6 Nations 2011

[Gagger]

Thanks for the insight guys. Non-Aussie viewpoints highly valued.

I really fucken hate to say it, but the poms do have one hell of a powerful line-up at the moment, albeit with one or two key injuries of late.

The tester will be whether they can keep the attacking footy going in a competition under the pump, and not just in some Autumn kick-abouts. This is usually where they defer to type. If Tindall's captain, I think it's on the cards, and in the new laws, France or Ireland or even Wales could pick them off

 

[carter1]

Ireland for Italy are up:

1. Cian Healy
2. Rory Best
3. Mike Ross
4. Donncha O'Callaghan
5. Paul O'Connell
6. Denis Leamy
7. David Wallace
8. Sean O'Brien
9. Tomas O'Leary
10. Jonathan Sexton
11. Keith Earls
12. Gordon D'Arcy
13. Brian O'Driscoll (capt.)
14. Fergus McFadden
15. Luke Fitzgerald

Reps:
16. Sean Cronin
17. Tom Court
18. Leo Cullen
19. Shane Jennings
20. Eoin Reddan
21. Ronan O'Gara
22. Paddy Wallace

(The injured are: John Hayes, Tommy Bowe, Rob Kearney, Andrew Trimble, Jamie Heaslip, Stephen Ferris and Geordan Murphy)

Nice to see SonOfaBitch's good form rewarded. Mike Ross is supposedly the one Irish tighthead who can scrummage, the Azzurri will be only too happy to find out whether that's true.

On the downside, Best and TOL really shouldn't be starting at the moment and what do we do if one of the outside backs goes down? It would make more sense to me to have a Johne Murphy or Fionn Carr on the bench instead of one of P.Wallace or ROG.

Disagree, Best has played well for Ulster and at the minute is a better player than Cronin (who has excellent potential). Agree with you about TOL. Leamy shouldn’t be anywhere near the team, fact. Irelands back three worries me though. Lucky its only Italy.

 

[carter1]

im dissapointed Gavin Henson is out injured

Why? He wouldn’t be anywhere near the Welsh team.

 

[Lee Grant]

Heaslip and Ferris are big losses from any backrow but 8. Sean O'Brien has been one of form players in European club rugby this season in the position and will do a great job. Like a few Ireland backrowers he can play in all 3 positions and had Heaslip been fit I would not have been surprised if he had been picked at 7 in front of one of my favourite players: David Wallace.

However, on form, 6. Leamy in for the injured Ferris is not such a good swap. On form there are too many Munster players in the run-on team and I say that as a Munster fan. Injuries have played a part in the selection but starting the quirky DOC in front of Cullen in the 2nd row has me scratching my head. The Leinster skipper is in good form and DOC isn't.

Good to see the iconic POC back though. He was one of the few Munster players who could hold his head high after the HC debacle in Toulon.

Ross may be the best scrumming THP in Ireland – Hayes is past it and wasn't much good when he wasn't, and Buckley played a heavy price for some scrums in the HC – but he's not much good at anything else. His running has improved a tad but he is no Buckley and he can't lift in the lineout like the Bull can. On the LH side Healey can run but he can't scrum.

The Ireland scrum is about as bad as the Oz one is year in, year out: there are moments of high hope, but not enough of them.

As for the backs: I see scrummie TOL is back in favour. (Is Stringer injured?). Larno poses a good question: what happens if a back 3 player is injured? Normally you wouldn't have to worry with Earls, Fitzgerald and McFadden in a backline as they can play in a few spots but they are the wingers and fullback in this particular game. Probably D'Arcy will play on the wing though perhaps ROG could come on and Sexton go to fullback etc.

By the way: it was a good effort for McFadden to get a wing spot. It was a pity for Horgan and Trimble who have been in good form and they would have fancied their chance of selection since the star winger,Tommy Bowe, is out, but McFadden, little heard of in Oz, has been sneaky good for Leinster in more than one position.

Ireland have a good draw this year: they have only two home games but they are against the two 6N heavyweights – France and England. They should beat Italy despite being bashed in the forwards, and I think their season will be defined by how they recover from the bashing at home against France in Rd.2.

 

[Lee Grant]

Wales v England

I can't see Wales beating England tonight even at home and despite having some good games in the autumn tests.


Wales have lost both their props who are close to world-class on their day and their work around the park will be missed too. Jenkins has been playing like a fetcher at the breakdown, as the Wallabies will remember. I don't know how their backrow will go but the flankers are in form for their clubs and 8. Powell has been getting over the gain line in the new year.


Hook has got the short straw and pays the price for his versatility by being picked at fullback. Byrne has had a bad thumb but is on the bench and I would have expected him to start with Hook in the centres. Winger Stoddart would have been well down my pecking order but both Halfpenny and young North are injured so he gets a shot. Coach Gatland, who has been saying some stupid things, must have been relieved when zip-zip man, Shane Williams, reported fit, though he hasn't played a lot of rugby lately.


Have a sneaky look at 12 Jonathan Davies; he can play. Last year he got the unfair title of being “the next Scott Gibbs” but the young bloke didn't let it bother him and he's playing good this year too, and forces Roberts out to 13.


England have their own problems. The Wales backrow will benefit from the absence of opponents 6. Croft and the irreplaceable 7. Moody. I see that Haskell is named at 7, but assume it is a mis-type because he is a 6. He plays as hard as Croft does, maybe even a tad harder, but he doesn't have Croft's skill set or rugby brain. Wood will play 7 (not 6) and is a good lineout man for a 7, but I think he failed a big test for Saints against Leicester on a big occasion in January though to be fair none of the Northampton players excelled in that game.


4. Deacon deserves his shot, and played well in that game against the Saints, but he is no Lawes, who was the best lock of any team in the autumn test IMO. He's probably a better scrummager though. The injured Lawes is the real deal now and is satisfying the England need to have one athletic lock. Hooker Hartley is a weakness with his crap lineout throwing for both club and country and his short fuse discipline. I can't believe he is touted as a future England captain. The England lineout could be a weak spot.


It will be interesting to see how the midfield go. I rubbished them before the Oz game but not after it. Mind you: the Pom backline got front foot ball all day so they should have looked good. The jury is still out on Hape and Tindall. When he's in form the creative 12. Flutey should start.


I think that England will win the bikkies this year because they have the best depth in their squad. They will have to get out of the blocks quicker than they did in the autumn tests as they looked rusty against the Kiwis. It will be interesting to see how play. Probably not as they did against Oz as the Wales forwards will be of sterner stuff than the Wobs were that day, and so the ball won't be singing so much.


The only hope that Wales have is if they dominate in the forwards as the Boks did when they smacked England, but it's not likely.

 

[carter1]

Good analysis of the Ireland team there Lee. Ferris especially is a huge loss; he is the best on form 6 in Europe at the minute. Stringer isn’t injured; TOL just seems to be Kidney's love child. DOC is also another bizarre selection, once again Kidney picking a player because he plays for Munster (Cullen over the past few years has been much better than DOC). The back three is just a nightmare for Ireland, glad to see McFadden getting his chance though, been excellent for Leinster. Fitz is only back from injury and isn't really a natural fullback, but the best Ireland have at the minute and Earls isn't of international standard.

A genuine question though - what’s with all the Aussie's calling England heavyweights and tipping them for the 6nations? At best they are a third place team in Europe behind France and Ireland. They have an average pack and non existent centres. Just because they have turned you boys over a few times doesn't make them anything special.

 

[Slim 293]

A genuine question though - what’s with all the Aussie's calling England heavyweights and tipping them for the 6nations? At best they are a third place team in Europe behind France and Ireland. They have an average pack and non existent centres. Just because they have turned you boys over a few times doesn't make them anything special.

I'm pretty sure England are also favourites with the bookies...

They were consistently the best team out of the 6N countries during the most recent tests...

Ireland will be lucky to make 3rd...

England and France are the two front runners with Wales there to possibly cause an upset... after that Ireland will be battling Scotland to see who finishes above Italy...

 

[carter1]

How were they consistently the best team? Then got beat twice (afterall it's results that count). Ireland also got beat twice by the same teams. Scotland got beat once. France played a muppet team. Wales had a stack of injuries. Yous really love overrating England. They are an average team with a great back three and scrumhalf. Fact.

 

[ChargerWA]

I can't believe how excited I am over an England V Wales game, it's almost like I haven't seen any rugby for months........

If you have an IQ don't forget to set it for 3:30am WST (6:30 AEDST I think?) on ESPN, or just get up for it.

 

[Reddy!]

Good win to England and Ashton continues his good finishing form. Looks like this match was a pretty forwards orientated game however.

Good to see Wilko on the paddock again - Does anyone reckon this bloke can make it to a 4th World Cup? I sincerely hope he does, and that would be the final hurrah for him I should imagine.

 

[DPK]

Good to see Wilko on the paddock again - Does anyone reckon this bloke can make it to a 4th World Cup? I sincerely hope he does, and that would be the final hurrah for him I should imagine.

I think Wilko will play out of his career the way he came off the bench against Australia in Sydney and again against Wales in the most recent encounter. Just short cameos at the back end of games where he can add his name to the scoresheet with a couple of kicks and get a few cheers out of the crowd.

 

[carter1]

Wilko is still an outstanding player and will defo make the world cup-no doubt.

 

[Lee Grant]

Wales England

Some thoughts on the game in no particular order of importance.

• Wales started both halves with a hiss and a roar but England sucked it up. Wales had to score when they started the game with all the possession and territory but Jones missed two penalties. When England were in the right real estate they scored points.

• England took advantage of a Wales YC in the 2nd half with a try. But in the 1st half when England got a YC, Wales couldn't take advantage and even managed to lose a lineout and a scrum. England were so confident, though a forward short, that they called for a scrum to run down the clock when they got a free kick not far from their own 22. Tindall packed down as flanker.

• Good to see Rolland penalising a scrum for pushing after the hit but before the ball was put in. It was also good to see him just fish the yellow cards out of his pocket and point them at miscreants and point to the bin without any apologetic explanation to their captain. I thought of McCaw.

But with about 10 minutes to go and England attempting a barge try, Worsley, on the ground, was allowed to keep his hands on the ball with a long presentation for about 30 seconds. Luckily Wales got relief not long after.

• 1st half – can't remember Wales midfield getting the ball. Wales 12 Davies was lucky not to get carded for tripping a Pom.

• Some of passing of scrummie Phillips was crap and Wales kicked too much ball in the first half. They played with the ball better in the 2nd half but they lost the game in the first, in hindsight.

• On the hour Wales scored a try and it was game on. Then a penalty and only 4 points behind but they called on Jonnie at the end and he put them away.

• England lineout wasn't a weakness as I thought it might be.

• Interesting that Haskell wore the 7 jersey but played on the blind side of every scrum as the South Africans do it.

• Not a bad game for 6N. England had a crack and so did Wales after oranges, but the better team won.

 

[kiap]

Wales England
• Good to see Rolland penalising a scrum for pushing after the hit but before the ball was put in. It was also good to see him just fish the yellow cards out of his pocket and point them at miscreants and point to the bin without any apologetic explanation to their captain. I thought of McCaw.

Yes, I'd like to see this continue!

 

[whatty]

I can think of at least two accasions when Wales kicked away possession in try scoring positions. Very little kicking by England who in the end were just too big and strong over a very desperate and over enthusiastic Wales.

 

[DPK]

• Interesting that Haskell wore the 7 jersey but played on the blind side of every scrum as the South Africans do it.

They're getting closer and closer to being "South Africa A".

 

[Lee Grant]

Scotland v France

If the quixotic selections of Lièvremont have an effect and if France play as they did against the Wallabies in November in the 2nd half, this game could be a banana skin for the Les Bleus. Scotland are a no bullshit team that can get the best of the players they have playing a limited game, as Oz found out in 2009, the Argies at home in 2010 and the Boks on their 2010 EOYT.

Realistically the French have to lose it even they have no form from the “summer” or the autumn tests. They haven't played a good game since they clinched the Grand Slam last year. More correctly: the game before, because the Grand Slam match was a shocker.

I don't know what 15. Traille has to do to get kicked out of the team. He was crap against Oz at flyhalf and will be moved around a lot at fullback tonight by Parks if he is smart enough to do it, and “Compass” usually is. I think Traille must be doing the coach some special favours. I'd be starting with 21. Poitrenaud at 15 even though he suffers from the Black Dog sometimes thinking about Howley.

It's good to see 11.Medard back in the team where belongs but I'd have 22. Clerc playing 14. Huget did nothing wrong against Oz but Clerc is in good form and is as hard to stop as ever, even after you have grabbed him. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) is responsible for Jauzion being dropped from the team but 12. Medard is in good form and deserves a shot. 13. Rougerie? OK at the club level but there's better guys in France.

10. FTD and 9. Parra are teamed up again but if I had to put my house on one game I would play 9. Yachvilli.

8. Harinordoquy is back in the team and should never have been dropped from it, but Chabal is playing bloody well for Racing, and if they were playing England instead of Scotland I would have him at 8 and Hairy Donkey at 6 with Bonnaire on the bench. The 2nd row will be strengthened by Nallet's return from injury.

The front row was the same as a against Oz until Servat had to go off; so Scotland won't get any change there, but I still think reserve hooker Guirado is a dud.

A pity that Beattie isn't back yet for Scotland which is probably why Hines is playing 6. We let a good one escape overseas there but nobody knew it at the time. Good to see Ansbro get a start on the wing. He has trouble getting a start at the Saints with Ashton and the excellent Diggin there, or Clarke at 13, but he's had some games recently and was dynamite in the ones I saw.

 

[Blue]

How Wales persist with S Jones at 10 is a fucking mystery. He offers nothing and lately he hasn't been kicking well.

England should have won more comfortably.

Re Jonny w - Problem is that he was very average in his starts last year but T Flood looks pretty one dimensional himself.

England missed Croft and Moody.

But Wales is forever plagued by their Achilles heel (or one of numerous) - decision making under pressure. Not their strong point.

 

[Shiggins]

The best part of that whole game was steven jones pass to set up davis for the wales try. I think it was sg. Great ball. Other than that is was pretty average. Ashton gives me the shits. I don't quite know why yet but I'm sure I'll figure it out.


Go the force!!!!

 

[ChargerWA]

I thought the reffing of the breakdown was pretty average, alot of cleaning out from the side and even one from a player returning to his own side. Makes you realise how hard the Wallaby forwards work to help out the backs, last year the Wallabies kicked away alot of low percentage ball likes Wales did last night but somehow the Wallabies look better doing it.