Rugby - The Game They Play In Heaven II

[kittenOFchaos]

Whilst I tried to sleep off manflu, Sale beat Wasps

[Havak]

Troglodytes? I think you are single handedly trying to drag the thread kicking and screaming
into the realms of the well educated (or well read).

Get Manflu more often kOc - a great result for Sale and one I highly approve of.

[kittenOFchaos]

England truely have no discipline.

14 minutes in. England 7 - Georgia 0, but it could easily be Georgia 11 and a tougher ref that wants the game to flow would have an Englishman in the bin.

[kittenOFchaos]

Try-machine Hape...

[kittenOFchaos]

Half-time

England 17 - Georgia 10 (try off the base of a scrum).

Had Georgia taken their penalties and finished off their previous try attempt they would be leading by a decent amount. I really do believe that England deserved a man in the bin for frequent penalties. England will win this game, but Georgia, in the wet (and not in a greenhouse) would be a very difficult proposition.

[kittenOFchaos]

It cannot be stated strongly enough. The Georgian 10 and his worthless penalty kicking is the only thing preventing Georgia from winning this contest.

When the kicking for goal isn't going well, take the scrum or kick for touch! Go Georgia, England suck and should have another man binned by now.

Update: England with the bonus point. The scoreline will flatter and paper over the cracks.

[kittenOFchaos]

Classic commentary "If you're looking for tricks, Haskell is often in the center of things".

And at the end "6 tries, better!".

What game was I watching then?

[LDiCesare]

England discipline was terrible. If they play like that against a nation with a good kicker or better tacklers in the backs, they'll get butchered. Georgia played well with their limited skills and speed.

[kittenOFchaos]

ITV having a pooping rugby ball before and after every advert is amusing - my wife spotted it.

[kittenOFchaos]

France versus Canada is just winding down. The Canadians certainly could have pressed the French closer, but the French replacements have worked better than the Canadian replacements.

The French no. 8 has impressed me with a number of very strong carries (I think he may have got MoM and deservedly so). Canada played well, but poor penalty kicking and lineouts stopped them getting close enough).

UPDATE: Last 10 minutes Canada were knackered. Bit mean of the French to go for that final try - scoreline is abit flattering.

Good game

[LDiCesare]

Well, managing to score the last (bonus point worth) try with no time left was certainly important, if only to avoid being lambasted for not scoring 4 tries against Canada.
Still, some French players were not really up to it. Traille is not a 15, and his placement under high balls is still dubious. Guirado likely played his only match. Marty was his usual don't-pass-the-ball self, and Rougerie has forgotten how to play wing. The back row was ok, and Clerc hade a huge game.

[Havak]

In Rougerie's defence that is because his coach keeps playing him at centre?

England's discipline will certainly undo them against bigger sides. The penalties they give away are such silly and unecessary ones. It is a decade long malaise now. Just as worrying we weren't putting in big hits - it smacks of taking the opposition too lightly. Haskell worries me in this regard, an obvious gym monkey he just doesn't make telling hits. No munches if you like.

Georgia impressed me. Strong and Direct they may well find themselves replacing Italy in the 6N is the Azzuri don't watch out. Just like Italy they entirely lack a back division however.

I do however think you let the occassion get to you a bit there kOc as the result was never really in doubt. The only team in the tournament I do not think England can beat is NZ, they are perfectly capable of beating anyone else on any particular day. Of course the draw has now polarised in hemsipheres unless more shock results occur. Still an interesting tournament.

Oh and as brave as the Canucks were their discipline at the end of the first half cost them dear. It is not a purely English disease.

[kittenOFchaos]

I do however think you let the occassion get to you a bit there kOc as the result was never really in doubt. The only team in the tournament I do not think England can beat is NZ, they are perfectly capable of beating anyone else on any particular day. Of course the draw has now polarised in hemsipheres unless more shock results occur. Still an interesting tournament.

I was watching the game and England should have had a man in the bin earlier and more sin-binning, the Georgian no. 10 should have bagged alot more of those kicks and if he had done so the result would have been close running into the last 20. The scoreline flatters.

England definitely can't beat NZ, but I think they also need to avoid SA as the Saffers will crucify them.

[Havak]

I was watching the game too and I completely disagree. And I'll trade you our missed kicks for theirs. Of course being missed kicks they are quite irrelevant. It was a comfortable win by a very underperforming side, it wouldn't be sufficient against a bigger side but then it wasn't against a bigger side. There really is no cause for panic at this point.

The Boks still look very beatable to me too, but then we are unlikely to see that fixture.

[kittenOFchaos]

And I'll trade you our missed kicks for theirs.

England didn't miss much but Georgia left 15 points begging (9 points from easy positions). With a half-decent kicker Georgia would have won the first half!

I've never said Georgia would win, but I saying that the scoreline is highly flattering and England were lucky to only see yellow once.