The Rugby Union Thread

Gassage

digitalscream said:

Gassage said:

@bertie - disagree re Manu- Burrell's all round game is vastly superior. It's a nice dilemma though.

Well, it gives two options - start with Tuilagi to batter them for 50 minutes then bring Burrell on to run rings around their broken bodies, or make them chase Burrell and then have Tuilagi come on to steamroller them when they're tired

Neither of them are really world-class players, but the fact that they have wildly different games can be really unsettling.

Manu is absolutely world class - I can't think of many 13's I'd rather have. I am no fan of Smith that's for sure- hugely overated.

VimFuego

Gassage said:

VimFuego said:

Gassage said:

Walsh- bottled a ben to France in dying min- so obvious!!

the scrum?

yup

yeah, must confess I was surprised no penalty was awarded.

 

re Burrell, been really impressed with him. He's running some great angles and he has a really good passing game. Manu is a great player, but he's much more one dimensional in comparison to Burrell.

Gassage

VimFuego said:

Gassage said:

VimFuego said:

Gassage said:

Walsh- bottled a ben to France in dying min- so obvious!!

the scrum?

yup

yeah, must confess I was surprised no penalty was awarded.

 

re Burrell, been really impressed with him. He's running some great angles and he has a really good passing game. Manu is a great player, but he's much more one dimensional in comparison to Burrell.

I agree. Burrell also playing 12 at Saints so Burrell/Manu..?

Forge

Nice for BOD to leave on a high note, good tournament overall.

fretmeister

Gassage;187322" said:

VimFuego said:



Gassage said:



VimFuego said:



Gassage said:

Walsh- bottled a ben to France in dying min- so obvious!!










the scrum?










yup












yeah, must confess I was surprised no penalty was awarded.  re Burrell, been really impressed with him. He's running some great angles and he has a really good passing game. Manu is a great player, but he's much more one dimensional in comparison to Burrell.





I agree. Burrell also playing 12 at Saints so Burrell/Manu..?

I suggested that up there ^ somewhere. I reckon it would work very well.

VimFuego

it'd mean dropping 12trees, he strikes me as one of those players whose contribution goes unnoticed but without whom you miss a major cog. He seems to be finding a lot of time on the ball, which gives him time to make some good passes. Though dropping him would piss off jon eve, so there is that bonus >:)

bertie

Gassage said:

@bertie - disagree re Manu- Burrell's all round game is vastly superior. It's a nice dilemma though.

cant agree based on this week-end, you were obviously watching a different game on Saturday..Burrell was not even mediocre.  

Tuilagi is a match winner plain and simple.  Perhaps impact sub will be his destiny then 

bertie

oh and FRET 

WERE YOU WATCHING

Gassage

bertie said:

Gassage said:

@bertie - disagree re Manu- Burrell's all round game is vastly superior. It's a nice dilemma though.

cant agree based on this week-end, you were obviously watching a different game on Saturday..Burrell was not even mediocre.  

Tuilagi is a match winner plain and simple.  Perhaps impact sub will be his destiny then 

Bertie- Burrell made two tries- his break and give for one of Brown's took 3 players out.

And that's what a good centre does

There's a difference between doing it in the 73rd and the 3rd minute of any test match too.......

I think Manu will start at 14- he's played more first class games on the wing that at centre in point of fact. he may not quite have the gas but he brings a lot of other things to the table.

hywelg

tbm said:

Ok, predictions. I think;
France by 2
England by less than 30
Wales by 9

Not even close. Kiss the toad, he got closer.

fretmeister

bertie;187483" said:

oh and FRET 

WERE YOU WATCHING

Yes. Alas. Saints were bloody awful. Only Pisi seemed really up for it.

bertie

didnt/couldnt see any of it  -    Was dealing with an erection all afternoon................ and even if I wasnt,  took Sky SP off weeks ago.

• putting up a shed 

small but beautifully hand crafted.................  

fretmeister

If I had known what the game was going to be like - I would have preferred to help you with your erection.

joneve

VimFuego said:

it'd mean dropping 12trees, he strikes me as one of those players whose contribution goes unnoticed but without whom you miss a major cog. He seems to be finding a lot of time on the ball, which gives him time to make some good passes. Though dropping him would piss off jon eve, so there is that bonus >:)

I'd actually be more upset if May got dropped, although he needs to learn to run straight and use his speed more often and not cut inside EVERY time he gets the ball (though this may have been instructed, who knows). 36 played better on Saturday, and of course I'd love to see him in the starting XV, but I think we have a lot of depth at centre (if everyone's healthy). 

CabbageCat

You have to play Twelvetrees. He's adds a bit of plummy, floppy-haired English public schoolboy class to the team that has been sadly lacking since they started allowing northerners to play union. Ironically, though, the grubby regional-accented folk in the side mostly went to proper schools while Billy 36 went to the same mouldy state comprehensive as me.

tbm

Gassage said:

Walsh- bottled a ben to France in dying min- so obvious!!

Yeah, not sure there could have been much complaint if that had been given. Didn't think Sexy Steve had a great game overall though. He missed a few penalties for use when we were on top in the scrum. And as has already been said, that second French try was a knock on. 

Loads of eejits here giving out yards about Sexton and the missed kicks, forgetting that he contributed 15 of our 22 points.

@koneguitarist On the MOTM thing, not self respecting Rugby pro gives a hoot about those awards. It was Trimble all day long on Saturday, but BOD got it because of the day that was in it. 

koneguitarist

tbm said:

>@koneguitarist On the MOTM thing, not self respecting Rugby pro gives a hoot about those awards. It was Trimble all day long on Saturday, but BOD got it because of the day that was in it. 

Trimble has been quite good all round I feel, safer bet than Zebo and co. I a a way he reminds me of Liam Williams, not the biggest guy but solid and hard to stop as they seem so awkward. Overall poor 6nations from Wales, top 2 deserved, we are lucky to get 3rd.

Rocker

Don't want to go through another day like Saturday. Good that Ireland won. Great that BOD went out a winner. Wales confuse - good one day then awful. England solid but essentially boring to watch. Good results all round, Everton won as did Scunthorpe too. A good day.

koneguitarist

Rocker said:

Don't want to go through another day like Saturday. Good that Ireland won. Great that BOD went out a winner. Wales confuse - good one day then awful. England solid but essentially boring to watch. Good results all round, Everton won as did Scunthorpe too. A good day.

England boring to watch ? Scored enough tries, and Brown was electric along with Danny Care, top quality. Most boring team for me apart from last game was (and I hate to admit it) Wales.

tbm

Rocker said:

England solid but essentially boring to watch.

Can't say I agree with this. Mike Brown was the most dangerous back of any of the teams. Danny Care is totally uinpredictable, in a good way (Thanks for that Conor O'Shea X( ). Courtney Lawes is a freak. Thought Engalnd were great fun to watch. They have backs now. And they're all about 14. Scary.

It'll be interesting to see what Cotter will do with Scotland. There are some quality players there so they really could become a threat. At the same time, how long have we been saying that about Scotland? Hogg to 10? He needs to be on the ball more. He's a world class player. Gregor Townsend would have to be willing to play him there for Glasgow too.

Wales? I duuno. They could beat everybody next year. The mammoth contract given the Warren isn't looking too clever at the moment. Look at Eddie O'Sullivan and Ireland in 2007? One thing they did though was give me someone to hate. Liam Williams is a little bollox with his cheap shots.

Italy? They're better then the spoon suggests. They have backs now, and they are not so reliant on Sergio. The decision of the Treviso and Zebre to pull out of the Rabo is looking less smart now. Where are those players going to get quality opposition week on week?

Despite losing on Saturday France will be happy enough I suspect. They've a crapload of players to come back from injury (Fofana, Para, HairyDonkey, Clerc) and they've uncovered some young talent. PSA is the weakpoint, but he's probobly kept his spot past the world cup with Saturdays gameplan.

Loads of the UK press keep referring to the Irish squad as "aging". Such lazy journalism. We have some older players (BOD, Ross, Best, O'Connell) but the back bone of the squad like Heaslip, Kearney, Sexton, Murray, SOB, POM, Toner are all either young or in their mid to late late 20s. Just becuase the the England squad can't drink yet doesn't mean everybody else is old. And look at the Bench that was used? Cronin, Tommy O'Donnell, Jordi Murphy, Marty Moore, Iain Henderson, they're all young. And we've Bowe, Fitzgerald, Ferris and more coming back from injury.

England and Ireland are looking strong. A few tweaks to the gameplan, and more trust in Biggar or Hook and Wales will be there too. And France always have the ability to be France, as they showed on Saturday and on the first day.

I enjoyed the championship anyway!