Six Nations 2014

[Wales Fan]

I agree that the next RWC is going to come too soon for England. I would be worried that their scrum could implode but the new regulations which have worked very well in this six nations IMHO mean that a weak scrum won't cost you a game. I think Patchell will come into the reckoning for Wales next year as long as he recovers from his injury, Priestland is woeful. Anyway, fairly tight result, still Ireland's tournament to lose, hope Parisse is back fit for the Italians, can't see them shipping fifty points at home but you never know.

Think Patchell is a good shout for Wales Plastic. He looked very assured at 10 for the Blues earlier in the season, which was no mean feat given the shite in front of him !
Can't honestly see a way you can lose in France, they've been that poor.
Hope BOD leaves on a high note, it would be a travesty if the worst French side in living memory won the championship.

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[the plastic paddy]

Think Patchell is a good shout for Wales Plastic. He looked very assured at 10 for the Blues earlier in the season, which was no mean feat given the shite in front of him !
Can't honestly see a way you can lose in France, they've been that poor.
Hope BOD leaves on a high note, it would be a travesty if the worst French side in living memory won the championship.

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I think Wales have got to have a major rethink. Right through the team there are lads who spend the club season phoning in performances and, quite frankly, are not fit and ready for Test rugby. Gatland blaming the pro 12 might have assuaged the Regions politics but it is bollocks. Welsh rugby, regions and union have got to sit down and sort their shit out because the descent into mediocrity could be very rapid given the demographic of the side and the replacements coming through. I think Gatland might start with a clear out for Scotland. And I think one of the lads who might be dropped is Adam Jones.

 

[the plastic paddy]

Think Patchell is a good shout for Wales Plastic. He looked very assured at 10 for the Blues earlier in the season, which was no mean feat given the shite in front of him !
Can't honestly see a way you can lose in France, they've been that poor.
Hope BOD leaves on a high note, it would be a travesty if the worst French side in living memory won the championship.

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Can't see a scenario where France can win the championship, even if they beat Ireland it won't be by enough to overturn England's likely Point difference. I think Ireland should win well in Paris, especially as PSA has not called up Parra, thank God; also Ireland have a clean bill of health touchwood. Bowe in Dave Kearney and Pom back in at 6 would be the changes for me.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

I say let the Soap Dodgers talk themselves into favouritism for RWC 2015 and 2019.

I like seeing tall poppies fall. The World loves an underdog.

IMHO the Welsh need to move on from Gatlandball. It has served them well in the past but seems to be becoming a millstone for them, and I reckon their chances for RWC 2015 have suffered as a result of sticking with him for too long.

Probably too late for them to change now, so the Boyos had probably best stick with him and try to minimise damage at RWC 2015.

 

[the plastic paddy]

Will be interesting to see how England's defensive system gets on against NZ in the summer? Keeping out The Irish back line containing Daverage Kearney is not the same as containing NZ.

 

[Cardiffblue]

IMHO the Welsh need to move on from Gatlandball. It has served them well in the past but seems to be becoming a millstone for them, and I reckon their chances for RWC 2015 have suffered as a result of sticking with him.

I don't agree with this. Don't see gatlandball as the problem and given what happened on lions tour, done properly it's still devastating. Fast fit big backs running straight reading gain line it's still a winner. Problem is the way wales play gatlandball ATM. We are incapable of playing it for 80 minutes. It has to be played from the kick off. We have turned it into 40 mins of damage limitation via poor positional kicks and ramping up in the second half. Trouble with that is that if teams play position better than us we are caught playing catch up and given the quality of our half backs we are completely unstuck when opposition close the game down.

 

[Bardon]

One thing Wales' decline shows up is that it doesn't matter how devastating your other backs are, or how effective your style is, if your halfbacks are poor you're going to struggle.

Until Wales start experimenting with other options at 10 we can't definitely say that the tactic is dead. Big guys running hard straight lines can be very effective if it's done properly. But there's a difference between a Bastareaud type approach where he's unlikely to offload and the way Wales play it at their best.

There have been some uncharacteristically poor choices made by the Welsh backs in kicking ball away when holding onto to it or putting it through the hands would have been better. The Prime example of this was North kicking away a 2 on 1 against England.

The other factor is that Gatlandball relies on being fitter than your opponents, especially in the forwards, this can't be achieved by picking guys who have very little or no game time under their belts. Put up against a superbly conditioned English pack they struggled and the fitness of the Irish pack is also improved from previous years.

It will be very interesting to see how far the changes go for the Scotland game and if those who perform well are retained for the June/November tests.

 

[JSRF10]

I don't agree with this. Don't see gatlandball as the problem and given what happened on lions tour,.

I'm not sure scraping over the line once and getting an illegally scrummaging loose head and Roman Poite perfect storm shows the tactic is alive and well. I mean that Wallaby side was the worst in the professional era! The Lions should have won that series 3-0 comfortably, instead they were a Kurtley Beale slip away from losing.

Gatland and Wales problem is that they have no plan B when the primary tactic of going from side to side isn't working, this isn't helped by the fact that only Halfpenny has an international class kicking game. I'll be interested to see how they go in South Africa with him. Gatlands selection hasn't helped either, firstly bringing his favourites back as soon as they can and not letting them get some match fitness in and secondly Rhys Priestland being one of his favourites. Wales have such a simple, occasionally hugely effective gameplan, that is so well drilled once it isn't worked they don't know what to do. There is no creativity there which is unusual for a Welsh team.

 

[Wales Fan]

I'm not sure scraping over the line once and getting an illegally scrummaging loose head and Roman Poite perfect storm shows the tactic is alive and well. I mean that Wallaby side was the worst in the professional era! The Lions should have won that series 3-0 comfortably, instead they were a Kurtley Beale slip away from losing.

Gatland and Wales problem is that they have no plan B when the primary tactic of going from side to side isn't working, this isn't helped by the fact that only Halfpenny has an international class kicking game. I'll be interested to see how they go in South Africa with him. Gatlands selection hasn't helped either, firstly bringing his favourites back as soon as they can and not letting them get some match fitness in and secondly Rhys Priestland being one of his favourites. Wales have such a simple, occasionally hugely effective gameplan, that is so well drilled once it isn't worked they don't know what to do. There is no creativity there which is unusual for a Welsh team.

Gatland really needs to tweak his selection policy. As you say he relies too much on his favourite players like Priestland, but ironically Biggar at 10 would cope with Gatlands gameplan far, far better. Gats tries to fit square pegs in round holes at times.
SA this summer could be a real car crash unfortunately.
On the plus side, I'd accept a weakened squad if it meant a couple of young halfbacks get a chance to stake a claim, love to see Patchell get a run at 10 & Rhodri Williams at 9 - both hugely talented.
Short-term pain for long-term gain !

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[JSRF10]

Gatland really needs to tweak his selection policy. As you say he relies too much on his favourite players like Priestland, but ironically Biggar at 10 would cope with Gatlands gameplan far, far better. Gats tries to fit square pegs in round holes at times.
SA this summer could be a real car crash unfortunately.
On the plus side, I'd accept a weakened squad if it meant a couple of young halfbacks get a chance to stake a claim, love to see Patchell get a run at 10 & Rhodri Williams at 9 - both hugely talented.
Short-term pain for long-term gain !

With Halfpenny gone and Biggar not getting selected Wales' goal kicking is going to be a huge problem in SA, can see two floggings for them. Re Gatlands selection policy if Shane Williams came through now would Gatland every pick him?

I see England have recalled Manu Tuilagi to their bench for the weekend. They need tries and lots of them to heap the pressure on the Ireland.

 

[Wales Fan]

Gatland will surely have to start Biggar with Halfpenny out, Biggars kicking is on a par with Halfpenny although not quite distance wise.
Can't see England matching Ireland's score against Italy somehow. Anyway when Ireland put 40 points on France it'll be immaterial !

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[the plastic paddy]

Gatland will surely have to start Biggar with Halfpenny out, Biggars kicking is on a par with Halfpenny although not quite distance wise.
Can't see England matching Ireland's score against Italy somehow. Anyway when Ireland put 40 points on France it'll be immaterial !

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I am an optimistic man Wales fan, jes I need to be with the way Cheltenham is going!?!?! But 40 points is pushing it. Funnily enough though a target for Ireland to aim at might not be a disaster as long as it is not too much. That said, I don't want to see anyone put 50 points on Italy at home. I am proud of the way Italian rugby has developed with the help of the Celtic nations. The fucking PRL would like to see the game in Italy destroyed so the last thing I want is for the English to give the Azzuri a hiding.

 

[Bardon]

I don't think Ireland will put a huge score on France. I do believe we need to go for a win by more than a couple of scores just as a cushion so we don't end up like the English and Scots.

 

[Bardon]

Here's the French team to play us:

France: B Dulin; Y Huget, M Bastareaud, G Fickou, M Medard; R Tales, M Machenaud; T Domingo, D Szarzewski, N Mas, P Pape (cpt), Y Maestri, L Picamoles, A Lapandry, D Chouly.
Replacements: G Guirado, V Debaty, R Slimani, A Flanquart, S Vahaamahina, W Lauret, JM Doussain, M Mermoz.

Changes are Picamoles back in, Szarzewski for Lapandry who drops out of the squad, Fickou for Mermoz and Tales for Plisson.

 

[Bardon]

Wales have made 6 changes for Scotland:

Wales: Liam Williams (Scarlets); Alex Cuthbert (Cardiff Blues), Jonathan Davies (Scarlets), Jamie Roberts (Racing Metro), George North (Northampton Saints); Dan Biggar (Ospreys), Mike Phillips (Racing Metro); Gethin Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), Ken Owens (Scarlets), Rhodri Jones (Scarlets), Luke Charteris (Perpignan), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys), Dan Lydiate (Racing Metro), Sam Warburton (Cardiff Blues, capt), Taulupe Faletau (Newport Gwent Dragons).
Replacements: Richard Hibbard (Ospreys), Paul James (Bath Rugby), Adam Jones (Ospreys), Jake Ball (Scarlets), Justin Tipuric (Ospreys), Rhodri Williams (Scarlets), Rhys Priestland (Scarlets), James Hook (Perpignan).

Williams for the injured Halfpenny, Biggar for Priestland, Phillips back in, Ken Owens for Hibbard, Rhodri Jones for his namesake Adam and Charteris for Ball.

 

[Bardon]

England starting XV unchanged for Italy:

England: M Brown (Harlequins); J Nowell (Exeter), L Burrell (Northampton), B Twelvetrees (Gloucester), J May (Gloucester); O Farrell (Saracens), D Care (Harlequins); J Marler (Harlequins), D Hartley (Northampton), D Wilson (Bath), J Launchbury (Wasps), C Lawes (Northampton), T Wood (Northampton), C Robshaw (Harlequins, capt), B Morgan (Gloucester).
Replacements: T Youngs (Leicester), M Vunipola (Saracens), H Thomas (Sale), D Attwood (Bath), T Johnson (Exeter), L Dickson (Northampton), G Ford (Bath), M Tuilagi (Leicester).

Tuilagi comes onto the bench in place of Goode.

 

[the plastic paddy]

Come on Parisse!!!!

 

[Bardon]

Here's the Scotland team to play Wales:

Scotland: S Hogg (Glasgow Warriors); D Fife (Edinburgh), A Dunbar (Glasgow Warriors), M Scott (Edinburgh), M Evans (Castres); D Weir (Glasgow Warriors); G Laidlaw (Edinburgh); R Grant (Glasgow Warriors), S Lawson (Newcastle), G Cross (Edinburgh), R Gray (Castres), J Hamilton (Montpellier), R Wilson (Glasgow Warriors), K Brown (Saracens, capt), D Denton (Edinburgh).
Replacements: R Ford (Edinburgh), A Dickinson (Edinburgh), E Murray (Worcester), T Swinson (Warriors), A Strokosch (Perpignan), C Cusiter (Glasgow Warriors), D Taylor (Saracens), J Cuthbert (Edinburgh).

Dougie Fife will make his debut replacing the injured Seymore, Wilson is in for Beattie who was injured against France. Strokosch & Dikinson come on to the bench.

At least the changes this time are down to injuries and not Johnson's scatter gun approach from the rest of the 6Ns.

 

[Bardon]

Ireland team to play France: 15 Rob Kearney (Leinster), 14 Andrew Trimble (Ulster), 13 Brian O'Driscoll (Leinster), 12 Gordon D'Arcy (Leinster), 11 Dave Kearney (Leinster), 10 Jonathan Sexton (Racing Metro), 9 Conor Murray (Munster), 1 Cian Healy (Leinster), 2 Rory Best (Ulster), 3 Mike Ross (Leinster), 4 Devin Toner (Leinster), 5 Paul O'Connell (capt; Munster), 6 Peter O’Mahony (Munster), 7 Chris Henry (Ulster), 8 Jamie Heaslip (Leinster).
Replacements: 16 Sean Cronin (Leinster), 17 Jack McGrath (Leinster), 18 Marty Moore (Leinster), 19 Iain Henderson (Ulster), 20 Jordi Murphy (Leinster), 21 Eoin Reddan (Leinster), 22 Ian Madigan (Leinster), 23 Fergus McFadden (Leinster).

No surprises Peter O'Mahony back in as expected, otherwise there's no changes in the starting 15.

Ruddock drops out of the squad as Henderson drops to the bench. Maddigan comes on to the bench for Paddy Jackson.

 

[the plastic paddy]

Madigan coming in for Jackson is a joke shop decision. Completely and utterly unjustified. Madigan has been rubbish this season and has been behind a fat journeyman, Gopperth, who would struggle to tackle his breakfast. Keatley and JJ, both of whom are carrying chronic injuries, have been better than anything we have seen out
of Madigan this season.

That said, I will be supporting Ireland as fervently as always on Saturday and will be delighted when we win in Paris for the second time in my lifetime.

And really great news is that Stephen 'Genia carrier' Ferris is on the bench for the Nordelators tomorrow night. Fingers crossed for the big fella, a beast!!!