Rugby World Cup 2007 - Twiddling Our Thumbs!

[LDiCesare]

M. Perry

Do you mean the heavy scrum half who runs one metre backward after retrieving the ball in a ruck before passing it in a clever scheme to prevent his teammates to catch the ball running and to let the opponent flankers run closer and tackle more easily?

I thought the Irish pack against Scotland was largely a pack of second strings? Someone pointed out that it was strange that the second row was more active than the flankers tackling in the wide. The Munster pack is strong, but I mostly mentioned Ireland because they have backs. Argentina also has a strong pack, but their backline is weaker (although Hernandez is a wonderful player).

[finbar]

That's the heavy scrum half I'm talking about. He's a frustrated forward.

I'm not all that au fait with the Paddys, but I don't think it was an entirely second-string pack. The trouble with calling a full-strength Ireland team dangerous is that, yes, they should always be dangerous, but they can, equally, be crap. Bit like the French on the odd occasion.

I thought the French often looked dangerous on Saturday, England rarely did.

[finbar]

Predictable England squad.

[Havak]

Predictable AND disappointing really.
Shaping up to be a competition solely between SH sides at the moment?

I also have the England one from the last RWC, which has a collar.

That is actually the replica shirt and has a much more generous cut than the players shirt had (the RWC 2003 players shirt is collarless).
And I wonder if you might review you opinion of the various shirts – the Reebok (?) shirt worn by Wales is as tight as most other shirts and the Canterbury shirts as sported by Scotland, Ireland and Australia just look utterly ridiculous. A bizarre competition is occurring to see who can sport the worst shirt at the RWC?
Did you mean Andy Gomersall Finbar? I’ve heard him called things starting with B (I’ve called him them myself) but not his given name.

I have no problem with Catt-Tait but sadly that leaves no place for Hipkiss in the 22 as Ashton will clearly play Farrell (as I predicted he has cost the RFU so much they are going to play him regardless of how well he does on the pitch).

And Dayglo also proved you can talk yourself into a squad as we feared. The bright side there is that Wasps are losing their entire back row from the pack – lets hope they lose every club game during the RWC so Tigers fans can show them the same sympathy they showed us last time when our pack disappeared to Oz.

And as for the Sky commentators wetting themselves at Noon’s tackling – well excuse me but I don’t want an outside centres primary contribution to the game to be his defensive tackling all the ******* time!

Barkley made the cut? Wtf? When a versatile young talent like Flood who would benefit from the game time gets cut? And the last specialist fullback blown out too so Cueto will play there it seems. You have got Ashton’s tactics spot on Finbar. Poor all round from the ‘new’ coach (just like the old).

But tell me this – why on earth did he bring Wilko on at 78 mins? So worryingly like he predecessor it nearly made me cry! Time for this Bath cartel to give way – lets get some Tigers sense helming England.

(although the reason the pack is so effective right now is down to the ex-Tigers coaching the forwards and specifically the front row).

And the French were far from the top of their game.

I thought they were both poor and very fortunate in equal measure. LDiCesare has nailed them pretty accurately. Nothing to worry any tri-nations side was on display in this game. I wonder if they will lose to Wales (now that would be ironic) as I think Wales (should they turn up) have the game to trouble them more around the park.

For one thing, they don't - at this point - have a centre pairing that facilitates it,

Catt-Tait or Catt-Hipkiss are the options that might bring the backline into it. Naturally therefore he has not played either combination yet.

And I think you are talking about the slightly slimmed down Shaun Perry at scrum half. M Perry is the former England and Lions fullback who recently hung up his boots.

Ellis is a huge loss to England – he had tidied up his distribution nicely when he got injured and he offered a far more varied threat than Perry, Richards or Gomersall.

was largely a pack of second strings?

Don’t tell Paul O’Connell that for goodness sake!

I don’t think the front row was first choice – but I’ve lost track of what the paddies first choice is these days (been too focused on English woes).

So are we handing the trophy to the ABs just yet?

[finbar]

Jeez, two initials wrong. B. Gomersall was a L***** ref in Australia. Now dead. Pity M. Perry retired. Last time I saw him in club rugby he was better than anything else on offer in the full back department.

I actually think it's a stupid squad selection. Full back is only one of the more important spots on the field and what do we have? M. Cueto, a novice; J. Robinson, a winger who plays full back like a winger; and J Lewsey, an accident waiting to happen.

Five centres? Why? How many of them can you fit into 22? Even if one of them is back up to J. Wilkinson, but who proved on Saturday that he's not up to it. Still, we should consider ourselves lucky that M. Tindall isn't fit. If he were, he'd be there instead of D. Hipkiss.

And a lumbering lot of back rowers. Actually, the French back row, once a treat, looks well past its use-by date.

Still, at least England has a pack. The Wallabies don't.

I have absolutely no idea why J. Wilkinson appeared with two minutes to go. Bizarre. I wish someone would ask the coach why.

[LDiCesare]

Don’t tell Paul O’Connell that for goodness sake!

That's what I ment by:

Irish pack against Scotland was largely a pack of second strings? (...) the second row was more active than the flankers

There was only the second row, the rest were not top notch.

Wilkinson coming in for 2 minutes was a test to see if he would get hurt. Usually 2 minutes in a game are enough for that?

As far as the full backs go, the French only full back, Poitrenaud, is also a very strange choice. He can be a great attacker but has lapses in defense that can cost a lot.

The French back row lacks a big number 8, like Vermeulen, who's hurt. Maybe Harinordoquy can do something to give the pack more weight. Or they could just play Chabal as a 8 rather than lock, but he certainly can't last a whole match, and Laporte won't play him there.

I think the ABs now just have not to become overconfident and they should do it easily.

[finbar]

They've found S. Chabal's niche - a devastating last 20 minutes. The ultimate impact player. One of the commentators mentioned on Saturday that he is launching his own line of clothing. The mind boggles.

Who is the flanker on the other side from S. Betsen? Betsen, I think, is starting to show his age.

[Havak]

The other flanker was Remy Martin - a better player than he looked on Saturday IMO.

And you might be right about Wilko LDiCesare.

Now what is this about the two Wallaby wild men getting curfews Finbar? Looks like the two usual suspects as well.

[LDiCesare]

The other flanker was Martin. A blonde guy, usually quite good. Laporte selected a whole lot of flankers. Harinordoquy can play 7 or 8, and so does Bonnaire. We also have Nyanga, who's fast but light, and Dusautoir, who is a complete player.
Interestingly, Dusautoir and Nyanga both play at Toulouse and Dusautoir plays more often than Nyanga, but Laporte seems to prefer the latter.
For the next match, Laporte made a few changes. In particular he brought in Nallet instead of Chabal, which means we won't see our best second row available. Betsen and Martin are out for Harinordoquy and Dusautoir, Jauzion's back, and Heymans and Dominici will play on the wings, while Bruno will replace Swarszewski. This is arguably a stronger team than last week, with Nallet who's our best lock right now, and a much stronger backline (except we still have Poitrenaud).
However, we still miss props (De Villiers is still out for one week, and Marconnet is unfit and will at best be ready for the second match of the World Cup).

[finbar]

Morons. I can forgive L. Tuquiri because he's talented. Not so the other goose.

[Havak]

Tuqiri is certainly a talent - albeit a high maintenance one.

Mr Dunning seems to buy his own press - when what he really is is proof of the dearth of options for the Wallaby coal face. Amusing chap though - the closest thing to a weeble since Jason Leonard retired.

[finbar]

The latest incident was a bit of a beat up anyway. Pardon the fisticuffs pun. The assault had nothing to with Tuquiri and Lardarse. One of a group - quite a large group - with whom they'd been is alleged to have committed the assault. Later. It's guilt by association.

[Havak]

Mud can stick unfortunately.

I read it much more as the returned Mr O'Neil imposing his authority myself. I could almost read the subtext as being "just damn well grow up you little boys"?

Still at least an insect bite doesn't make them miss tests (as Andrew Sheridan now will).

[finbar]

It's certainly J. O'Neill imposing his authority, but Lote, unfortunately, has a shocking track record.

Insect bite. What a wimp!

[Havak]

Apparently it has become infected – but it is still the most wimpy reason for missing a test that I can remember (apart from Chris Jack’s and Michael Owen’s paternity leaves that is).

I cannot find rhyme or reason to the selections in this sequence of tests:

England team: Cueto; Lewsey, Hipkiss, Farrell, Robinson; Wilkinson, Perry; Freshwater, Chuter, Vickery (capt), Shaw, Borthwick, Corry, Rees, Easter.
Replacements: Mears, Stevens, Worsley, Dallaglio, Gomarsall, Barkley, Sackey.

Does he really need another look at Corry at blindside? Is he truly hoping the lumbering Farrell will do better in the cauldron of Marseille than he did at twickers against a woeful Welsh outfit?? And my word that is a weak bench outside of Stevens and Worzle.

There are positives – it is chance for Chuter to break this obsession Ashton has with his own men Regan and Mears. And Tom Rees is finally fit – that is an exceptionally talented young man (and he is also a genuine open side).