away.

It was fantastic that BOD was able to win another championship as one of the last of the golden generation. But I think the generation he's handing over to now have the potential to do even better.

Nice to hear POC talking about how he wasn't happy with the way Ireland finished the game and what we need to improve on for the future. Shows that they view this as a beginning of a journey and not the end as the GS in 2009 was.

 

[Cardiffblue]

Not a classic tournament for quality rugby but great for sheer excitement. Enough in it for all except scots and Italians. Ireland deserved winners just. Standout was the welsh game and they were much the better organised side against France. Not sure how much more improvement there can be. Strangely I think frogs have most potential for improving over next year. If psa can actually get them training. Well at least I can go back to normal sleep pattern for another year

 

[the plastic paddy]

No bad thing. Whole team needs a break

Most of them haven't turned up all season for their clubs.

 

[JSRF10]

Best team won the championship, decent first year from Schmidt but we'll look back at the England and NZ and think what could have been. Player of the match today has to be Andrew Trimble, finally looks like he has arrived in international rugby.

 

[Highlander35]

Insipid. I'm glad to see the backside of Johnson. With about a dozen tests left before the Warm Up matches, I hope Vern can whip them into shape in time. We're in a pretty good group, only the Saffa game will be exceptionally tough. With Japan and (Romania?) to join us and Samoa, there's no reason why we shouldn't be playing in the quarters. But this performance, among others, has me worried.

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[mxyzptlk]

Nothing wrong with gatlandball played well

Yeah, but the problem is New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa agree.

 

[mxyzptlk]

For me Trimble is the most improved Irish player since Schmidt took over.

Was just having this conversation, and yeah, it's between Trimble and maybe Devin Toner, who seems to be coming into his own, filling out his gangly frame a bit, and playing with a lot more assertion and confidence. He's making his tackles and always seems to get an extra meter when he carries.

I'm also curious where Jared Payne might fit into the setup once he becomes Irish qualified. He's another one who can pull a bit of magic out of nowhere every now and again.

 

[boyo]

If the orcs had won the competition the English media would have been insufferable.

 

[mxyzptlk]

If the orcs had won the competition the English media would have been insufferable.

They're still insufferable -- it's just a matter of degree.

 

[Bardon]

Yeah the BBC were full of back handed compliments to Ireland and talk of how close England came. Apparently the party line for the BBC is that the Irish are an aging team. Can only imagine what the red top rags are saying today.

Thankfully though the vast majority of the English fans are just like Rugby fans all over the world and they've been full of praise and congratulation and acknowledge the better team won.

The only consolation for me if we lost would have been that it would be England and not France that won the title. Lancaster is a very likable coach and Hartley and a few others aside it's a very likable team too.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

It has been a pleasure to have watched BO'D play rugby, both live and on the tele.

It is entirely appropriate on the eve of St Paddys day that one of the best from Ireland bows out from Rugby.

I'll be having a Guinness of two, maybe a Murphys or Kilkenny if I can find one tomorrow to celebrate his retirement.

He has given us great pleasure in the past, and like all good(great) things, their time comes eventually, and we are left with the memories of their greatness.

Thank you Ireland for BO'D. He will be missed. Happy and healthy retirement.

 

[the plastic paddy]

If the orcs had won the competition the English media would have been insufferable.

The dangerous think is that Lancaster, who is VERY shrewd, almost looked pleased that England hadn't caught up the PD. I don't think he will be too upset that England didn't seal the deal, the aim is the RWC.

 

[Bairdy]

Just got around to watching the Wales vs Scotland game, and can I say, I need to save up to buy a ticket to watch a test at Milennium Stadium.

Unbelievable atmosphere on television: the singing not just from the Welsh, but from the travelling Scots when the game was all but lost for Scotland at 30-3.

 

[mxyzptlk]

Yeah the BBC were full of back handed compliments to Ireland and talk of how close England came.

After the Italy-England game the BBC hosts talked about the France-Ireland decider, and not one of them gave Ireland a chance. Following some of the other British rugby media as well -- podcasts, ScrumV, etc. -- Ireland seemed like an afterthought for most, especially after the England-Ireland game.

I don't know -- I got kind of the "if you can't say anything nice" vibe from a lot of it. They of course are going to talk up England, there were plenty of negatives to discuss regarding Scotland and France, and the Welsh had their own complaints about things. Ireland never turned in a shocker, so there was just less to criticize, and without a criticism, maybe the British media just didn't know where to go.

On the other hand, the Irish media was more hand-wringing and in a "we shouldn't say a damn thing before it's over" mode. It's hard to build hype when no one will do it for you and you can't do it for yourselves.

On the third hand, as soon as the hype is in the mail, that's when the Irish tend to fall apart. I'll take the lack of hype any day.

But you're right, this is a much easier English team to get behind than previous incarnations. Lancaster deserves all the respect he gets, and the attitude from most of the team is pretty positive. And from an Irish perspective, at least most of England's most effective playmakers are coached by an Irishman at the club level (Brown, Care, Robshaw).

EDIT: And here's what The Sunday Times had to say about it -- France denied England it's rightful place by gifting O'Driscoll the Six Nations title. Churlish and ungracious. As if France didn't bother to show up for this game but somehow gave England all they could handle.

 

[Wales Fan]

Bullshit like that is so annoying. I've got a few English mates who are great sports, but shit like that in an English biased media gives them such a bad name. Some of the journalists & pundits that spout this rubbish really don't deserve the airtime. Makes Lancaster & the English squads job a lot harder going forward than it needs to be. Missing out on the title is probably the best thing that could've happened to them.

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[mxyzptlk]

Makes Lancaster & the English squads job a lot harder going forward than it needs to be.

That's what I was thinking -- media like that isn't doing Lancaster and Co. any favors.

 

[KevinO]

Got to love the English media,

Never give credit when Ireland actually won in France which is where England failed to win.

Great chance for Ireland to go back to back as they have the preferred draw next season.

 

[the plastic paddy]

After the Italy-England game the BBC hosts talked about the France-Ireland decider, and not one of them gave Ireland a chance. Following some of the other British rugby media as well -- podcasts, ScrumV, etc. -- Ireland seemed like an afterthought for most, especially after the England-Ireland game.

I don't know -- I got kind of the "if you can't say anything nice" vibe from a lot of it. They of course are going to talk up England, there were plenty of negatives to discuss regarding Scotland and France, and the Welsh had their own complaints about things. Ireland never turned in a shocker, so there was just less to criticize, and without a criticism, maybe the British media just didn't know where to go.

On the other hand, the Irish media was more hand-wringing and in a "we shouldn't say a damn thing before it's over" mode. It's hard to build hype when no one will do it for you and you can't do it for yourselves.

On the third hand, as soon as the hype is in the mail, that's when the Irish tend to fall apart. I'll take the lack of hype any day.

But you're right, this is a much easier English team to get behind than previous incarnations. Lancaster deserves all the respect he gets, and the attitude from most of the team is pretty positive. And from an Irish perspective, at least most of England's most effective playmakers are coached by an Irishman at the club level (Brown, Care, Robshaw).

EDIT: And here's what The Sunday Times had to say about it -- France denied England it's rightful place by gifting O'Driscoll the Six Nations title. Churlish and ungracious. As if France didn't bother to show up for this game but somehow gave England all they could handle.

Ignore anything Stephen Jones says in relation to Ireland, he gets close to breaking the racism laws when he discusses Ireland, makes me smile thinking how annoyed he must have been by Ireland winning the championship, the man is a fecking langer.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Omfg

OH GOD

Belatedly watched the replay late yesterday.

They seemed rather strange posts at the time (with no knowledge of the game play) when first read.

I take it that these comments were related to the forward pass "try" that Les Frogges nearly scored very late in the game to potentially take the lead with about 2 minuted to go.
I reckon that there would have been about 1 million Irish sphincters spontaneously pucker at that precise point in time.