Garrison games.

You were happy enough to take our blood money.

You = people complaining about IRFU and FAI using Croker, not DV in this case.

The French team was really good in the first half yeah, but in the second the Irish were clearly the better side. I’m all for France winning, but I got to admit that they were a bit lucky. I sure hope the grand slam is a-coming!

Were the English that bad? I didn’t see the game, only heard people say that Italy deserved to win, which kinda surprises me. If that’s true, that’s twice in two games that Italy almost upset England. They sure will need to improve their game if they want to beat Ireland (it is their next match isn’t it?).

It is their next match. Italy were just so much stronger. They kept attacking and running down the ball. I just feel that on the day the English wanted it more.

The Irish could be a great team but the mistakes we were making... The French are terrible at Line outs but instead of taking advantage of that we were making unforced errors.

i think england, france and ireland are all battling it out to see who is the most rubbish so when it comes to the world cup they don’t get mortally humiliated by the all blacks in the final...

Then again the all blacks always seem to peak too early. They are clearly the best side in the world right now, but come september?

But it’s true that I’d rather bet on them in the World Cup than France, England or Ireland

Italy deserved to win

Oh, they didn’t, they just don’t have the backs, but they certainly showed more enthusiasm, were stronger in the pack, and will be far more pleased than England with the result.

You never know, we could actually snaffle a win this year.

I almost wrote that there was no such thing as “deserved to win” in my post up there, but that’s what I was told about their match. Italy will probably win one game this year, against Wales I guess. They have been improving a lot ... and who knows, in ten years time maybe they’ll win the Six Nations :-D

They have been improving a lot

The thing is, how many times in the last decade have we heard this? And yet they still can’t (regularly) beat countries like Scotland and Wales, they still get the wooden spoon, and they still have games like the one against France. Maybe at some point, a wonderful fly half and couple of superlative wingers will appear at just the right time, combine with a brilliant coach.... but it ain’t likely I don’t think.

England could get the win but they’ve not actually played against a contender yet. We’ll see how they come out of the Ireland match.

No one deserves to win really, Ireland should of course but that’s another matter!

Wales have had a rather staggering downwards trajectory performance wise over the past year. Was there a major change that I missed? Someone injured?

I’d argue that Italy have now got the potential to win this if they get a bit more weight. They definitely have one of the best coaches!

Was Scotland v Wales as bad as it sounded, someone? I was busy elsewhere at the time, and it doesn’t sound like I missed much.

I didn’t think it was that bad, but then I do like to see a lot of last ditch defence (how scotland didn’t score significantly more I’ll never know). More entertaining than England / Italy, certainly.

(how scotland didn’t score significantly more I’ll never know)

See also: France.

The thing is, how many times in the last decade have we heard this?

Well I know I haven’t heard that a lot in the past decade. They were pretty much considered a joke or an easy win, but maybe I wasn’t listening in the right places.

No one deserves to win really, Ireland France should of course but that’s another matter! Fixed :D

Mmmh, i hope my tags work, this is a first for me :D

Unfortunately they did. You’re cheek has been noted!

Ah FFS your cheek!!!!

**Wales have had a rather staggering downwards trajectory performance wise over the past year. Was there a major change that I missed? Someone injured?**

1. 2005 Grand Slam winning coach Mike Ruddock resigned half way through the last 6 nations. He was replaced (eventually) by the utter fuckwit that is Gareth Jenkins.

2. Jenkins has the tactical nous and coaching ability of a small plastic soap dish. He’s managed to turn a hard-scrummaging yet mobile pack into a bunch of whey-faced fops. The Scots have got a barely international class front-row, yet at the first scrum of the game tight-head Adam Jones got lifted, the whole thing went backwards and we got pushed off our own ball. Criminal.

3. He hates Gavin Henson and won’t pick him. Henson is probably the most talented player Wales has had in a decade. He can do stuff that other players can’t, that we really need. e.g. time a pass, pass out of the tackle, kick long and accurately for position. But fuckwit Jenkins can’t see past that fact that Gavin wears silver boots, has spiky hair, is shagging a celeb and isn’t a coalminer.

4. Shane Williams is injured, so we have insanely decided to play Chris Cjekaj instead of a seasoned, tough tackler like Dai James. CC has been so far out of his depth in the first 2 games that it’s been painful to watch. He had to go to fullback vs the Scots when Morgan went off injured—we had no adequate cover on the bench because GJ won’t even give Henson a place in the 22.

5. GJ selects donkeys like Sidoli and Stephen Jones, when they are useless and way out of form respectively.

6. Never underestimate the Welsh capacity for infighting and self-destruction.

We can still recover and win a couple, but only if we :

a) switch James Hook to 10

b) bring in Cockbain at lock. We need a really nasty bastard in there.

c) get Shane Williams fit or pick Luscombe or James on if not. Drop CC.

d) Try a different hooker. The line-out problems appear to be down to TRT. Don’t replace him with M.Rees, bring back Mefin Davies (hard, experienced) or go for someone with a bit of dog like Aled Gravelle.

e) Get a fucking game plan together.

we have insanely decided to play Chris Cjekaj instead of a seasoned, tough tackler like Dai James. CC has been so far out of his depth in the first 2 games that it’s been painful to watch

Painful to pronounce too...

Sunday was horrible.

Sorry Irish contingent, but it cheered me up after Saturday! I have to say that Ireland have surprised me a bit—the front-row has improved no end this season. But the backs still run sideways too often—they didn’t make France commit to the tackle enough. The winning France try just shows what’s possible when you straighten up and go for the gap.

I used to like you up until that point. Ronan OTM.

Nah, thanks for the info about Wales. I didn’t realise that Henson was so valuable. I too am unfortunately quite like the coach as in I can’t see past that fact that Gavin wears silver boots, has spiky hair, is shagging a celeb and isn’t a coalminer. Well it’s the spiky haird really and his weird orange-ness!

What are the odds of any of the changes being made do you think?

Some changes will be made, but not the right ones.

You need the granny rule! That’s how we got Boss who is shaping up to be a fantastic number 9!

Boss is good, yes. I thought he tried a bit too hard on Sunday—should have stopped and thought at a penalty near the end (after Horan’s run IIRC), but he’s streets ahead of Stringer.

I feel bad slating Stringer as he put in so many good years but he’s just not great anymore.

Boss forced a couple of things stupidly but I’m really hoping a bit of experience (or being shouted at for the next while) will sort him out :)

It seems as good a place as any to announce that I have retired from all rugby, including internationals, with immediate effect. Much as the Welsh R.U. would be tempted to play a 44 yr-old number 8 in the rest of the 6 nations, I shall be writing them to tell them of my unavailability. I expect a place in the BBC Studio as a summariser to be offered as a matter of course. Highlights of a glittering 30-year career include being the only member of my team to enter the opposition half in a 0–78 loss (1987), passing to the referee when clear and 5 yards out from the line (c.1995) and being knocked out by ex-British Lion M1ckey Sk1nner (2006). The rugby world salutes a legend.

Truly Rugby has lost one of it’s brightest stars :(

I expect after the next international that Grandstand will have a five minute highlights reel for you to “The Scientist” by Coldplay.

Now Kevin Morgan is out of the France game. This is a huge distaster as he is one of the few backs with real pace and the ability to run angles. Jenkins SHOULD pick Henson, but will pick the pedestrian Lee Byrne instead, I should think.

You can’t get the wooden spoon at least!