Rugby - New Year, New Coaches, New Laws

[Havak]

I hope you will enjoy the small licence I took with that Finbar.

England coach Brian Ashton says he is running out of patience after his side's demoralising defeat by Scotland.

So am I Brian, so am I.

All up to you now France.

[LDiCesare]

How's your ulcer, LdiC?

Well, this time it was quite ok. Italy is only threatening when it pack attacks, the backs can't really do much. The second try sealed the game for me. Italians could (and did) score a try, but they wouldn't be able to score much more. I was quite pleased with the fly half.
On the other hand, I still dislike Rougerie more than ever. Clerc wouldn't have been caught by Bergamasco and would have scored a try. I didn't understand why the ref asked for the video when it was so obvious Rougerie had not scored. Rougerie also got pushed in touch when he had a player to his left asking for a kick which would have sealed a try. And any winger playing the same combination would have scored on Traille's pass.

I'm not confident at all against Wales. The Welsh are playing well, the French keep getting penalised in scrums and our lineouts are catastrophic. The Welsh have a team that's used to laying together, plays an attacking rugby and are looking forward to a grand slam at home. I'd certainly tip them over the French.
But I'd like to see who Lièvremont will select. Having jumpers and a thrower who know one another in the lineout would be nice. Tofay's halves performed well, I liked Yann David a lot in the center. Clerc, Malzieu, Heymans or Floc'h, but please, not Rougerie (maybe I also hinted that I dislike him?)

[Havak]

You might dislike him - but he has the potential to give the Welsh defence the willies.

Tries of the nature of Jauzions and Rougeries will cut through Wales as easily as they did Italy. France will certainly lose if they buy in to the idea that this is an unbeatable Wales side.

Sure Wales are big favourites - and it would be hilarious to me if they win their second Slam since the last time either France or England won one. And it is all England's fault again as Wales should never have got out of the starting blocks.

However you can bring a Wales fan down to earth with just four letters. Fiji.

Can a Wales side that wins the Grand Slam win either June test in South Africa I wonder? Don't bet your mortgage on it.

However back in Wonderland Brian seems to have recovered from the shock of Saturday and is now talking about not making too many changes. Because you wouldn't make too many would you? Not after a performance that Andy Nicol (former Scots skipper) described as "the worst I have ever seen from an England team".

And still Brian will give the same failures yet another chance. In hopefully his last game in charge.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
I hope you will enjoy the small licence I took with that Finbar.

Your perversity matches Ashton's!

I read his "no wholesale changes" speech with dismay. Immediately post-match, it almost seemed that reality had struck him. I suspect the Elite Director of Abject Failure took him aside.

And I'm paying a price for supporting Scotland. My hypocrisy has come back to haunt me. They're mediocre in the extreme and I've always said so. They won because they played to the absolute limit of their extreme limitations. Luckily for them, England were abysmal. I feared what the mediocre Frank Hadden would say. Sure enough, he says Scotland have silenced their critics. Bullsh*t. Not this one. Such was England's ineptitude, a decent team would have put 20 points on them even in those conditions.

Scotland -v- Italy will probably finish 0-0. Two strong defences countering the two most impotent attacks in world rugby. Well, including England, two of the three most impotent attacks in world rugby.

I agree that France can deal with Wales. As well as Wales are playing, they don't have either the forward power or the overwhelming defence that can stymie France. Whether they can win by the required 20 is another matter. And whether Lièvremont will pick a 12 year old #9 is another matter, too.

[Havak]

I seldom agree with Guscott but I'm making an exception.

If you do not drop players after that then I do not know what sort of message that sends.

Absolutely

Bag packing time for Mears, Vickery, Borthwick, Shaw, Noon, Sackey and Balshaw as none of these should ever have been selected for this tournament.

Backside on the bench for Wilko - has to be dropped to force him to try and improve. No one is an automatic pick.

Sheridan, Easter and Vainokolo in the last chance saloon. Big Les looks like what he is - a League player still trying to learn Union.

Lipman, Croft, Wigglesworth and Flood I'd persist with I think - although if Lund is fit he should possibly replace the Aussie. The other three are just about the only young players in the side so I'd give them more time.

[finbar]

At least Big Les tries to go and get the ball. Unlike the cove on the other wing who is more of a nancy every time I see him. Which isn't to say Les should be there. He shouldn't. It's bizarre that he has lasted as long on the basis of a bundle of tries on debut against cellar dwellers.

Either M'sieur Lièvremont reads this thread or LdiC has his phone number. Rougerie has gone. Altogether. With some useful additions. It seems Lièvremont is getting serious.

Oh, and I had a look at Freddie Michalak in Sharks colours on the weekend. His second start. He seems to be settling in. The team is playing well, about the only Bok S14 team that has survived the exodus of players to England and Europe. I don't remember him being bottle blonde before he left France. He is now.

[Havak]

Sorry Finbar - I'm in shock here. It seems Haskell will be fit (a good thing) but that means Ashton will drop Croft rather than Easter (and that is a bad thing).

But what really stopped me in my tracks is the BBC reporter cove suggesting that *shudder* JSD or Cueto could replace big Les.

Interesting to see all the Wasps boys and their alumni are saying Cipriani over Wilko. Dawson the latest to lay into Wilko. I don't disagree with them on Cips but my word that club sticks together. Close ranks and face the enemy boys.

With Tigers I've been listening to the rumour mill - alledgedly there is a schism between Lofreda and Cockerill with the players dividing between the two. If it is true one or the other coach will go in the summer.

[LDiCesare]

I agree that France can deal with Wales. As well as Wales are playing, they don't have either the forward power or the overwhelming defence that can stymie France. Whether they can win by the required 20 is another matter. And whether Lièvremont will pick a 12 year old #9 is another matter, too.

But the French managed to lose or waste all their lineouts, let the Italian scrum push them (before the introduction) and acted very naive quite often.
The back row will be much better I suppose (Vermeulen and Dusautoir being back), but still.
Heymans instead of Rougerie seems logical.
I'd rather have David play second center than a pair Jauzion/Traille, though, because they don't really complement one another, but having a seasoned player in front of Shaklin doesn't necessarily look like a bad idea.

[Havak]

Not forgetting Super-Gavin Henson of course. Much as we might like to.

[finbar]

Haskell for Croft is the easy option. OTOH, Haskell for Easter at #8, straight swap, would add pace and skills. The coach doesn't have the nerve. That's why he won't drop Wilko either, methinks. It's also why he'll probably opt for Cueto. I actually wouldn't mind seeing JSD. Put up or shut up time for his fans on the BBC site.

[MOBIUS]

Originally posted by Havak
You might dislike him - but he has the potential to give the Welsh defence the willies.

Tries of the nature of Jauzions and Rougeries will cut through Wales as easily as they did Italy. France will certainly lose if they buy in to the idea that this is an unbeatable Wales side.

I love it how you lot are still incapable of believing Wales can actually win any game at all...

It's been the same mantra throughout the competition - "England/Ireland/France are going to crush Wales".

Well guess what, the first two teams haven't, so what is there to suggest that France will when it struggled to 'cut through' Italy until the very end...?

Sure Wales are big favourites - and it would be hilarious to me if they win their second Slam since the last time either France or England won one. And it is all England's fault again as Wales should never have got out of the starting blocks.

Newsflash Havak!

Wales might not be the best team in the world by a country mile, but compared to us - England stink to high heaven!!!

However you can bring a Wales fan down to earth with just four letters. Fiji.

Actually, Fiji was a godsend. Unlike you, who have to struggle on with your own lame duck coach for god-knows-how-long - ours was so incompetent he had nowhere to hide. The guy was an idiot and I couldn't believe he was hired in the first place!

So, all I have to say is: FIJI! FIJI! FIJI!

Can a Wales side that wins the Grand Slam win either June test in South Africa I wonder? Don't bet your mortgage on it.

Jealous and sour grapes will get you nowhere...

So, if you lose to Ireland next week - will it be because you're feeling sorry for them too?

In hopefully his last game in charge.

Well, let's hope Ireland aren't feeling sorry for you next week...

[finbar]

You really shouldn't stay up past your bedtime.

Gatland is saying all the right things:

"We've made come progress, but I'm trying to keep these guys' feet on the ground. What they've achieved already has been pretty special but we're still a few levels behind teams in the southern hemisphere," he said.

[Havak]

Interesting spin you put on things Mobius. Found it quite amusing given you quote comments that never occured.

Gatland seems more realistic.

Allez les bleues.

[classical_hero]

I think I will make this into more than just a thread about the Six nations.

It was a disappointing result against the Crusaders on Sunday. The Western Force had enough of the ball to win the game, but basic errors cost them, but still it was a great game to watch.

[Havak]

A settler from Ravagon's neck of the woods? There are two rugby fans living there? Welcome.

Well Finbar, were I writing a farce I couldn't have predicted how BA has topped his predecessor for sheer muppetry.

Two changes. Cipriani for Wilkinson (who drops to the bench) and Haskell comes onto the bench at Narraway's cost.

Thats right - those are the only two changes he made. One youngster back in - and one youngster dropped. Everyone else still in on merit then? Beyond laughable Brian.

If I were not such a hard *******, and did I not know it would cause Mobius much mirth, I would now cry for my beloved England as truly the lunatics are running the Twickenham asylum.