Rugby - The Game They Play In Heaven II

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It's beyond comprehension how Ireland contrived to lose with 80% - yes, 80% - possession. Deccie's selection chickens came home to roost. Even poor Paddy Jackson's provincial coach said he wasn't yet ready for Test rugby - he's not his province's full-time kicker - but Deccie's refusal to blood young 10s, relying on the ageing and declining ROG, has bitten Ireland on the bum. It's now almost sad watching ROG on the field. The chip kick inside his own 22? Good grief. Promising debut by Luke Marshall but he only got a start due to Darse's injury. The now-injured Zebo only ever got a start due to injury. Scotland showed great character and produced some excellent defence. It was enough. Somehow.

[Havak]

That chip kick was the most bizarre play of the weekend I think.

Once again the BBC commentator had a useful observation - ROG no longer interests the opposition defence. He lacks the pace to make line breaks so has become very predictable.

At least Paddy was varying it. But how did they not get out of sight in that first forty minutes? Largely down to the dysfunctional line out?

Deccie is under pressure now - the Irish Union has become accustomed to doing better than this....

By the way Manu had 19 stitches in his ear after the game, meaning that the bandage was probably the only thing holding it on?

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No, it wasn't the lineout. Nor getting minced in the scrum. They had close to 80% possession and not much less territory despite being rubbish in the set-piece. I don't know what was behind turning down those penalties early on. They would have had returns for all their overwhelming dominance. Heaslip isn't a captain's bootlace. Notice how BOD took control with the second-half penalty in front of the posts? He made the decision. He must find leading the team without the armband galling.

They lost because they couldn't convert. Earls botched the first-half try by both ignoring BOD inside him and carrying the ball in his wrong hand to give it to BOD anyway. There's an argument that BOD was covered but he only had to slip it back to Earls and the try was there. Earls has a history of this sort of blindness. He's head-down kamikaze. Luke Marshall, apart from his fine efforts, botched at least one important chance. There were others. Toss in Ireland's second-half indiscipline, ROG's idiotic chip kick, and there goes the game.

You know who I'd send to Oz with the Lions? Sean Maitland. Knows where the try line is and you can see the rugby intelligence at work. He knows where to go on the paddock whether attacking, supporting or defending. He grew up in a pretty useful rugby environment. He's inexperienced at Test level but he's played against the Australians for years in S15. He would know them backwards. I'd take him a long way in front of North and Cuthbert, probably also Ashton. Fatland, though, will take North and Cuthbert. To his cost.

I read somewhere that Manu said it was okay as long as the ear was in some way still attached to his scone.

[kittenOFchaos]

You know who I'd send to Oz with the Lions? Sean Maitland.

To be honest, just sending a slightly improved England team would probably do the job against Australia and it is clear that Ashton is one of the more deficient England players ATM. This time around the Lions really ought to be aiming at complete domination giving the resources at their disposal

As for this past weekend...France showed promise until PSA worked his magic. Basteraud was tamed and Tuilagi made him look very ordinary on a number of occasions. The interesting thing about England at the moment is that in most positions there are several options. In my view, apart from Tuilagi, Cole and Robshaw all the other positions are still up for grabs. It is amazing how far Cole has come from being a complete lump giving away penalties here, there and everywhere.

Personally I'd like to see England bringing back Foden and introducing Wade at the earliest opportunity. Foden breaks tackles in a way very few England full-backs do. In a way he reminds me of Chris Latham who was simply awesome and bulldozered his way through more defenders than pretty much anyone. Foden and Latham really punish poor kicking.

There is a debate about Ashton atm...my contribution is to point out that Brown did bugger all last match...England really didn't give their wingers much opportunity to shine and that is a real weakness of their play. As for Wade...he is a speedster that is scoring plenty of tries and has plenty of years of pace left in him.


I didn't bother with Italy versus Wales...and from the highlights it really looked dire...but perhaps not as dire as Scotland versus Ireland. Scotland may have defended well, but it is deplorable that we managed to secure so little possession given the players at our disposal. Some have praised Harley, but given that in the last two games we rarely had a sniff of the ball being a nuisance is not enough. In the last few years the Scottish pack has secured tonnes of possession...it would be dismal if this supply dries up at a time when we've actually got a decent backline. The sooner Ross Rennie and Barclay are back the better...and Beattie better up his game too.

As for Ireland...perhaps abit unlucky. Had Harley seen yellow there was every likelihood that they could have got abit more of a cushion to defend. For whatever reason, Ireland have switched off after the 50 minute mark...and they say the French are unfit. What is clear is that the Irish really, really, really need a new Head Coach.

It'll be very interesting to see what further twists and turns this 6 Nations presents...there is no reason to suppose that Wales can't take England down in the Millenium Stadium.

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London Welsh in bother for an unregistered player. A points deduction is the usual penalty. The relegation drama might be resolved off the field.

[kittenOFchaos]

London Welsh in bother for an unregistered player. A points deduction is the usual penalty. The relegation drama might be resolved off the field.

Whilst I do want Sale Sharks to stay up, I don't want it decided in this manner.

From what I was reading on the salerugby.co.uk previous cases have resulted in a point loss per appearance. That could be 11 points. London Welsh brought this case to light and the dodgy dealer doesn't work with them any more, that should work in their favour. We shall see.

If London Welsh goes down, perhaps we can grab their orange man...

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No one wants to see clubs' futures decided off the field but rules are rules. Regardless, before this arose, I'd've wagered a small amount on Sale staying up anyway.

The Orange Man wouldn't be a bad get. Providing he behaved himself.

Healy's stomping ban overturned on appeal. The appeal was against the application of the ban rather than the ban itself. So a technicality. If the judiciary had wanted to ban Healy sufficiently to miss a specified number of rep matches, they should have banned him for four weeks, not, as they did, three weeks spread over four weeks. Yet another argument for bans to be implemented in terms of matches not weeks.

[kittenOFchaos]

Hmm...didn't do too well tonight...

Ulster 29 - Treviso 29

Who would have thought that?

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Not me. Though Treviso B did beat Munster last week and it was pretty much Treviso B again last night with their best players away with the national squad. Zebre went close, too.

[kittenOFchaos]

Not me. Though Treviso B did beat Munster last week and it was pretty much Treviso B again last night with their best players away with the national squad. Zebre went close, too.

In fact I don't think I've ever predicted so many results incorrectly.

Thought Wasps would beat Worcester and Gloucester would beat Bath and that the Cheetahs wouldn't lose by quite so much. And those are just the ones that stick in my head!

Leicester playing Sale atm...come on Sale

Edit: Well, at half-time it is 27 - 3 to Leicester...go Sale!

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Just checked the score and I was just about to say - well might you wink.

[Havak]

The first game I had made it to this year, and a good one to have picked. Was not in any state to post about it yesterday evening. I do so like Everards Tiger Bitter.

It was a very bad day at the races for Sale, they just couldn't achieve any cohesion to their play. Tiger had squandered half a dozen clear cut chances before the first try. I'm not here to rubn salt in kOc's wounds however but Diamonds comments aftere the game indicate where there problem is I think?

"We are really disappointed with the performance. We came here with what we thought was a competitive side and were drilled.

"I don't know why. Sometimes it happens. We have to look at ourselves and regroup. We have to win two or three games and put in better performances than today, otherwise our position will be justified. "

He thought they were well prepared but they looked like a side that had done no analaysis at all of the opposition to me. And he would do well to accept that their position is warranted by their on field displays?

I hate to say it but off-field issues might be their best bet of survivial. And for me i want them to survive - Union in the northwest is more important to me than yet another Greater London franchise staying up.

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Diamond's response sums up Sale's problem pretty well.

I, too, want them to stay up. A better coach would make their lives easier.

[Havak]

I shall leave the spelling and grammar in that post as is as a testament to my hangover.

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For shame. At your age.