Six Nations 2015

[the plastic paddy]

Hmmm. Wish came true! So it s on for Cardiff. It's going to come down to the back rows. Not a day for the optimism gnome imo. Hope biggar, Sam the bread and Samson are there. We re going to need them

What's wrong with Lee?

 

[the plastic paddy]

Hey plastic, Isn't cheltenham week on about the same time as the welsh game? Which one are you going to be watching. m4 is going to be busy!

Off to Swansea this Saturday, Cheltenham on the 13th. Not going to Cardiff as all my out laws are coming to stay, AAAAH!!!!! Looks like I am going to be working for the Scotland game on the last weekend, AAAAAH!!!

 

[mxyzptlk]

Half time 9-3 to Ireland. Good game so far! Ireland have been more clinical and disciplined and that is the difference. Nice to see both sides trying to play some rugby really.

Both sides moved the ball well, Ireland a lot more than they have in recent games. I didn't expect that against England.

 

[Shelts89]

Both sides moved the ball well, Ireland a lot more than they have in recent games. I didn't expect that against England.​

​

Indeed, I didn't expect them to use this game to actually start moving their game plan forward. Had to happen some time, and worked well clearly. ​

And, in my opinion, that was the best game of the 6Ns so far in terms of quality of play from both sides. Especially that first half. Shame about the result ​

 

[mxyzptlk]

Indeed, I didn't expect them to use this game to actually start moving their game plan forward. had to happen some time, and worked well clearly. ​

And, in my opinion, that was the best game of the 6Ns so far in terms of quality of play from both sides. Especially that first half. Shame about the result ​

You know what surprised me even more than the running? The scrums weren't a complete horror show. Many were completed on the first or second go, and they were pretty stable all game.

Definitely one of the better NH Test matches in recent memory.

 

[Shelts89]

You know what surprised me even more than the running? The scrums weren't a complete horror show. Many were completed on the first or second go, and they were pretty stable all game.​

​

Definitely one of the best NH Test matches in recent memory.​

The Irish scrum surprised me today, it has looked shaky for a year or so. But not today to be fair. Shame to see O'Brian go off injured. No luck that guy, bit ironic considering his nationality.

I say this without knowing much about scrummaging. I'm a scrum half!

 

[mxyzptlk]

The Irish scrum surprised me today, it has looked shaky for a year or so. But not today to be fair. Shame to see O'Brian go off injured. No luck that guy, bit ironic considering his nationality.

I say this without knowing much about scrummaging. I'm a scrum half!

I'm Irish (American), and if it wasn't for bad luck, a lot of us wouldn't have any luck at all.

There's no good camera angle to see what happened to O'Brien, but apparently it came out of a collision with George Ford, of all people. If that's the case, I can't wait to hear if he was actually concussed, or if Ford just banged into a sweet spot that threw O'Brien's equilibrium off.

Because I just can't see George Ford winning that collision, and if he did, people should fear him.

 

[Shelts89]

I'm Irish (American), and if it wasn't for bad luck, a lot of us wouldn't have any luck at all.

There's no good camera angle to see what happened to O'Brien, but apparently it came out of a collision with George Ford, of all people. If that's the case, I can't wait to hear if he was actually concussed, or if Ford just banged into a sweet spot that threw O'Brien's equilibrium off.

Because I just can't see George Ford winning that collision, and if he did, people should fear him.

.

George Ford is a very secure defender for his size, similar to Eastmond and Joseph. But yeah, I can't see him ever winning that class physically.

 

[the plastic paddy]

You know what surprised me even more than the running? The scrums weren't a complete horror show. Many were completed on the first or second go, and they were pretty stable all game.

Definitely one of the better NH Test matches in recent memory.

Scrums were well reffed with Joubert stopping early pushing. It might have helped that England didn't have a put in until the 54th minute.

 

[the plastic paddy]

George Ford is a very secure defender for his size, similar to Eastmond and Joseph. But yeah, I can't see him ever winning that class physically.

Second tackler was Vunipola?!?!? He has got an arse like Black Caviar's.

 

[Bardon]

England were pretty poor yesterday but they're a very good team and they'll learn from it like they did the mauling in the Millennium.

They can't afford too many more learning experiences though if they want to be contenders at the RWC.

 

[Cardiffblue]

What's wrong with Lee?

Dunno. Was being ice packed at the end

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Paul James & Morgan Parra both out for the rest of the 6N:

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3551_34611,00.html

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/...ack-parra-out-of-six-nations-with-knee-injury

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

The Castrogiovanni-bitten-by-a-dog looked a bit dodgy for mine & now this:

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3551_34812,00.html

Pape's appeal unsuccessful:

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3551_34801,00.html

More injury woes for Les Frogs: Remind Lamerat out for the rest of the comp.

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3820_34730,00.html

Better news for the Poms, though: Mike Brown should be back for Scotland.

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3820_34813,00.html

 

[fatprop]

I was listening to an Irish rugby podcast on the way to work (yes no visible signs of a real life)

I heard in the interview with Eddie O'Sullivan that the Irish players are sin binned at training for indiscipline

Get off side at a ruck, go off your feet, fall the wrong way and your replacement comes on while you watch from the side lines

 

[mxyzptlk]

I was listening to an Irish rugby podcast on the way to work (yes no visible signs of a real life)

I heard in the interview with Eddie O'Sullivan that the Irish players are sin binned at training for indiscipline

Get off side at a ruck, go off your feet, fall the wrong way and your replacement comes on while you watch from the side lines

I heard the same show. Seems like an effective tactic.

Schmidt also makes them do a tremendous amount of homework so they know what to do in any given situation. He's also big into visualization of plays, what he calls a "mind gym."

Apparently Sexton knows his and everyone else's job - Ronan O'Gara calls him a nerd. I think it was Shane Horgan who said at Leinster they'd occasionally get detailed play messages signed "J.S.," and sometimes they weren't sure if that was Joe Schmidt or Johnny Sexton.

 

[fatprop]

There is a certain logic in training the way you play, but if that was really the case many sides are practicing falling on the wrong side and being offside all match a lot

 

[mxyzptlk]

There is a certain logic in training the way you play, but if that was really the case many sides are practicing falling on the wrong side and being offside all match a lot

They may be, and maybe they're trying to be Richie McCaw strategic about how they fall off a ruck. But that's a gamble you take that changes with each ref.

 

[Bardon]

I think what really helps Schmidt's approach is that every one of the players buys into it. You could be the best coach in the history of the game but if the players don't believe in your philosophy you may as well talk ancient greek to them.

Try the same appraoch with the French squad and there would probably be a 10 minute argument, with the entire squad invovled, the first time you tried to sinbin someone. Then Pape would tell the coach to go f@$& himself before storming off in a huff.

 

[mxyzptlk]

I think what really helps Schmidt's approach is that every one of the players buys into it. You could be the best coach in the history of the game but if the players don't believe in your philosophy you may as well talk ancient greek to them.

Try the same appraoch with the French squad and there would probably be a 10 minute argument, with the entire squad invovled, the first time you tried to sinbin someone. Then Pape would tell the coach to go f@$& himself before storming off in a huff.

A lot of that buy-in had to come from the Leinster players (who had to buy into Schmidt's philosophy in the first place). What you used to hear from players from other provinces is that they weren't sure at first about some of the tactics (like the level of detail), but they were reassured by the boys in blue, and the more they won the more they bought in.

But yeah, you probably have to be predisposed to a certain level of philosophical acceptance. Bernard Jackman's talked a bit about how French Top 14 and Pro D2 players kind of scoff at the Irish organization, calling it Anglo-Saxon, but at the same time the teams have been recruiting Irish coaches (Jackman, O'Gara, O'Sullivan, probably more at the assistant level).

Here's a question: A lot's been made recently of how congested the game has gotten, with bigger and bigger players looking for collisions instead of space. France and England are the most guilty of that in the NH, with South Africa the biggest exponent of bosh in the SH. (England's changed up recently, but by injury-enforced accident.) Ireland has never had that large of a player base, both in numbers in sheer physical size, so they were never going to compete on a collision-only basis.

Isn't their drone-strike kicking game an answer to that development in the game? If the forward pack is so large and generally quick enough to shut down most gaps at the front, it seems they're finding ways of exploiting space in behind with the kick-chase, to the point that even if they don't recover a kick they have so much pressure on the opposition that they leave them disorganized -- which means more space. (A lot of that depends on the speed of the ruck, and Ireland won 116 of 117 of their own rucks against England.)

Maybe it's just accidental that that style of play picks the lock of the giants. Or maybe it's by design. Either way I'll take it.