The Rugby Union Thread

lloyd

SH will be shaking in their boots with these performances, skills on show are terrible. Scotland were the better team but couple of our big players stood up and scored important tries.

lloyd

Offside :-SS I've been drinking in mitigation!

ewal

We are so used to it - Clancy is a homer. But well done Wales

lloyd

ewal said:

We are so used to it - Clancy is a homer. But well done Wales

Clancy is the worst international ref out there.

koneguitarist

I cannot believe how simple skills like passing the ball and drawing the man is beyond our back line. These guys could all do it before, but we are passing the ball before running forward towards the opposition. So we are actually 20-30m behind the gain line, then we have run out of room so we have to kick.

Shocking standards by a team renown for skills but now power, now it's the opposite, like a cheap copy of England 2003!

Gassage

It is so bad when so many reffing mistakes cost a side a game. That was baaaad. Even by Clancy's standards.

ewal

Still don't understand why Bennett did so little. Two games into the Six nations and he looks well off form. While Hogg is the best Scottish back in broken play, Bennett is normally the best when things are tight. Maybe missing Dunbar?

koneguitarist

Gassage said:

It is so bad when so many reffing mistakes cost a side a game. That was baaaad. Even by Clancy's standards.

Yes we know what it's like after last weeks game. All teams have had their share of wrong decisions, we got the rub of the green a couple of times today. Dare say England will get their share tomorrow.

ewal

Gassage;970373" said:

It is so bad when so many reffing mistakes cost a side a game. That was baaaad. Even by Clancy's standards.

Clancy is one of these refs who doesn't ref what he sees, instead he refs what he expects to see.

Rocker

I don't like the way Ireland play the game of rugby.  So attritional an approach.  Even Wales got sucked in last week.  A big problem, IMHO, for Ireland and several other countries playing in the 6 Nations, is that they don't score enough tries.  The try scoring average per game is low.  Compared to the Southern Hemisphere teams, embarrassingly low.  Was it any wonder that no Northern Hemisphere teams made the Semi Finals of RWC?  6 Nations teams are going to have to adopt the approach of today's Wales & Scotland game.  Get the ball out wide, run into the spaces and create chances to score tries.  I only saw the first half of the Wales/Scotland game but it struck me as this ought to be how the game is played.  My opinion has nothing to do with the result in Paris today, I have long felt that rugby has lost its way.  So badly that repeated maulings by Southern Hemisphere sides has not alerted coaches that the attritional approach has had its sell by day.  A long time ago.

lloyd

Rocker said:

I don't like the way Ireland play the game of rugby.  So attritional an approach.  Even Wales got sucked in last week.  A big problem, IMHO, for Ireland and several other countries playing in the 6 Nations, is that they don't score enough tries.  The try scoring average per game is low.  Compared to the Southern Hemisphere teams, embarrassingly low.  Was it any wonder that no Northern Hemisphere teams made the Semi Finals of RWC?  6 Nations teams are going to have to adopt the approach of today's Wales & Scotland game.  Get the ball out wide, run into the spaces and create chances to score tries.  I only saw the first half of the Wales/Scotland game but it struck me as this ought to be how the game is played.  My opinion has nothing to do with the result in Paris today, I have long felt that rugby has lost its way.  So badly that repeated maulings by Southern Hemisphere sides has not alerted coaches that the attritional approach has had its sell by day.  A long time ago.

Agree with most of this but Wales are the kings of attritional Rugby....we are clueless in attack and just Bosch it up the middle over and over...I've thought we can do better but on the last two performances I think the skills are lacking in the players in the NH, which is down to the leagues not being good enough. What's needed is a European league with the best of the talent playing each other week in week out (like the SH do) but it won't happen.

koneguitarist

I think there is a changing of the guard again. Ireland are having to rebuild after loss of POC and Bod, plus team has been aging, so fresh blood needs time to gel.

Wales, have been found out, as size doesn't always work, and we need to develope the skills again, need an influx of creativity from new backs coach. 

France.... Well France are France, can be brilliant to shit and all stops in between, but when on fire can beat the best in the world. 

Scotland need a win full stop, with that will come their confidence, but with the lack of depth, will only ever be capable of odd wins here and there. 

Italy need to learn how to play without Parisse, rely on him too much and I stand by what I say he is on the wane, and getting in the way of teamwork. 

England with their huge strength in depth, and better coaching could be serious contenders for new RWC

Don't expect them to win GS this year but they could do it, have the power and speed behind the pack. 

digitalscream

Ummmm...Italy are looking a bit scary here.

Gassage

one word-flat.

lloyd

Missed the game but followed it on web, typical England/Italy game with England pulling away at the end?

Gassage

lloyd said:

Missed the game but followed it on web, typical England/Italy game with England pulling away at the end?

I prefer to think of it as the massacre of a side who almost beat france at home last week.


(however your version is more accurate)

digitalscream

lloyd said:

Missed the game but followed it on web, typical England/Italy game with England pulling away at the end?

Yes, but not because Italy got tired. Looked to me like England found their shape and started to let rip.

lloyd

Cheers, just seen that it was an intercept which sunk them then a well worked try. Grand Slam is on for you lot.

Gassage

Itoje was fukcing incredible for 20 mins.

lloyd

Great prospect by all accounts.