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  • Originally posted by Bearcat
    One of England's goals going into their game was to not allow a try by the Welsh, according to Clive Woodward. Has Wales sunk that low in the opinion of other 6N teams?
    Ask Havak and he'll tell you the Welsh should be relegated to a girls' competition. But then he has a problem with Celts. I think one must have pinched a girlfriend from him at some point.
    " ... and the following morning I should see the Boks wallop the Wallabies again?" - Havak
    "The only thing worse than being quoted in someone's sig is not being quoted in someone's sig." - finbar, with apologies to Oscar Wilde.

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    • Originally posted by Tamerlin
      Sorry, I stayed away from the Internet today because I didn't want to know the result of Wales-England. The English players have been impressive today in front of courageous and able Welsh players, a very entertaining game.

      I looked at the game broadcasted around 2 am, England wins 26-9 though the Welsh players should have scored a try (Taylor forgot two players to its left) and would have deserved to score another one, the score does not reflect the real physiognomy of the game though England has logically won.

      Very entertaining game...
      I'm getting a confusing signal from you. The score doesn't reflect the game? So the Welsh played well? Or England underperformed?
      " ... and the following morning I should see the Boks wallop the Wallabies again?" - Havak
      "The only thing worse than being quoted in someone's sig is not being quoted in someone's sig." - finbar, with apologies to Oscar Wilde.

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      • Originally posted by finbar
        I'm getting a confusing signal from you. The score doesn't reflect the game? So the Welsh played well? Or England underperformed?
        From what I understand, the English performed rather poorly during the first half despite leading at the break. The Welsh really played with their hearts on their sleeves, probably sensing that they absolutely had too.

        Comment


        • Originally posted by finbar
          I'm getting a confusing signal from you. The score doesn't reflect the game? So the Welsh played well? Or England underperformed?
          England played an impressive game against a good Welsh team, a score like 26-21 in favor of the English players would have better expressed the Welsh players' performance, better than a 17 points margin.
          "Democracy is the worst form of government there is, except for all the others that have been tried." Sir Winston Churchill

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          • Mmmm. So England were only a 5 points better side than Wales. I imagine Havak will plead the "old enemy" case, that certain teams lift against England, and so on, and so on.

            I notice also that Wilko went off injured. A game against Ireland sans Wilko would be interesting for England. A game against anyone sans Wilko would be interesting.
            " ... and the following morning I should see the Boks wallop the Wallabies again?" - Havak
            "The only thing worse than being quoted in someone's sig is not being quoted in someone's sig." - finbar, with apologies to Oscar Wilde.

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            • It remains to be seen how long the tackled player will be given to release the ball. There have been inconsistencies in this area too.
              Here they seem quite strict that it must be released at once.

              England performed quite well against Wales in the second half. I don't know if the Welsh were good in the first half or the English played under their level. Taylor's not giving the ball to his partners cost the Welsh a try they merited, but I think the difference between the teams should have been of a dozen points not 5 as Tamerlin suggests to reflect the game.

              France bet Scotland 38 - 3. The Scots are really low. They managed one or two individual nice actions, but they were never dangerous and most of the time lost terrain when attacking. The French made a good seconf half but had problems around the 8-9 connection on scrums (Redpath was good at being a nuisance here).
              Clash of Civilization team member
              (a civ-like game whose goal is low micromanagement and good AI)
              web site http://clash.apolyton.net/frame/index.shtml and forum here on apolyton)

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              • Originally posted by finbar
                Mmmm. So England were only a 5 points better side than Wales. I imagine Havak will plead the "old enemy" case, that certain teams lift against England, and so on, and so on.
                As LDiCesare has already suggested it in its previous post, England was really superior to the Welsh players and the team has constantly maintained its grasp on the game. No threat for the English players but clearly another Welsh team than the one who lost the previous week against Italia.

                I notice also that Wilko went off injured. A game against Ireland sans Wilko would be interesting for England. A game against anyone sans Wilko would be interesting.
                He went out of the field dazed, almost a Knock Out. I haven't yet read the newspaper so I don't know if he will be able to play in two weeks. Great game from Wilkinson and Luger by the way, among others...
                "Democracy is the worst form of government there is, except for all the others that have been tried." Sir Winston Churchill

                Comment


                • One of the others being Finbar's least favourite lock.

                  And no I have never lost a girlfriend to a welshman (god forbid!).

                  An interesting game - the Welsh disrupted us quite thoroughly squeezing Bracken for time on every phase. We played quite poorly, never getting out of first gear. And we still comfortbaly rolled them in their own backyard. I'm afraid Tamerlin was watching adifferent game to me - a thirty point margin was a fairer reflection and failed to happen only becuase we made too many errors and could not adjust to another bizarre referee (Steve Walsh, Kiwi).

                  I'm not worried - I saw plenty in ireland's game to suggest they will struggle against both France and us.

                  Some sweet tries against the Auld Enemy today gentlemen.

                  Catch you all tomorrow.
                  It is better to keep silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt

                  Comment


                  • Originally posted by Havak
                    And no I have never lost a girlfriend to a welshman (god forbid!).
                    Then presumably a Welsh lass knocked you back at some stage.

                    I'm afraid Tamerlin was watching adifferent game to me - a thirty point margin was a fairer reflection and failed to happen only becuase we made too many errors and could not adjust to another bizarre referee (Steve Walsh, Kiwi).
                    Mmmm. And if the NSW Waratahs hadn't coughed up so much ball and not stuffed up nearly every lineout and played a hell of a lot better, they'd've beaten Auckland. If ifs and buts were dynamite, you'd be an explosive chap.
                    " ... and the following morning I should see the Boks wallop the Wallabies again?" - Havak
                    "The only thing worse than being quoted in someone's sig is not being quoted in someone's sig." - finbar, with apologies to Oscar Wilde.

                    Comment


                    • Originally posted by Tamerlin

                      He went out of the field dazed, almost a Knock Out. I haven't yet read the newspaper so I don't know if he will be able to play in two weeks. Great game from Wilkinson and Luger by the way, among others...
                      It was reported here as a knee.
                      " ... and the following morning I should see the Boks wallop the Wallabies again?" - Havak
                      "The only thing worse than being quoted in someone's sig is not being quoted in someone's sig." - finbar, with apologies to Oscar Wilde.

                      Comment


                      • Originally posted by Havak
                        and could not adjust to another bizarre referee (Steve Walsh, Kiwi).
                        Kiwi bashing yet again? ...

                        Actually I shouldn't comment as the AB's don't have to play under Kiwi refs and I haven't seen enough of them in action in the NZ domestic competition for quite some time. Not that, as has come up recently, facts have any place here.

                        From what I've heard the pundits seem to have divided into the same two camps again.
                        (1) That England didn't play terribly well away from home and managed to scrape through against a good Welsh side. England -1.
                        (2) That England didn't play terribly well away from home and yet still won comfortably enough, moreover against a good Welsh side. England +1.
                        One draws from it what one wills...
                        Naturally I'm sitting on the fence.

                        Comment


                        • It's not Friday! Nick off!
                          " ... and the following morning I should see the Boks wallop the Wallabies again?" - Havak
                          "The only thing worse than being quoted in someone's sig is not being quoted in someone's sig." - finbar, with apologies to Oscar Wilde.

                          Comment


                          • Then presumably a Welsh lass knocked you back at some stage.
                            Given that I toured in Wales once or twice then most probably – but such details are beyond my powers of recall.

                            If ifs and buts were dynamite, you'd be an explosive chap.
                            Do you remember all those "if Jonny hadn't kicked those points for you" comments in the press back in November?

                            I need to avoid defending us when there is no need to do so

                            We easily rolled a side in their own stadium when they were playing their hearts out – busting the proverbial gut. It will do nicely.

                            How about Scotland though – three penalties to show for two full games in the tournament – and that from a team that beat the Boks in November.

                            It was reported here as a knee.
                            That’s right. And not serious either. Robinson and Back are doubts though. Still the next game is Italy at home. Stimpson will likely come in for Robbo (and that takes the kicking pressure off Wilko too). Worseley may take Backs place (Moody still injured).

                            Kiwi bashing yet again? ...
                            No No! The fact he was a Kiwi was incidental rather than a defining characteristic. He just didn’t seem to understand either front row play or conduct in the ruck to my mind. If it makes you feel better the Aussie ref in Paris was far worse and denied France a much larger win.

                            Referee of the weekend was in the Rome match – and, oh look, Mr Spreadbury is English.

                            You are fairly right about the pundits. Apparently a two score plus margin in an away match is a huge failure these days. I treat it fairly philosophically. At the risk of provoking Finbar to mention therapy again you get used to the press, foreign press in particular, rubbishing England. It means very little. I can even watch amused as Wales claim a ‘moral’ victory. History books do not record moral victories after all.

                            And as for the Celtic loading on Planet Rugby’s current Grand Slam poll I can even find that funny – Ireland favourites with France next up? Perlease! You could have driven a bus through their defensive pattern many times on Saturday – apparently Italians don’t drive buses?
                            It is better to keep silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt

                            Comment


                            • Report from the frontline

                              The first round of the Super 12 in SA, provided little more for SA rugby than confirmation that it will be the Stormers who fly the flag in this year's competition. It would be premature to read too much into the opening weekend, but the results did strongly suggest that the 2001 feat of having two teams from the Republic in the semi-finals is unlikely to be repeated this year.

                              The Sharks, in slipping to a 40-18 defeat at Newlands, confirmed that they are going to find life tough without Mark Andrews. They were completely overpowered in the very areas where they have put it over the Stormers in the past. Yet, for all that, it might not all be lost for the Sharks. They do boast greater depth at the back this year.

                              The Cats were completely outplayed at forward by the Bulls . So what of the Bulls? Only Cats supporters would deny that it was great to see the perennial wooden-spoonists starting the tournament on such a positive note and who knows that it might do to their confidence as they head overseas. But the Bulls still rely chiefly on the grinding forward play that brought them success in the Currie Cup rather than the more attacking game they will need if they want to progress in the Super 12. So while the Bulls have started well, it is hard to rank him at this stage alongside the Stormers as possible contenders for a place in the semi-finals.
                              If something doesn't feel right, you're not feeling the right thing.

                              Comment


                              • How about Scotland though – three penalties to show for two full games in the tournament – and that from a team that beat the Boks in November
                                They performed so badly that the French considered (rightly) they didn't play well crushing them by 38 points to 3. I really believe Italy has a chance to beat them too.

                                I wouldn't be so sure about the fate of Ireland-England. The match against France will tell us more.

                                I am afraid that the tournament this year will look like 2 3 nations tournaments considering the level of play shown by Welsh and Scots (Italy is actually playing better than ever but they are still not up there I think).
                                Clash of Civilization team member
                                (a civ-like game whose goal is low micromanagement and good AI)
                                web site http://clash.apolyton.net/frame/index.shtml and forum here on apolyton)

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