Rugby - New Year, New Coaches, New Laws

[Havak]

Well done Wales.

I can’t in all honesty say they played well – you would have to be a rabid Welsh fan to think that – but they did show what hanging in can do for you if you make the opposition start to panic.

As for England whilst I had concerns I never expected the West Country Wasps to implode like that. They were an utter disgrace. It’s time to get a backbone of Midlands steel back in the side and ditch the driftwood from clubs that haven’t won honours in a decade.

Yes I am still somewhat angry – more so because I am anticipating the excuses from the RFU and Mr Andrew. This was entirely Ashton’s squad – no inherited stuff here - and it was a short sighted squad. Put under pressure by a less than stellar visiting side they panicked like rabbits in the headlights.

Not acceptable – new head coach and skipper toute suite please.

Positives? Well Balshaw’s career must be over surely? And Toby Flood showed some nice intelligent rugby skills. Apart from that the side was desperately lacking the quality that Tigers must now supply to them. There are no Bath or Glaws players that could possibly stay in the side for Rome with the possible exception of the Tongan.

But Brian will probably pick the same 22 – he knows no better.

It’s so annoying when the young Saxons side had played so damn well to beat Ireland.

And to see the (still) orange glamour boy make mistake after mistake but end up on the winning side still – let’s say it did my blood pressure no favours!

Bye Bye Mr Ashton please.

Off to face the Welsh mafia in the club house now – bet they are nice and subdued.

[finbar]

I'd be surprised if a serious Wales fan thought they played very well. Very poor in the first half, extraordinary number of turnovers. Better in the second half because (a) they actually got their hands on the ball and (b) held onto it, even if sometimes chaotically. I wouldn't even argue that England lost it rather than Wales won it. Wales applied the pressure. It was the pressure that sank England. That's what amazed me most of all. There was no leadership. With Wilko, a leader you'd've thought, one of the early crumblers. J**** must have been in tears watching it.

As it was, England should have done more in the first half. They frequently looked good, sometimes very good, but they didn't capitalise. Toby Flood is the goods, and I thought the new #8 moved well, too, for a novice. Before he - and everyone else - was swamped.

Oh, and I have absolutely no idea why Sonny Parker would ever be picked in front of Tom Shanklin.

[Havak]

And Vickery is saying we "must not over react".

How exactly Phil? By dropping a skipper five years past his best who no longer warrants a place in the side?

The next coach has to be appointed on merit and NOT simply because he was coaching Bath when the RFU appointed him. The last four all were doing so (including Woodward - Rowell, Woodward, Robinson, Ashton are all Bath alumni). Bath last won the League in 1996 and last won honours of any sort in 1998 (in the second worst Euro final ever).

It seems obvious to me that we should appoint a coach who is a winner rather than one who wears the 'right' club tie?

As for players I'll high light four - Regan, Borthwick, Balshaw and Mears are all there because of their history with Ashton at Bath rather than on merit. We need a new man that will pick on form.

Losing to Wales at home is simply unacceptable - Ashton may now be one result from the sack (losing in Rome would seal his fate I think).

Very much the worst thing that could happen would be a thumping of Italy - that would simply make Ashton think that the way he stumbles around blindly between disasters is in some way justified.

You might have guessed I am still angry. it is frankly a disgrace that Ashton picked so few players from the English champions for this current squad. A small part of me is therefore enjoying his abject failure.

[finbar]

I'm afraid to say that you're in for a long wait. Unless Rob Andrew falls under a bus, the coach is in situ for a while. After the hoo-ha of the World Cup renaissance, and Andrew hitching himself to Ashton in the post-Cup review, coach and boss are handcuffed together. To sack the coach, Andrew would have to admit grievous error, and that, as you well know, ain't on the cards. Common sense - which is what you're uttering - doesn't enter into this situation.

I think your best bet is to discover which way Rob Andrew walks to walk, note the passing bus route, and slip one of the drivers a fiver to swerve at the appropriate time.

Anyway, hopefully les grenouilles will put the Scots to the sword in entertaining fashion.

[finbar]

I've got an idea. Let's give the trophy to les grenouilles now - mistakes and all - and save the time and trouble of going on with the tournament.

And what a pleasure it was not to see the silly grinning oca B. Laporte's face in the coach's box.

[LDiCesare]

Italy showed they need a fly half more than ever. Masi is a fine player, but he can't kick, his pass is average, and he's unable to create solutions at 10. This and wingers that can defend without the help of their flankers, and Italy would be good.

I can't comment much about the English match, unfortunately. I was a bit tired (had a match Friday evening, which ended in an even lots of mud to lots of mud on each side). So here is what I saw of the match: 2 penalties in 2minutes. Doze. Strettle makes a great run. Strettle is hurt and leaves the field. Doze. Flood plays well, the English score a try. English dominate. Doze. Slumber. Half-time. Doze on. Welsh seem to stop giving balls in turnovers. Welsh score a try. Immediately after, Balshaw kicks. Another try. The end match suddenly got interesting. Still, that was a quite boring match. I think Italy and Ireland displayed better rugby than Wales and England.

Scotland versus France showed that we have great wingers. It also showed that we need more good props. Brugnaut suffered at tight head. He normally plays loose, and the difference when Mas entered was obvious. The centers were also quite average. A win's a win, but I'm afraid that a match against Scotland doesn't mean much in terms of appraising a team.

[finbar]

Only the abundant French errors - mostly self-inflicted - stopped a slaughter. Certainly Scotland set even higher standards than usual in mediocrity but there was enough good stuff from the French to indicate they're clearly the best team in the comp. I thought Traille was very effective. Best I've seen from him in a while.

Yes, Italy need a genuine #10. I've never seen a more uncomfortable #10 than Masi. They also need better than the pedestrian club #9 they fielded. And a winger who doesn't choke under a high ball. By which I mean K. Robertson, the third-rate Kiwi who is quite quick given space, fluent in the Italian language, but a defensive liability. With at least one decent back they could have beaten Ireland. Or, indeed, if the touchie had been awake to the fact that the ball came off a Paddy when it went into touch late in the first half, costing the Italians a line out not far from the line.

[LDiCesare]

Yes, Traille was quite good. Still, overall, the French centers were average. By which I mean that the other centre, Marty, should play a better rugby. He's only there because Jauzion and Fritz are hurt, and I believe there are better centres than him in the French championship. He's a good tackler, but he tends to keep the ball when he's got quicksilver legged wingers on his sides.
The French are going to continue making errors, for three reasons.
1) They are French.
2) They are a young team, and lack cohesion.
3) They want to play an attacking rugby, which means taking risks.

[finbar]

Vive La Difference!

They will become more cohesive, make fewer mistakes, and play some wonderful rugby. At times yesterday they looked like the France of old, unlike the schizophrenic mob Laporte turned them into.

I also wonder about the French ability to produce talented young #10s. I'm sure there's a factory somewhere in the French countryside churning them out. The new boy did some very smart things on debut.

Ironic that Nose is urging Ashton to stand by his players. Given that he wouldn't - well, didn't - reciprocate recently.

[Havak]

Still loves the sound of his own voice that one. Still talks total tosh.

For the love of god this coach is sorely testing my patience now - he is rumoured to be calling up Noon and Cueto to replace Tindall and Strettle.

FFS Brian - Hipkiss and Varndell are the form men from the Saxons. Are you totally, utterly stupid? (That was a rhetorical question).

Keen to see who he plays at openside too with Moody and Rees both out. With his keen tactical nounce perhaps he will move his personal favourite Regan there. Hooker, open side, what is in a number on a shirt? Conventional positioning is for winners (and Brian is certainly no winner).

Right - I'm off to Richmond to catch the bus drivers....

[finbar]

Well, rumored in as much as it's BBC speculation. But silly enough to be entirely possible.

Wilko is being just a tad disingenuous with his claim that his forearm didn't send his opponent from the ground. Was the chap struck by lightning? The forearm was pretty obvious, hardly an accident, and well worth a look by the judiciary.

[Havak]

The Golden boy cited? What a shock that would be for his millions of fans.

It was a clear swinging arm - quite hard for him to defend.

Geragthy was man of the match in the Saxons game - even above the brace scoring Varndell.

*edit* Fair point about the BBC - they refer to Geragthy as a centre too.

[Havak]

The time limit expired without Wilko being cited.

The team is named tomorrow - if the BBC speculation is correct I don't think I'll even bother tuning in. I'll try to catch a glorious victory by the Scots instead (and then go count my local airborne pork).

[MOBIUS]

Wales for the Grand Slam now...?

[Andydog]

I very nearly switched the TV off during half time of the Wales England game. I'm glad I didn't, it's been a while since I've had a good rollicking chortle at a woefully inept pommy performance. There is nothing more amusing than watching a classic English collapse, and this one was of epic proportions – a total an utter disintegration that lead to a 20 year record being broken by the village idiots of rugby, and at the Fortress no less.

Baiting aside - The two positives for England were Haskell and Flood. Balshaw should never play again - presumably Ashton will bring back Tait for the Italy game. Vainikolo set up the try well but was quiet apart from that – looked to me as if he wasn't supposed to play much of that game as England had absolutely no idea how to use him effectively. Tindall's lack of pace was exposed several times. Too many of the English forwards have weak skill levels. Ashton needs to work on the decision making of his backs and generally pick better players, assuming all the imports haven't turned them away.

The plucky Welsh thoroughly deserved the victory. They held out and were patient. Hook was lethal with the boot, nailing both those crucial late conversions from touch. The Poms failed repeatedly to take their chances, and often played rather stupidly. Perhaps Welsh pressure had something to do with that. You could see towards the end of the game that Wales had their tails in the air and a spring in their step, whereas England looked like a bunch of depressed walking zombies. Full credit to Wales - to win was one thing, to do it in such come-from-behind fashion, another. And to top it off at Twickenham. One for the ages!