| Six Nations Thread anyone? 20:03 - Feb 5 with 5679 views | Toast_R |
Predicting France by 10 in the opener tonight. What a game to kick off though.
Dupont back for Les Bleus at last. |  | | |  |
| Six Nations Thread anyone? on 14:27 - Feb 9 with 1064 views | BlackCrowe |
| Six Nations Thread anyone? on 13:17 - Feb 9 by robith |
That's a bit of a reach isn't it? England players made up 40% of the Lions squad - they surely had no choice but to play non first choice players.
Also that England team vs Argentina had an average age of 27 and featured 5 players who played on Saturday including 3 with more than 40 caps and one with 100! |
Fair enough to a point, but whilst England was touring in Arg, Ireland challenged themselves with Portugal and Georgia i think. |  |
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| Six Nations Thread anyone? on 15:11 - Feb 9 with 990 views | robith |
| Six Nations Thread anyone? on 14:27 - Feb 9 by BlackCrowe |
Fair enough to a point, but whilst England was touring in Arg, Ireland challenged themselves with Portugal and Georgia i think. |
Sorry, I'm hoping this doesn't come across as personal, because the written word on a forum can sound intense, I just love chatting rugby and don't want to make it sound like I'm going in hard on you!
Scotland also went to Fiji and Samoa, as part of trying to give Tier 2 nations more opportunities at playing tier 1 nations at home for a pay day.
There are 4x more rugby players in England than Ireland, and 2.5x more top flight clubs. It stands to reason England could contest a higher level than Ireland without their first choice players. In fact, bar injuries the front row Ireland played in the summer would've usurped the Lions players on form and Big Prendergast has become a starter off the back of it.
Ireland also fielded a far more inexperienced squad than England - 13 uncapped players vs England's 10, and 208 total caps vs England's 560
Ireland have failed to rotate properly, and is a big black mark against Farrell imo but England's current success is mostly due to a coach actually picking on form and playing a game plan that maximises their strengths (instead of Jones' rather bizarre attempts to recreate Full Metal Jacket behind the scenes). Their youth pipeline is fruitful cos there's more players with more pathways into the elite game, and that has always been the case, they've just underachieved over the last decade relative to playing population and income |  | | |
| Six Nations Thread anyone? on 18:08 - Feb 9 with 864 views | Welsh_Ranger |
On the Wales subject; it is very similar to what Ireland are going through now. In Gatlands first tenure he consistently played a very settled experienced squad with all the names that you know AWJ, Williams etc and never blooded talent. In other words he was very short-term-ism in his outlook, similar to some football coaches that we know!!
The WRU unlike the FAW had no strategy when the sun was shinning and prefered to feed themselves while not having any depths of facility - they did away with the national development center and essentially thought everything was going to be OK. The powers that be at the top of the WRU are inept fatcats. Now that the roof is broken they are powerless to halt the slide while picking up their massive salaries.
Throw in the cap ruling that was so pompus it was unreal and as some people have mentioned the boom in the success of the national football team and you have a fullblown crisis.
Its so sad to watch and I've got a ticket to the France game! |  | | |
| Six Nations Thread anyone? on 20:24 - Feb 9 with 768 views | robith |
This is a great read about why the sands have shifted so quickly from under Ireland, and in general what the game has become about
https://www.threeredkings.com/
Tl:Dr - ruck based phase play, the backbone of Irelands game since 2017, has dramatically become very ineffective with the new kick contest laws | | | |
| Six Nations Thread anyone? on 23:51 - Feb 9 with 695 views | TomS |
| Six Nations Thread anyone? on 20:24 - Feb 9 by robith |
This is a great read about why the sands have shifted so quickly from under Ireland, and in general what the game has become about
https://www.threeredkings.com/
Tl:Dr - ruck based phase play, the backbone of Irelands game since 2017, has dramatically become very ineffective with the new kick contest laws |
That's a really enlightening article. Thanks for sharing. I now see why Jonny Sexton was kept on the pitch for the whole match against the All Blacks in the World Cup Quarter Final. [Post edited 9 Feb 23:54]
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| Six Nations Thread anyone? on 12:31 - Feb 10 with 555 views | BlackCrowe |
| Six Nations Thread anyone? on 15:11 - Feb 9 by robith |
Sorry, I'm hoping this doesn't come across as personal, because the written word on a forum can sound intense, I just love chatting rugby and don't want to make it sound like I'm going in hard on you!
Scotland also went to Fiji and Samoa, as part of trying to give Tier 2 nations more opportunities at playing tier 1 nations at home for a pay day.
There are 4x more rugby players in England than Ireland, and 2.5x more top flight clubs. It stands to reason England could contest a higher level than Ireland without their first choice players. In fact, bar injuries the front row Ireland played in the summer would've usurped the Lions players on form and Big Prendergast has become a starter off the back of it.
Ireland also fielded a far more inexperienced squad than England - 13 uncapped players vs England's 10, and 208 total caps vs England's 560
Ireland have failed to rotate properly, and is a big black mark against Farrell imo but England's current success is mostly due to a coach actually picking on form and playing a game plan that maximises their strengths (instead of Jones' rather bizarre attempts to recreate Full Metal Jacket behind the scenes). Their youth pipeline is fruitful cos there's more players with more pathways into the elite game, and that has always been the case, they've just underachieved over the last decade relative to playing population and income |
It doesn't come across as personal Robith at all. You're clearly much more gemmed on the game than i am (genuinely) and it's good to read your perspective. Just giving my viewpoint - i don't really follow club rugby much except a couple of matches a season at Esher RFC. | |
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| Six Nations Thread anyone? on 12:49 - Feb 10 with 514 views | robith |
| Six Nations Thread anyone? on 12:31 - Feb 10 by BlackCrowe |
It doesn't come across as personal Robith at all. You're clearly much more gemmed on the game than i am (genuinely) and it's good to read your perspective. Just giving my viewpoint - i don't really follow club rugby much except a couple of matches a season at Esher RFC. |
cool, i just know a wall of text might look like I was coming at you! I just love gassing. Appreciate you starting the debate too | | | |
| Six Nations Thread anyone? on 17:12 - Feb 14 with 287 views | PlanetHonneywood |
England looking like very QPRy! |  |
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| Six Nations Thread anyone? on 17:14 - Feb 14 with 280 views | Lblock |
| Six Nations Thread anyone? on 17:12 - Feb 14 by PlanetHonneywood |
England looking like very QPRy! |
Gone full on Charity Park Rangers |  |
| Cherish and enjoy life.... this ain't no dress rehearsal |
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| Six Nations Thread anyone? on 17:30 - Feb 14 with 238 views | Toast_R |
I had Blackburn and Scotland double today, just because I f*ing knew it.
Stand to win a tidy sum but I'd trade it for an England come back. Cannot see it now though. Its been a sh*t show. That kicking game is doing my head in.
Finn Russell has turned up. | | | |
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