Rugby - Hemisphere Wars!

[Bearcat]

*bows his head over the defeats of Wales and Scotland*

Dark days indeed for these teams

[Tamerlin]

Originally posted by Bearcat
*bows his head over the defeats of Wales and Scotland*

Dark days indeed for these teams

True but losing against Ireland (though Scotland was at home), certainly the best team after England and France in the NH, is not as hard as losing against Italia.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Tamerlin


is not as hard as losing against Italia.

I won't take that personally!

[Tamerlin]

Originally posted by finbar


I won't take that personally!

It was not meant to be.

And before you ask, yes I am still awake...

[finbar]

Still awake!? Good grief! I thought you'd gone to bed and woken up again!

7.20am - feel like a morning latté? I could whip one up on my new espresso machine?

[Havak]

Can't keep doing that.

Does it really matter as long as they gain the result? I’m not convinced myself. World cups have been won with the most boring stuttering performances after all.
I can understand Tamerlin being upset with Magne. And Betson too. The back row really lost out to their England counter parts which much be disappointing. Magne’s try did not save his game because it was our stupid mistake rather than his good play that gained it. Too many Gloucester and Sale players on the pitch really.
Seriously Gomersall lacks that fraction of a second that makes the difference between him and Dawson.

The referee should have stopped the action and ask for a scrum

yeah yeah – and Magne came from an offside position to claim the first try. The second resulted from an incorrect call from Honiss at the scrum. If wishes were fishes… I really do have to invoke the Luger convention

Regardless of where Robbo came from he scythed through your defence very sweetly?

Will Greenwood replied when the silly BBC girl said “if they had kicked their penalties they would have won” : Yeah and if they had scored four more tries they would have won. But they didn’t.

It's worth pointing out again that we missed a fistful of chances once the line had been broken through poor vision - I hope Hodgson in particular sharpens up for next week.

But Mr Honiss is already well known for its leniency.

He had a very poor game as always. He didn’t like your loose head much did he?

As usual, Brian O'Driscoll has been nominated Man of the Match.

He had a towering game again – as did the fly half Humphries. They scored a late penalty to make it 36-6 in the end.

Ireland will offer both France and England a real test in Dublin. However both of us will exploit the holes in their defence the way Scotland singularly failed to. I would imagine Scotland are looking at a fifty pointer in Paris next weekend? Did you spot the Tiger who came off the bench and scored a beautiful solo try by the way? If only Murphy was English.

So England visit Cardiff on Saturday. Can’t wait.

By the way can I say how sad I was to hear of Nick Duncombe's premature death at the age of 21. This young Quins scrummy was a regular A team candidate and possible future senior player. Meningitis took him within 48 hours. It's an evil disease - it doesn't matter how fit you are with it.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
Does it really matter as long as they gain the result? I?m not convinced myself. World cups have been won with the most boring stuttering performances after all.

Not often. Certainly not on the way through the various stages.

By the way can I say how sad I was to hear of Nick Duncombe's premature death at the age of 21. This young Quins scrummy was a regular A team candidate and possible future senior player. Meningitis took him within 48 hours. It's an evil disease - it doesn't matter how fit you are with it.

I read about it. Very true, very sad. We've had spates of it here from time to time. The latest thing is meningococal - if that's how it's spelled - which can kill anyone of any age within a couple of days.

On a brighter note, I was watching one of Rick Stein's cooking shows on cable tonight - surprise, surprise - and he said the best bitter comes from Suffolk. Is this so?

On another bright note, did you happen to catch any of "The Office" when it played there? They've just run the two series back to back here. Quite stunning, sublime material.

[Havak]

Student populations here suffer the occassional flare of it too. Scary frankly.

Suffolk - well yes it's pretty decent. The Adnams and Greeneking breweries are there and there are some beautiful pints that come out of both - Broadside from the former and Abbot Ale from the latter being favourites of mine.

Actually I think Moorlands Speckled Hen is a Greeneking affiliate too - in which case Suffolk provides three ales I rate very highly. Very much recommended to you all.

More heresy from me I am afraid - I caught very little of the office. I keep meaning to buy the DVDs...

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
Student populations here suffer the occassional flare of it too. Scary frankly.

Suffolk - well yes it's pretty decent. The Adnams and Greeneking breweries are there and there are some beautiful pints that come out of both - Broadside from the former and Abbot Ale from the latter being favourites of mine.

Actually I think Moorlands Speckled Hen is a Greeneking affiliate too - in which case Suffolk provides three ales I rate very highly. Very much recommended to you all.

Good grief. Presumably you have a "Havak's Guide To English Bitter" in the word processor?

More heresy from me I am afraid - I caught very little of the office. I keep meaning to buy the DVDs...

Do yourself a favour. It ran here on cable because the ABC, unbelievably, turned it down. I taped it for various friends who don't have cable. Of course, given the enormous reaction it got on cable - leaving aside all the foreign praise and BAFTA Awards - the ABC have now decided to show it.

The style is nothing new - "People Like Us" (another sublime show), et al, did the mocumentary style ages ago - but the content is extraordinary. The way it treads the fine line between humour and painful observation is quite amazing. There are several moments in the last ep of the second series worthy of high class dramatists.

[Havak]

Pure fluke - you picked an area with two breweries I knew quite well.

I must make sure I catch up with the office. It's the same old story - so much to do, so little time.

[LDiCesare]

He didn’t like your loose head much did he?

I didn't want to point it out myself, but, indeed... At least in the end of the match he penalized your tight head once. However, depriving the French from their scrum made it very hard for us to put pressure on the opponent and resulted in poor conquest. Lineouts have traditionnally been one of England's good points, so losing balls in scrums, or not being to make these balls bad balls for the English average scrum half proved a hard hit.

The refereeing was quite awful at times, and the bad lineouts were in fact not straight at all, but players have to make do with the referee they get, so that is no excuse. Repeating the same mistake over and over in particular is a proof that the team is being dominated somehow. Also, France got several penalties and was unable to profit from them. I am almost certain Gelez will replace Merceron next week as fly half. He is such a good kicker.

About Italy-Wales match, what made me think the Italians could win was the catastrophic performance of Wales in lineouts. They couldn't keep their ball. I also think all this moving around in the lineout before the hooker throws is a bad thing. This nullifies the corridor between the teams, confuses the hooker (believe me, I hate it when the coach wants me to throw the ball to someone who is not only jumoing but also moving horizontally before). It also reduces the fight for the ball in lineout to a point where it is no longer interesting IMO.

Now I think Ireland-England will be the match to watch. If England wins, I can't see who can beat them in the Tournament.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
Pure fluke - you picked an area with two breweries I knew quite well.

Yeah, yeah. You know every cobblestone in every floor of every bitter brewery in the UK.

I must make sure I catch up with the office. It's the same old story - so much to do, so little time.

Priorities! A bit less painting and wallpapering!

[finbar]

Originally posted by LDiCesare

I also think all this moving around in the lineout before the hooker throws is a bad thing.

I agree completely. Players are so busy shuffling and reshuffling - trying to confuse the opposition - that they end up confusing themselves. As well as making a mockery of the tunnel between the lineouts.

[Havak]

At least in the end of the match he penalized your tight head once

At least he was consistent because he got that one wrong too.

I think you are right in that the penalising at the scrum stopped you placing pressure on Gomersall. He can look very shaky when on the back foot. Add to that that not only were England winning lineout but Ben Kay was turning over the occasional one of yours (he is one of the best stealers in the business) and it undermined your set pieces quite thoroughly.

I thought Merceron’s tactical kicking was poor as well? He was popping it down the field to Robinson, but he was doing it with Robbo in space and he wasn’t turning him but putting it down the barrel – so it was coming straight back at pace all the time. And neither Ibanez nor Thompson were throwing straight – but apparently Mr Honiss was not calling that last Saturday?

Good points about Wales. It is scary to see them out muscled by the Italians at the set pieces. All Welsh rugby has had to fall back on this last decade is a strong front eight – and now Quinell has walked out on them it looks like even that is falling apart? Colin Charvis is a player I rate highly but he looked quite anonymous Saturday.

Even so I am not taking them lightly as it means everything to their season to beat England. They will throw it all at us early doors so if we can weather the first twenty and stay in touch I am sure we will then start to pull away.

Now I think Ireland-England will be the match to watch. If England wins, I can't see who can beat them in the Tournament.

Not least because we play them in the very last match of the tournament (trust me on that – I’m going to it!). You visit them first (the next match after this weekends round). Ireland have Italy this weekend then you at their place, then Wales away and finally us at their place. If they beat you the Ireland-England game could be a Slam decider!

So here is my request – Tamerlin, LdiCesare please have a word with the boys and make sure they hammer Ireland? Just for me?

Yeah, yeah. You know every cobblestone in every floor of every bitter brewery in the UK.

Well maybe not every cobblestone. Just the better ones.

Priorities! A bit less painting and wallpapering!

Yes I must sort my life out.

As well as making a mockery of the tunnel between the lineouts.

I actually agree with you both. But then I preferred lineouts when jumpers were unassisted and there was no gap – “elbows ahoy!”.

Strangely Mr Honiss policed the lineout gap quite strictly last weekend. Almost NH of him?

So this weekend? France by 40, England by 20, Ireland by 20? Any offers?

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
I actually agree with you both. But then I preferred lineouts when jumpers were unassisted and there was no gap ? ?elbows ahoy!?.

Presumably you also preferred it when a chap in a top hat with a red flag walked in front of the new-fangled things called cars?

Strangely Mr Honiss policed the lineout gap quite strictly last weekend. Almost NH of him?

I recall a game within the last 6 months reffed by Honiss for which you gave him at least a pass mark. Which one?

So this weekend? France by 40, England by 20, Ireland by 20? Any offers?

Depends on which teams turn up. If you know what I mean.