Rugby - Laissez la balle, Bleus!

[LDiCesare]

FORZA ITALIA!
Scotland 17-37 Italy.




(in case you wouldn't have noticed, I have Italian blood)

[LDiCesare]

A summary of today's 6 nations:

Scotland lost to Italy at home.
That's nice for the Italians, but the match was very weird. The first six minutes looked like the All Blacks playing against Japan or something like that. Scotland gave away three tries in 6 minutes. Utterly silly from them to attack the way they did, or they thought their opponent wasn't dangerous, I don't know. Then Scotland played (badly) and Italy defended (not that well either but the Scots kept knocking on the ball). Then Paterson scored a nice try, which woke the Italians. Troncon (who's really a great scrum half) started using his pack and Italy started playing at last, resulting in a try.
Weird.

Ireland beat England by the greatest margin ever. In Croke Park. I had said it would be the hardest match the English ever played against Ireland, I don't think I was wrong. I liked the new English winger (Strettle?).

France beat Wales but this was hard. The French scored only 2 tries vs. 3 welsh tries. Poor start from the French, but then their superiority almost everywhere made the difference. Lapses of concentration or something else, the French need to get their defense up for the next match, it will be a stronger team.

[finbar]

Originally posted by LDiCesare
FORZA ITALIA!
Scotland 17-37 Italy.




(in case you wouldn't have noticed, I have Italian blood)

Migrate!

I couldn't believe the opening 10 minutes of the Italy match either. Several Scotland players should be put to death for their sins. The third one - that long looping pass - was utterly bizarre. Anyway, good for Italy. They deserve a win. Poor match, but a win is a win. How bad is Scotland? Maybe it was their appalling alternate strip.

Never seen Ireland as fast and furious and ferocious as that. Never seen England's skill levels as poor as that. And they looked slow. They need to sack:

1. D. Grewcock. Idiot supreme.
2. M. Tindall.
3. A. Farrell.
4. The back row.
5. Scrums are a mystery to me but there was something seriously wrong with England's the further the match went.

I thought the new winger did some nice things, too. Lucky the fullback went off when he did. His day was only going to get worse.

France-v-Wales wasn't covered here today with all the other matches. I was hoping to watch the replay tomorrow morning without knowing the result!

Anyway, I'm going to bed happy. And sober. I'm sure Havak isn't. 'Specially after I just noticed the Leicester result ...

[LDiCesare]

I'm going to bed happy. And sober. I'm sure Havak isn't.

Havak not sober, not happy, or both?
Sorry for spoiling the result for France. The result was what I expected, but the French start of a match was very bad (conceding 2 tries in 15 minutes is bad, except by Scottish standards). At least, the tries the Welsh scored instead of them just profitting from gross mitakes.

[finbar]

I suspect Havak is still wide awake and still very drunk!

Watched the replay anyway. You're right. The French started badly and got better. How typical of them! Lucky their hardest match - Ireland - is behind them. And a pity B. O'Driscoll and P. Stringer were missing from that match.

I notice one of the Scotland players said something like - "take away the three intercepts and it's a different game". Well, yes. Take away any side's mistakes and it's a different game. Fool. Anyway, how on earth was Scotland's first try allowed to stand? The referee baulked the defence. The try scorer almost came to a stop before grounding the ball - expecting to be called back - because he knew what had happened.

I also thought there was a delicious irony in Ireland's intercept try. England had virtually sunk to Scotland's standard. Still, it was a pleasant change to hear some brutal honesty from B. Ashton after the game. None of A. Robinson's mindless, blind optimism. Now he just has to do something about it.

Oh, and following the France replay, there was a replay of Leicester-v-Saints. Out of respect for Havak, I decided not to watch it.

[finbar]

And just to brighten Havak's day:

The latest Kiwi joke: Auckland Blues officials recently travelled to Iraq to sign a talented young local winger, who in his first game scores six tries in 20 minutes. When he comes off the ground, he immediately rings home to tell his mother about his first match for the Blues. "Hi Mum. Guess what? I played for 20 minutes today, we were 30-0 down, but I scored six tries and we won. Everybody loves me. I'm a hero." "Great," replied his mother, "Now let me tell you about my day. Your father got shot in the street, your sister and I were attacked and beaten, and your brother has joined a gang of looters, all while you were having a great time." The young Iraqi is very upset. "What can I say Mum, I'm so sorry." "Sorry?!" she says. "It's your fault that we moved to South Auckland in the first place!"

[LDiCesare]

Anyway, how on earth was Scotland's first try allowed to stand? The referee baulked the defence. The try scorer almost came to a stop before grounding the ball - expecting to be called back - because he knew what had happened.

Indeed. I refrained from mentioning it, hoping you would.

As for the Scot, barring the three intercepts, well, yes, sure... The Italians stopped playing for an hour after that. They had to be under danger of a draw before waking up and when they started playing, in the last 20 minutes of the match, they bulldozed the Scottish forwards and scored a very nice try. Fool indeed.

[Havak]

Havak not sober, not happy, or both?

It wasn’t my best ever day of rugby watching that’s for sure. I’m angrier about Tigers than I am about England. Literally the only time Saints visited our 22 in the second half was the damn interception try that won them the game. They were only in our half from restarts – I have never seen anything like it – you just shouldn’t lose games like that.

England were disappointing but perhaps not surprising in that. Time for Mr Perry to return to welding as a career I think – what was he doing gifting that try to the Kiwi-Paddy scrum half?

Finbar has nailed the worst culprits – Grewcock is just a huge liability and his carding cost them any chance in the game (the two tries whilst he was off were crucial). Farrell is too slow and too green – he doesn’t get in the right place in the defensive line. Corry had his worst game in an England shirt I think.

But he missed the main culprit – did we have a skipper? Did anyone see him? When the game called for calming down and keep ball rugby did Vickery make the call? Did he hell – get the armband on a youngster with talent. In fact it’s time to back youth – lets fast track the Cranes and Crofts and get Tait in their at 12.

Hard to criticise Jonny as he saw little ball. And Strettle emerged with the most credit – he handled the occasion well. Lewsey needs to replace Morgan and fullback so Strettle and Grandad Robinson can play against France.

The main problem with the scrum was that Paul O’Connell played like a man possessed. After being under par all of 2007 so far he suddenly decides this game is the one to show why they call him the “Irish Jonno”. But then the whole Irish side lifted their game as per normal against the ‘evil’ English – were I an Irish fan I would now be very angry at the very lacking performance against France.

Well done Italy. The most enjoyable game of the weekend. And well done France – strolling towards yet another title as England won’t stop them and Scotland certainly can’t.

Nice to see Wales where they belong though. Don’t get me wrong – they will still beat us I suspect but that might well be their only win. ;-)

Just out of interest guys did you notice the Universal problem in all the games this weekend? No I don’t mean the amazing (illegal?) speed with which the French rush defence arrives but rather the feeding in scrums. Our game has been allowed to speed up by ignoring one of the fundamental laws (I saw the ref penalise Ireland for it once but he could have called both sides all game).

I’m so looking forward to the world cup.

[finbar]

I noticed the scrum feeds. Exactly the same thing is happening in S14. It's looking like a L***** feed.

I think you're right about the youth factor. I feared Farrell would be exposed against quality oppo. (There's obviously some sort of campaign against him amongst those BBC pundits, basically blaming him. Especially the one who wants to replace him with M. Catt. Fool. And that cloth-eared bint of a BBC twayt who interviewed B. Ashton should be taken out the back and shot)

Time to face up to the reality - the 2003 World Cup was 4 years ago (obviously), not last week, not even last year. They've fiddled and farted around, somehow thinking 2003's glories were only a tweak away. A. Robinson wasted his however-long-it-was in the chair. Now B. Ashton's challenge is to bite the proverbial and think in terms of starting again. He seems like a sensible thinker and a realist.

J. Wilkinson probably doesn't need the extra pressure, but I'd give him the armband. You could, more than once, plainly see his utter fury at the way things were being allowed to happen on the weekend.

[MikeH]

Shame about the result but I think the build up to the game at Croke Park was amazing. The crowd fautlessly observing the England anthems and then half the Ireland team in tears as they and 80,000 others sang along to theirs. Really moving scenes.

[finbar]

Very true. I'd never seen anything like it.

Odd moment aside, there was also a healthy spirit to the match. The moment when M. Lund took out (I think it was) G. Dempsey in the air could have turned ugly. I gave M. Lund the benefit of the doubt, it was pretty much two forces travelling in opposite directions, and his apology, accepted by B. O'Driscoll, settled the matter.

[MikeH]

I didn't think it was intentional, but it was dangerous and I think he was lucky to stay on the pitch. It was at least a sin binning IMO.

[finbar]

Fair call. There was a similar, if less spectacular, incident earlier which earned a warning.

[Havak]

There was no malice in the Lund incident - it was certainly a penalty but the card is not really there for accidentally dangerous play. The ref got this one right.

Guscott mentioned Catt (his old mate from Bath glory days). Nothing Jeremy Guscott says is worth listening to IMO - reminds me of Nick Farr-Jones or Campese in that the thing he likes most is his own voice.

I think Wilko is almost certain to be skipper later in the year if he stays fit - Vickery is messing the job up (and doesn't even look totally match fit to me). I hope Jonny can handle the added pressure.

Ireland played the game of their life on Saturday but the trick with Ireland is consistency. Scotland next up should help them achieve that - despite being in Edingburgh.

I wonder though - can Italy sneak a result in the last round?

As for France they have it on a plate now - only England stand between them and the Slam. They must be terrified.

[LDiCesare]

There was no malice in the Lund incident - it was certainly a penalty but the card is not really there for accidentally dangerous play. The ref got this one right.

I believe the ref did a very good job here. Particularly considering England were already 14 at that time, but mostly because he asked for the assent of O'Driscoll that this was not an intentional act, which showed everyone in the stadium that this incident was worth a penalty and no more.
As for French fearing the English, I certainly do. First, England'll certainly want to win that match in order to save the tournament. They will also be playing at home, and the French will certainly fiddle a little more with their selection. Rougerie for instance looks likely to play on one wing, Traille and Castaignede should play but they're still hurt, and then some players like Yachvili who are good, in shape and with a good track record against England won't have played a single match of rugby for two months, only been training.