Six Nations 2014

[Cardiffblue]

Chest infection but apparently fit to train on Tuesday. Is Roberts ok? Thought he took a knock.

Haven't heard anything about doc jaw's ankle. Given how long he took to get his md I hope he's not self medicating

 

[Cardiffblue]

I saw a stat for the France vs orc game that beggars belief. There were apparently over 50 missed tackles, which is stratospheric. It's more than double the wales game

 

[the plastic paddy]

Might be because most of cementhead's diaspora XV ply their trade outside of the homeland whereas the Irish don't

That is only in the last year to eighteen months. And there are still a few in Wales. There is of course a historic and clear geographical element to the Irish regions which the Welsh franchises, many of them cobbled together between teams that loathed each other, do not enjoy.

 

[the plastic paddy]

I saw a stat for the France vs orc game that beggars belief. There were apparently over 50 missed tackles, which is stratospheric. It's more than double the wales game

Fits with my theory that it was a competitive game between two similarly poor sides.

 

[the plastic paddy]

Haven't heard anything about doc jaw's ankle. Given how long he took to get his md I hope he's not self medicating

I wasn't imagining it. Everything out of Wales indicates he is find anyway, welsh team announced in a minute, Irish team will be minutes before the deadline I suspect.

 

[Bardon]

Here's the Wales team to play Ireland. Warburton starts and captains the side. Roberts must be OK as he's down to start.

WALES (v Ireland) Leigh Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues), Alex Cuthbert (Cardiff Blues), Scott Williams (Scarlets), Jamie Roberts (Racing Metro), George North (Northampton Saints), Rhys Priestland (Scarlets), Mike Phillips (Racing Metro), Gethin Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), Richard Hibbard (Ospreys), Adam Jones (Ospreys), Andrew Coombs (Newport Gwent Dragons), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys), Dan Lydiate (Racing Metro), Sam Warburton (capt - Cardiff Blues), Taulupe Faletau (Newport Gwent Dragons).

Replacements: Ken Owens (Scarlets), Paul James (Bath Rugby), Rhodri Jones (Scarlets), Jake Ball (Scarlets), Justin Tipuric (Ospreys), Rhys Webb (Ospreys), James Hook (Perpignan), Liam Williams (Scarlets)

 

[the plastic paddy]

11 starters and 17 in the squad play for the Welsh regions. Not quite the exodus at this stage. I wonder if he would have brought in Coombs for Charteris if Charteris hadn't picked up an injury. Thought the bandy legged assassin would get the 23 jersey ahead of Jon Davies. Ireland are the bookies favourites for this but that tag can be deadly for the Ireland side. Hope the weather forecast is wrong anyway.

 

[Cardiffblue]

On field Tim Cymru as expected cept for Coombes. Good to see melon back. Surprised that jiffy 2 hasn't made the bench. Thought he'd stick with lydiate as I reckon well be doing plenty of tackling. He's gone for hook over biggar. Spose it gives him more options. Rhys Webb is a worry unless spike stays on. Still, my curve is on the up

 

[Cardiffblue]

Saw this on gwlad. Is it so bad?

Half the country's underwater (literally: there were people swimming in the streets of Cork yesterday morning, and that was light compared to Limerick), and more to come. NuLR is a stone's throw - an actual, not metaphorical one - from a river. It'll be sodden beyond belief. This is going to be Old Skool 6N; the sort of thing we remember from the Januaries of our youth.

 

[Bardon]

The bad weather has just hit now on the East coast. Skies looking very dark and it looks like those clouds have a months worth of rain in them ready to drop.

 

[JSRF10]

Nothing to fear in the Wales team from numbers 1-7, 9 & 10, still convinced that our superior set piece and our half backs, who are on another stratosphere compared to their Welsh counterparts will see us home. We just need to kick well, and our wingers chasing of box kicks needs to be better than Sunday.

 

[boyo]

The players and the officials may need snorkels in Dublin.

 

[Wales Fan]

Nothing to fear in the Wales team from numbers 1-7, 9 & 10, still convinced that our superior set piece and our half backs, who are on another stratosphere compared to their Welsh counterparts will see us home. We just need to kick well, and our wingers chasing of box kicks needs to be better than Sunday.

Agree with most of that, halfback as you say is Ireland's biggest advantage over Wales. I wouldn't quite agree with no's 1-7 Hibbard & Alun-wyn are some way ahead of their counterparts, and O'Connell & Healy similarly for Ireland. Not much to choose between the rest of the pack either way.
If conditions are poor as it looks like being the Irish halfback's will control the game far better than their counterparts and see Ireland home.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

 

[Lee Grant]

It's a pity that the weather and ground conditions are likely to be poor but because otherwise it would be a mouth-watering prospect.

I thought that Ireland played better that Wales did in Round 1 and they have the home advantage, but that extra day of preparation for Wales will cancel any Round 1 form advantage, if it meant anything to start with.

POC will make a difference to the Ireland team and especially quarterbacking the lineouts whichever team throws.

The contest of the two backrows will be fascinating but I think Ireland will miss the line-bending of SOB near the ruck more than they did against Scotland because Wales can defend in close for longer than Scotland did.

O'Brien would have been valuable in counterpoint to Faletau because they can both be dominant at the tackle line after a few steps and are handy when they break it or get their arms free.

Heaslip, ostensibly the direct opponent of Faletau, is a fine runner but he prefers to get the ball one pass wider. He is not a line-bender, and whereas it didn't matter last weekend, it could, this.

It was enjoyable to listen to Tony Ward doing the co-commentary with Nugent (we hardly ever get to hear his comments in the games we get from Setanta Australia) but I disagreed with his selection of Heaslip as the man-of-the-match last weekend.

I would have preferred Cian Healey or Peter O'Mahony—my, how these two have risen in the last couple of years, and what about Hibbard of Wales, who I thought was Neville Nobody not too long ago?

I was hoping that Tipuric would shine against Italy so he could start in more games in 6N this year, but he didn't—and it was never really on the cards was it? That type of linking opensider is dying out, with Hooper of Oz one of the few left—and who knows his future if David Pocock gets back to full form?

It will be interesting to see Phillips against Murray, who are similar in many ways and could balance each other out in the conditions expected, but Sexton should shine above Priestland in any event.

I'd like to see the Irishman get the ball flatter to the tackle-line because unlike ROG, he can run the ball. When he does it more than now, he will fix defenders and make it easier for his centres when he does pass.

And talking of Ireland centres: did Drico not have the highest tackle count for his team against Scotland?

He is a phenomenon.
.

 

[the plastic paddy]

The players and the officials may need snorkels in Dublin.

Have a nasty feeling the Ireland V Wales game could be off, I am sad to say. This rain is getting apocalyptic now.

 

[Cardiffblue]

A roof on nulr was a real oversight

 

[Llew]

Have a nasty feeling the Ireland V Wales game could be off, I am sad to say. This rain is getting apocalyptic now.

The forecast on BBC is as accurate as usual then! It shows drizzle atm and dry-ish Thu & Fri. Be a real shame if the game is off.

 

[the plastic paddy]

A roof on nulr was a real oversight

Nimby ism I am afraid.

 

[the plastic paddy]

Changes for Ireland, POC for Tuohy who replaces Henderson on the bench and D'Arcy for Marshall who drops out of the squad.

 

[JSRF10]

Disappointed Marshall has been dropped, his kicking game would have been useful. D'Arcy needs to get the defensive line up quickly and aggressively.