I've just noticed that nobody has posted to this thread in a while, and we've had 2 weekends of matches since then!
Okay, so England had a disastrous game against Ireland. I would say well played to Ireland, but they didn't actually play that well either. In my opinion, the entire game was lost due to England's pathetic lineouts. What went wrong?
Scotland look like heading for the wooden spoon after losing to Italy, no surprise about them losing to France, though. Although no score at all was humiliating. Ireland should beat them on current form.
My only close prediction was France-Wales, I think Wales did well there. Unfortunately for them they couldn't overpower England, despite lifting it at the beginning of the second half (I was fully expecting an England defeat at that point). But England looked more like a team again, got their lineouts and won by a respectable margin, which I don't think flattered England overall.
As for the remaining games.
Wales should beat Italy easily.
Ireland should beat Scotland easily (sorry Scots 😉
France-England will be the interesting one, not least since it is the tournament decider. To be honest I think it could go either way. England need to win by 7 points, which is easily possible if they play as good as they can. If they have another bad day at the office, however...
The success of this team was built on consistency, so I hope the Ireland game was just a slip 🙂
England are playing rubbish at the moment. They look nothing like the side that won the Rugby World Cup. There's no consistency and they lack a decent leader. Maybe Dallaghio just needs a few games to get into it.
Still, playing rubbish and still winning! Wouldn't want to face them when they start playing well again.
I watched the England-Wales game in a pub on the weekend and must say I was impressed by the Welsh. At Twickenham to lead with 20 mins remaining is pretty impressive.
I think the All Black coach makes all the difference.
As for France England. Close game I suspect, but my fondness of France possibly clouds my judgement. Rainy day, england wins, otherwise France by 10
Alles le Bleu, or something to that extent.
Originally posted by VargI would like to disagree on that point. The lineouts were definitely problematic, but that was a symptom rather than a cause. There was a general unease in the england pack which hasn't been seen for a while, because no-one has really mixed it up with them for ages. I thought the irish pack was superb, particularly Paul O'Connell, who should have been man of the match in my opinion. It was typical that the plaudits went to Gordon D'Arcy, as he made some gorgeous runs, taking the ball at pace and on excellent lines, but none of that would have been possible without the Irish forwards effective clearing out of England at the breakdown. Make no mistake, this was a match won by the pack. When a team is hit so hard in an area where they have dominated for so long, confidence is shaken throughout, this resulted in poor control of the set-pieces and first and second phase ball, both of which are vital in international rugby. Also, when you look at the lineouts, Ireland have been in the top 3 lineout teams for 4 or 5 years, and on top for the last year and a half. When a team this hot on the lineout faces a team where the hooker is a 'streak' thrower, there is going to be problems. Steve Thompson is not entirely at fault, there was bad calling by Ben Kay, poor communication from scrum half, and excellent marking by Ireland's 2nd row.
Okay, so England had a disastrous game against Ireland. I would say well played to Ireland, but they didn't actually play that well either. In my opinion, the entire game was lost due to England's pathetic lineouts. What went wrong?
Also, because O'Driscoll didn't play that well (except in defence and in psychological warfare before the match), it shows Ireland are no longer a one trick pony, an accusation levelled by many last year. Keith Wood is missed for his ability to drag his team along by the scruff of the neck, but Shane Byrne is a more quiet talent, but he never misses his targets, never misses a tackle, and is tenacious in the breakdown. Even big Shane Horgan didn't look too much of a lumbering cart-horse, and that is some trick. With the return of Dennis Hickey in 4 to 5 months, and with Geordan Murphy hopefully back to full fitness, in about 8 months or so, Ireland could well be able to compete regularly with the big guns, being the tri-nations, England and France.
Anyway, that was my rant, sorry Varg, but I just couldn't agree with what you said.
Cheers all,
Gary.
Saw a program on the English rugby team last night. Pretty interesting. The amount of effort the guys put in to win the Web Ellis was just incredible.
I can't see England maintain that type of dedication for too long though. Those guys might only be in their late 20's but look last 30's. Rugby sure takes its toll.
Originally posted by pcaspianisn't keeping fit meant to keep you healthy and young? (o.k.-so i'm not sure if getting hit by 20 stone guys is quite "keeping fit"-but still...!)
Saw a program on the English rugby team last night. Pretty interesting. The amount of effort the guys put in to win the Web Ellis was just incredible.
I can't see England maintain that type of dedication for too long though. Those guys might only be in their late 20's but look last 30's. Rugby sure takes its toll.
Originally posted by genius
isn't keeping fit meant to keep you healthy and young? (o.k.-so i'm not sure if getting hit by 20 stone guys is quite "keeping fit"-but still...!)
You would think so... but scars and broken bones take their toll. I think its also very stressfull, so premature balding might also play its part 🙂
Originally posted by pcaspianA good game. Well played by the French. Well played by the English, actually - their best so far in the tournament. Pity it was lost in the first half.
France by 3. Superb match. Thoroughly entertaining.
Twickenham, perhaps a different story. Either way, the Northern Hemisphere again looking very strong.
I thought both sides were fairly evenly matched, but the French had a couple of touches of creativeness that the English lacked.
I really thought we could have snatched it away from them but it wasn't to be - c'est la vie 😉
PS: Would it have been a different outcome with Wilkinson? Those two missed kicks would have made the difference!
Originally posted by Varg
PS: Would it have been a different outcome with Wilkinson? Those two missed kicks would have made the difference!
Hmm, I think Wilkinsoncould well have made the difference, although not merely by just more accurate kicking. The French i.m.o. dropped a gear in the 2nd half, whilst England turned it up a bit, thus the scorecard was much closer.
Wilkinsonhas the ability to read the game, something the rest of the English backline seemed to lack. Something arguably most backlines in the world currently seem to lack (with exception of the French and possibly Aus). Either way, will Wilkinson back, I see a strong English team for the next 3 to 4 years atleast.